"You've got to be joking!" Hermione stomped her foot in anger. Why did she have to do a group assignment with Malfoy, of all people?
"I'll trade you, 'Mione."
Hermione gave Ron an incredulous look. "You want to have Malfoy as a partner?"
"No! Don't be a git. I meant that you and I could be partners while we let Looney Lovegood and Malfoy be partners."
The idea sounded tempting. Even if it was tempting, it wasn't who the professor had assigned them to. She shook her head, "I think it's best to stick with the partners we were assigned."
"Yeah, but not all of us can be as lucky as Harry." Hermione had to admit that Ron had a point. Their friend had gotten lucky and was paired with Ginny, Harry's crush unbeknownst to Ron. Hermione was slightly jealous. To be able to do an assignment with someone you had a crush on would be exhilarating. She could just imagine the sparks that would fly and the possibility of finding out that your crush wasn't one sided, not that she had a crush on anyone.
"Ron, Luna isn't that bad. She's actually really cool." It didn't escape Hermione that Harry had nothing good to say about Malfoy.
"Harry, can I borrow the Marauders map for a second? I want to track down Malfoy so that we can finish this assignment. I want to get it done as quickly as possible."
"Sure." Harry got up from the common room couch and disappeared up the staircase that led to his room.
"Are you mental. I can't believe you want to find Malfoy now."
Hermione glowered at Ron. Sometimes, he could be so dense. "If I find Malfoy now, we have a chance of finishing the assignment today. That way I won't have to worry about it or would I have to see Malfoy again until class."
Harry came running down the steps with the Marauders map in his hand. "Here you go, Hermione."
Hermione unfolded the map and found that Malfoy was out in the courtyard. "Can I borrow this. I want to make sure he is still there after my trip to the library." Harry nodded, telling her that it was fine before he sat back down on the couch. Hermione gave them a quick goodbye before she left for the library.
The library was surprisingly filled. Normally, there would only be a few students inside the marvelous room. She went to the section of the library where she knew she could find the books needed for the assignment. Quickly grabbing the books, she went to be checked out.
She checked the nap again and found that Malfoy was still in the same spot. She used the wingardium leviosa spell to help carry the stack of books. She may have went a little overboard in her selections.
The courtyard was surprisingly empty. The fading sun casted shadows across the open greenery.
She found Malfoy sitting against a wall that hid him from curious eyes. His knees were pulled up against his chest and his head was resting on top. "Honestly, Malfoy. You better not be sleeping." She sat down beside him before lowering the pile of books beside her.
"Not anymore." He growled with his head still in his lap. "Why are you bothering me?"
"We have an assignment due and I would like to finish it today."
Malfoy groaned, "It was just assigned today." Hermione could practically hear him rolling his eyes.
"Yes, and with you as my partner, I'm afraid it won't be finished before the weekend."
Malfoy finally looked up. He stretched his legs out in front of him and Hermione couldn't help but to note how long and slender his legs looked. "Are you that eager to be rid of me?" He cocked an eyebrow at her. She noticed how his words didn't sound as cold and mocking as they normally did.
"As a matter of fact, yes." His shoulders dropped and his grey eyes turned dark. Hermione ignored him and pulled out her notes.
Malfoy suddenly leaned over her. His face was so close to hers that she could see the silver specks in his irises. The corner of his lip turned up just a fraction. She could feel the heat rising to her face at his proximity. "Relax, I'm just grabbing a book." He said when he noticed her reaching for her wand. When he leaned back against the wall, Hermione released her breath. Why was her heart beating so fast? Did Malfoy really scare her that much? She needed to shove away all of her hatred and fear of him if she wanted to finish this stupid assignment.
They worked in silence for the next hour. Hermione hated Malfoy but hated the silence even more. "Why were you out here? I figured you would be in your common room, hanging out with you Slytherin cronies, or harassing someone."
"Thanks for thinking so little of me." His response was quick and sarcastic. Hermione gave up on small talk and went back to work. "If you must know, I was hiding from someone." Malfoy's proclamation was so quiet that Hermione thought she had misheard him.
"Who were you hiding from?" Hermione just couldn't picture the proud Slytherin hiding with his tail between his legs from anyone. Well, except for maybe from Dumbledore or professor Snape, Malfoy always seemed skittish around those two.
"...You..." Did she hear right? Did he just say that he was hiding from her? Hermione turned to face him, fully expecting him to be wearing a smirk. Instead, she found him staring at her. His grey eyes were soft and there was a pink tint to his pale face.
"Me?" Burst out of her mouth. Malfoy gave a curt nod before looking away. He looked so much like Harry when he was with Ginny that Hermione started fearing that he had a crush on her. "You don't like me, do you?"
Malfoy grimaced at her words. "Do you have to sound so horrified?" Oh. My. God. He was being serious. Malfoy had a crush on her. On her!
"When?" Her breath came out winded.
"Third year." Malfoy looked down at the book in his hand. "Just forget it." Oh, she planned on it.
Another hour of silence passed. The only problem was that it was awkward silence. Hermione wanted to do nothing more than to run away. She just couldn't wrap her head around the fact that the foul-mouthed, mudblood hating Slytherin had a crush on her. On a mudblood. Hermione's insides curled in distaste at even thinking that word. Mudblood.
Hermione felt something touch the back of her hair. Looking over, she found Malfoy's hand reaching for another book. She looked over at him. Big mistake. He was leaning close to her, so close that if she leaned forward an inch, their lips would touch. A blush rose to both of their cheeks. Hermione tried to look away but then suddenly, Malfoy's fingers grabbed her chin. They were gentle instead of rough.
"Ca...can I ki...kiss you just once?" His voice was hesitant and broken. There was so much wanting in that barely spoken question. Hermione found herself unable to deny his request. Not because he had a grip on her but that she finally found herself wondering what it would be like. Would his kiss be rough and short like his temper, or would it be shaky and unrefined like his question? When Hermione didn't deny him, hope sparked inside his eyes, turning them silver. This had to be a trick? There was no way that Malfoy really wanted to kiss her? Right?
Malfoy slowly leaned forward, giving her plenty of time to push him away. When she didn't, he placed his lips onto hers. Slowly, he started to open his mouth, barely brushing his lips against hers. His kiss was so tender and featherlight that Hermione wasn't even sure if he was kissing her. She hesitantly kissed him back, curious as to what his reaction would be. He gasped slightly before deepening the kiss. One hand moved to rest against her hip while the other one curled itself in her hair. Instead of being horrified at the fact that she was kissing Malfoy, she was enjoying it. She actually found herself wanting the kiss to last forever.
Malfoy pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers. "You kissed me back." His breathless voice sounded bewildered.
She found her mouth curling up into a smirk. "I think you need more practice."
Malfoy pulled away and looked down at her. His grey eyes shown mischievously. "Are you volunteering yourself, Granger?" He teased.
"What if I am?" She couldn't believe those words just left her lips. His eyebrows shot up. A nervous but hopeful look settled onto his features. Slowly, but faster than the last time, he leaned in to kiss her. This time, the kiss was deeper and more fervent.