Hermione woke early and took advantage of the free bathroom, relaxing in the bath until Malfoy banged on the door.
"You're not the only one living here, Granger!" he yelled through the door.
Hermione bit back a rude remark, reminding herself that he'd been nice to her, getting Zacharias Smith to fill in for her and he hadn't even mentioned her breakdown.
She wrapped herself in a fluffy red towel, gathered her clothes and walked back to her room, unlocking the bathroom door on Malfoy's side with a flick of her wand as she went.
Fifteen minutes later she was downstairs in her uniform, hair in a French braid and book bag slung over her shoulder. She hesitated behind the painting for a moment before mentally slapping herself.
Walking towards the Hall she could feel her pulse rising. She paused at the top of the last staircase telling herself that she had no reason to be worried about going to breakfast. There was nothing to be feared. She put on a brave face and moved on.
"'Morning, Hermione," Ginny greeted her, looking up from her scrambled eggs.
"Hey," Hermione replied, taking a seat across from her, next to Ron. Harry and Ron turned away from their breakfasts for a few seconds to say hello to Hermione, and everyone was more shocked to hear Ron talking again then to see Hermione at a meal that they didn't focus on her, but instead encouraged Ron to keep talking. He didn't say a lot, but as it was more than anyone had heard him say since they'd arrived, Harry, Hermione and Ginny were extremely happy. Hermione hoped his sudden inclination to join in conversations had something to do with her trying to talk help him earlier.
Hermione grabbed a grapefruit, paying special attention to slicing it exactly in half. Hermione silently worried that Ginny might say something about her lack of appetite and was greatly relieved when she hardly glanced in her direction, too busy on her brother's sudden improvement. Hermione slowly ate her breakfast, repulsed by every bite. She could have sworn she felt her clothes tighten.
When the bell signalled five minutes until the start of Arithmacy, Hermione gratefully dropped the remainder of the second half of her grapefruit and jumped up. The four of them headed towards their classes. Harry and Ginny turned a corner and walked off to Ginny's Potions class where Harry would kiss her goodbye and then have to sprint to his own class.
"So, Hermione-"
She knew where this was going.
"-where have you been lately?" Ron asked. "I hardly ever see you anymore, even at meal times. What have you been doing that's kept you this busy?"
Hermione shrugged. "Oh, you know this and that. Homework, head duties, keeping Malfoy in line, you know." The last was a lie. Malfoy was fairly good at not being a pain in the backside nowadays. "I don't always have time to get down for meals."
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Malfoy does."
"That's because he never does any work!" she retorted.
She felt eyes burning into the back of her skull. Slowly, she turned her head, only to find the topic of conversation less than five feet away from her, in easy hearing range. She knew she was in trouble.
Before Ron could ask, Professor Vector appeared and Hermione was swept into the classroom.
Hermione poured her energy into the tasks Vector set them, doing her best to ignore her rumbling stomach and the looks she got from those who were close enough to hear them.
By break time, the sun had warmed up the grounds and nearly everyone was outside enjoying the abrupt change in weather.
"Miss Granger! A word please," McGonagall called from her desk.
Hermione waved Harry and Ron on, telling them that she'd catch up in a second.
"Yes, Professor?" Hermione tried to think of what she could have done that would get her into trouble.
"This weekend is fine. For Hogsmeade," she added at Hermione's confused expression.
Everything clicked into place. "Oh, right. Sure. I'll tell Malfoy. Thanks, Professor. Is that all?"
McGonagall nodded and Hermione left to find her friends. She found them sitting in the sun against the outer walls of Hogwarts, sandwiches that they'd snagged from the Hall in hand.
"Do you think she's lying?" Hermione heard Ron ask.
"I don't know. She doesn't look too well. I'll ask her later. Don't worry," Ginny answered,
Hermione frowned and made a mental note to not be alone with Ginny. She walked over to her friends, plastering a smile on her face.
"Guess what?" she said before anyone asked. "We're going to Hogsmeade this weekend."
Harry looked up at her, shading his eyes from the sun. "Is that what McGonagall wanted?"
Hermione sat on the ground, her back to the sun. "Yep. I completely forgot that we'd organised that. I was so confused." She giggled.
"We? You mean Malfoy did do some work?" Ron asked.
Hermione's face turned sour. "I'm not sure if agreeing to a date for Hogsmeade is work exactly."
Ron shrugged.
Lunch was easier to deal with than breakfast had been, probably because she was already with people. Hermione watched as Ron and Harry shoved sandwich after sandwich into their mouths. Ginny followed suit, but with considerably less of each food. Hermione ate the salad of one of the sandwiches. Lettuce, carrot shavings, tomato, onion and cheese. She picked the cheese off and started on the lettuce. Ginny was watching her. She slid some carrot and tomato into her mouth. After two mouthfuls of that, she felt Ginny's gaze drop.
Dark Arts turned out to be a bit of a bludge, as Winston was late and hadn't prepared a lesson, so the class was spent pretending to defend themselves against each other while holding conversations. Near the end of the lesson, Ron had absentmindedly flicked his wand which spurted a purple liquid onto the table next to him, so the rest of their time had been spent trying to figure out how to clean it up, manually or with magic.
Harry, Ron and Hermione ran into Potions a few minutes late. Slughorn had just finished talking and had placed flask half filled with a thick bubbling, lime green liquid on a stand on his desk. Instructions appeared on the board
No cheating, this is a practise test.
Books are allowed.
The store room in open so use whatever you need.
You have until ten minutes to the end of the double.
Pages 53-55.
Hermione grinned. She was in her element. She followed her book's instructions step by step, hardly looking up from her cauldron. With twelve minutes left of the lesson, her potion was a slightly darker green than the one modelled. She slipped in an extra pinch of salt and watched the brew brighten to a near match of Slughorn's. While Slughorn collected everybody's flask Hermione filled her flask and corked it, a slight smile on her lips.
"Seems that I was wrong about your natural ability, Harry. It's not bad, but not as good as last year's performance," Slughorn berated.
Harry's potion looked like Hermione's had before she added the extra salt.
Slughorn didn't say a word at Ron's olive green potion.
Hermione joined the line at the professor's desk.
"Nice, Mr Malfoy." Slughorn placed Malfoy's flask with the others. "Mr Boot, it's good to see you've improved."
Boot shuffled back to his cauldron.
Hermione tapped her foot impatiently while Theodore Nott handed in his flask and waited for Slughorn to comment. Slughorn examined the potion. It was bubbling and green, but not the same shade. He nodded and said, "Not bad, not bad at all."
Nott left the line and Hermione all but shoved her potion in Slughorn's face. He turned the flask around with an appraising smile on his face. Unstoppering it, he took a sniff and made a face.
"Putrid." Hermione's face fell. "It's perfect. Back to the top of the class, Miss Granger, I see. Well done."
She grinned and nearly ran back to her workspace.
"I told you that book would get you into trouble. Now Slughorn thinks you were cheating last year or something," Hermione said while clearing away her equipment.
Harry sighed. "And if I hadn't gotten it, I would never have won the Felix Felicis and gotten the memory and known about the horcruxes and killed Voldemort."
"That's where you're wrong. I would have won it, let you use some and it would have been the same." She picked up her bag and left the classroom with Ron and Harry.
"But the quiditch match; we would probably would have lost," Ron said. "Because of my confidence," he added quickly. "And I might be dead!"
Harry leaned in towards Hermione. "And we wouldn't be even. 'Confundus,'" he whispered, reminding her of the little trick she'd pulled to get Ron on the quiditch team.
She blushed and shoved him away with her shoulder.
She changed the subject. "Are you two going to do your homework now? I have loads to do,"
The two boys looked at each other. "Later," they answered.
Hermione huffed. "Typical. I'll see you at dinner."
She walked away before they had a chance to reply. When she stepped inside the common room, she found herself to be alone. Knowing it wouldn't be for long, she quickly vanished two slices of bread and the contents from a can of soup before dumping her bag in her room. Seeing as though she was already in private, Hermione lay down and did eighty sit-ups. Puffing, she climbed onto her feet and checked her clock. There was still an hour and a half until dinner started so she placed herself in front of the fire and finished off the 15 inch essay for Winston and read through two of the three chapters that Sprout had set them.
As the clock neared seven-fifteen she stood up, swaying. Evenings were the worst. She'd already used her energy and only by sheer will was she able to stay on her feet. And the support of every object in her way.
Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table beside Ginny with a sheepish smile on her face.
"Lost track of time, sorry. I can't believe how much work I have to do! It's overwhelming." She shook her head, awakening her painful headache.
"I dunno 'ow you do id, H'mione," Ron said through a mouthful of food.
Ginny shuddered. "We don't necessarily want to see your half eaten food, Ron."
Harry laughed, Ginny and Ron joining in, still excited for the boy's happiness. Their laughter sounded so real, so alive, that it made Hermione wonder if, for a moment, they'd forgotten about their losses. Then the sound drained away and the darkness of loss once again dimmed their eyes.
Hermione leaned against her door. Malfoy had been one staircase behind her and she'd had the feeling that he was going to bring up her earlier comment. She'd just had to avoid him, only going downstairs when he was gone.
The painting slammed shut and Hermione winced. He was definitely angry. She grabbed her Herbology text book and opened it to the last of the three chapters the class had been instructed to read and huddled under her blankets. She tried to read but her attention was focused on the sounds downstairs, waiting for Malfoy to leave.
Hermione ran down to the fire when she heard what she thought was the painting slam once again. She pulled the blanket off the couch and sat in her spot.
"So, I never do any work, do I?"
Hermione jumped and her book flew out of her hands. She turned to see Malfoy walking out of the kitchen and sit on the plush green armchair. She shuddered and pulled the blanket over her shoulders.
"I've only been helping make Hogsmeade dates, a patrol roster and organising Prefects to take your patrols while you weren't well. What is it exactly that you consider work? Sleeping all day in front of the fire or hiding in your room for hours on end? Or is it spending time with your dear old friends, Potty and the Weasels?"
Hermione stood up taking the blanket with her. "Before you start accusing me, why don't you get your facts straight!"
Malfoy got off his chair. "Oh, so now I'm the one doing the accusing?"
"You listen to me, Draco Malfoy! I've hardly spent any time with my friends. I've been buried under homework, I'm exhausted and I'm sick! I only made up that stupid lie so they'd stop asking me why I wasn't-" She cut off, realising what she'd been about to reveal. She looked at the floor.
Malfoy stalked up to her. He was barely a foot away. "Why you weren't what? I need to know why you think I'm not doing my job. And don't lie to me, Granger. I've known you long enough to be able to tell."
"Why do you care what I think about you anyway?" She glared at him, looking right into his grey eyes.
"Don't change the subject. Tell me."
"I don't think it's any of your business," she retorted. Her attempts to get out of the situation were weak, she knew, but she couldn't come up with anything convincing when her head was pounding and she was swaying on her feet.
"I said tell me. I need a good reason to drop this."
It was obvious he wasn't going to let her go anywhere until she told him. "Why I wasn't going to meals." She stared at the carpet.
"And why did you have to lie about this?"
"Because they wouldn't have appreciated the truth."
"Don't you get smart with me, Granger. Why?"
There was no way that he was going to find out about her deepest, darkest secret. She dropped the blanket.
"You're going too far, Malfoy. Just leave it. You have no right to know everything about me." She made a dash for the stairs but Malfoy stepped in front of her, grasping her wrist.
"Don't you dare touch me," she hissed, jerking her arm away.
Instead of backing down like she'd hoped, Malfoy took another step forward. Their feet were touching and she could just smell the faint scent of his deodorant. She stepped back.
"Let me tell you something," he said taking another step forward. "You don't want to tell me what's going on, but you haven't thought this through. We," he gestured between the two of them, "live together. I'm going to find out what's going on, sooner or later. You have two options. The first is that, when I figure this out, I'll ruin your reputation. I know what it means to you, being Head Girl. I'd just slip in a few comments about your inability to perform tasks and there goes your little dream." He smirked at Hermione's horrified expression. "Or, you could tell me now and, if I think it's a sufficient enough reason, I'll keep quiet." He paused. "So, what's your decision?"
Hermione narrowed her eyes. "What makes you so sure that you'll figure me out?" She took another step back.
Malfoy walked forwards. "I'm a good observer. I'll be watching."
Hermione walked back to her book and sat down, doing her best to appear unfazed, but inside her heart was pounding. She couldn't let him bug her. She had to remain calm and keep her normal routine. He wasn't going to reach her.