A/N: I was writing this while the Goblet of Fire was on ABC Family. Good inspiration. :] Enjoy!

Disclaimer: The following story was written by me, but wouldn't be possible without characters, places, etc. from J.K. Rowling.

"HERMIONE! Wait up!"

The voice came out of nowhere. Well, she couldn't really say nowhere. I mean, she was in the middle of Diagon Alley. There were hundreds of people zooming by hurrying to finish their shopping list before school begins. Hermione spun around and didn't see anyone familiar. In fact, nobody around her was paying her any attention. She spun back around and kept spinning, looking for the person who called for her just thirty seconds earlier. She must have looked silly spinning around trying to look for her pursuer. During the twirling and the jumping, Hermione suddenly felt hands grab her arms keeping her in place. They spun her around to face none other but her absolute best friend, Harry Potter.

"Oi! Harry!" Hermione gave him a huge hug. She was grinning from ear to ear. She hadn't seen him in a fortnight.

Harry had grown from the war. Not physically, per se, but just his presence seemed grown up. He had much more muscles than when he first found out he was a wizard. He was wearing muggle jeans and an aqua button up shirt that just brought out how tan he actually was. His hair was a bit on the shaggier side, but it wasn't terribly long. It straightened out some and swayed over to the side. It made him look like a skater in the muggle world. He looked really handsome, but Hermione was not interested in the least. Of course, he'd probably say no respectably because he just saw her as a sister, and nothing more. But that wasn't the case. Hermione loved Harry, yes, but as nothing more than a brother.

"You dyed your hair! And you got a nose ring? Hermione, you sure have changed. What else have you done with yourself?" Harry laughed. Hermione could see that he wasn't going to criticize her new look.

"Ha ha. Yea. Do you like? I'm not digging the goody-goody anymore. I thought I'd change it up."

"Yea, I like it. It suits you. But, hey, you're still going to be the smart one right? I mean…I don't know what I would do without you Hermione. I might just end up failing this last year. I mean…if you don't I guess I cou-"

"Harry! Shut up! I'm not going to disregard my education just because I've changed my outlook on myself. Oh geeze, Harry, don't worry."

"Oh, good." He smiled.

"Are you staying at the Leaky Cauldron until we have to go to Kings Cross?"

"Actually, I have a loft here in Diagon Alley. I have a few rooms there if you want to stay until we leave."

"Oh! Harry, that'd be great! But let's go shopping. I need to get almost everything again."

"Alright let's head out."

They went to almost every shop on the strip. They spent a load of time almost every book store. Hermione still loved books, but not for the education of magic. She just loved to shop. She tried to concentrate on buying just what she needed, but she couldn't help but buying new clothes, accessories, and shoes. They went into Madame Perky's World of Robes and got fitted for new dress robes. Harry had picked out a deep blue dress robe that looked between a muggle tuxedo and a wizard robe. It looked dashing on him. Hermione had picked out an elegant, yet simple, black dress robe that was noticeably different from regular school robes. It brought out all of her curves perfectly. As Head Girl, Hermione was entitled for a new, specially-made school robe. The school robe had been selected previously for her, and Madame Perky, herself, brought it up to the counter to show her. It was more sophisticated for school. It was almost a business robe, but it had an emblem of all school colors instead of just her house colors. When she tried it on to make sure it wasn't too big, the fabric was magically enhanced to fit her nicely around her curves to make sure she never looked fat or too skinny. So, that meant that whatever body type she was to acquire over the years, it would be accentuated to look her best anytime she wore the robe. Hermione loved this gift from Hogwarts.

They paid for their robes and decided it was lunchtime. They went to a nice little diner and were seated by the window.

"So how are things at home?" Harry asked innocently.

Hermione reflected back on the past week. She thought about how her mother cried over the teacup of a husband and banished Hermione from the house. She had no idea her mother would choose an abusive pervert over her own daughter. Hermione figured it was because of the erupt departure of her father that made her mom so anxious to find 'happiness' again. Being kicked out was not the worst thing that has happened to her. She actually didn't care. She had gotten all her things out and packed, shrinking stuff here and there to fit in her suitcase. She had left and went to the Leaky Cauldron, and she's been there ever since.

"I actually got kicked out."

"What?! Why?"

"I turned my stepfather into a tea cup. He deserved it. He married my mom, but he tried to have sex with me. He wanted me to go to muggle college and stay there so he had access to me whenever he wanted. He was really upset when I told him I was going back to Hogwarts. Things happened, his hair turned purple, and then he slapped me. After that, I had to explain to my mom about the tea cup, and then she got mad. Said something about not knowing who I was anymore and why I would destroy her 'happiness'. It's all a load of shit."

"Really? Wow. Did you…did you change him back?"

"Ha. No. My mother can masturbate with the damn cup all I care."

Hermione's expression probably showed signs of distress, because Harry decided to change the subject.

"So what are you going to order?"

"Huh? Oh, I don't know. Maybe the chicken Caesar. How about you?"

"Um…I think I'm going to go with the Reuben. I haven't had one of those in years."

Just then, the waitress came to their table.

"Hello. My name is Julie. I'll be your waitress today. We have a two for one special on the dragon veil today. The soup du jour is toad gumbo. Can I start you off with any drinks?" the waitress recited.

Hermione went first, "I'll have a raspberry iced tea, please."

"And I'll have a butterbeer," Harry responded.

"Okay, are you ready with your orders, or do you need a few more minutes?" asked Julie.

"We are ready now, I think," Harry gestured to Hermione, who nodded in reply, "well then, I'll have the Reuben, muggle-style, with a side of potatoes."

"Okay, and for you, miss?" Julie waited.

"Chicken Caesar for me, light Caesar dressing, and no tomatoes, please." Hermione ordered.

"I'll be back with your drinks." And with that Julie left to fetch the orders.

She came back within 2 minutes with their drinks, then 10 minutes later with their food. It's not that it took long to make the food, just that the little diner was packed with people. Hermione and Harry ate while conversing over life after the war, Quidditch, and what school will be like for those who actually went to school last year. They finished and left a tip for the waitress. After that, they finished school shopping and headed over to Harry's loft.

Harry's loft was very nice. It had three bedrooms, two baths, a fully equipped kitchen, a living room, office, and dining room. It had the essentials, but Harry had made it work. It was decorated in a modern taste that wasn't tacky. The entire loft was covered in dark wood floor. The living room, dining room, and kitchen were all in blue, brown and white color scheme. Accents on the electronics were either silver or stainless steel. Harry's bedroom had a queen-sized bed with a cherry wood finish. The armoire and other dressers were finished in the same cherry wood. The walls were painted in various blues in an oversized, checkered-type patterned. The bedspread was deep, dark blue, with sky blue sheets, and the pillows were of a cerulean blue. Hermione decided that blue was Harry's favorite color.

The other two bedrooms were very different from the rest of the house. They were smaller than Harry's, but not by much. One of the rooms had a twin-sized bed with a tropical theme. Two walls, opposite of each other were painted a light tangerine, another wall was painted a hot pink, and the last wall was a vibrant yellow. The bedspread reflected these colors in stripe form. All the furnishings were of bamboo. It was a gorgeous summertime room. The other bedroom was very modern and girly at the same time. All the walls were painted a light gray. The floor had a round black area rug. The furnishings in this room were all black wood. However, the bed, shelves, and television stand had black metal accents. The bed had black post, but contained glass for the head and footboard. The television stand's support was made of black metal, but the shelves on it were glass. The shelves where similar to the stand. Every piece of furniture was curved in a way to match the bedspread. The bedspread was a dark fuchsia on one side and completely black on the other. The sheets were the same light gray as the walls with vertical stripes of dark gray circles varying in numbers of stripes. Two pillows matched the comforter, while the third pillow in the front consisted of horizontal stripes of dark gray, light gray, fuchsia and dark fuchsia in several sizes along with the occasional stripe of dark gray circles. To top the pillow off, it had a black silhouette of an elaborate candelabra. Hermione saw this room and her jaw dropped. This room was completely in her taste. She loved the entire room.

"I take it you like this one? I figured. I had both rooms designed for two special girls of mine. This one," Harry gestured to the room Hermione was awing over, "was designed with you in mind. The other one was designed for Ginny."

"Oh, Harry! Did you seriously? How did you know that I'd like this? Before the war I would've liked something probably like the other room, but how did you know?"

"I just had a hunch. The war changed me, too. I'm not the same kid anymore. I just hoped you'd like it."

"So the other room is for Ginny? Is there anything you'd like to tell me, Harry?"

"Ha, yea. Ginny has moved in with me. Yea, we sleep in the same room, but as far as Molly knows, Ginny has her own room. That's why the other one is painted for Ginny."

"Really? Moved in? Are you two engaged then?"

"No, but I'm trying to find the perfect ring. Maybe you can help me one day. You know Ginny more than I do. I mean, you know her taste in jewelry. Would you help me pick a ring out when the time comes?"

Harry seemed so giddy when he talked of Ginny like that. Hermione thought it was cute, but tried not to dwell on the idea of romance for too long.

"Of course I would, Harry. I would like nothing less."

Hermione and Harry headed to Kings Cross with their bags all packed ready for their final year at Hogwarts. Not much had happened from when they went shopping to packing day. They had just gone through the rest of the week living day by day, occasionally running out to a store for something they almost forgot. The only big thing that happened was that Hermione changed her hair, magically of course. She had dyed her entire hair blonde with black side bangs and also had a few chunks of black segments throughout. It was also cut differently. The top layer was much shorter than the bottom layer and was teased just a bit to give it a 'poof'. She had bewitched her bottom layer to lengthen to reach her mid-back. Harry had jumped when he came home after Hermione did this. He didn't recognize her for a second time that week. He did tell her that it looked amazing on her and definitely suited her. They had enough time throughout the day to catch up on anything they had done since the war. Hermione had decided not to tell Harry about her recent form of stress relief due to he seemed to be having a pretty good life after the war, and she didn't want to concern him over nothing. She already told him about coming home to a stepfather instead of her father, and never knowing where her father went or if he had died. Harry was so sympathetic about it, she just didn't want to make her seem like a baby crying for help. She didn't need the help. She was strong and needed nothing more but a nice smoke when times got too rough.

So, because of Hermione's new attitude and appearance, many of their friends and classmates didn't bother her too much after they passed into Platform 9¾. Everyone would shout their hello to Harry, but didn't seem to recognize Hermione. Some of the boys, who came up to Harry, would wink their way at Hermione, but she paid no attention. Other times, when girls came up to them, they would give Hermione basically the stink eye because they were insecure about their beauty and were obvious jealous.

Harry and Hermione boarded the gleaming red Hogwarts Express and found a cabin. She put her things overhead, even though she wouldn't be back in the cabin until after 1:00pm. As they sat there, waiting for the train to leave the station, Harry would not sit still. He was constantly looking out the window towards the platform and then would hurry to the other side of the cabin to look out in the aisle frantically for his beloved girlfriend. Soon, Harry had seen her on the platform and excused himself from Hermione to greet Ginny. By the time the train started to move, Harry had not yet return, but Hermione had seen him get on the train with Ginny; she figured he was visiting all of Ginny's friends with her.

Hermione decided to get her new school robe and badge out. She didn't necessarily want to put them on just yet, but just wanted to be a bit prepared. Some things just don't change in a person. So, Hermione grabbed the robe and started walking up towards the prefects' cabin. She arrived at exactly nine thirty to find that all the prefects where already there. Everyone looked up at her when she came in, but didn't pay much attention to her. She went over to an empty spot on the bench. She sat down and thanked God that it was by the window. She was looking out at the passing landscape when she heard someone approaching her.

"Hi, are you new to Hogwarts? Are you like a transfer?"

Hermione turned her head to the source of the perky, annoying sound. Lavender Brown sat looking perky and preppy as ever. She dressed accordingly to her name. She had a lavender button up with little brown flowers all over it, and she was wearing a matching brown pencil skirt. She did have her school robes on and the shiny prefect badge was glinting in the sunlight from the window.

"Actually, I am a transfer," lied Hermione.

"Oh! Wow! Where did you come from? Why did you choose Hogwarts, or were your forced here? I once this kid, he transferred all the way from Durmstrang, but he didn't like the weather much here. It's weird too because it's super cold up there, and I think the weather here is gorgeous. So, where did you say you transferred from again?"

"Er, I didn't yet. You wouldn't shut your trap for me to get a word in."

"Oh. Well, sorry. You didn't have to be so rude about it."

"You didn't have to come up to me."

"Well, geeze. I'll leave you to your ground gazing." She backed away and found someone, who didn't see they would bite her head off, to talk to.

It seemed like it took forever for the headmistress to appear like a hologram in the center of the room. Everyone noticed immediately and turned to face her in absolute silence.

"Good morning, students! As you know, you've all been selected upon your abilities to be good role models for the younger students. There are many duties you need to perform each day, so listen up. Each night, every single one of you will be patrolling corridors that the Head Girl and Boy will assign to you. There are fourteen prefects and two Heads, you will be traveling in pairs of two. The Head Boy and Girl have already paired you up, so no arguing. Although, if there is a safety concern between you and your partner, bring it up with me, and I'll provide a switch. That is all I have to say now. The Head Boy and Head Girl will finish the briefing of your duties, and I'll be back after that to brief the Heads on their duties. Now, I will introduce to you our Head Boy and Girl this year. The Head Boy is Draco Malfoy and…"

Draco Malfoy stood up at the mention of his name. Hermione didn't notice him when she walked in, and she's sure she would have. He was wearing a plain white tee, a green bandana around his neck, pitch black skinny legged jeans, and a pair of black and green checkered Chucks. He looked much different than his pre-war self. His hair was different, too. It was longer, yet still his same platinum blonde shade. It all swayed to the side to keep out of his eyes, just a little. His white tee showed how toned he was. Hermione could see that he definitely had smooth abs, but couldn't tell if there was a six pack under there. His arms were of a nice bulk size, not too bulky, but just right for him. She could swear he was wearing just a smidge of eyeliner too, but she was too far to tell.

"…and the Head Girl is Hermione Granger. And with that, I bid you all good luck," she said as she vanished.

Malfoy took her place in the center of the room and looked around at all of the prefects there. He took his time to look every one of them in the face. Next, it was Hermione's turn to get his glare. He stopped and just stayed there, looking directly at Hermione. His silver eyes were just filled with intrigue and wonder. After about thirty seconds had past, he smirked. By now, everyone was looking at Hermione and Malfoy. A small level of murmurs begun as to why the Head Girl wasn't in sight or by the young Malfoy yet.

"So there you are. I have to admit, I didn't expect an entire physical change. You know, if it weren't for your eyes, I would have never recognized you," Malfoy said while smirking.

"How would you even know? Did you actually expect me to change? Or were you expecting me to stay the same after all of that?" quizzed Hermione.

"Blaise told me. Yea, he spilled that he saw you a few times since he moved, but he just said you just changed a bit. I completely expected you to change. I mean, I did, and I was on the opposite side of the war." Hermione shot a death stare to Blaise, who, in turn, looked helpless like it wasn't his fault.

"Well, I guess we should get this over with then. Do you have the list?"

Hermione stood up and walked towards Malfoy. You could literally hear all the clicks that were going on throughout the room as everyone figured out that the girl that just stood up was Hermione Granger, the former bookworm, nerd, goody-goody. There were gasps and giggles going through the small crowd gathered around.

"Lavender Brown and Blaise Zabini. You are to patrol the 2nd floor every night starting at 10 pm until 2 am," Malfoy started to assign.

"Gregory Goyle and Dean Thomas. 3rd floor, same time."

"Padma Patil and Ronald Weasley. 4th floor."

Hermione didn't even realize that Ron was in the room. After the war, she had really see much of him. She had no feelings towards him anymore, and that left him bitter. Hermione didn't look up when Malfoy had read his name off. She just tried to ignore the fact there were eyes glaring directly at her, along with the feeling of the utmost hatred burning into her from said student. She quickly moved onto the next assignment.

"Hannah Abbott and Luna Lovegood. 5th floor."

"Anthony Goldstein and Eric Macmillan. 6th floor."

"Astoria Greengrass and Michal Corner. 7th floor."

"Pansy Parkinson and Zacharias Smith. 8th floor. Granger and I will be covering the 1st floor. You also have to chaperone any dances or activities, such as Quidditch matches. As school progresses, you will be informed of such events and will discuss your responsibilities then. You are free now. Go enjoy the rest of the train ride."

And with that, all the prefects left. Soon, the headmistress arrived and informed the Heads basically that if there were to be any special requirements, they will be informed then. She left them to bond with the door magically sealed until one in the afternoon so they could 'bond'. Malfoy immediately moved over to wear his robe still laid on the bench and laid down on the bench, flicked his wand, and made a virtual game appear. It wasn't long until he became engrossed in it. Hermione went and sat by the window again. She just stared out the window for what seemed to be an hour or two. She checked her Hello Kitty watch: 12:15.

Great. Only thirty minutes went by? Ugh. This is going to be the longest day of my life. Hermione thought to herself.

"So, what provoked this change in you?" The voice came from closer than Hermione expected. She jumped and almost jumped again when she realized that Draco Malfoy was just twelve inches away.

"Geeze! Couldn't you make a little bit of noise before you creep up on me?" Hermione said.

"I could, but that would completely blow the element of surprise."

"Well, what did you want?"

"I asked you already didn't I?"

"Yea, well, different attitude and days calls for different approaches."

"So, this is post-war? Why couldn't this war happen years ago?"

"Why?"

"Well, because against my better judgment, though it doesn't necessarily matter anymore, I have to say that you are smokin' hot," he smirked.

"Oh…," she managed to croak out. Hermione was almost utterly speechless. She couldn't believe that Draco Malfoy was hitting on her. What about her being a 'mudblood'? Didn't that change anything?

"It's completely true, Granger."

"What about me being muggle born? Doesn't that change anything?" Hermione spoke her thoughts out load unconsciously.

"Well, after my parents went to Azkaban, it doesn't really matter to me. They just forced these negative thoughts in my head. They never really stuck…the thoughts that is. I just think it'd be kinda fun if we hooked up though."

"Well, that thought is completely shot. I'm not looking for any love or relationships this year. I'm just getting through this because it means I'm away from Keith."

"Who's Keith? A previous boyfriend?"

"No…um…my stepfather." She looked down.

"Was he abusive?"

"Um…no…not until I got my letter from Hogwarts. He just tried to seduce me a lot. One night, he almost completely raped me, but my mother had come home, and he didn't want her to know. So after that, he just kept trying to sweet talk me. I guess he thought he wasted too much time with the blunt force."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

He wiped away a tear, which made Hermione realize that she was crying. She wasn't balling, but silently tears fell unwillingly.

"You don't deserve any of that, Granger. You know you're too good for that."

"Yea, I know. I just can't the images from that one night out. I've tried a pensive. It won't come out. It's like…it's like magically stuck there. I'm truly stumped about."

"Hermione Granger?! Stumped about something magical? Call the news press!" joked Malfoy, trying to cheer her up.

She laughed, "You are a real character."

"That is what they say."

"Really? And what else to 'they' say?"

"Well… 'they' say I do a lot of this…"

Draco Malfoy lifted Hermione's chin to face him. He gently pulled her closer to him, and she instinctively closed her eyes. He closed his eyes and leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips. The kiss only lasted for a second, but it was very delicate. Hermione opened her eyes and found that he was smiling, not smirking. She noticed she was wearing a petite smile herself, but it quickly vanished at the realization.

"I can't do this. Why did you do that? Ugh…stop toying with me, Malfoy."

"I thought you needed a distraction. Did it not work?"

Hermione thought about this. Yes, it did take her mind off of the previous conversation, and the tears were all dried up now. Damn Malfoy to hell for doing this to her. Offering her this façade just to mess with her head.

Suddenly, a clock chimed somewhere and the essence of a spell was lifted. Hermione checked her watch. She went for the door and turned the knob. It opened.

"Fuck off, Malfoy."

With that, Hermione Granger left the prefects' cabin to find her friends, leaving a very reluctant Malfoy behind.

A/N: So what did you think? Little surprises here and there. Ah! But i've said too much. I'll try to have another chapter up within the next few days. I'm posting them as soon as I'm finished :]

Review please!