DM
Draco Malfoy strode into the Great Hall like he owned the place. Well, since he was Head Boy this year, he was about as close as you could get. He walked towards the Slytherin table, a couple of second year students scrambling to get out of his way. This feeling of power wasn't new; Draco had always been formidable to other students, his family's reputation preceding him. But, as Head Boy, he had a newfound power, one that he had earned through years of achieving high grades and dominating on the Quidditch pitch.
As a seventh year, he was more striking than ever, towering above the younger students at over six feet tall. His family's distinctive white blonde hair contrasting sharply with his ink black robes. It felt good to be feared. And admired.
Pansy Parkinson's face lit up when she saw him striding towards the Slytherin table. "Draco. We saved you a seat." She cooed.
Before he reached his fellow classmates, Professor McGonagall appeared at his side. "Welcome back Mr Malfoy. I believe congratulations are in order." She gave the badge on his chest a look, the corners of her mouth showing the ever-so-slight tease of a smile. "That badge comes with a lot of responsibility. I hope you're ready for it."
"I am Professor," Draco said.
"Now," McGonagall added, back to her matter-of-fact demeanour, "the prefects will be showing the first years to their dormitories after the sorting ceremony and feast. Your things have been taken to the fifth floor where your dormitory will be this year."
Aside from the accolade and increased responsibility, one of the best parts of being made Head Boy was the fifth floor dormitory. He had never been in them, of course, but there was an abundance of rumours about what lay behind the portraits guarding the Head Boy and Girl dormitories.
Whether it was true or not that he'd have mirrors in the bathroom that allowed him to view a scene from anywhere in the world, letting him enjoy the sights and sounds of the Amazon rainforest while he got ready for the day, or watched the starlit sky as if he was standing in the Sahara Desert while he unwound in the evening, he was mostly just looking forward to some privacy. He had sailed through his classes until now, but he wouldn't be able to face his father if he let his grades slide this year. Especially if he let Granger come on top of their classes again.
"And of course, you'll be performing a nightly patrol of the castle after curfew. Miss Granger will meet you…"
"I'm sorry, what?" Draco interrupted the head teacher sharply, quickly pulled from his thoughts.
"It's a requirement for the Head Boy and Girl to patrol the castle every evening after curfew, following the initial settling in period tonight. You did read the letter before accepting, didn't you Mr Malfoy?" McGonagall returned, matching his sharpness.
"Granger?!" He shouted, not quite believing what he was hearing. From across the room, Hermione's eyes locked onto his. How could he have been so stupid? Who else would they have made Head Girl? "You have got to be kidding me," he muttered under his breath.
HG
"Granger?!" The sound of her name being barked on the other side of the Great Hall ripped Hermione's attention from Ron and Harry's conversation about whether Parvati Patil had been giving Ron 'the look' on the Hogwarts express.
Malfoy's piercing grey eyes bore into hers, shooting her a look exuding disgust before he turned back to McGonagall. So, he'd finally realised she'd be serving as Head Girl alongside him. He was muttering away, no doubt demanding the rules of the role be changed.
When McGonagall first wrote to her early in the summer asking if she would be comfortable working with him after their six year rivalry, she'd been horrified. But after hearing the head teacher's reasoning, she came around. It was what the school needed – unity between these rival houses. And two influential students to drive that unity.
Her parents had always taught her – the bigger the challenge, the greater the reward – and now there was nothing she liked more than a challenge. Besides, she'd handled beasts a hell of a lot mightier than Draco Malfoy in her time.
"I'm telling you, she's noticed I've been working out over the summer," Ron's incessant conversation pulled her attention back from the Slytherin table.
"She was probably wondering how anyone could be going into seventh year and still spend the entire train journey talking about what they were going to eat at the feast Ronald."
"I'm going to miss your constant nagging this year Hermione. It's going to be weird living in the dormitory without you," Ron said, rolling his eyes to Harry who was smirking back.
"It certainly will be different." Truth be told, she was looking forward to some privacy for her final year at Hogwarts. She had 11 NEWTs to pass this year and as much as she loved spending time with Ron and Harry, it would be good to have some time to herself to study. She'd been top of the class six years in a row, now was not the time to let her standards slip.
"I still can't believe they've made that git Head Boy. McGonagall's got to be off her rocker to pick him instead of you Harry, after everything you've done," Ron said, although Hermione knew he'd been dreaming of being Head Boy before he'd ever set foot in Hogwarts.
"They wouldn't pick me," Harry said, "We've got away with breaking too many rules over the years. Wouldn't set a very good example I suppose."
"Oh, whereas Malfoy is the perfect role model," scoffed Ron.
"I suppose it's a chance to promote unity between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Show a united front between the two supposedly rival houses," Hermione said. It was actually quite a smart choice to make Malfoy Head Boy alongside her, not that she would ever admit that to anyone.
"Oh, lay off it Hermione. I know you've got to spew that crap to the teachers, but we're your friends. You can tell us how much you're dreading it," Ron said.
"Students, may I have your attention. The sorting is about to begin." McGonagall called from the front of the hall, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned to watch the sorting ceremony for their final year.
After the most spectacular feast Hermione thought they'd ever had at Hogwarts, and hours of catching up with Gryffindors in the common room, she made her way to the fifth floor West corridor to find two portraits. The first Head Girl and Boy Hogwarts had ever seen sat upon the wall, watching over the thousands of students who followed in their footsteps. Some of the greatest witches and wizards to have ever come out of Hogwarts had lived in these dormitories. Hermione felt a swell of pride, and a hint of nerves. There were some big shoes to fill.
"This place really has gone to the dogs," a familiar drawl came from behind her.
"Congratulations to you too, Malfoy." Draco eyed her thoughtfully.
"I was actually quite proud when I got the letter, you know? Telling me I'd been made Head Boy."
"You should be proud, it's a great achievement. Think of all the wizards who have preceded you as Head Boy – the things they've gone on to achieve."
"Yes. But then they go ahead and make you Head Girl." He looked at her with pure venom. "You make a mockery of it," he hissed, causing a shiver to flicker over her body. "I never thought they'd make someone like you, a mu–"
"A mudblood?" She found herself shouting all of a sudden, her blood boiling red hot. No one could pull her strings quite like Malfoy. "A mudblood who is just as good as you are. Just as worthy, just as clever."
"A muggleborn." He said quietly, but firmly. "I didn't think they would make a muggleborn Head Girl."
An uneasy silence fell between them. They stared at each other for what must have only been five seconds, but to Hermione, felt like an eternity. She would not be the first to back down but it seemed as though Draco revelled in the awkward atmosphere. She bore into his arctic eyes and noticed that he didn't seem phased at all. Feeling her resolve crumbling, Hermione cleared her throat and whipped her head around so fast Draco could have sworn a piece of her hair hit him on the cheek.
DM
He watched her stride towards the portrait of Aurora Magarian, the first Head Girl that guarded her room, murmur her password and disappear within.
"That was heavy," A silvery laugh to his left caught his attention. It was Violet, a dainty witch who was friendly with The Fat Lady and was known to drink too much with her, on occasion. He frowned at her and made his way to his own dormitory, which in turn, was guarded by the first Head Boy, Hank Maverick.
He stood at the threshold of his new chambers and smirked. This was nice, very nice indeed. A spacious room held three very comfortable looking chesterfield couches, surrounding a thick wooden coffee table. Behind, a big four-poster bed stood imposing, dressed in a sage green so light it almost looked white in comparison to the Slytherin green of the wallpaper. In the corner, a desk faced the window overlooking the Black Lake, flanked by two large bookshelves that reached the ceiling. Draco scoffed as he imagined Granger squealing like an Erumpent at the thought of having so many books all for her own enjoyment.
He walked around his bed towards the archway that led to his bathroom. A sleek all-black room fashioned from slate appealed to his tastes. The entire room was basically a huge shower decorated by a magnificent gold-gilded mirror that engulfed one side of the wall. In a flash, the mirror glimmered and it projected an image of a calm white-sand desert, the night sky sprinkled with millions of stars that sparkled and shone back at the ground. Surprised, Draco moved towards the mirror. It's like he could almost hear the calm of the desert and feel the slight breeze of the wind playing with the sand. A gold twinkle shaped like a handle, that he had overlooked earlier, caught his eye. He tugged on it and stepped inside.
Draco was taken aback; gravity pulled heavily on his jaw. He wasn't in awe because behind this hidden door, revealed a chamber with an impressive bath that could fit 10 people comfortably. Nor was it because clusters upon clusters of aromatic candles were lit up like fairies and scattered everywhere, overloading his sensories. It was because there, on the other side of the room, perched on the edge of the bath, facial expression mirroring his, sat Granger,
He noticed that she wore her uniform sans robes, with an uneasy amount of buttons undone.
"What are you doing here?!" She jumped up. Draco gave a short, derisive laugh and glared at her. He couldn't believe that a school such as Hogwarts would leave a secret bath between two students when there were very strong spells put in place to deter boys from entering the girls dormitories.
"I didn't just appear out of nowhere to see you, Granger. I obviously entered from my bedchambers. It looks as though we share a bath. You really couldn't grasp the situation?" He added with a flick of his brow, just to ruffle her feathers.
HG
Hermione took a deep breath. She knew Malfoy was riling her up on purpose but oh how she wanted to just slap that brow off his face. She wouldn't, of course; the more she reacted the more satisfied he would be and it would be a dark day in heaven before she would ever satisfy him.
"Do you get off on looking and acting like a prick?" She gave him her best glare.
"Only as much as you get off on walking around half undressed?" He bit back.
Hermione gasped. She looked down at herself and felt her cheeks pinken. She never thought in a million years that Draco Malfoy be walking in on her in the bathroom.
"Screw you Malfoy. You may walk around like a gentleman, thinking you have class, but I can see you for what you really are. An ugly troll dressed in prince's clothing." Hermione stood up and made her way back to the door that led to her room. "I mean, do you even know what the definition of gentleman is, Malfoy? A chivalrous, courteous and honourable man." She punctuated each word with so much venom, he flinched internally. "You are none of those." With that, she disappeared through the door, hoping that he somehow found himself stuck inside to rot.
The first day of term had always been busy, but more so for Hermione Granger. Always wanting to do well and excel in things, she had always been extra organised and overly passionate with her classes to the point that some students would make fun of it. They wouldn't necessarily laugh menacingly to her face – well some students would – but she knew very well that some people used her name in jokes between friends.
There was a time she might have let this bother her, but this year she was determined to tell anyone who would listen how important it was for them to excel in their NEWTs this year, whether they made fun of her or not.
Knowing this day would be full on, and wanting to start as she meant to go, Hermione woke up early. She pulled a dressing gown over her silk nightdress and hesitantly stepped into the bathroom, sighing a breath of relief to find it empty. Before doing anything, she pulled her wand out of her dressing gown pocket and carefully cast the colloportus locking spell on the door leading to their shared bath. Not that she thought for a single second he'd try to come in - she was just being paranoid.
Once she was sure she had a few moments to herself, she undressed quickly and stepped into the shower.
After pulling on her freshly pressed robes, Hermione made her way into the living room area of her dormitory, still in awe of the elegant pale gold wallpaper and Gryffindor red accents around the room. She was surprised to find a small breakfast tray sitting on the coffee table. House elves, she thought immediately. A pang of guilt tugged at her stomach, but the smell of coffee and fresh bread won, and she plonked herself down on one of the sofas and poured herself a steaming cup of coffee.
Most mornings, she assumed she would breakfast in the Great Hall – her time with Ron and Harry this year would be more precious than ever, what with them taking mostly different NEWT classes, their Quidditch commitments, and her daily Head Girl duties. Still, she appreciated the time today to make sure she was ready for her first day back. Chewing absent-mindedly on a piece of toast, she perused her timetable, as if she didn't already know it off-by-heart.
Charms and transfiguration before lunch, and double alchemy in the afternoon. She had, of course, dutifully read and reread her textbooks for the year over the summer holidays, and already had a burning list of questions for her professors. A feeling of excited anticipation filled her and she quickly swallowed the last of her coffee.
The sound of running water pulled her from her thoughts. Malfoy was up. She had almost forgotten about her new dorm-mate for a few moments there. Almost.
DM
The shower, as if by magic, adjusted to Draco's ideal temperature – burning hot. The feeling of steaming water pelting his skin was just what he needed to wake up properly. After a long summer of late night fire whisky-fuelled parties at Malfoy Manor, this early morning start was proving a challenge.
In his sleepy haze, he realised he'd forgotten to bring any kind of toiletries into the bathroom with him. Just as he was planning to grab his wand and perform a quick summoning spell, he spotted a shelf on the shower wall, with two glass bottles atop it. Each was shut with a gold stopper: one a snake, the other a lion. He raised an eyebrow. The house elves at Hogwarts really were second-to-none. The attention-to-detail was impeccable, even he could admit. But he certainly wouldn't be using anything marked as Gryffindor - no matter how much inter-house unity they were trying to create.
He popped the serpent stopper off and poured some of the liquid soap into his hands. The scent was earthy, smoky. His favourite. A feeling of vigour washed over him and he felt suddenly ready to take on the day. Even the shower gel was perfect for the Head Boy. Finally, a living situation at Hogwarts that he could get used to.
Out of the corner of his eye, the other bottle glinted at him in the light, capturing his attention. He wondered if her scent was unique, or if it would all smell the same. Curiosity got the better of him and without a second thought, he grabbed the bottle and yanked off the stopper. The smell of coconut was intoxicating. It flooded his senses. It smelled like Granger. He chucked the bottle back on the shelf and yanked the shower tap to turn it off.
Was it really worth being in the lap of luxury if you had to share it with your enemy? Draco took a deep breath before wrapping a towel around his waist and striding back into his bedroom. He was not going to let her get under his skin.
After a full-on morning of double potions with Professor Snape, and a quick practice on the Quidditch pitch at lunch, Draco arrived at his Alchemy class early. A hand-selected group of high-achieving students had been invited to take Professor Rosenquist's Alchemy elective starting in sixth year and it had quickly become one of his favourites. Aside from being an exclusive group, which he thrived off, this ancient study of the four natural elements captivated him. It felt more like an art form than it did mastering a school subject. There was a simplicity and beauty to it. Being academically gifted, Draco became bored easily in some of his classes – but this was some of the most challenging work he had encountered at Hogwarts.
The small classroom was filling quickly and Draco opened his book to the first chapter. The smell of coconut tickled his senses.
"Seriously?" He said, staring in disbelief at Hermione who had just plonked herself down in the seat next to him. "You're seriously going to sit there? Is sharing a bathroom and nightly Head Girl and Boy duties with me not enough to get your fill?"
"Don't flatter yourself Malfoy. All the other seats are taken." She responded, matter-of-factly, pulling her fresh parchment and quill from her bag. He turned around, his eyes darting around the small room, before resigning to the fact that this was the only remaining seat.
"Well maybe you should get here early next week and find somewhere else to sit." He hissed as Professor Rosenquist tottered to the front of the classroom. "And keep to your half of the desk."
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realise we were back in first year," Hermione sniped back, deliberately moving her parchment an inch further away from his.
HG
Hermione laid out her parchments and her quills. She loved stationary and it just so happened that magical stationary included an extensive array of quills and inks that she could only dream of. She had almost passed out when she first stepped foot into Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop in Hogsmeade back in third year before frantically buying almost everything in the shop. It was one of her weaknesses. For note-taking purposes, she laid out her favourite silky quill, that cost just a little too much if she was truthful, but she found that she couldn't pass on the ivory iridescent plume, and her trusty set of muggle highlighters in varying colours of soft-hues.
Hermione glanced at the boy next to her, aware that he had been eyeing her routine and heard him scoff as she brought out her third bottle of ink onto the desk. She could practically feel his eyes rolling. Hermione ignored him.
"Do you really need three bottles of ink?" She eyed up his simple set of parchment, ink and quill. It didn't escape her notice that his things were from l'Aurifabre; she was genuinely jealous of his colour-changing ink.
"Easy for you to say", she retorted as she pointedly glanced at his ink. He grunted and faced the front. Hermione smirked, she had caught him furtively inspecting her highlighters earlier, restraining himself from showing any interest in the muggle object.
"Okay class, if I could have your attention please", Professor Rosenquist commanded. She was a slender woman with blended hair that turned from brown to blonde. She positioned herself at the front of the classroom, one hand leaning on her desk, the other on her hip. Confident and at-ease, her voice was penetrating, immediately silencing the students. She took her time inspecting each of her students, sizing them up, before landing her eyes on Miss Granger and the young Malfoy.
"This year is going to be a challenging one", she straightened up and paced. "I intend to push each and everyone of you to your limits. It will be painful but rewarding. Contrary to how muggles understand it, alchemy is not just about the obsessive search for the famed substance Elixir Vitae. They have the right idea, but they are foolish. It is more than just immortality, it is about manipulating the classic elements and harnessing the powers to prolong, enhance and reinforce different substances." As Professor Rosenquist continued on, the handful of students remained quiet, enraptured by her presence. Only a faint scratching could be heard as a quill glided across the paper, Hermione focused on not missing anything she was saying.
"As such, Alchemy works closely with other subjects such as Potions, Herbology and Transfiguration." With a flick of her hand, each subject appeared in list form on one side of the blackboard. With another flick of her hand, a quadrant appeared in the middle, each section labelled for each school term. "This year will be different; the first term will be research and paper. The lesson plan is highlighted here", she picked up a stack of papers from her desk and began to saunter down the aisle. As she passed each desk, a piece of parchment floated out of its pile and landed squarely in the middle of the desk. Both Hermione and Draco eyed the paper with apprehension.
"And the second two terms will be practical and thesis." Once all the papers were handed out, Professor Rosenquist swirled around and made her way back to the front of the classroom, hips swaying. "Please turn to your seatmate and introduce yourselves. They will be your partner for the rest of the year". She turned around to give a small smile, before landing again, on Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy.
Hermione was stunned. She didn't want to turn to face Malfoy, knowing what she would find there. His hatred of her was not a secret, he would make her life a living hell and it would cost her her grades. This would be a gruelling affair that would surely end in tears.
"Granger!", Hermione jolted from her thoughts and looked over at Malfoy. Scowling, he rolled his eyes and scoffed. "If you don't have the brain or the integrity Granger, you better drop this class right now because I'm not about to be saddled with you if you're going to be this dopey in class."
Hermione shot him an evil look and glanced up to see that everyone else in class was already in discussion about the lesson plan. "Is everything alright Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy?" Professor Rosenquist questioned as she strutted up to them.
"Yes, Professor, we were just deliberating on the lesson plan", Granger hastily replied, before glancing at Malfoy, trying to convey that he better not contradict her.
Rosenquist looked to her with a slight raise of her eyebrow. "Excellent. Now, I know that you two aren't exactly friends, but I do hope that this isn't going to be a problem moving forward?" Hermione watched as she crossed her arms, aware that it wasn't really a question and that even if they did have a problem, they would have to somehow find a way to make it work.
"No, Professor", Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy both said at the same time. Satisfied, Professor Rosenquist, gave a nod and walked off.