A/n:

I'm back! After some searching, I've finally found an alpha reader, Sanichka. She has proofread all the previous chapters as well and has been giving me a lot of solid advice. I am really excited to go back to writing and share my story with all of you. Enjoy!

P.S. I will be posting the chapters to AO3 as well. Just a heads-up for those who prefer AO3.

Although Slytherin had won the match, it was no doubt a great game from both teams. Trying to stay alive while playing the match was no easy task. Thus despite not catching the Golden Snitch, Harry's performance was still appreciated by his teammates.

Unfortunately, he didn't get to enjoy his time with his friends and teammates as he was admitted to the Hospital Wing. The Bludger had broken his arm. It was supposed to be an easy fix, according to Madam Pomfrey, but Lockhart had decided to take the matter into his own hands. Things took a turn, a terrible turn, when Lockhart failed to mend Harry's bones, instead successfully deboning his arm entirely. Harry had no choice but to stay for the night to wait for his bones to grow back. It was a terrible and painful experience.

Ron and Hermione visited Harry when he first got admitted. They wanted to discuss their plan but it fell short since Draco was in a few beds next to Harry's. He suffered a bad fall as well but a couple of hours of rest would suffice. Eventually, the trio decided to continue the conversation after Harry recovered.

Hermione woke up early the next Sunday morning. A lot was going through her mind and it affected her sleep. She knew Ron would like to see Harry, but she didn't want to wait for Ron to wake. She changed into her robes and headed to the Hospital Wing.

It was still very early and the halls were almost empty. When Hermione walked into the Hospital Wing, she found Harry already awake, having breakfast with his healed arm. It was great news, but judging from his tired gaze, she knew he didn't have a good night's sleep either. She walked over and sat down next to his bed. "Good morning, Harry. You don't look very good."

Harry sighed as he put down his toast. He did a quick scan to check if they were alone. "A house elf called Dobby visited me over the summer. He warned me not to come to school, but of course I didn't listen. He visited again last night and told me that he was the one who blocked the train platform and tampered with the Bludger."

"What? I thought he was on your side."

"He is, but he thinks that it would be safer for me to stay away from Hogwarts. He thought injuring me would send me home," Harry explained.

"He obviously underestimated Madam Pomfrey," Hermione joked.

"He also said the Chamber of Secrets had been opened before," Harry said as he gazed over to the bed next to his. It was empty yesterday but now it was surrounded by high curtains. An uneasy feeling swirled in and Hermione asked, "Who is behind the curtains?"

"Colin. Colin Creevey," Harry replied bitterly. "He was Petrified. The Professors brought him in at night."

Terror crept through Hermione. Colin was a muggle-born. Judging by Dobby's and the Professors' words, the Chamber of Secrets had indeed been reopened and the horror within was targeting muggle-borns.

"That plan you mentioned? We need to work on it as soon as possible." Harry suggested.

The plan that could prove whether Draco Malfoy was the heir of Slytherin.

The more Hermione thought about it, the more she doubted. "Harry, do you really think Malfoy is the heir of Slytherin?" She asked, but she quickly regretted the question. She never believed Draco was the heir of Slytherin, or perhaps she didn't want to believe he was. But knowing that Harry and Ron despised him, she didn't want them to think she was defending Draco. "Never mind. He just outright called me a Mudblood. Who else could it be, right?" Her gaze fell to her twisting fingers.

Harry thought for a second and said, "About that, Hermione, there is something you should know. Remember I saw Malfoy and his father in Knockturn Alley? Actually, I overheard some of their conversation. Well, it seems that his father had been giving him a hard time the whole summer, mainly because you had surpassed him in everything last year. So I suppose he envies you a lot." Hermione let out a chuckle and Harry continued, "And the broom was probably a gift to him after he got into the house team. That's probably why he had such a huge reaction when you mocked him. Of course, he is still an arse for calling you that name."

Everything made much more sense. Draco had caught the Golden Snitch with a backup broom and he was indeed talented in Quidditch. Hermione couldn't help but feel embarrassed by what she said to him in the courtyard about his Quidditch qualification.

"So my answer to your question is no. I don't think he is the heir of Slytherin. But with his family background, he probably has information about who the heir is."

"You are right," Hermione nodded but she still let out a sigh. The plan was still her biggest concern. "But the plan is not going to be an easy task."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Polyjuice Potion." The name didn't ring any bells with Harry. Hermione rolled her eyes and explained, "Snape mentioned it once in class. It allows you to transform into someone else for a period of time. The problem is it's not a simple potion. It is a year-five-level potion and it takes at least a month to brew."

"A month? The heir of Slytherin could have attacked half the Muggle-borns in school by then!"

Hermione shrugged, "That's the only plan we've got."

Once Harry was discharged, the trio met up and discussed the pressing matter. Eventually, they had no other choice but to go along with Hermione's plan. Hermione was given the task of brewing the potion alone. Considering the difficulty of the brew and the dangerous consequences if the potion was not brewed to perfection, she gladly took the sole responsibility of brewing the Polyjuice Potion. As for the boys, they patiently waited for Hermione to give them any errands when she needed help.

Since the threat from Quirrell had been removed, there was no longer a need for Draco to stay after school with Snape in the name of Detention. Draco was, however, not thrilled about the arrangement. He had a great time learning with the Potions Master and he had discovered his passion with Potions in the process. Unfortunately, after some discussion with McGonagall, Snape agreed that Draco shouldn't stay in the Potions Classroom so often. Snape undoubtedly favoured Slytherin students over the other houses, but it was better to avoid any suspicion when it came to examinations. The only bright side was that Snape had promised Draco that he could always borrow his books and notes when he needed them.

Draco had since been searching for a quiet, suitable place for schoolwork. Study hall should have been the obvious choice, but when he did, his friends came along. He had tried studying with his friends, but they were always too noisy and easily distracted. Eventually, they would all get kicked out by Madam Pince for causing too much of a disturbance. The Slytherin common room was basically a playground for students and it was impossible for him to focus on his studies there.

Eventually, he found a nice corner in the library. It was near a section that barely anyone visited. There was a small window just around the bookshelves and it was the perfect spot to enjoy a warm sunset. It had become his favourite spot on the school campus.

The celebration for Quidditch lasted until Sunday night. Draco had won his first ever Quidditch match and it was one of the best times in his school life. He had a great time celebrating his victory with his friends in the common room until Flint came to notify him about the next practice. It brought him back to the reality that school still went on and there were still matches to play in the future. They soon went to bed and prepared for their normal school days.

The next day after lessons, Draco went to the library to his usual spot. To his surprise, his seat was taken by a girl with the wildest brown curls. She was busy copying notes with her quill and didn't seem to have noticed his presence. He slowly walked behind her and before he could make some mean remarks to drive her away, he read the opened book next to her and got intrigued.

Moste Potente Potions.

Draco had been doing some extra reading during the summer break and this was one of the Potions books he found in Malfoy Manor's library. It was a book with hundreds of advanced potions and the one in Hogwarts belonged to the Restricted Section, due to some of the gruesome potions listed inside. He took another peek to find that she was copying the brewing instructions of a Polyjuice Potion.

"Isn't a Polyjuice Potion taught in year five? That's way out of your league," he whispered as he leaned above her voluminous curls.

Hermione shot up from her chair. She almost screamed in fear but held herself together to respect the library rules. She turned back frightfully and saw the devilish smirk.

"You... It's none of your business." Hermione quickly sat back down and turned her back to Draco. She could feel her blood rushing to her cheeks.

Draco found it quite amusing to see her getting nervous and timid, so different from her usual fierce image. "It became my business when you took my seat."

"I don't see your name on it." She tried to sound calm and continued with her task, but deep down she started to get anxious. The last person she wished to see now was Draco. If he found out what she was up to, the plan would fail before it even started.

Unfortunately, Hermione was not very good at hiding her emotions. The more tense she was, the more Draco became interested in knowing what she was doing with the potion. He looked over her shoulder and read her notes.

4. Wave your wand then let potion brew for 24 hours.

"You know, if you use a Copper Cauldron, it will take less time to brew," Draco explained. Moste Potente Potions was rather outmoded. Draco had learnt that textbooks and manuals only provided standard instructions, but were not necessarily more efficient.

"How would you know that?" Hermione was a bit doubtful. This was the first time she had read about such a complicated potion. She never expected anyone from her year to know anything about it.

"Hobby. Made it once during summer," Draco explained. Without any hesitation, he took her quill from her hand and amended her notes. "If Finnigan hadn't blown up his brew next to me during the examination, I would have gotten full marks. I bet he's going to get himself killed someday."

Hermione squinted at him. She didn't fancy the idea that he was better than her.

Draco smirked at the obvious annoyance in her eyes and mocked, "Definitely. You won't stand a chance in Potions. Here, it's done," he said as he handed over her quill.

"Thank you," Hermione replied hesitantly and slowly reached for her quill. She took a doubtful peek at him, making sure he wasn't trying anything suspicious, before turning her focus to the notes and carefully examined the change.

Seeing the young witch immersed in her notes, Draco walked past the taken seat and squeezed himself into the small corner behind the bookshelf. He placed down his books and notes on the desk and pulled out the chair. He sat down and started working on his homework. Naturally, he picked up his quill.

Then it hit him. This was the first time they didn't argue. Well, to be precise, this was the first time he wasn't mean to her, and to be honest, it was nice. He could never share his knowledge and love of potion with his friends because he knew they wouldn't be interested or understand a thing he said.

But Hermione Granger was different. She was the smartest of their year. If he wanted to share his passion with someone, there was no one better than her.

However, there was one problem. She was a muggle-born. She was someone he was taught to hate. She was the "Mudblood" his father always complained about. She was also the one he always thought of during school break. Her crazy curls, her sharp gaze and her bossy tone. She was the one who healed his wound and saved him in the Forbidden Forest.

"I am sorry." Her sudden words took him off his mind. He looked over to her puzzled.

Hermione had gathered her courage to apologise. It was never an easy thing to say, let alone to someone who was not particularly nice to her. "For what I said in the courtyard. I shouldn't have assumed that you've bought your way into the team. You did great in the match."

Hermione buried her gaze into her notes. He could hear her voice ever so slightly trembling and see her ears turning red.

Hate was a strong word, and he realised he couldn't bring himself to hate her. He hated himself for having this feeling, though. Her existence had violated every single belief he had about muggle-borns. People were judged by their abilities and talents, not their blood. Students excelled in examinations with hard work and determination, not with blood. If they were to stand side-by-side and be judged, no one would consider him, a pureblood, the more superior wizard.

What he felt towards the person next to him was perhaps more of a rivalry.

Hermione took a peek at the boy next to her but was quickly drawn back to her notes when she realised he was watching her. Their eyes met for a second. Perhaps she was looking for a response, he thought.

He recalled the day when the argument happened. He was furious and his mouth had spilled some hurtful words. He remembered seeing her eyes glistening, and he was almost sure that they were tears.

"Me too," Draco looked away from Hermione and stared at the small window, "For what I said."

Somehow the sunset was brighter than usual and he could barely keep his attention. But he needed the distraction. Being apologetic was not his strong suit. He could even feel a heat burning in the back of his neck.

Hermione couldn't help but smile. She could tell that he was trying his best to avoid eye contact. But as much as he wanted to hide his expression, the blush on his neck stood out from his pale skin and blond hair. She thought it would be best if she stayed quiet about it. She admitted that this peaceful interaction between them was rather enjoyable.

However, as much as she wanted to savour the rare moment, she quickly finished up her notes and prepared to leave. After all, she didn't want any questions about the potion, especially those from Draco Malfoy.

"Thank you again for the tips," Hermione broke the silence as she stood up and tidied her robe. "Goodbye."

Draco was still tidying his mind while squinting from the bright sunlight when he heard the words. He took a deep breath to calm his nervous self, before turning around to see her, only to find that she was already gone. He didn't expect her to leave so soon.

That's… a shame.

He had thought about discussing other peculiar potions with her. He could imagine how excited an enthusiastic learner like her would be to get her hands on the most updated potion books. She would love the Malfoy Manor Library…

He quickly shook his head to clear his mind. He was not thinking straight. He shouldn't feel comfortable to be around someone like her.

He shifted his attention and drowned himself in his study.

Why imagine the impossible when you know it's impossible?