Hermoine was astonished. Draco Malfoy, a good person, and only turned bad because his father was abusive? This brought her back to when she thought he was the heir to Slytherin. And all those times that she was so mean to him, calling him names behind his back, scowling every time he walked into a room, and wishing that he would die. And all that time, he was being beaten by his father and only three people to confide in: Crabbe, Doyle, and Pansy Parkinson. But would he actually want to tell them? She doubted it.

As the 16 year old Slytherin boy bit his lip almost until it was bloody so he wouldn't cry, Hermoine crawled over to him, getting the knees of her robe dirty, and sat by his side. She tried to comfort him, but what could she say? 'I'm sorry that I did better than you on some tests, I'm sorry that I was mean to you while you acted like a sleazeball towards my friends and me?' So she just sat there and put her arm around him.

In a low voice, Draco spoke. "Thank you, Hermoine, for letting me talk to you. I have never told anyone about that…" she smiled.

"I believe, my friend, that it was therapeutic for both of us. Now I can't even start to remember why I thought my problem was so bad!" She gave him a huge smile, showing her white teeth which hadn't been bucked since 4th year.

Sounds of footsteps neared them. People were going to their next classes, but most went back to their respective towers to grab different books or wash their hands.

"Draco-I enjoyed talking to you. Maybe we could do it again, sometime. Okay?" He cleared his throat and stood up, brushing his robes off.

"Yeah, I'd like that." He smiled. "Where are you going?"

"Transfiguration, with Slytherin, I believe."

"I'll walk with you. But you have to look at me scornfully, so no one thinks anything of it." They laughed and smiled as they walked towards their class, the opposite way of Draco's father.

As they strolled along the main hall, Hermoine heard her name being called. She turned around and saw Ron and Harry catching up to her.

"Hey, where were you during lunch? Parvati just confided in Dean that she likes him, and you should have seen Neville's face! You know how much he likes her! Oh man, he was devastated! The poor guy, I felt so bad, and he just got up and ran out! And to make it worse, he tripped on his shoelace!" Ron laughed as he remembered.

"That's nice, guys, make him feel worse about it!" Meanwhile she was saying that, Draco's face paled. What if Neville had heard what they were talking about? He probably ran up to his dorm room!

"Hey-" Ron cut in. "Whatcha walking with him for? Go scare something, slimeball!" Draco stared down at him. Since his growth spurt when he was 14, he was taller that a lot of people in his year. He had also filled out, but his loose robes concealed this.

"Shut up, weasel." Draco muttered. Ron rolled his eyes.

"You have been using that as an insult for the past, oh what, 5 years, now? Can't you come up with something knew? Come on!" Malfoy just glared. Maybe saying that he did deserve the way he was treated at home was an overstatement.

They arrived at Transfiguration class and Malfoy went to sit with Crabbe and Doyle and Hermoine with Harry and Ron. Everyone except Draco, Hermoine, and Parvati laughed when Neville walked into the room. Parvati put her head in her hands and hid. Hermoine managed to glare at anyone who caught her eye and was laughing. It just wasn't funny to her. She deliberately kicked Ron's shin and elbowed Harry's arm.

The rest of the day was normal, until dinner. Hermoine was talking with Harry about the Quidditch game on Saturday at the Gryffindor table and Malfoy frequently telling Doyle to shut up at the Slytherin table. Ron was flirting incessantly with Lavender while Parvati tried to get Dean to do so much as look at her.

Dumbledore stood up in front of the whole school and announced: "Today we have a guest with us for dinner. For all of you who know Draco Malfoy, this is his father. For the rest of you, this is Mr. Malfoy." Lucius strode out looking formidable. He glared at all the students until his eyes settled on the Slytherin table where his son was holding his head in his hands. Hermoine searched for Draco's eyes, but couldn't catch them and ended up feeling awful.

When the noise level rose to it's normal level, Harry glanced at his friend. "Hey why so glum, chum?"

"Huh? Oh it's nothing." She turned to watch Lavender bat her long black eyelashes at Ron. It was depressing her so she closed her eyes until food appeared in front of them.

As she was wolfing down her meal (she hadn't eaten since breakfast), she cast her eyes at Draco's father. He did look like he would be horrible enough to do that to his only son. She noticed that Dumbledore was quite glaring at him also. It looked as he wished that the Lucius would disappear off the face of the wizard world.

Dumbledore was thinking, right at that moment, that the muggle world would probably be worse for him then, well, other places.

After dinner, all the students retired to their common rooms, except for two. Draco thought is was a better idea to stay out of reach of his father, and Hermoine wanted to talk to him. Her excuse was that she was going to the restroom. She chose her favorite one, Moaning Myrtle's. She was halfway there when Draco stumbled upon her.

"Hey," He whispered. "Do you know of anywhere I could hide and no one find me? I don't know of any except up by the Slytherin tower, and father told me about that one so he'd obviously look there." He admitted.

"Sure, of course, but you will have to put up with a certain 'person', though."

"Who?" He was expecting one of her Gryffindor pals.

"Well, she's a depressed ghost who is resident to a bathroom. Her name is Myrtle."

"Okay." Malfoy shrugged.

They entered and the teenage ghost greeted them. "Oh, it's you Hermoine. Doing something illegal with your boyfriends again I suppose?" Myrtle pouted.

"No, and they're not my boyfriends. They are just friends who happen to be boys." Hermoine rolled her eyes and stuck her nose up. Draco edged in after her.

"OH! Who's this?" For once, the ghost seemed to have emotions other than depression.

"Myrtle, this is Draco Malfoy. Draco, this is Myrtle. Myrtle, we are going to talk here, okay?" Myrtle smiled coyly at the boy.

"Why, hello!" She batted her transparent eyelashes at a grimacing Draco. She frowned and resumed her usual demeanor. "I suppose, if you must." She perched on a stall door and peered down at the couple. "Well you certainly do have your share of boyfriends!" Hermoine glared up at her and sat down on a dusty floor. It was obvious Filch didn't get around to cleaning this room much.

"Thanks-" Malfoy started. Just then a burst of noise came through the door.

"Hermoine! There you are! Hey the other night, when Ron was in Hogsmeade-" Harry began.

"Malfoy! What are you doing in here?!" Ron interrupted.

"Uh, just leaving. Hermoine, uh, lent me her quill yesterday and I wanted to return it without being caught by Filch." Draco got up and passed through Harry and Ron. The expression on Ron's face was explanatory. He definitely thought that Malfoy was lying. Hermoine, on the other hand, was admiring Malfoy for coming up with an excuse in such short time, and frowning because he left before they could talk.

"ANYWAY-" Harry interrupted Hermoine's train of thought. "As I was saying, Ron heard Lupin howling last night at the Shrieking Shack. I think we should go see him!" The girl rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah, and what are we supposed to do when he is changing? Stand there like idiots and wait for him to attack and maul us? Yeah right, but nice effort."

"No, see I thought about that. My father and his friends could turn Anamagi by a spell, remember, and they were younger than us!"

Hermoine sighed and argued again. "Yeah, and they knew where to get the spell, and we don't!"

"Yes, we do. Sirius told me a while ago in one of his letters where he found it. Come on, I'll show you!" Harry jumped to the door, pulling out a silvery colored robe and a piece of faded parchment.

"Why did you bring the invisible cloak and the Marauder's Map?" She questioned.

"Duh," said Ron. "Did you actually think that any book that James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin used was in the unrestricted part of the library? I think not! Maybe Lily, but definitely NOT any of those trouble makers!" Ron laughed and started out the door after Harry. Hermoine followed reluctantly.

They slipped into the satiny-smooth fabric and Harry unfolded the map. He looked around the map of the grounds and spotted Filch and Mrs. Norris near the Ravenclaw Tower. Dumbledore was with Prof. McGonagall in the faculty room. They found Severus Snape walking in the same room. Prof. Trewlawny and Prof. Sprout were in the greenhouse. But no one was near the library except the librarian, who undoubtedly had her long nose buried in some book.

So they made their way down to the restricted section and right under the librarian's pointed nose, they snatched Potions and Charms for the Art of Transforming and scurried out. They carried it back the Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom and set out to find all the necessary items.

By the time they had found all they needed, it was 11:30.

"Okay, guys," started Hermoine. "This is it. It either works or it doesn't. Let's do it!" She measured the brew and separated it into three flasks, giving one to each of them. She dropped an owl feather into hers and watched Ron put his tiger's fur (for some reason Snape had this in his office) and Harry the wispy hair of a unicorn. He had discovered it in someone's broken wand in a garbage can. The potions bubbled and steamed and gave off peculiar smells.

They counted to three and then tipped them down their throats and underwent transformation. When they were finished, a snowy white owl, a cunning tiger, and a majestic unicorn walked out the door, with Myrtle looking bewildered after them.

The trio galloped, flew, and ran towards the Whomping Willow. Hermoine gallantly swooped under the writhing limbs and touched the knot that made the tree pause in it's movement. From there they went to the Shrieking Shack by the underground passage. Hermoine attached herself to Harry's sturdy shoulder and stayed there the whole trip.

Yeah! she said. Free ride!

All at once, Ron's tiger instincts told him there was someone else in the tunnel. Guys! I, uh, smell something!

What, like someone's following us? Yeah right, whom, Snape? You're probably smelling Lupin already. Harry scolded him.

Yeah, I guess. the rest of the trip they were silent.

When they came to the entrance to the shack, they paused. You guys ready? said Hermoine. The answer was positive and they went in.

The ex-Professor Lupin was astonished to see the odd group and blinked his eyes in rapid succession. "What-?" his expression was that of question.

Hermoine was the first to transform. Lupin was scared out of his wits to see this large white owl become a 16 year old girl, but even more when a sweaty boy tumbled into the room. He was sure that he had gone crazy. 'Coming back here was a really bad idea. I'm going nuts, remembering James and Sirius and Lily…' he thought.

Hermoine cleared her throat, but before she could utter a word, she saw Malfoy in the door.

Lupin looked at the girl and boy in front of him. They looked vaguely familiar. Especially the girl.

That girl gasped and muttered. "Draco?"

Malfoy could not believe his eyes. Was he dreaming? The girl he had just spilled out his guts to was an Animagi, and she came to see Professor Lupin?

"Okay. Could someone tell me why a unicorn, a tiger, a transforming owl, and a boy are here?" he looked cautiously at the full moon outside the window.

"Professor Lupin? Umm…hey would you guys transform already?" she turned to the unicorn and tiger. Harry and Ron returned to their natural forms, much to the surprise of Lupin.

"Wait 'til Sirius finds out about this one!" thinking about that made him remember the fun they had, and about Lily and James. That made him morose and unhappy.

Harry Potter stepped out. "Prof-I mean uh, Mr. Lupin, I don't know what Malfoy's doing here, but Ron heard you last night and I thought that we'd give you some company. We can leave, if you want."

"No! Well, wait. Mr. Malfoy, come here for a moment." The 6th year Slytherin edged toward Lupin. "Do you know anything?"

"N-no, sir. I just saw a unicorn, a tiger, and an owl under the Whomping Willow and thought that was kind of odd, so I followed them. I didn't have any idea where I was going or who they actually were. I-I'm sorry. I'll go now!" With that he almost jumped back into the dark tunnel.

"I told you so!" Ron muttered immaturely, remembering the smell he had picked up.

"You can stay if you want, God knows I did it enough when I was your age. But you should be in for a shock. I get, well, wild and I am not myself when I change. I think Harry might remember." Harry nodded. "Oh yeah, and you might want to change back, okay?"

They nodded once more.

"Okay then, a tiger was a good idea, unicorn was alright, but hide the owl. I might get hungry. Just ask Pettigrew about that." He laughed at the memory. All of the sudden his face contorted in pain. "Change-" he whispered. "Now!"

Ron, Harry, and Hermoine did their transformations again, while watching Lupin change and start to howl. As soon as the trio of sixth years became their animal selves, their ex-professor growled at them and started running on a rampage through the house.

Now I see why this place is always so messy! laughed Hermione, trying to make an effort to ease the general weirdness of the situation. The wolf scooped up a ragged rug and started gnawing at it.

Umm, uh, Mr., uh, Lupin? Harry tried. When he didn't answer, he tried again. Uh, Moony? Moony, come in this is planet Earth calling in. Mr. Moony, do you read me? They giggled as the wolf stared at them. Hello! Is anyone out there? Can anyone hear me? Harry gave his impression of the American movie Titanic. Finally, after Ron and Harry cracked bad jokes, almost enough to make Hermione want to hit them both, Lupin snapped out of it. First there was a historical laughing, and then it stopped, and Remus Lupin smiled.

I see you lived through it! he smiled kindly.

Yes, um, Mr., uh,… Ron's voice drifted off.

Lupin saw their hesitation and replied. Well, since I'm not a professor anymore, I suppose you can call me Remus. Or Lupin, or whatever… he coughed and Ron gasped, trying not to burst with laughter. How weird it was watching a wolf cough at them…

How about Moony? Harry intuitively asked. I mean, that's what my father called you, isn't it?

Yeah, that would be fine. But of course, you need to make up names too. Sirius came up with ours, he was Padfoot, James was Prongs, and P- he scowled at saying this. And Pettigrew's was Wormtail. I thinks that it fits his personality. Ron, Harry, and Hermione exploded with laughter. They quite agreed!

They laughed more in that 2 hour time period than they had in weeks! Lupin remembered stories about Harry's mum and dad, and the hilarious memories of Snape with his robes in a twist. They tried to figure out names for themselves but couldn't find a good serious one.

When the time came and Lupin deformed, he looked very sick and tired. He made them leave, because it was late and Harry had a Quidditch match early the next morning, but not to say that he didn't enjoy their company. In fact, it reminded him of his times with James and Lily and Sirius and that little rat (literally) Peter. He looked forward to the next night, when they promised that they would come again.

Draco Malfoy sputtered through the long tunnel, not bothering to stop and look back. A million thoughts were flying through his blond head. What was Lupin doing back? Why did he have Hermione and Potter and Weasley in there with him?

He climbed out of the hole and scampered back into the Slytherin tower, looking a mess. Pansy Parkinson immediately flocked to him.

"Oh, Draco! What happened? You look horrible!" he lied saying that he had went for a jog. Crabbe and Doyle waltzed into the common room.

With their thug voices they called him over. When he got there Crabbe whispered to him. "Hey, Dracula (his nickname). You are a wanted man! Dumbledore and Snape and your father were here looking for you!"

"Yeah, what'd ya tell 'im?" he slurred his words in anxiety.

"Nothing. We just told him what we know!"

"Which is nothing,… as usual..." Muttered Draco to himself. "And what would that be?"

"Absolutely nothing!" they both said it at the same time and then snorted their awful laughter. Draco went to see if Hermione was back, but she wasn't so he sneaked into his dorm crawled into a cold bed of green and silver, the Slytherin colors.

Harry Potter was, as usual, successful in his Quidditch match against Hufflepuff. "They are such pushovers in everything anyway…" muttered Crabbe and Doyle, in unison. They laughed and bashed their hard thick skulls together.

But the Gryffindor Quidditch team was nothing since Fred and George Weasley graduated. They were still good, of course, but no where near where they used to be. By Harry's 6th year, he was the only one still on it from his 3rd year. So he was the captain, and a very good one. Ron was on it, as well as Dean Thomas (who still didn't understand why they didn't all just play soccer) and amazingly, Neville Longbottom. For some reason, Harry thought if he worked with him, he could be good. And it worked! Other than that there was some 2nd-5th years.

Draco Malfoy slipped out of the green and silver Slytherin side of the multicolored bleachers to sneak up the red and gold Gryffindor side. Hermione was sitting with Hagrid and laughing as he jumped up and down when Harry caught the snitch. He bounced several students out of their seats and almost broke the stands!

Draco took out the slightly damp piece of parchment from his pocket. It was raining and the steps were slippery. He climbed up to where they were sitting and handed Hermione the parchment. Hagrid gave him a glare and he mumbled something about Charms notes that he had borrowed. She gave him a puzzled expression but then shifted her attention to where Harry was coming off the field with his team. She cheered and Draco slipped away into the school. Hermione unfolded the 'notes', she had a sneaking suspicion that it was not really what they were. She read in green ink:

Dear Hermione,

I desperately need to talk to you. Meet me in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom after dinner. Don't bring anyone, of course. Write me back.

Sincerely,

Draco Malfoy

Hermione saw him later at lunch and passed him her parchment, in her characteristic purple ink.

Dear Draco,

I would love to meet with you. I don't know what you saw last night, but I suppose I will have some explaining to do, as usual. Thank you, for talking to me yesterday, and I am melancholy that things did not work out last night. Ron is still dating Lavender, but it doesn't bother me that much anymore. But now, if you haven't heard, Harry might hook up with Cho Chang, that 7th year Ravenclaw. I don't know if you remember her, but she used to play seeker for their Quidditch team. Well, see you after dinner!

Truly,

Hermione Granger

The four houses went to their respective tables and ate their dinner, all a buzz with conversation about Quidditch and upcoming tests and recent trips to Hogsmeade. Hermione politely chatted with a still annoying Colin Creevy, who frequently snatched out his camera and snapped a picture. He had decided to go into wizard photography and take pictures for newspapers and all sorts of things. He had become quite a admirable photographer and had caught all kinds of things on film. Hermione listened as he listed them. There was pictures of mandrakes in all of their many stages, blooming lopidides (a type of rare flower, which only bloom in Antarctica), and the train of owls swooping into the Great Hall during breakfast, not to mention the countless others. She listened kindly as the 15 year old spilled out his emotions of having his camera fried so many years ago by Lord Voldemort. Of course, he used the name you-know-who. When the meal finally came to an end, both Hermione and Draco made quick exits from the Great Hall.

"Hey! I haven't seen my father all day! Maybe he's gone home!" Draco almost shouting ecstatically. Hermione grinned and searched for his hand. Just then, a towering, slender figure shimmied across the shadows, looking down at the pair, and laughing, in a high, cold, familiar cackle. Draco shivered when he heard it. He knew what he was in for! Hermione's eyes grew big and wide and a pale hand reached out to grab her…

Author's Note: HAHahahaha I LOVE doing that! Suspense is EVEYTHING! But don't worry, it's not who you think it is…hahaha *laughing hysterically*

The next will be out soon, and please leave a review! I want to know what people think, and I might use your suggestions! And plus, I want to know if anyone actually reads it! haha