Hermione Granger walked down the hallway. Under most circumstances this would have gone uneventfully. However, this wasn't most circumstances. Not when said person walking down the hallway, was a prefect. For when a prefect walked down the hallway she or he left a trail of rather unhappy students behind, most of whom carried a recently acquired detention slip for some minor infraction. Unless of course said person was one of the Weasly twins, then it would most likely be a major infraction.

Naturally, Hermione's discipline made her unpopular, but currently her unpopularity was not the thing occupying her mind. It never did, which was something that Ron commented upon often, warning her that her harshness would come back to haunt her. Not that this worried her.

The thing that occupied Hermione's mind at the moment was the considerable amount of homework that waited in her dormitory. So as Hermione turned into the next corridor she was not very much focused on the manner in which she traversed to her destination, just the destination. Her lack of concentration caused her to walk into something that felt like a brick wall, but then the brick wall turned around and Hermione found it to be Goyle.

"Excuse me.", she said as politely as she could.

Goyle just sneered.

"Who is that? Goyle, move I can't see around you!", a familiar drawling voice said arrogantly.

Goyle shuffled out of the way and a familiar posse of Slytherins with Draco Malfoy at the head came into view.

Malfoy scoffed at her, "Do you need something Mudblood?"

This remark sent Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin girls into gales of laughter.

"What makes you think that I would need anything from you?", Hermione snarled in reply.

Malfoy smirked, "I don't know, maybe because you walked in this direction?"

"Don't flatter yourself Malfoy. I would love to stay as far away from you as possible."

Malfoy drew closer to her.

"Smart girl." He said softly with a dangerous tone to his voice.

Hermione stared into his eyes. His cold grey eyes. What she saw frightened her, but as to what exactly it was she didn't know. Right then and there she promised herself that she would bring out this elusive look more often, and figure out how to exterminate it.

"Well, being smart isn't always going to give you the answers.", she said just as softly as Malfoy, "But I intend to find those answers."

A/N: Please tell me what you think!