Hi all! I know, I know, I've been terrible lately. Forgive me. But I've been itching to get this story out for some time now. So here it is! It's only going to be about six or seven chapters... I think. I haven't entirely finished writing it yet... oops! But, again, I'm excited! (Even though it is quite silly, really.) It was actually originally supposed to be a oneshot, however it totally got away from me, so here we are! So sorry if the scenes are cut weird for the first couple chapters, I tried to make it flow as smoothly as I could.

So, I do realize the general idea for this story could have Dramione written all over it. But I like Drarry, so get over it :P And I like how it's turning out so far! I hope you guys do too! Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape, or form. Anything you recognize is NOT mine.

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The New and Improved S.P.E.W.!

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Chapter One

Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table with Ron and Hermione on their first morning back at Hogwarts, his mind on nothing but the plethora of delicious smelling breakfast foods before him. His mouth watered as he reached towards the platter of bacon. Before he could even snatch a piece from the pile, he heard Hermione inhale deeply. It was a telltale sign that an impassioned speech was coming his and Ron's way.

Sure enough, she began, "You know, I've been thinking... The continuing mistreatment of house elves by the majority of the wizarding world is unacceptable. Even with the war being over, these creatures are still horribly oppressed. They receive no wages for their hard work and dedication, and they lack any sort of representation in the Ministry of Magic. It's time for us to act. It's time to revive S.P.E.W. and take a stand!"

"Not this again," Ron groaned. "Hermione, I swear, if you leave me out of all this spew stuff, I won't ask you for any help with my homework for a month."

"It's not called spew, Ron. It's S-P-E-W! The Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare!"

"Whatever it's called, I want nothing to do with it," Ron declared. "Besides the fact that the house elves are happy, nothing we could do would ever change anything."

"Well, I think–"

"Harry, would you please back me up here?"

Harry slowly chewed and swallowed the bite of bacon in his mouth, hesitant to join the conversation. He knew he couldn't avoid it forever, but Hermione's wide, pleading eyes made him not want to answer honestly. He knew she would not like what he had to say on the subject

When he could stall no longer, he said, "I'm not saying it's right, but I agree with Ron." He smiled sheepishly at Hermione's crestfallen expression before giving his explanation. "The house elves seem pretty content with the way things are now. Besides, what could we realistically accomplish? It just seems like a hopeless cause to me."

"If we all work together I know we can accomplish a lot!" Hermione insisted. "And the house elves don't know any other way of life. We need to show them that they could have so much more!"

"Just forget it, Hermione," Ron callously shut her down. "There's no point."

Her eyes narrowed. Harry had the decency to feel ashamed, and he was sure he looked it too. Ron, however, scowled defiantly right back at her.

"Fine," Hermione snapped. She grabbed her schoolbag and stood up from her seat. "If you two won't help me, I can do it myself!"

At that, Ron's face finally relaxed. With a touch of concern, he asked, "Where are you going? Class isn't for another half hour, and you haven't eaten anything."

"I'm going to the library. And I'm not hungry." With that, she stormed off.

Harry and Ron could only stare guiltily at each other for a moment. Eventually, Harry broke the silence.

"D'you think we should go after her?"

Ron shook his head. "Nah. If I've learned anything after three months of dating her, it's that it's best to let her cool off when she's angry. And books can only help."

Harry couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, that sounds like Hermione." He was soon laughing even harder at his friend's expense. "She's angry at you a lot then, huh? If that's what you've learned from being her boyfriend."

Ron's ears turned a deep shade of red. "Shut it," he muttered.

"Fine," Harry sighed. "Well then, there's no reason we can't enjoy a nice breakfast before Potions."

Ron groaned at the mention of their least favorite class. "I suppose you're right."

They chatted as they ate, all thoughts of S.P.E.W. gone from their minds.

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Harry and Ron had only taken half a step into the Potions classroom when they both came to a sudden halt.

After a moment of gaping at the scene they had walked into, Ron snarled, "What the fuck?!"

Harry blinked hard twice, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

His peers were trickling into the room, taking their seats and chatting with their friends. Professor Slughorn sat behind his desk at the front of the room, looking his usual jovial self. All of that was fine. But one thing was very, very wrong with the entire picture.

Hermione was seated at a table closest to Professor Slughorn, her back to the door. In front of her stood Draco Malfoy. His palms were flat on the table between them, his upper body leaning in towards Hermione as they held what seemed to be a polite, almost friendly, conversation. They weren't looking at each other, but at a piece of parchment Hermione held in her hands.

Simultaneously, Harry and Ron jumped into action. The two all but sprinted to the front of the room.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Malfoy?" Ron growled.

Hermione jerked in her seat, obviously not having seen Harry and Ron approaching. Malfoy, on the other hand, appeared calm as he straightened up and tucked his hands casually into his trouser pockets, the smallest hint of a smirk gracing his face.

"Relax, Weasley. I was just leaving." He turned his attention back to Hermione and pointed at the piece of parchment now lying on the table. "May I keep that? I'm quite interested to know more about your organization."

"Of course!" She handed him the parchment.

"Thank you, Granger."

"No problem, Malfoy!"

As Malfoy turned to Harry and Ron again, his smirk was more pronounced. With plainly forced politeness, he muttered, "Potter. Weasley." He didn't wait for them to respond. He simply turned away and headed to the table in the back of the room where his friends Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson sat. They looked about as bewildered as Harry felt by the situation.

No one said a word as Harry and Ron took their seats next to Hermione. She wore a pleased smile, while Ron was silently, yet visibly, fuming. Harry decided he needed to address what had just happened.

"Er... Hermione?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Why were you talking to Malfoy?"

Her smile widened into a grin. "Well, when I left the Great Hall, I went to the library and made some new S.P.E.W. pamphlets. I got to class a little early to talk to Professor Slughorn about the Society and hopefully gain his support. Malfoy and his friends were already here, and when he heard what I was saying to Slughorn, he came over to ask me more about it. I think he really liked the idea!"

Ron's scathing response was immediate. "He's messing with you."

Hermione shot him a heated look. "I really don't think he is. I think he might actually want to get involved!"

"Come on, Hermione," Harry said gently, so as to not upset her. "This is Malfoy we're talking about."

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "And why would you even want his help anyway?"

"Malfoy was perfectly nice just now!" Hermione said. "And the house elves need all the support they can get! Just because you two can't be bothered doesn't mean others don't care!"

"Bullshit," Ron spat angrily. "I'm sure he's still the same slimy snake he's always been. Don't let him fool you."

He had obviously said the wrong thing. Hermione appeared ready to go off on him, but then Slughorn stood up and began class. Instead of a verbal attack, she angled her chair away from both Harry and Ron, crossed her arms, and tutted bitterly. She ignored them for the rest of class.

Personally, Harry agreed with Ron. There was no way Malfoy had any genuine interest in house elf rights. His eyes darted over to the table in the back where Malfoy now sat with his friends. As if sensing Harry's gaze, Malfoy looked up and caught his eye. He did nothing more than quirk an eyebrow, but it made Harry's blood boil. Harry turned his attention back to Professor Slughorn, but all he could think about was Malfoy, and how to keep the insufferable prat from getting to Hermione.

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"Ron! Harry!"

Harry and Ron looked up from their Transfiguration essays. Hermione was beaming as she rushed across the Gryffindor common room and took the vacant seat next to her boyfriend.

"What's up?" Ron asked warily.

Hermione's expression turned smug. "I was just in the library, and Malfoy came to talk to me."

Ron groaned. Harry's hands clenched into tight fists in his lap at the mention of the Slytherin.

"Talk to you about what?" Harry asked.

Her excitement was palpable. "He said he's been thinking about everything I told him about S.P.E.W.. And after reading my pamphlet, he decided he wants to become a member!"

Harry's jaw dropped. Ron face turned a nasty shade of green, like he was going to be sick.

"You're joking," the two friends said in unison.

"No I'm not," Hermione replied. "He gave me two Sickles for a badge, and four more Sickles for badges for Zabini and Parkinson!"

"You're joking!" Harry and Ron exclaimed, again in unison.

She disregarded the horrified expressions on both their faces. "He and I decided our first meeting will be this Sunday at two o'clock." She shot them both a stern look before adding, "You two are welcome to attend, of course. We hope to see you there."

Harry and Ron could only gawk as Hermione stood back up and skipped gleefully away, disappearing up the staircase to the girls dormitories.

"Malfoy," Ron spat out once she was gone. "She talks about him like they're buddies now."

"Yeah," Harry said. "It's fucking weird."

Ron slumped in his seat, eyes clamped shut, and began rubbing his temples with both of his index and middle fingers. After some time, he gulped and said in a hoarse voice, "I think we should go to this meeting."

"You reckon?" Harry replied incredulously.

"I mean, we need to keep an eye on Malfoy, right? And the fact that his friends are going to be there makes it even worse. I don't want them doing anything to Hermione."

Harry nodded slowly. "I suppose you're right."

Harry struggled to finish his homework after that. His mind was swimming with images of the blond bastard, who he imagined to be raising a mocking eyebrow and smirking disdainfully at him. He needed to figure out what Malfoy was doing and put a stop to it.

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"Welcome everyone! I call the first meeting of the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare to order!"

Harry fought hard to keep from rolling his eyes. This everyone consisted of only six people: Hermione, Ron, Malfoy, Zabini, Parkinson, and himself. Harry sat with Ron to his right, Parkinson to his immediate left, and Zabini next to her. They were all completely silent, so there was no need to call order. Malfoy stood at the front of the room with Hermione, as if he too was running this meeting. However, he stood a few steps behind her and to the side, making it clear she was in charge.

From his left, Harry heard Parkinson make a noise that sounded like, "hmmpff." It was quite clear she wanted to be here even less than Harry did. He inadvertently met her eye. She glared back at him.

"Don't you look at me, Potter," she hissed under her breath.

"What are you even doing here?" Harry demanded in a hushed voice.

"I'm here because Draco insisted," she replied with a derisive snort. "Merlin knows why."

Harry frowned. "You must have some idea why he's suddenly showing an interest in elf rights."

She sighed deeply. "I have no idea. He does seem to genuinely want to take part in Granger's stupid little club, but I can't figure out why." When she realized all she had just said, her eyes sharpened once more. "Why am I talking to you?"

Harry shrugged. "Beats me." He was determined to find out more though. "He really hasn't told you why–"

"Potter." Malfoy's voice brought Harry's attention back to the front of the room. "Granger is trying to conduct this meeting. I would have thought our Savior would have more respect for his friend than to be talking over her."

Harry said nothing, but didn't back down from the intense staring match he now held with Malfoy. They only looked away from each other when Hermione spoke again.

"Thank you, Malfoy." Harry was quite surprised when Hermione shot him a glare, making him feel incredibly guilty.

"Of course," Malfoy said. "Please proceed."

"Back to what I was saying," Hermione went on. "I think I will start by reading our manifesto, so we all know what our aims and goals are here."

As Hermione read aloud from her S.P.E.W. pamphlet, Harry's thoughts drifted. It took him some time to realize his focus was on Malfoy. He studied the blond closely, Hermione's voice becoming white noise in the back of his mind.

This was the first time he was looking at Malfoy properly since he had gone to Malfoy Manor over the summer to return his Hawthorn wand. At that time, Malfoy had been frail and weak. He had been quiet and timid as Harry handed over the wand. Harry hadn't had much to say either, but he had managed more than the two words Malfoy had been able to string together. Thank you. To Harry, that was the best he could have hoped for, and he did appreciate the sincere gratitude.

Now, Malfoy looked much healthier. His hair was worn loosely, and had grown out so that the platinum locks curled around his ears and framed his face in a flattering way. A stream of sunlight entering the room through a window brightened flecks of silver in his deep gray eyes that Harry had never noticed before. He stood tall and proud; the confidence he exuded was unlike the arrogance he had displayed in his younger years. His facial features were still somewhat pointed, but he had grown into them over the years. Harry was surprised to find himself thinking Malfoy was extraordinarily good-looking.

Over the past few months, Harry had come to realize that he was not straight. He found blokes far more attractive than he had ever found any girl. He and Ginny had amicably decided not to get back together once he had come to terms with this. Of course, he had shared this part of himself with Ron and Hermione, and they were as supportive as they had ever been.

Even though he knew he appreciated a handsome bloke, he couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that he was now thinking this way about Malfoy. That was something else entirely.

Harry shook his head sharply, bringing himself back to reality at exactly the right moment. Hermione had just finished reading the manifesto.

"Alright. So I have a few ideas as far as where we can begin," she said. "First, I think we should write to both the head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and the Minister of Magic about the lack of representation for house elves in our government. I also want to talk to the house elves themselves, at least the ones here at Hogwarts to start. We can explain to them what we're trying to do, and show them that they deserve so much more than what they have settled for."

"If I may, Granger," Malfoy interjected while Hermione paused to take a deep breath following her rapidly delivered speech.

"Go ahead, Malfoy," she said with a nod to him.

"You're thinking big, and I admire that," he began, to which Hermione smiled brightly. "However..." With that one word, Hermione's face fell slightly. "I think the best thing to do in this situation is start small. I think writing to the ministry and going to the house elves directly are both great ideas, but not things we should do right away. If we start out so huge, we might overwhelm the house elves to the point that they won't even consider fighting for a change. And without their support, well, we've really got nothing."

Harry listened closely to Malfoy's every word. It sounded like he had put a lot of thought into this. In addition, even though he was disagreeing with Hermione's method, he wasn't shutting her down completely, or being rude in any way. It seemed like he was trying not to upset her. Harry was baffled by his behavior.

Hermione considered Malfoy's points, not responding immediately. Shockingly, it was Ron who decided to jump in.

"Oh yeah?" he barked at Malfoy. "And I suppose you have some brilliant ideas, huh?"

"Ideas, yes," Malfoy said through a small smirk. "Whether or not they are brilliant has yet to be seen."

For the first time since they had all entered the room, Zabini made a sound. He snorted in amusement. "Well then, Draco, do tell us. What are these potentially brilliant ideas?"

For a split second, Malfoy flashed a wicked grin. He quickly schooled his expression before giving his simple answer. "A baking contest."

Hermione gave him a calculating look and repeated, "A baking contest?"

Malfoy nodded once in confirmation. "We get together as many of our peers as we can and hold a baking competition. We divide into groups, depending on how many people we can get, and each group makes a baked good. One group bakes cookies, one bakes a pie, and so on. On the other side, there will be groups of house elves making these same baked goods. We then compare to see which group's treat tastes best. Perhaps we could get the professors involved by letting them be the judges."

Harry scoffed. "And what exactly does that have to do with house elf rights?"

Malfoy's eyes locked with Harry's in a challenging stare-down. Harry suddenly felt hot and uncomfortable, but refused to look away.

"First, it will make people aware of S.P.E.W.. It will be a fun competition in which realistically anyone can participate and succeed. However, these participants will learn that it's not such an easy task. I know for a fact that the majority of the student body have never cooked or baked a day in their lives. They will struggle, and the house elves will do much, much better. It will get people realizing they underestimate house elves, and take them for granted.

"As far as the house elves go, I'd bet they'd be more likely to agree to this because we are asking nothing more of them than to join in on a friendly activity. If you've ever been to the kitchens, you know they would do just about anything to make us happy. I think, with the right wording, we could convince them take part. And perhaps, throughout the course of the contest, they will start to see all they do and provide for the wizarding world. They will be taking part in something alongside wizardkind, and they might just start to realize that they can be considered equals."

Harry could not think of an argument to make, nor could anyone else it seemed.

Malfoy confident demeanor never faltered. "Well?"

"I..." Hermione finally said, but trailed off. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I think it's brilliant. I mean, you're right. We need some credibility first, and this will help with that. Plus, the house elves would probably be less against this than if we went down to the kitchens today and tried to start a revolution."

"Exactly," Malfoy said with a nod of his head.

"How will we fund this, though?" Hermione questioned. "We'll need a lot of supplies. Do we ask for two Sickles to participate?"

"I don't think we should ask for money right away if we can avoid it," Malfoy replied. "I was thinking we can ask Professor McGonagall to use the resources here. There are certainly enough ingredients and baking pans and really everything else we'd need in the Hogwarts kitchens. If people want to donate, they can. But we shouldn't make money a requirement to join."

"Do you think Professor McGonagall will agree to that?"

"I do believe we might be able to persuade her, yes," Malfoy said with conviction. "You can leave that to me."

"Alright then," Hermione agreed, her expression one of pure determination. "We'll do it. I'll make some fliers to hand out and hang up around the castle."

"I can help you with that," Malfoy offered.

Hermione smiled. "Great! And the rest of you, start telling as many people as you can. I really think we can get people on board here!"

Harry, Ron, Zabini and Parkinson were still too stunned to find words.

"Alright, I think we're done for today!" Hermione declared. "I'll let you all know when Malfoy and I have more details worked out, and what you can do to help make this a success!"

She started packing away her things while chatting with Malfoy. Harry ignored Malfoy's friends and turned to Ron, who was slowly shaking his head in disbelief.

"Bloody hell..." he muttered.

'Bloody hell' is right... Harry thought as he and Ron finally moved to exit the room.

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"Potter... Hey, Potter... Wait up!"

It was a couple weeks after the first (and so far only) S.P.E.W. meeting. Harry was making his way to Gryffindor tower alone when he heard the female voice and the rushed footsteps behind him. Reluctantly, he stopped and turned around. To his surprise, he found both Parkinson and Zabini trailing after him.

"What do you want?" Harry said, a little more harshly than he intended.

"Relax, Potter," Zabini said, holding his hands up defensively. There was a sly smirk on his face though. "We mean no harm."

Harry sighed and repeated, more calmly this time, "What do you want?"

"It's Draco," Parkinson sighed. "We're worried about him."

Harry wanted to laugh, but refrained. "And why is that my problem?"

"Because," Zabini snapped. "We think your friend Granger is driving him into madness."

Harry scoffed, "Yeah right. If anything, Malfoy's driven Hermione insane. He's supporting all this house elf stuff. It's made her convinced she's going to change the world."

"Please, Potter," Parkinson spat out. "You know Granger has always thought she's going to change the world. No. Draco's the one going crazy here."

This was all very odd, Harry already knew, since this was Malfoy they were talking about. In the case of Hermione, it made much more sense. It really was like Malfoy was going mad. What could have caused such a dramatic change of heart in him?

As Harry thought more about it, a horrifying thought occurred to him. A thought that could potentially explain Malfoy's uncharacteristic behaviors since the start of the school year.

"You don't think... Does Malfoy has a thing for Hermione or something? But he must know she's with Ron, and she would never–"

"Oh calm down, you idiot," Parkinson said through a wave of giggles. "Granger is not Draco's type."

Harry felt a surge of protectiveness for Hermione flow through him. "Why not? Because she's muggleborn?"

"No. Because she's a girl," Zabini stated bluntly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

It took Harry a second to register what he had just heard. He felt heat rise in his face as he sputtered, "M-Malfoy's gay?"

"Jeez, you really aren't the brightest, are you?" Zabini chuckled.

"I-I didn't kn–"

"Irrelevant, Potter!" Pansy snapped at him. "What we're saying is this needs to stop."

"I agree," Harry said, trying to push away that one thought now stuck in his head. Draco Malfoy is gay... "However, I don't think we should try to do anything about it."

"Why the hell not?" Pansy demanded.

"Look," Harry said, "I don't know about Malfoy, but I do know Hermione. If we try to stop her, she'll just become more set on doing it. No, I think the best choice is to lay low. Go along with it, and be there when it crashes and burns. When that happens, she might give it up for good."

"But what about Draco?" Zabini asked.

Harry frowned. "You two really don't know why he's doing this, do you?"

"Like I told you last week," Parkinson growled, "no we don't. He hasn't explained anything to us. He just brushes us off whenever we ask."

"Well, I know how I'm handling this, because I know Hermione. Whatever you want to do about Malfoy is up to you, and I want nothing to do with it."

Parkinson crossed her arms and looked like she was trying hard not to stomp her foot in frustration. Both Slytherins turned their backs on him and began walking away. Harry thought he was in the clear, but then Parkinson turn her head to yell at him over her shoulder.

"Have fun picturing Draco naked!" The laughter from her and Zabini rang through the corridor until they disappeared.

Harry remained frozen where he stood. Sure, he had been slightly thrown off from finding out Malfoy was gay. But he certainly wasn't picturing the blond naked. What a preposterous idea! He closed his eyes, keeping them tightly shut for a minute.

Okay, now he was picturing Malfoy naked.

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TBC...