Chapter 5

Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine, they all belong to JK Rowling

The days following Halloween were quieter than Hermione had expected. The chaos of the troll incident had spread quickly through Hogwarts, and Hermione became something of an unexpected hero, especially among the Slytherins. Draco Malfoy, for his part, seemed to have taken her warning seriously. He avoided her, his usual biting comments and sneers replaced by an uncomfortable silence. Occasionally, she could still feel his eyes on her, but he didn't challenge her again—at least, not openly.

In the meantime, her friendship with Luna deepened. They spent more and more time together, often escaping the oppressive atmosphere of the castle to search for magical creatures. Luna, with her boundless enthusiasm and peculiar charm, was a constant source of light in Hermione's increasingly complicated life.

On one chilly afternoon, Luna appeared without warning, her presence brightening the gray skies. "Hermione!" she called, her voice light and musical as it echoed through the courtyard. Twirling her wand absently before tucking it behind her ear, Luna was a whimsical figure in the dreary weather—a habit Hermione had adopted after witnessing Pansy bullying Luna for her eccentricities.

Hermione grinned, pulling her own wand from her hair. "Luna, you know one day you're going to give me a heart attack appearing like that."

Luna giggled, her silvery eyes sparkling. "I doubt it. You're far too logical for a heart attack. Ready for a little adventure? I thought we could look for moon frogs in the Forbidden Forest—they're particularly active when the sky is cloudy like this."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Moon frogs? I'm not sure those actually exist."

Luna gave her a wide-eyed look of pure innocence. "Of course they do. Just because you can't see something doesn't mean it isn't real."

Hermione smiled, unable to argue with that. "Alright, lead the way."

They set off toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest, their cloaks fluttering behind them as the wind picked up. Luna hummed softly to herself, skipping lightly over rocks and roots, while Hermione walked beside her, feeling lighter, less burdened by the pressures of school or the unspoken tension between herself and Draco.

When they reached a small clearing, Luna stopped and gestured dramatically. "This is where I saw the Thestrals last week," she said softly, her eyes scanning the trees.

Hermione frowned, looking around. "But Luna, I don't see anything."

Luna turned to her with a sad smile. "I know. You can't see them until you've seen someone die."

Hermione blinked, surprised by the sudden heaviness in Luna's voice. "Oh. I didn't know that."

Luna nodded, her whimsical tone softening. "It's okay. You will one day. But for now, they're still here, even if you can't see them." She reached out, her hand resting in the air, and Hermione could almost believe there was something there, something invisible but very real to Luna.

They stood in silence for a few moments, the wind rustling the leaves around them. Hermione didn't press further, sensing that Luna's understanding of death went deeper than hers. Instead, she just followed Luna's lead, letting the peacefulness of the forest wash over them.

After a while, they sat down on the grass, leaning against a large tree. Luna pulled out a handful of pumpkin seeds she'd gathered from Hagrid's garden and began laying them out in a careful pattern on the ground.

"You're thinking about Draco again," Luna said suddenly, not looking up from her seeds.

Hermione blinked in surprise. "How did you know?"

Luna smiled, her eyes twinkling. "You get that little frown on your face whenever you think too hard about something, especially something that bothers you."

Hermione sighed, running a hand through her hair. "He's been quiet since Halloween. I don't trust it."

Luna nodded thoughtfully. "Cousin Draco is confused, you know. He's always been told who to be, what to believe. It must be hard for him to realize that he doesn't really know who he is yet."

Hermione frowned, her brow furrowing as she considered this. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Luna said, tilting her head as if pondering something deep, "he's spent his whole life trying to live up to his family's expectations, to be the perfect leader of the Slytherins. But you're different. You challenge him. Maybe he doesn't know how to handle that yet."

Hermione fell silent, mulling over Luna's words. It was true—Draco had been raised with certain beliefs and rules that he followed without question. But ever since she had come into his life, things had changed. They were constantly at odds, yet there was something deeper now. Draco wasn't just her enemy anymore; he was something… more complicated.

"I just don't know what to do," Hermione admitted softly. "He's impossible to figure out."

Luna smiled dreamily. "I think you'll find that he's trying to figure you out too."

They spent the rest of the afternoon in the clearing, talking about nothing and everything—school, magical creatures, the future. Luna's light-heartedness eased Hermione's worries, at least for the moment, and by the time they returned to the castle, Hermione felt a little more like herself again.

As they entered the entrance hall, Luna turned to her with her usual cryptic smile. "Don't worry too much, Hermione. The answers will come when they're ready. They always do." And with that, she disappeared, skipping off towards the Ravenclaw tower.

Hermione chuckled, shaking her head as she watched Luna vanish from sight. It was impossible to be around Luna without feeling like part of some great cosmic mystery, one that she might never fully understand but could still somehow find peace in.

With Luna's words still in her mind, Hermione headed down to the Slytherin common room. The familiar coolness of the dungeon greeted her, along with the low hum of conversation. Most of the students were still at dinner, but a few sat by the fire, engrossed in their books or quietly chatting.

Hermione made her way to her favorite spot, pulling out her Potions textbook. Determined to stay ahead of the game, especially with Snape's unpredictable quizzes, she opened her book. But before she could dive into her reading, a shadow fell across the table.

She looked up to see Draco sliding into the seat across from her, his expression unreadable.

"Granger," he said quietly, his voice lacking its usual sneer.

Hermione narrowed her eyes slightly. "Malfoy."

A long, uncomfortable silence hung between them. Draco seemed to be searching for the right words, his usual confidence nowhere to be found. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he spoke.

"I didn't mean for things to go that far," he muttered, not quite meeting her gaze.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "With the troll?"

Draco nodded stiffly, clearly struggling to articulate his thoughts. "Yeah. I didn't… think it would end like that."

Hermione studied him for a moment, her curiosity piqued. This was new. Draco Malfoy didn't apologise—especially not to her. Yet here he was, trying—awkwardly—to make amends.

"Well," she said slowly, "thanks for not letting me get squashed by a troll."

Draco snorted, the tension easing slightly. "You were holding your own, Granger."

Hermione smiled a little, surprising herself. "I try."

Draco glanced away, the conversation seemingly over. But before he left, he paused, his hand resting on the back of the chair. "You're different from the others, you know," he said quietly, not looking at her. "I don't know what to do with that."

Then, without waiting for a response, he stood and walked away, leaving Hermione staring after him, her mind spinning.

She sat there for a long moment, trying to process what had just happened. Draco Malfoy—her rival, her tormentor—had just admitted that he didn't know what to make of her. It was confusing, to say the least, but Hermione couldn't shake the feeling that something was changing between them. What that meant, she wasn't sure yet.

With a sigh, she returned to her Potions book, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Draco's words. Maybe Luna was right. Maybe Draco was trying to figure out where he stood, just like she was.

And maybe, just maybe, things between them were about to get a whole lot more complicated.