THE EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER
By: Scatterheart
A long time ago in a campus far, far away…Section Ten
She saw Draco and Pansy two times the following weekend, and three more times during the subsequent week. They stood close to one another as they chatted in a secluded corner of the Great Hall, or held hands as they walked through the passageways. The perpetual hard smirk on Draco's face would disappear with Pansy's presence. And they would even smile to each other; many times the smiles were not on their lips but in the way their brows dipped as they nodded in response to a secret joke.
But the greatest shock to Hermione was that they were not the only couple at Hogwarts. Seventh years, sixth years, and even fifth year boys and girls had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, kissing, hugging, cuddling. Could it be possible they had found their mates during the short winter break? Or could it be possible that Hermione had just been completely blind the gentler side of this school?
Sometimes she would stand there, outside of the Arithmancy classroom or on the steps leading to the dungeons, and simply watch. Couples coming, couples going. And, more often than not, she would be jolted from her daze by duos of carefree romancers that would run into her as they plowed invincibly through the corridors.
And so Hermione would enter class and study, and eat her meals in the Great Hall, and do homework inside her private dorm until she fell asleep. And in Potions, she would not help Neville, and would noiselessly leave each period without being cautioned of losing house points or gaining detention.
The seven-year ritual of enduring Professor Snape's daily warnings had ended.
Something felt erased inside of her.
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