A/N: Well, it's time for Chapter Four! Never thought I would get this far! Seriously, now, though. I have no idea what is in store for this chapter. Also, I have got to totally share this with all of my readers: I AM GOING TO BE AN AUNT AGAIN! Okay, I know. Excessive punctuation and caps is annoying, but this is so huge! My brother just got divorced from his first wife, and she took their 2 year old son, "Joe", with her out to Oklahoma (my bro lives in North Carolina). Well, My brother and his long-time friend (a girl by the way, obviously)… have been, well, doing the dirty deed, and she got preg! Now, unfortunately, they are not married. coughyetcough. "Amelia", his… lover (?), already has an 8 year old son. We'll call him, "Billy". He's such an awesome little kid, and he's been calling my bro Daddy for a long time. Now, "Amelia" claims that her son, "Billy" isn't my brother's kid, but gosh, they look A LOT alike… So, yeah… Everyone's hoping for a little girl! Best wishes, and cross your fingers, toes, and eyes for the next nine months! Everyone wish "Amelia", my bro, "Billy", and me: Foxy, the best of luck! "Amelia" is my friend too, so I hope she gets her beautiful baby girl. We'll christen the baby "The Bump" for right now, until "Amelia" tells us what she's going to name her baby, and what gender it will be!

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing! is way too happy right now because I'm typing this right after I was told about The Bump Everything is borrowed courtesy of the great, wonderful JK Rowling.

A/N (Part 2): My bug bites went away, finally, but there are 2 nasty scars on the back of my hand. runs out to buy a teddy for The Bump and some Scar-B-Gone

Draco groaned as he woke up. The sunlight from the window was in his eyes. He could already tell that this was going to be a long day. Tomorrow they would all return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their seventh year. It was going to be hell, Draco was sure. He was Head Boy, of course, but the mudblood, however nice she had been to him a couple weeks ago, was still an insufferable know-it-all, and she was Head Girl. He wasn't looking forward to spending his last school year locked into living in the same tower as her.

As it was now, Hermione Granger was bossing everyone around, telling them how to pack, what to pack, and when to pack. This, of course, was when she wasn't trying to convince everyone that they should be studying their new books.

Draco glanced over at his alarm clock. He hadn't set it the night before, and as such, had no idea what time in the morning it was. The clock read that it was about noon. He groaned again. That bloody woman would be coming up the stairs to rouse him out of bed. He rolled over and put his pillow over his head. All too soon, he heard Hermione pounding on the door.

"Malfoy! Get up! It's noon! You missed breakfast, you know. Besides, have you packed yet?" she yelled through the door. He didn't answer. Instead, he pulled his pillow farther over his head and tried to block her out. "Malfoy, are you even awake?" He heard her yell. He heard the door latch clicking. Looked doors weren't allowed here.

"You're not even out of bed yet, Malfoy! Come on!" she griped, and pulled his pillow away. He pulled it back and threw it at her.

"Get out, Granger."

Hermione got very indignant. "Fine! I'll just get professor Snape to get you up!" She left the room. Draco got up and sat on the edge of the bed in his flannel pajama bottoms. He heard two sets of people start to ascend the stairs. "Professor, he won't get up, and as you know, it's well past noon! He should be up and dressed already." Draco heard the mudblood say.

"Ms. Granger, I can assure you, he can sleep if he wishes. Tomorrow you all go back to school, and will need your rest. Not all people want to get up at the crack of dawn to study new schoolbooks, as you do." Prof. Snape said, a bit of venom in his voice. Draco laughed a little. The pair was at the landing, right in front of the room. "Ms. Granger, please stay here." Snape said.

Snape entered the room. "You would do well to cover your arm, Mr. Malfoy." He said, noticing that the black brand, a skull eating a snake, was clearly visible. Draco groaned. He walked over to the armoire and pulled out a long-sleeve T-shirt. Pulling the black garment on, he heard Snape begin to speak again. "You must remember to do so, now. Minerva will allow your return, but if others report that you are a Death-Eater, she will be forced to turn you over to Azkaban, and there you will do no-one any good." He said.

Draco nodded. "I know this, Professor Snape. What happens when I am called during school? During classes?" Snape shrugged.

"Well, it is possible that you could ask for a bathroom pass and simply cut class. Or you could pretend illness and leave." He suggested. Draco nodded while he pulled on a pair of baggy black jeans. His potions professor looked at him. "Really now, if everything you own black?" he asked.

Smirking, Draco responded by saying, "Of course not. My school shirts are white and my ties are green and silver."

Professor Snape glared at the teen. "That is not what I meant, and you know it."

Draco glared back, not backing down. "What concern of yours is it, professor, what I wear and what color it is? You would do well to concern yourself with your own well being."

"Mr. Malfoy, do not insult me. I am your professor, after all." Snape responded.

Draco shrugged. "Of course you are, but this is not school. I do not have to listen to you right now." He said.

Professor Snape looked at the youth. Despite his young age – 17 – he was rather strong minded. A true Slytherin, some would call him, but the professor knew that the kind of attitude, wisdom, and strong will that Draco Malfoy possessed came only from age, or great personal pain. His sarcasm was only a cover.

"Mr. Malfoy, expect to be up with the sun in the morning. You and Hermione will be traveling to Hogwarts before the train, so that Headmistress McGonagall can brief you on your duties, and on the prefects under your control. She will also give you the password to your tower." Snape said, and left.

The next morning, Draco awoke at 4:30 AM when his alarm went off. He groaned, and tried to hit the snooze button. Unfortunately, he missed and knocked the battery powered clock of the night stand. It skidded across the hardwood floor, and hit the wall. It stopped beeping. Draco groaned again, as he got up to go get the annoying muggle device. He shivered as his bare feet hit the cold floor.

As he walked over to go get the clock, he heard someone coming up the stairs. "Draco," Hermione said, "Breakfast is almost done. Get a shower, get packed, already." she added, noticing the books, robes, and wand laying carelessly on the floor, next to the trunk bearing the Hogwarts and Slytherin seals, as well as the initials DM and the words, "7th year" and "Head Boy's Room, Head's Tower, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"

Draco glared at her. Was Granger always such a chipper person in the morning? "Well," she said, when she noticed he was just standing there, a broken clock in his hand. "Are you going to get around, or not?" she asked.

"Granger, you may have noticed, but I cannot get a shower and get dressed with you standing in the doorway."

"Oh, that's right." She muttered, her face blushing to a deep red color. She turned around and started to go down the stairs. Draco breathed a sigh that she was finally gone and he could go back to sleep… Once he set the clock again, mind you. Suddenly, he heard steps again.

Granger's mop of brown curls popped into the room again. "By the way, did you know your clock is broken?" she asked. He glared down at the thing in his hand. True to her word, the clock was broken.

The little pewter cobra that had once resided on the top, it's head raised, ready to strike, was now headless. The face of the clock was cracked, and it had stopped working. The digital readout screen was bare. He threw the thing onto the floor with a muttered, "Darn it…"

Draco finally descended the stairs a half an hour later, after his 10 minute shower and his 20 minutes to pack (most of which had consisted of trying to find that little book that the Muggle Studies teacher had assigned. Being a muggle book, The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories, it was only about 5x8 inches, and less than an inch thick, even with it's thick hard covers. It had slid under his bed, and he had had to dig around to find it.).

Hermione looked up. "Morning, Draco. Bacon?" she asked, offering a plate with greasy, brown strips of meat on it to him. Draco wrinkled his nose.

"Is that even edible?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, and put 3 of the little slices on her plate, which was already filled with some fried potato mix (potato, bell pepper and onion) as well as some scrambled eggs. 2 slices of toast dripping with butter lay on the edge of her plate. Being muggle food, Hermione would gladly eat it.

Draco walked into the kitchen to find something remotely looking like the food he was used to. Or at least some cereal… that would work for him. Cold cheerios and milk would make a fine breakfast for him, as long as he didn't have to eat that grease-laden muggle food. Draco stopped in the middle of the kitchen. He was suddenly painfully aware that he had no idea where to find cereal, let alone a bowl.

"There's no cereal left!" He heard Hermione call through the doorway.

Draco growled in frustration. "Why not?" he called back out.

"Because I finished it awhile ago!" she called back.

This time her voice was slightly muffled. Draco could only imagine that she had been speaking with food in her mouth. As he walked back out, he was acutely aware that he had been right. Hermione was wiping up some half-chewed egg from the table, where it had probably spewed out when she had answered him.

Hermione looked up and blushed, but quickly looked back down. She had finished cleaning, now, and went back to her book. It was that darned muggle book. She had to memorize it, he guessed.

All too soon, 8:00 AM showed up. Draco lugged his trunk downstairs, along with Hermione. Arthur Weasley had borrowed a company car, being the new Minister of Magic had previously worked in his office. Dilbert Dungweedle, he was named.

The two teens threw their trunks of school supplies into the car trunk. Then they piled into the back seat. Mrs. Weasley was riding in the front seat with her husband. Luckily enough for Hermione and Draco, the car was magical and it expanded on the inside. So, when they started to move, the two of them sat about 12 feet apart, as wide as the car.

Even though they had called a truce of sorts, and Hermione had comforted him after The Night Of, Draco still didn't want to be friends with her. Or maybe he did, and just didn't want to admit it. He didn't know. He just didn't know. And he was confused… So darned confused he just didn't know what to think about Hermione Jane Granger anymore. He didn't even know when he had learned that her middle name was Jane.

The entire ride to Hogwarts was quiet. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had attempted to make small talk with Draco. He hadn't responded. Then they had tried to get the two ornery teens to play the Alphabet Game. Draco hadn't understood the entire concept about looking for objects that began with each letter of the alphabet in order.

Mrs. Weasley had tried to start the game with, "A! Apple Tree! Hermione, can you find anything with a b?" she had asked, with false enthusiasm. As soon as they passed a farm, Mrs. Weasley had shouted out, "B! I found a B! A Barn!" Draco had rolled his eyes and tried to keep from groaning out his boredom and the insanity that was sure to result if Mrs. Weasley didn't stop. He did groan as soon as she yelled, "C! I found C, too! Cows!" Before they even reached 'E', however, the game ended. Mrs. Weasley was the only one playing.

When they reached Hogwarts, Draco was relieved. Judging from the look on Hermione's face, however, he wasn't the only one. Headmistress McGonagall stood waiting in front of the school to great the new Heads of House. 2 house elves waited to take their trunks, too. Hermione frowned, but said nothing. "Welcome, Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Granger." She greeted in her brisk manner. "Let me show you to your tower. We will talk there."

The Heads' Tower was at the southernmost corner of the castle. It was the smallest tower, but it was still large enough to fit another house. At the entrance a portrait of an elegant looking woman in a frosty blue gown with pale, flawless skin and sleek black hair piled into an up-twist greeted them. In her hair was seated a small tiara of diamonds, and she sported elbow length white gloves. "Hello, children. Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger, I presume? I am Maihre-Aislin Jeannette Knowles. Password, please." She said, motioning with her hand. "Cerulean." The headmistress provided. "Correct, Headmistress McGonagall." She replied, and swung her silver guilt frame forward.

Hermione gasped as she stepped into the common room. A dark blue plush carpet covered the floors, with the exception of the small kitchenette, which had a hardwood floor. A large fireplace, large enough to floo from, was crackling away. Large, overstuffed furniture in cappuccino velvet complimented the room, and Hermione saw a spiral staircase, as well. It's elegant wrought iron wrapped it's way upwards, but Hermione was also baffled to see that it went down, too?

"Professor, aren't we on the first floor?" she asked. The Headmistress laughed a little.

"No, certainly not. Downstairs is Draco's dormitory. Upstairs, on the next floor is the Head of House Private Library, and then on the top floor is your dormitory. Now, each of you have your own bathroom, but you will have to share the kitchenette. If you decide to work early, or late, and happen to miss meals due to your hard work, you can get food there. It is similar to muggle room service. A menu is listed on cardboard. It lays on the countertop. Now, what you want, you merely touch and say, 'Ordo Victus'. It is linked to the kitchens downstairs."

Draco looked around the room. It was certainly lavish enough, and it had a subtle elegance to it, although nothing seemed to match anything else. He zoned out whatever it was that Professor McGonagall had to say, just thinking about what could happen in this tower… He and Blaise Zabini were planning on christening it with a bottle or ten of firewhiskey, but he wasn't sure how drunk they could get with the mudblood prude in the same tower.

All too soon, the headmistress had disappeared. "Well," Hermione said, "I am going to my room, and perhaps I'll check out the library while I am up there." She finished, and took off.

Draco was left alone, and he went to the stairs, descending into his dorm. As he was used to, it was in the dungeons. He wondered if all Head Boys stayed in the dungeons, or if they moved the library or common room down here other years. All thoughts left his mind as he stared at the lavish room before him.

The floor was a dark forest green carpet, and on the opposite wall was a tall four-poster bed of ebony wood. It was polished to a deep finish, and the bedding was dark green. His trunk lay at the foot of his bed, but it was obsolete, he noticed, because there was a matching armoire to his bed. Next to the armoire there were ebony closet doors. The handles on the armoire and closet were brushed satin-finish sterling silver. Another door to the left led him, Draco assumed, to his bathroom. The doors, French style, matched his other furnishings.

He opened the door and was immediately greeted with white marble. White marble made up the floor, and the counter and sinks. The bathtub, the same size as in the prefect's bath, was not only sunken into the floor, but it was made of black marble. Silver made up all of the taps on the bath and sink. Draco was relieved to see a shower in the corner, as well.

Slowly, he walked around and touched everything. This was going to be a great year, he knew. His own dorm room, and finally, his own bath.

On the 4th floor, similar thoughts ran through the head of Hermione Granger. Her room was lavish. She had a deep, plush red wine colored carpet, and a beautiful mahogany bed. Over the bed was a sheer princess canopy of wine colored material. Her dresser and closet doors matched, and her bedspread was of deep wine velvet. All of the knobs were gold, and even her floor length mirror was framed in gold.

Her bathroom door led her into a small, but tidy room. It had all of the essentials, and included a jet bath. Though not of marble like Draco's bath was, Hermione still liked hers. It was just simple white tile, and she liked it just fine.

She had been so excited to see her room that she had hardly even ventured to the library. She descended to the floor below, and was immediately excited. It was small, but is held many old tomes, and some muggle books, as well. 2 desks, both of mahogany with matching chairs, were each under one of the two windows. Hermione immediately claimed the one nearest the older section of books, and that was that.