[twenty five]

With Draco in the hospital wing, Hermione was left to do the tasks that McGonagall left for them by herself. He was spending all his free time finishing the requirements their professors have left for them before their exams and revising his notes at the same time. Draco was also able to squeeze in quiet meetings with the Quidditch team in the hospital wing, instructing Theo to take charge while he was in recovery

Hermione checked her little note in her pocket to make sure she got every thing in check "All five new rooms ready, extra furniture in the living and dining areas. protective wards in check." She muttered to herself as she read "Only thing left is to inform them."

With a determined walk, she left the Room of Requirement to find their friends. McGonagall only allowed twelve people to occupy the new dorms, it was up to Hermione and Draco to determine who gets to join them.

They agreed to meet near Hagrid's hut, where he could keep watch while Hermione discussed to her friends the current situation.

"Alright, Granger, tell us while we're meeting in this....." Pansy's insult dying before she could let it out

Hermione tried for the cheerful approach "So, McGonagall is grouping couples together! Some weird activity the school is doing regarding the new law. She's grouped all six pairs of us together to live in the same dorm."

"What?" Ginny frowned, eyeing Astoria oddly

Harry, on the other hand, already had an idea what this was about - but he kept his mouth shut and let Hermione continue

"She wouldn't let us leave the heads' common room, so instead, you're all moving in with us." Hermione grinned "It's important that you swear to secrecy though."

"Your missing common room." Blaise commented with narrowed eyes

"Exactly. There's a reason why we haven't told anybody where it was." Hermione shrugged "McGonagall wants to keep it a secret that the Room of Requirement wasn't destroyed in the war."

"What?" Ron spluttered out

"Yes, so, we are going to do an Unbreakable Vow."

"" Celine's eyes widened in disbelief "The secret is that important?"

"Hermione, if you tell us it's a secret, you can trust us to keep it." Theo frowned "There's no need for such drastic measures."

"It wasn't my idea, trust me." Hermione raised both hands in defense

"She's hiding something there, isn't she?" Viktor narrowed his eyes

Hermione sighed, knowing that their friends were too smart to not catch the act. She glanced at Hagrid for an added effect of suspense before answering "She's keeping the Sword of Gryffindor in the common room with us. Word is, many Death Eaters want it destroyed after its uses against the Dark Lord were made known." she lied outrightly. She knew that Harry and Ron knew her too well to believe it, but she could only pray that they did

"It's impossible to just keep it there if it can appear to any Gryffindor with the Sorting Hat." Harry pointed out, clearly not buying the act

Hermione shook her head "You're right, that's why McGonagall has Dumbledore's portrait protecting the Hat in her office while Snape's guarded our common room."she said "An Order member is also always present during the Ministry assemblies for law's sorting, to ensure the Hat's safety."

"So, we're required to do an Unbreakable Vow to protect this ?" Elena asked

"The terms will be very clear. Once the year ends, you will no longer be bound by the vow." Hermione nodded

Ron sighed, knowing that Hermione was lying to them for a purpose, and stepped forward "Fine by me. I know you don't want any of us dead, so this shouldn't be a problem." he offered his hand to Hermione's as she gestured for Harry to officiate

"Will you, Ronald Bilius Weasley, agree to protect the secrecy of the Head Prefects' common room until the end of this academic year?" Hermione asked

Ron nodded, watching a ring surround his and Hermione's hands as he said the words

"Will you promise to not tell anybody about where the common room is or what we're protecting inside it until the academic year ends?"

Hermione nodded at Harry to end it and turned to the rest of their friends "I know it's a lot to ask, but Draco and I knew that only you could be trusted."

One by one, their friends agreed. Even Elena and Astoria, who were both only new to their weird friend group. Hermione sighed in relief, giving Hagrid a slight nod from outside his window. "Your rooms are ready. Your belongings should already be there right in this moment." Hermione informed them as they began their long walk up to the seventh floor.

Pansy frowned "Wait a second, why is Goyle not part of this?"

Hermione bit her lip "Draco and I didn't trust Millicent to be on board. Unfortunately for Goyle, they're two peas in a pod now. We can't take one without the other. I'm sorry you'll all be keeping this secret from him."

Blaise nodded in understanding "It's alright, Granger. Even we don't trust Bulstrode." he made a face

The walk to the Room of Requirement was an awkward one. Hermione did just force them to do an Unbreakable Vow, so she understood. However, she couldn't help but feel a little upset that even until now, the Death Eaters were costing them their peace.

Hermione uttered the password, allowing Snape to swing open

"Well, this surely makes up for McGonagall forcing us to put our lives on the line." Theo whistled in appreciation as they looked around the room in awe. A lot have changed to accommodate their group's size, but the theme of the room remained the same

"You mean this isn't how your rooms look like?" Hermione asked, remembering her conversation with Draco about the rooms' designs

Theo shook his head "Our rooms look like the rest of the house dorms, only with one bed and two night stands."

"Please tell me we have super cozy rooms." Ginny squealed and headed up the stairs to the first door she could see "Oops, sorry. Occupied."

"Occupied?" Hermione narrowed her eyes

"Draco's here." Ginny said before turning to look at the other doors

"That boy is so stubborn." Hermione groaned before turning to the rest of their friends "Your initials should be on your doors. Look before entering."