Hey guys, this is my first fanfic in awhile, so pleaseeee be merciful when you read. This time, I'm gonna go for a little Dramione as I ship them with everything in me. :P So yeah. There is gonna be some coarse language in future chapters and such, but I won't spoil it.

Unfortunately, I don't own the HP series, and all credit goes to the lovely J.K. Rowling. And I don't own the song "Monster" by Paramore, which is the primary inspiration for the story.

Enjoy!

Prologue: You Were My Conscience

It all started with a common room.

After the war and much repair, Hogwarts was ready to be reopened. As a compensation for the horrendous school term, all students were allowed to repeat the year they were in (or supposed to be in, in the case of our Golden Trio).

Hermione Granger received a letter one week prior to the school term. She was excited to get her life back on track with her best friends by her side. When the letter arrived, she was a tad curious, as she wasn't really expecting anything in the mail. She turned it over and saw the Hogwarts seal and stared at it, wondering what it was about. Tired of speculating, she tore open the envelope and gasped in excitement at what she read:

Ms. Granger,

Seeing as how you are considered the brightest witch of her age, we are very pleased to inform you that you have been selected as Head Girl for your final year at Hogwarts. As you know, this entitles you to certain amenities, such as early dismissal from class, no curfew, and of course, the coveted Heads Dormitory. You should also be aware that you also have new responsibilities in addition to your normal coursework which are not limited to patrolling the corridors at night, mentoring first year students, and running student events here at the school. You, along with the Head Boy, will work very closely together and will be seeing a lot of each other for the school term. I, along with the rest of the staff, know you will make us proud.

Cordially,
Professor McGonagall
Headmaster

Hermione was so excited at what she had read that she could hardly contain herself. She apparated to the Burrow immediately to tell Ron and Harry about her good news. They, of course, knew without a doubt she would be chosen, but congratulated her nonetheless. Mrs. Weasley, who was practically Hermione's new mother, insisted that she just get her things and spend the rest of her week at the Burrow with Harry and Ron. She happily obliged.

The first day of Hermione's final year at Hogwarts was upon her, and she couldn't be more excited than she was at that moment. As she walked up the staircase to her dormitory, she couldn't help but marvel at how much Hogwarts hadn't changed even after it had been rebuilt from practically the ground up. She approached the painting and fumbled for the password.

"Ahem…nonsensical sensibility." She said, picking up her bags and walking into the dark hallway.
She couldn't help but wonder who the Head Boy was. She hoped it was someone who shared her intellectual qualities. A Ravenclaw, perhaps.

And then, she saw him.
No, no, no…this cannot be happening! There must be some sort of mistake! She thought silently. Well, she THOUGHT she thought it silently...

"Oh, Merlin, this must be some sort of sick joke," said the acid voice. "Well, are you going to stand there mouth agape or are you coming in?"

Hermione, with her mouth still open, shook her head, picked up her bags and quickly scurried into her room, not even making eye contact. After setting her room up the way she wanted it, she sat down and thought about her situation. And it didn't make her happy at all.

Draco Malfoy and I are the Head Boy and Girl….How could my life get any worse? Okay, well let's say he's still a malicious little ferret, then he'll just try to make my life hell. So, I just won't interact with him. Do my Head duties as required and nothing more. And report him to McGonagall if he even thinks about calling me a 'Mudblood'.And I will hex him into tomorrow if he pulls some stupid stunt with me.

The first few weeks were the worst. Hermione never spent time in the Heads Common Room, while Draco practically lived in there, just to get on her nerves. Then it moved to quarreling over showering and spending too much time in the bathroom. More than once, Draco and Hermione had to go to McGonagall for what they felt were "irreconcilable differences" and argued that the other should be dismissed as Head and have someone replace them. McGonagall, of course, would have none of it. So there they were. Locked into living with each other for 250-odd days. It wasn't until a couple months later that Draco and Hermione really got to know what cohabitation meant.

After a particularly bad incident with finding her boyfriend Ron snogging a random fifth year in the corridor, Hermione had done what any normal teenage girl would have done…locked herself in the bathroom and cried. Draco, of course, wasn't having any of it. "Oi, Granger! You've been in there for over an hour and I haven't even heard the tap run. I have more important things to do than sit outside of this door and wait for you to come out just so I can take a piss in peace!"

"Shove off, Malfoy!" Hermione yelled, while holding back a sob. "I'll come out when I bloody well please!" Draco continued pounding on the door and then yelled "If this door isn't opened in ten seconds, I swear by all that's revolting and putrid in this world that I will blast it down myself." Hermione, arguing with herself mentally, figured it would be better to just open the door and quickly run to her room before Draco saw her than have to deal with no bathroom door and the possibility of Draco sneaking a peek at her while she was showering. "Fine. Have it your way. But I don't want you to be around when I open the door." Hermione said, standing up and trying to fix herself as best as she could. Draco scoffed. "Whatever."

She took a deep breath and unlocked the door. Now she had approximately five seconds to run to her room without Draco seeing her. Of course, things never work the way they plan. Three steps out of the door and she smacks into Draco, who grabbed her by her shoulders. "God, Granger, lose a bet or something? You look even worse than usual." He said with a sneer.

That was the last straw, she completely broke down in front of him, falling to the ground and crying like a lost child. Draco was taken aback at this and asked "What in the bloody hell is your problem?"

Hermione continued sobbing and yelled "Just shove off, okay? I don't want to talk to anyone, especially you!" Draco put his hands up in defense and walked to the bathroom. Hermione dejectedly pulled herself up to the couch by the fireplace and wrapped herself in a quilt while she continued to cry until she fell asleep.

When she woke up, there was a cup of tea on the sidetable. She took a deep breath and slightly smiled. Peppermint. Her favorite. Not like he would know, she thought to herself. She turned her head and saw Draco asleep on the couch across the room. She wondered if he ever slept in his quarters. She assumed he was responsible for this semi-kind gesture and wanted to thank him. It was only 9 PM anyway, not like it was too late for an evening wake up. She gently shook his shoulder, thinking that he looked so different when he slept…like he actually might be normal under there. However, she was rudely disproven when Draco twisted her arm and pointed his wand at her throat.

"Malfoy! What in God's green earth are you trying to do, kill me?" she yelled, untwisting herself from his grip.

"Don't….ever….do….that…again." he whispered angrily.

"Well, that's what I get for trying to thank you for the tea. And to think, I may have thought we could have been civil to each other."

"You thought wrong, Hermione."

She stood there with her eyes wide open, trying to process what she just heard. "W-wait. Did you…just….not call me Granger?" she asked, still shocked.

"Listen, Hermione, we're going to be living together for quite awhile. Even though I still detest you and your horrendous half-blood presence soiling my space, I'd rather make this easier than harder. I want this to be as pain-free and not miserable as possible. After all, I'm Draco Malfoy and I deserve to have a good final year at Hogwarts."

"As pigheaded as that may sound Draco, you make a good point. And I feel that I am entitled to the civility and pursuit of a good final year as well."

Merlin! Am I actually trying to get along with him? What is wrong with me? She thought.

"Well, as pleasant and mildly acidic as this conversation has been, I really must go to bed. Thank you…I guess…for the tea." She said, sticking her hand out.

Draco eyeballed her for a second, as if he were thinking "What the hell are you THINKING?" but then lightly shook her hand, and they went their separate ways...for awhile.

This simple step was only the beginning of the long journey they faced together. As time went on, they became less "civil" and more "friendly" towards each other. One might even venture to say "flirtatious" on some occasions. Other students noticed the possessive air Draco had whenever he walked slightly behind Hermione during their patrols. They noticed the looks he gave her, that she reciprocated. Of course, both denied all rumors that came their way and attributed it to being "forced" to live together.

About four months into the term, Draco completely threw Hermione for a loop in the middle of a heated argument by grabbing her shoulders and giving her the most passionate kiss. She was taken aback and promptly asked "What in Merlin's good name was that for?" He shot her a suave smile and said "Because. I'm Draco Malfoy and I always get what I want." She shook her head and replied "You're barking mad."

And she kissed him back.