A/N: Another chapter...we're finally getting a hint of the plot...I think...

By the way, I would like to thank all of you who reviewed...they really mean a lot to me!

Disclaimer: If I was JK Rowling, Hermione and Draco would've ended up together. They're not. I didn't write Harry Potter.


Ch 3- Interhouse Unity

Hogwarts was different. It unnerved me. When you first entered the doors of the Great Hall, you could just sense the parts that were new… in some places you could even smell where they had put in new materials or a new foundation. I hadn't realized how much the war had damaged the school. I didn't like it. I didn't like how the old, ancient feeling of the school that I loved so much was only present in some places.

The Great Hall, despite the new ceiling, still felt the same, just as amazing as ever before. Even though the ceiling was new, they magical sky was the same as ever, tonight a dark, clear blue. As Ginny and I sat down at the Gryffindor table, waiting the arrival of the first years, I looked around, trying to see if I could recognize anyone and spot Malfoy while I was at it.

From the Gryffindor in my year, only Parvati, Dean, and I had returned. Looking around, I also saw that from Ravenclaw, Padma Patil, Anthony Goldstein, and Michael Corner, and from Hufflepuff, Hannah Abbot and Ernie Macmillan. Of the Slytherins, only Malfoy returned from our year, and from where I was sitting I had a clear view of him. He was sitting by himself at the Slytherin table- all of his other house mates had given him a wide berth- and, though his eyes looked alert, I could tell his was thinking of other things; he never changed his position.

The Sorting began, during which several students got sorted into each of the houses after the sorting hat sang a song about how the four houses should work together for the greater good, but I couldn't really pay attention, instead glancing at Malfoy every few minutes to see if he had changed. He never did. One time, as I glanced at him, I thought I saw him twist his mouth in annoyance at something, but it couldn't have been my frequent glances. Could it? No, I didn't think so…

As the feast continued, I finally realized that I wasn't alone- I was still with Ginny. And Ginny was silent, just eating. That was what I appreciated about Ginny, she knew me so well, she knew when to leave me alone and when to comfort me. But when I finally decided to talk to her, she said the wrong thing.

"Why do you keep staring at Malfoy, Hermione?"

"I don't keep staring at Malfoy…I just…I just feel really bad…I mean, I almost feel sorry…he's just making me curious. Don't misunderstand me!" I added, seeing her expression. "He's still a sodding ferret! But he's just different," I finished flatly. There was no point in lying, I was the worst liar imaginable.

She looked at him quickly, then looked at me, studying my expression, "Yes, I suppose you're right." She sighed, "But I know you Hermione. Don't go trying to reform him because 'everyone has good in them!'" She made me sound like one of those movies that were drenched in morals. "Because someone like that has no good in them…he will always be filled with hate and spite, and no matter what you do, Mione, you can't fix that."

And I agreed with her, I really did. I convinced myself that she was right as I thought back to all those things I had seen with Harry and Ron last year. And, really, what was the difference between Malfoy and someone like, say, Bellatrix Lestrange? Both were bent on destroying muggle-borns, both found pleasure in the torment of others. Ginny was right- someone with that much hate in them couldn't change.

At the end of the feast, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and began her first start-of-term speech as headmistress. "This previous year we have seen what a war can do. It can destroy, it can cause pain…yet it can also bring people together. And that is what I must ask of my students this year." She continued with this bit about how we could learn from the war, and ended off with something about inter-house unity. It was clear that she wasn't going to allow any trouble from ill-feelings between the Slytherins and the other houses.

After the speech most of the students started to exit to go up to their dorms, and I was left alone as Ginny ran of to the owlry to write to Harry. I was on the second floor when I realized that I would also be completely alone in the common room... no one would be there to laugh with me or to listen to me, and I didn't want to be constantly reminded of that fact. The common room also reminded me too much of Harry and Ron. There were too many memories there, of Harry complaining of Umbridge, of Sirius by the fire. The library, it seemed, would be a good place for me to go, even if I was by myself.

Incidentally I was the only one as I made my way across a second floor corridor that led to a shortcut to the library. The hallway was dark and quiet, with the barest bit of light, and the only flicker of movement coming from a student or two finding their houses, and I was thinking about how peaceful…and boring my life currently was… but then I heard it.

A scream.

I froze for a moment, my hand reflexively gripping my wand. Then I heard it again.

The scream was strangled, and you could tell the boy (for it was obvious the scream did belong to a boy) was in deep pain. I could hear it was coming from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. I was unsure about what to do. Should I go to the screamer? Or should I get a teacher? He screamed for the third time, and it was so heartbreakingly pained, that I instantly took several steps to the bathroom door, putting my left hand on it…And slowly I pushed it open, hearing nothing but the loud creak of the door and the harsh breathing of the poor boy.

He was crouched on the floor, his back to me, and a sympathetic-looking Moaning Myrtle floating next to him, and he seemed to be huddled over his arm. He was shaking violently, and I noticed spots of blood on the damp floor around him. I had a guess before, but as soon as I saw his platinum blond hair, I knew…

Moaning Myrtle fled as soon as she saw me, but I paid her no mind. "Malfoy?" I whispered, too afraid to raise my voice.

He didn't respond.

"Malfoy." I spoke a little louder, carefully walking towards him, my hand still gripping my wand. "C'mon, Malfoy." I took his right arm, and hoisted him up, letting him keep the majority of his weight on me for support.

He stood and then seemed to realize where he was, because when he saw me, he snatched his arm away saying, "I do not need the help of a bloody mudblood like you." But his voice was low and raspy, and as soon as he lost contact with me, he lost his balance and then had to go back to leaning on me.

"Malfoy, I'm not going to ask questions now, just…just you're going to have to help me if we're going to get you to the hospital wing."

"No!" His voice was weak in protest. "Please!" I blinked when he said please. "Granger, we can't go there… not yet. I can handle this…it's nothing but a few cuts!" He looked at me with pleading eyes. "Granger…please?"

"Malfoy," I sighed as I dragged him out of the bathroom, "I would hardly call those gashes a few cuts." There was a trickle of blood dripping from the his head down his cheek, and, because his sleeves were rolled up I noticed deep gashes in addition to dark bruises on his arms, and even a few on his neck. "Don't be stupid. You need Madame Pomfrey!"

"I…I-" but he lost consciousness quickly, the stupid git, and so I used a levitating spell to get him up to the hospital wing.

~~~HP~~~

Madame Pomfry grilled me with questions about what happened, but I answered all of them as vaguely as I could. After all, there was a reason Malfoy didn't want them to see him. I figured that I would wait to see what the situation was before I decided to tell anyone anything. And he would tell me; I would make sure of that. Harry and Ron had taught me well over the years.

But Professor McGonagall was much harder to fool. First of all, my conscience felt terribly guilty for not telling her the truth, but the teacher was, by nature, extremely suspicious. It took many hours of my saying, "I honestly don't know what happened, Professor. I do think though that some kids might've beaten him up because, well…you know." And I really did know that this could've been possible given the circumstances, but she didn't believe it any more than I did while hearing myself say it. What happened to the Slytherin was obviously much more than a few beatings.

Malfoy was asleep for about five hours, during which time I stayed, seating myself in a chair by his bedside. There was no one back for me in Gryffindor anyway, and I really did want to make sure Malfoy was okay.

He was truly peaceful in his sleep. His face lost all the maliciousness, all the anger, but it pronounced the fear in his face. And there was quite a lot of it. His face made me think back to Ginny's words earlier this evening. Did Malfoy have any good in him? I wasn't sure. Because when you saw him like this, you were able to see his vulnerability.

I was reading a book that I had with me, when I head him groan. I looked up in time to see his eyes flicker open, and then, realizing where he was, sit up suddenly, his bandaged arms flying to his head.

"G-Granger? God, my head hurts! Where the hell am I?" His voice still sounded bad- weak and raspy.

"You're in the hospital wing."

"What happened? Why are you of all people here?!"

"Um…you…well…you see, I was on the second floor when…and you were in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom…blood was every where…you passed out…" I trailed off awkwardly.

"Shit. You saw that? I didn't want a mudblood of all people-"

"Malfoy I helped you- you could've been seriously hurt." I didn't want to bring this up, but I wanted to see the look on his face. "You owe me." And I gave him a Malfoy-worthy smirk.

He looked at me, his eyes burning, and I knew I made him truly mad, "Damn it, you nosey, effing little Mudblood, I-" but right then Madame Pomfrey walked in mumbling something along the lines of, "Language, Mr. Malfoy, language."

He gave me a seething look as he allowed Madame Pomfrey to change his bandages, which I took as my cue to leave.

~~~HP~~~

Malfoy was in the Hospital Wing for about three days, during which he argued so much with Madame Pomfrey, she finally let him go out of exasperation. I first saw him during potions on the first day he was back.

Professor Slughorn was still teaching. I suppose that he thought because Voldemort was gone, it was safe to continue, and it was fine by me, Professor Slughorn was a good potions teacher…but sometimes he had his moments of stupidity…like today for example.

Since the first day of lessons, I noticed that we've had transfigurations, charms, herbology, the basic classes, so far with the Slytherins, so potions wasn't a big surprise. Professor McGonagall was really trying to push this "interhouse-unity" thing. And it was funny, this thought was extremely obvious when each teacher paired us up with a different Slytherin. It wasn't permanent, it was just for an exercise or two, but I though they could be more discrete about it.

When I walked into potions, I noticed he wasn't in the room yet, so I just chose an empty desk an sat down, enjoying the smell of the sweet potion up front by the Professor's desk. I was transfixed by the potion, mentally trying to figure out what it could be, taking it apart in my mind, and so I didn't notice Malfoy until he addressed me.

"Mudblood," he growled, his wand clutched tightly in his left hand. "You will not tell anyone what happened. Especially not Potter. Not even that blood traitor Weasley. What's happening to me doesn't concern them…it doesn't even bloody concern you, so lay off."

Truth be told, I wasn't going to tell them- I hadn't even though about it. But what he said had made me angry. I had helped him, and he didn't care enough to thank me? I didn't think that was fair. And so, I stood up, so I could speak to him eye to eye…even though he was taller than me. "I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, and sometimes I wish that Harry would've let you die in the sodding fiend-fire when he had the chance! You're so stuck up, you don't even have the decency to thank someone when they help you. You can't just tell people to do what ever you want!" Then I noticed something. "How on Earth do you have your wand, anyway?"

"There you go sticking your nose into everything again!" He sneered at me. "Where has it got you? No one likes a know-it-all."

"No one likes a egoist!" Have I really been reduced into playing these childish games?

"Mudblood. It's a wonder you are able to look in the mirror everyday... you probably vomit out of disgust every time." I felt my cheeks burn.

"At least I have friends, not some death eater possy who only hang around me because my father is friendly with Voldemort…or used to be. Tell me, does your father like Azkaban very much? Is he getting it all ready for you?" I noticed a few people looking our way, and at my comment, they sniggered, and Malfoy's cheeks turned a pale pink.

Before I knew it, he had his wand pointed at my face,. He prodded my nose slightly and it made a hissing noise. Oh, how overly dramatic, just like him. "Say that again, Mudblood, I dare you." I was about to cast a silent Levicorpus spell, when-

"Ahem!" Professor Slughorn walked into the classroom and Malfoy quickly put down his wand. "Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy, what is going on here?" Malfoy stayed silent while I offered the teacher my mumbled replies. "Save it Miss Granger. If the Headmistress knew!" but he gave me a regretful look saying, "I suppose there is no need to bring her into this." I guess he didn't want to diminish the record of a prized student. With a sterner voice he added. "But since you two are so adamant on working with each other on spells, I'm sure you two would be fine working as potions partners, as well, for the rest of the year." He chuckled to himself. "Class, take note. With any luck, you will be able to see a fine example of inter-house unity!"

And with that, he marched off to the front of the room as the class started to take their seats, leaving Malfoy and I glaring at each other before slowly walking to our table. Ugh.

"I hate you."

"I loathe you."

"Death Eater"

"Mudblood."

This was going to be a fine year.


A/N: I kind of like this chapter, I hope you did too!

Huh...I just noticed my chapters are getting longer each time...is that good?

Please review...This is my first fanfic, and so I never knew before how much reviews keep someone going...they make you happy!

Please? with licorice wands on top? and cauldron cakes?