when they became villains [draco malfoy] {book 2}

Year 6 - 156

"Why else would he kiss the sleeve of her shirt? That's odd. I can't be the only one who thinks it's odd."

Hermione, Ron and Harry were huddled over a table in their Defense Against The Dark Arts class. Malfoy and Ninomae sat together - two tables to the right and one back from them. Hermione noted it was the first time she had seen them sit together in class ever. It was oddly suspicious how that had happened just a few days after Harry claimed he had witnessed the exchange between the two.

"Stop," whispered back Hermione, though even she had to admit it was weird.

Ninomae nudged Malfoy's shoulder and his attention was on her in an instant. What she told him with that unimpressed frown of hers made a smirk crawl onto the lad's face.

"Are you completely sure that it was Ninomae who was weeping? Actually crying?" Ron had been asking the same question over and over again whenever the topic came up. Harry had already opened his mouth to respond before Ron spoke again. "Not some trick of your glasses?"

"I can see alright with them, thanks," Harry rolled his eyes and Hermione chuckled quietly to herself.

Then she turned towards the curious redhead. "Why is that so surprising to you, Ron?"

The lad paused and then looked from one of his friend to the other with a look that just screamed he thought the both of them were idiots. "That's Ninomae we're talking about... Astrid almost-killed-a-classmate Ninomae-"

"That's a rumour!"

"Mione, why do you keep defending her? All the facts are right there in front of our eye-"

"Because we were friends!"

"Were," Ron rolled his eyes and pulled a granola bar out of the pocket of his robes, "is the keyword."

"I know her better than the both of you do together."

"All I need to know," Harry was still glaring at the two, "is that she's schummy with Malfoy, of all people, and takes great joy in bullying others."

"She doesn't-" Hermione whipped back around to look at the two Slytherins again and haltered when she took notice of them. She sighed. I cannot keep defending you, Astrid.

Malfoy was whispering something, by the looks of it, nasty to a Hufflepuff with straight brown hair. Hermione took notice of the excessive make-up the girl was wearing and although pretty, Hermione could not get behind the reasoning for why she even had it on. Seamus was sat beside the girl and, if what the gossip Ginny told her of was true, then they had recently begun seeing each other. 

With a threatening jump of his brows Malfoy finished his comment, leaving the Hufflepuff looking all uncomfortable, though when he straightened back out and turned back towards Ninomae, his angered expression was once more replaced by a smirk. Ninomae smiled up at him. The girl fidgeted with her rings, but she showed none of the seeming nervosity when she leaned sideways a little and jumped her brows at the girl behind Malfoy. She murmured something under her breath that made Malfoy smile and it was only moments later that Hermione realised she was seeing Malfoy smiling - actually smiling and not just smirking or sneering. It was an odd sight. 

An even odder one was where she watched him raise his hand, holding it out almost as if to brush a stand of hair behind Ninomae's ear before he stopped himself, slight panic registering in his eyes. At that Ninomae laughed, her white teeth flashing for everyone to see, her laugh for everyone to hear, as she pushed the lad lightly away by his chest.

There was something in the way he looked at her after he had seen her laugh. The very same look she had read descriptions of in nearly every romance book she had ever read. Ninomae, although it looked she tried her best to keep it to herself, looking at the wall somewhere to the side instead of him, possibly pretending it was something else and not him she was smiling at, had the same look in her eyes.