Two new chapters. This one first. I own nothing :) Please Review
As the carriage turned round the final corner and the castle came into view, Hermione marvelled at it. It had never seemed so majestic to her. Hermione wondered whether it was due to the fact that she now had a huge responsibility for the castle and it's inhabitants or whether it was because she knew this would be the beginning of her final year. Hermione took in every little detail of the castle wanting to make sure that she remembered everything about it. She sat and smiled to herself. This moment heralded a new beginning for her, one in which she would make more of an effort to get along with Draco and one where she could put the events of the summer behind her, after all London was a very long way away now. The carriages came to a halt and Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Harry got out and walked into the castle along with everyone else. Hermione looked around until she saw Draco, he was walking with Blaise and Pansy and looked like he was in deep conversation with them. Hermione and the others walked into the Great Hall and walked over to the Gryffindor table. They sat down and then waited the arrival of the first year students who would then be sorted into their houses. The entrance of Hagrid, who as usual had helped the new students across the great lake, and the first years caused much excitement among the other students. Hermione looked at them and smiled, seven years ago she had been a timid young girl experiencing the wizarding world for the first time, and now she was 18, Head Girl, a young woman fully aware of who she was and ready to face the world outside Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore stood up.
"Welcome to our new students, we hope you will be happy here, and to everyone else, welcome back to another year at Hogwarts." he said before sitting back down.
Mr Flich bought in a stool and the Sorting Hat and place the hat on the stool before turning round and going to sit in the corner of the Great Hall. The older students waited with baited breath for the Sorting Hat's song. The only one who for once seemed uninterested in the song was Hermione who only heard the start of the song before she went off into a very un-Hermione like daydream, she was picturing her new dormitory, the one that she would be sharing with Draco, she pictured what every room might look like and she was only awoken from the daydream when she heard applause, the song was over. Professor McGonagall then took the scroll that was in her hands and unravelled it. One by one she called the new students forward, they sat down and she put the hat on their heads and allowed the hat to sort them into their houses. Once all the students had been sorted into their houses and had sat down Dumbledore stood again.
"Congratulations to you all on being placed in your respective houses, while here your houses will be like family, look after them and they will look after you. There will be a time for speeches, but now I am sure that you are all hungry, so let the feast begin." As soon as Dumbledore had finished speaking the dishes and plates on all the tables began to fill up. Once every last piece of food had been finished the students sat waiting for Dumbledore to again stand. He stood up and began to speak.
"Now that our stomachs are sufficiently full, I can get on with some start of term announcements. Firstly all first years should note that The Forbidden Forest is out of bounds, some of our older students may also wish to take note of that. Mr Flich wishes me to remind you that all products from Weasley's Wizards Wheezes are banned, along with the list of banned items that Mr Flich has posted on the various notice boards around the castle. Before I let you all get of to bed, I would like to introduce a new member of staff, Professor Carter. Professor Carter will be our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, I trust that you will welcome her to Hogwarts well." there was a fairly loud round of applause from all tables and then it died out to let Professor Dumbledore carry on. " I would also like to introduce our Head Boy and Head Girl Mr Draco Malfoy and Miss Hermione Granger." There was a huge round of applause for the two of them, along with a lot of whooping and cheering from the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables. "Now, I think that's everything, so off to bed for us all now I believe. Prefects, if you could show the first years where they need to go. Thank you." Dumbledore finished.
Slowly but surely everyone left the Great Hall and began to walk to their various common rooms. Eventually the only people left were Hermione, Draco and the staff.
"Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy, can I help?" Professor Dumbledore said as he approached them.
"Well yes, the letter Professor McGonagall sent us didn't mention where our dormitory was." Hermione said.
"Ah yes. That's because only I know where it is." He said.
"Well could you tell us." Draco said getting slightly impatient.
"Of course. It's on the seventh floor, along the corridor from the Room of Requirement. It's entrance is concealed by a portrait of yourselves that we had painted over the summer. The password as you have been told is 'Hogwarts' now you should get going. I'm sure you are both very tired." Dumbledore said.
"A portrait of ourselves?" Hermione questioned.
"Yes Miss Granger. So if you think about it you will have to talk to yourself to get entry to your dormitory you will have to talk to yourself." Dumbledore said with a faint smile on his face. "Now, goodnight." He added as he turned and walked away.
"Goodnight sir." Hermione and Draco said as they watched him walk away.
Draco and Hermione walked up to the 7th floor where they found their portrait waiting for them. The portrait Hermione and Draco were sat down asleep as though they were waiting to be woken up.
"Weird right." Draco said.
"Totally." Hermione said.
"Well I suppose we should venture in. How about we both give the password." Draco suggested.
"Okay then." Hermione replied.
"Hogwarts." They said in unison.
Their portrait selves woke up instantly and look at Hermione and Draco.
"Oh hell, welcome to your new dormitory. And congratulations on becoming Head Boy and Head Girl." The portrait Hermione said.
"Thank you. Now could we get in please." Draco said.
"Certainly." The portrait Hermione answered.
The portrait swung open revealing a small corridor with a grand wooden door at the end.
"Go on then." Draco said.
"You first." Hermione replied.
"Ladies first." Draco answered.
Hermione smiled, took a step forward and then walked into the corridor, Draco followed closely behind. Once she got to the door she slowly reached out for the door knob before opening the door. She and Draco walked into what was supposed to be their common room and got a surprise, it was empty. The only thing in there was a small table on it was a small envelope addressed to them both.
"I think I'll do the honours this time." Draco said as she picked up the envelope.
"Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger,
Welcome to your dormitory. As you can see your common room is bare. Your bedrooms and the bathroom are also like this. You will have to decorate the rooms. But don't worry, it won't be the muggle way, all you have to do is tell the room how you want it to be. In the case of your rooms, this is entirely up to you. However, you have to agree on the designs of both the bathroom and your common room. Have fun.
Professor Dumbledore." Draco put down the letter and turned to Hermione.
"This is going to be fun." Hermione said already planning what her bedroom was going to look like.
"You wanna do the common room first or your room?" Draco asked.
"Common room." Hermione answered.
"Okay so we should sit down and discuss what we'd both like and then we can tell the room." Draco said.
"Sounds like a good idea to me." Hermione said as she sat down.
Draco also sat down and the two of them began to discuss what they wanted the room to be like. Once they had finished they stood up.
"Okay so do you wanna go first?" Draco asked.
"Yep, sure. Ummm room, we would like a fireplace in the corner of the wall that's opposite the door." Hermione said. Instantly in the corner a fireplace appeared.
"Cool!" Draco said. "Okay we'd like a sofa bottom right hand corner of the room please, a three seat sofa should do. And we'd like two armchairs by the fire." Draco said.
"We'd like an L shaped bookshelf in the bottom left hand corner please." Hermione said.
"We'd also like a coffee table near the sofa and a small table in between the two armchairs." Draco said.
"Was there anything else?" Hermione asked.
"The piano?" Draco asked.
"Will it be used?" Hermione answered.
"Yes it will." Draco said looking at Hermione, she nodded her approval and Draco spoke again, "A Grand Piano in the top right hand corner of the room please." He said.
Once they had finished they admired their room.
"Hang on. These walls look too bare." Draco said.
"What's wrong? Colour or does it need some stuff on them?" Hermione asked.
"Both." Draco said before adding, "I'm happy with anything you do."
"Okay well, let's have red walls and some pictures or something on the walls. Oh and we need some light in here." Hermione said.
"Red walls?" Draco said.
"What colour would you have had?" Hermione asked.
"Something less Gryffindor, but it looks good." He answered.
Hermione looked around, the walls were already a deep red colour. On one of the walls there now hung a painting of Hogwarts and on the other hung portraits of the founders of Hogwarts. There was also now a light in the room, everything in the room was done.
"Oh hang on, can we have a rug on the floor." Hermione added quickly.
"There all done, shall we go do our rooms now or do you wanna do the bathroom?" Draco asked.
"I wanna do my room! I guess the rest of the rooms are this way." Hermione said.
"Yeah looks like it." Draco said as he walked over to the door and opened it.
Draco and Hermione walked into a long corridor with a door at the end of it. On the door was a plaque with the words "Bathroom" on it. About halfway down the corridor there were two doors opposite each other. On the door on the left were the words 'Head Girl' and on the right, 'Head Boy'
"See you soon then." Draco said.
"Yup. For sure." Hermione answered.
Hermione opened the door and walked in. Hers was a fairly large room which was perfect for what she was planning to do with it. She looked around the room and then she began to speak.
"Okay so I'll need a light on the ceiling, I want a four poster queen sized bed in the middle of the room, a bedside cabinet next to it with a lamp on it. In the top left hand corner on the room I'd like a small cupboard. Then in the top right hand corner I'd like a wardrobe. I'd like a desk in the bottom left hand corner with a cupboard near by. Finally in the bottom right hand corner I'd like a dressing table and with a mirror and a chest of drawers." She said barely stopping to breathe.
"Oh hang on I forgot stuff. I'd like a nice deep purple colour on the wall and a rug on the floor." she said.
Once the additions had been made to the room Hermione looked around and admired her work.
"Perfect." she said as she walked out of the room.
Draco was already waiting in the corridor for her when she walked out of her room.
"All done?" he asked her.
"Yeah." She answered.
"Bathroom next then." Draco said.
"Yep, what do you want in there?" Hermione asked.
Draco and Hermione discussed what they wanted for the bathroom for about 10 minutes before walking in. Draco walked in and went into the middle of the right hand side of the room, while Hermione went to the left.
It was Draco who spoke first.
"Okay well we'd like a shower in the top right hand corner of the room and then in the bottom right hand corner we'd like a toilet but could it be hidden from view. I don't think Hermione wants to watch me use the loo and vice versa." Draco said. Almost as soon as Draco had finished speaking a large shower appeared. And then came the toilet which was hidden by a bamboo type surround with a door in it.
"Okay so your turn." Draco said.
"Okay well, kinda in the middle of this side of the room we'd like a large bath. And then if it's possible we'd like a hot tub in the top corner." Hermione said.
They waited with baited breath to see if they would be allowed their hot tub and when it appeared they jumped up and down.
"yay!" Hermione said.
Draco, in a moment of total excitement ran over to Hermione, lifted her up twirled her around before letting her down again and hugging her. Once the two realised what was going on they parted and Draco spoke again.
"We also want the walls to be light blue, and we'd like some light in here too." he said not looking at Hermione.
The walls were soon the light blue colour they wanted and there was light in the room.
"Well, time for bed I think." Hermione said.
"Yeah." Draco answered.
Hermione walked out of the bathroom and into her bedroom, she got changed into some pyjamas and then got into bed. She lay awake for about half an hour thinking about what Draco had just done, she was confused, after six years of hating her he now seemed to want to a least get on with her. 'What if it's more than that' she thought 'What if he really likes me." Eventually she gave up with thinking about things, closed her eyes and was soon fast asleep.
Meanwhile in Draco's room Draco was sat on his bed, thinking. Why had he hugged her, why after all this time did he suddenly feel that it was okay to hug her? Was he beginning to feel something for Hermione? What was it he was feeling? Was it friendship? Or something more? Since that day in Diagon Alley, Draco had thought of nothing else but Hermione, whether she was okay, who had raped her, what he what do if he ever found the person that raped her, how he was going to look after he at Hogwarts. Of course his father knew nothing about his thoughts, he hadn't said anything about that day and he had been careful to block thoughts from his father too. Draco stood up, pulled the covers down and got into bed, he looked at his door knowing that in the bed across the way there was a young girl who had totally turned his world upside down.