Whispers filled the Great Hall all throughout dinner after the Sorting and Welcome had taken place. While handfuls of the conversations were about the adults – namely the absence of Dumbledore and the appointment to Headmistress of McGonagall – the majority of talk was about a handful of students; Hermione Granger had appeared in school attire that not only properly fit her but accentuated the curves nobody knew she had, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter were absent from the meal (and everyone knew they never missed an opportunity to eat) and nobody had seen Draco Malfoy or Pansy Parkinson, but in their place was a new Slytherin that no one had heard talk but looked like the new most attractive girl in school.

When the Feast finally ended, Hermione said goodnight to her friends and made her way towards one of the towers. She had been notified in advance of her position as Head Girl as well as instructions on the password and location of the dormitory. Her fingers crossed, she hoped to see Harry waiting for her in the common room as the new Head Boy and with answers to the questions she had about what Ginny had told them, but instead she was alone. The fire was going but aside from that everything looked untouched. Her letter had stated that her room was to the left in the back so she made her way there and was happy to see that all her things had remained unpacked, as she liked to put them away herself instead of the House Elves. Though she kept her door open throughout the evening, not closing it until she went to bed, she never saw who the Head Boy was.

Since Hermione had been taking extra classes during her study periods throughout the previous years, she had the mornings of this final year free. She spent the few hours arranging her room and walking through the halls on patrol. During her lunch time she made her way back to the common room and was surprised to see Blaise waiting outside next to the portrait.

He smiled as she approached. "Settling in to your new position?"

She shrugged as she came to a stop in front of him. "I don't really do much unless something goes wrong. But, what are you doing here? How did you know where the Head's common room is?"

Blaise looked puzzled. "The Head Boy of course."

"The Head Boy?"

"You haven't seen who it is?"

A knot began to form in Hermione's stomach. "I haven't seen anyone…"

The smile returned to Blaise's face. "He's inside, I was just waiting out here for him."

Hermione whispered the password and scurried in, feeling uneasy and hoping Blaise's presence wasn't a sign of who her counterpart would be. A school bag was laying on the couch near the entrance and a Slytherin robe was tossed across the back of the other one. Before she could process what she was seeing, the voice of Draco Malfoy cut the air.

"Well I can't say I'm surprised it's you."

She looked up and saw Malfoy headed towards her from the direction of the room opposite hers. A blush spread across her cheeks when she noticed he was in the process of changing his shirt. Even during the summer's she spent at the Burrow with Harry and Ron she hadn't seen them, or any other man her age, shirtless except for the Triwizard Tournament Lake Task.

"Could you please put your shirt on?!"

Draco raised an eyebrow as he passed her. "Despite the rumors you're still a prude, I see."

She spun to face him, the blush now heated as her anger rose. He had yet to put his shirt on and she noticed a large scar trailing horizontally and jagged across his back. Though she was interested in knowing who had finally given him a taste of his own medicine, she chose not to ask in favor of addressing the comment he just made. "And what rumors have you heard about me?"

He laughed but she could tell it was in a condescending manner. "I won't poison my mouth by repeating any of it when it's obvious it's wrong. But I'm sure if you wanted to know you could ask your so-called friends, since I'm sure they're the root of the rumors."

"My friends would never start any sort of gossip," she replied incredulously.

Draco shrugged as he buttoned up his shirt and grabbed his robe. "Whatever suits you. But I'd watch your back if I were you, those rumors could prove to be dangerous." He smirked as he turned and exited the portrait hole.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at his retreat; she hadn't heard any sort of gossip since she'd been back except for talk about the new girl in Slytherin. But knowing how Malfoy had been in their previous years she wouldn't put it past him to try to rile her up for no reason and without any sort of hard evidence. Normally if she wanted any sort of social information she would just go to Harry and Ron but since they still hadn't showed up she was unsure who to ask. Ginny and Luna might know but she wouldn't see them until dinner. She hoped she'd catch some of the whispers in her classes.

The afternoon moved by slowly as Hermione sat in each class hearing information she already knew and with the appointing of Professor McGonagall as Headmistress, many of the teachers were hesitant to assign homework so as not to upset the changes that were happening. Unfortunately, her last class of the day was a joined class with Slytherin and being taught by Professor Snape.

When she walked in to the room she was surprised to see that her usual table at the front of the room was occupied and the only remaining seats were towards the back. She chose a table and sat by herself, hoping that their wouldn't be enough students to the point where someone had to sit with her since a handful of Gryffindor students had not returned to school with the news of Dumbledore's continued absence.

"I hear you're the Head Girl."

Hermione turned from digging in her school bag and was shocked to see the new Slytherin girl in the seat next to her. Her raven hair was straight as a ruler and fell over her shoulders, a stark contrast to her green eyes. For a moment the combination made her think of Harry but this girl was far more attractive than her best friend would be as a woman. Instead of the scowl that was the trademark of Slytherin's, she gazed at Hermione with a small smile.

Hermione straightened up. "I am."

The girl nodded. "None of the girls in Slytherin have yet to talk to me but I've been hearing your name come up in conversations – I thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Everly Drake."

She had heard the rumors? "Hermione Granger."

Everly smiled again. "I must admit that you don't seem at all like I'd thought you'd be."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "What did you think I'd be like?"

Everly shrugged. "Well I thought you'd either be bossy and stuck up or you'd be more… How to put it? …Loose?"

"Excuse me?!"

"That's all I've been hearing! I wasn't sure which to believe!"

The angry blush spread across Hermione's cheeks again. "I'm neither of those possibilities. What rumors have you heard?"

Everly opened her mouth to reply but stopped as hand came to rest on her shoulder. "I figured you two would get along."

Both girls turned to look up and Hermione was surprised to see it was Blaise and Malfoy. Blaise was the one who put his hand on Everly's shoulder and while Malfoy was actively trying not to look at Hermione, Everly was actively looking at him.

Hermione cleared her throat. "You didn't mention that you knew her."

Everly looked shocked. "You and Blaise are friends? All the Slytherin's have been saying that you don't get along with anyone!"

Hermione could feel her cheeks reddening again but tried to suppress her anger. "I don't get along with the students in Slytherin but I try to be civil."

Blaise chuckled as he removed his hand from Everly and instead placed it on Hermione's shoulder. "Our friendship is new and… Unique." He winked at Hermione.

Draco twitched. "You'd be better off ignoring her like the rest of us do," he said to Everly.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him again. She was going to retort but the figure of Severus Snape swooped into the room and everything fell quiet. Snape always grabbed a small cauldron and brought it to his teaching table at the start of class but this time he kept his back to the students and stood in a moment of silence, as if he was unsure what to say.

"Professor?" Malfoy asked as he and Blaise took their seats.

Snape cleared his throat and faced the class. "Though it is not my choice to be teaching this new class, I have been assigned to it and will therefor do as I am instructed. It seems our new Headmistress feels that the Houses are too divided and that, for the good of the school, moves should be taken to rid the tensions between students and foster…," he sighed in annoyance, "…Friendships."

A few of the Slytherin's laughed but Hermione felt a chill run up her spine. It was no secret that McGonagall had always been opposed to the way the Houses acted as cliques, but when the school had tried to foster friendship during the year of the Triwizard Tournament all it did was drive the students further into their groups.

Snape cleared his throat again and brought his hands together. "The Headmistress has decided that the rivalry between houses can be better understood, and eventually undone, if the students were to get to know one another on a personal level. As such, until Winter Break, you will be put into a group with someone of your House and two people of your rival House. The groups will be decided by looking across the aisle to the table opposite yours."

Hermione's eyes widened as she glanced at the table across from her. Without a second thought she threw her hand in the air.

"What is it Granger?" Snape asked dryly.

She swallowed hard. "Professor I don't mean to be contradictory, but, all three of my group members are Slytherin…"

A smile spread across Snape's face as he noticed that Malfoy and Zabini were at the table across from Granger's and sitting right beside her was the new student. "All the other groups have been formed already Miss Granger, and I'm sure that as Head Girl you'd want to take this opportunity to really embrace the wishes of the Headmistress." Hermione gulped and lowered her hand as he turned his attention back to the whole class. "Each month you are to write a report on what you have learned from the two students in the opposite house that are in your group." He brought one hand to his head. "You are all dismissed – I have no time for your questions."

As the rest of the class began to file out the room, Hermione sat stoic in her chair. It was obvious that she should set the example to the rest of the Houses since she was Head Girl, but having to team up with people from her rival house without the help of anyone in her own was unfair and was almost guaranteed to fail.

Next to her Everly stood up. "We have dinner now, don't we?" Distracted, Hermione just nodded as she stood up as well. "Who do you eat with?"

Hermione turned her head to look at her. "What?"

Everly swung her book bag over her shoulder. "Dinner. Who do you eat with."

"I eat with my friends of course, at the Gryffindor table."

"People are saying your friends didn't come back this year."

Again with the rumors! How much had this new student learned in only a day? And how to respond? "It's… Two of them have not shown up yet but there must have been some sort of emergency to account for their delay. I have other friends though, I don't eat by myself or something absurd."

Everly raised an eyebrow. "I didn't mean to assume. I was just asking because I wondered if I could eat with you."

"With me? At the Gryffindor table?"

"Is that not something the students can do?"

Hermione began moving out of the classroom and down the hall. "It's not that it isn't allowed, it just, well, it's just something that doesn't really happen. Well except for Luna Lovegood but that's it's own story."

"So do you not want me to sit with you?"

She looked over at Everly. "Why don't you want to sit with your housemates?"

Everly's face became serious. "I know the reputation my house has, and I'm not going to try to tell you any different. I'm from a Pureblood family but it's a different situation than the one Draco is in."

Hermione's ears perked up – getting information on the Malfoy family from a Pureblood Slytherin was the best way to get information!. "And what situation is he in?"

Everly chuckled. "Well everyone worships him don't they! I don't blame them, he's quite good looking isn't he?"

Hermione's face flushed as she thought back to seeing him shirtless that morning. "I haven't really noticed."

Everly raised an eyebrow but continued instead of asking. "I don't have a problem with the boys – they all know it would only benefit their station in life to marry a Pureblood girl. But that's the exact reason I have problems with the girls. I know all of them but they've gone to school together for 6 years and I'm just now coming in to it so of course I'm a little… On the out. At least that's how it seems when we're all together. I've already had a few of the boys approach me when the girls aren't around." She chuckled again.

By this time the two had reached the stairs that led down to the main floor where the Great Hall was. Hermione was going to find an excuse to avoid dinner but at the base of the stairs was Luna, waving up at her with one hand and beckoning her with the other.

"She's not wearing red?" Everly said as she glanced between Hermione and Luna.

Hermione nodded. "That's Luna, who I was telling you about. She's not in Gryffindor but she eats with us."

Everly followed Hermione down the stairs to where Ginny had now met up with Luna, looking far more skeptical than the bubbly blonde. Hermione shot her look that said they'd talk about it later and cleared her throat before focusing back on Everly, who smiled. "I'm Everly, the new Slytherin. Hermione and I are partners for a project and she said I could eat with you!"

Luna beamed. "That's exciting indeed! Do you like pudding?"

Everly nodded as Luna began walking in to the Great Hall and chattering about the foods she liked to eat.

Across the hall Draco narrowed his eyes as he took a sip from his goblet.