she's listening to the two boys bounce ideas off one another. trying to decide who was going to present to snape and who was actually going to perform the spell.
she's tapping the quill to her lips watching them. harry performs the spell while ron talks and then ron performs the spell whole harry talks. it's their punishment for whispering during his lecture yesterday.
a part of her mind starts to wonder to the night with malfoy and him pushing her against the wall. she clears her throat. it had been a week anyways and he won't even look in her direction. not that's she's looking but she's paying attention to her surroundings.
"what do you think hermione?" harry asks her and they are both looking at her. she blinks a few times and shakes her head, "i think harry speaks more clearer and ron doesn't hesitate as much with the potion. id do it that way but whatever you two wanna do" she shrugs and they look at her for moment then back to eachother.
"you okay mione?" ron asks and they sit down with her at the table. she sighs and shrugs, "i'm just tired guys i'm okay." she rubs her eyes. she can basically feel the bags under her eyes. she's not sleeping, they know that. they fall asleep at the tables and couches in the common area or on hermiones floor and they wake up and she's still hovering over the books still.
"let's like take a break tonight yeah?" harry says taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands, "i'm tired as shit and i actually sleep. ron, i know lavender misses you so go stay with her tonight and hermione read the books you've been wanting to read. and sleep, we deserve it. nothings going to change in one night" harry says standing up and shoving his wand in his robes and he smiles, "i'm going to go sleep for hours and i will see you guys - well rested and happy - tomorrow!" he says waving his hand and walking towards his room.
ron shrugs and looks towards hermione, "he's right. nothings going to change in one night." ron grabs all of his stuff and waves goodbye leaving her there at the table.
she releases a breath she didn't know she had been holding and leans back in the chair. the library is empty and she looks out the window to see the sun had gone down.
"right, sleep" she mumbles and starts putting books away and papers into the bag. how long will the sleep lasts until she hears harry screaming or he comes running into her room clinging to her in a full sweat.
she drops a book and she sighs leaning down, "fucks sake" she says to herself and there's a chuckle behind her.
"talking to yourself again, granger?" he asks her and she rolls her eyes.
"malfoy i'm not in the mood for the bullshit go away" she says to him and walks further towards the shelf to place the book back away. she turns around to face him as he leaned against the bookshelf next to her, she didn't even noticed he followed her.
"you look like shit" he says and hermione rolls her eyes.
"piss off" she says to him walking past him and he reaches out to grab her arm before she's away from him.
"you're misunderstanding me. you look fucking exhausted granger, like you haven't slept in days" he says to her and she pulls her wrist out of his grasp.
"because i haven't now please just leave me alone" he looks annoyed at first at her words but his gaze softens as she lets out a yawn.
"sorry" she whispers, "you really.. aren't sleeping are you?" he asks her and she shrugs and sits down at the table and puts her head in her hands.
"no erm.. harry's having some issues and we're trying to figure it out and i'm just.." she mumbles off and takes a breath, "i'm fucking exhausted malfoy so please if you can just go.." hermione says gently, tears welding up in her eyes because she's just so tired.
"granger.." he says walking up and grabbing at her chin pulling her gaze towards him.
she feels like ghost, just slowly haunting the halls and malfoy is the only one that sees her.
"i'm sorry" she lets out a sob from her lips and a tear escapes, "i'm just so tired" he grabs her hands and pulls her up from her seat. he grabs her bag and swings it over his shoulder.
"right cmon to your dorm.." he says putting his hand on the small of her back and pushing her down the hallway.
"what are you doing?" she yawns at the end of her sentence.
"walking you to your room, granger. what does it look like i'm doing?" he says and his voice sounds annoyed. but she's too tired to fight it. fight him. but curiosity has always been her issue.
"why?" she whispers and stops to look at him when she gets the to her door.
"because i don't trust you." he says and hands her, her bag, "if i would have left and you said you were going to come here and sleep i don't trust that. you would've spent all night in that bloody library." malfoy says to her and she looks at him.
and he's right, she would have. she would have made a cup of coffee and pushed herself to stay up all night searching for more answers.
"and that matters to you because..?" she asks him and he rolls his eyes at her, "gods granger can't you just say thank you?" he says to her and she lets a soft chuckle escape her lips.
"right, thank you sir malfoy for the escort. you were a great babysitter" hermione says to him and she hears a laugh fall from his mouth and she - she's never heard him proper laugh like that let alone with her.
"right well, go to sleep. actual sleep. the bags under your eyes are darker than my heart" he jokes and she opens the door up walking into her dorm.
"goodnight malfoy" she says to him as he leans against the wall opposite of her door.
"sleep granger" he says and walks down the hallway. she shuts the door and looks around her empty dorm room. because of all the past horrors of years at hogwarts- they've gifted her , her own room. some days she's grateful for the quiet. other days she wishes she was still with the girls had spent the nights gossiping under the wand light.
but tonight, she's so fucking grateful for the quiet.
she changes into her sleeping clothes and climbs into bed. as soon as her head hits the pillow she's out- quickly. but it's not long before the frantic knocking at her door wakes her up. she checks the clock and sees only 3 hours had passed by.
3 hours.
she'll take that.
hermione is quick to the door swinging it open to see a sobbing mess who's harry potter.
"oh harry.." she says and pulls him into a hug letting his head dig into her neck and curls of hair as he clings to her like she's fucking his life support.
"it was .. was so bad .. waking up and and you and r-ron weren't there i thought it was real" he says and she feels the immediate guilt.
"i shouldn't have agreed. you should have just slept here in the empty beds..cmon let's get you in bed.." she says and he nods following behind her and into the bed that's directly across from hers.
he lays down still sniffling and a tear escaping his eye, but his eyes flutter shut when he hits the pillow. his hand still gripping hers tightly, "right i'll sit right here till you fall asleep" she tells him and he nods. she pulls the chair next to the bed and holds his hand back just as tightly.
3 hours.
she looks down at the boy who's hair is a mess and his eyes swollen from crying and she think, she has to figure this out. she doesn't have a choice.
"i don't know how much longer i can do this hermione" he says and her eyes water again. her other hand falls to his hair pushing it off his forehead, "i will figure this out okay?" she tells him. but her voice and the way he nods, it's a promise almost.
she's not sure when she will ever sleep again.
