"Did you know, for a Slytherin, you really are daft" Hermione comments, before scrougifying the dust and folding her cloak to sit down on it.
Draco glances up momentarily and notices Granger's muggle jeans and a hideous purple jumper with a huge 'H' and a 'G' stitched as an afterthought, which clashed horribly with her hair.
"I don't remember asking for your opinion, Granger" Draco retorts drily, with much less venom than he intended, "And...Cute jumper" he adds, unable to stop himself from scoffing with laughter.
"Now, I don't remember asking your opinion either. Besides, it's something of a tradition for me now."
Draco simply rolled his eyes and turned to look at the lake, black with silver streaks in the late twilight.
If Draco was completely honest with himself, he rather admired her, she came from nowhere, a nobody, according to Lucius, but she still managed to hold her own through everything, without becoming Harry Potter's shadow. Although she did tend to be rather bossy and patronizing, she was rather pleasant, and easy on the eyes as well, besides, Potter seemed to trust her with his life. But after the recent incident with Weasley, he really wanted to be left alone and he certainly did not want Granger's pity. So it wasn't without a degree of irritation when he asked,
"What do you want?"
"Look, Malfoy..." Hermione began, neatly folding her legs and crossing her arms, turning to face him, with what seemed like it was going to be a long lecture.
Draco immediately raised a hand and silenced her "Cut to the point, Granger. I don't mean to be rude, but unlike Weasley, I do like to be left alone when I am off on my own."
"Yes, yes, I'm not here to lecture you either, Malfoy" Hermione huffs, "I just want to let you know that I don't know what Harry thinks he's doing, or what he intends to do, but I'm not stupid, I know that he's...he's somewhat...attracted to you...I mean, I really don't know, it's just the way he's been behaving around you ever since the beginning of the term..."
Draco, although unsure of what to expect from her, was definitely not expecting "the talk" to happen, and certainly not with the best friend of his arch-nemesis.
"...do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
Completely taken off-guard, Draco begins to blush and Hermione stops abruptly, looking at him, her eyes widening, his blush mirroring hers now with realization dawning in her brown eyes.
"So..."
"Uh, Granger...I"
"Are you in love with Harry?"
"What the fuck?"
They say simultaneously.
"Okay," she says slowly, nodding sagely. "Alright"
"Granger, look, I don't know what you think it is but-"
"Harry's gone towards the library" Granger prompted, "I did think it was odd of him when he said he was going there. "Oh well" She chirped, clapping her hands together, "Now I know."
Then she disappears towards the school building, leaving an utterly baffled Malfoy in her wake.