Chapter Four

A Heart To Heart With A Vile Being

Draco was already down in the common room chatting with Goyle and Pansy, Hermione really did feel bad for Crabbe, he just couldn't get free of the fire. As Hermione was walking down the stairs she heard Pansy cackling and complaining as if she had done it all her life, oh wait, she had. "Drakie! Oh Drakie! Can't you possibly kick Granger out and let me stay with you? It would be for the best, really. I'm so going to miss you! And you'll never be able to not study, what with her being such a parasite and all..."

Hermione started to walk out of the shadows of the stairs and cut her off, "Wow Pansy! I had no idea that parasite was in your vocabulary! Do you really know what it means or was I just hearing wrong? And no, I will not be leaving the vicinity. Apparently you weren't smart enough to get this position and, frankly, I KNOW you aren't smart enough. Now if you don't mind, I need to talk to... what was it you called him? Oh yes, Drakie. And alone, if you don't mind. Well, I know you mind, but I don't really care at the moment." Hermione snapped at Pansy to wipe the 'Purebloods are better than Mudbloods' look off of her skinny little face, all the while doubting if she really was a pureblood.

Pansy and Goyle didn't even say a word, hardly. Goyle snickered just a bit, and Pansy just shut up and gave Hermione a dark look of loathing as she and Goyle stood to leave the room. "The only thing stopping me from that position is the fact that you and Potter are friends Granger, and you helped him defeat the Dark Lord. McGonnagoll also has a tendancy to show favoritism to those who she appreciates for taking the fear from her life, not to mention she used to be head of Gryffindor House or the fact that the papers are calling you three the 'Golden Trio' might also have something to do with it."

"First of all, McGonnagoll didn't choose, the Sorting Hat did. And he didn't say one damn thing about the whole Voldemort thing and second, there's no sense in calling him the Dark Lord when he's DEAD Pansy. And only a ferret," she looked at Malfoy and laughed, "would ever even consider making you Head Girl." Hermione spat.

And with that Goyle pulled Pansy back from the common room and they disappeared out the portrait hole. "Fifty-million-bajillion points from stupid Slytherin." Hermione muttered to herself.

She just stood there for a minute cooling off when she heard it, clapping, from behind her. She spun slowly on her heel to confront the little vermin who was making the stupid sound. "Why, exactly are you clapping?" she spat at him.

"You just put up a nice argument against Pansy, but also dragging me into your little prejudice as well. None of the less, she never got the last word. She is starting to bum me out, she really is a bore. I think I might just toss her, find someone more exciting. She really does laugh like a hyena and most of the time she is just plain whiney. No wonder everyone hates her, I do have a rep. to keep you know." he stated.

She was dumbfounded, that was probably the longest speech he had ever given directly to her without the mention of 'mudblood' in it. She was also ticked because he still was being ignorant. So she just exploded then, "MY PREJUDICES? MY... YOU CALL ME MUDBLOOD EVERY CHANCE YOU GET! AND YOU SAY I HAVE A PREJUDICE? I KNOW THAT YOU THINK YOUR BETTER THAN THOSE OF US, WHICH ARE MOST OF US, THAT AREN'T PUREBLOOD! VOLDEMORT WASN'T PUREBLOOD! HE WAS ONLY HALF! AND YOU JUST ADORED HIM! IS PANSY PUREBLOOD? YOU THINK YOUR SO SUPERIOR BUT YOUR NOT, MALFOY. WHO SAVED YOU LAST YEAR FROM THE FIRE IN THE ROOM OF REQUIREMENT? HARRY, RON, AND MYSELF! AND YET YOU ARE STILL BEING SNIPPY AND ARROGANT! I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT YOU WOULD APPRECIATE US, YOU KNOW, WE DID SAVE YOUR LIFE! I GUESS NOT! AND YOUR REP. IS A PETTY PRAT WHO DOESN'T KNOW RIGHT FROM WRONG!"

"I'm sorry you feel that way Granger. I really didn't notice, I mean it is only the first day back, would you really know I haven't changed just from a few hours? No, and I believe I haven't called you mudblood at all since we returned. Am I correct?" he stated calmly, as if she hadn't just yelled at him, "And yes, I do appreciate your saving me, after all you've been forced to put up with from me over the years, hell, I would've just let me die. But no, you took pity on me. Whether you did it for my parents or me, I don't care, you still saved me and for that I owe you a thanks and an apology. Now, I would please like to ask you not to yell at my friends when I am entertaining, and I shall do the best I can to do the same." he said curtly.

"That's all I ask, oh and if there are Gryffindors I would like to entertain, such as if Harry, Ginny, or Ron come to call, you refrain from your silly little remarks of unfriendliness. And I only yelled at Pansy because she was talking smack behind my back. I don't need to put up with that self-centered, coniving, insignificant, wretch." Hermione sat on the couch opposite of him.

"Well, I hope you don't take this the wrong way Granger. But I must be going, there's a Slytherin party that I simply must attend. And, if you don't mind, I won't be returning anytime soon, so invite Potter and the Weasleys over if you want. I'll be late." he stood up and was nearly to the door when he turned, "And, I do think you have some prejudices against Slytherins. It's not just the way you see me, you sniff at all the others too, am I wrong? You could find some of us to be very... appealing." he sneered and then he vanished through the portrait hole, after Goyle and Pansy she guessed.

Hermione, Ron, Harry, Ginny, and George were all sitting in the new common room chatting. "So Lee Jordan's mum said he'd had enough schooling when he graduated last year, the bloody wench. I wish I had someone other than Ginerva and Ronald to hang out with, but since Ron doesn't want to leave school yet, I had to close the shop for the duration of the school year. I can't very well run the place on my own. What with... well with him gone." George was saying, it was still very hard to mention Fred's name for any of them, it was like seeing half of a person instead of a whole one, George was positively miserable without him there.

Ginny was forcing a smile while trying to make the conversation change from Fred to another subject, "So Narcissa Malfoy is the Transfiguration teacher this year, Lucius is Defense Against The Dark Arts, and Professor Slughorn has returned to be potions master again. So that's good. What classes did you all get?" she was mainly speaking to Harry but Ron interjected, "Well, I have most of the main core classes, what with Snape gone you can't really hate Potions. But with Lucius being the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher you can't love that one anymore now can you? I have Potions, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Astronomy, Divination, all of the main things. I only stayed so I could slack off for a year or two, well, besides the schoolwork, which should be a sinch." he laughed.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked.

"Well, they very well aren't going to fail anyone of us. Especially the 'Golden Trio' because of last year, Slughorn will definitly ask us to join the 'Slug Club' for it and the only classes we'll need to work at are Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration. And even if we didn't and failed, McGonnagoll will intervene and scold the Malfoy's for prejudice abuse because the 'Dark Lord' was defeated by us so even then, we don't have to do ANY work! Isn't it just wonderfully ironic?" Ron scoffed.

Everyone in the room laughed heartily, except Hermione. But who expected her to? "Well, Ronald, you may do that but if Harry wants to be an efficient auror, then he'll have to actually do his schoolwork. And since I would like to be a healer, well, I must do my schoolwork since I have no actual schooling on the subject. And if the joke shop falls through your going to want a back-up plan you know. George, you should also get a back-up routine going, something that could be successful if your joke shop falls through, you know, The basics of business?" she smiled.

Hermione was then followed with a round of glares from the circle. "What?" she said.

"Our joke shop is NOT going to fall through. Most of us here don't even know what we want out of life, and for those of us who do, well, I suggest you don't tell us we're going to fail. I always thought you were the considerate type Hermione, but that was just a painfully horrible thing to say. Don't you have any faith in your boyfriend and I?" George spat.

"I didn't, well, I, um, George..." Hermione was at a loss for words.

Malfoy saved her from a big apology just then as he walked in from his big Slytherin Party in his old common room. "Granger are you still up?" and as he turned around he saw the circle of Gryffindors awaiting him, "Well, I see you did invite your friends over, how nice. But it's very late and curfew is in a few moments so I suggest you scatter, unless you plan on staying the night." he laughed at an inside joke none of them were on.

"Actually, Malfoy, Ginny is staying over, so I hope none of your Slytherin friends plan on dropping in." Hermione laughed.

"Yeah, Gin can perform a mean bat bogey hex, I'd hate to see what your friends would think of that one." Harry laughed wholeheartedly and pulled a giggling Ginny closer.

Draco was stunned, the circle was actually laughing and joking around with him, or was he mistaken? They probably don't even realize they're doing it he thought to himself.

Hermione just looked on, hating to think of the expression on Malfoy's face at the moment. Everything was a blur to her, were her friends actually trying to have a good laugh with him? This was very confusing to the both of them.

George seemed to have gotten over the little spat that had taken place, "Guys it's late, we should probably leave. Well, all of us except Ginny. Sorry Harry, you can't snuggle up next to her by the fire tonight as you did every night during the summer. How my parents loved it, it was so disgusting! The same goes for you Ronald." George snorted, Ron and Harry threw pillows at his face.

When they finally left Malfoy had something to say, "Well, Granger, it seems that you don't know about the other rooms in this suite or you would have made hoir duerves." he drawled.

"What are you talking about Malfoy, there are no other rooms, this is just like the normal common rooms in our old houses. The only difference is that there are only two bedrooms instead of a whole fleet." Hermione said confused.

"Here is where you are wrong," Draco said, "the headmistress went through the living arrangements with me and told me to fill you in so that's exactly what I'm doing."

"Well spit it out Malfoy, we haven't the whole night!" Ginny laughed and nudged Hermione playfully.

"The kitchen is behind the big painting of Hogwarts, the main bathroom is behind the oil pheonix painting between the two staircases up to our rooms. The other bathrooms, for our bedrooms, are behind actual doors, and walk in closet doors are in the bathrooms. The dining room accross from the kitchen counter, and the office space is through that door over next to the fireplace." he concluded, "Now I am extremely tired and don't want to waste my remaining energy here with you. I already ate so I won't be joining you for dinner. I hope you do keep the noise down as you have your 'sleepover fest' and have a good time." he sounded nice and sincere, something Hermione had never really heard in his voice before.

He was walking up the stairs when it blurted out, "We won't be loud, thanks for the information! Sleep well!" Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth, Ginny giggled.

He turned around and raised an eyebrow, "Well, your very welcome. Um, you too. Sleep well, I mean." he said, and as he walked up the stairs he was chuckling the whole way.

Ginny turned slowly to look at Hermione and raised a brow, she knew what Ginny had to say and didn't want to hear it. Hermione walked over to the Hogwarts painting and touched the corner, causing it to lift slowly and walked inside. She gasped as she looked upon the flawlessly breathtaking scene that awaited her. Oak wood cabinets, a black stainless fridge, dishwasher, trash compactor, and stove. The floors were made of maple wood, it was a very muggle looking kitchen, like out of one of their interior design magazines. But of course, the mechanics of it all had to be magical so you would never need to call a mechanic!

Hermione walked over to the counter and started to make some tea while Ginny walked over to the maple dinette set and sat down, resting her hands on the top of the back of the chair and her chin resting on her hands. Hermione just stayed quiet while she kept focusing on the tea, but Ginny couldn't stay quiet about what had just happened, "What was that about? I thought you hated Draco, well you call him Malfoy but I've never really met the bloke so I'm just going to call him by his first name and not his surname as you all do."

"That, Ginny, was just me saying thank you for letting me in on what McGonnagoll had told him. What did you think it was? Flirting? Certainly not, I'm taken. Although he is quite a catch, he is also a pigheaded little snipe who has no sense of what is good in the world." Hermione said a little too calmly.

"Now, I never said you were flirting, you just spat that out yourself. He really is kind of cute, I don't know him so I don't know if he's pigheaded or a snipe so..." Ginny smiled but trailed off.

Hermione finished with the tea and walked over to the table, setting the tray down. She quietly sipped while she thought about what Ginny would probably say next but she also hoped that she would change the subject. She was also thinking about Ron and what had just happened but still doubted anything would come from it, but hoping something would. "What are you thinking?" Ginny asked, inturrupting Hermione's train of thought.

"It's probably for the best that you don't know what I'm thinking Ginny." Hermione replied unsure of what she would say to that.

"Okay then. Guess what? I got McGonnagoll to let us put muggle television into Hogwarts! So now we can be couch potatoes all we want and no one can stop us! They're disguised as paintings of the Hogwarts Express and all you have to do is say what channel number or what show you want to watch, or the name of the channel! How wonderful is that? So now it's like tv but it's more wizard-like than muggle! Let's go watch a movie!" Ginny said all at once.

"That's cool Ginny, lets go!" Hermione exclaimed with as much excitement as she could muster, hoping Ginny wouldn't notice.