Hermione awoke early the next morning, sun shining in her face. She looked at her alarm clock and saw that it read 6:30. She had more than an hour before she had to get to class. She flopped back into her pillow, sighing. She lay there quietly for a few moments before rubbing her eyes, yawning and kicking the covers off of her. She sluggishly pulled out her robes for the day and made her way into the common room. The one thing McGonagall had never mentioned was that not only did they share a common room but also bathroom. She made her way past the still lit fireplace, which comfortably warmed the room and pushed open the bathroom door. The bathroom was as large, if not larger, than her bedroom at home. In the middle of the room a deep bathtub was built into the floor. To the left a large shower. There was also a large counter across from the entrance, which ran the length of the room.
Hermione scoffed as she noticed all the styling products and bathroom necessities piled on Malfoy's side of the counter. She silently set her clothes on the counter and turned on the large bathtub, filling it with bubble bath. She quickly undressed and stepped into the tub, submerging her head underwater. She quickly washed her hair and lay back against the tub, closing her eyes. She had nearly fallen asleep when she heard the bathroom door open. Her eyes flew open and she saw Malfoy standing there only in his boxers. She screamed shrilly and quickly covered herself up as best she could. Malfoy stood dumbfounded in the doorway gaping at her.

"Get out!" She screamed at him. As if coming out of a trance he shook his head and quickly shut the door. Hermione sighed and stepped out of the tub, pulling the plug out of the drain as she did so. She quickly wrapped a towel around herself, afraid Malfoy might decide to wander in again. She dried herself off quickly, got dressed and wrapped her hair up in a towel. She pulled open the bathroom door and walked into the common room only to find Malfoy staring at the fire as if hypnotized. His head snapped around s her heard the bathroom door open. Hermione felt a blush on her cheeks as she quickly trotted by him into her room without saying a word. She let out a heavy breath as she closed her bedroom door. She grabbed her wand from the nightstand and settled herself at the vanity table. She quickly murmured a spell and her hair was dry. She stared at her hair in disgust. It was so...bushy. Suddenly a thought hit her. Her mother had given her a hair straightner as a sweet 16 present in the hopes Hermione would take an interest in her looks. She had never had a reason to use it before, but maybe now was the time to try new things. Besides, it'd make her mother happy to know she had used it at least once in her life…

Hermione self-consciously walked into her first class. Transfiguration with Hufflepuff. She kept her head down as she gripped the books and parchment in her hand hard. She stared at the ground as if wishing she were invisible. That's when the whispering started.

"Look at her hair!"
"Since when did she care how she looked?"
"Talk about trying to fit in..."

Hearing the whispers Harry and Ron slowly turned around in their chairs and gaped at Hermione. In place of her usual dull, bushy hair was a head of now sleek and straight chestnut-brown hair which hung a few inches below her shoulders.

"Whoa Hermione, what'd you do with your hair?" Harry asked still staring. She shrugged and set her books down on the desk in front of Harry.

"It's just something I thought I would try. Do you like it?"

"Like it? It looks beautiful." Ron replied looking stunned. Hermione blushed and quickly sat down. The whispering finally slowed down and nothing more was said about her the change in her hair. Even Padma managed to not make a comment about it.

After Transfiguration Hermione quickly made her way to her Advanced History of Magic class. She immediately opened her book and began reading hoping to get a bit ahead of Binn's before class started. While she was engrossed in her book she noticed someone set their books in the spot next to her. She didn't bother looking up; instead she focused more on getting ahead of the class.

"It isn't nice to ignore people Granger." She heard Malfoy drawl.

"I would've thought your parents would teach you something like that. Even mud-bloods have manners." The word made her blood boil as she slammed her book shut.

"Like you're one to talk about manners ferret." Malfoy smirked.

"Touché Granger." He said pulling out the chair next to her and sitting down. Hermione glared at him, trying to figure out why he was still sitting next to her.

"Geez Granger, if looks could kill." Hermione snapped out of her trance.

"I'm simply trying to figure out why a pureblood like you would sit next to such a pathetic mud-blood as me." She spat out at him.

"What? I can't be civil to the person I loathe?" Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"May I remind you that last night being civil to a mud-blood was the last thing on your mind?" He nodded.

"Well, I figured sharing a common room with you and all and being head boy, of course, I should do some maturing. So I've come to make a deal with you." Hermione resisted the urge to laugh in his face and turned toward him in her chair, somehow interested in what he had to say.

"Go on." She coaxed.

"Since we're sharing a room, we're going to have to get along somehow or neither of us will make it through the year. So I propose that we try to get along." Hermione couldn't resist any longer and laughed out loud.

"What will your little pureblood friends think of you and I being civil?" Draco shrugged.

"They don't own me, and they don't tell me what to do so I really don't care. So what do you say Granger?" Hermione shook her head, confused.

"I'll think about it..." Draco swiftly stood up and picked up his books.

"Think hard about it Granger. I'll see you in the common room later." He said winking at her. She scoffed in disgust and turned forward in her desk again.

What was he up to? Malfoy being nice to me? Than again maybe acting civil to him wouldn't be so bad...