-4-

DRACO hadn't meant to laugh at Granger. But seriously – who trips twice during one 20 minute carriage ride? Whether she heard him chuckle at her misfortune or not remained a mystery, as she didn't turn around once she began her march towards the castle. He resolved to allowing a good amount of distance between them before following her to join the waiting crowd at the entrance of the castle.

His mind kept replaying the carriage ride in unnecessary detail. The way her face flushed red. And when she fell into his lap? He'd felt the testosterone envelop his body. It was the most action he'd had in months. Given the events of this year, though, this could be understood. Nothing like a Dark Lord trying to take over the world to kill a man's sex drive.

Of course, Granger was the last girl he'd want to ravish in a carriage, end of the world or not.

Testosterone was definitely the focus of his attention for those first few moments, until he noticed her grasping her forearm, squeezing so hard that her knuckles were rivaling the color of her face. Almost like she was trying to hide a secret. But he was one of the few people in the world who knew exactly what it was she was trying to hide. In fact, one could argue it was because of him that she had anything to hide at all.

He refused to admit to anyone his regret about what happened to Granger at the Manor. Not that anyone would believe he was genuinely regretful anyway. But what he struggled with accepting was, why should he have anything to regret in the first place? It wasn't by his wand that Granger was cursed and tortured. Wasn't it enough that he had wanted to come to her aid? Couldn't he be forgiven for not opposing some of the most sinister, dark wizards of all time? It would have been a death wish, to help her.

During these past few weeks in the Manor, death seemed like a better alternative to the shame and guilt he shouldered. He had known what the moral decision was, how he could have saved her, and he hadn't done it. He knew it then and he knew it now. His moral compass was defective. The mental tug-of-war was making him weary.

Pull yourself together Draco thought to himself, kicking stones aside as he walked. It did him no good to dwell on what he couldn't change. And may lightning strike him before he thinks about Granger laying in his lap again. Those kinds of thoughts were poison to his wellbeing.

So, then and there he decided that the best course of action for himself this summer was to keep as much distance between himself and Granger as possible. He wouldn't even look in her direction if he could help it. It was a big castle – he could manage to stay away from her.

It only took a room assignment and a walk to the Slytherin common room for Draco to realize that his plan would be impossible.

Malfoy, Draco

Room: # 3 – Boys Dorm

Task: Library Reorganization

Work Hours: 9AM – 3PM

Assisting: Granger, Hermione

Draco gripped his neatly styled hair, holding back the urge to scream out the many profanities cycling through his mind. He started pacing through the familiar common room.

This had to be a joke. Right? Or perhaps this was his punishment for all of his mistakes and wrongdoings? Maybe the Wizengamot thought this would be a way for him to redeem himself?

He hated feeling so introspective, but around Granger it was impossible to avoid. She brought up all of the horrible impulses his upbringing told him to act upon but he knew were morally wrong. He'd have to live with these conflicting feelings everyday this summer?

"Absolutely not," came a voice from behind him, voicing his exact sentiment. He turned to find who else but Granger staring blankly at the very bulletin that had just ruined his life. Fine, that was dramatic. Ruined his summer.

When she turned around and they locked eyes, one of those profanities he had been holding in slipped from his lips.

"Fuck." He let his hand drop down to his side.

"Not even on my bloody death bed will I be partnered with you," Hermione demanded, her gaze never wavering. When he didn't say anything more, she continued, "I'll speak to McGonagall about this."

She stalked past him and began to stride back through the entrance wall of the common room. As she walked, she pulled something from out of her robes – her wand, he realized – and flicked it towards the bulletin board, which caused the flyer to soar across the room and into her hand.

Draco tried to keep his emotions in check, but Granger was insufferable so out slipped, "Oh and what, you - you think I want to be stuck with you all day in the library doing god knows what -" but he stopped when he realized she wasn't slowing her pace to listen to him.

So much for showing no emotions. He needed to get a grip and learn to better control himself. Especially around her. To be seen in a screaming match with Hermione Granger would have meant a one-way ticket back to the Manor, as well as confirm everyone's assumption (and not the complete truth) that he and his family were still pining after their life in the Dark Arts, and went against the Malfoy family motto: Lay. Low.

He was clearly not good at laying low. Why did she rile him up so easily?

Draco, consumed by his thoughts, had given Hermione a solid head-start to search for McGonagall. He hesitated for a moment, deliberating whether to follow after her or just let her try to explain and rectify the situation. He felt sure that she could make a sound enough argument to convince McGonagall to change their assignments.

Unless Granger's way of convincing McGonagall was arguing that he shouldn't be allowed to stay at Hogwarts at all…

Determined not to be shipped back to the Manor as a failure, Draco took off after Hermione, but he had waited too long. He looked around the long halls of the dungeons. She was nowhere to be seen.

He assumed that at – he peered at his watch - 6 o'clock in the evening, McGonagall would be in her office. Rather, if McGonagall wasn't in her office, he hadn't a clue where she might be, so he tried his best to remember the way through the bloody maze of staircases that would take him to the stone gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office.

It took roughly 15 minutes to find his way, and by the final staircase, Draco was exhausted, but his efforts hadn't been in vain. As he breached the final step, he found himself in front of a startled McGonagall and an equally exhausted Hermione, which meant that he'd made it in time to catch their conversation.

Professor McGonagall arched her brow, eyeing the two of them expectantly, like she already knew the reason for their sudden approach.

"Professor," Hermione started, waving her hand that still held the bulletin she had taken from the common room. "There must be some mistake," she said, still slightly breathless. "I'm – I'm happy to be back to help, Professor, please don't take this as me being ungrateful." She turned and glared at Draco. He thought she probably wanted to be saying this in a more private setting. He wondered why? Was she really trying to consider his feelings right now?

Before Hermione could continue, McGonagall interjected.

"I'm sure you're both surprised by your assignments, but I assure you, there's a very good reason that the two of you were paired together."

Hermione looked at her incredulously. This horrible mistake was intentional?

"So, it wasn't a mistake then? I'm really expected to spend the summer with him?" She pointed to Draco, who tried his best to seem puzzled by Hermione's outburst. He thought feigning innocence would be his best tactic to remain at Hogwarts. The mental image of his father's reaction if he were to show up back at the Manor had him really trying to sell the act.

Draco decided to play coy. "Man Granger, you really know how to hurt a man's pride." He gripped his heart in mock pain.

Hermione noticed and glowered at him. McGonagall, however, resumed as if she hadn't been interrupted.

"You were both very knowingly assigned to the library. Of all of the students in your year at Hogwarts, you were both at the top of the class. We deliberately chose to have here the best student from the Gryffindor and Slytherin House to help with the restoration project. You're both a necessary asset to the cause. As for why you were assigned to the library – well, we figured who better acquainted with that part of the castle than the two most studious students?"

Draco knew his intelligence was fit to be rivaled. How could it not have been? The number of governess's he'd gone through in his childhood ensured he'd studied a wide variety of subjects, including a small jaunt with muggle studies right before he'd come to Hogwarts. That governess had only lasted a few weeks, though, and was fired as soon as his father had found out about him learning muggle literature, which was a shame. He'd liked that governess.

But that he was close to Granger in terms of grades was news to Draco. His shoulders felt a little bit taller knowing this.

.

.

Hermione should've just dropped it and moved on to ignoring Malfoy for the summer, but learning that they had more in common than she'd thought made her skin crawl. Imagining having to rival him for the spot at the top of the class got under her skin so much so that she couldn't stop herself from blurting out -

"That's absurd. I never saw him in the library, not even once!"

Annoyed, Draco retorted, "That's because when you studied, your nose was buried so far in the book you wouldn't have noticed even if the castle were on fire."

"Oh?" She stepped forward. "See, I would've bet my entire Gringotts bank that, in the event of a fire, you couldn't even read the exit sign."

Draco took a step as well, closing more of the gap between them. It was like Granger knew which buttons to press that would set him off. Maybe they were similar. To insult his intelligence was his ignition. This banter had become personal.

"What? Scared of a little competition, are we, Granger? I'd bet my families fortune that I learned more hexes just in my childhood than you've learned in your entire time at Hogwarts," Draco spat. His defenses had been completely broken. This was the limit of his control. He wouldn't stand around and be insulted by the likes of Granger, his remorse be damned.

In retaliation, Hermione pulled her wand from her robes for the second time that day, her breathing growing more labored. This time, she pointed it at the admittedly tall man in front of her. "Oh yeah, Malfoy? Care to test that?"

"With pleasure," Draco responded, yielding his own wand and directing it at Hermione. His breath quickened.

"That is quite enough, both of you." Professor McGonagall put herself between the feud, though neither of them dropped their wands. They wore matching scowls.

McGonagall turned to address Draco.

"You'll find that dinner will begin in the Great Hall in a matter of minutes, Mr. Malfoy. I suggest you head there first while I settle a few details with Ms. Granger here."

It took Draco a few moments to calm his breathing and lower his wand. "To be bossed around by Hermione Granger all summer," he said and he turned to head back down the staircase.

"What a load of bollocks."

"You'll remember to mind your language in the presence of your professors this summer, Mr. Malfoy. I feel quite sure that the Ministry could find another assignment for you, if you truly wish to leave."

This caused Draco to stop in his escape, but Hermione didn't fully understand the implications of what McGonagall was saying. She thought he might retort, but he just shook his head slightly and continued his exit.

They listened to the sound of his footsteps fade.

"Butterscotch," McGonagall murmured towards the stone statue in front of them and they watched as it sprung to life, turning to expose a small stone staircase. She gestured for Hermione to enter, so she stepped inside and was transported to the office of the newest Hogwarts Headmistress.

Once inside, Hermione surveyed the space. It wasn't much different from when it had been inhabited by Professor Dumbledore. It had somehow avoided damage during the battle. Still the same kitschy décor, the only difference being the new addition of the ornate frame hung on the wall with the name 'Albus Dumbledore' adorned on the front. The subject of this frame was currently missing.

When McGonagall took a seat behind her desk, Hermione followed suit and sat in the nearest chair, then looked at her professor expectantly. She was surely being reprimanded.

"Let me start by explaining that I am not a liar, Ms. Granger. I only decided to tell part of the truth in front of Mr. Malfoy."

"Then it's not true?" Hermione's posture straightened, her eyes gleaming with hope. "Malfoy isn't truly top of the class, you only said that to appease him, right?"

"That's not the lie I was referring to," McGonagall said, and Hermione visibly deflated, looking perplexed.

"It's true that Draco Malfoy is an incredibly intelligent student, much like yourself. It was less that I told a lie a more that I didn't reveal the entire truth to him."

"Professor, please," Hermione pleaded. Her voice became quiet, a mere whisper of the voice she'd used when fighting with Draco. "You weren't there when we were captured. There, in the Manor, when I – when Bellatrix," but Hermione's whispered voice dropped into silence. Tears began to fall into her lap, where she was fidgeting with the extra fabric of her sleeve. "Every time I see him I'm – I'm reminded of that night."

McGonagall's face softened. "You're right, Hermione. I wasn't there and I can only imagine the trauma that you and your friends and many others saw at the hands of Voldemort and his accomplices. You all have seen pain and suffering that I have not known in my life. So, I will not pretend to understand what you are going through. I do, however, know that your place in the restoration of, not only Hogwarts, but the wizarding world, will be very important."

She stood up, walked over to a cabinet next to her desk and continued, "This entire castle is a dark reminder of the war. The Great Hall, where we housed the injured and the dead. The Astronomy Tower, where we lost one of the best Headmasters this school has ever seen." She paused and glanced solemnly at the frame of Albus Dumbledore. "Are we meant to just abandon Hogwarts because it holds tough memories that we'd rather not revisit?"

Hermione understood that McGonagall wasn't only speaking about Hogwarts. The difference was, Hogwarts had so many redeeming qualities, so many good memories to combat the bad. Was McGonagall so convinced that Malfoy had anything worth redeeming?

"There are two groups of people helping restore the castle this summer," McGonagall explained, "Junior Staff, such as yourself, and a group we are calling Reintegration Assistants. These are members of our society that were on the wrong side of the law during the war and were given a second chance by the Wizengamot.

"It's not my business, but I heard that you may have played a part in helping Mr. Malfoy and his family avoid a worse fate than their current assignments. It's rumored within the Order that you were an anonymous witness on behalf of the Malfoys."

Hermione looked up at the Headmistress, surprised that her secret was not actually a secret at all. It was true that she'd stood as a witness on behalf of the Malfoy family. She recounted their betrayal to Voldemort and Draco's assistance to Harry that ended the war. It was a decision she has battled with every day since.

She couldn't deny the truth of McGonagall's metaphor. If Hogwarts, despite the horrors it'd seen, could be remembered as a place of happiness and joy, could Malfoy be remembered by his hand in helping Harry win the war? It was Draco's wand, offered willingly, that defeated Voldemort. Was this enough to prove his morality?

"I'm not asking you to confirm or deny anything," McGonagall interrupted her inner monologue. "I just want to help you realize what a huge impact you have on the future of our world, Ms. Granger. It is not up to us to change bad people to good. But it is up to us to choose good for ourselves and hope we can leave an impression on those around us."

"There's no denying that Draco is a risk. He needs to prove his integrity and intentions to rejoin society as an upright citizen. That is the reality of many of the volunteers in this restoration project. So, our Junior Staff are a compilation of some of the most competent witches and wizards we could think of to help us keep balance and work together to rebuild the castle to its former splendour."

Hermione nodded her understanding.

"Draco is not to know anything of what we discussed here today. Is that understood?"

She nodded again.

"Need I remind you to keep your wand nearby at all times?"

"Don't worry, Professor. I won't let it out of my sight."

"Good. Well on a lighter note, if you're curious about what Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley have been up to lately, they've written to you. It seems like they both received word that you'd be here for the summer." She handed Hermione the letter she had retrieved from the cabinet behind her desk.

Hermione took it happily, ready to finally hear some good news from her best friends. She hoped they'd have an excuse to come by Hogwarts soon. Especially Ron. They hadn't talked much since the kiss and she thought it was better that they talk about it sooner rather than later.

"Well, I'm off to the Great Hall for dinner. I'll send someone along to your dorm with some dinner and refreshments so that you can avoid the Great Hall for tonight." McGonagall started toward the door, before briefly turning back towards Hermione.

"Also, don't be discouraged by the amount of work to be done in the library," McGonagall explained, "while it will be only you and Mr. Malfoy at the start, more volunteers are arriving each week. You'll have help soon. Maybe even by some…familiar faces." And with that, she left.

A/N: If you've read this far, I'm truly thankful. It's been 14 years since my last fic, so I'm feeling very rusty. I'd love to know who's reading so please leave a review if you're enjoying so far!

-Jane