The Dark Side (A Dramione Story)

Chapter 14

When she woke, Hermione had a shower and got ready in their bathroom before making her way out to the common room. She noticed Malfoy's closed bedroom door and his absence from the common room, and presumed he was still asleep. She was relieved, she had spent the morning dreading that she would come face-to-face with him after what had happened the previous night.

Breakfast was consumed by her constant glances to the entrance of the Great Hall, her eyes searching for Malfoy. Although it was mostly to avoid looking at Ron and Lavender, who were sitting abnormally close and chatting intently, she couldn't help worrying that Malfoy was still set on starving himself to death for his moronic quest for salvation.

Ginny must have noticed her odd behaviour and asked, "Hermione, who are you looking for?"

Shocked, Hermione stuttered, "Me? I'm not looking for anyone. I'm just waiting for the erm... the post."

"Since when do the owls come through those doors? And besides, it arrived ten minutes ago. See? Your copy of the Daily Prophet is right here."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me this morning," Hermione replied, trying to fake a smile to ease Ginny's look of incredulousness. Her watch showed only five minutes until her first class - Defence Against the Dark Arts. As the worry that she had tried all morning to suppress overcame her, she grabbed two slices of buttered toast, stood abruptly, made some rubbish excuse as to why she was going to the library this late before class, and sped off out of the Hall.

As this behaviour wasn't all that unusual for her, she knew her friends – with the exception of Ginny - would think nothing of it. Despite this, her heart pounded and her face grew hot as if she were doing something forbidden.

She entered the library, keeping the toast out of Madam Pince's view as she knew food was strictly not allowed. But her heart sank as she found Malfoy's usual chair empty. If he hadn't come to the library, where was he? She realised that he might still be in the common room, and knew that she wouldn't have time to see him before class if that was the case.

She turned to leave the library, but halted when she saw him reading in a recliner on the other side of the room. Sunlight from the window fell on his pale face as he flicked through pages of his book. She understood his change of location as memories of their confrontation the previous day surfaced. She quickly walked over to him, glad to see that apart from the librarian in the far corner, they were alone.

"Why weren't you at breakfast?" He looked up in surprise as she scolded him, and opened his mouth to reply. "Actually, save it. I don't want to hear your excuse. Just eat this quickly, we have class in a minute."

He closed his book and tried to protest, but her steady glare made him pick up a piece of toast and take a bite of it. He quickly finished the first slice, and reached for the second. She smiled, quite pleased with herself. The clock chimed, telling them it was time for class, and he wolfed down the last mouthful. They stood and he returned his book, before they began making their way to DADA.

"You do know that I'm going to do this every day if you don't show up to breakfast," she chided.

"Please, Granger, you don't have to. I promise I'll start eating again. I'll go to the kitchens at night after dinner, I just don't want to eat in the Hall."

"But why? You should be eating three times a day. What's your issue with eating with everyone else?"

He didn't answer, and she worried that she might have pushed him too far. They walked in silence for a few minutes, and the lack of conversation drew her attention to the fact that some of the other students were staring at them. Malfoy either didn't notice the ogling crowds, or he just didn't care. She tried her best to ignore the scrutiny, feeling relieved when Aberforth's classroom was finally within reach.

But before they arrived at the doorway, Malfoy grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a secluded corner. He began to speak softly, finally answering her question. "Think about the look on your face when I walked into that compartment on the train. I saw the hatred and the disbelief in your eyes. Now imagine me walking into the Great Hall, and seeing every single person in the room glare at me with the same expression. I just... I'm not ready for that."

She inhaled sharply; Malfoy's face was quite close to hers. Close enough for her to see the thin layer of moisture appear in his silver eyes. She remembered her anger towards him the day she found out he had been chosen for Head Boy, and knew he was right. Almost everyone in the school, even some of the professors, blamed him to some extent for the deaths of their fallen family and friends.

The concealed hallway was dim. Despite this, Hermione was sure that Malfoy could see that the emotion in her eyes was no longer one of hate, but warmth and tenderness. Although his face was only inches away, she surprised herself by wishing it was closer.

A few moments passed, and he broke eye contact. As he turned away and emerged into the crowded hallway, she scolded herself for the desire that had stirred within her. But no matter how hard she tried to smother her emotions, she couldn't deny the mirroring sense of passion she had seen on Malfoy's face.