Year of the Dragon

"Where are you going, Drakey?" whined the disgusting Pansy Parkinson. Draco felt like gagging.

"None of your damned business Parkinson," he sneered as he exited the common room. He had no time for Pansy's simpering right now. He was on his way to meet the one person he never thought he'd voluntarily spend time with: Hermione Granger. Surprisingly, Draco thought that their first meeting had gone rather well, considering they were enemies. Of course, Draco knew that you were only somebody's enemy until you each had something the other wanted. Then you became partners, on a very tedious, professional level. It was with these thoughts that Draco entered the library and sat down at the back to wait for a Mudblood.

Hermione cursed herself under her breath as she tripped over her own feet. "Agh! Hurry up Hermione!" Her lunch had taken a bit longer than usual, because she'd gotten into an argument with Ron about Ginny, of all things. "Can you imagine!" she grumbled as she made her way to the library. "Thinking he can control her life like that! Ugh!" She walked in and immediately began searching for Malfoy. She didn't see him at first, and for a very angry minute thought that he'd faked the whole thing. Then, she noticed a very blonde boy with his head buried in a book at the back of the library. "Malfoy reads?" she asked herself with shock.

Draco was deeply engrossed in a copy of Hogwarts: A History when he sensed somebody standing near him. He glanced up irritably to see who was disturbing his reading, and saw Granger standing there with a smirk on her face. He dropped the book like a hot ember. He couldn't have people knowing he read that crap! "Hello Granger. Well, I guess we head downstairs..."

"Hold on, Malfoy! Don't think I'm going to let that go."

"What go?" he asked innocently.

"You were reading Hogwarts: A History. Not glancing at it: you were really reading it. You looked daggers at me when I interrupted!" Draco scoffed at this.

"I did not. I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about. Malfoys have no interest in the history of this school, unless it's exclusively about Salazar Slytherin. I was just trying to pass the time while you finally decided whether or not you were going to show up." He stood up and began to saunter towards the exit, so Hermione had no choice but to follow.

"Whatever you say Malfoy. And I was not deciding whether or not to show up. I was, oh never mind," she sighed. Draco raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing. He could tell she was upset, but having no experience with friends of any sort he was unsure how to take her mind off it. Not like I care anyway, he reminded himself.

They made their way to the dungeon in silence, Draco thinking about how to bring Hermione to the real world, and Hermione thinking about how to make Ron let Ginny have a life. When the fire was started and Draco had taken a small stool, letting Hermione have the leather chair again, neither one of them knew where to start.

"Well," said Draco, "Have you thought of a way to get me out of initiation yet?" Hermione glared at him.

"Have you? Why would I have thought of something so fast?" Draco shrugged.

"Maybe because you're smart?"

"Oh, and like you're an idiot!"

"Isn't that what you've always said before?" Hermione squirmed uneasily.

"Well, that was more trading insults, you know. Like you calling Ron stupid--"

"No, no, no. I call Weasley stupid because he is."

"Shut up Malfoy!"

"He is! Okay, can you look me in the eye and tell me you find Ronald Weasley to be an intelligent young man? Go on, try it. I dare you," he teased. She only glared more. I should have known he'd make this hell! Hermione started to look Draco in his cool, gray eyes.

"Ronald Weasley is an intelli--" Draco raised his eyebrow tauntingly. The bastard's trying to make me laugh! She huffed impatiently. "I can't say it with you making that face! Ronald Weasley is...stop it!"

Draco was now leaning forward with his chin resting on his arms, gazing at Hermione like what she had to say was both fascinating and highly unlikely. Pretty eyes, he thought spontaneously. He sat up and looked away. "Alright, if you don't want to insult your friend, I'll leave it alone. But only because we have to work together. To answer your earlier question, no. I have no clue what to do. In fact, I think that no matter what we do I'm going to be made a Death Eater." Hermione couldn't help but be amazed by the boy sitting before her. Here he was, talking about something horrible like it was nothing.

"Don't say that. I'm sure we'll think of something..." Draco shook his head.

"No. We won't. If we go to Dumbledore, which I know will probably be the first thing you think of, I will have to reveal some things that, well, I can't reveal. If I did, I'd be tracked down and killed."

"Well, I wasn't going to suggest that anyways," Hermione replied. Draco was looking very amused.

"Oh, really? Ms. Granger finally growing up? Going to stop depending on Dumbledore?"

"You must be mistaken, Mr. Malfoy. I've never been dependent on anyone. It's Harry who depends on Dumbledo-, I mean," realizing what she'd just said, Hermione turned beet red.

"Ha! So you admit that Potter leans on Dumbledore! You're great for gossip, Granger. I've got to hang around you more often." Somewhere in the back of Hermione's mind, she was thinking that wouldn't be nearly as bad a thing as she once thought.

"Look, we're talking about you becoming, or NOT becoming a Death Eater. Not my friend's lives. Have you tried telling your father that you simply don't want to be a Death Eater?" Draco let out a chuckle. "Oh, is that funny?"

"You're hopelessly naive Granger. No wonder you haven't got a life."

"That's IT! If you keep on insulting me and my friends you can go ahead and become a Death Eater for all I care! I refuse to help an asshole like you in my spare time." Draco cringed. He really was terrible at being nice to people.

"Alright, look...I'll stop doing whatever it is I keep doing, okay?" Hermione eyed him warily. "I will! Honestly." He fixed her with his best puppy-dog face, and hoped for the best. Hermione felt herself soften.

"You're just lucky I want to stop Voldemort so badly. Okay, you get one more shot at being...tolerable."

"Good. Now, the prophecy...it says that when I get the Dark Mark Voldemort wins, right? And it says that if I'm saved from being a Death Eater old Tom Riddle is screwed, right?"

"Yes, and the first line says this will happen when two of the last come between 16. I haven't quite got that one yet. Are you sixteen right now?"

"Yeah, but that's not what it means. I'm a bit disappointed in you Granger. I thought you'd already figured that one out."

"Oh," Hermione rolled her eyes, "And I suppose you figured out what it meant the first time you read it." Draco grinned. "You did NOT! Did you?"

"It means 1996. Nine is the last unique number. Put two of them between a 1 and a 6 and you get 1996. That's next year. So, we'd have at least two months of peace after my initiation before things went all to hell."

"Malfoy! You're a genius!" Hermione shrieked gleefully. She loved solving a good puzzle. Much to his irritation, Draco felt his ears heat up.

"I'm good at brain-teasers, that's all," he mumble embarrassedly. Hermione accepted this, but was still impressed.

"So, we know that in 1996, if you don't get the Dark Mark...Voldemort is ruined. Wow, Malfoy...you do realize what this means?" Draco rolled his eyes dramatically.

"No, Granger. I have no idea. Please, tell me before I go crazy." His words dripped with sarcasm.

"Fine!" Hermione snapped hotly, "What does it mean then?"

"It means," Draco drawled, "That the fate of the Wizarding World rests in my hands. Not Potter's." He smiled triumphantly.

"What is it with you and your pathetic preoccupation with Harry? Why on earth do you hate him and Ron so much? I know you hate me because I'm...a Mudblood." She looked away. Odd, he thought, I haven't thought about her being a Mudblood all evening, really. She hasn't been that bad to work with, either, if not for her decidedly Gryffindor tendencies. After much inner debate, Draco came to a conclusion.

"I don't hate you," Draco said simply. That caught Hermione's attention. She stared at him.

"You don't?" He looked thoughtful, then shook his head.

"No. I don't hate you." To Draco's surprise, Hermione smiled warmly at him and her eyes began to glisten. "What on earth is wrong with you?" he asked uncomfortably.

"Nothing. It's just, well, you've always made me feel like less than dirt because of my parents, and now you don't hate me. It's just....a good feeling, that's all." Hermione caught herself and added quickly to a very confused Draco, "Not that I ever really cared what you think. Because I didn't. I don't." Merlin, who am I trying to convince?

"Right. Well, okay." Then, as if to save himself the agony of seeming nice, he added, "I do hate Harry and Ron though! No doubt about that."

"Oh. I guess that doesn't shock me. Why?"

"None of your bloody business!"

"Oh. Alright," she paused, "Are you jealous of Harry?"

"What the hell kind of question is that?! No, I'm not jealous of scarface! He has bad hair, no parents, and he wears glasses for Merlin's sake! Why would I be jealous of Potter?!" Draco had his arms crossed over his chest as if rebelling against the world.

"Maybe because he's famous?" she tried.

"I have money Granger. That's all fame's really good for."

"Well, maybe because he has friends. And the teachers like him. And everyone respects him. And, his family isn't trying to force him to become evil!" Hermione expected Malfoy to scream, or hex her, or deny everything. Instead, he said nothing for a moment.

"No, Granger. I am not jealous of Potter. For ANY reason. Now, you can answer my question: Why do you hang around those two when you are ignored and taken advantage of? And don't deny it Granger. You are ignored."

"You have no right to go there, Malfoy!"

"Oh, but I want to go there, Granger. Are you telling me that you don't wish you were 'the best friend'? That you don't constantly feel like a third wheel? Only convenient when somebody needs help with their homework? And who are you to tell me I've got reasons to be jealous of Harry fucking Potter? You probably cry at nights because nobody notices how pretty you've gotten, and everybody sees you as a boring bookworm..."

SMACK!

Draco watched, stunned, as Hermione gathered her books. "You slapped me!"

"You are a horrible person Draco Malfoy! Next time you need help, go to Snape!" And with that, Hermione ran away from the dungeons and Draco Malfoy, tears streaming down her face.

Draco sat staring into the fire for a minute. For some reason, he didn't feel right. Granger had made him feel like shit, and she had hardly had to try. It had shocked and angered him that she'd known exactly what he felt concerning Potter: nothing but petty jealousy. That wasn't all that had gotten him hacked off though. She'd also known why he was jealous. And that was unforgivable in Draco's eyes.

So why was he feeling strange about making her cry like that? "Surely, that's not my conscience?" he whispered to himself. A Malfoy couldn't afford to have a conscience. And why would he feel bad about making Granger sad, of all people? Draco shook his head and decided to go to his room and think. His usually confident hold on his limited emotions was wavering today, and he needed to get himself back under control. If the other Slytherins; or worse, his father; sensed weakness...

Well, let's just say things could get bad.

"I'm a horrible, horrible person!" Hermione cried into her pillow. At first after leaving the dungeons, Hermione had been furious with Malfoy for everything he'd said. She knew it shouldn't have bothered her, especially coming from him, but everything he'd said had been so right! It had caught her off guard that somebody she barely knew could know exactly what she felt. After she'd begun to calm down, anger was replaced by an even worse emotion: guilt. "I had no right to dig at him like that....oh, he'll never forgive me and now Voldemort will win and it's all my fault!"

After mentally kicking herself for a few hours, Hermione went down to the Great Hall for dinner. Harry and Ron were already there.

"Hermione! Thank GOD you're here!" Harry said.

"Why? What's going on?" she asked as she sat down beside him.

"Harry's scar got really bad about an hour ago. He thinks Voldemort has either done or started planning something really awful," Ron informed her. Hermione blanched. "I know, rotten isn't it?" Despite herself, she felt her gaze veer towards the Slytherin table. Draco was sitting there, ignoring everyone around him and focusing on his meal. No, she thought to herself, it's nothing to do with him and if it was I wouldn't care. I've got to stop being so motherly all the time.

"Well, did you go to Dumbledore?" she asked. Harry nodded.

"The first thing I did." The corners of her mouth twitched slightly as she remembered what she and Malfoy had discussed earlier.

"Alright. Well, I don't really see what I can say. He's probably just planning something really evil."

"You two know what it must be, don't you?" Ron asked knowingly. "I'll tell you: Malfoy. I'd bet any amount of money that Voldemort's got him doing his dirty work already. Look how quiet he's being today! Probably thinking about something he just did."

"No, I don't think it's him Ron." Harry and Ron eyed her skeptically.

"No offense Hermione," Harry started, "But how can you be so sure?"

"Because...well, I guess I don't know..." she said carefully. Ron nodded.

"Right. You can't be sure. Especially when you're dealing with pure evil. Maybe he's got to kidnap somebody or something!" Hermione thought about it for a minute. She didn't know why, but she was convinced that Malfoy hadn't lied to her in the past couple of days. He just seemed to ooze honesty when he wasn't involved in a sparring match with Ron or Harry. Granted, he was still mean, but...

"I don't think kidnaping is Malfoy's style. It would probably go against his pride or something."

"What?!" Ron squeaked.

"I mean, he wouldn't want to admit to himself that he had to drag kidnap anybody to get them to go with him. He'd want to trick them into it of their own free will." Since when am I such an expert on Malfoy? she wondered.

"Alright, same thing Hermione. The result is just as bad." Hermione reluctantly, (she had no clue why), agreed with this. The rest of the meal was uneventful.

In fact, the next two weeks were uneventful. The dueling club, which had been resumed, was being held on Monday's and Tuesdays for Fifth Years. Snape was having far too much fun, in Hermione's opinion, by pairing Malfoy with Harry, her with Crabbe and Ron with Goyle as often as possible. It really was very annoying, although beating Crabbe and Goyle in a duel wasn't exactly difficult. Classes were going quite well. Hagrid had them each looking after a phoenix in Care of Magical Creatures, which was quite a relief after previous years, (although when Neville's burst into the flame on the first day they'd had them, he had screamed and fainted on the spot). They were studying animagi in Transfiguration, (McGonagall had, to the surprise of everyone in the class, been very impressed with Draco's skill in this area and had offered to train him after class). Hermione had gotten 150% on her latest Arithmancy project. And then, there was Potions.

"Silence!" Snape's voice boomed across the Potions lab. The Gryffindors and Slytherins fell into silence. "Today, we will be making telepathy potions. You will each need a partner to try it with. I have made the pairings already." The class shifted uneasily at the gleam in Snape's eye. Hermione, Ron and Harry exchanged pained looks. If Snape's sense of humor with the dueling lessons was any indication, they knew who they were likely to be paired with. As he neared the end of the list they waited expectantly. "Parkinson, Finnigan. Weasley, Crabbe. Potter, Goyle. Granger, Malfoy."

Draco cringed. He'd been avoiding Granger for the past two weeks, ever since she'd somehow managed to make him feel guilty for making her cry. She looked back at him nervously. He put on his sneer. "Well, I'm not coming to you, Granger." She sighed and moved her things to beside Draco, sitting down uneasily. Ignoring her, Draco opened his Potions textbook to the telepathy potion page and began to read the description. "The telepathy potion will form a psychic link between the two or more drinkers for the duration of the day." Hermione and Draco exchanged startled glances.

"Well. I don't want to do this any more than you, Malfoy, but we have no choice. This will count towards our final mark, you know."

"I know that, Granger, but try to resist the urge to speak to me all bloody day." You've already been in my head enough lately, he thought gloomily. She nodded, not feeling up to an argument.

When they were done the potion, it looked harmless, rather like chocolate milk. They finished by adding one of their hairs to it, and, under Snape's watchful glare, drank each other's potions. Draco immediately got a horrible feeling like his mind was being pulled from him. Hermione resisted the urge to scream as she experienced the same thing. Then it happened.

*~Bloody hell! I should have known Snape would make us drink something awful like this today!~*

Hermione squeaked in surprise. Had she thought that? It was very much like something she'd think, but the tone had sounded like....

"Yes, Granger, that was my thought you heard. Stop wondering," Malfoy snapped.

~~Oh, God! We can hear each other's thoughts! I thought it was just supposed to be a way to communicate!~~

*~At least the thoughts you'll be hearing will be interesting.....shit, how do I find a way to block her from hearing me.....~*

Draco was brought out of his thoughts by Hermione laughing. The rest of the class was watching her like she belonged in St. Mungos. All of a sudden Snape approached them.

"So, can you communicate?" he asked wickedly.

"Sir, wasn't the potion supposed to make voluntary communication possible?" Draco asked irritably. Snape raised his eyebrows.

"Yes. Why, can you two hear everything the other thinks?! It shouldn't do that."

*~Oh, this is bloody great. The one person I've-~* Draco cut off his thoughts as he immediately remembered Hermione would have heard him. *~Bloody hell! Focus on one thought Malfoy! Clouds, er, snakes! Snakes! Snakes! Snakes! Sna-~* Draco began to mentally babble the word 'snakes' over and over.

~~Ahh! Malfoy is in my head! I may have started to li-, Oh! I can't think or he'll hear me! Focus, Hermione, you can do this! Um, okay....booksbooksbooksbooksboo-~~

"Ahhhhhh!!!!!" Hermione and Draco screamed. Hermione turned to the bewildered and amused Snape.

"Sir! Please, you have to help me! He was going to think something awful, then he started chanting to block me and-"

"All she thinks about is books! Get Granger out of my HEAD!" Malfoy interrupted. The class was now looking on with interest and concern. After all, they were supposed to drink that! Then Harry and Ron approached.

"Hermione! Are you okay? You know, I already took mine and I can't hear everything Goyle thinks. Then again, it probably wouldn't be much anyways, would it?" Hermione was not amused.

"Draco, you git! What did you do to the potion?!"

*~Oh, now she's going to try to pin it on me? She probably just wants to make the one teacher who likes me hate me!~*

~~Did he just think that? The nerve of him! Just because he's handsome he thinks everyone focuses on him! Oh, God, he heard that!~~

*~HA! She admits I'm good looking! I can't wait to hear what she thinks about Potter...she's glaring at me again! Damn, she's kinda cute when she glares. ACK! Shit, I DID NOT THINK THAT, GRANGER!~*

Snape watched curiously as Draco and Hermione's faces covered a wide range of emotions, from embarrassment to anger to amusement. They seemed to be conversing, at least. It did work, kind of. He wouldn't have to take points from Slytherin.

~~Oh, God, as if I don't feel bad enough about what I said to him before, now I have to feel bad about what I think of him. What do I think of him, anyways?~~

*~Granger feels bad about what she said? So, at least I'm not the only one who's been guilt ridden these last two weeks. Crap, she heard that too. Father will not be pleased if I can't figure out a way to shield my thoughts. One Cruciatus curse, coming up...~*

"One WHAT?!" Hermione shrieked. Draco blanched.

"You heard that? I didn't mean I was going to curse you..."

"I could tell what you meant, Malfoy! Oh, God, he won't really, will he?"

*~If you won't shut up about it at least think to me, don't talk! Yes, Granger. He will. I don't want your bloody pity so don't feel sorry for me, either.~*

~~Oh, Merlin! No wonder he's so hateful. I'd probably kill myself if my parents were that awful. Oh, sorry Malfoy! I don't mean that you should kill yourself! Merlin, don't kill yourself because of my stupid, stupid, stupid thoughts!~~

Much to Hermione's surprise, Draco started to laugh.

"Um, Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy?" Snape said. They turned to him. "I suggest you both go up to see Madam Pomfrey. Perhaps she can sort this out? In the meantime, if she cannot, you two can suffer away from the class. Watching the two of you is more than a little... disturbing." They nodded and practically ran to the hospital wing in their enthusiasm to regain some privacy.

*~This is not good. If she freaked out at that thought what will the poor girl do if she hears other, worse things? Not that I care if you suffer, Granger! Let's get that clear. I don't care. Malfoys do not care. I wonder if-~*

~~He does have a conscience!~~

*~No, I do Not Granger!~* he thought-snapped *~Oh, there you go Malfoy. Be a bloody prat. As if she can help what she thinks any more than you can.~*

~~Amazing! He has feelings and thoughts just like the rest of us! So he is more than a pretty face~~ Hermione felt herself go crimson. Draco grinned.

*~Can't keep your thoughts off me, eh Granger?~*

~~Bit hard with you living in my head! Booksbooksbooksbooksbooks!~~

*~This is awful. For whatever reason I was thinking about her already before and now I REALLY can't get the bloody pretty Mudblood out of my mind.~* Draco cringed and felt his ears go hot. *~UGH! Snakes! Snakes! Snakes! Snakes! Snakes!~*

"Now, now, what's wrong with you two?" Madam Pomfrey asked. "You look alright."

"Snape had us make telepathy potions, and instead of making us able to communicate we can hear every single thought that crosses each other's mind and it's very disturbing PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!" Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue at Hermione sadly.

"I'm sorry, dear. I'm not sure what to do. But, I do know one thing: telepathy potions do not do this. Unless...well, no. That's ridiculous..." she regarded the two of them for a moment, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly. "Well, I think I have an idea what went wrong. But I can't in good conscience tell you. Too much of a shock, and these things are too delicate, you know. I must say, I'm more than a bit surprised myself but there is no other possible explanation." She sighed. "Sort of a good thing, really. Dumbledore will be fascinated."

"Madam Pomfrey?" Draco hissed through clenched teeth. "Stop babbling like we aren't sitting right here and tell us something useful! Oh, God! She's starting to creep me out! She honestly wants to help people!!! Make it stop!"

"I'm sorry Mr. Malfoy, but you will have to wait. Normally people like you two are warned about the consequences of taking a telepathy potion, but since you two don't even know yet, well... there was no warning you."

"What?" Hermione asked, her voice peaked with frustration.

"Oh, never mind dear." She got a mischievous glint in her eye. "Why don't you two sit here and try to tolerate each other, hmm? The potion will wear off within the next 24 hours. I suggest you stay here." And with a satisfied grin Madam Pomfrey walked away, leaving Draco and Hermione alone.

*~I'm screwed. Why me? Honestly? It isn't enough that I'm going to be forced to kill and torture people in a month or so, and it isn't enough that I will cause Lord Voldemort's rise to power, and it isn't bloody enough that I'm too stupid to be nice to the one girl who can help me! No, now I'm stuck with her thoughts and she's stuck with mine and... bloody hell! I've got a headache!~*

Hermione cringed. She could feel Draco's frustration. Draco looked at her oddly.

"Since when have you thought of me as Draco?" She shrugged.

"It's your name."

"But you never say it out loud."

~~Go ahead Hermione! Tell him you stopped hating him the first time you worked with him alone two weeks ago. Why bother? I'm sure he heard that. Yes, good thing too because you are too much of a coward to apologize and tell him you're worried about him. Go ahead! Tell him your latest brilliant idea. Oh, about me just training him on how to resist Imperius? And trying to teach him enough so he can spy like Snape? OH NO! IF HE HEARD THAT I'M IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!~~

*~Snape's a spy?! Man, I have so much more respect for him now. Here I thought he was an evil bastard like Lucius. She wants to help me? Why? Nobody has ever wanted to help me. She thinks she can help me be a spy?~*

"Yes," Hermione said in answer to his thoughts. They locked eyes, and to the amazement of each of them time seemed to slow down. Both of their minds went blissfully blank, until somebody coughed from beside them. They snapped to attention to see Madam Pomfrey holding a bottle of sleeping potion.

"Professor Dumbledore, as fascinated as he was, insisted I put you to sleep for 24 hours so you can keep some of your privacy." They thanked her profusely after each drinking the potion and laying down. It worked automatically, and soon Hermione and Draco were left alone with their dreams...