You Wouldn't Know

Still laughing, Hermione and Harry stumbled back into the common room. Bidding each other goodbye, Hermione and Harry took there separate staircases to their dormitories. Hermione stepped up slowly, still grinning broadly, chuckling to herself. As she arrived at the door to her dormitory, she pushed it open, strolling over to her bed and collapsing on it. She looked up at her velvet drapes over her bed. She sighed and rolled onto her stomach, pulling out Hogwarts: A History to read on further. But before she could even crack open the cover, a large eagle flew in. Large and graceful, it land at the end of Hermione's bed. She knew who its owner was, not only from recognition, but the way it held it's head high, proud but slightly conceited. Hermione gave a small smile and rolled over to the bird, gently prying the parchment roll from it's pointy claws. As she unrolled the script, she confirmed her suspicions of the owners as she saw the familiar scrawl. She closed her eyes, waiting to read Draco's note to her. Was it an excuse for what happened between them? Was it some sort of threat? Was he in denial? She knew she should be trying to forget about what happened, but deep in her heart, she didn't want to. She loved the way she felt when they had kissed. Mature, free, full of passion, excitement, nervousness, all mixed into one. She never wanted that to go away and she sincerely hoped that this was not some excuse letter, trying to make her forget what happened. Because she wouldn't. Not ever. She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and read the note.

Granger,

Apparently, we must get together again to work on our new Potion's assignment. I believe that we should get this done as soon as possible as the week before Christmas; I have much to do, as I am sure do you. So therefore, I recommend we meet in the library at seven. If that time does not suit you, please owl me to change it.

Draco Malfoy

Hermione finished the letter, her heart still pounding. Was it just her or was this letter slightly warmer? The basic politeness, the offer to change time, and the informal closing. Hermione felt an odd feeling of warmth spread throughout her body. Why was she so happy? Hermione carefully placed aside the letter and from her bag she pulled a piece of parchment and began to write a reply letter back to Draco.

Malfoy,

I think your study habits are quite the same as mine and so I also would like to finish this paper as soon as possible. Seven is fine. I'll see you then.

Hermione Granger

Hermione reread the letter and finally content with her reply, attached it to the claws of Draco's eagle. It flew gracefully out of the window, leaving Hermione to herself again. She sighed and allowed herself to fall back on the bed. As she lay there, staring up once again at the bed coverings, she felt completely content. Draco Malfoy had managed to send her a decent letter and she was going to see him again. Why did her heart warm whenever she even thought about him? She sat up slowly, pushing her hair out of her face. Suddenly, her stomach grumbled furiously. She looked down at it, remembering in her hunt for Ron, they had completely forgotten about dinner. Pulling herself up, she threw on her robe, exiting her dormitory in her quest for dinner.

* * *

At precisely ten to seven, Hermione ran back to the common room, grabbing her books and giving Ron and Harry a rushed explanation of where she would be. She arrived at the library with about five minutes to spare. Unexpectedly, she spotted a blonde head in the far corner of the library. She immediately recognized it as the same table they had previously been sitting at last time. The memories of her last visit to the library with him flooded back to her and she felt butterflies in her stomach. Cautiously, she strolled over the table, taking a seat next to the familiar Slytherin.

"Good evening Malfoy," Hermione tried nonchalantly. To her surprise, Draco actually looked up at her and answered.

"Evening Granger," he said with his usual calm voice, looking back down at the books he had apparently collected. Slightly surprised about his behavior, she pulled out her books and parchment, ready to begin work. Hermione suddenly felt her eyes droop a little, and a small yawn escaped her lips. Draco only looked over at her upon hearing her tiredness, but continued on to work on their project.

"So Granger, I'm going to look up the uses of a bezoar and you can look up the elements." Draco said, glancing over at her. She nodded but still something he said was nagging in her mind.

"I could assume that we would be working together more. I think it's stupid calling each other by our last names as if we were perfect strangers. Couldn't we just use our first names, at least while in private?" Hermione asked, still not believing what slipped out of her mouth. Draco looked over at her, his eyes betraying some confusion. That's it, he's going to make some really rude remark now and all of our acceptable behavior will be gone... But once again, Malfoy's proved to be very unpredictable.

"Sure, doesn't sound like a bad idea, Hermione," Draco said, putting emphasis on her name. Hermione loved the way it rolled off his tongue, but fought to keep her cool in front of him. Hermione pulled over one of the books on bezoars and began to read. After what seemed like hours, Hermione's eyelids began to droop and she started to lean forward slightly. She fought to keep her eyes open but before she could help it, the darkness captured her.

* * *

Draco sat carefully thinking about what Hermione had just said. Had she really just suggested they use each other's first names? A Malfoy was never supposed to associate himself with a Muggleborn if he couldn't help it, much less, call them by their first name. But, as he thought over the idea, he realized that she was right. They would probably spend more time together and using each other by last name status was ridiculous. So, very nonchalantly, he answered back, "Sure, doesn't sound like a bad idea, Hermione."

He made sure to put extra emphasis on her name, wanting to see her reaction, if it was the same as when she spoke his name on her lips. He glanced over at her and found her in a deep thought. Maybe it did have some effect on her. He turned to his books, reading on and taking notes on everything he found. After some time, his eyes grew blurry from reading and he got a cramp in his right hand from writing. He set down his quill and book, stretching out his long fingers and adjusting his sitting position. He looked at his watch and discovered it to be well past ten. He was surprised Madame Pince hadn't been over there already to yell at them to leave, but then again, they were in a secluded corner and she might not have even noticed them there. The lights were mostly turned off and the only light they had was from a small oil lamp.

"Hermione, I think..." Draco said, trailing off when he turned to look at her. Her head was rested on one of her books, her hand still gripping a quill, it's end covered in dried ink. As Draco looked at her, he could see how peaceful she lay. So delicate and fragile. He looked over her facial features, noticing for one of the first times how pretty she really was. Her porcelain skin was flawless and soft, her cheekbones high, accenting her eyes. When sleeping, Draco saw her eyelashes gently resting on her cheeks, fluttering from time to time. Her lips were full and pink, looking as if they were waiting to be kissed. Draco felt the sudden urge to kiss her lips but refrained as he watched her sleep. A single strand of hair fell into her face, and almost instinctively, Draco reached out and tucked it behind her ear, his fingertips straying on her soft skin. All of the sudden, Draco felt a strong urge to protect her. Hermione, so innocent and perfect, so smart and beautiful, so pure and untainted. Draco stared at her, mesmerized, remembering their kiss, the way she looked at him, the way he said her name, everything he liked about her. It was then Draco Malfoy realized he had fallen in love with Hermione Granger.