Shifting Perspectives

"Shifting Perspectives"

by professor mary

Chapter 5 An Understanding of Sorts

Draco reminded himself not to refer to the two boys flanking either side of him as "Potty" and "Weasel." He also actively restrained himself from tripping Ron and Harry as they walked down together to the Potions classroom. To keep his mind occupied he watched how others seemed to move around the Golden Trio.

Sure enough, he noticed, other students got out of their way in that same subtle manner that he'd seen when Pansy was in Finnegan's body and when Granger was zooming past him earlier that day. But there was something else, he decided. Yes, the other students not only got out of their way, but they also gave them a rather wide berth, Draco thought. Furthermore, he realized that the three were openly stared at- it really wasn't just Potter who got all the attention. The three moved as their own entity, it seemed. He didn't know why this seemed to surprise him. After all, he had long been sarcastically referring to them as the Golden Trio, too. Perhaps it was different because now I'm one of them, he mused. He tried to remember if he'd ever felt like he was part of such a clearly defined unit and found that he couldn't. He shelved this line of thinking for later and continued to observe their movements through the hallway.

Unsurprisingly, Ron and Harry slowed their gait to allow for his own much shorter stride. He permitted himself to sigh when he recognized the disgustingly familiar feeling of gratitude for the two boys' thoughtfulness.

"What's got you so quiet?" Harry said genially as they turned down a corridor.

"Well Harry," Draco said, wondering if he might be placing too much emphasis on the other boy's name, "I was just thinking about my Potions essay. I hope it's what Professor Snape is looking for." He figured talking about homework would always be a safe subject.

"Hermione," Harry laughed, "what are you worried about? When was the last time you made less than full marks?" He laughed again. "On anything?" he finished.

Draco scowled. So Granger really is the smartest student at Hogwarts. Big deal, he thought to himself, trying to squash the reluctant admiration he felt at the girl's accomplishments.

"So what did you write about being in that git's body?" Ron asked as they rounded the final set of stairs. Draco choked back a retort and thought fast. He figured that taking offense at the word "git" as applied to himself would probably seem suspicious. He thought back to Pansy's words.

"I wrote about taking up space differently and muscular memory- like when I was flying," he said, particularly proud of himself for including the piece about flying.

"That's right- you mentioned that earlier," Ron answered.

"Have you thought any more about the connection thing you were talking about?" Harry asked, as they walked into the Potions classroom.

"Er- sorry?" Draco answered. He figured he could bullshit with the best of them but he needed something a bit less abstract to work from!

"You know, Hermione. You said that you felt that inner conflict with Malfoy's body. That as long as you trusted it, you were okay flying- but the moment you panicked, you were battling his body for control," Harry explained as they walked to the back of the room to Ron and Harry's usual seats.

"Right," Draco started. Snape was just coming in from his office. "I'll tell you later," he said, feeling relieved, as he turned and headed to his own bench up towards the front of the room.

Before he could get too far, Weasley had shoved a rather dirty towel into his hands, muttering "Sorry, Mione." He recognized the stained fabric as Granger's specially charmed Potions towel. He sighed, realizing that for today it was actually his towel.

He took his seat, or rather Granger's usual seat, next to Granger.

"10 points from Gryffindor for being late, Miss Granger," Snape said acidly.

Draco winced under the cruel smile that Snape was currently giving him. Other students were still settling into their places yet Snape was staring only at him. Though he knew that he shouldn't care about losing points for Gryffindor, he still felt rather annoyed at Snape's clearly biased behavior. He found it ironic that this was the same behavior that used to bring him immense satisfaction.

He looked around, noting that Pansy had just walked in and hadn't even reached her own seat. The other girl was laughing and carrying on with another Slytherin. Draco looked back at Snape to see if he noticed their late arrival. If Snape did notice, he certainly was not letting on. Draco felt a surge of what he could only guess was righteous indignation. That's just not fair, he thought.

He decided to let go of this line of thinking- it seemed fruitless anyway. Instead he let himself think about his anger and frustration. He had yet to feel upset while in Granger's body. In fact, he'd been somewhat annoyed by what he thought of as her "restraint"- her inability to really get worked up about anything. Yet here he was, fuming because Snape had unfairly singled him out.

"Calm down, Malfoy," a voice whispered to him.

He turned to see a pair of steady gray eyes focused on him. He didn't trust himself to respond. His exasperation was still too near the surface.

Draco took out his class materials, setting his homework tidily on top of his textbook. He looked over his assignment, making sure that it still looked neat and legible. It was his own work. Though he'd taken Granger's (much heavier!) book bag, he'd kept his own notes and homework assignments.

"Accio homework!" Snape bellowed. Draco watched as his parchment as well as Granger's and everyone else's flew towards the outstretched hands of the Potions Master. Snape gathered the papers into a neat pile and then, to Draco's horror, begin to thumb through them. Draco knew what was coming.

"Well, well, Mr. Longbottom, you seemed to rather enjoy brushing Miss Patel's long hair," he sneered. Draco looked over at the round-faced boy who was now the color of a ripe tomato. The long-haired girl next to him was looking rather smug. Most of the Slytherins were sniggering though Draco found that he didn't feel like laughing.

"Mr. Potter, you savored the relative obscurity afforded to you by Mr. Weasley while Mr. Weasley undoubtedly relished being a celebrity," Snape jeered. Draco saw the two boys both purse their lips together in an effort not to make detention-worthy retorts. He also heard a sharp intake of breath next to him while he himself struggled with yet another surge of righteous anger.

Snape had now walked in front of the two of them. He put a hand on the desk and leaned in to position his face in line with Draco's. Draco swallowed and tried to not to involuntarily shift back on his stool. After a few seconds, he realized that his anger gave him quite a well of strength to draw upon to sit upright and meet his professor's gaze head-on.

"And Miss Granger, you complained about being unable to control your temper. I rather think that has nothing to do with Mr. Malfoy," the older man maliciously teased.

Draco said nothing and was proud of himself for doing so. He knew, without a doubt, that Snape was trying to goad him into losing points or a earning a detention just to prove his point. He merely sat there, his back ramrod straight, and gave his professor what he hoped was a piercing stare fueled with all the heady righteous indignation that was currently overwhelming his brain.

What he couldn't realize, of course, was that with his rich brown eyes blazing gloriously, his full red lips pursed together, and his chin sticking out proudly, he was the very picture of a cute if livid young woman. Snape curled his lip, though Draco recognized the hint of amusement in the older man's expression.

Hermione noticed, too. She noticed, with some amount of annoyance, that Malfoy was almost adorable as he sat there fuming. She saw that Snape was amused, though hiding it fairly well. And she realized that she, at least when in her own body, was probably just as cute when angry. No wonder no one takes me seriously, she huffed.

Snape backed off and Malfoy seemed to relax a bit. The rest of the class passed as Snape droned on about ways to strengthen the intensity as well as lengthen the duration of some Potions. Of course, she knew all this already. She almost let her thoughts wonder to her current predicament of being stuck in Malfoy's body when Snape's voice jolted her out of her thoughts.

"For carbon- or organic-based potions, adding even an infinitesimal amount of salamander blood will both strengthen and prolong the effects. Only add it in instances where you can not add more potion-specific intensifiers. Who can tell me why?" Snape stopped, looking around the classroom with a sour expression.

Only one hand was quicker than Hermione's- and it belonged to the bushy-haired girl sitting next to her.

Without waiting to be called on, Draco chimed in, "Salamander blood, as the major ingredient in Fortification Potions, can be somewhat unpredictable when used as an intensifier in organic based potions. Though it will certainly strengthen and prolong the potions' effects, the brewer will likely be unable to accurately gauge to what extent he or she has altered the potion. In some cases, the effects of the Potion may be so far extended as to become permanent."

"As usual, most thorough, Miss Granger. And as usual, spoken out of turn! 10 points from Gryffindor and detention tomorrow night!" Snape hissed.

Draco's jaw nearly dropped open. He had never heard such a tone directed at him by Professor Snape. To say that he was angry was an understatement. He took a deep breath and was about to snap back- professor or not! - when he felt a sharp kick right in his shins.

He sucked in his breath and turned his head to his Potions partner.

"Let it go," Granger whispered.

Snape seemed to be oblivious to Draco's internal battle of wills. The professor continued to lecture about various potions additives until the bell sounded for the end of class.

"Nine o'clock tomorrow evening, right here, Miss Granger," Snape said before exiting the classroom to his office.

Draco was methodically packing his books together, trying to channel his furiousness into his actions, when Harry and Ron made their way to the bench.

"That git! That was totally uncalled for, Hermione. We'll come with you- you won't have to deal with that fiend by yourself," Ron said, taking Draco's bag from him and setting the strap on his own shoulders.

"Yeah- it's not fair. He had it out for you today. You weren't late, either. Don't let the likes of that greasy idiot get to you," Harry said, putting a reassuring arm around Draco's shoulder.

Draco looked at his two "friends" and felt his anger dissipating as fast as it had appeared. He was almost amazed that these two dunderheads in front of him had the ability to make that happen!

"Come on, we'll walk you back to your Common room before we go to Divination. With any luck, you can avoid Malfoy," Ron said, throwing a dark look at the blond boy next to Draco.

Draco stifled the bristling feeling at hearing the red-headed boy's disparaging tone- he rather wanted to revel in his friends' anger on his account as long as he could. It was very gratifying.

Hermione lingered behind at her bench, slowly packing her bag. She had kept her head down as Harry and Ron had come over to get Malfoy, though she had listened to them as they tried to comfort him. And she had noticed that Malfoy had indeed seemed quite mollified when they other two boys had defended his actions and offered to stay with him during detention. She smiled to herself at Ron's insult and because she just didn't know what to make of Malfoy's reaction.

She finished packing her belongings and then noticed her dirty Potions towel still lying on the table. As she crumpled the fabric in her long fingers and remembered Snape's lecture and Malfoy's comments about salamander blood, she began to realize what had gone wrong with their Potion of Perspective.

And she began to panic.

She swung her bag onto her shoulder and ran out of the classroom to the Heads' Common room.

Draco was sitting on the couch in the Common room, his Arithmancy textbook open and resting in his lap. He had yet to look at the words.

He was trying very hard to make sense of his thoughts and feelings.

He had just been goaded, belittled, and abused by his favorite professor. Then he had gotten nearly intoxicated with frustrated anger in reaction. Then he had been rather efficiently calmed by the words and actions of his two least favorite persons- Potter and Weasley. And now, he was sitting here, thinking things through- and waiting- waiting for his other least favorite person, Granger.

What has become of my life? Who am I? he thought. He then chided himself for dwelling on such abstractions. He knew who he was- he was a Malfoy- he just had to remember what that entailed...

He didn't have to wait for too much longer before he heard the sounds that signaled Granger's return. From his perch on the couch, he quietly watched as the tall blond boy swaggered into the room. He could see that she had something in her hand- and he recognized it as the dirty towel that Weasley had given him earlier. She loudly threw her bag down in the floor and then moved to the couch opposite from him, still holding the towel.

"Malfoy, I know why we haven't switched. At least I think I do," Hermione said, without preamble.

She held out the fabric to him. He looked at it and also took in her shaking hands and the rather violent gleam in her gray eyes.

"Do you know what this is?" she asked.

"Your Potions towel? Yeah- Weasley had it. He gave it to me before class- before Snape yelled at me," Draco said, feeling a small though still somewhat furious burst of resentment.

"Ron used this to clean up salamander blood, Malfoy- salamander blood! He had it on his hands when he took my towel. Don't you remember? My hands burned when I was putting the hellebore powder into the Potion-"

"-And the powder really shouldn't have burned your skin- unless it was tainted by something else..." Draco interrupted.

"So I must have had a bit of the salamander blood on my hands- and the hellebore powder mixed with it while I was adding it to the Potion. So that's why we're stuck- the blood is acting as an intensifier for the Potion of Perspective!" Hermione yelled in aggravation.

"And the Potion never was the precise shade of slate gray... Shit, Granger! We could be stuck like this! Salamander blood is unpredictable!" Draco was struggling to control his rising anxiety. He felt as though he was having trouble breathing.

"I can't be stuck in this body!" he moaned.

"Well, I'm not exactly thrilled to be stuck in yours either, you know!" Hermione shouted back. Now that she had given in to her wrath, she was pacing the Common room and seriously considering shattering the lamp again to release some of her tension.

"I can't think! I can't sleep unless I... all these thoughts and urges and hormones- I can't make sense of anything- I'm constantly feeling like I'm burning up...I hate this body- it's a trap!" she vehemently ranted.

Draco eyed the pacing boy closely. Oh yes, he was certainly angry, too. But he could tell that someone was going to have to keep his head in this situation. Since Granger appeared to be ready to explode, he figured that the task fell to him.

"Okay, Granger. Listen, we just need to figure out how much salamander blood we added, calculate the intensification effect, and then work out something to counter-act the Potion. Then we'll return to our bodies," he explained in as soothing a voice as he could manage.

He watched as Granger considered his words, continued to think, and then gradually seemed to simmer down. She finally sank back into the couch and sighed loudly.

"We need to get our Potion sample back and then analyze it if we're going to make those calculations," Hermione said in a much calmer voice. She sat quietly for a few more minutes as she continued to think through the situation.

"That means breaking into Snape's storeroom, of course. He doesn't usually return our sample Potions to us- and he certainly wouldn't make an exception for this particular potion, I'm sure," she said thoughtfully.

"Shit. Break into his storeroom???" Draco asked incredulously. He was surprised that Granger could say this so calmly- as if it was a viable option.

"What? You'd rather tell him and let those Ravenclaws move ahead of us?" Hermione quipped. "I think we should try to fix this ourselves before we do that."

"But Granger- breaking into Snape's storeroom? How are we going to manage that?" Draco was beginning to feel resigned to sullying his perfect Potions average.

"Don't worry about that, Malfoy. I'll take care of it. What do we need to analyze that potion?" Hermione asked, pulling out a quill, ink, and some parchment.

For the next hour, the two worked together, constructing a list of ingredients and supplies that would facilitate their task. Draco was still dubious about retrieving the Potion sample and some of the more illicit items on their list. He couldn't quite help feeling impressed at Granger's confidence about acquiring the things they needed.

"Have you broken into Snape's storeroom before?" he asked, after they'd gone through the list a final time.

Hermione didn't answer right away. Instead she made a bit of a show out of charming their list so that only they could read it.

"Granger?" he asked again.

"If you don't spill it, I'll get Potter and Weasley to tell me," he crooned.

This seemed to get her attention. The blond head snapped up, a grimace playing out across her refined features.

"Yes, I have. Don't ask Harry and Ron- they'll think it very strange if you don't already know about that," she warned.

Draco waited, hoping that she'd say more about it. When she didn't, he decided to catalog the thought for another time. He was just beginning to realize that he might now have rather exciting access to the Golden Trio's secrets.

Hermione looked at the girl across from her. Malfoy had a sly grin on his face. It didn't take her long to figure out what he was thinking.

"Malfoy, we need to talk about this situation- and to come to some sort of understanding. We don't know how long this is going to last after all," she started, clearly thinking about her words before she spoke them.

"There are things about my life that you have no business knowing. And I am certain that you have secrets you'd rather not have me know, too," she paused to give him time to think about what she'd said.

And Draco did think- and he realized with a sinking feeling in his gut that Granger was right- there were secrets that she absolutely must not find out- like the ones that come with being the only son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.

"What do you propose?" he said, trying to maintain a neutral voice.

Hermione noted the tension in Malfoy's tone. She put aside the curiosity that it roused. They had more pressing matters to attend to- they needed to return to their own bodies - and she needed to protect all of the secrets associated with being Harry Potter's best friend.

"Obviously, we must put all of our energies into figuring out how to fix this problem," she said, gesturing to their bodies. "Until then, we need to respect and maintain certain boundaries."

She pulled out another sheet of parchment and began to brainstorm. After a few minutes, she read through her ideas.

"We should not use our proximity to sensitive persons to glean information," Hermione read. Draco nodded though his lips were pursed together tightly.

"We should try very hard to avoid situations that might cause permanent damage- such as physical and/or emotional harm, compromising of academic standing, excessive loss of House points, and disruptions of relationships." Draco nodded again.

"Finally, we should respect each other's wishes about our respective bodies."

Draco thought about the list. It was rather thorough, he decided.

"So, if I don't question Potter and Weasley about anything sensitive, you'll return the favor," Draco said. Hermione nodded.

"And I will do my best to recite passages of textbooks in class, stay out of danger and to avoid losing Gryffindor points, and I will play nicely with all of your friends..." Draco said, feeling distinctly sick at the thought of how many people Granger was nice to on a day-to-day basis.

"You know that means hanging out with Pansy, and Crabbe and Goyle, don't you, Granger?" he teased. "Plus, you're going to need to spend some time in the Slytherin Common room..." he couldn't help but chuckle at that particular thought.

"What about your father, Malfoy?" she asked quietly.

"What do you mean, Granger? What about him?" Draco answered in a dangerous voice.

"I just wanted to remind you that you, too, have serious secrets that I imagine you'd rather not have me discover. You're sitting there, laughing at the image of me bumbling around other Slytherins. Well, don't forget who you really are because I haven't. I know that we lead very different lives from each other, Malfoy. I want to be sure that you're serious about your promise to stay out of my personal business," she explained.

Draco returned Granger's gaze. He stifled the urge to throw up his hands in defeat and march down to Snape's office that instant. The thought of what his father would do if he did let a string of Ravenclaws overtake his perfect Potions average kept him seated, carefully considering Granger's words. Of course he wanted to exploit his position to spy on Potter- for years, he'd been wanting to confirm certain suspicions about the Boy Who Lived- especially his relationship to Dumbledore. He frowned as he recognized a surge of guilt at his thoughts.

"And most importantly, Malfoy- no harm had better come to any of my friends," she said threateningly. "Trust me when I say that if anything- anything at all- happens to Harry," she paused, taking a deep breath, "and I find out that it's your fault, I will make you pay, Malfoy."

Draco nodded, feeling more than a bit intimidated by the ferocity of Granger's remarks and tone.

"I'm no Death Eater," he said quietly.

The two sat in silence for several minutes, each mulling over the stakes of their situation.

Hermione stared at Malfoy. She almost felt overwhelmed at the magnitude of the circumstances in front of her. Can I really pull this off? Can we really pull this off? she thought wildly.

Only the thought that they would soon be able to rectify the situation kept her from losing her temper again. As it was, she sat there quietly and tried to maintain her composure. She looked away from Malfoy and turned her gaze to her well-manicured hands.

"You're going to have to do something about that temper, Granger," Draco advised, breaking their tense silence. He sounded mostly serious though there was a slightly playful tone present in his voice.

Hermione took a deep breath before daring to look at the smug faced girl.

"Any suggestions?" she said through gritted teeth.

"You're best friends are boys, Granger. Surely you know how boys act," he said with a smirk.

Hermione thought about his words and shuddered.

"Harry and Ron often go flying when they're stressed. But after this morning..." she trailed off. "There must be other options."

"Sometimes I go for a run," Draco offered. He didn't really know why he wanted to help her- he thought perhaps it was probably in his best interest, though, for Granger to learn how to channel some of that energy.

"Okay," she answered. "I can do that."

"Granger, you aren't dating anyone, are you?" Draco asked. He was pretty sure he knew the answer already but was now desperately hoping for confirmation.

He watched as a rosy blush tinged the pale cheeks.

"No, I'm not," she said, rather quickly.

"What about Weasley?" he pressed.

"Ron? We dated last year- but it was very short-lived. I doubt that you'd even-" she began to answer.

"No- I mean the girl- the youngest Weasley," Draco interrupted.

"Oh."

"Are you gay, Granger?" he asked in a surprisingly gentle tone.

Hermione looked at him with poorly masked bewilderment.

"I can't believe that we are even having this kind of conversation," she stated.

"Personally, Granger, I can't believe that we're having conversations at all," he retorted.

"After what I saw you doing, in my body no less, I feel like I have the right to know, though. Is that girl going to approach me, wanting to ...?" Draco asked, feeling his own cheeks begin to burn in embarrassment.

Hermione considered his reasoning. She sighed and looked down at her hands in her lap. She absently noted that Malfoy must pay attention to his cuticles because they looked rather nice.

"I don't think that I'm gay, Malfoy. This is all rather confusing. I don't know if Ginny will seek you out, assuming that you're me, and possibly wanting to continue- er- what you saw," she said haltingly.

"Do you think she will approach you now- I mean you in my body?" Draco asked.

Hermione suddenly felt rather unsettled at this thought. What had Ginny said? She remembered that the girl had been curious about whether or not their kisses and touches would be similar if she explored them with Hermione when she returned to her own body- or if she was able to try them out with Malfoy in his own body!

"I don't know what she will do!" Hermione exclaimed. "She could seek either one of us out," she groaned.

"I thought she liked Potter," Draco said simply.

Hermione looked up.

"How did you know that?" she asked, her mind momentarily distracted.

"Anyone with a brain could figure that one out," he replied in a bored tone.

Hermione snorted. "Well, not Harry."

"And I don't know if her feelings for Harry have anything to do with whether or not she'll want to continue our, um, explorations," she finished balefully.

"What do you want, Granger?" Draco asked.

Hermione was startled by the question. As far as she could tell, only curiosity was reflected in Malfoy's question. And maybe- just maybe- a touch of longing, she thought.

"Are you asking me if I want to, er, see Ginny while I'm in your body?" she posed.

"Yeah, something like that, I guess," Draco answered.

"To be honest, Malfoy," she started. "I don't think I need anything else distracting me. I've been struggling from the very beginning with trying to keep a handle on all these feelings- so I don't think it would be a good idea to continue, uh, anything with Ginny," she said carefully.

"I see. You don't trust yourself," he summarized.

Hermione was impressed with his intuitiveness. She nodded.

"If she comes to you, Malfoy, what will you do?" Hermione asked.

Without hesitation, Draco responded, "I will nicely tell her that I don't think that it's the best thing to continue."

"Really? That's interesting," Hermione said thoughtfully. "Are you gay, Malfoy?"

"No, I'm not. But I'm not attracted to the Weaselette, either."

"Hmm... really, this is interesting. This must be all related to the unpredictability of the Potion," she began excitedly. "You're attracted to girls, though not Ginny. I'm not attracted to girls, yet I love Ginny because she's one of my dearest friends- somehow that manifests as an attraction to her in your body. What an epiphany," she said.

"We should record these thoughts and feelings, Malfoy. This is new research!"

"Shit! Is that going to happen to me?" Draco asked worriedly, ignoring her last comment.

"Are there boys that you deeply care about, Malfoy- boys that you're going to be spending time around while you're in my body?" Hermione interjected.

Draco thought about it. He didn't really have close male friends.

"I don't think you have too much to worry about," she finished, correctly interpreting his hesitation.

"Guess not," he said, relief evident in his voice.

"So you're going to avoid Weasley, then?" Draco said after a few minutes of silence.

Hermione thought about addressing the hint of regret and disappointment that she could hear behind his words. But then she felt too emotionally exhausted by all that they had covered thus far. She'd never really had a conversation with Malfoy before, after all. And now she just felt finished.

"Yes," she said simply. "And please tell me you aren't more than friends with Parkinson," she said, a grimace on her face.

"Are you serious?" Draco returned. "No way. We're just friends- yes, stop scowling, I do have some friends, Granger. Pansy usually comes by here the evenings that you do patrols. We study together. Though I told her that I didn't want her to come tonight, I imagine that she'll drop by anyway. You'll get a chance to hold up your end of the bargain then."

"What do you mean "then"? We have to go to dinner in just a little while, Malfoy. That will be quite a test of our commitment to this situation," Granger intoned, a look of worry in her gray eyes.

She got up then and without another word, headed into her room. When she didn't come back out, Draco suppressed a sense of disappointment and returned his attention to his homework. He reached into Granger's bag to pull out his stacks of notes and parchments. As he was shuffling through them, the letter from his father slipped out onto his lap.

He stared at it for a few seconds before he put his other papers down. After listening closely for Granger to come back from her room, he decided it was safe enough to read right there in the Common room.

Dear Son,

I am unable to say all that I need to say to you in this letter. Send the date of your next Hogsmeade weekend by return owl. Your mother and I would like to see you then.

Your Father,

L.M.

Draco crumbled up the parchment in his small fist. He didn't think for a minute that his father and mother wanted nothing more than to take their son out for an innocent lunch and a spot of shopping.

He opened his daily planner and then sighed. He had one month before the first Hogsmeade day of the year.

One month to return to his body. He flinched when he thought of the consequences of his parents finding out about his current situation.

Loud knocking followed by the voices of Potter and Weasley startled him out of his thoughts.

Before he could stand up, Granger had bounded out her room and headed towards the portrait door. He watched as she stopped short of the door in sudden realization that her two friends were not there to pick her up for dinner. She hung her blond head dejectedly and turned back towards her room.

As Draco got up and walked towards the boys' voices, he couldn't help but to feel sorry for Granger. He met her eyes and gave her the smallest of smiles before he realized what he was doing and looked away.

He didn't see her return a surprised look and then her own small smile.