Hermione woke the next morning, feeling disheveled and puffy from the night before. She rolled out of bed and grabbed a few things from her trunk before heading to the bathroom to shower. The hot water rejuvenated her, and she quickly got dressed and braided her hair for the day.

Finished with getting herself ready, she went to grab her bag before remembering that it had been left in the library the night before. After the conversation with Malfoy. Draco Malfoy.

She exited the common room and began to head towards the library, only a few people passing her in the hall since breakfast had only just started. She was halfway there when she encountered Neville.

"Good morning, Hermione." He greeted, "Off to the library?"

"Oh, yes." she smiled wryly, "Lots of mess there. I'm just hoping to finish before the school term begins."

"Well, good luck with that." He said before glancing around for evesdroppers and leaning in a little, "Hermione, is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Malfoy is back, here in the castle."

Hermione closed her eyes for a moment, cursing the gossip trail that no doubt had it all over the school that Draco Malfoy was back, and in the library with her.

"Neville…" she started, unsure of how to proceed, "IT's true, but I'm okay. And if the ministry released him, than he is not a danger. I think we should just do our jobs and not pay attention to Malfoy."

The tall young man nodded, suddenly grinning as he looked behind her, "Luna!"

The petite blond walked over to them and hugged each in greeting, "Hullo all. How have your summers been so far?"

"I've been in the library, which is where I'm heading now. We'll talk later, okay?" Hermione said, avoiding her friend's eyes, knowing that Luna would see right through the smile she pasted on for everyone else.

"Okay, be careful!" Neville called, while Luna merely waved with a knowing smile.

Hermione continued down the hall, lost in her thoughts - Harry, Ron, heck, all the Weasleys, the war, the events of the last year, her future - once known and assured, now she feels like paper on a string in the wind.

She knew Kings would give her any job she wanted at the ministry, but she still wanted to finish her schooling properly. If she was completely honest with herself, she needed a year of quiet study to give her reprieve from the stress.

The doors of the library were cracked open already, but the room was still silent. Malfoy must have left it openn last night after leaving. Then again, she reminded herself, it isn't as though anyone was used to closing the library on their own.

"Granger."

She froze as the deep voice sounded behind her, taking a breath before spinning around.

"Did you leave these open?" She asked, waving one hand toward the doors. He shrugged and nodded, "I just ran down to my dorm to grab something. I wasn't sure when you would arrive, so I left it open."

She looked at him one more time before turning and going into the room. It was mostly how she left it, though she could tell that Malfoy had finished with the Astrology section.

"Granger, I, uh, I wanted to apologize for last night." He said to her, "I shouldn't have used that spell on you, and I shouldn't have just blurted out all that information."

"Malfoy," she said, rummagining through her bag a moment before facing her classmate, "Listen, it's fine. I just want to do my work and live quietly until school begins, at which point I plan on studying, attending classes, and doing my work. That's all. I do not want any drama, nor do I wish to be some kind of project for you. Please, find your friends and just leave me be."

There was silence for a moment and her words echoed in her mind, almost making her feel guilty enough to turn around and say something else. Before she could do anything, he responded, his voice low and strained, "I'm sorry to have bothered you. I will leave you be, Granger."

She was disappointed that she didn't feel relief at his words. Instead, she was almost….upset about his acceptance of her angry words.

They set to work, and it wasn't until about lunchtime that there was any noise. The loud crack of the Hogwarts house elves bounced off the walls, and the clatter of trays being set on the table followed.

"Hermione, I won't speak, but please come and eat." Malfoy called from across the room as he stood and stretched.

Begrudingly, she set aside her task of sweeping the table area and walked over to the command center set-up. Malfoy sat down, placing a large tome next to his spot and opening it to a page. She watched for a moment as he sat there and read while taking small bites of the food in front of him.

Hermione matched him, taking the seat across and opening the muggle novel she had been reading for enjoyment. The two ate in silence for a few minutes, the silence broken when she finished the book and set it aside.

"What do you have there?" Malfoy asked her, putting his fork down slowly. She almost felt like a trapped animal.

"It's a muggle book." She said, shifting in her seat. He was being friendly, there was no real reason for her to be rude, "It's called Catcher in the Rye. I find it fairly interesting."

"I haven't heard of that one. I adventured a few times into London and found a few books. I've always been interested in muggle books - they always seem more exciting than other things I've read."

"I can't see you in muggle London." Hermione almost giggled at the image produced in her mind. "I suppose I assumed that you always avoided anything to do with muggles."

"Well, you know, I wasn't exactly raised to hate muggles."

At this, she raised an eyebrow at him, and he smirked, "I was taught that muggles were beneath me, that muggle-borns have magic because they or their parents stole it. I have always been interested in everything, so Theo Nott and I used to sneak away and walkabout. My parents never knew, and still don't.

Hermione was startled by his customary smirk directed at her without malice. It was a strange feeling.

"I see. Well, if you promise to return it - in good condition - I may let you borrow it."

"Really? Um, thank you." He said, a small smile gracing his face through the surprise, "I would really like that."

She pushed it gently across the table to him, and watched as he carefully picked it up and started to read the back of the book. As he examined it, she let herself study him - this young man was not like the one she had known before. He mostly looked the same, though the last year had caused him to become thin and he was more pale than ever. His features were sharp, and she could see the vein pulsing on one side of his jawline.

"This sounds fascinating. I would appreciate borrowing it; perhaps you will let me know if there's anything that I could lend to you." He said, head tilting upward to meet her eyes. She was once againn caught off guard as she noticed the malice and anger was gone, replaced by other emotions she couldn't name.

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." She replied, taking a few bites of her lunch before realizing that she had indeed eaten most of the tray's contents. "I'm going to get back to work. I'm hoping to get started on the restricted section next week."

"Sure, no problem. Uh, I'll work on the sections covering Herbology today. Let me know if there's a specific area you would like some help with, okay?" He said, flipping the book open to examine the first page.

She grunted in acknowledgement and moved away, still feeling confused about how…different she was finding her life at Hogwarts without her friends.

A tapping at the window drew her attention, and she walked over to it, giving the owl a treat from the bowl kept near the windowpane. As she took the letter, Hermione realized that her partner was watching her closely, and tucked it away in her pocket for later.

The remainder of the afternoon passed in silence, and Hermione found herself glancing over at Malfoy frequently. She finished the task of sweeping and tracking the furniture in the main area and quickly started in on the section nearest the restricted section.

She lost track of time, and was leaning over yet another stack of ruined books when Malfoy came around the shelf and spoke, "Granger. Dinner is here. Didn't you hear the elves?"

The stack fell as she jolted back, slamming her head on the shelf next to her and crying out. A moment later she was blinking away the darkness to see a very concerned face in front of her, eyes scanning her face.

"I'm sorry! I didn't realize you couldn't hear me. I'm sorry!" He exclaimed, eyebrows pinched together as he studied her.

"Stop apologizing, Malfoy." She slurred out, holding one hand to the back of her head and rubbing, trying to clear the fog clouding her mind. Suddenly, she was lifted up, his arms looped under her and holding securely. "What?"

"i'm just getting you out of the stacks, Granger, calm down." his voice dropped low, rumbling his chest and she took a breath.

She could smell their dinner trays as he sat her on the bench and knelt to examine her face again. The thought passed through her mind that he was worried, but she was also concerned that she had a concussion and dreamt it all.

"I'm okay, Malfoy, really." She waved him off as she reached into her bag and pulled out aspirin, popping the bottle open and spilling a few pills into her hand.

"I'm so sorry. I really wasn't trying to cause you harm." He said again, and Hermione pinched her nose.

"Malfoy. Please stop apologizing. It's….well, it's weird." She snapped, grabbing the glass of water and swallowing the pills. Then she sighed, seeing his face fall and he aimed his gaze downward.

"Oh, goodness. Don't get me wrong, it's nice that you're being…friendly and all, but it's too weird to hear you apollogizing all the time. You never once apologized in the past, and I didn't send my letter to get you to fawn all over me. I just didn't believe you deserved to rot in Azkaban and wanted you to have a secondd chance to do things right. I don't want you to feel like you owe me, please." She dropped her hand to the bench between them and her shoulders sagged.

"Will you mind if I leave now?" He asked politely, "I'm going to take a walk. Uh, stretch my legs and all that."

Without waiting fo her response, he turned and left the ibrary, his footsteps crisp and sharp on the floor. Immediately, Hermione felt bad, and her thoughts flew back to her first year and the troll in the bathroom. She had only been there because she had been upset about what Ron had said about her.

She rose, grabbing her bag quickly, shoving her things back inside it before she caught sight of the second bag on the table, a black leather messenger bag with initials emroidered in gold thread. Reaching out, she pulled it over to her and slid Catcher in the Rye inside before slinging it over one shoulder.

Hermione closed the doors securely, taking a moment to think about where he would have gone before she grinned. She riffled through her bag and tugged the scroll that had fallen to the bottom. She activated it and quickly looked over each room on the map, looking for the familiar name.

"Got ya." She muttered, finally catching sight of his dot in the dungeons. She took off at a run as one hand shoved the map back into her bag and the other gripped the straps of the two heavy bags over one shoulder.

She was out of breath as she approached the hallway leading to the dungeons, and took a moment to lean against the wall. As her breathing slowed, she checked th map to see that he hadn't moved from the room he had been in. Then she realized where he was, and darted off again down the hall.

The door was locked and warded, but it only took her a few minutes to break through them and enter. The potion masters bedchambers had been changed at least twice since Snape left the post. At the moment it was empty, Slughorn gone to visit family after the war.

She scanned the room, looking for the young blond man, but was confused when she couldn't find him. Then, in the corner, she spotted a shimmer that she immediately recognized as a concealing spell. He was facing the wall, head resting between the joint of the stone.

"Malfoy." She said, reaching one hand up to touch his shoulder. He flinched and she drew back, unsure of what to say to him now that she found him. "Uh, now it's my turn to apologize. I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's been terribly hard this last month and I'm simply overwhelmed by everything. Please, don't take it personally."

He didn't speak, but rotated to lean his back against the wall. His posture was very much like when he arrived, as if he were afraid to take up space. Hermione felt something iinside of her shift, and she felt a little intrusive during a moment he was clearly feeling upset.

Hermione gently placed his bag on the stark table, then reached into her bag and pulled out a small package of tissues, which she left next to the bag. As she left the room, she couldn't resist looking back at Malfoy. At the door she paused, "I'm not very good myself, but I think we might be feeling the same way. So, if you ever do need to talk, then just…uh, find me."

Deciding to take advantage of the unexpected night off, Hermione left the castle and headed for Hagrids, hoping he wasn't too upset with her for not coming more. As she passed through the doors, she took a deep breath and sighed at the sunset, for the first time not seeing the red sky as a foreboding sign of bad things to come.

"'ermione! Thur ya ar." Hagrid bellowed, raising a hand in greeting. She smiled brightly at her friend, walking as fast as she could to cross the lawn. He was standing in the paddock, feeding what looked ike a cross between a bull and a giraffe.

"Hagrid! How are you? What are these?" She dropped her bag onto the ground and climbed the fence, perching on top as she relished in the warm air. The dungoens always gave her a chill that persisted long after she left them, but somehow it seemed the air outside helped.

He shifted around the pen, slowly moving until he was standing next to her, The creatures - five in total - gathered before them and thankfully seemed uninterested in her presence.

"Ah, I 'er - 'ell, I'm watchin' 'em fir a frien'" Hagrid responded shortly, and Hermione had been around often enough to know that she shouln't ask any questions.

"I see." She said, gently swinging her feet, "Have you heard from the boys recently?"

"Ah, no, can' say I 'ave." The half-giant said quietly, "I'm sure 'ou 'ave thou' yeah?"

Hermione looked up at the trees, remembering the letter in her pocket, "A few days ago. They're both spending a lot of time in training, and training after training. They both credit me with getting them through Hogwarts." She chuckled with him before they both tilted their heads towards the castle.

"'eard tha' Malfoy is back." He commented openly, though Hermione understood what he wasn't saying. She knew he was seeing if she was going to be forthcoming with the knowledge or would try to keep it from him. It wasn't any use, what with the way gossip traveled.

"Yes." She said, debating how much she wanted to divulge, "He's working in the library with me. It's fine, Hagrid. He's….different."

"Ah, 'ell, I trust ya, 'ermione, but, ah, 'ou le' me know if ya nee' anythin'." He patted her shoulder with one hand, than stood straight as the creatures began to stumble and bump into each other.

"I go' ta ge' 'ese in no'. 'ou stop by aga' soo', yea?" Hagrid used his large hands to encourage the animals in the direction of his stable hut and Hermione spun around to jump off the fencepost.

It wasn't too late, but she did not feel like being out anymore, so she made her way back up to the castle. Many windows were dark, only dots of the few lanterns outlining the windows of those staying to work on rebuilding efforts.

The halls were empty, many having gone to their bedchambers already. She was grateful for the quiet, allowing her to take in the day. She couldn't hardly remember waking this morning, but felt as though time had passed without her even being aware of anything.

As she approached her common room, she noticed a figure sitting against the wall. Hermione walked over and knelt down, recognizing Malfoy instantly. His head had dropped to his chest, hair brushing his eyelashes as his chest moved with each breath.

"Malfoy." She said softly, gently touching one shoulder. When he didn't wake, she tried to raise her voice - only a little, to avoid echoing in the halls - and moved her hand to his chest to push him solidly.

She was shocked to find herself against the opposite wall, wand pointed at her face, one arm across her chest, his right leg extended back for balance and leverage, his left knee between her thighs.He was breathing heavily, his face flushed and eyes wild. She didn't know what to do, how to handle this situation, so she did what she did know: fight.

Hermione's mind had already ran through senarios, so she quickly shot off a non-verbal disarming spell and slammed her forehead into his, causing him to reel backwards. She ducked and feigned going to the left only to cross her feet over and go to the right, shooting another non-verbal binding speel at Malfoy's legs. Smiling now, Hermione pointed her wan at his head and waited for him to speak.

He was simply staring at her, stunned and apparently shocked by her abilities.

"Speak, Malfoy. What are you doing here? Why are you sleeping in front of my dorm?" She demanded, spinning her wand round in her fingers. The young man hesitated, mouthing opening twice before he actually spoke.

"Damn, Granger. I didn't realize you had it in you." His traditional smirk was again aimed at her without malice, and this time she saw something in his eyes that she hadn't seen since Victor Krum had escorted her to the Yule Ball.

Feeling embarrased, she non-verbally released him from the spells keeping him immobile. Malfoy leaned against the wall, folding his arms over his chest and appraising her.

"I'm sorry for…well, attacking you." He said softly, "but I have to say, I'm impressed with your skills. I…didn't see you fight - you're good."

She shrugged awkwardly in response to his compliment. Hermione didn't know what she should do or so in this situation, and felt more confused by this new version of the bully she had always known.

"I-I was going inside." She mentioned then, waving toward the portrait and leaning down to pick up the bag she had dropped earlier.

"Granger, wait, uh - I just wanted to say…thank ypu for bringing my bag to me. I didn't realize I had left it behind. And - I'm sorry for um, creeping you out? I wasn't trying to do any of that. I was just trying to, I don't know…get to know you better without my parent's influence. I just, don't really have anyone here, and you're the only person who has really talked to me."

He gave her a long look that felt fraught with meaning, then spun around and left. Hermione waited, watched until his shadow disappeared.