Next morning, Hermione was banging at Draco's door, calling for him to open up.
"I'm coming, I'm coming. What in Merlin's name is this ruckus about, Granger?" Draco flung the door open and crossed his arms, staring down at Hermione.
"Get dressed, Malfoy. We're going out." Hermione told him, not batting an eye at his frowning expression.
Draco's frown transformed into a smirk with the speed of light.
"Why Granger, I am already dressed, or do you imagine me naked?"
Hermione laughed despite herself.
"Dress nicely." Hermione punctuated the word with a pointed look. "The Principal Healer in charge of your case has asked me to bring you in for a checkup." she said, flaunting a piece of parchment in front of his eyes.
"We're going to St. Mungo's?" Draco asked surprised, leaving his smirk behind.
"Yes." Hermione replied shortly. "That is, if you deign to change your outfit and come to breakfast."
'Breakfast?' Draco thought, his eyebrows shooting up.
"Are we to have breakfast together now?" he asked in honest surprise.
"Yes. I believe it's about time we stop hiding in our rooms and start interacting more."
"Hey, I'm not hiding!" Draco exclaimed indignantly.
"Then I am." Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "Just come and eat. We have to be there by 10."
And with that she turned on her heels and walked towards the kitchen.
Draco stood for a moment, then stalked after her. This wasn't something he looked forward to, but perhaps not eating alone for once might not be all that bad. After all, they had been sharing the same living space for over a month now. They weren't friends, sure, but they weren't exactly strangers either.
"I thought I told you to change your clothes." Hermione said as soon as she saw him entering the kitchen.
"Eating breakfast all dressed up isn't exactly my style." Draco replied with another one of his trademark smirks.
Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously, but she decided to remain silent. Instead, she busied herself with the frying pan she had on the gas cooker.
'So she cooks in the muggle way. I always imagined her using magic for everything and showing off how good she is at it.' Draco thought to himself.
At that moment, a waft of omelette reached him. He closed his eyes, sniffing deeply. Until then, he didn't realize just how hungry he was or how much he missed freshly cooked food.
Just as he was opening his eyes, he found himself being stared at by a pair of yellow, narrow eyes, surrounded by fluffy ginger fur.
"What the…" Draco yelped, leaning back into his chair so violently that he almost fell over. "What's this monster doing here?"
Hermione turned around, a frying pan in one hand and her wand in the other.
'Aha! So she IS using magic for everything.' Draco couldn't help but think.
"Crookshanks, no!" Hermione admonished the cat. "Get down from there! You have your own food, you know."
With another glare at Draco, filled with as much loathe as a cat can muster, Crookshanks waved his tail and jumped down from the table, landing neatly near Hermione's leg. He then turned his squashed face at Draco in a very dignified way, as if daring him to do the same.
"Granger, your cat is weird and dangerous." Draco said, returning Crookshanks's glare.
"No, he is not!" Hermione said in a slightly offended tone. "He just doesn't like you very much, at the moment. I guess it's understandable, so I can't say I blame him, considering…"
"Considering our history he should be scared of me, not planning to murder me. Look at the way he's looking at me!" Draco said incredulously.
Crookshanks was just hissing at Draco, barring his sharp teeth. It was clear as daylight that he hadn't forgotten the stunning spell and Draco was sure that, if given the chance, Crookshanks would resume his attack from that night in a heartbeat.
"Oh, he is just misunderstood." Hermione said airily, patting Crookshanks on the head. The cat stopped hissing and started purring immediately. "See?" Hermione said with a soft smile. "He just needs love and attention."
'Yeah, that and a calming potion. I wonder if they work on cats.'
After breakfast Draco went to his room and changed into a dark green suit, a white shirt, black shoes and tie. He sleeked his hair back and gave himself another look in the mirror before joining Hermione in the common room.
He felt slightly overdressed, but he thought it might help his situation if he made a good impression. His parents taught him over the years that showing up to an important meeting looking presentable helps you win half the argument.
Hermione was waiting for him at the apparition point in front of the entrance.
"Someone is trying hard to impress'" she said, raising an eyebrow at his neat appearance.
"Shut up, Granger!" Draco snarled, straightening his tie while avoiding her eyes.
He was trying to fight it, but for some unexplained reason, he was starting to feel slightly embarrassed.
Hermione shrugged and turned to the side so that Draco couldn't see her snickering.