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This chapter begins with Draco which is who the beginning lyrics apply to.

Disclaimer: I still own nothing because I am poor; sad times.

You fight with your right hand

And caress with your left hand

Everyone I know is sick to death of you/

Ever since

You don't look the same

You're just not the same, no way

What the hell have they stuck into you?

It was one week into the school year…

…And Draco Malfoy wished that he could stop time permanently or make the world end; whichever came first or was more convenient.

Draco Malfoy was tired.

He was tired of school. He was tired of studying. He was tired of having to insult Potter and his group of Gryffindor friends. He was tired of insulting every Weasel that went to Hogwarts. He was tired of his father. He was tired of living up to his father's expectations. He was tired of the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters.

Draco Malfoy just wanted to be left alone, but that is what he wanted, so obviously, it would not happen.

Overall, he was tired of acting like he had the last seven years for his father, while wanting nothing more than to be someone else entirely. He disliked his current, even if it was, fake self and wanted to change. He felt like some psycho person who had multiple personalities.

And above all, Draco Malfoy was afraid.

He was afraid of failing in school. He was afraid of Potter and his group of brave friends. He was afraid of father. He was afraid of not living up to his father's expectations. He was afraid to act like he wanted to act. He was afraid of the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. He was afraid of being turned into one of the Dark Lord's Death Eaters.

This fear kept him performing the same act every year, because he was afraid of what would happen to him if he didn't.

"Hey Malfoy, do you want to go scare some Gryffindor first years?" Blaise Zabini called from the top of the stairs overlooking the common room. Draco, from his place on the couch, kept looking down at the book he was pretending to read in his hands.

"No. I'm going to the library."

He stood up, tucked his book under his arm, and left the Slytherin Common room.

And Blaise watched him leave.

Hermione was terrified.

Her current fear resided before an ornate wood door. This is the same door that she currently stood in front of, not knocking, just staring. Thoughts of dungeons, chains, and a dragon all ran through her head as she glared at the door, hoping, that she would develop the skill Mad-Eye Moody had and be able to see through the offending door.

Two minutes passed and her eye sight had not improved to x-ray vision.

She thought about giving it another two minutes to develop.

"Ms. Granger I know that you're a Gryffindor but even you must know that to open a door one must turn the handle and then push inward." A voice streaked with a lazy annoyance filtered through the other side of the door where Hermione's fear of death resided.

She jumped at the noise but made no movement towards the door.

A grunt, a scrape of a chair, six stomping steps, and the creak of a door opening all led to Professor Snape standing in front of Hermione. His arms were crossed and he stood his full height of six foot four making him tower over her. He said nothing but grabbed her arm and pulled her into his office and then slammed the door shut behind him. Hermione stood where he left her as he made his way back to his desk which was in the left corner of the tiny room. Jars, glasses, and parts of animals lined the walls of the office as well as a stack of broken caldrons in the right, back corner of the room.

This is where they are going to find my body. Hermione shivered.

Professor Snape stapled his fingers in front of himself, "Now you know, as well as I, that this was Dumbledore's idea and that I never requested the aid of anyone, yet alone you, to help me with this project." He paused.

Hermione felt that this was getting off to a bad start.

"And then he informed me that you would not be aiding me, but I," Professor Snape pointed to himself. "Would be aiding you and you would be making the potion with me as an assistant."

Hermione steeled her back. Oh, my God. He is going to kill me.

Professor Snape stood up and walked over to Hermione which forced her to crane her neck to look at him in the eyes. "So, Professor Granger, what is your first course of action?" The sentence dripped of some sarcasm that Hermione feared she might drown in it.

"Research," Hermione said it in a small voice and then berated herself for sounding so pathetic. Professor Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Well, once you have fully researched the material come find me because this conversation right now has been a waste of my time," He turned on his heel, walked back to his desk, sat down, and picked up his red pen. Hermione made no signs of moving.

"You can show yourself out," He stated without looking up from the paper he was grading.

Hermione stiffly turned and made for the door.

Severus let out a sigh of relief and sank into his uncomfortable chair as soon as the door shut behind Hermione. Ms. Granger! His mind supplied. He dropped the pen and rubbed his face tiredly with his hand.

All he kept seeing was the dead woman's eyes.

Damn you Albus, making me work with a student that I can't bear to look at.

Ginny sat in the library.

She was at one of the long tables towards the back of the library next to a window. The light of the setting sun casts reds and pinks into her part of the room. She sat cross legged on the chair as she read a book on charms and their one thousand and one uses. She was on use three hundred and four.

Ginny was perfectly content.

Someone coughed as in trying to get her attention from the right side of her. She looked up from her book to see Draco Malfoy standing a couple feet from her trying, and failing, to look annoyed at the situation he found himself in.

Ginny looked back down at her book.

"If you came here to insult, hex, or curse me then you better leave because I am, as they say, happy as a clam, and you won't get a rise out of me today." Ginny turned the page.

Malfoy shifted to his left foot.

"I'm not here to insult you Wease—Weasely."

Ginny looked up at him with disbelief clearly lining her face, "Really?"

"Yes," Malfoy sighed. "I asked Madam Pince for a book and she said that you had already checked it out." He pointed to the book lying peacefully on the table. "I need it for my charms essay."

Ginny looked down at the book as if it did something horrendous to her. "Well, I'll be done with it after today. Then you can check it out tomorrow."

Malfoy looked up at the ceiling, "The essay is due tomorrow. I forgot I had to do it until today."

She was really comfortable where she was and was immensely enjoying the book. She looked down at the book and back up at Malfoy and then back down at the book again. Damn.

"I guess that you can sit here and share it with me then if you are feeling in such a generous, non-insulting mood."

He contemplated his course of action for a minute and decided that his essay was more important than his fake, father induced pride. He pulled out a chair next to Ginny, pulled out a quill and paper from his leather bag, and sat down next to her. Ginny slid the book in between them.

Hermione entered the library after her talk to Professor Snape.

She wanted to get as much research as possible as to not look like a fool in front of Professor Snape again. 'Pointless conversation?' How rude! Well, I'll make the next conversation the best he's ever had!

She stomped down the aisles causing Madam Pince to send a glare her way and as she reached the back of the library she saw a most interesting sight.

Ginny and Malfoy were sitting at the same table, next to each other, and not yelling.

Aw, crap. I need to start spending more time with Ron. That thought left Hermione's mind as soon as she spotted the book she was looking for.

Draco never finished his Charms essay.

He blames this on the sun causing Ginny's hair to light up in the most magnificent, and distracting, way.

Hope you enjoyed.

Like normal. The lyrics at the beginning were from a song called The Operation by Morrissey and I do not own it

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