Hermione slept reasonably well that night and she didn't dream at all, which was good. No lingering nightmares about the Department of Mysteries and her duel with Dolohov was never a bad thing.

She got up and got dressed, ignoring the curious stares of her roommates. It seemed all Lavender was interested in knowing was whether she and Adrian were officially courting.

Such utter nonsense.

She grabbed her book bag and headed out of her room, making her way down to the common room to find Harry and Ron already waiting for her.

"You're both up early."

"Yeah, we are heading to Madam Hooch's office to sign up for the Quidditch Pitch and then heading to breakfast after. Why don't you come with us?"

"Sure."

The trio left the Gryffindor common room in high spirits, as they headed for the fifth floor corridor where many of the Professor's offices were located.

When they got there, Harry growled as he saw Malfoy and Zabini already filling their time slots on the Quidditch Pitch reservation roster.

"Malfoy."

"Potter." The blonde wizard smirked slightly. "Just signing up my team for tryouts and practices for term."

Harry moved over and groaned inwardly. Leave it to Malfoy to take the best times.

"You took every Saturday morning Malfoy. That's hardly fair."

Draco didn't comment immediately as he noticed Weasley getting ready to say something while Prewett just stood back and observed. Her expression closed off.

"I was here first Potter. Early worm and all that."

"Worm is right." Ron grumbled angrily. "Snake-like worm."

"Really? We are going to dissolve into name calling not even a day into the new term? Nice." Malfoy sneered out haughtily. "Although I hardly think I should apologize for getting here early. Tell me Potter, if you had—wouldn't you have taken the prime slots for Gryffindor?"

Harry glowered, but couldn't dispute that—as he would have.

If only to piss Malfoy off.

When he gazed back at his sister, her lifted eyebrow told Harry that Hermione knew it too.

"Want me to change the roster?" She asked him silently and his own lips quirked as he snorted and shook his head.

Their silent exchange wasn't missed by clever grey eyes.

Draco then waggled his finger at Prewett. "No changing the roster Prewett. Even though Madam Hooch has a charm that prevents tampering, something tells me you wouldn't be deterred by such enchantments."

Hermione's face fell into stunned disbelief while Harry chuckled deeply.

"That's a rude thing to insinuate Malfoy." She bit back, half-heartedly.

"Yet true." He bantered back easily. "There are still plenty of good slots available Potter. Perhaps next term you might try and sleep in the hallway to beat me here."

Harry just rolled his eyes and didn't take the bait as he added his name to the roster on his second choice dates and times. When he was done, he moved back over to his sister...her expression questioning.

"It's fine Sis. Let's go get breakfast."

She nodded, not noticing the surprised looks on Malfoy and Zabini's faces at Harry's moniker for her.

Draco watched the trio walk away and when they were gone, he side-eyed his best mate and said, "She's telepathic. I had wondered last night when I saw Theo go into that trance but I saw the exact same look on Potter's face just now."

Blaise hissed in surprise. "That's unprecedented. A natural legilimens can read others thoughts but to be able to speak into someone else's mind without the aid of a spell?"

Draco nodded. "It makes me wonder how developed it is?"

"You're wondering if she can read our thoughts?"

"Yes." Draco admitted uneasily. "I'm fairly trained in Occlumency from my mother and godfather, but not a lot of witches and wizards have the aptitude for mind Magic's."

Blaise stared at the wall and thought about this for a moment. "What other powers do you think she has?"

"I don't know, but based on last night—Theo does."

"And he isn't going to betray her trust."

"No, he isn't. He sees her as family and we both know Theo well enough to know how he feels about family."

The two wizards started walking towards the Great Hall as they silently considered this new information.

"Do you think Adrian?"

Draco shook his head. "I tend to think not, but I can't say for sure. If he is...then being away from him is going to make her magic become more unstable over time."

"Hence why Theo left last night?"

Draco smirked as he had considered that possibility too.

"She turns seventeen this month mate." Blaise offered and Draco hummed in acknowledgement.

"And yet she manifested her powers months ago. My Mother speculated that something must've triggered it and my Father wasn't privy to what that might've been."

"Do you think she was cursed by one of the Dark Lord's followers? Your Aunt Bellatrix?"

Draco thought about this seriously. That would make sense. If Hermione Prewett has been cursed...to the point of death she definitely would've manifested her powers to save herself. Fuck. She was a Phoenix elemental...had she literally died and been reborn from the ashes of her fate? Did the glamour spell break at the moment of her death?

Fuck!

Blaise noticed Draco paling and he grabbed his arm to get his attention.

"What is it mate?"

Draco's head whipped to his friend and Blaise could see the raw emotion behind the grey eyes.

"I need to go send my Father an owl. Save me something if I don't get back in time for breakfast?"

Blaise nodded and watched his best mate saunter away with a worried gaze. Whatever had caused Draco to react in such a way must've been bad.

Really bad.

Draco hurried to the owlry, and when he got there he wrote a missive to his father explaining his thoughts and suppositions about what he'd learned. He knew his father well enough to know that if there was a way to confirm what had happened to Hermione—he would do his best to do so.

It also made Draco wonder about other things too.

If Hermione Prewett turned seventeen this month and Adrian was her bonded...her powers would manifest again and she would bond with him. If that happened, then Draco would know for certain he didn't have a chance in Salazar with her.

But if she didn't?

Then it opened up many interesting possibilities.

Her bonded was not yet of age which would eliminate many potential suitors.

He didn't turn seventeen for almost another year and that was a long time for a Sorceress to go without her chosen mate.

But if her parents were allowing the magic to choose for her, then they either knew who that mate was...maybe through the Prophecy? Or they didn't have enough information at that time to make that choice for her.

Either way, it was concerning.

As Draco watched the letter to his Father fly away, he sighed in resignation.

There was little chance he would be her chosen mate. A year was a long time to wait and he'd never heard of a Sorceress or Sorcerer going that long without their chosen one.

But then again, he'd never read any history that had ever indicated that there had been a Phoenix elemental before.

The situation was unprecedented.

All he could do was wait and see if his Father agreed with his speculations while continue doing what he could to show Hermione Prewett he wasn't the same hateful wizard she'd only known him as being.