Hermione looked at Malfoy leaning against the wall. His arms were folded, his head cocked to the side and eyebrow raised. Before she could reply, he eased himself from the wall and began walking down the corridor. What had Hermione agreed to? A two-hour prefect patrol with Malfoy was going to be a nightmare. Hermione looked wistfully at the door to the Transfiguration classroom. She could go in there and refuse, beg McGonagall, insist that being in close proximity to Malfoy brought back terrible memories of the Ministry. But Draco wasn't Lucius, isn't that what she had been trying to tell Harry for the last week? Malfoy was just another bully, misguided by his parent's closed mindedness. He was just a bully, her bully, who had very recently seen her half-undressed in Madam Malkin's. Hermione felt hot under her clothes.

"You going to stand there all night, Granger?"

Hermione's head snapped around to where Malfoy was standing half-way down the corridor. He shook his head and started walking away again. Maybe he wouldn't bring it up, Hermione thought. But when had he not taken an opportunity to taunt her? Still, his taunts she could handle. She could handle Malfoy, she knew that. Hermione hurried down the hall to catch up with him. Malfoy was taller than she remembered. He was nearly as tall as Ron, and like Ron, seemed to pay little mind to the fact that his strides were longer than hers. When she fell into step beside him, they walked in silence. She focused on the sound of their footsteps against the stone floor. It was late now, and Hermione felt the day weigh down on her shoulders. She was back home at Hogwarts, but her worries hadn't evaporated as she had hoped. Instead, her first day back had felt bleak. Five years on from her first year at Hogwarts muggleborns still felt inferior, Harry was still not exercising even a tiny amount of caution it seemed, and now she had been sentenced to prefect duty with Malfoy.

She peered at him from the corner of her eye. His face was impassive, a stony wall, even the usual sneer was absent. Perhaps he was bored? No, he didn't seem bored. Hermione noted his eyes roving the corridor in front of them. The warm candlelight in the castle sconces flickered against his face. Hermione watched the flames glint in his grey irises; the grey and the gold dancing around each other. She thought it looked like a sun-shower and it was beautiful. Hermione caught herself staring. Hang on, this was Malfoy she was thinking about. She'd never considered Malfoy beautiful before – and she wouldn't. Shaking her head to dismiss the thoughts she focused on where they were going. The hallway branched and Malfoy strode left.

"Are we headed towards the potion classroom? I usually start with the entrance hall and grand staircase when I do my prefect rounds. What do you and Pansy normally do?" She asked. The corner of Malfoy's mouth twitched, he closed his eyes and gave a little sigh.

"Depends", he replied nonchalantly.

"On what?" She couldn't imagine that Malfoy had some specific routine to his patrols but maybe he'd surprise her. He didn't look at her as they kept walking.

"On whether Pansy would prefer to fuck in a classroom or in an alcove", he replied, deadpan. Hermione turned bright red and a little noise of surprise escaped her. She looked at Malfoy dumbfounded and Malfoy regarded her quizzically, knotting his eyebrows in confusion. They came to a standstill. His face visibly relaxed, as if he realised something.

"So, fucking is when -", Hermione cut him off.

"I KNOW WHAT FUCKING IS!" She exclaimed all too loudly. She clasped a hand over her mouth and looked around. Horrified. Luckily, no students, nor teachers, nor ghosts were to be seen. Malfoy sniggered.

"Well then you should probably tell Weas-",

"Don't you dare!" She took a step towards him. He took a step back.

"Ron and I aren't even together!" She argued.

"Merlin, I don't need the sob story Granger", he said, raising his hands defensively.

"It's not a sob story!" She protested.

"If you say so -"

"You're insufferable!"

"You're the one with a three-point-plan for a prefect patrol", he mocked. She huffed in frustration. His grey eyes were narrowed, and his mouth was smirking. He was taunting her and enjoying every second of it. She turned on her heel determined not to give him the satisfaction.

"Come on Granger don't be a twat", he said catching up beside her. She ignored him.

"Look, I'm not any happier about this than you are, but if it will stop you being prissy you can decide which route we take", he offered. She scowled.

"Fine" she replied curtly and began walking in the direction of the Entrance Hall.

"I just have to be at the Slytherin common room at 11", he interjected. She gave him a loathsome look.

"Why?" She asked.

"I don't see how that's any of your business", he replied. She went to argue, but what good would it do, they had to check there anyway.

"Whatever", replied Hermione. He smirked.

They made their way to the entrance hall with a quick detour to check the potion's classroom which was thankfully, empty. For the next half an hour Hermione did not speak to Malfoy. Malfoy did not speak to Hermione. Just the sounds of their steps on the stone floors indicated anyone was moving about the castle at all. They entered The Great Hall which stood empty; tables devoid of any hint that there had been a resplendent feast just an hour earlier. The night sky echoed throughout the ceiling where rolling waves of light were created by the floating candles. The enchantment always took Hermione's breath away. It was an enduring and spectacular piece of magic. She had first read about this enchantment when she had openedHogwarts: A Historyfor the first time. A small shame she had given up her copy on the train today. But the book had been an immense comfort to her, and she hoped that the first year Brittany would find it just as comforting. Hermione wondered whether the first year would take care of her copy. It may not have been an original edition or anything, but Hermione always took careful care of her books. She looked one more time at the enchanted ceiling and then looked at her watch – five to eleven – it was time for them to head to the Slytherin Dungeons.

When she turned to tell Malfoy, he was not watching her, his eyes were also turned to the ceiling. One hand in his pocket, the other twirling his wand around his fingertips, his eyes transfixed on the starlight above them. Hermione permitted herself a moment to study her patrol partner. Privately, Hermione could no longer deny that Malfoy was handsome. His silver-blonde hair was longer and looser than it had been the school year before. He was a little taller and wider. Even seemingly relaxed, he stood with an elegant grace. In the silence of The Great Hall, under the stars, no scowl or sneer plastered on his face, he looked serene. That was exactly the problem with Malfoy, she thought, he looked nice until he opened his mouth.

"It's nearly eleven" Hermione said, breaking the silence. Malfoy jumped when she spoke, and Hermione giggled. He scowled and turned away from her striding from the hall. She followed him. They descended towards the dungeons. Hermione had never been inside the Slytherin common room. She hadn't even seen the entrance. Of course, she had read about the appearing and disappearing door that guarded the Slytherin common room. There was a little flutter in her stomach at the thought of getting to see it, and see inside the dungeons. Again, she had read about what the Slytherin Dungeons looked like, supposedly, they were beautiful. She idly wondered whether there were any Muggleborn repellent charms interwoven into the Slytherin common room. Did such magic even exist? Hermione followed Malfoy to the blank wall behind which the Slytherin common room was hidden. She gasped in awe as Malfoy approached the empty wall and the stones transfigured into the slithering body of a serpent. The door appeared and a low repetitive thump of music echoed. Malfoy muttered the password, and the door made an audible click. He pushed it open. Hermione peeked around him to see dancing lights against the stairwell that led below.

"What's going on?" Asked Hermione. Malfoy paused in the doorway. He looked over his shoulder at her.

"Welcome party", he said coolly.

"But there's class tomorrow", Hermione protested. Disbelief coloured Malfoy's features and he scoffed.

"Good thing you're not invited", he stepped through the threshold.

"Wha-". The snake collapsed leaving the wall bare again.

Hermione stood outside the empty wall. She banged her fists on the stones, she yelled for Malfoy. But it was useless, he couldn't hear her and even if he did, she assumed he would ignore her. She took up residence on a bench near where the door had been. The stone of the wall vibrated slightly in tune to the music below. Hermione looked at her watch. Five past eleven. There was still much of the castle of patrol. She tapped her foot. This completely belittled the point of the new patrol system. She considered going off without Malfoy. It seemed unlikely she would run into anything she couldn't handle, unless perhaps Deatheaters had gotten into the castle. But strictly, prefects were supposed to perform patrols together. Hermione bit her lip. She was still hopeful she could stop by the library while she was patrolling – maybe she should go. Malfoy wouldn't care. She looked at her watch again. Fifteen past eleven. She drummed her fingers on the wooden bench. Malfoy was such a prat. Did he think the fact that they had to check the common rooms was a licence to attend a party? The Slytherin's shouldn't have even been having a party. Professor Snape would never have agreed to such a thing. She wondered if there was some sort of baptism by fire for the first years. Hopefully it was not too morose. She looked again at the empty wall. Still nothing. Twenty past eleven. If Malfoy thought he was going to get away with this he was sorely mistaken.

The sound of stone moving against stone made Hermione's eyelids snap open. Malfoy strode from the Slytherin common room. He didn't so much as spare a glance to the bench where Hermione had dozed off. He stalked into the distance. Hermione sprang off the bench.

"Malfoy!" She yelled. He turned. She froze. His face was hard as stone. He didn't scowl, or smirk, he didn't say anything. The warmth from the sconces seemed to shy away from his eyes. His jaw was tight. The air crackled around him. Hermione took a step back. She tried to read his face. They held each other's gaze. She didn't know how much time passed but he put his fingers to his temples, closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"What the fuck are you doing here Granger?" He spat. Her jaw dropped. She closed the distance between them and stared up at him.

"What am I doing here? Where have you been?" She demanded, pointing a finger at him. His nostrils flared. It didn't stop her.

"I get it, you don't care about Hogwarts, you don't care about students, prefect duties must pale in comparison to the inquisitorial squad! Why even bother?" He crossed his arms.

"Are you done?" He asked.

"No!"

"Okay", he said, and he settled back into his heels. The corners of his mouth tugged into a smirk. She searched his face. The anger, the coldness was gone. Hermione hadn't noticed it disappear. This gave her pause. What had made Malfoy so angry? Nothing but the usual Malfoy sneer was apparent on his face. She frowned.

"Let's just finish the patrol", said Hermione. Now, it was Malfoy's turn to frown at her. She shrugged and walked past him.

The two of them made their way across the quad courtyard. Hermione pulled her robes around her tighter as the soft autumn breeze tickled her skin. She felt marginally less angry now that she was outside. Hermione wanted this patrol to go well. Then she could tell Harry that Malfoy was just a prat, but he wasn't dangerous. But he had certainly looked dangerous a few minutes ago. They just needed to have one normal conversation. One conversation that didn't end in yelling or name calling. Something banal and normal. In the spirit of this she spoke up as they passed the stone statue at the end of the quad.

"Did you know that that's-" Malfoy cut her off before she could finish.

"Eupraxia Mole, former headmistress of Hogwarts, famous for being the headmistress who finally took control of Peeves, whose statue was only created for this quad after Dumbledore was made Headmaster, yes", finished Malfoy. Hermione gaped at him, but he continued.

"Are you always a walking, talking, copy ofHogwarts: A Historyor did you happen to down a Polyjuice potion containing its pages today?" He asked sarcastically. Hermione stood in a stunned silence. Had Malfoy truly just quotedHogwarts: A HistoryChapter 6 at her? She felt a smile creep across her lips.

"Paper wouldn't work in Polyjuice potion, gosh Malfoy, surely you know that", she taunted. He rolled his eyes.

"We've got to get to Gryffindor Tower, come on", she said amused. Hermione heard the tiniest of groans from behind her as they began to climb the stairs.

The moon shone brightly through the windows leading up Gryffindor tower. Hermione took it upon herself to ramble off various other facts she'd learned while readingHogwarts: A Historyas they ascended only to be met with the stoic silence of Malfoy walking reluctantly behind her. She was not sure if the silence was a good or bad sign. They approached the portrait of the fat lady who was snoozing, nestled in her garden chair.

"Fancy coming into the common room Malfoy?", she asked saccharinely. He gave her a withering glance.

"I'll pass", he said flatly.

"Suit yourself", she replied. Hermione tried to wake the fat lady as gently as she could but was still treated to a scolding. She gave the password and the painting swung open to reveal the gold and red interior of the Gryffindor common room.

The common room was empty save for a single 7thyear who was sitting on one of the large red couches in a corner reading. Hermione simply nodded to the boy. She wandered over to the fireplace and stretched out her hands in front of the flames warming herself. What an unusual evening it had been. Malfoy had been abrasive, inappropriate, and inconsiderate. But he had not mentioned Madam Malkin's, and he had not degraded her for her parentage, in fact, the jabs made at her expense were really no more severe than those she'd heard from Ron, Fred, or even Ginny. It was not what Hermione had expected. She frowned at the fire. What had made Malfoy so angry in the Slytherin common room? She didn't have a clue.

Hermione made her way up each flight of stairs and cracked the door open to both of the first-year dormitories. She listened for a moment to make sure there were no upset first years out of bed. Last year she had spent some of the evening consoling a homesick first year Gryffindor boy. The first night was always the hardest. With everything seeming to be in order she descended back into the common room. The 7thyear seemed to be resting his eyes, the book he was reading splayed out on his chest. Hermione made her way towards the portrait.

Emerging back into the cool air of the castle proper she saw Malfoy seated on the steps. He was hunched over, elbows resting on his knees. He looked tense, in fact, Hermione thought he might be shaking.

"Are you alright?" Hermione said tentatively. She reached out a hand to touch his shoulder. He looked up at her with an icy glare and pulled away. She withdrew her hand.

"Just fine, Granger. You Gryffindor's really do have bleeding hearts", he said, standing up. She rolled her eyes. They made their way down from Gryffindor tower. There was not much of the evening left before they were off duty.

"Should we go check the library?" Hermione wondered aloud. She still wanted to pick up that ancient runes textbook.

"No need", said Malfoy flippantly, "you're right here".

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione demanded, stopping in her tracks. Malfoy turned to her with a self-satisfied smile.

"The only miserable sod in the library at this time of night is you, and you're right here" he said, gesturing to Hermione. Merlin Malfoy was obnoxious, she thought. Fed up with his antics she began to storm off. There was only half an hour left of her prefect round, she would do it on her own. Hermione felt a hand grip her wrist and pull. She spun around and came face to face with Malfoy – just as they'd been in Madam Malkin's. The warm candlelight once again flickered against his pale grey eyes. Had Malfoy always had such long lashes? Had he always smelled this good? He smelled like clove or perhaps like when you burned parchment. They stared at each other. He was still holding her wrist.

"Let's go check the library", he said in a low voice, "maybe other students have had the same idea as Pansy". Hermione gasped and pulled her hand away from Malfoy.

"You don't mean?!" She exclaimed. He raised an eyebrow.

"Amongst the books?!" She protested. He smirked, not answering her.

"You wouldn't!" She insisted. He began walking in the direction of the library while Hermione fretted. With his back to her, he loudly proclaimed:

"Hurry up Granger. The books need a brave Gryffindor to defend their innocence!"

Madam Pince looked up from where she was tidying her desk as the two of them entered.

"Ah, Miss Granger", she looked over Hermione's shoulder, "and Mr Malfoy?" she said, but it was more of a question.

"We're just doing prefect rounds Madam Pince", Hermione explained, "but while we're here, might I borrow a book?" Malfoy scoffed. Madam Pince looked at her watch and frowned.

"If you're quick!" she said. Hermione nodded and turned to Malfoy.

"I'll be right back, check the library for any students out of bed", she instructed. He silently shook his head.

Hermione raced off into the section that held the books on runic magic. She caressed the spines of the books as she walked amongst the shelves, their gilded titles glimmering in the candlelight. The book was an old text that translated runes of Norse, Gaelic, and Egyptian origin. Hermione located the book on the bottom shelf. It had been mentioned in her new Ancient Runes textbook and she was eager to get ahead. She began to flip through, thinking about which chapter she might read before she went to sleep tonight. The chapter on the runic origin of defensive spells was especially interesting to her. Warding spells were not something they had delved into much but Hermione worried that they might be of use if war broke out.

It was getting late, and although she wanted to stay in the library it was time to go. Hermione closed the book and picked it up, turning to leave. She jumped when she saw Malfoy standing at the entrance to this section watching her.

"I can't say that I find Ancient Runes particularly titillating", he said leaning against a nearby shelf.

"I should hope not", replied Hermione.

"Although", Malfoy continued, "this section is quite secluded".

"I can't believe you would do that in the library!" She admonished.

"You can't believe a terrible, evil, Slytherin like me would violate the sanctity of the library?" He said, raising an eyebrow. She glared at him. She would not be baited into another argument.

"Let's go, I want to get this done so I can do some reading", she said. She moved past him. As she did, she knocked his arm and realised he too was holding a book.

"What's that?" She said, trying to grab the book. He pulled it away from her.

"Now, now Granger, everyone's library business is their own", he reprimanded. She rolled her eyes.

Hermione waited outside the library while Madam Pince finished loaning Malfoy's book. She was anxious to get back to the common room and dive into her reading, but they still had to rendezvous with Filch before they could conclude their patrol. As the library door opened and Malfoy emerged, she started walking in the direction of the entrance hall, where they usually would meet Filch.

"Granger", said Malfoy. She stopped and turned to where he was walking up behind her, book in hand.

"You go, I'll meet Filch, there's no reason the two of us have to go and clearly you have a hot date with some ancient runes", he said, indicating to the book she was holding. She considered Malfoy. Was this an altruistic gesture? Hermione felt she might faint. He said it with casualness, his face gave nothing away. It made her nervous, but she really did want to go and read.
"Erm, okay", said Hermione, pivoting to walk in the direction of Gryffindor tower.

"Thanks", she added with a last glance back at Malfoy.

"Don't mention it", he said.

Hermione was surprised to find herself standing in front of the fat lady portrait once again. She muttered the password and was greeted by an empty common room. Climbing the stairs to her dormitory she tried to make sense of the last two hours. Malfoy had been everything and nothing that she had expected. She went through the motions of getting ready for bed, brushed her teeth, and drew the curtains around her four-poster. Tucked amongst her covers she castedlumosand perched her wand on her bed head. She pulled openAncient Runes and their Origins. The text was dense, and chapter three began with a long introduction about the history and intricacies of defensive runes. Hermione couldn't concentrate at all. Every time she tried to read a sentence; she found her mind wandering to the events of the evening. After re-starting the same paragraph for the fifth time, she placed the book on her nightstand. Hermione despised that she would be tired for her first day of classes tomorrow – but there was nothing to be done now she would just need to go to sleep. She whisperedNoxand found herself facing the darkness. Alone with her thoughts the only image her brain seemed willing to conjure was Malfoy dark, angry, and belligerent leaving his common room. Hermione tossed and turned for some time before she finally succumbed to unconsciousness.