A/N: Had to get what was in my head down before I forgot! So a very quick update for your enjoyment!

As the week progressed, Hermione felt increasingly drawn to seeking out the Slytherin rat pack rather than avoiding them. The irony of it, however, was that they were less interested in taunting her. Malfoy appeared distracted, and noticeably aloof, Zabini was unusually quiet around her, Crabbe and Goyle occasionally took one for the team and shot her an insult now and then, while Nott was exhibiting enough cockiness for the collective. She was left feeling rather befuddled when he shot her a suggestive wink as she past them on her way to lunch one afternoon. Her reaction was to simply shoot him her most sinister glare, to which he actually had the nerve to respond, "Love your work Granger." Her glowering had only deepened, eliciting a laugh from him as they walked by. Zabini had looked at Nott and then back to her questioningly but had said nothing.

In the meantime, Hermione had also taken to spending a lot of time in the jovial surroundings of her head's common room, which after a while left her feeling rather startled. She had moved her bean bag closer to Malfoy's bedroom door, tactfully shifting all the furniture with her so she did not look out of place, often scheduling her occupation of said bean bag with Malfoy's expected entrances and departures. So far, she had not managed to find out his password.

Her pensive demeanour had attracted the attention of Harry and Ron as they questioned her sanity.

"Hermione, do you ever stop thinking? What could possibly be so enthralling?" Harry joked as she almost walked into a pillar in the quadrangle.

"I'll tell you when I know more." That shut him up as he raised a brow in interest. She merely smiled sweetly before returning to her thoughts.

It was an entirely different matter when it came to Dean though. He was practically stalking her now which also explained the extended length of time she committed to hanging out in the Head digs. Yet, further action was required.

Friday finally came around and Hermione had not advanced in her investigative endeavours. Looking at the schedule for the evening's patrols, Hermione could see that Malfoy would be patrolling that night with Ravenclaw prefect, Lisa Turpin. She could not put a face to the name, despite meeting with prefects once a month.

"That must be the 'hot Ravenclaw chick'," she reflected aloud before realising she had spoken it rather than thought it. Hermione went to the Raveclaw dorms to seek her out. She ran into Terry Boot on the way.

"Hey Terry!" she called out. He turned and waved.

"Hi Hermione! What brings you down this end of the castle?"

"Do you know where I might find Lisa?"

"Lisa Turpin?"

"Yeah."

"Uh, she usually has Quidditch practice until - ," he looked down at his watch, "she should be finishing up, actually. She'll probably be on her way up soon."

"Great. Can you let her know I'm looking for her and to meet me in the library?"

"Sure."

"Thanks! See you at the game tomorrow?"

"Gryffindor-Ravenclaw. Wouldn't miss it. I think we've got this one in the bag."

"You never know Terry. What, with Harry being our seeker, and all." Terry chuckled.

"Nice try at challenging me to a discussion on the finer points, Hermione. It's all about how they fair on the day." Hermione smiled.

"You know me well Terry. See ya!" She sent him a wave overhead as she turned toward the direction of the library.

Hermione sat in her favourite study spot, which these days appeared reserved for her use only. It seemed that her prolonged occupation at this particular desk had inadvertently created the understanding amongst the student body that it was for the 'Head Girl's use only'. Hermione, on the one hand, was somewhat embarrassed by the implications behind having a reserved spot in the library to her reputation but, on the plus side, it certainly had its perks. She made herself comfortable and set to work on her scheduled hour of pre-weekend homework where she consolidated this week's class notes.

"You wanted to see me?" Hermione's absorbed attention was broken by the sharp voice of her intruder. She looked up into the startling violet eyes of the girl she guessed was Lisa Turpin. There was no doubt that Malfoy's description of her was to the tee. This girl was 'hot'. She suddenly felt intimidated by the tall, raven haired girl with the perfect pout.

"Uh, Hi Lisa." Hermione did the only thing she could think of and gestured for Lisa to sit down. She obliged. "So how is everything going?" she asked. It was such obvious small talk.

"Good, I guess," Lisa shrugged, her Ravenclaw mind trying to deduce the point of this meeting. Hermione had finally come to her senses and pulled out the patrols roster.

"So, I notice you have patrols on a Friday night, and Quidditch practice. How are you managing?" she said in her best tone of authority.

"Fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal." Lisa shrugged in such a way that she oozed elegance. It was a dance move rather than a sign of indifference.

"What about the game tomorrow? Do you want some time to relax tonight? I can relieve you if you like?"

"Uhm, thanks. I don't mind. Really." Hermione inwardly laughed. They were all the same. She looked back at her roster. Malfoy conveniently always patrolled with a girl.

"I do have a responsibility to make sure this roster is properly managed. I don't want your house mates coming to me complaining of sabotage on their quidditch team members." Lisa tilted her head in thought for a moment.

"I guess. There's always next week's patrol," she reflected more for her own benefit.

"Exactly, am sure you just want to veg out before the big game tomorrow."

"Well, there is a little pre-game gathering going on tonight, so I should probably be there with the team."

"Glad I could help you out."

"So, will you be doing patrols with Draco then?" she raised an eyebrow curiously. Everyone knew about their distaste at spending alone time with each other patrolling.

"Duty comes first." Lisa scrutinised her as she stood up.

"Well, good luck," she offered reluctantly. Hermione could only nod. Luck had nothing to do with it. Her eyes trailed after the Ravenclaw bombshell, her shiny hair keeping Hermione's attentions as it swayed out of her line of sight. "Probably brushes her hair one hundred times a day!" she muttered enviously as she packed her things and headed back to her room to give Malfoy the good news. She was looking forward to his reaction.

Hermione was in the bath when she heard her name being called out.

"Granger!" It could only be one person. She closed her eyes trying to shut out the noise but the incessant banging on her bedroom door was not helping her cause.

"Oi, Granger! What the hell is with you re-arranging my patrols!" he was screaming through the door.

"Stop yelling through the door!" she screamed back.

"Get out here then!"

"I'm in the bath!" she reluctantly divulged at the top of her lungs, annoyed at the interruption.

"So!" she could hear amusement in his voice.

"So? Wait!" She unenthusiastically rose from the warm water, and reached for a towel, wrapping it around her. It was a good thing she hadn't washed her hair.

"Granger!"

"Malfoy!" she yelled through the door as she walked into her bedroom. He was relentless!

Without thinking, she walked over and opened the door fully in her towel clad self.

"Fucking hell, Malfoy! Have you not heard of common courtesy? Locked door means no interruptions!" she shouted. He was just staring at her, or her chest more like it. She shrieked, and moved to close the door to cover herself, allowing only her head to remain visible. His well practised smirk presented itself.

"Feisty," he observed.

"Oh, shut-up! What do you expect when you ruin one's plans?"

"Well, you seem to know how to do that rather well. What the fuck are you doing changing my patrol partners? That schedule is agreed on monthly and, as far as I'm concerned, it's not negotiable," he barked.

"Well, if you must know. Lisa has a game on tomorrow and I don't want her housemates coming to me complaining that prefect duties have been so scheduled as to impede on their team member's performance on the pitch. So forgive me for being considerate."

"Whatever, Granger. If she thought it was going to be an issue she would have just told me she wasn't going to turn up and I would have just found someone else. Why do you have to stick you nose in everything?"

Hermione signed, looking down at herself in only a barely there towel. She needed to change.

"Just let me change and then we can discuss this all you like!" She slammed the door in his face. He retaliated by banging against it. Pulling on the first thing she could find, Hermione emerged from her room wearing Lavender's jeans and a tank top, holding her zip up jacket in her hand. Malfoy had sunk himself into a bean bag, his tie hanging undone around his neck, his robes thrown to the side on the floor.

"Look Malfoy, it's no big deal. I took some initiative as Head Girl, that's all." He ruffled his hair in frustration.

"Granger, stop throwing that crap at me. I know all about your conscientious efforts." She looked at him alarmed. There was clearly something else being implied here. His smirk was a sure giveaway.

"Malfoy, if you are going to be cryptic with me, then something is seriously wrong here." He cocked his head to one side, shrugging. She scowled back. "Well?" she tapped her foot and crossed her arms expectantly. He stood up, grabbing his robe, and walked away to his room. She glared at him from behind, and only caught the end of his password. It sounded like, "…horntail". Her annoyance instantly faltered as she smiled knowingly.

Malfoy walked into his room, leaving the door open much to her surprise. She stood there, waiting to see whether he was going to come out and hit her with some remark. She could hear a rustling of things which stopped before he emerged holding a flask.

"Ever heard of a magical footprint, Granger?" He asked threateningly, as he walked over to her. He was only a few feet away, his ice drawn eyes boring into her with spite. Her ignorance of where this conversation was headed triggered her defence mechanisms.

"What's that got to do with anything?" she snapped.

"Only, everything." He lifted the flask to her line of sight as he walked closer.

"Does this look familiar to you?" She recognised the flask as the one Zabini had handed to him in potions.

"Only because I saw Zabini give it to you in potions. What's you're point?" He was almost towering over her now.

"You're familiar with the fourth floor unused classroom, are you not?" She could not believe he was talking about the very topic that was occupying her time all week. She looked at him questioningly.

"Who doesn't?"

"Well, surprisingly it is rarely crossed by any students. Although, your behaviour when we previously had the pleasure of patrolling with each other suggested you were well acquainted with that particular corridor. Care to share why?"

"I don't see how that is any of your business!"

"As I am sure you know, since I know you know - "

"Quit babbling Malfoy, and get to the point!' Hermione was becoming agitated by his eerily calm tone. He undid the stopper and brought it under her nose. She caught a whiff of a nasty odour, almost sulfuric. She turned her head away automatically to escape the offensive smell. He chuckled, before taking a gulp, grimacing as he swallowed.

"As I was saying," he continued, brandishing the flask about, "this little concoction here is brewed in that fourth floor class room, and in exercising my own due diligence, I set the rather useful charm to detect who exactly uses that particular hallway to keep tabs on any intruders."

Hermione's dropped her arms to her side as her eyes widened in realisation. He smirked at her reaction. "And, guess what the Head boy discovered, Granger?" he paused for effect even though she knew, that he knew, that she knew the answer. It was laughable really but, at this point in time, the air was rather stiff with seriousness. "Well, I'm sure you'd be interested to know that, that particular corridor is frequented most by our very own Head girl."

Hermione took as step back, Malfoy was in her space. "Well your magical footprint is clearly set up wrong, Malfoy." He glared at her defiance.

"Doubt it, Granger. Nott set it up. He is a pro with charms. So, care to share why our Head girl loves to hang out in that part of the castle so often, and why the fuck you are spying on me?"

Hermione knew it would amount to this. That Malfoy would take it to mean that she had been keeping tabs on them and knew what they were up to. After all, her safe haven was invisible to everyone but her. 'Crap!' she scolded herself.

"Malfoy, if you think I've been spying on you, then why is it that I don't know what the potion is, or that I was surprised when Zabini handed it over to you in potions?" She could see him thinking for a moment despite the fact that his look of accusation remained directed at her.

"If that is the case Granger, what the fuck is so exciting about that corridor that has you visiting it so often? And, why were you so bloody edgy when we patrolled there?"

"As, if I would tell you!" she retorted.

"Well, then clearly there is nothing to tell, because there is nothing that could possibly lure you to hang out there. Unless, you and Dean use it as a make out spot?"

She narrowed her eyes at that remark. "You know very well that is not the case." He just laughed, showing no empathy or recognition of the incident he had helped her in.

"Malfoy, I am going to try and bargain with you, for reasons beyond my own comprehension. But, lets just agree that I won't ask what you guys are making, or seek to find out, or tell a professor about it, if you don't ask me to answer any more questions. OK?"

He was silent for a moment. "On one condition."

"What?" she resigned.

"That you don't mess with my patrols schedule, and since I have the unfortunate pleasure of now having to patrol with you tonight, you have to drink some."

"That's two conditions! There is no way I am drinking that! I don't even know what it is. The fact that you prats made it worries me even more!" He merely stood there sneering.

"Actually Granger, the patrol schedule is the condition. The taste test is purely in retaliation of your conscientiousness," he drawled.

"You are unbelievable!"

"I get that a lot," She just glared at him in disgust as she grabbed the flask out of his hand. She shot him a final look of hate, just to get her point across that much more, before taking a gulp of the odious liquid.

A/N: The things one does to protect their secrets! Ah Hermione, what have you done! :p