Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. . .
* * *
Two
Hermione stepped into the common room that evening, followed by her fellow Gryffindors. "It feels so good to be back!" She said with a grin, looking around at the familiar surroundings. She plopped down in one of the chairs by the fire, ready to enjoy one of the only nights she'd have without homework. She watched Dean, Seamus, Ron and Harry engage in a discussion about Quidditch and she rolled her eyes. "Nope. Nothing's changed." Crookshanks came up and sat on her lap, purring contentedly. Hermione's thoughts began to wander back to earlier that day on the train, and about Malfoy. Something was different about him, and she was determined to figure out what it was.
* * *
Draco sat in the cold, Slytherin dungeon of a common room, listening to Pansy go on and on about something or other. He hadn't been listening, and he wasn't sure she even expected him to. The girl just loved to hear herself talk. "Pansy, this is beginning to bore me, there's nothing to do around here, I'm just going to go to bed." He stood up and she got up in front of him, stopping him. "Pansy let me go upstairs!"
"Draco love don't you want to have some fun first? It's your first night back...we haven't seen each other all summer..." She grinned suggestively and Draco shoved her aside.
"Not on your life Pansy." He stormed upstairs, aggrivated. Dinner had been a disaster for him, first he had spilled pumpkin juice all over the front of his robes, then Pansy had been hanging all over him. Some feast. Frustrated, he changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed, closing his eyes to get some much needed sleep.
* * *
"No no no! Not again!" Ron wailed the next morning at breakfast. Double Potions with the Slytherins. First thing in the morning. "I cannot bear this torture!"
Hermione sighed. "Guess we'll just have to deal with it. There's no way that anything is going to change, so we just have to try and make the best of it."
"Make the best of it! That's impossible with Malfoy around!"
"Talking about me already, eh?" Malfoy materialized behind them, an evil smirk plastered on his face. "I didn't know I was such a popular topic of conversation at the Gryffindor table."
"Sod off Malfoy," Harry warned, glaring at him.
"Now now, that wouldn't be the Golden Boy threatening me would it? It can't be! Not the great and wonderful Boy who Lived!"
"Malfoy, I'm warning you.." Ron started.
"Looks like the mudblood's the only one smart enough not to say anything back to a Malfoy," he said, immediately realizing that it was an incredibly idiotic thing to say but showing no sign of that. He snickered as Hermione stood up to face him and look him in the eye.
"Go back to Slytherin right now. Leave us alone, no one wants you here," she told him firmly, her eyes flashing.
Draco grinned a bit. "Watch out you two, she's a feisty one," he told Harry and Ron, winking at Hermione and turning on his heel, heading back to the Slytherin table.
"Do you want me to kill him for you?" Ron offered, still fuming.
"It's alright, I can tolerate his ignorance. Now let's finish our breakfast in peace before we have Potions."
* * *
Hermione could feel Draco's eyes on her as she was chopping up lacewings for her dreamless sleep potion. She turned to look at him and her eyes caught his for a moment before Snape's voice filled the air. "Potter, Weasley, ten points from Gryffindor for talking. Keep it up and you'll both receive a detention." Hermione sighed and finished brewing her potion, letting it cool down. "Alright class, seeing as how Longbottom managed not to melt a cauldron on his first day back, we'll finish our potions tomorrow. You are dismissed." They began to file out of the dungeon. Hermione's next class was Arithmancy, the only class without her fellow Gryffindors, while Harry and Ron parted to go to the dreaded Divination. They bid her farewell and began the long journey to Professor Trelawney's room.
Hermione was looking forward to Arithmancy, it was one of her favorite subjects, and she liked the Ravenclaws. They were easy to get along with. She walked into the room and took her seat. She reached into her bag for her quill and parchment, and when she looked up she found herself staring at none other than Draco Malfoy, the only Slytherin in the class. She knew that he had this class with her, but he usually sat on the other side of the room. "What are you doing?" She asked, raising a brow inquisitively.
"Sitting down, this is my seat. Didn't you see the seating chart on the door?" He pointed and she glanced at it.
"Oh- did you see where my desk was?" She asked him.
"Yeah, you're sitting in it." He smirked.
God, what a nightmare... she thought. "Fine...just let me alone Malfoy," she told him, managing to successfully ignore him for the remainder of the lesson.