A much shorter chapter. Hermione makes a startling realization.

Chapter 4

"What's going on, Hermione?" Harry asked at breakfast the next day, as she swirled around her cinnamon oatmeal. "Why the long face?"

"The potions project," she blurted out.

"Oh."

That was all that came out of Harry's mouth, but it said enough.

"What's Malfoy done this time?" Ron asked next to her.

"Nothing. I did something."

Both her friends stared at her, waiting for her to explain. She might as well tell them. She leaned in, since they were across from her, and they leaned in, too. She told them all about her failed plan and her encounter with Malfoy the evening before at the knight portrait.

"Hermione, no offense, but are you completely mental?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, I guess I am." She sat back and eyed her oatmeal that she wasn't going to finish. "To think that I could get through to him… I was stupid."

"Yeah, you were," Ron said with a chuckle, and Harry elbowed him. "What? It's true. Malfoy's so thick that not even a sledge hammer could get through his skull. I wouldn't mind giving it a try myself."

Hermione sighed. Ron was right. She looked over at Malfoy, who was hunched over, no bandage on his nose, staring at his food. His chin rested on the palm of his hand, and he had a furrow in his brow. What was he thinking about?

"No blonde prince today?"

Hermione sat cross-legged in front of the cauldron, and it billowed blue steam. There was one more week left until the potion was due, and Malfoy still hadn't shown up.

"No," she said to Myrtle. She would have Ron and Harry here working on their potion as she worked on hers, but after last year, they never wanted to step foot in this lavatory again. "I don't think he's coming back."

"I don't know about that…" Myrtle said with a twerk of her brow.

"What?"

Myrtle looked to the direction of the door, and in came Malfoy. Hermione gasped and stood up. "Malfoy!"

"Missed me much?" he asked as he stopped at the cauldron.

"Yes, quite a lot," Myrtle said, and he made a disgusted look.

Hermione wanted to lash out at him for hiding and making her do all the work on the potion, but she thought better of it. She picked up a bottle of purple liquid. "Put five drops of this in," she said. Malfoy surprisingly snatched it right out of her hand and knelt down on the stone floor. He popped the cork off and dropped five shiny purple drops that made the whole potion turn a deep royal purple. The steam that came out was the same color.

"Beautiful," Hermione said, despite herself. Malfoy acted as if he didn't hear her.

"Now what?" he asked.

"We wait for an hour."

"Okay." He sat cross-legged and stared at the purple potion, his hands clasped under his chin.

Hermione didn't question his sudden change of wanting to help with the project. She sat down the same way and stared at the potion as well. She looked up a little and saw Malfoy's blue eyes concentrating hard on the purple stuff, as well as his blonde hair that swept over his forehead. Myrtle was right. He actually is handsome.

She gasped.

"What?" Malfoy asked, looking at her with those blue eyes.

She cleared her throat. "Nothing."

Hermione's cheeks felt warm. She was blushing. Blushing. Because of Malfoy. She really has gone mental.