Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or places.
Hermione followed her friends to Charms class in a daze. He had been looking, staring at her. He had looked right into her eyes and had refused to look away when he had so obviously been caught. But then, he'd already caught on that she was looking at him. Was that why he had been looking? Waiting to see if she had heeded his threat? Obviously she hadn't. She doubted she never would. She needed to watch him. Almost the same way she needed to breathe. She knew it was ridiculous, but she also knew it was true. She would never admit aloud, though. She barely allowed herself to admit the betrayal to herself.
As she settled into her usual spot next to Harry and Ron, she was still deep in thought. Professor Flit began his lesson promptly and Hermione tried to shake any thoughts of the Slytherin away from her mind long enough to take some notes. She quickly realized that she already knew the material that the professor was teaching and felt knowledgeable enough about the spell that she let her mind to continue its stroll down Confusion Avenue. Did he know how obsessed she was? Did he know she thought about him incessantly? Is that why he was staring? She let out a sigh of frustration. Harry, who was sitting right next to her, looked over in mild concern. She just shook her head with a small smile, assuring him that she was alright.
Hermione Granger hated having questions but no answers. She supposed she could simply ask him outright, but the embarrassment from yesterday was still chafing her. She would never ever admit to him just how far she had fallen. By the end of the class, she still had the same burning question on her mind. Why had Draco Malfoy looked at her, and more than that, why had he smiled?
"Well, Hermione?" Ron asked her, pulling her from her thoughts.
She blinked him for a second. "Well, what, Ron?"
He snickered at her. "Already thinking hard about the paper? I asked if you were going to take a break from studying tonight to come to the welcome back party we're having in the common rooms."
She groaned. "I don't know, Ron. I'm not really in a party mood. Besides, we have that paper due and a couple more assignments that I need to get done and probably a lot more by the end of the day."
Harry smiled brilliantly at her. "Come on, Hermione. Take a break. Have some fun. It wouldn't be the same without you."
She rolled her eyes and smiled at them. "Of course it wouldn't. I am the life of the party." She let the sarcasm ooze on that last sentence.
Ron laughed. "Exactly. Come on. You know you want to."
Hermione took a look at her friends, her boys, and smiled warmly at them. Rolling her eyes, she finally said, "Alright, I'll come." Harry threw an arm around her shoulder at hugged her briefly to him. She let herself enjoy the warmth at his embrace for a moment. How could she love them so much and blatantly betray them and lie to them?
"You're gonna have fun, Hermione," Harry promised.
She shrugged a shoulder. "I guess. But for now, we have potions, so come on."
They picked up their pace and quickly found their way to the potions class room. Harry and Ron sat at their usual table and Hermione sat at the table behind them, taking out her potions book, paper, quill, and ink. She was ready. She placed the rest of her belongings next to her on the table. No one else sat with her and she enjoyed having the space to lay everything out in front of her. Professor Slughorn began his lesson on the blood-replenishing potion, capable of replenishing blood to someone who has been mortally wounded.
"Definitely handy to have around in case of any accidents," Slughorn said cheerfully. Although he didn't really say it, he meant that it would be handy to have in around in times like these, with threats looming around every corner. Hermione let out an involuntary shudder.
"Now, turn to page 56 in your textbooks. You will be partnering up for this potion and the team that creates the best potion will receive an invitation to my next gathering." Hermione rolled her eyes. Slughorn really believed that that was a prize. She turned her textbook to the correct page and looked around. Everyone already had partners. But in her glance around the room she also noticed a certain person's absence. Where was Draco?
"Now begin gathering your ingredients and get to work."
Hermione sighed and went to fetch her supplies. She had already begun to mix the first few ingredients when she heard Professor Slughorn's voice again. "Ah, Mister Malfoy. So glad you can join us." Hermione froze in place for a moment and waited for his response.
"I apologize, Professor, but I was with Professor Snape. He sent me with a note explaining my tardiness." She watched out the corner of her eye as Draco passed her and handed his note to Slughorn. Slughorn barely glanced at it, before smiling at Draco.
"Very well, Mister Malfoy. You haven't missed much. We are working on a blood-replenishing potion. However, we are doing this in pairs, and I'm afraid everyone has already – Oh." Hermione looked up when she heard Slughorn's voice cut off and found that the professor had just spotted her – alone. She did not allow her gaze to slide to Draco, afraid he was already looking at her. "It seems that Miss Granger does not have a partner. You may team up with her. I'm sure between the two of you, you will come up with a competent potion." The professor smiled kindly and turned, dismissing Draco. Hermione was struggling to breathe as she heard Draco approaching her table. When he finally reached it, he sneered.
"Do you mind?" he asked, his voice icy.
"Excuse me?" Hermione's voice was just as cold as she looked up him. She could have sworn she saw something flicker in his eyes. But then he cut his gaze to her belonging which were taking up what was now his side of the table.
She felt herself grow hot and she quickly moved her things to the floor next to her, between his chair and hers pretending it was a barrier. He smirked at her and sat down gracefully and promptly gathered some of the ingredients to his side of the table. Somehow he already knew what ingredient to add next and he had not even taken out his textbook. Hermione suspiciously wondered how he knew what to do. She watched him from the corner of her eye as she started to mash the berries that would go in next. He was simply and openly staring at her.
Finally she sighed, frustrated and hissed, "What?" He smirked at her again.
"What's wrong, Mudblood? It's okay for you to stare, but not anyone else?"
She gasped and felt her cheeks flush with blood. He had called her out on it. In public! She cast a quick glance at Ron and Harry making sure that they had not heard. They were busy staring at that damned book Harry had got, and were obviously paying no attention to anything else. When she turned back to Malfoy, he was smiling with a glint in his eye. "I've no idea what you're talking about, Malfoy." She decided denial was her best option. He simply shook his head, amusement pouring from him.
"You know damned well what I'm talking about, Granger. I've seen you. You've been watching since we came back to school. Studying me. One would think… that you were a woman obsessed." Her eyes widened, her heart beat erratically, and she felt as though she were going to pass out. There was absolutely no way he knew! He watched her reaction carefully. When she didn't speak, he continued, his voice taking on an interested tone. "Merlin, Granger! You've been following me, hounding me. Staring with a wistful little gleam in your eye. And I've noticed every…little….reaction you've had to every little thing I've done." His voice had dropped to a husky whisper now.
He reached towards her and in a fit of panic she flinched back. He snickered and reached past her, grabbing the berries, the last ingredient, and put them in. He then started the cycle of stirring the potion clockwise thirty times. She had completely forgotten the potion. She had forgotten that she was in class. She had even forgotten about Harry and Ron sitting two feet in front of them. The only thing that existed right now was her and Draco.
"I mean," he continued calmly, "I can hardly blame you, Granger. I suppose I am something to look at. And I've been extremely patient with you." Now he was looking at her as he stirred.
Patient, my butt, she thought, remembering last night in the library. Her chin suddenly burned where he had touched her. He tisked. "Last night was a bad night for me, Granger." Her eyes widened once more. Was he reading her mind? She felt terror seize through her. Was he using Legilimency on her? Was he even capable of that? "You wear your every thought on you face," he scoffed. He was finally done stirring and now they simply had to wait a minute for the ingredients to simmer together.
"The thing is, Granger, I don't care." She felt her breath get stolen from her. His mirth shined brightly in his eyes and he shrugged. "You see, I don't give a fuck that you're watching me. I don't even care why. I don't even give a fuck if you're obsessed with me. And I know you are." When she finally found her voice to try to deny it again, he simply held a hand up and chuckled. "Really, don't bother. Do not insult me with lies. The reason that I don't care is – "
"Alright, students, let's see how you've down," professor Slughorn cut in. Hermione threw a deep harsh glare his way, furious that he had interrupted what Draco was about to say.
Draco, for his part, was pissed at the professor as well. But when he caught the fury in Granger's eyes, his anger instantly melted. He laughed internally at how truly easy she was making all of this. She had let him go on and on for the last 20 minutes. But then, what was her alternative. He knew lying did not come easily to the Gryffindor. Although, he noted ecstatically, that she has obviously been lying to her two "best friends." He had noticed her reaction when she feared that the boys would hear him.
He wondered what she'd been telling them. That she'd been studying? That she didn't feel well? He knew she was spending a majority of her time outside of the classroom watching him. They had to notice her prolonged absences. Did they believe her little lies? Did they truly believe that their sweet, innocent Hermione Granger was telling the truth about how she spent her evenings?
Inside, he was doing a victory dance. This was simply too perfect. She was already lying to her friends. She was already isolating herself, more and more. And he had also noticed the hungry look in her eyes when she stared at him. He had told her the truth that she wore her every thought on her face. He had never really noticed before, but now that he was really looking at her, he wondered how he could have possibly missed it. The look of terror on her face when he called her out, the look of fear when he stretched his hand towards her, terror again that he might be able to read her thoughts, fury with the professor who was now looking at their potion and the desire mixed with every single one of those emotions. Of course he knew the spell to break into her mind, but why expend the energy? It was there, pasted onto her face for the world to see, and more importantly, him.
"Well, we have our winner. Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, you may expect your invites to my next little gathering by owl over the next couple of days. Congratulations." Draco rolled his eyes. That fool really believed that that was a prize.
He returned his attention to the brunette once more before Slughorn dismissed the class. He placed his hand strategically on her knee. "The reason, Hermione, that I don't care is because I've recently become obsessed with you as well," he muttered in his huskiest voice. With that, he quickly grabbed his things and swept from the room, smirking as he left Hermione with a confounded expression on her face.
Author's Note: Once again, I am so sorry that it took so long to update. I hope that you like it and that it was worth the wait. It was a little rushed, so if anyone sees a problem with it, please feel free to let me know. Please review and let me know how I'm doing, it really motivates me. Thank you!