When Hermione woke up she realized the moon would be full that night. She dragged herself out of the common room and tried to eat something for breakfast. Harry must have noticed her look of dreading. Come on… cheer up! Remember what professor McGonagall Said, that it wouldn't be that bad. Hermione knew that it would be better with the other werewolf to keep her company… She had not told Harry or Ron this though she knew whoever it was probably wouldn't appreciate it. She hoped this person was another Griffindor. Even now Ron and Harry were trying to learn how to be illegal animagus. Hermione hoped they would be successful. She herself never a believer in rule breaking before this summer was already practicing how to become an animagus.
"What are you and Harry?" Hermione asked Ron.
"Well, now that you asked," he said swelling with pride and Hermione knew he had been waiting impatiently for her to ask. " I'm a coyote!"
That's really great Ron!" said Hermione excitedly. "What are you Harry?"
Harry looked a little unhappy, at first but then lightened as he said,
I hoped to be a stag but I got close, I'm an elk." That's really great Harry really close to your fathers stag! Suddenly Harry and Ron both asked,
"What are you Hermione?" Hermione sighed. I don't know, I haven't had time to practice.
Suddenly the bell rang and Hermione jumped up and ran off towards her next class. Suddenly Professor McGonagall came around a corner and said,
"Mrs. Granger I need to talk to you," Hermione thought it would be about her leaving to transform to night.
"We have a most unusual… situation," continued Professor McGonagall. " The head boy and girl we have selected for this year have declined the offer so we have to take a prefect a year early to be head boy and girl. Therefore you and another prefect in your year have been selected, come with me and we will see your new common room."
Hermione gasped at the thought, as she trailed behind professor McGonagall. She was head girl! Professor McGonagall began to speak again snapping Hermione out of her thoughts.
"The head boy has known for a while but we weren't ready to tell you yet." They rounded a corner and came to a large painting. In front of it stood Draco Malfoy. So this is why he's been so nice to me! Thought Hermione.
Hermione studied the painting. It was of an Elvin couple, sitting in a forest meadow by a beautiful pond. Fish swam lazily through the sun-dappled water. Everything was slightly green in the light filtering through the leaves above. Hermione stopped studying the painting to listen to Professor McGonagall as she said,
"You to will be sharing the common room the rest of the year. Agree on a password and please get along. You are both excused from your classes today."
With that she left.
Hermione and Draco looked at each other, looked at the painting then blurted out "paradise!" they then looked astonished.
"Why did you want to call it paradise?" asked Hermione
Draco shrugged and replied,
"The picture looks so perfect, like paradise."
She nodded in agreement they both said "Paradise" and then walked into the room behind the painting.
Hermione gasped in awe, and even Draco looked impressed. There was a huge room but it didn't look like a room at all, it was the exact same scene as in the painting! (Not including the elves, of course.) The room looked as though there where no walls, only a sunlit meadow. Hermione looked at the back of the painting and found a note.
Dear head boy and girl,
You may design your own rooms and the common room with the magical room menu on the back of this note. I hope your year will be pleasant.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledor
Hermione flipped over the note and saw the menu there where different themed rooms.
"Which one should we try?" She asked Draco who had been reading over her shoulder.
"How about that one?" he replied, pointing at a huge stylish living room.
"Ok," She said. "What colors should we do?"
"How about Black and silver!" he said.
"Ok, I like those colors," said Hermione happily trying to keep Draco from being the usual prat he is. She was determined to be nice to him this year and try to make her stay here misery free. She spoke clearly to the menu and tapped the room she wanted. The room was instantly as she had ordered. Hermione went and sat at the silk black and silver couch. She loved the feeling of silk on her skin. She spread out luxuriously as if to take a nap before remembering Draco was there. She sat up and said, "let's go see the other rooms."
"Uh… ok," he replied. They walked down the hall on the left side until they found themselves at a door with head girl written on it. Once again there was a menu on the wall. This time Hermione choose a natural scene, tropical. The canopy bed was of tropical palm trees and on one side of the room there was an ocean where she could go swimming. By the door there was a seashell on the wall with "light" written on it. She turned the seashell to the left and the room dimmed, to the right the sun shinned brightly. I could get a tan in here! Thought Hermione happily. She turned around to see Draco examining here room then grinning, he stepped up on to her bed and start jumping.
"Hey, stop that!" said Hermione, though she was starting to grin herself. "That's the first time I've seen you smile!" said Hermione suddenly. "I was starting to think your only facial expression was a sneer!"
"Hey!" he said in mock indignance. He threw a pillow at her. Hermione jumped up onto the bed and started a pillow war, she had completely forgotten about being a werewolf. For the first time since she had been bitten she was happy.
Draco's POVDraco had never in his entire life felt this happy. He had always had to be stiff, cold, and serious. With Hermione he was relaxed and happy. Finally after five minutes of pillow wars Hermione jumped back down and yelled,
"I'll race you to your room!" and took off at a run. Hey no matter how much nicer he had planed to be he would not be beat by a girl! He took off at a run screeching around corners and catching up wit her. Now he was even with her and put on a burst of speed upon seeing the door. Unfortunately so did Hermione and instead of beating her easily like he had planned it was a tie.
"Damn! You can run fast!" said Draco panting at the door.
"Right back at you!" Hermione said completely out of breath. They sat in the hall a while before taking the menu off the door and looking at the options.
On the list where quite a few options but Draco pointed his wand at an India themed room and tapped it. Then he opened the door and looked in, he had a king sized canopy bed with gauzy material draped all over it. There in the corner was a tiger wearing a jewel-studded collar. The entire room smelt of exotic spices. Hermione squealed happily,
"I love the theme!" Hermione squealed.
"I don't know, it's a little to gauzy for me." Said Draco unhappily looking at Hermione as if her squeal had confirmed his thoughts of her insanity. "How about I have a beach room and you change your room to India.
"Ok!" agreed Hermione. She went back to her room and switched it to India, then walked down the halls to find Draco again. He was in the common room lounging on the couch.
"Are there any more rooms?" asked Hermione excitedly.
"Dunno, there's got to be a bathroom around here somewhere!" he replied as he rose from the couch. He watched Hermione as she noticed a fireplace in front of the couch and went to light it. When she had bright blue flames crackling merrily she looked around. Now that she could see into the shadowed corners of the room she noticed a few things… A door that must lead to the bathroom, and another door right next to it. Draco, also looking around walked forward to the door on the right and found the menu. On the front was posted "bathroom" and on the back where the choices. Hermione snatched the menu from Draco and tapped one labeled "Underwater" then she opened the door and walked in. the room started with a sandy beach then quickly faded into tropical water. Hermione saw a lot of fish and in the corner were a stone platform and a waterfall. Hermione drew apart a curtain of leaves to find it was a cabinet. She backed out of the room and beckoned for Draco to follow her.
She reached the other door choose the same theme as the common room and walked in. it was a library! Hermione circled the room reading the titles. Draco also looked happy to have a library. He reached a book called secret and tried to take it off the shelf. Suddenly the case swung out to reveal a cozy secret room filled with beanbags, lava lamps and candles.
"Grange… uh… Hermione, come look at this!" he said. Hermione hurried over and gasped with surprise. She looked at the room looked at the book and said,
"I'll remember that! It will be useful to hide things in!"
"Like what?" asked Draco.
"Well, having a secret place is always useful. Like when Harry Ron and me made a polyjuice potions to find if you were the heir of Slytherin in second year!" said Hermione. Then clapped her hands over her mouth realizing what she had just said. Draco though only looked amused.
"You thought I was the heir of Slytherin! Whom did you guys disguise yourselves as?"
"Harry and Ron where Crab and Goyle and I was supposed to be Maliscent Bulstrode."
"What do you mean you where supposed to be Maliscent Bulstrode? Said Draco incredulously.
"Well…….. I kind of took cat hair off of her robes instead of hers." She said, "And its not funny Draco!" She continued because he had doubled up with laughter.
"Ah, but it is." Gasped Draco in between fits of laughter.
"Speaking of cats where is that ginger hairball you keep?"
" In the Griffindor common room. Why?"
"Because I have a cat too."
"Really? I didn't know that!"
"Not many people do… you should feel privileged." Draco said in mock pompousness.
"Oh so honored!" said Hermione sarcastically. "Did it try to eat you when Moody turned you into a ferret?"
Draco winced, that memory was particularly painful and embarrassing!
Hermione's POVHermione and Draco lounged for a while talking before going to their rooms to move in. Hermione opened the drawers of her dresser to find it was already full of fashionable clothes including her own! Of course! The house elves must have unpacked while I was with Draco! Wait… why am I calling him Draco? Oyah… we're friends! Wait, no we are not! What would Ron and Harry think? Draco… Malfoy, sorry, has tortured me for the last five years! Why stop now! Draco…Malfoy!… Draco…Malfoy!…Draco… Hermione's mind continued it battle and Hermione could not keep her mind on anything! Why did he have to drive you mad like that?
" AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"
Hermione clasped her hands over her mouth as she had just realized that she had screamed aloud in frustration. She heard footsteps out in the hall.
"Everything all right?" asked Draco concernedly.
"Uuhhh… yah… sure… just frustrated." Said Hermione. She found it rather charming that he had come to see if she was all right. Draco must have changed, the old him would have smirked if he had heard her yell and hope something rather embarrassing or deadly was happening to her. When he turned to leave Hermione suddenly asked,
" Why are you being nice this year?" Draco turned back to her,
" We are going to be stuck sharing a common room for the entire year, do we both want our lives to be miserable?"
"No I suppose not." Said Hermione slowly.
"Well its not exactly my choice that I'm stuck with one of the bloody' golden trio!" said Draco suddenly angry. " I would much rather be with the Slytherens!"
"You can go back to the Slytherin common room during the day. If you want to make my life miserable, that's ok. At least I would know your back to normal!" Draco looked indignant.
"Why you should feel overjoyed about me being polite! Most people I curse on sight!"
"Well that's reassuring isn't it," said Hermione sarcastically. I haven't seen you cursing Pansy lately." Hermione finished her sentence with a smirk on her face.
"You haven't been around me much have you, I curse pansy whenever I get a chance! I was stuck going to the ball with her! My father thought she was 'classy' because of her blood. Pure-Blood can't make up for looking like a pugs behind in my opinion." Said Draco dryly than stopped abruptly knowing he had just let slip something about his family. I never talk about my family to any one! Thought Draco stunned. Then he was snapped out of his thoughts by a particurly loud giggle from Hermione.
"You know… me Ron and Harry have said that for years the person I least expected to hear it from was you!"
Well I'm not in to the 'pureblood jazz' as much as everyone thinks. Pansy is a good example that not all purebloods are great. Now ME for example am the perfect example of greatness!
Darkness had started to fall as Hermione started walking down towards the shrieking shack. She made certain care so Draco wouldn't see her slipping out of the common room. If he did she was sure he would ask questions. She arrived at the womping-willow and darted quickly underneath the swaying branches and touched the secret knot that would paralyze the tree while she climbed into the secret passageway that led to the shrieking shack. The underground tunnel was damp and dark but her improved senses guided her through the dank passage. Hermione knew she was a hour early but she wanted to make the shack a little more comfortable. Hermione summoned a large stack of what looked like a green shag rug but turned out to be moss. She started laying it across the dusty floorboards and then made a large fluffy lump in one corner that would serve well as a bed for the night. Kindly Hermione set out a nest in the corner opposite of hers. She wanted to get along well with whoever it was who shared her fate. Suddenly a flash of silver white came through the corner of her vision. She turned to see Draco at the doorway looking as if he were bored with the whole routine yet a strange grimace on his face showing that he was not happy to be here. Hermione gasped in surprise and spluttered,
" Y-y-y-you are the person that got bit?"
"Yes, don't ask questions and I wont ask you any." Said Draco blandly in a tone that showed he obviously didn't want to discus the matter. Hermione's eyes widened in surprise
"You can ask me questions I don't care!"
"That will change soon," said Draco in a voice dripping in pain and misery.
"Hermione stepped in the middle of the room and looked out the hole in the roof at the moon and started to sing a slow and mournful tune,
Werewolf, werewolf, Come and see,
The beast you'll always be,
Werewolf, werewolf, I must say,
The beast is within me,
Werewolf, werewolf in full moon,
Transformation comes,
Werewolf, werewolf, oh so strong,
Living the life of two,
Werewolf, werewolf,
Come to my call and make me like you………
Hermione let the last note linger on the air thin and sad like a howl of despair. She watched the moon waiting for midnight before remembering Draco was there. He was staring at her and she blushed.
"It's a rhyme I made up. If someone did want to be a werewolf they could just try that. It would probably work. It a summoning song."
Suddenly Hermione tensed jumped up and screamed in pain. Hermione could barely hear the noise through the pain however. Her skin was filled with a searing pain as if some one was trying to cut it off of her. She felt her bones stretching and changing size. She was barely aware of the sharp fangs and claws forming where teeth and fingernails had been before. Just as suddenly as the transformation had come, it stopped. Hermione fell to the floor and lay there, twitching terribly, and whimpering in pain. She looked down at herself to see straight, sleek, dark brown fur. She was not surprised to see steel gray claws as long as daggers on her feet and hands. She looked over at Draco, who had not been standing in the moonlight and had just started to change. He was screaming as she had done. It was strange watching him change, like clay in the hands of the gods, forming a completely new figure. He did not fall to the floor when he had transformed though. He stood there hunched over, his silvery blonde fur falling in front of his large gray blue eyes. She suddenly noticed that a single tear slipped out of the werewolf's eye, rolled down his long nose, and dropped on the floor. It shone as silver as unicorn blood in the moonlight. Draco cast a forlorn glance at Hermione and then went to curl up in his own little moss nest. Hermione, resisting the urge to go comfort Draco in this pitiful state went to her corner and fell a sleep her mind humming with strange new thoughts as she watched Draco's thin ribs rising and falling slowly and raggedly as he slept.