Alrightyyyyy! Here's just a quick story that a friend and I did back and forth. I wrote the Hermione parts, while he wrote the Draco parts. The rest to come soon!

Draco sighed as he strolled the corridors of Hogwarts, never had he felt more conflicted. There was a part of him who wanted to continue the traditions of his father, but another part that wanted nothing more than to break free.

Hermione sat by herself, gazing out at the lake from the comfort of the school hallway. She was flustered from trying, yet not succeeding, to get Harry and Ron to finish the essay she had already perfected. She didn't know what to do with her time now, so she sat, admiring the view, while wishing for something to come along and give her some form of excitement.

Stepping out of Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy made his way down to the lake, still absorbed in his thoughts. Past the other students who couldn't even begin to comprehend what he...as well as Harry and his group of friends had been through. Yes, they had all read about it in their magical newspapers, but they didn't know. Not like he did, not like Harry did.

Hermione knew she shouldn't be so hard on Harry and Ron. She knew everything they had gone through, the pain and the conflict. And its still happening. She herself hadn't smiled in what seemed like years. What used to bring her happiness, the little moments with her friends, the people of Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and just magic in general, left her feeling numb. Devoid of feeling.

Speak of the Devil...Draco mused to himself with a weary smile as the lake came into focus. "The Trio", as they had become known throughout the Wizard World were all together. Harry and Ron were goofing around, as usual and Hermione appeared to be deep in thought...as usual. For a moment, he stood there, fixated on her. He was forever curious to what she could be thinking, but she would likely never tell him.

Footsteps approaching her made Hermione turn towards the sound. Harry and Ron continued obliviously. The footsteps belonged to none other than Draco Malfoy. The cause of much of her discomfort. She let out a sigh, knowing things could escalate any second now. Hermione hated the way Draco looked at her, as if she was just a puzzle waiting to be solved. She was more than that.

His feelings towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione had changed over the years. Whether that was a result of their actions earning his respect, or the fact that he was growing into his own man, away from what his father had envisioned wasn't for certain. He had to act as though he hated them, but the truth is that he didn't. Not anymore. Draco nodded to Hermione, raising his hands slightly as though to say he meant her no harm and walked away, to find a part of the lakeside he could call his own.

Hermione was confused. Had he just...walked away? Draco was not the guy to avoid confrontation, or at least, he had always liked starting things in the past. Yet, there he went, a little further away towards the lake. Hermione knew he had seen her and the boys. Was Draco waiting for the opportune moment?

Sitting down on the ground, Draco put his forehead against his knees and closed his eyes. He didn't hate them, but it was too late to go back now. Besides, if he did his father would certainly disown him and even though he was a part of something he didn't want to be, there was at least that sense of honor that came along with.

Hermione could still see him, sitting on the ground, face turned down. He looked so glum, and she was instantly worried. Why was she worried? She was worried because she knew, somewhere deep inside, that she cared about the boy near her. She cared that he seemed upset, and she cared about helping make it better. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was going to attack with harsh words yet again. The past kept replaying itself in her mind.

There was a moment that he didn't talk about with anyone, his friends or otherwise. A few years earlier, when they were all a bit younger and a lot more stupid...he had the chance to kill Ron. He had followed the boy out to the field, away from the prying eyes of Albus Dumbledore and he could have killed him. No one would have known. Perhaps that was the turning point, Draco thought with a weary smile.

She realized she had been staring, and her cheeks flushed a bright color. She looked down, hoping Harry and Ron hadn't spotted her. She looked over at them, noticing they were still goofing around. They would never appreciate the way her thoughts had been turning. They hated Draco, and would practically disown her just for worrying about the boy on the ground.

Draco looked up to see that Hermione had been starring at him. Rather than scowl, he did something that she wouldn't have expected, and in truth something that he never would have thought possible. He raised one hand and waved to her. It was a meek wave, as though fully acknowledging just how ironic the motion was. With that, he stood up, looked at her one more time and walked further down the lake, out of eye sight of Harry and Ron.

Hermione was shocked, utterly and completely shocked. Had he waved? She couldn't be sure, maybe it was a trick of the light. There was no way Draco Malfoy had done something civil. The worst part was that she couldn't help but feel a little happy he had waved. She hated that she sounded like a young school girl on the playground. She quickly glanced at her two best friends, still oblivious to the world, gathered her things and made her way back into the castle.