She lay on a desk of an un-used classroom sleeping soundly. Though it was something he knew he shouldn't be doing, he sat there in the desk next to her, watching her as her chest rose and fell with her breathing. She looked peacefull.
He reached for the muggle contraption she had given him. It was a CD walkman, at least that's what she said it was. He kept watching her as he turned the walkman on and put on the headphones, afraid he would wake her if he made too much noise.
He had to thank her for giving it to him, but that would have to wait.
His eyes drifted closed as the music pounded in his ears; his thoughts occupied with the sleeping brunette who so unexpectedly became his friend.
Flashback
"I can't believe this! How did I end up in this situation?" she asked herself aloud as she paced the area infront of the door.
"Look, Granger, we've been stuck in here for 3 days and your rambling isn't helping. We need to find a way out of here and as much as I'd hate to say it, we need to work together to find that way!" he said in an irritated tone wondering what he did to deserve this torture.
"Ok, Mal-ferret, what do you suggest we do?" she said, her voice trembling as her anger grew to frustration. "We've tried everything short of time travel! Every unlocking spell we know has failed and every charm we throw at the damned door has backfired!" She threw her arms up in defeat.
He sat on the floor, staring at her, knowing full well that she had a point. 'How the hell did we get in this damned place to begin with?' he thought to himself. Then it hit him. They had to figure out how they got in in order to get out.
"I have an idea."
"Go on then, Merlin knows I can't think of anything." She sat opposite him, waiting for him to tell of his great idea.
"And they call YOU the brightest witch of our age?!" he asked a bit incredulously.
"Think about it, we have no idea where we are or how we got in here. Judging by the classroom and the walls, I'd say, we are still in Hogwarts" he smirked triumphantly.
She gave him a scowl, "Ok, but what does that have to do with us getting out?"
"You've read 'Hogwarts: A History' millions of times haven't you? Is there anything in there about secret rooms or passageways?" he asked, his tone hopefull.
"Well, we know for sure this isn't the Room of Requirement and it was never in H.A.H. There is one room though, but nobody knows much about it. There were a couple of students about 25 years back that claimed they were stuck in a secret room for an entire week.They were found by the Head Girl at the time, coming out of a classroom that no one knew was there. The students hadn't been friends before their alleged entrapment, but when they were found, they had become inseperable. They, along with the Head Boy and Girl, went back to look for the room, but they never found it again. The location is unknown and they never firgured out how they got in or out.."
He had a pensive look on his facce, all of the information she just gave him swimming through his thoughts.
"Did they say what happened IN that room?"
"They said that for the first couple of days, all they did was argue. Then, four days in, they got so tired of fighting, they decided to call a truce. They started talking and became friends. After that, the only thing they remember is being found by the Head Girl. They don't know how they got out."
'So, that's what we have to do to get out of here' he thought, 'arguing got us in this mess and we have to get along to get out.'
She could tell what he was thinking, she was thinking the same thing, but how were they going to get along? They had 6 years of trading hexes, insults and hate to put behind them. That's not something that could be easily done.
"Ok, we need to re-evaluate the situation," he said standing up, "and figure this out."
"I know you figured this out already, Malfoy, I did too. I just don't know how we are going to manage it. There's a lot working against us."
"There is, but if we don't get out of here soon, I'm going to go crazy, and trust me, you don't want to see me go crazy."
"We can't just get along after years of hate, Malfoy, it just won't happen..." she said exasperatedly.
"It won't happen if we don't try."
She looked up a little surprised but nodded her agreement.
"How are we supposed to start this then? Six years is a lot to get over and I don't think a few days stuck in a room together is going to help. Not to mention the fact that our respective houses have hated eachother for centuries. What is going to happen when we finally get out? Where will that leave us?"
"We don't get over it. We leave it where it is supposed to be, in the past. We start over, forget all the insults and the hate. Forget who our friends are, who our enemies are, and forget that we come from two completely different worlds. It's the only way this is going to work. As for what's going to happen when we get out...we'll catch that snitch when we spot it. I'm willing to try but we won't get anywhere if you aren't" he said realizing that the words he had just spoken made his voice sound foreign, even to himself.
'If only Father could hear me now' he thought to himself, waiting for her answer, 'he's probably turning in his grave as we speak.'
Hermione stared at him, and for the first time, was at a loss for words.
Looking at him, she finally spoke, "What happened to the Draco Malfoy I loved to hate?" she asked, a small smile playing across her lips.
"He doesn't exist anymore. He stayed in the past with all the other shit that's happened all these years. So, what do you say we start from the beginning? I'm Draco Malfoy" he held out his right hand, waiting for her to take it.
She took it a bit hesitant and stood up with his help. "Hermione Granger, it's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too," he said letting her hand fall from his grasp.
'I sure do hope this works,' they both thought as they tried to figure out where to go from there.
End Flashback
"Draco..."
'Who is that?' he thought to himself, slowly opening his eyes.
"Draco, wake up..."
"Hermione?" he asked rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Yes, it's me, what are you doing in here?" she asked in hushed tones.
"I followed you here before dinner started, why are you whispering?"
"Shh," she said putting a finger to her lips, "you're not supposed to be in here right now. If he finds you in here with me, there's no telling what he might do."
Worry etched her every feature as she nervously glanced at her watch, then at the door.
"Hide? What for? Who are you talking about?" He hated not knowing what was going on.
"We don't have time for this, you have to hide right now!" She pushed him toward the corner of the classroom, brandishing her wand, ready to perform a concealment charm.
"Fine then I'll tell you, just hide" she said performing the charm, taking extra care that it had taken full effect.
"Ok, I'm hiding, but you will tell me what this is all about."
She turned around and started walking toward the door without taking a backwards glance. Just then, the door flew open, sending a pile of papers on a nearby desk into a flurry and finally to the floor.
Harry Potter walked in fuming.
"Why the hell weren't you at dinner? You were off with HIM again weren't you?" he said taking a few short strides to stand in front of her.
"Who are you talking about, Harry? I've been in here, asleep on a desk, all this time. I've been by myself all this time."
"You're lying..." his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, "I know you Herms, you blink your eyes more than usual when you lie and you did it just then."
"You're just being paranoid, Harry. What happened to you? After you found out that Draco and I were friends, you changed."
"I'm not the one that changed Hermione, you changed! When you became friends with HIM, you lowered all your standards and forgot who you were."
"If you really know me as well as you think, you'd realize I'm more than just 'Harry Potter's clever friend.' I have my own life, I decide what I want to do with it. If I want to be friends with Draco, I will be, and there's nothing you can, or ever will be able to, do about it!"
He gave her an incredulous look and Draco watched from his invisble corner in horror as Harry Potter drew back his hand ready to strike Hermione.
"Stop it right there, Potter. That'll be fifty points from Gryffindor for attempting to harm another student." Blaise Zabini stood in the door frame, his wand trained on Harry, ready for something to happen.
Harry let his hand drop and turned toward him. "Stay out of this Zabini, this doesn't concern you."
"Oh, but it does concern me, Potter. I am Head Boy, and as such, I am to protect the Head Girl from any harm, that includes clueless, scarheaded, would-be heroes who think they can do what they want and get away with it."
'Good one Blaise' Draco snickered at what his housemate had said.
With that said Blaise turned to Hermione, "You ok, Granger?"
"I'm fine Zabini," she said.
Harry drew his wand ready to duel.
"What are you going to do, Potter? Hex me? Kill me? By all means, do try."
Just as he was about to perform his spell, Severus Snape walked in.
"What in Merlin's name is going on here?"
"Sir, I came in here to find Potter about to strike the Head Girl" Blaise spoke up first.
"Is that true Miss Granger? Did Mr. Potter try to strike you?"
Hermione took in a shaky breath and began to speak, avoiding Harry's intense gaze, "he did sir."
She heard Harry gasp in disbelief.
"Now I know that the Hermione I used to know is lost forever," he said sadness and anger evident in his eyes.
"Mr. Potter..." Snape spoke, "I expect to see you in the Headmaster's office in ten minutes. Don't be late or your punishment will be more severe."
He turned to leave, but not before giving his ex-best friend one last look. He walked toward the door, but Hermione's voice stopped him in his tracks.
"The Hermione you knew isn't lost," she said, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, "you just never knew who she really was." With that, Harry walked out of the classroom.
Draco muttered the counter curse to the concealment charm and walked to where Hermione stood, ingnoring completely the stares he was receiving from his best friend and his Head of House.
"What was all that about then?"
Hermione sighed, "that was Harry being a complete git" she replyed as she finally blinked and let the tears fall.
"He started becoming angry, possesive, and sometimes even violent after he found out we were friends. Ever since we lost Ron in the final battle, he can't stand seeing me talk to other people. He thinks he's going to lose me by making new friends, and he's not to happy about my making friends with his enemy of six years"
"He's an arsewhole!" Draco blurted out, "has he tried to hit you before?"
Hermione nodded, "and he succeeded," she confessed, lifting her school shirt to just above her belly to reveal a barely healing bruise on her ribs.
"That bastard!"
"I would have to agree whole-heartedly, but you aren't going to say anything about it to anyone. Blaise and Proffesor Snape already know what's been going on. It's kind of hard to keep this kind of thing quiet when it happens in the quarters you share with the Head Boy," she said nodding towards Blaise.
"Hermione..." came the voice of Proffesor Snape, " I think it's about time Draco knew..."
"Now?" she asked hoping he was joking.
"Yes, Hermione, it's as good a time as any."
Draco stood there watching the interaction between the Head Girl and the Potions proffesor.
"What should I know? Now you're just confusing me" he said, his words becoming evident as his brow furrowed.
"Well, Draco," Hermione began, "I'm not exactly who you think I am."
"Then please, enlighten me. Who are you, if not Hermione Granger?"
"Proffesor", Hermione said, "You can remove it."
Snape drew his wand and and whispered a barely audible spell over Hermione. Suddenly, Draco wasn't looking at the Hermione Granger he knew. She no longer had her trademark dark brown curly hair and eyes. She stood taller than usual and right before his eyes, her body developed curves, giving her a perfect hourglass shape. She stood there in front of him, now with hair the color of a raven, eyes as blue as the sky. She had the same face, the only differences being that her lips were a bit fuller and the corners of her eyes were angled upward a bit.
An image of a five year old girl with dark hair an bright blue eyes flashed in his head.
He knew her, but from where, he could not remember.
"Who are you?" he finally spoke.