It worked.
Hermione immediately stopped crying and her body stiffened. Silence was so sudden and overwhelming that they could almost hear each other's heartbeats.
Only then did Draco realize how intimate his last action was. Awkwardly, he pulled back.
"Sorry." He murmured quietly, saying the unfamiliar word for the second time that day and the second time in his life.
Looking up, he saw that Hermione was shaking her head hard.
"No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you this. God, I don't know why I did. I shouldn't be wasting your time. Why would you care anyway? I'm just being selfish. You can leave if you want to, really."
His heart began to ache again when she starting apologizing. Damn it, he did care. But he didn't even know why. And not for the first time, he noticed just how beautiful she was. Unconscious of his own actions, Draco raised his hand and touched her hair. It didn't feel bushy at all under his fingers, but rather soft and silky.
Hermione's dark brown eyes met his, and he saw confusion in them. He was confused as well. She should be right, but she wasn't. He cared and he did not want to leave at all.
She was slowly studying his expression, as if trying to find the reason of his actions. Draco hoped that she could reach a conclusion, because he couldn't even come up with one himself.
And he suddenly found her face very close to his. Some how, the distance between them had vanished, and if he bent just a little bit their lips would meet. He did not find an answer to his own questions, but he did know it would be a good decision to move away now. And if he doesn't, his self-control would-
But the next moment his brain had stopped functioning and all thoughts flew out the window.
Because Hermione leaned forward.