It's a beautiful lie
It's the perfect denial
Such a beautiful lie to believe in
So beautiful, beautiful it makes me

It's time to forget about the past
To wash away what happened last
Hide behind an empty face
Don't ask too much, just say

1 September 1997

"Anything specific you want me to listen for, Professor?"

"Anything that the Order might find useful, Draco," McGonagall said distractedly.

"So no," Draco clarified.

"You are not listening for any key words or anything as official as that, if that's what you mean."

"Precisely."

"Why does it matter?"

Draco took a deep breath when McGonagall stopped searching through papers on her desk and looked up at him.

"I've never done this before, Professor. I don't know how to do this."

"There is no trick to it, Draco, other than to pay attention," she reassured him.

"And what if another Death Eater finds out? Other than Snape?"

"You trust your instinct, Draco. You know how to sense danger; you know which Death Eaters are more dangerous than others. Push comes to shove, use me as a cop-out."

"Come again?"

"Thicknesse and Umbridge believe that Snape and I are going to try to save the school's reputation, as well as yours. They know that as Head Boy, you are going to be expected to do certain things that a Death Eater typically would not-"

"Like being nice to muggleborns and keeping my Mark covered while I'm on patrolling duties?"

"Precisely. See, they know about these things. If they think that you have been ordered to do or not do something, they are more likely to accept that. Begrudgingly, of course, but enough to keep you from getting hurt."

Draco nodded in understanding.

"Is that all, Draco?"

"I think so, Professor."

"Then you are dismissed. Tell Hermione I'd like to speak with her, if you could."

"Oh, actually..."

"Yes?"

"How- how are she and I supposed to be..."

"Perceived?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I was going to speak to the two of you together about this, but since you asked...you are to get along, certainly. You two are a team, more so - much more so - than Professor Snape and I. We have chosen to show tension between the two of us, and as such, the two of you will have more responsibility, more power. You do not have to be best friends; however, there cannot be as much as a single remark against each other when you are in front of other students and in front of staff who are not aware that this is a strategic arrangement. From either of you, of course, but especially from you. Now, behind closed doors, do as you please. Hex each other, have sex, study...I couldn't care less, as long as no one is able to see any animosity. Understood?"

"Yes, Professor," Draco asserted with a slight chuckle.

"What do you find funny about this, Mr Malfoy?"

"Eh, nothing...just the idea of Granger and I sleeping together, you know-" Draco began, cutting himself off when he realised he didn't know where he'd wanted to go with it.

"Seems like it's a far less repulsive idea to you than it used to be," McGonagall commented, smirking, knowing that the change in Draco's skin from vampiric pale to a relatively normal pigment was about as much as he ever blushed.

Maybe this will work out better than I thought it would... she thought.

"Why would you think that?" he replied, trying to hide the defensiveness with which the response flew out of his mouth.

"You mentioned it at all, and you appear to be able to handle the removal of a certain derogatory term you usually use in reference to Miss Granger. Am I mistaken, Mr Malfoy?" she asked sternly. Draco looked at her sceptically.

"No," he eventually said, as unemotionally as he could. McGonagall smiled at him.

"Shut the door on your way out, please."

1 hour later

"If you don't mind me asking, Professor, why on Earth is-"

"Draco Malfoy Head Boy?" McGonagall finished, and Hermione nodded.

"Professor Snape and I have...the choice of both of you is a strategic move by the Order."

"Snape? But- he killed Dumbledore, Professor!" Hermione exclaimed.

"On Dumbledore's orders," McGonagall said gently. Hermione's breath stopped for a moment and her voice dropped in disbelief.

"What?"

"Snape killed Dumbledore on Dumbledore's orders," McGonagall repeated slowly.

"And then what's Malfoy?"

"He is your partner. You two are a team, you work as a team. You go places together, make decisions together, keep the school strong while we have the Death Eaters trying to tear it apart."

"But he is a Death Eater!"

"He is also Head Boy, and understands that he must do as I say, which includes the knowledge that if he is found to do anything more than give information to any Death Eater other than Snape he will be at risk of expulsion. He has made the choice to accept this position rather than fulfil a role as an adult Death Eater."

"And the two of us are supposed to...what exactly?"

"The two of you, by the middle of term, will essentially be running the school. Snape is going to fulfil the role of Death Eater in both of their places, so as the year goes on, we believe that the tension will grow between the houses, and between us. That is why you two will step up. You will represent Hogwarts as a sovereign entity, you will keep the school united to the absolute best of your abilities."

"If you and Snape can't unite the school, how do you expect Malfoy and I to be able to?"

"We have lived much longer, Hermione. Our alliances have been secure for longer. The outside world has a developed opinion of our relationship, and the roles we play in that relationship are roles we must continue to convince people of, for both of our sakes. You and Mr Malfoy, conversely, do not have a relationship so developed that there is concrete evidence that it is what people think it may be. Everything that people who do not know you well believe about the relationship is assumption. If you are careful, you can come forward and prove them wrong without there being a tremendous amount of resistance in response. Do you understand now?"

"This does mean he isn't allowed to call me mudblood any more, right?"

"Yes, and he is well aware of it."

"Okay then. So do I have anything to be worried about?"

"Nothing to my knowledge, and certainly nothing you can't handle."

"You're sure?"

"If you are so unsure, why don't you ask Mr Malfoy?"

"Well, I- I don't believe I thought of that," Hermione confessed, a red tinge creeping across her cheeks.

"He will be able to give far better answers than I, Hermione. Besides, there is only one way for you two to learn to trust one another."

Hermione sighed deeply, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Trusting one another," she groaned.

"Precisely."

"Well, I- good night, Professor," Hermione stuttered and turned to leave.

"Remember to shut the door!" McGonagall called after her, returning promptly to the book she had been reading. Hermione closed the door behind her, leaning up against it and taking a deep breath.

Why, oh why, do I have to be the one to make peace with Malfoy? she groaned silently, startling as she heard footsteps just around the corner. She pushed herself off the door and into the corridor, pulling her wand from her pocket. It was just past bedtime, so very few students had any excuse to be out of bed.

"Hey, Hermione," she heard a whisper, and Neville rounded the corner. She broke into a grin and met him halfway between the door and the corner in a tight hug. "You going to survive? Ginny told me about Malfoy..."

"I think so. I've still got you guys, don't I?"

"Always!"

They let go of each other, and had a moment of quiet before Neville began to speak again.

"You know, you aren't allowed to do anything, but if you ever need someone to hex the daylights out of him..." he suggested.

"Neville!" Hermione exclaimed, gently slapping his arm but laughing.

"Just an offer..."

"Thank you for the thought, but I shouldn't be needing it."

"All right," Neville feigned a disappointed sigh, and turned back around to face the corner. They spent the short walk to the Gryffindor common room discussing the classes they were taking.

"Your room is close, isn't it?" he asked as they neared the portrait-door.

"Just a bit farther down the corridor, closer to Luna," she confirmed. "I'm not sure if you'd be allowed up, though. There might be some block for the opposite sex of the person they'd be visiting. We aren't blocked from each other's rooms, strangely enough. Ginny came up after supper, but apparently Pansy couldn't even find the entrance."

"That's not really that surprising, though. I'd bet anything that's more about Pansy's lack of- more about her than her being a girl."

"Good point...well, I'll see you at breakfast, then," Hermione concluded. They hugged once more, then Neville stepped through the portrait-door and Hermione continued on to the Heads' Suite.