AN: I do not own anything Harry Potter.

Hermione shut her arithmancy textbook with relief, closing her eyes for only a second, before leaving her desk to scan the other aisles of the library. Curfew was only thirty minutes away, so she had just enough time to look up extra information on Veritaserum. Her eyes landed on a large red tome with the words: Profecto Magicarum: A Guide. Magic in Truth. It had detailed analyses of how various truth inducing magical spells, potions, charms, etc. essentially worked and their many uses. As she placed her hand along the top of the spine, her attention diverted away from the shelf and towards a tall figure who abruptly stopped right in front of her aisle. There was no mistaking the pale blonde hair and stiff posture.

His back was turned towards her as his head first turned left, and then right, before he pulled one of his hands from his black joggers and frustratingly shook the hair on the back of his head. She heard him sigh, hearing the irritation in his breath, as he shoved his hand back into his pocket and decided to walk left. Hermione's naturally curious mind had already made a short list of who or what he could possibly be searching for, herself most definitely not on that list, before she redirected her attention back towards the large tome, pulling it from the shelf and already opening it. Her eyes scanned the pages quickly as she blindly made her way back to her study nook.

When she turned into her aisle, she found it already occupied and once again staring at the back of Malfoy's head, her now being the one to come to an abrupt stop. He was just slightly hunched over the desk, seeming to have been looking over her things.

"What are you doing?" She asked blankly, causing him to turn around.

Hermione was sure she saw him holding the tip of her feather quill up towards his nose, but in the blink of an eye, his hands were by his side and her quill on her desk. He straightened his back. Hermione looked curiously at the quill before ignoring the image she believed her mind had imagined.

"You," His tone was accusatory. He stared at her with a hard expression on his face.

Hermione matched his expression, continuing her walk to her desk, only breaking eye contact when she turned to place the book on the table. She pretended he wasn't there as she pulled out her chair, ignoring his close proximity to the best of her ability. Hermione thought he would have stepped away when she got closer, but he had yet to do so. And she was not going to be the one to first concede. She cleared her throat and stepped between the desk and chair, flipping her long hair behind her shoulders. A small smile danced upon her lips for only a second upon feeling her hair just barely hit Malfoy's face. She sat down and scooted herself closer towards the desk.

That seemed to bring him back to life. He made no comment on the matter, instead turning around and walking off. Hermione watched him, her brow furrowed. He was acting different this year, strange, she would even say. His actions deviated far from the Draco Malfoy she had come to know over the years. The one that had made sure that each encounter that her friends and her had with him were only unpleasant.

And that thought was only solidified in her mind when instead of leaving, he grabbed a chair a few feet away, placing it next to Hermione and sitting in it. He lazily leaned back, careful to keep some semblance of distance between them in the tight library aisle. His leg bounced up and down. Hermione had returned her gaze to the tome as soon as he had begun walking back towards her, focusing her attention back on the text.

There was a moment of silence.

"I don't trust you." He spoke curtly, eyes scanning over her face, before focusing on the bookshelf in front of him.

Hermione flipped the page of the tome, unimpressed.

She didn't bother looking up as she responded. "I'm surprised you've considered us to have some type of relationship worthy of distrust to begin with."

Her retort had caught him slightly off guard. He turned his head to look at her profile.

She felt him watching her, and finally looked up into his eyes.

"Don't worry. The feeling is mutual." A small smile danced on her lips before she focused once again on the tome.

Malfoy shifted in his seat, crossing his arms. Her smile was disconcerting. It felt intimate, reserved for those closest to her. He hadn't ever expected to be on the receiving end. And their current conversation was most definitely not the place for such a smile. It irritated him that she was so careless with it. Especially with someone like him, who had been consciously horrible to her in the past.

He rolled his eyes, a bitter taste in his mouth.

Hermione sighed and met his eyes. "Look, I'm quite busy, Malfoy. It's almost curfew. I've just started reading about our project for potions and it's distracting having you sitting there and staring at me like you're about to hex me. So, if you don't mind, either get on with it or leave."

His eyes shifted towards her right hand. He only just noticed her firmly grasping her wand, almost defensively.

The hard expression on his face softened ever so slightly before he scoffed. "And therein lies the reason for why I don't trust you."

He leaned over, beginning to slide the tome over towards himself. Hermione placed her hand over it, stopping it from moving any further. It now rested between both of them. They were both slightly leaned over and looking at one another, both of them with one hand on each side of the tome, neither aware of the closer proximity between them.

She looked at him blankly. "Elaborate."

"You're researching about Veritaserum when there's only what, ten minutes till we have to head back to our common rooms? I won't have your unpreparedness affect my grade." He smirked upon seeing her jaw open.

"I already know the basics of veritaserum, Malfoy. I'm simply reaffirming my knowledge by reading this tome."

"Knowing the basics is one thing, but potions are sensitive magic. They're unique and sometimes require deviation if the brewer has done something incorrectly or followed a step, but not sufficiently enough. One must know more than just the basics."

"Yes. Thank you, Malfoy, for stating the obvious. If I only focused on learning the basics, I highly doubt that I would be the highest ranked student in our grade."

Both of them rolled their eyes.

"Potions are my specialty. And these potions are a lot more complicated than last year's. People like to think it's as simple as following a recipe and tend to get overconfident and careless. And clearly," he motioned towards her watch, "that includes you."

She scoffed and sputtered. "It's only the first day of school. I very much intend to spend more time researching tomorrow as well."

"For another measly ten minutes?"

"Honestly, Malfoy. At the end of the day, it is following a recipe."

"You're only confirming my doubts."

Hermione released a frustrated, deep breath that danced across Malfoy's face. His eyes fell to her mouth and his body stiffened. She did not miss it, and quickly sat up straight, creating distance between them once again, clearing her throat. Malfoy followed suit, his arms now folded.

Hermione slid the large tome back towards her and flipped the page, avoiding eye contact. "Instead of insulting me and wasting my time, can you try to be cordial for once and just tell me the point behind this little visit?" She pretended to read over the text, finding it hard to concentrate as she over analysed Malfoy's once again, newly strange behavior. This moment had been the strangest so far.

"I've changed my mind. Same place tomorrow, after dinner. We'll discuss our first project. And try and be at least five minutes late, Granger."

Updates will be random, as I'm in school, but I'll do my best. Reviews help motivate :')