[Tuesday, September 13th, 2016]
Draco opted out of Divination on Monday and regretted it. He still hadn't made up his mind on what to do with Granger's assignment. It was graded, but contemplated changing it more than a dozen times, failing to put it out of his mind all weekend, now it haunted him.
It was a mild torture that as he walked into the Observatory, there she was in the centre aisle again in plain sight. He wished she'd go back into hiding among the students so he could ignore her presence.
"I hope you've all had fun with your assignments this weekend," he placed his briefcase on the table, committing himself to focus on the lesson. "Before we get into what I hope are riveting movie summaries, I'd like to inform everyone that the Observatory will be made available in the evenings, starting next week. Your course project will involve an in-depth case study and you will need to commit time to research and charting."
Draco scanned the room as students took notes or waited for him to begin. He made every effort not to let his gaze land on her, and for the most part it worked. The lesson was lively as students were anxious to share their experience. He made it a point not to call on anyone or force participation, which worked in his favour as Granger remained the silent observer. But as the lesson came to a close, he knew the inevitable was coming.
"Before you leave, please make sure to collect your assignments from last week. Overall, I am very pleased with the variety selected."
One by one, students came up to get their papers, some of them stopping to ask a question. All the while, he noticed Granger standing back, waiting for the students to clear up before she too came to claim the last remaining scroll. Draco tried to stay in conversation, grimacing as the last two walked out leaving him alone with Granger who unravelled the scroll right in front of him. Great.
"Ninety-four?" she asked in horror. Jaw dropped, she looked to him for an explanation. He hadn't planned for this in the least; having an actual interaction was the last thing he wanted to do.
"Granger, did you have a question about your grade?" he said, packing up his paperwork.
"A question?!" There it was, that dreadful shrill voice he had hoped to be rid of. It wasn't like he hated the woman, but he was expecting the bomb to drop at any moment. Soon she'd tell him off for being a git and it would be just like they had never spent years becoming adults.
"Yes, a /question/. You know… an inquiry, concern… usually ends with a question mark," he couldn't help it, like getting back on a horse, sarcasm came naturally to him when it came to Hermione Granger. Draco very nearly smirked at the ridiculous look on her face.
"Oh you– why did you dock points?! This–" she held up the scroll aggressively, crushing it in her hands, "was perfect!"
"No need to shout, Professor." Draco tried not to smirk, he really did, but there was no helping it. "Let me take a look." Snatching the parchment from her crushing grasp, it was a miracle it didn't rip apart. He unravelled it. She scowled at him the entire time.
Draco didn't really need to look at it again, he had looked it over plenty of times, to the point that he had committed it to memory. He knew exactly why he took off the six points.
"Ah, that's right. Didn't have a name on it," he rolled it up and offered it back to her, but she remained frozen in place. His inner child was elated to see her so bothered. That pout, however–
"Didn't have a name on it? You knew damn well it was mine," she seethed, not lifting a finger to grab the scroll from him. Draco sighed, remembering they were both adults. He regretted needling her so. He pulled the scroll back.
"Fine, I'll change it," he scratched out the grade, replacing it with full marks. "There. A perfectly perfect grade for a class you clearly don't want to be in," he shoved the scroll back into her hands.
He didn't know why he felt so defensive, it's not like his feelings were hurt that she'd been forced to take his class. She remained silent as he closed his briefcase and buckled the leather straps.
"Why don't you do us both a favour, Granger. I'll tell Garth you've done your part, sat in on this horror of a class and instead you can spend your evenings with your nose buried in a book."
That's what she really wanted, wasn't it? To stay very far away from him. He didn't wait for her response, walking out into the cool night air.