Three months had passed since she had been brought to Hogwarts. It was early December now and Poppy had been right, she had healed for the most part with a few exceptions. She still had a wheeze to her lungs when she walked or over exerted herself in anyway. It would start loudly, sounding like a gravely hiss before it would calm down and be hardly noticeable. Apparently when her lung had been punctured, a spell had broken the rib and there were still some magical properties that hadn't allowed proper healing. It still bothered her though, enough to where she would take extra time to get to class to avoid everyone having to hear it. And then there was also her leg, it hadn't been one of the things Poppy mentioned but something had happened to it. At any time she could be walking and it would lock up on her, proving very painful as she would have to stop and work it out to get it to bend properly again, but she also knew it could have been worse, much, much worse – she couldn't wait to be a hundred percent again.

She walked slowly into the Great Hall, and over to the Gryffindor table where Harry, Ron, and Ginny were sitting, saving her a seat that would allow her room to swing her leg over without it locking up. She had learned that lesson the hard way a month back when it locked up, causing her to fall on her ass and give everyone from the surrounding tables a good laugh. Merlin how she had wished the floor would have opened up and swallowed her that day.

"Morning." She said as she adjusted herself, forcing a small smile and absolutely hating that everyone still looked at her with pity. She had survived, with help of course, but if she could live it, they should too… she hated the looks.

"Mornin," Harry replied with a smile, "Sleep well? Harry had been the only one that was doing a decent job at not making her feel like a black sheep.

Hermione shrugged, "As good as to be expected, I suppose."

It was a lie. She had slept like shit. The nightmares she had since she was rescued had subsided quite a bit as time passed, but there were still a few nights a month when her mind was ruthless and the whole experience replayed in her dreams. Her parents faces. The hours of torture. All of it came back in vivid detail as she tried to rest and each time she woke up, it felt like the slowly healing wound of the past had been ripped open once again.

Ginny shook her head, knowing Hermione was lying, but she wouldn't be the one to say it out loud.

"Oy, Malfoys looking at you again." Ron stated, forgetting to swallow his egg before speaking. He laughed as a bit of egg dropped from his mouth back to his plate. Hermione shook her head. Pig.

"I was actually planning to thank him today." Hermione said, "It's been a while and I… well, I think it's time."

Harry and Ginny nodded their approval. Harry, after finding out what Malfoy had done to save Hermione, had found him straight away to thank him. He never thought he would have been thanking Malfoy… ever, but in this situation, he tucked his pride and thanked him.

"I don't see why you should." Ron stated, holding his fork at a funny angle, "His lot took you, not the other way around… he should be bloody thankful that he's not in Azkaban!"

"Ron!" Hermione hissed, "Regardless, I would not be sitting here right now if it wasn't for him. You didn't see me when I came in… he could have just let me die and been done with it."

Ron shrugged, "Your call."

Hermione arrived at Potions later than everyone else. She never got in trouble, but she could tell it aggravated Snape to no end that he wasn't allowed to take points for her lateness. Dumbledore's order's.

She had taken her normal seat towards the back, something she hated, but her wheeze was distracting and the back of the room was the best place. She couldn't wait till it healed. Sitting in the back meant everything was harder to see and in truth, she felt more like an observer in the class rather than a participant, not to mention that Malfoy also sat in the back, a few spots away, but he never so much as looked at her, nor did she look his way.

"I suggest you pay close attention to the instructions on the board." Snape started with a glare, "This potion is easy enough for first years and ANY failures will result in loss of house points." Snape looked around at everyone, making sure all eyes were on him, "We are working on a death potion. This potion, if used correctly and in small amounts, will allow the taker to appear deceased. If the taker is hasty and uses more than needed, the death is no longer fake but real." He looked around again, seeing that everyone was still watching him, he nodded, "Begin."

Everyone began working on their potion but due to her lateness, she still hadn't gathered her ingredients. She stood and walked for the cupboard when students supplies were, and gathered what she needed after a quick look at the board up close.

The small bottle of lung butter was the last she grabbed, silently cursing the potion with so many ingredients. She could have easily made two trips, but that meant the wheezing would be loud again and she was subconscious of it enough already without having everyone turn to stare at her.

She carefully made her way to the back of the classroom, hoping to make it back before the small bottle of yellow goo dropped. It was dangling dangerously between her small fingers and Snape would be furious if it was wasted.

She sighed with relief when she made it back, rolling her eyes as the wheeze started loudly again. She wasn't even exerted! She placed everything down and began to work without looking up, knowing she would see more than a few people staring at her.

She heard an agitated sigh from her left and she knew it was Malfoy. He had never said a word to her, but she knew the noise coming from her was driving him mad, hell, it was driving her mad but Poppy said there was nothing to be done and it would go away in time.

After twenty minutes, the wheeze relaxed and was barely noticeable, much to her relief. She glanced at the board and noticed the potion called for 3 petals from a moon flower, the small jar she grabbed only had 2.

She sighed and shook her head. She didn't want to walk all the way back to the cupboard and begin another twenty minutes of wheezing and she knew Snape wouldn't bring her any and … and Malfoy was closest with a full jar.

Taking a deep breath, preparing to talk to him for the first time, she turned so she could take the six steps necessary to reach him without yelling to him and disturbing others. Three steps in and her leg locked up, catching on a leg of the table and throwing her headfirst into Malfoys hip.

She was embarrassed but she didn't have time to reflect on that as the chain of events following her fall had already began.

Malfoy cursed as his potion teetered over the burner, the table that had caught on her leg was the one that he was using and there was nothing he could do as the entire cauldron tipped over, spilling onto the table, the floor, and his shoes.

The other students had all looked towards the noise and while a few giggled as she lay on the ground, unable to stand as her leg was still locked, while the majority of the class looked at her with pity.

"I believe you ALL have potions to be tending to." Snape yelled as he walked towards the back of the class, "The next person I see looking back there gives their house a 50 point loss."

Everyone turned away quickly, not wanting to get involved, but it was hard when they heard yelling. Sneaking a glance, they all watched as Hermione turned a Ron shade of red, while Malfoy stood over her, yelling at her incompetence and clumsiness.

"One would think, Granger, that after 6 years of taking potions that you would learn to walk carefully." Malfoy looked down at the mess and his shoes, "Brilliant, bloody fucking brilliant."

Malfoy walked passed her and out of the classroom, slamming the door in the process.

Snape looked down at her and sighed, "Are you going to stay on the floor all day?" he asked in a bored tone.

Hermione clinched her teeth, both angry and embarrassed, "It's locked again. I can't stand." She replied angrily, "I would not be sitting on these dingy floors if I had a choice!"

Snape sighed and reached down, hoisting her back into the standing position. This had been worse than the Great Hall incident by far. "Detention, Ms. Granger, for cheek and for wasting valuable ingredients."

"But, sir, It wasn't my –"

"Shall you go for two detentions, Ms. Granger?"

Hermione huffed, "No, sir."

Hermione left potions class without any intentions of going to her next classes. She hated everything right now, the castle, the students, her lungs, and her rutty leg. She was embarrassed and frustrated and hated that she just couldn't be a hundred percent again. Three months should have been plenty of time.

The castle doors slammed open as she left and made her way down to the stone steps that led to Hagrid's hut. There was a little spot about half way down that led to small flat grassy area, big enough for two people at most. This was her spot. It was hidden, it was quiet, and it was hers.

Draco cursed as he scrubbed at his shoes. Something in that potion resisted a normal cleaning charm which left him scrubbing like a common house elf.

Months ago, this would have never been an issue. He would have just thrown the bloody shoes away and grabbed for another pair. But that is where the problem was. He didn't have another pair.

He wished like hell that he had never laid eyes on the girl, the newest bane of his existence. She had always been a bother, but now, now he was broke, he had no family, nowhere to go and it was all because she had gone and got herself captured. Smartest with of their age, his ass. She should have been in hiding or something, not out having a bloody picnic or whatever they were doing in that field. She was an idiot and it cost him everything.

Sighing, he looked down and didn't see any more of the blue potion staining his shoes. He cast a quick drying charm on them before putting them back on and heading for his next class… with her.

He was actually glad that she sat nowhere near him in transfiguration. With her klutziness, he would end up a tortoise or something as equally disturbing.

He pushed his way into the classroom, taking his normal seat away from everyone. It wasn't like he had a massive following from the slytherins that he previously did, in actuality, none of them would even look in his direction. Fine by him.

It had taken a better part of a month to get used to the fact that he was now an outcast from everyone. The slytherins, well that was obvious. They had all been instructed to stay clear of him.

Gryffindors, that was a joke. He hated them and they hated him, there was no one to be found in that house.

Ravenclaw, another joke. Three of them were death eaters and kept it secret. But they had influence and not a single one would have spit on him to put him out if he was on fire.

And lastly, there was the Hufflepuffs. He didn't even bother.

He glanced around and noticed she wasn't there, again, that was fine by him. He sat back and listened as the Gryffindors head of house spouted about some nonsense or another.