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There are days that don't really take off the way that you want them to. And for Hermione, this was definitely one of those days. After a disastrous Potions class, everything just continued to go downhill. She was late for her Runes class (which was actually Malfoy's fault – they had to stay behind and clean up the mess they created), then she forgot her book for Charms class, so she had to go back to the Tower to retrieve it (making her miss lunch in the process!), then Defence Against the Dark Arts was with the Slytherins again! She spent most of her time purposely ignoring Malfoy (which gave her a stiff neck since he sat beside her just to annoy her).

Hermione sighed as she trudged up to the Great Hall. Will this day never end? She would've preferred to go straight to bed but her stomach was already protesting. She couldn't miss dinner since she'd already missed lunch, if she did she'd only wake up hungry in the middle of the night and then she won't be able to sleep. Which in turn would make her cranky in the morning. So, she dragged herself to dinner and prepared for the worst.

The Hall was almost full when she got there. The four tables were already filled with students gorging on the delicious fare. Her stomach growled as the aroma of roasted chicken and pudding greeted her. She moved toward the Gryffindor table but stopped in her tracks when she saw Ron and Padma sitting close together, exchanging spoonfuls of pudding. She'd forgotten that the rules have been relaxed and students were now free to sit wherever they chose to. She looked around and indeed, most of the tables were mixed with Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors sitting together. Only the Slytherins sat apart in their old table. I guess some things never really change.

Ginny waved to her and motioned for her to sit beside Luna, but that would make her sit right across Padma and Ron. She waved back and she shook her head, casting a surreptitious glance at Ron. Ginny got the message and gave her a small, sad smile. Hermione turned back and took a seat at the table nearest the entrance. The first-years sitting there gawked at her, eyeing her Head Girl badge nervously.

"Don't worry, I don't bite," she smiled at the two first-years, a black-haired boy and a red-headed one with glasses (why did she feel like they looked somewhat familiar?). Their shoulders slumped visibly in relief at her assurance.

"I'm Hermione, by the way – Gryffindor. How about you two?"

"I'm Luke, Ravenclaw, and this is my cousin, Thomas. He got sorted into Slytherin," the one with the black hair said.

"Slytherin? Then, why aren't you at the Slytherin table," a familiar voice said. Thomas paled at seeing the Head Boy badge pinned on the newcomer's robes.

Hermione closed her eyes and counted to ten before opening them again to smile at Luke and Thomas. "You really don't have to sit at the Slytherin table if you don't want to, Thomas. Look at the Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. They're all sitting together and no one's telling them to do otherwise."

Thomas nodded but still cast a nervous glance at the one with the Head Boy badge. He kept his head down as he stabbed at his veggies. Luke did the same, his eyes focused on his pudding.

Draco chuckled as he sat down beside Hermione. "That's right, boys. What the Head Girl said is true. You can sit anywhere you want and with anyone you want. I was just messing with you, Thomas."

Thomas nodded, his eyes twinkling as he smiled. Luke also smiled and soon the two were back to eating and talking to each other, the persons of authority sitting before them momentarily forgotten.

"So, why is the Head Girl sitting with two first-years? Not comfortable sitting with the Ravenclaws?" Draco said as he piled his plate with food. He could almost feel the heat of Hermione's glare.

"And what is the Head Boy doing here? Why aren't you sitting with your Slytherin friends? Where's your House pride, Malfoy?" Hermione sneered, filling her plate with veggies, chicken and corn bread.

"Well, I was about to join them, actually, but I heard you bullying these two poor boys so I just had to come to their rescue. Don't want you terrifying them before going to bed."

"Bullying? Terrifying? As far as I can remember, it was you who almost scared the wits out of Thomas with that Slytherin nonsense of yours."

"Slytherin nonsense? And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"It's as I've said, nonsense. Just look around you, Malfoy. There are no House tables, anymore. Ravenclaws, Gryffindors, and Hufflepuffs, all eating, talking, sitting together. Except for the Slytherins who still chose to segregate themselves," Hermione said gesturing to the other tables.

Draco did not have to look around to see the truth of her words. It was the first thing he noticed, even during lunch. But it wasn't entirely the Slytherins' fault. Practically no one chose to sit beside a Slytherin.

"Maybe it's not because they wanted to 'segregate' themselves but rather that they had no choice because no one dared invite them to sit with the other houses. And no one even ventured to join the Slytherin table," Draco replied, trying to keep his simmering anger at bay. He had hoped that the war would finally end all that crap about House segregation, but it was clear that old prejudices die hard. People still viewed the Slytherins as the scum of the earth. Even after a lot of them had fought and bled in the war. Himself included.

"That is so not true, Malfoy," Hermione protested.

"Really? Can you prove it? During the welcome feast last night, did anyone of you invite a Slytherin to your table?" Malfoy turned to Hermione with brows raised, the beginning of a sneer forming on his lips.

"I – I wasn't very attentive last night," Hermione said, her voice barely above a whisper. Last night I was a walking zombie, she wanted to add. How could she have noticed anything other than Ron and Padma pawing at each other? She had to focus on restraining herself from raining curses at Ron during the welcome feast that she wasn't sure if she even ate at all!

"What was that? I didn't quite get it."

Hermione groaned. Will he never stop pestering me? "I said I didn't notice. I wasn't paying attention last night."

"And why weren't you?"

"I had other things on my mind, okay? Just go away, Malfoy!"

"I'm not yet done with dinner. Besides, you may be Head Girl, but are you forgetting that I'm Head Boy? You can't just order me around, Granger."

Draco took a sip of pumpkin juice and turned to look at Hermione. He was expecting to meet her glare but Hermione's eyes were somewhere else. He followed her line of sight and inwardly sighed when he saw what she was looking at. You are such a git, Weaslebee!

He glanced back at Hermione and saw her staring at her food, pushing her veggies around on her plate, her brows knotted in a tight frown. Draco didn't know why he didn't care to see her in such a state. Somehow, he felt like it was his responsibility to cheer her up. But what could he say? Aside from their sporadic verbal jousting, they'd never really talked to each other. And most of those exchanges were peppered with insults and unkind words. Yet, Hermione seemed at her best during those times. Perhaps if he just diverted her attention for a while...

"Didn't your parents ever tell you not to play with your food?" Draco asked, determined to annoy Hermione out of her melancholia.

"Didn't your parents ever tell you to keep out of other people's business?" Hermione blanched as she realized what she had just said. "I – I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

Draco stiffened at the mention of his parents. The past year had caused so much devastation to his family and he just hadn't come to terms with that yet. Still, he didn't want to make a big deal out of it or to make Hermione feel guilty about that harsh reminder of his situation.

"Don't bother, Granger. I'll just pretend I didn't hear you."

"No, really, Draco. I didn't mean to...to say anything about...about," she was cut off by the incredulous look on Draco's face.

"Did you just call me by my first name?" Draco smirked.

"What? No! No, I didn't!" Hermione gasped.

"Yes, you did."

"I did not!"

"Yes, you did. I'm not yet hard of hearing, you know. You said Draco."

"Well, you heard wrong. I would never do such a thing."

"You did, too."

"Did not!"

"Did, too!"

"I DID NOT!"

A few heads turned their way and the two first-years before them froze in their seats. Hermione gave them all a bland smile then turned to Draco and whispered furiously at him.

"Alright! So what if I did? It was just a slip," Hermione bit her tongue as she realized her mistake. Now he would think that I call him Draco in my mind!

"A slip....hmmm," Draco drawled, his lips frozen in a lopsided smile. "A slip means that you're used to doing something, but only in secret. And calling someone by their first name means that you're a bit on intimate terms with that person. Like a friend, or a...lover?"

Hermione snorted at that. "You're delusional, Malfoy," she said, spearing an asparagus rather too harshly. Why ever did I call him by his first name?

Draco leaned closer and whispered into Hermione's ears. "So, you're probably thinking of me on more intimate terms, hmm?"

"You wish!"

"Oh, come on! It'll be our little secret," he continued, taunting Hermione by leaning in closer, their arms now brushing against each other.

"Will you just drop it, Malfoy!"

Draco smiled inside, satisfied that he now had Hermione's full attention. She hasn't even looked once at the Gryffindor table during their exchange. Now, let's see how far you'd go, Granger. He moved closer to Hermione, his lips almost touching her ear as he whispered.

"Now, tell me, am I often in your thoughts, Hermione?"

Hermione shot out of her seat and glared down at Draco, her cheeks turning a bright pink.

"You are an impossible, self-absorbed, arrogant, annoying buffoon, Malfoy! And I don't want to ever speak with you again! Ever! You hear?"

And with that, she turned tail and stormed out of the Hall.

Draco grinned, shaking his head as he took another sip of pumpkin juice. Some things just never change, do they?