Hey guys! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, I got some rather nice reviews. This one is dedicated to the lovely briannabermudez! Read and Review :)

Disclaimer: same as previous chapters

D.M. POV

Upon hearing Granger fall asleep, Draco decided it was safe to come back into the common room. It wasn't because Granger was there, he reasoned with himself. It was because he wanted to read a nice book by the fire. However, his logic failed slightly, betrayed by his eyes. Every so often, Draco would have to force himself to turn away from her and back to his book. After he had been "reading" the same page for over ten minutes, he gave up.

Draco quietly set the book down, and simply fell to watching Hermione. She looks so peaceful, he thought. Just then she began to stir. Draco moved to leave, until she cried out.

"NO!" she yelled, loudly, forcibly.

"G-granger?" Draco asked hesitantly. Her eyes were still closed.

"If you're going to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too." She said, suddenly calming.

"What are you talking about Granger; I'm not going to kill Potter." Draco stretched out a hesitant hand to wake her up. They said you weren't supposed to wake sleep walkers. But then she wasn't really walking about, she was having a nightmare.

"No. Draco has good in him Harry, I know it. Otherwise he would have ratted us out."

Draco froze, not believing what he had just heard. Granger thought that he, Draco bloody Malfoy had "good in him?" Well wasn't she a saint, he thought dryly.

Draco watched her for a few moments more, but seeing that her face was now relaxed, and she had stopped speaking, he sat back down. She was still having nightmares about the war. "If you're going to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too." Draco knew precisely when she had said that. During the raid of the castle in sixth year. And it was Draco's fault that she'd had to. That she'd put her life in danger so many times. That all of them had.

He put his head down, ashamed. Certainly he did not hold all the blame. Certainly it wasn't something he chose. But… Draco should have seen what was coming. He shouldn't have joined the Dark Lord so readily; he should have used his brain, the one he was ever boasting about to her.

Draco glanced over at Granger again, feeling overwhelming guilt. And the need to tell her something.

HG POV

"Granger, Granger wake-up. Hermione, I have something to tell you."

Suddenly, Hermione felt herself being shaken awake. She blinked slowly registering where she was. She remembered that she had fallen asleep in the common room, after Malfoy had gone to bed. But he hadn't, she realized. He was the one shaking her.

Bleary eyed, Hermione sat up and looked expectantly at him. "Yes? What's so pressing a matter that you had to wake me up? I was having quite a peaceful sleep you know."

Draco chuckled. Well what on Earth is so funny! Hermione thought indignantly.

"Granger, you were not. You were having nightmares. I heard you calling out, you were yelling… about the war," he looked down at his shoes.

"And that's why I woke you up. I just," Hermione cut him off.

"Oh Malfoy, that's nothing. Honestly. You should see Harry, I'm sure his dreams are much worse than mine."

"No, that's not it, Hermione just let me finish." He said forcefully, though still looking at the ground.

"Go ahead," she said, rather puzzled.

"I-nevermind. It's nothing I needed to wake you up for," a complete lie, she knew.

"Are you sure?" Now he had gotten her curious. What did he want to tell her? If it wasn't about her nightmares, and concern for her mental well-being- which was strange for Malfoy in it of itself- than what was it? People do not peak Hermione Granger's interest and then leave her hanging. No thank you.

"Positive. I was just..." a long pause. More lies. "Worrying about being heads I guess. Who the hell wants an ex-death eater half in third command?"

"Is that what we are?" she giggled, knowing he was changing the subject but letting it slide. "Half in third command? I quite like that title actually. Maybe it should go on my plaque."

"Your plaque? You have a plaque? For what?" Well how rude. She had plaque worthy talents, didn't she? And if she didn't, who was Malfoy to tell her otherwise!

"For your information Malfoy, I could have a plaque for any number of things. Including maybe, ohhhh I don't know, helping save the Wizarding World! My work with SPEW?"

"Spew? What are you rambling on about!" he was getting frustrated, Hermione knew but she was enjoying irritating him. Maybe a little bit too much. After all, they did have to work together the entire year. But this is nothing like our normal arguments. We're not even arguing really. Are we... teasing each other? Weird.

"Not spew, S.P.E.W! It stands for-" he cut her off. RUDE! she thought.

"Oh you're house elf initiative thing. Right. So we've determined you're deserving of a plaque. If not for any of those, than at least for brightest witch of your age, I suppose. Only if I get brightest wizard of course." he smiled a completely genuine smile which through Hermione off guard a bit. Draco Malfoy was smiling? Draco Malfoy doesn't smile. He smirks and laughs and sneers. He does not smile. At least not around her. This conversation was reaching whole new levels of weirdness.

"Was that a complement in there Malfoy? I do believe it was. If it wasn't, I'm going to take it as such. Unlucky for you. Anyways, that's not the plaque I was talking about. You know how, well actually I dunno if they do this in the wizarding world, but in the muggle world when there's a big time CEO- that's an owner"

"I know what a CEO is Granger. I'm not stupid. Just tell you're story without the side details, please."

Another mark on the rudeness scale tonight. He really was racking up points. "I wasn't saying you were stupid," Hermione grumbled.

"It was implied. No matter, please explain." Please? First he kisses her on the cheek, then he smiles, now he says please! The world was possibly ending.

"Right, fine. So whenever there's a CEO he's- or she's- always got this plaque on their desk. That says their name and their accomplishments such as "CEO" and "Owner" and such. Although I guess owner isn't an accomplishment. So its got titles on it. My title is actually getting quite long. But discount the stupid names people call me and I think it might fit on a desk."

He grinned at her, before asking "So you're expecting to be leader of a company. Quite ambitious there Granger." cheeky git.

"Of course. I'm Hermione bloody Granger, damned if I'm going to let anybody stand in my way. I'm a bossy know it-all remember?" Hermione was still teasing, but her voice had acquired an edge and despite the fact that she was trying to convince herself otherwise.. she really wanted Malfoy to tell her she wasn't.

"Right. Maybe I was a bit misled when I started those names. Although to be fair, whilst you may be a know it all, I'm still a foul loathsome evil little cockroach."

"Perhaps you are!"

"Excuse me, I am not!"

"Ferret"

"Beaver"

"Slytherin"

"Gryffindor"

"Idiot"

"Smarty-pants"

"Really Malfoy, I don't think thats actually an insult." she laughed

"No, you're right its not. But you had already used know it-all, I wasn't going to repeat it." Malfoy said sulkily.

"I think you're loosing your touch Malfoy! Now that I think we can call this a victory for team Granger, I'm going to sleep." Hermione said, smiling as she got up to put her book away.

"Don't think you're going to win that easily. This war, is of course, not over." he said, standing as well.

"Tut, tut, getting cliche now, are we? I think I've officially won tonight but I could keep going-" she yawned. Maybe not.

"I don't think so. 'night Granger."

"Night Malfoy"

Hermione was smiling as she climbed the stairs to her room. Despite not being with her friends in Gryffindor tower, she'd actually enjoyed tonight. Perhaps this year wasn't going to be so awful after all. Thinking about it logically, as Hermione often did, she and Malfoy could definitely get along this year. His personality had been horrible, but it seemed that Malfoy actually changed. Now without the actual insults and curses, they could actually be very cooperative heads. And Ginny's right, he's not bad to look at either. Hermione was momentarily shocked. Well it's true, she decided. No point denying it. But never, ever tell Ginny that, Hermione coached herself before turning out the lights and falling into a deep sleep.

Taaadaaaaa! :) I hope that was to your satisfaction.

Also, does anyone think they're moving a bit fast? I wasn't sure whether to put this later, but I thought they needed to break barrier of at least civil conversation quickly to truly begin to care about each other and to continue the story. Let me know what you thought.

Anyways, thanks for reading and be sure to review!