Hermione sat in the Great Hall thinking, confusing thoughts flooding her brilliant mind.
"Hermione?" Ron asked cautiously. "You okay?"
"Fine thanks." She replied with a blank stare and completely calm tone of voice. "I think she's in shock." Harry told Ron.
"Nope. Nope, I'm fine. In fact, I think I'll go up to my dorm now. I need to get unpacked," She got up and left the hall, Harry and Ron trotting behind. "I have to get my schedule set up for patrolling the castle at night and need to memorize my schedule…" Her list of things went on and on trying to keep it so Harry and Ron had no space to talk.
"Hermione we're heading towards Gryffindor Tower okay?" Harry called to her halfway down the hallway. "Alright. Goodnight!" She scurried off towards an unfamiliar painting at the end of the hall. She whispered a password to it and waited. Nothing happened. "Maybe I have the wrong password." Hermione thought out loud.
"Or maybe, you have the wrong portrait." A familiar but kind voice approached from the shadows. Hermione turned to find a bleach blonde haired, tall boy walking towards a portrait opposite of her. He whispered a password and the painting swung open. He stepped aside letting her in before him.
"How long have you been standing there?" Hermione asked not knowing how to act towards him.
"No too long. I was told to wait and make sure you could get in." He responded. Hermione nodded and thanked him. They stood there for a moment, "Oh, your dorm is upstairs and to the right mine's on the left and the bathroom's in the middle. There are doors connecting both our rooms to the bathroom so let's set some rules and say it's mandatory to knock before entering."
Hermione nodded and grabbed her bags "I'll just go unpack now." She walked up the stairs forcing herself not to run. There was a nice little sign on her door that said, "Hermione Granger" and one on Draco's that had his name on it as well.
The dorms were comfy but they seemed to be missing a few things. Hermione was unsure of what though. Perhaps it was the fact that there was only one bed instead of five, or maybe it was that there were no Gryffindor colours anywhere in sight.
Just then, a light tapping came from the door leading to her bedroom that made her jump. "Come in." Her voice was shaky. The door opened with a noisy creak and Draco hunched his shoulders in reaction to the noise as he entered her room. "How's unpacking?" He asked as he took a step away from the door. A friendly grin placed upon his face took Hermione a minute to decode.
"Er, um it's going well." She was unsure or what to say, her expression a mixture or confusion and curiosity. Why was he being so kind towards her? Did he expect her to forget all the things he and his family had done?
"You haven't even begun unpacking." He said with a small chuckle as he noticed the untouched luggage lying on her bed. Hermione only stared blankly at the luggage she owned and he walked closer towards her. "Need some help, Granger?" he asked in a polite tone. Hermione only nodded she seemed to be lost in thought. Maybe he's just trying to get on my good side. But wait… No, this is nothing personal. As Head Boy and Girl we need to place our differences aside and be kind towards each other. That's all he's playing at, being civil. These words, however, were far from reassuring to her.
An arm held out a pile of shirts at Hermione's waist. The hand jerked impatiently for her to grab them but she only stared at it blankly. "Oh for goodness sake! I'll put it away then!" Malfoy said impatiently and the frizzy haired girl stood there, watching him place them in the top drawer of an obsessively large dresser. When he had finished, he walked back and gave Hermione a funny look, tilting his head sideways wondering what was going on in that brilliant head of hers.
A hand waved in front of her face, "Helloooo?" The familiar voice called. Impatiently, the hand met with its brother and clapped together. Shaking her head and looking back up at the handsome boy in front of her, Hermione fell out of her trance.
"Good. Now you can help?" She nodded in reply and grabed a bag off the floor.
"Don't talk much do you?" Draco asked. "This is just different for me, that's all." She replied.
"What do you mean?" Draco questioned though he knew what she meant.
"Oh come on now, you don't expect me to just drop the whole Death Eater thing do you? I mean, I understand you were kinda born into all this-" She was cut off, "My family, has gone through so much." He said warningly. "Like you said, I didn't have a choice did I? My family's been torn apart because of it. I'm ashamed of my father for getting us into this mess." He continued as he leaned in closer to Hermione. "I don't want to be the bad guy." His words started as a soft whisper and got quieter, inches from Hermione's ear. She struggled to keep herself still as his breath on her neck gave her shivers.
"I'm sorry." She said quietly and shook off the shivers that Draco had given her. They worked in silence unpacking until a quiet laughter broke it. Draco held up a pair of Hermione's lacy underwear "Really? Lime green? I would have gone with a darker one if you ask me." He chuckled after thoroughly examining them. Embarrassed, Hermione reached to grab them from him but his arms were much to long and high above his head for her to reach. Deciding he had done enough teasing he handed them to the girl struggling to reach them. "Thank you." She said in a short voice and went to put them in the drawer.
"Who picks out your underwear?" He asked in a rather disguised voice. "Hot pink? No more buying bright panties alright Granger?"
Hermione threw her arms at her side. "Then what colour should I buy?" She sounded annoyed. "Hmm… I'll have to think about that…" He turned back to the open baggage and unpacked the last of the clothes.
"Thanks Draco. I-" She began to say but two familiar voices carried up the stairwell leading to her bedroom. "Mi?" Harry shouted with worry in his tone. "Mi? It's Harry and Ron!" Ron joined in the shouting. Harry elbowed him in the stomach. "Really?" He asked sarcastically, "Don't you think she could recognize our voices?"
"I bloody well hope so. I've only known her for," Ron began to count his fingers, "seven years." Harry gave him a "good job dumb-ass" look.
"Up here!" Hermione answered their calls as she and Draco walked out to the balcony looking over the common room. Harry and Ron smiled at the sight of Hermione but Ron's smile faded as he caught sight of Draco.
"Malfoy." He glared at Draco and his bleach blonde hair.
"Well hello to you too Weaslebee." His retort earned an elbowing of his ribs from Hermione. He reacted with an ow.
"Draco." Harry nodded to him and he nodded back.
"Did you need something?" Hermione looked down as she talked to her friends below them in the common room. "We just came to make sure you were alright."
Draco turned towards Hermione's ear and whispered, "If it was anyone else as Head Boy they wouldn't care." Draco's fists tightened.