"Hermione?" the voice asked again, and she turned slowly.

Draco stood, just outside the Portrait door. He looked anxious, almost concerned, but at the same time, sort of detached, as if he were watching a scene play out in a movie. Hermione wondered to herself if he had ever seen someone crying before. She wanted to kick herself- of course he had, he had been the reason for their tears often. Hermione noted that Draco often seemed detached. He didn't like to let himself go, but maybe that was just when she was around; he had been rather happy with his friends in the Slytherin common room. Hermione thought that Draco was remarkably mature for someone their age. Hermione was mature in a sensible, over-thinking way, but Draco seemed adult, and too important to be disturbed with meaningless things. For this reason, Hermione ducked her head and quickly blinkedaway persistent tears.

"What do you want?" Hermione asked when she finally met his gaze. Her tone was short and decisive. She was sick of being vulnerable today. If she couldn't be a good Gryffindor, at the very least she could be a good Slytherin- independent, strong, cunning.

"Why were you crying?" Draco snapped. He was angry. "Did someone say something- in there?"

Hermione widened her eyes, "No, no, no. Everyone is being really nice." she exclaimed, holding out her hands. She didn't want anyone to be on the retrieving end of an angry Draco. "Too nice, in fact," She laughed somewhat humourlessly. "I was just thinking about my friends, or whatever they are now." Hermione looked down at her hands, and saw that they were clasping the hem of her jumper. She loosened her grip with some effort.

Draco's expression softened, he reached one hand out and softly stroked the top of her arm, "If they can't accept this, they aren't good friends." Draco said, his words matching his wise, old-before-his-years demeanour. Hermione could hear her mother telling her that same thing when she was ten and studying at a Muggle junior school, being teased by Muggles for being "weird" and "strange".

Hermione snorted unattractively, "Oh, leave it out, Draco. This isn't an afterschool special. You sound like my mum." Hermione rolled her eyes, "And how would you like it if your friends stopped talking to you? If your friends wouldn't even acknowledge that you existed? Wouldn't even look at you? And all because of something you couldn't help." Hermione leant heavily against the wall behind her, "It isn't fun, Draco. Not in the slightest. I would do anything if it meant I could get back into Gryffindor. I would do anything to travel back to this time yesterday."

"If you talk to them," Draco tried, "Maybe you can make them understand-"

Hermione looked at Draco, and her expression told him not to bother continuing. "You didn't see their faces, Draco," she said. Her voice was quiet, but he could hear her loud and clear in the otherwise silent corridor. "Ron looked like he had lost a friend, Harry didn't even look at me- neither did Ginny. All the Gryffindors were whispering about how I'm gonna be the next Dark Witch, the new Voldemort." Hermione looked sincerely devastated."

Draco sighed, "I'm sorry, Hermione. I am." Hermione went to cut him off but he beat her to it, "I know you don't care." Hermione looked at the ground, feeling a little guilty for not denying it. "Maybe you can get back into Gryffindor." Draco mused, looking thoughtful. "I mean, you got yourself into Slytherin because you were acting differently. If you channel your younger, dorkier self, you might get back into Gryffindor- for good behaviour." He smirked a little, and Hermione found her expression to be mirroring his.

"You might be on to something there, Malfoy." She retorted. Draco stilled when she called him that, but it soon became apparent that she was only kidding and he relaxed against the wall opposite Hermione. They met each other's eyes, both equally clever and cunning. Hermione thought that, for the first time in her life, she may have met her match- and that "match" came in the form of Draco Malfoy, no less.

"Although," Draco said, frowning, "You might be better off without them." His shoulders were slouched, and now he looked less like a King and more like a student, like her. She thought for a second that he was very different to Harry, her old friend. He was tall, maybe just a little taller than Harry, and his eyes were a steely grey, a sharp contrast to Harry's green ones. Draco's hair was like white gold in the muted yellow lighting of the hall; the polar opposite of Harry's hair, which was so dark, it was black. Hermione thought to herself that he looked like a cold, unattainable prince; a good face for the Slytherins, she thought.

Hermione chuckled in amusement, but otherwise ignored his comment, "So, how about it, Malfoy?" She asked; her smirk very un-Gryffindor, and her eyes daring and bright. He swallowed; she looked so much like a Slytherin when she smirked that way, and Draco was surprised to feel a little disappointed by the prospect of her returning to her tall tower in Gryffindor, protected by a pack of Lions and kept away by lock and key. "Will you help me become original Hermione?" She asked the blond boy, who smiled easily, remembering the old Hermione- the bushy haired, annoying, know-it-all girl who was too nosy for her own good.

"Hermione 1.0," he joked, smiling, "Okay, but I have one condition," Draco bargained, raising one eyebrow artfully and holding up his index finger, "For the meantime, will you call me Draco- not Malfoy?"

Hermione stuck out her hand, "Deal." She smiled easily when he clapped his large hand against hers.

It was a few seconds into the handshake when a nauseatingly annoying voice alerted Draco of a newcomer- a very unwelcome one, at that- and a moment later, Hermione had noticed the red haired boy and was sprinting in his direction.

"Hermione, what were you doing with Malfoy?" he asked sourly, glaring harshly at the Slytherin boy. He enveloped the small brunette in a long hug, and when he let go of her, he wrapped a solitary arm around her shoulders, "Making a deal with the devil?" Draco stilled and felt his hands tighten into fists at his sides, agitated with the ginger prick, as he liked to call him.

Hermione stopped herself from snapping at Ron to "not be so rude". She was just glad to see him- glad that some things never changed; he was still her faithful friend. "Oh, Ron, you have no idea how happy I am to see you." Hermione told him, her eyes glittering. He may be utterly daft and annoying and dim sometimes, but he was home to her, no matter how much she had outgrown the friendship.

Ron smiled down at her, glad to be with his good friend, "I bet those Slytherins are driving you crazy." He commented, looking at her with pity, than smirking ever so subtly at Draco. Hermione didn't notice the smirk, but Draco did, and his mouth twisted into an agitated scowl.

"No," Hermion argued, her expression becoming thoughtful and pleasant, "they are actually pretty nice." Ron didn't seem to believe that, but he didn't contest it either, and that was good enough for Hermione.

Ron suddenly looked embarrassed and guilty, "I'm sorry I freaked out in the Great Hall." Ron scratched the back of his neck, his face flushing pink, "It came as a bit of a shock." He smiled bitterly.

Hermione laughed, the humour not reaching her eyes, "Tell me about it." Hermione replied, "I certainly wasn't expecting that." Ron looked even more embarrassed at that; he hadn't considered how she must be feeling- he had thought only of his own rage and sense of betrayal.

"Yeah, I can imagine." He said awkwardly.

"Hermione, I'll just be inside." Draco called to her, but she didn't look at him, she was too busy looking at the flame haired boy in front of her, so Draco- feeling slightly annoyed and almost, unjustifiably, betrayed- walked silently back into the Slytherin Common Room. He was in a bad mood now, and he didn't bother joining the fun in Slytherin; instead, he went to his dorm room and slumped onto his bed, counting the flaws in Ronald Weasley.

So there you go! Chapter 5! That was a quick update, wasn't it? You weren't expecting that, were you, ha! Thanks for reading; reviews mean the world to me! Good bye for now! Kate xxx

P.S. Have any of you seen Divergent yet? Here in the UK, I think I have to wait until April 4 (Yeah, it's released on the fourth… coincidence, I think not!)