Yay! New chapter! Sorry for the long wait, I had writer's block and also was pretty busy. Anyways... Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Getting Settled

As the food disappeared, the students had gotten up to go to sleep and get some well-deserved rest and relaxation in the comforts of the common room and dorms. The prefects and the heads, as exhausted as they were from their long journey, wondered what Professor McGonagall had needed to discuss with them.

"Great, now you're all here, follow me," McGonagall stated as the last of the six students had arrived.

The six students quickly shuffled behind in an attempt to keep up. The headmistress led them up a new hallway, which led to a new pair of staircases. These staircases were much like the ones they were used to seeing, with the same greyish tone. One staircase led up to a painting of an owl as white as snow. The left staircase led up to a painting of a brave-looking knight that stared off into the distance.

"Prefects will be on the left staircase and the heads will be on the right. You may now go up and get settled. The password for both is 'unitatem'. I expect no fighting for either one of you. Have a good night," the professor stated as she eyed Draco and Hermione carefully before walking off.

The prefects headed off to their common room, leaving the two heads to walk up to their portrait.

"Unitatem," Hermione said to the portrait as she watched it swing open in delight.

The common room was huge. It consisted of both house colors and two couches next to a fireplace. A sturdy, brown, low table was in front of the couches, and a bigger one was set off to the side of the room. At the two ends of the room, there were two doors, which they both assumed were their dorms.

"Well uh, I guess we should go to our dorms and get ready to go to sleep I suppose," Hermione awkwardly started," goodnight Malfoy."

As she began to walk off to her dorm on the far right, she heard a voice.

"Wait, Granger-"

Hermione turned around to see Draco's silver eyes looking right at her.

"I never really did get to explain what I wanted to say on the train now did I," he smirked.

"Just get to the point Malfoy," Hermione sighed," I would like to go to sleep early."

"We don't even have classes tomorrow."

"Is it bad that I would rather not be a sleep-deprived zombie?"

Truth was, she was rather sleep-deprived all the time. She was often awoken by ever-lasting nightmares throughout the night, but she couldn't let Malfoy know that.

"Well, maybe it's just the trait of a bookworm. Oh well, I'm not here to argue Granger."

Hermione looked at him as if he had just turned into a ferret again.

Draco scoffed, crossing his arms and leaning on a nearby wall," Don't look so surprised, people change you know."

"Hard to believe for you," muttered Hermione under her breath, but slightly too loud.

"You don't even know me, so you have no right to judge me."

"Oh, but I have every right Malfoy. I know you. You're the person who would bully me day and night for my blood status, the way I looked, the friends I had, the house I was in, the way I even acted in class. You were there, making Harry, Ron, and I's lives horrible on top of everything we were going through. To make it all worse, you never gave a second thought about it. It was just who you are. You and all your fellow snakes."

"You know none of it Granger so hold your tongue," Draco seethed," I was forced to join the death eaters. I lived my life in constant fear and distress, so don't act like all you so-called saviors had it any easier than I did. I was basically deprived of my childhood."

She acknowledged the fact he was hurt, but so was she.

"You could have gone to Dumbledore, he could have helped you!"

"See, this is the problem with the famous golden trio. You always put your fate in Dumbledore's hands. Well, the old man couldn't do anything even if he wanted to help a Slytherin like me. He always favored his little golden lions anyways."

"What do you mean?" Hermione curiously asked.

"Are all you Gryfinndors really this daft?" Draco sarcastically chuckled," the old fool was biased towards Gryffindor. Now that I think about it, everyone is."

"You never even tried, how would you know," came an angry response.

Draco looked mad, but also a tiny bit amused.

"I would never expect a Gryfinndor to understand, but this is a lot coming from the supposed smartest witch of our generation. Well, perhaps the war really has changed you, Granger. Maybe I'll finally take top marks," he drawled without thinking.

Hermione hit her breaking point.

"For a second I was stupid enough to think you could have changed, but no. That's just not possible for you. You will always be the pure-blooded ferret who thinks he's obviously better than everyone else. You know what, stay away from me Malfoy," snapped Gryfinndor's golden girl.

She angrily turned back around and stomped off into her dorm, slamming the door as hard as she could. Draco sighed. He may have just ruined his one chance at peace with Hermione. He had let his old habits get the better of him. Although, he had one more idea. He walked over to his dorm and pulled out a piece of parchment. The quill hit the thin texture of the parchment as he began to write.