A/N: I wanted to thank you all for you reading. Thank you for reading this year. Thank you for reading, thank you for your reviews, thank you for your comments. I read each and every one (and respond to those where people ask direct outright questions), and it makes me happy to know that so many people are enjoying the story. They say "write the story you want to read," and I'm glad that so many other people want to read mine. :)

Exam results arrived the next morning, envelopes magically appearing on their nightstands during the night, and Hermione was flush with pleasure to see how spectacularly she'd done. Not only had she gotten a perfect or better in each subject, but in many of them, she'd managed extra credit as well, and best of all, their exam sheets were ranked, and she was at the top of the class.

Not that that was saying much when your class only had around fifty students, but still. She'd beaten out all the Ravenclaws – Terry Boot was bound to have something to say to her about that.

At breakfast, the Slytherins were carefully discussing their results without making any reference to how well they'd actually done, feeling each other out, waiting to see who would crack first and directly state how well they did. Hermione rolled her eyes and ignored their discussion to look over at the Gryffindors. Harry looked okay, and Neville had a look of surprised pleasure on his face, which made Hermione smile. She smirked at Ron's visibly red face as the twins teased him. He probably hadn't done as well as he'd thought he'd do.

Wanting to actually discuss exam grades, Hermione got up while people were looking over at Draco and slipped over to the Ravenclaw table, where Terry Boot was loudly proclaiming the bias of the Transfiguration exam.

"How pretty something is is entirely subjective," he was complaining. "I shouldn't get points off simply because McGonagall didn't appreciate my sense of style."

"She didn't," Hermione said, sliding in next to Mandy Brocklehurst. "She gave extra credit for style. She didn't deduct if it wasn't stylish."

Anthony shot her a grin. "'Morning, Hermione."

Hermione gave him a smile, while Terry frowned over his results, muttering.

"Then where did I get a point off…?"

"Did your lid come off?" Mandy suggested. "Mine almost didn't."

"Yes, yes, the box was all fine…" Terry said, frowning. "I swear, it must have been from the style."

"What style did you choose?" Hermione asked.

Terry drew himself up.

"It was a very modern and stark design," he told her, his voice haughty, "to mimic the disaster snuff can cause to one's health. It was a very cold metal, with creepy shadows etched into the lid, and bars coming down the sides to mimic a jail cell-"

"Bars?" Hermione repeated. "Like, little cutouts?"

"Yes," Terry said, nodding. "And then, there were-"

"That's your problem there, mate," Anthony said, shooting Hermione a conspiring look. "If you had cutouts, the snuff would have blown out of the box."

Terry gave Anthony a dark look. "It was a style. It was artistic license."

"Professor McGonagall took points off for my lid not coming off," Mandy said, frowning. "She definitely would have deducted points for the box being impractical or unusable. That's got to be where you lost it."

"Still," Terry said, folding his arms and pouting. "To slip so far down from one point lost!"

"Oh, shut up," Mandy said, exasperated. "You'd think you'd lost an aunt, you're so upset. We're all still in the top ten of the class – we're all fine."

"Where are you all?" Hermione asked. Terry sighed and slumped down onto the table, while Anthony rolled his eyes.

"I'm in fifth," Anthony said, shrugging. "Terry got fourth. Mandy ranked seventh. Michael's not even come down for breakfast yet." Anthony winced. "He's still hiding his face – he only got ninth."

Hermione goggled at them for a moment.

"…none of you got the top three?" she said.

Terry glared at her. "You don't have to rub it in."

But Hermione was already on her feet, looking around the Great Hall, scanning. In Gryffindor… no, she knew the first year Gryffindors, and there was no way they'd gotten into the top ten. In Hufflepuff… Ernie Macmillan was good at written, but pants at the practical aspects of magic, and he couldn't have beaten Terry and Anthony…

Her eyes fell on the Slytherin table, and she started to smile.

"We got them," she said quietly. "We got all three."

"What?" Terry growled. "Slytherins beat out Ravenclaw for the top three?"

"I-"

Terry was already storming over to the first years at the Slytherin table. Hermione hurried after him, and Anthony look like he was trying to stifle his laughter, but he quickly followed.

"You snakes beat us out for the top three spots?" Terry demanded, glaring at everyone. "How?"

Hermione's housemates all slowly turned to give Terry a look, and it was almost as if they'd practiced – it was the same slightly sneering, dismissive look on all their faces. Hermione took the opportunity to slide back into her seat at the Slytherin table, next to Tracey, not bothering to hide her grin. Tracey smirked back at her.

"We're the house of ambition," Draco sneered at Terry. "Does it surprise you that great things come from us?"

"Who ranked what?" Terry demanded. "Who beat me?"

Theo raised an eyebrow. "We're not so crass as to discuss numbers-"

"Oh, shut up, Nott," Blaise interrupted. He looked at Theo with a grin. "I got sixth. You'll have to find your culprit elsewhere."

Draco groaned. "Blaise, you do not just share your exam results with the Ravenclaws…"

"I got third," Theo said suddenly. He gave Terry an evaluating look. "I figured one of you eagles took second. You're saying all the top three are in Slytherin?"

Draco squirmed, though he was trying to hide it. Hermione blinked, tilting her head. Something wasn't adding up.

"One of you had to," Terry said, scowling. "You snakes-"

"Ravenclaw had fourth, fifth, seventh, and ninth in the class," Anthony interrupted, giving Terry a warning look. "There's no one at Gryffindor or Hufflepuff to provide a challenge, so…"

"So who got second?" Terry demanded, glaring across the table.

A handful of the Slytherins were squirming slightly, before finally, Draco, with an exasperated, put-upon sigh, raised his hand.

Theo gasped.

"I got second," Draco said, haughty superiority in his tone. But he couldn't fool Hermione – she'd shared classes and a common room with him for a year. Draco was upset, she could tell, but he was hiding it well.

Theo, however, completely decomposed.

"You got second?" he demanded of Draco. "If you got second, who got first?"

"Hermione," Anthony said simply.

The Slytherins all swiveled to look at her, their eyes wide, accusing. Hermione did her best to ignore them, instead looking up at Anthony.

"How did you know?" she asked. "You didn't even ask."

Anthony gave her a teasing grin, his eyes sparkling. "I didn't need to. Was there ever a chance it would be somebody else?"

Hermione felt her own lips tug into a smile in response, and Anthony's grin widened.

"Granger?" A familiar voice screeched, and with a sigh, Hermione turned to look at Pansy.

"Yes…?" Hermione said, her voice sounding very put-upon. Pansy ignored her.

"We're supposed to believe Granger got the top spot?" Pansy said sharply. "Granger did? She couldn't have – she's a Mud-"

Draco elbowed Pansy sharply, and Pansy yelped.

"-I mean, she's Muggle-born-"

"Oh, right," Anthony said, sniffing dismissively. "You lot all think that still matters."

"Is that it?" Terry demanded, and his voice was hard. "You all didn't think Hermione could come in top because she's got Muggles for parents?"

Hermione could see their faces as well as Terry could, a cold feeling growing in her chest-

"No," Draco said emphatically, cutting Terry off. He glared at him. "That's got nothing to do with it at all."

"Oh? That what does it have to-"

"Draco's been going on all year about his plans to be in the top of the class," Theo said. He glanced at Draco, who flushed slightly. Theo looked back to Terry. "I'm surprised that Hermione beat him. I expected her to be in the top ten, but I didn't realize she was that good."

Theo gave her a wry smile, apologetic, and Hermione found herself surprisedly offering him a small smile back.

"I was surprised."

Hermione looked to see Pansy standing, folding her arms and glaring from Hermione to the Ravenclaws.

Blaise groaned. "Pans, it's not like you would have stood a chance at the top anyway. Sit down before you embarrass yourself…"

"I am," Pansy sneered. "What with her heritage… and her blood…"

"Like you're one to talk about blood," Millie murmured, and Pansy's face flushed an unattractive mottled color.

"You're a fool," Terry pronounced disgustedly. "And Hermione's New Blood, anyway – did you really think any of you stood a chance?" Terry offered Hermione a small smile in recognition, which Hermione returned.

"Or so she claims," snarled Pansy, and Terry whirled around on her.

"Have you ever actually seen her cast magic?" His voice was sharp, and Hermione felt touched, that her Ravenclaw friends would come to her defense like this. "It's incredible. She can analyze and dissect spells without a thought. Magic speaks to her. You can't fake that."

Pansy glared at them all, and with a huff, stormed off towards the Slytherin dungeons. The table fell quiet as they watched her go.

Anthony laid a hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"Do you want to come finish eating with us?" he asked quietly.

Hermione considered, but she wasn't going to let Pansy's remarks get to her – not now, on the day of her triumph.

"Thank you, but I'm fine here," she said. "I just came over to see how you'd all done."

Anthony nodded at her, understanding, before squeezing her shoulder as he turned and left. Terry gave them all a disgusted look before turning away and leaving too.

Very aware of her classmates' eyes on her, Hermione, very composedly, served herself some eggs. There was a small silence as they all returned to their plates.

"So," Theo said, breaking the silence. "First. Top of the year."

"Yes," Hermione said.

"That's quite the accomplishment, Granger," he said, his eyes glittering.

"Yes, it is," Hermione said. She tilted her chin up slightly, looking down her nose at him. "I'm aware."

"Your parents are going to be so proud of you," he said, a grin on his face, "taking first in the year."

Hermione blinked.

Her parents…? Was that a slight?

But Theo's tone didn't seem cruel.

"They are going to be so proud of you," Theo continued on, his grin getting wider. "In fact, they might even offer to buy you-"

"Shut up, Nott," Draco snapped, shoving him hard. Theo went crashing into Daphne and toppling off the bench. Theo hauled himself back up, laughing, and there were two spots of color high on Draco's cheeks as Draco turned to Hermione. He shifted over on the bench across the table, until he was sitting directly in front of Hermione, and he leaned forward to talk to her.

"My parents have let me know I'm expected to get first in my year every year since I was old enough to know about Hogwarts," Draco told her, careful to keep his tone quiet. His tone was almost apologetic. "I was shocked to see I'd come in second. I'd studied so hard, and even gotten extra credit in a couple classes – and someone had gotten even more than me?"

"So it wasn't the fact that it was me that beat you?" Hermione clarified. "It was just the fact that you were beaten at all?"

Draco grimaced, but he followed it with a ghost of a smile.

"I was just too blinded by my pride to get over the fact I was in second," he admitted. "If I'd bothered to think about it at all, I would have known in a moment – of course it'd be you."

"Of course?" Hermione's tone was almost playful. "Not Theo? Not Terry? They didn't stand a chance, in your mind?"

Draco rolled his eyes, but the ghost of a smile touched his lips again.

"Of course it'd be you," he said again, more quietly. He looked back up to her. And his silver eyes held hers captive. "It's always you."

Hermione felt something catch in her throat as she looked back at Draco, no one saying a word, just a quiet, trapped silence between them amidst the din of the breakfast hall.

"Well, I got eighth!"

The moment was abruptly broken by Tracey glomming onto Hermione with an excited squeal. Hermione turned to her, surprise, and Tracey's eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"I got eighth!" she said, her excitement was undeniable. "Hermione, I've never been good at school work, and I got eighth in the class!"

Hermione suppressed her first reaction – if she had ever gotten eighth, she'd have been appalled – and gave her a soft grin.

"That's great, Tracey," she told her. "Will your parents be proud?"

"They won't be able to believe it," Tracey answered, giggling slightly. "Me, doing well in school! And it's all because of you!"

Tracey gave Hermione a hug, right there on the bench, and to Hermione's surprise. She hugged her back, a soft smile coming onto her face.

"I'm sure I played less of a role than you think," Hermione said. "You studied hard."

"Oh, bollocks," Tracey said, rolling her eyes, and Hermione's eyes widened at her language. "It was your little secret study group, and you know it. Blaise got sixth, I got eighth, and Millie even managed tenth. Millie!"

"That's rude," Hermione said sharply, at Tracey's tone, but Tracey rolled her eyes.

"You know Millie has trouble studying," Tracey said. "She's never been good at book learning – she's always just planned on breeding kneazles after Hogwarts. She was surprised by it, too."

"Was she surprised that I came in first, too?" Hermione said. Her voice sounded odd – it'd suddenly gone very quiet, not unlike Snape's when he was mad.

"Don't be ridiculous." Tracey gave Hermione a look, and Hermione's heart warmed a little bit. "Anyone who's studied with you wouldn't doubt you coming in first for a moment," she said loudly. "You're brilliant, Hermione."

Hermione flushed and turned away from Tracey, only to catch Blaise giving her a wink, which made her blush all the more.

"So then," Theo said, calculating. "Slytherin got tenth, eighth, sixth, third, second, and first. That's more than half the top spots!"

"Ravenclaw took the other four," Hermione told him.

"That's great, for Slytherin," Theo said. "It puts us in a lead over the other houses."

Millie snorted. "I wouldn't be so sure about that," she said. "Vince and Greg have got to have dragged the average down."

They all glanced down the table and Vince and Greg, who were practicing balancing muffins on top of their forks. They all quickly looked back.

"Still," Theo said. "We have most of the top spots. I think that's pretty great."

"It is," Hermione agreed.

"And props to Granger," Draco said, his eyes gleaming. He raised his glass toward her, as if giving a toast. "To the New Blood showing the rest of us purebloods how it's done. Cheers."

Hermione froze in her seat, her eyes going wide. Draco had never called her a New Blood before.

"Cheers," Blaise agreed, picking up his goblet and shooting Hermione a cheeky smirk.

"Congratulations," Theo said, smirking. "Well done Hermione."

"To Hermione!" Tracey said, jumping in.

"To Hermione," Daphne agreed, picking up her cup as well.

Hermione watched as one by one, all her classmates of her house picked up their goblets and looked at her. Millie had to snap at Vince and Greg to get their attention, but they lifted their goblets as well.

"To Hermione, for leading our den of vipers to snake-y success," Blaise said, grinning.

"May she continue to do so," Theo added, "as we crush the other houses."

"To Hermione," Draco echoed. "Congratulations."

To Hermione's immense surprise, he passed his cup to the right and took Theo's cup from his left and drank deeply, and the others followed suit, each taking a cup from someone else and drinking. Hermione followed their movements automatically, fighting to not make a face as she got someone's over-sweetened tea.

Afterwards, there was a brief scuffle as cups were traded back, and breakfast resumed, but with a lighter, celebratory air amongst the Slytherins as they enjoyed their last meal at Hogwarts for the year. Hermione made a note to look up pureblood traditions regarding toasts later, but it was hard to even worry about not knowing something.

Her classmates had just toasted her for coming in first in the year. They'd publicly declared her the academic leader for their year, and openly toasted to her success.

Hermione couldn't stop beaming as she finished her eggs.

If that didn't feel like acceptance, she didn't know what would.