Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling is the owner of Harry Potter and everything within that universe.











Hermione could not have been happier when Defense Against the Dark Arts ended. It had been a long day and she could not wait to get a head start on the enormous pile of homework that she had already been assigned. As Harry and Hermione walked out of the classroom, Hermione led Harry down the hallway in the direction of her dorm. Once she got to the entrance, she whispered the password to let Harry inside. Harry’s mouth fell wide open as soon as he walked in.



“Hermione…this is absolutely brilliant!” Harry exclaimed.



“I have to admit, I am rather glad I made Head Girl.”



“You say it like you weren’t expecting it. Come on, Hermione, you’ve been preparing for it since the day you got here and everyone knew you’d become Head Girl. I just wish I’d known that this would be the reward. I probably would have worked a little harder for my grades,” Harry joked.



Hermione was about to reply when Draco Malfoy walked down the stairs. He had heard Harry’s giddiness upon seeing the Head dorm and had a very hard time stopping himself from insulting Harry. Instead, he chose a more civil approach considering the fact that he had been very cruel to Hermione only that morning.



“Are you sure we’re even allowed to let others into the room, Granger?” Draco asked with his usual hint of arrogance.



“It’s not a rule that concerns you, Malfoy. It’s not like you’d care to show it to anyone; you’d need friends for that in the first place,” was Hermione’s cunning remark.



Draco did not reply and decided to go sit at the dining table instead. He ordered himself a plate of roast beef and mashed potatoes. Harry, who had been watching, looked up at Hermione questioningly.



“It’s like the Yule Ball, you just talk into the table and the house-elves send it up.” Hermione replied. “Let me show you my room,” she said as she walked Harry up the stairs and into her own personal quarters.



“This is marvelous, Hermione. You completely deserve this.” Harry smiled at Hermione and hugged his best friend.



After fifteen minutes of conversation, Harry decided to leave because Malfoy kept clearing his throat in the loudest way possible. Once Harry left, Hermione stormed out of her room and over to the dining table where Draco was now treating himself to chocolate éclairs and treacle tart.



“What is your problem, Malfoy? Is it your personal mission to annoy me as much as you possibly can?” Hermione fumed at him.



“I have no idea what you are talking about. Can’t a man eat his meal in peace?” Draco replied calmly.



“No, Malfoy. Peace doesn’t require you to clear your throat as loudly as Professor Umbridge.” Draco’s calm attitude only made Hermione angrier.



“Why are you getting so flustered, Granger? Angry that I interrupted your snog session with Potter?” Malfoy sneered.



“Harry and I are just friends. Normal people don’t just go around snogging their friends. Of course you wouldn’t know that since you don’t have any friends of your own in the first place,” Hermione retorted and started walking back to her room.



“Granger, wait,” Draco called after her.



“What? Have you come up with a decent retort for once? Or is it the usual rehearsed lines that you preach?” Hermione bitterly said as she spun around to face him.



“For once in your life Granger, you’re wrong,” Draco said quietly. “I didn’t call you to insult you. I…I want to say something else to you.”



Hermione did not see where Draco was taking this. She just stood there with one eyebrow arched and looked at Malfoy.



“I wanted to apologize to you…for what I said after Transfiguration today…and for what I just did now. I was wrong; I shouldn’t have said those things. I-I’m sorry.” The room was completely silent after Draco said those last few words.



It took a few seconds for Hermione to realize that Draco Malfoy had just properly apologized to her. She really didn’t know what to say. She knew that Draco Malfoy was an insufferable, arrogant git and she had never in a hundred years thought that he would ever apologize to her.



“Did you just apologize to me?” was all Hermione could say.



“Umm, yeah. I think I just did,” said Draco as if he could not believe he had just done that.



“Okay then. I forgive you.” It was more a question then a statement when it came out of Hermione’s mouth.



“Ahh, thanks?” Draco said rather unsurely.



“Don’t worry, there’s a first time for everything,” Hermione candidly replied.



“I’ve never apologized to anyone before, so this is kind of weird. I must be acting like a complete idiot right now,” said Draco honestly.



“Not really. You just lost your usual smug and proud attitude,” smiled Hermione.



“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it. I don’t want people to think that I’m a House traitor, too now. I have to keep up my Slytherin image, you know?” Draco jokingly replied back.



“I know. First you join the Order and next thing you know, you turn into an apologizing Gryffindor,” Hermione answered.



“Hey, it was just one apology. Just because I decided to do you the courtesy of being civil for once doesn’t mean we’re best friends. You Gryffindors, constantly looking for excuses to make friends,” Draco replied harshly. Hermione’s last sentence had knocked him out of his trance. What had he been thinking? Draco could not believe he had let his guard down around Granger of all people. He could not believe that she had the nerve to bring up the Order just because he had been candid with her for a few moments. Draco got out of his chair, glared at Hermione and stormed out of the common room and into his room.



Hermione stood rooted to her spot. What just happened? she thought to herself.



First, Draco apologized and then the moment Hermione thought that he really wasn’t that bad, his evil personality surfaced again. So maybe she shouldn’t have talked about the Order, but it had just slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself. And besides, Malfoy had no right to talk to her like that just because she had mentioned the Order.



I was right from the beginning; he really can’t change, she thought to herself as she sat down at the table and heard her stomach grumble.



Hermione half considered going down to the Great Hall to grab something to eat, but decided against it. She was Head Girl after all and may as well use the privileges she had been given. After all, she had worked very hard to get here, so why not enjoy herself? She whispered, ”Pasta and meatballs” into the table and the food appeared instantly. Hermione felt guilty for a few seconds because some poor house elf had cooked her food, but once the delicious smell drifted into her nostrils, she could not restrain herself any longer. She dug into her delicious meal and was actually glad she had not asked Professor McGonagall to replace the table with a kitchen after all.