On the Nature of Daylight

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Hermione did her best to just ignore him. There really wasn't any other option at this point. She couldn't tell Harry or Ron. She couldn't even tell Ginny. Briefly she thought about trying to discuss it with Luna, but then wasn't sure if the Ravenclaw would be able to offer much advice to her. Plus, she wasn't sure she wanted anyone to know. This wasn't exactly something she was proud of.

It had been Draco Malfoy who kissed her after all. This wasn't just a boy and that hadn't been just a kiss... There had been something else in it, a darkness that Hermione wasn't sure what to do with. It scared her, to be honest. But it also... intrigued her. And she wasn't sure if that fact was even scarier.

She had shared a few kisses with Viktor years before, but they had been simple and chaste. And with her being so nervous and him being a little clumsy, none of them had been impressive. She was inexperienced to say the least and Malfoy had his reputation for a reason. She stroked the purring cat on her lap and flipped the page of the book she was pretending to read while she thought all of this over.

"You need to move your eyes," Ginny threw herself down in a chair across from Hermione. "If you're going to sit there and act like you're reading, you need to move your eyes every now and then. Fred and George taught me that."

Hermione couldn't help but smile a little as she closed the book and set it down. She had made more of an effort to spend time in the common room over the past few days despite Ron and Lavender's growing public displays of affection. She had missed hanging out with Ginny and Harry and she had also missed Crookshanks. The ginger cat purred loudly as if letting her know he had missed her too.

Plus, it was the perfect place to make sure she didn't run into a certain blond Slytherin. Even if she still spent most of her time thinking about him. She scratched Crookshanks on the head and he closed his golden eyes happily.

"Any luck on finding a date for Slughorn's party?" Ginny asked offhandedly.

With a sigh Hermione shook her head. "No, but then again, I haven't really been looking."

"Do you want me to help?" Ginny leaned forward. "I can ask Dean who is still available and-"

"No, it's okay," Hermione mumbled and glanced over at Ron and Lavender snuggled up close to the fire. She had given Ronald a bit of thought as well. His current actions and what he had said to her after his practice had changed things. If he really felt that way then there was no way the two of them would have worked out. And as much as it hurt, Hermione was starting to heal from his betrayal of her. Unfortunately, she wasn't having as much luck with her thoughts about Malfoy.

She still thought it might all be an elaborate ruse to humiliate her, but why would he sully himself in the process? Malfoy saw people like her as filthy, dirty, and disgusting. Would it be worth tarnishing his own image just to ruin hers? It didn't make sense.

"Wait... I know that look!" Ginny grinned. Hermione looked up. "There's someone you're thinking of asking!" She said happily.

"What? No," Hermione shook her head again and her curly brown hair fell around her face. "No there isn't."

"You get this far away look in your eyes and then you bite your lip," Ginny's smile spread. "I know boy thoughts when I see them, trust me."

Hermione tried to keep the blush in her cheeks to a minimum. Yes she was thinking of a boy, but not like that. But... sometimes... she couldn't help but let her mind wander to the thought of what if he had kissed her simply because he had wanted to kiss her? He still insulted her, but there had just been this... feeling she got that there was something more to it. She wished she could find a book on decoding Pureblood Slytherins' ulterior motives.