For the next few days, nothing substantial had happened to Draco. Classes had all been normal, meals were uneventful and quiet for him, and he was beginning to enjoy the fact that, unless paired with someone in one of his lessons, he spent his time alone. He was finally liking the fact that no one really talked to him, and that everyone simply left him to his own devices. He supposed the shock of his return and his total transformation from his usual, stuck up, arrogant self had worn off.

As the warm summer days became shorter and the weather had begun to cool down, Draco found himself huddled up in the library more and more. During the beginning of the year, he enjoyed doing his work outside next to the lake, but as the weather slowly changed, he gave that up in turn for the quiet warmth of the library.

It was in the library that Draco was working on his Arithromancy homework that she found him. At first, she didn't say anything. Just stood over the table, watching him in silence. It wasn't long before Draco felt like he was being watched and looked up.

"Hermione."

"Hey, Draco."

Hermione continued to stand over him, seemingly thinking over what she was going to say. Finally pulling a chair opposite of Draco's out from the table, Hermione decided to sit down before she continued.

"I-I've been thinking. About what we've been asked to do." Hermione again paused, chewing on her bottom lip.

For a moment, Draco sat, watching her chew on her lip, his thoughts far from what she had been talking about. Quickly realizing where his thoughts were, he shook his head and looked back down at his work, silently scolding himself. Hermione again continued.

"I've been to see Professor McGonagall about it, to ask her a few questions. I wanted to know what to expect with our task."

Closing his book and putting both it and the parchment which he had been writing on aside, Draco crossed his hands and waited for her to continue once again.

"She told me that we will primarily be working during our double Potions lesson, but there may be times when we have to work through dinner and late into the night. She has a classroom ready and waiting for us on the fourth floor, that has everything we could need for potion making. She also, again, reminded me that we need to keep this project as quiet as possible."

At her last statement, Draco scoffed.

"If you haven't noticed already, Granger, I'm not exactly the most popular person in this school."

Hermione looked away from him quickly, both upset and angry at his animosity towards her. Standing up, Hermione prepared to leave without another word. She turned and got a few steps away before turning back again.

"You know, the attitude is completely unnecessary. If you don't want to work with me on this, say something now so I can let McGonagall know I'll do it on my own."

Draco simply sat there, stunned into silence by what he had said. He wasn't sure what exactly had come over himself, and he was afraid to speak again to further upset her. Hermione stood there, her arms crossed at her chest, her weight shifted on one leg with the other out to her side, waiting for him to say something. Recognizing she wasn't going to get an answer, she turned on her heel and left the library in a huff.

Draco had decided to skip going to the Great Hall for dinner that night, still mad at himself for his attitude towards the only person who acknowledges his existence and treats him nicely. He sat on his four poster bed in the boys' dormitory, thinking and thinking. Draco came to a decision after a few minutes of contemplation, grabbed a spare bit of parchment and his quill, and quickly scribbled a note.

He pulled back the curtains to his bed, put on his cloak, and left the dormitory in a hurry. He wanted to get his note sent off as quickly as possible. Draco hustled his way up through the dungeons, through the main hall, and up the stairs towards the owlery. He came across quite a few students along the way, but they all ignored his presence as usual. Because no one had stopped him, Draco made it to the owlery a lot quicker than he had originally anticipated.

A large brown Barn Owl that belonged to the school swooped down from its perch to where Draco stood. He reread his note, making sure it was worded properly and that he got his message across without making himself out to be a fool.

I don't know what came over me. I'm still willing

to work on you know what. Forgive me?

Satisfied that his message sounded alright and that it said what it needed to without him having to say it outright, Draco tied his note to the school's barn owl and sent it off to deliver it. Slowly, he made his way back down from the owlery, lost in thought, not really paying attention to his surroundings.

Walking through the corridors he knew by heart at this point, Draco kept his head down, watching his feet. He didn't need to watch where he was going to know where he was, nor did he worry about running into anyone as he walked.

Once Draco had made it back to the Slytherin Common Room, he headed straight back to the boys' dormitory and to his four poster bed. He chose to call it a night, pulled off his outer robes and changed into his sleepwear. Climbing into bed, he pulled the curtains closed and quickly dosed off into a dreamless slumber.

Draco woke the next morning to find the rest of the beds empty. Since it was Saturday, he had nothing important going on that morning, so he stayed in bed. Lying on his back, he stared up at the ceiling, his mind empty. Draco laid like that for about a half hour before he decided it was time to get up and start his day.

Showered and dressed, Draco made his way towards the Great Hall for breakfast. He had slept in for a considerable amount of time, but not too long as to miss breakfast. Since he skipped dinner the previous night, his stomach growled like a lion as he walked up the dungeon stairs.

As he entered the Great Hall, he noticed it was slightly emptier than he anticipated. He figured more students would still be there eating, so the half empty hall came as an initial shock to him. Draco sat down and picked a muffin, some bacon, and some eggs as his breakfast. His head down towards, he hadn't noticed a tawny owl had swooped down and landed beside his seat at the Slytherin Table. It wasn't until the owl nipped his hand that his attention finally fell to the small note attached to its' leg.

Thank you.

It was very short, but it did mean quite a lot to Draco. He knew who it was from and what it was about without it needing to be signed or have anything else written. The small, short note meant more to Draco than he had even realized. Instinctively, he looked up and across the Great Hall, looking for the writer of the note.

She wasn't there, of course. She had probably been there earlier to eat, but since it was so late in the morning, she had already left do to something else. Draco was slightly upset at not seeing Hermione's familiar head of curly hair, no longer frizzy due to whatever she had been doing to it. Draco had meant the compliment he gave her that day outside the Potion's classroom. Her hair had looked very nice that day, and every day since.

Not knowing exactly what was coming over himself, Draco silently scolded himself for his thoughts once again. He didn't want to admit it, couldn't admit it, but he was beginning to develop feelings for that Gryffindor girl. He again blamed it on their conversation they had in the train, blamed it on the fact that she was the only person, other than Harry, to give him any sort of attention. Being Draco Malfoy, he had been used to attention from others, especially female Slytherins, during the previous years, so he instantly thought that was the reason behind how he was starting to feel.

Draco had continued to eat his small meal, taking as much time as possible while his thoughts were back on the train ride. Headmistress McGonagall soon appeared at his side and slightly coughed to catch his attention.

"Mr. Malfoy, would you kindly be willing to meet me in my office at 6 this evening?"

"Sure."

"Be sure to bring Ms. Granger with you, as well," McGonagall said as she turned on her heel and began to walk away. "She knows the password. I will meet you two inside."

As 6 o'clock fast approached, Draco sighed and gathered his things. He had been in the library again, studying as much as he could on various potions to make sure he fully understood just what he had gotten himself into. With his bag over his shoulder, Draco left the library, unsure of where to begin looking for Hermione. Knowing that, unless she was inside the library studying too, she was sure to be with Harry and Weasley.

Draco decided to just walk the corridors, hoping to run into a Gryffindor that he could ask where Hermione was. He hadn't gotten far from the library when he found just who he was looking for: Hermione was doubled over on the corridor floor, picking up books that seemed to have spilled from her bag.

Silently, Draco walked to her side, bent down, and began to help her pick up her things. Hermione let out a small squeak, startled at his sudden appearance next to him. Thanking him for helping her gather her things, the two of them stood back up and stared at each other.

"McGonagall wants us in her office. She told me earlier, and I forgot to let you know as well."

"Oh," Hermione replied, shifting her bag to her opposite shoulder.

Draco didn't say anything else, just started walking away. Momentarily stunned, Hermione stood in place, watching the back of Draco as he walked. Quickly coming back to what Draco had said, Hermione rushed to his side and the two walked to McGonagall's office together.

Author's note: Hey guys! Sorry for the late update, but here is Chapter 10! I really hope you guys are still liking the story so far and are still willing to stick with me as I continue to update with new chapters!

This next week and next update may come a day or two late, just so you're aware ahead of time. Being the Holiday season, my work is rather busy, and we unfortunately lost one employee who found another job, and two others are on holiday right now, so my schedule is jammed pretty tight.

Anyway, reviews are amazing! See you guys next week and have a safe time this week!