To his credit, the taxi driver did not say a word to Hermione the whole drive to the Station. It made her wonder just how many crying women he had driven around London during his career. Either it was a regular occurrence and he had learned that it was best to not act on it, or so irregular that she had shocked him into silence. Regardless, it had given her time to think, which in turn had bought her some clarity. Just last night, she and Ron had made love and she had fallen asleep in his arms, telling him how she felt. All the while he knew, he knew dammit , what he was going to do the next day. Why had he not discussed it with her earlier? Did he think she would talk him out of his decision? Well certainly she would have convinced him to return to Hogwarts with her and then there would have been no need for a break-up. Or to take time , as he had so asininely put it. Is that what he really wanted all along? To be single? Did he regret getting together with her and this was his way out? No, Hermione was sure of his feelings after their first kiss in the Chamber of Secrets, had known that her love was reflected in him. He had loved her then, just four months ago, so what had changed? She could accept his reasons for not returning to Hogwarts as he really was rubbish at studying and did heavily rely on her to see him through, but she always thought that it came down to laziness and not inability. Ron was not a stupid wizard, but he was a careless one. So he had decided to go to the Auror's Academy. Alright, fine. Once he had decided on this plan of action, he had taken Hermione into account, or rather what the lack of having Hermione could do for him. It was no secret that he and Harry were more than popular with the witches now that they were decorated war heroes. It would seem that his ego had finally caught up to him and it was exactly as she had suggested earlier: he wanted to sow his seed wherever he could, while he could. Well, she thought. Just let him do that while he can and see how far it gets him. He will come running back to me eventually when he realises his mistake, but it will be a mistake he will have to live with for the rest of his life because Morgana be damned if I will ever take him back. Hermione Jean Granger suffered no fools.

By the time she was walking through the bustling crowds of Kings Cross Station, her tears were dried and in their stead, there was a burning desire to rise above and forget that she had ever loved him in the first place. Passing through the barrier to Platform 9 and 3/4, she realised with a start that there would be no Head Boy to help her carry out their duties. Well shit , she thought. Just add another damn thing to the list.

Hermione didn't pause on the platform to see if there was anyone she knew there yet, judging by the height of most of the people, they were all first or second years. She made a beeline for the Prefect's Cabin and pulled her Hogwarts robe from the trunk, wrapping it around her body, she attached her Head Girl pin to it, stored the case in the overhead locker and got work on her notes for her fellow prefects. Once all students were on board, she made quick work of handing out their train patrolling assignments and made sure to give them a motivating speech.

"It appears as though there is no Head Boy this year," she told them as Draco Malfoy slipped into the cabin, a returning prefect who had always been careless of the school rules - not that she was one to talk on that matter. Her eyes narrowed in on him as she continued talking. "I'm not quite sure what this will mean for our team, but if you have any questions for me, I will do my best to have extra hours in the Prefect's office so that you can find me more easily. Otherwise, you can always try your luck at the Head Student dormitory. Should the matter be of an urgent nature, please as always, seek out the nearest Professor to assist you. So, off you go on your rounds or back to your friends. I'll be here if you need me," she dismissed them. "Malfoy, please stay a moment." Several of the other prefects raised their eyebrows at the sight of him but disappeared through the sliding doors nevertheless.

"Granger," Malfoy said by way of greeting.

Hermione took a seat on one side of the cabin and gestured for Draco to do the same on the other. "Look, Malfoy. I really don't appreciate your tardiness this morning. Not only does it set a bad example for the younger prefects, but not everyone has the pleasure to know that you're actually a decent person. Until you can prove that to them, I suggest that you don't give them any extra reasons to scrutinise you."

Draco eyes bored into her and for a moment, Hermione thought he would just get up and leave so when he stayed exactly where he was, she felt wrong-footed.

"How would you suggest that I prove myself then, Granger?"

Unwittingly, Hermione smiled. He was already working on improving by the simple fact that he was asking for help. From her, no less.

"Well, being on time is a big help. Plus, you could actually carry out the duties assigned to you," she held out the patrol schedule with his name highlighted.

Taking the paper from her, he scanned it briefly. "I assumed that your boyfriend would be on this list, clearly marked as Head Boy but I notice he isn't on here at all."

"Not only is he not Head Boy, but he is also no longer my boyfriend. Which is some fun information for you," Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat, not ready to have this conversation with anyone, let alone Draco Malfoy.

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Really? You two looked quite cozy when I saw you last."

"Yes, well." She snapped back. "Appearances can apparently be deceiving."

Malfoy whistled low under his breath and held his hands up in defence. "Just trying to prove that I am actually a decent person, Granger. No need to get your knickers in a twist. I'll just get back to my friends then and let the She-Weasel know you're free to gossip."

Hermione huffed in response. "Another tip would be to drop the cruel nicknames and call people by their given ones, instead."

"Fine. Ginevra Weasley has been bouncing on her toes to get in here since I arrived. Shall I inform her that you're ready to receive her?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at Malfoy's faux attempt at being polite. "Yes, please," she said waving him off.

Two seconds later, Ginny burst into the compartment and threw her arms around Hermione. "News travels fast, then?" Hermione asked as Ginny leant back to search Hermione's face.

"What happened?"

"Apparently when we got our Hogwarts letters Ron decided that he wouldn't be coming back. He told me this morning as I was getting ready to leave."

"That bastard! I can't believe my brother did that. What an asshole!"

Hermione chuckled without humour and wiped some fresh tears from her eyes. "And then he told me that he wouldn't try long-distance because he'd also decided that we should break-up."

Ginny said nothing for a beat as she processed this news. "I'm gonna kill him. I'll send him a howler and pack a bat-bogey hex in there for good measure. What in Merlin's name is he thinking?"

"That he wants to screw as many girls as he can before his fame dies out," Hermione replied with a humourless shrug.

"No," Ginny shook her head. "That can't be right. He loves you, I know he does."

"He basically admitted it, Gin. Maybe he does love me but he's put those feelings on the backburner for now. He's not thinking with his head - if you know what I mean."

"That bastard!" Ginny repeated. "Harry didn't say any of that. Just that you'd had a tremendous row and it wasn't looking good between you."

"Uh, yes," Hermione blushed. "Some words were exchanged."

"Good. I hope you gave him some good ones. He deserves it after dropping this bomb on you and at the last minute! I just cannot believe that rat bastard is my brother! How are you feeling?"

Hermione took a moment to ponder that question. Honestly, she didn't know how she was feeling. Pissed off, that's for sure. Heartbroken? Absolutely. Wishing she had punched him in his stupid face? One hundred percent yes. Initial sobbing out of the way, was she ready to wallow? No, she wasn't. "I'm pissed off, Gin. He gave absolutely no hints that he was feeling this way and has left not only me in the lurch but also McGonagall. We have no Head Boy so now I have even more duties to take on board. I'm heartbroken but not ready to feel that just yet because I have so many other things to focus on," she finished with a wave of her hands through the air to indicate her responsibilities.

"I'm here if you need me. To talk to or invent new jinxes with. Whatever you need, ok?"

"Thanks, Gin. What I really need right now is to get my uniform on and get started on my patrol before I let my team down."

"I'll see you later, then?"

"Sure," Hermione smiled back at her friend. Once Ginny was out of the compartment, Hermione locked the door and pulled the blinds across the windows.

The trip from Hogsmeade train station to Hogwarts castle was vastly different from any other Hermione had ever taken. It was immediately obvious that the Thestrals were visible to most of the students, particularly those who were older and had fought in the war. There was wonder present on various faces and more still seemed to be a little intimidated by the skeletal winged beasts, yet no students acted on any sense of fear. The students of Hogwarts had come together as a unit to be reckoned with. People as young as they all were should not have seen the things that they had seen, should not have experienced what they had in the last year and then some. But it had not broken them, no it had made them stronger. It had made them survivors. It would take more than the appearance of a team of Thestrals to shake them.

Arriving at the Castle, Hermione was greeted by Minerva McGonagall while Professor Flitwick supervised the students entering the Great Hall and waiting for the first years to arrive for sorting.

"Oh good. Miss Granger," McGonagall took Hermione by the arm and steered her to the side.

"Headmistress McGonagall," Hermione smiled warmly at her mentor, teacher and dare she say - friend.

"Miss Granger, as you are aware, we have a position to fill. I have not got a solution for us as of yet, but I do have a lump of coal in the fire that I just need to poke in the right direction." She told Hermione with her thick Scottish accent.

"Headmistress, I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am. If I had had any kind of inkling that Ronald wouldn't be coming back, I would have made sure to tell you well in advance."

"Yes, well. It can't be helped now, Granger. Get along to Gryffindor table and I will give you an update when I can," McGonagall gave Hermione a warm smile and a pat on the arm as she lifted her long skirt to hurry on her way.

Hermione hadn't noticed on the train nor on the way from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts, but as she entered the Great Hall, she felt the loss of students like a Stupefy to the chest. The Great Hall should be a bustling hubbub of four long tables, full of students clamouring to see friends that they hadn't for the summer months, wands exploding with new spells learned and a cacophony of noise. None of these things assaulted Hermione's senses as she made her way to the top end of the Gryffindor table. The usual noise she associated with this room was missing and while the occasional bark of laughter rent through the air, most of the conversation was subdued and the tables were half as full as they should be. While not all students had stayed and fought during the battle, others had had their own losses in their families and others had seen their loved ones sent to Azkaban and had therefore not made the return trip to Hogwarts as of yet.

The sorting and feast passed by for Hermione in a blur. She barely noticed the seven new students who joined the Gryffindor table, nor how well the two Gryffindor prefects did as they led the new students to the common room and gave out the password. Ginny looked on with concern etched all over her face. She had been approached by Seamus and Dean who had enquired about the general summer and enquired not so subtly as to Harry and Ron's absence. Suddenly the far-away look that Hermione was wearing made sense. Parvati sidled up to Ginny as if she could fill the void of her best friend and asked if there was anything she could do to help Hermione through the break-up. It would seem that the news had made its way down the table. Hermione thankfully appeared to be as oblivious to this as she was to everything else that evening.

As the meal drew to a close, Hermione left the Great Hall suddenly aware that she had no idea where the Head Student's quarters were. Thankfully Headmistress McGonagall met her just outside the hall and guided her to a door just down the hall from the Prefect's Bathroom on the fifth floor.

"Well, that certainly is convenient," Hermione commented when she realised how close she was now to the bathroom.

"Isn't it just?" McGonagall smiled. "Made even more so by the fact that there is a secret passage from your dormitory to the bathroom, so there is no need to leave your private quarters to get there," she chuckled in her very own McGonagall way. "Don't get too comfortable in your own space just yet, dear. I am hoping to deliver the newest Head Boy within the hour."

"Oh, so soon?" Hermione said with surprise.

"Yes, I've already started the conversation and now I intend to go and finish it. Go and get settled, Miss Granger. The password is Sugar Quills . You are free of course, to change this as you need or wish."

"Thank you, Headmistress," Hermione said and turning to the portrait of Anne Boleyn recited the password. King Henry the Eighth's second wife smiled coyly before she swung outwards to allow Hermione entry. She sighed in happiness upon seeing how she would be living for the next year. The common area was plushly decked out with well-worn couches of brown, a shaggy cream rug, a fireplace and plenty of places where she could set her books down to study. From the common area, Hermione could see the door that would be the corridor to the bathroom. There were two sets of staircases on either side of the common room leading to what Hermione could only assume were the two bedrooms. She chose the bedroom to the left as it was the closest to the bathroom corridor and made a beeline for it. It had been one hell of a long day and she was more than ready to get unpacked and take a long bath in the luxurious bathroom. She remembered what McGonagall had said to her about not getting too comfortable as she would soon be joined by a male student, but at this point, she could not care less. She waved her wand in the direction of her trunk, sending her belongings into the wardrobe and dresser, hanging the ones she was currently wearing for a quick Scourgify and steam. Clad in her Gryffindor bathrobe and shower shoes, Hermione left her bedroom with a towel slung over her arm and toiletries case in her hand. At the bottom of her staircase, Hermione came to a crashing halt when she saw just who McGonagall was bringing through the portrait. As Draco Malfoy came into view, Hermione dropped her toiletries case with a crash. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that Malfoy was the person McGonagall was trying to woo into the post of Head Boy.

Malfoy and McGonagall both stared at Hermione as she scrambled to pick up the contents of her shower bag.

"Miss Granger, are you quite alright?" McGonagall asked her.

"Yes. Er, yes. I just didn't realise you'd be back so soon with-"

"A former Death Eater as your newest roommate?" Draco sneered.

"No. That's not what I meant. I mean, I didn't know who to expect. I'm sorry. It's just been a very long day and I think I will take my bath in the morning. Uh, goodnight." Hermione turned tail and all but sprinted back up the staircase to her bedroom.

"You do realise, Mr Malfoy, that the two of you need to work well together in order to get the job done? Might I suggest a friendlier manner in the morning?" McGonagall used a tone that made it a little more than a suggestion as her eyebrows rose to her hairline. "This position will do a great deal of good for your reputation not only here at Hogwarts but for your future as well. Do think about that as you carry out your role. You will find your trunk in your bedroom. Goodnight, Mr Malfoy."


The next morning, Hermione rose early in the hopes of avoiding another encounter with Malfoy. While their interaction on the train yesterday had been the most civil they'd ever had, she had swiftly bumbled any rapport they had built up with her strange reaction to seeing him in the Head Student's dormitory the night before. Honestly, what had McGonagall been thinking? Draco Malfoy would have to work harder than literally any other male student to win the hearts of the rest of the prefects and student body. She crept downstairs clutching her shower bag to her chest and looked both ways before releasing a sigh of relief. Malfoy was nowhere to be seen.

As she entered the bathroom, she was made immediately aware of why she hadn't seen him in the common room as he was swimming laps in the pool-sized bath. Nude. He looked up as she squeaked in surprise at seeing his bare ass bobbing through the water. "Morning, Granger," he smirked at her. Reaching a side of the bath to prop his arms onto, he pushed his wet hair out of his eyes.

"Merlin, Malfoy. It's a good thing I haven't had any breakfast yet. We're going to need to set up a bathroom schedule. I may never burn the sight of your blindingly white cheeks from my mind," Hermione threw a hand over her eyes for emphasis. When she peeked back through her fingers, Draco was floating through a wall of bubbles, completely unphased by her presence. "Honestly. Are you not in the least bit concerned about this?"

"Should I be?" he asked her still refusing to wipe the smirk from his face. He was like the cat who had gotten the cream.

"I'm not referring to -" She blushed, waving her hands in the air. She would not finish that sentence. He didn't need any more of an ego boost. "A schedule is definitely what we need," Hermione said instead, finding a towel and ditching it towards him as he began to wade over to the steps. He caught it with both hands, keeping it from hitting the water. He ran the towel over his hair as he began to ascend the stairs. When Hermione realised that he wasn't going to be covering anything important before it emerged from the water, she spun quickly away again.

"Am I making you nervous?" He chuckled. Chuckled!

"Making me nervous?" Hermione barked out a laugh that did indeed, sound nervous.

"You can turn around now, Granger. I'm all covered up." He had wrapped the towel around the lower section of his body.

"Yes, well. Let's keep it that way in the future, shall we?" She quirked an eyebrow at him. Purposely keeping her eyes trained on his face so that they wouldn't notice the way he had grown into his body. Clearly , they had a good gym at the Malfoy Manor. But she would not notice that because she was not looking anywhere but his face. "I'll put that schedule together and leave a copy for you."

"As you wish, Granger," he said as he made his way back to their shared dormitory.

Once Malfoy was gone, Hermione vanished the water in the bath and waved her wand at the taps to get it filling again. Maybe she had to share living quarters with him, maybe she had a job to get done with him and maybe they'd have to get used to being around each other frequently, but she was damned if she was going to share bathwater with him. No matter the size of the bath. Selecting the Jasmine scented bath oil, Hermione double-checked that Malfoy had left the bathroom before dropping her robe and wading into the velvety water. As she ran her head under a tap and worked some shampoo into her hair, Hermione considered the conundrum that was Draco Malfoy. She would need to ask McGonagall just why she had sought him out to fill the role. Maybe once she understood that, she could try to figure out the personality transplant he seemed to have had.

Before breakfast and her first lesson of the year (Potions with Professor Slughorn), Hermione settled herself in at the Head Student's office. Discovering where the reports were stored, making sure she was stocked up on parchment, quills and ink. Posting the patrol schedule on the wall, she turned when someone entered the office.

"Looks like the only place I can get in first is the bathroom," Malfoy drawled, joining her at the wall to inspect the schedule. "Shouldn't I have had some input into this?"

"Sure," Hermione said. "Look it over and tell me if you have any objections," she crossed her arms over her chest and waited for him to admit that it was perfect.

"Hmm," he pondered, his face so close to the parchment, his nose almost brushed against it. "Looks like I must have already had something to do with it. I can't find any reason to change it," he accepted with a smirk.

"Speaking of changes," Hermione started. "Just how did you swing this position? Surely you weren't the most qualified?"

Draco raised his eyebrows. Finding his desk, he sat behind it, leaning the chair back as he propped his feet up on the desk. "Don't I look like I was born for this job?"

"Cut the crap, Malfoy. Be honest with me."

Draco removed his feet from the desk and let the chair rest with all four legs on the floor. He stood and leaned against the desk instead.

He lifted one shoulder in a half shrug, and said: "It's all about confidence, Granger."

"Confidence?"

"Yes, you are a confident lady, are you not?"

"Yes. Yes, I am," she said with a hint of confusion on where this conversation was going.

"Is it driving you crazy - the not knowing?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows but otherwise didn't respond.

"After all of this," he indicated the room and gestured in the space between them. "You'll probably hate me. People who spend too much time with me, usually do."

Hermione scoffed. "We will see. Just spit it out, Malfoy."

He shrugged again, dropping his hands to his knees, seeming to test just how far he could push her, his eyes boring into hers.

With her hands on her hips, Hermione waited with less and less patience. Malfoy sighed. "Ok, fine, Granger. McGonagall approached me and asked if I'd be interested. She appears to also believe that I am capable of decency and it seems that she wants to prove it to not only to herself but all of our peers. The old bat thinks it will be good for me to have some extra responsibility to help... distract. At first, I thought she was being ridiculous. I mean, surely she remembers that I was on the wrong side of the war, that I've stood trial, that every damn student in this school hates me."

"Not everyone-" Hermione said, eyes softening.

" Everyone , Granger. Whether they're willing to admit it or not," he scowled, eyes narrowing in on her.

Fine , she thought. Let him think that for now, let's see what else he's got to say.

"So, I figured if she believes I am redeemable, I'll let her think that and I will live in the lap of luxury rather than in the dungeons for this last year of Hogwarts. Well, as close to luxury as this school can offer," he finished with another shrug.

Hermione didn't buy a word of his closing statement. He wanted to be better, she knew he did. He just wasn't ready to admit it just yet.

"Ah, so that was the drawcard," she said with scepticism written all over her face and in her tone. "I'll leave you to enjoy the opulence," she gestured to their measly shared office. "I'm going to breakfast."

As she turned her back, the scent of Jasmine wafted over him and Draco swallowed past the lump in his throat. Shit , he thought. I think she knows. I really think she knows. Damn, she's out of my league.

Confidence - Ocean Alley