Ron and Harry went to bed early, leaving Hermione alone with her books. She wanted to catch up on some summer reading she had forgotten all about when she was at the order; and she was shocked when both Harry and Ron didn't care. She gave up when the clock turned to three in the morning, and she could barely hold her head up. She went on tip toe up to her dormitory, and was shocked once again that her fellow roommates were still up.

"Hello Hermione, did you have a good date with your books?" Lavender asked, making the other girls giggle. – Hermione just straightened, but when she couldn't find anything to say, she went to her bed to put on her pyjamas.

"… hmm, you know, Harry looked kind of good. What do you think?" Parvati said asking Lavender who now ignored Hermione's open mouth. "Yeah, but he's too short. Too bad Ron's taken though, isn't he Hermione?" Parvati shot at her as she was pulling her nightgown down over her head.

"What do you mean?" Hermione said, curious.

"Isn't he your boyfriend?"

"Are you mad?! – yes, you are mad!"

Hermione closed the view of her laughing roommates with her drapes and lay down on the bed; the image of her and Ron being together was just ludicrous. Insane. Impossible.

The first lesson was defence against the dark arts, with the new teacher; Ferrah Rawlins, to the trios delight was a good friend of Remus Lupin, though to the disgust of some Slytherins.

"Today, we are going to talk about spells related to a persons greatest fears, and I've heard from professor Lupin that you've covered Boggarts, that are related to this subject…"

"Professor Lupin? That nutter?" Malfoy shot out from the back of the classroom, accompanied by his two brute friends.

"Shut it Malfoy!" Both Ron and Harry shot back, but as Hermione was too intrigued by the lesson, shot her hand up in the air, instead of at Malfoys' jaw.

"Are you talking about the occolamency incantations?" The teacher nodded and told the class to turn their books to the right page.

The incantations made the victim re-live one of his greatest memories, or fears. Making the whole event bee showed to the one that had cast it, and the people surrounding them. Even though the spell was of dark magic, there was no law against using it.

"Now say after me, without your wands please, Memoria Inrapture!" – The whole class was waiting to try the spell with anticipation, but was greatly disappointed when they weren't allowed; they just got the homework to hand in an essay about the subject. Harry and Ron was discussing the class, though Hermione was directing her attention somewhere else; she saw that Malfoy went in another direction than everyone else, and as her two friends was chatting about unaware, she sneaked of after him.

She stayed a great bit after him, but she could still see him move. He was going in the direction of the owlery, but as he was at the stairs he turned around and ran in Hermione's direction. Totally struck by the change she turned around and ran as fast as she could away from him, but as she could hear him coming nearer she saw she had run so fast, she now didn't know where she was.

She turned around and was met by the furious Malfoy standing next to her. "Why are you following me?!"

"I don't know." He stared at her for a minute, catching his breath then just made a grunt and turned around to leave. "Wait!" She grabbed his sleeve to stop him.

"Don't touch me!" He cried and took a step backwards. Hermione was taken aback and hurt, but made nothing of it. She just needed to get out of there.

"I don't know where I am, and if you don't help me, I'll be late for class…"

"What? 'I'll be late for class'? Is that all you care about?!"

"Harry, where's Hermione? She was right behind us a minute ago…" The minute after that she came bashing into the classroom followed by Malfoy, who looked fuming. And Hermione looked even more so. "Don't even ask!" She said and sat down beside Harry, looking for a quill. "Do we really want to…"

She sat there, trying to concentrate about what professor Snape was saying; but couldn't stop thinking about what had just happen. - The long way to the dungeons was made in utterly silence, but as Hermione hate silence, she had opened her mouth to say something. "Erm… Malfoy?"

"What?!" He didn't even turn around to look at her; he just kept his speed like she wasn't there.

"What were you doing in the owlery?"

"Nothing obviously, I never made it there did I?"

"But what were you going to do then…"

"… What do you usually do in the owlery?" He said with some sarcasm in his voice.

"Send letters."

"Yes, right you are miss- know it all." He said with a wry smile on his face.

"Don't call me that!" She said offended while Malfoy let out a laugh.

Malfoy had grown tall this summer apparently, because his steps were hard to keep up with, so Hermione had to break into a run to somewhat keep up with him. She was beginning to think Malfoy was leading her on a detour when they had been walking for over ten minutes, when they were about to enter through a door, he stopped and turn to face her.

"Just so you'll now, I've never hated you as much as I do now, so don't expect this year is going to be easy. So wipe that smile of your face, before I slap you…"

She had thought his words were utter funny, until she saw his face and his clenched fist. He was standing so close she could smell his anger; though it smelled like strong cologne it couldn't be mistaken.

Then he opened the door what turned out to be the door to the classroom and pushed her inside.