[A/N: Have twitter? I do! Follow me Scribbles5thM. I tweet about nonsense, Harry Potter and more nonsense!]

"You seem rather grumpy," Snape after class was over and everyone had gone to lunch.

"People make me grumpy," I said. "But no matter, what did you want to see me about?"

Snape reached under his desk and lifted out a large box. He sat it in front of me.

"Open it," he said.

I gasped. "A present for me? Really?"

"Just open it," he said, trying not to drag this on.

I opened the box and lifted out the most beautiful cauldron I had ever seen.

"This is a size four cast iron cauldron from the Mamet Company. This is the most high quality cauldron ever. People in the Ministry of Magic's potion research and development department would murder to get their hands on one of these and I have one! I mean, I sleep with a copy of the Mamet Potions catalogue under my pillow but I never dreamed I'd ever get my hands on one of their cauldrons! This is amazing," I said. "Oh, Snape I don't even know what to say. Thank you."

"Just don't screw up," he said.

I nodded. "I'm guessing a hug is out of the question." Snape nodded. I squealed. "Thank you a thousand times. Thank you."

Snape nodded.

I skipped down to the Great Hall and sat down with my friends.

"You're in an uncommonly good mood for someone who just got into an argument with Malfoy," Hermione said.

"Oh, that's old news. Snape got me the most awesome gift ever," I said. "A number four sized cast iron cauldron from the Mamet Company!"

They all exchanged glances. I groaned. "They do for cauldrons what the Nimbus company does for brooms and I have the Firebolt."

"But Nimbus doesn't even make Firebolt's," Ron said.

"I'm no broom or cauldron expert but I think the point she's trying to make is that it's a pretty kick ass cauldron," Kaitlin said.

"Indeed," I said.

"Well congrats, especially since it's coming from Snape," Harry said.

"What are you doing after lunch?" Ron asked.

"Well, first I'm going to walk Marius over to Hagrid's. He's the only one taking that class this year," I said. "Then I'm going to go to my room and die under a mountain of school work."

"Can you really learn a year's worth of stuff in half the time?" Harry asked.

"Well, to be honest, I always learn all the material ahead of time but this is two years worth of material ahead of time, which means I'll be fine for my sixth year course work but I'll be going crazy doing that seventh year work in addition to studying for my NEWTs," I said.

"You are a braver woman than I, Hannah Potter," Kaitlin said. "Now what was it you said about Marius?"

"Oh, I'm just walking him to class so he doesn't get lost," I said.

"He kept talking about you in charms class," Harry said.

"Everyone talks about me," I said.

"Not the way he was talking about you," Hermione said. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, come off it, Hannah. You're going to have to get over Malfoy eventually," Ron said.

"I know, I know, but I barely know this boy," I said. "All I know is that he's outrageously good looking and really smart. . . And he likes animals."

"And that is reason enough for you to get to know him," Hermione said. "What could it hurt?"

"Have you ever thought maybe I shouldn't go out with anyone? That perhaps my life would be better if I were single. I do have a lot of work to do. Boys would only distract me," I said.

"You seem to be doing a good job of distracting them actually," Kaitlin said.

"I always do that," I said.

"What happened you with and the blonde ex anyway?" Kaitlin asked.

"He was. . . Kind of unsociable with my friends," I said. "And calling him unsociable is being generous."

"Unsociable like how?" Kaitlin asked.

"He made up a song called 'Weasley is Our King' in which he teased me for being poor and bad at Quidditch," Ron said.

"He called me a mudblood on a regular basis," Hermione said.

"Well. . . We just didn't get along," Harry said.

"Sounds like a swell fellow," Kaitlin said.

"Only to me apparently," I replied.

"You should invite him to Hogsmeade with you!" Ron said.

"What? That's not for another two weeks," I said.

"And your point is?" Ron asked.

"What's Hogsmeade?" Kaitlin asked. "I remember my mother signing some permission slip for it."

"It's a village, a half an hour walk away from the school. We get to go there a few weekends out of the school year," I said. "People like to take dates and things like that."

"Well I can be your date. You don't have to take that unrealistically attractive boy," Kaitlin said.

"See. Kaitlin's my date. I can't take Marius," I said.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Whatever you do. . . I'll be watching."

Hermione POV

After lunch, the day seemed to move quickly, and finally I found myself in the last class of the day, Transfiguration.

Harry and Ron elected to sit together and Kaitlin, who had been in the middle of a conversation with Neville when we walked into class and found herself a seat with him. I sat alone and sighed.

*If only Hannah were here.*

She had originally said she was coming to McGonagall's class, but changed her mind in order to get a head start on her work, which was just her way of saying she wanted to be away from Marius so as to convince us she really had no interest in him.

I pulled out my book and sat it on my desk and then, of all the people to sit next to me, Malfoy took the extra chair.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked.

"Taking transfigurations if I'm not mistaken," he said.

"Why are you next to me?" I asked.

"No one else is sitting here is there?" he asked.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"To talk to you," he said.

"You can talk to me any time. I don't want to be stuck next to you all year," I complained.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist. I'm not that awful," he said.

"Says the boy who's spent the better part of six years calling me anything from a wildebeest to a mudblood," I said.

"I'm a changed man, Granger. You're about to become my friend," he said. "I can't win Hannah back if you hate me."

"You told her today in class and on the train that you never wanted to speak to her again and last night you broke her brother's nose. Me hating you is the least of your problems," I said.

"I've had a few moments of weakness, I'll be honest, but from here on in we're gonna be buddies," he said.

I groaned. "Someone, please kill."

"As your new friend, I will not kill you, I would, however, like to know something," he said. "Who is that new kid in all of our classes, the Ravenclaw one."

I chuckled. "Oh, I see. You're jealous. That's what brought this change of heart."

". . . Tell, Granger," he said.

"His name is Marius. Marius Drake. He's from Spain. He wants to be a magizoologist, he's brilliant, he's gorgeous, and probably his most positive factor is that he isn't you," I said.

Draco scoffed. "That's a negative. She loves me."

"Love you or not, you're at the top of her shit list – just under Voldemort so. . ." I said.

". . . I'm sorry," Draco said.

"What?" I asked.

"For the past six years of harassment and torture," he said. "I know I've been the worst sort of person. Especially to you. . . And Weasley. . . And pretty much everyone else you associate with. I, mean you're the most brilliant person in the whole school, muggle born or not it doesn't take away from who you are."

My jaw dropped. "You actually sound sincere."

"I am being sincere," he said.

"Well you've spent the past six years almost being a total prat. It's hard to tell," I pointed out. "Still, Malfoy, she's angry. Very angry. I don't know what you said to her today but she was angry. Also, you did break Harry's nose."

"I can still fix this though!" Draco said. "Help me, Hermione. Please?"

"Since when do you call me Hermione?" I asked, stunned.

"Since now. Since we're friends," he said.

"We are not friends," I said.

Draco slammed his head down onto table with a loud thud that made me jump.

"Ow. . . " he said. He sat up rubbing his forehead.

"You're embarrassing yourself," I said.

"If that's what it takes to get Hannah back then so be it," he said. "I am prepared to beg for your help."

"Hannah, is my best friend. I don't want to see her get hurt again," I said with a sigh.

"I swear on my meager and unimportant life that I won't hurt her again," Draco said. "Please help me."

I sighed. Was I really about to help Draco Malfoy who for the longest time has been the bane of my existence win back my best friend?

"Essentially, Malfoy-."

"Call me Draco," he said.

"No. . ." I replied. He frowned. "All you have to do is get on my, Harry's, and Ron's good sides."

"And how am I supposed to do that, I mean they're not as inclined to listen to me as you are," he said.

"Which I'm sure is why you came to talk to me in the first place," I said. "You're smarter than I give you credit."

"Probably not, but I'll take that compliment," he said.

"As far as Ron is concerned you'll probably want to just feed his ego a bit, it'll be a bit more difficult to win over Harry just because you're you," I said.

"I feel like he may be a lost cause," Draco said leaning back in his chair.

"Maybe not," I said. "I wouldn't say you'd have to get on his good side, but Hannah did always like it when you were nicer to Harry than he was to you. It made Harry make more of an effort to be nice and it made you look good."

"I never knew that," Draco said.

"Of course you didn't," I said. "You see, if you were nicer to Harry all of the time then we probably wouldn't be having this conversation."

Draco sighed. "I really messed things up, didn't I?"

I nodded. "She really does love you. I shouldn't be telling you this but, she got Marius throwing himself at her and she's just completely looking the other way. She won't say so, but it's obviously because of you."

"So. . . I've actually still got a chance with her then?" he asked.

"As long as you stop being a prat," I said.