A/N: I feel like I really rushed this chapter, so it's probably not amazing or whatever. Please review and let me know what you liked, and what I should work on! Thank you for reading.
Hermione's eyes flickered open slowly, bracing herself for the bright morning sun. Though, she realized quickly, the light from the dorm's window wasn't as intense as she'd expected. She propped herself up with her elbow, observing the room. She had obviously awoken early, as the sky was still a deep red and her roommates were breathing slowly, fast asleep. Not bothering to check her watch, Hermione quietly rose from her bed, slipping into her school robes. She crept out of the dorm and down the stairs, careful not to wake anyone, and pushed the Fat Lady's portrait back, revealing the deserted hallway. The Fat Lady snored quietly, not even noticing Hermione climbing past her. Not a great form of security, when she's asleep, Hermione remarked to herself and chuckled.
Hermione was surprised when she saw Ron and Harry already in the Great Hall, considering that each table was nearly empty. She sat down across from the two and mumbled a tired "G'mornin," helping herself to coffee. The Gryffindor table was covered in food as usual, though Hermione felt as though she couldn't eat a single bite. She stared into her coffee, thoughts wandering.
Ron shot a troubled look at Harry. The latter asked warily, "Were you alright last night? You seemed sort of…" His voice trailed off, not wanting to offend his friend. Obviously Ron didn't share the same intentions – he went straight to the point, disregarding any consequence.
"Furious," Ron finished for him. Harry nodded. A genuine look of worry spread across both of their faces.
A gloomy weight filled Hermione as she remembered the events of the night before. "It… it was nothing, I'm fine." She gave them a halfhearted smile and took a sip of the bitter coffee in front of her. Her face scrunched at the awful taste, though she went in for another sip, feeling as though she wouldn't last the day without it.
Ron muttered something under his breath and continued eating, obviously not convinced by her words at all. Harry resorted to his usual routine of theorizing about Malfoy as the two of them drank pumpkin juice. The Great Hall slowly filled with students, and a buzz of chatter echoed in the giant room. Speak of the devil, Hermione thought, as she lifted her gaze to find the blond entering the room. He was deep in conversation, making grand hand gestures to Pansy Parkinson and his gang of followers and grinning with delight. They all howled with laughter and shot taunting glances at Hermione, who immediately flushed a dark shade of red.
"What an imbecile," she growled, and Harry and Ron looked up at her. Harry opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get the first word out, Hermione jumped up from her seat, fists clenched, and stormed away from the table without a backwards glance. She ignored the boys' cries of "Hermione!"
Ron turned to Harry and muttered, "She's gone bloody mad," shaking his head tensely. Harry sighed and nodded, and the two returned to eating in silence.
Professor Flitwick's mundane voice, for the first time in all of her existence at Hogwarts, bored Hermione to the extent of not listening. At the moment, he was droning on and on about Avis, a bird-conjuring charm, of which Hermione had plenty of experience using in anger towards Ron. But her attention was drawn back with a snap when Flitwick requested that the students take out their wands for practice. My wand… Where's my wand? A feeling of terror filled the pit of Hermione's stomach as she realized she didn't have her wand inside her pocket. Where would I have left it…? My nightstand? No, I would have noticed it there… And then it dawned on her. The Room of Requirement. She groaned quietly. She'd set it on a table in the Room before she left, along with her Potions book. Oh, bloody hell… I left it with Malfoy. The feeling of franticness was replaced with hopelessness. I do hope he didn't pick them up…
As soon as Flitwick's lesson was over, Hermione darted out the door and down the corridor. "Hermione, what in Merlin's n-" Ron's voice echoed through the hall as she speed-walked, and she merely turned around and gave him an intense look that read not now. She somehow managed to make it up the stairs in very little time, and paced past the Room's wall three times impatiently. I need to find my wand, she thought. I need my wand.
Hermione let out a sigh of relief when the heavy metal door appeared, and she jerked it open. Inside, the room was filled with shelves and shelves of books, firecrackers, toys, papers, trinkets – anything that needed to be hidden. In the corner stood a dusty old Vanishing Cabinet, which Fred and George had gladly used years prior. Somehow she failed to notice the person standing in front of the cabinet until it was too late.
"Shit! Petrificus Totalus!" A cold shock ran up Hermione's spine, and she found herself frozen in a stiff position, hand still gripping the Room's door. "Granger, what in- fuck- why are you-" Malfoy growled another swear-word, and lowered his wand slightly. His eyes flickered to the cabinet behind him, and then back to Hermione, with an eyebrow tweaked up. Slowly, he walked back to the cabinet, his eyes never leaving the girl who'd bursted into the room seconds ago. "You didn't see anything… did you?" Hermione (still frozen, of course) only returned his terrified expression. "…finite," he murmured, and tucked his wand away in his robes. She let out a gasp as the curse lifted and her body returned to its normal, functioning state. She wiggled her fingers as reassurance.
"I- I came here for my wand," she explained, still in shock from being bound so suddenly. "And my textbook," she added. Malfoy glared at her and swiftly walked over to a shelf that was next to the cabinet, and pulled out her wand and book. "Oh, thank goodness." She sighed, and a smile almost crept onto her face. Malfoy's expression softened as well, but only for a moment.
"Anything else you need?" He spat. "If not, you'd better get out of my sight." Something was different about him today. The threats sounded less than genuine; whatever had been making him on edge lately was obviously taking a toll on him in more than one way. His cheekbones were sunken, and his skin even less vibrant than normal. Though he still acted like Malfoy around Crabbe and Goyle, something had changed within him. He seemed more focused, more stressed out… Oh, what do I care? He's Malfoy. But still… Harry could be right. Maybe he's not a Death Eater, but something definitely is up.
Hermione furrowed her brow and took a deep breath, contemplating whether to leave or not. "Malfoy," she said, and paused. "What exactly am I not supposed to see?" Her eyes darted between the cabinet and the boy.
"It's none of your bloody business," Malfoy said tiredly, though still laced with dislike. His hands were clenched into fists.
"Alright." Hermione said. It really was none of her business. A silence hung in the air ominously. She didn't know whether to be grateful for him saving her things, or to be furious with how he'd spoken to her. "Well… thank you." Her voice was soft and quiet, still unsure of how to react. Malfoy glanced up at her, confused. "For these," Hermione clarified, gesturing to her wand and book. He nodded, and some of the agitation and fear seemed to desert his expression. He was by no means calm, though he didn't look like he could fall apart at a moment's notice anymore.
His stare followed her until she was completely out of sight. A pale hand ran through his short hair, and a quiet "fuck" cracked through the serene environment.