A/N:

A dialogue chapter for you all this week that I really hope you enjoy!

See you next Tuesday (or Wednesday if work gets in the way again) and thank you for reading :)

Much love xx

Chapter 24 - Attention

"This really isn't good."

"You don't say, Weasley," Draco drawled.

Hermione heard them on the verge of an argument, but she couldn't drag her blurred gaze away from the pages clenched in her fists, even though she could no longer read the rest of the words. She was shaking too much.

"Oh, Hermione," Ginny realised and pulled her into a hug so that she was just able to stare blankly over the taller girl's shoulder. The Prophet fell to the floor, but tremors continued to roll through her. She could feel the anger building in her chest, her throat opening for a growl despite the clench of her jaw.

Over Ginny's shoulder, and through her blurred vision, she could just make out the scowl on Draco's face as he stood primly behind Ginny with his arms folded. His stance relaxed as he found her looking back at him and he took a step towards them so that he was close enough to whisper since the entire Great Hall was still listening in.

"We need to get her out of here, Weasley. Her eyes."

Hermione felt Ginny relax her hold and lean back to look into her face, her soft, brown eyes widening.

"Oh, Merlin."

"Yup," Draco agreed with the sentiment, spreading his arms protectively behind the two witches as he ushered them out of the hall, Luna trailing along behind them up to the nearest empty classroom.

He closed the door behind them and Hermione watched him stalk towards her, hunching his shoulders when he reached her so he could look directly into her eyes which she assumed kept flashing a vibrant green. There was a battle occurring within herself between a familiar, calming presence and the anger that was bubbling just below the surface as she continued to process the article. Her fists remained clenched at her sides, but the shaking had lessened now that she was alone with Draco, Ginny and Luna. She could also see clearly again. Or at least she could clearly see the silver specks in Draco's stormy eyes.

"Focus, Granger. I need you to calm down. Skeeter's a bitch, we all know that."

"I'm going to kill her," Hermione growled through clenched teeth, keeping a rein on the fullness of her anger.

"No, you're not," Draco told her, lifting his arms to hold her by the shoulder as he continued to stare into her eyes. Hermione growled and quickly swung her own arms up between his, knocking them away at the elbows with her forearms.

"You can't tell me what to do!" She raised her voice as the rumble in her chest grew, and she stood as tall as she was able to, taking a step forward to crowd him before lowering her voice again to a dangerous hiss. "She puts me in danger, she puts my pack in danger. You cannot stop me, Draco Malfoy."

"Yes I bloody well can, Granger," he squared up to her without hesitation, drawing himself up to look down at her with narrowed eyes. "You can't pull that shit on me so control yourself. Going after Skeeter like this, with violence, will solve nothing."

"Hermione, maybe you sh..." Ginny paused when Draco held out a hand in her direction, a request for silence without taking his gaze from Hermione's face.

"Oh no. You did not just shush Ginny," Hermione bared her teeth at him in a dangerous grin and closed the gap between their puffed-out chests. "You definitely don't get to do that." She brought a hand between them and shoved him hard in the chest so that he stumbled backwards. "Especially when you have hardly acknowledged me all week!"

She pushed him again and he wheeled backwards until he fell into a chair. Hermione placed her right foot on the edge of the seat between his thighs and pushed him further away with all her strength, the chair screeching across the stone floor until it collided with a desk. When Draco went to stand from the chair, Hermione bound over and held him down with an insistent palm on his shoulder, standing over him and glaring into his eyes.

"She's an animagus. Skeeter is. And I'd bet anything that she's unregistered. That's how we go after her, Granger." Draco's shoulder relaxed under her hand, but his gaze did not waver from hers.

"I know that, Draco," she scoffed, a sly smile tugging at her lips and her eyes twinkling, even as they returned to their usual brown.

"You... You know?" he quirked an eyebrow incredulously, but his voice betrayed his disappointment.

"Yes, I know. I kept her trapped in a jar for months and blackmailed her."

"So that's why she suddenly disappeared..." Draco breathed, face flushed as his eyes widened at her.

"And don't think that I didn't know you were feeding her those horrendous stories, Malfoy."

"Oh, don't Malfoy me, Granger," he slipped his mask back into place.

"Hypocrite," Hermione smirked at him before holding out a hand to pull him up from the chair.

"Okayyy," Ginny drew out and Hermione turned to face her. "So we're going to blackmail her?"

"Don't be silly, Ginny. Draco is." Three heads turned in surprise to the sing-song reasoning of Luna Lovegood, Draco folding his arms across his chest with a curious air.

"Um, yes, Luna. But how did you know I was going to suggest that?"

"It's obvious isn't it?" She flitted her gaze between the three of them, taking in their expressions. "Oh," she let out a sharp giggle, "Of course. I see now."

Hermione continued watching Luna along with the other two, waiting for her to tell them what she could obviously see that they could not. Luna, on the other hand, must have believed her point made because she waltzed around Draco and sat down quite determinedly on the chair he had vacated without saying another word.

"If I am correct," Draco cocked his head at Luna when she remained silent, and kept his intrigued gaze on her despite speaking to Hermione and Ginny, "Skeeter does not know about our friendship so she will not expect an attack from me. I've been trying to keep that sort of extra attention off you, hence my avoidance since we parted on the train."

"You... I don't... You didn't have to do that," Hermione stuttered, surprised that he had been protecting her, but also guilt stricken that she was the reason he had been so lonely all week.

"It's not just you," he turned to look at her with a sheepish smile on his face. "No one here should have to put up with me, so I'm just trying to stay out of the way."

"Draco," Hermione protested at the same time Ginny scoffed.

"Malfoy, you're a massive idiot. You don't have to keep proving it."

"Thanks, Weasley. I think."

"Ginny's right. The way people look at you and think about you won't change if you keep avoiding them for their own good. What about what's good for you, Draco?" They shared a smile and Draco nodded at Hermione as he accepted what she said. She hoped he wouldn't forget it.

"Anyway, as I was saying, Skeeter knows that I'm aware of her animagus skills but not that I would be likely to defend you. If I were to expose her with what I know from fourth year, she'd hopefully be ruined, or at least trusted a lot less. And she wouldn't even see it coming."

"Okay," Hermione considered for a second before repeating more assuredly with a wide grin on her face. "Okay. You'd best get writing."

"Well, we've already missed the start of Ancient Runes so, the library? We can call in to Professor Babbling at the end of the hour to get today's work and hand in our translations."

"Oh no! I completely forgot about class!"

"Hermione," Ginny soothed her, "I'm sure class is the last thing the Professors expect you to worry about this morning. Just go with Malfoy and get that letter written. I have a free period anyway, so I'll be on the Quidditch pitch. Luna?"

"Oh, I think I'll head to Divination early. The new Professor is sitting in on class today and I want to meet them first."

"Merlin help them," Draco hissed into Hermione's ear and she had to cover her sudden laugh with a cough.

"Sorry, I'll just... Shall we?"

The castle was much quieter than it had been that morning and Hermione felt a lot calmer walking towards the library with Draco at her side. Even the agitation she usually felt as the full moon drew closer seemed more subdued. Unfortunately, whatever it was that she was finding relaxing had done nothing to soothe her aching muscles, so she was constantly shifting the position of her school bag on her shoulders.

"Give me the bag, Granger," Draco drawled, holding his hand out to her as they reached the top of the second flight of stairs. They still had to get to the end of the main second floor corridor and then climb the spiral staircase that would bring them out near the library.

"What? No, I'm perfectly capable of carrying it myself," she said even as she hefted it onto the other shoulder. Draco looked down at her with one eyebrow raised and his lips pressed into a knowing scowl. Hermione sighed, relenting, and he smiled at her.

"Thank you for coming to your senses," he teased as he lifted the bag off her shoulder. "Salazar, Granger! What have you got in here?" Hermione could see him straining and remembered how starved his muscles still were after Azkaban, but she'd let him play the gentleman if he was so determined.

"Just my course books. I never know which I'll end up needing."

"You are aware of the Featherlight charm, aren't you?" He remarked, his voice dripping with sarcasm, holding Hermione's bag in front of him as though it were a boulder.

"It never seems worth it for a few extra books," she shrugged, but cast the charm for him anyway as they reached the base of the spiral staircase.

Hermione went ahead of Draco and walked straight into the Library when she got to the top. She glanced around at the many gaps on the shelves and sighed once again, as she had been doing all week, at the dismal sight.

"What the..." Hermione turned around before she reached her favourite table and saw Draco standing still, a few meters inside the library with a shocked expression on his face as he looked around.

"You haven't been in here yet?" She asked him, quietening her tone automatically.

"No," Draco replied just as quietly. "I've been studying outside before it gets too cold to do so. It's...it's so empty."

"Books don't fare too well in battle, Draco." She grabbed his wrist as he continued staring around at the sparse shelves and pulled him towards the table.

"Do McGonagall and Pince know which books are missing?"

"Yes. I do too," she considered him curiously, wondering what was going through his head. "I helped with the cataloguing after the Battle."

"Do you have the list?" Draco whipped his head round to face her. "Only, I have access to the second largest wizarding library in Britain. Well," he looked around again. "It was the second largest."

"What are you thinking?" Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and he smiled back at her.

"They'd do more good here than they are gathering dust on the shelves in Malfoy Manor."

"Draco. You don't have to feel guilty about everything..."

"I don't," Draco interrupted her. "I want to do this. I can do this. I can help."

Hermione suddenly found herself transfixed by the sincere, amazed, warm look on his face and the way it smoothed out his sharp features. She had to shake herself out of it, aware of her heart pounding in her chest and the flush rising up her neck.

"I'll get you the list," she said, looking down as she took her bag back from him. "You can cross-reference it with your mother, I suppose."

"She'll be glad of something to do." Hermione didn't have to look up to know there was a smile on his face. It was evident in his voice.

"And I'm sure Professor McGonagall will be glad of the help," she murmured back without meeting his eyes as they settled down to work.