Making sure to get there first, Hermione was already seated when McGonagall arrived five minutes early for their detention the next day. "I have a few comments for both of you before we get started, but let's wait for Mr. Malfoy before we get into anything" Hermione waited patiently and Malfoy arrived precisely on time. How annoying. She had secretly been hoping he would be late.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, thank you for joining us. Please take a seat." Malfoy moved to sit in the same seat he had occupied yesterday but McGonagall stopped him "Up here please, I have a few comments and do not wish to be yelling" She said this with a small smile, almost as an after thought she added, "if it is not necessary."

Slowly, as though the request were painful he moved to the desk the professor had indicated, leaving one empty space between him and Hermione.

"First, after you left yesterday Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy asked me a question - and I feel like it was important enough that you should consider it as well"

Hermione's mouth dropped - an important question? After she left? This was not right, why would Malfoy care if he was doing things right, and why had he waited until she left? Shooting a look to her right it seemed Malfoy was even annoyed at the fact that it was being brought up. Why wouldn't he want to be recognized for something McGonagall obviously thought was important? This was not starting out well. That was fine, Hermione could make up for it. After all, one thoughtful question wasn't that much.

"Mr. Malfoy here encountered an essay that he believes a student did not write themselves, rather, he thinks an older student wrote it for them. It took rather a keen eye and attention to detail to notice, but after looking at it myself I tend to agree." Hermione worked hard to keep a blank face. Keen eye? Attention to detail? Out of the corner of her eye, Malfoy looked almost as annoyed that she noticed these things as Hermione felt having not noticed them. "I would like you both to be on the look out for reoccurrences of this situation and hold those papers in question aside."

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy for taking this task seriously, and for being so thorough"

This was bad - she had been wrong yesterday. He hadn't only skimmed the essays, he had been 'thorough' and still completed as many as she had.

"And, Ms. Granger, I do also appreciate your enthusiasm" Hermione beamed "But, going forward, fewer comments please." She said it with a smile but Hermione's heart dropped. McGonagall had praised Malfoy and corrected her. She almost wanted to pinch herself, the world was turning on its head, this had to be a dream.

That's okay, she told herself, it will just be more of a challenge now, I can do better. A small part of her shook its head that everything had to be such a competition, but she ignored it, mentally preparing to do the best work she possibly could.

The rest of the detention passed similar to the day before, the only difference was that Hermione was, if possible, even more absorbed in the work. Today she was reading essays about the benefits of expelliarmus and to describe an unusual situation it could be used. It was quite entertaining and reminded her of Harry. Honestly, only he could try to expelliarmus Voldemort. Then it hit her - of course!

"Malfoy, you're a death eater!" She hadn't meant to actually say this, especially not in such a loud and excited tone, but the shock on his face was almost worth it.

She stammered on, not having meant to say the first part she wasn't quite sure what the second should be, but couldn't very well just make that exclamation and turn back to her work.

"No... I mean… I mean obviously not a real death eater" his face shifted, but she couldn't read it, she continued anyway - needing to get her thoughts out. " I mean… I thought… I couldn't figure out how you could be second in our year, I mean, I never even noticed you… academically I mean… But I've always just focused on the Ravenclaws. But I couldn't' figure out why I was so surprised that you were smart." Ok she could understand the look on his face now, anger and annoyance clearly radiating, but she couldn't seem to stop "But I just realized, I was thinking about Voldemort and I realized, you're a death eater - or you want to be. But you're smart. How in the world could you possibly be doing so well in school but think those stupid 'blood purity' things?"

She said this all in a rush, almost as though ripping off a band aid. Once she had started speaking she had needed to follow the thought through. The thought hadn't even been fully formed in her mind before she spoke it. She was sure her face was bright red, she could almost feel the heat coming off of it. But, despite the poor delivery, she was actually quite excited - she always got excited when she figured something out. But now that the words were out there she also honestly wanted an answer from him.

The look on Malfoy's face was almost enough to make her want to run and hide. It was clear how angry he was at her implying he should be stupid, color rising high in his pale cheeks, but, she could also see disbelief. Probably that she had said something like that to him. As he had a second to regain his composure a dangerous glint was beginning to show in his eyes, the all to familiar smirk forming on his mouth. Hermione felt her heart start to pound in her chest. She had never believed more than now that he could be a death eater - the look in his eyes…

The door swung open and she jumped as though she had been electrocuted. "Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Granger, I really didn't expect to have to keep the two of you from shirking your work for socializing." McGonagall knew of course that what had been happening was far from pleasant socialization, but, as there was no actual evidence to indicate otherwise, and as the alternative explanation was worse, Hermione kept quiet and turned back to face forward in the desk.

"I apologize, Professor McGonagall, Ms. Granger here was just having a hard time understanding something. She was only asking me for help." Malfoy was an evil, cruel, little worm! She didn't need his help! She opened her mouth to say just that, but the self-satisfied grin on his face told her that was exactly what he wanted to happen.

She couldn't explain to McGonagall what she had just said, and certainly, if she tried to argue the point she would need to. He had said those things just to rile her up. Remembering his reactions earlier she chose a different tack.

"Yes professor, he was very helpful. I don't know what I would have done without him here." Maybe it was overkill, and she didn't doubt that McGonagall could tell something was up, but Malfoy had flushed a light pink color and his eyes were shooting daggers at her, so she had gotten what she wanted.

McGonagall just looked at the two of them for a few seconds in silence. "Yes, well, if there is nothing further then, you may go." And she sat down to look at the papers they had just gone through.

Today Hermione wanted to get a safe distance away from Malfoy even more than usual, but there was no way she was going to risk him asking another 'important' question without her there. She dawdled as much as possible and finally followed Malfoy out the door - no questions having been ventured.

Hermione's first instinct to hurry had been right, she should have listened to it. The second they were out of the immediate corridor that was occupied by a professor Malfoy turned to face her. He strode up to her stopping inches away from her face. Clearly, he had expected her to take a step back, but she refused to let herself be intimidated by him. Well, at least she refused to let him know how much he intimidated her. That look was back, the one that made her question her refusal to accept that he was a death eater. There was nothing behind those steel gray eyes, they were cold and dark and empty. A small shiver made its way down her spine. She refused to look away.

Malfoy did not seem fazed by this and leaned a little closer before hissing at her "Just because you think you know everything does not mean you do. Your book smarts make you ignorant to the actual world around you. You know nothing, nothing, about my beliefs, and you know nothing about me. If you want to prevent yourself from looking like even more of a fool than you already do I suggest you keep your little mouth shut."

The anger in these words was clear, he was almost shaking with it. Hermione was terrified now. She couldn't seem to make her body or her brain responds and just stood frozen in place. Malfoy turned on his heel and marched down to the dungeons without another word.

She had no idea what she had done to make him so mad. She knew she said something stupid before, she knew he would be mad, but not like that. She had seen him mad before, seen him lash out at Harry or Ron, or any number of people, but that was something else. That wasn't a teenage feud mad. That was a type of rage she had never experienced before and she was positively shaking.

Realizing she was still stuck in place Hermione gave her head a light shake, cleared her throat, and started purposefully walking back to the common room. Ron and Harry were already there, but after a quick greeting she made her excuses and went down to bed. Laying in the dark she could hear Malfoy as though he were still mere inches away

"You know nothing, nothing about my beliefs, nothing about me."

What in the world had she said to get him so upset? She almost felt bad, but truly she hadn't meant to do it. Was it that she had accused him of being a Death Eater? Or maybe that she had accused him of not being one. She had said that what he believed was stupid, but that surely couldn't have been news to him - they were on opposite side of a war for gods sake... She was not used to seeing Malfoy like that, angry was one thing, but he had seemed almost out of control. He usually made such an effort to seem composed and together. What had set him off like that? She hated not knowing things. Now she had two things she didn't know. Her original questions - how could someone so smart believe in things that were so stupid, and why did that same person get so upset when she had asked about it? She had to find out, she needed a plan. Merlin help her - she sounded like Harry.