Hermione
Hogwarts
End of September 1996
"Merlin! Hermione!" Ginny snapped, bringing Hermione's attention back to the present.
Hermione looked first to Ginny, then to Luna, both who sat across from her on a tartan flannel blanket which they had laid out on the grounds by the lake. Hermione gingerly closed the book that she had opened on her lap and blinked.
"Sorry, what was that?" Hermione asked, doing her best to show some semblance of having been paying attention to her friends. .
Ginny laughed. "What is it with you lately? You've been in the clouds for days"
"And that is sort of my thing," Luna smiled serenely looking like a sunflower in a field of grass wearing an over sized, yellow straw sunhat.
"Sorry, um, I don't know…" Hermione mumbled, shifting on the blanket. But she was lying, she knew exactly what was with her. It was Malfoy.
It had been a little over a week since their first detention. That night she had tossed and turned, replaying the events that took place, wracking her brain to understand how on earth the night resulted in her not only entering into conversation with the Slytherin, despite her vehemently telling Ron and Harry she wouldn't, but with her grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt, refusing to let him abscond from their conversation.
What the hell had got into her?
She had done her best the next day to play down the events to Harry and Ron. It shocked her how easy it was for her to lie to her friends and say she did not speak a word to him throughout their three hour detention.
All she told them was that Malfoy was moody, lashed out at professor Slughorn, and that he brewed a decent potion.
"How do you know his potion was any good?" Harry had asked, giving Hermione a pointed look.
Hermione blushed, realizing her mistake, but diverted Harry's attention by calling Ginny into their conversation which served as a suitable distraction.
That's all it could have been, just 24 hour of her turning over the events in her brain only to have them fizzle away with no oxygen to stoke the flame.
But that wasn't what happened. Because Malfoy couldn't leave well enough alone.
Their first class together after detention was Runes. Hermione was the only Gryffindor who continued, and Malfoy the only Slytherin. The two were in a sea of Ravenclaws.
Malfoy was leaning up against the wall next to the classroom door as she approached. His arm was hitched up, holding a book as if he was checking notes before class, and a strand of hair fell down over his forehead, making him appear human yet again. Hermione huffed out a frustrated breath.
She had planned to ignore him. After the night prior, there was nothing either would have to say to the other.
But as she reached out for the door, the scent of him was all around her, followed by his arm that had extended over her, pulling the door open as he had done the night prior leaving detention.
Normally she would at the very least politely nod. But instead, she cast him a suspicious glare over her shoulder. In return, his eyes burned down into hers which made her insides stutter.
What was his angle? Before last night, they were nothing. And after last night, they were more than nothing. They were on further sides of the spectrum than she had previously thought.
Runes passed with no other incidents, and when it ended, they had both left, with no other interaction.
In the hall following class, Hermione could not help but feel dumbfounded. Was he playing her? Was this some long con where he was setting her up to then take her down in a public fashion? Malfoy was exceedingly cunning. This could be psychological warfare.
But why would he care enough to even consider her beyond the confines of their detention?
Potions was their next class together, and she braced for whatever may come in mixed company.
"Oh look, it's Granger…"
The shock was evident on her face to hear her name across Malfoy's lips, and furthermore, that he hadn't called her by that vile name.
Her attention turned to him, as did Harry's and Ron's, with Ron positioning himself slightly in front of her in a protective manner.
"Will you be able to control yourself and not say every little thing that comes into that know it all brain of yours today? Or should we all just plan to suffer?"
The other Slytherins chuckled around, and Harry and Ron glared at him for insulting her. She however held his stare, his eyes latched onto hers, and a funny feeling coursed through her.
She should have ignored him. But something reared in the back of her mind, wanting to take his bait.
Turning her nose up to him she said, "I don't know, are you going to be a moody brat like you always are?"
Seamus laughed loudly, and a look of shock swept the Slytherins. The green clad house cautiously glanced between one another, not knowing how to react to Hermione retaliating against Malfoy.
If anyone had bothered to really look at Malfoy though, they would have seen the crook of a smile at his lips.
And thus began their new dynamic.
In Runes, he'd be almost cordial to her, but say nothing. And in shared classes, they would openly attack one another.
It wasn't until that Friday, after a week of this, that anyone seemed to notice the new development, and of all people it was Ron.
While walking out of Defense Against the Dark Arts, in mid bicker, Malfoy slipped up and reached out for the door ahead of Hermione.
She didn't think much of it, and was about to say something smarmy back to Malfoy's last comment on her hair (a weak insult, she thought, for him at least) when Ron pulled her away by the shoulder.
Harry followed the two, creating an outer barrier to their circle. Hermione caught a glimpse of Malfoy's narrowed eyes before he turned away and faced the other Slytherins gathered on the opposite side of the hall.
"Malfoy is being weird towards you," Ron said, with an obvious edge in his voice. Harry looked over his shoulder at Malfoy, and then back to Hermione.
Hermione rolled her shoulders softly looking put out. She knew Ron wasn't wrong, but she didn't want to admit to her newest vice. "What do you mean, 'weird'?" She asked.
"He keeps going after you in classes. Ever since detention," Ron reasoned.
"Malfoy has always been a prat" Hermione offered, and Harry nodded.
"It's different," Ron looked flustered. "He never used to talk to you in class"
Hermione shrugged, fighting down the uncomfortable feeling that she was betraying her friends.
Ron continued, "But like just now, he held the door for you."
Hermione tensed. Sure she noticed that he had begun to do that in Runes, and strangely he was always waiting by the door as she approached, but she hadn't noticed just then that he did it leaving DADA class.
"Nothing strange happened in detention last week, did it Hermione?" Harry now questioned. He didn't give the impression he saw what Ron did, but Ron's point made him curious.
"Other than having to spend three hours alone with him, no nothing" Hermione lied, letting out a frustrated exhale. Without another word, and fearing that she may break with further questioning, she turned and walked away, heading to their next class, effectively ending the conversation.
So yes, she had been distracted that week, Hermione reasoned now looking back to her two friends who sat with her on the castle grounds. Because she did not know if she was giving into some sick vice in her engaging with Malfoy, or if she was being willfully obtuse about something greater.
Turning back to Ginny and Luna, Hermione shook her head once again. Luna smiled at Hermione.
"Sorry. I'm anxious. I have my second detention with Malfoy tonight," Hermione offered, deciding to infuse some truth into what was affecting her behavior.
Ginny seemed satisfied by this answer, but Luna gave Hermione a knowing nod.
"You've been different since the first one," Luna stated. "I'd say Draco has has been well"
Hermione reddened, which Ginny noticed, then put two and two together. "Wait, ok wait hold on. What?" Ginny sputtered. "Hermione, you don't…"
"No!" Hermione blurted out before Ginny could even finish her thought. Luna looked down, still smiling.
Ginny gave a side eyed glance towards Hermione but then Luna turned and pulled out an early edition of next weeks Quibbler that she had received from her father.
"Shall we do the word scramble?" Luna asked, abruptly changing the subject.
Hermione walked to detention by herself that night. Harry had already gone over in detail what she should be looking out for, which she reluctantly listened to. Ron, however, was no where to be found.
That night Hermione had her own plan though. She was resolved to confront Malfoy on how he was acting towards her. The change was disruptive at best, and altering everything she thought she knew about herself at worst.
And yes, she could have abstained from contributing to whatever it was he was doing. But she couldn't, so at the very least, she had to understand why.
"Ah Miss Granger!" Slughorn boomed upon her entering the classroom. Hermione merely nodded and made her way to her station.
Chancing a glance to her right, she saw Malfoy, as she had expected. His eyes were trained onto the board at the front of the classroom.
Summa Scientia
Brew Time: 1.5 hours
While complicated, which was appealing to Hermione, the potion itself gave her pause. It was a class three restricted potion due to it's addictive qualities and horrendous side effects when weening off of it.
Again, she looked over to Malfoy, who now had his head down pensively.
Uncomfortably, Slughorn began.
"Well you'll see we're brewing Summa Scientia. A nifty little potion that in moderation, can unlock unlimited potential of ones mind. Some say Nicolas Flamel was under the potion's influence when he discovered the Philosopher's stone!"
Hermione and Malfoy looked impassively up at their professor, both giving the impression they were not OK with the potion they were being asked to brew.
"This potion is infinitely easier than the potion you both whipped up last week which might I add..." Slughorn paused, hoping to get a positive rise out of the two, "...were magnificently done."
After no response from the two, he continued on.
"Well the instructions are as they are in the book, no modifications, but I have everything listed up on the board. Seeing as how everything went well last time, I don't see any reason to stay and look over your work."
Hermione felt Malfoy look in her direction. Last time it had been her that disputed this arrangement. Hermione kept her lips tight and said nothing.
"Alright then!" Slughorn slapped the tops of his desk and stood to full height. He gathered his things, and as he did last time, waltzed out of the detention merely minutes in.
Silently, the two began to prep their brew plan for Summa Scientia.
An hour had gone by with little said between the two. There were a few interactions in the store room ('I have the Beatleworm out, do you need it?' 'Have you seen the Sasperalla? It's not in its spot alphabetically ')
The potion they were brewing was leagues easier than Potentia Infinitus, but several times more dangerous. There were several passes during the brewing that posed a risk of explosions, and toxic fumes if done incorrectly.
It was really quite irresponsible that Slughorn had left them alone, Hermione thought.
As the two made it to the latter half of the brewing, Hermione focused for the upcoming dangerous passes. Like before, her and Malfoy were almost simultaneous in their movements as they concocted their potions.
Hermione was about to add her first ingredient, that if done wrong, could cause an explosion. Before she did, she looked over to Malfoy's station.
She monitored his movements as he dropped something into his cauldron, the ingredient she assumed was the step she was about to take. An involuntary sigh of relief escaped her after Malfoy did not blow up.
Shaking her head at her lapse in concentration, she focused her eyes on the Slipseed she held. Carefully, she poured the 50 grams of the ingredient into the boiling cauldron.
The boiling liquid stilled instantaneously, transforming the contents to a solid tar like state. Now, she had to wait 10 minutes for the solid mixture to loosen up over heat.
Hermione took a step back, sighed, and absentmindedly brought her hair into a messy bun atop her head. As she did, she turned and saw Malfoy looking at her. Unlike before, he didn't avert his stare.
"What?" she snapped, also not looking away.
"I see you managed to not blow yourself up," he replied in a bored manner.
"I let you go first to make sure nothing would happen," she responded sweetly.
Malfoy began to stroll over to her station. Reactively, she took a step back.
"What are you doing?" she demanded, but he was unbothered. He made his way to her cauldron and looked in.
"Pretty good," he remarked, his face looking mildly impressed.
"I know" she replied, stepping back in towards her potion, closing the gap between them.
When he didn't say anything back, but also didn't move to leave, Hermione continued.
"I don't like that he's having us brew this,"
"Agreed" Malfoy nodded, his attention still on her potion.
Their familiar back and forth reminded Hermione that whatever it was that was transpiring between the two was anything but normal.
"Also, Malfoy what is your problem?" Hermione demanded. His body now angled towards her, and looked down at her from his tall vantage point. He gave her an amused smile.
"I have many problems. I suppose you are one of them." he replied.
"You have been weirdly polite to me in Runes and then an absolute twat to me in every other class" Hermione carried on. "Why?"
Malfoy's gaze turned serious, and his amused smirk faded away. "Granger, I have no clue."
Hermione's face screwed up. "What do you mean you have no clue?. It seems completely deliberate on your part."
Malfoy shrugged and made his way back to his station. Hermione trailed him, demanding a response.
"Perhaps I'm trying to mend Muggle and Pureblood relations," Malfoy teased.
Hermione stilled. He was joking. He had to be. But he said muggle, not the other word….
"So what, you relentlessly go after me in every class we share?" Hermione replied, now standing next to him by his potion. She tip toed and peered into his concoction. "Yours looks good too"
"I know" Malfoy scoffed.
"Well?" Hermione crossed her arms, waiting expectantly for an answer.
"Might I remind you that you also, as you put it, have relentlessly gone after me?" he pointed out
Hermione huffed.
"I wouldn't have to if you'd leave me alone."
Malfoy turned to her, which made Hermione register how close she was to him. His smell lingered; cedar and fresh rain. Her breath hitched.
"Would you like me to stop?" he asked, his voice low.
Her eyes wouldn't leave his and she felt electricity pulse through her.
"Why aren't you playing Quidditch this year?" she questioned, changing the subject. Malfoy's eyes shifted, but settled back on her.
"I didn't feel like it," he answered, brushing past her to go to the store room. She knew quite well he had all the ingredients needed, this was just a tactic to avoid her question. She followed him.
"I believe that as much as I believe Trewlany can actually predict the future," Hermione called out after him. He let out a soft laugh that made her feel light.
"She's a right fraud" Malfoy added, continuing into the store room.
He began collecting random ingredients that Hermione did not recognize as being called for in the potion.
"So really, why aren't you playing Quidditch this year?" she persisted, a trait she was well known for. His back was to her, grabbing more ingredients.
"You don't care about Quidditch." he replied, not turning towards her. "Why does it matter?"
She bit her tongue.
"It just does, OK?" was all she could come up with.
He turned, observing Hermione as if a specimen, and then waltzed past her. She scurried after him following him back to his table.
"What about you?" Malfoy finally said, setting his mystery ingredients at his table.
"What about me?" Hermione replied defensively.
"You and Weasle finally make it official?" Malfoy asked casually, eventually looking up to see her reaction.
She stopped in her tracks, her body stiffing.
"Ah, a question you don't want to answer. Interesting how that works," he chided her.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Hermione said. In an attempt to seem casual, she loosened up her stiff limbs, which only resulted in her looking more suspicious.
He looked her up and down, and this time laughed. "Granger, you're a book. It's so obvious"
"I'm not a book" she protested.
Malfoy begun to grind the contents of the ingredients he had collected from the storeroom. Hermione watched him curiously, not sure what he was doing. As he continued to grind down the items, her eyes drifted to his arms and shoulders which flexed as he exerted brute force to bring the ingredients to powder form.
"What about Pansy?" Hermione abruptly asked. He looked up and assessed her.
"We're not together," Draco answered flatly.
"Well neither are Ron and I" Hermione added, uncomfortably, and for whatever reason.
Malfoy paused his grinding. She stood directly in front of his cauldron now, just an arms lengths away from his tall form. She started to feel overheated from the nearby flame.
"Why are you acting so differently this year," Hermione finally asked, barely above a whisper.
There was a minute and a half left before the next step.
His eyes blackened in a way that unnerved Hermione for a moment. Then they were his again, but something tense lingered in them.
He dropped any pretense of working on anything else and turned into her, placing her between him and the potions table.
"Stop presuming to know anything about me," he said coldly, looking down at her, now with almost no distance between them. His body must have warmed from the physical assertion of grinding the ingredients, because in this close proximity, Hermione could feel the warmth radiate off of him.
She maintained her stance. "I know enough"
He balked. "Not enough to know what has changed" he said grievously.
Something inside Hermione tore at what he said. Her eyes screwed up, but continued to look into his piercing ice blue eyes.
She forced an argument to her tongue. "Am I suppose to feel bad for you? A privileged pureblood wizard. You can have or do anything you want."
The stillness of his body was more unsettling than any movement he could have made. Eventually, his face leaned forward, and his stare turned fiery.
"You know nothing, Granger"
His words were lethal, drawn out and clear. Hermione adjusted her posture and stood taller.
"Yet you presume to know everything about me, just because I was born to muggle parents," she shot back, defiantly cocking her chin up to him again.
In her mind, she questioned why she persisted. She could just walk away.
His previously still hands stretched out to the potions table, placing a firm hand on either side of her, leaving her completely entrapped by him.
A timer on both of their watches went off, indicating it was time for the next step.
But for a half a second longer, neither moved. Hermione's hands, resting at her sides, twitched. Draco's long arms on either side of her, didn't move, keeping her right in front of him with no where to go.
It felt like they they stared at each other with a mixture of disdain and concentrated curiosity for minutes, rather than the likely second or two that it was.
Finally, he dropped his arms from the table, and without another word, Hermione hurried to her station to finish her potion.
The remainder of the brewing was tense, but quiet. The two would exchange one sided glances as the other began a dangerous pass on their potion. Other than that, they remained mute to one another.
Finally, Hermione finished her potion, and she assumed correctly that Malfoy had as well.
Looking into her iron cauldron, she concluded she brewed a perfect potion, which for the first time in her life, she wished she hadn't. It made her uneasy to think of the potentially disastrous side effects on whoever took what she made. She considered warning Dumbledore about what Slughorn was having them do.
With that thought still on her mind, Hermione started her cleanup and sent her bowls and knives to the front of the room. Absentmindedly, she glanced over to Malfoy's station. There, she saw that he was adding the ingredients he had pulled from the storeroom into the potion.
As had become commonplace, Malfoy glanced her way as she looked on.
"You want to know what I'm doing?" he muttered, keeping the bulk of his attention on his measurements.
"Yes" she replied evenly.
"My father had a friend who was addicted to class three potions." Malfoy began continuing to measure. Hermione without realizing it, began walking towards his station.
"My father concocted this mixture to significantly reduce the negative impact of the addictive qualities. Overall it dulls the need to seek another dose, both by reducing the addictive nature of the potion, and lessening the side effects that ultimately drive the user back for more if only to make the pain go away."
Hermione looked on in awe as Draco added his personal mixture to the potion.
"It's undetectable" Malfoy answered her unasked question, which was the exact one on Hermione's mind.
"Then why isn't it added all the time?" Hermione questioned innocently.
"Not good for business" Draco replied. With his free hand on his wand, he wordlessly mixed the ingredient in.
Hermione stared at the potion, which showed no change after it had been added. Eyes wide, she looked back to Malfoy.
Strangely, his eyes couldn't meet hers. He acted as if he couldn't physically face someone seeing a considerate side of him. Then, he held out his hand.
"I figured once you knew what it was, you'd want to add it to yours to," Malfoy offered the bowl with the remaining ground materials. "It's 5 grams per dose"
Something powerful struck Hermione behind the chest. Every event from the previous week that had sent her brain reeling felt insignificant compared to the confusion and strong emotion she felt in this moment.
Tentatively, she took the bowl and went to her station. Measuring as he instructed, she added the contents to the potion and with a hand on her wand, whispered the incantation to stir.
Malfoy cleaned his station as she added the additional ingredient to her potion. She looked down at the now empty bowl Malfoy gave her and kicked herself for not paying attention to what he put into it.
"I'll tell you what's in it" Malfoy said. Hermione looked up to see him watching her stare into the bowl. The skin prickled around her neck. How could he tell that was what she was thinking?
Blushing, she put the bowl down, picked up her wand and sent it off to be cleaned.
As the potions did not need to sit overnight, the two bottled their potions in the vials left out by Slughorn, and left them at their stations. The potion was murky grey, thin and unappealing.
Hermione considered if it was worth taking any of this potion for herself and her friends. Even with the anti addictive qualities to it, she didn't feel compelled to.
"I'm not going to knick any" Hermione said.
"Me either" Draco replied, taking one last look at his clean table and then to Hermione's, which was also cleared. "Ready to leave?"
She nodded tentatively, trying to tamp down any feelings of nervousness that began to rear in her belly.
As had now become custom, Malfoy leaned in to pull open the door, bringing his body close enough to give her the faintest sense of him.
A vicious instinct to lean back into him crossed her mind, which she squashed away along with everything else that was challenging her state of mind in that very moment.
The two walked up the stairs with only the sounds of their footsteps accompanying them.
Hermione had about a hundred things she wanted to say, but she couldn't. The self awareness of how she was reacting to being around Malfoy was affecting her had rendered her mute.
The moon light was less prominent in the upstairs corridor that they ascended into compared to a week prior. Instead of cool, blue light pooling in to illuminate the hallway, a warm glow of torches made up the majority of the light.
With her book bag on her shoulder, she scratched awkwardly at her arm.
"I'd like to know the ingredients" Hermione said, tentatively. She was suddenly at odds with everything she did. "Not because I doubt your mixture, but I'd like to know how to help nullify…"
"Granger," Malfoy interrupted her. Her eyes that had been nervously darting around the ground made their way up to him. "I didn't think you'd make it through the night if you didn't know what I put in that. I can tell you."
"I just know it's late" she rattled on. It was about 11 o'clock she gathered. Why was she so nervous? "You can just write it down. You can give it to me at Runes tomorrow."
"I can tell you now," he said. "Let me walk you back to your common room"
She froze. He scratched the back of his neck.
"My mother would be appalled if I didn't escort you back," he finally said. "she was a bit intense about formalities like this"
Hermione scoffed. "You didn't walk me back last time"
"Yeah that's because you verbally assaulted me and stormed off" he protested.
Hermione shifted uncomfortably. "I'm perfectly safe and able to take care of myself," she lamented. He nodded.
"I'm fully aware," he spoke. "All the same, can I please just walk you back?"
Satisfied that he recognized her abilities to protect herself, which often enough, Harry and Ron would not, she nodded, and they began to walk in stride down the corridor towards the Gryffindor tower.
Other than Filch, no one would be out at this time, which was a relief because she wasn't sure she'd be able to explain why her and Malfoy were walking alone together at night.
"So," Hermione finally broke the silence, "what's in it?"
"Two parts ragwood dry, one part slingwart dry, and one part cinnamon," Draco rattled off.
"Cinnamon" Hermione repeated back, thinking to herself how she would have been sure that would leave an aftertaste.
"It surprisingly blends in" Malfoy responded to her unspoken curiosity. "Or that's what my father has said. I thought the same as you, or what I assume you were thinking. But his friend never seemed to know the difference. Regardless of which potion it was put into"
"Do you know what happened to your father's friend?" Hermione asked timidly, uncomfortable at the mention of his father who she had help put away to Azkaban.
Draco looked straight ahead. "From what I was told, he kicked the addictive potions," he sighed. "I don't know much else about his whereabouts. Other than he's not in England anymore."
Hermione nodded as they approached the moving stair case in the great atrium. They had to wait for the stairs to shift.
"Is your father a skilled potion maker?" she asked.
"He may even be better than Snape," Malfoy replied, giving a side eye glanced to Hermione with a grin. "If you can believe it"
"That's saying something" she responded warmly. The stair case slowly settled in front of them, groaning to itself as it briefly paused for them to step up, and then began shifting again to its next destination.
They walked up to the first landing, and then to the second to wait for the stairs to rotate once again.
"Your parents…" Malfoy began, his voice uncomfortable, eyes darting around. "What do they do?"
Hermione could barely contain her shock. Had hell frozen over? Draco Malfoy, asking somewhat sincerely, about her muggle parents. A surprised laugh escaped her when she answered, "They work on teeth"
"Teeth?" Malfoy replied incredulously.
She nodded with a smile. "Teeth"
The stairs rearranged and they walked up the final landing.
"That sounds miserable" Malfoy commented, walking up the last few steps.
"That's what I've always said" Hermione laughed. She could never imagine spending days on end in someone else's mouth.
"Good thing you're a witch then," Malfoy said, all too casually as they stepped out onto the final landing,directly in front of the Fat Lady portrait who eyed them suspiciously.
Hermione looked with apprehension at Malfoy, who was being so flippant about her birth status. "Yes, I suppose so."
An extended silence passed between the two, neither moving to leave.
"I'm not going to say the password in front of you," Hermione finally said, and she thought the tone sounded almost flirtatious. She reddened and hoped the dim castle would provide her with cover.
"Why would I ever want to go into the Gryffindor common room?" He replied drolly as he leaned leisurely against the wall by the Fat Lady.
"Perhaps because we actually get sunlight in our dorms and yours is underwater," Hermione taunted back. "Seems a bit depressing"
Draco raised a brow. "Granger we're Slytherins. We hate the light"
Hermione smiled. "Yes I believe I read that in History of Hogwarts"
He smirked back. "Of course you did."
Another beat of silence where neither knew what to do. This was all his fault, she thought in a fluster of emotions. If he would have just let her walk back herself, they wouldn't be in this situation.
"Well I should go," Hermione mumbled, bowing her head and turning to the Fat Lady.
With her back to him, she felt his hand close gently around her wrist.
"Wait…." he said faintly, barely cutting above the flicker of the nearby torches.
Everything in her stilled, yet she felt more aware of her body and the expanse of her skin than she could ever recount. She looked over her shoulder to understand what it was he was doing, but his eyes couldn't meet hers.
His fingers brushed across the smooth part of her wrist, feeling more calloused than she would have expected from a privileged pure blood.
Her mouth had opened, but nothing came out. She was without a clear thought for maybe the the first time in her life.
"I'm not a fool, Granger," he said, gesturing to where he held her wrist softly. "I do not think this, touching you, makes me dirty some how." Her gaze turned away from his, down to where they connected.
"Why does it matter what I think," she asked, her voice now trembling.
His fingers slowly began to move, exploring beyond her wrist and down to her hand. They both looked on as if neither had control of the situation.
She felt his hand subtly pull her weight towards him, or maybe she was moving on her own?
"I don't know why it does," he answered her, his voice sounding raw and uncertain. "But this whole week, telling you that. Clearing that up. It was all I could think about."
Her eyes finally found his after a bout of nerves. They bored into her, looking for something, but at the same time, showing her the precise internal battle that raged on within him.
Hermione could only assume that something similar reflected back to him.
"You could have told me sooner…" she heard herself say, but didn't recall sending the signal to her brain to say it. Her voice was too low; too familiar with him. And she felt herself taking a step closer as he studied her like prey…
"I dare say!" The Fat Lady interjected. Both Hermione and Malfoy leapt from one another, having forgot that they had a pseudo witness to whatever the hell it was they were doing.
"I believe you BOTH should be in your common rooms. You wouldn't want anyone to talk now, would you?" The Fat Lady asked, knowing full well that if anyone were to talk, it would be her.
Hermione looked up and saw Malfoy dip his head.
"Right," he coughed, still refusing to look up, to face what almost happened. "Goodnight."
Before she could say another word, he turned and walked away, descending the stairs that had dutifully waited for him.
Hermione stood there, side by side with the Fat Lady, looking at the ghost of where Malfoy had just disappeared.
After a few moments of not moving, of not breathing; Hermione pulled air into her lungs, filing them to the brim. But it did nothing for her racing heart that threatened to leap out of her chest.
A battle still waged within her. On one side, the previously triumphant side, was the belief that this thing with Malfoy was some odd fixation she picked up, that she just liked being able to tell off a pureblood every so often.
But the other side, the one that was picking up ground, and fast, firmly felt that whatever she was feeling towards Malfoy was not at all normal, and by no means convenient.