A Change'll Do You Good

Part 7:
To the Rescue...

Harry, refreshed from a summer at the Burrow, grinned at the Hogwarts Express for the second to last time he ever would. He felt his stomach sink to his knees. After this year, he'd never get to spend a night in Gryffindor Tower, trading tales with Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville. He'd never don the scarlet and gold of his Quidditch uniform. He'd never get to spend an entertaining weekend in Hogsmeade with Ron and Hermione. "I can't believe this is our last year," he said to Ron.

"We'll never have to see Malfoy's pasty rat face, we'll never have to have another Potions class, and we'll never have to sit through another History of Magic lesson," Ron rattled off. "You have to take the good with the bad, Harry."

Harry let a smile cross his lips as he thought of a life without Malfoy, Snape, and Binns. "No more Malfoy," he sighed with pleasure. Harry decided that after seven years, it was definitely time to let go...

"Feel sorry for Hermione then," Ginny piped up.

"What about Hermione?" Harry asked, slightly annoyed that the red-haired girl had interrupted his joyful thoughts of a world without Draco Malfoy.

"She's Head Girl," Ginny stated. "And Malfoy's Head Boy."

Ron shuddered. "Poor Mione," he said as he, Harry, and Ginny climbed aboard the Hogwarts Express. They joined Neville and Luna in a compartment and waited for Hermione. After roughly fifteen minutes of waiting, Ron piped up. "That's strange...Hermione should be done by now."

Luna's wide eyes turned to Ron. "She's talking with Draco," she stated in her strange, dreamy voice. Ron's face became a mottled red color and a vein stood out in sharp relief on his forehead.

"Hermione is alone with Malfoy?!" Ron demanded and Luna nodded.

Harry's green eyes shone with panic. "How come you didn't tell us this before?" he asked.

The blonde shrugged. "They're Head Boy and Girl, they have to talk about the school year," she stated.

"He better not have hurt her...or I'll..." Ron trailed off, his eyes blazing. The two boys raced out of the compartment.

---

Hermione and Draco stared at one another. "You'd best not act like a Mudblood," Draco stated, glaring at Hermione.

Hermione arched a brow. "And just how does a Mudblood act, Malfoy?" she demanded. "Hmm?" She put her hands on her hips and Draco looked horrified.

"Don't do that!" he cried. Hermione smirked at him and Draco shivered. Bloody hell, I am so very attractive when I smirk, he mused. Hmmm...that actually explains why Blaise has been giving me that look... Blaise was an alright bloke, yeah. But Malfoys didn't swing that way. Okay, so there was some debate about Great Uncle Magnus.

"Blaise Zabini?" Hermione asked. She'd always wondered about Blaise...

Draco came back to himself -- er, Hermione's self -- when the girl spoke up in his voice. "Did I say that out loud?" he asked.

"Apparently," Hermione said. He glared at her as he realized that she still held his hands on his hips in an entirely effeminate gesture. Like Great Uncle Magnus. Draco shoved his arms down to his sides. "I'm a man, Granger--"

"If you can say that..." Hermione stated, crossing Draco's arms over his chest.

A smirk came over Hermione's face, a look that somehow suited the Gryffindor. "You've had all this time with my body...I'm sure you've done some...things to me," he purred.

Hermione's eyes widened as her voice purred. How did he manage to manipulate her voice in such a way that she -- in all her sixteen years -- hadn't managed? It just wasn't fair. Then she realized what he had said. "I most certainly did not!" she scoffed. "You didn't, did you!? You better not have looked at me!" There was a note of panic in Draco's voice and Hermione's face sneered.

"Why would I ever look at a pitiful Mudblood..." he trailed off as Hermione sent him a death glare.

"There we go with the 'Mudblood' bit again! What makes me any different from you?" Hermione demanded.

Draco opened his mouth to explain to the girl about the differences between Mudbloods and purebloods when Harry Potter and Ron Weasley stormed into the compartment. "Get away from her, Malfoy!" Harry cried in his Hero Saving the Day voice. A voice that he had secretly been working on for quite some time. It had originally started as "Unhand her, you villain," but had evolved.

"I wasn't going to do anything..." Draco stated.

"Mione, are you okay?" Ron asked, moving toward Draco.

"Oh, bloody hell," Draco muttered under Hermione's breath.

"Um...I'll be going then," Hermione said. "I've got loads to do, being the Prince of Slytherin and all..."

That's the best she can come up with? 'I'm the Prince of Slytherin!' Draco demanded.

Hermione's eyes widened with horror. The last thing she needed while she was in Draco's body was for her friends to find out she was in Draco's body. And he goes shouting out so everyone can hear him, that he's the Prince of Slytherin.

Then she realized something, her lips hadn't moved...and he had spoken in his voice? How was that possible? One word came to mind: telepathy. Maybe since he was in her body, she could hear his thoughts. Does that mean he can hear my thoughts, she wondered.

Hermione's eyes widened as Draco heard the girl's voice. Your thoughts? Draco wondered.

Oh, fuck! Hermione thought and Draco grinned. He hadn't even known that the Muggle-born even knew a dirty word. Things had just gotten a whole lot more interesting.

"Yeah, you'd better run," Ron said, moving to protect Draco from Hermione.

Maybe I should run? Draco mused as Ron started invading his Personal Bubble. Hermione snorted at Draco's uncomfortable thought. Ron glared at Hermione, his fists clenching.

"I'll be leaving then," Hermione said, exiting the compartment.

Ron smiled in triumph. "Did you see him run?" he asked Harry.

"Er...Ron, it didn't look like he ran," Harry said. "Of course not, Malfoys don't run," Draco growled. Why me? What did I deserve this? he thought.

In the Muggle world, there's this thing called 'karma'... Hermione's taunting voice came.

Oh, shut up! he thought back. He wondered why he hadn't heard her thoughts beforehand. Maybe it was because she hadn't thought. Or maybe they hadn't met face-to-face in their bodies. He didn't know, he really didn't give a Blast-Ended Skrewt's blast end why he heard her thoughts. He just knew that he didn't want the Mudblood mucking around in his mind. Or in his body. Whoever did this to me was going to know the Wrath of Malfoy.

I'm sure... Hermione said drolly.

Blast you, get out of my mind! he growled.

Give my body back and I will! Hermione shot back.

You think I want to be in your body!? he demanded.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Harry asked, looking at his friend's body with concern.

Draco glanced at Potty and Weasel, his stomach dropping. "Never...bloody...better," he bit out. My life is Hell... He was surprised that Hermione didn't have a smart comment to add to his misery.

---

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