It had taken some time, but Hermione Granger always caught on. And here, there was something distinctly weird going on with Draco Malfoy.
The arrogant prat actually had a friend in Hufflepuff, for god's sake! That was beyond 'passing strange' and into uncharted, dark waters.
Hermione knew better than to change her own behavior. She didn't want him to realize she knew...
And there was another thing... that was the new kid in Hufflepuff. He didn't seem to have any family around here, nothing for Malfoy to latch onto. If he was going to befriend a Hufflepuff, why not Smith or McMillan? They were both from good names, after all.
And then a chess tournament, of all things! Hermione knew she wasn't jumping at ghosts - Draco Malfoy had listened while Ron explained to Curt how to play - without even making any rude gestures, let alone starting a scrap.
Hermione sat in the library, as usual. But she'd found a garret window, and nestled herself in the window seat. It let her see the entire library -and the Quiddich pitch out the other side.
Hermione was still sick with loss, and she missed Harry. She just knew he'd love a good mystery like this, and that it would drive him just as crazy as it was driving her! She could see his eyes light up, green as anything... Ron just wouldn't understand. And, of course, she could tell Neville, but Neville would be kind and sympathetic, and she wanted empathy instead. She wanted someone who was just as curious as she was!
She watched a third year sneak behind a stack. He was peeking out the other side, wanting to see his "lady love" - his latest crush. This was his fifth this year. It was so noticeable because he was never in the library otherwise.
It felt good to have something to do, even if it really meant spying on other people (they were in public, it was more like publically watching, she salved her conscience with).
[a/n: Even Hermione knows something's up. Pity she hasn't talked with the Twins. Leave a review? ]