Review responses (not all of them, just those I want to):

Marbleandtoast: sorry, but what is HB and HG? I've learned a lot of these anachronisms (is that the word for it?), but I've never encountered those before.

Jessirose85: hahaha, yeah, maybe...but that would be just a bit OOC, so no such luck. Maybe later, though...

Leilygurl: about the 0's, sorry. I tried to just double space at certain places, but apparently fanfic doesn't pay attention to empty space and just deletes it, so I had to modify, and remodify, and spend, like, half an hour trying to make it obvious when the POV changed and when the time changed (I'm obviously still learning my way around this site). So it's a little sloppy. I fixed it in this chapter. well, it may not be letter long, but it's longer than the others, and I appreciate that. Yay Leila!!!!...I noticed that about other writers, which is why I put in so much description – I like to know where and how the scene is taking place, and not enough people do that, so I'm just trying to be different. That's what's helpful about reading so much before even thinking about my own fic – I find out what I should do differently.

Thanks for reviewing, all of you!!!!! :-D

Chapter 3: Defense

The next morning, Hermione awoke in her new gold and scarlet room later than usual, as she wasn't quite used to being back at school yet. She hurriedly got dressed and went down to the Great Hall. She saw her friends seated together and made her way towards them.

"Morning guys," she said.

"Morning Hermione," Ginny replied. She seemed to be the only one fully awake.

Professor McGonagall passed out their schedules almost immediately after Hermione came in.

"Wow," Ron said. "We've got a great Monday."

"No kidding," Harry agreed. "3 frees today! Plus, no Potions."

"You've got Transfiguration and Charms, along with Defense Against the Dark Arts," Ginny said, looking over Harry's shoulder. "Not too bad."

"I've only got 2 frees today," Hermione said, scanning her own schedule. "But that's only because of Ancient Runes."

"Seriously, Hermione, why'd you decide to take so many classes?" Ron said.

"I dunno, maybe because I actually LIKE SCHOOL? You should try it sometime, Ron. Then maybe you'll get better grades."

Ron looked disgruntled. He rolled his eyes, but obviously knew better than to argue with Hermione about school, because he went back to his breakfast plate, piled with potatoes and eggs.

"So what're your rooms like, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Oh! I didn't tell you, did I? They're quite cozy. The Common Room, by the way, is much too small for parties, though." They all laughed at the memory of this comment. "But my bedroom is huge and lovely. I absolutely adore it."

"It's pretty cool that you get your own room," Ron said.

"Yeah," Harry added. "Being with the guys in this year is just...weird. They keep staring at me. It's getting really annoying."

"Sorry, Harry. You could always come over to the Head room, if you needed to get out of there—all of you, actually."

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said

"No problem."

"By the way, speaking of roommates, what's up with Malfoy?" Harry said.

"Has he hurt you?" Ron said, staring at her with concern.

"No, Ron, he did not." She practically laughed at him. "He's actually been very civil towards me. We chatted a little. It's a bit awkward sometimes, but I feel like he's making an effort."

Ron and Ginny snorted at the exact same time, showing their family resemblance. "Yeah," said Ginny, "as if Malfoy's got anything honest on his mind."

"You just can't give him a chance, can you?" Hermione said, coloring.

"No, Hermione," Ron said, "we know Malfoy. He's always got a hidden agenda. To be perfectly honest, I'm more scared for your safety now that he's being nice than before when he was obviously nasty."

"Can't you accept maybe he's changed? Come on! We all went through a lot during the war! Can you honestly say that you guys are the same as you were before?" Ron looked down in shame. Ginny, however, spoke up.

"Yeah, Hermione, but guys like Malfoy don't up and change their entire identities. Besides, don't you remember which side he was on during the war? He was a Death Eater! He let other Death Eaters into Hogwarts, he tried to capture Harry and bring him to Voldemort! Or have you forgotten?"

"Ginny, it's not that I have forgotten, but that I'm trying to forget. That war was something no one should have to live through, and I'd like to put it behind me." Hermione's voice began to rise with her anger. "Why are you do bent on living in the past?! To be honest, if I'd been in Malfoy's position, had been that afraid for my life and my family's lives, I don't think I couldn't have been that brave!"

Hermione realized too late that she had said too much. Her friends gave her a strange look, and she quickly and quietly apologized. Once their astonished expressions had gone, Hermione looked back up from her plate and asked Harry if he would be the Quidditch Captain again this year. He gave her a skeptical look, and she knew he knew what she was doing, but he played along and answered the question. Hermione's mind, however, was wandering over her outburst just minutes before. What had spurred her to do such a thing?

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"So when can we come over?" Zabini asked.

"I dunno if you'd want to, Blaise. It's not that big a place. There are only 2 of us, after all," Draco responded.

He was in the Slytherin Common Room during break, sitting near the fire with Pansy, Blaise, and Goyle. They had immediately wanted to know who the Head Girl was. However, when Draco had told them, they'd looked disgusted, and had spent the next 5 minutes verbally abusing the Gryffindor. Draco had been silent throughout, but was getting more and more pissed off, until they had finally exhausted the subject and Blaise had posed this question.

"Oh, I don't mind," said Pansy. "We really wanna see your new place."

"Okay, why don't you guys come over after dinner tonight."

"Where is it?" Goyle asked.

"It's at the statue of the dragon near the Charms corridor. I'll grab some butterbeers from the kitchens."

"Sounds great, Draco." Pansy smiled. "You know, I'm pretty sick of all this public space," she said, sidling over almost imperceptibly. "It must be nice to have something private." She enunciated the last word.

Draco restrained himself from rolling his eyes. Pansy's seductress act was so old.

"Oh, and Draco, make sure Mudblood isn't there," Blaise said nonchalantly.

And suddenly, Draco's short temper boiled over. He stood up so fast that Pansy, who had been sitting next to him, fell to the floor.

"Don't call her that," Draco said quietly, but powerfully.

"What, Malfoy, it's true! She of muggle blood! She's beneath us."

Draco's rage was so great he couldn't even find words for it. Instead of punching Blaise in the jaw, however, he clenched his fists and walked stiffly towards the door. "Don't even think about coming to my dorm tonight, Zabini. You can forget it." With that, he stalked out.

Draco roamed through the school for the remainder of break, thinking hard and trying to work off his anger.

His friends had changed from the war too—Pansy was less forward, more reserved; Blaise was learning (and apparently failing) to be less stuck-up, ever since his father had gone to Azkaban and his money supply had begun to run low; Goyle, after losing his companion, Crabbe, was less thuggish, and even a bit outgoing on occasion. But none of them had changed as radically as Draco, and for a moment he wondered why he was still friends with them.

Well, I don't really like many of the other 7th year Slytherins better, and I never actually thought about getting along with other houses before.

And anyway, getting back to the matter at hand, why had he exploded like that? Did he really expect anything less from his friends? I'd hoped so, he replied to himself. He wished they had been more understanding. Yet here he was...

And that short temper of his—Draco really needed to get that under control. It wasn't at all helpful—hell, it had just bought him a lonely evening in his dorm. Well, except for Granger.

And if he could handle all the other bullshit Zabini and the others had said about her, why had Draco acted up solely on the word 'mudblood,' especially when he was still slipping up sometimes in his own head? Maybe it had less to do with the word and more to do with the person involved. Draco's brow furrowed at that thought. It didn't really have to with Granger, he thought, I was just sick of them being assholes.

But in spite of himself, the image of Hermione in her blue T-shirt sitting serenely on the compartment seat, staring out the window, came floating into his head.

Hmmmmmm, seems like I have nothing to say, which is strange for me...

Oh! I lied. Happy New Year! Forgot to say that in my last chapter, and I should have, so there it is.

Review!

-Ginger