He drifted through school. He did his schoolwork, managed to keep his housemates at bay, and otherwise didn't think about much.
And of course, he saw her everywhere. Every time he rounded a corner, she was sitting on a bench or walking just ahead of him. Though, if he were being honest with himself, he would have to admit that it wasn't as if he were trying to avoid her. Maybe the opposite—he frequented the library more often than he ever had before, always sitting at the table closest to the door. And he watched her at meals. Sometimes her eyes met his, but they were cool, neutral. Once she even raised her eyebrow at him, before returning to her conversation.
But she never spoke to him, even when he approached her late one night in the library. He had sat down, and had almost apologized, but she had just picked up her bag and walked away.
And now it was summer, the muggy heat pressing ominously on the manor, and though every room was kept cool with an array of cooling charms, he could feel it. He hadn't left the house in weeks, hadn't really had a need to. He stayed indoors, working on obtaining a job now that he had graduated. There were many options, and he applied for them all, relying on his scores and hard work, and not on his father's money or connections for once.
He was offered a particularly competitive position at the Ministry of Magic, as apprentice to the Head of the Department of Mysteries, with the intent that he would replace the current one when he retired. The idea appealed to him immensely, for it wasn't as though he were lacking in experience with secrecy.
When he walked in that first day in August and was directed to his cramped office, he had felt better. It felt good to be doing something, to be growing, moving forward. He sat at the chair behind the large desk, and leaned back, and finally felt good about something. He felt deserving, for the first time in his life.