Hermione marched towards the library with a sense of urgency. This is crazy. Her Arithmancy class was around the corner from the Ancient Runes classroom yet here she was on the other side of the castle going to meet the Theodore Nott. Why was she being so reckless. Harry and Ron would scold her beyond belief if they knew what she was doing. Why am I doing this? Surely whatever Nott wanted to discuss could have waited until lunch or even the end of the day; after all, they did share a bathroom so it wasn't like she could avoid him. She mentally battled with herself as she reached her destination. She pushed open the doors to the library and looked around. Empty, the place was completely empty. Now she was mad. The blood rose to her cheeks as she stalked forward to see if he was by one of the study tables off to the side. She was halfway there when she was pulled into a nearby aisle. The urge to scream overcame her but a hand was placed gently on her mouth, muffling her cry.
"Calm down, Granger. It's just me." Nott's voice was soft and low in her ear. "If I take my hand away, will you yell?"
Hermione shook her head, and he released his grasp on her, "okay Nott, what is it?" she asked somewhat tempestuously, tapping her foot on the floor as she looked at her watch. He had better not make her late.
"Look about last night…" he started hesitantly. He was refusing to look her in the eyes now.
"It's fine Nott. You helped me, Merlin only knows why, but you did and so I helped you. It was a war, Nott; everyone has his or her scars, even your lot. It's as simple as that. Can I go now?" she turned to leave but felt him reach for her hand. A spark of magic flowing between them as their fingers touched.
"I thought you were dead. I thought you were dead, and I couldn't leave you there. I didn't know how long you had been like that."
She stared shocked by his openness with her. He could have just said thanks but instead he was genuinely terrified that she had died on that bathroom floor.
"I found my mother you know?"
"I know, thestrals remember?" this was not at all Slytherin-like; her magic tingled as she prepared herself for the trap she felt must be coming. Slytherins did not just openly talk about their feelings, especially not with Muggleborns.
"Right of course you do. But what you don't know, what no one really knows, save for a few aurors and Draco, is that she was in hers and fathers bathroom." his face paled as his green eyes closed and a tear travelled down his cheek. "White as a ghost, the water still running…."
And then it clicked. It was as if a light bulb went off in Hermione's head, this had nothing to do with her. The care he took with her, the nightmare, all of it. She had made him relive his mother's death, he had found her the exact same way and suddenly it all made sense.
"I'm sorry, Nott. I didn't know…" Her voice was barely above a whisper as she moved toward him. She instinctively placed a hand on his cheek.
He shivered at the touch of her cold skin, turning his head away. "I just thought I'd clear up the situation, that's all." The mask was back in place now. The all too familiar, 'I'm a Slytherin and nothing touches me' mask.
She watched him leave as she wondered if Ginny was right and had she made up this entire connection between them in her head. Except, she was sure she had felt it; when her hand grazed his cheek, there was this undeniable feeling of… well… she couldn't even describe it. Looking to her watch again Hermione let out a huff, she was going to be late. Stupid Slytherins.
