Full Description: Hermione is back at Hogwarts for her final year but Harry and Ron haven't returned. She's feeling lonely and lost and finds comfort with the most unlikely person. Draco has returned to school for mysterious reasons and his plot involves Hermione Granger, which is why he specifically requested her as his Arithmancy partner. Draco is determined to get what he needs from her before she discovers his plot, or before he loses his nerve (again). But the two of them end up finding a lot more in each other than they originally expected.

She dipped her head into his chest and felt his heart beat slowly against her forehead. "I just got used to thinking of you as my friend, now this?" she whispered, "Where did this come from?"

He wrapped his arms around her and replied into her hair, "I don't know. It's not real though, right?"

"I'm not sure what's real anymore, it all feels like a dream" she said softly.

"At least you said dream and not nightmare."

Disclaimer: This world and all of the characters in it obviously do not belong to me.

Logistics: The story picks up right where the seventh book left off. It's looking like it will be 25-30 chapters of about this length and I plan to post a new Chapter twice a week. Thanks for reading! Please leave a review and let me know what you think, I love reading them.

Chapter 1 – The Hogwarts Express

Hermione glanced around King's Cross station to ensure no one was looking before pushing her cart through the barrier between platforms nine and ten. She walked onto platform 9 ¾ and took in the scene before her. There was a palpable sense of magic in the air and the colors and sounds around her seemed immediately more vibrant, as if someone had cast a supersensory charm on her in the few seconds it took to travel through the barrier. Hermione let out a contented sigh and smiled to herself – she hadn't realized until now how much she missed the magical world and was glad to be back.

After the Battle of Hogwarts last May she traveled to Australia to find her parents as soon as the initial celebrations and funerals following the war's end were over. Her parents were easy enough to find, but once she undid the memory charms she'd placed on them she was surprised to find them irritable and overprotective. Before the war they were very supportive of her magical lifestyle and proud to have a daughter with unique abilities. But after learning of the events that transpired during their false lives abroad, they were understandably uneager to let their only child venture back into a world where she had been tortured and nearly killed.

To appease her parents, Hermione agreed to spend the summer in Australia before returning to the Wizarding world. After having their memories altered by their daughter, Hermione's parents were justifiably wary of her using magic around them, so she also consented to lock away her wand for the summer, although she was slightly miffed at not being able to practice spells which would undoubtedly be on the N.E.W.T.s next term.

The highlight of Hermione's quiet summer was receiving the letter from Headmistress McGonagall announcing Hogwarts would be re-opening on schedule next term and she was welcome to return to complete her last year. All students in her year who fought in the final battle were given an option to skip their last year and move on with their careers, which was the option Harry and Ron had chosen, but she was eager to return to finish her N.E.W.T.s and serve as Head Girl – which was a dream of hers since she'd learned about the position in her first year.

She smiled to herself as she thought of the Head Girl badge currently tucked away in her trunk. Last year she was disappointed at missing out on the honor of serving as Head Girl – which she had been a shoo-in for since her third year. Wisely she never brought up these thoughts with Harry and Ron, who would have teased her mercilessly for worrying about something as trivial as being Head Girl in the middle of a war.

She felt a slight ache in her chest at the thought of Harry and Ron. They visited her once in Australia and she noticed instantly that her two best friends were in pain. Harry was dwelling on the deaths of over fifty innocent people who sacrificed themselves to buy him time during the Battle of Hogwarts, which he wrongly blamed himself for. And Ron, who would normally be able to cheer Harry up, was having a hard time dealing with Fred's death. He brooded constantly and was a shadow of the joking, lively boy he once was. Hermione hoped her friends were doing better now than during that melancholy visit a few weeks ago and she vowed to visit them as soon as she got a free weekend.

"Hermione!" The familiar voice of Seamus Finnegan cut through her thoughts and brought her attention back to the animated scene in front of her. She spotted Seamus, Dean, and Luna on the other end of the platform and made her way toward them.

"Hey guys, it's so great to see you!" she exclaimed as Luna enveloped her in a huge hug.

"We missed you this summer. Ron and Harry have been a mess without you," Luna stated bluntly while Seamus and Dean each gave her a quick hug.

Hermione frowned slightly before responding, "I know, but after my parents found out what happened last year they pretty much locked me away all summer, and I couldn't just say no after what I did to them."

"I understand," Dean reassured her, "My mum was angry when I told her I was on the run all of last year when I was supposed to be safe at school, and she was wary about me coming back. Thankfully I was able to convince her in the end, because it's good to be back." He flashed her a knowing smile which she returned immediately. She knew just how Dean felt. Life in the muggle world may have been safer, but it just wasn't the same. Hermione watched Dean stiffen as he spotted something behind her. "What is he doing here?" he spat.

The three turned to look where Dean was glaring and Seamus cursed silently as she spied a familiar shock of white-blond hair. Hermione's good mood vanished at the sight of her childhood bully. She hoped she'd finally be able to go a year without the jeering and taunts that had been her constant, unwelcome companions since she started school. But she knew Draco Malfoy was the one person who was arrogant and stubborn enough to ignore the outcome of the war and continue to treat her as mercilessly as he would have if his side had won.

"Why is he back?" Hermione muttered angrily, to no one in particular.

"Yeah what would he need with N.E.W.T.s? Think he'll be applying for jobs at the end of term?" Dean questioned sarcastically, clearly taking Malfoy's return to school as a personal affront.

"Oh, he doesn't need a job, his family is very wealthy," and Hermione almost smiled at Luna's innocent response, but she was too busy dreading interactions with Draco Malfoy this year.

"I read his dad was sentenced to Azkaban, but he and his mom got off," Seamus mentioned dryly, "After what he pulled with Dumbledore; ridiculous."

"What?" Dean stammered, "How'd those two get off so easy?"

"Well I suspect Harry had something to do with it," the boys frowned in confusion at Hermione's response. "I know he spoke up to the Wizengamot during the Malfoy trials," she continued, not surprised by their negative reaction to Harry's intervention. "I mean, Narcissa saved him in the forest and he wouldn't have been able to defeat Voldemort without her help, but I don't know what nice things he would have said about Draco…" She trailed off and hoped the boys couldn't tell that she was lying.

Over the summer Harry explained to her how he had intervened on the Malfoys' behalf. He owed his life to Narcissa, and Draco, while they would never be good friends, had never truly been an evil death eater, and was likely acting out of fear. Harry explained to Hermione that he would not have felt right if he let Draco suffer in Azkaban like his father, who both Harry and Hermione agreed was truly evil and deserved to suffer for his crimes. Harry had never forgotten how Draco had been about to lower his wand against Dumbledore the night he died, and after seeing visions of Draco being forced to torture others, obviously unwillingly, through his link with Voldemort, he reasoned that his childhood rival had probably suffered enough in the war. Hermione knew mentioning Harry's thoughts to the group was unwise, as even Ron didn't understand Harry's motivations and still criticized him for saving Malfoy's life in the Room of Requirement.

Hermione hadn't finalized her own thoughts on the Malfoy heir. She could see where Harry was coming from and agreed that Malfoy hadn't been an enthusiastic Death Eater. He was there when she was being tortured in his home and it was obvious by his pained expression that he was not reveling in his aunt's actions. He'd even refrained from identifying them when they initially arrived at the Manor, even though she knew he immediately recognized her. But regardless of her ambivalent feelings towards the boy, she was not happy to see him here. Dean's next comment brought her out of her thoughts.

"Whatever that git is doing here, he better stay out of my way. I'm and not putting up with his shit this year." The hatred in his tone surprised her a little, but he had spent a lot of time locked in the dungeon under his house. She thought he was probably being a little unfair in blaming that experience entirely on the younger Malfoy and tried to change the subject.

"Let's go ahead and board so we can get a compartment to ourselves." Hermione urged her friends onto the train, eager to change the subject. She looked back at Malfoy and found him glaring at her and she wondered briefly if he knew they were discussing him. She returned his sneer with one of her own before turning around to board the train behind her friends, keen to leave the former Death Eater and her thoughts about him behind her.

Draco smiled inwardly as Granger turned away from him and rushed to board the train. He may be alone and trapped in a sea of guilt, depression, and self-loathing, but at least he could still rile up a team of Gryffindors with a well-placed sneer.

He was a little surprised to see Granger among the group of students in his year who had returned to Hogwarts, since he assumed as a war hero she would be able to get any job she wanted without having to come back to school. But he reasoned Granger wouldn't know what to do with herself without a test to study for or an assignment to obsess over. He hoped the fact that she wasn't flanked by her usual bodyguards meant that Potter and his Weasel wouldn't be returning to school. This year was going to be difficult enough without the added stress of dealing with those two wankers, who were likely more insufferable than ever now that the entire Wizarding world worshiped them.

He scowled as he thought of Potter. Unfortunately he owed his freedom to the annoying boy-who-lived-twice, who testified on his and his mother's behalf during their Wizengamot trials. Draco knew he was lucky to have avoided Azkaban and was aware that he was the only person with the Dark Mark to do so. His father was not so lucky, and would have to stay in that awful place for the rest of his life. Even Goyle had ended up with a five-year sentence. It's better than Crabbe's fate. Draco pushed the thought from his mind.

A plain-looking middle-aged wizard clipped Draco shoulder and muttered what sounded like "murderer" under his breath as he ushered his son toward the train. Draco had been dealing with this kind of shit all day, which was why he rarely ventured out of the Manor since the war ended. If he didn't need information he'd only be able to find at Hogwarts, he would not have returned. The Malfoy name suffered greatly after the war, especially once it became common knowledge that Voldemort had been using the Manor as Death Eater headquarters, and random strangers took it upon themselves to display their displeasure any chance they got. Draco had a lot of work to do to rebuild the damage his father had done, but he had more important things to take care of at Hogwarts first, which was the reason he was putting up with this abuse in the first place.

Draco realized he was absently rubbing his left forearm and stopped, he didn't want to draw attention to his Mark, as that clearly wouldn't be doing his reputation any favors. He drew in a deep breath and refocused on the lively students before him as he straightened his posture and steeled himself for what was bound to be an aggravating year.

He walked onto the train and glanced quickly into each compartment, hoping to find one empty so he could pass the ride to Scotland alone. In his earlier years at Hogwarts Draco was fairly popular and loved the attention he received from other students desperate to get close to the heir of one of the most prestigious Wizarding families in Britain. But ever since sixth year after he took the Dark Mark and started working on his mission to kill Dumbledore, he avoided the spotlight and began to resent those who envied his status without comprehending the terrible burden that came with it. He decided that if he could go the whole school year without having to talk to another person, he would count it as a massive success, and he made a silent pledge to attempt it.

Draco started slightly when he spotted his fellow housemates Blaise and Daphne in a compartment near the middle of the train. There was a younger, dark-haired witch with them who Draco thought was familiar, but couldn't place.

This is going to make not talking to anyone a little more difficult, he thought bitterly to himself.

He was surprised to see other Slytherins from his year here as he assumed most of the older Slytherin students would have transferred to other schools. That's what he was planning on doing before the Ministry made it clear that he was not allowed to leave the country. Daphne looked up and locked eyes with him, so he turned away quickly and continued searching for an empty compartment. After walking the length of the train and finding all of the compartments full, he cursed himself for not boarding the train earlier as he made his way back to his housemates. He wasn't in the mood to see anyone familiar, but he knew he didn't have any other options.

The younger witch and Blaise eyed him warily as he walked into the compartment, while Daphne shot him a mocking smile, "I saw you pass us by earlier Draco, did you finally decide that we were worthy enough to sit with you? Or did you realize that no one else on this train can stand your presence?" she quipped. Draco ignored her and took a seat near the door, still determined to pass the ride without talking to anyone.

"That implies we can stand his presence, which I assure you Malfoy, is not the case," muttered Blaise coolly.

Daphne was enjoying herself, "Oh come on Blaise, you and Draco are the only Slytherin guys from our year. I'm sure that'll make you best mates."

Draco gave her a look that he thought that was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard. He had never gotten along with Blaise, who was always too interested in himself to worship Draco, and the thought of having to spend any period of time alone with him made him want to go back home and abandon his plan. Blaise took Draco's silence as a personal attack and responded "Too good to talk to us Malfoy? Get over yourself," Blaise responded sharply, "you're nothing but a pathetic, ex-Death Eater now. And not even the Malfoy fortunes will be enough to convince people to tolerate you and your over-inflated ego this year."

Draco grabbed his wand and before he could process what had happened he was blasted back and the dark-haired witch who he now recognized as Daphne's younger sister was holding both his and Blaise's wands. She was angry and said, "Give it a rest you two. We've all become social pariahs because of that bloody war," at this she glared at Draco, as if she held him personally accountable for causing the entire war on his own, "and we should try to stick together this year since no one else is going to give us the time of day."

Blaise glared back, embarrassed at having his wand taken by this witch, Draco reasoned he wasn't going to get far without talking to anyone, and silently amended his pact. "What's your name again?"

"Prat," she shoved past him with the wands still in her hand, and he was about to go after her but thought against it. If this was the treatment he was getting from former allies, it was best not to venture out of the compartment.

Daphne was laughing silently, and Blaise was staring at him, clearly blaming Draco for losing both of their wands.

"What's her deal?" Draco asked those two.

"She hates you," Daphne said simply.

"What did I do to her?"

"You became a Death Eater." He was still confused so she continued. "You've met Astoria countless times. She used to like you, said you were smart, funny, and hot. But then she took it as a personal insult that you ended up being a murdering follower of the Dark Lord."

"I-" he was about to defend himself then realized it was pointless, "That's none of her business," then he glared at the other two Slytherins, "Or yours."

Daphne just smiled and went back to reading her fashion magazine. Draco sat down and huffed.

"What were you going to hex me with?" Blaise asked jokingly, clearly finding the whole Astoria situation funny now.

"Avada Kedavra of course," Blaise looked affronted, then smiled when he saw Draco was joking, "I'm a hot murder, remember?" Draco added bitterly.

Blaise laughed heartily but Draco was still annoyed by Astoria's hatred toward him. Eventually Blaise stopped chuckling and glared at him, then stated, "It's not going to be like previous years, where we all follow you around and do what you say." Draco humphed and shot Blaise the most hostile look he could muster, but nodded. He hadn't survived the war for nothing – he had a remarkable instinct for self-preservation. And as much as he wanted to attack Blaise the muggle way and beat that grin off his face, he reasoned that Blaise and he would be sharing a dorm together all year, which would give the snake numerous opportunities to get back at Draco.

"This is really cute," Daphne cut in, "are we going to have a group hug now?"

Blaise laughed again and Draco scowled. This was going to be an awful year.

Snap!

Hermione jumped in her seat and closed her book, finally giving up on her attempt to re-read the first chapter of her Arithmancy textbook. Seamus and Dean were playing a game of exploding snap at the other end of the compartment while she, Ginny, and Luna were reading in silence. Even with the periodic sound of cards exploding from the boys' game, Hermione noted that her friends were subdued.

She figured that like her, they were all remembering the war and the people they lost and probably felt guilty laughing and joking around so soon after their friends' deaths. She often felt as if her fallen friends had all come back as ghosts and were following her, daring her to forget them. She shook her head and hastily started a conversation with Ginny and Luna to distract from her dark thoughts, "So Ginny, are you excited about Quidditch this year?"

Ginny put down her Quidditch magazine and stared blankly at Hermione, "Since when do you want to talk about Quidditch, Hermione?"

Hermione blushed at being so quickly found out. It had been over a year since she spent time with Ginny, who was one of her closest friends when they were both at school, and she had forgotten how intuitive the red-head could be. "I don't, I just couldn't read and wanted to talk about something, and I saw your magazine," she explained guiltily. Luna put down her copy of The Quibbler and smiled at Hermione.

"You didn't have to make up a reason to talk to us," Luna said in her dreamy voice, "we're friends Hermione – we can talk whenever you want."

"Yeah, thanks," Hermione replied, "I was just thinking it was too quiet in here." The three girls sat silently for a few moments, unsure of what to say. Ginny started to roll and unroll the Quidditch magazine in her lap, and Hermione took the opportunity to study her friend's appearance. She had lost a little weight and had slight bags under her eyes that were hidden by makeup, but for the most part she was as lovely as ever. Hermione was worried about Ginny's reaction to Fred's death after seeing how hard Ron was taking it; especially since Ginny had always been closer to the twins than Ron. She wanted to ask her friend how she was feeling but didn't know where to start. Ginny finally responded to Hermione's earlier question before Hermione was able to decide what to say.

"Well I am a little excited about Quidditch this year," Ginny smiled slyly, "as I was made Quidditch captain. Most of our team members aren't returning this year, but I think the other houses will have the same problem, so it's almost like starting anew. Also, I'll finally get to use the famous prefect bathroom I've heard so much about."

Hermione was relieved for the change in conversation and gave Ginny a small smile of appreciation. "Yes, that bathroom is pretty great. And we don't have to worry about Moaning Myrtle peeping at us like the guys do. Harry and Ron never really liked using the bathroom in sixth year because of her," Hermione joked.

Ginny responded with a small laugh before asking, "Oh, that reminds me. Are you going to be Head Girl this year? I didn't see you wearing your badge."

"Oh, yes," Hermione beamed. "I've wanted to be Head Girl for years and was so upset when I thought I missed my chance last year. I have a lot of great ideas I'd love to work on with the prefects, and I'm also ecstatic about having my own room. It would have been too weird sharing a room without," she paused, "well you know, Pavarti and… and Lavender." Hermione dropped her gaze as she said Lavender's name. She had never been very close with her former dorm mate, but Lavender's death still weighed on her and served as a reminder of the innocent people who died needlessly a few months ago.

Ginny, noticing Hermione's shift in mood, quickly changed the subject, "Well I'm excited that we're going to be in the same year. We'll have a lot of classes together, and I can finally get some of that homework help the boys kept going on about…" she gave Hermione an inquisitive smile and Hermione responded with a noncommittal grunt.

"And since we're all of age now," Luna added, "we can leave the castle on the weekends."

Hermione smiled at Luna, "What are you going to do with your free weekends Luna?"

"Oh my father and I are going to continue our search for the crumple-horned snorkack. We followed up on a few leads this summer and think the next place to check is southern Germany."

Ginny and Hermione exchanged knowing glances, and Hermione couldn't help but to ask, "Luna, don't you think that if the crumple-horned snorkack really existed it would have been discovered by now?" Hermione hoped her logical argument would appeal to the quirky Ravenclaw.

"What I think Hermione," Luna responded coldly, "is that assuming that everything in existence has already been discovered is a very negative and narrow-minded way to look at the world." She picked up her Quibbler and started reading again. Hermione was surprised by the sudden change in Luna's mood, but decided to let it go and keep her arguments to herself for now. Ginny picked up her Quidditch magazine and began to read again, sensing that the girls' conversation was now over.

"Well anyway," Hermione stood up and straightened her skirt, "I should probably head to the front. I have a meeting with the prefects – I should be back in about an hour."

Ginny and Luna nodded absently behind their magazines, while Dean stood up to join Hermione by the door, "Well I guess I should come with you Hermione, since McGonagall made me prefect to replace Ron."

"Oh, that's great Dean," Hermione gave him a small smile, "I was worried I was going to be alone since Ron didn't come back, but working with you is going to be fun!"

Hermione shared her ideas with Dean and he listened politely as they walked to the prefect compartment at the front of the train. "…and I'm not sure about the state of the Room of Requirement after the Battle, but we should be able to find somewhere to practice dueling. It will be weird without Harry teaching us, but I still think it's important to give students a chance to practice magical dueling and combat if they want to…" She stopped talking as they entered the prefect compartment. Hermione noted that Anthony Goldstein, who was huddled with a group of Ravenclaw prefects at the middle of the compartment, was wearing the Head Boy badge.

Blaise Zabini and a dark-haired Slytherin whose name she didn't know were standing near the door, removed from the rest of the group and looking uneasy. The dark-haired girl was holding three wands, which seemed strange to Hermione, but she didn't want to approach them and question her. She was relieved to see Zabini had replaced Malfoy as the Slytherin male prefect from her year since she had not been looking forward to working with the blonde. Zabini noticed her looking at him and responded to her unspoken comment, "I've taken over for Malfoy since he'll be busy with a full class load this year."

Hermione thought that Malfoy losing his prefect status probably had more to do with him being a former Death Eater. She warned Blaise, "Well don't abuse the position like Malfoy did or I'll have to revoke your status." Blaise glared back and her and then muttered to the witch next to him as they walked to two empty seats at the back of the compartment. Dean left to join Justin Finch-Fletchly and Hannah Abbot as Hermione called the meeting to order.

Hermione let out a contented sigh as the meeting ended and the prefects filed out of the compartment. She thought the meeting had gone pretty well. Her peers liked most of her ideas and Anthony seemed like he was going to be a good Head Boy. They agreed as a group Anthony should take responsibility for Ravenclaw and Slytherin houses (since the Slytherin students would likely ignore a muggle-born Gryffindor), and Hermione would deal with issues in Hufflepuff and her own house. This was a huge relief to Hermione and she was grateful to Anthony for taking on such a challenge.

"Hermione," Dean interrupted her thoughts, "are you ready to head back?"

Hermione looked around and noticed that they were the only two left in the compartment. Suddenly the thought of leaving this quiet, peaceful part of the train made her anxious. "You go on ahead, I just want to sit in here alone for awhile."

"Ok," Dean responded slowly while he made to leave the compartment, "are you alright though? I think the meeting went great," he added kindly.

"No, I'm fine, really. It's just that I spent the summer all alone and it's weird being around so many people again. I just need a little break. I'll catch up with you in a few minutes."

Hermione took a seat at the back of the compartment as Dean slid the door closed behind him. She thought back over the meeting again as she watched the Scottish landscape flit by. It was really weird not having Ron there, the thought brought a pain to her chest. She and Ron shared a passionate kiss during the Final Battle, which she had hoped would mean they could finally start dating. But then she moved to Australia where she had limited contact with him. She had hoped to discuss their relationship when he and Harry visited her a month ago, but Ron was silent and brooding and didn't seem very interested in her, so she didn't push it.

Hermione sighed deeply. She had reserved a space in her heart for Ron years ago and the longer she loved him without knowing whether he returned her feelings an ache in that part of her heart grew stronger. It was like that part of her heart was poisoned and Ron was holding the antidote. Either Ron would return her feelings and the antidote would taste sweet and heal her pain immediately, or he would deny her feelings and administer a bitter-tasting antidote that would heal slowly. Regardless of his feelings, she knew she could no longer deal with not knowing, as eventually the poison would spread and damage her heart permanently. She vowed to corner him and force him to address the issue the next time she saw him.

Draco and Daphne hadn't spoken a word to each other since Blaise left for his prefect meeting an hour ago. Draco was initially annoyed when he found out that Blaise had replaced him as prefect, but then he conceded the task he came to Hogwarts to complete would be easier without having to take care of prefect duties. And his goal of speaking to as few people as possible would be more achievable as well. He conceded he'd probably have to speak to Blaise and Daphne this year to maintain some level of protection, they were in a similar situation of being hated by the entire school. He rationalized that he wouldn't be able to avoid speaking to professors if they asked him a direct question, so he wouldn't include them in the count either. He set his new goal to five people – he was up to two now.

He knew his younger self would be appalled by this resolution, since he used to be relatively outgoing, but now the thought of interacting with other students was horrible. No one understood what he went through in the war and they just wanted to blame him for all the shit that had happened to them. Wankers, Draco thought to himself.

Daphne readjusted in her seat and the movement caught Draco's attention. He looked up and began to study her as she read Witch Weekly. Draco decided Daphne was pretty as he silently watched the tall, slender witch. She had long, golden blonde hair, pale green eyes, a small nose, and thin pink lips. Her features weren't as striking as her sister Astoria's, but she had an air of grace her sister lacked. Draco had never paid attention to Daphne in the past (probably because Pansy would have killed him) but even now he was single he knew he wasn't interested in the pretty witch – she was cold and unfeeling and too similar to his mother. Draco loved his mother dearly, mainly because she was the only person in the world who cared about him, but he definitely didn't want to date anyone who reminded him of her. He knew one of the main reasons he tolerated Pansy was because the affection she showered on him was so different from what he had experienced as a child. Unfortunately, Pansy went overboard and Draco was forced to break it off with her to avoid suffocating.

He laughed at the turn his thoughts had taken. It was ridiculous to be thinking of dating, since no girl would get within 5 feet of him this year. No older Slytherins besides Daphne had returned and he was sure the Ravenclaw purebloods would be turned off of him just as Daphne's sister was. As for the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, well, he'd never be that desperate. He frowned and stood up, suddenly eager to stretch his legs.

Daphne looked up at him questioningly, "Do you have a pressing engagement?"

"No, I'm just going to get my wand back from your bint sister," Draco shot back.

"Good luck with that, she's quicker than she looks. And I think you're underestimating just how much she hates you, I had to hear about it all summer" Daphne responded with a small smirk on her face.

"Frigid bitch," Draco muttered to himself as he left the compartment and made his way to the prefect compartment. As he walked through the train he kept a blank expression on his face and pretended to ignore the taunts from other students.

Bloody cowards, he thought to himself, they wouldn't dare treat me like this if I wasn't alone.

He finally lost his temper when a younger boy called him a murderer and turned to face him, pleased to see the boy back up a few inches under his cold stare.

"Get away from me Death Eater!" the kid yelled in a shaky voice, Draco continued to stare at him, "You may have tortured people for fun before, but you can't hurt anyone now. You'll be thrown in Azkaban!"

Draco stared severely into the boy's eyes, no longer amused by the fear he saw there. What did the boy think he was going to do, kill him right here with his bare hands? His mind dragged him back to the first time he had seen a look of fear like this directed at him – he struggled to keep his mind in the present but couldn't. He hated to admit this stupid boy was right; he had tortured others, but he had been forced to do so and it certainly hadn't been fun. His gaze unfocused as he remembered the night he had first been forced to torture Rowle.

"Cru-crucio," Draco stuttered, pointing his wand towards the broken man on the ground in front of him.

"Draco," the Dark Lord hissed beside him, "you have to use more feeling. Curse him like you mean it boy, or else I can demonstrate for you how the curse is supposed to work. I'm sure you remember the last time you experienced that delightful sensation."

"No-no, my Lord, that won't be necessary, I can do it," Draco looked back at the man before him and steadied his wand, "Crucio!"

"AHHHHHH!" The man before him screamed and writhed uncontrollably on the ground, "Please my Lord, we'll get him next time, I promise!"

"Again, Draco," the Dark Lord responded coldly.

"Crucio!" Draco struggled to hold back tears at the sight of the convulsing man in front of him and reminded himself this was the Dark Lord's doing, not his own.

"Again, Draco."

"Crucio!"

Rowle shrieked louder than Draco thought possible and tried to appeal to his torturer, "Please, young Malfoy, help…me." He stared at Draco with a desperate look in his eyes. Draco felt a rush of bile enter his mouth and rushed to swallow it.

"Again, Draco," his master commanded beside him.

"Crucio!"

Draco grasped at the scene in front of him to escape the flashback. Draco saw the boy who had taunted him staring at him strangely as he refocused his thoughts to the present. He turned quickly and rushed to the front of the train, suppressing the urge to vomit. He had to get away from these tossers and re-group – he didn't want them to see him break down.

He reached the door of the prefect compartment and rushed inside, slamming the door behind him. He was relieved to find the large compartment empty and started to pace the length of the room, rubbing his temples with his fingers to calm his thoughts as the image of Rowle screaming for him to help trying to push back to the center of his mind. He started as he reached the last row and spotted Hermione Granger sitting in the seat nearest the window and staring at him in disbelief.

Startled and annoyed at being caught in such a vulnerable position, Draco immediately reined in his emotions and put an indifferent look on his face. He sat down leisurely in the nearest seat and linked his hands together to keep them from shaking, "I thought it was empty in here," he explained unnecessarily, kicking himself as he realized the total number of students he had spoken with was now up to three. Why did I have to talk to fucking Granger? he scolded himself silently.

Granger finally seemed to find her voice and responded harshly, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I told you Granger, I thought it was empty. I just need to sit in here for a second before being forced to face all of those tossers out there," he motioned towards the compartment door.

"Well do you have to sit right next to me?" Granger responded angrily, "Go sit in one of the other rows."

"Granger, I know being alone with men is uncomfortable for you," he smirked when he saw her blush, "but like I said I'm going to sit in here for a few minutes to get away from the insufferable morons outside and I'd prefer to do it in silence, so please stop with your incessant questions – this isn't a lecture."

Granger exhaled angrily, but to his relief she didn't respond and turned away from him to look out of the window. Draco relaxed slightly once he realized she wasn't going to kick him out – which is something she easily could have done since only prefects were allowed in this compartment, and they both knew he would have kicked her out if their roles were reversed. For once he was grateful for that damned Gryffindor do-gooder attitude, he chuckled inwardly. He had forgotten how fun it could be to mess with Granger. It was familiar and it got his mind off of the other stuff… he reasoned that having Granger as one of the five people he talked to this year might not be such a bad idea

He looked at Granger as slyly as possible and took in her appearance. She had gained weight since he last saw her at the Final Battle. He decided after studying her for a few minutes that it was a good thing, she was a little gaunt when he last saw her. Other than that, she looked exactly the same – same big brown eyes and unruly hair that were undeniably Granger. Draco figured she wasn't the type of the girl to drastically change her appearance, like the Slytherin girls who were always trying out new hair styles or make-up charms. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, then focused on clearing his mind. He'd been surprised to find Occlumency useful even after the war ended as a way of keeping the flashbacks from his worst moments in the war from consuming his mind. He used it now to push that Rowle memory as far back as he could.

Hermione spared a nervous glance in Malfoy's direction and was relieved to find him sleeping. He looked so innocent with his face relaxed and devoid of the scowl she was used to seeing there she almost didn't recognize him. She wondered briefly what had possessed her to let him stay in here. She could have easily kicked him out since they both knew only prefects were allowed in this compartment. She decided it was because he had looked so tormented when he first walked in, almost as if he had been running from something terrifying. She couldn't find it in her heart to turn him out when he looked so vulnerable. Although he had been quick to don the mask of indifference he usually wore once he noticed her.

She wondered what was troubling him, but immediately dismissed the thought. She didn't want to get caught up in Malfoy's drama. As if he'd let me, she thought to herself, chuckling as she imagined Malfoy and herself sitting together and discussing their feelings over tea.

Hermione jumped at the sound of the door being slammed open at the other end of the room. She noticed Malfoy start at the sound (so maybe he hadn't been sleeping) and she heard Ginny's voice reprimand, "Hey, there's no need to slam it like that Seamus."

"Sorry Ginny, it got away from me. Well, do you see Hermione?"

"Over here guys," Hermione stood up and tried to hide Malfoy behind her, which was futile since he had just stood up and was almost a foot taller than her.

"Oh, hey Hermione, we came to find you," Seamus started to walk towards her. His expression darkened as he recognized who was standing behind her, "what are you doing here with him? It's not safe Hermione."

Malfoy moved from behind Hermione and was now glaring down at Seamus, but to her surprise he didn't say anything to Seamus. Her friend took this as a cue to continue his taunting. "You shouldn't be here Malfoy, you should be in Azkaban," Seamus spat, "If it wasn't for you Dumbledore wouldn't be dead and this whole war would have never happened!"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous Seamus," Hermione cut in, a little unnerved by Malfoy's uncharacteristic silence, "Malfoy may be a vile git, but he doesn't deserve credit for starting the war. Voldemort came back in our fourth year, even though you and your mum were reluctant to admit it, and we all know now that Dumbledore was dying before Malfoy tried to kill him."

Ginny, who had been watching the exchange from behind Seamus, stepped up to confront Hermione, "Why are you defending him Hermione?" She looked warily from the blonde boy to her friend and added, "What were you guys doing in here?"

Malfoy recoiled as if he had been stung by Ginny's insinuation and finally broke his silence to snap at Hermione, "I don't need a Mu- you defending me," Hermione noticed he switched from saying Mudblood, but he seemed unperturbed and continued on. "Just because we sat in a compartment together for a few minutes doesn't mean we're friends." His face contorted as if the thought of being friends with her repulsed him. He pushed past Seamus and Ginny and headed for the door.

Hermione was enraged to find him as evil as ever, she had hoped the outcome of the war and Harry's generosity towards his family would have softened the Slytherin a bit and was embarrassed for how naïve she had been. She followed behind him and yelled, "I don't want to be your friend either Malfoy! Frankly, I can't stand you! And I don't care if Seamus insults you, I just wanted to make sure it was for the right reason – like for being a depraved, cruel, insufferable git!"

Malfoy turned to face her and she stopped abruptly, catching herself before she ran into him. "You're pathetic as always Granger, the same goodie-goodie Gryffindor making sure everyone is following the rules, even when exchanging insults," he sneered at her.

"Just go Malfoy," she replied. "Your insults are getting old anyway. I'm a Mudblood, I'm a goodie-goodie, I'm a bookworm, I have bushy hair... Don't bother talking to me again until you've come up with some new material." Hermione resisted the urge to turn away and leave with Ginny and Seamus, not wanting him to think she was retreating.

Malfoy shot her a dangerous smile and walked closer to her. Ginny and Seamus shifted behind her in response to Malfoy's advance but she stood her ground and glared defiantly up into Malfoy's cold eyes. "You're right Granger," Malfoy started in a soft voice, "that's not what makes you pathetic. What makes you pathetic is that you came back this year." Hermione's eyes widened in surprised. "You're a fucking war hero Granger!" Malfoy continued, "You could have gone off and got any job you wanted, but you chose to put your life on hold and come back here. And I'm sure you told your friends some bogus excuse, like you love school and couldn't stay away, but we both know the real reason." He smiled as she looked away, suddenly fearful that he might be using Legilimency on her. "You came back here because you know you don't belong out there. You've done nothing but hide behind books and your friend's drama since you entered our world, and now the thought of growing up and entering a world without classes and Potter's war to distract you terrifies you, so you retreated to Hogwarts to hide behind McGonagall's skirts like a bloody coward. So there's some 'new material' for you Granger; you're a coward."

Hermione fought back tears as she continued to glare at Malfoy and Ginny placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Hermione was stunned by Malfoy's retort and wondered if he was right, had she returned to school because she was too scared to face the real world? She snapped out of her reverie when she noticed the triumphant look in Malfoy's eyes and shrugged Ginny's hand away.

"How dare you call me a coward Malfoy," she bit back at him. "You're supposed to be better than everyone because you're a pureblood. But all you've done your whole life is follow orders – first from your evil father and then from a half-blood psychopath. So you're the coward here Malfoy, not me. I fought in a war you idiot, and it wasn't just Harry's war, I fought against people who threatened to take my life and tortured me. And what were you doing while all of that was going on? NOTHING!" Malfoy looked angry enough to strangle her, but she continued anyway, "You've done nothing of note your entire life," she paused and took a breath before adding, "you're pathetic."

Malfoy flinched at her last comment, then he finally seemed to find his voice, "You know nothing about me Granger or what I've endured. You think you were the only one tortured in the war? You think because we were on his side he showered us with gifts and practiced cheering charms on us? Get up off your high horse and grow up."

Hermione had never seen Malfoy so angry, his eyes were staring into hers so intently she was sure he was trying to pierce her soul, so she looked down and saw his clenched fists, which were shaking slightly. Then he turned away from her so quickly that she almost lost her balance. "Stay away from me this year," he called back from the door, his voice quaking with anger. As he stormed into the hallway and slammed the door behind him, Hermione realized this was the first time she had actually been afraid in his presence. This was the first time he had actually seemed like a Death Eater. Hermione decided then it would probably be wise to heed his warning and steer clear of him.

A/N: Long time reader, first time writer. I hope you enjoy the story!