Study buddies
"Hermione, how much longer do we have to study here?" Ron asked annoyed while they were doing their homework in the library.
"Ron, you still haven't filled your 5 ¾ feet of parchment. Your essay isn’t finished yet!"
Ron groaned in annoyance. "That's torture, what the teachers are doing to us. And I'm definitely missing a book ..."
"Here, take mine." Harry tossed him a book.
Ron caught it, was about to open it – then froze.
"Harry ... why do you have Malfoy's book?" Ron asked, staring dumbfounded at the cover.
"What?" Harry looked confused, but there was a clear tension in his posture.
Hermione literally snatched the book out of Ron's hands and stared at the cover. A name was emblazoned in golden letters: "Draco Malfoy," she read aloud. Her questioning gaze made Harry feel like he was being interrogated.
Harry was frozen and stammered, "Uh, this ... this isn’t ... I mean, it’s not what ...
Ron glanced between Harry and the book.
"What are you doing with Malfoy?" Hermione asked suspiciously. "Since when do you two share textbooks?"
Harry was still looking for an excuse. "We ... studied. Yes, exactly. So, we have to do this task together ..."
A mocking voice made him flinch and sent a shiver down his spine at the same time.
"Interesting choice of words, Potter." Draco Malfoy sank down to the edge of the table next to Harry, which seemed to make Harry even more uncomfortable. He blushed immediately.
"Although… I suppose I did teach you a thing or two," Draco added with amusement. "Alright then, let’s call it studying." He made air quotes.
Harry sank deeper into his chair and wished for his invisibility cloak.
"What?" Ron asked, utterly confused.
Hermione turned bright red.
Draco merely smirked in her direction. "It’s exactly what you think it is."
He took his book from her hand and turned to leave.
Then, he paused, leaned toward Harry and murmured with a wink, "Looking forward to our next study session."
With a self-satisfied grin, he strolled away.
In the meantime, Harry had practically disappeared under the table in embarrassment.
Ron turned to Hermione. "I don’t get it."
Hermione sighed and slapped her palm against her forehead "Oh, Ron..."
Dean, who had overheard the entire conversation, stood next to them as if rooted to the ground, mouth hanging open.