Chapter 5-Muggle London

Hermione and Moira walked from the great hall and toward Hermione's new chambers. They were neither in the Slytherin Dungeons nor in the Griffyndor Tower. They were in their own little alcove in a part of the castle that Hermione had never been to before. She actually wasn't quite sure as to how to get there, either. As they came up to a wall with a unicorn statue lounging gently in the grass, she knew she'd found the right place.

Just as Dumbledore had told her to, she walked up to the Unicorn and scratched it underneath the chin. The statue came slowly alive and blinked at her owlishly. She smiled and told her the password, 'unity' and the unicorn stood and placed its horn in a small hole in the wall. The wall moved apart and let the two girls in and then closed behind them. Hermione knew that Draco would have his own entrance as well.

The room that the entrance led into was neither slytherin nor gryffindor themed but was cozy all the same. The floors were a deep mohogany wood and the walls were painted a light cream colour. There were bookcases lining the walls and two separate desks. A sofa and a few chairs were set around the fire and there was also a mini kitchen in one of the corners.

"Nice Digs." Said Moira. She walked deep into the room and spun. "Too bad you have to live with the muggle hater. Too bad it wasn't Blaise, eh?" she teased.

Hermione thought for a second. "I don't think he recognized me. If he did, I don't think he would have said I was sexy." She sat down on the sofa. "And get it into your head Moira, I do not fancy Blaise!"

Moira laughed and sat next to Hermione. "I don't know, he's looking pretty hot this year…" Hermione shot her a look. "What? I'd even like him, if it weren't for…" Moira stopped herself there. She didn't yet want to let others know about her secret crush.

"Weren't for who?" Hermione asked. Her eyes sparkled. She'd made it her mission to find out who exactly it was that Moira fancied. So far she'd only been able to get small tidbits out of her friend. He was older, had long black hair and a rather untasteful disposition. She figured that this could easily be any of the Slytherins, because none of them were really all that fun to be around, besides Blaise. He seemed to be ok.

"I'm still not telling you." Moira replied. "Not until you admit that Blaise is sexy!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He needs a fedora. But I will admit, you did a very good job at making him over this morning. A few more piercings and more bad boy clothes and then won't be able to keep Draco off of him!" Moira and Hermione laughed.

"Keep me off of who?" Asked a recently entered Draco. "And who are you guys?"

"Keep you off of Blaise." Supplied Moira.

"You'd need to have him locked away and guarded by a hundred dragons to keep me off of him!" Draco replied. "You still haven't told me who you are. I mean, I know you were sitting with Blaise…"

Moira grins at Hermione, a knowing look. "Moira Frittles, sixth year Ravenclaw from London, England. And this, this is the head girl, Hermione Granger."

Draco's jaw dropped and he was rendered speechless. Moira giggled and Hermione just looked unnafected. When Draco finally got over his shock, he took a good look at Hermione. She looked different, much different. She wasn't the old know-it-all preppy bushy haired buck toothed girl that he remembered. She wasn't that at all. She was pretty.

"Alright, I know you're going to revert back to being a bastard now, so I think it's time we put down some ground rules." Hermione said.

"What did you do to yourself, Granger?" he asked.

Hermione ignored the question altogether. "Rule number one: Study time happens right after dinner for two hours. I expect you to be very quiet during that time because I do need to study. Number Two: I get the shower first in the mornings. Number Three: we are both allowed to have any friend we want in here with us, but they are not to act hostile toward anyone else in the room. I expect you to be civil to me, Malfoy. I don't expect you to like me."

Draco took this all in carefully. "What about overnight guests?" he asked. "Because I for one, am going to have many."

"I don't care who shares your bed as long as you don't disturb me."

"You know, even under the new look and sexiness, you're still the same old know-it-all you always were." Draco said, a little acid in his voice.

"And you're still the little prat you've always been." She said, and stood. She motioned Moira to follow and the two went up to her room.

Hermione and Moira were sitting on Hermione's bed, after the run-in with Malfoy. Neither were all that surprised about what had happened even though he had acted a little more civil than Hermione had expected. She was unpacking her trunk and putting some things away.

"How did your meeting with Ron and Harry go?" the other girl asked.

"Not as bad as I'd thought, but not as well as I'd hoped." Hermione said as she placed a little trinket atop her shelf.

"Oh?"

"Harry was fine with it, said he liked it. He was happy that I'd begun to discover that there really was more to life than books. Ron on the other hand…"

"Enough said there. I know how volatile that red head can be." She said. She'd been friends with Ginny for years and had spent a decent amount of time at the Burrow. She'd experienced Ron's vapours many times before.

Hermione nodded. "Anyway, I admitted that Blaise was hot, now you have to tell me who the mystery man is."

"You're terrible, you know that?" Moira was quiet for a moment, honestly not wanting to tell anyone who it was that she liked. She sighed and finally conceded. "It's Snape."

Hermione broke into a laugh. "Ok, who is it really?"

Moira gets a serious look on her face. "I was being serious. I like Snape."

Hermione stops laughing and looks at the other girl. She sees that Moira is indeed, being serious and then sobers a bit. "You really like him?" Moira nods, a little embarrassed. "Well then, that's good, I suppose. Someone has to find something in him…" she said.

"I like him because he's not nice though. I like him because he can be insulting me but somehow I still want him around. I like him because he stalks around the school all sexy-like and then busts people for being out after hours even when he's not supposed to. I fancy him because he has such a sexy voice… And when he's making potions, Merlin Hermione! I just can't take…"

"That's enough Moira. Although I am totally encouraging with your love for our Potions Master, I do not need to hear your twisted version of his sexiness. I for one, fancy men a little closer to my own age."

Moira threw a pillow at Hermione, which hit her square in the face.