Hermione sat on the bed in her rented room. What was Draco doing? Not that she cared, she still didn't care, right? Was he getting Ron and Harry? She should tell them about the sorting hat. She looked at her arm again and brushed her fingers along the word. It had become a habit that she didn't even try to break. That witch still haunted her dreams, some times Harry and Ron were there too, getting tortured along with her. Some times it a Lucius or Draco himself that did the torturing, once Voldemort had tortured her and she always tried to forget it. None were as bad a Bellatrix herself though. She told her horrible things, things she couldn't forget if she used magic. A tear from her eye fell as she remembered the words. She promised herself she wouldn't cry over it again but she had broken that promise so many times that she didn't even care anymore.

"That war didn't break me, it made me stronger." She mumbled to herself. She tried to believe it but something always proved her wrong. How could she go back to Hogwarts? Even if she was put back in Gryffindor, and all her friends got back in, would she ever feel normal again? How could she be normal? She was a witch, witches weren't normal. Muggles were. They could live life without worry of curses being cast on them or a spell going wrong and hurting someone. She looked at her suitcase against the wall. Muggles didn't have to make their parents forget them so they would be safe. She missed her parents so much. She had tried to give them back their memories but it didn't work. She let tears fall from her eyes and the room fill with the sound of sadness. The air felt like water and breathing almost wasn't possible. It felt like the world wrapped its hands around her neck and wouldn't let go. She buried her face in her bent knees and tried to make herself stop crying. A hand was on her right shoulder, then another on her left. She looked up and her favorite people in the world sat beside her. She grabbed both of them at once and hugged them for as long as they would let her.

"Blimey 'Mione! I'm trying to breathe!" Ron said after she started to squeeze them harder.

"Sorry." She blurted out before letting go of the two. They both rubbed their necks and smiled at her.

"Miss us much?" Harry asked. Hermione laughed and nodded, then she remembered what McGonagall said.

"I went to Hogwarts." She blurted out before thinking.

"What'd ya do?" Ron asked. It wasn't the question she expected, she thought there might be a why or you left us to go there? She tried to find the words she wanted.

"McGonagall said that we have to go through the sorting hat again. We could end up in different houses." Hermione said. It came out wrong, it was supposed to answer the question and tell them about the sorting hat.

"Are you telling me, Granger could be Slytherin, Weasley could be Hufflepuff, Potter could be Ravenclaw, and I could be Gryffindor?" Draco asked, everyone shivered at the thought. He stood in the doorway again, staring at her arm with the scar. She pulled her sleeve over the scar and looked at her friends.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm telling you." Hermione said after everyone imagined it for a bit.

"Or we could all just return to where we belong?" Draco asked. Hermione nodded. He walked into the room and leaned against the wall.

"Bloody hell, its like being a first year again." Ron said. Harry looked at the ceiling, probably remembering their first year. Hermione looked around. It seemed like something always happened at Hogwarts for them, not much for everyone else but for them. She knew from the start that things would be different with the all-so-famous Harry Potter going to Hogwarts but, now that she looked back at everything, it seemed like not only did he change the school, he changed the world. Hermione shivered at the thought of the entire world bending because of one person.

"Do you think the hat will put us back in our original houses?" Harry asked after a long silence filled the room and quickly evacuated when he spoke.

"McGonagall said the entire reason that we have to do it again is because we're new people." She told everyone. Ron groaned.

"We're not that different." Ron said, stretching the word -that- a bit too far.

"We are Ron. We've all changed, whether its for better or for worse is up to us." Hermione said, she stood up and went to the corner of the room.

"Why don't we try it then?" Harry asked.

"Try what?" Draco asked.

"We should become the opposite of our self and see just how much we've changed." Harry said excitedly.

"You sure?" Ron asked. "Seems weird to have Malfoy as the kind one and 'Mione as the bad girl." Hermione felt a bit uncomfortable at the thought but she would look great in a bad girl outfit. She started thinking about how she could do it.

"No." Draco said flatly.

"Yes!" Hermione said happily. "Lets all go shopping!" She was never excited for shopping unless it was for school stuff but the thought seemed cool enough.

"Granger." Draco warned. She grabbed as many hands that she could. She had Ron and Harry's hand held firmly into her right hand and Draco's hand in her left. She pulled them outside and looked at what shop to go to first.

"We should split into groups, who wants Draco?" Hermione asked. She let go of Harry and Ron's hands.

"Not it!" Harry called.

"Nope!" Ron called.

"Seriously guys?" Hermione asked.

"Really? I'm right here!" Draco said.

"Lets go." Hermione said. Harry and Ron smiled and walked off to whatever shop they wanted. She realized she was still holding his hand and quickly let it go. This was going to suck, but she smirked and had a idea. It took forever but she brought him to a Muggle mall.

"Granger? Where is this?" He asked as they walked in the door and the smell of food court food and the sound of people talking and Music filled the air.

"Don't use your wand Malfoy, we're in the Muggle world." She said quietly. He looked at her both in shock and rage.

"Why would you bring me to the shopping place of Muggles!?" He asked. She smiled.

"To teach you a few things about muggles and, its fun to shop at the mall." She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the first store she could see.

"Mall? What a weird thing to call a group of stores." He mumbled, mostly to himself. Hermione laughed. Wait, did she just laugh, at something Draco said? She looked at him for a minute, he was trying to look like what he thought was a muggle but was failing miserably. He looked like a grumpy kid that hadn't gotten what he wanted for Christmas. She tried not to laugh again. He looked around and then turned to her when she tried not to laugh.

"Whats wrong with you, Granger?" He asked. She looked up at him again.

"Your trying to fit in too hard." She looked around the store they were in and spotted something. "So, were supposed to be looking for anything that is the opposite of you." She asked herself but he answered.

"I guess, so we're going to have to find something really ugly." He said and smirked. She rolled her eyes and picked up the outfit she saw. She made him try it on in the fitting rooms and pretend to be a model, after she explained what a model was.

"Do 'Models' really do this?" He asked as he walked to her, spun around and walked back to the fitting room. She was trying desperately not to laugh. If she had a phone she would take pictures and send them to Harry and Ron but the didn't really have phones either. Eventually they were done shopping for him and went to another store. Hermione picked a outfit that she would absolutely hate, because, well, she was turning into her opposite self.

"You sure about this Granger? This is a bit more 'bad girl' than even I expected you to go." He said. She tilted her head at the outfit and nodded. He shrugged and they went to the fitting rooms. He sat on the bench and waited for her to play model. She came out in the outfit and he dropped his bag. She had a dark red tank top, a black leather jacket, black boots, a choker necklace, pitch black jeans, and she had a few dark red bracelets on her wrist.

"So? Look like something id never wear?" She asked, she spun around. He didn't say anything for a minute.

"Umm, yeah," He seemed to have trouble talking. "Yes, y-you'd never wear that." He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "Are we done now?"

"Yeah, we can go, after..." she started.

"Granger! I'm done! I don't like shopping in-" He lowered his voice "Muggle stores." he finished.

"We're not shopping, we're done with that."

"Then what are we doing? Please tell me its going back to your friends!" He begged.

"Lunch, are you not starving?" She asked. "The mall has some horrible food so I know a place not too far from here that we can go to."

"I thought we we're going to eat later, back with your friends?"

"Their your friends too now Draco, and no, we can eat here, its fine." She paused and looked at the sleeve covering her scar. "Don't want to eat with a Mudblood?" She asked quietly. He stood up.

"That's not it!" He said quickly. She looked at him with disbelief. He grabbed her arm and she paid for what they bought. He watched her pay with a form of currency that he had never seen. She tried not to earn questions from the cashier about how Draco was staring at the money in her hand as if it was a alien by stomping on his foot slightly. He remain silent but he defiantly gave her a horrible glare. The cashier looked at him and tilted her head slightly.

"Are you ok sir?" She asked. Draco ignored the woman and continued to give Hermione the glare. She tried to come up with an excuse to make it look like he wasn't a murderer.

"This is my boyfriend and he let me use his money today and I guess I spent a bit too much. Its fine though." Was the first thing she came up with. The cashier rolled her eyes.

"Men." She mumbled. Hermione nodded. She looked at Draco, he no longer was angry at her, he looked surprised and shocked at the same time. She smiled at him and tried to make it seem more realistic.

"Thank you for letting me use some of your money-" She had to pinch her arm to make herself say it "Sweetie." She pinched her arm again. She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. Then she turned back to the cashier and smiled. Did she seriously just do that!? She almost pinched herself again. She didn't want to look at Draco. The cashier handed her a bag and told her to have a good day.

"Thank you, and we will." She said back. They walked out of the store, then left the mall. They walked along the sidewalk in silence.

"So, umm, where's this place you said you wanted to eat at?" He asked.

"Just down the road a bit more." She said. Rain started to fall slowly on the already snowy area.

"This is going to turn to ice."

"Well yes, great job, now, next question, what happens when its hot?" She asked sarcastically. He let out what seemed to be a small growl.

"I meant, me and you are both holding bags and one of us is going to slip and break our neck!" He said.

"I think we're fine Malfoy."

"Finally! Back to my last name! Its weird having you call me Draco." He said. She sighed and walked into the parking lot of Mc. Donald's. He looked up at the large golden M.

"Mc. Donald's? What kind of place is this?" He asked. She almost laughed again.

"One of the most famous fast food places in the world." She said. They walked inside and she ordered two cheeseburgers. He sat at a table. She sat across from him and they put their bags under the table.

"Muggles are weird." He mumbled as he looked around. She couldn't help but laugh. "What Granger?"

"Muggles would call us weird." She told him and continued. "Some think magic is cool, others are scared, most are angry." She looked at the table. Two neatly wrapped burgers, one large box of fries, and two large drinks were put on the table.

"Thank you." Draco said. They guy nodded and walked back behind the counter. He looked at the food.

"This, is a normal cheeseburger. They have them at Hogwarts but they're not the same." She said. She unwrapped hers and his, then she slid his over to him. She picked it up and took a bite. She waited for him to do the same. He crinkled his nose and shook his head.

"My father says-" He started.

"What your father says about muggles doesn't matter anymore. Take a bite." She said. He looked at her for a minute then back down at the burger. He picked it up and took a bite.

"There, happy?" He paused for a moment then picked the burger back up and devoured it. She laughed and ate her burger at a normal pace. A few of the other people in the area chuckled and laughed when they glanced over to the crazy white-haired boy that ate like he had never eaten before.

"Yes, very happy, thank you." She said after he finished the burger. He pointed at the fries.

"Those taste as good as the burger?" He asked.

"Sure, but they taste better with ketchup or BBQ." She slid both sauces to him. She grabbed a fry and dipped it in the ketchup. He took a fry and tried it plain. Then he tried it with the two sauces. She had to get a few fries for herself before he grabbed them and started eating them faster than the burger. He looked at the soda and then at her.

"What about that?"

"That is coke." She said. She grabbed the drink and sipped it. He picked his up slowly, and sipped it. She laughed again and tried not to spit her drink all over him. She didn't know how he drank it so fast but he got so many refills, he may have cleaned out all the sodas from the machine. She decided to buy one more thing.

"What are you doing?" He asked when she stood up.

"I'm going to get something else, wait here." She said. She walked to the counter and as she waited for the guy to walk up she watched Draco sit at the table, smirking as usual and waiting for her to come back.

"Can I help you?" The guy asked, she turned to him and nodded.

"Two chocolate milkshakes please." She put a stack of money on the counter. "And that's for all the soda he drank." The guy nodded gratefully and took the money. He made the two shakes and brought it to her. She grabbed them, thanked the guy and sat at the table.

"I thought they were out of soda." He said, looking at the cup it was kept in.

"These, are milkshakes." Hermione said. She smiled and handed it to him. He took and sip and sucked on the straw quickly.

"Bloody hell Granger. What did you do to it?" He asked as he rushed his hand to his head. She laughed.

"That is called a brain freeze, its when you drink something cold too fast." She explained. She sipped from her own and laughed again as he put the cup down and slid it away.

"I don't like those." He said.

"Sip it slowly Draco." She said. She continued to drink hers. He hesitantly grabbed the shake and sipped it slowly.

"Ok," He admitted. "That's better." She smiled and looked outside at the sun setting. She gasped.

"Ron and Harry are going to think you murdered me and ran off." She said rather loudly. People looked at her, both worried and angry that their evening was interrupted.

"Granger, keep your voice down, the muggles." He said quietly. She grabbed his arm and as many bags as she could carry and they found their way back to the Leaky Cauldron. By the time they got there the sun was gone and the moon had taken its place. She sighed and climbed the floors to her room. She opened the door. Harry was sitting on a chair in the corner of the room, he looked different. Ron stood by the chair and laughed as Hermione and Draco entered with bags everywhere.

"Great job." Ron said. "You bought the entire store."

"No, we bought some of many stores at the mall." Draco said.

"The mall? You went all the way back to were muggles lived to go to the mall?" Harry asked.

"Looks like we did, now everyone get changed, I want to see everyone's new look." She said. She grabbed a bag and got a outfit from it. She went to the bathroom and changed. Harry knocked at the door.

"We're all done, hurry up." He said.

"You guys used magic didn't you?" She asked.

"Why wouldn't we?" Ron asked. "Malfoy didn't though, oddly, you took him to the muggles and broke him didn't you 'Mione?"

"Fine!" Hermione said. She grabbed her wand and did her outfit. She walked out and everyone stared at her for seconds, then minutes, then what seemed like forever. She had the outfit she tried on first at the store on with Black hair, deep red lip stick, and make-up. Draco had the outfit she chose for him. A blue t-shirt and denim jeans. Ron had dark back jeans and a red hoodie. Harry had contacts, dark jeans, and a green flannel shirt.

"Wow." Harry eventually said. Ron and Harry eventually looked at something else.

"Draco?" Hermione asked. He snapped back into reality and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah?"

"You ok?" She asked. He nodded.

"Just weird to see somebody that was-" He cut himself off.

To be continued...