There was silence again. Then the door unlocked by itself and opened a crack.
It creaked loudly as it swung open slowly. Hermione had closed the door so harshly its hinges shook visibly and threatened to give in. Or was it Draco who broke it when he kicked it as hard as he could?
He pulled the door open a little further, wondering what on earth made her so pissed off. He was aware that he might be jinxed the second he walked in, and unconsciously his hand tightened on the wand in his back pocket before he stepped through.
The muggle-born girl was staring at him. But instead of looking angry or dangerous, she had a very odd look in her eyes. It was...shock. The blond couldn't guess why, but acknowledged that she wasn't about to attack him, so he relaxed and studied her for a moment.
Hermione was sitting in the middle of her bed with her legs curled up and her knees under her chin. Her pink and puffy eyes were proof that Draco had guessed right when he assumed she was crying earlier. A pillow, which had a damp stain on the middle, lay on the floor close to the wall, drenched by Hermione's tears and had obviously been thrown by the bushy-haired Griffindor in her frustration.
He moved towards the bed and sat down on the corner. Her head turned as his weight made a dip the mattress. She spoke.
"Did you just call me Hermione?"
He blinked. "That's not your name?"
"Well, it is. But before you've only referred to me using my surname or some random offensive noun."
Draco blinked again, this time not in confusion but in surprise. Surprise at himself that he did actually call her first name, and that he hadn't realized until now. It had sounded natural, more natural than calling her insulting names. He was surprised at all the peculiar things he did recently, and he instinctively knew that there was an ultimate reason for this. He just didn't want to think about it, or at least, admit it.
"I guess you're right."
Hermione kept looking at him, her chocolate brown eyes flashing a thousand "Why?"s at him. He looked down and was silent.
"Ma-Draco...Is this the first time you apologized to someone?" She asked tentatively.
"Huh?" He was deep in thought, his thin brows knitting together. Why? Then he heard her say his name. His first name.
You guys can probably guess what's making Hermione moody...