A/N: This fic does follow the events of the series and takes place after DH. It does have your typical story line of Hermione and Malfoy as Head Girl and Head Boy, but I promise that its different and interesting. This is my first attempt at a Harry Potter fic and I hope that you guys like it. Happy reading!! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to the Harry Potter universe.

Chapter 1

September – Hogwarts Express

Hermione Granger could not believe that both Harry and Ron had neglected to return to Hogwarts for their final year of magical education. After the Battle of Hogwarts the school had agreed, under the leadership of Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, that all students should be given the opportunity to repeat the year that was interrupted by the Death Eater influence. So, Hermione received an official letter confirming that she was enrolled as a seventh year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and that she had the honorary position of Head Girl. She, of course, jumped at the opportunity to finish her education, but she was returning to Hogwarts with a heavy heart. Her best friend and boyfriend were war heroes who were welcomed into Auror training with open arms and applause. Hell, they had seen more then enough dark magic to bypass the training process if they chose to, but Harry and Ron wanted to return to normalcy, and that meant completing the training process like every other Auror in the department. Well, Harry did, at least. Ron enjoyed the fame and glory just a tad bit more then his dark haired best mate. She just didn't know what they were going to do without her. Who was going to get them out of trouble? Who was going to help Ron with his essays? And what was she going to do without them?

Fortunately, a few friends from her year including a good portion of Dumbledore's Army, were returning, such as Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Hannah Abbott, Seamus Finnigan, Lavender Brown, and the Patil twins, Padma and Parvati. Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood were also returning as sixth years. She knew that the separation from Ron and Harry would be just as hard on Ginny, but both promised to frequently send owls to the two most important women in their lives.

After changing into her school robes, complete with her new, gleaming Head Girl badge, she found the train cart that Ginny, Luna, and Lavender were occupying. She set down the cage that she was carrying and let Crookshanks out of his confines.

"Hello Hermione," Luna greeted her pleasantly. "How was your summer?"

"Wonderful," she answered smiling. She had located her parents in Australia and had lifted the Memory Charm. The three of them had spent time together on the beautiful beaches of Australia before returning to England where she visited The Burrow. "Yours?"

"Wonderful as well, as I said in my letters, my father and I rebuilt his statue of Rowena Ravenclaw."

Hermione chuckled to herself. She and Luna shared very few ideas, but she was a loyal friend. She turned from Luna to Ginny and frowned. The youngest Weasley looked upset and she could only assume it was because she was separated from Harry.

"And how was your summer, Lavender?" Hermione asked after a moment of contemplation, deciding it would be best if she spoke to Ginny in private.

"It was relaxing," she chuckled. "Thank goodness."

Hermione smiled. She had gotten over her dislike for Lavender. She was aware that it had only stemmed from jealously from when she and Ron had briefly dated.

Their polite conversation was interrupted by a group of loud and excited first years who were running up the aisle. "My Mum was in Hufflepuff, so that's where I'll be!" One young, male voice stated enthusiastically.

"Well, I wanna be in Ravenclaw!" Another voice, this one female, spoke eagerly.

"No! We're gonna be in Gryffindor!" A third voice piped in, another male. "Just like Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger!"

The three eleven-year-olds stopped in their tracks and stared with open mouths at the four young women who sat in the cart. "Can we sit here?" The girl asked shyly. She was very petite with long, blonde hair and a cherubic face. Both of the boys were gangly but one had messy, golden brown hair while the other had sleek, dark hair. All three children had already changed into their school robes.

"Sure," Luna replied kindly. She moved closer to Lavender and Hermione scooted closer to Ginny. The two boys sat on the bench with Luna and Lavender while the small girl tentatively took a seat next to Hermione and Crookshanks. Luna smiled friendlily before making introductions, "Hi, I'm Luna, and this is Lavender, Hermione, and Ginny. What are your names?" After asking her question, Luna's gaze wandered and her eyes were unfocused. No doubt she was thinking about something ridiculous like nargals. The younger children looked slightly confused by her change in demeanour.

The dark haired boy answered. "I'm Daniel, and this is Henry and Rebecca."

"You guys are war heroes!" The messy haired boy, Henry, blurted out as he stared at Hermione.

Hermione smiled awkwardly and flushed in response. It looked like they were going to have their very own Colin Creevey.

-()-()-()--()-()-()--()-()-()-

Draco Malfoy sat quietly in his train cart with his head leaning against the glass window. He was sitting in a cart surrounded by his long-time friends, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, and Gregory Goyle, but he was in no mood to talk. Actually, he was rarely in a mood to talk to anyone. He had spent his summer in his room of the magically reconstructed Malfoy Manor. He only left his room for meals and to say goodnight to his mother. It was the least that he could do for his mother after she had risked everything, lying to the Dark Lord, in order to find him in Hogwarts. It was his mother's love for him that allowed the Malfoy family to escape imprisonment in Azkaban. Even though his mother had never been a Death Eater herself, as she had not been branded by the Dark Lord, he and his father had been. In fact the Dark Mark on his left arm was currently being hidden by a very powerful Concealment Charm.

He glanced down at the Head Boy badge pinned to his robes and grimaced. McGonagall was really taking a risk with him, a point that she had highly emphasized to him in his Hogwarts letter. He remembered her exact phrasing: "Draco Malfoy, if you step even one foot out of line, I will not hesitate to expel you." He was without a doubt the most magically gifted male prefect but he was the "bad" guy. He knew that students, parents, and teachers alike would be appalled by his accepted return to Hogwarts, but he had changed. He had retained some of his arrogance and feelings of superiority, but he had watched the torture and murder of innocent witches and wizards at the hands of the Dark Lord and his followers. He had seen the Dark Lord take over his home, bully his father and mother, and he himself had committed unforgivable acts in the Dark Lord's name out of fear for his family and himself.

You cannot remain the same after witnessing, firsthand, the rise and fall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

"Draco, why are you so quiet?" A female voice questioned, clearly in an effort to sound sexy.

He groaned internally. When had Pansy Parkinson entered their cart? He did not want to deal with her right now, of all people. She had badgered him enough over the summer via owl. Along with his newfound set of morals and beliefs, he had lost all interest in his on-again-off-again Slytherin girlfriend. She was whiny and annoying and he hardly found her physically attractive anymore. His tastes had changed.

"Not now, Pansy," he growled.

Blaise looked up from the book that he was reading and glanced over at his best mate. There was a very perceptible change in Draco Malfoy, which he found odd because Malfoys didn't change.

"Drakie," Pansy cooed and the young Malfoy subtly rolled his eyes. "I'm so excited that you're going to have your own private quarters this year. Aren't you excited?"

Malfoy simply shrugged.

"Well, he'll have to share a common room with the Head Girl," Nott pointed out. "Do you know who it is?" He asked curiously.

He shook his head but Blaise answered for him. "Is there any doubt?" He snapped his book shut. "It has to be Granger. She's the top of our year and the most brilliant witch of our generation, according to Witch Weekly," he added with a classic Slytherin smirk.

"That bucktooth, frizzy haired prude cannot be Head Girl!" Pansy stated angrily.

"She hasn't been bucktooth since fourth year," Blaise replied matter-of-factly.

Malfoy ignored the small argument that was taking place and turned to Blaise. "She's back?" He asked interestedly. He knew that Potter and Weasley were in Auror training and surely they couldn't be separated from their Gryffindor princess, could they?

"I assume," Blaise responded simply.

"She is," Goyle reassured. "I saw the Mudblood board the train."

"Don't use that word," Blaise spoke through gritted teeth. The Zabini family had never publicly, or privately, supported the Dark Lord and his views on blood purity, so the occupants of the train cart were not blown away by Blaise's comment. The surprise however was that Blaise was saying exactly what Malfoy was thinking. That word now sent chills down his spine. Whenever that word was spoken it brought him back to his home when Hermione Granger was tortured by his Aunt Bellatrix. The memory filled his stomach with a sick, sinking feeling.

Luckily, the tension in the train cart was interrupted. "Anything from the trolley, dears?" The elderly lady asked pleasantly.

"Please," Draco sighed in relief as he rose to his feet. "Two chocolate frogs," he requested as he pulled change from the pocket of his robes. When she handed him the two pentagon boxes he replied with a polite, "Thank you." Maybe some chocolate would calm his nerves.

-()-()-()--()-()-()--()-()-()-

The Great Hall

The Great Hall of Hogwarts was buzzing with energy. All of the first years had been sorted and now were sitting at their respective house tables eating supper. Hermione ate while having pleasant conversation with her fellow Gryffindors. It felt good to be back in school. But throughout the course of her meal, her eyes kept landing on a certain blonde Slytherin. She couldn't believe that he was back; however, she felt there was a different air about him. She wondered if others noticed it too. He looked much older then his actual eighteen years and he appeared drained and battle worn, not unlike Harry. But he was Malfoy. Just uttering his name made her flush with anger. And noticing the Head Boy badge on his robes did not help her temper. She would have to share her living space with him. That thought alone made her wish she still had a room in Gryffindor Tower. He was going to make her final year a living hell, she just knew it.

After supper she led the first year Gryffindors to their new home before making her way to the Heads' common room. She reached the appropriate portrait of a pleasant wizard and whispered the password that Professor McGonagall had given her. The portrait swung open and she stepped inside.

The Heads' common room was breathtaking. It was spacious and the design, architecture, and colors were a blend of Slytherin and Gryffindor. The walls were a rich oak color, like those in Gryffindor Tower, while the floor was black marble, like the floors in the Slytherin dungeons. The windows were high arched with alternating scarlet and emerald green drapes. The common room would be well lit on a bright sunny day. Like every common room there was a fireplace, yet this was elegant, made of granite with a rug with the crests of the Slytherin and Gryffindor Houses superimposed over each other. There were two large sofas that faced each other and two large wing backed chairs, and they were a neutral snow white in color. On the right side of the common room was a doorway that led to a spiral staircase and on the left side there was a doorway leading to another spiral staircase, but this one led downwards. Next to the doorway on the right there was a sparkling placard that read Head Girl: Hermione Granger. Even the placement of their rooms was a reflection of their houses. Her room was a high tower whereas his was down in the ground like a dungeon.

Malfoy was nowhere in sight so she excitedly ran up the staircase and reached the door to her room. She opened the door and gasped in awe. Her room was perfect. The focal point of the room was a large, four-poster bed complete with a comforter that had a proud lion adorning it. There was also a bedside table, a big work desk, and bookshelves. She could finally have her own private study space. She walked around the room and gently brushed a hand over her dresser and wardrobe. Her room really was perfect and to top things off, a door on her right led to her own bathroom and everything was decorated in Gryffindor colors. Professor McGonagall had thought of everything for her.

Her trunk was sitting at the foot of her bed, waiting to be unpacked, and Crookshanks had already made himself comfortable on an ottoman in the corner.

She was going to enjoy having her own room. Maybe all the pros of being Head Girl would outweigh the cons of living with Malfoy.

She sighed as she remembered that she had hallway patrols to attend to before she could settle into her room. It was just one of her many Head Girl duties. She left her room and locked the door behind her. She entered the common room and there was still no sign of Malfoy. Maybe he was down in his room sulking, or in the Slytherin dungeons brooding, or with his awful girlfriend Pansy Parkinson. It didn't matter to her as long as he didn't neglect his patrols.

She left the common room through the portrait and began her patrol by walking back towards the Entrance Hall. The halls were quiet because most of the students were already in their dormitories, or at least in their own common rooms. But she did hear muffled voices yelling.

She quickened her step as she grasped her wand through her robes, a natural instinct.

"Go back to the dungeons! You slimy Slytherin!"

She frowned as she heard two boys snickering and one sobbing. She was about to intervene but Malfoy bet her to the punch, so she remained in the shadows. She was curious to see how he would handle the situation. His tall, lean frame towered over the two boys that she recognized as Gryffindor second years. She was ashamed to see how they were acting.

"Go back to your rooms!" He ordered menacingly.

The two Gryffindors ran in the opposite direction. They knew not to mess with Draco Malfoy.

Hermione watched in amazement as Malfoy knelt down in front of the boy that she recognized from the Sorting Hat Ceremony. He was very small for his age and he had shoulder length, dark hair, and glasses. "I don't wanna be in Slytherin," the boy sobbed.

She fully prepared herself to step in. She was afraid that Malfoy would yell at the small first year about pureblood Slytherin nonsense or something as equally distasteful. But once again he surprised her by speaking in an uncharacteristically soft voice, "What's your name?"

"Jeffrey," he sniffed.

"Jeffrey, I'm Draco, and you should be proud to be a Slytherin."

'Here he goes,' thought Hermione.

"Slytherins are cunning, ambitious, and clever, and we're a very close house. You won't be left out, don't worry. And Severus Snape, one of the bravest and most talented wizards in history was a Slytherin."

Hermione couldn't believe that she was hearing Malfoy speak in a soothing, comforting voice.

"Yeah, my Mum told me about him. He was a Slytherin," the boy repeated through small sobs.

"Yeah, he was, and if you ever want to talk about other great Slytherins then you can come and talk to me," Malfoy offered kindly.

"I can?" Jeffrey asked in surprise.

Malfoy nodded. "Yeah, just find me, and if you can't find me, then find Blaise Zabini, he's a good bloke, and he'll help you find me."

"Okay," Jeffrey smiled weakly.

"Okay, now you can go on back to your room. Do you remember the way?" Jeffrey nodded. "Okay, then I'll see you at breakfast."

Jeffrey turned and started to walk slowly towards the dungeons. Malfoy stood up and brushed off his robes. He stayed a fair distance behind Jeffrey but made sure that the boy made it to the entrance to the Slytherin common room without any more incidents.

Hermione stayed rooted to her spot. She could not believe what she had just witnessed. Malfoy had been kind, understanding, and down right sweet. What the bloody hell was going on?

A/N: Review and tell me what you think. I need feedback!!!! lol.