Draco sighed and ran his fingers through his already unruly hair. Weeks had passed, and Draco had almost successfully avoided Hermione. He had been eating lunch at a different time than normal, and took different routes out of the department and to the elevator. Despite his best efforts, he had still seen her.
She had been talking to Potter, and her hair – which was normally pulled back – cascaded down her back. He saw her from a distance, and it stunned him. At Hogwarts, her hair had been wild and bushy, but now it flowed in soft waves. He observed her for a moment, and saw her smile and laugh at what Potter was saying. She even touched his arm as they spoke. She looked so happy, and it infuriated him. After she had left his flat that night, he had been so angry. How dare she question why he lived his life the way he did? She didn't even know him. She didn't know what his life was like. In that moment, he had wanted to floo her and tell her how wrong she was, as if yelling at her would make him feel better. As the weeks had gone by, he became moody and irritable, and snapped at anyone in the near vicinity. What little acquaintances he had made in the department soon avoided him. But what upset him the most were the moments when he missed her. It happened randomly, and each time he'd find himself daydreaming about making her laugh or when she would do something silly and make him smile. When he realized what he was doing, it would immediately make him furious for the rest of the day. He hated that it kept happening because he didn't want to think about her at all.
But there she was, laughing and smiling like she was perfectly fine. Pissed off, Draco considered his options to get to his meeting – should he take an alternative route, or was he going to try to walk past Granger? Screw it, he thought, and he decided to walk past her and show her that he was fine too. Standing tall and looking like the proud Slytherin he is, Draco started walking down the hall past her. Their eyes met, and he saw hers widen with shock. She looked away quickly and continued her conversation as if nothing had happened. For a brief moment, he was sure that she looked as troubled as he felt. He would never, however, admit that to anyone.