TO BE ALONE WITH YOU

Chapter Two: Shared

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The corridor must have been built when the castle was repaired over the summer. Like an apartment, doors lined each side of the hallway, each with a plaque listing their surnames above them.

McGonagall reminded them of the rule regarding sex once more and informed them that they were welcome to eat in the Great Hall as well as their apartments. With a stern glance of warning, McGonagall dismissed them and turned on her heel to return to the Headmistress's office.

Draco stood a few feet from Hermione, hands in his pocket and head bent low in a sulking position. She sighed angrily and grabbed his arm. "C'mon, you arse."

"Let go of me, Granger!" Draco hissed before pulling his arm from her grasp and stepping back slightly.

Hermione raised her eyebrows with frustration. "Really? After the war, you're still worried about my Mudblood germs? To think-"

"That's not why!" Draco interrupted her. Hermione placed her hands on her hips and waited for an explanation that never came. He pushed past her to find their room and Hermione exerted all of her self control to not demand an explanation.

Draco had stopped at the end of the corridor in front of a dark door that didn't have a handle. Hermione begrudgingly walked over to join him, sure to maintain a good three feet of distance between them.

'Granger-Malfoy' the silver plaque read. Hermione scoffed up at it as Draco rolled his eyes.

Next to their door was 'Lovegood-Zabini' and across 'Parkinson-Weasley'.

"Well," Hermione sighed, "let's set a password."

Draco snickered, "How about 'Know-it-all'?"

"I think 'Arrogant Prick' is better," Hermione replied mockingly. They sat in silence as they tried to think of a password. Suddenly, Hermione had a rather Slytherin idea. "I've got it. Ferret."

She flicked her wand and the door glowed as the password was set before Draco could stop her.

"I despise you," Draco offered her a mocking, overly-sweet smile. Hermione returned the fake look of adoration while the door's lock clicked open.

She pushed the door open curiously and stepped into the threshold in disgusted awe. The apartment was rather beautiful with rather tall walls, vaulted ceilings, and high windows. Although small, the kitchenette and living space was comfortably clean. It wasn't as warm as the Gryffindor Common Room; it almost reminded her of her parents' home.

Draco took one look at the light wooded, pale toned room and sneered. "Rather small. If it were up to me, we'd never have to see each other."

"Yeah, well, if it were up to me I'd not be in this mess with you," Hermione grumbled.

Draco raised an eyebrow and sarcastically asked, "What? Not looking forward to living together, Granger?"

"You're right; spending the rest of my life with you and our tiny Malfoy-Granger hybrid child sounds just perfect." Hermione deadpanned while she walked around the small room, inspecting the light-colored decor with an unreadable expression.

Draco was still leaning in the doorway, and Hermione looked up expectantly as she felt his grey eyes following her around the common area.

"What?"

Draco shook his head and ran a hand through his blonde hair (which he had stopped styling). In a tired tone, he replied, "Nothing. I'm just dreading the next four years of my lifetime."

"Likewise." Hermione frowned. "At least you don't have to spend it with a Dea-" she stopped herself and froze. She almost called him a Death Eater. To his face.

"With a what, Granger?" he bit out as he stepped into the room. "Say it."

Hermione channeled all of her disdain into her answer. "Fine, Malfoy. With a Death Eater. At least you don't have to marry someone who thinks you're as good as dirt!"

Draco's jaw clenched and his breaths were heavy with anger. "Fuck you."

"Fuck me?" Hermione cried loudly in disbelief. "Really, Malfoy? You should be groveling for my forgiveness and here you are insulting me and my blood!"

"I never even mentioned your blood!" Draco's tone rose to match hers in volume. Hopefully, the rooms had silencing charms because if not, the entire seventh year would get to hear their loud, impassioned argument. "In fact, I haven't mentioned your blood since I was 16!"

"Oh, is that so? Because I distinctly remember someone being a Death Eater in sixth year! Oh, that's right, that was you!"

"December 17!" He yelled back. He sighed then like he lost all energy.

"What?" Hermione exclaimed, throwing her hands up in confusion.

He took three long strides until he was directly in front of her. "December 17. That was the last time I called you a 'mudblood'. Or anyone."

Hermione blinked twice before she opened her mouth dumbly to reply. Draco scoffed angrily and pushed past her, purposefully bumping her shoulder with unnecessary strength.

Hermione didn't turn but heard the door slam behind her and could only assume that he had found the bedroom. Tears burning in her eyes, she left the apartment and slammed the door with equal force. Although she wasn't sure where she was going, she figured anywhere would be better than a shared room with Draco.

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Hermione woke with a crick in her neck. She had fled to the library after her and Draco's fight, easily managing to charm the locked doors into opening.

She pushed herself off of the worn armchair and rolled her neck a few times to relieve the tension it held after she had fallen asleep curled up over the chair. Hermione blinked a few times before she glanced down at her watch.

8:40

"Shit!" she swore loudly as she realized that class started in twenty minutes. And her trunk was currently sitting in Draco's bedroom.

She ran off to the main corridor of staircases and willed them not to start moving on her. Luckily, none of them did, and she made it to the Fifth floor in five minutes. Hermione sprinted to the corridor, ignoring the odd looks she received from passing students and making it to her apartment with ten minutes to spare.

"Hermione?" Ginny was walking down the hallway with Harry as she called out her name.

She didn't turn around as she ran to the end of the hall, replying, "Can't talk now, Gin! Ferret!" she cried, out of breath and she ran through the doorway to find her trunk.

"What are-" Draco called out but Hermione ignored him as she entered the tidy bedroom and the now-closed door cut off his voice. She frantically searched the room until she found her trunk and pulled a clean change of clothes out.

She pulled her worn robes off and shimmied into her sweater and skirt hastily. Hermione grabbed a Gryffindor robe and tie and ran into the bathroom, pulling the black cloak on.

Using a handy spell she learned while being on the run, she charmed her teeth and tongue clean as she squirted some detangler into her hair and styled it with her wand. Hermione decided that her hair was far too frizzy to control today and pulled it into a bun with a scrunchie. When she glanced at her watch, which now read '8:54', she let out a sigh of relief.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" Draco pushed the door of their bedroom open just as Hermione slid past him. Her cheeks were flushed from the effort it took to make it from the first floor to the fifth in a few minutes and her face was framed with curly fly-aways.

She didn't respond, grabbed her schedule off the table, and pushed the door of the apartment open to head to her first hour class, which was titled 'Family Sciences', located on the fourth floor with Professor… Weasley?

Surely, Mrs. Weasley wasn't teaching a Home Ec class…

Hermione shrugged at the odd class that she hadn't signed up for and left a confused Draco Malfoy in their apartment.

"Hermione!" Ginny called, running to catch up to her. "What happened yesterday?"

"Oh, er, I slept in," Hermione blushed.

Ginny waved her hand dismissively. "I could tell. I mean, with the fight!"

"You heard that?" Hermione groaned as they started down the staircase. "That's.. mortifying, to say the least."

"I think all of Hogwarts heard that!" Ginny exclaimed. "Harry said not to worry about it and that you could handle yourself, but I couldn't help it."

"Where is Harry?" Hermione asked.

Ginny shook her head. "In mum's room. Nevermind that. Explain."

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully before she carefully told her friend, "I called him a Death Eater and he told me to fuck off. He also said he hasn't used 'mudblood' since sixth year, but I don't know if I can buy that."

Ginny looked concerned. "So how did you sleep? On the couch?"

Hermione laughed sadly. "That would have been smart, but no. I ran to the library, charmed my way in, cried for a good twenty minutes and fell asleep sitting up."

"I don't blame you. Not to restate the obvious, but you and Malfoy have to marry each other! It's unthinkable. Kingsley's barmy."

Hermione sighed sadly, following Ginny as she led her toward an unused classroom. "I know."

"Are you going to petition the law?" Ginny asked curiously. "I mean, I love Harry, of course, but the free will to choose when to start a family would be nice."

Hermione frowned at the floor as they entered the classroom. "I don't know. McGonagall told me that no one has been able to get around the law as there are clauses in the Ministry that allow this sort of thing. I'm really not sure."

Ginny nodded consolingly and was about to say something before Mrs. Weasley interrupted them with a tight hug. "Oh, Hermione!"

Hermione returned the embrace and asked, "How have you been, Mrs. Weasley, er-Professor?"

Mrs. Weasley waved her hand, "No, no, no. Call me Mrs. Weasley, dear. I've been doing well. I heard about the Decree and your partner. It should've been Ron."

Hermione smiled gratefully and didn't explain that she wasn't sure if she and Ron would be any good together. "Thank you. Where should I sit?"

Mrs. Weasley pointed to a table in the very back of the classroom that read 'Malfoys'. Hermione nodded and took her seat.

The bell rang at 9 o'clock exactly and she rolled her eyes at her partner's obvious absence. Just as she was about to point this out to Mrs. Weasley, Draco slipped into the warm classroom and took his seat beside Hermione. With a scowl, of course.

Mrs. Weasley turned around and clapped her hands together at the group. "I see everyone's here! Very good, then, I am Mrs. Weasley. Please, don't call me Professor. Now, I know many of you are familiar with my family, two of them are here today! Ginny," she gestured toward Ginny and Harry, "and Ronald."

Ron sat as far as possible from Pansy and looked nothing short of miserable. "Bloody hell," he almost silently moaned.

Mrs. Weasley continued, "Seeing as the Ministry sprung this decree on you all rather surprisingly, I thought you could use some lessons in housekeeping and maintaining healthy relationships. Today's assignment is simple-" she flicked her wand and the assignment appeared on the board, "Tell your partner three things you admire about them. When you're finished, you may be dismissed. Off you go, then."

Hermione rolled her eyes, not at Mrs. Weasley, but at the fact that she had to compliment Draco.

Draco started, "Well, I, for one, admire your ability to completely destroy any semblance of fun by opening your mouth."

Hermione glared at him. "Fine. You have a gift with children. The way you managed to make first year Gryffindors cry every year, without fail, is astounding."

Draco smirked, "Thank you, Granger, I appreciate that."

"Urgh! Could you be any more frustrating?" she asked as she crossed her arms.

"Could you be any more annoying?"

"I hate you," she spat. "I loathe everything about you."

Draco sneered, "The thought of marrying you is enough to make me regret coming to Hogwarts and not letting them ship me to Azkaban."

In order to keep from starting another fight with him, Hermione swiftly turned to the front of the room and maintained an icy glare at her desk. Draco mirrored her, occasionally mumbling insults to the ground about Hermione.

As the minutes ticked by, everyone had left the classroom except for Hermione and Draco.

"Hermione," Mrs. Weasley walked up to the couple with a stern, matronly look, "why haven't you and Draco finished the assignment?"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley, but I cannot compliment him. You have to understand!"

Mrs. Weasley was torn between nodding with understanding and doing what was right as a teacher, so she settled on a knowing tone. "Now, you are seventeen years old, both of you, and I don't think I am asking too much. Three compliments and you may go. I have to speak with Miner- er, the Headmistress, and I expect you two to have finished by the time I return."

Hermione and Draco nodded sheepishly and watched the short, plump woman leave.

Hermione sighed loudly, and squeezed her eyes shut before quickly admitting, "You're very ambitious and determined."

Draco looked gleeful at the pain it caused Hermione to admit. "Your turn, Malfoy," she reminded him.

His happy expression fell. With a loud sigh, he said, "You are a know-it-all, honestly. You actually know it all."

Hermione huffed. "I guess I have to compliment your flying abilities. Slytherin never came in last when it came to Quidditch, I think."

"Yeah, you were always reading at matches, so I'm surprised you managed to pick that up-" Draco began to insult her, but stopped at her annoyed look. "Solely for the purpose of getting out of this wretched situation, I will admit that you always manage to find a solution."

She rolled her eyes and finished with, "You're great at drawing."

Draco raised an eyebrow. Curiosity getting the better of him, he asked, "How did you find that out?"

"Last year, in transfiguration. We had to draw the teacups before we transfigured them into gerbils. Mine looked like a four year old had scribbled in but yours was almost exact."

Draco sighed annoyedly. "Well, even prudish Gryffindors are bound to recognize talent when they see it-"

"You're such a-a disappointment, Malfoy! I'm sorry, but I can't pretend to like you when you're just a failure at everything you do!" Hermione stated loudly. Draco looked affronted and Hermione continued talking before he could get a word in. Passionately, she shouted, "No, really! You could've turned around and been a great person when we first got to Hogwarts, but then you went and fucked that up-"

In a bored tone, he replied, "I hardly think-"

"I knew you were an arsehole, but I didn't think you evil and twisted enough to become a Death Eater, a fucking Death Eater! And you managed to screw that up, too! You could've at least made your goddamn father proud, which is probably all you were ever aiming for all your life given your obvious daddy issues but you failed once again!" she paused to get a breath of air.

"Listen here, you bitch-" he snarled.

Hermione continued, her voice breaking with emotion as she yelled, "And now, after the war, you still can't figure out a decent person! I thought, well, maybe he'd change, turn a new leaf! How stupid of me to even consider; you'll always be a failure of an arsehole!"

She stood up abruptly, chest heaving from the outburst, and slung her bag over her shoulder. She stopped walking away to turn and say, "And you know what the… the worst, most horrible part about this is? I can't even be that angry at you. All I can feel is pity for the poor fucking tosser who allowed himself to fail this miserably and fuck up his entire life."

With tears of fury pricking her eyes, Hermione turned around and stormed out of the classroom.

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"I'm sorry, you said what?" Harry asked.

"I said he was a failure in many, many different ways," Hermione mumbled, placing her head in her hands. "He's going to murder me."

Ron patted her friends back consolingly. "I get it, Hermione. Parkinson stopped talking to me after our fight in second hour."

Hermione didn't lift her head from her hands and merely groaned. "What am I supposed to do? I can't keep sleeping in the library."

"I'd offer you our couch, but Ron already took it," Harry said after swallowing the last of his lunch. "Couldn't you just sleep on your couch?"

"You don't get it!" Hermione cried quietly. "I can't even think about sharing an apartment with him. He'd probably kill me on the spot."

"I'm sure that's not true," Ron obviously lied through his teeth.

Hermione raised her head sullenly. "You didn't see him. He was furious! Seething with anger!"

"I believe it, Hermione," Harry nodded. "Just ignore him. I'm sure-"

"Yeah, I'll just ignore him, receive the 300 galleon fine for not marrying him and get the Dementor's Kiss after I refuse to have his children, Harry! That's a great idea," she snapped. Harry raised his eyebrow and watched Hermione gather her things and leave the Great Hall hurriedly.

"Poor girl," Harry sighed.

"Poor me!" cried Ron. "I have female-Malfoy!"

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Classes continued on for Hermione. Luckily for her, Draco only had a few with her, being Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Potions. Of course, the professors forced them to sit by each other, but Hermione kept her eyes on the board the entire class and her chair at the edge of the table. She didn't even want to breathe the same air as the git.

When the bell rang at 3, Hermione left Ancient Runes before Draco could even think of an insult. She practically sprinted down the moving staircases to reach her apartment, determined to get there first.

After her angry outburst in the Great Hall, she devised a plan. She'd live in passive aggressive silence with him. Sure, she was expected to have children with him, but that would be put off until the very last possible second.

Today's microaggression? Steal the bedroom.

"Ferret!" she quickly bit out and pushed the door open.

Hermione threw her schedule down on the kitchen's island and hurried into the bedroom. Once safely inside the larger room, she allowed herself to look around. Tall white walls surrounded the bed. On the left there was a cozy looking bay window-seat that overlooked the Quidditch Pitch. The room was pristine, although Hermione didn't know if that was Draco's doing or house-elves.

A large bed for two was pushed against the back wall with dark blue sheets and four fluffy pillows. On each side sat a nightstand with space for personal belongings. Across from the bay window was another door that presumably led to the bathroom.

Hermione decided that looking around could wait. If she was to have the room to herself, her first order of business was to rid the bedroom of all of Draco's belongings.

She emptied the dresser of his clothes using her wand. Typically, she would have done it the Muggle way, but she had no desire to touch his tops and underwear with her hands.

Once that was done, she accioed his hygiene products from the bathroom and directed the expensive objects into his large, black trunk. After she was satisfied that she had successfully rid the room of all of it's Draco-ness, she scourgify-ed the bedding and slid the suitcase out into the Common Room.

"Mrow," Crookshanks meowed as he slipped into the bedroom.

"Hi, Crooks," Hermione greeted absentmindedly. She lightly scratched behind his ears as she wondered how Draco would react to the eviction.

A small voice in her felt bad for her outburst in first hour, but the louder, overpowering voice told her that the git had it coming. She figured that given the number of jinxes and hexes he'd sent her way, the number of insults and slurs he'd thrown at her, and the fact that he was a Death Eater, she hadn't really done anything that wasn't warranted.

Hermione grabbed her bag from the bed and moved over to the small bay window. She grabbed the book titled 'Advanced Transfiguration: A Deeper Understanding' and began reading the textbook with fervor.

A few chapters later, movement from outside the bedroom drew Hermione from her studies. Her eyes widened as she realized that Draco must've gotten back.

She froze, not sure if she should get up and lock the door or let him figure out why his trunk was sitting in the living room.

"Fuck!" he swore quietly. Louder, he yelled, "Granger! Get out here!"

Hermione decided that passive aggressiveness wasn't much to her taste. She preferred flat out aggression.

"What?" she sneered as she pulled the bedroom door open.

"What the fuck are my things doing in the living room?" he snarled, stalking closer to her.

Hermione narrowed her eyes and took a step closer. "Sorry, but I believe I'm taking the bedroom tonight. And the rest of the nights."

"Not a goddamn chance!" he refuted. "I was there first, it's my room!"

"Not anymore!" she shouted over her shoulder while turning back to enter the room. "Have fun sleeping on the couch, you arse!"

She slammed the door loudly behind her and flinched as Draco yelled, "You're a real fucking bitch! Has anyone told you that?"

"Piss off, Malfoy!" she yelled back.

"Hermione?" a new voice entered the mix, this one very muffled and belonging to Ginny. "Oi, what's the password?"

Hermione groaned loudly, but opened the door to find Draco standing directly outside it, hand up as though he was about to knock or bang on it.

"Move," she maliciously instructed, elbowing past him quickly.

"Don't tell me what to-" Hermione drowned out Draco's petulant voice by opening the door to their flat.

"Come in," she told Ginny, who was standing outside the door with a concerned look. "Please."

"Fantastic! Let's let the Weasley in!" Draco threw his hands up dramatically and walked over to the loveseat near a fireplace before collapsing into the chair.

"Shut it!" Hermione reprimanded him. "C'mon, Ginny, we can talk in my room."

"My room," Draco grumbled with annoyance.

Ginny's eyes were wide with surprise and she silently followed Hermione into the bedroom. She pulled the door shut behind her and watched as Hermione suddenly burst into tears.

"Oh, no!" Ginny exclaimed, rushing over to sit beside her on the bed. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Hermione cried. "What isn't wrong! He's such an arse! I hate him and the Ministry!"

Ginny frowned. She really didn't know how to comfort her friend in this situation, so she placed a gentle arm around her shoulders. "It'll be okay."

"Easy for you to say!" Hermione shot back, quickly wiping away her tears. "You got partnered with Harry!"

Ginny grimaced. "True, but you're Hermione Granger. You always have a solution."

"Not now! Not with-with him! I know the law says that it's a four year arrangement and that afterwards we are free to divorce and move on with our lives, but I will forever be tied to him! Ginny, I have to have his children!"

Ginny nodded sympathetically. "I know, I know. Hermione, don't attack me for saying this but is there any way you could try? I mean, he's a total arse, I'm aware, but don't you think if you were the bigger person, maybe-"

"No," she stated resolutely. "I've been the bigger person since first year. I'm sick of it. That git is going to get what he deserves."

"Hermione, I don't think-"

Hermione stood up suddenly. "Ginny, I think you should leave."

Ginny huffed. "Fine. Have fun with Malfoy."

Hermione opened the door for her and watched her leave the flat angrily.

"Don't look so happy, you wanker," Ginny chastised Draco after seeing him look satisfied at Hermione and Ginny's obvious fight.

The logical part of Hermione knew that Ginny was right, but for once, she was going to ignore logic and let her emotions do the thinking. And right now, her emotions were telling her to amp up the hostility.

She exited the bedroom around five, her homework finished and her stomach rumbling with hunger. Draco was nowhere to be seen, she realized happily.

Hermione left the flat with a new air of peace and knocked on the 'Parkinson-Weasley' door cheerily.

"Ron?" she called out.

He quickly came to the door and jumped into the hallway, slamming the door closed, before a flying shoe could hit him.

"Wh-"

"Parkinson," Ron grabbed her arm and started walking away urgently, "is mental. She's thrown her entire bloody closet at me because I called her a slag!"

Hermione laughed lightly. "I understand. Malfoy and I haven't said a cordial word to each other yet. Want to go to dinner?"

Ron nodded enthusiastically and dropped her arm once they were a safe distance from the end of the hall. "You don't have to ask me twice. Where's Harry?"

"Er," Hermione frowned, "I don't know how happy Ginny or Harry are with me right now. I mean, I snapped at him during lunch and then Ginny and I got into a row just earlier."

Ron grimaced. "I can't speak for Gin, but I know Harry isn't mad. He's more angry for you than at you."

Hermione smiled slightly at that. "Thanks, Ron. I guess we should probably get them."

They walked casually to the end of the corridor, talking about their classes and other light topics, steering clear of the decree and their partners.

When they reached Ginny and Harry's door, they knocked twice but didn't get a reply.

"They must've already left," Ron deduced. "C'mon."

The two of them continued talking, now reminiscing back to their first few years.

"Remember when you knocked Malfoy right in the face?" Ron laughed.

Hermione nodded, unable to joke with him. Her friend noticed and quickly announced, "Blast, I forgot we weren't mentioning the tosser."

"No," Hermione smiled weakly, "it's fine. I mean, I should be able to talk about my own future husband, right?"

Ron sighed. "So much has changed. I wish we could go back in time."

Hermione agreed glumly. "I understand the feeling."

When Hermione looked over to see Ron staring off at the wall, she realized that he must've been thinking of Fred. She suddenly felt very foolish to be sulking about marrying Draco when Ron's own brother was murdered just a few months ago.

"Want to talk about it?" she asked. Ron shook his head in reply as they reached the Great Hall's main staircase. "Yeah, I get it."

Hermione thought of her own parents. She hadn't spoken of them since the war. She had known the risk she was running when she obliviated them but she thought she was making the right choice.

Now that Voldemort was gone, however, she knew that any more memory modifications on their Muggle brains could very well leave them mentally incapable and placed in St. Mungos forever.

At least this way they were happy.

Hermione and Ron were silent at dinner for a few minutes, both stuck in thoughts of those they had lost but when the Great Hall filled up, their attention shifted to their housemates.

"I," Seamus sat down angrily, "thought that being with Isobel would be great!"

Ron asked, "It's not-"

"It's not!" Seamus frowned. "It is officially not great. She's such a know-it-all!"

Hermione blushed lightly. Seamus noticed and pointed at her, "Possibly even more than Hermione!"

"And," Seamus angrily stabbed his steak, "the worst part is that she doesn't know how to talk to me!"

"Honestly, Seamus, it sounds like she's nervous and doesn't know what to do about it," Hermione supplied.

"How is that going?" Dean asked from beside Seamus. "I mean, Malfoy."

"As you would expect," she grumbled.

Seamus snickered, "After all that yelling last night we weren't sure if you were shagging or fighting. I mean, it sounded pretty… passionate."

The two boys burst into laughter. Hermione's cheeks burned red and she replied in a prim tone, "That is disgusting."

"Well, you're going to eventually have to sleep with the bloke," Dean supplied. "If you want my advice, I'd get it over with as soon as possible. That's what Leanne and I-"

"Enough!" Hermione stopped him with a pained expression. "For the love of Merlin, Dean, we don't want to hear about your sex life, and I certainly don't want to talk about Malfoy in that way. Please!"

"Fine, fine," he grumbled. "Ron! How's Pansy."

Ron was shoving a fork load of mashed potatoes into his move and simply pointed at a large bruise on his temple.

"That's from Pansy's shoe, I believe," Hermione supplied. At least Malfoy hadn't turned physical on her. But would he if she continued riling him up? Hopefully not…

Harry and Ginny never showed, and twenty five minutes later, Hermione was officially tired of listening to the boy's conversations. She moved over to Parvati, Fay and a few other Gryffindor girls.

"-Honestly, Greg isn't that bad anymore. He certainly sharpened up both his mind and his looks," Parvati sighed. "Of course, he's no Draco Malfoy, but- oh, er, Hi, Hermione."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"Well," Fay giggled girlishly, "it's rather hard to ignore. He looks… good."

The two girls craned their necks to get a look at the Slytherin table. Hermione twisted in her seat and caught a glance of Draco. He was listening to Blaise, who was pointing at the Ravenclaw table where Luna sat and shouting something. Hermione watched and scoffed. "Please. He looks like a skinny, white, ferret to me."

She turned back to face the doubtful girls. "Hermione, that's your bias speaking. Ignoring everything you know about him, you have to admit that he's certainly grown rather nicely into his features. He's so," sigh, "rich."

Hermione glowered at the table. "That's not a good thing, you dolt! He's rich, sure, but he's so arrogant and conceited that it cancels out his aristocratic face! I mean, look at him, he's always sneering down at something!"

Parvati giggled. "Give it time, I'm sure you'll become very… acquainted with him!" the girls broke into laughter.

"Godric." Hermione rolled her eyes and left the girls behind. When did everyone get so concerned about Hermione's sex life?

When she reached the flat after dinner, she growled upon hearing the shower running. How had he already gotten back? He must've slipped out of the Great Hall while Hermione was arguing with Parvati and Fay. Blast it.

Did he know that Hermione had intended on showering? He couldn't have, but it was annoying nonetheless.

She shrugged off her clothes and pulled her pajamas on, a thin tank top and some comfy pajama bottoms, and collapsed into her bed. The hush of the shower lulled her to sleep, and she was asleep before she knew it, thoughts of Draco and his nastiness gone from her mind.

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A/N: Chapter two! Let me know what you think :)