She didn't want to but she couldn't stop. The more she looked the more she saw a different man to the one she was used to, the one that bullied them, the Death eater. "Man" she whispered to herself realising that he wasn't as boy like as the rest of her class mates who were trying to gain a childhood back. No, he had aged beyond all of them. His body was weary, his shoulders drooped, his hair not quite as neat but his eyes, she realised weren't tired but moving, constantly moving always watching his surroundings. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Then someone sat next to him and he flinched and she realised.
"Scared, he's scared" she murmured "but why?".

"Whose scared?" Came a voice from next to her making her jump.
"You alright 'mione? You disappeared on us this afternoon" came from across the table.
"Hi boys, I didn't disappear I was just in the library, I can guess where you two have been." Looking at their muddy faces and windswept hair they had just had a quidditch practice. "Did you have fun?"
"Loads" came the reply from both Harry and Ron.
Across from her Ron was piling his plate with food and eating it with a gusto that astonished Hermione. However, Harry who had sat next to her, and had yet to fill his plate, leaned closer to her and whispered "Are you alright? You don't seem to have touched your food and you looked rather distracted when we walked in". Hermione looked at him and saw two things, brotherly love and… worry. "I'm okay really, I was just thinking and got lost in one thought" She whispered back not wanting to worry him but from the look that crossed his face it hadn't worked.
"You can tell me anything Hermione, you know that right?" She nodded "Good, now do you want to talk about what's so distracting over at the Slytherin table" Harry grinned.
Bugger, she thought "I walked right into that one didn't I?" She smiled back at him.
"Yep" he said with a pop on the P.

"What are you two whispering about?" asked Ron after swallowing a mouthful of food.
"We were just discussing 'mione's fascination with the Slytherin table" laughed Harry.
Blushing red Hermione stuttered out "It is not a fascination, someone just distracted me." Realising what that implied she quickly backtracked and tried to find a way out however both boys looked at each other then back to her. Oh Merlin She thought someone save me!
"Oh really!" Harry and Ron accused together but before they could get another word out someone else spoke up.

"Hermione"
"Yes" the person in question replied looking up into the same grey eyes she was studying earlier.
"You left this in the library earlier" he answered handing her the muggle book she had been reading. "I didn't want to disturb your dinner but I'm heading back now and thought you would rather have it" He then turned and walked away.
"That was weird" Ron muttered.
"Yeah that was… polite" Harry replied.
They looked at Hermione as if waiting for her to say something but she was looking at the book in her hands.
"Hermione?"
When she didn't look up the boys looked at each other again, Harry with a questioning look to which Ron gave a shrug of his shoulders in reply. By the time they looked back to Hermione all they could see was the back of her head as she hurried out of the Great Hall, book still in hand.