Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything having to do with this beautiful world.
Hermione watched him as inconspicuously as she could, sneaking glances from behind the curtain her hair provided. To anyone who happened to glance at her, it would look as though she was simply reading a book with her head tilted down and her hair covering her face. She watched as he read his book two tables away from her. He had come in with three others, however as the clock ticked away and the hour grew late, the others had dispersed, leaving only him.
He was facing towards her with his head bent slightly, his eyes quickly darting back and forth as he read his book with a pace that could rival her own. His fine blonde hair was hanging over his forehead and into his eyes. More than once he had impatiently tossed his head when his hair got into his way. His body seemed relaxed as he read his book, completely unaware of his audience.
She had been watching him for the last two hours. Although if she was being honest with herself, she had been watching him longer than that. In fact she had been watching him all year long. At first, it was innocent. She was simply keeping a keen eye on him. She did not believe Harry's theory that Draco Malfoy could be a death eater, but decided that it was better to be safe than sorry. Then, she began to notice little things about him that fascinated her such as when he was with his friends but he had a look in his eye that said he was somewhere else- somewhere unreachable to anyone else. Or the concentration on his face when he was in potions and he was working on a tough assignment.
Eventually, she became obsessed with watching him. She tried to tell herself it was to simply keep an eye on him. She noticed that he went to the Room of Requirement often but had never quite plucked up the courage to approach him when he came out. He spent a lot of time in there, and she was burning to know what he wanted out of the room. She burned to know everything about him. She found herself keeping secrets from her friends. She was ashamed of her fascination, but not enough to stop. So she lied and told them that she was doing extra research, while all the time watching Draco.
Eventually Madame Pince announced that the library was closing. She watched, mesmerized, as Draco glanced at the clock to see it was indeed late. He stood and stretched, his shirt riding up oh so slightly showing a small amount of toned skin. His arm muscles flexed. Now she was blatantly staring and, Merlin help her, it did not go unnoticed. He looked up and she quickly found her eyes locked in his blue-gray gaze. His gaze turned cold. Suddenly he was stalking towards her and she felt her heart skip a beat. He stopped in front of the chair opposite her and sneered.
"Anything I can help you with, Mudblood?" She tried to feel offense, but she was just trying to calm her heart. Instead she just shook her head.
"Not really, Malfoy," she said softly as she stood to put her book away. He smirked and he was suddenly in front of her. She gasped lightly at his closeness and took a step back. As though they were in a coordinated dance, he stepped forward, pushing her back until she felt her butt hit the table behind her. Her heart was beating erratically and she blushed because it wasn't from fear.
He leaned close to her, his nose almost brushing hers. She felt his breath wash over his face and swallowed. His breath smelled like mint toothpaste and she could also smell his expensive cologne wafting around her. "I know, Granger. I know you've been watching me." She gasped and attempted to shake her head in denial but his hand shot out to grab her chin, not allowing her the chance to. "Don't deny it, Granger. Next time you try to spy on someone, you should at least turn the pages in the book you're pretending to read. You've been staring at the same page for the last two hours."
She narrowed her eyes, suddenly finding her nerve in her embarrassment. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Malfoy, but I do know you have three seconds to get your hand off of me before you come back with a nub." He smirked down at her before letting pure hatred seep into his eyes.
"If you know what's good for you, Mudblood, you'll keep your nose out of other people's business. Otherwise… well, let's say accidents happen everyday."
She nearly spit on him as she found her wand in her pocket and tried to aim at him. Unfortunately he had lightning fast reflexes and had her wand before she could even utter a spell. "Are you threatening me, Malfoy?" He chuckled darkly and tightened his hold on her chin.
"I don't threaten, Granger. I do, however, make promises. And I'm nothing if not a man of my word. Mind your own damn business, Granger," he spat again before pushing her face away from him as if she had burned his hand. He quickly put his book away and was on his way out the door when she called out to him.
"If I were you, Malfoy, I'd be careful. People may begin to suspect that you're up to something." She felt triumphant when his spine became rigid but he left without speaking or even turning around to acknowledge her comment.
Hermione rubbed her chin where he had touched her and could still feel the warmth of his fingers on her skin. Sighing, she put her book away and swept from the room, making her way to her dorm.
The common rooms were basically empty with only a few students lingering and among them were Ron and Harry. She smiled and went over to them, perching herself on the seat next to Ron.
"Hey, Hermione. Were you studying this whole time?" Harry asked her.
She bit the inside of her cheek and sighed. "Yes. And I, for one, am tired," she lied smoothly. Draco had touched her. She had never been more awake. But she excused herself for the night and went up to bed after saying good night to her friends. She went up her dorm and changed into her pajamas then crawled into bed. She laid awake for another hour, simply listening to the sound of the other girls sleeping and thinking about Draco. Eventually she turned over and fell into a dream of eyes the color of a stormy sky.
Draco could feel Death breathing down his neck. He was working as diligently as possible but he could still smell the stench of his own corpse rotting away. The cabinet was nowhere near finished and he was beginning to lose hope. He was quickly running out of ideas and had tried his best to procrastinate on the second part of his mission.
He slammed his fist into the cabinet and let a cry escape his lips. He couldn't do this. He was a bully. He could admit that to himself. But he was not a murderer. But if he completed either of these assignments he would be responsible for deaths. He could feel a black hole sucking him in and he was drowning in the emptiness. He knew better than to believe there was an escape. He steeled himself. It was kill or be killed. But he still had no idea how to fix this damned cabinet. He was smart, hell, sometimes he was brilliant. But he was no…. His eyes widened. He was no Hermione Granger.
It was there, standing on his last leg, desperate for a solution that the Slytherin began to do what Slytherins do best. He had to scheme a way to make the Gryffindor Princess help him bring death onto the school.
Author's Note: I know that this is a bit dark but I've noticed that there are many stories where Draco is obsessed with Hermione. I just wanted to turn the table and see what our favorite Gryffindor Princess would do if the situation was reversed. Reviews are appreciated. Let me know what you think!