Hermione Granger was not a girl who was often confused; her motto being, "when in doubt go to the library." Books, however, could not give answers to questions that dealt with the heart. Under a pseudonym she had written to Rita Skeeter who was, due to the end of her career as a malicious journalist, the new 'Dear Anne' for the Daily Prophet. The answer she had received was the same one she had come to the conclusion of: follow your heart.
At the beginning of her fifth year at Hogwarts Hermione had been made a prefect. This elevation, although welcome for the increase in the teachers' faith in her, forced her to associate with others who had been honoured in the same way. Despite the fact that she had her red-headed, best-friend Ron to brave prefect meetings with her, sometimes it took all her strength of will to keep from hexing the Slytherin prefects; namely Malfoy.
Throughout the school year though, Malfoy and she had been brought together by the need to keep the other students in the school, to some extent, rule abiding. A dubious friendship had ensued when, together, they had caught a third-year Ravenclaw jinxing the paintings and causing the occupants of the pictures to hide behind the frames in embarrassment; humiliated by their new found and unwanted nudity.
Hermione had kept their friendship a secret and had never mentioned it to Harry or Ron; afraid of their reactions. Harry would try to remain calm and reason her out of being friends with Draco. His green eyes would flash every time the name of his adversary came up though. And Ron, Ron would splutter then turn red, yell, "How could you?" mutter about "fraternising with the enemy," and pace the room. She didn't want to upset her friends but neither did she want to give up her association with Draco. She had seen another side of him, a side, it seemed, no one else knew existed. That part of him she addressed as Draco. The surface he displayed before the public was still Malfoy.