Summer came and went and so did another beginning of the school year. Hermione had come to stay with the Weasleys and Harry had come by two just a few days before they were off to Hogwarts.
The previous night had been rather odd when Ron had walked in on her putting a sweater over her head. He had been shirtless and his face had turned beet red. And for some reason, the fact that he was shirtless had made Hermione's thoughts imagine all sorts of things she shouldn't have.
And the worst part was that she couldn't stop imagining all kinds of scenarios where they were kissing on a bed or she was pushed up against a wall or on a bloody countertop. The last one had made her blush given that she was eating dinner with him and his whole family, including Harry. She was just thankful no one could read minds.
However, things got even worse. Because when they arrived for the first feast of the year, Hermione nearly gasped when she saw Malfoy across the room. She had forced herself to call him Malfoy after a summer of referring to him as Draco. This time she could clearly see how much he had changed over the summer. He was, well, very attractive in his black robes. His hair was slightly longer, still gelled back, and he had a sad look in his eyes that she couldn't place.
So she realized that now she had heavily fantasized about one her best friends and continued to fantasize over their arch nemesis. What was wrong with her?
The year slowly progressed. The nights got colder and soon snow was falling. And when things seemed grim she was thankful that Umbridge wasn't still their professor. In fact, for the first time Hermione found herself enjoying potions now that Snape wasn't their professor. Professor Slughorn had shown them amortentia, a love potion that made you smell what you most desired. But she couldn't place what she had smelled. It almost seemed like the scent was mixing Malfoy's cologne and the comfort of Ron's home. And her emotions only drove her more crazy when Ron startled her one day at lunch, his hand brushing her back as he sat down next to her. Her body immediately erupted in tingles as she smiled bashfully at him.
"Hello, Ron," Lavender said as she walked past them. Hermione's eyebrows furrowed uncontrollably but when she caught Malfoy staring at her with the same stare she had given Lavender her face fell and butterflies circled her belly.
She probably held his stare for longer than she should have, but a part of her thought it was exciting. It was as if she was flirting with her eyes, daring Malfoy to look away first. She noticed the sad look in his eyes, the bags that weighed them down. His shoulders were hunched as if he was trying to make himself as small as possible. For a split second she zoned out, thinking why he looked so unlike his usual, cocky self. She bit her lip in thought, but when she looked back at him he had turned away.