~Hermione~

After I finally fell asleep. That was the first night that I'd dreamt of Draco Malfoy. In my dream, it was very dark, and what dim light there was seemed to be radiating from Draco's skin. I couldn't see his face, just his back as he walked away from me, leaving me in the blackness. No matter how fast I ran, I couldn't catch up to him; no matter how loud I called, he never turned. Troubled, I woke in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep again for what seemed like a very long time. After that, he was in my dreams nearly every night, but always on the periphery, never within reach. 

~Next Day~

When he sat next to me in class, as far from me as the table would allow, he seemed totally unaware of my presence. Only now and then, when his fists would suddenly ball up — skin stretched even whiter over the bones — did I wonder if he wasn't quite as oblivious as he appeared. I looked up, stunned that he was speaking to me. He was sitting as far away from me as the desk allowed, but his chair was angled toward me. His hair was dripping wet, disheveled — even so, he looked like he'd just finished shooting a commercial for hair gel. His dazzling face was friendly, open, a slight smile on his flawless lips. But his eyes were careful.

"My name is Draco Malfoy," he continued. "I haven't had a chance to introduce myself yet. You must be Mione Granger."

My mind was spinning with confusion. Had I made up the whole thing? He was perfectly polite now. I had to speak; he was waiting. But I couldn't think of anything conventional to say.

"H-how do you know my name?" I stammered.

He laughed a soft, enchanting laugh. "Oh, I think everyone knows your name. You're the only muggle-born around."

I grimaced. I knew it was something like that.

"No," I persisted stupidly. "I meant, why did you call Mione?"

He seemed confused. "Do you prefer Hermione?"

"No, I like Mione," I said.

Thankfully, Professor Snape started class at that moment. I tried to concentrate as he explained the lab we would be doing today. The slides in the box were out of order. Working as lab partners, we had to separate the slides of onion root tip cells into the phases of mitosis they represented and label them accordingly. We weren't supposed to use our books. In twenty minutes, he would be coming around to see who had it right.

"Get started," he commanded.

"Ladies first, partner?" Draco asked.

I looked up to see him smiling a crooked smile so beautiful that I could only stare at him like an idiot. "Or I could start if you wish." The smile faded; he was obviously wondering if I was mentally competent.

"No," I said, flushing. "I'll go ahead." I was showing off, just a little.

I'd already done this lab, and I knew what I was looking for. It should be easy. I snapped the first slide into place under the microscope and adjusted it quickly to the 40X objective. I studied the slide briefly. My assessment was confident.

"Prophase."

"Do you mind if I look?" he asked as I began to remove the slide.

His hand caught mine, to stop me, as he asked. His fingers were ice-cold like he'd been holding them in a snowdrift before class. But that wasn't why I jerked my hand away so quickly. When he touched me, it stung my hand as if an electric current had passed through us. "I'm sorry," he muttered, pulling his hand back immediately. However, he continued to reach for the microscope. I watched him, still staggered, as he examined the slide for an even shorter time than I had.

"Prophase," he agreed, writing it neatly in the first space on our worksheet.

He swiftly switched out the first slide for the second, and then glanced at it cursorily. "Anaphase," he murmured, writing it down as he spoke.

I kept my voice indifferent. "May I?"

He smirked and pushed the microscope to me. I looked through the eyepiece eagerly, only to be disappointed. Dang it, he was right.

"Slide three?" I held out my hand without looking at him.

He handed it to me; it seemed like he was being careful not to touch my skin again. I took the most fleeting look I could manage.

"Interphase." I passed him the microscope before he could ask for it.

He took a swift to peek and then wrote it down. I would have written it while he looked, but his clear, elegant script intimidated me. I didn't want to spoil the page with my clumsy scrawl. We were finished before anyone else was close. I could see Harry and his partner comparing the two slides again and again, and another group had their book open under the table. Which left me with nothing to do but try to not look at him… unsuccessfully. I glanced up, and he was staring at me, that same inexplicable look of frustration in his eyes. Suddenly I identified that subtle difference in his face.

"Did you get contacts?" I blurted out unthinkingly.

He seemed puzzled by my unexpected question. "No."

"Oh," I mumbled. "I thought there was something different about your eyes."

He shrugged and looked away. In fact, I was sure there was something different.

Professor Snape came to our table then, to see why we weren't working. He looked over our shoulders to glance at the completed lab, and then stared more intently to check the answers.

"So, Draco, didn't you think Hermione should get a chance with the microscope?" Mr. Banner asked.

"Mione," Draco corrected automatically. "Actually, she identified three of the five."

Professor Snape looked at me now; his expression was skeptical.

"Have you done this lab before?" he asked.

I smiled sheepishly. "Not with onion root."

"Whitefish blastula?"

"Yeah."

Professor Snape nodded. "Were you in an advanced biology in the muggle world?"

"Yes."

"Well," he said after a moment, "I guess it's good you two are lab partners."

He mumbled something else as he walked away. After he left, I began doodling on my notebook again.

"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?" Draco asked. I had the feeling that he was forcing himself to make small talk with me. Paranoia swept over me again.

"Not really," I answered honestly, instead of pretending to be normal like everyone else.

I was still trying to dislodge the stupid feeling of suspicion, and I couldn't concentrate.

"You don't like the cold." It wasn't a question.

"Or the wet."

"Hogwarts must be a difficult place for you to live," he mused.

"You have no idea," I muttered darkly.

He looked fascinated by what I said, for some reason, I couldn't imagine. His face was such a distraction that I tried not to look at it any more than courtesy absolutely demanded.

"Why did you come here, then?" No one had asked me that — not straight out like he did, demanding.

"It's… complicated."

"I think I can keep up," he pressed.

I paused for a long moment, and then made the mistake of meeting his gaze. His bright blue eyes confused me, and I answered without thinking.

"My mother and father are muggles," I said.

"That doesn't sound so complex," he disagreed, but he was suddenly sympathetic.

"When did you find out?"

"Last September." My voice sounded sad, even to me.

"And you don't like that," Draco surmised, his tone still kind.

 I couldn't fathom his interest, but he continued to stare at me with penetrating eyes as if my dull life's story was somehow vitally important.

~Draco~

Mione I so interesting. I don't understand my obsession with her. She's just, I don't even know what the word is. She's just, amazing. I could write for hours about the love I have for her. It's not just her looks, I mean, That's a Bonus, But, It's everything about her. 

Disclaimer

what Hermione wears on a daily basis:

https://www.trendme.net/en/set/autumn-winter-2018-collection/punk-hermione-granger-set/NjEwODAwOTcyMA,,.html

What Draco wears on a daily basis:

https://www.trendme.net/en/set/autumn-winter-2018-collection/punk-draco-malfoy-set/NjEwODA3MTQ0NQ,,.html