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"We have to be professional."
He nodded.
"We need to appear united and as equals."
Another nod.
Hermione raised her eyebrow pointedly. "That means no standing behind me and glowering at everyone."
Draco's expression froze and then his eyebrows knit together. "I don't glower."
Hermione snorted. "Of course not. No standing behind me shooting withering looks at people. We're a team. We're supposed to work together, side by side. Not me in the front, talking, and you standing two feet behind me threatening murder with your eyebrows."
Draco rolled his eyes as though affronted by the mere notion that his eyebrows would do such a thing. He leaned calmly against the wall. "Professional, united, non-threatening. I'm not a Gryffindor, I'm perfectly capable of behaving myself when necessary."
"Good." Hermione nervously drew her knees together as she double-checked her notes. "This is a big deal, the governor's board almost never accepts proposals from students. We have to make this perfect if we want any chance of having them seriously consider it."
The presentation started well, Draco and Hermione stood shoulder-to-shoulder and their presentation about the need for better Muggle studies went without a hitch until the end when Eustace Tutley, an ancient and prune-faced warlock, began making snide remarks about Muggles' lack of culture asserting that pureblood families had no interest in immersive trips to Muggle areas.
Hermione stood, arms folded and ears burning, as Tutley went on and on about wasted school resources while the other members chuckled quietly or nodded until Draco icily cut in, "Actually, sir, the proposal was my idea."
Tutley blinked, and McGonagall quickly dismissed Hermione and Draco back to their classes.
"Well—" Hermione said, drawing a deep breath once they were in the hall and trying not to feel disappointed, "that probably went about as well as we could hope."
She looked up and found that Draco's expression was black, and his eyebrows appeared to be catching up on all the death threats they'd refrained from making earlier.
She looked down, concealing a small grin. "I think we definitely seemed united."
Nothing.
"Possibly a bit too united," she said, poking him in the ribs until he looked at her.
"Hmm?"
She stared up at him, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "I was just saying that we may have seemed a bit too united, given where you had your hand."
She glanced pointedly down and his eyes followed.
He stared with surprise, his cheeks flushing, as he realised that he'd had his hand visibly and possessively wrapped around her hip the entire time.
