"Hey…"

Hermione looked up from where she was hunched over the table, a rather large text laid out before her. Woodsy brown and vibrant green met and held for a moment before he spoke again.

"Can I sit?"

Hermione pursed her lips, tempted to refuse, but with a sigh, decided against it. She nodded, eyes trailing back down to the words in front of her as Harry pulled out the chair opposite of her.

"I'm sorry," he said, forcing her to look up again. "I'm only…worried. You have to know that, right?"

His eyebrows slanted inward, a troubled look hovering over his features as he tried to convey said worry to her.

"I… Yes," she eventually replied. "…but that doesn't mean I have to like how you deal with it."

Now, it was Harry's turn to sigh as he leaned back in the chair. He looked around, pouting with furrowed eyebrows as he chose his next words carefully.

"Family…was something foreign to me growing up. The only family I had treated me like shit, and I was starting to accept that it would always be that way, and then suddenly…it wasn't."

He looked at her.

"You and Ron…you're my family. You're like a sister to me, Hermione, and with that comes the need to protect you-."

"I can take care of myself."

He snorted.

"Don't we know it," he mumbled before shaking his head. "…but that doesn't mean you won't need help sometimes. Look, considering how well this conversation went last time, I know better than to try and tell you what to do, but… I don't trust Malfoy."

"…and you don't think it might have something to do with you being just a bit biased?"

"No, I definitely do, but even if there wasn't some bias there, I still wouldn't trust him. Hermione, he's bullied us for years," he reminded her.

"…and he's trying to make amends for it. I know that I don't know everything. I know that I'm not always going to be right, but I'd like to think that I'm a pretty good judge of character. He was very sincere when he apologized to me. I don't know what sparked this sudden change, but…it's genuine," she said.

Hermione believed her words. Malfoy was different. Harry clenched his jaw, eyes hard as he regarded her.

"…and how can you be so sure? Like I said before… Don't you think Malfoy is the last person you want to give the benefit of the doubt to?" he questioned.

"I'm not brainless, Harry. For Merlin's sake… Do you think that my brain has just erased the past six years? It hasn't. I remember, in vivid detail, just how badly he treated me. That hurt is still there, I assure you, so no, I don't just blindly trust him, now. However, because I don't have the mindset of a child, I know that people can change and grow."

Harry looked away with a huff, clearly wanting to disagree for this particular case.

"From what I've gathered, he doesn't view his father in the best of lights. In his own words, he even referred to him as a fool, and called what he was brought up to believe in foolish," she continued.

Harry frowned at this, a peculiar look in his eyes.

"What else did he say?"

"Just that he regretted his behavior and how stupid he'd been. He completely insulted the entire notion of pureblood supremacy, pointing out that people like myself, Crabbe, and Goyle contradict it," she answered.

She left out the part where he'd included Ron in that conversation, certain that Harry wouldn't appreciate it.

"It sounds like it was quite a conversation to witness," Harry mumbled.

"Don't be like that," she sighed.

He snapped his head around to glare at her.

"Don't be like what? Don't be a little perplexed at the thought of you and Malfoy having stimulating chats over tea?" he spat.

"You're being ridiculous-."

"What else do the two of you talk about?" he demanded.

"Well, for one, we talked about how you can't seem to close your big mouth when ranting about me to Ron. Yes, the whole school knows about our fight and what it was about thanks to you."

Harry at least had the decency to look ashamed.

"…and what did he have to say about that?"

"He thought it was as ridiculous as I did," she said with a humorless laugh.

Again, she omitted the part where he'd admitted that the idea of them sleeping together wasn't so crazy. She was positive that he was joking.

"I bet the two of you laughed and laughed," he mocked.

"Will you cut it out?" she harshly whispered.

Harry looked around the library with hard eyes before eventually standing up. Hermione looked up at him with furrowed eyebrows.

"Where are you going?"

He looked down at her, eyes conflicted, before shaking his head.

"I came to apologize, and that's what I did. What I said to you…it was rather insulting, and I'm sorry, but… It's taking a lot to wrap my head around the idea of you and Malfoy being…friendly. I just need some time in order to not have the urge to punch him in the face just for simply talking to you. I'm sorry."

And with that, he was gone.

Hermione exhaled, briefly closing her eyes before pulling her book closer.

Hermione hurried to wipe her face at the sound of the portrait opening and closing, having not expected him to return so soon. It was a Friday night, after all, and she was almost positive that he'd had better offers than being cooped up in their dorm.

"What? Gryffindor game night got cancelled or something?"

Hermione shrugged, not in the mood to go back and forth with him at the moment.

"I wouldn't know," she quietly replied, immediately internally cursing at the rough sound of her voice.

She cleared her throat, fingers clenching around her book as she refused to look at him. It was quiet for a moment before she eventually heard him approaching the chair opposite of her.

"Rough day?"

"…something like that," she vaguely answered.

She heard him sit down, the sound of his bag hitting the floor reaching her ears.

"The two of you fight about me?"

She finally looked up at him, a frown on her face as she pondered his question. The light from the fire cast shadows over the side of his face as he stared at her, waiting for an answer.

"I'm sorry…?"

He smirked, something bitter hidden there, before he leaned back, hands in his lap.

"I do visit the library once in a blue moon, Granger. It looked kind of heated…"

So, he'd seen her and Harry having their…discussion then.

"What else would it possibly be about?" she murmured, returning her attention to her book.

"Pothead's still worried that I'm going to shag you into the dark side, is he?" he chuckled.

She grimaced, a noise of disgust escaping her lips.

"Don't be so vulgar. He just doesn't like you…with good reason, I suppose," she added.

"He doesn't trust you."

She fully lifted her head to gaze at him with hard eyes, now, insulted.

"You've got it backwards, Malfoy. It's you he doesn't trust," she corrected.

Malfoy's gaze didn't waver as he raised an eyebrow.

"…and you," he repeated.

She slammed her book shut, glaring at him, now.

"How on earth do you figure that?"

"Well…if it was simply myself that he didn't trust, then I imagine he wouldn't be making as big of a deal out of this. After all, he would just trust you to know better and make smart decisions, no?"

Hermione frowned, eyeing him as she considered his words.

"Don't be absurd. Harry trusts me just fine," she retorted.

She said this, but a small part of her wondered about the validity of that statement.

"I disagree," Malfoy replied.

"Well, I didn't ask you. Don't you have a hot date or something? It's Friday night," she said, suddenly voicing her questions about his presence.

He ran his hand through his hair, suddenly stretching, and Hermione fought the urge to run her eyes along the length of his arm. She found herself tempted to look at him quite a bit, lately.

"Teddy and Blaise will be coming by later, so in a manner of speaking, I suppose that I do," he answered.

Hermione nodded, rising from the couch as she figured that was her cue to shower and make herself scarce.

"That is alright with you, isn't it?"

She turned to face him, finding his piercing gaze already on her. Hermione was a little more than surprised that he was considering how she may have felt about that, but she quickly squashed it down.

"It's fine. Just…keep the noise to a minimum, I guess," she replied, turning to leave.

"You're more than welcome to stay. This is your dorm too, after all," he suddenly said.

"Thanks, but I'll have to decline. I'm not feeling the best," she said.

She oddly found that to be true. She wasn't feeling the best, and all she really wanted to do was get some rest.

"Suit yourself. The offer still stands," he called to her just before she shut herself off into her room.

That night was the first dream of many that would keep her awake for hours on end. She had been chasing Harry and Ron, desperately screaming their names as she fought to catch up, only… They didn't hear her, or perhaps they ignored her, but it wasn't long before they were fading away, and she was left in the darkness by herself.

"Where are Ron and Harry?" Hermione questioned as she looked down the table, noting their absence.

Ginny, just seeming to notice their absence, looked around in shallow curiosity.

"I don't know," Ginny shrugged. "Who knows what they're up to? You know how they get…"

Hermione frowned.

Yes, she did know how they would get, especially during a fight, but with everything that was going on, Hermione wondered if they were doing something…important. The chances of that were rather high, and she wondered that if that were the case, would they really leave her out? Ginny didn't seem to be concerned, turning her attention to whatever Padma was talking about.

Hermione pondered over Malfoy's words from the previous night as she dwelled on the absence of her friends. Harry trusted her. The three of them had been through too much in order for him not to. His concern was understandable, sure, but she and Malfoy weren't even friends, not even close. The two of them just weren't at each other's throats, anymore, and occasionally had an interesting chat or two. That was all.

Hermione glanced up, frown deepening as Lavender strutted into the hall, blonde curls swinging behind her as she made her way over to the table. Ron was not too far behind, coming in barely a minute later with Harry at his side while they chatted. Had Ron been with Lavender, and was Harry with them? Or was it just a simple coincidence? She forced herself to look away, unintentionally meeting the eyes of Draco Malfoy.

He was in a conversation with Zabini, the handsome boy going on about something or another while Malfoy listened. At least, she assumed that he was listening. His elbows rested on the table before him, hands clasped together and resting against his chin. His gaze, however, was fixed solely on her. It seemed to appear that way, at least. For all she knew, he could've simply been staring into space. She was forced to retract that thought when he threw a wink her way, a smirk resting on his lips when he lowered his hands.

She felt her face heating up before she looked away with a shake of her head. She knew what that was about, and he knew that it grated on her nerves. Ever since their conversation that night, the one that consisted of blowjobs and shagging Theodore Nott, he'd taken up the annoying habit of referring to her as "quite the little pervert", throwing her looks that only she knew the hidden meaning to. She knew that he was only teasing, but it still bothered her, nonetheless, for reasons she'd rather not think about.

She suddenly stood, catching Ginny's attention.

"I'm going to head on to class. I want to get some extra reading in…"

Ginny waved her off with a shake of her head, knowing how Hermione could be.

As Hermione walked past Lavender, she noted the girl laughing at something Harry or Ron said as she sat across from them. She fought the urge to frown, nails digging into her palm as she clenched her hands into fists. What on earth could they possibly be talking about? What could the three of them ever have in common, Hermione wondered? Unless…

Hermione suddenly stopped walking.

What if…they all had Ron in common? Hermione wasn't stupid. She, and practically everyone else in the school, knew that Lavender fancied Ron, and…it looked like he fancied her back, sometimes. What if they were together, now? Dating… She shook the thought from her head, continuing on to class.

They weren't on the best of terms, at the moment, but one of them would have thought to tell her if that were true. Right? These thoughts weighed on her mind all throughout class, to the point where she didn't answer a single question, causing her classmates to give her strange looks.

She was sitting near the middle, a few rows behind Ron and Harry as she stared off to the right, mind going a mile a minute. What if Malfoy was right? What if Harry didn't trust her? If that was the case, then it was, no doubt, due to her little truce with the blond Slytherin. What if…whatever this was, was forcing Harry to lose faith in her? She knew that he saw Malfoy as the enemy, but what if he legitimately viewed this entire situation as her getting too close to the enemy? What if…he started to view her in that way?

"Perhaps Ms. Granger can answer the question if she ever finds it in herself to quit staring at Mr. Malfoy," a familiar voice droned.

Hermione blinked, eyes coming back into focus as she swiveled her head towards the front of the class. Chuckles rang throughout the room, and she felt her face heating up as she realized that she had, in fact, been staring at Malfoy. It was purely unintentional, of course, and she opened her mouth to voice that.

"I wasn't-."

"Save your excuses for someone who considers them relevant, Ms. Granger. Have you taken it upon yourself to deem something else far more pressing than paying attention in class? The color of Mr. Malfoy's hair, perhaps?"

More chuckles reached her ears, and she dug her nails into her palms as she glared at the greasy-haired professor.

"I was not-."

"Think yourself above this class, do you?"

Hermione felt anger bloom in her chest, teeth clenching. For years, Snape had done nothing but demean her every chance he got for simply taking pride in her intelligence, as if that were a bad thing. He'd even dubbed her "an insufferable know-it-all", an unfortunate title that had stuck for years. Now, the one time she didn't raise a single hand nor utter a single word, he had taken it upon himself to drag her through the mud for that too.

She briefly closed her eyes, glaring at him as she grabbed her bag and stood. Murmurs erupted around her as she exited the class without sparing a single glance back, ignoring the calls of her professor.

She didn't go to dinner that night, sure that her uncharacteristic behavior would be all anyone at her table would be talking about. She wasn't exactly sure what had come over her, but she found that she didn't particularly care either. She couldn't find it in herself to. She knew that it wasn't the way a Prefect should behave, especially one in a position such as her, but something in her had just snapped at Snape's scathing words.

She didn't even flinch as the portrait slammed shut, the sound of voices reaching her ears as she stared into the fire. The noise lulled to a hushed murmur as they noticed her presence, no doubt.

"Granger…you put on quite the show in class," a vaguely familiar voice purred.

She glanced up, eyes landing on Blaise Zabini in only mild surprise.

The dark skinned Slytherin was something of an anomaly to her. He was devastatingly handsome, something he got from his mother if the rumors of her beauty were true. He came from money, the fortune only growing as stepfather after stepfather left them more money after their mysterious and untimely deaths. He was intelligent, maybe not as intelligent as she, but what he lacked, he made up for with cunningness, brown eyes constantly soaking up everything around him, storing it for later. He rarely spoke, deeming very few people important enough to grace with his voice. He believed himself to be above most people, and wasn't afraid to let them know it.

In a word, Hermione didn't consider herself to be a fan.

Malfoy snorted, drawing her attention to him as he dropped his bag by the door, long fingers coming up to loosen his tie.

"I thought that she was going to curse poor old Severus there, for a minute," Malfoy drawled, a smirk dancing on his lips.

"Believe me, the temptation was there," she murmured.

Zabini made a noise, sounding vaguely like one of appreciation.

"I rather like this side of you, Granger. It's quite…arousing," he murmured, leaning against the couch, now.

Both she and Malfoy threw him a glare to which he raised his hands.

"I was only joking," he said, mostly to Malfoy as the blond glared at him for a few more seconds before looking away. "Besides...let Snape tell it, she only has eyes for you."

Hermione felt her anger rising all over again, eyebrows furrowing.

"I was not staring at Malfoy. Snape is just a cruel bully," she spat.

"It's alright, Granger. Your secret is safe with me," Malfoy chuckled, Blaise joining in.

"Get over yourself," she harshly replied.

Their laughs quieted as it became clear that Hermione was not in a laughing mood. Zabini took note of the atmosphere, it seemed, making his way into Malfoy's room with one last glance over his shoulder. Malfoy was quiet as he kept his eyes on her, she could feel the heat of his gaze.

"What's gotten your knickers in a twist?"

"Nothing…"

"Well, maybe something should," he replied.

"Not everyone likes to shag their problems away if that's what you're referring to," she threw back.

"Ever heard of a good fuck just for the fun of it? You seem like you could use it," he venomously retorted.

Hermione wrapped her blanket tighter around her as she stood, opting to ignore his comment, knowing that it would only lead to an argument. That was the last thing she wanted, seeing as they had to patrol later on.

"See you in two hours, Malfoy," was her only reply, shutting her door behind her.

The corridor was quiet, a good thing she supposed, the only sound being that of their footsteps. Since their last encounter earlier, she and Malfoy had not spoken a word to each other. That was perfectly fine with her, it gave her more time to think some things over without his voice grating on her nerves every five minutes.

When Malfoy had first apologized to her, and when she had accepted, she'd known then that Harry and Ron wouldn't be pleased with the turn of events. However, she hadn't counted on the two of them pulling away like this. She frowned, unconsciously gnawing on her bottom lip, a frown on her face as she glanced up at Malfoy.

He was nothing to her. He'd been a bully for years, and now, they were cordial, but that was as far as it went. Ron and Harry were…well, they were everything to her. They'd been through so much together, and she believed it when people said shared trauma brought people closer together. The three of them had been through too much together just for things to go sour over…Malfoy. Malfoy was nothing.

"Spit it out already, Granger."

The sudden sound of his voice startled her, and she looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Spit what out?"

He rolled his eyes, flicking a stray strand out of his face as he did so.

"You've been wearing on that lip of yours like it personally offended you. Plus, I'm tired of you looking at me. You've done it at least seven times in the past five minutes," he complained.

"Sorry," she murmured, not realizing that her behavior had been so obvious.

There was a tense silence, one in which he simply waited for her to decide on what she was going to do.

"I don't… This agreement, or truce, whatever it is… I don't think it was such a good idea," she quietly said.

She could feel his eyes on her.

"I appreciate your apology, and I'm glad that you've had a change of heart, but… After everything, I don't think we need to be friendly or anything. There's really no need for us to even acknowledge one another unless it's necessary."

She stopped walking when he did, looking up at him as he did the same to her. His face was unreadable for a moment, and she wondered what he was thinking. Eventually, a sinister smirk slowly made its way onto his pink lips, a cruel look bleeding into his silver eyes as he looked down his nose at her, disgusted.

"Merlin," he scoffed. "You are so fucking weak, Granger."

Hermione felt like she'd been punched in the gut as he practically spat the words out at her.

"I beg your pardon?" she gasped, eyes wide as she looked up at him, incredulous.

"Your boyfriends say jump, and you say how high, don't you?"

She felt her face heating up, and she crossed her arms over her chest as she glared up at him.

"That is not what this is about-!"

"Weak and a liar. Who knew?"

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about-."

"Give me some credit, please. You think it isn't noticeable that they aren't trailing after you, lately? I bet you never thought you'd see the day where Potter no longer trusted you, huh?"

"He does trust me. He just needs some time-."

"Well, if time is all he needs then what's the whole point of this?"

Hermione didn't reply, reluctant to admit that he had her there. Malfoy chuckled, a mean sound that made her heart clench. He was laughing at her.

"You're consorting with the 'enemy', and now, he doesn't know what to think of you. The weasel and Brown seem to be getting rather cozy. Perhaps, they're trying to replace you," he mocked.

She looked away from him, jaw clenching.

"Oh, hit a nerve, have I? Still hanging onto those ridiculous insecurities, Granger?"

She blinked away her tears, refusing to give him the satisfaction.

"You're a right git, you know that, Malfoy?"

"…and you're a weak pushover. Quite the pair we make, no?"

She shoved him, taking pride in his stumble.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand! They're my friends, practically family, and their opinions mean a lot to me," she spat.

"That's one way to phrase it, I suppose. From my end, it looks like their opinions are overriding your own, but hey, what do I know?"

"You're right? What do you know? You know nothing. They mean a great deal to me, and I'm supposed to throw that away for what? A cordial acquaintanceship with you? You are nothing compared to them," she ranted.

Malfoy didn't reply, simply raising an eyebrow before crossing his arms over his chest and taking a step forward. She mirrored his movements, taking a step back, then another and another before finally feeling her back brushing against the wall. She swallowed, heart speeding up at his close proximity, images of that night swimming in her mind. He was so close that she could smell him, the scent invading her nose and clouding her brain.

The corner of his lips quirked up just the tiniest bit, a mirthful cruelty dancing in his eyes, as if he was in on some joke that she was not privy to.

"I'm nothing compared to your precious Potter and Weasley, huh?"

His voice was low, and she didn't reply as he hovered over her, opting for glaring at him instead. He brought one arm forward to rest his hand on the wall beside her head. He eventually did the same for the other arm, effectively trapping her as he leaned in. Her breath was shaky in the quiet corridor, and she was certain that he could hear it too.

"Do you want me to let you in on a little secret?"

She didn't reply, and he took that as a sign to continue.

"Potter has already written you off."

Her eyes widened before she frowned, shaking her head.

"You're so full of it," she whispered.

He tilted his head to the side, eyes raking over her frame, something bubbling in her stomach at his scrutiny.

"It doesn't matter what you do, now. You're gullible. Easily manipulated. That is all he sees," he continued.

"I am not," she harshly replied.

"Of course, you aren't," he agreed. "You're Hermione Granger. You're intelligent, cunning, and nauseatingly brave, but right now, all Potter sees is an easy, inexperienced target. He can't risk you knowing too much and letting something slip, can he?"

"What are you on about?"

He smiled, an uneasy sight that put her on edge.

"Why don't you ask him what he and Weasley have been up to this past week? You know what? I'll save you the trouble… They've been following me around at night."

Her eyes widened at this information for different reasons. For one thing, that was incredibly stupid. Secondly, why did they keep this from her? Malfoy had to be lying, he had to be. Yet, as she gazed up at him, something in her told her that he was not. Her frown deepened.

"I told you. He doesn't trust you anymore…"

"I…I don't believe you," she shakily whispered.

"Well…that's too bad, because you're about to be proven wrong," he whispered back.

Before Hermione could inquire about that, they were interrupted.

"What the bloody hell is this?"

Her head swiveled to the right, eyes widening at the sight of Harry and Ron standing only a few feet away, wands shining onto the two of them. Malfoy pulled away, completely silent as Hermione took note of the parchment in Harry's hands. The map. She chanced a glance at Malfoy, reluctant to admit that he had been right.

"What is going on here?" Harry demanded, unsatisfied with her lack of response.

"We're patrolling. Are you mental?" Malfoy asked.

Harry's eyes were wide and accusatory as he stared at her, a frown on Ron's face as he stood behind him.

"What are you doing, Harry?" she asked, gesturing to the map and gracing him an accusatory stare of her own.

It seemed that he hadn't thought this confrontation through, opening and closing his mouth as he fought to think of something. She made her way over to the two of them, voice low as she interrogated them.

"Have you been skulking around the castle at night, following him?"

"Why is that any of your concern? Something to hide?"

She flinched at his tone of voice, a disbelieving look in her eyes at his words.

"What on earth are you talking about? Why didn't…? Why did you hide this from me?"

"…because of this!" he gestured between her and Malfoy. "…because of what I just witnessed. I knew it, and you tried to make me look like a fool!"

She glanced over her shoulder at Malfoy, the blond leaning against the wall as he regarded the three of them, eyes cloaked to hide whatever he was thinking.

"That wasn't anything. We were just talking. In fact, he was telling me that the two of you have been following him around at night. I was a little surprised to hear that considering it was the first I'd heard of it," she hissed.

"That didn't look like nothing," Harry argued, ignoring her questions.

"Well, I'm telling you it was nothing," she tossed back.

"Well, I don't believe you!"

She reared back as if she'd been slapped, looking at him with wide eyes. She chanced a glance at Ron, the redhead avoiding her eyes before she returned her stare back to the raven-haired boy in front of her. She took a step back at what she saw in his eyes, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

He didn't believe her.

He didn't trust her.

Malfoy…had been right.

Before she could say anything, Malfoy spoke up.

"As entertaining as this is, the two of you are out of bed after hours. I'm saddened to say that I must give you both detention," Malfoy said, not sounding sad in the slightest.

Both Ron and Harry made noises of protest, going to speak when Hermione interrupted them.

"He's right. We've got to give you detention. You should get back to bed before Filch catches you, and he'd give much worse," she murmured, looking away from them.

"Hermione, come on," Ron said, but she ignored him.

She turned around to find Malfoy still leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and a rather proud smirk on his lips as he gazed at Ron and Harry. He was all too happy to get them in trouble, it seemed. He pushed away from the wall, stepping closer to her as he looked over her shoulder at them with a cruel smile, something unfamiliar settling in his gaze.

"Granger and I have to get back to our dorm. I suggest you do the same," he taunted.

Hermione began to make her way back, his footsteps in sync with hers. She wrapped her arms around herself, a shudder passing through her and lips trembling as she recalled the way Harry had looked at her. He'd never looked at her like that before…

"Didn't think to bring a jacket, Granger?"

"No, I guess not," she murmured, tightening her grip on herself.

She heard the rustle of fabric, looking up just in time to see him slip his jacket off before holding it out for her.

"If you catch a cold, the dunce duo would find a way to blame me, I'm sure," he complained.

Hermione blinked before letting out a sigh, reluctantly slipping her arms through the warm coat as he adjusted it on her, fingers brushing along her shoulders and neck as he did so, body heat mixing with her own as he stood incredibly close. Another shiver passed through her spine, and she wasn't completely sure that it was from the weather.

~ SD ~