Hermione left the library not long after Draco in the end. The large room seemed to lose some of its appeal when the tall blond boy moved along it a different room; the room seemed darker somehow, without the startling whiteness of his hair and the chime of his laugh- which was made more beautiful by its rarity. Hermione was on her way to the Slytherin common room when she heard a girl's raised voice. Her curiosity made Hermione pause.
The girl's voice was vaguely familiar, "You can't be serious," she exclaimed. Hermione crept along the corner and peered around the corner as she took in the girl's appearance; dark hair, pale skin, angry dark eyes and her cheeks were red from rage. Hermione recognised her immediately; Pansy Parkinson. Hermione had always found the girl to be intimidating at the best of times, but she was trying to leave those ideas in the past.
She might have moved on then, if she hadn't noticed the boy Pansy was arguing with. His blond hair shone in the flickering candle light like white gold. He was frowning his lips set in a deep frown, when he replied, "Oh, believe me," he snapped at the girl, glaring at her as his patience reached its limit. "I am very serious about this. I am not interested, Pansy." His gaze was cold, Hermione thought, and she feared that she would not fare as well as Pansy did under that gaze. "That's all I have to say on the matter, Pansy."
Pansy looked murderous as Draco turned away from her and began to walk towards where Hermione hid. Hermione quickly threw herself back around the corner, panicking about being caught listening in on their conversation. Just as Draco was about to pass Hermione, Pansy shouted out after him, "Hey, wait a second!" She yelled furiously. She stormed after him and, heaving a great sigh, Draco turned back to look at Pansy, gesturing for her to get on with it. "at least tell me why you are breaking up with me!"
Hermione, who had realised that she should hurry and leave while Draco was distracted, stopped. Draco and Pansy dating was news to her. Draco sighed.
"We were never actually together, Pansy." He said, his voice tired. "Sleeping together is not the same as dating." At the girl's impatient expression, he groaned, and continued, "We can't carry on with this because I like someone else, and if I'm going to give a possible relationship with her a go, I can't be sleeping with you." Pansy looked irritated, as if she wanted to challenge him but couldn't compose her argument. Hermione hadn't escaped yet; she was still listening, and wondering who Draco meant.
Finally, Pansy sighed, "Fine, I guess." She still sounded very annoyed by the idea of putting a stop to their sordid affair. "This girl," she said, "It's Granger, isn't it?" Pansy didn't look offended or even angry anymore, and a signature Slytherin smirk had taken pride of place on her lips, making her eyes glint with a smug knowledge; I know something you don't know, was what that look told Hermione.
Draco didn't answer, but he turned the corner, a small smile tilting his lips. Hermione reached behind her, and- thanking Merlin- felt a doorknob. She swung it open quickly and ducked inside. She breathed a sigh of relief at escaping the Slytherins. Looking around, she realised she was in a broom closet. She waited for the sound of Draco's footsteps to fade away, and then listened to Pansy's slow steps moving further away as she strolled in the opposite direction.
After what seemed like an age, Hermione crept out of the closet, ignoring the curious glances she attracted from a group of passing Ravenclaw first years.
The brunette made her way to the Slytherin common room, her brain flooded with new information.
++SOON AFTER++
Draco already sat in an armchair in the common room when she got there, and he smiled at her as if he had resolved a problem, "Hey, Hermione, come sit over here." He gestured for the brunette to join him. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and she wanted nothing more than to retreat to her bed and hide under the sheets. She made herself walk over to the armchair near Draco's; she had run away before, and regretted it deeply.
"Hi," she mumbled, avoiding his steady gaze. Draco held a small green book, and smiled easily at her. "Did you- did you get those errands done?" she asked, trying to distract both Draco and herself.
He laughed shortly, having forgotten the excuse he gave for leaving the Library. "Oh, yes, don't worry about that." He smiled kindly and dismissed the question with a gesture of his hands.
Hi! Sorry it's a pretty short chapter, but I wanted to upload SOMETHING, and I know it's been a long time. I'm sitting my GCSE's at the moment (yikes) and I am also suffering a mental breakdown because City of Heavenly Fire (the LAST mortal instruments book) will be released this Sunday, and I am not emotionally prepared for it!
If you are a TMI fangirl (like me), please tell me what is your Mortal Instruments OTP, or if you have a theory for it? Or you can just ramble about your approaching destruction- that's fine too! (BY THE WAY, MY OTP IS MALEC BECAUSE THEY ARE SIMPLY FABULOUS!)
Okay, bye now, Kate :)