Slither

Disclaimer: I think this plot is mine, but I credit most of this to JKR..and some to Gandhi! Oh, and the joke was from Crew's Nest Halloween Jokes.

Chapter 2: Head Boy & Head Girl

"What do you get when you cross a werewolf and a vampire?" Hagrid's eyes were alight as he waited for any response from his colleagues. Hearing none, he eagerly answered, "A fur coat that fangs around your neck!"

Professor Flitwick joined in heartily as Hagrid laughed and hit his hand upon his knee causing a small rumble within the Great Hall. The rest of the staff smiled and enjoyed Hagrid's company, but others, namely Professor Snape, remained stoic and only raised his eyebrow. Headmistress McGonagall was seated in the middle as was customary of her position, but she did not feel comfortable in her place. Though she was proud to be the new Headmistress, Minerva felt that she belonged beside Dumbledore and not in his place. The memory of his death sent a pang of pain shooting through her body, and she cringed.

She knew that the feast was nearing its end when she saw that even Ron hesitated before reaching another piece of a pumpkin pasty. Before she would formally address the student body, Minerva took these short minutes to observe the remarkable seventh year students who had endured the very worst years Hogwarts had ever seen.

Her eyes immediately traveled to the Gryffindor table where there was no longer a lightning-shaped scar to be found upon Harry Potter's forehead. Potter had triumphed in the Great War against Lord Voldemort, and when Harry's killing curse struck Voldemort, the Dark Lord disappeared along with the scar. The entire wizarding world had sighed in relief and raised his name in even greater praise, but there were other heroes of the war.

Beside Harry sat Hermione, with a fiery pride burning in her eyes. As Harry cast the last offending spell, he collapsed backwards into Hermione's awaiting arms. She stroked his hair and cleaned the soot from his face. Before Harry fell into unconsciousness, he wiped away the tears that ran down Hermione's cheeks.

From the very beginning, Hermione had been an invaluable asset to the Light side. She insisted on taking the responsibility of keeping Harry safe. In effect, Harry was untouched even though scores of Death Eaters were dispatched to harm him. Spell after spell was repelled by Hermione's unwavering will. She was unflinching to the deaths that came by her hand. Sacrifices had to be made in order for Harry to fulfill the prophecy. Hermione's sacrifice was herself. She would never be the same.

These are just the ways we lie, thought McGonagall. Hermione had created a façade of a fearless fiery woman, but inside she trembled uncontrollably. She masked the pain so flawlessly that no one was roused to suspicion, but although this was the result of one war for Hermione, there was one boy who was forced to suffer for an accumulation of years. His façade was so ingrained that at times he adopted the pretense of his appearance. He had lost himself.

There was a flash of blond hair at the corner of Minerva's eye. She turned her head towards the Slytherin table. It was often difficult to believe that such a proud and disagreeable person could have possibly been capable of honorable actions, but Draco Malfoy proved to be an anomaly.

During the Great War, the Light Side would only accept volunteers to fight for them, but the Dark Lord's power intimidated many of his recruits into submission. There was no longer any point in denying that many of Slytherin students' parents were loyal Death Eaters. When the students were to return home for the summer, many pureblooded families set to the task of imprinting the dark mark upon the forearms of their offspring.

It wasn't long until shrieks echoed through the halls of mansions throughout England. Their children were missing!

The first to disappear was Draco Malfoy. Lucius's anger rumbled throughout the Manor. Soon thereafter, Blaise Zabini was reported to be missing as was Pansy Parkinson. Millicent Bullstrode followed, Daphne Greengrass was nowhere to be found. Theodore Nott and almost every student belonging to the Slytherin house did not return home that summer in exception of Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Those two had been unable to understand.

The missing students were found in the Slytherin dungeons of Hogwarts, all rallying under Draco Malfoy. It was untrue that Slytherins were driven by inherent evil. The sorting hat had found a well of ambition, and Draco's rhetoric had convinced his fellow housemates to resist. Ironically, it was he, the Dragon of Bad Faith, who lured them away from Voldemort's grasp.

"We are Slytherins. We shall not succumb to this recreant power that calls himself the Dark Lord. Our pride will not allow us to serve a wizard that is beneath us. He who wishes to cleanse the world of mudbloods is one himself. The magic he possesses is tainted whilst we are pure. Our fathers and mothers have been fooled into advocating themselves for a futile cause.

You must understand that although mudbloods are the vilest creatures of our world, they are necessary. The principle of power and rank would mean naught without them. Mudbloods exist to be beneath us, to define inferiority. If we are living evidence of pure magic, then they are living evidence of adulterated magic.

There is a balance in our society that must be upheld in order for magic to continue throughout the generations. A great wizard once said that we would not know happiness without first knowing sorrow. In comparison, the mudbloods are abominations that must exist in order to show that we purebloods are the true heirs to magic.

Ambition is what has kept our pureblood line alive. Let it again be our ambition that will point us in the most advantageous direction. If we join the Light Side, the balance will still exist, and our power will still be recognized and feared. However, joining Voldemort will destroy the balance, and society will cease to exist. Centuries of progress and civilization will be lost forever. We would become slaves to hypocrisy.

Our duty is to ourselves in our quest for self-preservation. We must be selfish in order to preserve the wizarding world. Follow me, and I will show you where true power lies."

Understanding soon dawned on the Slytherins. Only with understanding could change be possible. The girls were in awe of such a magnificent leader, and boys nodded their heads in respect.

Headmistress McGonagall still shook her head in disbelief when the memory of Draco Malfoy approaching her to enlist for their cause came to mind. Countless Slytherins followed behind him, willing to fight, willing to live.

Draco faced the headmistress as she stood up to silence the Great Hall. With a look from Draco, the Slytherins were the first to quiet down. When everyone had finally settled, Minerva amplified her voice with Sonorus.

"Another year has come at Hogwarts. We are burdened by a distressful past, but we must use our anguish in order to bolster our hopes for the future. With a great evil vanquished, our future is hopeful and filled with opportunities. We should take advantage of our situation and not commiserate in the past." She smiled briefly before continuing, "I am relieved to announce that there were no Hogwarts' staff members among the casualties of the Great War. They have all eagerly returned to help mold the minds of the future of our wizarding world."

A great applause ensued as all of the professors stood when McGonagall called their names. There was a general laughter when Hagrid knocked over his chair in an attempt to stand.

"Before announcing the Head Boy and Head Girl, I would first like to award the Slytherin house fifty points for having an outstanding show of numbers fighting for the Light Side." Many students were still unaware of this fact and were dumbfounded at the discovery. The Great Hall erupted with applause from the Slytherins. There were only scant praises from the others as they were still shocked by the fact, but when Draco turned towards the Gryffindors, he saw Hermione look at him with admiration.

He was caught off guard and quickly turned away, grateful that the thundering applause smothered the sound of a different thundering beat within him. After a time, their attention returned to McGonagall.

"And now I would like to introduce to you the new Heads of this year!"

Hermione hid her hands underneath the table for they were starting to shake again. Whether it was from the anticipation of McGonagall's announcement or from the look she had given Draco, she did not know.

"I am proud to announce that the brightest witch of her age, tied for number one in her classes, and heroine of the Great War, HERMIONE GRANGER, will be Hogwart's new Head Girl!"

It was no surprise, and the Gryffindors almost prematurely stood up and clapped their hands for Hermione. She was an irreplaceable figure in their House, and now she would be a responsible leader to the entire student body.

"It was without contest that the Head Boy was chosen. He has exhibited excellent leadership and maturity. He shares the rank of number one in his classes with our Head Girl, so it is only right that he share the responsibility to lead the student body with her as well. I proudly announce DRACO MALFOY to be Hogwart's new Head Boy!"

It should have been no surprise. After all, everyone had known that Draco had rivaled Hermione Granger in grades, but it had been so long since a Slytherin had been given such a prestigious honor.

From the right came Hermione, waving as she walked towards the front to receive her badge. From the opposite direction came Draco, walking confidently towards the front at the same time as Hermione.

The two badges were levitating in the air. Hermione reached out for the Head Girl badge, but Draco's hand enclosed over it first. Temperamental, Hermione had almost cursed him on the spot. She had been waiting for this moment for six years, and she would not let Draco ruin it. But before she could act drastically, Draco deftly placed the badge next to the Hogwarts Crest on her robe. In surprise, Hermione stepped backwards and looked up at him with questioning eyes.

Draco smirked, "Granger, it is customary for the Head Boy to place the badge on the Head Girl and vice versa. Now, I am patiently waiting for my turn."

Hermione looked at the Head Boy badge that was still levitated in the air. She took it and tried to pin it on the same place on Draco's robe. Hermione had never been this close to Draco before, and her hands started to shake again.

"Ouch! Granger, are you trying to kill me?" She had accidentally poked Draco's chest with the pin. Hermione reddened at her clumsiness and looked up into Draco's playful eyes. Her breath hitched when his hands covered hers to help her with the badge.

With both of their badges shining brightly, the new Head Boy and Head Girl faced their peers, and once again applause overwhelmed them. But it was not the cheering that overwhelmed Hermione, it was the bewildering idea that Draco Malfoy was still holding her hand.

A/N: Hooray, it's longer, which means that it took longer to write too. I was really iffy about when I first started to write this chapter, but I found the end quite satisfactory.

I bet you can't wait for Chapter 3!

Please review to encourage me to update sooner! & I'm still looking for a BETA!