Signum Vitalis (a dramione story)

Study Night

He shrugged and brought his hand up again. She flinched, she couldn't help it. Apparently working with Daryn in class had only made her used to Daryn.

He made an annoyed sound. "Granger, if you didn't want me to practice with you, why didn't you ask someone else?" He shifted forward in his seat, starting to push off the desk with his hands

Hermione reached out and grabbed his hand. "Sit down!" she hissed.

He stopped trying to leave and cocked his head at her.

She glanced nervously over at their classmates. Shandra was showing John the exact wand movements and neither of them had looked up. Still, she whispered. "Malfoy, it's not just you. I have a hard time when anyone points a wand at me. Just... Just warn me before you point your wand, please?"

His face froze in a little frown.

"Malfoy?"

His face didn't change but he said, "I'm going to try the spell out now, okay, Granger?"

She swallowed and nodded.

His wand raised and Malfoy held eye contact with her as it traced through the familiar pattern. Hermione's heart rate sped up but she tried to keep her breathing even. When the spell ended he looked down at his book and the moment broke.

"How are we supposed to tell between such infinitesimal color changes?" he grumbled.

"Once you get used to them, it's not that difficult," Hermione supplied.

"What about those people who don't distinguish between colors so easily?"

"Well, I know that isn't you, Malfoy. I've seen how you dress."

He looked up sharply. "How I dress?"

"It's just always... very coordinated. Yes. That's it," Hermione stumbled. She wasn't about to tell him that she had overheard some girls talking about how well he dressed in class and then started noticing it herself.

There was a bark of laughter from her right and she looked over to see John grinning.

"I did it! Did you see that? It was perfect!" he crowed.

Shandra patted his hand with a small smile. "Your practicing is really starting to show," she agreed. "I think you'll pass as long as we keep this up."

John punched the air with his fist and then stood up and did a victory dance similar to an American Football player's touch down celebration. It was infectious to watch and everybody smiled, even Malfoy. Celebration completed, he looked over at Hermione and Malfoy. "How far have you guys got?"

Hermione was about to say 'not very' but Malfoy beat her to it. "We got distracted by discussing my wardrobe," he drawled.

"We were not!" Hermione protested and then blushed when she was pinned down by the stares of both John and Shandra. "It was just a sentence out of the whole conversation," she amended.

Shandra rested her cheek on her hand and smiled a slow almost closed-lip smile. "So clothes were discussed, then?"

"Apparently Granger thinks I'm a well-dressed man," Malfoy agreed.

"Shut it! All of you!" Hermione said, trying to cover her embarrassment, and picked up her wand. "Let's get back to the actual point of being here." She turned and pointed her wand at Malfoy. His fingers twitched almost imperceptibly around his wand. She dropped her wand's point. Maybe Malfoy had the same problems as she did.

She looked away to catch Shandra and John sharing a look before looking back at them. "What?" she asked defensively.

Shandra smirked and John winked. They were not thinking- Hermione sighed. Yes, they were. She rolled her eyes and proceeded to ignore them.