Not for the first time, Hermione wants to take something for herself, but, for the first time, she knows with certainty that she will not be punished for it, for wanting, for some greed on her part, for being herself instead of what others had planned for her. She’s been debating in her mind all night and all day about what to do, if the Ministry deserved her loyalty, and she’s come to the conclusion that, rationally, Draco and Aleksander are the best chance of reform. A conclusion she arrived to also aided by the fact that Draco always seems to actively listen to her. The less rational part of her brain just wants everything, Draco and power, something she has never allowed herself to want before. But things have changed. She’s changed.