"Hey, Granger," Draco's voice was soft and sudden in Hermione's ear and she was surprised at the sense of elation she felt when she realised who had snuck up on her. They were in the library –of course- and it was a busy Monday evening packed with students tackling their first set of homework for the week.
"Hey," she whispered back, hugging her books to her chest and giving the room a furtive glance. No one was looking their way, most people had their noses pressed against parchment, but she was expecting Ginny to join her any moment.
Draco had changed from his school robes into a warm, navy jumper that brought out the highlights of blue in his eyes, and he was standing so close that she could smell the faint scent of cologne he was wearing; it was warm and spiced and she blushed furiously when she realised she wanted to take a step closer. He seemed very relaxed considering there were so many people around, since their conversation after the Quiddich match she hadn't seen much of him, and when she had he had been surrounded by his Slytherin friends and she felt very uncomfortable being near him in that group. What also wasn't making her growing friendship –and she could admit now to herself that it was a friendship- any easier, was that Harry was growing ever more suspicious about his nemesis, and was convinced he was a Death Eater working for Voldemort.
He cleared his throat, "I uh- didn't know if you wanted to study?"
"I'm- uhm, meeting Ginny. I'm helping her with her Astronomy charts, she'll be here any moment." She glanced around again and missed the flash of disappointment on his face.
"That's okay," he said when she turned back to him, "I'm not used to you studying with other people."
"Other than you," she said, "But she's struggling with fitting in homework and Quiddich and her boyfriend, so I offered…"
"I see, well I'll leave her in your capable hands, I don't think she'd like to be tutored with me around."
Hermione wanted to disagree, but knew there was no point. Malfoy had spent too many years taunting Ron and the Weasley family for her to come up with any argument that Ginny wouldn't hex him the second he joined their table. There was a moment of awkward silence before she said very softly, "It does seem unlikely that either of our groups of friends will ever like us spending any time together- studying, that is."
Draco was looking down, "You're probably right, as usual." He took a half-step back as he made to walk away before adding, "I guess that it'll just have to be our secret then, for now."
Hermione smirked, "Yes our secret and the rest of the people who use the library."
"No one here seems to care."
"No one here seems to notice," she corrected him. "Gryffindors and Slytherins aren't traditional friends."
He gave her a considering smile as he walked backwards towards the desks in the centre of the room, "Well- some traditions can be broken."
Hermione was still smiling to herself when Ginny arrived, dumping her bags down at the table she had secured from them, in her favourite spot by the window, "Sorry I'm late- Dean and I… well he was being annoying."
"What was he doing this time?" she asked, trying not to notice how Draco had run his hands through his hair so that it was sticking up in all directions; he had chosen a table on the other side of the room, but he was still in her line of sight. Luckily, Ginny had her back to him.
She shook out her long hair and told her, "He was insisting he could help me with my homework so I could stay in the Common Room, and it didn't matter how many times I told him it'll be much faster for you to just explain things to me, and that I haven't had much time to actually spend time with you lately because of Quiddich practice, and that the Common Room is so freakin' loud that… well he just wasn't listening. So I just got up and left."
Hermione laughed, "He'll have loved that."
"Why do boys think that they know what we want better than we do? If I'd wanted his help I'd have asked him, and any time we study together we just end up making out, which would be great but this chart is due tomorrow! Do you have any idea how distracting it is to try and concentrate when you're sitting next to someone you can't stop fantasising about?"
Hermione was mortified when she felt herself go scarlet and Ginny raised her eyebrows, "Well apparently you do."
"No! No I don't I just… it doesn't matter."
Ginny was now grinning and leaning across the table with her arms folded in front of her, "Oh no I think it does. Are you being distracted by someone Hermione? Is that why you keep escaping to the library from the Common Room?"
It was taking all of her willpower not to glance at Draco, and she prayed he couldn't hear any of their conversation. She instead forced herself to look Ginny in the eye and said, "What do you mean I keep escaping to the library?"
"Oh please, like we all haven't noticed that you've stopped studying in the Common Room. You're here every day! Even you can't have that much homework!"
"Well sadly I do have that much homework, and me coming here has nothing to do with boys… you said it yourself, the Tower is just too noisy." When Ginny didn't look convinced she added, "Plus, if I'm being honest, I'm struggling to be around some of the others at the moment, not Harry and Ron, but- well, Lavender and Parvati are being a little…"
"Bitchy? Annoying? Completely superficial and vapid?"
She smiled, "Intense was the word I was going to use, but yes those also fit. I know Lavender likes Ron, and for some reason that means she hates me."
"For some reason that appears to be the case," Ginny said meaningfully.
Hermione threw up her hands, "We're not here to gossip, that's for the Common Room, we're here to finish your Astronomy charts so you can get back to fantasising about Dean."
Ginny pouted, "You're probably right, but I have missed you since term started back. I feel like we've barely seen each other."
"Well," Hermione pulled out her quill and spread the half-completed star chart out between them, "You have my full and complete attention now."
As Ginny bowed her head to start analysing the movements of the stars, Hermione caught Draco's eye as he came out of the stacks close to them. She hadn't seen him get up from his table, and she didn't know how long he had been within ear-shot of her and Ginny's conversation, but she was sure that she saw, or thought she saw, him drop her a very subtle wink.