Which then grew into a hope
As Granger entered the compartment, Draco saw Neville scoot closer to Seamus to allow her to sit between Dean and Neville. He wondered how Neville had turned from that squeamish, stupid little boy into the...person...he was now. As Draco sharpened his attractive face to showcase his attractive features and just be overall attractive, he noticed that Granger held Neville's hand to her chest, squeezing his fingers. She was obviously trying to obtain some comfort, but that sight sickened him for some reason.
As he put that wonderfully sexy smug on, Granger glanced at him curiously, and he noticed something. He had tensed up the moment she stepped into the compartment, and she was obviously wondering what the hell was wrong with him. What was wrong with him? It must be the startlingly dirty germs she'd transferred to his hand when he grabbed her to tell her she should probably stop goading him; he is a Malfoy, after all.
McGonagall babbled on about how the head duties fell to them this year and there would be no houses within the eighth year, how she was trying to do away with houses all together, how he and Granger were head boy and girl and shared a dormitory, how...wait. He. And Granger. Head boy and girl. Dormitory. Draco let out a small squeak.
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy?" McGonagall sarcasticised. Yes. Sarcasticised. That seemed right.
"Professor, couldn't I just be in the eighth year dormitory, like everyone else, or skip head duties, or go back to seventh year, or die of heart disease..." he asked in his snarky voice, trying desperately not to sound, well, desperate.
McGonagall looked at him with something akin to annoyance in her eyes (hell, akin...it was annoyance) and said,"Mr. Malfoy, no, you will be head boy, you will not shirk your duties, and you may not repeat seventh year. Now, everyone, you rooming goes as follows..."
As McGonagall started to give them their rommates, Draco found Granger's eyes and saw she was amused. She was laughing internally. At him. And she was getting redder by the minute. Draco immediately scowled, and that was enough for her. She let out a loud laugh.
As Hermione heard Draco's (No, Malfoy's) desperate plea, she couldn't keep the smile off her face. She didn't like him either, but his tone was so desperate, so childlike, so un-Malfoyish, she couldn't help it. And then he saw her and scowled, and that did it. She let out a loud and breathy snicker, much to the surprise of Professor McGonagall.
"Miss. Granger, what is amusing you?" She was serious, but hermione saw the slight upturn of her lips. She told the truth.
"I just find the notion of Mr. Malfoy hoping to convince you to keep us in separate dormitories extremely entertaining."
To everyone's surprise, Professor McGonagall let the amusement show on her face as she turned back to the rest of the group. Hermione's smile grew wider.
She caught Malfoy's eyes again and saw that he was raising his eyebrows at her. If it were anyone else, she would say he was impressed. He smirked a bit and turned away, still smiling.
Draco felt something odd as he saw Hermione smile at him. He'd never seen her genuine smile, only her angry and snarky ones. He could almost see her now, sitting in the Manor, smiling defiantly with a spark in her eyes as his Aunt raised her wand...and then he could hear her screams.
As he woke up drenched in sweat, shooting up in his bed, he realized that seeing Granger had jump-started the nightmares, as they usually didn't appear this late in the week.
He got up to go to the common room and heard a noise, kind of like a whimper, and peered around the corner to find Granger writhing on the floor. There was a blanket on one of the couches, and assumed she must have fallen off. He froze on the spot.
"Please...I don't know! We found it in the forest...AHHHHHHH NO PLEASE!" She screamed, and he knew she was back at that Manor, same as him, but instead of watching someone else being tortured, she was being tortured.
Without thinking, without planning at all (which was unlike him) , he ran and sat on the floor beside Granger.
"Granger...Granger! Wake up!" She wouldn't wake up. He got on top of her and planted his knees on either side of her body. "GRANGER! WAKE THE BLOODY HELL UP, HERMIONE!"
The thrashing slowed down a bit, and she stilled. She squirmed as her eyes fluttered open, terrified. She looked around frantically and extablished she was at Hogwarts, then addressed the problem on top of her, that is, Draco.
"Malfoy...what...?"
Malfoy looked around uncomfortably, wondering how to explain, then resorted to his smirk.
"Well, Granger, you..." and he realized he couldn't keep it on when he was talking to someone about something like this.
"You were having a nightmare...and I assumed it was about-"
"The Manor." She finished for him.
He smiled sadly. Then, before he said anything, she spoke.
"Thank you."