"It's an awful situation really," said Hermione halfheartedly after a short silence between Harry, Ron, and herself. She was slouched over in a chair in the Gryffindor common room, looking rather defeated. She had rushed straight to the comfort of the familiar room and its friendly faces after her confrontation with the Headmaster. Now, sitting there in the aftermath of her heated tirade to her friends, Hermione realized that she still hadn't seen the dormitory that she was to share with Draco Malfoy at all.
"I suppose I should get going," she said with a grimace, coming out of her thoughts. Bidding them goodnight, she slipped out of the portrait hole and headed toward the fourth floor.
She found the gaudy tapestry easily enough, and proceeded to tap the dragon in the top right corner with her wand. Flames flew from his open mouth, magically moving against the stationery stitches. The heavy cloth swung aside, and Hermione stepped through the ornate archway and into her long awaited, yet now tainted, common room.
The room was a small, cozy square, and her eyes were instantly drawn to the large fire blazing in an ancient, ostentatious marble fireplace. The fire gave the room a warm glow that extended to each wall. A couch, an arm chair, a small coffee table, and two desks furnished the room. Just like the rest of the castle, almost every inch of stone wall was decorated with portraits and paintings. There was a small board on the opposite wall that displayed the class and patrol schedules of Hermione and Draco.
On either side of the fireplace, sets of stairs led to doors that Hermione knew must conceal the bedrooms of the Head Boy and Girl. Hoping that she was guessing which room was hers correctly, she started up the staircase to the left of the fire. At the top of the staircase, there was a door in front of her and another to her right. Upon opening the latter, Hermione found a full bathroom. As she was closing the door, she noticed an identical one straight across from it, and her eyes widened as she realized that this bathroom was to be shared by the Heads. She gulped and finished pulling the door shut.
To her relief, Hermione found that she had in fact chosen the correct staircase. Her belongings had been brought up, unpacked, and organized. Making a mental note to jot a quick thank you letter to the house elves, Hermione closed and locked her door. Her room was nothing special, housing a four poster bed, a night stand, and a wardrobe. Nonetheless, the space exerted the cozy and familiar feel that all of Hogwarts did. Smiling sadly, she concluded that the Heads dormitory would be quite charming, if only, she thought wistfully, she didn't have to share it with that supercilious prat.
Hermione changed into her dressing gown, blew out the candle on her night stand, and crawled into bed. After situating herself, she lay there for a moment, listening to the soft hoots of owls in the night and enjoying the faint smell of smoke that her extinguished candle was exerting. A smile graced her features against her will. Despite the events of this first evening back at Hogwarts, Hermione was undeniably happy to be back at this wonderful place, restored to its former glory, and to finally, finally, finish her education. As she drifted off to sleep, she mollified her fears by deciding that no slimy Slytherin ferret was going to ruin what she had worked for all throughout her schooling, and that she wouldn't let him bother her, even affect her at all. In fact, as far as Hermione Granger was concerned, she was the only inhabitant of this dormitory, thank you. However, these fierce and impassioned thoughts did not stop her from setting her alarm a little early on purpose, so as to avoid any chance of bathroom conflict.
AN: I know these chapters are short but bear with me! Please review if you want more! :)