"Miss Granger, Miss Granger!" A voice called after Hermione as she got up from the breakfast table, she turned round to see Professor McGonagall making her way towards her; several of the first years sat at the table were gawping at them, this was the first time they had seen the Headmistress up close. "I need a meeting with you and Mr. Malfoy. As our new Head Girl and Boy, I think it's a good idea that we discuss the roles that both of you are undertaking."
"Yes, of course!" Hermione agreed, slightly flustered.
"I believe you have a free period first thing today?" Professor McGonagall asked, Hermione nodded. "That will be fine, I'll see you in my office, I just need to find Mr. Malfoy now to inform him of the meeting." Hermione was left standing as Professor McGonagall departed abruptly.
Feeling slightly apprehensive, Hermione made her way towards Professor McGonagall's old office, before realising that she would now be in the office that had belonged to Dumbledore. Almost running along the corridors, she quickly climbed up to the seventh floor, where the spiral staircase up to the headmistress' office was no longer guarded by gargoyles. She bounded up the moving staircase and knocked on the door, entering the office after summoning she uttered a swift apology.
"Sorry Professor McGonagall, I went to the wrong office…" McGonagall smiled briefly and indicated for Hermione to sit down in the free chair in front of her desk. Draco Malfoy was already seated, his head bowed slightly as though he was gazing intently into his lap.
"Right," She began as Hermione placed her bag at her feet and looking up at McGonagall. "I wanted a meeting with the two of you, as you are now Head Boy and Girl and in charge of the Prefect team. I need both of you to understand what we're trying to achieve at Hogwarts as you will be prime models for it to become common for the rest of the students." Hermione nodded briefly, feeling a very solid weight of responsibility resting upon her shoulders. "Both of you are intelligent and informed enough to understand how segregated the wizarding world has been for decades…" Hermione glanced across at Draco, who was still staring down at his lap. "That segregation is beginning to break down since the fall of Voldemort, I really want the prefects and the both of you to be actively involved in the intermingling of the houses… does that sound alright to you?" She paused at this moment and looked between Hermione and Draco, clearly waiting for a response of some kind. Hermione nodded instantly and enthusiastically, but Draco seemed not to have realised the need for reciprocation in terms of this conversation, and it was only when Professor McGonagall said: "Draco, do you understand that?"
"Yes." He murmured very quickly, but his voice retained a level of subdued quiet to it; he had not raised his eyes from his lap during the whole meeting.
"What I would like to happen throughout the year, I want some events, or activities, that will bring the houses together, and I thought that would be something that you and the prefect team can be in charge of organising." She continued. "Would you agree that is something you could do?"
Yes, of course!" Hermione answered, again glancing at Draco waiting for his reply; he nodded in agreement.
"Wonderful! Well, I think that's all we need to discuss, unless there is anything you want to ask?" She concluded, Hermione shook her head. "That's all then." Draco moved quicker than Hermione, getting to his feet and racing to the door. "Miss. Granger, can I speak to you for a moment?" Hermione decreased in loading her bag onto her shoulder and waited until the door to the office swung shut as Draco left; Professor McGonagall was watching the door, as though making sure that Draco had gone. When the door had been closed long enough to ensure that Draco was no longer outside the door, Professor McGonagall let out an audible sigh which had an element of concern. "Hermione, I'll speak frankly with you because I know you have a level of empathy beyond many of the students in the school." She said, she was standing behind her desk. "Draco has returned to Hogwarts while his parents are being detained and tried for being Death Eaters." Hermione nodded, sure that there was more information about to be imparted. "While he has returned, I and the rest of the staff were happy at his appointment as Head Boy, I understand that some of the prefects, and students, will question why we have done so… I want you to understand that my hope is the two of you will be able to unite the school." She expanded, "But I am aware that Draco is in a rather difficult place, after all of the events last year – I was hoping that you would keep an eye on him… I don't mean in terms of school work or anything, just in his personal life… if you can maybe make an attempt to check that he's not entirely isolating himself…" She requested, "I know you aren't friends, but as Head Girl, with him being Head Boy, do you think you could do that?"
"Uh, of course…" Hermione replied, she wasn't sure of how she would do what McGonagall was asking her to, but she would give it a try. "Yeah… I'll try…"
"Thank you." Professor McGonagall nodded. "I knew I could count on you, Hermione." She gave Hermione a quick smile, before Hermione loaded her bag over her shoulder and left the office.
"What did McGonagall say to you?" Ginny asked Hermione, as she joined her at the queue waiting outside Professor Slughorn's classroom to go into their first class, potions.
"She wants the prefects to organise events that will bring the school together." Hermione said quietly, as the door to the class swung open and all the students began to filter inside. This class was a mixture of 7th year students, some who had been in Hermione's year and some who had been in the year below, and all the students filed in and took places at the tables. Hermione and Ginny sat at the table at the back of the room, closest to the door, and were joined by Ernie MacMillan first, then Draco joined the table with a measure of reluctance, but there didn't appear to be any free places at the other tables.
"Good morning and welcome to your N.E.W.T. potions class." Professor Slughorn started in his slow wheezy voice. Hermione didn't attempt to continue her conversation with Ginny during the potions class, not with Draco in earshot of everything that she said; instead she tried to focus her attention purely upon what Slughorn was telling them about the potion they were attempting to make. A couple of times throughout the class they exchanged brief words, with Ernie occasionally chipping in. Draco remained silent throughout the entirety of the class; every so often, while she was adding ingredients to her cauldron, she found herself watching Draco. She couldn't keep herself from wondering what he was thinking, and feeling, being back at Hogwarts after last year.
"Have you thought about what kind of events you could do through the year?" Ginny asked, as her and Hermione sat down at one of the tables in the Great Hall, across from Luna and Neville, who had already begun their lunch.
"Not yet…" Hermione replied, pulling a dish of pasta towards her and loading some onto her plate.
"What's this?" Neville asked, pausing with his fork halfway up to his mouth.
"The prefect team are going to be organising events to bring the school together throughout the year and Hermione is in charge of planning it." Ginny answered him promptly.
"And Draco." Hermione reminded.
"Yeah… but what's he going to do?" Ginny dismissed, swatting her hand through the air as though batting away an invisible fly.
"I don't know… but I think we should give him a chance at least." Hermione murmured quietly, remembering what Professor McGonagall had said to her about Draco. Neville and Ginny both froze mid-mouthful, staring at Hermione; Luna seemed completely oblivious to the implications of Hermione's last statement.
"Are you-" Ginny started, but she seemed so incredulous that she couldn't even finish her own sentence.
"I was just thinking…" She tried to justify herself without giving it away that McGonagall had asked her to. "If I'm going to be organising events to bring the school together and I'm not trying to be inclusive of the Slytherins then it's not going to be successful, is it?
"I'm not suggesting you don't be inclusive of the Slytherins – just not Draco!" Ginny answered sharply, she was glaring over towards what had been the Slytherin table – but Draco was nowhere to be seen. "I don't know why he even came back to school…"
"I think he was brave to come back after everything that he did last year…" Neville spoke after a pause between the four of them, then he closed his mouth quickly after a fierce glance was shot at him by Ginny. "Not that he should have…" Neville looked uncomfortable, but Hermione was smiling.
"I thought it was quite courageous for him to come back too Neville; but – I mean, if none of them who had been on Voldemort's side had come back then how would we be able to integrate everyone? If he had stayed away, he'd become an outcast, and that's what breed isolation and ignorance – and before we know it we'd have another uprising of some sort." Hermione said quickly, hoping that the quicker she got it out the less impolite it would sound.
"I feel sorry for him." Luna commented serenely, she must have been listening to the conversation despite the blank look on her face. "Like last year, when the Death Eaters took me, daddy was forced to print all that horrible stuff about Harry," She continued, "And he didn't want to, but he did it to try and get me back… Well, imagine how Draco must have felt with both of his parents as Death Eaters… he mustn't have had a lot of choice about what he did, family is important." She turned her attention back to her plate of shepherd's pie, not caring that Ginny, Neville and Hermione were all staring at her. Hermione felt a sudden rush of admiration for Luna; despite Luna's proclivity for believing some of the most absurd parts of the wizarding world, she displayed a remarkable empathy with everyone around her.
"I still think it is reckless for him to come back to school." Ginny murmured.
Hermione pondered upon this split between the four of them; she could understand why Ginny had such strong feelings about Draco, but Professor McGonagall's request for her to look out for Draco was prevalent in her mind… She would try her best to do what Professor McGonagall had asked her to, but she wasn't sure how she would manage it…
A/N: Thank you very much for reading! I hope you've been enjoying it so far, and I'd love to know what you think/feel about it! :)