The Affiance (Under Editing)

Chapter five

[Chapter Five] (edited)

I donot own the wizarding world.

Hermione massaged her temple at the slight ache that was beginning to form. Shaking her head, she re-focused her attention to the potions assignment in front of her, scribbling on the middle-half of the tweleve foot parchment. 

She had missed a bloody day but the amount of work she'd missed was huge. With the N.E.W.T.S approaching, all the seventh years were getting bombarded with assignments, and while Hermione didn't really mind, the stress of exams along with the head duties she had to carry out was, for the lack of better term, exhausting.

The fire cackled in the fireplace located at the left corner of the warm common room, casting orange-glow all around.

Heads Common room was the place where she could do her work, peacefully, without having to worry about any hustle or disturbance that took place in the Gryffindor Common room. 

Her head turned towards the door as it slid open, revealing a very mercurial Malfoy. Hermione didn't know how to confront Malfoy, after the recent events . While she knew she had to thank him for saving her life, she had no idea how to confront him, especially when he seemed to be avoiding her like a plague. She had tried to talk to him after the classes, earlier that day, but he was out of the class the minute their professor dismissed them. 

He didn't seem to notice her at first, given the way he came in, incoherently mumbling to himself, but the moment he met the sight of her in the couch, his stature straightened, and his usual mask slipped back into his face. He looked at her once, before looking away and mumbling a barely audible "Evening Granger". 

She watched as he made his way to the other study table and only when he began taking out his textbooks, did she reply to his greeting. 

"Good Evening Malfoy. How was your day?" 

The indifferent mask never slipped off as he replied to her. 

"So good so far." 

A clipped reply.

A clear indication that he was most certainly trying to avoid any  kind of further conversation.

But Hermione wasnt the one to just let the opportunity slip. 

"Malfoy, I uh, I wanted to talk  to you about- uhm, I wanted to actually-" 

"Save it Granger, you don't need to thank me for anything."

The same, clipped tone. 

Hermione felt the rush of annoyance at his interruption, but she maintained a straight voice as she spoke, 

"Yes I do, Malfoy. You saved my life and I need  to thank you for it. If you hadn't come in time, I'd probably be dead right now. So yeah, Thank you for saving me." 

He looked at her, again, she couldn't read his face. She hated when she couldn't read someone, she had no idea what was going on in his mind. But she did have the sheer idea on why was he refusing to acknowledge her thank-you. Maybe he was doing this hoping it would be some sort of "make up" for their past. Guilt makes people drown in the abyss of self-loathing and hatred, and although he was yet to apologise to her about their past, she knew he was aching to get rid of the guilt. Though she had felt a bit of offense, when she learned from Ron and Harry and fellow Gryffindors that Malfoy had approached them with apologies for his behavior in the past. He had even apologised to Ron and Harry, but he hadn't apologised to her yet. While she knew he must be having problems approaching her with a "sorry", she also was annoyed with the blonde. Did it take any physical labour to say a bloody "sorry"