A:N: Hey guys, the second chapter for you. Please read and review. Thanks
Draco Malfoy was the perfect embodiment of pureblood values, with one exception; he didn't believe in any of what he represented. The image that he chose portray was that of the spoilt, little rich boy, because it was easier to pretend that that was the truth, than accept the reality. While he was at Hogwarts, sometimes he could even convince himself that the lies he told were true. There were things about him, about his life, that the world would never know, and he was quite happy to keep it that way. What made everything easier for Malfoy, was that whenever he needed to, he could just adjust the facade. He had adjusted it many times in the past few years; adjusted for the Dark Lord, for his family, for Dumbledore, for his friends, for the Order of the Phoenix, for Harry Potter. There were times, when Malfoy couldn't even find Draco within himself. He was Malfoy, at least, that's what he let the world believe.
Despite what many people believed, Malfoy hadn't chosen to return to Hogwarts, both his mother and the ministry had told him exactly what he would be doing. His mother, of course, wanted him to finish his education. The ministry, well, it had been one of the conditions that gave him his freedom. His mother had secured hers when Harry Potter had testified at her trial; she had saved his life and risked her own. She was a woman trying her protect her family, and the ministry conceded. Lucius Malfoy was another story. He had been killed soon after the final battle by a die hard supporter of the Dark Lord. However, dead or not, the ministry had no reason to grant him the title of a free man, they remained hard-hearted and Lucius Malfoy's name would remain amongst the many other death eaters who had met their maker. Draco Malfoy had been cleared after much pleading from his mother, an excellent lawyer, and, surprisingly, the testimony of one Hermione Granger. Shocked was an understatement when describing his reaction. She had told the court that he was simply a boy, fearing for not only his life, but those of his family and friends. Granger had said that he was innocent, that he deserved a second chance. Of course, the ministry was not going to go against the word of a war hero; the brains of the Golden Trio.
Malfoy had not seen Granger since that day, and had absolutely no idea why she had done it. At his father's funeral, he had also thought he saw her there, but he couldn't be sure. That had been an awful day for him; not because he mourned his father, but because the man his mother loved was dead and she was completely destroyed. She had been distraught for several months, and for two weeks had refused to eat, drink or speak. That was the hardest part in all that had happened. Malfoy loved his mother, more than anyone, even her, would ever know. She was this shining star throughout his childhood; his superhero. When muggles go to school, and they are still young, they are often asked to write something about their hero. If Draco Malfoy had ever been given this exercise he would have written a thrilling tale of a superhero who was his mother, and the villain, his father. But, that was all in the past now, and he had seen Granger once more.
She looked remarkably different, especially to his eyes. She was much thinner, and not in a good way, for she had been thin before; now she was almost sickly. It appeared to be a nervous habit but she often rubbed at her wrists, and she shook at random intervals – he didn't know what that was about. Her hair was longer than she used to wear it, falling past her waist. It was no longer frizzy but fell in curls, and was golden brown in colour, like honey. There was something about her now, though, which scared him. The Granger that he had known always had a spark in her eye, and was quite easily provoked. The bait that he had given her on the train, well, he expected a fight; not curses, but a verbal sparring match. In fact, he had quite been looking forward to it. There was no way he could've predicted the reaction he received. The dead eyes, the hopeless expression, all diisplayed her fragility. Her fight had gone.
What Malfoy didn't realise was that Granger was not the only one who had changed. No longer the predictable, little boy who had been turned into a ferret, Malfoy had grown well over 6 foot and filled out due to Quidditch over the years, and exercise (Malfoy's were always well built, anyways though). He no longer slicked his unique, blonde hair back but grew it out slightly, and let it fall naturally, strands occasionally falling over his eyes. His eyes, the feature that never failed to make a girl swoon. Grey stormy eyes that seemed to pentrate right in to their soul; girls were falling at his feet. At Hogwarts, he had gained the name of Slytherin Sex God for a reason, having bedded the best looking girls from all of the houses. Incredibly intelligent, he could never beat Granger in classes, although admittedly, he didn't study half as much he should.
Many people thought that he was jealous of the Golden Trio; of the friendship they shared. What those people didn't realise was that he had the two best friends he could ask for; Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. Blaise was a ladies man, but unlike Malfoy who was all for the "wham, bam, thankyou ma'am", he was a charmer. And a horrendous flirt. Pansy, was much more complicated. Like Malfoy, she was often taken to be a pretentious, spoiled, brat, simply because that was she let people believe. Malfoy and Zabini were like brothers to her. And Malfoy definitely felt that Pansy was his little sister.
Malfoy glanced across the carriage, once again, at Granger. Her head was resting on her hand, and she was staring out the window into the darkness beyond. Again, he was struck her expression; her hopelessness. He would never forget the day she had brought to Malfoy Manor; the day his aunt tortured her. He himself had even tortured people during the war, but the resilient silence which had turned into reluctant screams never haunted him the way Granger's did. With some cunning and stealth he had managed to procure himself a dreamless sleep potion that he took every night. He wasn't in denial about the war, he actually thought about it quite often, but at night he just needed some peace. Without the potion, he would get only a couple of hours of sleep before he woke; sweating and panicked. It was not a nice feeling and that was what he chose to ignore.
The carriage pulled to a graceful stop in front of the castle, and as it did the skies opened and the rain came down. Malfoy quickly jumped out of the carriage and ran inside, but as he looked back he felt a strange sense of guilt as Granger stumbled and fell into the mud. By the time she made her way inside, she was soaked. Malfoy watched as she performed a quick cleaning and drying spell on herself, and wondered why she fell so often and why she hadn't just ran inside like everyone else; why did she walk so slowly and cautiously?
Malfoy was not given much time to ponder as the doors to the Great Hall opened, and everyone was ushered inside. He made his way over to the Slytherin table and sat himself down next to Pansy and across from Blaise. From this position he could sneak discreet glances at the Gryffindor table and at the girl who had begun to fascinate him so much. The Sorting Ceremony was over quickly as not many first years had returned. Then, Proffessor McGonagall gave her speech. She welcomed everyone back, and explained some of the changes which had occured. The most shocking announcement, however, was that the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was none other than Bill Weasley. Not surprisingly, the Gryffindor table went wild at the news. Even Potter and the Weasel looked surprised. The only one who didn't cheer was Granger. If anything, she looked apprehensive about the eldest Weasley becoming a Proffessor. What Malfoy was really waiting for, though, was the announcement of the Head Boy and Head Girl.
At the end of the feast, the headmistress stood once again. "Now, before you all go off to bed, I have one more announcement to make. All of the proffessors and I gave much thought to this decision. The Head Boy and Head Girl will have more responsibility than ever this year, as the world around us rebuilds and as we begin to heal. I am pleased to announce that this year's Head Boy is Draco Malfoy, and Head Girl is Hermione Granger." The two heads stood to thunderous applause from their own houses. Malfoy's smirk was the only sign that betrayed how pleased he was. Granger, however, stood with her hands by her sides and sat down as soon as she could. The dead expression never left her face. Once the applause had died down, Proffessor McGonagall spoke again. "Will our two heads please stay back so they can be shown to their new dormitories, and everyone else – off to bed." There was a loud scrape as benches were pushed back and everyone began moving off to their respective house common rooms. Malfoy and Granger remained behind, waiting.
Granger never looked at Malfoy, but she rubbed at her wrists and once or twice she braced herself against the table as tremors overtook her. The new headmistress gave them each a small smile, before instructing them to follow her. She lead them to the fifth floor and they stood in front of a portrait of two small children sitting on a bench. Proffessor McGonagall turned to face them and said, "I am expecting both of you to put aside old rivalries and set an example to the rest of the students. I hope you find your new accomodations comfortable. The password is 'exploding snap', goodnight."
Malfoy spoke the password and entered the room first. It was magnificent common room, smaller than the one in his house rooms, but there was only two people that would use this one. It was decorated in the reds and greens of their houses and had heavy, dark wood furniture. There were two couches in front of a roaring fire and a coffee table in between them. On the far wall there were two bookcases. He noticed that one was filled with his books, so he assumed the other was filled with Grangers. There were two sets of stairs, one leading to a door with a snake and the other a door with a lion. He made his way over to his door and entered his bedroom. It was decorated just as ornately as the common room, but with only Slytherin colours and with a large four poster bed. There was a door on the other side of the room and he assumed that would lead to the bathroom. Upon opening it, he saw Granger standing opposite him. Obviously, they would be sharing a bathroom.
Malfoy chose not to think anymore about Granger that night, and after drinking his dreamless sleep potion, had a peaceful night. Little did he know that in the room not very far from his, a haunted young girl tossed and turned. She tangled herself in the sheets and woke up sweating and screaming; thankful she had cast a Silencio on the room.