"Hey, Granger- I uh, wasn't expecting to see you here."
"It's the library, Malfoy."
"Yes but you eh, haven't been here in a few days. And it's nine o'clock in the morning, on a Sunday."
"Your observation skills are astounding," her tone was clipped and she stretched up to try and reach the Astronomy book she'd come for from a high shelf.
After a moment of watching her struggle Draco sighed and reached up to get it for her, placing it in her arms and trying not to concentrate on how close they were standing.
"Thank you," she said quietly. In truth she had been avoiding the library, avoiding Draco, for over a week now. She wasn't sure why, but his comment before the Quiddich try-outs had stung, and until now she thought that she'd just been being stupid, but she was struggling to meet his gaze.
"I heard Weasley made Keeper… rumour is McLaggen was confounded."
Hermione pursed her lips, "I don't know anything about that, and I don't want to talk about Quiddich."
"I wanted to apologise-" he started, at the same time as she made an excuse to leave. "You're not studying here?"
"The Common Room is quiet in the mornings, I- I don't need the space." She needed space from him.
"Oh, yeah I guess my house must just be early risers."
In truth he'd been in the Room of Requirement all night. The only good thing about Hermione's absence from the library for the past week was that he had finally been able to concentrate on his mission, he'd only stopped by as an alibi for why he hadn't been in his dormitory this morning. When he'd heard her humming from inside the stacks his stomach had soared, and he wished that he looked less dishevelled, less like someone who had spent the whole night stressing over a Vanishing Cabinet. She wasn't looking at him anyway, she was staring at the book in her hands like she was trying to bore a hole through the pages, so almost without thinking he reached out with his hand and gently tilted her chin up, "I am sorry, for my attitude the other week. It wasn't kind."
"I don't normally think of you as being kind," she told him bluntly.
"I deserve that." He dropped his hand back to his side, unsure of what to say to make her understand because he himself didn't understand at all. He didn't know what he wanted, other than… "You sure you don't want to stay, and study?"
"You don't have any books with you." She was too observant, it was one of the many, many things that made getting close to her risky.
He swallowed, "I wasn't really planning on studying this morning."
Her large brown eyes were trained on his, now he had her attention he really had it, and it was making his knees a little weak. Had she always been this pretty? "Why are you in the library at nine o'clock on a Sunday morning, Draco?"
"I find it peaceful."
"So you're not stalking me then?"
"You've not been here remember, if I had to wonder I'd think you were avoiding me," he joked.
It happened then, a slight flicker in her gaze, a glance down, and he realised he was right. She had been avoiding him, but why? Was it because he had been cruel to her? Had she found spending time with him scared her like it scared him?
His smile faded a little, "I can probably guess why."
"It's difficult to study with someone when you're not sure if they're going to be unpleasant or not," she was surprised at her own honesty, "I didn't want to get distracted."
"I wasn't aware I distracted you."
She flushed, "I meant your attitude, it's difficult to ignore someone when they're insulting you."
"Then I will be on my best behaviour and easy to ignore."
Hermione giggled and wasn't sure why, "You are beginning to become even more infuriating than usual, why do you want to study with me anyway?"
He shrugged, "Maybe it's useful to study with the brightest Witch in the year."
"To cheat?"
"To learn," he gave her a playful look she'd never seen on him before.
With a sigh and a smile, she conceded.