She was tired. There had been a few moments in her life where she allowed school to get away from her, third year was a prime example of that, however they had only been in classes for one week and she was mentally at her wits end with all of it. She had taken a fuller course load than the boys, they would have their NEWTS next year and she needed to be ready for them. For anything they would throw at her. Harry and Ron had opted to not follow her lead, instead they spent their time antagonizing her while she was trying to study. Trying to do anything really.

"Hermione are you listening to me" Harry asked waving his hand in front of her face. She had been staring at the same sentence in her book for the past few minutes, willing the text to absorb itself into her brain.

"No, honestly" she said sheepishly closing the book and looking at Harry. He rolled his eyes in return and smiled at her.

"I was saying we needed to make a plan, find a way to figure out what is happening." She stared at him blankly, the tired wheels in her head were spinning trying to think of what he could possibly be talking about. To her knowledge nothing had been happening in the castle, it was too early for them to find any trouble just yet. It was then that it dawned on her.

"You mean Malfoy?" She groaned crossing her arms and closing her eyes. "Has he done something?" She could not bring herself to deal with this so early in the year, Harry had been unusually quiet on the subject since the train ride. She had assumed it had passed and the feeling that Harry had in his gut that day had moved on to something else.

"Well no, but he has to be planning something. You have classes with him, right?" Harry asked her whispering.

"I would assume Potions, he did take his O.W.L's and he was quiet good at potions." She said before she could stop herself. Harrys face pinkened slightly, he had not done well on his Potions OWL's preventing him from moving along in the classes with her. Ronald and he were not going to take another Potions class and while he had seemed happy about that prospect the past year, after meeting Slughorn he now seemed quite glume "Honestly I'm not sure if I will or not." She trailed off.

"Watch him, if you do that is, Hermione he has to be up to something."

"Harry I really don't have time for this," she groaned not wanting to make eye contact with her friend.

"Hermione, please, just keep an eye on him. You know the first chance he gets he's going to do something. It's in his nature." Harry looked at her pleading. She could see it in his eyes that he truly needed her to believe him.

"Fine." She said gathering her books in her arms and standing. "I will do your dirty work for you, but so help me Harry Potter the minute I am too busy to play this game it will end" she stared at him pointedly, not being able to help her return smile and the grin that took over his face. It was good to see him smiling again. Turning she walked away trying to stuff her books into her bag, as she pushed through the door she took two steps and ran smack into someone on the other side.

The morning had been quiet. Given the circumstances one could almost call it decent. Pansy had not spoken to him yet today, Blaise had minded his own business about where he had been last night, and he almost was able to get an hour's sleep. Decent.

He made his way along the Great Hall, stopping to catch a look into the crowded court yard before a small boulder ran into him. Knocking him off balance, he turned to tell of whatever first year he had sent sprawling and instead found himself staring at Granger. Great.

"You know there plenty of room in this blasted castle, you could be blind and never run into anything." He kicked at a book next to his foot sending it across the grounds "I guess if your nose was buried into a book you would be blind." He sneered walking around her.

"If you wouldn't stop in front of doorways this wouldn't have happened." She yelled at his back.

"I don't have time for this today, Granger. I trust you can make it down the hall all right." He smirked as a small book came flying past his head. Seems the book worm doesn't care about her precious books to much. He walked through the double doors into the dining hall and made his way to the Slytherin table. Pansy and Theo scooted apart to allow him space between the two.

"Where did you go last night," Nott asked between bites of porridge. "You missed one hell of a game of chess, mate."

"Oh yes, it was so riveting" Pansy answered her voice dripping with sarcasm as her eyes rolled in her head.

"I needed to think" Draco answered pulling a scone out of the piles in front of him. He had spent the night in the library, having found the cabinet in the closet on the seventh floor, where he was told it would be. There had been some difficulty getting it opened. "I just needed to think".

A.N.

Thank you to all the readers! I hope you are liking the story so far.

As always let me know what you think, reviews keep me going. I like hearing what you like or don't like. Anything to let me know you are there!