I have been forgetting DISCLAIMERS: I own not the characters, nor the riddles, nor some things that have been stored in my mind for ages, so if I write something and it belongs to one of your stories, it is only because I thought it was really neat, so put it in a review, and I'll credit you.

Hey, I realized that I have been making some mistakes, PLEASE forgive me.

I don't have a Beta, and I will try and be better about it. Thanks to Caramel Wafer for bringing this to my attention.

Also, I made a mistake with the schedules. Hermione has a free period when Draco has COMC, and Draco has a free period when Hermione has Arithmancy. Demetra has both of those classes, because her old school didn't do COMC, so she needs to catch up.

tfobmv18–thanks for your review. And I will put you in, any more suggestions would be appreciated!

cornilia243–u r awesome, and I already answered this, but just to clear it up THIS IS NOT A RON/PANSY FIC, I simply said that because I changed my mind about the sub-plots, sorry for any mis-communication.

Genderless-but straight–thanks for reviewing, and I will use your name.

Dramione Fan 17–I'm gonna mention you, because you have been a loyal reviewer, and I appreciate that.

this is the seating chart. It didn't work last time, and im hoping that it does this time.

100 97 94 92

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89 87 87

79 78 75 72

63 63

Chapter 10~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ahh, old times.

Hermione

'I don't like Draco' was becoming her own personal mantra. She knew she liked him of course, they were friends, and she trusted him with her secret, but she didn't like him like him. And that was that. Charms and lunch went by without incident, as Hermione, Demetra and Draco were separated. As soon as lunch was over, Hermione waved to the Malfoys as they made their way to Hagrid's for Care Of Magical Creatures.

She lugged her bag over to the portrait hole and Barny asked a riddle.

Late afternoons I often bathe.
I'll soak in water piping hot.
My essence goes through my see through clothes.
Used up am I; I've gone to pot.
What am I?

She thought about it and knew she had heard the answer somewhere. She knew this kind of riddle, and asked Barny to repeat it. He did, but she wasn't really listening. She was somewhat tired, and just wanted to use her free period to relax, maybe have a cup of tea with Ginny, or-

"Hang on," she said, interrupting the last line. "You're a tea bag!" Barny nodded and swung open. Marveling at how she couldn't have gotten that, she put her bag down and sank into the very love seat she had fallen asleep in the previous night. She knew that Ginny had a free period now too, as did Harry and Ron, and decided that this was the perfect time to pay them a visit.

With sheer force of will, she dragged herself from the comfy armchair, and went over to the bookcase. She located the book for Gryffindor Common Room, and pulled it open. The bookcase revealed a gold and red door that she pushed open, and stepped into one of her favorite places in the world.

The common room was just like she remembered, although, it did seem to have a lot of red. She looked around, ignoring the few first years gaping at the receding door, and spotted Harry and Ron playing chess, while Ginny lay reading on the lap of a blond, and very cute sixth year.

Hermione strolled over to them, and covered Ron's eyes with her hands. Harry laughed as Ron started and then seemed to recognize her, saying, "Hermione!"

"Hey you guys." Hermione replied, moving around Ron and sitting across from Ginny. "Who's this?"

Ginny smiled serenely saying, "Oh, this is my wonderful boyfriend, Jasper." She earned herself a kiss on the hand, as Jasper smiled at Hermione and nodded while Ron scowled.

Then Hermione looked over at the redhead she hadn't seen in months, save for dinner last night. He was gaping, apparently forgetting about her 'new' appearance.

"Wow, 'Mione, what'd you do? You look great!" he managed, while moving his queen absentmindedly.

Harry grinned triumphantly and let his castle take Ron's queen.

"Ahh no! Harry!"

"Hah, Ronald Bilius Weasley, I shall win, finally." Harry said as Ron threw a pillow at him. Unfortunately, this scattered the chess pieces, and the game was put on hold.

Hermione laughed along with her two best friends and then settled into her story, she told them more or less all that had happened about her appearance, and her missing the train, but left out the part about her father, and all that Draco had said. She didn't think it was right to share it with them now. Not now.

"Wow, Hermione, so you and the amazing bouncing ferret are 'friends'?" Ron asked, a look of struggling incredibility was on his face, as though he was trying to figure out a math problem that asked for the square root of (-1).

"Yeah." Hermione replied, building off of what Draco had said to Harry. "We decided that it would be better because of us both being Heads, and living together and all."

Ron nodded along as Ginny broke in, "Well, you need some, um, things, that I had over the summer, and I really think it'd be best to give them to you for safe keeping, And it might just work if our lovely Heads ever need a laugh."

Hermione was puzzled for a second then chuckled, realizing what she was talking about. 'The calender, and our list. Hah, yes that will be funny, I should show Draco.' she thought.

Both of her guy-friends being clueless, she shook her head at them and said, "Later." to Ginny. Gin nodded and went back to reading with her head on Jasper's lap. Hermione turned to her two best friends and they started talking, about everything and anything. They all had to go to classes after their free period, but they had plenty of time. The only moments when it became awkward, was first when Ron mentioned Hermione's parents, and how they should have let her stay with the Weasleys.

"Well Ron, my mum needed me to help her this summer, that's why I couldn't see either of you, or meet you at Diagon Alley. I'm sorry." she had said quietly. At least, it was pretty close to the truth. Her mother had needed her, just not in the way she was implying.

Ron obliviously blundered on to other subjects whilst Harry and Ginny exchanged looks. Something was definitely different about Hermione. Hermione realized she wasn't going to be able to hide much longer from Ginny, at least, and decided to talk to her soon.

Then, an awkward time presented itself in the form of a loud fifth year, shouting from across the common room, "Hey Granger, does Malfoy really have a six p-" and was cut off by a very neatly placed jinx from a certain female red head. Although, Hermione couldn't help but wonder...

Ron and Harry put it off as 'stupid fifth years', but they had weird looks, and Hermione resolved to not mention Draco in their presence ever again. She thought, 'Just because I made a truce, doesn't mean they hate him any less. Especially Ron'. Catching up with her friends had made Hermione's day unimaginably better, and she was just starting to feel at home when the fifteen minute bell rang, the students in class got out, and the students out, had to get ready for the start of classes in fifteen minutes.

She waved goodbye to her friends, knowing she still had to go to her tower and pick up her bag, when Ginny grabbed her arm and dragged her to the sixth year dorms.

"Alright, alright, gerroff me you madwoman!" laughed Hermione collapsing on Ginny's bed. The previously mentioned girl was currently on the floor, rummaging under her bed for something.

"Aha!" Ginny muttered, and pulled out a very tattered and full notebook, and a thinner sheaf of parchments."These will be entrusted to you, Hermione, for the year. Anyways, I have a spare calendar, and that's the most important one, now you and Drakkiekins are all buddy-buddy. Although, you might want to be careful how friendly you get with Malfoy, because even if you didn't see it, Ron was furious."

"Shut up Gin, although, I do admit the calendar is more important, thanks." She stowed the two paper products in an inside pocket of her coat and hugged her friend. Then she pushed her off the bed, and ran down the girls dorm stairs, away from the muffled cursing of Ginerva Weasley. Always a good way to go.

Getting back to the tower, she dropped the sheafs of parchments rather unceremoniously at the foot of her staircase. She glanced around the room for her bag, and found it laying next to a wall she hadn't noticed before. She grabbed her bag, noticing the wall had many, many, pictures on it.

Not having the time to pay closer attention, Hermione decided that she would explore with Draco later, but now she had to get to Arithmancy. She ran from the room and then decided she was an idiot and scrambled back to the portrait hole.

"What's the matter, lassie? You just left!" Barny exclaimed, still looking somewhat shaken from the force of Hermione's door-slamming techniques.

"Sorry, Barny, I realized the bookcase would be an easier way to get to Arithmancy then running all the way to the sixth floor."

"A riddle then, and a quick one. 'How do you give someone a cherry without a stone'?"

Hermione sighed in relief, she had heard this one before, "Pick it when it's blooming, and is taking the form of a flower." She stated.

"Correct."

Hermione went back into the tower and trotted over to the bookcase. Her little run-in with Ginny had pressed her for time. She pulled the book stating 6th FLOOR, and scrambled out of the broom cupboard next to her Arithmancy class.

The people in her class, looked at her strangely, but she ignored them, making sure none of them had seen the temporary hole in the cupboard's wall discreetly.

Demetra sidled over to her and said, "Hey, are you going to talk to Draco about what I told you, because I think he wants to tell-" but was cut off by Professor Vector who ushered them into the class.

Apparently Professor Vector thought that if boys and girls were seated next to each other, class would be disrupted, so the seating chart was simple. 'Sit with anyone you like, only girls on the right, and boys on the left.'

Hermione and Demetra shared a glance, securing their spots next to each other, and when the professor said to move, they went straight for a table in the second row.

The class passes rather uneventfully, in Hermione's opinion, answering and translating questions alongside Demetra. Really, if she hadn't had to catch up in COMC, then Demetra might be top of the school. Or second, Hermione amended, after all, she knew she was more of a bookworm than anyone. She also wondered what Draco wanted to talk about, and decided that she'd just ask him.

As soon as the class was over, Hermione and Demetra filed out of the class and into the rushing expanse of students making their way to dinner. Hermione sighed, her last forst day almost over, just dinner, and Astronomy to go to. The went past the head tower where Hermione dropped off her bag, and Gryffindor tower where the met up with Ron, Harry, Ginny and Jasper. Hermione decided that she wanted to get to know the new addition to the group, as Ginny seemed to have a knack for picking, well, odd boyfriends. Save for the few months with Harry, of course.

Harry sat across from Demetra, as Ron sat across from Ginny, and Hermione sat in between the two boys and across from Jasper. She knew these were her best friends that she could share anything with, so how come she had trusted her secret to a malfoy, and refused to confide in those she had risked her life for and with?

The dinner was delicious, and Ron and Harry teased her about her House Elf organization, and she had to agree, she liked being able to enjoy Hogwarts exquisite dinners.

"So Jasper, what classes are you taking. I must say, I didn't really remember what we took sixth year, do you guys?" She turned to her two best guy friends and the shook their heads. Ron's full of chicken.

Jasper replied, 'Well, I'm taking all the classes necessary to become a dragon tamer. You know, like Gin's older brother, Bill?" he ended.

Hermione laughed, 'You'll have to be around a lot longer than that to get the Weasley clan straightened out. Charlie's the dragon tamer, and Bill's a curse breaker."

Ginny chimed in, "I hope your around long enough to meet them, and know who you're speaking too." and Jasper smiled lovingly at her and they turned away from the conversation to have one of their own. Only non-verbally.

Ron and Hermione laughed at that and turned to the green eyed pair. Well, one of them was green eyed. One was temporary green eyed. And they were looking at eachothers, as if breaking eye contact would cause Voldemort to rise again.

Hermione exchanged glances with Ron, and they both started discussing quietly the plans to get Harry and Demetra together.

"Well, from the way Deme has acted, I'd say she'd just about go for asking him to Hogsmeade herself, but I think we-"

"Have to save Harry's pride, yeah." finished Ron, both of them looking at the pair, who were in turn, talking about Hermione, even if she didn't know that.

"Maybe," Hermione began, "If we convince the two to go together, because Gin and Jake are going and I-" but she broke off. She had been thinking of either staying behind to explore (and talk) with Draco, or going to a dress shop with Demetra for the Winter Celebration that had been held every year since the huge protests after the Yule Ball was said to not happen annually.

"I might come, but I don't know yet." she finished lamely, thankful that Ron was more oblivious than the rest of her friends.

Ron thought for a moment stratagizing, one of the things he was actually good at. "Well, if you don't go, then I would need to slip off somewhere, or find a date, but if you did, we could..." he broke off too, and Hermione sighed. He clearly still liked her.

"All I'm saying is , to get Harry and Demetra together, well, maybe you and I should, pretend of course, but we should go, umm, together?" he ended with a question and Hermione sought to get out of it, but not reject him too harshly.

"Actually, Ron, I think I'm just gonna stay here. I have a ton of head duties to do anyway."

"Oh, okay. But we should still try and get Har-" but then Harry decided to look up and catch the first part of his name.

"What?" he said, while Demetra giggled. She tossed a glance at Hermione, who's stomach sunk as she realized Demetra knew everything Ron and her had been discussing. Oh well.

"Nothing mate. But we'd better get to class. See you later Hermione." he nodded at her, and Harry came around to hug her. Ron quickly followed suit when Demetra laughed loudly. Everyone in the vicinity looked at her, and she just pointed her nose and brushed back her hair. But not before stealing a glance at the Slytherin table, and Hermione suddenly knew who had 'said' something funny enough to make her laugh.

See ya boys." said Demetra, as she hurried out of the Dining Hall to her class quicker than the two. The boys gave one last wave to Hermione and they departed too. Now, as Ginny and Jasper were still, engaged in activities, she was alone.

She got up, still smirking a little at Demetra's outburst. She made it to the end of the Gryffindor table when she saw Draco say goodbye to his 'friends' and walk casually to the door. Hermione made sure to get there before and wait in the empty Entrance Hall, so it didn't look suspicious. Her friends were taking her friendship with him better than expected, but she didn't want to involve the whole school just yet.

"Hey." he said, smoothing back his hair, as Hermione had noticed Demetra did as well on a regular basis.

She replied. "Hey. You know. One of you two should stop doing that, because soon everyone will know you are tw-"

"Shhhhhh." Draco had a look of panic. Hermione was confused. 'I thought he didn't mind if the school knew?'

"I thought you didn't mind if the school knew." 'What can I say? I like to satisfy my curiosity!'

"I don't, but Demetra threatened me with things that you do not need to hear about if word gets out!" Draco was acting different. Then Hermione realized, he was acting whole-heartedly, genuinely, friendly! He was so different. No barriers, no smirks, no sarcasm, no insults. It was almost strange.

"Lets just go to the tower. I have something I want to show you."

"What?"

"Well, I don't really know. I thought we could explore the tower or talk or something." Hermione bit her lip, thinking that she just blew her plans for exploring while Ron and Harry were in Hogsmede. Oh well, she'd find another way to get out of it. She hoped.