Days Later after Hermione moves in to live at the Zabini Manor:

Hermione's POV:

For the past several days, there were reporters from the Daily Prophet scattered everywhere outside the Zabini Manor, anticipating for an opportune moment to commence an interview with the long lost Zabini, which happened to be me.

Some of them, including the idiotic Rita Skeeter were even sly enough to trespass into the grounds of the Zabini Manor, which had stupefied the other Zabinis' and Malfoy.

Hence, Mrs Zabini was getting increasingly protective of me and of wherever I stepped foot into and so, she tasked the pair of Slytherin prats, Malfoy and Blaise, to observe me. At first, it seemed magnanimous of her and them, but as days gradually passed, it was exasperating since he and Malfoy had offered to sleep in a spare bed close to mine, which unfortunately, Mrs Zabini happily obliged to.

Eventually, today, I had enough of their irksome ways and so, as Malfoy trailed behind me after Lunch to my bedroom, I attempted to hide away from him, but my plan had failed immediately when Malfoy had grabbed my wrist forcefully before I could even try.

My blood boiled in my veins and before I knew it, he leaned closer as he stared directly into my eyes, a smirk endorning his lips "Well Zabini, if you really thought you could escape, you're incredibly wrong."

I stared blankly at him, vexed. As I stared endlessly at his smirk, it pissed me off more as seconds passed and I snapped forcefully after a moment or two "Shut up, you can't even try to fix things right. I was right! Rich prats like you don't have a fucking brain, you only have daddy issues. The only thing you knew how to say effortlessly was 'My father will hear about this'" I mimicked the last part and smirked at his aghast expression as I inhaled deeply before continuing "Now look where your father is. He's in Azkaban, rotting away with his comrades-"

"SHUT UP HERMIONE!" Malfoy snapped indignantly at me. "Just because my father's in Azkaban doesn't mean you can say whatever you want!"

I was utterly astounded. Not by his remark, but by the fact that he had addressed me by my first name. Hermione.

"Wait...what did you say?" I raised an eyebrow, trying to contain my astoundment and as realisation dawned on him, his cheeks flushed and I smirked, folding my arms. 

"Aww, are you blushing?" I crooned and he glared at me irratibly.

"No, I didn't. I-forget it. What do you want?" He looked away from me as he huffed in defeat and I muttered as I pointed my finger at him forcefully "Just leave me alone. I don't need you nor do I need Blaise."

"Fine, but promise you won't tell this to anyone, will you?" he asked hopefully and I sighed deeply in hesitation before I agreed solemnly.

Once I promised it to him, he left as he yelled "I love you!" before he stopped short and realised what he had uttered as he turned to face me. I was horribly flabbergasted but flattered at the same time.

"I meant it as a friend. I didn't mean it like-"

"We aren't friends." I raised an eyebrow in amusement and he shrugged "Well, I suppose we can be friends. I mean, I'm friends with your brother, so I suppose I can be friends with you."

"Fine, but you better leave my friends and me alone." I added and he solemnly nodded before he gave out his hand, offering me to shake it as a sign of our new friendship.

Despite a unknown voice in my mind begging me not to shake hands with him, I disobeyed it and instead listened to the angel's voice of reason as I slowly reached my hand out to shake his and shook hands before we finally parted ways, for once and for all.

At least, for now, I had my own privacy and no one was going to invade it anytime soon.

And about our new friendship, I was going to keep it a secretive friendship for as long as I wanted 'till I planned to publicise it.

As I plopped down on my bed, my eyes landed on my favourite novel, The Handmaid's Tale and I began to read it and soon, I was totally engrossed in it and before long, my eyelids grew heavy from exhaustion and slowly fell into a deep slumber.