Hermione had impatiently waited every morning during breakfast to see if any new mail from a certain someone had come in. She had found herself equally dreading and anticipating a response from him. It had come to a point where her after school lessons had been impacted and she was repeatedly called out on her lack of focus. This had just added to Hermione's frustration because once again Draco Malfoy had found a way to impact her life, this time without actually doing anything. By the time something was actually sent her way she had found herself incredibly resentful for this entire situation. His demand had certainly not helped matters.

Astronomy tower, now – DM

She wanted to comment on the demanding nature of the message. On how it was the middle of the day and she had classes. But the owl had left the area almost immediately and she had no way to properly yell at him without following the instructions. So she grabbed her books from her positioned study spot outside and excused herself from the group. In what would later be remembered as an aggravated frenzy Hermione dodged students and passersby. By the time she made it to the tower the amount of people had thinned significantly. Of course the person she was looking for was not present. Hermione walked up and down the tower stairs again, this time at a slower pace. When nothing changed other than looking lost in the castle she had spent the last few years of her life, Hermione finally came the conclusion that Malfoy had tricked her. He most likely wanted to see how high she would jump if called.

Just as she was about to head back down the spiral staircase a hand grabbed her left upper arm. On instinct Hermione swung herself around and attempted to punch the attacker. This particular attacker seemed to be growing used to her surprise strikes and leaned out of the way in a sleek backwards arch. He then forcibly pivoted her own body with an unknown twist which not only had her remaining hand behind her back but also trapped between their two forms.

The squirming was instinctual, the attempt to destroy the perpetrators foot with her heel took a few more seconds to try.

"Granger, why the fuck are you so violent?" whispered a particularly accusatory voice.

She stopped her twisting as she registered the scene that had just plaid out. The familiar fight mode had diminished some as his voice indicated as something other than a mass murderer or rapist. Tall, black robes with a green tie, blonde hair, grey eyes. "Malfoy?" Hermione asked questioningly.

"Did you come up here to meet some other bloke?" he asked mockingly.

That immediately started the struggle again but this time he let her go. Once they had separated Hermione turned to face him, making sure to place a few appropriate feet between them. She had never wanted to be that close to Malfoy and needed to be sure he knew not to try that again. "What is it with Slytherin's and insinuating I get around? Do you really have no other topics to discuss in your weekly 'I hate everyone' gatherings?"

This time he actually smirked. It was something that she had never seen directed at her which just spoke to how deluded he had become in his isolation. The facial gesture was utterly infuriating for reasons unknown. Instead of responding to her question Malfoy drew her towards the back of the astronomy tower where it was much harder to see them. Once they were properly situated in the darker corridor he stated, "You done being sensitive?"

She growled back, "You done being an uncaring hate mongering-"

"You didn't tell Pothead," he said factually. Malfoy had cut her off without warning and his gaze fixed on her as if waiting for a lie of some sort.

That took her for a spin. Once again going through their conversations she wondered when the banter had turned towards her friend. And what would she have told Harry? That Malfoy was indeed horrible? That thoughtlessness was probably a genetic family trait passed from pureblood heir to pureblood heir? Hermione found herself having to many comments in her mind to fully process without some form of additional information. "Tell him what?" Hermione eventually found herself questioning out loud.

He gave very little away, his face remaining the usual emotionless mask paired perfectly with a hint of disgust. Just as she thought he had given up on the conversation, because Hermione had no real need to continue it further herself and was therefore not asking again for clarification, Draco Malfoy spoke. "About our argument. I half expected to have him hexing me all week for daring to upset the perfect Gryffindor princess that is Hermione Granger."

Hermione let it go; this one time she let it go. It was a little unclear when the term had been coined, somewhere around the Yule ball she suspected, but the idiotic phrase had stuck around like it had a sticking charm on it. For the sake of the discussion and personal progress Hermione was not going to comment on the ridiculousness of that stupid nickname. Instead she answered his previous unasked question. "No, I have never needed Ron or Harry to fight my battles for me no matter what they seem to think. Furthermore Harry only know what I feel the need to tell him. You being difficult hardly seems out of the norm."

Malfoy stepped away a bit further then. It was a small second in time where she saw the calculating look in his eye, as if registering new information for further use. How this knowledge was useful or even relevant to him Hermione was unsure. Whatever thought he had paired with the data seemed to pass quickly though for not half a second later his eyes were narrowed and focused on her brow line. It was just like Malfoy to deem her unimportant for something as simple as eye contact when speaking. Then as if finishing a conversation she did not recall he stated, "I still dislike everything about you."

She sighed in exacerbation, "I think I just might need to ignore your next owl request if you summoned me because you wanted someone to bully."

He scoffed, "I have better things to do then waste my time writing letters like some first year crush. I assure you, that note was painful to pen." He then looked further into the tower towards what appeared to be a large sized shoot.

Hermione imagined it was probably a disposal area or space that went straight to the incinerators or laundry under part of the castle. Briefly she wondered if he planned murdering her then disposing of the body but passed the idea off as unlikely due to two of the professors knowing of their current connection with the other. He would be a prime suspect in any mysteries surrounding a disappearance. Instead of giving him an easy out to respond to Hermione waited for Malfoy to continue his reasoning.

After a few more seconds, ones where he clearly expected her to fill the silence with additional prompts, he stated, "I was attempting to discuss rejoining some of my classes when I ran into an older classmate, Adrian Pucey. He may have attacked me and I may have been healed up enough to attack back."

Her heart nearly stopped as she fully assessed the situation. Adrian was a seventh year and well known among his classmates as being vicious towards anyone who had made his temper flare that day. He was also a top dueler and had an array of brutal spells he enjoyed casting. Hermione glanced around the room and for the first time noticed a few broken chairs, a burnt tapestry and puddles of water. Clearly Malfoy had used some form of notice me not charm before when she was up here looking for him. Then in replay she remembered him glancing to the shoot built into the wall.

As if on que Hermione ran to the small compartment and opened it up. Her hands went straight to her mouth out of fright. Just because she had anticipated seeing the older classmate did not mean she genuinely wanted to. Right before her was the stasis and unconscious body of Adrian from their seventh year class. He had a developing black eye and his robes were singed on the bottom indicating both a wizards match and an ending fist fight. On impulse she checked his pulse and was incredibly relieved to find one. Now that his life was deemed acceptably out of danger she instinctively snapped the shoot door closed and turned back towards Malfoy. Her impulse to grab his hands and check for wounds only hit her as odd when he tried to pull them out of her grip. She held on harder and focused in on a cut on his knuckles. This was undoubtedly the fist that had caused Adrian the black eye. Further assessment showed dirt on his knees and scuffs on his shoes. "He attacked you?"

This time she did let his hands drop and he instantly pulled away, "My father has quite a few enemies. With him occupied and out of favor I am an easy target."

The factual nature behind it was hard to hear. The Malfoy family had indeed bought most of their support through bribes or blackmail. If those targeted in the past sensed a weakness Hermione understood the nature to lash out. It appeared there were multiple layers to his current predicament. She looked back over at the closed door and sighed, "Let's start with the unconscious lump in the wall shall we?"

Malfoy seemed to pause briefly at that, as if not understanding her. Once again permitting him to catch up mentally Hermione paused before making any movement. When he did finally register her words Malfoy asked, "No lecture? No 'everyone is important and fighting in school is against the rules' sermon?"

She actually scoffed at that one. Hermione was determined to move forward with whatever needed to happen next and moved fully over to the shoot. In opening up the doorway Hermione carefully levitated the classmate over to the middle of the room. Once she was situated Hermione address the question before her. "I know we pretty much hate one another and have made a lot of assumptions over the years but lets be perfectly clear. My best friend is Harry Potter. Being attacked at random intervals throughout my year is pretty much a norm. If there is one thing I have learned in these situations it is that you can only fight it so much."

Once she had placed the unconscious classmate on the ground and straightened out his body Hermione turned back towards Malfoy. The displaced Slytherin had that same contemplative look in his eyes as before, but this time it was lingering for far longer. Hermione immediately found herself uncomfortable with whatever internal assessment was being done and opted to re-direct the conversation. With a head tilt towards the floor she asked, "What is the plan?"

Malfoy snapped himself out of his internal conversation and finally looked at the unconscious figure. He smirked devilishly and she once again felt the bud of some unknown joke. Eventually the familiar amused at other's expenses tone came from his direction while stating "Leave you to deal with it of course."

Unwilling to let this moment of comradery go to waste Hermione turned back towards Adrian. "No, you need to deal with this one, but it needs to send a message to all of the people after you. He needs to spread the word that you are not an easy target and you will fight back."

The amusement was no longer cascading off of him, the feeling now being clear frustration. It appeared the Slytherin did not agree with Hermione's assessment of the situation, "You are delusional if you think I can take on my entire house. Why do you think I have been hiding out?"

Hermione walked around Adrian as if a bird circling prey. She was not usually someone who did well in any version of a mind game, but this was not something she could solve with straight forward thinking. And while Hermione had never really put on the cunning hat she did know someone who lived by it. Channeling that mentality Hermione bent down to check Adrian for additional wounds. She found none which meant either a spell had knocked him out or the punch had. Hermione found herself sincerely wishing it was the punch, it felt to muggle for Adrian to take it as anything other than a massive insult. She stood back up and faced her charge, "You know more about mind games than I do Malfoy. How did you get most of the younger classes to listen to you?"

This time he ran his fingers through his hair in what she assumed was a tic when stressed. "In case you haven't noticed those methods seem to be failing me right now. And you call yourself intelligent."

Hermione drew her attention back towards the 7th year student as he started to grumble awake. This left them with very little time to properly plan, but perhaps that was best as they had less room for arguing. Practically running up to Malfoy she muttered a quick Scourgify to clean up his ruffled clothes from the fight. Looking at him once more she stated, "Tell him to try that again, dare him to. Then walk away down the tower and do not look back. Be sure to look like your usual entitled self when you do it too. If he tries anything while you aren't looking I will knock him out with a stupefy spell. But do not look back under any circumstances, he needs to know how unphased you are by him."

She saw his mouth open to argue, most likely to tell her how absurd she was being and that he would not be trusting her with something as precious as his life. Internally Hermione rolled her eyes. Of course he was going the argue with her. Likely because she had been the one to come up with a plan since her intelligence was clearly below anything remarkable. She was not top marks in the school or anything. Or been trusted with a Time Turner third year because of her academic progress. Hermione was keenly aware of the need to shut down whatever ridiculous argument he had on the tip of his tongue.

Malfoy tried to argue, the boy really did but Hermione left him so little room to do so. Time was of the essence and this moment needed to be capitalized on. They needed to act because with how Malfoy was being targeted they may not get a second chance.

Decisions were made and blunt forcefulness seemed to be the most likely to be effective.

In a quick movement she had grabbed his Hogwarts robes and pulled him closer than either of them wanted, her seriousness regarding the situation seeping into him through sheer willpower. With a husky hiss to prevent the waking victim from overhearing Hermione pulled Malfoy nearly nose to nose and whispered, "Scare the snot out of him Malfoy or these attacks are never going to stop."

Then she released him.

Malfoy's face looked a bit baffled, as well as a little insulted that her muddy little self had been bold enough to touch him again, but she darted behind a bookcase before he could respond. By the time she was hidden Adrian was shaking himself awake and quickly glancing around the room. Once his eyes locked with Malfoy's he tried to stand. By some miracle of miracles Malfoy was able to gather himself enough to put on the impromptu show. In an instant the cold look was back and he was staring daggers at the older boy. Malfoy stepped up to Adrian, crouching menacingly, while placing the tip of his wand under Adrian's chin. The shade of the boy's face dropped by a full degree at the gesture. Malfoy strategically waited another second to build quiet tension before stating, "Try that again and it will be the last thing you ever do." The tone was quiet, the familiar menacing disgust at another's presence reverberating across the room. Slowly, as if questioning his decision to permit Adrian continued breathing capabilities Malfoy pulled the wand away and took a few steps back, eyes never leaving his target.

In one solid motion he turned away and walked out of the tower, his steps slowly echoing down the stairs until completely gone.

Dismissed.

Adrian never pulled out his wand, in fact it took him a full ten minutes to stand and slowly make his own way down from the tower. Hermione remained steadfast though and continued to wait and additional twenty in case anyone was waiting. By the time she made it down the stairs the hall was empty and she was late for her next class. It did not matter though because the very important fact of the day continued to swim around her head.

Draco Malfoy had listened to her.

The leader of bigotry and intolerance had listened to her, Hermione Granger.

Briefly she wondered what could have happened to break him that much.

That night her head was still swirling with possibilities and questions, though she managed to contain herself enough to focus on her after school lessons. Casually she made it to the comfortable medical ward and knocked quietly for the familiar face of Madame Pomphrey to let her in. Shortly after making her presence known the rosy cheeked face of the mediwitch came into view. With a smile the woman ushered Hermione in happily.

"My dear, it is good to see you," spoke Madame Pomphrey.

Hermione smiled as she carried her bag in right behind her. Lessons were not frequent but they were valuable. Hermione had been thankful beyond belief when she received her owl with a time and date stamped on it. Stepping into the room she saw that no student's slumbered, a sure sign that chaos was well on its way. Hermione gave it little thought though as she began towards the back room that was Madame Pomphrey's office. "Should I-"

She was immediately stopped as a familiar prefect all but ran into the doors. It was a fifth year, a Ravenclaw. The girl panted as if having sprinted across the castle. "Herm-" another pant exuded as the girl leaned forward and placed her hands on her knees with the sole purpose of bracing her upper body from heavy labor. After a few more seconds of suspense the student finally righted herself and stated, "I've been running across the castle trying to find you. Professor Snape is in an uproar, apparently you have a detention with him that you are skipping. He looked about ready to hex me when I saw him. You have got to go to his classroom immediately."

Hermione blinked slowly as the words caught up with her brain. Detention? Her? Impossible under normal circumstances but it was Professor Snape. What was inconceivable was that she somehow had detention and forgot about it. In utter shock she stuttered "W-What?"

The girl pointed towards the door in a panic. "You seriously need to run."

Hermione shook her head, "I do not have detention, he is clearly mistaken."

The Ravenclaw girl looked truly appalled. "Well, can you tell him that? I am not going near that office for the next week if I can help it. I think I may have died a bit while he glar-"

Madame Pomphrey cleared her throat in silent reprimand. Both girls straightened their backs and drew in a breath as they remembered that they had an audience. Madame Pomphrey eyed both girls warily before saying, "Professor Snape is rarely wrong about such things, but errors can occur. Hermione visit his office and see what can be done. But do remember that he is a Professor of this school and you are a student. If there is a detention then there is a detention. You will resume here at a later date."

Hermione actually felt her heart drop a little at that. Her lessons were on hold? She had been waiting days for a meeting and now is when another crisis happens? In an effort to continue portraying a respectable student Hermione bit her lip in frustration rather than saying anything more on the matter. Her mind on the other hand was reeling with insults and profanity, something she almost never indulged in. Instead of voicing herself Hermione grabbed her bag again and glanced briefly at Madam Pomphrey. The woman gave a nod of acknowledgement before Hermione felt the dismissal. Quickly she turned back around and headed towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

By the time she had arrived Hermione had categorically gone through every interaction with the Professor over the last week. All possible reasoning for a mysterious detention fell short. Briefly she wondered if memory loss was an inheritable condition her family had yet to inform her of. When she opened the door said Professor was pacing his classroom angrily. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the pale blonde who was resting up against a wall, eyes shifting uncomfortably. She had stepped fully in the classroom and the door shut when she felt the anger direct itself towards her.

"My office, now."

Those were the only words he spoke before turning on his heels and slithering to his office. Hermione could only guess that it would afford them more privacy. As she walked forward, with Malfoy matching her step with the same hesitancy she herself demonstrated, Hermione suddenly understood what was occurring. Professor Snape felt the need to summon her and used the one thing that would get her running. The one thing that terrify her enough to respond.

The bloody bastard.

By the time all three were in his adjoining office Professor Snape had casted a muffling spell and locked the doors. Once that was done he turned on both of them like the three headed dog Hagrid raised. Oddly enough it was Malfoy he started berating first, "You owled her? You sent your personal owl to her in broad daylight like a randy teenager with no ability to control yourself? Do you even understand how many people could have seen that? Your situation depends solely on secrecy and you sent her your private owl in front of half of her peers."

Malfoy did not respond.

Then the professor turned towards her. "And you, you were to come up with a system to communicate that would not be putting his life in danger. I understand the Gryffindor propensity to act first and think never but you have outdone yourself on this one. You have truly done your house proud."

She felt utterly and completely ashamed of herself in that moment. Malfoy owling her had felt odd enough, she had not even registered what it might mean to others. And while Hermione had no idea what his bird looked like plenty of the other students did. Had someone noticed the exchange? That was a stupid question, clearly someone had or Snape would not be here berating them both like first years. She should have worked harder with Malfoy in coming up with something. While in the moment it had felt so good to stand her ground Hermione could see now the harm it had done for the actual mission. In her attempt to avoid his harsh words Hermione had put Malfoy in danger.

Eventually Snape stepped back and looked at them both, "Luckily it was a teacher who saw and asked in the facility lounge if Ms. Granger was assisting Draco in submitting missed paperwork. I covered and notified them that was offered but Mr. Malfoy had declined your assistance." This time he seemed to stare directly into Hermione's soul and she felt herself shrivel up just a bit more.

Draco seemed to take this as his moment to relax and she saw his body slouch. This time it was from tension leaving his body though. Hermione felt her own fears escalate at the idea that just as she was getting overwhelmed he was calming down. How in the world was that relieving to him? "This is my fault-"

"Agreed," cut off Snape from her heartfelt apology.

Silence resumed and Hermione actually felt the air thicken in her very lungs. She wanted to fix this somehow but could see no foreseeable out. Malfoy and her needed to find a way to communicate in a way that was less noticeable to others but immediate if needed. Briefly her mind wandered to the coins that they had developed for Dumbledore's Army. While she could use them Hermione found that unwise. What if by using the coins it linked to the previous items? Also the former DA members would know something was happening if they saw her tapping her wand against familiar looking coins. She once again sighed in frustration at not having gotten over her own insecurities enough to come up with a more thought out plan.

"I have something that might work, but I have to revamp it a bit," she tried to share diplomatically. It would do her no good to get upset even more and leave in a huff.

Malfoy turned towards her cautiously, "The coins?"

Her mouth actually dropped at that one. He knew about them? Like actually knew? Her mind whirled back to the Umbridge Inquisitor squad and the person who betrayed them. Hermione had always wondered just how much that girl had given up. Clamping her mouth shut to prevent herself from asking currently irrelevant questions Hermione shared, "Yes, but I will need to transfer the spell to another object and figure out how to make it speak both ways instead of a one way message."

Snape walked around them and towards his classroom, "Neither of you will leave this office until you have a viable plan. Consider your detention in progress."

He left the room and it slammed behind him. Now that the immediate threat of a teacher having a true reason to be disappointed in her was gone Hermione turned towards the only other person in the room, "That was a personal owl?"

Malfoy seemed to have regained his usual flare as he pushed back in the chair and tipped it on the back two legs. With a casual glance that dismissed every one of her own concerns Malfoy stated, "Yes, none of the other school owls magically appear when I whistle. But next time I will be sure to train a few of them up."

Hermione actually rolled her eyes at that one. With Snape out of the room, and their common source of discomfort no longer distracting them, Hermione felt it was only natural to turn back on one another. "Should have known, that thing was far to demanding for a normal owl. Bit like three people trying to reach me."

Draco Malfoy smirked in absolute pride at that comment. The passing thought that he had trained the animal to be difficult to everyone but the intended recipient seemed both below him and yet exactly what one would expect. Before she could properly berate the two legged snake he stated, "Tell me Saint Potter was one of them. Or Weaslebe. Either one is fine."

At this Hermione stood up and walked over to their professor's desk, intent on finding something to distract herself with rather than engage in another verbal war with the infuriating person in front of her. As she rummaged for items that could work for a two way communication device she attempted to make eye contact with anything other than the still smirking boy. When his smug air finally was to much for her she threw a sheet of papers down and stated, "You done?"

This time he tipped forward in his chair so all four legs were steady on the ground. Pausing as if contemplating the situation Malfoy stated in a fascinated fashion, "Historically I have tried to ignore you, but now that I have to pay more attention you are pretty amusing to watch. I rather like your version of entertainment. Tell me, is it just me that you get this riled for?"

This time she looked directly at him with an air of disbelief surrounding her, "You are insufferable."

"Guilty," he said with an almost proudful shrug. Eventually he leaned back in the chair and this time balanced on three legs instead of less. She had the distinct impression that she was a headliner in his day due to his current social isolation.

Hermione stopped briefly in an attempt to be more productive than what they currently were. With true sincerity, that took a bit more mustering than she had anticipated, Hermione asked, "How did it work? I still haven't seen you in class so I wasn't sure."

Without making eye contact, in fact his eyes were glancing up at the ceiling following a spider as it slowly made its way across the large space, Malfoy stated, "Adrian is scared shitless of me. A few of the other classmates think he got lucky but it is a lot less threats than before. Someone actually gave me my homework yesterday though I threw it out since the likelihood of it being jinxed was high."

Hermione took a full moment to look at him. The silly boy that was trying to pretend that he was not scared. Having had years with her own two masters of crisis finders she curbed her insight and said, "Well at least it is something."

His chair slowly lowered, almost carefully. Once he was back on the ground his eyes shifted to her again but this time with all the intensity Draco Malfoy had been attempting to hide. He remained in that same position, his focus solely on her for an uncomfortable amount of time. It was not until they heard the door click open that both turned their gaze away. Professor Snape entered the room, the anger gone but the dismissal of their general presence in his life still surrounding him. "Well?"

Hermione looked down at her hands, and the mess she had made of his personal belongings. In utter horror Hermione realized that she had completely violated every social norm drilled into her since birth. Mouth opening slightly she stated, "I-"

"Charmed jewelry," said Malfoy as if the answer had been obvious.

Hermione's eyes immediately went to her own wrist as if expecting a mystical charm bracelet to be wrapped around it. When she did not see anything shimmering in front of her Hermione felt her eyes draw back up to Malfoy. This time he stood and walked around the desk and reached around her arm. From under a stack of yet to be graded papers he pulled what appeared to be a bookmark. "I have a similar one with the Malfoy emblem. It is more decorative than anything but it could work. Other than that I have nothing that wouldn't be questioned as I do not wear jewelry or carry coins regularly. I do have quiet a few studies though and after seeing yours figured it would make the perfect conduit."

Snape stepped forward as if about to take the simple item from his godson's hand. Mid stepped the professor stopped himself though, then pulled his arm back. After a few more contemplative seconds he said, "And the spell to communicate both ways?"

Malfoy turned towards Hermione in question. Briefly, because she was unsure herself, Hermione wondered what it would be like to interact with these two on a daily basis. Their aura's were both menacing and could make most people cower. But Malfoy had been brilliant in his response, and professor Snape already was a distinct level of genius matched by very few others. Not being most people though Hermione straightened her back and practiced confidence, "I believe I can rework the spell but will need both items together for it to work. I will need to sync them first as mates then cast the communication charm. I will also want to make sure nothing gets transferred to the previous coins created last year."

Snape looked at them both, then at the bookmark, "Return the desk to how you found it or you both really will have detention."

Hermione nodded for the both of them, knowing that Malfoy would not acquiesce to the demand. Snape looked at the clock and stated, "I have been called into the headmasters office, you are dismissed but I want this completed quickly."

He stepped out of the room and left the two students standing still. Once his footsteps were gone Hermione rounded on Malfoy. "You could not have shared that idea earlier when I was rummaging through the head of Slytherin houses' desk?"

The mocking look was back full force, "And deprive myself of your frustration?"

Once again Hermione was stomping out of the room where an infuriating blonde boy resided. Righteous fury followed her out the door like a disapproving god fairy. He was such a blithering prat; that was the one sentence that Hermione found herself repeating over and over again as she stormed her way into the common room. The more she stomped the angrier she became. By the time she reached her room she was rifling around her jewelry box for anything that would be viewed as a large enough item. In frustration she dropped the very small and few trinkets over her bed. Hermione had never really been one for jewelry and much of what she had were gifts from others that she rarely wore. Nothing would work.

Giving up she fell face first onto her bed with a growl. For some illogical reason she had assumed that the items needed to be the same basic thing, just like the coins had all been similar with the DA. Same with the mirrors and the marauders. Hermione did suppose that the mirrors were a much trickier bit of magic though, as it conveyed actual live pictures.

Placing her palm over her face she mentally blocked out the one and only Draco Malfoy. Harry had it right by wanting her to stay away. There was nothing but frustration that came out of their every interaction.

Before she could think much more on it a 5th year prefect girl knocked on the dorm room door. With a startle Hermione looked up in wonder. The girl smiled briefly and stated, "Thanks again for offering to take my early morning hall patrol. I really appreciate the extra study time for Transfiguration."

Hermione could have outwardly groaned had the girl not looked so incredibly relieved. One day Hermione swore she would learn not to over extend herself.

Draco Malfoy had watched for his opportune moment to re-enter into society. It had been a week of waiting patiently for Granger to get her shit together. He had hoped that on their next meeting she would prove more fruitful. So he had cornered her in some abandoned hallway to force the bookmark into her bag and found that she had no particular jewelry that would work. Apparently she owled her muggle parents for something fitting the necessary description and he would just have to manage for a few days.

What sort of witch didn't have jewelry on hand? A poor one he assumed.

Within the waiting time frame he had missed the Slytherin tryouts. It was a low blow to an already difficult situation. While he had been fully aware of his need to avoid the team the quidditch pitch had been his one place of solace on the school grounds. The games were a rush but flying, that had always left him with a feeling he could not describe. To know that someone else would be playing Seeker was frustrating but understanding that his own team would likely hit a blugger his way. This year demonstrated just how many enemies his father had made over the years. All this time he had thought his family so great, so powerful and respected. That the Malfoy name afforded something that money was incapable of buying. He now understood just how wrong he had been. People did not cower from his father's name, but from the debts they likely owed him. With Lucius Malfoy in Azkaban the heir was fair game. And his classmates were following orders like good little puppets.

He had no room to speak, he was a branded puppet as well after all. At least they could claim false innocence when this was all over. His classmates did not have a tracking device attached to their arm like he did.

Severus had been clear though. Living with the Dark Lord was a constant game of wizards chess. One needed to account for multiple pieces and know what their end goal was before even starting the game. Furthermore learning to adapt was a must. This was an unfortunate truth since Draco rather preferred predictability. He liked knowing the choices others would make before they actually made them. He enjoyed the feeling of wit and superiority. It appeared this would be a feeling of the past if things continued the way that they were.

Briefly he remembered the stint with Adrian Puncey. It was confusing to him the way Hermione adapted to that situation. The sixth year prefect was known for being rigid in her rule abiding morals. Her turning in Potter's free Firebolt third year even caused him to pause in shock. This recent behavior did not match up with her immediate dismissal of a school duel and unconscious classmate stuffed in an old laundry shoot. Granger had not wasted a moment in adjusting to what was needed and then helping him regain some safety within the school walls. How had a bookworm liker her come up with something as devious as fear to motivate others? He wanted to know though, very much so. It went against all he knew about her and the poster children that made up the rest of the Golden Trio.

It was more than a little frustrating how much he found himself paying attention to her.

So he waited. He waited in a small little corridor knowing that she would be coming this way. He had heard that she had a lesson tonight and could only imagine this was with Madame Pomphrey. Hermione had been chosen to help him in part for her small time training as a mediwitch and easy access to Order members. No one else in the castle had medic training or the time to teach.

Three more loud rings signaled that in 15 minutes she would be officially out past the school curfew. Undoubtedly the woman would have to be leaving soon. At the end of the last ring the door to the school medical ward creaked open. Out stepped a frazzled looking Hermione Granger, surprisingly no books in hand. The tired looking woman glanced back at the door and smiled briefly, "Thank you so much, I know it is inconvenient."

He heard a muffled noise that he assumed to be Madame Pomphrey followed by a laugh. Instead of shutting the door fully it remained cracked open and Granger began to make her way to where he assumed the Gryffindor common rooms were. He followed her for about two hallways before finally making his presence known.

Her jump of fright was beyond amusing.

Granger, once settled and casually trying to brush aside the small yelp that had come from her mouth, had her hand over her heart as she tried to calm her racing mind. Draco assumed she said something dastardly to him and wondered briefly if he should comment in the usual dismissive attitude she so clearly hated. Opting instead to reach his own goals he waved his hand to her empty wrist. "Are you daft or just poor Granger?"

The three shades of red that she turned before calming herself brought a rather large light to his eyes. While he had always enjoyed riling up Scar Head and Last Place at times it was to easy. Throw an insult here or there and both flew off their brooms. Granger had an odd sense of control over herself that Draco felt the instinctual urge to pick away at.

"Must you always be a bully? Imagine if you were genuinely nice?" she paused briefly for effect and before he could answer she stated, "Never mind, that level of shock has the likely power of killing someone."

He smirked almost playfully at her deduction, "Only simpleton's and I find they are not worth my effort."

Granger actually rolled her eyes at that one. The familiar urge to prove his worth came over him in that moment. In a flash he recalled the many times his father sat with peers in the library, only acknowledging him if he was insulting someone. Perhaps it was her own dismissal of his words but he found himself talking before he had fully thought the statement through, "Don't act like your dirty self is better than me."

She stopped at that and turned to him. For some reason it was not just fury in her eyes but something more, something he had not expected to see. Vulnerability shown through her expression. Perhaps it was the clear fatigue on her body but she did nothing to hide it. "You know, it is moments like this that I think Harry is right. Maybe you are just that wicked of a person."

She turned away and did not glance back while walking, her own move from before weighing on him. This had not worked out as he had planned. He had truly wanted to check on how things were going with the communication talismans and talk to someone other than his godfather. In an effort to repair the damage done Draco managed a few long strides to reach her. Granger did nothing to slow down and appropriately give him the time to back peddle. Hermione's eyes narrowed and he saw the intent to pick up her own pace in an effort to get away. Having none of it Draco stepped in front of her, nearly causing them to crash with the force of her walk. She attempted to step around him but he grabbed her shoulders. Granger tried to yank herself free of his grip but he steadied her with a slight flexing of muscle. "Would you just calm down?"

"Take your hands off me Malfoy," she demanded as Hermione attempted to pull away again.

"I am trying to be decent here," he countered her own anger with his own. Did she not understand how difficult this was for him? To be trapped in this life that felt completely out of his control and relying on others he wanted very little to do with?

This time she scoffed, "Sure, decent…because that sounds like you. How about you can be your usual self tomorrow when I have had some sleep. Just let me go."

This time he actually did release her but remained standing directly in front of the path she clearly wanted to take. Briefly, and very aware of what anxious move he was doing mid way through, he ran his figures through his hair. It was a habit both parents had attempted to discipline out of him with minimal success. It only showed up when he was extremely uncomfortable which was a feeling Malfoy's did not have, let alone broadcast to others. Pulling his hands back down he stated, "I swear I did not come here to harass you, I just wanted to check and see how things were going."

Hermione crossed her arms at that one, in a small bit of disbelief that none of his behavior was focused around his favorite hobby of attack the muggleborn.

The familiar feeling of discomfort seemed to grow at her gesture and he felt the need to say more. Instead of going for the apology that he knew she desperately wanted Draco tried a different approach, "You look a total mess Granger."

This time she actually did a quick step around him and somehow slid under his block. She had effortlessly maneuvered around him again and Draco found his agitation growing. He fully blamed her smaller stature for getting past him. Instead of following her Draco stated, "Are you always this difficult to apologize to?"

Her body froze as she slowly, almost in a stasis, turned her body. Once she was facing him with disbelief on her face she asked incredulously, "Is that what you were trying to do?"

He crossed his own arms defiantly. Yes, it had been what he was attempting because some of what she had been preaching over the last few weeks had been near impossible to get out of his head. Whether he thought them true or not was both irrelevant and frustrating at this point. What he did know was that calling her filthy had not been his intention for the night and a part of him, beyond all reason, was rather ashamed at it. But a Malfoy was not one to outwardly admit misconduct. The actual act of apologizing was something new to him and he found he did not like it almost as much as he disliked that feeling of guilt from before.

The concept of admitting wrongdoing, let alone to another person felt wrong. It would be worse to have the one person actually invested in assisting him refusing to talk though. She had proven to be a worthy resource in her handling of Adrian then again with keeping their activity a secret from Severus. It was apparent that he needed to keep her invested in him. Draco found himself trying again when he said, "Way to be a bitch about it."

Her face was a nice shade of red again but this time it did not go away, "Oh, you get an Outstanding on your OWLS for that one." Her foot tapped angrily and she had once again crossed her arms. This time though she did not turn her body away from him. Granger's focus remained fully on him. Her gaze was annoyed and hesitant, yet she remained.

He recognized what she was doing. She was giving him another chance. Draco was unsure if he should be thankful or pissed off.

Taking a step forward Draco tried for the very last time to be half decent person. "I just mean you look tired and are more easily riled. You are usually better at this and it is disconcerting." True pride welled up in him at the statement. He had spoken the truth and had done so eloquently. He felt that was a heartfelt explanation if he had ever given one.

Hermione Granger's arms dropped to her sides and the hesitancy turned to steel. Without a moments warning she stated, "So I look awful, am dirty blood and to easily upset for your liking in this particular moment. That one might just be an Exceeds Expectations. I think you also could have thrown something in there regarding my choice in friends. I think that really would have rounded the conversation."

He paused briefly at her condescending tone, "Now you are just being-"

He never got to finish though as a familiar person rounded the corner. The high volume of the tension surrounding them seemed to intensify by ten as the two boys switched focus to each other immediately. Draco felt the need to hurl a well placed hex immediately and was mentally cataloging the ones that would have the most desired effect. He had been privy to many illegal spells with all those death eaters living in his home. Draco was positive he could take Potter in a true wizards duel. Potter strode right up to Hermione and stood directly between them without even the slightest stall in his steps. "Ferret," was sent as a greeting.

Draco growled back, "Potty."

Both boys felt their muscles tense and their wand arm twitch. Before either could make another move Hermione turned away from both of them. "Harry, can we please just go back to the common room? I really do not want to go through this every time."

His eyes never left Draco's and he stated, "Malfoy is a death eater Hermione, just like his father. So yes, I will be going through this every time."

Granger rolled her eyes again and stepped away, "Fine, then I'm off to bed because at this point you both are driving me mad. I have no desire to be anything other than at my best for tomorrow's lessons. So goodnight to both of you."

Harry turned at that in disbelief, "But Hermione-"

Her eyebrow lifted briefly as if daring him to do something that he shouldn't. Potter's body remained stiff with tension but he nodded his head in agreement. Neither gave him the time of day as they headed down the hallway. It was with a small echo that he heard Granger say, "And stop watching me on that stupid map, it is creepy Harry."

They turned a corner and nothing else reached his ears.

Draco continued to wait in the hallway as he tried to remember what the original purpose in waiting 45 minutes outside of Madame Pomphrey's wing had been for. He briefly remembered the communication talismans and found himself instinctually blaming Potter. However the stupid chosen one had shown up, and somehow known where they both were, halted any communication that was happening.

Instead of going back to his temporary dorm Draco found himself leaning against the nearest wall. It was true that his world was turned inside out. It was something that he was not yet ready to accept but understood there was very little he could do about it. What Draco did understand was that while not the one he would typically want, Hermione Granger was a lifeline in this tumultuous situation. And if he had any hope at all in getting his mother out of the Dark Lord's grasp he was going to need the Order's help. Their offer came in the form of one of his least favorite classmates but it was still and offer.

And at least she was amusing unlike her simpleton friends. He could work with that, because at the end of the day Draco could have been assigned someone far more inept.

Hermione had completed the necessary spell work earlier that morning but found that she had no idea how to get the bookmark to Malfoy. Harry and Ron had been busy with practice leaving her much to her own devices, luckily resulting in her discovering the proper pairing of spells. For her own part, Hermione found this more than okay. Ron had been nothing but awful to her for reasons unknown. He had not only been short but accusing her of things that made no sense. The level of animosity had grown to an unparallel level to the point of barely speaking to one another throughout the day. The hurt at Harry once again finding a way to remain neutral while still somehow spending most of his time with Ron cut deeper each time. She knew her and Harry's relationship was strong but she could only assume this chaos of Malfoy entering the picture made things even harder for him. She was both insulted and flattered when he showed up the other night. Insulted that he thought she needed to be watched and flattered at the idea of him still showing that she would always be a priority to him, even when disagreements occurred. Still, at times it was hard not to take things personal. Hermione knew she was not as fun as Ron, or held the same interests but friends came in all shapes. She just hoped Ron came to his senses soon and stopped whatever negative spiral was occurring inside of his mind. And that she could release her own built up animosity as well. Lying to herself would not produce anything helpful, she had anger towards Ron for quite a bit of time now. It would be unfair to say he was the only cause of their current struggles.

Furthermore, the familiar Hogsmead trip was coming up soon and Hermione was overwhelmed at the idea of all that needed to be done. She had missed so many afterhours lessons trying to figure out these blasted two way communication spells that she found herself somewhat dreading the trip. Absolutely everything about her life was on a fast way track and Hermione regularly found herself worrying about things outside of her control. Perhaps one day she would master the art of not caring but it would not be anytime soon. With an internal sigh Hermione attempted to concentrate on her defense essay but found no real focus in her actions.

The men in her life seemed to take up too much space.

Biting her lip, and deciding to forgo any type of real work, Hermione pulled out her book to at least pretend she was being productive. It was only when a few voices started murmuring loudly that Hermione felt herself looking at the source of what had caught her classmates attention. In through the door flew a piece of paper. This was no ordinary paper though as it had been folded delicately into the form of a raven. A spell had clearly ben cast on the parchment as it acted as a real bird, searching the area for the intended target. It fluttered gracefully before sweeping in her general direction. Much to her surprise the delicate creature landed carefully on her desk before folding in on itself.

Eyes wide Hermione grabbed the paper and shoved it under the desk, just as Professor Snape looked up to see what the mutterings were about. His eyes narrowed briefly before they narrowed on Harry, "Making another scene?"

Harry's own eyes took on the familiar look of defiance but he answered truthfully, "No professor."

Clearly this was not an appropriate response as the darkly cloaked professor stated, "Zambini, switch with Potter in seating for the day. Potter will undoubtedly cause some problem and for the safety of the class we should have him closer to my desk, where I can properly correct his mistakes."

Hermione felt her own hands tighten at the paper, the entire room holding their breath. No one mentioned that wands were tucked safely away as they continued to learn more regarding the practical application of silent wand work. Harry, who had chosen to sit by her today since Dean had taken the spot next to Ron, nearly argued. She grabbed his arm and gave him a pair of pleading eyes to just give in this once. It was a battle not needed even if it would make him feel better to stand up to the spy. With a near growl Harry lazily grabbed his books and bag, switching spots with Zambini without anything more than an uncomfortable nod. Unfortunately this meant Hermione was sharing a very close space at two seater desk with Blaise. Her mind immediately went to the conversation she had overheard closer to the beginning of the year.

Hermione carefully waited for him to become situated with his own quill and parchment. Once she felt he was fully entrenched in his work, it was a rare day that Snape permitted them to work on essay's while in class, Hermione pulled the now crinkled parchment up on the table. She smoothed it out and placed it between the pages of her book, as if reading a chapter for reference. What she saw made her heart actually flutter in confusion.

Listen, I'm sorry. This is new for me and if you can't tell I'm not a fan of this situation, but I recognize the need for more allies than I currently have. It was uncalled for. Let me know where to meet for the bookmark. – DM

Her eyes went over the note repeatedly, the words I am sorry feeling wrong on so many levels. She had never heard of Draco Malfoy apologizing for anything. Even though he was clearly a bigoted entitled prat she recognized that this was real effort on his part. His level of discomfort and guilt in the hallway was what had made her indulge him. Still in shock from what she read, Hermione was beyond startled when the paper was suddenly ripped from her hands by an unknown force. Her instinct was to look at Blaise but found that he was just as surprised as she was. When she finally did look up Professor Snape held her note in hand and was sneering down at her. "Really Miss Granger?"

Of course he noticed the note, he was probably waiting for an opportunity to call her out on it in the most dramatic way possible. Hermione watched as he glanced down at it. If he was surprised at the contents Snape did not show it. Instead his face remained expressionless as he pulled out his wand. Within seconds the note caught on fire, wordless magic on full display for the class to see. "Ten points from Gryffindor and detention tonight. Your boyfriend will need to find another way to talk with you, one that does not interrupt my class."

Her face turned about 14 shades of red as she sunk further into her seat. Hermione had no doubt that Malfoy had sent the missive now in case it was intercepted by a teacher, the one teacher who would not really question the note. But it was in true Snape fashion to come up with some embarrassing as hell story that also managed to punish her in a multitude of ways. She felt every stare in the classroom directed at her, the whispers not starting until said professor had turned his back and walked to his desk where he continued grading papers.

To her surprise it was Blaise Zambini who said something to her, "Weasley looks like he ate another slug."

Her heart began to race as she imagined another argument between her and Ron. Hermione actually growled as she thought about all of the chaos that was about to occur. Could Snape not have just confiscated it? It was his godson that she was helping after all. Did he have no sense of decency at all? Anger coiled in her gut at the damage control she was going to have to do. This anger was probably what caused her to speak her mind rather than the subordinate drivel she usually tried adhering to. "Professor Snape may be brilliant but he really is a rat bastard sometimes."

Zambini smirked at that one as she gave him a side eye. Hermione shouldn't have said that, given that this was the Slytherin head of house she was bashing. Much to her surprise Zambini seemed almost impressed with her words. Perhaps it was out of shock.

Blaise was being oddly decent for someone in a house that usually treated her like trash. Perhaps it was the embarrassment that was turning into intolerance for bigots but Hermione felt her need to shut down any harsh comment he might say down before it even occurred. "You also going to make a comment about me dating? Or my sex life? Or how I go between Harry and Ron on the daily? Seems to be the running joke among you Slytherin's."

The boy seemed to be taken aback by her bluntness. Truthfully the two of them had never engaged in a real conversation before. Their houses, peers and general morals usually kept them quite far from civilized conversation. Much to her surprise he seemed to actually take her words seriously and said, "You are a lot of things Granger but a slut isn't one of them. I am surprised you found someone to date though."

Her indignation rose before she remembered who she was talking to. Zambini seemed to miss her igniting look though as he gestured to the red head who was glaring daggers at her seat, "Weasley has done a pretty good job of ruining anyone's day when they talk about liking you. Most stay away so they do not have to deal with that shit."

Hermione paused at that. It was true that she had started to develop feelings for Ron and she had hoped that he had felt the same way. But his behavior this last week could not have been more dismissive of her feelings. For Zambini to comment on it was concerning. Partly because it made the truth of it questionable and also because if it was true it meant things she was not prepared to look at. Her stomach dropped in what she could only describe as disappointment. This was not the time to contemplate though. Blaise Zambini was a Slytherin by nature and giving him any true ammunition against her or her friends was not something she planned on doing. Releasing any building frustration would need to happen at a later date between her and Ron. Glancing down at her now closed book she murmured, "I suppose everyone comes with their own baggage."

Her hand automatically squeezed into a fist, as if drawing the burned pieces of paper together. Malfoy had really gone out on a limb in sending that message. He had apologized and acknowledged that he needed her. Her, the dirty blooded muggle born witch. She glanced at Zambini and found her courage after a few short second, "I mean, you get it. We may not get along or have any of the same views but the concept of friendship is pretty universal."

He also paused at this before picking up his book. The action immediately made her feel dismissed. Instead of pressing further Hermione resigned herself to the fact that his temporary indulgence in the know-it-all book worm of the class was over. Hermione picked up her own book and tried to remember the page she had last been attempting to read from. Once she had pulled it forward and finally immersed herself into annotating Zambini stated, "Just like that? Little weasel sidekick is just allowed to ruin things for you and you are just okay with it?"

His eyes remained on the book as if not wanting to acknowledge that he was continuing to speak with her. That earlier feeling if dismissal now seemed planned. It was either to throw her off guard or make sure no one else was watching the two of them interact. Clearly this was something Zambini was interested in though because very few in his class had ever attempted to have a continuous conversation with her before. Hermione considered her words carefully, since she wanted multiple messages to get across in this one. After a few seconds she stated, "People make stupid choices, consciously and unconsciously. I have been friends with Ron for too long to let that destroy our friendship. But to answer your unasked question, of course I am going to confront him. We have been through to much to just turn on each other without talking first. That would be like you bailing on Malfoy or something. You two bicker but have been friends for way longer than me and Ron. Malfoy is a bigoted elitist but he is your bigoted elitist. Just like Ron is my friend who struggles to communicate like an actual living person." She smirked a little bit, forgetting for just a minute who she was speaking to, before saying, "And if talking doesn't work I'll be sure to start yelling. Or better yet I can let his mom know what exactly he does with all those Christmas sweaters she makes every year. At minimum it would make him second guess crossing me."

Throughout her talk she remained focused on her book, keenly aware that Zambini was doing the same.

Because of this Hermione missed the small indulgent smile that graced the young Italian's lips.

Snape dismissed the class shortly after that. Zambini did not say anything back to her so she had no idea if she had crossed a line or not. Hermione was rather new to subliminal messages and espionage. Had she tipped her hand by even bringing up the blonde? Or put him in more danger just when they were trying to create a safer space in the castle for him? On her way back to the common room Hermione could not help the worry that sat in her gut. Looking back though she knew she had to say something. Blaise Zambini and Draco Malfoy were an odd pair, but a pair. They were often seen together in the library and she had seen the former sneak a few apples to his friend on more than one occasion. It was a well known fact that apples were Malfoy's favorite snack, he hoarded them like they were galleons and snapped at anyone who tried to swipe them.

Looking at the sky Hermione wondered just how she was going to survive all of this stress. How did anyone survive a world where they had this much guessing and conjecture on a daily basis?

The next day Hermione found herself waiting in the back section of the library for her new Slytherin pen pal. At least that was what she was deeming it in her head. Through Professor Snape she had managed to coordinate a time for them to exchange the bookmark and go over how they worked. She had created a password for each item just as the Mauraders had done for the map. This way even if the tokens were discovered it would be hard to use against anyone. She had also built into the spell a fingerprint matching system so both security measures would need to be used. Hermione had been particularly proud of that one since she knew that was an up and coming method in muggle security systems.

A few seconds later Draco Malfoy turned the corner, the dusty books on elven history engulfing him as he walked closer. When they were about three steps a part she handed him the wrapped bookmark. Hermione had been careful that her hands had not directly touched it following the spell. Looking down at it she gestured for him to open the folded cloth. The moment his hand touched the silver bookmark it pulsed twice. With a smile Hermione said, "The finger print scanner worked! You need to make sure some part of your hand is touching this when you cast the spell to start writing."

Malfoy's hands turned the item over, "So I just say what I want?"

Hermione shook her head, "No, you touch the bookmark and tap one time, unless your wandless magic is up to par. Then speak the password. Afterwards direct your thoughts to the wand and the words should appear on both of our items. Once it is initiated you should just be able to mentally write what you need. Anyone can read it though so make sure we keep it benign. Wouldn't want to draw to much attention to the items with a bunch of unnecessary wand waving."

Malfoy looked again, "And the words to start it?"

Hermione grinned and dug her toe a bit into the floor, "Now don't be upset but someone knocked on the door when I was casting it. I was worried changing it would mess with the spell." Truly it had been on accident but over the last 24 hours Hermione found the phrase being appropriate justice given their history.

His eyes made immediate contact with her and then narrowed, "Granger, what did you make as the password for the communication."

"Hi Harry?" she spoke a bit quieter.

Malfoy seethed, "Hi Harry?" This time it came out as a cross between a whisper and a hiss. His eyes narrowed further as he said, "No way am I fucking using that. Change it." With this dramatic statement Malfoy all but shoved the mostly unwrapped bookmark into her hands.

Hermione rolled her eyes and pushed the item back towards his chest, "Merlin boys are dumb. You sound like Harry. Apparently he thinks it is some type of curse for you to say his name too."

Malfoy looked down at the now cursed object that was pressed up against his chest by her forceful push. Without grabbing it he said, "Change it."

Hermione narrowed her eyes before pulling away quickly. Instinctually he reached back out and grabbed the bookmark before it dropped to the floor. Stepping away from him Hermione said, "I do not know if the spell will stick again if we cast them on the same items just to change some stupid phrase. I had to combine god knows how many charms to make this in the first place."

Malfoy looked down at this hands. "So not only do I need to say hello to your toser bodyguard before I can communicate with you but said toser bodyguard also knows this. That is just perfect."

Hermione suddenly felt a little bad for him. She had to consistently remind herself that Draco Malfoy did not believe in their cause, or fake friendship. He was likely running from a bad situation to one where he had the off chance of living. Being reminded of his arch nemesis every time he needed to ask for help was probably a little harsher than he needed right now. Looking at the item Hermione tried to configure the probability of the spells being stripped and then re-cast. It would take some time but it could work. After a few seconds she said, "I could-"

Malfoy closed his eyes and cut her off, "No, it's okay. Consider it my attempt to be a little more civil."

Hermione found herself a little taken back. She had full heartedly considered the note his officially apology, it appeared the heir actually felt bad about how things had went. She blinked just a few times before saying, "Thank you…for the note. It meant a lot."

Malfoy opened his eyes and then casually put the wrapped bookmark in his pocket. "Whatever, just try not to be so sensitive anymore. That was an unnecessary shit show."

Hermione felt herself smile just a little. It didn't make sense why as Malfoy was once again insulting her but she did. Maybe because she was recognizing the defense mechanism easier now. Or maybe it was that they went a whole five minutes before he insulted her which was pretty good progress considering their history. "Well maybe try to avoid comments like dirty, mud and other fun phrases like that. I think it will go better for both of us."

He didn't make eye contact as he turned away. Stepping slowly away he quickly replied with a "noted" ending statement. Before he could fully walk away Hermione pressed something into his free hand. It was tentative, almost as if she was trying to pet an actual snake, but Hermione found herself proud that she did it. Pulling away slowly and taking a full step backwards she stuttered a bit, "I remembered they are your favorite and rarely see you eat in the dining hall. Just in case you were hungry I grabbed one for you."

His hand clenched around the apple as he brought it forward. His back was still towards her but his face turned slightly, giving Hermione a strong profile to look at. Instead of eating it though Malfoy pushed it into his bag, likely next to the bookmark. Then he walked away and did not glance back.

Carefully Hermione waited ten additional minutes before grabbing a large stack of books and heading back towards her usual table. Unlike usual though Harry was present and scouting the area. When she sat down Hermione found herself looking at him gratefully. Once done organizing the books she said, "Thank you for being the lookout. It means a lot."

Harry flashed her a quick smile that would have any 6th year gushing. Hermione looked outside the window at the clear day, then back at Harry. "You should go outside and practice, team captain and all means more hours on a broom."

His foot tapped impatiently the moment she said something. He glanced outside briefly before looking back at her, "I don't want to leave you alone, what if he comes back?"

Hermione wanted him to stay, she really did. With Ron being more furious than ever about the boyfriend comment from Snape it had quickly become a game of bash the bookworm from Ron. It was nice to have some alone time with Harry where she didn't have to pretend to be doing better than she was. But Hermione knew that Hogwarts was Harry's only outlet. His home life was miserable and with Sirius gone less things made him smile. If she could give him this she would. "Neville is meeting me in twenty minutes. If the scary death eater tries to kidnap me someone will know I am not where I should be."

Harry looked outside again and she pushed him with her foot. They both smiled knowingly and he grabbed his books. "Thanks Hermione, just keep me updated."

Hermione rolled her eyes affectionately and shoed him away. Within minutes he was out of the semi hidden section and then out the library doors. Hermione waited a few more minutes before packing up her own belongings. Neville was not on his way, but she knew he never would have left otherwise. Besides, there were things that Hermione could do with this alone time. One of the things drilled into her over the past few months was how a well prepared medic was a must. If they needed to run she would not have time to brew potions or find ingredients. If she had something like a bottomless bag or purse on the other hand she could prep ingredients all year. It was illegal but practicing the spell for an extension charm without ministry approval seemed like the best way to spend the remainder of the day. All she needed was an empty classroom.

It took her a few good minutes of looking but eventually Hermione found what she was looking for. It had always been odd to her how random room and hallways were left unused throughout different years at Hogwarts. Perhaps it was something that added to the mystery of the school, or perhaps it was an ancient wizard thing to have unneeded rooms. That certainly seemed to be true for the pure wizarding families. From what she could tell they tended to hoard their money and old family homes.

Hermione set up the space around an old purse she had asked her mother to include with the jewelry. If she could complete this it would help exponentially in their planning. Her lessons on this topic had only been theoretical though as creating one without ministry approval was definitely illegal. This was because of its potential to create breaches in the International Statue of Wizarding Secrecy. Hermione had thoroughly studied her Hogwarts school trunks that had been given permission to be charmed with this.

Moving the bag a little more center on the stool Hermione took a few steps back. Just as she was about to flick her wrist the other one warmed slightly. Blinking in comprehension she glanced down at the coin like pendant as it slowly formed words. Her charm, given its smaller size, had been formatted a bit differently. Since the coin charm could only hold so much the words would reverberate in her head once she looked at the charm. The words being far to small for her to read without a magnifying glass.

'Potter makes for a lousy team captain'

Hermione bristled as she quickly tapped her wrist and spoke the incantation. Directing her thoughts she scrambled a quick, 'It is a little odd how obsessed you are with him'.

She hoped that would shut him up and prevent him from using their connection to such a ridiculous degree. Not a few seconds later she felt the warmth grow again as she furiously looked at her wrist. Huffing she read, 'The boy who lived, more like the boy who can't lead'.

Hermione actually growled. Was he just trying to rile her, probably. Did he know he hit a nerve, most likely. Was she going to be mature about it. No.

She tapped her wand and pressed her finger print to the design. Instantly her new words formed,'All the way at the quidditch pitch and you still manage to be a bully'.

Hermione did not even bother trying to complete the extendable charm until she knew his response. She wanted to hear what he would say to that. Did he have any sense of remorse at all? Sometimes she really thought him capable of it and then times like this it felt like the only way he knew how to communicate was through insults. Briefly Hermione considered that. Had she ever seen him communicate any other way than through lording over others or insulting them? With his friends he still acted superior, but then again that was public. Did he act different when it was just them in the common room? According to Ron and Harry's trip to the dungeons in second year he was very similar then too. Hermione bit her lip. Maybe he really didn't know how to be nice.

Briefly her wrist warmed again. Prepared for the insult she was surprised to see the simple response of, 'Save me a seat in class tomorrow'.

He was returning to class? He hadn't joined in on any lessons quite yet and Hermione was starting to speculate that he never would. She waited a few more minutes to see if anything else would show up on the bracelet but nothing did. Was he waiting for her? Was she supposed to say anything back? Carefully Hermione tapped her wand and pressed her thumb. Maybe she was right and he really couldn't be nice, but not because of anything other than lack of practice. Maybe sarcasm was just how he interacted with people. Biting her lip Hermione tried to think of herself as a handler rather than a student. She needed to try and meet him half way where he was comfortable. Then she wrote a quick, "Harry will be so disappointed, he wanted to sit next to you too."

Half a second later new script appeared, "One of you is enough for a lifetime." The words disappeared as new ones formed, indicating the message was to long for the room on the bracelet. "Now leave me alone I am watching your loser friend suck and it is quiet amusing."

Hermione's eyes narrowed, to far. She wasn't sure if it was a joke hiding his fear or his normal arrogance but he had gone a little too far for her to put up with. Hermione knew her mind though and it would constantly be wondering if any fantom sensations were real. So, in a true act of defiance and desire to be away from a blonde haired prat Hermione did the unthinkable and removed her bracelet.

Placing it next to her study bag she turned to her previous task. Hermione did come here for a reason after all. Much to her credit her eyes only slipped over to the bracelet three times over the next twenty minutes. She considered it a personal accomplishment.

Draco staired dumbly at his bookmark. Truthfully it had been a bit on accident when he sent her that first message. He hadn't realized how quickly his thoughts would transfer to the communication device. One quick glance up at the skies and it had just happened, then it was sent. He had meant to just tell her that he would be in class. And now she wasn't answering. No comeback and defending her friends honor? This woman was annoying and confounding to an entirely unfair level. He growled slightly as he tried to understand how this was going to work.

Before he could contemplate further a shadow loomed over him. Instinctively he kept his eyes on the book he was pretending to read, and after a couple of purposeful seconds glanced upwards. Draco knew fast jerky movements would not only look guilty but also afraid. That was a lesson he had learned many years prior. Severus Snape was the one who towered over him.

It was rare to see him at the quidditch pitch as he seemed to have very little love for the sport. Betting and winning Severus loved, but mostly to prove to others that his reason for supporting a certain team outweighed another's. Today was a different type of day though, one where the head of house needed to make some adjustments. Before anything was said Snape reached down for the bookmark and inspected it. "Words of invoking."

"Yes," Draco crossed his arms, "and no I am not going to tell it to you."

Severus inspected it further, turning it over on its back, "I could always rip it from your mind. You know he does that correct?"

His godfather was as subtle as a hippogriff. Glaring slightly Draco pushed himself to not reach for the item. "Good thing I have been learning occlumency since third year."

Severus's lip lifted slightly, "You put to much faith in a simple communication spell. They can be fooled with a little bit of research."

Draco purposefully pushed a false calm into his posture, "One method of security maybe, but not multiple." Originally he had thought the handprint dumb since it added more work but perhaps it was a necessary step. It caused Severus to stop studying the item and instead look back at Draco keenly.

Once Snape had handed it back and the item was pushed into a random book Severus stated, "Clever, you did well."

Draco wanted to take the credit, he really did. But what if he was asked to recreate the spell or talk about its mechanics. He was never as proficient at charms as he was at transfiguration or potions. He would not be able to bullshit his way through if asked and the questioning gaze in his godfather's eyes said questions would be asked. Glancing down at the seat below he said, "Not me."

No eyebrow raise, just a small pause before he stated, "Brightest witch of her age indeed."

Draco heard the underlying message. He had spent his entire life deciphering them and knew that was no mocking comment. His professor, the one who had taunted Hermione in class and permitted all sorts of name calling had just complimented her. Severus Snape did not compliment people, let alone students. They were passable or less horrible than expected. It was enough of a moment where Draco wondered if much of the behavior towards Hermione was because he had a persona as a spy rather than actual dislike of her. Not for the first time Draco found himself wondering Severus's reasons for accepting his role, and what his true thoughts on this war were.

Before anything could be questioned another figure walked up. This time Madame Hooch was there with two brooms in her hands. She glanced between student and teacher before saying, "It is a basic flying proficiency test after such a bad fall, orders by our own healing staff. You do not need to be here."

Severus's face remained passive and blank, but with just a bit of annoyance shining through. Without any more preamble Madame Hooch tossed Draco one of the brooms. He caught it effortlessly as they started the test. If he needed to do this so he was cleared to fly again he would. That would be something no one could take from him no matter how far he fell.

Firevixen73 – So excited to post another chapter! This one was a longer one but I felt like it helped capture more of what was going on for everyone.