FicWad

Hogwarts looked the same and yet it didn't. It was the same ancient structure that has housed thousands of students for centuries, yet there was something different to it. There was an air of unmistakable melancholia and grief, like the very stones were groaning silently. Perhaps because it still hasn't finished mourning its losses. Or perhaps because what used to be a place of adventure and fun had turned into a place of sorrow and broken promises.

At least that's how it felt like to Hermione Granger, one-third of the Golden Trio, war heroine, one of the saviors of Wizardkind.

She sighed as she slung her backpack on her shoulders. Such lofty titles! She didn't even deserve half of it. Except the one-third of the Golden Trio bit. That one she really was. Up until last month, that is. Now she didn't even know if she was still part of a Trio. Or if she even wanted to be. One thing's for sure – she's not too keen on being with one of their members. The red-headed one to be precise.

Everything was going smoothly, or so she thought. They started being 'together' right after the war. After that hot, face-melting kiss that they shared in the Chamber of Secrets, it was the only logical outcome. But then, after a few weeks, the fights started. They would argue about the simplest of things, with Ron blowing up at the slightest provocation. Then, Ron began spending more and more time away from her. Even when she was at the Burrow, he would make excuses (Quidditch practice with Harry, or Dean, or whoever) and leave her in the company of his mom and siblings. Good thing she was already bestfriends with Ginny, so it didn't seem so awkward for her to stay there even when Ron was out. She reasoned that he was just getting more serious about Quidditch, even thinking of turning it into a profession after they graduate from Hogwarts, so he needed all the training that he could get. She missed him, but if that's what he wanted, then she'd support him all the way.

Until she saw him with Padma Patil at Honeydukes, being all sweet and attentive. And on a day that he said he would be out practicing with Harry!

That was their biggest fight ever. Ron, of course, denied that anything was going on between him and Padma. He even accused Hermione of being paranoid. She apologized, mortified that she was probably reading too much into an innocent meeting with an old friend (or flame?). Ron 'forgave' her and things went back to normal for the next few days. She slipped back into complacency and before she knew it, he was also back to his old habit of leaving her in the Burrow. It went on like that for another month, until she caught him again with Padma. This time, Ron could no longer make excuses. It seemed quite hard to explain how his lips were inadvertently glued to Padma's at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. She walked away without saying goodbye and that was the end of their very short-lived romance. It may have been short-lived, but it still hurt like hell. And now, she didn't know how she would be able to face him again.

A voice calling out her name pulled her away from her dismal thoughts. She turned around and saw Harry walking briskly toward her, his brows knotted in a deep frown.

"Hermione! Will you please wait up. We've been hollering your name for ages!"

Hermione saw Ginny right behind him, her brows arched in question.

"I'm sorry, guys. I was just running my schedule through my head. I wanted to make sure that I won't miss anything," she replied, smiling sheepishly at her bestfriends.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked, reaching for her hand.

Hermione's throat closed up on her, touched by the genuine concern she heard in Ginny's voice. She swallowed her oncoming tears and nodded, squeezing Ginny's hand. "I'm okay, Gin. Don't worry about me. What's your first class, by the way?"

"Uhm, I have History and I think it's Advanced Potions with Professor Slughorn for Harry. Right, hon?"

"Yes, it is. What's your first class, Mione?" Harry replied, slipping his hand behind Ginny's waist, pulling her close.

Hermione had seen the two in such a stance countless of times, but somehow she felt uncomfortable seeing them like that now. She needed to get away lest she ruined the day for her bestfriends.

"Great! I'll see you at Potions then, Harry. I'll just make a detour to the library. I need to get something from there. Good luck with your first class, Gin. I hope you don't fall asleep. Bye!" She waved, turned and walked as fast as she could, leaving the two gawking at her retreating figure.

She did not go to the library, though. She locked herself in one of the stalls in the ladies' room and cried her eyes out.

**

Draco Malfoy pinned the HeadBoy badge on his robe with trepidation. Under any other circumstance, he would've strutted around with it. But after everything that had happened to all of them because of the war (which up to now he felt a little responsible for), he hardly considered himself worthy of such honor. Why couldn't have HeadMistress McGonagall chosen someone else? Why not Potter or Longbottom? They were truly the two biggest heroes of the war, so why didn't she choose either of the two? Granger deserved the spot, McGonagall informed him that she was the HeadGirl, but him? Sometimes he really wondered if there wasn't something wrong inside the HeadMistress' noggin.

He shook his head and glanced at his image in the mirror. Physically, he looked the same, yet he really wasn't. The past year had changed him so much he could hardly recognize himself. Where was the cocky, arrogant, spoiled brat that he once was? Where was the self-assured, immature snob who bullied his classmates out of boredom? The Draco that was looking back at him now was a grown-up version, a wiser, stronger version of that young, insecure boy. And he could bet half his inheritance that no one ever considered that he was even that. All they saw was the obnoxious Draco. And could he blame them? Up until that time when he decided to finally declare what was truly in his heart and mind, people saw him as nothing but a teenage Death Eater. No one ever thought that all his life, he was being forced into a role that he couldn't get out of.

Zabini's voice calling out to him cut into his musings. He brushed his hair back with his hand, smoothed his robe and turned toward the door.

"Malfoy! We're going to be late! Enough with your primping. I'm sure you're prettier than half the girls in our class, anyway," Zabini hollered.

Draco chuckled at his friend's statement. He really should get a move on. Bending down, he grabbed his backpack, slung it over his shoulders and strode out the room. Zabini jumped to his feet and followed him to the door.

"What's got your knickers in a knot, Zabini? So eager to start with your lessons? That's a first for sure!"

"Pansy's already waiting for us. You know how she gets when we're late. We won't hear the end of it! And I don't want my first day ruined just yet."

"You're whipped, man," Draco threw over his shoulder.

"Hah! Let's see if you're any better at handling your girlfriend," Zabini retorted.

"Which is why I have no plans of having one."

"Oh, right! I forgot that girls, for you, are good at only one thing."

"Damn right, you are! I have no intention of turning into a sniveling fool like you."

"Okay! Enough already! Let's not get worked up before we even get to class. We're having Potions with the Gryffindors, you know."

Draco groaned. Even though they're now on speaking terms with their former nemeses, there was still a sort of barrier that they could not seem to overcome. It really isn't that easy to forget all those years of bad blood between the two houses. Only a miracle could change that.

His thoughts went back to the last days of the war. He'd admitted to his mother of his intention to switch sides. She was against it, of course. Not because she still believed in the Dark Lord's cause, but because she feared what his father would do to him if he found out. But he saw no other way to right the wrongs that he has done. He owed as much to Dumbledore. Even after the great man found out about his mission, he still tried to help him. Up to the very last minute of his life, actually. And he could never dismiss that lightly.

He pulled himself from his musings when they reached the Dungeon, the site of their Advanced Potions class. Most of their classmates where already there, even the Gryffindors. Blaise pushed past him and rushed to sit beside Pansy, who was glaring at both of them. Draco chose to sit on the last row, away from the lovebirds. Sometimes it was hard not to get annoyed with their constant whisperings. Dumping his backpack on his desk, he leaned back in his chair and waited for Professor Slughorn to finish what he was writing on the board. He smirked as he realized that it was a potion he was very familiar with. Today's work would be a breeze.

Draco leaned on his bag and sighed. He shouldn't be here. It was only because his mother begged him to finish his studies that he was compelled to come back to Hogwarts. The war had changed a lot of things, but he feared that some things would never do. The opinion of people, for one. Even though he fought side by side with some of his classmates from Gryffindor during the war, they still kept a safe distance from him now. They treated him quite civilly, but with a coldness that was even worse than their former disdain. A slight movement to his left caught his attention. When he turned to look, he was surprised to see Hermione Granger sitting beside him. He whipped his head around to look for the Weas-, Weasley (he really should start ditching his former nasty nicknames for the Gryffindors!) and he saw him sitting up front with Longbottom.

"I think you've got the wrong seat, Granger. Your gang is up front, why are you hanging about in the shadows here with me?"

Silence. Hermione's eyes were downcast, her fingers fumbling at the clasp of her backpack. Draco's brows knotted into a frown. He'd half expected a quick retort from her and he wondered what made her wake up on the wrong side of bed. He saw that she was getting frustrated with the troublesome clasp so he reached out and grabbed the bag from her.

"Here, let me," he said as he clicked on the clasp and opened the front flap of the bag. He shoved the bag back to Hermione and took a closer look at her. Her eyes were puffy and her nose was red. She had obviously been crying.

"Hey, Granger, what's wrong," he asked, leaning close.

Hermione's head shot up and her eyes flashed in anger.

"Mind your own business, Malfoy."

"Hey, don't snap at me. I was just trying to help."

"Well, I don't need it."

"You obviously did, just a minute ago. You couldn't even open your damned bag."

"I could've, if you didn't just grab it from me and acted like my damn savior!" Hermione whispered furiously at him.

"Well, excuse me, Miss I-Can-Do-Everything-By-Myself! Remind me never to come to your aid anytime soon. Or better yet, make that never," Draco snapped back. He couldn't understand how his emotions seemed to go up and down whenever he was near her. How could his concern turn into annoyance in a flick of a finger? He shot a parting glance at her and turned his attention back to Professor Slughorn who'd just started to address the class.

"Good morning, everyone! So, we're going to do something different today. As you can see, I have here two glasses filled with strips of parchment. You will each get one," he gave one glass to Longbottom and the other to Nott.

"Get one then pass it along. Since we're all starting anew, and this is a brand new day at Hogwarts," he chuckled, "Merlin, the whole wizarding world, actually! I'd like to foster camaraderie amongst all the Houses. So, you will see that if you're a Gryffindor, the name on the parchment that you picked out will be of someone from Slytherin and vise versa. I've charmed the parchments to do that on their own. And just so you won't get tempted to cheat, the moment you pick out the parchment, the partners' names will be reflected on the board automatically."

A slight murmur, mostly grumbling, echoed in the room. "Go on, pass it along, Daley. That's right. Yes, go on. Take note that whoever you picked out will be your partner for the rest of the year."

And just as the Professor had said, names were now appearing on the board: LONGBOTTOM – NOTT, POTTER – ZABINI, PARKINSON - WEASLEY....

The grumbling grew louder as more and more names were revealed. It seemed that none of them were happy with their partners. This really would be an interesting year for the Advanced Potions class of Professor Slughorn.

Draco took the glass from Finnigan, he could see that there were just two strips of parchment left. One for him and one for Hermione.

I have a bad feeling about this, he thought.

He dipped his finger inside and picked one of the last two remaining strips then passed the glass along to Hermione. Then, he looked up the board and waited for their names to appear. He didn't even open the folded strip of paper, he just knew who his partner would be.

And as predicted, their names appeared on the board just as he heard Hermione squeak, "Oh, no! Merlin help me!"

MALFOY – GRANGER.