𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘛𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳~ 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦

Chapter 5: Butterbeer

"I found nothing, nothing at all," I told Harry and Ron about my research. For two and a half months, I sat in the library as often as possible, looking for clues to the mysterious Half-blood princes, who brought Harry a good Note after another in. Slughorn was thrilled by Harry's seemingly exceptional talent. By now it was December and Christmas was just around the corner. It started snowing a week ago. Now we trod through the snow to Hogsmeade, looking forward to a delicious butter beer. I hadn't had another chance. To talk to Malfoy outside of class. I was sure he had changed over the summer holidays, and unlike Harry, I thought it was a positive change. Harry was obsessed with the idea that Malfoy was a had become Death Eater, and sometimes I even wondered if that's true could. But then during the class, especially when brewing magic potions at Professor Slughorn's - small, nice gestures came over and over again. Once, Malfoy had handed me a glass of alraun roots from one of the upper shelves, which I could not reach. Another time he was late, and I had given him the page in the textbook we needed for our assignment, whereupon he whispered, "Thank you, Granger." The old Malfoy would never have done such things; instead, he would have laughed at me because I was too small to reach one of the upper shelves; he would not have come to class at all, if he was already late. Smiling while eating in the big hall, sometimes we don't notice each other, and I couldn't get rid of the feeling that I was starting to like the new 'Malfoy. "Maybe you didn't search hard enough, Hermione," Ron ripped me out of my mind. Since we are just about to change Ron had changed, too. Ever since he was guardian of the Quidditch team, he's been acting like he's the greatest. He was flaunting around the schoolhouse, letting himself be charmed by Lavender Brown, and constantly making stupid comments like just now. Because of this, not searched intensively enough, I had probably read every book in the library by now and therefore definitely suffered from sleep deprivation. When we entered the Three Broomsticks, the store was packed. Only one of the tables at the back was free, so we sat down and ordered three butter beers with extra foam.
Ron noticed with disgust that Ginny was making out with Dean Thomas on a bench not far from us. All I said was that he and Lavender would end up like this soon if he wasn't careful, which made Harry laugh. I was glad I could distract him, I had noticed how jealous he was of Dean.
Then Professor Slughorn suddenly came to our table: "Ah, Mister Potter. Miss Granger! What a pleasure to meet you here. You too, Mister, um…" "Weasley," Ron replied snidely. He was offended that Slughorn didn't know his name. He shouldn't, he was so upset, he was acting like a little child.
"Mister Potter, Miss Granger, I would like to invite you both to dinner at my place. Tonight, around 7pm."
"It would be an honour, Professor," Harry replied quickly before I could reply.
"Very nice," said Slughorn, and disappeared back to the bar.
"Funny guy. I haven't figured out what he's up to yet," said Ron.
"He's not the only one up to something," Harry replied, nodding his head behind us towards the entrance. I turned around. Malfoy stood there. Our eyes met.

///

Damn, there was Granger with her friends. That wasn't good, she could jeopardize my plan. I looked around the room. There! My way out. I quickly ran towards the small, inconspicuous back door that was behind the bar.
The cold greeted me immediately. Snowflakes fell on my face, a blizzard seemed to be brewing.
"Malfoy," I heard the voice behind me. I had suspected that she would come after me.
I've noticed a lot lately about Granger. She no longer tensed up around me, she talked more than two words with me, she no longer flinched when I spoke to her Addressed. When I smiled at her, she smiled back. And I smiled like to see them. In fact, I now almost completely ignored her blood status. He was no longer as important to me as he should be if my father had his way. But my father wasn't there: he was in Azkaban, and it would be a while before he got out. I managed well without him, better than expected. Thanks to Granger, who was still standing behind me, waiting for me to turn around.
Which I did now.
"Granger," I replied, trying to sound as surprised as possible.
"Why did you run away when you saw me?" she asked, undeterred. Oh no, she had got it the wrong way.
"It has nothing to do with you," I tried to reassure her. She started to answer, but then she stopped because I had come closer and was now standing directly in front of her.
"You've got some butter beer foam hanging in the corner of your mouth," I whispered. She raised her hand to wipe it away, but I beat her to it. I slowly ran my thumb over her lips, continued to her cheek and lost myself in her hazel eyes that stared at me in surprise. Draco, what are you doing? Stop it immediately.
I snapped out of my trance and quickly withdrew my hand.
"It really has nothing to do with you," I repeated my words. Granger cleared his throat.
"Okay, fine. Then what made you leave so quickly? And why through the back door?"
I couldn't tell her even if I wanted to. So now I had to lie to her, even though I thought nothing would ever force me to do so again.
Maybe you don't have to lie, maybe you just have to blow her off.
Hermione Granger wasn't going to be brushed off so easily, unless…
"Why don't you go back to your rabble and stay out of my business, Granger?" I asked, with a tone in my voice that I haven't heard in a long time, had used more.
I saw her face freeze into an ice-cold mask. Only in her eyes could I see the burning anger that my words had caused. She turned on her heel and disappeared back into the Three Broomsticks, slamming the door behind her.

Hermione Granger wasn't going to be brushed off so easily, unless someone was called Draco Malfoy and made her feel inferior.