Disclaimer: Still don't own it #pines for Draco Malfoy ownership#
Author's note: Second chapter…hmm…yeah…I'm in it.

Number Nine
2. Encounters

Saturday morning, all the girls were asleep in their dorm; apart from Hermione that was. Silently she slipped out of bed and dressed in the best clothes she could find. A quick examination in the mirror told her all she needed to know.
Great, she thought, running her fingers through hastily brushed hair, I look like a dork.
"Something important today, dear?" asked the mirror, sleepily. Hermione made a shushing noise and wildly glanced around to check her room-mates were still sound asleep. They were. It was 7:00 in the morning.
The common room was empty and she curled up on her favourite armchair, book in hand and wondering what she should say to Tom. Tom, tall, dark, handsome, Tom. She gave a small giggle and tried to concentrate on her book. She ran her fingers through her hair again, determined that it should be at least remotely flat by the time she went to see him.
Others soon came began to come down and head out of the room, eagerly awaiting the first breakfast of the year. Suddenly, Hermione wasn't hungry. She couldn't go down to the Great Hall for breakfast. She couldn't. She simply wasn't…
A grumble from her stomach snapped her out of her thoughts.
OK, she reasoned with herself, so you're just terrified. It's no big deal.
She got up and walked to the portrait that would lead her out of the common room. A few steps away from it she froze, another girl knocking into her from behind as she did so.
"Sorry," she mumbled. The girl just sneered at her and darted off towards the Great Hall.
Follow her! Hermione screamed at herself. Her legs obeyed before her brain had a chance to process it. Trying to keep up with the girl's relentless pace was somewhat of a distraction from Tom, and by the time she got to breakfast, she was so out-of-breath, she didn't feel scared or anxious at all. She saw a shot of dark hair and smiled. That smile faded dramatically when she saw it was only Harry. There was no way she could get to the Ravenclaw table (Tom's table) without passing Harry, and he was bound to force her to eat with him. She sighed resignedly and went over to him.

"Morning, Hermione," Harry yawned.
"Morning," She responded, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
"Don't worry," Harry continued, "Ron'll be down soon."
"Huh?" Hermione glanced around – she hadn't actually noticed Ron's absence, "Oh, great."
"What about me?" asked Ron, plonking himself down beside Harry.
"Nothing," Harry replied.
They ate their breakfast quickly, Harry and Ron making stupid jokes about Quaffles and Hermione snatching continual glances at Tom.
"Well," Harry said loudly once they'd finished eating, "me and Ron are off to get some Quidditch practise in. Why don't you give some first years the grand tour of Hogwarts; I'm sure you'll think of lots of things to bore them with."
"Bye, Harry," Hermione said, wishing he would hurry up and leave.
"See you then," he waved as he and Ron departed.
Finally!
She got up, smoothed down her skirt (which, if it was any shorter, would have been an arrestable offence), tried to flatten her hair down a bit more and walked towards him.

"Good morning did you sleep well I've heard the Ravenclaw beds can be quite firm I hope they weren't too bad I may be able to help if they were how was breakfast I should warn you the bagels can be stale sometimes although it's not the house-elves' fault really they don't do it on purpose in fact I run a sort of charity for them and it's not that popular but maybe you'd like to be involved and…and…er…"
She realised she hadn't taken a breath in almost a minute. Tom smiled a little and took a deep breath.
"Good morning yes I did sleep well my bed was fine but thank you for your offered help I didn't know the bagels were stale as I didn't try one but I'll bear it in mind I feel very strongly about house-elf freedom myself and would be delighted to help with your campaign."
Hermione had to sit down and clutch her side from laughing so hard, "I'm sorry!"
"It's alright," Tom replied, laughing along, too.
"I sometimes do make a fool of myself in front of people I really like," she froze. What had she just said?
Tom's eyes widened a little, "You like me?"
Hermione swallowed nervously and slowly nodded. A smile flickered across Tom's face, but only for a second.
"We've only just met," he pointed out.
"So what?" Hermione said, her confidence slowly returning from Tom's brief enthusiasm, "Who's to say how long it takes to develop feelings for someone?"
Tom fidgeted with his fingers in his lap; Hermione resisted the urge to reach over and place her hand on top of his.
"I'll need time to think," Tom said diplomatically, "I'll talk to you later."
He got up and started towards the exit. Hermione's lower lip quivered. She hadn't exactly had a rich history with the male of the species, but that didn't make being shot down any easier. She rose from her seat, as she could see some of the other Ravenclaws looking at her as though willing her back to her own damn table. She didn't want to leave the Great Hall just yet, as she might run into Tom, so she started to go back to the Gryffindor table to contemplate for a while.

As she walked, she bumped into a brown-haired Slytherin girl who looked quite agitated.
"Get out of the way," she snapped, true Slytherin style. Hermione gladly obliged until the girl apparently changed her mind and called back, "Oh, unless you've seen this guy. Draco Malfoy? Blond hair, grey eyes-"
"I know exactly who you mean," Hermione said with venom in her voice, "And if I had seen him, believe me, you'd know, because I would have put a hex on him."
"Well, then I suppose If I had seen him," the girl continued, not missing a beat, and mimicking Hermione's tone precisely, "I would know who to track down and crucify."
She eyed Hermione for a second before spinning round and examining the tables, obviously in search of Malfoy.
Hermione watched her for a moment before deciding she wasn't worth her time. She span round only to come nose-to-nose with Tom. She backed off instantly.
"I've thought about it," Tom said immediately, "and…"
At a loss for words – if the jiggling about and wordless mouthing were anything to go by – Tom just leant down and pecked Hermione on the cheek. She flushed scarlet as he dashed away. She watched him go. She wasn't often speechless…