Why We Fight

After a rather blissful day without Potions, Hermione and Draco worked in silence over their homework from that morning's Advanced Arithmancy class. They were interrupted as the head common room's door banged open. "I can't believe this!" Lily Evans proclaimed as she stormed into the head common room. Startled, Hermione dropped her rather large Arithmancy book on Draco's foot. The blonde grabbed his foot, muttering an oath under his breath.

Lily looked mortified as Hermione cautiously picked up her book and checked it over for damages. "Oh, sorry," Lily said meekly as she slumped into the scarlet couch.

"Good, it's fine," the brunette stated.

"Your bloody book is all you're worried about?" Draco demanded.

"Yep," Hermione stated, placing the book on the table. "If the rest of you is as hard as your head, then you should be fine." Her eyes widened as Draco gave her a lascivious grin. "That did not come out right."

Hermione blushed bright red and Draco turned to Lily. "Is there a reason why you decided it would be fun to get my foot broken?" he inquired.

"Don't be such a baby," the Muggle-born Slytherin said, leafing through her book to find the page she was on.

"It's a heavy book!" Draco insisted as he turned his gaze to Lily. "Well?"

"Well what?" Lily asked, retrieving her books from her bag.

"What's your problem?" the blonde asked.

"Severus Snape," Lily spat, "is my problem. Professor Flaherty assigned me to partner with Severus Snape on our class project. It's worth half our final grade."

"Well, that's good," Hermione said, examining the complicated formula on her book. She stopped and furrowed her brow. Had she really just told a Muggle-born Gryffindor that working with a Slytherin (not just any Slytherin, but the future Slytherin Head of House) was a "good" thing? Unbelievable! "He is good at Potions."

"She has a point there. Old Sev is remarkable at Potions," Draco stated with a hint of a smirk.

Hermione glared at him. "So what's the assignment?" she inquired.

"To look up and create a potion not taught in class," Lily said.

"Veritaserum is an interesting concoction," Draco said, leafing through his Arithmancy book.

"And a Ministry-controlled potion," Lily stated.

"You're so good at Potions, you should know that," Hermione shot at Draco. "A friendship potion could be useful. In fact, we were working on a memory-sharing potion before we came here." She glared at Draco. "Just don't let your idiot partner double the quotient of wolfbane and hellebore when mixing it with thistledown and thyme."

Lily laughed. "Of course not, how thick can you get?" Lily said. "It makes the potion unstable. I've even heard of someone who got sent back in time because of it."

Both Hermione and Draco looked at Lily. "What happened?" they both demanded.

Lily frowned at their sudden interest. "She ended up in the Crusades and was burnt at the stake as a witch, ironically enough. Unfortunately, she didn't know the Flame Freezing Charm. Messy death that."

"Oh..." Hermione said, frowning. "Well, a friendship potion could be useful."

"If we could work together long enough to finish the project without killing one another," the redhead answered. "Severus is really into the Dark Arts. I heard he even knows the Killing Curse." She swallowed hard. "I'd hate to die by that. Alive one second and dead the next." The redhead shuddered.

Hermione's stomach dropped to her knees at Lily's off-hand comment. Lily would die by the Killing Curse. There was a pregnant pause in which Hermione paled considerably. "Well anyway, I'd be more worried about your project. You have to do this assignment, also."

"But we're only sixth years," Hermione said, grateful at the change of topic.

"Flaherty makes all years do it," Lily answered.

"Well...we get to choose are partners, right?" Draco asked.

"I'm sure he'll put you and Hermione together. He just loves teaming up opposing Houses. A couple years back, he put Adira Lohman -- a Slytherin -- and Philip Patil -- a Hufflepuff -- together. They did an Invictus Potion. They're getting married April twenty-eighth." Lily paused thoughtfully. "Actually, Professor Flaherty is good at improving inter-House relations."

Hermione wondered if Philip and Adira Patil were Padma and Parvati's parents. James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus chose that moment to enter the room. "Draco, Quidditch practice at five, remember? Better get ready."

"Bloody hell," Draco said, shutting his textbook. Draco gave James a look, James paled and swallowed hard.

James smiled at Lily, pouring on all of the cool and suave he possessed into the simple gesture. "So are you going to cheer us on Friday when we kick Slytherin's ass?" At this, Draco rubbed his forehead and winced.

Lily sniffed in distaste. "Actually, I was planning to cheer for Slytherin. They may be jerks, but at least, they don't deny it..." Lily stated. She gathered her books and pushed past the Marauders.

James watched the redhead go, longing passing over his face. "Ouch," Sirius said. "That must have been painful..."

"Shut up, Sirius," Draco, James, and Remus said in unison. The four Marauders and Draco left the room.

Hermione Granger watched them leave. It was always like this for Slytherins, wasn't it? With a slight frown, she remembered third year's run for the Quidditch Cup. Three-fourths of the school had turned up in Gryffindor colors. Sure, the Slytherins (namely Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle) had pulled a mean trick on Harry, but still...Malfoy wasn't that exceedingly bad when you got to know him...

Hermione's eyes widened in shock. Did she just think that of Draco "I'm Better Than You Because I'm a Rich Pureblood" Malfoy? She had! And she had actually felt sorry for the Slytherins. The Muggle-born's eyes narrowed in thought. She had to talk to Professor Flaherty before things got too much weirder...

Meanwhile, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and James led Draco to the Quidditch Pitch. It was at this moment that Draco realized that there hadn't been a Quidditch practice planned for that night. He examined the Marauders with curiosity under the silvery light cast from the nearly-full moon above them. "I guess you're wondering what we're doing here," James said.

"Well, yeah, actually," Draco said, quirking a brow.

"It's time for your third task," Sirius said with a smirk.

"Oh, goody," Draco said drolly. "What now?" There was a cockiness in his demeanor that was not unlike Sirius's. Remus and Sirius exchanged a glance.

Sirius smirked, a glint entering his eyes. "You're going to steal a little trinket," the dark-haired youth stated.

Draco arched a brow as he examined Sirius. "A trinket?" he asked.

"Not just any trinket, the House Cup," Remus said, examining his nails.

Draco's pale, pointed face grew even paler, his silver eyes examining Sirius. He cleared his throat and regained his composure before he asked his next question even though he was pretty certain that he knew the answer. "So, where is it?"

Sirius gave Draco a Cheshire cat grin. "In the Slytherin dungeons," Sirius said.

"So, I have to find the dungeons, get into the dungeons, get past the safeguards that are around the House Cup, and bring it to you?" Draco asked. Sirius nodded with a hint of a smirk on his full lips. "Piece of cake."

Sirius looked shocked at the younger boy's bravado and cockiness. He quickly regained his composure. "Your girl -- I mean, your ex-girlfriend -- doesn't know where the Slytherin dungeons are."

Draco gave Sirius a thin-lipped smile that for some reason reminded Sirius of his father, Augustus Black. It was that creepy "I know something you don't know" smile that always meant that Sirius should run. Inwardly, the dark-haired teen shuddered at the uncanny resemblance. Of course, Draco couldn't be a Black. Blacks never went to Agnitio Academy. Almost every relative he could name were Slytherin graduates from Hogwarts. None of his relatives would lower themselves to enter a public magic academy like Agnitio; they might go for Beauxbatons or Durmstrang, but never Agnitio. Needless to say, the smile did put him a bit on edge.

"So where should I meet you with the cup?" he asked. James smirked at Draco's attitude; the more he got to know Draco, the more he got to like the confident youth. Remus looked a bit unsettled.

"Right here on the Pitch," Sirius said. "By midnight. You've got seven hours. Have fun."

Again, that thin-lipped smile that reminded Sirius so much of his father. "I will," was Draco's reply. With that, Draco made his way back to the castle.

Peter looked at the rest of the group curiously. "Does anyone else think there's something weird about Draco?" he asked.

"You're not the only one," Remus stated. "There is something definitely off about him."

Draco had one stop to make before he ventured on to the Slytherin dungeons. There was a cocky bounce to his step. If these tasks kept coming as easily as they have been, he'd be an Animagus in no time. He couldn't prevent himself from whistling. He entered the head common room still in high spirits. Hermione and Lily were conversing about the potion she should make with Severus. All chatter stopped as the strains of Draco's whistling came to them. Hermione couldn't prevent her jaw from dropping at Draco's good mood.

"Don't you look like the cat that swallowed the canary?" Hermione chided. Draco plopped down beside Hermione and haphazardly threw his arm around her shoulder. Hermione peeled his arm off her shoulder with distaste, letting it drop to his side. "We're not dating anymore, remember?" There was a brightness to her voice. She was still rather annoyed about how much he'd bothered her yesterday. But, mostly, she was annoyed at how much he'd annoyed her. After all these years of putting up with the Prince of Slytherin, why was she suddenly upset about Draco being the true ferret he was? Maybe it had something to do with that kiss.

What kiss!? If you could call that a kiss, she thought with a scoff. Of course, you could call that a kiss! that stupid traitorous voice in her head piped up. Shut up, you, sane-Hermione came back. The voice stilled and Lily watched Draco and Hermione with amusement. "I'll just leave the two of you alone," she said with a bit of smile.

"Lily, don't," Hermione hissed.

"It's perfectly fine, go on ahead, Mione and I have some talking to do," he said. Lily took her books and retreated into the Head Girl's quarters.

"Don't ever call me that again," Hermione stated, scooting her chair further away from the one Draco now occupied.

"What? Mione," Draco said.

"Exactly, don't call me that," she said, slamming her book closed with a huff.

"Why not? Don't Potty and the Weasel call you that?" Draco asked.

"And you're not Ron and you're not Harry, need I remind you? You're not a friend and you're not an acquaintance, you're an enemy who has made the past five years of my life miserable," she said, shoving her books unceremoniously into her satchel.

"Four and a half," he replied.

Hermione looked at him. "Four years and ten months."

"Four years and ten months," he said quietly. There was a pause in which Draco's cocky demeanor returned. "Why, Mione, I didn't know you cared so much."

Hermione sighed huffily. "I don't care. And stop calling me that," she said with a sigh.

"Can't we call a truce?" Draco said. Hermione stared at him as if he was crazy.

"A truce, you and me?" she asked, the idea was so ludicrous she struggled not to burst into a fit of insane giggles.

"Look, we're stuck here for Merlin knows how long, we might as well establish a working relationship," he said.

"What do you want?" she asked.

Damn, am I really that bad at this? he mused. "I need your help."

"You need my help," she said slowly. "I'm not doing your homework."

Draco scoffed. "You'd think I'd let you do my homework?" he asked. "I need to know the password to the Slytherin dungeons."

"Sinister," Hermione said. "Why?"

"I have a little mission," he said.

"Does this have anything to do with the kitchens?" she asked. "Or the Quidditch tryouts?"

Draco scoffed a little too quickly. "Of course not, why would you think that?" he said, his voice a little too bright.

"It has everything to do with it," she surmised. "I'm going with you."

"What? Why?" he asked.

"You're acting incredibly strange. Stranger than usual, I might add," Hermione said. "And I want to know exactly what's going on."

Draco scowled. "Fine then," he said.

"You think he stands a chance?" Peter asked, plucking some grass from the pitch, distractedly.

"Not at all," Sirius stated proudly. He, too, sat on the Pitch reclining on his arms. James stared at the stars, not really paying attention to the conversation surrounding him.

Remus didn't look so certain. He had to think of something pretty important to keep his secret. For the second time in the nearly seven years he'd known the three other Marauders, he was truly upset with them. Sure, it was less-than-stellar to be an unlicensed Animagus but it was much worse being a werewolf. The less people who knew about the lycanthropy, the better chance he stood of having a semblance of a normal life. Not that a normal life was any sort of possibility for him, it was a nice dream. He had to come up with something good for the final task, something that Draco had no chance with.

"Are we going to watch him on the map?" Peter asked.

"That's actually a good idea," Sirius said.

"We can't," James said. "Draco has the map."

"He can find Slytherin House," Remus said, clenching his jaw.

"He has to get by the Dark Knight first, the Dark Knight only lets in Slytherins," Sirius said. "Draco is not a Slytherin."

"Yeah, but his girlfriend is," Remus said.

"Ex-girlfriend, we mustn't forget that 'ex,' Moony, my boy," Sirius said.

James shook his head. "Give it up, Padfoot," he said.

"Oh, like you're any better when it comes to Lily," Sirius stated. "Pictures of Lily made my life so wonderful / Pictures of Lily helped me sleep at night, / Pictures of Lily solved my childhood problems, / Pictures of Lily helped me feel alright."

"Is that a Beatles' song?" James asked.

Peter sighed and shook his head. "Of course not. The Who," he said. "And it's about a pin-up girl who died in 1929."

"Oh," James said.

"Why?" Sirius asked.

"No reason, just curious," James said, paling slightly.

For the second time, Draco and Hermione were hidden under the Invisibility Cloak. This time, the two managed to resist the ever-present urge to fight each other. Instead they quietly made their way to the dark, dank dungeons. Draco stopped them in front of a painting of a pale, dark-haired man in deep-red armor that looked black. The man gave her the chills. He seemed to see right through her which was ridiculous because, hey, Invisibility Cloak but still his dark gaze was unsettling. "Sir Valmont du Morte, the Dark Knight." Hermione let out a nervous giggle at Draco's comment. "What?"

"There's a comic book -- never mind. Let's get this over with," she said.

The painting's eyes narrowed. "Show yourself," Sir Valmont growled.

"Sinister," Draco stated.

"Not a Slytherin, begone intruder," Sir Valmont growled. The painting's reaction made Hermione realize how Ron and Harry had gotten into the Slytherin dungeons in second year. The painting could see that they looked like Slytherins but not sense that they were actually Gryffindors. This also made Hermione wonder about the Fat Lady. Could she sense that someone wasn't a Gryffindor? She'd let Sirius inside the Gryffindor Tower but he had been a Gryffindor. Hermione's train of thought was derailed when Draco hissed at her.

"I thought you said that 'sinister' was the password," Draco hissed.

"It is," she said. Slowly, she slid out from under the cloak, Sir Valmont examined her curiously.

"Miss de Lioncourt, password," he said, sizing her up. Unconsciously, Hermione crossed her arms over her chest; he had that sliminess like Dolohov.

"Sinister," she said, her voice stronger than she felt. The portrait opened, revealing the stairs down to the Slytherin common room. Slowly, Hermione took the stairs into the mouth of hell, Draco following still hidden under James's Invisibility Cloak.

Hermione wasn't sure what she had been expecting when she entered the Slytherin common room but she wasn't disappointed. The common room was much danker and darker than the comfortable Gryffindor common room or the Head common room. The furniture consisted of ebony and emerald velvet upholstery. The intricately-carved stone fireplace held a raging fire but its warmth didn't sap the cool moisture from the air. The walls were lined with bookcases full of ancient tomes except for a spot opposite the fire where a silver column carved with snakes bearing emerald eyes stood. Atop the column was a big, shiny trophy that Hermione recognized as the House Cup. Covering the Cup was a glass case inscribed with runes that were only visible if the light hit them in a specific way.

Under the Invisibility Cloak, Draco grinned with triumph, moving toward the column. Hermione examined the books with interest, mostly Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts mixed in with books of all subjects except Muggle Studies. She took one of the Potions books and thumbed through it as Draco's hands slid over the glass case protecting the House Cup. Immediately, shots of electricity slammed through him as the nearly-invisible runes began to glow an eerie green color. He struggled to pull his hands free but they were stuck.

Hermione turned to see the Invisibility Cloak slip from Draco's shoulders. Pain flashed on his face. The brown-haired girl dropped the tome and raced over. Her eyes widened as she read the runes flashing on the glass case. She jerked his hands free of the glass case and winced as she saw the burns on his hands. "What're you doing!?" Hermione hissed.

"Getting the House Cup," Draco said.

Hermione stared at him. "For what reason?" she demanded.

"I'll tell you later," he said. "I just need to get it."

The brunette sighed. "You will," she said, a threatening tone in her voice. She looked back at the Cup. "You just grabbed something in Slytherin House?"

"Well, yeah..." Draco said. "It lets Slytherins pick it up or, well, it did."

"You're not a Slytherin, need I remind you? And you didn't even think to check for jinxes?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well, no..." he replied, realizing just how stupid he had been. That seemed to be happening a lot lately. "So are you going to help me?"

"Fine," she stated. "Did you do a revelation spell?"

"A...what?" Draco asked.

"Honestly, haven't you read your books?" she asked. She shook her brown curls and took out her wand. With a motion, she said, "Ostendo." Runes ran over the Cup's surface, blindingly bright. Hermione nodded, seeming to understand what they meant. She said a few words under her breath that Draco couldn't make out and the runes dulled before sinking back into the Cup's surface. "It's perfectly safe to touch now." Carefully, Draco reached out, his muscles tense, his eyes closed. "Honestly." She took the Cup from the pedestal and handed it to Draco.

"What do you guys know about Polyjuice Potion?" James asked suddenly. Remus and Sirius looked at James with curiosity at his sudden comment.

"What about Polyjuice Potion," Remus asked warily.

"Well, I'm thinking about making it for my project," James stated, swallowing hard.

"It changes your appearance," Sirius said. "By adding a bit of whoever you're going to change into." Remus, James, and Peter stared at Sirius. "What? I do know some things."

"You know something!?" James gasped. "Everyone remember this moment! It will go down in history! The day that Padfoot actually knew something."

Remus, Peter, and James chuckled and Sirius looked at the three sullenly. "Oh, right, laugh it up, blokes."

"So who are you going to work with?" Remus asked. "I'm working with Delilah Prognose."

"Antonin Dolohov," James said, making a face.

"I pity you," Sirius said.

Draco grinned triumphantly at the Cup he now held. "Let's get out of here."

"We can't just leave," Hermione said. "Don't you think someone will notice? It's the House Cup, after all. And that..." she shuddered "...painting saw us enter."

"Well, what do you propose we do then?" Draco asked, arching his brows.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You owe me," she stated simply. "Exigo Carbo." In her hand a copy of the House Cup appeared. "It's like a holograph, but it should stand up to scrutiny until you replace it." She set the two-dimensional Cup onto the pedestal and replaced the cover.

"Now. We can leave." Draco was grudgingly impressed. She had saved him and something told him that it wasn't something that she would soon let him forget. "Fine," he said with a bit of a scowl. Hermione grinned at him and the two disappeared under the Invisibility Cloak. Once out of the Slytherin dungeons, Hermione asked. "Why do you need the Cup?"

"I'm going to be a Marauder," he said.

"You're...going to be...a Marauder?" the brunette asked. "Why do you want to become a Marauder?"

"I like hanging out with them, even if Sirius is a prick and Peter's not right in the head," Draco admitted. She didn't have a smart comment to add. He couldn't sound selfless, it wasn't right. "Plus, I want to be an Animagus."

"You make such a lovely ferret," she said. "So, you did know that Sirius was following us last year."

"Of course, Father told me."

"If you become an Animagus, you're going to teach me."

"So...what's a good Beatles' song?" James asked. His three friends looked at him curiously.

"What's with the sudden obsession with the Beatles?" Sirius asked.

"Well, Lily likes the Beatles..." James said.

"Please tell me that you are not going to sing to her," Remus said.

"I'm sure James has a lovely singing voice, after all he is a eunuch," Sirius stated and James smacked him in the back of his head. "Ow."

"Well, 'Something' is a good song," Peter said. "Even though it was written about Patti Boyd who left George for Eric Clapton a couple months ago..." He trailed off at the incredulous looks his friends sent him.

"Depends on the mood you're going for. 'In My Life' is a good one," Sirius put in.

"You could always go for something classic like 'I Want to Hold Your Hand,'" Remus suggested.

A blonde appeared causing the four Marauders to jump. They each sighed with relief when they realized it was just Draco. Remus frowned; he was sure he saw a hint of someone behind Draco but shook it off. Draco casually tossed the House Cup to Sirius. "How do we know it's the real thing?" Sirius asked.

"Ostendo," Remus said. The Cup glowed with runes and Sirius yelped, tossing the Cup to the pitch as the markings burned his hands. Draco watched the spell, impressed. He really needed to learn that one. "You deactivated the spells? How?"

"That's my little secret," he said, plopping down beside James. "So, what now?"

"Well, I guess you can learn our nicknames then," James said, impressed. "Prongs. That's Padfoot." He nodded toward Sirius. "Wormtail." Peter grinned. "And Moony." Remus positively glared at Draco.

"When do I get my nickname?" he asked.

"If you prove yourself," Remus growled.

"'If?' I already have, mate," Draco said with a smirk.

"Don't be so sure," Remus said. "You still have to go through me."

Draco grinned at the werewolf. James broke up the tense moment. "So, Draco, that thing we were talking about, when do we start?" he asked.

"Tomorrow morning," Draco answered, standing up and dusting off his trousers. "But I'd better get to bed." With a sweeping gesture, he disappeared once more under the Invisibility Cloak. This time, Remus was sure he'd seen a peek of someone.

"What was that all about?" Peter asked.

Draco and Hermione silently made their way to the Head Tower. Once safely ensconced behind the portrait of the future Mr. and Mrs. Potter and in the head common room, Hermione turned on Draco. "Why do you always have to provoke people?" she demanded.

"Because it's what I'm good at," he said with a smirk.

"Because you're a jerk," she corrected.

Draco mulled over her comment for a second. "Well, yeah, that too." With that, he cast the Invisibility Cloak of off them, wincing slightly.

"Let me see your hands," Hermione ordered.

"What?" Draco questioned.

"Give me your hands," she said. "I saw the burns. I want to see how bad they are."

Ever-so-reluctantly, Draco gave Hermione his hands palm-up. Gently, Hermione examined them. They were angry and red, blistered with what looked like the runes etched into his skin. Hermione winced. "I'll be right back."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Oh, I can't wait," he muttered as Hermione went into the Head Girl's room and returned with a Muggle first aid kit. "What's that?"

"A first aid kit," she said. "I can't heal them instantly like Madam Pomfrey can, magical wounds and all -- not that Madam Pomfrey would heal you after kicking you out of the infirmary not even twenty-four hours ago -- but I can mostly get rid of them by morning. It'll take a little longer for them to heal completely. Magical wounds are funny that way." She pulled out some gauze and liberally coated the gauze with a paste.

Cautiously Hermione wrapped the gauze around his hands and Draco watched her tenderness with interest. "It's a mixture of aloe vera, witch hazel, and a healing spell," she said. At Draco's look, she continued: "I took some extra credit on healing herbs with Professor Sprout. It'll soothe and heal the burns."

"Is there anything you haven't taken extra credit in?" Draco asked.

Hermione thought about it as she bound his hands. "Potions and Divination," she replied.

She continued with his other hand, very carefully wrapping the gauze around his burns. "Be careful not to disturb the gauze, the mixture reaches full potency in about three hours." Now that she was finished, she realized that she was still holding his pale hand in her small, sun-kissed one. She realized even more that Draco wasn't exactly trying to disengage her hands. With another lingering moment, Hermione pulled away.

"Thanks," Draco said.

Hermione looked startled. "Oh, wow, is Draco Malfoy saying 'thanks'? I never thought this day would come." Draco smirked at her and headed into the Head Boy's quarters. Hermione stared after him with a hint of confusion. What had just happened?