Hermione didn't need Draco to respect her. She didn't care if he did or not. He just needed to make sure they were able to operate as a team. There was no way she was going to let him ruin any part of her final year at Hogwarts. No way.

The sorting went along smoothly as each prefect took initiative and lead each first year safely to their appropriate common rooms.

No thanks to Draco. The second he walked through the doors to the Great Hall, he'd rushed over to his girlfriend Pansy Parkinson and spent the duration of the sorting burying his face into her mouth.

Hermione felt queasy at the recollection.

Parkinson made Hermione feel ill. She always had this pug look on her face as if she constantly believed everyone was beneath her. Hermione had no doubt that was what she actually thought.

Draco and Pansy were the perfect couple in Hermione's opinion. They were selfish, conceited and had no respect for anything that didn't benefit them directly.

"How did the meeting go?" asked Harry as they headed back to the common room.

"As well as it could go."

"Who's head boy?"

"Malfoy" Hermione scowled.

"Seriously? Malfoy? Why would Dumbledore do that to you?" asked Ron, his unpleasant expression matching her own.

"He gets really good grades I suppose and he's an 'effective' leader I guess. I use that term lightly…"

"But I thought character was supposed to count for something" said Ron as they stepped through the portrait hole.

"I guess not as much as you would think"

"Did he make everything difficult for you?" asked Harry.

"Not as difficult as he could have. I had to check him a couple of times. If he calls me a mudblood once in front of the prefects I'm-"

"He called you a mudblood?" asked Ron livid.

"Don't act so surprised Ron. It's Malfoy" stated Hermione.

"Still. If that cheeky ferret doesn't watch himself I'm going to knock his teeth out. You just give the word Hermione and I'll be there for you." Ron ground his fist into his palm.

"I can handle my own disputes Ron. I'm a grown witch now" she patted him on the shoulder.

"So, what do you have to do next as Head girl?" inquired Harry.

"I have to meet with McGonagall tomorrow for training."

"I thought Dumbledore-"

"He's too busy this year. He's having McGonagall train us"

"It's probably a good thing" said Harry after a moment of thinking. "She won't tolerate any attitude from Malfoy. She'll be sure to keep him in check"

"I sure hope so"

/

Draco was early this time. He was already waiting in the classroom when Hermione got there.

"Great, we're all here early so we can begin right away" said McGonagall.

Draco was lounged back at a desk with his arms folded in front of him. Whereas Hermione sat with perfect posture listening to McGonagall attentively as she reviewed some of the additional responsibilities that Head boy and Head girl held.

One of those additional responsibilities included taking late night rounds, along with the professors. Prefects weren't allowed to take rounds past second shift.

"Now, for the first few weeks you'll be required to take these rounds together. The school can be quite a different place at night hours and the mischief that the students get up to can be quite…appalling. Many students wouldn't put it past themselves to hex you rather than be caught in their deviance-"

"So basically we're going to be on the student shagging patrol." said Draco with a casual shrug, his feet pushed up onto the desk.

"Mr. Malfoy" McGonagall hissed at Draco. "That is not appropriate" She pushed his legs off of the desk. They hit the floor with a thud. Draco adjusted in his seat.

"It's the truth though, isn't it professor? What else would students be up to after 10?" he continued.

"Ron, Harry and I have been caught past those hours and we were doing nothing of the sort. Students could be sneaking into the kitchens or into the restricted section of the library-" Hermione began to list off a variety of offenses that could occur at those hours that had nothing to do with sexual activity. She heard Draco mutter something about being a teacher's pet under his breath.

"Precisely" McGonagall agreed with Hermione and then looked towards Draco disapprovingly.

"So, when do we start these new rounds?" he asked with an agitated tone and an added eye roll.

"Tomorrow night. Meet here at my class room to begin. Your shift ends at two. If you encounter anything you are to bring the students directly to me. You will not take any punishments into your own hands. Is that understood?"

"Yes professor" Hermione responded. Draco nodded.

"Good. You are both excused. I'll see you back here tomorrow night"

Draco bolted out like he couldn't wait to be away from the both of them. Hermione thanked the Professor before excusing herself back to the Gryffindor common room. Draco was nowhere to been seen by the time she made it into the corridor.

/

Harry and Ron were both up and waiting for her when she made it back to the common room.

"I see you survived your second encounter with the ferret" observed Ron.

"He's a rodent Ron. Unpleasant and irritating but not difficult to deal with" she smartly responded as she sat between them on the large couch.

"So, how was the meeting?" Harry asked.

She shrugged, "Brief. She just elaborated on our duties. We begin training tomorrow for our night rounds. I'll have to start those with Malfoy but we'll only be teamed up for a few weeks"

"Watch your back" Ron warned.

"I'm not worried. Malfoy is just a lot of mouth. I can tune him out. If he decides to act like a child, I'll just have to treat him as such"

"Hopefully you'll catch him breaking a few rules and you can get him stripped of his title?" hoped Ron.

"I doubt he'd be so daft as to stretch the rules in front of me. But I have no doubt he'll be taking advantage of his position- the slimy git he is." Hermione could only imagine the trouble Draco was going to cause for the students that he didn't care much for. Which was nearly everyone. He'd been a tyrant as a prefect and she still couldn't understand how he'd managed to slither himself up to the standing of Head Boy.

As tempting as the idea was, Hermione knew she would never go out of her way to sabotage Draco's standing as Head Boy. He could be King of Hogwarts for all she cared, as long as he left her alone.

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A/N: This story is a little slow to get rolling. I know exactly where I'm heading, it's just frustrating waiting to get there...*growl* Plus I'm pretty sure the world is trying to kill me with homework, sinus infections and closing shifts. Well world, bring it on! *chokes and dies* ...I'm okay! Anywho, remember to review! x