Over the next few days Hermione, more often than not, found herself thinking about Draco Malfoy. She was sure he was up to something and by Merlin and Dumbledore would she find out what.

Unfortunately, she also wanted nothing to do with the critter. In a complete moral imbalance, Hermione often found herself talking herself into and out of speaking to him again.

She was tempted to tell Harry and Ron about Malfoy's suspicious behaviour, but she decided against it unless she got solid, concrete evidence that the man was doing something with malicious intent. Actions speak louder than words, she would repeat to herself.

After the party the other night, Hermione wanted to keep an eye on him, to see if she could try and catch him in whatever his plan was, but he proved most troublesome to keep watch over. He always seemed to have late meal times or none at all, and she wondered if he might be in the Room of Requirement again.

Unlike before, he arrived to class on time and often before others. Hermione gathered that he was late to Potions on Mondays and Fridays only appearing on time on Wednesday's when he had a mid-week meeting with Professor McGonagall. She figured that out when she saw McGonagall shuffle Malfoy's report card on her desk when Hermione had spoken to her late into the lunch period about her Head girl duties.

Malfoy hadn't bothered her at all since his Party. He had barely glanced her way. Did she muck up her chances to find out what he was up to? And through complete natural design, curiosity was killing her attempts at ignoring him – hadn't she wanted him to leave her alone?

Whether her period was coming around soon or not, Hermione often found herself in two-minds over everything! Shower or bath? Toast or porridge? Left or right? Malfoy or homework? Malfoy or reading? Malfoy, Malfoy, Malfoy. Draco sodding Malfoy.

"Urgh!" she exclaimed, digging her quill into the parchment and ripping the page. Hermione was sitting in the Great Hall for breakfast that day, attempting to start her Transfiguration essay.

"This is a first…" she heard Ron say with a chuckle, only adding to her frustration.

"Can't think of what to write?" Ginny asked, also amused.

"I don't know what to do," Hermione ground out, her teeth gritted together. "I could easily go into about six different directions, but I can't decide which is best."

"Go with your gut," supplied Ginny.

"Don't do the essay," said Ron.

"Yes, that is quite constructive, guys," Hermione rubbed at her eyes. "I haven't been sleeping well recently," she yawned. "I think I'll go to the Hospital Wing and get a Dreamless Sleep potion."

"Might be a good idea, you're starting to get those bags under your eyes," declared Ron.

Hermione glared at her boyfriend who seemed to be entirely unaware of his mistake.

"Annnd a little cranky too," he eyed her accusingly.

"For the love of Merlin, Ron. You are sometimes remarkably tactless," observed Ginny. She shook her head in apology to Hermione.

"What? I'm telling the truth!"

"Thank you, Ronald," Hermione said tersely, as she gathered her things and briskly left her boyfriend and his sister to argue about the art of being a gentleman.

Hermione reached the atrium and stopped with the intention of going for a walk to get some fresh air, but the Hospital Wing was inside the castle. What about the Transfiguration essay she hadn't even started? Eventually, Neville spotted her and asked her to walk back to the Common Room with him, where she decided to take a nap.

It was coming up to Halloween, and the castle was now lavishly adorned with orange and black fixtures. There were pumpkins with crookedly carved faces on every other step, spidery webs stretching out across ceilings and the wind howled through the corridors. Hermione and the other Prefects had all decided against having the ghosts jump out at students this year.

Last week saw the first Quidditch game of the season – Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor – which only enhanced the jovial atmosphere. It almost felt like the usual Halloween that they were all used to before the war.

Harry had been sent a rather large package on the morning of the Thirty-First of October, carried by a white-faced owl with beautiful markings on his back. Surprisingly, it was from his Aunt Petunia who had written a stiffly written note:

As you have moved out, I see no need to keep your belongings still. I have sent you the last of your things with this bird. The man at the shop said he was "silent", which is more than what your awful white scruff was. And Gods – keep it away from our house.

Sincerely,

Aunt Petunia

Harry unwrapped the parcel and found a faded yellow blanket which when unravelled revealed three nonmatching socks and a crumpled letter from Ron back in 1992.

"This was the blanket my mother left me in," Harry marvelled as he rubbed his thumb and forefinger over the fabric. "Aunt Petunia must have wanted me to have it…"

"And the bird," Ginny commented as she fed the dark bird pieces of her pork sausage on her plate.

"Thanks, mate, for keeping my letters neat," Ron said, waving his note around.

"It seems like you don't like receiving insults either, Ronald," Hermione said airily, as she flicked through the Daily Prophet. Ron scowled having yet to apologise for saying Hermione was a cantankerous mess a couple of weeks back.

"Must have been one of the letters Dobby kept from me that summer. I haven't read this one. Merlin, your handwriting has changed!"

Ron took a glance at the letter and grinned at the wonky lines. "This is the one I wrote telling you about our plan to rescue you from your Aunt and Uncle's house!" he beamed as he read it. "I remember scheming the whole night before with Fred and George…" his smile faded slightly at the memory, "it was fun, no matter what mum yelled at us after."

Hermione felt a wave of pity for her boyfriend as she lowered the paper to give him a supportive rub on his knee under the table. He took her hand and smiled back at her.

There was a bark of laughter from the Slytherin table which drew away Hermione's eye, and she saw Malfoy standing and sniggering as he told his friends something raucously funny. Hermione saw students from other tables sneering at the group.

Malfoy tossed a couple of grapes into his mouth and made another "funny" comment, checking his watch while his lackeys chortled. Hermione noted how he seemed to be running on his own timetable as classes didn't start for another fifty minutes. He swiftly left his group to their own devices.

It was perhaps the first time Hermione noticed it happen but when he left the hall, two boys from Hufflepuff gave a rude gesture and spoke a sharp 'wanker' to the blond man. The Slytherin didn't respond, choosing to ignore and exit the Great Hall. The two boys roared with laughter and Hermione could read the distinct word that left the sandy-haired boy's lips: 'cunt'.

Hermione tore her eyes away and gave Ron a big hug. He apologised to her with a peck on her lips.

Later that evening, Hermione asked Harry if she could borrow the Marauder's Map for a while, which he handed over with no reservations when she told him she just wanted to study the magic placed on the parchment.

In actuality, Hermione was going to use it to track Malfoy, but of course, she wasn't going to let Harry know that. Think of the new obsession she would start!

It came to her that despite the Slytherin having not yet verbally asked for her help, he seemed to be working up to it. Or working up to an apology for what had happened in Malfoy Manor. Then again, this was Malfoy… his past actions would not be forgotten so readily.

Perhaps it was those two boys who had cursed him earlier that day that did it, but Hermione wanted to make sure that the Slytherin wasn't up to no good again. His soul might still be salvageable.

The next morning saw Hermione perusing the map in the Great Hall, studying its contents for the man's floating label and tiny feet. Harry and Ron were working on their homework due for the third period.

The previous night Hermione watched Malfoy's little tip-tapping feet mostly in the Slytherin Common Room or in the Library or just simply walking down the halls; albeit rather randomly but nothing particularly out of the ordinary either.

She found it strange that he was even talking to her since term had started when it had never been in either of their interests to pursue any sort of relationship with each other. They had both made that quite clear. It can't have had to do with Harry saving Malfoy and Goyle from the Fiendfyre only a few months ago, could it? She supposed he was just acting happier and that was why the change was so noticeable to her. His banter didn't seem as malicious as it used to – although that night that Hermione caught him in the classroom was an exception. She thought back to the conversation he had with Theo.

Malfoy was searching for something apparently close, yet he needed help to find it – her help.

It sounded like Theo was also interested in whatever it was Malfoy was looking for, but Malfoy didn't want him after it… or was it the help he wanted?

Hermione shook her head trying to remember. She bit a piece of toast, barely chewing it as she concentrated on the tiny moving feet on the Marauder's Map. So it was a surprise to her when she hadn't noticed the small pair of footprints that were making their way over to her during breakfast in the Great Hall.

"Hey Granger, can I sit there?"

Hermione nodded slowly only vaguely aware of the man who sat on the bench opposite her. Blinking a few times, Hermione pulled herself out of the reverie to look up at the person opposite her. She swallowed the toast in surprise, almost choking on the dry bread. Sitting in front of her was Theodore Nott. At the Gryffindor table. He was grinning at her too.

"Oh, Theodore…" she gulped, reaching for her water goblet. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Just initiating some inter-house unity," he shrugged, "and you can call me Theo, by the way."

"Oh, um. Yes," was all Hermione could reply to him.

"What's that?" he asked looking at the map still laid out in front of her. She covered it up quickly with her arms and pulled it away from the table, shoving it into her bag. He picked an apple from the fruit bowl and bit into it seemingly uninterested in the map.

"Nothing, just some homework!" Hermione smiled nervously. "So … how was your summer?" she asked to divert his attention away from the map. He gave an amused sigh and licked his lips.

"Well I spent summer visiting my father in Azkaban and tried to look after my mother in St Mungo's," he said nonchalantly. Hermione blushed in embarrassment. Of course… she had forgotten that the Nott's were Death Eaters. She didn't quite know what to say to that because she didn't want to apologise for them and because now she was just more suspicious of Theo's actions.

"I actually came over here to ask if you'd help me with some Transfiguration homework and if you'd like to hang out sometime?"

"What?"

"You know, impart some wisdom so I can avoid McGonagall's harsh marking and also to get to know you better."

"I-I don't know," Hermione said, dumbfounded. "I'm already quite busy helping out Ron with his homework …"

"Ah, yeah … no worries then, Hermione," he shrugged, "Can I call you Hermione?" he asked after a pause. She nodded, still rather wide-eyed at the conversation. "So that's a "no" to the homework help but a yes to hanging out. Perfect! Well, I'll see you around, Hermione," he said smoothly before rising and flicking his apple core into the empty goblet across the table. Hermione extended her arm and tried to call out to Theo, but he was too far away now to hear.

Hermione shook her head and tried to clear it, still in a daze. Her eyes landed on Ginny who had undoubtedly heard the whole conversation and who was now staring at her with wide eyes. They stayed that way for a few seconds before the redhead shrugged.

"Well, he's definitely hotter than my brother. I wouldn't blame you," she pointed out before pursing her lips and exaggerating a shiver, "and I cannot believe I just said that." Hermione gave a weak laugh as Ginny continued where she had left off with her cereal.

"Hey, Drake!"

Draco acknowledged Theo's call as he entered the Great Hall fifteen minutes before the end of breakfast. He didn't stop, letting Theo make the extra effort to catch up with him as they made their way to the Slytherin table.

"I've got some news you'll find noteworthy," Theo said haughtily. Draco only raised his eyebrows a little, feigning interest. They sat next to Blaise who was just finishing off his scrambled eggs. Draco filled his plate with bacon, fried eggs, sausages and toast.

"Your story better enthral me because I'm only slightly pissed off this morning," Draco warned in a cold voice.

"Ooh, what had you waking up on the wrong side of the bed?" Blaise nudged his friend slightly only to receive a glare in return.

"It's proving to be more difficult to find."

"Do you even know what it looks like, this mysterious object or curse or whatever it is?" Theo asked sceptically, taking a piece of toast from Draco's plate.

"It hasn't helped," he replied in frustration. Realising he was left short of some toast he sneered, ripping it from Theo's teeth and biting down on the same piece.

"Well mate, I was just over there at the Gryffindor table and speaking to Mudblood Granger, and she was looking at –"

"Wait, hold up. You went over to Granger? For what?" Draco asked suspiciously, flicking the crust at Theo's face.

"Well, that's what I'm saying! She was looking at some sort of map of Hogwarts, and I shit you fucking not it reads people's locations. I saw it right in her hands! There were moving little feet and everything," Theo chortled in amazement, stealing a piece of bacon from Draco's plate.

"So, what? You just went over there and stood awkwardly, as she was eyeing this… map?" Draco asked with a scoff. "Sounds a little desperate if you ask me, Nott."

"Ha! Theo seemed to have it pretty easy from what I could tell," Blaise chimed in, raising his goblet to tip it to Theo before he took a long sip.

"She said yes too," Theo grinned. Draco choked on his pumpkin juice.

"What?" Draco and Blaise asked simultaneously.

"Well, I didn't give her an option to say "no", which has always worked out for me in the past. Just going to get another notch on my belt," Theo rested his arms behind his head smugly. "Do you think Weasley's claimed her yet? Not that he'd count for anything anyway."

Draco glared at his friend unamused and wondered how he would ever think that that was a "noteworthy" thing to know.

"So what was she looking at then? You seemed to get a lengthy glance at it," taunted Draco.

"Not really sure… she was looking at me a lot of the time…' winked Theo, tossing the rest of the bacon into his mouth.

Draco moved to stick his fork into his bacon and found his plate emptier than he expected. He smacked Theo's shoulder, "What are you? A food niffler? Piss off."

"I think she was looking at the first floor."

Draco chewed slowly on a slice of sausage, wondering if Granger might have seen him leave the Library. Was she watching him? Did it matter? To some extent it did. If she were to foil his plans, then she would know precisely when to do it. On the other hand, was she taking an interest in him? Maybe she would help him... she hadn't yet turned him in.

Although, she had no evidence that he was doing anything wrong.

Frankly, neither did he. There wasn't any evidence that he was doing anything remotely wrong because there is nothing to prove he'd done anything. He scowled at himself for taking so long on this hunt.

Or maybe she wasn't looking for him at all. Malfoy suddenly felt a sharp pang inside as he glared at Theo's smug face.

"Ah, Theo. It looks like you've pissed him off," Blaise exclaimed with a small chuckle. Theo looked at Draco's death stare and gave a faltering smirk.

"The competition too high for you, Drakey?"

"No," he growled, "you're just interfering."

"Me? What have I done?"

"Get involved that's what."

"There was nothing to get involved with; you two hate each other. Besides, I thought that's what you wanted, for me to distract her," Theo said with a disbelieving look towards Blaise.

"Well, the time has come. I need her on my side. I can't have you fucking everything up."

"So the bet is back on?"

"The easiest bet I'll win."

Draco stood up abruptly and searched the Gryffindor table and found his target. He pushed away from the bench between the two Slytherins and made his way to the double door entrance.

The bell rang not long after he had placed himself outside the entrance. Out came Theo and Blaise, Pansy, Astoria, Daphne and Goyle. Potter and Weaslebee came too, their heads almost knocking together like the dimwits that they are as they analysed each other's homework.

There! Her curly hair was a beacon in the crowd, but she was speaking with the Weaslette. Draco manoeuvred himself through the throng, receiving a few "accidental" kicks to his shin on the way to the two women.

"Granger," he called. Hermione turned around, eyes widening at seeing who had called her. Ginny stopped alongside Hermione, suspicious of Draco's intentions.

"Yes?"

"What class do you have next?"

Hermione glanced over to Ginny, "Transfiguration. Why?"

"Great. That's near where I'm heading. I need to ask you something about Arithmancy." He could tell that Granger didn't believe him, but she played along.

"I thought you were working on your essay alone," she hummed. Draco gave her a stern look, unamused. "Alright," she gave up. "I'll see you Later, Gin." She waved to her friend who still held a quizzical look on her face as she turned to head outside, probably to a Herbology lesson.

"I told you to stay away from me," Hermione whispered irritably. As they began walking up the steps.

"You're very hard to resist," he mocked. He could tell when Hermione's arms crossed that she was uncomfortable. "Don't frown, Granger. It doesn't suit you," he pointed out.

Hermione gave him a reproachful look, conscious that others were noticing their tiff. However, with the expression that Draco had on his face at that moment, it was completely understandable that all gave them a wide berth. A couple of stray students were coming down the corridor and thinking that it would make her more comfortable not to be seen together, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into a nearby alcove.

"Seriously, Malfoy! I'm starting to wonder what potion you've drunk," Hermione hissed at him as she pried his fingers from her arm. Draco blocked her from leaving the shade, effectively trapping her in the corner.

"Don't hang around Theodore Nott, okay?"

"I wasn't exactly planning on it, and I don't see why you'd be so concerned if I did. Although it does seem like my help is in hot pursuit at the moment."

"I just don't want any of my friends mixing with your kind."

"Urgh, well you're pathetic! I'm not tainting anyone with my dirty blood," she bit out. "I'm also quite certain the both of you are intent on making a fool out of me."

"You're too kind, Granger," Draco gave her a fake smile before continuing. "He's looking to bed you, and quite frankly that is too disturbing even to say let alone see it come to fruition." His face twisted as if he smelt a bad odour.

"Oh is that it? This "help" you're looking for?" Hermione used her fingers to air quote. "Our conversations are becoming more and more obtuse, Malfoy. Don't you worry, I won't be hanging around him," she said tersely, as she used her index finger to poke Draco back and out of her way. "Or you for that matter. Anyway, I'm with Ronald."

Draco rolled his eyes before he followed behind her.

"You know, Granger, I don't think that I particularly want to know anything about your relationship with the Weasel. I figure it would be close to shagging a ginger sloth with a brain as dull as dishwater."

"I'm surprised you know what dishwater is," Hermione scoffed, "and you don't have to follow me around like a lost puppy, Malfoy. I said I'd stay away from your friend, not that he was a large concern for me to begin with."

He quickened his steps so that he could turn around and face her while walking backwards along the hallway. Hermione kept her pace and didn't waver even though Draco wasn't letting her pass.

"Just trust me, Granger," he insisted.

Hermione's eyes narrowed at him as they both came to a stop. He watched her start to chew on her lip knowing that she wanted to say something. She looked like she decided against it.

"I suggest you head to class… you're late, and I doubt McGonagall would be happy to hear that you have been late to more than just Potions."

Draco narrowed his eyes back at her. She mustn't have known he had a free period.

Hermione pushed open the door to her class only to be immediately greeted by a screeching Peeves flinging blue powder over her entire person. Draco barked a laugh as he watched the whole scene unfold – the rest of the class howling hysterically at her too. She turned around, and Draco caught a glimpse of her brilliant azure face, and he couldn't contain the laugh he held in, expelling an obnoxious noise from his puffed out cheeks.

Hermione stomped her foot and brought her wand up, waving it around the classroom trying to aim at Peeves, but it only made her look that more ridiculous. "Peeves, you little conniving Poltergeist!" She spluttered.

"Wee Potty's friend is all blue, oh whatever shall she do! Catch me if you can, or next Peevesy will give you a cinnamon tan," Peeves cackled as he swooped around Hermione's head.

He dove one last time before pushing past Hermione and exiting the room, quickly swerving to avoid Draco as he soared through the corridor singing senseless songs. Draco turned to see Hermione glaring at him, the giggles of the class still very much audible. With a flick of her wand, the door between them slammed shut. It was possibly the best morning he had had in a long while.

*Waves* – Tooxi