Hermione sat down in the front row and Draco stayed in the back. McGonagall had seen them enter together. She pulled her Daily Prophet in front of her face while wondering what odd affair was going on between. Probably just running in from having a row she thought. She head whispers.
"Draco, sit up here." Hermione whispered. McGonagall peeked discreetly from behind her newspaper. Draco shook his head. "Please Draco." Draco gave up, stood up and sat next to her. Hermione and Draco turned to the front and McGonagall hurriedly put the Prophet back in front of her face.
Hermione took out her parchment, her quill and her inkbottle. She began sucking on her quill. She turned to Draco. He was staring at her, not smiling.
"Draco?" She said, waving her hand in front of his face. He snapped out of it.
"Sorry." Draco gave a sigh little laugh and got out his supplies out for Transfiguration hurriedly. He began staring at Hermione again.
"Are you ok?" Hermione joked. She put her hand up to his forehead. "You feel warm." Hermione smiled. Draco grabbed her hand and brought it down from his forehead to his cheek and kissed her palm. Hermione snatched her hand, her eyes burning. Friends yes. But to have romantic relations with a used-to-be-deatheater when you were best friends with Harry Potter was a big no and a disgrace to her. How dare Draco even try to take advantage of her!?
"I think you should sit in the back of the room, Draco." Hermione said, turning back to face McGonagall. McGonagall's face was covered by a flurry of papers and the rustling echoed around the room as Draco silently stood up and sat in the back. He sat down in his new found seat moments before Harry and Ron entered, sitting next to Hermione as if nothing had ever happened. A flurry of Gryfinndor and Slytherin students suddenly poured in.
McGonagall put her papers down and stood up when all the seats in the room had been filled. She walked across to the board.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, class has begun." All the students hurried to get out their notebooks out except for Hermione and Draco.
Draco almost killed himself that night but he decided not too.
That night, after she had finished her homework, Hermione stared into the fire. She felt somehow out of place in the red and gold decorated room. In the corner was a couple holding hands, whispering and smiling. Hermione blinked away tears. All her seven years she had never been asked to Hogsemeade, never had a true boyfriend. She had never even truly liked anyone. In the other corner Ron and Harry were playing wizard's chess. Ron was winning by a great amount, like usual and making fun of Harry's poor playing. Ginny was hugging Harry from behind, laughing at all him as well but giving him the occasional help. Random students were scattered around the floor, laughing and doing homework together. Hermione looked back into the fire. She wasn't laughing with anyone, loving anything. She was so different from everyone else in this room. Why? Wasn't she a true Gryfinndor? The hat had put her here but there were always people asking why she hadn't been put in Ravenclaw. What did the Ravenclaw common room look like? Hermione closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. She imagined a Purple room where people sat and did homework together, peacefully. Afterwards they would have an enlightening discussion. She frowned. Oh sure, it would be nice to have a nice smart chat once in a while. But there would never be any adventures, any not- intelligent things. No boys to badger because they were eating too much food. There would be no one to annoy because she didn't know a thing about Quidditch. No real dumb fun ever. But she wouldn't be alone. Still it really wasn't the right house for her. She thought about the Hufflepuff house. All she could see were hippies in a blue field. Hermione couldn't remember a single time in her life where she had wanted to be a hippie. .
But there were the Slytherin's. She imagined people sitting silently in a Silver room, the occasional quiet laugh. There would be a cold, sharp, smart look in everyone's eye and the smart discussions she longed for but the also rather risky fun she wanted. Hermione stood up suddenly and left the common room.
"Oy! Herm! Where you going?" Ron or Harry called out. She could barely tell the two apart anymore. Hermione simply ignored them and left the common room, climbing through the portrait hole. She walked through the dark hallways. It wasn't quite after hours and even if it was she was the head girl and she had an excuse to be outside since she would be patrolling anyway. She walked down the empty dark hallways until she faced the headmistress' office.
"Gryfinndor roars." Hermione whispered to the statue. She smiled at the reference to her house. McGonagall was certainly cheering on Gryfinndor in the Quidditch matches. There were rumors she had a risqué bet on with Slughorn about who would win the Cup, Gryfinndor or Slytherin. The gargoyles sprung aside and Hermione stepped onto the moving staircase. The staircase reached the top and she stepped off and found herself at the old mahogany door with the bronze phoenix knocker. Hermione wondered if maybe the only one who still hadn't gotten over Dumbledore's death was Professor McGonagall. She took the knocker in her hand and was about to knock but instead she accidentally pushed open the door.
"Mr. Malfoy! I will repeat, if the Hat say's you are to stay in your house then that is final!" McGonagall and Draco were standing close, McGonagall's finger in Draco's face. Draco was a full 6 inches taller then her though and McGonagall was obviously intimidated.
"Amph." Hermione cleared her throat.
"Oh, Ms. Granger." McGonagall looked happy for an excuse to get the overly tall blonde boy out of the room. "Right, Malfoy, we will continue this some other time." McGonagall sat down at her desk and pushed her glasses up her nose. Draco walked to the door that Hermione was blocking. He brushed up close to Hermione; he seemed to want to say something but decided against it. He walked around her and walked out. Hermione remained still. Hermione walked up to the desk.
"Well, Professor, this may seem silly, but I wanted to make sure I was in the right house-
"Mr. Malfoy wanted to know that, too! Next I know all the students in the school will want to be resorted. Anyway, just get the hat dear and put it on your head." Hermione nodded and took the hat. She raised it up and hesitated.
"It won't eat you." McGonagall snapped as she popped another lemon sherbet in her mouth. Hermione put the hat on her head. Immediately a voice came into her head that she hadn't heard since her first year.
"So, unsure about your house? Not fitting in, are you? Think I made a mistake?" The hat didn't wait for an answer but its tone seemed to be of annoyance. "You've made friends in your house but you're missing something. Sorting you in a different house isn't going to help. It's not friends you're missing, though you may have few. I repeat, again, GRYFINNDOR!" A few seconds of still silence followed. Hermione took off the hat and set it down in its previous place. That was that. Hermione's fate was final. She walked out and started traveled down the stairs. As she walked out from in between the gargoyles someone grabbed her hand.
"Ah!" Hermione gasped for a second and grew stiff.
"Er, Sorry." A voice said out of nowhere.
"Oh my god, Draco, you scared me." Hermione, relaxing.
"O, well, er." He dropped her hand and Hermione turned to look at him in the face. "I'm sorry for before." Hermione sighed. Draco looked like a sad little puppy dog and she couldn't resist forgiving him. She smiled.
"Yes I forgive your apology. But you can't let that happen again. It's not right." Hermione had a serious face on.
"I knew my puppy face would make you forgive me!" Draco said with an evil smirk. Hermione laughed and they walked off together.
"Wait, so that puppy face was an act!?" Hermione screamed.
"Uh, yah." Draco said. There voices could be heard echoing through the halls.