When paired up, Hermione and Tom wrote reports that were top of the class. The teachers planned a dance for Halloween, which was nearing. Many girls asked Tom and Lucius to go to the dance. She laughed at them all. Lucius took Narcissa and Tom asked Hermione, who accepted.
Hermione sat in the library alone. She had one week before she would have to work with Tom again (on Halloween), and she just wanted some quiet reading time for herself. She, of course, did not get what she had wanted.
"Hello 'Mione," she could hear Tom's cold voice and could tell he had sat down across from her without looking up from her book.
"Good morning Tom," Hermione said, not once did she look up. Although she was reading, she was not absorbing it in. She seemed to be reading extremely quickly and Tom just watched her. She eventually looked up from her book.
"What?" she asked.
"What?" he repeated, questioning her question.
"Why are you staring at me?" she asked.
"You read quickly. . ." Tom trailed off. Hermione gave him an odd look. He looked at his watch. "I have to go. Talk to you later?"
"Yea, sure," Hermione said, not really paying attention.
"See you, then," he said as he turned and left the library. The only people there were Madam Pince and Hermione. No one would be there on a Saturday morning except Hermione, and maybe Tom. For some odd reason, Hermione just could not concentrate on reading. She took out some parchment, ink, and a quill. She began to draw and hum. Soon enough she was singing various muggle songs, not necessarily in English, either. Her pictures were of people she knew. Harry/James, Ron, Ginny, Fred and Greorge, Tom, Lucius, Severus, Lily, Remus, Peter, and Sirius. About an hour later, she was still drawing and humming. Tom had entered the library and sat across from her, she never noticed him.
'She sings beautifully,' he thought to himself. He did not say anything, he wanted to hear her beautiful voice. He also realized she was an extremely talented artist. He watched her hand gracefully glide across the paper, creating images of people, most of them he knew. He sat there for half an hour before he spoke up.
"Ahem. . ." he said. She jumped out of her seat.
"How long have you been there?" she asked.
"Long enough to know you have a decent voice and decent artistic talent," he said. She searched his face.
'Always so emotionless, why?' She hummed again. 'Decent? Yes, of course. . . spy on me then say I am "Decent"!' She just stared at him, then returned to her artwork. Neither spoke a word. Hermione drew a large portrait of Tom. She gave it to him as a present, seeing as she did not need it. She had some fun and signed it just as "Hermione."