Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Thanks for the review Isadora120. I am not offended at all. Any advice is welcome.

Hopefully this chapter will be better Please R+R

The next morning Hermione woke with a start. Looking outside she realized breakfast did not start for some time. After tossing and turning in her bed, she dressed and went out to watch the sunrise. The fresh morning air always calmed her and that was what she needed right now. She could not understand what Malfoy was playing at. This new side of him couldn't possibly be real. There was a rustling behind her. She immediately jumped up to a duelling position.

"Peace, Hermione!"

Harry's laugh filled the silence. Hermione grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, Harry. It's just old habits die hard."

"I understand. I have the same problem."

They sat back sown with her head in his lap. Unbeknownst to them they were being watched. Draco saw them settle and, for reasons he could not figure out, felt a pang. He shook it off telling himself that…what? He shook his head and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Slowly he walked to the Slytherin table where Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy were already sitting. After a few of their inane comments he snapped,

"When are any of you going to get a brain?"

They all looked shocked and when Blaise found them in the same position, he merely raised an eyebrow. He turned to Draco and started to speak to him. As soon as he finished eating, Draco stormed out of the Great Hall. Looking up Hermione saw him and was worried. Making sure no on would notice her she followed him.

"Draco! Wait up!"

Draco turned, his stormy grey eyes slightly wider than usual. Hermione realized that she had used his first name.

"Um…are you alright?" she muttered in a desperate attempt to cover up her embarrassment.

"Yeah. Just needed o get away from Crabbe, Goyle and Parkinson."

"Oh," Hermione said in a small voice.

They stood in the corridor awkwardly until they realized they should be returning. McGonagall raised an eyebrow when she saw them together, but did not comment. Their friends, on the other hand, swamped them with questions.

"What the hell were you doing with Draco Malfoy, Hermione?" Harry practically yelled at her when she sat down. Neville just stared at her dumbfounded. With a red face she said,

"He's not that bad. Not anymore. Oh I know you hate him, but you haven'ts even heard his side of the story!"

Harry couldn't say anything. He was speechless that she was defending the man who had insulted her for so many years. Later as he passed Draco, he grabbed the arm of his archenemy and said coldly,

"You may have won Hermione over, but you don't fool me. People don't change, Malfoy. Not people like you. And I'll be keeping a sharp eye on you. If you hurt her, I'll kill you. She's been hurt enough and somehow I don't think that they would send The Boy Who Lived to Azkaban for killing a member of a family that were known Death Eaters."

He then continued on his way and Draco was left staring after the green-eyed man. Surprise and shock were mingled on his face, but he pulled himself together as his friends approached.

"Hey, Draco!"

Pansy's simpering voice reached him, making him, not for the first time, want to run away.

"Parkinson. Hey Blaise, do you wanna go down to the dungeons and check out the new Slytherins?"

Blaise smiled wickedly while Pansy frowned at Draco's cold way of dismissing her. However she soon brightened up as more often than not Draco simply ignored the fact that she existed.

However she knew that checking out new Slytherins did not require girls so she went off to visit some old teachers from the past. As she walked she thought about how strangely Draco had been acting over that Granger girl. She didn't understand his fascination with her. Pansy was a Pureblood, ready to obey his every wish and still he would choose that Mudblood, who ignored him the whole time, over her. Turning the corner she ran into said person. She sneered,

"Well look who it is. Miss Know-It-All!"

Hermione looked at the smaller girl disdainfully and said in a voice loaded with contempt,

"You really shouldn't try to sneer, Parkinson. That's one of the many Slytherin traits that you don't possess. Maybe you should have Draco teach you. Oh but wait he doesn't even want to spend 5 minutes in the same room as you."

With that Hermione scornfully swept past. Pansy trembled as she took in the Gryffindor's words. Red hot fury filled her and she began to think of ways to get her revenge.

Hope you liked this chapter. I might not be able to post for a while. Lots of work!