Hermione was the first of the two of them to wake up. It was only two o'clock in the morning, but she was wide awake. She wanted to get up to go get something to drink, but, at the same time, she didn't want to get up and leave the warmth that was surrounding the bed as if a heating charm had been casted around them. She slowly moved off the bed, making sure not to move too much and wake Draco up. She then went and got a water bottle with pumpkin juice in it and went back to the room. She was just started to climb back into the bed after putting the bottle on the right end table when he woke.
"Do you want me to go over to my room Hermione?" he asked, looking at her.
"I don't care, it's up to you," she said taking a drink of the pumpkin juice and repositioning herself to where she was before. After she was done and was about to put the bottle back on her end table, he took it from her and also took a drink of it then putting it on his end table. "Now you're going to get deadly sick since you drank after a Muggleborn."
"Ha ha, very funny. Go back to sleep," he said. They both soon fell asleep once more and didn't wake up until ten.
"Morning, Hermione," Draco said, when she woke up just after himself.
"Good morning, Draco," she replied without second thought, getting up and out of her bed. She picked out her clothes and got out her shower stuff before going to the private bathroom that the Heads had in their dorm. When she got out, there was some eggs and toast out on a plate with a note by it on the counter, but Draco wasn't there. She put her stuff away and went back to the kitchen, took the stuff to the small table they had and started reading while eating. Hermione, we have to finish Hamlet tonight. There is also something on my mind I want to talk to you about. Hope you like the food; I had Kreacher bring it up for you. I had to go meet Blaise in Hogsmeade today since I didn't go with him yesterday. He knows that you have moved into the Heads' Dorm, as does Nott and Goyle. He said that if you wanted to and if you had nothing better to do, you could meet us at Three Broomsticks for butterbeer at 12:30. See you either then or tonight when we finish Shakespeare's play. -Draco Malfoy.
After she finished the food, she washed the plate and put it away in the cupboard and went back to her room. She went over to her shelf and looked through her books. They only had half of the last act left, and she was certain that Draco would want to read more than just that. She ended up pulling out another one of her smaller, older books that she loved, Narnia. She put it on the end table under Hamlet. What she told Ron yesterday wasn't a lie, she did help in the library and put books back, but they were the books that she had borrowed and read. And she did help some younger students with their assignments, but she only had to help two of them, both of which had rather simple questions to ask her about and then she was no longer needed inside the castle. After she had finished, the clock was just striking twelve, just enough time to make it down to the Three Broomsticks. For some reason, she couldn't get Draco out of her head; she had even picked up a book about dragons in the library to read in her free time. She didn't pass anyone on her way down to the town since most of them had already left early that morning, luckily she didn't even see Ron or Harry.
"Draco, calm down, there's still ten minutes until 12:30. Granger may not even be coming to join us. Why are you even interested in her? I thought you had hated her since first year?" Blaise said as they were walking around the town.
"I don't even know Blaise. I thought I did hate her, but I couldn't stand watching Bellatrix torture her like she did while they were at the Manor. I just felt like running over there saving Hermione and helping her and her friends escape. Trust me Blaise; she's going to join us."
"Oh yes, because she will totally trust not just one, but two Slytherins. I'm pretty sure she's not the brightest witch of our age for nothing Draco. And since when have you started calling Granger by her first name?"
"Since last night," Draco responded before stopping in his tracks. Hermione was just coming up the trail from the school and right between them was the Three Broomsticks.
"Oi, last night 'eh?"
"No, not that Blaise," Draco said walking even faster in order to talk to Hermione sooner.
Hermione wasn't thinking. Why was she here? How could she possibly be here with not just Draco but with his friend Blaise as well? What will the others think when they see her here with them? She continued walking, quickening her pace but thinking at the same time that she should just turn back now when she had the chance. But it was too late, she had already seen him and he had already seen her. There was no backing down now even if she wanted to. She wanted to go somewhere that none of her friends nor anyone else who could possibly judge them or spread the news or rumors that she was conversating with, hanging out with, friends with, or dating a Slytherin, and not just any Slytherin but Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin Prince himself and prior Death Eater to Voldemort during the Last Wizarding War would be.
"Hey Hermione," Draco greeted when they had both reached the Three Broomsticks doors.
"Hello Draco, Blaise," Hermione replied.
"Granger. Um, guys I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think we want to go in there together," he pointed inside. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were all inside talking.
"Oh my Godric Gryffindor," Hermione said before running to the side of the build where there weren't any windows.
"Where else would you want to go to?" Draco asked her.
"Can't we still go in there though, and have her go somewhere else?" Blaise asked.
"Hold on," Hermione said, digging around in her purse for something. She pulled out a flask, filled with polyjuice potion. "Do you have any hair from Parkinson or any of the other Slytherin girls?" she asked them as she poured some of the potion into a small goblet, putting the rest away.
"Nope."
"Yes, I have one from Pansy," Blaise said pulling out a bag filled with hair. Hermione took out one piece of it put it in the potion and gave the rest to Blaise.
"How and why do you have Pansy's hair?" Draco and Hermione both asked.
"I ripped it out this morning because she was being a bloody git as usual."
"As you Slytherins are most of the time," Hermione said before drinking the potion and turning into Pansy.
"Two things: one that's rude. And two: you still have Gryffindor robes on," Draco said.
"Right," she said putting the potion back in the bag. "You left your robes in my room this morning, so I put them in here and forgot to put them back in your room. Do you mind if I use them?" she asked, taking the robes that he had left in her room after changing in there this morning along with his tie.
"Go right ahead," he said.
"Honestly, what do you guys to in the Heads' Dorm?" Blaise asked.
"We're nerds, we read," Hermione said as she took off her Gryffindor robes that she had on over her Muggle clothes and then slipped on Draco's Slytherin robes and put her Gryffindor ones into her beaded bag.
"Tie Granger," Blaise said. She slipped her Gryffindor tie off of her neck and took out Draco's from her bag, put her own away, and slipped his on.
"How's that?" she asked them, directing the question more towards Draco.
"Better, except for this," he said before fixing her tie to look more how Pansy wore hers. "And she wouldn't have her skirt pulled down as low as her knees, and I am not a nerd Hermione."
"I'm not pulling my skirt up any higher than it is."
"Alright, hide the bag under the robes," Blaise said before they all three walked into the Three Broomsticks where Ginny, Harry, and Ron were still all at eating, drinking, and talking.
"Didn't Ron ask you to join them today?" Draco asked Hermione quietly as they found a table away from her friends' view and Blaise went to go to the bathroom.
"Yeah, he asked me in a way that it sounded like a date so I said that I had other things to do, which wasn't a lie."
"It wasn't the truth either."
"He doesn't need to know that. And he doesn't need to know that I'm here instead with you and Blaise. If he, Harry, Ginny, or any of the other people I'm friends with ever found out, they would have your head on a stick faster than we apparated away when we were in that one room of your Manor and Dobby came and rescued us."
"What ever happened to Dobby?"
"You know how Bellatrix threw a sharp peice of glass at us? It hit Dobby right as we were Apparating away and killed him."
"Can I add a new rule? No more talking about Malfoy Manor or about my family?"
"That's two rules, but they can pass as one, for now at least. All of the ground rules do have certain exceptions and not all of them are permanent."
"What? I did not agree to that when we had set the rules as they are," Draco complained as Blaise came back and set in the booth across from him and Hermione.
"You two really need to tell me what occurs in that Heads' Dorms of yours," Blaise said.
"Why, it's boring there?" Hermione asked.
"Because, I simply wish to know and it doesn't sound boring," Blaise replied answering the question. "Don't move Granger," he told her, noticing her friends getting up and leaving.
"Even if I were to move, they wouldn't know it was me," she replied.
"Unless they somehow know that Pansy is out somewhere around Hogsmeade and they saw her somewhere else," Blaise said.
"Are they gone yet?" she asked.
"Yeah, now, you must tell me what goes on."
"Nothing goes on Blaise, least not what you're thinking," Draco said. Hermione hoped that he wouldn't say anything about falling asleep last night like they did while reading a Muggle book.
"Oh yes, that's why she's wearing your robes and tie."
"Blaise, nothing is happening, so shut your mouth and drop the subject," Hermione said.
"Wow Granger, defensive much," Blaise said before one of the ladies came to their table to take their order.
"What will it be," the girl asked.
"Butterbeer," Hermione said.
"Same as her," Draco told her.
"I'll take a firewhiskey," Blaise said before the woman walked away. "So Granger, what exactly have you been doing since you no longer have to help the Boy Who Escaped Death Twice and the Boy Who Won the Chess Game hunt down horcruxes in order to kill Voldy?"
"Really? He just died four months ago and you call him Voldy as if he didn't have any effect on the entire wizard world," Hermione replied as their drinks arrived.
"Hermione, calm down," Draco whispered to her from her left side. She tried to listen to him. She took a drink of her butterbeer and sat there listening as the boys talked about who they thought was going to make the Quidditch team for Slytherin once the season officially started.
"Draco, what have you two been doing?" Blaise asked once Hermione got up to go use the bathroom.
"Nothing, I've already told you that."
"I don't believe that. You two must have fought at least."
"No, we've just stayed away from each other mainly. We've avoided any possible fighting by setting rules when she originally moved into the Dorms."
"I'm surprised you haven't tried to slither in yet, then again Granger wouldn't allow it." Draco kicked Blaise under the table and saw that Hermione was coming back to the table; the polyjuice potion had already worn off and she had taken off his robe and tie. "What was that for mate?"
"You know what it was for," Draco said, getting out of the booth so that Hermione could get in.
"Where are you guys going to go after here?" Blaise asked.
"Aren't you coming with us?" Draco asked.
"No, I have to help Hagrid take care of whatever insane creature he has this week as punishment for goofing off in class," Blaise explained, getting up and putting some gallons on the table to pay for the three drinks and leaving.
"What do you want to do?" Draco asked, turning to Hermione.
"I'd rather go back up to the castle or something since hanging around Hogsmeade may lead us to Ron, Harry, and Ginny."
"Alright, or we could go find a place in the woods and read."
"I didn't bring Hamlet."
"Back to the castle it is," he said before getting out of the booth. They walked back to the castle, taking streets behind the buildings so they wouldn't run into anyone. When they got back up to the Heads' Dorm, Hermione finally broke the silence.
"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked as they stepped into the main room.
"I wanted to ask you something, but it's probably stupid," he said, still walking to Hermione's room.
"Draco, why would it be stupid?" she asked walking to her room as well and putting her bag in the bottom of her closet as he jumped onto her bed in the exact same spot he was yesterday.
"It's stupid because I'm worried," he said, whispering so that she couldn't hear him even though she was now where she too was the previous night. He started reading, finishing two hours before dinner.
"Tell me now," Hermione begged as Draco got up and put the book on her shelf beside the rest of her Shakespeare.
"Hermione, it's nothing."
"If it's nothing then why won't you tell me?"
"Fine, if you want to know so badly I'll tell you," he said going over to the bed and sitting on the left side. "I feel like I shouldn't be hanging out with you so casually. I feel as if you shouldn't forgive me for all that has happened, from me insulting you to Bellatrix doing what she did and to the time I let the Death Eaters into the castle the night Dumbledore was killed by Snape. I feel like you shouldn't be comfortable enough around me to even share a dorm let alone to let me into your room reading. Last night, I felt as though you weren't comfortable around me after you fell asleep and I was about to go to my own room until Crookshanks sat down on my bloody legs," he said standing up and about to leave but she caught his arm.
"Draco, sit back down." He looked back at her, standing there for a while longer before giving in and sitting down once more beside her. "Why would you try to leave? I too feel as if I shouldn't be comfortable around you, but for some bizarre unknown reason I am. And to make matters stranger, last night was honestly the best sleep I've gotten since fourth year." He laughed at her last statement. "What?" she asked hitting him playfully on the arm after she sat up. "Why are you laughing?"
"Because, last night was also the best sleep I've had since Voldemort came back and they arranging their plans to make me a Death Eater." There was silence for a few minutes. "Enough of this emotional junk, what are reading next? Magic? Adventure? Death? War?"
"The Chronicles of Narnia: the Magician's Nephew."
"So we're starting a series? How many books are there and how long are they?"
"There are seven books, and each one we can probably finish in a single night."
"Are you sure that they aren't all horcruxes? He did have seven of them right?"
"Shut up and start reading," she said getting up to get a something to drink. "Do you want butterbeer?"
"No, but you should bring me a firewhiskey."
"If any of the professors find out about them, you'll be the one getting in trouble," she said before walking out of her room and over to the kitchen. She just shut the fridge after she got the two drinks, when there was a knock on the door.
"Hold on!" Draco called from the bedroom. She quickly put the drinks back in the fridge in case it was a professor coming in.
"Where is she Malfoy?" Harry asked from the other side of the door, Hermione couldn't really hear what they were saying so she moved a bit closer but only resulted in running into the small table.
"What are you talking about Potter?"
"Hermione, she's not in the Gryffindor Common Room and none of her stuff is in her dorm according to Ginny. So where is she and what have you done to her?" Ron demanded to know.
"Why is it that I'm the first person that you accuse of doing something to your friend?" Draco asked, playing along.
"Because, a few of the younger Gryffindors told us that they saw the two of you walking back to the castle from Hogsmeade today," Harry explained.
"Hermione, tell your friends I've done nothing to harm you," Draco said, looking over to her in the kitchen. She walked over to the door.
"Guys, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"What are we doing here, what are you doing here!?" Ron asked.
"McGonagall had me move into the Heads' Dorm in order to try to restore the peace between our houses," she said walking back over to the kitchen, having her friends come inside. Ron glared at Draco as Hermione threw two butterbeers to Harry, one for him and one for Ron. She brought the firewhiskey over along with her butterbeer and gave the former to Draco who sat on the couch.
"Has he hurt you 'Mione?" Harry asked, sitting in one of the chairs while Ron took the other chair and Hermione sat on the right side of Draco on the couch.
"No Harry, and he hasn't brainwashed me either Ronald," she said taking a drink of the butterbeer.
"Hermione, I'm going to hex him back into the Battle if I found out he forced you to move in here or if he hurts you or if he forces you to do anything," Ron said, once again taking another huge drink of the butterbeer Hermione had given him, finishing it off. Draco stood up and went to go get a bottle of firewhiskey for Ron and stood there, waiting for him to take it.
"You just saw me go get this, I haven't done anything to it, I swear on Hermione's life."
"Do not swear on her life. I don't care if she trusts you fully or not, but don't swear on something as important as that," he nearly yelled, slowly taking the bottle from Draco, who took the empty one and went to throw it away before coming back and sitting down on Hermione's left side.
"Ron calm down, I told you that we wouldn't get carried away before I knocked on their door mate," Harry said. "Speaking of which, I don't trust myself, give her yours as well Ron," he said, handing Hermione his wand. Hermione took the wand.
"I'll give her the wand, if he gives her his wand," Ron said, still glaring at Draco.
"Fine Weasley," Draco said taking his wand out of his sleeve. "Here Hermione," she took his wand then Ron gave her his as well, glaring at Draco all the while.
"So, Malfoy, what have you been doing since, you know?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, what have you been doing since you no longer have any duties as a Death Eater such as torturing Muggleborns? Or have you have forgotten what your sweet aunt did to our Hermione?" Ron added.
"Give me my wand Hermione," Draco whispered, turning towards her.
"Draco, don't," she whispered back.
"You know how I feel about that subject though."
"Don't, go cool down. Fly on your broom or go help Blaise at Hagrid's, just please don't do something stupid that I'm going to hate you for," she whispered, handing him his wand, trusting him to leave.
"'Mione, what are you doing? Why'd you give him his wand?" Ron asked, standing up.
"Sit down, Weasley," Draco said, standing up and walking over to the door. "Unlike you, I actually have some brains and can control myself, my actions, and my words," he finished before leaving, going to the library, and getting a book before going back down their corridor, but walking past it so the boys inside wouldn't see him when they left as he sat down on the floor and begun reading.
"What was that about?" Harry asked Hermione.
"He doesn't like talking about the war or what happened at the Manor," she replied looking down to her right arm.
"Have you actually forgiven him Hermione?" Ron asked, shouting the question.
"The war has taken it's toll on all of us Ronald, even he regrets things he has done in the past," she said getting up and throwing away her bottle.
"Hermione!" Ron said, getting up and walking over to her, taking her right arm and holding it tightly, causing it to hurt again. "Have you forgot what his aunt did to you? How he has treated you in the past, ever since first year?"
"Let go of me Ron. I have not forgot, but that doesn't mean that I can not forgive him," she said, trying to escape him.
"Ron, let go of her," Harry said, walking over to them and trying to pry Ron's hand off Hermione's arm. "Ron you're hurting her."
"So? Malfoy's going to hurt her way worse than I am right now."
"No he's not Ron, if Hermione trusts the bloke, so should we," Harry said.
Ron slowly let go of her arm. "Don't come crying to me if he hurts you," Ron said storming out the door.
"Talk to him Harry, and tell him that I wasn't planning on going to him even in the rare chance that Draco would hurt me," Hermione said before inspecting her arm.
"I will, but I would be careful around him if I were you, around both of them," Harry said before throwing away his and Ron's bottles and leaving as well. After Harry turned down onto the main corridor and away from view, Draco went back inside.
"That went better than expected," he said when he walked in. He saw Hermione over in the kitchen, still holding her right arm and he could see that it was red even from the door. "What happened?" he asked walking over to her, worry clear in his voice.
"Nothing, Ron just, nothing," she said, letting her arms fall back down to their sides. He took her arm gently. "Draco don't, please."
"Weasel did this to you?" he asked, trying not to touch where he had left marks in fear of making it worse. "I shouldn't have left," he whispered, mainly to himself.
"What were you going to do? I would have been mad at you if you would have hexed him or something."
"Who said I would have to use magic?"
"Even if you wouldn't have used magic, after you would attack Ron, Harry would possibly attack you."
"So you would rather be hurt than have me attacked?"
"Let's see, two of my best friends and the person I'm forced to share a living quarters with fighting, me getting hurt. Yup, because otherwise all three of you would be in trouble depending on how badly it would get out of hand and then I wouldn't hear the end of it until I take my final breath on my deathbed from Harry and Ron going on about how I shouldn't trust you and that you're going to hurt me worse than what Ron just did."
"They actually said that last bit? And don't say that you're forced to share a living quarters with me, it makes it sound like you don't like it here."
"Ron did before he stormed out of here. And how do you know that I do even like it here?"
"Because of our earlier conversations and because you wouldn't let me in your room if you didn't. You still in the mood to go to the Great Hall for dinner?"
"Not really, no," she said, going over and sitting on the couch. "What do we have in the fridge?"
"Nothing but drinks," he said, walking over and placing the book he got down on the coffee table. "I'll go down to the kitchen to get some food if you want."
"Take my bag, it should have some containers that you can put the food in."
"It's in your closet right?" he called, walking over to her room.
"Yeah, it should be," she called back. He came back out with the bag. "Before you go down there can you hand me a book I have in there?"
"Which one?"
"The one about dragons."
"Dragons? Really Hermione, you're suddenly interested in dragons? This wouldn't have anything to do with having to share space with a dragon would it?" he asked, searching for the book, smirking of course.
"Shut up and give me the book," she said smiling. He walked the book over to her.
"Anything else?"
"No, thank you though."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said walking out, smiling. She picked the book up and started reading.
He came back with the food thirty minutes later. "Sorry, the house elves started talking to me." She got up and walked over to the table where he was getting the food out of her bag.
"What all did you get?"
"Just a random collection, the house elves thought that I should have went to the Great Hall so I had to be careful and take food when they weren't looking." She put the book down on the coffee table and went over to kitchen, taking out plates for them to eat on. "Tell me what happened," he said when they had started eating.
"Why?"
"I want to know what that Weasley spawn did to you."
"All he did really was yell at me for trusting you and accusing me of forgetting what you and your family as done to me in the past. Then he took my wrists and held them tightly until Harry came over and stopped him," she said.
"I thought you said the other day that they were your friends and that they wouldn't hurt you."
"So I was wrong."
"Next time don't be wrong, that way you won't get hurt. It's not like Hermione Granger to be wrong, ever."
"Ha ha," she said before they finished the meal in silence. After they were done, they had put the leftovers away in the fridge and started to do the dishes when there was a knock on the door. Hermione went over and opened it. "Hello Ginny," she said walking back over to the sink.
"No, I'll take care of these, you go talk," Draco said, taking the plate she just picked up away from her.
"Hey Hermione. What did my idiotic brother do this time?"
"He just yelled and hurt my arms a bit," Hermione said sitting down on the couch while Ginny sat on a chair.
"So, that's why you weren't at dinner tonight?"
"Yeah."
"Why'd you move in here then? And without telling me or the others?"
"McGonagall thought that if the Head Girl and the Head Boy were actually in the Heads' Dorm that we could reform the old peace as it was before Voldemort came back to power and before the war. I didn't tell you or the others because I was too busy moving my stuff, and I didn't want you to over react, much like Ronald did when he found out tonight."
"Fair point," Ginny said.
"Hermione, do either one of you want anything to drink?" Draco asked after he finished the dishes.
"Butterbeer, Malfoy," Ginny said.
"Got it only female Weasley child, 'Mione?"
"Same thing," Hermione responded.
"Way to try to decrease the insult there," Ginny told Draco when he brought the butterbeers to them.
"I tried at least," he said before going to his room to work on his essays even though his room was a mess. Ginny stayed until it was thirty minutes until curfew.
"Bye 'Mione, you must give updates," Ginny said, throwing away her bottle and getting ready to leave.
"Bye Gin," Hermione said before Ginny left the Heads' Dorm.
"Did you really tell her about the reading," Draco asked from his door frame.
"Don't act as if you haven't told any of your Slytherin friends, besides she said she wasn't going to tell anyone," she said going to the kitchen to throw away her butterbeer bottle.
"I haven't told any of my Slytherin friends anything," he said following her into the kitchen.
"You haven't?"
"No, I thought that you wouldn't want me to in case they tell Pansy who would tell the entire wizarding world."
"Fair point, are we going to read or not?" she asked, facing him.
"Right, let me just go take a shower real quick first," he said before leaving the kitchen and picking up some stuff from his room before going to their bathroom. While he was taking a shower, she changed into her more comfortable Muggle clothes to sleep in and cleaned his room since he still had clothes everywhere. She had just finished when he appeared in the doorway of his room dressed with the old clothes in his hands. "What are you doing Hermione?" he asked smirking and putting the clothes he was holding in the pile with the others.
"Your room was horrid, Draco," she said turning to face him.
"Maybe I liked having clothes all over the floor."
"You also apparently like getting ink on your clothes then."
"What?"
"You got ink on one of you Slytherin ties."
"Where is it?" he asked, going through all of the clothes.
"Draco, I took the stain out, calm down."
"Then why would you even tell me there was ink in it?" he asked, fixing all the clothes again.
"To try to get you to not leave this place as messy as it was."
"How rude you are Hermione Jean Granger," he said, going over to her room. She left his room, shutting the door and going to get a water from the fridge.
"Draco, is the water bottle that had pumpkin juice from last night still in there?" she called towards her room.
"Yeah, I'll take it to the kitchen before we leave for classes and breakfast in the morning."
"Okay," she said, walking back to her room with the water and laying down on the right side of the bed.
"Ready for me to start reading?" he asked, after stealing a drink.
"Yeah, but fair warning. I'm really tired, and I'm only going to fall asleep faster due to the book smelling awesome since it's really old."
"You smell books?"
"Yes, it's completely normal. Just smell it," she said, taking another drink.
"Hermione Granger, you are completely insane," he said, smelling the book anyway. "Holy Salazar Slytherin, it does smell awesome."
"Told you, now read," she laughed putting the butterbeer on the end table beside her.
As Draco read, he made comments here and there about the characters and especially about Queen Jadis and her comment about magic and royal blood. They both started to fall asleep just before chapter six of the book.