Chapter 5


After her encounter with Theo, Hermione decided to stay in the library until dinner, finishing off the first day's assignments. Her mind swirled with questions as she packed up her supplies, left the comfort of the Library into the busy halls, down the ever changing staircases to the crowded Great Hall. Voices resonated throughout the vast room, a muddle of conversations filling her ears as she walked to the Gryffindor Table, spotting Ginny and Neville already eating dinner.

"It's just not fair!" Ginny's voice reached her before she had even sat down, her displeasure evident in her voice.

"What's not fair, Ginny?" Hermione asked her as she sat on the bench, already reaching for the roast chicken.

"Apparently if I don't do well in Potions, my mum will pull me from the Quidditch Team. Can you believe that? It's an outrage?!" By the end of her rant, half the table was staring at her with wide eyes, shocked her voice could reach such a pitch.

"Okay, calm down. Surely there must be a reason, she wouldn't just make a 'threat' like that would she?" She replied, filling her plate as she listened to Ginny's 'meltdown'. Her eyes flicked to Neville, who was catering to his Banyan Tree while eating his Steak Pie.

"Calm down? Calm Down? How can I calm down when this is Quidditch we are talking about; the only thing to make this year bearable?" Her outburst had caused other houses to begin looking their way, eyes flickering every few seconds.

"Ginny relax, you passed your O.W.L in Potions so you won't have to worry. Just make sure to hand in your assignments and study." Neville interjected, reaching for another Yorkshire Pudding. "And also you won't have Snape marking your essays either, so don't panic."

"Okay. Okay, thanks guys. You always know how to calm me down." She continued eating her dinner, missing the shared look between her 2 companions. "Anyway, how were classes today? Any gossip?" She asked through a bite of chicken. Weasley's and their food, Hermione thought. However before she could reply, Neville beat her to the punch.

"Hermione and Malfoy are Potions partners this year, and already made a potion explode." His voice was filled with mirth as he said it, causing her to glare at him.

"How'd that happen? Arguing over ingredients?" Ginny replied humourly; but when she didn't receive a reply, her eyes flicked over to Hermione before asking: "Seriously? Are you kidding me?"

"We were arguing over how to cut the Flobberworms and the potion was mixed too many times. A simple mistake." The only thing heard next was the resounding laughter of her housemates. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as they continued to laugh. They slipped into simple conversation after that, with Neville already talking about an apprenticeship with Professor Sprout, Ginny going on about Quidditch tryouts for the upcoming year and their classes for the year.

"A lot of the classes are mixed seating this year, for the 'house unity' quota McGonagall set." Ginny supplied as they were eating their deserts. "Makes sense to be honest, probably to get rid of the house segregation." She continued to eat her banoffee pie, leaving Hermione's mind to wonder. How many other classes were going to be like that? Would she have to sit next to Slytherins every class? They hadn't said anything to her yet, barely passing her a glance all day, when she thought about it.

Her thoughts drifted to the returning Slytherins, each person coming to mind. Theo was being very friendly to her, even going as far to seeking her in the Library after classes, which she found peculiar. What were his intentions? His words from earlier came back to her. 'I thought you could use someone who wasn't your Gryffindors to hang around with and be you. I see myself in you Granger and you look lost in yourself.' What did he mean? She was completely fine and sure of herself. Liar, her thoughts argued. She was getting by just fine, no worry at all. His words still bugged her to no end.

Pansy, her new roommate, was very curious to her. Before, she was loud and obnoxious to everyone who wasn't in her house, clinging to Malfoy like a liferaft; but now she was very subdued, barely saying 2 words to her all morning. It was confusing her to no end. Maybe Parkinson had finally changed? Or maybe she didn't want to provoke Hermione in fear?

Daphne and Blaise were the 2, in Hermione's mind, that were the least changed. Still very quiet and reserved, not interjecting too much but she couldn't tell for sure, having not interacted with them. She knew they weren't Dea- former Death Eaters but everyone treated them as such due to the others. Why was everyone so negative to them? She still couldn't wrap her head around it.

Then there was Malfoy.

He was…

He was- Hermione couldn't describe him. Sure he had apologised to her on the train but he was still the same cocky, arrogant boy with less insults, in Hermione's opinion. Had he truly changed? Or was it all an act? She would have to observe him more often, she decided with herself. Well that's a bad idea in itself, her thoughts wagered. Oh hush you, she replied

After dinner, herself and Neville left Ginny on the 4 floor, travelling to their common room to find McGonagall in the sitting room, a few of their classmates sitting around her. The meeting!. The 2 Gryffindors sat down on one of the couches, joining the waiting for the others. Before long everyone had turned up, with McGonagall clearing her throat, grabbing their attention. "Eighth Years, welcome back to the castle. Thank you for deciding to come back to finish your studies. Now this year, you are the role models for the school and I need you to be a unified front to the other pupils, showing house unity between you all."

"Not bloody likely." Someone muttered, capturing the Headmistress' attention.

"Excuse me?"

"How are we meant to show 'house unity' when there are Death Eaters in the school?" The unidentified voice turned out to be Cormac McLaggen, standing up from his seat and pointing, unabashedly at the Slytherins.

"Mr McLaggen, I don't quite frankly care, just do it. In those corridors you are a team. You don't have to be best friends with each other, just no animosity. You all have to set an example." Her stern voice echoed off the walls, silencing the students within. "Now Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger are the Heads so they will be handling the Prefects, events and majority of the student body messages for the year. So do not overrule their rules just because you are legally adults."

"You now also have more freedom this year, like being able to leave the castle more to enter the village. No apparating away from the school or Hogsmead, you are only allowed with written permission. There will be leniency with your curfew, extending by an hour." Multiple groans were heard following this statement. "Now that's all. I will leave you to your evenings and Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy, a word please." She led the 2 of them off to the side before continuing, "I want you to start getting the timetables and things worked out now rather than later, to give other activities time to restart for the year. Have a good night." She left without a backwards glance, leaving the 2 heads silent.

Hermione chanced a glance at her partner, to find him staring at her, a question in his gaze. "What is it?" She sighed, preparing for the worst.

"Do you wanna do it now so that it's done and we don't have to worry about it?" He asked, his facial expression becoming closed off as if waiting for her rejection. How odd.

"S-Sure, yeah, of course. Probably better to be honest." She babbled as they walked to the closed door at the other end of the room, labelled 'Heads Office'. The door opened revealing a quaint room, with pinboards lining the walls for planning, a large table, a sofa and armchair in the corner and a filing cabinet. Malfoy strode into the room sitting in the armchair, propping his feet on the armrest and sighing. "So how do you wanna do this?" She asked.

Malfoy cracked an eye open, peering at her with his slate grey eyes. "Huh?"

"How are we doing this? Do you wanna split the work or do it together?" Hermione specified, moving further into the room.

"Well together obviously." Malfoy rolled his eyes, as if her suggestion was idiotic.

"Well let's start then."


September 9th 1998

The days passed by quickly after that, with classes taking up the majority of her time. Patrols for the prefects, herself and Malfoy were sorted and were in place. The homework began as soon as possible, with essays for nearly every class on her schedule. Theo continued to look and find her, each location getting weirder than the last: The Library, the abandoned classroom on the fifth floor, The hidden alcove near the common room and many others, always asking really odd questions:

'Hey Granger!'

'Yes Theo?'

'I have a question.'

'Of course you do.'

'What's the most interesting topic you have ever read about?'

'Huh? What?"

'What's your answer?'

'I don't know, time travel?'

'Okay. Bye!'

She was broken from her memory from yesterday, by her roommate entering the room. Her eyes flicked up to Parkinson, seeing her frazzled state stride around their quarters looking for something. Her robes were falling off her shoulders, hair askew and hands frantically searching her belongings. Hermione hesitated before asking: "Are you okay, Parkinson?"

Parkinson's eyes locked on her before answering. "Have you seen my Potion's essay anywhere?" She sounded desperate to her.

"No I haven't."

"Oh no! I'm so screwed!" She muttered as she continued to search through her things. Before she knew what she was doing, she stopped Parkinson with a hand on her shoulder. "What Granger?" She snapped.

"Here." She handed over her essay, placing it into the other girls shaking hands.

"What?"

"Use mine, I'll write a new one." She replied before turning back to her bed to continue her Ancient Runes homework.

"I-thanks Granger." Pansy left shortly after, plunging the room into silence once more. After she had left, Hermione began to contemplate her actions. Why had she done that? She probably could have helped her look for her essay, but instead she decided to just give Pansy hers. What was she thinking? And why didn't she feel more upset about it.

I still have a week to write another one, Hermione thought as she settled back into her homework once more. After she had returned from dinner, exhausted from her day classes, she found a familiar piece of parchment on her bedside table. She placed her bag by her bed, gave Crookshanks a pet and reached for the parchment. As she unfolded the sheet, a small slip of paper fell into her lap, a tight loopy script greeting her eyes as she began to read:

Sorry for panicking earlier, I found my homework in my bag.

Here's your essay back.

Thanks Granger.

P.P

The note lay in her hand for a while as she sat, confused in her shared dormitory until Pansy walked in. Her eyes flicked to her, then saw her note and worry flickered over her features as she slowly walked closer into the room. Silence resonated between them until Pansy's voice broke the silence.

"Um… I found my work, so there you go." Pansy's voice was quiet when she spoke, her voice echoing in the small room.

"Yeah… uh, thanks. At least I don't need to write another one, right?" Her laugh was strained as she answered her roommate, trying to break the tension. "Anyway thanks for giving it back to me, Parkinson."

"No problem Granger. I just- just came to drop off my bag so I'll see you later." Then she proceeded to leave the room, however as she reached for the doorknob, her eyes flicked back to her before she left.


September 10th 1998

The school was as busy as usual as she headed to her first lesson of the day: Potions. Bustling first and second years, hurrying to their lessons, chattering about Quidditch tryouts and extra-curriculars. Some Third years heading out to the courtyard to relax in the September sun, before their first classes.

The Thursday morning sun disappeared from her view as she took the stairs to the lower levels of the school and into the dungeons. Her Mary-Janes clicked against the stone floor as she walked the silent corridors to the classroom. "Granger! Wait up!" Her name was called further up the corridor. Two pairs of footsteps were heard as she turned around, spotting a mop of brown curls and a flash of white blonde hair approaching her, both with very different reactions. Theo with a wide smile on his face; Draco with a grimace marrying his features. As Theo made it to her side, he slung an arm around her shoulder, showing a comfortability that only Harry and Ron had with her; However, rather than feeling tense and worried, Hermione actually felt okay with the movement, which confused her.

"Hello Granger, has your day been as marvellous as mine has?" Theo proclaimed dramatically, dragging her down the corridor with him, Malfoy on her other side.

"Well, what has made your day as marvellous as you say it is?" She asked him, playing on his mood. Before Theo answered, she swore she heard Malfoy mutter "here we go again" in a grumble.

"I have just found out through the poison ivy, that there is already a party being planned for Halloween next month, and I will be dragging you to this party and I will not hear the end of it."

"Theo, no. I hate parties and that's just not my thing." She replied vehemently as they approached their destination.

"I told you she wouldn't come, Nott." A deep baritone voice interrupted their conversation, making her whip around to look at him.

"Excuse me?"

"I already knew you wouldn't go cause it's you." Malfoy replied to her, eyeing her with mischief in his grey eyes. A slow smirk began to form on his stupid face as his gaze flicked down her body, meeting her eyes after his inspection. "And I told him this numerous times to prepare him because you probably have never been to a party in your life." He finished, smirk sitting proudly upon his face.

Hermione's thoughts halted, as did her steps as he said this. Who did he think he was? Sure, she hadn't attended any of the parties at Hogwarts, for Quidditch, exams or just for fun because it was just never her thing; but as she pondered his response, she felt the urge to prove him wrong. To prove to him that she wasn't the 'stuck up bookworm' everyone thought she was and that she could have fun.

"Fine. Theo I'm in." She strode away to the Potions lab, feet slapping against the floor and her robe swishing by her ankles, Theo's resounding "Yes, Granger!" following behind her.


The wind howled outside her window as she prepared for bed. Pansy hadn't returned after dinner, probably with the Slytherins doing who knows what. The girl still confused her, with her stilted conversations and odd glances throughout the day, but Hermione decided to put it out of her mind for the night as she settled into the plush red duvet for the night, Crookshanks on her lap as she read her chosen novel for the night, 'The Great Gatsby' by F.Scott. Fitzgerald.

The weather proceeded to get worse as the night grew on, but it didn't affect her too much, nothing a Silencing Charm couldn't fix. As she lay in bed for the night, Crooks' purring soothing her brain, a thought kept nagging her brain to no end: Why was Malfoy so different in public compared to in private? In class they would argue and constantly nag, however when in the Heads Dorm, he was reserved and timid, almost lost looking. She knew she didn't have an answer to her constant question but she couldn't down right ask him, could she? These thoughts plagued her until sleep overtook.

The wind ruffled her hair as she ran, spells of all colours flying at her from all directions as she passed. Running until she couldn't feel her legs, with the trees being a blur in her vision, her breath burning her lungs as she gasped quickly.

The cackle of laughter that tormented her consciousness broke through, making her halt in her tracks. The whisper of that foul demon permeated her ears as she stood stock still, leaves and twigs beneath her boots. "They are all dead. Potter. Weasley. Your friends. Your family."

"No. No. No. No." She repeated as each person appeared, lifeless and pale, each dead in a different way. Killing curse, Sectumsempra, torture, and muggle knifes. She began to hyperventilate, not believing her eyes. Hermione began to run but hit something. An invisible wall. "No. No. NO!"

"NO!" She exclaimed as she sat bolt upright, sweat falling into her eyes. Brown eyes searching for the dead bodies she saw only to realise it wasn't real. None of it was real. She quickly got out of bed, grabbing her Gryffindor hoodie from her bedpost and her slippers before heading outside, passed the portrait hole, through the never ending hallways, out the main doors to the gardens, following the path to the Black Lake.

A giant tentacle pierced through the water, her eyes adjusted to the morning light, the giant squid making an appearance. The luscious green hills filled the picturesque background, with trees swaying and wildlife venturing out into the early morning. Her eyes glanced around the scene, until they settled on a figure by an oak tree. They looked like a black blob, laying under the overgrown branches in peace.

She began to venture to the mysterious figure, her shoes crunching the morning dew grass under her feet, the cold air whipping against her face with each step, rustling the jumper she was wearing. Each footstep Hermione took, the closer she got to the person, unnerving a clue to their identity with every step. Tall, broad frame, Slytherin, Blonde- Blonde?!

Before she knew it, she was standing a foot away from Malfoy, watching him lay underneath a tree. She cleared her throat, signifying her presence to him. Grey eyes locked with her chocolate ones, a hint of curiosity in his gaze. "Can I sit?" She asked, hesitantly.

He didn't say a word first, just staring at her like a deer in the headlights. Until he gestured to the spot next to him, shifting as he did so to sit against the tree trunk. Hermione slowly sat down next to Malfoy, the only barrier from the wet grass being his cloak, as the silence between them formed, nothing but the wind whipping around them as the birds and animals woke with the dawn.

"So, what do I owe the pleasure of, Granger? Coming out here so early in the morning?" Malfoy's voice broke the serene picture she was watching blossom, making her turn to him. His pale eyebrow was raised, questioning her without having to use words.

"Well I could ask you the same question, Malfoy?" She replied dully, not in the mood for the snippy rebuttal. The nightmare replayed in her head as she sat there, waiting for his comment.

But it never came.

Hermione's eyes flicked to him, finding an emotion she thought she would never see on Malfoy's face. Understanding. Understanding for something that went unsaid between them, but could be seen on them both. The purple bags, the thin faces, dead eyes that see the horrors of a war they had to fight in. Of growing up too fast. So many things, and he understood just from the look on his face.

"Why are you so rude to me in classes?" She abruptly asked, breaking the small moment between them.

"It's just in my nature."

"But you're normal with me in private, but in class it's back to the snarky comments and whatnot."

"You say that like you're much better. All the nagging about complete bullshit when we are in class, but anywhere else you don't say a word."He replied, frustration lacing his words, before turning his attention back to their surroundings. Silence permeated between them, more tense than before, emotions rolling into the space between them.

"Well let's change that."

"What?" Malfoy questioned, scepticism laced into his words.

"I call a truce. A fresh start if you will. We try to get along." She watched his expression, waiting for an ounce of disgust to appear on his aristocratic face, however it never appeared, confusion now taking control.

"Why?"

"Because I'm sick of all the drama and pettiness and I think we couldn have a lot more in common than you might think." She stuck out her hand. "So truce?"

And in that moment, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger shook on 'their fresh start', not realising the rollercoaster they just boarded.