Chapter 3

Hermione fairly skipped back to the Gryffindor Tower. It was reverseable! She was going to get out of this! She would be able to hug Harry and Ron, and talk to Ginny and Neville... The only problem now was learning to live in this world for a few months.

"Lefitoldna" Hermione gave the password to the Fat Lady when she reached the entrance to the Tower.

"Indeed." replied the Fat Lady sleepily and slowly swung open.

There was only about half a dozen people left in the Common Room when Hermione entered. One or two looked up, but the rest ignored her, being intent on finishing up last minute homework.

'Like Harry and Ron.' Hermione thought, half-smiling. Then a pang of sadness hit her, and she forced her thoughts away from them.

"Hermione? Can we talk?"

The voice came from Ron's favourite chair. She half-expected to see him and his red hair rise out of the chair, and say, "Look, I'm real sorry about what I said..."

'Don't think about Ron!' Hermione thought angrily.

It was Malfoy who'd spoken, and he was the one who rose out of the chair. He walked towards her looking a little scared and really worried.

"What about?" Hermione said, keeping her voice neutral. She hated Malfoy - the old Malfoy. The one she knew. The one who was in Slytherin, not Gryffindor. The one she could never shake the memories of.

"A-about us." he replied, his voice a little shaky. "Can we sit down?"

"Sure."

They sat. Hermione in her favourite chair, and Malfoy in R-

'Stop thinking about him!' Hermione thought, frustrated with herself. She cleared her throat slightly and said, "So, what is it?"

"Well, y-you've been a... a little o-on edge, these p-past few...d-days..." he spoke cautiously, like he was afraid Hermione would lash out suddenly.

She sighed. "Don't worry. I'm not going explode."

He looked unsure.

"I promise." She emphasized her words heavily. "I just was having a...er...bad day."

A little relief seemed to sweep over his face and he half-smiled.

Hermione half-smiled too. When his pale pointed face wasn't despising or sneering, he actually looked like a half-decent human being.

"Do you..." Malfoy started, looking a little nervous again. "Do you remember what our...our...'relationship' was, before...before..." Malfoy struggled for the right word.

"Before I made my wish and went ballistic on you for doing what you remember you've always done." Hermione finished quickly for him.

Malfoy leaned back slightly in his chair. "Well, I don't think those are the right words, but ya. Ballistic."

Hermione shook her head, answering his question. "No, I don't. I don't remember anything you remember. I don't know how you were in my other life." her face clouded at the thought her "other life". "Now there's a sentence I never thought I'd say." she added quietly, not smiling.

"Tell me." Malfoy said.

"Huh?"

"Tell me. How do you remember me?"

Hermione looked at him skeptically. "You don't want to know, believe me."

"No, I do." he prodded.

"You really don't."

"I really do." Malfoy said stubbornly.

Hermione sighed and shrugged. "Ok, you asked for it!" she took a deep breath. "In short, you were the most slimy, disgusting, rotten, mean human being I think I've ever met." Silently to herself, Hermione added, 'Excluding Umbridge and ...He Who Must Not Be Named, of course.'

"What!?" Malfoy stared at Hermione in disbelief. "What do you mean? What did I do?"

"You would pretty much stop at nothing to get your way, or us - Harry, Ron and I - in trouble. Usually with Snape - he hated us too. You really loathed us! You were a rat! I mean, you wanted Hagrid sacked so badly, that you would make a scene or talk trash to him and bring his confidence down so that he would screw up! You and you father - who, by the way was a Death Eater for V-v-v-oldemort - hated Dumbledore and were always looking for an excuse to get him kicked out of the school. Your dad tried to kill Harry and helped V-v-v-voldemort try and kill him - more than once..."

"Hermione! I...I..."

"Oh, there's more."

"More?"

"Crabbe and Goyle were stupid little sidekicks, always flexing their muscles, and cracking their knuckles. Pansy was always shrieking at your stupid taunts...You were all in Slytherin - "

"Slytherin?! Is that why you yelled at us about - "

"Yes, and I'm sorry about that."

"Forgiven. Go on..."

Hermione took another deep breath. "You loved to make Ron angry by saying horrible stuff about his family, and them being real poor, just so he would take a swing at you and get himself in loads of trouble." She paused. This part was going to be hard to repeat, but he wanted to know... "And...y-you even...you even c-c-called me a-a ...a Mudblood." A few tears filled her eyes at the painful memory. She had to smile though, when she remembered Ron trying to curse Malfoy on her behalf with his broken wand, and causing himself to puke slugs for a few hours.

Malfoy looked absolutely and deeply horrified. He opened and closed his mouth several times before being able to say anything. "Hermione! I...I...no! I would never - never - ever say that to, or even about anyone! Ever!" Now he looked hurt and extremely disgusted.

"Ya right you wouldn't." she made a small scoffing noise, and then recoiled. "Oh! I'm sorry! I mean, you - the old you - would - well, he did - but you - you - wouldn't. I have to remember you're not like that..."

Malfoy nodded in understanding, and brushed off her comment. "It's okay." he paused, and looked nervous again. "I...uh, Hermione? This probably isn't the best time to tell you - especially after what you just told me. But..."

"But...? Tell me what?"

"What we - you and I - were like before...you know."

Hermione nodded, then chuckled. "It can't be that bad, can it?"

Malfoy smiled wryly. "Well, don't hurt me, but we were...we were sort of...um... ...dating."

"What?!" Hermione shot out of her chair. A few people jumped at her sudden outburst, and stared momentarily as Malfoy cringed. Hermione slowly sunk back down into her chair, quite in shock.

"I'm - I'm s-sorry, Hermione!" Malfoy apologized quickly.

"Me?! Dating Malfoy?" her stomach turned at the mere thought.

"Draco, actually."

"Huh?"

"Draco. You called me Draco."

"Oh." Hermione didn't know what else to say. She knew one thing for sure however, and that was that no matter how nice this new Draco was, there was no way she was going to date him. Or continue dating him... She had to tell him before he thought that they could just pick up where they left off.

"Um, Draco?"

"Yes?"

"I-I...er, we...can't. We can't." She cleared her throat slightly. "Look, I hate to be so blunt, but that truth is I've known you - the other you - the you I've known - for five whole long years. I can't...date you."

"But I'm not like that other guy!" he protested.

"I know! But I can't just simply, you know, erase those memories just to make this work."

"I understand." And although he looked very disappointed, Hermione believed he really did understand.

"I'm sorry Draco. I just can't."

"It's all right. It really is. I was sort of expecting something like this anyway," he said. Hermione looked into his blue eyes, and could tell he really meant what he said. He wasn't hurt. For this, Hermione was quite relieved.

"Hermione?" Draco piped up again, looking a bit confused as he turned some things over in his mind.

"Yes?"

"You said – um, Ron – Ronald Weasley, right?"

"Yeah. Ron Weasley."

"Right. You said I would get down on him because he was poor?"

"That's right. You would tell him stuff like how if his family sold their house, Ron might get a new pair of robes and a book if he was lucky," Hermione said quickly, not allowing herself to give another thought to Ron.

"Okay... But his family are millionaires!"

"What!? Really?!"

"Really! His family's always going off an exotic, expensive trips over Holidays. The kids always get some extravagant gift too. Ron's always flaunting them around..." Draco frowned. "Last Christmas, they bought everyone of their kids – and Harry – brand new Firebolts. Firebolts! Can you imagine?!" He shook his head.

'Harry's already got one,' Hermione wanted to say. Instead, she shook her head in disbelief and amusement at the thought of the Weasley's being rich.

"Ron? Rich? MILLIONAIRES! The Weasleys are millionaires." She said it aloud, then smiled. She imagined Ron skiing in Switzerland, with new skiis...he waved at her.

"Better than those ruddy worthless hills around Hogwarts, eh, Hermione?" he said.

But then the image of him saying, "The only thing crazy around here is you!" intruded and her smile quickly faded. She forced her thoughts away from Ron once again.

"Malf – I mean, Draco. What else is different?"

Draco shrugged. "You tell me. What do you want to know about?"

Hermione thought for a moment, then gave a tiny laugh. "I don't know!" Suddenly her eyelids seemed very heavy, and she yawned. "But when I think of something, I'll let you know."

"Okay."

"I'm going to bed. Good night Mal – Draco."

Draco smiled. "G'night, Hermione."

A/n: If you liked it, review it. Even if you didn't like it, review it! ;)