Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Harry Potter. I have this plot line, too much time, and a brain that won't stop working. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Stuck Together

Blue Monday

How does it feel to treat me like you do?

When you've laid your hands upon me

And told me who you are

I thought I was mistaken

I thought I heard your words

Tell me, how do I feel

Tell me now, how do I feel

Those who came before me

Lived through their vocations

From the past until completion

They'll turn away no more

And I still find it so hard

To say what I need to say

But I'm quite sure that you'll tell me

Just how I should feel today

I see a ship in the harbor

I can and shall obey

But if it wasn't for your misfortune

I'd be a heavenly person today

And I thought I was mistaken

And I thought I heard you speak

Tell me how do I feel

Tell me now, how should I feel

Now I stand here waiting...

I thought I told you to leave me

While I walked down to the beach

Tell me how does it feel

When your heart grows cold

(A/N Don't have an excuse for the lyrics. I'm sorry chicka who reviewed saying you don't like the lyrics. I just got the idea when I started to pick out songs that apply to the story, but you don't have to read them if you don't want to.)

Hermione got off the train and made off towards the Heads' carriage. After killing those Death Eaters and watching them die she could now see the winged horses Harry and Hagrid mentioned in fifth year. She dreaded the ride to the castle, not because of the black demon-like horses, but because she would yet again have to face Malfoy. After the train ride she was worried he'd manage to get out the stuff about the dream somehow. He was after all the Slytherin King, and the Slytherin house's defining trait is there cunning.

She finally reached the carriage and slid in as quietly as possible, noticing he was staring out the window seemingly spaced-out. "So are you going to tell me or what?" he whispered in a low voice. Well so much for the "spaced-out" idea.

"I don't see why you care so much. It's not really a big deal anyway," Hermione mumbled.

"I still want to know, whether you think it's important or not," Draco said without turning from the window.

"Well, that's too bad because I have no intention of telling you."

"Why must you always be so difficult? It's a simple question. Friends tell each other their dreams all the time," he whined.

"There you go. Your answer is right there: friends tell each other about dreams and we are the farthest thing from friends. You are my arch-enemy, so considering that fact I have been more than flexible with my attitude towards you. I have been compliant with Dumbledoor's wishes for us to not bite each other's heads off, but I am quickly losing my patience. So if you please, I would like to sit and enjoy the ride back to my home without destroying it by letting some insensitive git pressure me into telling him some of my private business," she announced. This got his attention. He turned away from the window and locked into her eyes. In the fathomless pits of honey brown he found pain that didn't seem right in her beautiful face. Nothing that pretty should feel any pain.

"Okay, I'll drop it," he said. 'I shouldn't care if she's in pain. She's just a Mudblood. And she's not beautiful either.' Draco thought to himself.

'Stop lying to yourself. You know she's hot, even if she's a Mudblood,' another part of him argued.

'She's is just a silly bookworm Mudblood who you have hated since first year,' the other half insisted.

'You know you fancy her. Just admit it,' the defiant side replied.

'Never,' it said. 'I will never stoop low enough to like that filth. I am a Malfoy. I can get better than her.'

'Why is he staring at me like that? It's unnerving. He could possibly like me? No that would never happen. We hate each other,' Hermione thought. 'Even if he did it's not like I'd care or anything. He may be the sexist boy in school, and second in our class, which means he's smart, plus he's probably got tons of muscles from Quidditch...stop right there Hermione! He's Malfoy! He cares about himself and that's it. He'll probably end up just like his father! You hate him, he hates you. That's the mutual relationship. Don't read too much into his looks. And remember, we still have to get our revenge.'

They sat there and stared at each other with freakishly similar thoughts until they felt the carriage jerk to a stop. They had arrived at the castle.

(A/N I originally wanted to put a line here, but the computer apparently doesn't agree with me.)

"Welcome, students, to a new year at Hogwarts!" Dumbledoor boomed. "I know you're all probably hungry, as am I, but first let's Sort our first years. Then afterward I have a few short announcements to make before we eat."

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledoor. Now first years when I call your name, step up and sit on this stool. I will place this hat on your head and we will see which House you are Sorted into. The four houses are: Ravenclaw a huge cheer from the Ravenclaw table, Gryffindor shouts and yells from their table, Hufflepuff also yells at the top of their lungs, Slytherin a huge hiss from their table. When you hear your House name, go and join them at their table. Let's get through this as soon as possible," Professor McGonagall explained.

"Danger lurks around the bend,

Two worlds must we defend,

Join together if you wish to triumph,

Stand alone if you wish to fail,

There isn't enough time to dwindle,

If you are not brave enough turn tail,

For the path ahead is shadowed,

The future yet unknown,

Follow your heart truly,

Enemies forces are now grown,

These people beside you now,

They are you only hope,

If you do not befriend them,

You will not live long enough to cope," sang the Sorting Hat.

Soon enough all the first years were sorted into their Houses. Nine joined Hufflepuff, five joined Ravenclaw, 12 joined Gryffindor, and 10 joined Slytherin. Regardless of the cheer to be home again, the warning that was so openly given by the Hat brought a darkness over the pleasure of the Great Hall.

Dumbledoor stood and waltz over to the dais to speak. "Now, just to make sure everyone knows, the Forbidden Forest is, of course, forbidden. There will be no wondering around the grounds after 7pm except by the Heads, Professors, and me. Anyone caught wandering around the school after 11 o' clock will have detention and points docked from their House. So with that being said, TUCK IN!"

The Start-of-the-Year Feast ended all too quickly for Hermione's taste. Soon all the food had disappeared back down to the kitchens, everyone was going to their dorms and she walked to the Professor's table to be shown to her common room.

"Ah, Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy, if you will follow me." Dumbledoor turned around without even waiting for an answer and walked to the back wall where a door neither of them had noticed before waited. He walked in and started turning down a corridor, and up a spiraling staircase. The stairs seemed to go up forever before they finally reached a landing with a brightly lit hallway extending out about 50 feet before coming to an abrupt end. The hallway was lined on all sides by mirrors. There wasn't a painting in sight and the stairs ended there.

"Um...Professor? How will we know where the door is?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"It's quite simple really. All of these reflect you, but one, when looked upon by the right person, is an image of your true emotions in physical form. When you find that mirror and 'reflect' upon the image, the mirror will transform into a portrait of the four founders of the school. They will then ask you for the password and you may enter. The password is 'Ambition and Courage' when you find the right mirror return to me and I will give you the ones you will need to reach your rooms," Dumbledoor explained.

Hermione and Draco took the mirrors on either side of the wall and started searching. It took them three minutes before Hermione declared a little annoyed, "Found it!"

Draco walked over to the mirror she was looking in, and started. His reflection looked like a nervous little boy who slowly placed his arm around the reflection of Hermione who, a little grudgingly, kissed him on the cheek. 'Is this really how we're feeling right now?' he asked himself. 'I never have felt awkward or not wanted by a girl in his life, but I just don't know how to act around her.'

"Yes, she's right this is the one," he admitted and slowly a new picture started to form of four people sitting on a couch in front of a lit fireplace chatting happily.

"Password, my dear boy?" asked a picture of Salazar Slytherin.

"Ambition and Courage," Hermione replied.

"I asked this one, impudent little-" he hissed only to be cut off by Gryffindor's founder.

"Don't mind him. He's just a bit grumpy because I beat him at chess, again," Gryffindor chuckled. "Here you go, my dear. Hello Dumbledoor! How have you been, my good man?"

"Splendid! Now these are the new Heads for the year. This is Hermione Granger, and this is Draco Malfoy."

"A Malfoy, eh? Good pureblooded family, I approve," Slytherin proclaimed.

"Oh hush you! Both of them seem like wonderful children. You did a wonderful job at picking this year, Dumbledoor," said a plump lady with a jovial smile.

"Thank you, Madam Hufflepuff. They are good children...for the most part," Dumbledoor said to the lady. Turning to Draco and Hermione he said, "Here are you passwords. Hands them each a piece of paper. As I warned before, do not give these passwords to anyone unless absolutely necessary, and only to the people you would trust with your life. Your stuff is already upstairs. I will see you both soon." With that he turned and left them.

"Ladies first," Draco said, as he stepped aside to let her pass. She thanked him politely, lifted her robes off the ground and stepped inside.

When she stepped inside, it looked exactly as it had in her dream. She ran in, plopped down on the couch, and instantly felt as if she had always lived there. Everything about it seemed right somehow. "I'm home!" she proclaimed joyously.

"It does look perfect doesn't it," Draco agreed sitting down on an armchair. "Cold though... that's easily remedied though." He walked over to the fireplace, placed logs inside, and lit them.

"I'm going to go check what my room looks like," she said as she ran off towards the stairs. When she reached the split in the staircase, she turned right to see the stairs to her room marked with the lion on the railing. 'Hmm...I wonder what my passwords are.' she thought as she opened the paper Dumbledoor had handed her. It read:

Your passwords are 'beloved' for the stairs and 'live and learn' for your door. This message will transfigure into a gold necklace when you are done reading it and re-fold it. Keep the necklace with you at all times. If you every for whatever reason cannot remember your password say 'brilliance' to return it to it's natural form. Fold it again and the necklace will return.

Be Careful, Professor McGonagall

Folding the paper as instructed, Hermione watched as the piece of paper changed into a necklace made of gold that had a lion's head pendant and inside the lions mouth was a blood red ruby. On the back, 'brilliance' was inscribed as a reminder. She placed the necklace around her neck for safe keeping.

She walked towards the stairs, which turned into a ramp as she approached. "Password?" roared the lion.

"Beloved," she whispered. The stairs instantly returned and she made her way up to her door, which happened to be a portrait one of the Head Girls of the past. Whispering 'live and learn' before even being asked, she entered her new room.

"Oh wow!" Hermione exclaimed at the site before her. Her room was in Gryffindor colors. The walls were painted scarlet. The bed was a four-poster king sized with a canopy of gold mosquito net material draped down over the bed. The comforter was a deep blood red with embroidered fleur-de-lis in the same shade so they were barely visible. There was pillows mounded by the headboard. A desk was in the corner to do her homework on, and a book-case for her to place all her books and pictures on. The dresser was against the wall with a mirror right above it. The was another door that could only lead to the restroom. A bay-window let in the light from outside to brighten the window and there was a seat for her to read upon.

She walked into the bathroom. It looked like a smaller, more personal, version of the prefect's bathroom. There was candles along the spa style bath and 10 different faucets to fill the tub with. There was a shower up against one wall and a sink and toilet against the other.

The whole layout was basically perfect. "Maybe this whole stuck with Malfoy thing won't be so bad," she said with a sigh and fell asleep.

A/N- So there you go. That's the third chapter, I hope you liked it. I know it was rather uneventful, but it was needed to be said so I didn't have to go over it later.

DracoHermyarecute-Thanks for the compliment, and as for the lyrics, I totally understand. I used to not like them too, but now I do and so they will be used in my story. If you don't want to read them just skim over them. It's up to you.

Riley Malfoy-I'm glad you liked my story, and I hope to read more of yours soon too. Oh, and I'm happy you liked her outfit too.

Alyssium-Thanks for the support. I really appreciate it. I'll update ASAP.