AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am sorry if this took so long! It's not really my best work, but it'll do… Thank you so much to all those who took the time to review! I appreciate all your comments, whether they may be positive or negative. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter.
CHAPTER THREE
His gray eyes averted their gaze from his essay to the girl sitting across him. She looked different than usual—was it her hair, or was she wearing make-up now?
He could not place it. All he knew was that a distinct aura was emitting from her today, and it was drawing him to her rather strangely.
"Draco," Hermione said, causing him to jump on his seat. She eyed him curiously. "Is anything wrong? Do you need help?"
He shook his head curtly in reply, and looked back down on his essay. But two minutes later, it seemed that he had lost all concentration, for once again, he found himself glancing back at Hermione and studying her every feature—something he only did to Stella.
Hermione noticed this, and she looked at him in annoyance. "You're staring awfully too much at me, you know." She shuddered mockingly. "It's freaky."
Draco chuckled rather nervously, scolding him for the peculiar thoughts that had just run through his mind seconds ago—oddly, they contained the words, beautiful and perfect, and phrases such as I overlooked her. He gazed up at her and cleared his voice.
"Can we conclude this session?" He asked. He was itching to get away from her so as to forget those forbidden thoughts. If she were to hear them, Draco was positive that she'd be repulsed by him, and if Stella were to know about them, he'd expect nothing but utter scandal and the end of their relationship.
Hermione nodded in retort and stood up. "Help me return these books back to their shelves first." She handed him a pile of Arithmancy books and placed another pile in her own hands. "Follow me."
And so he complied. He walked beside her, carrying the books with caution. They trudged through the many shelves and as they rounded the corner, Hermione bumped into a boy, causing her to fall back down on the floor and to let the books scatter. Draco motioned to help her up, but the other was quicker. He lent his hand to her and she reluctantly took it.
"Sorry," he said, in a voice quite low and husky.
He was as tall as Draco. His eyes were of the brightest blue he had ever seen, and he possessed hair that was black as ebony. Draco glanced at Hermione, and expectedly, she was in awe of the boy, who, he noticed, was still holding her hand. Of course, he had no business with this action, but he couldn't help but feel a bit protective over his friend.
"I'm fine," Hermione murmured, apparently still lost in the blueness of the boy's eyes.
The boy, too, seemed lost in her own brown ones. "I'm Benjamin, from Hufflepuff," he said, shaking the hand he was grasping. Hermione smiled shyly, and gave him her name.
All the while, Draco rolled his eyes in irritation and he finally cleared his throat. Hermione was startled, and she gave him an apologetic look. She turned to Benjamin, and said her goodbyes. He threw her a boyish grin and disappeared.
Hermione picked up the books she had dropped and continued on their way to the right shelf. However, though, she wore a gleeful smile and Draco couldn't help but feel spite for the boy they had just met. And at the same moment, an uninvited emotion surged into his veins, and he was surprised to be experiencing it right now.
What the bloody hell… His steps faltered as he realized the truth.
He was jealous.
She could have sworn that she glimpsed a fair amount of jealousy burning in Draco's eyes. But it had disappeared all too quickly for her to make sure…Unless of course, she had imagined that emotion only because of her longing for his love.
After all, why would Draco be jealous of Benjamin, when he had already declared his love for the girl who now stood as his girlfriend ? Hermione must have read the emotion wrongly—it must have been a mere feeling of being protective of her, just as what Harry and Ron usually felt when it came to battling evil and dealing with people who insulted her.
She sighed sadly as she traipsed up to the Gryffindor Common Room. She would have loved it more if Draco actually felt jealous.
Logically thinking, she pondered, Any boy would be jealous of Benjamin. She had had to admit, the Hufflepuff was amazingly gorgeous. With his dark black hair, his charming blue eyes, and an adorable smile no one would easily be able to forget, it would be unlikely for a girl not to sigh dreamily and blush. And during the time at the library, he seemed to be interested in her with the way he gazed into her eyes…
She wondered how she could have possibly missed him until now…
A flash of a young blonde man with the deepest set of gray eyes suddenly emerged in her mind, quickly dissolving the image of Benjamin in an instant. He wore his confident trademark smirk, and Hermione stopped in her tracks, recognizing him.
Draco.
No one could still replace him.
That was how much she loved him.
Author's Note: It's short, but I guess meaningful in a way… Depends on how you perceive it. Lol. Hope you all liked it! I practically had to force myself to write this chapter, so as usual, I must apologize for making it not so… you know… well-written… I have a major case of writer's block and I'm still recovering.
Review if you've got the time!
Thanks a bunch!
