He stared as she ran out of the hall. He was supposed to laugh- but something else stirred inside of him. Pity? Sadness...? Anger? At Weasley?
No. he shook his head. These were just mixed up feelings that didn't know where to belong. He strutted out of the corridor with the rest of the Slytherins, laughing. But deep down, he didn't laugh. He felt...something stronger than the false feelings of humor. Something...else.
Draco put his hands to his head, pressing on his temples.
"Are you okay?" Pansy asked, putting her hand on his arm.
"I'm fine." he said, drawing back his arm and letting it fall beside him. They walked towards the dungeons and stopped in front of the entry, muttering the password, "Pureblood." Draco sat down in one of the chairs across from the fireplace. He told Pansy to leave him with his thoughts, and she reluctantly left for her dorm room. Soon, he was the only person that remained. Everyone else had retired to their dorms, tired. But he was the opposite; he was wide awake, and didn't plan on resting.
The memories of the previous hours spiraled in his head. The people involved in the situation eventually cleared out of his mind. Except for one.
He could relate to the way she felt, believe it or not. But no one could know. It would break his reputation that he had tried so hard to maintain and create over the years at Hogwarts. His silver eyes searched the flames for answers, but the fire was oblivious. It just danced like it always did, twirling and crackling.
Draco exhaled angrily; the thoughts weren't subsiding, nor could he focus his mind on anything else. He looked out a window at the depths of the Black Lake. Moonlight cascaded through the water, and little underwater creatures swam through the deep blue.
Draco stood up, walking out of the common room. He walked through the corridors, careful not to be seen by anyone, and crept out of the castle onto the grounds. The Lake...it was a perfect spot for contemplation. So he walked towards the lakeside. As he approached the beach, he could see that someone else was already there, occupying the spot where he had planned to be.

Hermione turned her head as she heard footsteps. The footsteps stopped a few meters away. There was no need to bring out her wand for a light spell; the moonlight offered enough. She would recognize the pale blonde hair anywhere.
"Malfoy." she hissed, standing up. "What do you want."
"Answers." he replied. Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but he didn't let her. "Not from you." He said, as if the answer to her question was obvious. He walked to the lakeside, and stared at the water. "From nature."

Hermione didn't speak. She had never seen him be so...different than he usually was. She could almost believe that the person standing a few meters away was actually a normal teenager.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, emphasizing the "you."
She crossed her arms, straightening. "Same as you, I suppose."

The two stood in silence. They couldn't believe they- enemies- were acting like the other was a normal person. Sure, it just happened to be coincidence, but it seemed different than that. Like something was changing.

"And I suppose you also came to consult "nature" about the situation that occurred earlier today?" Hermione said sarcastically. "I'm sure that the trees would love to answer you on that account."
"No." Draco stared straight ahead. He answered without hesitation; his grey eyes sparkled with amusement at Hermione's comment.
She blinked. "No?"
"No." He said again, turning to face her. "I just came to think."
"Shocking." Hermione answered. Her voice didn't portray sarcasm. She was genuinely surprised. Why was Malfoy acting so...normal? It was odd to Hermione that Draco Malfoy, who had relentlessly made fun of her for years, was acting like a normal person.