Herminoe moved around the great hall shrinking and moving the tables to clear the room. The 6th years would be learning to apparate starting today. An Auror will be transporting a ministry worker to lead and oversee the lesson. The year had been going smoothly she had been nervous about the first Hogsmeade day but it had gone rather well. There were a few hiccups of course a few people who didn't have signed permission slips some had misplaced them some simply didn't have permission. For those who lost theirs, she had made sure to leave stacks of copies with the prefects of each house available. So that they could try and have them in time for the next Hogsmeade weekend. She and Theo had walked around checking in with the different Aurors stationed set up around the village. This was only for the first day after it would be a rotation of them, the H.A and the Prefects. The day had been good in the end she had to confiscate a few items a couple of kids had bought from the W.W.W new second location. Almost all the items from the shop were on the banned items list. though she did pretend not to see a good handful that she felt would not cause too much trouble. She had laughed at herself thinking that she must be going soft. Hermione was setting down the hoops measuring the distance of each one.

"Hermione." Hermione jumped and looked over her shoulder Draco stood blocking the door. She hadn't really been alone with him since the school year had started. She had classes with him and had spoken to him when needed always keeping it short. Hermione stiffened as he looked at her. taking a breath she tried to act calm " Is there something you need Malfoy?" He let out a low laugh shaking his head as he walked over to her.

" ah yes well, you could help. Help me figure out how someone I spent a year with someone who claimed to love me and said they would help me. But then vanish when I needed them who left me alone with questions and fear." Draco stood in front of her now. She felt her fingers brush her wand at her side she didn't grab it but her fingers had automatically went to it. she flinched when his eyes lowered to her wand hand.

" would you do it, hurt me?" his hand flew out gripping her wrist and yanking her closer to him. " would you kill me?" he spoke but it wasn't his voice that came out it was hers.

" Death Eaters in the castle!" she heard shouts outside the door the room was suddenly engulfed in flames she looked at Draco his face was hidden behind a Death Eaters mask. She tried to pull her arm away to get away but his grip was steel. A sheering pain was coming from her arm blood soaking through her sleeve. She could see the words. The screams outside were getting louder. There was laughter as well high-pitched and crazed. She could see her face reflected in Draco's mask. "Mudblood". Was whispered at her in her voice.

Hermione jumped up from her bed she looked around the room frantic. Harry, Ron, where where they? Her wand, where was her wand? She started searching for it. everything was blurry her eyes were watering. Her face was cupped and pulled up, a blurry vision of red in front of her.

" Hermione breathe, you're ok it was a dream, take a breath. What do you smell what do you see?" Hermione took a few deep breaths, not realizing she hadn't been breathing. She was able to smell now. Ink, parchment, stale coffee, and Jasmine. Her vision was clearing. A pretty face with freckles was in front of her. Ginny, then looked around the room stacks of books, binders, and parchment everywhere a mess but a mess she had organized and could find whatever she needed without trouble. Picture frames hang on the wall along with calendars and schedules. Three trunks one covered in quidditch stickers. The room was decorated with red and spots of gold. She was in her room at Hagworst. She felt her shoulders relax and slump Ginny guided her back to her bed.

" well, four hours of straight sleep with no aids. That's pretty good." Ginny sat back in the bed. Herminoe continued to take deep breaths her hand went to her bare arm feeling the lifted skin of her scars. Ginny had turned on latrens making the room easier to see.

"better?" Ginny asked she nodded. After a moment she got up walking to her bedside table. Using wandless magic she removed the wards opened the drawer she pulled out her wand. She waved it a second later an otter shined in front of her.

"safe," she whispered the otter scattered away and left her room. Hermine again joined Ginny on the bed. "sorry." She said resting her head against the headboard.

"No need to say thank you, I'm getting a good deal out of this. I get to sleep here every now and then and you even let me keep one of my trunks here. So I can keep all my letters and stuff from Harry away from my roommates. They're nice but bitches be crazy when he's concerned." Ginny and Hermione shared a smile. Ginny excused herself to use the bathroom since she was up. Hermione opened her journal that she kept at the side of her bed. She recorded her dream date and put down the time. Since the end of the war she along with others Harry and Ron included suffered nightmares.

The first few weeks she and the two of them had slept in the same room due to them waking up and panicking that they couldn't find each other or know if they were ok. Ginny would often join on the nights they slept at the Burrow or when she would stay at Harry's place. After a while, Harry and Ginny moved to his room. But sometimes there would be check-in in the middle of the night. once when Ron walked in on his best friend and sister having a moment they agreed on a different method if they ever needed a recurrence that the others were safe. Ginny came back crawling into bed saying they still had two hours till she had to get up so she would be going back to bed. Hermione also got under the covers but did not lay down or lower the lights of the lanterns. Not yet. She sat and waited until a stag and a Jack Russell terrier appeared whispering safe. As their light faded and disappeared she finally allowed her head to lay back onto her pillow and her eyelids to close.

Hermione rubbed her temples she could not believe she had been dealing with a fight between the school's toad choir and a local band called the Nymes. Formed by a couple of the older students. They both say they had reserved the music room for practices and neither are willing to go to one of the many many other rooms in the castle.

"We reserved this room every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday between 5 and 7 pm since the school year started. You can't just come out of nowhere and say that you need it." Beth a fifth-year Raven Claw said. From what Hermione understood she was the drummer and the one who had been responsible for securing their practice time since they started their band.

" school clubs have first dibs on these things. We take precedence on resources like classroom practice time. Since what we do will represent our school and go toward our academic record for our futures. It's not just some fun little hobby to have some hyped-up little fans scream. While you gurgle and scream back at them" Nabra a seventh-year Hufflepuff said loudly.

"It's called grudge and it's our fucking sound and not only is it not just some hobby it's our fucking future so why don't you fuck off."

"Language," Hermione called loudly.

"Sorry. at least people want to listen to us. Instead of having to sit through it during an assembly."

"ok, that's enough" Hermione clapped her hands together. She turned to the choir. " they have the right to the room, they reserved it. and according to the records, they followed all the requirements to have their group"

" band" one of them interrupted her,

" right band. Anyway, the fact of the matter is that every month they have put in their request for their desired timeslots with plenty of notice. You guys although part of the school's magic programs do not get to just use the room and resources whenever you want while others are using it. If the room is empty you can use it. but if you want to make sure you get it to yourself without overlapping you need to go to the office on the east side of the castle for extra activities and make a request for reserved classroom time. Otherwise, I can't help you maybe you can practice by the black lake? " the members of the Nymphs were pleased but the toad choir complained as they left talking about how unfair it was. On her way out she caught in the corner of her eye the person who was in charge of this part of the castle this week and should have handled this. She walked over to him as he leaned against the brick looking like he didn't have a worry in the world.

"Malfoy was there a reason you couldn't handle or even join in on the correcting of this incident." Hermione had her shoulders pulled back as she spoke to him. her first week she is enbaramed to admit she had avoided him and just had Theo deal with him. but after a while, she reminded herself that she was an adult and could handle this. besides she was sure hiding from him was not the best for her mental health. She was always cordial with him and kept the topic mainly on their respective duties. Something that had more or less worked. As long as she kept it short and they weren't alone for too long. She might have made a hasty retreat once or twice when she sensed that he was going to try and talk about something other than their duties at the school.

"It was just a bunch of brats complaining about a room. I do have better things to do than deal with that as well as the headache that would follow." Draco had lazily turned his eyes to her.

" you don't really. You have no extra activities and you are only taking the required classes so really you have plenty of time to deal with such things, more than your other H.A anyway."

"mmm well, I guess they do have more interesting things to do next year. my activities will be more limited. So forgive me if I don't see a point in all of everyone else extra crap."

Hermione felt done with this conversation she turned and started walking down the hall. She stopped and hesitantly turned when she heard him call after her. For a few seconds, he didn't talk just stood there before letting out a sigh and telling her to let Theo know he would be in the library till 8. She nodded turned back and continued walking.

Draco sat in one of the lounge chairs missing the warmth of the light provided by the large window behind him. it was starting to get cold out and he was enjoying the extra warmth the window provided during the day. There were some younger years at a table nearby that he had noticed were peeking at him and whispering. This has been common since the start of the year. He had been surprised by how little physical conflict he had experienced so far this year. he had honestly believed that he would have had a rather regular beaten or some sort of attempt at him. but that had only happened a few times. He did experience a prank here and there. But those were just small injuries a few cuts or small burns. That he was able to handle it with a quick healing charm the main thing was just people very obviously talking about him and thinking they weren't blatantly staring at him or his arm. But all of that was tolerable to the few who had come up to him telling him he was impressive and not wrong to have followed Lord Voldemort. He was not allowed to use violence under his probation but using a shield charm to force them away from him was fully allowed. tolerable

He tried to focus on the book he was reading but some people didn't understand that whispers were supposed to be quiet and if they were going to be loud they could at least speak clearly.

" All right all right study or clear the table for others to use." Theo's voice stopped the whispering better than any silencing spell. Theo sat across from him as the group gathered their things still taking glances over. Draco closed his book and uncrossed his legs.

"ok Walihlits I know he's pretty but trust me you don't want that drama, take one last look for your spank bank and head off." Theo sent a little wink at the flabbergasted guy who was now shoving and pushing his pals who were laughing as they walked off.

Draco looked at his friend smirking at them as they left.

"You're having too much fun."

" yeah, but it's not getting old anytime soon sooo, how are you liking the book."

"depressing and horrific who reads a book that just makes you angry and depressed?"

"Well, it was on Herminoe's bookshelf and you've been looking bored so I gave it to you to read. I didn't force you to read it." Theo said glancing out the window behind him. the sun was completely down maybe he wanted to go to dinner. Draco drummed his fingers on the book a bit. " how has her school year been going?" Theo didn't look away from the window. " oh my year has been good busy but that comes with being headboy and all, but the year has been good thank you." Draco felt a tick in his jaw smartass little prick.

" you know if you're really interested you could try asking her you know talk." Theo stopped looking out the window. Draco's jaw ticked yet again. Yeah because he didn't once try and talk to her. every time he had tried she would shut it down change the topic or run. On two occasions she literally ran. She was also hard to find alone. She always had people around her. the last month had been a lot better she would talk to him but refused to talk with him. He theorized she might be alone in her living space or maybe in the perfect bathroom. He was tempted to find his way into one or both, but both places have proven to be harder to get into than he thought. Theo refused to tell him the password to the head living space. He had told him that if Hermione was ok with him being there she could give him the password otherwise he was out of luck.

"Well I'm hungry, I had to skip lunch to help figure out what happened with the quidditch practice schedules there had been overlapping and it always broke out in a big old fight." Theo jumped up and Draco followed. They were just in front of the doors of the great hall when a couple of seconds years charged out just missing colliding with them. Theo snapped out his wand and Draco watched as the kids ran straight into a shield knocking and falling over each other. Hermione came running out next her shirt had a brown stain on it. and she was clearly flustered the moment she saw them she marched over.

"what were you thinking, it is good to practice your magic but not during meal times and not by levitating your food at each other and the surrounding students! Good catch Theo." She crossed her arms over her chest.

" a food fight huh?"

"They tried but luckily it didn't get that far though Peeves didnt help."

"We didn't try and start a food fight we just wanted to try and use magic to feed each other."

"We're still working on it, it had been going pretty well till Stacy tried to tip Camron's drink into his mouth."

"do you guys have any idea how much work goes into each meal, well you're about to, all of you will be helping out in the kitchen four days out of the week for the next month. And 15 points from Gryffindor and 5 points from Hufflepuff. Now off you go." Herminoe shooed them and they got up groaning and whineing as they left.

" oh, so strict my dear Head Girl taking 15 points off your own house."

" I swear if we lose the cup this year I'm going to be so very pissed." Hermione gave out a huff and turned to move but stopped. "is that the color purple, I didn't know you like to read muggle books." Draco looked down at the book in his hand.

"oh yeah well, I enjoy different things from time to time Besides a good book is a good book."

"yeah, I've read my copy a few times, it's sad but powerful."

" I agree when I'm done I'll have to ask you for a recommendation on any more books."

Hermione paused for a moment biting her lip.

"umm yeah, that sounds fine, when you finish tell me what you think about it. I'm kind of interested to learn your thoughts on it. you weren't really interested before." she stopped shaking her head mumbling never mind there was another pause before she gave an awkward wave and walked off before turning back around. " Theo do you mind helping out in there, I'm going to go change then report everything."

"got it." he waved her off and she turned back around and left.