Initium Novum || Dramione

Prologue

Draco had been fascinated by her from the first time she had raised her hand in class, eagerly waving, to answer every question. Not attracted. Never attracted. Just intrigued. His attention was quickly diverted by the knowledge of her blood status and other pure blood girls his father pushed him to socialise with. He couldn't help it though. She was brilliant. When his focus did stray towards her he would quickly catch himself. 'Not her, not her, not her' a desperate mantra he repeated to himself. 'Anyone but her'. 

He was infatuated. That was the definite conclusion he came to in sixth year. He convinced himself that it was okay because nothing would ever come of it. Move on, move on, move on. But she was always there. She was smart and confident and oh my god drop dead gorgeous. But she was a fantasy and he would just have to accept that.

Hermione of course had noticed him too. How could she not. But he was just a thorn in her side. An inconvenience. A silly, immature little boy. Not something to be considered a threat but painful enough to attract attention. She had noticed he was attractive. Of course she had, she would have had to blind to not have noticed. Sharp jawline, messy bed head and piercing grey eyes. She didn't feel anything towards him. She didn't. He was something nice to look at.

The fiasco in sixth year had twisted her insides and opened her eyes to the reality of the complex world she lived in where each individual was made up of complex shapes and patterns interwoven to form their good and their bad. She was specifically bothered by Draco's involvement in the war, though she truly had no idea why. His attempt to protect them at the manor had thrown her, puzzled her, but also opened her eyes to the difficulty of his situation. The future of the blond boy, no man, should be of no consequence to her, but she cared anyway. 

She supposed curiosity was natural but had hers grown into something more? She was free to do whatever she wanted, wasn't she? She really wasn't sure anymore. Even though the war was over and the world supposedly open for new possibilities, she had never felt more trapped. There was just nowhere to go.