Chapter 2

The merpeople who inhabit the lake were not what Hermione had expected them to look like. With green hair, yellow eyes and grey skin, she could understand why they had requested to be classified "beasts" rather than "beings". To be a being, when you could be a fierce beasts would be a downgrade for such fascinating creatures. They were fearsome to behold, carrying weapons of higher intelligence such as spears and sharp stones attached to club like sticks.

The lake was clearly seen from inside the common room, as the sun shone through the waters. The window that looked over the lake was like in a muggle aquarium with whole wall opposite the entrance covered in glass. The common room was elaborately decorated, in fine furniture of dark woods. There were bookshelves on either side on the marble fireplace and the armchair were plush looking with expensive cushions adorning them. The common room was not cold, like Hermione expected. It was expensively designed, but she supposed many of the students who ended up in Slytherin were of the upper class and this was more home-like for them. There was a gobstone area, many wizarding chess tables and booths for studying on the left, with three doors marked off that side with gold-plated insignia reading "girls", "boys" and "toilets".

Hermione walked slowly into room turning on the spot, taking it in, before walking over to the aquarium window to take in the warzone beneath the waves of the Black lake.

"I don't understand how they can be at war among themselves. In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them it says that freshwater merpeople are less aggressive than saltwater, disliking war. Why can't their Chief just end it and call order?" Hermione pondered aloud. She stood facing the glass her hands spread wide, trying to see further into the void before her. Draco leaned against the glass beside her, looking down at his cleanly manicured fingernails.

"If I knew the answers Granger, I'd be a mermaid. But I don't speak mermish, and it's ill advised to go asking about it," he answered her sarcastically. He heaved himself off the window and walked over to the fireplace, where the grate held no fire, as it was a hot 20 degrees Celsius.

"It's just so fascinating to me," she whispered, still staring out at the dueling merpeople.

"Well what do you plan on doing with your life then? Sounds to me like you should join the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, if you find this all fascinating," Draco joked, enjoying the way Hermione's bushy hair seemed to grow in size as she thought on a deeper level.

Hermione turned to him sharply, her face showing surprise.

"What?" Draco asked, turning around to see if someone had entered the room, but it was just the two of them.

"How did you know I wanted to work with magical creatures?" she asked quietly, surprised that he was paying attention to what she said.

"Well there was that campaign you started to get wages for house elves wasn't there? Puke or whatever? We used to make fun of you. And you and Potter and Weasel spent plenty of time with my old house elf, the one who helped you steal my wand," Draco remembered.

Hermione walked over to where he was standing and sort of just stared at him for a while. Draco stared back with as much curiosity as she did.

"You're different, Draco," Hermione whispered. Their eyes bored into one another and without conscious thought they drew closer to one another.

"You're not an annoying nitwit after all, Granger," Draco replied. He stood with his hands in his pockets, when what she had said sunk in. He rocked back on his heels and exclaimed "Hang on! Did you just call me Draco?" Draco was pulled back to his senses and stepped away from Hermione. "What the hell is going on? Merlin's beard, you're Hermione Granger! Why are we alone, and in my common room of all things! You're good, I'm bad. You're brave, I'm a coward! We can't be friends. What the hell was I thinking?"

Draco paced around the room, disgruntled to say the least. Hermione remained where she was; she too couldn't understand what had possessed her to cause her to want to hang around with her boyfriend's archenemy. "I should go."

He stopped pacing and stared at her, torn as to what he wanted. He couldn't lie to himself about the fact that he enjoyed her company; he was alone at Hogwarts, the only Slytherin to volunteer his time to rebuilding the only place that brought him happiness. He was lonely, and Granger was kind. He had noticed her always fighting for equality; part of him hoped she would take pity on him and become a companion. He knew they were both of equal intelligence, and he knew they would always have things to debate. When she dropped her books in front of him, he'd been alone again and he was hungry for kinship.

"Look, Hermione, I-"

"Malfoy, I have a boyfriend. And you hate him," Hermione stated. She was tense, in unknown waters. A year on the run hadn't prepared her for what her heart would want.

"What Weasley doesn't know won't hurt him. There's no way in heck I would want to date you, I just don't have many people to hang out with, and I'm here for another month before I return to school so it'd be nice for some company. If you're interested," He said quickly. This was all very out of character for the Draco Malfoy that Hermione had grown up with.

She looked at him and offered a small smile. She was a Gryffindor after all, and she did like adventures. "Alright, you have yourself a deal."

She swung out her right arm and held it firmly in front of Draco. Draco took it, and shook it with the power of an elite. He couldn't help but notice the feel of electricity shooting up his arm from her touch. "Friends?"

"Friends," she said.

Draco and Hermione worked their way out of the dungeons to the Great Hall, where the afternoon sun was shining through the open doors, bringing in the heat with in. A crowd of people gathered around a tired looking Professor McGonagall, wearing an inconspicuous assortment of muggle clothing. The crowd was being paired off by McGonagall and assigned different areas to go and tackle, preparing for September the 1st, which was only three weeks away. Hermione and Draco joined the group unnoticed by the others around them, mostly filled with teachers and Dumbledore's Army. Coincidentally, Draco and Hermione were last to be paired.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger, I'm glad I caught you both. I wanted to thank you for all your efforts in helping us return the school to its tiptop condition. However, today we won't be repairing anything. I have a surprise for you both," McGonagall burst out, barely containing her excitement. Hermione and Draco looked at each other questioningly, before turning the looks on their professor.

"A surprise?" Hermione asked.

"Congratulations! You are this year's Head boy and girl!" McGonagall beamed at the two of them, which wasn't an expression they had come to expect from their usually stern, no funny business Head Mistress.

Joy filled Hermione. She beamed back at her professor and squeaked out a "Really?"

Draco smirked, a look of smug self-righteousness formed upon his face. "Seems you and I are stuck together, Granger," he tormented, his eyes glinting.

"Yes well, Mr. Malfoy, I hope that won't be a problem. Especially now that we've added a new addition for eighth years to stay in, including a dormitory for yours and Miss Grangers personal use," McGonagall indicated sternly, returning to her usual professional self. "After much deliberation, the heads of houses, and myself settled upon you two to lead the school, and now more than ever, inter-house unity is the most important yet. Now if you'll follow me, I'll show you how we will be running the school for this year coming."

McGonagall turned on her heel, her robes billowing out behind her, and she strode purposefully towards the grand staircase. "Your living quarters will be in the west wing of the second floor. This way you will be near the staffroom, great hall and hospital wing". She climbed two flights of stairs swiftly for a woman of her age, the nineteen year olds following along her silently taking in what she was saying. She rounded to her left and strode towards the hospital wing, the clock tower drawing closer. She stopped between the clock tower and the hospital wing next to a blank wall with a torch on it and faced Draco and Hermione.

"Now this year at Hogwarts will be like no other before. We will no longer be having students living amongst their houses," McGonagall paused to let them take this in. As Hermione opened her mouth, in what McGonagall was sure would be a string of questions she held up her finger, silencing her. "Now you will have many questions, I am sure. Students will still be sorted by their houses and sit with their houses at meals, but they will now live mixed in with other houses by year. First and second years will be living in what was once Hufflepuff house; third and fourth years will be living in Slytherin, Fifth and sixth years in Gryffindor house, and Seventh years in Ravenclaw. Each dormitory will have 8 students, two from each house. As Heads you will need to know every password and maintain order amongst them. You are closest to first through to fourth years in case they need assistance immediately, as no prefects will be living in their quarters. Any questions?"

"How are we supposed to patrol such a wide spread of age groups? Surely the eldest groups will be the most difficult to control?" Draco asked first, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"From fourth year we will be having prefects now, and there will be four of them. As each year group goes up, we will add one prefect from each house. Therefore there will be 4 fourth years, 8 fifth years, 12 sixth years. There will be no seventh years due to them studying NEWTs. There will then be 24 prefects in total, and you and Draco of course."

Minerva didn't pause to wait for any more questions, and had hoped by doing this she was demonstrating to the unlikely duo that they would have responsibility and would be expected to find their own footing. She pulled out her wand and tapped the flaming torch, and it turned blue. She turned back to the two and asked "Are you ready to see your new homes?"

Hermione and Draco looked at one another and exchanged a glance, one that told the other that they were both excited to see how this would pan out. Draco spoke up on behalf of them both, while still looking at Hermione, with something more sitting in his eyes. "We sure are, Professor."

Authors note: Happy New Year! I hope you like how this one went. It's a lot of setting the scene, but I hope you like the direction it's taking. I'm on holidays at the moment so I plan on uploading quite often (I return to Uni at the start of March). Love Kathryn.