Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling's world, not mine.
Hermione had returned from the winter holidays feeling refreshed. Well, maybe not so refreshed; perhaps restored was a better word to describe it. When she had left Hogwarts she was drained; not so much psychically, but mentally and emotionally drained. Spending Christmas with her family was nice and it did her good to get away for a bit. She arrived back at Hogwarts before Harry and Won-Won and went for a walk around the castle. Hogwarts seemed virtually uninhabited.
Hermione wandered around, humming to herself. She was in rather a good mood actually. She felt quite idle during the break. There was no homework to do, no essays to write, not even a little extra credit. After all, the brain was a muscle; if you don't use it you lose it. That's what her parents had always said.
Hermione continued her stroll not paying any mind to where she was going or what she was doing. That much was apparent when she ran smack into Malfoy, and they both fell to the floor.
"Watch where you're bloody going, will you," he said. Hermione was surprised though. He didn't have his usual sneer or spit venomous words at her like he usually did. Malfoy looked exhausted. His skin looked grey and his eyes had bags underneath them. Hermione would have offered her hand to help anyone else up, but he wouldn't have taken it anyway. So she just picked herself up and dusted herself off.
"I'm sorry," she said with as much sincerity as she could muster. Malfoy must have thought he misheard her.
"What did you say?"
"I'm sorry," Hermione clarified, "for knocking you over."
"What are you playing at Granger?" he asked suspiciously.
"Nothing!" she said, very insulted that he had questioned her apology.
"So you're just apologizing to me because you're a kind and good-hearted person?"
"Yes, I am," she told him.
"Oh please. You've some agenda don't you?" Hermione rolled her eyes. Perhaps the lack of sleep was making him paranoid.
"What agenda!"
"Potter put you up to this, didn't he?" he accused raising his voice.
"Harry has nothing to do with it, Malfoy!"
"Nothing to do with what exactly?" he asked her.
"You're not making any sense. I apologize for knocking you over. It was my fault that I wasn't paying attention."
"Oh come on, Granger. Like I'm going to believe that? Apologizing is for the weak, and you and I, and my face," he emphasized,"know that you aren't weak. Far from it. So there must be something more to this." Talk about a backwards compliment. Forget paranoid, Hermione thought. Malfoy was downright delusional.
"Malfoy," Hermione had raised her voice now. She knew she should just leave it, but she couldn't. "I ran into you and knocked you over. For that, I. Am. Sorry." He shook his head at her.
"No," he said. "You're just doing this to get under my skin. Trying to get me off my game!"
"What game! I'm doing no such thing!" If there was one thing Hermione hated, it was being accused of something that wasn't true.
"It's just an attempt to aggravate me," he said.
"You're stark raving mad, Malfoy!"
"Am I?" he asked her. "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much." She rolled her eyes at him.
"Says who?"
"One of your Muggle authors," he said quickly. "I'm onto you and your merry trio Granger. I'm not stupid. You stay away from me and I'll stay away from you."
Hermione didn't even have time to respond. Malfoy left in such a fury, leaving Hermione completely baffled. Harry was right. Malfoy was definitely up to something.