hello! it's been a hot minute since I updated, thank you for your kind reviews and for adding this story to ur favorites. It means a lot! I have the whole story planned, and a looooot of ideas flashed through my head so I pray that the plot pulls through. I'll shut up now, I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

Mistakes are mine, the HP world isn't tho! :)


2:34 am

Hermione: /stop

Draco: HEY I WAS WINNING

Hermione: Malfoy

Draco: okay please just two more rounds please please

Hermione: Malfoy .

Draco: Granger .

Hermione: You're too addicted to this game, we need to get work done. As much as I love beating you, we can't get distracted anymore!

Draco: I'm not distracted, we finished chapter 3 earlier. You were the one who insisted on a rematch :(

Hermione rolled her eyes. This boy. She replied by ignoring his message and turning off her phone. He can play by himself, she thought.

Stretching her hand out, she reached for the table and placed the phone on top of it, falling asleep directly after.

A few hundred feet below her room, a certain Slytherin was glaring at his own mobile device. His roommates were already sound asleep, blissfully unaware of Malfoy's emotional battle.

Damn it, Granger. Such a kill-joy. It was as if the witch herself had heard his thoughts, because a few seconds later, his grip on the phone loosened, causing it to land on his face.

Malfoy felt the hot device against his forehead. He quickly removed the phone and placed it on the drawer next to his bed. Rubbing his face, he settled down on his comfortable bed and willed himself to fall asleep.

He couldn't.

The game plagued his mind, the surge of winning, the banter he shared with Granger. Merlin, is the device charmed? No wonder muggles can't get enough of it! He recalled reading about phone addiction for their paper, about how it can affect muggles in a social and physical aspect.

Am I getting addicted? He wondered. Impossible. He wasn't a muggle.

But he did exhibit the signs. He noticed that he would often reach for the device, opting to stay up late with Granger rather than sleep.

Malfoy knew that he had self-control within him. He was a Slytherin after all. He shouldn't let this device control him. It won't. Whenever Malfoy found himself in any situation, he would usually analyze every aspect of it in order to find a solution to said problem or situation.

This device is not a toy, Draco. He repeated those words in his head. This is a project, it's for research, remember why you have it in the first place.


THREE MONTHS AGO

"One condition. Don't be rude."

Malfoy pretended to be shocked.

"Me? Rude? Never," Teasing Granger is a fun thing to do.

His thoughts were interrupted by Granger calling out his name. He focused his eyes on her and smirked once again.

"Like saying my name, Granger?"

Rolling her eyes, she extend a hand to him. He looked at it questionably.

"Since we're going to be partners on a year-long project, the least we can do is tolerate each other. Can you do that?" she asked. Malfoy sat down and reached for her extended hand, shaking it with his own.

"I surely can. Can you?" Her grip on his hand tightened once he uttered those words. It honestly hurt.

"I definitely can Malfoy," and with that, she released her grip and dropped their hands. He quickly glanced around the room and noticed that most of their classmates have already paired up.

"Settle down, pupils. I'm not sure if I already said this, but this project counts as your final exam. Over the next few meetings, we will be doing workshops on how to write your paper. I believe that you will learn better through experience, rather than a lecture." Professor droned on and on. Some students were furiously jotting down notes, the others were elsewhere, most likely thinking about how to switch electives.

"Muggles are non-magical creatures. They aren't blessed with the ability to cast spells like us. Despite their "disadvantage" they found other ways to perform "magic". That is through their technology. Can anyone give me an example of Muggle technology?"

The hand beside Malfoy shot up.

"A laptop, sir." The voice said.

Lap top? Who names these objects? Muggles are so strange. Malfoy thought, absent-mindedly playing with his quipiz, the latest self-inking quill.

"Correct. A laptop is an essential among muggle students. It's a device they use to make calls, write papers, and use the Internet." The class was nodding, although most of the students were feigning interest.

"You must choose an object and create a complete study on it. For example, you can choose the laptop and see if it's faster and more convenient than using a quill. That is an example of a comparative study." He gave more examples, and by the time he finished and told the students to start discussing, multiple pairs started going up to him in order to ask more questions.

At the corner of Malfoy's eye, he could see the thinking expression that masked Granger's face.

Shifting his position, he turned to her and publicized his lack of knowledge on muggle objects. It's not something he's ashamed off, because why on earth would he know about that?

"What kind of study do you want to do?" She asked, arm resting on the table.

"We have to choose an object first. What will it be?" Retrieving her quill, Hermione began to jot down a list of muggle items. None of the words looked familiar to Malfoy.

"When I visited my cousins last summer, I barely got to speak with them. They were nose-deep in their smartphones, using these apps," She caught Malfoy's confused expression and proceeded to explain the concept of a cellphone.

"Now an app, or application, is some sort of server that you have on your phone. It can lead you to a game or to a social networking site, where muggles can interact online." She finished. She expected a sarcastic and pretentious reply from Malfoy, but he was silent, as if he was telling her to go on.

"So it's like a port-key?" He asked, trying not to sound too interested.

"If you put it that way, yes and no. The only similar thing an app and a portkey have is their ability to transport you somewhere else. With the app, you aren't physically somewhere else, but seeing my cousins so engrossed in their cellphones, it can make you feel like they're not around anymore."

Draco didn't ask anymore questions, which relieved Hermione. She knew that other partners would've just shrugged and pretended to understand, but she felt like Draco got her vague description anyway.

"Okay. Let's do it then, cellphone," He said, slowly, as if he was tasting the word.

They spent the rest of their time brainstorming, and by the end of the period, they settled on doing a study that will figure out if communicating through phones will be more convenient than owls. They approached their teacher and got their project approved, but due to lack of resources, their test subjects had to be themselves.

"My dad changes his phones regularly because he gets new ones for free. I can ask him for two so we don't have to buy one ourselves," Hermione offered.

The students began to pile out of the room, making their way to their next class. Draco stood up and pushed his chair back.

"Alright. Till next meeting, partner." He said, emphasizing the last word.


See, Malfoy. It's a project, not a toy. With that final thought in his head, the boy finally fell asleep.