A/N This is my first fanfiction so let me know what you think! This is the first chapter and more will be added! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 1. Returning to Hogwarts

Hermione walked up to the portrait that lead to the dorms of the head boy and head girl. After the war, she had returned to Hogwarts for her final year and had even been named one of the two best titles a seventh year could get, head girl. She wasn't told who the head boy was, but she wasn't worried about it. She imagined it was Neville Longbottom, or maybe it was Michael Corner, a boy from Ravenclaw. She looked up at the large portrait of a past headmaster and said the password. The portrait swung open and Hermione walked into the common room. It was much nicer than the Gryffindor common room. The furniture was practically new, candles lit the room and gave it almost a homely glow, and banners with the colors from all four households decorated the stonewalls and high ceiling. Hermione looked around, feeling content with her new home for the next few months. She headed up the staircase to the right and opened the door to her bedroom. Gryffindor colors atoned her bedspread as well as the walls, a desk sat against the far wall with feather pens and ink ready to use, and all her stuff was already neatly put away. She laid on her bed and put her hands behind her head and closed her eyes.

The war had done a number on Hermione. Not just physically, but mentally as well. Almost every night she was plagued with nightmares. Green flashes of light, loved ones collapsing to the floor, and screams laced in and out of her nightmares. The war had greatly affected Ron too. He never admitted it, but Hermione could see it in his eyes. Ron and her had started dating after the kiss in the chamber of secrets, but it was gone as quickly as it came. Both Ron and Harry didn't return to Hogwarts with her, but instead went out to round up the last of Voldemort's followers. They promised to write and keep her informed about the search. Hermione sighed. It was going to be a long year without her two best friends.

The sound of the portrait door closing drew Hermione out of her thoughts. The head boy must've arrived. Hermione mentally scolded the unknown boy about being late. She would have to talk with him about that. She opened the door just a crack to see if she could get a peak of who it was before she went and talked with him. At first she didn't see anything, but then a head with brilliant blonde hair came into her view and she shut the door as quickly and softly as she could. Unfortunately, she would have recognized that head of hair from a mile away. It was Draco Malfoy. He was known as the Slytherin king, and for good reason. She knew that the long year and just gotten longer

Draco closed the portrait door and walked into the common room. It wasn't the same as the dungeons in Slytherin, but it would have to do. He gave a quiet sigh and walked to the stairs on the left. He could have sworn he heard a soft click, like a door being shut, but when he turned around, he say nothing. Draco shrugged his shoulders and went into his room. The room was decorated with Slytherin colors and a desk sat on the opposite side. He sat in the chair near the desk ran his fingers through his hair. His father had scoffed at him when he said he wanted to return to Hogwarts. When Draco told him he was serious, his father had stormed off to his chambers without another word. His mother was supportive, giving him money for all his supplies, and even dropped him off at the Kings Cross station. Draco suspected that she felt guilty for not stopping his father or anyone else when he was recruited into the Death Eaters, but she never said anything. Most dinners were spent in silence, not that they weren't before, but this was a different type of silence. One that Draco was thankful to escape. Whenever Draco looked at her, he could see in her face how sorry she was. Draco couldn't find the heart to forgive her.

Draco had changed from the boy who was excited to join Voldemort's ranks. He had been through war, and had seen things he could never forget. Things like Dumbledore crashing through the window after being hit by the killing curse, or the countless muggles Voldemort tortured and killed for pleasure. One of his most clear and painful memories was seeing Hermione, a girl he was told was his enemy, lying on the ground with "mudblood" carved into her arm. He hated to admit to himself how much pain that really caused him. He never would have felt that way about any other girl. It was just her. Draco rubbed his temples, trying not to think so deeply into it.

A faint tapping sound came from the window next to him and he looked up. An owl he didn't recognize kept tapping until he opened the window. As soon as Draco got the letter of the owl, it flew through the open window. Draco shut it while he read the letter

"Head boy and girl are to meet in Headmistress McGonagall office for a meeting."

Signed at the bottom was a signature written in unmistakable green ink. Draco sighed and threw the letter onto his bed as he grabbed his school sweater. As he walked into the common room, he saw the stairs that would lead to the head girl's room.

Should probably let her know we have a meeting. Draco thought.

He reached an old oak door and raised his hand to knock before it swung open, giving him a slight breeze that ruffled his hair. Startled, he looked down to see an equally startled Hermione looking up at him with a parchment in her hand.

"M-Malfoy, your head boy?"

He couldn't find his voice. The images of the frizzy brown-haired girl lying on the floor of the manor with that ugly word carved into her arm came back to his mind. Hermione looked away from him with a tint of red on her cheeks, and Draco found his voice again.

"Um, yea. Yea I guess your head girl then."

"Um yea," she said, still not meeting his eyes.

"Uh, prof- I mean Headmistress McGonagall wants us to meet her in her office for a meeting," he said, half wishing she would look him in the eye.

"Yea, I got a letter too," she weakly held up the piece of parchment and he saw a bit of green ink. "The password is Lemon Drops."

"Oh, she didn't tell me that. Would you mind if I walked with you then?"

He thought he saw a bit of fear in Hermione's eyes, but as soon as he saw it, it disappeared even sooner. "Yea that'd probably be best, she said. And with that she pushed passed Draco and walked out of the portrait hole with Draco right behind her.