A/N- You guys are seriously the best ever. Thank you for your continued support and for reviewing as much as you do. It makes me smile! This is just kind of a filler chapter to kind of develop the relationship between Hermione and Draco just a little so it probably won't be near as long as the chapters have been thus far. This being said, I'm going to quit yakking and get to writing!

Disclaimer: Nope, none of this story belongs to me. In my wettest dreams, I own Harry Potter and Co. and am basking in a life of luxury. Too bad reality sucks.

Chapter 7

September 2, 1995

They were back at Hogwarts. Hermione was thrilled to be back at school, surrounded by the ever familiar scent and sight of what she considered to be her home away from home.

Hermione was sure that the others weren't near as excited to be back as she was, but she didn't let that dampen her excitement. Hogwarts was where she was learning to harness her powers as a witch and she reveled in it. She knew that nobody understood why learning was so exciting for her, not even Harry, but it didn't matter. She didn't begrudge them quidditch and she wouldn't let them begrudge her learning.

It had been surprising to find just how sad she was to be leaving Grimmauld Place, however. Maybe not the house, per se, but definetely the people that resided there. Remus and Sirius would continue to live there while they were in school, but the Weasleys would be returning to the Burrow. When that had been announced, she had wondered to herself just why the Weasleys had been at Headquarters all summer to begin with.

As per usual, Hermione had been up at dawn making sure that everything she needed for the upcoming year was packed safely away in her trunk. She had attended breakfast early so she could kick Harry and Ron in the arse and get them moving when she was finished. When she had announced her plan while leaving the table, Molly had flashed her a grateful smile.

The two boys (well, young men may have been a more appropriate term) had still been asleep in their beds when she had arrived. She had tried nicely to wake them, but they had grumbled into their pillows and went back to sleep. In no mood to deal with their shite, she went to the bathroom and filled two glasses with water. When she had dumped them on their heads, they had come up sputtering and cursing, but very much awake.

Professor Moody, Kingsley, Tonks, and Molly were to escort all six children to King's Cross and see them safely on board the Hogwart's Express. That meant that they had to say their farewells to Remus and Sirius before they left Grimmauld Place. Hermione knew that she was going to miss them immensely.

Remus had held her close in a fatherly hug, wishing her well for the upcoming year at school. She had shed just a tear or two into his shabby robes before pulling herself together and kissing his cheek in farewell. Sirius, on the other hand, had swept her up in a hug and held her close, promising that there would always be a place for "his poppet" at Grimmauld Place so she didn't need to worry about having nowhere to return to for the holidays. She had kissed his cheek just as she had Remus', but he had boasted and gloated to Remus that she had loved him more.

The drop off at the Express hadn't been anything too special. Moody had ordered them to be on constant look out for danger, that they couldn't trust anyone that wasn't in the Order. Tonks and Kingsley had wished them well and had promised to see them all at Christmas. Molly had been the one telling them all that she loved them, telling them to do well in their classes, and kissing them all goodbye. In the end, it was much more fanfare than Hermione preferred.

The train ride to Hogwarts had been uneventful. She had kept her eye open for Draco, for she simply couldn't call him Malfoy in the privacy of her own mind. She had caught a quick glimpse of him during the prefect meeting that the Head Boy and Head Girl had had on the train. Pansy had been next to him, simmering and doing her best to catch his attention, but Draco had seemed resolutely determined to ignore her.

Hermione was so confused as to why this made her happy on the inside. Sure, she had a crush on Draco because he was handsome and very intelligent, but she knew without a doubt that the very sight of her sickened him because of her dirty blood. She knew there was no chance whatsoever for anything between them so she didn't understand why she had felt so betrayed when she had seen him at Diagon Alley with his arms around Pansy. He was his own person and he was allowed to keep company with whomever he so chose.

They hadn't spoke to each other, but her heart had fluttered just a little when he had smirked her way. Hermione didn't understand how she could be so immensely attracted to Draco, but be completely in love with Harry. It seemed so wrong when she thought about it, but she couldn't convince herself that it didn't feel right at the same time. Therefore, she did her best to put it all out of her mind since she knew that once they reached Hogwarts it would be back to hating Potter's mudblood as per usual.

Hermione and Ron had both patrolled the train during their slotted time and then returned to Harry, Ginny, Luna, and Neville in their compartment. Hermione had thought that she would have a tough time looking Ginny and Luna in the eye without picturing them against that bookshelf, but she was surprised to find that it didn't bother her. Ron, she was sure, would have a different opinion, but that wasn't her problem.

Their arrival at Hogwarts had been uneventful. She and Ron had helped herd the new first years towards the boats with Hagrid before catching a carriage with some sixth year prefects from Hufflepuff. Ron had started a conversation with the older boy about quidditch and Hermione didn't speak a single word the whole ride.

The Welcome Feast had been magnicificent. There had been more food than Hermione had remembered seeing any of the years past, but she wasn't sure if that was the truth or just in her imagination. Gryffindor had gained eleven new students, mostly boys, but Hermione and the rest of her House had clapped loudly for them.

The evening had turned sour when Professor Dumbledore had stood and introduced the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, a one Dolores Umbridge. The woman was dressed completely in baby pink and with all the ruffles and lace to top it off. To be completely honest, she resembled a large toad. It was immature of her at best, but she kind of hoped that the older woman croaked when she had stood up to make her speech.

The rest of Gryffindor had gotten a cloudy expression on their faces when she was just thirty seconds into her speech. It was clear that they had quit paying attention mere seconds after she had began speaking. While Hermione couldn't blame them for the fact that the toady woman was indeed speaking in circles, she knew that they had just missed an important lesson. The Ministry was watching and listening to what was happening within the walls of Hogwarts.

Once Hermione and her friends had made their way back to their common room, she had informed them just what Umbridge had said in her opening speech. She didn't think that Professor Dumbledore had looked very happy with having the pink woman as a professor there, but Hermione figured that his hands were tied. Hogwarts still had to answer to the Ministry of Magic.

Hermione was now seated at the Gryffindor table reviewing the timetable that Professor McGonagall had just handed out. Her schedule was pretty full, no big surprise there. Harry leaned over to view her schedule to see just closely matched it was with his.

Monday- Charms, free period, double Arithmancy

Tuesday- Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration

Wednesday- Defense Against The Dark Arts, free period, Potions, Astrology

Thursday- Herbology, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts

Friday- Transfiguration, free period, double Ancient Runes

All in all it was a great schedule if you asked Hermione. Most of her core classes were paired with the Slytherins which usually meant there would be drama in every class, but she had vowed to rise above that this year. She hoped that she would be able to help Harry and Ron rise above it as well. To be honest, however, she really wasn't holding her breath.

Hermione ate her breakfast quickly, her Potions book propped up against a jug of pumpkin juice as she tried to read and eat at the same time. Even though she knew she was going to have to drop Potions at the end of the year, she was still determined to do her absolute best in the class this year. She knew it was foolish, but she couldn't put away the idea that maybe if she did well enough in class this year, didn't raise her hand or answer any questions, Professor Snape would allow her to continue with classes after her O.W.L. testing. It was a pipe dream, but her dream nonetheless.

Somehow, she had managed to get lost in thought about continuing potions class. She was brought back to the here and now when Harry nudged her arm with his elbow.

"You finished?" She shoved her plate away and nodded. She had been done for awhile if she was being honest. The pair stood together and eyed Ron who was still shoveling food in his mouth at an alarming rate. When he seemed oblivious to their gaze, Hermione finally spoke.

"Merlin, Ron, you've ate more than three times the amount you needed. Are you ready to go to class? If not, I'm going without you." Ron looked up at them and gave her a bewildered look, almost as if he didn't understand why she would speak to him like that. To be truthful, she wasn't surprised. Molly coddled Ron most of all and gave him just about whatever he wanted. Being called out on his piggish ways was probably never in his scope of reality.

Ron stood from his meal after wiping his mouth on his sleeve, a habit that Hermione found completely deplorable. While her parents weren't what she cosidered to be snobs, she had been raised to recognize and utilize a certain level of etiquette. The Weasleys were nowhere near that level and sometimes their manners turned her stomach.

The trio made their way out of the Great Hall together, both boys on either side of Hermione. She wasn't sure if they were doing it on purpose, but it seemed like they were flanking her on purpose.

Potions was their first lesson of the day, with Slytherins no less, so Hermione mentally prepared herself for being ignored and ridiculed. Professor Snape always managed to ignore her while his Slytherins managed to make her life a living hell for no other reason than the fact that she was a mudblood.

The trio entered the classroom and took their customary seats at the back of the room. The table sat three and both boys once again placed her in the middle of them. She wasn't sure if they were doing this on purpose, but she was going to have to discuss it with them regardless. She wasn't some helpless beauty queen that needed constant protecting.

The rest of the class filed in and Hermione was happy to see that they had beat Professor Snape by almost ten he finally entered the room, his robes billowed out behind him. Hermione couldn't help but wonder if he did the billowing thing on purpose to make a statement. When he turned and faced the class, the room went completely silent in anticipation of his lesson.

"Today we will be learning about the Draught of Peace. You should have all read the chapter by now, if you haven't, you will fail miserably. You will be working in pairs for this potion. See the board for your assigned partners."

Hermione glanced up at the board to see that she was partnered with Draco. While this would have pleased her if he had been acting decently to her, when he was sure to be a wanker, she wasn't too excited. Harry was paired with Pansy while Ron was paired with Theo Nott.

Knowing that Draco wouldn't deign to move, Hermione reluctantly gathered her things so she could move to sit at the table Draco was located at. When she turned up at his side, he was physically shoving Pansy out of the seat next to him so she could take a seat. Pansy sneered at her and bent to kiss Draco on the cheek. He sneered at her, but it didn't seem to matter to Hermione.

"Hang in there, Drakey. It's only for an hour. You can survive the mudblood for that long." Hermione remained impassive at the pureblood girl's words. The last thing she wanted to do was fight on the first day of classes. After she had taken Pansy's seat, she began to sort her book in front of her and draw up a mental list so she could go gather the ingredients needed for the potion. Draco laid a hand on her shoulder, surprising her.

"I'll go get the ingredients. You get the cauldron ready." She didn't respond, but nodded, a look of suspicion still on her just smlied at her and moved to the student cupboard to get what they needed to brew.

When he returned, they both prepared ingredients for a good half hour. Once they were finished, they began their potion, Hermione in charge of the stirring and Draco in charge of adding the ingredients. Almost an hour had passed before someone broke the silence. Hermione had been surprised that it was Draco.

"Pansy and I aren't together, you know." While her heart leapt in joy at his statement, she knew that she couldn't show any weakness.

"Not that I care about your personal life, but why would it bother me if you were with Parkinson?" Hermione had overplayed her hand on the Alley because when he spoke next, his words were one hundred percent correct.

"It bothers you. I could see it that day at Diagon Alley. I'm not sure why, but I could see that my arm around her rated as some sort of betrayal. Is there anything you want to confess, little lion?" Knowing she couldn't dare give him the power over her that he was so close to achieving, she shook her head.

"No, no confession. I just couldn't understand why someone like you would settle for a girl that looked and acted like Parkinson." Hermione felt immensely guilty for her words. She hadn't been raised to talk badly about anyone, let alone other girls that were as desperate as she sometimes felt. Draco chuckled and brushed a wisp of hair back behind her shoulder.

"Whatever you have to tell yourself, Granger." She was acutely aware of the fact that he was certain she was lying. Which she was so she didn't feel like she had a right to get angry with him and react. She was simply unsure as to why he cared about her feelings to begin with.

Hermione and Dracon were the first to successfully brew their potion. Ron and Theo were next to finish even though Hermione knew for a fact that Theo was the only reason that they had finished. Harry and Pansy were one of the last pairs to finish and by the sickly look of their potion, she wouldn't be surprised if they had failed. This being noted, she could admit that she had been paired with someone that was fairly intelligent.

Draco gathered her bag in his hands and handed it off to her.

"I won't see you next class, but there is always Transfiguration to look forward to. Did you get that book on human transifiguration?" Hermione just couldn't help herself. Nobody ever asked her about the books she bought, they just simply assumed that she liked them and left it at that. She answered.

"I did. It was very enlightening. I really want to practice human Transfiguration now, but there just isn't room for it in our curriculum. I should have known better than to tempt myself." Draco grinned at her. Not a smirk or a half smile, but an actual grin.

"If you tutor me in Transfiguration, I'll do all the practice you want. You can change me to whatever you heart desires." Hermione knew this was a deal that would only come once in a lifetime. Even Harry and Ron wouldn't consent to being turned into other objects and beings so they could become better at the subject in which they struggled. Hermione waited a second before taking his hand in hers to shake it.

"You've got a deal, Malfoy." He gave her a smile.

"Shall we set up our first lesson?" Hermione wasn't sure if she could trust the snake, but she was willing to give him a chance if only for the sake of her education.

"How about Friday the 6th?" Hermione gave him a tentative grin before responding.

"That's great. The library?" He gave a nod and started to gather his things so they could part ways and go to their classes. Just as she was about to leave the potion's classroom, Professor Snape spoke her name.

"Miss Granger, I need a word with you after class." The whole class seemed to wonder just what it was that she had done to piss off their potion"s professor so early in the year. She gave him a solemn nod.

"Yes, sir." Sensing that there was going to be punishments handed out, the rest of the class bailed as quickly as they could. Hermione couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

Once the classroom was empty save for herself and Professor Snape, she gathered her things and went to stand in front of her professor's desk. She waited several minutes for him to finish what he was working on so he would acknowledge her. Finally, he laid down his quill and folded his hands under his chin.

"Your potion will be ready in three days time. You will come to me after dinner on the evening of the fifth for the last steps. I trust you know what they are?" Hermione nodded.

"I need to add my own blood to the potion." He gave her a curt nod.

"You're aware that it takes quite a bit of blood, correct? You will be lightheaded after you get your answers." She nodded again, doing her best to remain respectful.

"Yes, sir, I understand." Professor Snape looked as if he wanted to say more, but Hermione didn't open the conversation any further than what it was. The older Slytherin had made quite clear how he felt for her and she would be damned if she gave him yet another reason to hate and denigrate her.

"You may go." She nodded for the last time and walked out the classroom door.

Hermione left the Potion's corridor with Harry wrapped around her. She assumed that Ron would get jealous and butt-hurt, but he didn't seem to notice that there were other people that seemed to be interested in her. She had noticed at least three Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw boys that couldn't stop staring at her. She assumed that their reasons for being interested were just as pure as the reasons Ron had stated to Harry, so she had ignored them and acted like she didn't see a thing.

When Ron finally noticed that she was the focus of other men's attentions, he turned nasty. He had lashed out at a third year Ravenclaw for "shopping above his station", causing Hermione to blow up at him and tell him to stuff it up his arse.

Herbology had been passed in much the same way that Potions had. They were to study healing plants and Hermione had been paired with Terry Boot. While the man had acted completely civilized, she had been surprised to find that after class he was reneging on being her partner. Knowing this was the work of Ronald, she spun on her friend at the very end of class and pointed a wand in his face.

"You don't get to scare away my class partners. You don't get the right to interfere with anything that could come between me and my educational goals." He looked like he was bewildered and confused all in one so Hermione left him there on his own. While Harry tried to be a good friend and wait for Ron to get his shite together and head to lunch, she left without them.

The Gryffindor table in the Great Hall was already full of younger children. When Harry and Ron sat down, she had been quick to offer them a glare. She was livid that Ron was scaring away her class partners because he was jealous.

Once Hermione had ate her fill, she had allowed Harry and Ron to pull her to her feet so they could escort her to Transfiguration. Ron was extremely attentive and Hermione was scared that this new behavior meant that he was going to ask her out again. She could only hope that she was able to keep him at bay for just a little while longer. The drama of turning Ronald down was more than she wanted to deal with presently.

Hermione found herself seated in between her best friends at the front of the room. She always sat front and center for this class as it was her absolute favorite. Ron and Harry grumbled about it, but in the end sat with her and kept quiet.

Professor McGonagall opened the class by announcing that they would be starting with switching spells. Hermione had already mastered the spells at the end of her third year so she wasn't worried about disappointing her favorite professor. Both boys looked disappointed when Professor McGonagall announced that they would be split up into partners and it would be with someone from the opposite house.

Hermione once again found herself paired with Draco. Harry was with Crabbe, Ron with Daphne, and she felt bad for them. None of the students seemed to have any idea what they were doing. This time, Draco moved so he could come sit with her at her table. When he had quietly taken the seat next to her, she had been surprised beyond measure.

They had taken notes together on Professor McGonagall's lecture. While Hermione hadn't expected it to be nice, it really was. Once the lecture was finished, the pair moved off to their own corner of the room and began the practical part of the lesson.

Since Hermione knew she didn't need the practice, she focused most of her attention on helping Draco cast the spell correctly. It took most of the class period, so when he finally got it right, he grinned at her. She took her seat after he cast the spell correctly, only for him to shoot her a confused look.

"Don't you need to practice the spell?" She shook her head as she started to read ahead in her text book.

"I mastered switching spells at the end of third year. Figured you would get more out of practising than I would." Draco seemed dumbfounded at her words, but he remained silent for which she was immensely grateful for. The last thing she wanted at the moment was to be made fun of by her childhood enemy.

Class ended shortly there after and Hermione gave Draco a small smile before she headed out into the corridor with Harry and Ron. Both were grumbling about how they hadn't managed to master the spell in class which meant that they had simply rolled her eyes when they began complaining that Malfoy had gotten use of her expertise instead of them.

Hermione coolly reminded Ron that the pair of them had a prefect meeting in one of the Charm's classrooms. She didn't really expect it to be a long drawn out meeting since they had already discussed what they were able to do as prefects and what punishments they could hand out. This was basically a meeting to hand out the schedule for patrolling.

Twenty-four prefects and the Head students crammed into the extra Charms classroom just long enough for them to pick up their copy of the patrolling schedule. Hermione quickly scanned her schedule and noticed that she was scheduled to patrol right after her meeting with Professor Snape on the fifth. She didn't forsee this being a problem so she remained quiet. She would probably have to reschedule with Draco, however.

The pair of them made their way to the Great Hall for dinner. Hermione took the seat next to Harry and she smiled his way when he leaned over and kissed her forehead. Dinner passed quietly, nothing of great importance happening. After an hour, Hermione watched Ginny and Luna disappear together.

The trio made their way back to the common room, Harry and Ron both intent on playing a game of chess. Although Hermione didn't have any homework to complete yet, she wanted to reread her Potion's chapter so she would be ready for their next class.

Several hours passed before Hermione finally yawned and set her book aside. The boys were still locked in their third game of the night so she just smiled and gathered her things. Both boys turned to watch her until she caught them staring. With half a smile, she leaned down and kissed Harry's cheek. She whispered softly in his ear so Ron wouldn't hear her.

"I get the results in three days time." As she pulled away, she spoke normally.

"Goodnight, Harry." He bade her goodnight as she moved to repeat the action with Ron. The redhead reached out and grabbed her arm so he could hold her in place. She was surprised when he pressed a kiss to her cheek as well.

"Goodnight, Mione." She knew she was blushing so she scuttled up the stairs to her own dormitory.

Neither Lavender nor Parvati had made it up to their room yet so Hermione was free to change at her bedside. She threw on a pair of shorts and one of Harry's old quidditch jerseys. Without further ado, she climbed into her bed and pulled the duvet up over her shoulders. With a yawn, she let go of her stressful day and sleep pulled her under.

-O-

Severus sat at his desk in his quarters grading the pop quizzes that he had sprung on his third years. None of the students in any of the years really stood out to him. None except Granger and Draco. They had always competed for top spot in his class and they were truly a prodigy when they worked together.

He had paired them together on a whim today to see if they could get along long enough to create a superb potion. To his absolute delight, their potion had been perfect. It appeared that they had tweaked the shrivelfig just a little bit to get better results, just as he would have. Now he truly was regretting telling Granger she had to drop his class next year.

Knowing Hermione Granger, however, he knew she wouldn't let his class go by the wayside. She was simply too insufferable for that. While she may not take his class, he knew she would be studying on her own and would probably lobby for Minerva to let her test out on her N.E.W.T. anyways. Maybe he could drop to Minerva what had occurred between the two of them so she could righteously object, threatening to go Albus unless he let her favorite cub in his class. Granger would get to continue her studies and he would save face.

Severus was just as anxious about this potion as Granger was. He could tell that the girl was on edge about it and he didn't blame her. The information he would be handing her could possibly change her life forever. He set the quizzes aside and rubbed a hand down his face.

Just three more days.

A/N- Hope you all enjoyed it! I feel like this chapter isn't my best work, but I guess we all have off days! Thanks for reading! Leave me your thoughts, they make me smile!

Next up, Hermione gets her results, Ron loses his shit, and Draco shows his hand.

Love,

Alicia