prompt. ridiculous

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The first time Hermione Granger saw Draco Malfoy after the Quidditch World Cup was as soon as she entered Platform 9¾. His back was towards the entrance and he was talking animatedly with his mother. She was about to ignore him when he shook his head vigorously and she caught sight of his glasses. Glasses, of all things. They were black-rimmed and sharp-looking.

Like his soul, she thought dryly.

"Mother," he said loud enough for her to hear. He stomped his foot angrily. "This is ridiculous. Why do I have to wear these?" His mother patted his hair down and straightened his robes, despite his squirming.

"I did tell you not to stare too long at those fireworks," she chided, pinching his cheeks. He slapped her hands away. "And it's only until after Christmas. Draco. Draco." He glared at her. "If I see that glare one more time, there'll be no owls with sweets for you." Hermione watched as his expression turned sickeningly sweet.

"Mother, it's my fourth year," he said before he scowled and pushed past her. "I don't like sweets anymore." He caught her gaze.

"What are you looking at, Granger?" he asked, sneering. He took off his glasses, shoving it deep into his pockets before walking away.

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It's the glasses, she told herself as she found herself staring at Draco Malfoy again. She dragged her eyes away and turned back to her notes before realizing that her quill was dripping ink on her parchment. She pursed her lips and dared another glance at his back before shaking her head and sighing, grabbing another piece of paper from her bag.

This was just getting ridiculous.

"Another O, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall said approvingly. "Well done." She took her essay and smiled to herself, glimpsing Harry and Ron's 'Acceptable' marks. She folded the parchment neatly and tucked it in her bag.

"Good work, Mister Malfoy," she heard Professor McGonagall say from across the room. "This is your third O this month." Hermione's head snapped towards him. What?

"What are you acting so angry about, 'Mione?" Ron asked, scratching his nose. "Malfoy always gets good marks, the git." She blinked.

"Really?" she asked, turning to him, eyes wide. Ron didn't even bother to look at his marks and shoved his paper back in his bag haphazardly.

"You probably just haven't noticed," he said. Hermione turned back to the front of the class, frowning thoughtfully, before realizing that she was, yet again, staring at his back.

Drat.

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She momentarily forgot what she was supposed to say the moment he looked up and she realized that he has the longest eyelashes she'd ever seen.

How ridiculous, she thought, slightly disturbed at her observation.

"What are you doing here?" she finally asked. He raised a brow.

"This is a library, Granger," he said, turning back to his book. "What do you think?" She felt her cheeks turn pink but pressed on.

"But I've never seen you here before!" she said, slamming her hands down on his table loudly. He sighed and took off his glasses to glare at her. She merely glared back. The whole thing had gone on long enough. She thought the novelty of Malfoy wearing glasses would soon wear off…which was why she was surprised to find that after two months, she still found her gaze drifting over to his side of the table.

"I don't have time for this, Granger," he drawled, turning back to his book. "It's not my fault you don't notice much." She gasped in indignation.

"Don't lie to me!" she hissed. Malfoy stood up and suddenly, their faces were inches apart. She hadn't realized that she had been leaning towards him. She found herself frozen on the spot.

"Well, Granger, maybe you just never saw." He was the first to pull away.

She was the first to run.

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After that, she saw him everywhere. On the way to classes, in the Great Hall, outside in the school grounds, whenever she seemed to turn around. How disturbing, how ridiculous. She tried to ignore his existence, tried to only care when Harry and Ron pointed him out, but she always saw him first nowadays. There was no way to escape him, and it irked her. She wished that she wasn't so aware-

That thought stopped her in her tracks.

Aware? Aware of Malfoy? she thought, almost hysterically. How am I aware of that prat? She turned around and caught his gaze, amidst the corridor filled with students. Her heart seemed to sink. She clenched her fists and walked briskly to her classes, her thoughts whirring.

No. She knew who she liked, and it certainly wasn't Malfoy. There was nothing she knew about him to warrant her affections, after all. He was a prat, and that was that. Surely, she wasn't that shallow, to fall for just his looks (because there was no way that someone would fall in love with his personality. There was just no way).

No.

It's just the glasses, Hermione, she convinced herself as she entered the class. It's just the glasses.

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Impossible, she thought in a panic as she looked through the shelves of the library, her mind too preoccupied to read the titles. She had found herself watching him during class again, and it annoyed her. More than that, it made her uneasy. She pulled out a book and her elbow bumped into someone. She turned around and there he was. Again. She glared at him.

"What is it this time, Granger?" he asked, exasperated. "Do I need to remind you that this is a library? Again?" She coloured.

"Why are you everywhere?" she asked accusingly. "I've tried to actively avoid you, but it's like you're following me! Are you following me?" she wanted to stop talking, really she did, but the words were spilling out of her mouth before she could help herself, "Because this just isn't acceptable. You're disturbing my learning, Malfoy and it needs to stop because just yesterday, I actually dreamt of you! And it wasn't as if you were-" Both his hands trapped her to the bookshelf and her eyes widened.

"You dreamt of me?" he asked, smirking. "Was I any good?" She felt herself turn bright red.

"What?" she stammered. He snickered.

"I'm kidding, Granger." He pulled out a book from behind her.

"I don't like being so aware of you, Malfoy," she blurted out. He turned to her, surprised.

"Well, I was always aware of you." He walked away and she felt her cheeks.

Hot. They were too hot.

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It must be the glasses.

As she walked down the stairs to the redecorated Great Hall, it wasn't Viktor Krum's outstretched hand, or Ron's atrocious attire that she first noticed, but the light Malfoy's glasses caught and glinted back at her.

She took Viktor's arm and let him lead her down, aware of his gaze burning her before she reached the last step. She could feel her cheeks flush because since when? Since when was she so aware of him that she could isolate his gaze from everyone else's?

Ridiculous, she thought. Not possible. Not- She caught his gaze and her throat suddenly went dry. She forced herself to keep walking and as she walked past him, her bare arm brushing against his tailored robes, she felt her heart race.

Ridiculous. Ridiculous. Ridiculous.

She turned around and caught his gaze again.

No, she finally admitted to herself.

It wasn't the glasses at all.

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an. I originally wrote this on March 12, 2012 and I found it again! I hope you guys like it, and check out my other dramione stories if you liked this one! Reviews would be loved! Thank you for reading :)