Can't Fight the Undertow

Cold September sunlight crept through her curtains as she awoke, a beautiful day had begun. Jumping out of bed, she went up to the window and threw back the drapes, bathing herself in the beautiful natural light. Everything was perfect.

"Granger! Don't leave your girly stuff in the bathroom please, it's bad enough I have to see you everyday, let alone seeing your tampons too!"

Almost everything was perfect.

Hermione sighed as she shut her door, ignoring Malfoy's ranting outside. Shaking her head condescendingly she got dressed into her uniform, and, while neatly adjusting her tie, walked out of her room and nonchalantly past a very irritated Malfoy.

"Can't you her me you stupid girl? Clear your stuff out of there I want to shave – are you deaf mudblood?" Malfoy yelled rudely, his cold grey eyes burning with hate as he looked at the bushy haired muggleborn.

At the word 'mudblood', Hermione ceased ignoring Malfoy and turned to face him.

"Don't you EVER call me that you foul little ferret, unless you want me to hex your arse into oblivion?" Hermione threatened, staring back at Malfoy with equal intensity.

This had been the daily routine ever since they had begun in the seventh year as Head Boy and Head Girl. Why Hermione had been elected as Head Girl was a mystery to nobody. She had exceeded expectations in every subject, done extra credit work and been an extremely conscientious Prefect in previous years. However, why Malfoy had been elected was definitely a mystery indeed, especially to Hermione.

Once she had removed her 'girly stuff' from the bathroom, she set off for the Great Hall, but as soon as she climbed out of the portrait hole was met with an immense bear hug from a one fiery haired and one raven haired boy. Catching her breath she hugged her two friends back.

"Great to see you Hermione! How was your Summer Holiday? I stayed with Ron-" Harry exclaimed

"Yeah! We had a blast! Did a lot of quality flying-" Ron spouted cheerfully

"It was great to be on a broom again, even learned some new moves-"

"Seen Fred and George's new shop yet? Weasley's Wizard Wheezes? They're already earning a pile-"

"Felt so free to be in the sky again. Did you know there's a new broom coming out soon?-"

Hermione didn't even try to take in all this new information, she just felt so great to be with her two best friends again, not a Malfoy in sight. As Ron regaled her about all the happenings in his family and showed her how much his biceps were developing, Harry went on and on about broomsticks. Not much had changed, really.

They went into the Hall and met with all their other old friends. Things were great, just like old times, as the boys stuffed their faces and they all talked to the other Gryffindors about the summer, the new students, anything and everything. And though everything felt normal and happy, Hermione couldn't help feeling uncomfortable. She couldn't quite put her finger on why, but suddenly the reason hit her as she looked over at the Slytherin table. Malfoy was staring at her, a strange little vacant smirk on his face. Lots of people were talking animatedly o him but he never once took his focus of Hermione.

Hermione shuddered slightly as she turned away from his gaze, but couldn't concerntrate on anything else because she could feel his cold stare in the back of her head all the time.

"I've got to go, see you two in Transfiguration, okay?" Hermione said as she abruptly left the Gryffindor table, she couldn't stand the way Malfoy was staring at her.

She went back up to her dorm and collected her school stuff together and threw her bag over her shoulder. As she staggered out of her bedroom door, she crashed into something very solid and fell backwards.

"Watch it Granger. I'd rather you didn't touch my robes, they are new and very expensive you know." Malfoy said snobbishly, looking down on Hermione's angry little persona below him.

"Go away Malfoy, it was an accident. Since when do you think I care about your damn robes?" Hermione retorted as she got back onto her feet, rubbing her back.

Malfoy just made an indistinct noise, sort of like a little chuckle, but not exactly. Then he left the room leaving a very confused Hermione behind. Why didn't he say some rude comment back? Perhaps about her muggle parentage or her bushy hair? She'd never seen him just walk away before.

As she smoothed down her hair and climbed into the portrait hole, Hermione could tell. Despite his ubiquitous rudeness and annoying little smirk, something about Draco Malfoy had definitely changed this year, and even though she didn't know it yet, she was about to find out what very soon indeed.