Draco trudged into the classroom just moments before the bell rang making a conscious effort to ignore Blaise's amused gaze as he purposely settled into a seat two rows away from his.
"Cutting it a bit close aren't we Mr. Malfoy" Snape drawled with the closest thing to a smile he could produce on his face. Draco forced back the grimace that threatened to cross his face and replaced it with a friendly grin.
"I just like to keep things interesting." He said with a shrug wanting nothing more than to gag when the older man threw his head back and let loose a chorus of cracked laughter. He quickly composed himself and the friendly attitude that had graced him only seconds before was replaced with his usual air of superiority as his cold calculating gaze focused in on the rest of the class.
"I assume that you're all ready to present today." He said making pointed eye contact with select students he knew were not prepared.
"I won't waste time asking who wants to volunteer to go first, and instead will have you present in the order in which I received your project. If your name is so far down the list that you do not present today, then you will lose five points." Draco's classmates looked at each other furiously mouthing things to each other. Before Snape could continue Lily Moon a relatively attractive girl with long dark brown; almost black hair spoke out.
"With all due respect professor; I don't understand how the length of the class period is our fault." A murmur of agreement swept across the classroom and snape looked over his nose at the girl and began speaking painfully slowly.
"With all due respect Ms. Moon. You are not being punished for the length of the class. However, you are in fact being punished for you inability to manage your time and complete a simple assignment by the due date. Now, if I were you, I would sit quietly so that we may begin the presentations in hope that we might get to yours before the end of the day seeing as your project was one of the last that I received." Draco looked over at Lily with pity as her eyes widened and blush deepened with every word. Many of the students who had moments prior shared similar sentiments hung their heads refusing to make eye contact with the man looking down at them in fear of receiving the same treatment.
"Now that we're all on the same page the first to present will be Ms. Granger, and Mr. Malfoy." He said, swiftly taking the few short steps to his desk before dropping into his chair. Moving surprisingly gracefully as he did so. Draco made his way to the front of the room landing just behind the table with their project lying on it. As soon as he stood still Hermione began speaking her words faster than normal. Draco suppressed the urge to roll his eyes as he realized that she was trying to cut their presentation time. It was completely on brand for her and her bleeding heart, but he admired that helping others succeed was second nature for her.
"Our project is on the negative and positive sides of the magnet and what happens when you place them on the same plane." He remembered this to be his que and he carefully placed the pencil he had hanging in his hand in between the space of the four magnets.
"As you can see the pencil appears to be floating. This is caused by something called..." Draco found himself zoning out and his gaze unintentionally flicked over to Blaise who was sitting with his arms crossed shaking his head with one eyebrow quirked and a smirk resting comfortably on his lips. He promptly made a mental note to kick his arse next time he was at the manor and quickly looked away. He was going to settle for blankly staring at the audience when he felt another pair of eyes watching him. He turned his head slightly and saw Harry staring at him as if her were a math problem he'd once known how to do but had since forgotten the equation for. Draco had expected him to look away when he met his gaze, but his green eyes continued to openly stare at him. Feeling overly scrutinized by Blaise and now Harry he shifted his feet and glued his eyes to the clock on the back wall just over everybody's heads.
"That's all we have." Hermione finished brightly, and he suddenly remembered where he was and what he was doing.
"Excellent work you two." Their professor said after two sharp claps.
"Go place your project on the back table and write your name on the list back there for extra credit." Draco nodded and followed Hermione who had snatched up the project and was walking with it in both arms. He could hear Snape calling up the next presenters, but he was more focused on what he could say to her to break the ice that had settled between them.
"That wasn't so bad." He said lamely as she wrote her name on the list neatly. If he hadn't seen her stiffen, he would have thought she hadn't heard him at all because she completed her name without a word or a parting glance and quickly walked away. Taken aback by her behavior he absentmindedly wrote his name before rushing back to his seat feeling stupid. Of course, it wouldn't be that simple, not after what he'd done. The feeling of exhaustion quickly crept over him and seeing no reason to stay awake he let it steal him away.
"Mate., c'mon wake up. Seriously I'm not gonna be late for my next lesson cause of you." Draco felt a hand prodding his shoulder uncomfortably and he tried to swat it away.
"If you're lazy arse isn't standing and ready to walk out of here in the next ten seconds, I'm leaving you, honest." Draco snapped his eyes open eyes he recalled that he was in Snapes classroom and not in a bed at the manor.
"Blaise, shut. Up." He said sitting up slowly while stretching tiredly.
"Well, well. Sleeping bitch is finally awake." Draco cut his eyes at the Italian boy and snatched his bag from his outstretched hand as he rose from the desk yawning. He slung one strap over his shoulder and shoved his hands in his pockets before joining Blaise who was waiting by Snapes desk. The pair strolled toward the door and into the busy hall joining the large body of students trying to reach their next class. Draco reached up suddenly smacked Blaise who still had a smirk on his face on the back of the head. He looked over him incredulously
"What the blood hell was that for!?" He cried rubbing the back of his head gingerly.
"That stupid look you won't stop giving me; I figured I could knock it off your face." He said plainly smirking at him. Blaise dropped his hand immediately began laughing.
"You're mental, you know that right?" Draco opened his mouth reply when he felt a small hand grab his own. He stopped walking and looked down at the hand and then up at the owner. Hermione was standing against the wall looking directly at him, and when he realized the hand was hers; his own instinctively closed around it. He looked back at Blaise who was looking between the two quizzically, and after a second his gaze lingered on Draco and he gave him a slight nod before rejoining the thinning crowd and walking away giving Hermione one final look which Draco couldn't decipher as he did so. He appeared to be the only confused one though, because she had given him a curt nod in response.
"We need to talk." She said after clearing her throat. He nodded and he quickly looked down at their hands to ensure that he wasn't imagining her firm hold. This however proved to be a bad idea because she also looked down. She quickly snatched her hand away upon realizing that they were still connected.
"Follow me." She said wiping her hand on her shirt as she hastily turned and began making her way down the hall. Draco stood stunned as he replayed the disgusted look that had graced her features as she had wiped her hand like he was some snotty toddler who had touched her with candy-stained fingers. He sniffed once and tried to convince himself that it did not bother him as he dipped his head down and followed her at a distance. She yanked open a closet that housed various school supplies and entered without hesitation, and he momentarily wondered how many times she'd been in here, and with who? He quickly decided he did not want to know the answer to the last question, and he shook his head as he gave the hall a once over to ensure that no one was watching before ducking inside. The small room was fairly large for a closet, but it was pact with shelves and boxes all labeled in loopy script with black marker. His eyes jumped around the room taking everything in before they landed on Hermione who was standing underneath the singular lightbulb that was emitting warm yellow light. She looked ethereal standing underneath it, and it made the short frizzy hair on the top of her head look like a soft halo. This was a stark contrast to her stiff posture and the deep-set frown lines by her mouth accompanied by the dark look present in her eyes. The atmosphere was tense, and Draco had to fight the urge to make a joke to break the heavy silence that hung between them. Ordinarily he would have made a snide remark about them being alone in a closet together, but on an ordinary day even before their silly deal had transpired she wouldn't be looking at him like he was the last person on earth she wanted to see.
"Are we still on for tea with your mother Saturday or what?" She sighed looking like his mere presence had drained her. He snapped his eyes which been on a box marked copy paper up at her unreadable face.
"You're still coming?" She rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms impatiently.
"You already paid me, and I promised I would help."
"right..." He replied recalling that he'd forwarded her the money after he'd gotten home from the library.
"Ok, so what time should I come over?" She asked looking up at him expectantly. He shuffled his feet uncomfortably and shrugged.
"Around noon, but I can pick you up if you want." He hoped that he did not sound as desperate and hopeful as he thought he did, but he could not help the surge of anticipation that swelled in his chest.
"No, it's fine I can drive."
"If you could drive you wouldn't be doing this in the first place." He said cheekily with a smirk before he could stop himself. After his brain caught up to his mouth, he gave her a sheepish smile which was only returned by her frown deepening.
"I'll see you Saturday." She said stiffly not even acknowledging his tease. Before he could think of what to say in response, she had slid past him her long hair brushing his arm as she did. He stood unsure what to do as the door slammed shut and she was gone again.