Well, well, my first fanfiction in the Harry Potter section. The good news is that I have completed this fic, so there should be no delay in my updating (unless I'm having internet problems, which happens sometimes). The bad news is...I dunno. Hopefully their won't be any! I'm only posting the first chapter right now, and maybe another before the new year, but I will definitely need some reviews.

So, review after reading!

Chapter One: Crash Into Your WorldIf
there's a way to infiltrate you
Sway your mind and complicate you
I'm
gonna crash into your world

-"Violet": Savage Garden

Another year. That's what I thought when I first stepped onto the Hogwarts Express. Just another year at Hogwarts, my school. My home. Hah. I was wrong. Very wrong. This year would question my morals, my sanity, and my very heart. But let's start from the beginning, shall we?

Taking a step back, Hermione Granger watched her two best friends sit down in their compartment on the train. They glanced at her in confusion at her hesitation.

"Um, Hermione?" asked Ron Weasley softly. She gave them a grin.

"I can't sit with you guys. Head Girl, remember?" Their expressions quickly switched from hurt to understanding.

"Oh yes." said Harry Potter, pushing messy black hair out of his eyes. This revealed his famous scar for an instant, then the hair fell back over it. "You have to sit in a compartment-"

"With Malfoy," continued Ron savagely. Hermione bit back a sigh of exasperation.

"Yes, yes. With Malfoy. I can't help it. It's a requirement."

"And you're sharing a dormitory with him," snarled Harry, eyebrows furrowing. The girl gave him a quiet smile and he relaxed immediately.

"I'll be fine." She said, quite convincingly. Harry exhaled loudly, but didn't say anything. Ron crossed his arms.

"Alright, fine, but if he does anything, hex him into oblivion 'Mione."

"Don't worry, I will," replied the brunette, waving before she turned and walked down the hallway to the end of the train, where the large Heads' compartment was.

She stopped at the door, about to slide it open when she heard a voice inside.

The worst year of my life. That's what it started out as. I didn't want to be at Hogwarts, for the first time. Normally I love a chance to look down my nose at others. And this year I was to be Head Boy, so I'd have even more chances. But that was before my father…well, as I said previously, I thought this was going to be the worst bloody year I'd ever had. Was I wrong.

Draco Malfoy hunched over, staring hollowly down at his hands. He really had no interest the in the appendages his gaze was currently fixed upon. He was in a strange mood. He was talking to himself.

"I shouldn't have gone. I left her to deal with everything by herself." He murmured, his voice oddly soft, not its normal hard drawl. He didn't notice the figure watching from outside the compartment, continuing his conversation with himself. "Bloody hell. She told me to go, but…" He squeezed his eyes shut and brought his hands to his face. "What can I do? The most I can do is check in on her constantly with owls, and go there for Christmas and Easter Holidays." He sucked in a ragged breath, and slammed his hands onto his knees sharply. "Why is he such a git? Even when he's dead, he's still making my life a living hell! Not to mention Mum's…" he grumbled, leaning back now. "At least I'm Head Boy."

Hermione took a step back, blinking. She was pretty sure Malfoy was speaking to himself about the passing of his father, Lucius Malfoy. It had been all over the papers. Something had happened at Azkaban, where Lucius had been for about two years before he died. The new Head Girl wasn't aware that Malfoy had any remorse. Well, it didn't seem like he felt any sort of pain over his father's death, but in his mother's ability to be alone. Hermione bit her lip as she took a couple loud steps forward, yanking the compartment open abruptly, so as to alert Malfoy of her presence.

He jerked up, staring at her wide-eyed.

"Granger." He said in surprise. She resisted the urge to ask if he was alright, pasting a disgusted look on her face.

"Good job, Malfoy. They let someone with your intelligence become Head Boy?" she quipped, sitting down by the window, away from him. He frowned, rolling his eyes.

"Well, I'm surprised they let a mudblood become Head Girl."

"I'm smarter than you, Malfoy, and you know it."

"Whatever Granger. If you seem smarter, it's only because you are constantly sucking up to teachers. At least I gain good marks the old fashioned way. Hard work."

"Hard work? You have got to be kidding me! I don't think I've ever seen you study!"

"Good. Then I'm doing it right." He drawled, scowling at her. She sighed and turned to look out the window in exasperation. This year was certainly going to be fun.

"Who the bloody hell are these idiots?" questioned Malfoy sharply, looking at the painting in annoyance.

"I beg your pardon." One of the people said.

The painting was of a man and a woman, in a strange landscape. The field they were in was half bathed in bright sun, and half silvery with the moon's light. The woman was a raven haired beauty, bow at her side and a quiver of arrows on her back. The man was golden haired, very handsome, and also had a bow and arrows, in addition to a bizarre stringed instrument.

This was the picture that blocked the entrance to the Heads' dormitories. Malfoy scowled at the two people, as Hermione gave them a sincere smile.

"Hello, I am Hermione Granger, and this…is Draco Malfoy. We're the new Head Boy and Girl."

"It's nice to meet you, Hermione." said the woman, smiling softly. The man beamed at Hermione.

"It is a pleasure to meet thee, Hermione Granger." He said, charmingly, and Draco rolled his eyes. "I am Apollo, and this is my sister, Artemis."

"Greek gods!" exclaimed Hermione in excitement, and received a nod from the black haired female. Apollo continued to grin at her.

"Don't mind my brother; he's just…easily infatuated. It's ridiculous." She said, giving him a glare. He returned it easily.

"I'm sorry, my darling virgin sister. Just because you don't want any, doesn't mean that I don't."

"Apollo, you are a painting. And she is a mortal girl." snapped Artemis, and Malfoy smirked. This was getting interesting.

"Has that stopped me before?" he asked wickedly, his gaze sliding over Hermione suggestively. The brunette flushed and Draco snorted.

"The password is 'arrows'." Hermione practically screeched, in an attempt to just get into the room. Artemis looked relieved and Apollo disappointed, but the portrait swung open with ease. Malfoy waited silently for Hermione to clamber in, before following slowly. After it closed again, the siblings exchanged a look.

"So...how long do you think it'll take for this pair?" asked Artemis curiously. Apollo frowned.

"Hopefully never. I rather like this Head Girl. They don't seem to really like each other very much."

"Well, it is a Slytherin and a Gryffindor for the first time in awhile, Apollo. Usually one of them is a Ravenclaw." Artemis replied matter-of-factly. "I'll give them...three months. The charm is rather strong."

"I still think it won't happen. Not with a Slytherin and Gryffindor. They'll probably end up hating each more." Apollo said airily. Artemis looked skywards, her gaze unfocused.

"Possible, yes. Probable, no." she murmured.

"Well well, we certainly got a fascinating painting." came Draco's normal drawl, and Hermione spun around.

"Oh yes, Malfoy. I'm sure. I just love a painting where the guy is undressing me with his eyes!" she shouted.

"I'm sure you do. After all, no real guy has ever done that to you before." Draco replied snidely. Hermione gave him a dark look, but bit her tongue. Professor Dumbledore had said to try and get along, and though Malfoy was making no such effort, she at least would. For Dumbledore, anything.

"Just…go." She muttered, before turning back around. She gazed around the room, taking in the soft couch and chairs and the large roaring fireplace. It looked much like the Gryffindor common room, though the colors were dark and muted. Three doors were at the back wall. Two had intricate initials, HG on the far left and DM on the far right. The door in the center was non-descript, and the pair assumed it was the bathroom. Malfoy turned to Hermione.

"Well, Granger-" He didn't get to finished as she spun to face him.

"Don't even start, Malfoy! I am going to go into my room for a moment, then I am going to go downstairs and enjoy the banquet." She stormed away through the door labeled "HG"

Malfoy rolled his eyes before he went into his own room. Upon entering, he could see a large bed and dresser, along with nightstand. Another door was to the left and he assumed, yet again, that it was to the bathroom. A glance to the dresser told him that all of his things had arrived and he could distantly hear Hermione leave, the painting practically slamming shut.

"This is going to be a long year," he muttered, before leaving himself.

"Hermione! Over here!" yelled Ron from the Gryffindor table and Hermione made her way over to the redhead, taking a seat between him and Harry.

"So? How'd your time with Malfoy go? Do we have to hex him?" asked Harry, half-jokingly. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"First of all, it was…fine. As much as it could be with Malfoy. Second, I'll hex him myself if I need to. I'm hoping that he'll actually listen to Professor Dumbledore about trying to get along with me. I've been trying to not insult him…too much." She finished, grinning slightly. Ron and Harry exchanged looks, but smiled back at her.

"Speaking of Malfoy…" murmured Ron, "Read the Daily Prophet recently?"

"Are you talking about Lucius?" questioned Harry warily, gaining a nod from the freckled boy, "Yes. I read about it."

"You reckon Malfoy's lost his chance to become a Death Eater?" whispered Ron conspiratorially. Hermione sighed heavily, and Harry shrugged.

"Probably not. He's still a Malfoy, right? They only care about helping Voldemort." Ron winced, causing Hermione and Harry to both roll their eyes.

"Yeah. It's not like they have hearts or anything. I'm sure Malfoy doesn't give a damn about his dear daddy dying. Except for maybe losing his connections down in Knockturn alley," said Ron, recovering quickly

There was a thump as Hermione hit her hand on the table.

"He is not heartless!" she yelled, in a rush. Her next action was to slap a hand over her mouth as both Harry and Ron looked at her in utter surprise. "I mean…"

"'Mione?" asked Harry slowly, "Did you just defend Malfoy?" Ron just stared at her with his jaw dropped.

"Look guys, it isn't that big of a deal. Jeez. I just meant…that, he probably has some sort of heart when it comes to his father dying." Hermione said quickly, though she wasn't sure herself why she had said that. Besides the fact that she had overheard him talking to himself on the train, and it stunned her to find out that he was worried about his mother. Before that, she had believed along with Harry and Ron, that the Malfoy's had no heart. But obviously Draco did. And it did scare her, really. Especially since it caused her to basically defend him. She took a deep breath, avoiding the two boys' astonished stares and calmly lifted her goblet, taking a sip.

"So, shall we eat, or what?" she asked quietly. They hesitated before starting to fill their plates. Hermione mentally let out a sigh of relief. She had skirted that issue. She could have told Harry and Ron about the incident with Malfoy on the train, but somehow she thought that even she didn't have a right to know, so they certainly didn't.

What she didn't know was that someone had heard her defend the youngest Malfoy.

Draco Malfoy himself.