Out of nowhere Hermione's fist flew into Draco's sneering mouth. His head recoiled with the shock and little stars burst behind his eyes. All he could think for a few seconds was "Merlin's beard that hurt". It was not until afterwards, after Crabbe and Goyle had dragged him back into the castle that he thought "Merlin's beard, that girl sure can punch. Who knew she had it in her!"
But the punch was not the most shocking part of his experience. What shocked Draco even more than that starburst of pain and the humiliation of being hit by a girl in front of his arch-nemesis, Harry Potter, was the other thought that had run through his mind right after the incident. He had never really thought about something like this and this one thought forced him to reconsider his entire career at Hogwarts.
Why did he loathe Granger so much? Why the constant taunts of "Mudblood" and jibs about her buck teeth? Could he really hate someone that much on principle alone, or was there some other motive at play here?
As he sat alone in his four poster bed, the green and silver drapes pulled tightly closed, his mind began to wander. Each time his thought strayed too far in the direction of Hermione Granger he had to shake himself back to reality. Even the cold numbness of the ice he had pressed to his wounded jaw did not keep his awareness in the here and now. He replayed every encounter, every snide remark, every spiteful thought he had ever had that related to that mudblood. Over and over the scenes played, especially this last one. Her fist flew at his face on loop, her expression of deepest loathing and pure rage framed in his mind. But her emotions were not what trouble him; his own did.
For in that moment, the moment after the intense pain of contact, the only thought his mind held was "damn, Hermione Granger is hot".