Hermione's bare feet made soft padding sounds as she climbed the stone steps leading to the Astronomy tower. She silently cursed herself for not thinking to wear socks-her feet were growing more numb with each step. When she reached the open room at the top of the tower she crossed over to one of the windows and perched on the sill. She gazed out at the moonlit view of the castle, the lake glittering in the distance, puffs of smoke rising from Hagrid's chimney.
Sighing, she tied her hair into a messy bun on the top of her head, then pulled a pack of Camel Lights out of the front pocket of her robe. She stuck one between her lips and lit it with her orange BIC lighter. She took a few relieved drags before allowing herself oxygen, leaving her a bit light headed. Hermione relaxed as her headache receded and the shakes left her. She hadn't been able to get away from Ron and Harry's insufferable complaining about exams for three days straight. They had begged twice her to stay up late and help them study, but had been so distracted that when she quizzed them each time, they didn't answer a single question correctly.
'They make me so mad... I give them time and effort, and they don't respect me at all! They take me for granted, and they've been doing so for the past six years. I sick of it! ' Hermione fumed, inhaling angrily at the thought of the boys.
"Naughty, naughty, Granger... don't you know that smoking is bad for you?" Hermione jumped up from her seat on the windowsill and whipped around to see Draco Malfoy leaning against a pillar, looking at her with an eyebrow raised. She glared at him, then turned back to the view.
'Of course fucking Malfoy has to come and ruin my time. Bloody prick. And I fucking know that smoking is bad for me. It's just so good...' Hermione continued smoking, trying to ignore Malfoy to the best of her ability. Apparently it worked, since when he appeared beside her she jumped with shock. He smirked, then asked, "Could I bum a smoke? Forgot mine."
"Why would I give anything to you? You've been horrible ever since I met you." Malfoy turned toward her, looking like a puppy who'd just been kicked.
"Please? I've had a bloody awful day." Hermione lifted an eyebrow, then offered up her pack. He plucked on out of the box with long, trembling fingers and lit up with an ornate silver lighter, engraved with a snake. He took a long drag, then exhaled through his nose, reminding her of a dragon, albeit a very fragile one. Hermione realizes she had been staring and quickly looked away, pulling her robe together and crossing her arms as the wind picked up.
"What's got your knickers in a twist?" Malfoy asked suddenly, angling his body towards her, tilting his head.
"Why do you care?"
"Calm yourself, I'm just trying to make civilized conversation," Malfoy put up his hands, as if she was about to hit him.
"It's not as if I'm angry, I'm just confused," she explained. "Why on Earth would you try to make civilized conversation with me of all people? You hate me. I'm part of the 'Golden Trio,' I'm from a Muggle family, and I've been getting better marks than you for six years. You've been nasty towards me at every opportunity you've ever had." She put her hands on her hips, looking for all the world like an angry mother.
"Appearances," Malfoy said simply, inhaling smoke, then letting out a series of smoke rings. "You know, it's hard being the person everyone wants you to be. But I think I've done a fairly good job, don't you? Pretending to hate the people I want to be, to be with. It's taxing, though. You start to forget who you really are." He looked out of the window with a frown on his face.
Hermione stared at him. She couldn't understand why he would share this with her, why he would share anything with her, much less something as personal as that had been. She blinked and sat back down, pulling another cigarette out, silently offering one to Malfoy. He shook his head, sitting down next to her. She frowned. This was the closest she had ever been to him. It was unfamiliar territory, and strangely thrilling.
After a minute of sitting next to her, Malfoy stood up and started walking back to the stairs. He paused before he reached them and turned around again, thanked her, then disappeared down the steps.
Hermione sat for a few minutes, contemplating what had just happened. It was perplexing and intriguing, and seemed like the kind of thing to keep to herself. Granted, she didn't tell Harry and Ron much of anything anyway, but this was definitely a private encounter.
By this time she was sure the temperature had dropped a couple of degrees, and she decided to head back to her dorm. She performed a quick charm to get rid of the smell of cigarette smoke about her person, then returned to Gryffindor tower. She stole into her room and slipped in-between the soft flannel sheets of her bed, drawing the canopy curtains together.
Hermione thought back to her first cigarette, stuck between her lips by Lucas two summers ago... then she thought about Lucas. That boy was trouble, but he was the good kind. He had introduced her to the more enjoyable things in life- smoking, drinking, sex, and music. Of course she still enjoyed reading, studying and making timetables, but somehow they didn't hold the same fun as they used to. No one at Hogwarts knew of her preoccupation with the illicit, and that was the way she wanted it to be. She knew that Malfoy shared the same intrests- she had heard the stories- but what would he do if he found out? She wasn't prepared to think about it.