Chapter 2: A Difficult Request
"Friendship often ends in love; but love in friendship - never."
-Charles Caleb Colton
Having been friends with Harry and Ron for seven years, Hermione had seen and done all kinds of shocking things. But never had she felt this shocked before. Her jaw dropped as she stared at the round badge on Malfoy's robes. It couldn't be, Hermione tried to reason with herself. Professor McGonagall must have made a mistake. He couldn't – there is no way – Malfoy couldn't possibly be Head Boy! This is all wrong.
It was only when Ron agreed with her in a disgusted voice, that Hermione realized that she had said the last sentence out loud.
"Malfoy? Head Boy? What in the bloody hell was McGonagall thinking?" Ron splat, glaring at his Slytherin enemy with so much hatred that Hermione couldn't help but shrink away slightly.
Ron's loud voice had attracted many students, particularly the Gryffindors', attention. It was not long before whispers could be heard around the hall, students pointing and gaping at Draco Malfoy and his badge. Hermione looked at Harry, who had an indeterminable look on his face, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking.
Hermione stole another glance at Malfoy. He looked even paler than usual, if that was even possible. His blonde hair was messier, and the dark eye-bags under his eyes, in contrast with his white skin, were definitely hard to miss. It seemed as though he had suddenly aged over the summer.
And he actually looked…lonely, Hermione surprised herself with the sudden thought. After the war, no one knew what to make of the Malfoys. Neither Goyle nor Crabbe were accompanying Malfoy (the latter having died last year), and most of the Slytherins were avoiding him, as if he was carrying some contagious disease.
Hermione felt a pang of pity for him. True, he did make all their lives at Hogwarts miserable, but he was certainly not evil (at least, not enough to want to kill anyone). She had read in the Daily Prophet (which was mostly rubbish, but it did report a bit of truth occasionally), that Lucius Malfoy had been sentenced to Azkaban and was further punished by disallowing him to use any magic for the rest of his life. Half of their vast fortune was also taken away from them as compensation for the families they had harmed in the war.
Draco Malfoy, on the other hand, was released without any charges against him, partly due to his age, and partly because the sinful deeds that he had committed were on the orders of Voldemort – he never wanted to be involved in any of the killings. Being the son of a Death Eater, Draco was fated to serve Voldemort from the day that he was born. Now, with the Dark Lord gone and his father locked up in Azkaban, Hermione wondered how he managed to cope with everything that had happened since the war.
Hermione's trail of thoughts was broken off as the doors of the Great Hall opened again, and the chattering students fell silent immediately. A short, white-haired little wizard walked in, following by a long trail of first years. Hermione watched as Professor Flitwick placed a three-legged stool in front of the first years and put the Sorting Hat on it. The first years all stared at it, confusion clearly etched on their faces. They huddled together, looking scared and nervous. Just like I once was, Hermione smiled to herself.
The sorting of the first years ended quicker than she thought it would be, with many new additions to the Gryffindor table. Hermione, along with the others, clapped warmly for them as the first years joined their table, looking excited and scared at the same time.
"Ah, finally over! Food at last!" Ron grumbled as he picked up his knife and fork expectantly, waiting for food to appear in his plate. His face, however, fell immediately as Professor McGonagall stood up. The change was instant. The buzz in the Hall died down almost at once as every head turned in her direction.
Hermione glanced towards the staff table as well, and felt the sadness flooding back as she saw a new and unfamiliar face at the place Professor Snape sat last year. And to think that a year ago we'd all be glad to see him go, she thought gloomily, closing her eyes for a brief moment and willed herself to stop thinking about it. When she opened them again, the headmistress was already speaking.
"To our new first-years, welcome. And to our older students, welcome back," Professor McGonagall started, her voice crisp and clear. "Before I begin, I would like to introduce a new member of staff to you. Please give your warm welcome to Professor Rowan Kamilla."
The short, plump witch seated on her right stood up immediately, her face red and jolly. She waved good-naturedly to the students before sitting down again.
"Professor Kamilla would be taking over the post of teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts this year." Professor McGonagall nodded at her briefly before continuing. "Moving on, I would like to welcome back our Eighth Years." At her words, the Hall broke into whispers and students looked around, as though suddenly realising the presence of the "Eighth Years" amongst them.
The headmistress raised a hand to silence the Hall. "They would be joining the Seventh Years this year in their lessons, and taking their N.E. together as well. I would also like to take this opportunity to formally introduce our Head Boy and Head Girl for the year, Mr. Draco Malfoy and Miss Hermione Granger."
"Wow, Hermione, Head Girl! That's really something! Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Neville exclaimed, turning around and giving her a pat on the back as his eyes noticed the shining badge pinned on her robes for the first time.
Hermione blushed and thanked him, her eyes straying involuntarily to Malfoy. To her mild surprise, Malfoy did not bathe in the attention like he usually would. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on an imaginary spot in front of him while students around him whispered to each other. None of his fellow Slytherins were congratulating him, much less the rest of the school population. Hermione thought she heard a girl exclaim, not even bothering to keep her voice down, "Malfoy? What is Hogwarts coming to? Asking a Death Eater to take charge of the school?" And Hermione could not say that she disagreed wholly with her.
McGonagall cleared her throat, seemingly ignoring the commotion that her previous announcement had brought about, as she continued speaking. "I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should take note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. Mr Filch has also kindly asked me to remind you that no magic is allowed to be used in the corridors between classes. Finally, Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact their respective Quidditch captains or Madam Hooch."
Her expression suddenly turned somber. She waited for a few seconds to ensure complete silence in the Hall before continuing.
"Now, as everyone in this Hall knows, Voldemort and his followers have been defeated at the end of last term. While we have been fortunate to survive the war, many others died in their fight against the Death Eaters. They have displayed exemplary bravery and courage, and I would like all of us to rise and raise our glasses to them."
Everyone did as instructed, standing up and raising their goblets in silence. Hermione willed herself not to cry as she thought of Fred, Tonks, Lupin, Professor Snape, and the other 50 Hogwarts members and staff who had perished in the hands of Voldemort. She failed to do so. As they sat down again, Hermione noted from the tear-stained faces of her peers that she was not the only one.
"While I can assure you that peace has been restored once again, I cannot emphasize strongly enough how important it is that every one of you here continue to stay vigilant and united. It does not matter whether you are in Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor or Slytherin, we must not be divided. It is the only way that we, together as a school, can overcome any danger presented before us."
Her silver eyes swept over the students one last time before the corners of her mouth twitched slightly. "I assume that you are all hungry now, so do enjoy your meals."
The Hall broke into applause as McGonagall sat down neatly. The golden plates and goblets before them filled suddenly with delicious food and drinks. Ron immediately snatched up his cutlery again and tucked into the food without a further word. Hermione wiped her eyes on her robes and gave a small smile at the sight of her friend stuffing sausages and pork chops into his mouth one after the other. She took a sip of her pumpkin juice as she listened to Harry and Ginny comparing their timetables, and Dean and Seamus discussing about "Muggle football".
At long last, when the last dessert had melted from the golden plates, Professor McGonagall gave her word that it was time for their bedtime. There was a great clattering and scraping all around them as students scrambled up to leave the Hall. Hermione stood up quickly, covering her mouth as she yawned tiredly.
"First-years! This way, please!" She called out along the table as a group of students walked up slowly to her, nudging each other and whispering, trying not to take lead of the small group as they stared at her in awe.
"I'll see you later," Harry told her nervously as he and Ron turned to make their way out of the Hall, after a first-year had jumped up at him and asked excitedly, "Are you the great and famous Harry Potter? I'm totally a fan of you!"
Snickering at Harry's horrified expression, Hermione marched through the chattering crowd and out of the Great Hall confidently, with the trail of first-years following shyly behind her. She led them up the marble staircase and through the tapestries, stopping at the end of the corridor with the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Beyond this portrait is the Gryffindor common room and the dormitory," She turned around and explained to the curious-looking first-years. "You'll need a password to enter the room. For now, it is flabbergast." There were a few murmurs and giggles amongst the students when they heard the password, but none of them spoke out loud.
Hermione gave the password to the Fat Lady, who swung forward to reveal a hole in the wall, through which she prompted the first-years to crawl. As she was about to follow them and enter the cozy Gryffindor common room, she saw Professor McGonagall hurrying towards her.
"Miss Granger? I would like a word with you. Come with me to my office, please." The headmistress said, beckoning Hermione to follow her. Without giving the latter a chance to respond, she started marching off in the direction of the Headmaster's Tower.
Frowning slightly, Hermione threw a look over her shoulders, and after making sure that all of the first-years had entered the common room, she trailed behind Professor McGonagall, quickening her pace to keep up with the headmistress's long strides. They marched up the staircase to the seventh floor, stopping in front of a large stone gargoyle. Bending down slightly, McGonagall gave her password, tabbycat, to the gargoyle, who immediately leapt aside,
Turning around to look at Hermione, she said briefly, "You should probably remember the password, Miss Granger. It would be much easier for you to find me in the future, should you feel the need to."
Hermione nodded, but she was not sure if the older woman had seen it as they entered the door and stepped on the spiral staircase, the gargoyle's entrance closing behind them slowly. As they reached the end of the staircase, McGonagall pushed open the highly polished oak door to the Headmaster's office.
Entering the large, circular room cautiously, Hermione noted to herself that the headmaster's office had not changed much since the last time she saw it. The walls in the room were covered with portraits of previous Headmasters and Headmistresses. Immediately, Hermione spotted Professor Dumbledore's portrait behind the Headmaster's desk. Sadness flooded through her as her thoughts travelled back to Dumbledore's funeral two years ago, and somehow it felt as if it was only yesterday that Dumbledore was sitting at the desk, stroking Fawkes and smiling at them with his twinkling, brilliant blue eyes.
"Please take a seat, Miss Granger," the headmistress's voice jolted Hermione out of her thoughts. Looking around, she noticed, with slight embarrassment, that the headmistress had already settled down at her desk, and was in the process of conjuring a comfortable looking chair out of the air and placing it in front of her.
That was when Hermione realized that she and Professor McGonagall were not the only ones in the room. Next to the empty chair and facing away from her, she spotted a tall boy with sleek blond hair. Trying to contain her shock at seeing the person who had came so close to killing their former headmaster, Hermione took a deep breath and reprimanded herself silently.
Hermione Jean Granger, you should have been prepared for this. What do you think Professor McGonagall called you here for?
Gathering her composure, Hermione walked briskly up to the headmistress's desk, pulling the chair slightly to create more distance between herself and Malfoy.
"Granger," Malfoy acknowledged her presence coldly, his piercing grey eyes fixed on her.
"Malfoy," She replied back curtly, her mouth drawn tight in a thin frown.
Professor McGonagall seemed to be unaware of this little exchange between the two students; or if she did, she chose to ignore it. Looking up from the pile of papers on her polished desk, she looked at the two students seated in front of her intently.
"Now, I am sure that both of you are curious about why I wish to speak to you at such an unearthly hour." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I would like to brief you on your duties as the Head Boy and Girl."
Hermione couldn't take it anymore. She was not one to lose control of her emotions, but she did this time. "Professor McGonagall, please pardon my insolence, but may I ask why Malfoy is chosen for the role of the Head Boy? Wouldn't Harry have made a much better choice? I really don't think –"
"And you, Granger, seem to assume that you fit the role of the Head Girl perfectly. I would think that such a mudblood like you would have a better sense of where you stand." Malfoy cut her off coolly, his face sneering.
Wincing inwardly at his use of the "M" word, Hermione ignored him and turned her attention back to the headmistress. "Malfoy was a Death Eater, Professor. He d-"
"That is enough, the both of you!" McGonagall cut her off sternly, her voice firm and stern. "Mr. Malfoy, I will not permit you to use such crude words, do you understand? I expect you to behave more maturely than this."
"And Miss Granger, I am aware of Mr Malfoy's situation much better than you do. I can assure you that we have taken all fields into consideration during the selection of the Heads, and it is not up to you to question our criterion."
She paused, her eyes sweeping over the two students before her. "I hope that the both of you will not disappoint me."
Hermione face fell at her words, while Malfoy, looking nonchalant, showed no sign of acknowledging what McGonagall had just said.
"As the Heads of the school, you are expected to carry a lot more responsibility and also set an immaculate example to the younger pupils. Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, I will not tolerate any dispute or personal grudges between the two of you. I hope to see a change in your attitudes towards each other, and I expect civilized behavior at all times. Remember what I have said at the feast just now."
"You will be sharing a common room together, and spend most of your time in the Heads' dormitory. You -"
"Wait, Professor, did you just say that we –"
"Are sharing the same living quarters?" Malfoy finished Hermione's sentence, as they both stared at Professor McGonagall in disbelief.
"Yes, and I hope that both of you will be cooperative about this."
"But, Professor, I cannot – there's no way – I can't live with him!"
"And you think that I'm pleased to live with you, Granger? I'd rather be dead than spend 24 hours in your company."
"Be silent, the two of you! This is not the kind of behaviour I would expect from the Heads of the school. Now, if you would just let me finish what I was saying. You are still allowed to visit your own houses' common rooms respectively, but you must stay in the Heads' dormitory at night. There is no argument about this."
"Both of you are also expected to be in charge of and work with the rest of the prefects on organising many events that will be taking place late this year, details of which will be provided to you at a later date. I'm sure that both of you are aware of your patrolling duties too, yes?"
Hermione shot a helpless look at Malfoy, who ignored her completely. Well, of course she knew that she had to do patrolling, but she wasn't sure of the exact details of what she had to do. Noticing this, Professor McGonagall continued.
"You are expected to patrol around the school after 9 o'clock together, 3 times a week. I will leave you two to figure out your timetables and schedules. And I repeat, you are expected to patrol together. If I find any one of you wandering around on your own, I will not hesitate to deduct house points from both of you. If you see any students loitering around after bedtime, you are allowed to deduct points from them as you see fit."
"Any questions? If not, Mr Malfoy, you are dismissed. Miss Granger, I would like to speak to you privately."
Pushing back his chair noisily, Malfoy stood up, brushing imaginary dirt off his robe. Locking his cold eyes on Hermione briefly, he turned and exited the room.
Something stirred in her heart as Hermione watched Malfoy's tall figure disappearing down the spiral staircase.
Was it disappointment?
Disappointment, perhaps, that Malfoy still remained a notorious, arrogant spoilt brat despite everything that had happened last year. When she saw him sitting alone at the Slytherin table earlier that day, a small part of her had hoped that over the summer, Malfoy had, however unlikely it might seem, changed for the better.
Apparently not, Hermione thought to herself bitterly.
"Miss Granger, you have previously asked me what is the rationale behind me choosing Mr. Malfoy to take on the role of the head boy. I expect that you were not satisfied with my answer then?"
Blushing in embarrassment, Hermione kept her head down and nodded slightly.
"I will explain it to you now. Mr. Malfoy had been picked because of his intelligence and ability to make good decisions, but if I were to select heads purely based on that, Mr. Potter and even Mr. Weasley would have made better candidates." Professor McGonagall paused, looking intently at the young lady before her, who was now staring at her, her face full of curiosity.
"My main rationale, then, is that I believe Mr. Malfoy is at a crossroad in his life now. This is an important time for him – one wrong step, and there is no turning back. I believe that he has potential and can become a great wizard, if there is someone to guide him on the right path, constantly keeping an eye on him. And no one is more suited for the job than you, Miss Granger. I trust that you'll help me on this."
After Hermione had left the room, McGonagall rubbed her eyes tiredly and leaned back on her chair. Turning around to face the portrait of Albus Dumbledore, she asked quietly, "Albus, did I make the right decision?"
Dumbledore's face smiled back at her and his eyes twinkled as he spoke, "Minerva, dear, I am sure that this is all for the best. You couldn't have done better."
A/N: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! :) How did you find this chapter?