Hermione woke to the smell of fried chicken, biscuits, and gravy. Before her groggy eyes fully focused, she felt the weight of an arm around her shoulders and the heat of the fireplace wafting towards her curled up form.

Ron was seated next to her, Harry on the armchair to her left. A plate of food was set out on the coffee table in front of her and a blanket was thrown over her shoulders.

Ron had a Quidditch magazine propped open on his knee, turning the page with one pale, freckled hand.

Harry was staring at the fire. The flames danced in orange blobs on the reflection of his glasses

"What's all this?" Hermione mumbled, still feeling the aftereffects of a nap.

"We brought you dinner. You were dead asleep when all came down so we decided to let you rest." Ron said and gave her a sweet smile.

Her stomach grumbled in response.

"Thank you". If these were reparations for his tactlessness at breakfast, she would accept.

He reached over and handed her the plate. She washed away her dry mouth with a gold goblet filled with water.

Light chatter filled the common room, a couple of third years sat huddled in a corner. The Weasley twins were seated on another sofa, surrounded by a small crowd. A couple of students were seated at the tables, scribbling furiously on stacks of late homework.

Hermione was months ahead on her homework. That was no excuse to slack off on her O. studying, but in light of recent events, even she could justify taking a break.

As she ate her dinner, Hermione noticed a small pile of papers on the coffee table, some with Harry Potter written in the heading and others with Ron Weasley. She did not have the energy to help them both with their homework tonight.

Normally she didn't mind editing their essays and explaining concepts they should have learned in class. But the ache in her bones from wandering around the forest and the headache of dealing with teenage boys all day made her less tolerant tonight.

"Thank you so much for dinner," Hermione said. She stood up swiftly and kissed them both on the cheek.

"Sleep well! Goodnight," She said pacing quickly to the stairwell leading to the girls' dormitory.

" 'Mione wait!" Ron called. She turned back around reluctantly.

"I'm not going to ask you to edit my papers...yet. I wanted to tell you and Harry something." He grinned at her. She trudged back to the couch, fighting a smile. Every Weasley she had ever met possessed the dangerous gift of an infectious smile. She could never stay mad at any of them for long.

"Well, get on with it then." Harry nudged Ron's shoulder from his seat

"I'm trying out for Keeper." Ron said bashfully, looking at the ground and rubbing his neck with one hand.

"Ron, that's great! I'm so proud of you!" Hermione said, pushing his shoulder with one hand.

"Congrats mate!" Harry supplied. Hermione knew Voldemort and the ministry were taking a toll on his mental health. Normally he would be over the moon about having his best friend join the Gryffindor team.

Ron was not deterred by Harry's melancholy, Hermione doubted he even noticed it. She always was the more observant faction of the trio. "I must admit, I'm a bit nervous," he said sheepishly.

"Ron, I know you'll do amazing. You have nothing to worry about, you live and breathe Quidditch!" Hermione laughed. His eyes shone as he smiled back at her.

"I just thought I should try y'know?"

"Absolutely you should! They'll be lucky to have you," She promised.

Hermione only had to go into the forest with Malfoy four times a week. Professor McGonagall had accounted for their homework, prefect meetings and Malfoy's Quidditch practices.

The tense silence was becoming unbearable.

By no means was she an extroverted person. She enjoyed the quiet, for many years she was content for books to be her only companionship. But she had an instinctual urge to break awkward silences. Her mind scoured hundreds of topics and questions she had for Malfoy. For example: Was he aware that he came off as a prat instead of a prince?

They would spend hours together, alone, throughout the week. And they wouldn't speak a word that wasn't basic commands like: "Look, there are the Boom Berries," or, "You're going to step right into that quicksand".

After her body acclimated to the strenuous hikes, she grew bored. No longer focused on her body's pleads for her to slow down, her mind wandered.

It surprised her that Malfoy didn't appear to share her boredom. He was so confident and loud in school, yelling in hallways, bullying random students. He seemed the textbook definition of outgoing. She'd figured he grow bored too and resort to taunting her at the very least.

He was quiet and sullen on their hikes. As time passed, his sneers and cruel comments lessened.

It became clear to her his cruel demeanor was a situational instead of instinctual. And that behind this mask left a reserved, introverted boy.

She guessed that maybe he'd forgotten to maintain face in front of her after spending hours alone in an isolated environment. Enough time must've passed for him to realize he was wasting unnecessary energy being cruel to her where no one would see.

After all, who would believe her if she said Malfoy was secretly quiet and didn't antagonize her at every chance he got?

Sometimes, when he thought she was looking, he'd grab a stone he thought looked interesting or he'd run his ringed fingers across a particularly rough tree trunk. Once, when he thought she was out of earshot, he tried to whistle at a baby bunny.

In the moments just before she fell asleep at night, she wondered if he might have enjoyed the solitude in nature.

She then pondered the idea that she might be the only person in the world to see a glimpse of what was left behind after he took the mask off.

And, the most dangerous contemplation of them all, she wondered if Malfoy was not free.

When she woke in her crimson bed sheets the next morning and ate breakfast at the Gryffindor table, she tried to forget these thoughts.

But the damage had been done. She realized she might have no idea who Draco Malfoy was.

Weeks passed since her night under the stars. Today was her Birthday.

At breakfast, she was directed to an English Breakfast and presents. Harry handed her a poorly wrapped box. Inside was a necklace, the pendant was a circular glass locket. It looked like a small compass but instead of an arrow pointing north, it contained tiny gold stars outlining the Hermione constellation inside. He told her the stars in the locket were a small piece from the real constellation, so she better not break it because it cost him a fortune. Hermione felt the uncomfortable sensation of gratitude that made her eyes water while thanking him. As she hugged him she made sure to keep her eyes tucked into his shoulder.

Ginny gave her a Quill enchanted to turn into a dagger. She "forgot" to tell Hermione this minor detail and so she accidentally wielded a knife in DADA when Professor Umbridge's pink tweed adorned back was turned.

Ron gave her a book about Quidditch.

She was surprised when Lavender and Parvarti came up to her during charms. Parvarti handed her an expensive-looking Chanel red lipstick in the shade Gabrielle. Lavender gave her a book titled, An Analysis of Vincent Van Gogh's work, because she'd heard her muttering something about A Starry Night, in her sleep. Her face flushed at that.

Luna gave her a sack filled with crystals.

Neville gave her a hug and apologized profusely for not remembering. He then rummaged through his bag for five minutes and handed her a tiny succulent.

Viktor Krum wrote to tell her Happy Birthday, and to remind her his offer remained open -she could visit anytime she wished.

But her favorite present of all came from her parents. She was sipping the last of her coffee when a carefully bubble-wrapped package fell onto her empty plate.

Inside, was the greatest treasure she could ever wish for: a navy blue Walkman. It was a hard plastic box, a little larger than her hand, with a set of black earphones plugged into the side.

A collection of cassette tapes accompanied it, ranging from Elton John to Mariah Carey.

She was overjoyed.

Only Harry understood what it was. He was excited about it too. The muggle concept of technology was difficult for many purebloods and halfbloods to understand.

She floated through her classes with the Walkman weighing down her robe pocket. Today was a Friday, she and Malfoy were given a list on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. On weekdays, they went immediately after classes ended and on Saturday they went before breakfast.

After classes, she rushed to her room to change into her uniform of a black windbreaker, shiny dark green rain boots, jeans, and a green jumper from Ginny's collection. She preferred to braid her hair back in some fashion to keep the meddlesome curls out of her eyes while she hunted for the plants. She settled on one messy plait at the base of her neck.

She grabbed the amulet, basket, wand, and the Walkman, and then set off to meet Malfoy outside the infirmary. They'd started to change into outdoor clothes right after class to save time, they would then go collect the list and walk to the forest together.

She spied his pale golden hair by the tall infirmary doors. He leaned against the wall, decked out in his all-black ensemble. She briefly wondered what he might look like in baby blue colored robes.

Hermione pushed those thoughts away and marched up to him. He offered no greeting and turned to walk through the doorway.

Madam Pomfrey was tending to a sobbing first-year Slytherin. Hermione heard there was an accident with the flying lessons today. She assumed this was the boy who fell off his broom. Madam Pomfrey was forcing him to swallow a Skele-Gro potion, he must've broken his arm in the fall.

She looked at Malfoy expectantly.

"What?" He glared back at her.

"That's your house. Go help him." She told him, gesturing to his prefect badge.

"No."

"It's your job? What do you mean no?"

"I don't want to."

"Fine, then I'll do it." Hermione pushed past him. The first year probably hadn't had enough time to make friends yet and now had to go through this traumatic ordeal alone. It reminded her of how lonely she was before she became friends with Harry and Ron.

"Hello there", she smiled at the boy, sitting down on the chair by his bed. Tears tracked down his cheeks, his face was flushed in embarrassment and pain. He probably hated having the infamous Draco Malfoy watch him cry.

"Hi." He mumbled, sniffing, while Madam Pomfrey gave her a grateful look. She was rubbing a clear ointment into the shallow scratches on his arms and calves.

"What's your name?" She asked, brushing hair away that had fallen out of her braid.

"Justin, Justin Armstrong," He said, trying to wipe his tears away.

"Well Justin, you were very brave for drinking a Skele-Gro potion, you know that right? I have a friend who drank one," Malfoy snorted at this, "...his second year, and he tried to spit it out!"

"Really?"

"I promise! You didn't even flinch, that was very impressive." She praised him.

"I flinched a little bit," he mumbled, blushing shyly.

"Maybe a little bit, but not very much," she reassured. "It's okay to be scared and cry sometimes, I certainly have before." Malfoy scoffed again, this time from farther away.

He nodded, unconvinced but trying to appease the random witch sitting at his bedside.

She stayed seated next to him and talked about his lessons with him while Madam Pomfrey finished her treatment. She even held one of his hands when Madam Pomfrey snapped his dislocated finger back in place.

When Madam Pomfrey finished, Hermione said goodbye to Justin and grabbed the list she hastily wrote for them.

Malfoy had fallen asleep on a nearby cot.

Hermione was hesitant to wake him, she felt uncomfortable seeing him in such a vulnerable position. His face was neutral and free of the permanent scowl he wore when stalking around the castle. Left with no other option, she gently shook his shoulder and stepped back. His eyes opening slowly, he gave her a small, lazy, close-lipped smile, before clearing his groggy eyes and realizing which muggleborn witch stood in front of him. He then glared at her (as usual).

On their way out, they passed Madam Pomfrey exiting her office. Madam Pomfrey and Malfoy exchanged a loaded look. It reminded Hermione of the expression Professor McGonagall held as she reminded Malfoy about his "history with ", there was a hidden depth or code inside it. They were communicating through the unspoken and Hermione's mind was not on the same wavelength.

He refused to look at her as they marched through the castle. Students had grown used to seeing the unlikely pair together. In the first week, it became tedious and inefficient to walk separately, so whispers followed them everywhere they went. But after the news spread about their task, the student body moved onto the next gossip.

"Malfoy!" A masculine voice called behind them. They continued walking at a brisk pace.

"Malfoy, wait!" They called again. Hermione looked over to see Malfoy's jaw clenched, was he just not going to respond?

"Malfoy!" He was yanked back by his cloak. Hermione stopped, unsure if she should wait for him or leave him be.

Theodore Nott, a Slytherin in their year whom Hermione had never spoken a word to, stood expectantly before them.

"You heard me calling, why didn't you stop?" His left hand was on his hip, holding a thin book she couldn't read the title of. He was huffed dramatically.

"Places to be, people to see," Malfoy said carelessly waving his hand and trying to turn back around.

"Wait! Merlin-Jesus-Fucking-Christ, wait a fucking minute. Do you have the quill I let you borrow?"

Hermione wondered if his pureblood family knew he used muggle slang.

"What quill?" Malfoy huffed in annoyance, not reprimanding his friend for using muggle terms.

"The quill I let you borrow? Are you daft?" Theo said, smirking.

"I never borrowed a quill or yours and you know that."

"Ah, my bad. I must've mistaken your fat arse for Crabbe's. I'll let you get to whatever you both were racing to do."

Hermione couldn't help it, she snorted. He grinned back at her. Never in all of her years at Hogwarts had she heard someone speak to Malfoy like this. It seemed to be standard behavior from Nott though because he didn't even flinch when Malfoy punched him. He seemed to be expecting it.

Malfoy drove his fist straight into Nott's pointy nose. It was a shame, she thought absentmindedly. He had a face that renaissance artists would sculpt onto statues.

"Shit, alright. OW!" He shouted into the nearly empty hall, not caring about attention from passing by students. He bent down so that his elbows rested on his knees, fingers clutched his bleeding nose.

"FUCK! That hurts!" He yelled. Malfoy grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the scene of the crime. He started towards the end of the hall again, yanking her in line with him. The feeling of the metal rings biting into the thin fabric on her arms reminded her of his hand on the base of her throat in the astronomy tower. She shook her head, she didn't need to be reminiscing about that.

"SHIT," Theo screamed, a flock of birds flew off a windowsill. Warm laughter bubbled up in her chest. Not even the first year, Justin Armstrong, yelled like that when his finger was pushed back into its socket.

She pulled her arm out of Malfoys biting grip and pivoted on her heel.

"Are you alright?" She called. Nott mumbled something she couldn't quite hear in response. She walked closer to him hesitantly. Malfoy blindly grabbed for her arm again, she jumped out of the way.

"Granger, let's get going. I'm not spending more time with you out there than I have to."

"UGH! I'm in horrible pain!" Theo exclaimed loudly, even though one corner of his lip was curling up.

"I could do an Episkey on it if you want," she offered. It was the least she could do for the noble hero that said Malfoy had a fat arse to his face.

"If it wouldn't be too much to ask for?" He trailed off, gestured to his bloody nose.

He had to bend down for her wand to reach his nose. Up close, his raven locks were even more breathtakingly beautiful. His light green eyes were framed in thick lashes. As she murmured a soft episkey, she felt two sets of eyes on her. Nott didn't even make a sound when the spell caused a startling temperature shift from his head to his nose; for someone so reactive earlier, he was very quiet now.

Malfoy grabbed her arm as soon as she finished setting the broken nose. Right before he yanked her back into a brisk walk away, Theo said, "Happy Birthday Hermione," with a soft smile.

She looked over her shoulder at him, he was leaning against the stone wall with a slight slouch, grinning at her. She turned her back and smiled at the ground. A stubborn blush formed on her cheeks.