Enjoy my lovelies.

Headmistresses Office after leaving Hospital Wing

Charlie followed Minerva mutely as she gave the password to the gargoyles. Once upon her door she stopped and faced her old student and colleague.

"Charlie. What we're about to discuss does not leave my office, nor is it to be discussed with the individuals who are in my office outside of my office. Do you understand." very seriously Charlie nodded and the Headmistress opened her door. Inside were faces all too familiar to Charlie. "Remus, Tonks, Winnora, Kingsley, thank you all for meeting on such short notice." everyone nodded respectfully. Charlie noted that the other two professors seemed just as unaware what this meeting was about.

Bed rest, for a week…. That was how long she was confined to the hospital wing.

No magical use. So, basically Hermione was stuck being board.

It wasn't all too bad. Charlie came to visit, reading his daily prophet to her. Ginny gave her quidditch updates and play by plays, Neville would bring her books to keep her mind occupied while everyone else was in class, Theo would bring her homework and reassure her she wasn't missing anything she hadn't already read ahead for. Then there was Draco. Or Malfoy, as Hermione had started mentally reminding herself. It was difficult seeing him every day when they discussed head duties and Prefect rounds. His haughty air, snide comments, and sarcastic tone made it easier to distinguish this Malfoy from her Draco. Though there were brief times when she would see the Draco she knew in him.

It had been late one night, she and Draco working away at their prefect duties, organizing a "unity advent" the headmistress had tasked them with that would take place during yuletide. Hermione was exhausted, Madam Pomfrey had been running tests on her all morning and when she went to take a nap she was stalled by everyone she knew coming and visiting her. Her eyes were droopy, her head would slump from being exhausted, and she'd snap back into it, trying to keep her focus on Draco and what he was saying. Her eyes were glued to his lips in concentration, but they only helped in distracting her cognitively.

"Malfoy" Draco stopped mid-word looking owlishly at Hermione, who hadn't spoken since he had sat down.

"Yes?" The blond blurred as Hermione tried to form sentences.

"I-ya-I…"her head dropped, chin connecting to chest, in the painful way that made you have crick in your neck when you wake up.

"Granger?" when the brunette was unresponsive Draco rushed to the healer's office. "MADAM POMFREY" dragging the confused looking woman to Hermione's bedside, "she was fine one minute and then asleep the next!" Madam Pomfrey nodded along to Draco's rambling, before ordering him to return to his seat while she ran diagnostics.

"Mister Malfoy, Hermione's vitals are normal, so I assume she is exhausted, eargo her sudden slumber. Please dear, there is no need to worry any longer."

Catching himself, Draco resumed his pristine posture in which he was raised with, stating, "I was not worried" giving the young man a unconvinced side eye the healer returned to her office.

Hermione slightly remembered mumbling but never what specifically was said as she fully lost consciousness.

Packing his belonging, after another two hours going over their plans, Draco rose to leave, but stopped as he looked at Granger. Approaching, he pulled her blankets higher so they reached to right below her chin. the hospital wing had been quite drafty these last few days. "Hurry up and get better Granger, I don't know how much longer I'll be able to do these head duties solo. G'night" Once Granger looked tight and snug Draco took his leave not noticing the small smile of the tucked-in witch.

"Death eaters? Are you sure Kingsley?" Charlie couldn't believe it. Another Death Eater rising. His body felt heavy. There was so much death. So much blood. So much crying, and loss, and death. Too much death. Everyone figured with Voldemort's death his followers would simply subside. After the roundup of the well known Death Eaters the practice seemed out of style now. Their leader was gone, unless someone else decided to uphold the mantel.

"I'm afraid so Remus, but I have good word that matters are taken care of and every avenue exhausted. The Auror Department is taking every precaution on this matter."

Today found Draco sitting in the visitor's chair, which was molded to Charlie's tush the best due to the fact he sat there the most. He running through prefect rounds, and rearranging schedules.

"We can't pair Row and Rodriguez together after the incident with them shagging in the broom cupboard. I suggest we put Row with Johnson, and Rodriguez with Levy…" He smelt of his normal soup that reminded Hermione of wood and fall weather, but he seemed agitated, his eyebrows scrunched, his skin was paler, and he kept running his hand over his face.

"Malfoy, are you feeling alright?" Draco looked up from the parchment he was scribbling on, his quill hovering over the word he just wrote in his looping scrawl. The ink rolled down the the quill tip and dripped right down onto the roll.

Hermione scooted herself to a sitting position, propping her back onto the pillows provided. Draco stood, placing his parchment and quill on the side table, reaching behind Hermione he fixed her pillows so she had her back and head supported. Blushing the bed ridden witch uttered a meek "thank you" as the head boy resumed his seat. The scribbling resumed as well.

"Malfoy" scrape, scrape, scribble. "Malfoy" scrawl, loop, scribble, scrape. "Draco." pause. His eyes flickered up from under his dangling fringe, which he was growing out. "Are you going to answer my question?" almost unnoticeable Draco breathed a subtle breath through his nose, once again he set his parchment, the book he was using as a makeshift desk, and his quill down on the side table.

"Yes Granger, I'm fine." Draco sighed as if he were trying to convince himself as much as her. Hermione opened her mouth to add on but closed it as the ragged-looking slytherin returned to his parchment.

Hermione laid back into her pillows watching the dust float around in the sun's rays. I really hope I get out of here soon.

"How does it feel to be a free woman, Granger?" Draco and Hermione were making their way down the corridor to their head's dorms from the hospital wing, a.k.a. Hermione's prison for the last week.

"Amazing! I've never been more happy to return to our dorm than I am in this moment!" Smiling over at her companion Hermione completely missed the charging, Neville as he collided into her from around the corner, knocking Hermione over.

"Sorry Hermione!" he continued sprinting down the corridor before switching to a stop, and turning around. Hermione blinked rapidly up at the ceiling again, oh, no! Not again! Ran through her head as a chuckling Blond leaned over her, "you alright there Granger?"

"Yes, Malfoy. I was just feeling a bit knackered and thought i'd get a bit of a shut eye." Hermione's bite only furthered to amuse the blond.

"Pity, because we must see what had Longbottom in such a hurry." Draco moved to stand at her head careful to void standing on her hair, "Now, up you get." Unexpectedly Hermione was lifted up from under her arms and set neatly on her feet.

Hermione's head was in a tizzy. Having gone so long with minimal physical contact from Draco she struggled to find her bearings. Draco simply stepped around her, bent down to gather her bookbag and slung it over his shoulder along with his own. "So Longbottom, what had you in such a hurry?"

"You two have to come to the great hall! Its-and there- and yeah. You'll never believe it!" and started down the corridor from which he came.

"Quite the eloquent speaker Longbottom is, isn't he"

"Oh shut it, you"

"Lets us get a move on"

"Where are you going?"

"As Head Boy it is my duty to check up on any discrepancies or problems that may arise in these halls. And due to the fact that one of your best friends just stampeded over you, I'd assume he came from an urgent matter that would need the Head Boy's seeing to." without faltering in stride nor turning his head to give her mind, Draco continued on his merry way.

"Oh, and if I'm not mistaken it's the duty of the Head Girl as well." Grummeling the brunette jogged to make up for the distance as they hastily made their way in the direction of the Great Hall.

I wonder what this could be? Both Head's thought individually.

Uproarious welcomed them into the Hall.

Young witches and wizards in a tizzy.

The pair soon found out why.

Up on the raised platform where the long table stood, none other than two Hogwarts founders: Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin.

Neither Heads were expecting THIS.

Hermione felt Draco's exclamation of "Merlin's Beard" as his breath ruffled her hair from behind her.

"Malfoy, we need to keep the students in a orderly fashion until the Headmistress gets here."

"I believe this is beyond either of us Granger" Hermione hated to admit it, but he was right.

Upon the platform were two extremely peeved off founders. Helga Hufflepuff's face was scarlet and her eye's wide and a dangerous fire burned within. Salazar's expression was pompous and snooty. His lips pursed and he held his head high in the way that to look at the shorter women he'd be staring down his nose at her. His eyes slit like.

"HOW I LOATH YOU SALAZAR! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK ILL OF MY INTELLIGENCE! HOW DARE WORDS OF MALIC BE BREATHED THROUGH THE SEAM OF YOUR LIPS FOR YOU'RE PART WAS EQUIVALENT TO THAT OF MINE!"

"IGNORANCE! Hufflepuff, you utter fool, a witch of grace speaks kindly on to these ears. Tho, a witch dares not dorn the trousers of a wizard and here be you in such a style. Pray tell, what doth that make of you?" a silent power erupted from women adorning yellow's wand. The proud man was no longer proud as he was projected across down the aisle to about six feet in front of where the two heads stood shocked.

"Seeking dangerous prey hungers the belly only further, Helga"

"I speak, upon your ears, in the fashion I so choose. Come now Salazar it be of grand knowledge the witches whom speak upon you are palmed a knuts at the end of her breath." with another fluid movement Salazar was frozen to the spot. Bounds found their a way round the lumbersome man and his frozen state disappeared. Salazar's eyes narrowed but it was clear who won.

"I have not the time for such whoring"

"We must do something, mustn't we?"

"Not tonight Granger" following Draco's finder and the direction in which he pointed Hermione watched in aw as her professor calmly entered the Hall silencing everyone instantly. Minerva McGonagall, in her deep eggplant colored robes and crisp bun, briskly walked to where the two founders awaited her, exchanging quick words, and turned with them in tail.

Upon their exit the stern looking women stopped and spoke to them, "I expect you two in my office as soon as the children have been seen to bed."

"Yes, Headmistress" chimed the duo. Shocked as the two founders both acknowledged them upon their exit. Helga with a cheery smile and Salazar with a stern, expressionless nod.

"Well, at least Hogwarts is never boring" Hermione could only laugh at Draco's words. Too true. She thought, too true.