first chapter : she

She unpinned the pin she always used in the library, because her fringe was getting too long for her to read properly, and she couldn't seem to bother getting it cut by professionals for some reason. She used to use a spell to manage it for her, but for some reason it always ended up crooked. Frizzy hair. Mom's side of genetics apparently.

She raised her arms to stretch her sore body that had been sitting on that chair for hours. "Aaaand, I'm done with Snape's essay. What a relief." She opened her eyes to the window which let it appear a beautiful sun-setting sky, a twilight scene. She was once again barely on time for dinner with the others, which they happily reminded her of once they met each other in the hallway.

These past months, she spent more and more time in the library, away from them although she did try to talk them into joining her. To become more powerful she said. To not let their enemy gain more and more foothold. But Harry and Ron always seem to have more pressing matters, more entertaining stuff to do.

Quidditch was one of them. She would come out and watch their matches from time to time, but the weather was getting in her way lately, she couldn't find herself having fun anymore. Which bothered Ron, a lot. She didn't get him really. She gave him plenty of opportunities over the past year, AND during the summer, but he didn't act on every single one of them. At first that did hurt her ego. Was she not good enough for him? But after talking about it with Ginny, they agreed on the fact that Ron was probably more impressed by her and was scared of making the first move. Which helped her feel better about the situation, especially since her feelings started to etiolate at the end of the summer. A fact that made her uneasy around the boys, but knew she couldn't control either. Harry hesitantly asked her about it once last year, which when she answered "How are things going with Ginny?" turned red and never mentioned it again.

Those were the things she was thinking about while the other students were going back to their dorm while Harry was arguing about a chess move he discovered but Ron kept answering that it was a version of the Sicilian and known worldwide. Stuff he "learned from his muggle-lover dad" he said.

Eventually they stopped and headed back to the common room. "Snap! I forgot my pouch in the library, the one with the rolls for Snape." she shouted.

The boys looked at each other wearily, and Harry said "Fine, we'll be waiting for you in the common room, where I'll show Ron how to play what he calls a Sicilic", "Sicilian I said", "Right, Sicilian" and they kept on walking. She turned around and headed back to the library. It was already dark in most of the castle, but the Lumos spell never failed her. But tonight, tonight it would.

She was about to hit the door of the library with the palm of her hand to open it when she noticed someone in the moonlight sitted not far from where she was earlier. She tried to extinguish her wand fast enough, since they seemed to be amazed by the moon out, but the shape moved its head slowly to the left, and back to normal. She was short-winded, waiting for any other movement or word for her to know if she should go or not. She waited, for a minute, getting herself used to the darkness and being able to analyze better her late-night library companion. They were wearing a hoodie, so she could only see a tiny strand of hair. White, as a unicorn's mane. She slowly started to realize who that person was, when a soft voice emanated from the enlightened silhouette.

"No one ever taught you that it wasn't polite to stare at someone, Granger?"

Hermione, startled, tried to speak but no words came out of her mouth. She was rendered speechless. Malfoy had turned slightly to the left and took off his hood. The moonlight hit every single spot of his pale skin and white hair, the shadow enhancing his facial structure. She tried not to gaze further but she couldn't stop her from doing so.

"Lost your tongue, have you Granger?"

She quickly came back to her senses.

"I was just dazzled, I thought I'd have the library all by myself at such an hour." she lied.

"Oh so you didn't come back for these rolls?" he raised his left arm, handing her pouch over to where she was standing. She stepped forward at that vision, but he spoke again. "Oh no no no Granger, you don't actually get to lie to a prefect about the reasons of your whereabouts and hope to get by fine."

"Malfoy you know I'm a prefect too right?"

"Oh... I guess I forgot. We barely see you at our get-togethers or even some meetings anymore. You don't even sleep in our assigned rooms. Words say the painting in front of yours has grown weary of waiting for you and probably won't even recognise you if you tried to come back."

Hermione stepped in and got closer to him, leaning on one of the book-full shelves.

"That's an awful lot of information for someone who pretended to have forgotten about me being prefect seconds ago. Do you have something to tell me? If not be assured I can care for my own well-being on my own, and attend to enough of my prefect duties without you trying to chaperon me." Malfoy turned his whole body to face her. He suddenly seemed very serious and intrigued.

"So this is what I missed, while focusing on.. other things."

She answered "Missed what?".

"You, growing out of this timid character you had, you becoming quite the witch you ought to be. It seems like you stepped out of Harry's shadow. How is he by the way?" he said.

Hermione looked at his face but it was impossible to be deciphered.

"How come anyone like you, especially given your relationship with my best friend, could have any interest in someone like me?"

"I-"

"Anyways this isn't what I came for," she moved forward and grabbed the pouch out of his hand "thank you for your insight on me and how I run my life."

He looked at her and slightly smiled. Putting his hood back on, he asked

"Can I at least escort you back to your common room?".

"What on earth..." she sighed at his blue eyes "... yes of course Malfoy, you can, but please don't try to make conversation. I'm done with small talk for today."

He sighed and asked her "Have you learned nothing from the past? On what planet would I ever make small talk?"

"On the one where you suddenly realised I was a person, and certainly not your enemy."

end of first chapter