Disclaimer: Joe Rowling is a genius and I own NOTHING!

Chapter 1

"A lot has changed"

'A lot has changed since the end of the year last year,' Hermione mused. She was on the Hogwarts Express heading back to school for her final year at Hogwarts. And it was true, a lot had changed since Dumbledore had died last year, and Harry had decide it was time for him to go and hunt Voldemort. When Harry had found and destroyed the remaining Horecruxes, he went in search for Voldemort. After almost a month of searching Harry found him, catching him by surprise, and destroyed him.

The wizarding world was still adjusting , they had lived in fear for so long it was hard for them to fully realize there was no longer a reason to a reason to fear. It was easy to see this confusion in the students, they were all kind of twitchy. The girls were moving around in packs more than usual, and the boys were even more easily provoked into a fight.

Hermione kept seeing these fights all over the train. It was here job as Head Girl to break up these fights. At the moment she was hiding the the "heads compartment," as much from her duties as from Malfoy, Harry, and Ron.

Harry and Ron had finally come to the realization that she was a girl, and quite a good looking one at that. Malfoy had changed too, but in a different way. He had started to creep Hermione out. He was always there, always around, always acting weird. Sometimes he talked to here like he had for the last 6 years, and other times he actually seemed to be being nice. She'd actually caught him calling her, well trying to call her, Hermione! She didn't get it, maybe it was the fact that his father was dead so Malfoy didn't have to live in fear any more, or maybe it was something else. Either way, it was extremely weird and she didn't like it.

Hermione heard noises outside the compartment and rolled her closed eyes. The compartment door slid open, "What?!" Hermione barked, figuring it was Malfoy. After all, he was the only other person who knew the password for this protected compartment.

"I'm sorry to bother you Miss Granger."

Hermione's eyes popped open, "I'm sorry Headmistress. I thought you were Malfoy."

"It's alright dear," Professor McGonagall said, "But I need to speak to you about the living conditions of the Heads this year."

"Shouldn't Malfoy be here as well?"
"Mr. Malfoy is on his way. When I saw him last he was breaking up a fight between two third year boys."

At that moment the compartment door slid open and in stepped Malfoy in what Hermione liked to call "a shroud of arrogance." He just stood there and staring at Hermione.

"What?" Hermione barked for the second time, but this time it actually was at Malfoy.

He continued to simply stare and McGonagall said, "Please take a seat Mr. Malfoy."

Malfoy seemed to snap out of a trance. He swaggered over and took a seat across from Hermione, put his feet up on the bench nest to her, and smirked at her. Hermione simply rolled her eyes and focused on McGonagall.

"This year the heads, that is to say the two of you, will be sharing a dormitory. Not rooms of course, you will each have your own private suites, but the two of you will be separate from the other houses. You will however be sharing a common room and a restroom." She finished and waited for a reaction.

"WHAT! Are you telling me I expected to share a dormitory with this arrogant prick?!" McGonagall's head snapped to Hermione, she had been expecting a nasty comment from Malfoy about a "filthy mudblood." But he sat silently, looking however strangely pleased.

"Yes Miss Granger, I do fully expect you to share a dormitory with Mr. Malfoy. But this expectation does not come from me, it comes from the Headmaster, who set all this up when he chose the two of you last year before," her eyes welled up with tears, "before he died!" And with that she stormed out of the compartment.

Hermione was lost deep in thought 'Why?!' she demanded to herself, 'Why would Dumbledore force me to live with this boy?! It doesn't make sense!'

"Just so you know," Malfoy said, breaking into her thoughts, "I shower at 6:30 every morning for about an hour. So unless you plan on joining me, you better find another time to use the bathroom."

"You disgust me!" Hermione said as she stormed out of the compartment. She had no idea where she was going, only that she needed to find another place to hide. But she knew it was a no go when she saw Ginny stomping down the corridor with an angry look on her face. For what seemed like the millionth time that day she rolled her eyes. 'Ginny is so over dramatic,' she thought.

"Hermione I need to talk to you!" Ginny yelled from half way down the corridor. When she reached Hermione Ginny puller her into the compartment directly across the corridor.

"Out!" she barked at some first years who were currently occupying the compartment.

The first years jumped and ran out. Ginny slumped down on the bench and buried her face in her hands. It was a look of pure defeat and Hermione didn't like it. She admitted to her self that she didn't like it because she didn't understand it.

"What's wrong Gin'"

"Harry, that what's wrong!"

"What happened?" Hermione asked and sat down across from Ginny.

"I don't know what happened 'Mione. We were sitting there talking about, well nothing really, and then all of a sudden her got all weird and said 'I'm done, we're done. This is over.' and stomped out. I just don't understand," with that Ginny started s uncontrollably.

Hermione got up and went and sat beside her. She put her arm around Ginny and let her cry. There was nothing she could say to make Ginny feel better. Ginny cried for what seemed like an hour, and finally Hermione felt the train begin to slow.

"Come on Gin' we need to change. I'll talk to Harry tomorrow and see what kind of sense I can knock back into him."

"Thank you Hermione, if anyone can knock some kid of sense back into that boy you can," Ginny said and gave Hermione a big hug then left.

Again Hermione rolled her eyes. She hurried back to the "head's compartment" and changed, thanking God that Malfoy wasn't there.