Restricted

4

Hermione was sat curled up on the common room sofa. She felt as if she should show her face since her friends began expressing more concerns than usual about her.

Ron offered her a warm smile and handed her a hot chocolate, which she took willingly.
Hermione completely zoned out in the depths of her fellow Gryffindors conversation, Ginny and Harry were flirting nearby, both pleased that Hermione had showed for once.
Cormac Mclaggen was glaring at her from across the room which she also awkwardly had to avoid. He'd made his feelings about her fairly clear in the past and now she had to sit and pretend that he wasn't staring directly at her chest.

She felt sick. Certainly not herself, she longed to feel something and this wasn't doing it for her. But then again, not much really was.

She spent the next few hours fake smiling and laughing, trying to hide her dark circles and stifled yawns. Pulling her jumper down far enough so that it even covered her fingers.

When she excused herself to go to the bathroom, she took a deep gulp of air and ran in the opposite direction.

Being around them was draining.

The Library doors looked warm and inviting, despite the fact she wasn't supposed to be there at this time. Hermione slid inside and slouched down onto her favourite chair by the rounded window. She could evaluate the night sky perfectly from here.
She tilted her head with a sad sort of smile, it was a bright full moon as well.
From the last few hours spent playing pretend with her friends, she finally felt as if she could relax in her own silent company— the dimly lit library.

Hermione searched the shelves for one of her favourites and let the authors words briskly move her destructive thoughts further to the back of her head. Ears pricking with the sharp sound, she placed her book down onto the table.

Someone had dropped a book.
Not alone here at this hour? Again?
Only one person sprang to the forefront of her mind, Malfoy must've been back.

So it seemed Malfoy was spending a lot more time here than she first presumed. Perhaps now she would have to get used to sharing her silent night time hideout. At least he was tucked away in the restricted section so there was enough space between them to keep them both satisfied.

Hermione tried to ignore the occasional sound but couldn't stop her mind from wondering. She thought about what he was doing— perhaps more drugs?
Maybe he was just reading, although she thought it unlikely.

Hermione snapped her book shut, loudly on purpose. No response.
So he clearly didn't hear, or care enough.

With her curious personality getting the better of herself, she pretended to search the shelves for more books and moved a little closer to the restricted section.

She wasn't being quiet, in fact she made a good effort to make her footing loud. Perhaps then he would hear and leave her in peace.
It was just followed by more shuffling from his direction and then silence again. Hermione huffed— she didn't like sharing her library space. For some reason she found it particularly very distracting.
She couldn't read when he could be doing god knows what metres away from her.

Perhaps worshipping the bloody Dark Lord right under her nose.

The thoughts made her roll her eyes with force as she traced a finger over the different sized spines and attempted to make a choice.
Rather difficult with a lack of concentration. She found her eyes glancing over to the bookshelves in the restricted section which he was sat behind last time. Pulling her eyes back, she tried to tell herself to forget about it.

Suddenly she heard the sound of whispered voices and she frowned with a tilt of her head. Hermione had assumed that he sat there alone.

Only it was clear now that Malfoy wasn't alone because she could hear a females voice alongside him. She crouched on the floor to hear the conversation a little better. They were only a few bookshelves away. The females voice was purring with flirtation— and suddenly she knew exactly who it was. Pansy Parkinson.