The Hogwarts Express moved off along the platform, gathering speed, and Draco moved off down the train, searching for the compartment that his mum's house-elf Martin had saved upon his orders. As Draco followed Crabbe and Goyle he didn't notice Pansy and Blaise Zabini walking past him in the opposite direction, until Pansy called out to him from right behind him.

"Hey Draco! Aren't you supposed to be going somewhere?" her derisive voice lashed at him, reminding him why he was mad at her in the first place.

"Yeah Parkinson! Somewhere where there aren't any cheating Bitches around possibly where these idiots are better company than sluts and so-called friends." Draco snapped back angrily.

Pansy's mouth popped open into an 'o'. Draco was mean to everybody other than his own house, and usually reserved the last name treatment for those like the Gryffindor Trio, and he'd never ever used it on Pansy. Draco knew what Pansy and Blaise were thinking, but decided to turn around to walk away. Before he could however. . .

"Oi! Draco!" Blaise was fuming noticeably when Draco looked at him.

"What Zabini? Finally decided to say something to me have you? After running around with my girl for a year or more you finally drop enough balls to say something after a God-damned year? Well too fucking bad Zabini! I already found out!"

Blaise actually had the decency to look ashamed of what was being said, and backed down to Draco's rant. He then turned his back on them, pushing past Crabbe and Goyle who were staring at him with ridiculous looks on their faces, and ran straight into Hermione Granger.

"What do you want Granger? Draco sneered out. He really didn't feel like talking at the moment, but knew that if he could bait her that he'd get some satisfaction out of the day at least.

"I was actually on my way to the Prefects' carriage Malfoy! Some of us have duties within the school you know. Besides, considering the foul language you were just using on Zabini, I should be docking points from Slytherin! As it is you should be lucky that I don't know if I can yet. So I will be reporting you to Head Boy and Girl." Hermione replied tartly.

Draco's sneer disappeared from his face. He'd completely forgotten. Everything that had gone on today had pushed it right out of his mind. Oh Shit.

"Oh." Was all Draco managed to say before hurriedly looking back at the two muscles standing behind him, who were now focusing their idiotic stares at Hermione. "I'll catch up with the two of you later on. Get me some snacks when the trolley comes around okay?" Draco said gruffly looking past them to where Blaise and Pansy were still watching. Draco dug around in his pockets for some gold and pulled out two Galleons. "And I want my change back too." He said menacingly.

Crabbe nodded mutely, pocketing the gold that Draco had just handed to him, then grabbed Goyle's shoulder and lumbered past Draco and Hermione who were still facing each other.

"What the hell was that about Malfoy?" Hermione asked primly.

"None of your damn business you fucking Mudblood Bitch!" Pansy growled from behind Draco.

"Oh, hiya Pansy!" Hermione laughed nonplussed by Pansy's rudeness. "I wasn't aware that you were in the habit of defending any of your ex boyfriends, much less the ones who can fend for themselves."

"Actually Granger, I don't give a fuck who it is or what's going on, as long as it's a Slytherin, I'll keep you and your filthy mouth from defiling them. Fucking Mudblood scum."

"Oh for shame Pansy! What a lowering of such a lovely lady! But I guess that's what anybody would expect from a conniving Slytherin like you these days, huh Pansy?"

Pansy opened her mouth to continue arguing and trash talking Hermione, but Draco cut in.

"Look Pansy, I don't need you to defend me, and I really don't want you to either. Neither one of you thought it was important enough to let me know about. No self respecting Slytherin did. No, a Mudblood told me by owl, a day before I got a disgusting smutty letter from Pansy that she was supposed to send to you Blaise. So maybe I wouldn't have to be saying this shit if you two acted like true Slytherins but lay the fuck off of it you damn hypocrites! You're no better than a Mudblood or a Blood-traitor the way you two have been acting!"

Pansy and Blaise were now both staring at Draco, incredulity all over their features. Hermione also looked dumbstruck for a moment, then her features contorted and she opened her mouth looking ready to spit fire, but before anything managed to come out, a voice behind her stopped everybody.

"Hey 'Mione. . . uh . . . why are you standing here with a bunch of Slytherins?" the confusion in Ron's voice was evident when he finally came up to all of them standing in the corridor.

Draco glanced past Hermione at the damn red-head wondering if he could risk hexing him before school started without getting into a bunch of trouble. Then, he glanced back at Hermione who seemed to be trying to control her facial expression with some difficulty. This decided him against it. However much he wanted to, Hermione would report it immediately. Besides Pansy and Blaise had already moved off up along the corridor after Draco's rant at them, and Ron's unexpected arrival.

"Actually Weasel, Granger here was just reminding us Slytherins that a Prefects Carriage awaits. So clear off. I don't see why in Merlin's name you are here anyways." Sneered a perfectly happy Draco, enjoying the way Ron's face changed colors at the insult. It definitely clashed brilliantly with his flaming red hair.

"Oi Malfoy! If you're not careful I'll dock points from Slytherin for you being a damn git!" Ron snarled clenching his fists.

Draco laughed derisively "They made you prefect did they? Bloody pathetic."

Ron snarled again and started forward, but Hermione blocked his path.

"Don't Ron. He's just trying to get you angry right now." Hermione said quietly. Draco noted that by this time Hermione had schooled her demeanor and was now looking quizzically at him. Draco just shrugged as if he were replying to her unasked question and turned around, his back to the do-good Gryffindors, and began moving off along the train again, this time in the opposite direction.

He mulled over all the arguments around him on this day as he shouldered past terrified first years and gabbling third years. How he wished he could be that young again. Not even half involved in all the turmoil that is going on as he is now! Draco felt almost sick at the thought. As much as he really didn't like Potter and Weasley, he truly didn't like to see others get hurt, or be the one to hurt. He'd been dying to grow up and have more freedom and experience than what he did have when he was 11, and now. . . now he wished he were a sniveling little first year again, clinging to his mummy's skirts. Or better yet, still living in that perfect world of four years time with Jean before his first year at Hogwarts. 'How pathetically ironic.' Draco thought sadly.

Draco finally reached the two enlarged compartments kept aside for the prefects, and pushed aside the first door.

"What are you doing Malfoy? Those compartments are set aside for the prefects only!" Hermione asked sharply from directly behind him. Draco turned around to look Hermione directly in the face.

"I'm going into the prefects' carriage Granger. Isn't it obvious?" Draco retorted scathingly.

"I don't see why!" Hermione's voice was shrill, almost panicked now, and she glanced behind her at Ron who was still scowling darkly at Draco.

"Well Granger, I was made a prefect like you and that second-hand trash behind you!"

Hermione looked desperate and faint, while Ron, as Draco noted, was spluttering in anger and turning purple.

Draco just chuckled and walked into the compartment. He glanced around and snorted. 'Blood-traitors, and Mudbloods' he thought disgustedly. ' and sluts' he amended when he caught sight of Pansy crammed up against the window as far away from the two Hufflepuffs as she could get. Inside the carriage already, Draco saw Ernie MacMillan and Hanna Abbot of Hufflepuff, then Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil of Ravenclaw. There were only three seats left in the compartment. Two beside the Ravenclaws and one between Pansy and the Hufflepuffs.

Pansy looked pointedly at Draco, then at the seat beside her. Draco grinned and nodded at her, as if acknowledging her message then proceeded to sit in the seat directly across from her beside the window. This forced Hermione and Ron to split and sit beside the two Slytherins.

Pansy looked murderously at Draco when Ron finally sat beside her because he didn't want to sit beside Draco. Draco glanced to his left at Hermione and saw her looking curiously at him. Draco grinned again and turned back to speak with Pansy, who looked like she wanted nothing better than to slap the smug look off of Draco's face.

"I told you Pansy. I refuse to be around a slutty cheating bitch. I prefer other company."

"Whatever the fuck you say Draco. If you wanna be a damn blood traitor and a Muggle lover then fuck you and you're a disgrace to your damn family!" Pansy snarled back.

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, looking between Pansy and Draco. "Now I understand! That's what you were arguing about earlier when I ran into Crabbe!"

"You ran into Crabbe?" Draco said slightly stunned. Know-it-all Granger who'd been the one to tell him about Pansy's cheating was just now understanding it? Was she really that slow or was she acting? Draco narrowed his eyes at her trying to figure out this girl that he'd never really had much to do with other than torment and pick on.

"Hey Malfoy, stop glaring at Hermione or I-"

Ron stopped just in time, looking up at the doorway that was now occupied by two people. The first was a Ravenclaw 7th year girl that Draco vaguely recognized as a pureblood from some of the parties the parties that his parents had thrown over the course of his life. The other one was a seventh year boy that Draco did not recognize at all, but having a suspicion as to who they were, didn't feel the need to be rude to them, for the moment.

"You'll what exactly? Finish the sentence. I mean it" the girl said taking out her wand and stepping forward menacingly. Draco was astonished to see such a face on a girl that lovely. Draco glanced over at Ron, whose mouth was agape, staring at the girl with her wand in hand. Draco glanced over at Hermione, who was staring back at Draco, her eyes narrowed and an odd look on her face that Draco had never seen Hermione direct towards him. It was speculating. . and curious.

'Okay. Now I am really really confused. Normally Hermione would be staring at Weasley no matter what's going on around her in these types of situations. Now she's just ignoring him . . .what the hell is going on with her?' Draco wondered briefly.

"I was telling Malfoy that if he kept glaring at Hermione I'd use the jelly legs curse or make him erupt in hives. He's always being very rude to Hermione. Why?"

"Because you'll pay for that. Starting Monday morning you will be doing double duty with a fellow prefect. And I will make sure you don't like it."

Draco grinned appreciatively. He loved it when Weasley or Potter got into trouble, but doubly so when he only had a partial hand in it and didn't have to rat them out for it. And here he'd hardly had to do anything! Today might actually turn out well after all.

Draco hopped out of his musing when he heard Ron start to nervously stutter about how he didn't see how he should be punished for standing up to someone who bully's Hermione and kids younger than him and that he was only trying to keep Draco from calling Hermione a Mudblood again.

Throughout Ron's explanation the Ravenclaw girl just stood there listening, looking as though she were paying rapt attention to everything that Ron was saying. It was getting boring to Draco, so he looked around him. Everybody but Pansy was listening to Ron and casting furtive glances at the Ravenclaw girl standing in the doorway beside the unknown boy. Pansy however, was glaring alternately between Hermione, Draco, and the Ravenclaw girl who was still listening to Ron's pathetic sniveling.

Now Draco felt quite smug. He was pretty sure he knew what was going on in Pansy's head right now. She'd be irritated with him because he'd not only insulted her by sitting apart from her, but also verbally by defending Hermione back in the corridor. Then Pansy would be upset because of Ron being forced to sit beside her. Also, she'd be wondering why he'd prefer to sit beside a Gryffindor instead of a fellow Slytherin, besides the fact that she'd cheated on him. And honestly, that last part was kind of confusing to Draco as well. It was also obviously not helping her temper that the 7th year girl was listening to Ron's half-ass explanation.

"Okay. Now it'll be double duty with Filch or a Slytherin for two months! Honestly, just shut up before you get more of that. You are a prefect. An example to the rest of the school whether you like it or not. If you continue your pathetic sniveling and hatred toward those of a different house, you will not only do double duty with Filch or a Slytherin, but you will also be relieved of your prefects' status. If you think you can go to Professor McGonagall or Dumbledore to try to get your punishment removed or lessened, think again. They are the ones who ordered that the strictest measures are to be used to keep us all in line this year."

She paused here, catching everybody's eyes before she continued. When her eyes met his for a brief moment, a fierce gleam in them piqued his interest for the briefest moment.

"That includes everybody here. Nobody is to be uncooperative this year, and nobody will be going over anybody's head of authority. We are going to all work together. We are all responsible for the safety and well being of the students here at Hogwarts this year. We will all get along together this year. Those are my orders. Directly from Dumbledore."

Draco was surprised at this little speech. Never had he heard of a Headmaster giving the Head Boy or Head Girl direct orders before without immediate threat! And he'd even read Hogwarts: A History a few times when he was bored. It was a first! So Draco glanced to his left at Hermione's expression and saw that she wore and expression that explained perfectly exactly how he himself felt on the subject. Draco laughed slightly, and everybody in the carriage turned to look directly at him. Including Hermione. Who he was still looking directly at. Crap.

She was so close to him, staring directly at him, right into his eyes. He was startled by her eyes, which had always been hidden by her lashes or looking down, or he'd only caught glimpses of and thought were very ugly. Yet looking at them now, Draco realized they were a beautiful shade of brown somewhere between dark chocolate and coffee . . and framing the iris, were a beautiful multifaceted emerald green color. Draco had never really looked at Hermione or her eyes, but now. . he couldn't stop. Those eyes reminded him so forcibly of Jean's eyes that he wanted to drown in them, back to the warm days where he was kind and had a friend to talk to and count on.

Draco saw Hermione's pouty dark pink lips curve up in a brief smile, then watched her lips as he heard her speak in a voice that clearly tried to hide laughter.

"Earth to Draco! Why do you think any bit of what she just said is funny?"

"What?" Draco dazedly asked, "oh. . sorry I was just thinking about how there's never really been orders directly from a Headmaster to either Head Boy or Girl without immediate danger in the entirety of Hogwarts history. And I thought of us all getting along as she suggests. . like friends. I thought that was slightly mental and comical, but I'm willing enough to give it a try." On this last sentence Draco waggled his eyebrows at Hermione making her suppress a smile.

Hermione raised her eyebrows, but said nothing and turned her attention back to the Ravenclaw girl standing in the doorway. Draco thought a second about what he'd just said and the actions he'd just done and inwardly groaned. Had he really just come on to the Mudblood Gryffindor goody-two-shoes Princess? Ugh.

Draco looked around the cabin at all the dumbstruck looks on their faces. Geez he was gonna be in for it. Ugh. Again.

"Well Malfoy said it perfectly. It's hard to imagine us ever getting along a House, but we all have to give it a shot. Even if it's funny or seems impossible. We've got to do it. "

"Excuse me." Pansy addressed the Ravenclaw girl softly, "but what exactly do you mean by all the things you're saying that we have to do. We don't know who you really are, and I don't think we should have to listen to you without proof of your authority."

Draco shook his head. Bad timing Pansy. And really bad words to use. Oh well.

"Ah. You're only partly right Miss-?"

"Parkinson." Pansy smiled back demurely, as though she knew she'd won something.

"Well Miss Parkinson, I am Jade Chang. I'm Cho Chang's older sister. And I am Head Girl this year."

Pansy looked as if she'd just been slapped across the face. Hard.

"I am James O'Conner. I happen to be the Head Boy this year and am also in Ravenclaw"

Everybody looked around the compartment for who had just spoken, then realized belatedly that it could only be the 7th year boy standing in the doorway beside Jade.

Draco looked carefully over at the Ravenclaw prefects for any show of familiarity with the two Ravenclaw Heads but found instead that they looked just as confused and surprised as the rest of them.

"Well I don't know about everybody else, but I was expecting to hear more about our duties. That's what the letter I got said anyways." Hermione said primly trying to get everybody's attention focused back on the reason why they were all there.

"Yes. You're right." Jade said with a more business like tone. "You are?"

"Hermione Granger, Gryffindor."

"Ah. I get it." Jade chuckled. "Alright, we'll do role call then we will discuss our duties this year apart from the one previously mentioned."

Draco rolled his eyes. Of course Hermione would get everybody back on task. How like her. He looked over at Jade as she rummaged around in her pockets looking for something. Draco was trying to see the resemblance between herself and Cho. He just didn't see it. Not on her face, which was more round than her younger sisters' and not in her hair which had much more texture and was slightly curly. Not unmanageably so like Hermione's always seemed to be, but just enough to be pretty.

Jade looked up blushing and sheepish, glancing at her companion James who rolled his eyes then shook his head no briefly.

"It seems that neither James or I managed to bring our prefects' roster. So, uh. . . just tell us your first and last names and your House as Miss Granger did. We'll start with you." Jade announced, pointing to Ernie MacMillan.

"Ernie MacMillan, Hufflepuff."

"Hannah Abbot, Hufflepuff."

"Ron Weasley, Gryffindor."

"Pansy Parkinson, Slytherin"

Here Jade raised her eyebrows slightly but said nothing then looked at Draco awaiting his name.

"Draco Malfoy, Slytherin."

"Hermione Granger, Gryffindor."

"Padma Patil, Ravenclaw."

"Anthony Goldstein, Ravenclaw. Cho is fucking Hot! Jade, is there any way you could hook up your sister and I?"

And the next thing everybody knew, Ernie MacMillan of Hufflepuff had jumped across the space between himself and Anthony and slapped him hard across the face. Everybody gasped in shock.