Cupid's Parchment

GRANGER

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Hermione Granger did not like Draco Malfoy. Hermione liked many things, she liked books, and learning, and cats, and magic. She liked her routine, working on her assignments in her dorm until she was missing information that wasn't in her brain or notes or textbook. Then she would mark the missing information and find it in the library. This week, it was divination. Well, it was often divination because the subject matter was not her finest. For other classes, Hermione checked out books, the limit for students was 5, and for Hermione, it was 10. Which she had argued was not enough, but alas, ten was apparently "the best they could do." So she took the ten and saved studying in the library for divination and big projects in other subjects.

She liked her routine. It made sense. What did not make sense to Hermione was Draco Malfoy sitting in the divination section. He didn't even take the class. And it made sense for her to know this, alright? Hermione's memory was that of an encyclopaedia and anything she read or heard was stuck, shoved deep in her brain for what seemed like forever. So she may have overheard Theo and Pansy during the first week talking about schedules, and her attention may have been piqued when she heard about Malfoy's schedule, but only because she wasn't sure if he would be coming back. Not that she wanted him to or was thinking about it. But his name was mentioned and she listened and somehow it was brought up that he wouldn't be taking divination.

So when Hermione saw Draco reading a book about divination in the divination section she wondered why he was there. And that was that, she totally didn't think about him after that. In fact, she didn't think about him so much she was shocked to see him sitting in her seat in the divination section of the library. Yes, her seat in the school library, call her territorial, Hermione had a routine. A routine that she loved and had motivated her to tell Malfoy to move, please and thank you. Now though she wished she hadn't said anything, she could have seen Malfoy in her seat, turned and left. Or just chosen to sit elsewhere.

But she hadn't. Hermione had made a serious mistake. She told Malfoy to move and while he did, eventually, it was the conversation proceeding that was causing her some serious stress. Malfoy had somehow decided that SHE liked HIM.

Ridiculous.

Honestly.

Hermione Granger did not like Draco Malfoy.

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On her way to dinner Hermione made the self preserving decision to purposely sit facing away from the Slytherin table. But alas, of course Ginny flagged her down with a seat saved just for her and it was not on the intended side of the table. Hermione did not look up, she stared into her food and glanced at those on either side of her. Truly it was the only safe option. Dinner was offly quiet, Ginny and Harry both with big smiles. Quiet conversation all around. Quite a few frowns. Ron was picking at his food, odd. But Hermione didn't have time to figure out the unusual social atmosphere.

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After a stressful and less than satisfying dinner, Hermione made her way to the library. The following day was Valentine's day, she wouldn't have remembered as she was preoccupied with her upcoming divination paper, but third and fourth-year girls were running around the library hanging decorations and charming hearts around the ceiling. Hermione glared at them, they were in a library causing all sorts of commotion and madam Pince was doing nothing to stop them. Hermione could remember plenty of times she was making less noise and was definitely scolded.

Hermione pulled out her essay, it was finished but it needed its fourth and final edit. She couldn't focus. What was it that Malfoy was doing the two days he had sat across from her in the library? Was it possible he had been using legitimacy on her? Maybe he mistook something as her for liking him. Hermione found him slightly attractive, but all the girls did. In fact, Ginny and Hannah discussed most of the boys often and they too agreed that Malfoy was attractive. But Hermione was certain that she found Malfoy less attractive than all the other girls. That and she did not like him.