A/N: I like these thousand word chapters. They're easy to write, easy to edit, and that makes it easier to upload faster. This is a thank you to those who have supported this little tale with faves, follows, and reviews. Keep it up, and I'll keep writing.
Chapter 7
"Are you taking advanced Charms class, then, or are you studying for fun?" he asked, leaning with crossed arms onto the back of the yellow chair, his eyes inquisitive. They also held something else that she could not place. It wasn't fear, but it seemed similar.
"Both. Obviously," she answered tersely, closing volume two on her thumb so as not to lose her place as she fixed him with a deep frown. "Did you really come all the way over here to ask such a trivial question, Malfoy, or is this leading up to something else? An insult perhaps?"
He gave a puff of air through his nose that seemed close to laughter, and asked, "Do you really think I came over here to insult you?"
"I don't know, Malfoy," she said, annoyed. "You've done more for less. Like follow a tyrant for a spot in a prison cell. So I'm not so sure what you want."
She expected him to fight back at this, or even allow his feelings to be hurt and walk away, inevitably leading to him leaving her alone for the rest of eternity, but he didn't. Instead, he answered, "A prison cell you helped saved me from. You and Potter. Not so much Weasley, if I'm honest. Thank you for that, by the way. I'd much rather be here in your good company."
"Is that how you planned on thanking me for helping save you from a long stint of time?" she asked, growing increasingly irritated by his presence as every second ticked by on her watch.
He looked at the floor and bit the inside of his cheek for a second before looking back up at her to say, "No. I planned on doing it in- in a more genuine way... Thank y-"
"Stop," Hermione interjected, holding her hand palm out for emphasis. "I don't want to hear it. I didn't do what I did in hopes of a thank you. I couldn't give a fuck about how you feel about what I did, because I only said what I did to make the truth known, and that is all. The fact that they let you go was never my intention, so don't try and make nice thinking that I did any of that for you."
Both of them were very quiet for an incalculable period of time. They simply stared at one another, and Hermione was sure to study the range of emotions that played on the blonde's face. To her surprise, he was never angry, perhaps sad or let down at one point, but never mad at her.
This made her puzzle, because this was not like him. This was not the behavior of the Draco Malfoy she knew. The way he looked at her was so contrary to years gone by that she was lost in it, and found she couldn't look away. She didn't even try. She just allowed her eyes to do as they pleased as they stayed locked on the grey orbs that never left her face; that flitted over every feature with care and precision.
It took a tick, but she eventually realized that her heartbeat had sped up, and she was hardly breathing. What felt like a flush was rushing from her chest to her neck and settled low in her face. She took a deep inhale when this all became evident to her, and blinked rapidly to regain control of her body.
"I don't think…" he began as she tried to recover, "I've ever heard you use that language before, Granger. Are you alright?" He seemed legitimately concerned, and this, for some reason, made her angrier than ever, the heat in her body now stemming from rage rather than… whatever it had been coming from moments prior.
"It's none of your business, Malfoy," she snapped, standing to begin gathering her things and throwing them in her bag. "I owe you gratitude, now, I think. Thanks for ruining my study time. And thank you for ruining my holiday. You've been most kind."
She slipped her boots on, threw her cloak over her shoulders and tied it. She then grabbed her bag, threw it over her shoulder, and used the tip of her wand to tap her breakfast plate and send it back to the kitchens, before storming out of the library and down the stairs.
Her intention was now an early morning walk, far away from the castle and its other occupant; the very same one that had had her questioning her emotions and evaluating her reactions to him. She didn't like the staring contest they'd just had, and how her body and mind had seemed happy to be lost in the moment where he'd scanned her face like one would a puzzle. He'd been trying to crack the code, it seemed, and she'd sat there and allowed him to try while… while…
"Was I blushing?!" she yelled at herself as she tore down the stairs as quickly as one could in snow boots. She did follow through with a palm to her face this time as she reached the landing, and groaned in frustration as she reached the last leg of her journey, moving out the grand entrance and towards the grounds where the Black Lake lie.
"I think I was blushing…" she said in disbelief, the snowflakes dancing in the wind hitting her face and melting. Not that she noticed much, for she was still in the red chair in the library, going over the details of her short encounter with Draco and trying to play off the flush that bounded up her neck at his eyes lingering on her for so long.
"No. No possible way. It wasn't a blush! I was angry," she reasoned as she turned down the path that led to the shore. Then she concluded, "I was just angry. That's it."
But, in her heart of hearts, she still doubted whether or not her conclusion was the truth of it. The feeling that she was lying to herself was something she had to physically shake, and to no avail.
