OHMIGOSH I'M ALIVE! Sorry to have waited...just under six months to update this :( I've started college and college doesn't really like me. Between college, work, sports, and other obligations, I just didn't have time to work on this as much as I would've like to. I tried to make it longer than the others to try to make up for it. I'M SO SORRY! DX So read, review, and enjoy so I stop feeling horrible about not updating this sooner.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or any characters within, just the words you're about to read.

*Update 2/11/13*- I have re-uploaded all of the chapters. I went through and reread all of them and fixed errors that were previously missed. So Ch 1-Ch 5 had some grammatical errors fixed and I rewrote a few little things (honestly not enough to go back and reread the whole story). In Ch 1, I fixed my timeline error; I'm trying to keep this as accurate as I can, having it based post-war, and I noticed I had both twins, when really there's only one living. (Sorry if you don't like that I killed off a dead character...) Also, in this chapter, I added in a scene that I forgot needed to be here, so this chapter you might want to reread. Thank guys!

Hermione went through her day in a bad mood all day after her first lesson, and it got worse with every new class period; if it wasn't enough they had to room together all year, she and Malfoy shared every class together. Where ever she went he followed, not voluntarily of course. She found a seat as far away as possible every new period, but somehow, most of the professors decided to assign seating and usually put the two Heads together. She was so tense that she didn't eat anything during lunch. The Gryffindor finally found solace during her free period, the one that was supposed to be shared solely with Malfoy. She hurried off to the library after her Ancient Runes class, not caring that they had never set up a meeting place, but only sought to be rid of him. She found a secluded table and chairs in a corner, hidden from view by shelves of books that wrapped around it, and it even had its own fireplace; her favorite spot to study.

She curled up in one of the overly stuffed armchairs with her textbook and worked on her homework, slowly letting the frustrations of the day flow through her quill. She finished all of her homework in record time and started to read ahead…again. She paused to look at her watch and saw that she was going to miss dinner if she didn't leave soon. She packed up her things and skirted around the narrow opening, just to bump into somebody browsing the selection of modern Muggle novels, causing her to drop the books she was carrying.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she stooped down to clean up the papers that had fallen. The taller figure muttered a response as they dropped down to help straighten up. Hermione saw long pale fingers hand over some sheets of parchment and she hastily seized them and stuffed them into a book. They stood as she resituated the books in her arms.

"Thank you." She said quietly with a small smile, finally looking up into Draco's cool grey eyes. Shite. She just couldn't win today. Her smile faltered and her eyes narrowed slightly.

Draco watched as displeasure appeared in Hermione's eyes. His face hardened a little as well; she blew him off for their shared period, and for some reason, it bothered him quite a bit.

"Is this where you were this whole time?" He sounded like an irritated parent, causing him to grimace inwardly. His mind did a little flashback to a time when he was being scolded by his father for who knows what. He shook his head slightly and Hermione gave him a confused book.

"Why should you care where I was? I'm just a lowly mudblood, shadowed by your wonderful pure-blood status." Her confusion gave way to bitterness. Now it was Draco's turn to be confused, his brow creasing the tiniest margin. Then his face relaxed into an impassive stare; he remembered what he had said in class that morning. The name had slipped out of him out of habit…well, not exactly; he had used it as a last resort, really. He actually regretted saying it the moment the word left his lips, but was practiced well enough to not change face.

"I care because we were supposed to start work on our Head duties, but you were nowhere to be found. And now I see why." He said, nodding towards the gap in the book shelves. Hermione wasn't trying to hide the fact that she was a little miffed that Draco didn't apologize for the comment, but at the same time, like she didn't expect him to. He fought the urge to roll his eyes because he could only see things getting worse if he did. When she didn't respond, he changed tact.

"Are you off to dinner?" He asked. This obviously caught Hermione off guard, but she was able to stammer out a reply.

"Y-yes," she said, a little bewildered, "I was just leaving." She looked past him as if to ask him to move. He stepped and turned, bowing slightly and gesturing for her to go first.

"Lead the way, Granger. I was just going to leave as well, so I'll accompany you to the Great Hall." He said, falling in line with her.

"How…civil of you, Malfoy." She replied, still confused about his sudden change of attitude.

"It happens," he muttered. He looked down at her slyly to see the corner of her mouth life a fraction. See Granger? I can be not a total arse. He realized just how it's been one hell of a day; in the bathroom that morning, breakfast, the row in first period, constantly being reassigned to sit next to Hermione, her mood worsening with every minute, not finding her and just going to their dormitory and finishing his homework, pranking a few first years on his way to the library, and now this. The thought was utterly exhausting, making Draco suddenly very hungry.

They met up outside of McGonagall's office after dinner, as requested per the Headmaster. They were about to receive their punishment from their fight during first period. Draco opened the door and stepped to the side so Hermione could enter first. She nodded her thanks and walked in, traveling to the seats they had occupied the night before. Professor McGonagall was nowhere to be found and the duo sat in silence for what seemed like ages. Hermione kept checking her watch and after a few minutes of stifling silence, Draco got up and started exploring the office, all of the portraits and gadgets on the walls and in cabinets.

"I wouldn't go too far if I was you," Hermione warned, breaking the stillness, "Who knows when Professor McGonagall is going to show up."

"Oh, lighten up, would you?" Draco jumped up the staircase to look at the extensive book collection that occupied the walls of the Headmaster's office. "It's not like anything's gonna hap-" He jumped backwards, letting out a startled yelp, and slamming his back into the wrought iron baluster; an orange cat jumped down off of one of the upper shelves, landing on his shoulder to spring off and land on the top of one of the cabinets. Draco looked at the cat with contempt while it gracefully bounced its way down to the floor and strutted over towards Hermione. She recognized the cat right away, but didn't say anything as she watched the cat saunter behind the desk and leap up onto the large chair behind it.

"Bloody cat…" muttered Malfoy, clomping down the steps.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy, did you say something?" asked Professor McGonagall, sitting in her chair behind the desk. Draco froze and stared at the Headmaster, realizing that she was the cat that jumped onto him. He made his way back to the chairs and sat down.

"I didn't say a thing, Headmaster. I was merely musing out loud why a cat would use a person as a jumping platform." He said coolly, obviously looking for an apology. Hermione looked down at her bag next to her, raising her eyebrows; typical Malfoy.

"Oh, I would have no idea about that Mr. Malfoy." McGonagall said, turning her level stare towards him. An annoyed look crossed his face as he slumped back into his seat; Hermione had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. She cleared her throat and turned back towards the Headmistress. "Now, I understand that you two have not had a long-running history of fondness for each other, but that does not excuse your behavior earlier this morning. I don't know what started it and I don't particularly have an interest in finding out. You two are the best and brightest of your year, in the whole school, and I expect you to behave like it, do you understand?"

"Yes, Professor," said Draco and Hermione together, glancing at each other for speaking in unison. Hermione sat thinking about all the possibilities for the detention they were about to spend together.

"Now, since it's the beginning of the school year, Mr. Filtch, with the aid of some of the house elves, has already taken care of everything thus far. And I am far too busy to go searching for something for you two to do, therefore," McGonagall paused, giving each Head a measured glare, "You two do not have a detention for the time being. But, let me assure you, if this sort of behavior happens again, especially in a classroom, there will be consequences." She put extra emphasis on the last three words.

"Yes, Professor," they said again.

"Wait…what?" said Draco, slightly dumbfounded.

"I said that you two do not have detention, but if you keep asking, I could just force myself to find you something to occupy your time, Mr. Malfoy." She gave him a look that said "do-you-really-want-to-go-any-further?"

Draco grimaced. "Understood, Professor McGonagall." Hermione exhaled in relief; she didn't have to spend a detention with Malfoy. Although, a small and very quiet voice in the back of her mind said that she wouldn't have minded a little bit of alone time with him. What am I saying? I have to spend all year with him, why would I want to spend more time with him?

"Thank you, Professor," said Hermione, "Um, may we leave now?"

"Of course, Miss Granger. You and Mr. Malfoy have a pleasant evening, now." Hermione and Draco both stood and gathered their things. Draco, with his longer legs, made it to the door first and exited, not waiting for her to go first this time, but still held the door as he crossed the threshold. Hermione turned and gave a small wave to Professor McGonagall right before leaving, receiving a small smile and a head nod in return.

Hermione sat, reading some random book she borrowed from the library while Draco was sprawled out on one of the large arm chairs, dozing off.

They had walked in semi-comfortable silence from McGonagall's office and parted ways so Hermione could visit her friends in the Gryffindor common room. Draco went straight to their dormitory, and when she got back, he was already asleep. She gently padded up the stairs—so as not to wake him—to her room. She dropped her things on the bed and reorganized the papers that had been haphazardly crammed into books earlier.

She stopped by the kitchenette to fix herself a glass of water. As the faucet filled her glass, she looked up at the back of Draco's head. He was still out cold, looking as if he instantly fell asleep the moment he flopped into the chair. He's not so bad when he's asleep…at least he's being quiet. She watched as light from the fire danced off his hair. She imagined running her fingers through his locks, tousling it, then trailing down to his neck, pulling his head closer to hers, their lips touching…

The water spilled over her fingers, causing her to tear herself away from Malfoy's hair and her reverie. She quickly shut the faucet off and dried off her hands. She gulped down half of her water, her mouth suddenly very dry. She shouldn't be thinking this, she had a boyfriend, whom she loved very much…didn't she? Hermione paused her train of thought as she drifted over to one of the sofas.

Did she love Ron? He was one of her best friends, they had known each other since first year when she, Ron, and Harry had teamed together to beat the obstacles on the way to find the sorcerer's stone. She remembered saying that he 'had the emotional range of a teaspoon' at some point. But was he really so bad? Her mind brought up the face of Lavender Brown. She slapped her book cover in frustration, and jumped at the noise and instantly looked over at Malfoy. He shifted in his seat but did not wake up. Hermione exhaled and cozied up against the arm of the couch, cracking open the book she brought with her. She got about twenty pages in before she, too, began to drift off.

Draco heard a loud smack, waking him, but not enough to get up. He rolled over in the chair and tried to go back to sleep. He went in and out of consciousness for a while until he gave and opened eyes groggily. He squinted in the light of the fire, looking around as if he couldn't figure out where he was. He realized he was still in the small common room of the Heads' dorm.

Once his eyes adjusted fully to the light, he was further able to gather his bearings: he was uncomfortably splayed across an armchair, groggy, and he wasn't alone. In the closest corner of the couch to his right slept Hermione, complete with thumb in reading book, loosely marking her place. Her hair was even bushier than normal due to the friction from the sofa's fabric, covering part of her face. He simply stared at her, confused and entranced; he was mesmerized by the firelight dancing off of what could be seen of her face, and confused for feeling that way. He found himself reaching over to her, tucking her hair behind her ear to get a full view of her face, and slowly tracing her cheek with the back of his finger. She stirred, waved her hand sleepily, as if she were swatting at a fly, and mumbled something incoherent; but she never woke.

Draco had jumped back, not wanting to be caught. He shook his head, his wit returning, remembering who he was with. He looked at his watch; it was after ten o'clock! He had slept for almost three hours in that uncomfortable position, and now he could feel it in his neck and back. He got up and stretched, grunting with soreness. He gathered up his things and quietly went to his room. He reorganized his books and changed into his pajama pants.

He went back downstairs to use the bathroom and brush his teeth and was surprised that Hermione was still sleeping on the sofa when he came out. He looked at the clock that was next to the fireplace, then at the girl, going back and forth between the two. He shrugged and walked to the stairs, just to stop and turn around and stand in front of Hermione. He looked at her, assessing the consequences to what he was thinking of doing. Ignoring every possibility that came to mind, he gingerly put his arms under her knees and back and lifted her up. She was lighter than he had expected and he gently adjusted her in his arms. She didn't wake as he jostled her around, her cheek finally resting on his bare chest. His heart started beating faster with the skin-to-skin contact, and it went even faster when she rubbed her cheek on his chest.

He carried her up the stairs up to her dormitory, fumbling with the handle a bit. He carefully deposited her onto her bed and she stirred slightly. He froze, hoping not to be caught in her room without permission. Once he figured it was safe, he cautiously took her shoes off and put them beside the dresser. Draco turned back to look at Hermione again. It would be a bad idea to try to change her clothes for her, as much as he wouldn't mind doing it. He smirked at the dark as his mind wandered, but was brought back to reality when she stirred again. He scampered to the door and slipped through, not risking the chance to look back in hopes she wouldn't see him. He escaped to his room and fell back onto his bed, his heart still racing.

Hermione dreamed she was flying, being lifted up high by the wind. She landed on a cloud, warm from the sun. She curled up and nuzzled it slightly, relishing the warmth. Then the warmth was gone, the cloud vanished. She jumped back, startled. Then she started falling, further and further away from the light. It was getting colder and darker, falling still, and she was unable to shout for help. She reached for the sky, hoping someone would reach down to save her…

She jumped and sat up, scared and covered in a cold sweat. She looked around her room, dazed by the dream. She figured out she was in her bed, in her dormitory, at Hogwarts, and not falling from a cloud up in the sky. She sighed and wiped her forehead in exasperation. Then she thought about it; she was in her bed, in her dormitory. She didn't remember leaving to couch and coming up to bed. She looked down and saw that she was still in her uniform; she definitely wouldn't have gone to bed like this herself. She glanced over at her dresser and saw her shoes were neatly placed next to it, and then looked at the door, bewildered. Malfoy couldn't have…

She got up and peeked out into the small corridor to Draco's door; it was closed and no light leaked out from under it. He must be in bed. She went downstairs and cleaned herself up in the bathroom and on her trip back up she paused to look at Malfoy's door one last time. How could he be so…"nice" in the dormitory or when it's just us, but such a complete prick when he's around others? It's almost like he's two different people…

Hermione shook her head and went into her room and changed for bed, thinking over how unpredictable the day had been, and it was only the first day of classes! It made her head hurt thinking about how awful the year could turn out to be if this past day was the starting point; she didn't think she would be able to survive if things kept going on like today. She tucked herself under her covers, hoping that tomorrow would be better and slowly drifted off to sleep.

So, was it worthy of a six month wait? (Please say yes, please say yes ;]) I hope you liked it! Don't forget to review it so I can know what you liked and didn't like; I love to read what you guys say about my writing!

With much love, musicpenguin27