In the months that followed Hermione's unfortunate experience and she began to associate with Harry and Ron again as best she could. She felt somehow as if she had betrayed them and kept very quiet about everything Malfoy related.

The three of them, after discussing Umbridge one day, decided to form what they ended up calling Dumbledore's Army. It was a group that worked on the Dark Arts in secret, working behind Umbridge, the schools High Inquisitors, back. It was a very daring move and they had a surprising number of members, Hermione being the only Slytherin.

Scarlett and Amber-Rose were beginning to become suspicious as Hermione started coming to bed surprisingly late on meeting nights. They didn't voice their questions until one night when Hermione got back red faced and clutching a stitch in her side.

"Where have you been going?" Amber-Rose asked, switching on a side lamp and whispering in order not to wake Pansy whose snores had been keeping her awake. "I never expected you to be the type to break curfew"

Hermione flushed deeper and crawled into bed, knowing the gig was up. Amber-Rose and Scarlett were her friends and she didn't want to lie to them but it just didn't feel right telling them. It was an unspoken rule but the idea had been to keep it from the Slytherins. Of course, Hermione wasn't included in that because everybody in the group still viewed her as a Gryffindor.

"I just…" she began, trying to find the words. Scarlett gave her a 'get on with it' look so she took a deep breath and continued.

She told them all about the D.A, where they met and what they did. She told them who was in it and why they had created it. Then she told them why they had chosen Harry as teacher and discussed all his past abilities. Scarlett and Amber-Rose listened all the while, nodding in some places and raising their eyebrows in others. They laughed when Hermione explained the name.

"So…you are risking expulsion to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Amber-Rose asked, smiling a half smile. Hermione nodded.

"I like it" Scarlett said, thoughtful. "It's like a 'fuck you Umbridge' kind of thing"

Hermione smiled, of course they liked it. They didn't like Umbridge either, in fact most of the Slytherins didn't.

"Can we join?"

Scarlett's question astonished Hermione and she stared at the two of them, thunderstruck. "You two want to join a group of Ravenclaw's, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts from Harry Potter?"

"And pass my O.W.L" Scarlett added, sighing. "I think I'm going to fail, I just can't get it without the actually spell doing"

"It might be alright…" Amber-Rose put in, shrugging and lying back on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Well then…" Hermione said, biting her lip. "I'll take you next week, but I warn you…the group we have assembled are not the biggest fan of Slytherin house. There are no other Slytherins at all, just to prepare you"

"You're in Slytherin house" Amber-Rose pointed out. "There's you." Scarlett nodded, her blonde curls bouncing around her shoulders.

"Right" Hermione muttered.

"Where are we going?" Amber-Rose hissed, keeping her voice as low as she could for fear of being heard. They were scurrying along a seventh floor corridor the next week, heading to the D.A meeting.

"You'll see" Hermione said, speaking at normal volume. "We're working on pretty standard spells. Stunning, the Impediment jinx, Disarming and that sort of thing, just to warn you"

They moved in silence for several minutes until Hermione turned to face the blank wall which led to the Room of Requirement. She took a quick look at Amber-Rose and Scarlett as she did so.

Amber-Rose's expression was pretty solid, almost unreadable. She was looking around casually, only a small hint of curiosity etched in her eyes. Scarlett on the other hand was looking around like a maniac. Her eyes were blinking furiously and she was biting her lip. When she saw Hermione watching her she adopted a much more casual look, taking a deep breath.

Refocusing on what she was doing, Hermione thought about needing to get into the D.A room for the meeting and within a few seconds the door had morphed in front of them. Taking a deep breath and knowing that bringing her two friends in unannounced was probably asking for trouble, Hermione walked in.

Scarlett was walking slowly and Amber-Rose strode between them. The three girls stopped inside the door and looked around. The majority of the members were already there and three extra cushions had just appeared beside Ron's. Hermione could see Scarlett and Amber's names had just materialized on the D.A list as well.

"Uhh…?" That was all anybody could say. The sound came from Cho Chang and everybody else's faces mirrored the confusion. Ron and Harry looked astonished.

"What are you all staring at?" Amber-Rose asked. "I'm tall, I don't have an extra head" and with that she strode over and sat down on her cushion, one away from Ron. Scarlett shrugged, smiled a little and did the same. Now everybody was staring at Hermione, who blushed.

"Hermione…" Harry began. "Can I talk to you?" She nodded and Ron stood up too. The three of them walked out of the room and stood in a corner.

"What in Merlin's name was that?" Ron exploded, gesturing towards the door of the Room of Requirement which had now disappeared. "You brought Slytherins to one of our meetings! Are you out of your mind? They're going to tell Umbridge, or they're going to tell Malfoy who's going to tell Umbridge! We'll all get expelled!"

Hermione stared at Ron. He knew Scarlett; he had said she was alright. Not to mention Hermione was now a Slytherin but Ron was completely disregarding that. "Excuse me?" she snapped, folding her arms and looking between the two of them. "I'm a Slytherin too and besides, they're not going to tell anyone! They just want to learn how to pass their O.W.L's and learn to defend themselves like the rest of us. Scarlett and Amber-Rose are my friends and I should be allowed to invite my friends!"

Ron's face clouded and Harry looked uncomfortable. Hermione had known this was a bad idea, but it was just so unfair. Amber-Rose and Scarlett had been nice to her and made her feel like she actually had people she could talk to. They had asked to come and how could Hermione had denied them?

"'Mione, they're your friends. We don't know if we can trust them" Harry said. "We don't even know them!"

"It's like you're becoming like them!" Ron exclaimed. "You're becoming a Slytherin. We'll hear you're dating Malfoy next!"

Hermione flushed, half angry and half embarrassed. Ron's accusation hurt. Had he and Harry been talking about his behind her back for all this time? Did they hate her new friends and think she was becoming Slytherin like, really?

"How could you?" Hermione asked, her voice choked—then she turned and marched away back down the corridor.

"Yes! That's exactly what I heard. Right there in Professor Singlia's office!" Hermione passed Lavender Brown and Pavarti Patil at the Gryffindor table on her way to the Slytherins. The minute they saw her they stopped and giggled, hands over their mouths.

When she passed Hermione heard them launch back into conversation. "She really has gone all the way. You wait until Harry and Ron hear!" Then they started gigging again and Hermione's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. Were they talking about what she thought they were? Had Singlia opened her big mouth at last? Who had she told?

"I heard it was her!" she heard Zacharias Smith say in a loud voice. "She threw herself at him. God knows why, he's not very attractive is he!"

"That shouldn't affect you; it's also a bit weird that you would notice" a blonde girl Hermione didn't know said, laughing at his comment.

"But-but she hates him!" chimed in Chrysilla Gold in a small, piping voice. "It was always obvious. I heard she actually punched him or something a few years back"

Hermione moved quickly past, drowning out that conversation only to hear another one.

"Well, that's good for you I suppose. She's not available, I always thought Harry was in love with her" said Marietta, Cho Chang's friend. Cho just smiled, sneaking a look across the hall and trying to find Harry. However, he wasn't at the Gryffindor table yet.

"It's a bit weird, isn't it?" Rory Diggory chuckled, talking to Kallista Gold. "Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy…who'd have thought?"

"You do realize that I don't care, right?" Kallista asked him, her tone teasing.

Finally Hermione reached the Slytherin table and there was no short of gossiping here. In fact, it was much more discussed with groups leaning across the table to talk to each other. Some were even standing up and walking to the other end of the table to have a discussion on the topic.

"He wouldn't, would he?" muttered Crabbe in a low, gruff voice to Goyle.

"No…would he?" Goyle almost echoed a pained look on his face.

As Hermione passed Heidi Fernandez and Arthur Diggory she noted that they seemed to be two of the only people not discussing the news. Instead they weren't talking at all, which was a nice change.

"Tell me! I don't like being out of the loop" pleaded Carlie Rosien, tugging on her brother Shawn's sleeve. He just kept shaking his head, a broad girl on his face and a piece of toast in his hand. "Please, please, pretty please!" she begged and Hermione stopped listening.

Suddenly she was stopped before she had even reached her seat and a hand collided with her cheek. One second later a sharp pain broke out where she had been hit and Hermione let out a gasp.

She looked up, holding her cheek and her eyes fell on Pansy Parkinson who was standing with her hands on her hips and a smirk twisting up her already unattractive face.

"Bitch!" she spat, shaking her head. "How dare you throw your Mudblood self at my Draco? Some people are saying that it was him but he would never-"

"Stupefy!"

Hermione looked up and saw Amber-Rose standing behind Pansy, rolling her eyes as Pansy's body fell to the ground. Scarlett was standing beside Amber-Rose, hands on hips and face screwed up in a perfect imitation of Pansy.

"It was the only way I could think of to get her to shut up" Amber-Rose said, walking towards Hermione. The entire hall was silent and now some teachers were running towards them, astonished by the sight before them. Singlia was among them and Hermione glared at her, disgusted with how she knew this news had gotten around.

"Miss. Height!" Professor McGonagall snapped, standing in front of the group. "I am aware that Miss. Parkinson has many faults but you still have no right to use magical defense spells against her. I am utterly dis-"

A small cough broke up the sentence and everybody peered around before spotting Umbridge who had made her way onto the scene unnoticed.

"I think it is I who should deal with this" she said, her voice dripping with false sweet-ness. "I is I who teach Defense Against the Dark Arts after all, is it not Minerva?" she smiled, before turning to Amber-Rose without waiting for an answer.

"What is it that Miss. Parkinson did to upset you?" she asked, plastering a stiff smile on her face. Amber-Rose glared at her, her expression disgusted.

"We would probably be here all day" she replied coolly, tossing her wand from one hand to thee other and staring Umbridge down. "But as I'm sure you want to teach your thoroughly interesting Defense classes today, I won't keep you"

"Amber-Rose was just defending Hermione" Scarlett piped up, her fists clenched. "Pansy was being a bit…bitter person." Amber-Rose managed to keep a straight face but Scarlett had to put her hand over her mouth to stop herself from erupting into giggles.

"Was she?" Umbridge did her best to sound sympathetic. "Well then, you have a warning Miss. Height. I have made it clear that I do not wish you to practice your practical defense anywhere except for in controlled environments. I wouldn't wish to have to punish you, would I?"

"I'm sure it wouldn't kill you" Amber-Rose said, without making an effort to keep her voice down. A few members of the watching audience allowed themselves to laugh until Umbridge turned towards them and they quickly resumed eating.

With that, Umbridge muttered the counter curse and Pansy's eyes blinked open. Then Umbridge swept out of the hall while McGonagall gave Amber-Rose a stern look before returning to the staff table, Singlia at her heels.

Amber-Rose, Scarlett and Hermione sat down in their seats and the two girls leaned towards Hermione, interested looks on their faces.

"I thought you hated him" Scarlett threw at her, a smirk playing on her lips. "But then we hear you've been kissing him. Details!"

Amber-Rose didn't say anything; she just crossed one leg over the other and cocked her head, waiting for Hermione's answer.

"I do hate him!" Hermione insisted. "He kissed me. It was totally out of the blue and I still have no idea why he did it. I was just talking about how I would take Ron over him any day and then he walked towards me, kissed me and said 'say that now' before leaving. It was bizarre and I didn't want to tell anybody because I wanted to forget it even happened. I think he wanted to forget it ever happened"

At that moment she looked up and saw the very person they were discussing storming towards them, his face livid. He looked murderous and his gaze was fixed on Hermione. He was going to blame her, she could tell by his set features.

"Granger, who did you tell?" he spat, eyes narrowed. He completely ignored Scarlett and Amber-Rose and they looked up in interest.

"Nobody" Hermione snapped. "Do you honestly think I would want to tell somebody what happened? It was Singlia, obviously. I you want to attack somebody, attack her and I will have no problem with it"

"Everybody thinks we're 'together' now" he threw back, hands flying everywhere.

"Great" Hermione muttered, pushing her plate away. "I just lost my appetite"

"Oh, for fucks sake you two!" Amber-Rose snapped, rolling her eyes and slamming down her goblet a little too hard. "Can you not deal with a few people talking about you? God, I think you'd be used to it"

"It's not just a few people" Hermione argued, glaring at her. "It's the whole…bloody hall!"

"Ooh, big words for such a little girl" Amber-Rose fired back, smirking a little. "If you want my advice-"

"We don't" Draco snapped.

"Oh, yes you do" she continued. "My advice is…grow up and stop being pathetic because at this rate you are going to convince people of your 'attraction' even more"

"Point" Scarlett muttered, staring at the table top.

Disgusted, Hermione looked at Malfoy and he looked at her. Amber-Rose had just subtly suggested that they were acting like they liked each other…was she really that stupid? It was ridiculous. After a few seconds the two of them looked away again, still angry with how this had all turned out.

"Speechless" Amber-Rose observed, smiling and taking her goblet again. Her job was done; it was much more peaceful without their constant whining.

Without another word Malfoy walked away, not looking back.