AN: Please do keep in mind I'm not a native speaker, if there's any mistakes I apologize!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

Out of Habit

For some very strange reason Hermione had no way to concentrate on the book in her hands. These moments did not happen very often, and left her confused, trying to figure out why.

Seconds later she could hear the bathroom door open. The fumes flowed over the floor, like a soft haze. Malfoy's naked foot stepped on the soft carpet. His legs were toned, and still had droplets of water dripping down them. A soft, plush towel clad his hips. Hermione knew how soft it felt against the skin and her mind fluttered at the memory. His pale skin was still soaked, and looked flustered by the hot water that had splayed over his firm muscles. The strands of hair reaching in under the towel also reached up to his chest. His collar bones framed his sharp chin, his parted lips were moist and looked ever so soft.

Then their eyes met.

"When you are done staring the shower is yours."

Before all the blood could rush to her face her body felt drained of any blood at all. She swallowed hard in embarrassment and was happy that he had slanted into his room whilst drying his hair on a small, separate towel. Why, why, why, she scrunched her face up, and wished to bang it against the wall.

Instead she headed into the shower. Surely enough it was left all clean, apart from the wet foot steps leading from the shower to the door. Hermione sighed and locked the door before throwing off her clothes on the floor and entering the big shower.

The moment she turned on the tap a soft melody could be heard in the cube of glass. The only thing she could think of was that it worked a little bit as a muggle radio, or speaker perhaps. She wondered if Malfoy had been listening to it and forgot to take away this interesting spell.

Hermione shook her head and went back to letting the water push the dirt off her body. It pooled by the drain, along with long strands of curly, brown hair. Closing her eyes she let the lavender soap enter her senses, caress her sensitive skin, and wipe away the stress. Quite soon she found her self humming along to the calming melody. Have I heard this before?

In this state of mind she wished to feel touched, and had to fight the urge to do so herself. There is no time, she told herself. Instead she soaped the heavy breasts carefully, wiped her hand over her heaving chest. Before her hand could caress her belly and down her hips, she decided it was high time to turn off the shower. So, there she stood. Alone, heaving, lonely, hungry for more.

Fuming like the steam around her she grabbed the annoyingly soft towel hanging next to the shower door. Her footsteps evenly clamped against the spattering water and soil on the ground. "Great" she huffed in frustration.

"Told you so!" Malfoy's voice taunted through the closed door.

After rolling her eyes she took her wand and cleaned up the mess and wiped her feet. There, all better. That wasn't the end of the world. Not like messing up a potion, she thought grimly.

Hermione wrapped the towel around her chest and exited the bathroom. Yet again she met big gray eyes.

"I'll be done in a second, hold on." She mumbled, still in a foul mood. And it was all his fault. But, why? Why was it his fault? Because he had been taunting her? Yes, that must have been it. Sounded like Malfoy.

She threw on a new set of uniform clothes and robes, and pulled the socks up over her knees.

"Ready?" He asked politely and only started walking after she had nodded in response. "We have about five minutes, so we have to rush a bit." Malfoy mentioned when they had come out into the hallway.

"You could have gone ahead and left while I was showering."

"That wouldn't be very polite, now would it?"

"But you would be on time."

"I am trying to be nice, you know."

"No I actually don't."

"Didn't. Now you do." He smirked down at her. Her wet curls were bouncing as she was rushing to keep even with his pace. With a sigh he slowed down just a little. "Besides, I cannot do anything in Potions without you there. We are partners, remember?"

"Of course." she rolled her eyes.

Once inside the dungeon her hair felt like an icicle. A permanent brain freeze.

"You're shivering. Use a drying spell, for Salazar's sake; You're a witch, woman." Malfoy hissed, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

Hermione glared up at him, but still did as told, and scolded herself for not thinking of it earlier.

"Good-day scholars!" Slughorn entered just as the two sat down on their spot.

"It's raining." Sam Finkley stated.

"Indeed it is. A good day nonetheless!" Slughorn pointed his hand at the student. "We will be starting our semester final today."

Slughorn's students sat attentively and waited for more information.

"As you well know, me and Ms. Sprout are collaborating this year, to give you an extra challenge and life experience. After all, all the subjects are not separated in real life, now are they? No." Slughorn smiled. "That is why we will be creating our own potions this year!"

Hermione felt the room getting a bit wobbly.

"…with help, of course, from herbs and plants you grow in Herbology. I require not just any potion, but a potion of your own making."

Her breathing quickened and she had to blink to not feel nauseous by the blurry vision.

Her body was held upright by a hand on her waist that pushed her other hip against a big body. She rested her dizzy head against the ribcage of the body next to hear, breathing it's warm scent. It smelled of grass and mint, a combination that took her back to her many hiking trips. Following the slow expanding and closing of the ribs, her breathing soothed.

Becoming more and more aware of her whereabouts, she could sense the firm grip she was under. The arm behind her back steadied her with the big, firm hand on her waist. Although her knees felt weak she was still on her feet. Someone is holding me.

Hermione looked up at the body she was pushed up against, still breathing like the body next to her. Malfoy's stern face came in focus. From her angle all she could really see was his pointy chin, but no one could mistaken the blond hair hanging down in it.

Malfoy seemed completely focused on Slughorn and his information. All while holding Hermione. Wishing she could stay in his steady grip a little while longer, yet she decided to straighten her legs. The lack of limp limbs made Malfoy react, and he looked down. He gave her questioning look and she nodded to confirm her well being.

She wished, more than ever, to thank him. However, the words would not come out of her mouth.

That's when Malfoy realized his hand was still around her soft body, and he was more than quick to let go. Almost like her skin burnt him. It took quite a few deep breath to have him calm down from the feeling, whatever it was that had hurt him.

Granger was still blinking the fuzziness away. He felt grateful for this. If she was to believe that he could actually be nice, and prove himself, he couldn't flinch away every time they touched. It's not like it was sexual either. When he thought about it he realized she probably didn't know how to touch anyone sexually anyways.

Hermione looked up to find him rolling his eyes. She huffed in frustration. "It's not like I mean to get the dizzies."

"I believe it's called a panic attack, Granger. Besides I was not rolling my eyes at you, so please do not get your panties in a twist." he partly lied and inspected his nails to make sure he got off all the dirt while he was in the shower.

"Then what did you roll your eyes for then?" she asked with a roll of her own.

"Something completely different." He finished the conversation very abruptly. "Now do you want to know what you missed?"

Hermione nodded.

"We will not be working out what we are doing for our final project today, instead we will be making a ridiculously stupid potion. He claims it is to prepare us for the final potion we will create, come up with, or make. Call it what you want, the final project could still make it or break it for us. I would therefore appreciate it if you could stop freaking out every time a teacher brings it up."

"It's not like I chose to! Do you have any idea what it feels like when the panic hits?" She squinted her eyes at him.

"I do not. However, when my mother used to get them her healer taught her certain ways of dealing with them, eventually she could remain calm."

Faced with this very personal information Hermione did not know how to respond. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"There is a lot you don't know about me, Granger. Or my family for that matter."

Hermione nodded. His words were true, and it pained her. She had always praised herself with being able to read people, and put herself in other people's shoes. Yet, the one she really should have, and could have, tried to fully understand she had forgotten about. She had judged him before she had given him a proper chance, most of the time. It made her angry with herself. What was happening to her?

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Granger. See us as books, and as the saying goes, don't judge us by our cover."

Hermione had to bite her bottom lip, and nodded.

"Now, lets get back to work before Slughorn notices." Malfoy went to take out his copy of Advanced Potion Making and opened to the right page. "Will you fetch some Shrivelfig and Daisy Roots. I'll get the caterpillars and I believe I have rat spleen with me." He was reading and mouthing the words. "Leech juice and cowbane as well. I do not have any wormwood, though."

"I do" she said, confirming they had all the ingredients at hand. "I will go get it."

Once all the equipment was gathered along with ingredients they set out to begin their work. The cauldron now had 5 sliced caterpillars and was being heated while the two were working on peeling the Shrivelfig and mincing daisy roots.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger. I see you are doing it according to Severus preferred way. He really was a splendid potions master, I must say."

Hermione looked from Slughorn to Malfoy and back again. Malfoy simply nodded and went back to peeling the Shivelfig. When the last part was peeled he started to shake the Shrivelfig, much to Slughorn's delight.

"Excellent Mr. Malfoy. 10 points to Slytherin."

When the potion was red he added the ready ingredient.

Slughorn had moved on to the next couple and was examining them as the rudy blood was being added to their cauldron as the Book of Potions stated the potion to be made.

"You did not tell me we were doing it according to Snape's preference!" Hermione exclaimed lowly.

"I didn't even notice. I grew up with the man, I guess he rubbed off on me." A bitter tone laced his short words, and pain could be seen shimmering in his eyes.

Hermione drew a breath. "He was your Godfather."

"Yes." He glanced at her. "You really have to stop stating the obvious. It's annoying."

"How did you feel when he passed?"

"It was inevitable."

Hermione blinked at the harshness. "That doesn't answer my question." Hermione mumbled and tilted her head to the side.

Draco bit his tunge. He would prefer it if they never spoke about this. He took another handful of Shrivelfig and started to violently peel it. "I lost the only person, apart from my mother, whom has ever showed me concern. I was… upset."

A small hand carefully placed itself onto his. The colors matched, although the different shades were different the tones were the same, much to his surprise. He had always pictured their colors to clash. The soft skin was warm and surprisingly comforting. So gentle.

Yet again that pain made him flinch, and he made a face to the stinging sensation in his chest. He did not remove the hand, however. The pain, was still the same, not intensifying, nor subsiding, yet the comfort was greater.

Hermione took her hand back, as Malfoy looked like he was in pain. She did not wish to make him more frustrated than he already was. It would do no good for her to force her own opinions on him. "The potion is purple" she said softly, almost like a caress to the cheek.

Malfoy closed his eyes. Although the pain went away when her hand let go, the pain of losing her contact was slightly greater. It was a strange feeling, to say the least.

"I'll get the rat spleens." he said almost non-verbally; If Hermione had not been watching his face, she wouldn't have noticed that his lips had moved.

Malfoy reluctantly touched the small spleens to put them in the cauldron. His face looked like he was disgusted out of his mind. "There, now the daisy roots, please."

On cue Hermione scraped the minced roots down into the potion. Malfoy followed her motion by adding five drops of leech juice, also from his bag.

"Will you be a dear and add the Shrivelfigs." he waved towards the ingredient he had been working on, not wanting to look at it.

"How many?"

"Just add them till it turns pink."

"Okay… Oh" Hermione's soft voice sounded lovely in his ears.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just a lovely shade, that is all." she mumbled.

Malfoy, not knowing exactly what to do in the situation decided it best not to say anything. Instead he awkwardly added the next ingredient, which changed the color. "There" he said.

Hermione looked up at him with an annoyed face. "Of course, you see something beautiful and you have to ruin it."

"I just added a caterpillar. Oh no! I didn't slice it!" Damn, Granger, had me distracted. "It will turn green, but it won't be the perfect shade of lime."

Hermione had never seen him like this. She could taste his stress and disappointment. It was strange to see him make an error, and it surprised her. She knew more about him than she gave herself credit for, she had just never given it enough thought. "You have made this one before, haven't you."

He looked up from the fumes. "If I have." He was mumbling words she could not make out while moving quickly above the potion. "Okay, I figured out how to fix it."

Hermione had been too busy observing Malfoy she had forgotten about the "ruined" potion. I suppose there's a first for everything, she thought, surprised by her own reaction.

"Your time to shine, Granger." He quickly stepped aside and gestured toward the potion.

Hermione, knowing exactly what he meant picked up her want and moved it over the potion.

"You need to stir it a little faster. No, slower. Almost. Here, let me show you." Draco moved up behind the curly mess she called hair and grabbed her soft hand. For half a second neither of them moved. Then, Draco felt the plunging pain inside and saw it as his cue to show her the tempo she needed to stir it in. "Like this." he whispered, very closely to her ear. The potion gained a slightly lighter and intense tone, and Malfoy relaxed.

However, he did not move. In his hurry to fix the potion he had not thought about their close proximity. He had most definitely not thought about Hermione's reaction to his whispered words. Till now. He pushed through the pain and squeezed her hand a little harder. He smirked when he felt her shiver.

Malfoy leaned back with his famous smirk etched on his silky lips. "Seems like the Mudblood has human feelings after all."

Hermione, who had believed Malfoy to actually have been nice lately, felt utter disappointment and frustration at his sudden change.

"I'm no different from everyone else." She slammed her the book shut.

"Excellent work you two! Much earlier than the rest of the class as well, as expected of course." Slughorn mused.

"Thank you Mr. Slughorn" Hermione's stern face showed no signs of gratitude. She grabbed the book and shoved it into her bag and left the room as loudly as she could.

Once outside the dungeons she stomped on to the library. What she wanted most was to embed herself with giant, comforting pillows and a soft, fluffy duvet to pull over her head. Instead she entered the library in record-time.

The minute the quiet air of books enclosed her senses a sudden rush of calmness swept over her. It was a known fact that Hermione felt at home in the library. Finally being able to breathe Hermione took to the tables at the back. As much as she wished to pick up one of her favorite books and indulge in some alone time, she realized she should probably prepare for her first Defense Against the Dark Arts class coming up after lunch.

She pulled out her new DADA book and notes from her sixth year. The notes were wrinkled and smelled of forest fires. After having been brought horcrux-searching, this was to no surprise.

"HARRY! RUN Harry!" Hermione's voice shrieked through the trees.

Leaves were flying around her feet, being smashed to the ground by her quick feet.

Hermione looked back and saw Harry still not being able to outrun them.

With her breath in her throat she could only hear the sound of her blood quickly pushing through her veins.

That's when she realized it was too late. She turned on the spot and pointed her wand straight at Harry's face. A silent jinx started to distort his features. Before his eyes were completely covered by the quickly growing bulges she gave him a look. A look like no other. A look that said a thousand words. A look that said she was sorry. She was sorry they were caught, she was sorry she had to jinx him. She was sorry they were on the run. It was never her fault, nor Harry's or Ron's. Yet there they were, running from what felt like a certain death.

Hermione looked down at her trembling hands, and grabbed hold of her waist. Slow, even breaths, she told herself. In the tempo of her breathing she walked to the section on silent spells. "Spells For the Mute", "Speak It in Your Mind", "Silent Spellwork Mishaps", "The Effect of a Spell Gone Wrong", "Think it, Make it Happen"…

Her "Defensive Magical Theory" was lacking some information on the spellwork concerning jinxes, if one was to cast them silently.

Hermione touched her lip and mumbled: "I have read all of these, yet none will help me in this.".

"What are you searching for?" Someone whispered in her ear. Hermione jumped at the close contact. "Something to help you run off again? Or why not a book on how to abandon your responsibilities?"

Hermione turned around and glared at Malfoy.

"I know your so called friends are only taking the retake-version of Potions, but I'm sure they would have the decency to clean up after themselves! Did your parents ever teach you to leave a room the way you wish to find it? How do you think they will feel now when they will come into a messy potions classroom?"

Hermione's eyes went wide in horror. "You didn't clean up after us?"

A roll to his eyes was necessary. "I did. But what if I had not?"

"Jerk."

"I believe you don't have the right to call me that at the moment." Malfoy said and tilted his head to the side.

"And why is that?" Hermione sounded quite annoyed. Draco moved a little bit closer to Granger. He could sense her body getting a little more tense by every tiny step. "Because, I did you a favor."

"Cleaning up after yourself really isn't a favor, Malfoy. Ive probably cleaned up a hundred times per every one time you have throughout your life anyways."

Draco made a smug face. "Touché"

Hermione pushed past the snob.

Malfoy smacked his tongue. "Still. You had me do all the clean up, not to mention putting the potion into all these tiny vials." He walked after her now.

"Poor you." Hermione slung her bag onto the round table.

Malfoy sat down his hands on the table, facing her. "You owe me."

"I owe you nothing." She hissed between gritted teeth.

Malfoy sighed, bit his tunge, and walked away without another word.

During the Defense Against the Dark Arts class all the returning 7th years were schooled together. It was believed that majority of the students actually had sufficient skills in both dueling, attack and protection. Hence why all had been permitted to take DADA on NEWT level. However, many people had chosen not to, leaving the room filled with mostly Gryffindors and Slytherins. Stray Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were mixed in-between the two diversities. Many took the subject because they thought it to be an easy O. Others took it because it was required by their future employers.

Hermione refused to as much as spare a glance in the Slytherin direction, and happily accepted when Ginny invited her in.

Ginny, being in a relatively good mood asked how her classes had been. Reluctantly Hermione answered with something similar to the truth. "It was okay for the most part. Herbology was worse though. We had to dig quite a lot."

Ginny gave her a pained face. "We did too. I'm so glad I only have to take it this semester as a touch up. Whats the deal with that anyways? I know we missed quite a lot, but we also learned a lot. Anyways, how does it feel to be taking it as a NEWT?"

"I think it will go well. At least I hope so. It has to." her mind drifter to her Herbology partner.

"You're Hermione. You'll get an O, no doubt!" Ginny smiled from ear to ear. "Besides it can't be worth than that Arithmancy class you're takin'!" At this she pushed Hermione's arm slightly.

"What do you mean? It is my favorite subject!" Hermione looked surprised.

"I always thought you were strange, but that's just bonkers!" Ginny laughed but hugged her friend, and Hermione could not help but smile a little too.

"I never claimed to be sane." she mumbled into red tassels of hair.

Ginny laughed harder into the hug, then put her hands on Hermione's shoulders. She pushed her hands out straight and looked at Hermione straight in the eye. "No one is sane though. Remember that."

"I know" she smiled. Did she really know this? Did she believe it? How many times had she not felt like an alien, a misfit, a freak? She did not fit in anywhere; not in the muggle world and not in the magical world. Someone always thought she stood out, no matter where she went. But were others so different from her, really?

The class went along smoothly, including repetition of many defensive spells they all already knew. Much information as to their best usage were discussed, as all had first hand experience to share. It was an interesting new take on the class, as they had all experienced these things they had been preparing for in earlier classes. It was almost bitter sweet. As much as she enjoyed the knowledge and knowing they all mastered these spells to various degrees, it still pained her knowing they had been forced to use them at such an early age.

After they were dismissed they all headed to their common rooms before dinner, and Hermione was yet again the odd one out.

"We'll see you at dinner?" Ginny asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course. I'm feeling rather starved."

They waved each other off and Hermione started the frustrating walk to her lonely dormitory. Navigating through Hogwarts was a little on the hard side. It was tough to begin with, but after the war many hallways were closed off before magically (or by hand) restored. One had to take many side trips to reach ones destination.

Hermione's footsteps echoed in the empty hallway. The other students probably still had class, she figured. Suddenly a chilly dust of coldness made her shiver, and she wrapped her robes closer to her body. I'm soon there, she thought, sighing in relief when she turned the corner and saw the portrit leading to her new home.

Once through the hole she slouched down into her armchair and let the fire calm her. It had been a long day.

"Granger"

No, not him again. "Yes?"

"Just want to remind you, we have cleanup tonight."

"Thank you for the reminder, although since I made the schedule I already knew."

Malfoy waved nonchalantly with the hand that wasn't in his pocket. Soon enough the door to his room clicked close and Hermione sighed in relief. Finally alone. What an oxymoron.

AN: Yet again I couldn't stay away!
I realize almost a week has passed at Hogwarts now, and I should probably speed it up a bit. Give me your thoughts please?

Love