Earth-shattering realizations happened on spectacularly unique days under extraordinary circumstances or, at least, one thought they should. That was not the case with Draco Malfoy.

It was a brisk fall day that started like it normally did. He dressed in his normal Slytherin robes, had his normal eggs for breakfast and received his normal worried letter from his mother before going about his business.

There he was, sitting in Professor Trelawney's stifling classroom with enough perfume wafting around to make him gag, when Trelawney informed the class they would be working on crystal balls...in pairs.

Fair enough, he would just snag Blaise for a partner. He turned toward Blaise just as Trelawney said in her sing-song voice, "And I will choose your partners for you."

Annoyed murmurs broke out throughout the class but Trelawney pressed on announcing pairs.

Draco bit back a smile when Blaise was paired with Potter but he couldn't hold back a grin when Pansy was paired with Weasley—both looking murderous. His smile faded when Trelawney announced, "And Mr. Malfoy will be partnered with Miss Granger."

Granger glared at him from across the room before getting to her feet and reluctantly walking over to him. She sat down across from him in a huff, avoiding his eyes.

"Now, children," Trelawney began, twirling her wand. "Please gaze into the crystal ball in front of you."

With a whoosh—enormous, cloudy crystal balls appeared on every table in front of each pair of students. "Let your eyes focus on the swirling mist," she continued. "Be open to the mystical messages from the beyond. Free your mind!"

At that, Granger rolled her eyes so hard, it was a wonder she didn't pull an eye muscle.

"I'll go first," Granger sniffed bossily. Draco should've been annoyed but he realized this was the first words they exchanged since their eighth year started three weeks ago. She crossed her arms and stared into the crystal ball. Even if one did believe in all this crystal ball rubbish, there was no way Granger would see anything with her half-arsed effort.

He was just about to say something snarky when he noticed Granger getting more and more agitated. She was now scowling outright at the crystal ball.

"This is so stupid," she hissed to herself.

"Did you free your mind?" he drawled lazily.

Granger glared daggers at him and opened her mouth just as Trelawney swept up next to them. "Mr. Malfoy is right, my dear girl. You must free your mind!" Then, just as suddenly, she swept away.

Granger leaned over their crystal ball. "How does someone free their mind? It makes no sense!"

"Well, with a mind as busy as yours, I'm sure it's next to impossible," Draco answered with a shrug.

Granger blinked and leaned back. "I can't tell if that was an insult or a compliment."

Draco blinked in return. He wasn't sure himself. Before he could even formulate an answer, Granger returned her attention to the crystal ball.

He stared at her, confusion welling up inside him. The soft glow from the crystal ball lit up the delicate angles of her face. He was just stating a fact, he supposed. It was a fact that she had a sharp, busy mind. Just like it was a fact she had a light dusting of freckles on her nose—a nose that was very straight but slightly upturned at the tip. It was a fact she could retain a huge amount of information. It was also a fact that her eyes were a warm, caramel shade of brown. It was a fact that she excelled at anything she put her mind to. And it was also a fact that she was very, very pretty.

Draco jerked in his seat. His heart skipped a beat. He just admitted he thought Granger was...was...

"What a waste of time," Granger muttered angrily.

Her words yanked him out of his sudden existential crisis. He swallowed hard. He needed to pull himself together.

He cleared his throat. "Well, I believe it's my turn now."

He didn't wait for her to answer, just gazed down into the crystal ball, his thoughts swirling as wildly as the mist.

What in Salazar's name just happened? He could acknowledge that he was always a little intrigued by her. She represented all that was supposedly wrong with the wizarding world—with her outsider status and muggleborn blood. Here she was, allegedly inferior, being smarter and more powerful than the most pureblooded students in the school. How could he not focus on her? Her very existence turned his world upside down. Then after the war, all that blood purity nonsense was just that. Nonsense.

It was still a bitter pill to swallow to realize everything he thought made him worthy was a bloody lie. He would never forgive his father for that.

But to think Granger was...pretty?

What was he supposed to do with this realization? He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. His eyes stared unfocused into the crystal ball. It must be a mistake—some cruel trick his mind was playing on him. Yes, that was it.

Then he saw movement. His eyes snapped into focus.

Two figures were forming in the crystal ball. Draco barely swallowed a gasp as he saw himself materialize in the whirling fog. His stomach dropped in anticipation. He had a feeling who the second figure was before it solidified a moment later. There she was. Granger.

He watched in horrified fascination as both figures moved closer together, their faces inches apart. His fingers tingled as he watched himself reach up and trail his fingers down Granger's cheek, then down to the back of her neck. She smiled up at him—a real smile, like she actually liked him.

He watched himself lower his head. Oh Merlin, he was going to kiss her. He was going to put his mouth on her mouth! Their mouths were going to actually touch! And she would surely hex him. There was no getting around it. Even if she was smiling at him like she liked him, she would still never allow it, not in this universe.

Instead, Granger wrapped her arms around his neck and raised herself on her tiptoes. She slowly pressed her lips to his. The kiss was soft—chaste—but lingering. Draco felt his face grow hot. When they pulled away from each other, he watched himself smile down at her. He looked...happy. Really happy, so happy it made his heart hurt.

"Did you see something?"

Draco nearly jumped. "What?" he blurted.

Granger was staring at him with weary concern. "Did you see something?" she asked again.

He shook his head vigorously. His eyes darted at the crystal ball. There was nothing but churning fog. "No. Nothing! Completely blank. Blanker than blank!"

She looked at him dubiously. "Really? Your expression doesn't look like you saw nothing."

"What? My expressi—" he scoffed. "That's ridiculous!" His voice cracked and he winced.

Granger looked at him like bloodhound who had caught a scent. He swallowed hard.

"Ridiculous?" she growled. "What's ridiculous is your blatant lying—"

"Okay, children, that is enough for today. Class is dismissed!" Trelawney announced with a clap of her hands. "Remember: many of you won't make it to adulthood!"

Draco wasted no time jumping to his feet and racing out of the classroom.

Draco was worried Granger wouldn't let the crystal ball episode go. She had glanced at him several times during supper, her eyes burning with curiosity. That wasn't a good sign but the next day day she only looked at him once during breakfast and then acted like he didn't exist the rest of the day. A few days later, things were back to normal much to his relief.

During that time, he had convinced himself he didn't think Granger was pretty. Not really. It was just a moment of madness. She was just a non-hideous girl who just happened to be in his line of sight that day. That was all it was.

He reluctantly admitted to himself that he was just lonely. After a terrifying year of living under the same roof as the Dark Lord, Draco had built himself a nice, little wall around himself to protect his soft, squishy center. That meant not opening himself in any vulnerable way. And, with the exception of his mother, he didn't trust anyone. He learned his lesson, thank you very much.

But that protection he so carefully built had some weak spots—he couldn't help longing for some kind of connection. And that's where Granger came in. They had a brief, albeit weird, connection and his lonely boy brain latched onto it. It was nothing. And neither was that strange vision he had in the crystal ball. All in his head.

It was nothing.

Nothing.

Everything would go back to the way it was.

He should've known better.

It was late—almost curfew—when he left the library. He headed down to the Slytherin common room, taking one of the more deserted corridors. He thought about his transfiguration essay and the spells he would have to practice in charms. He thought about the letter he would write to his mother that night and when the next model of racing brooms would be announced.

His mind drifted, following each thought like a trail in a forest. Suddenly, the image of Granger smiling at him sprang to the forefront—then their kiss. He tried to shove the thoughts away but he could still see her lovely face. His traitorous brain wondered how she would feel in his arms, if her curly hair was as soft as it looked. He could almost hear her voice whispering endearments, calling out his name.

Wait—that was her voice.

He turned and saw Granger following him. His heart jumped. He walked faster.

"Hey, Malfoy!" she called. "HEY! Wait! Why are you walking so—"

He could hear her panting behind him. He sped up.

"Will you stop. Merlin, slow down!" she yelled. "Don't make me petrify you!"

Reluctantly, he stopped and slowly turned around. Granger was still speed-walking down the corridor. She stopped in front of him, bending over to grab her knees as she caught her breath.

He peered down at her imperiously. "What do you want?"

She straightened up. "What do I want?" she sneered. "Well, hello to you too."

"You chased after me just to say hello?" he sneered back.

"Chased after—" She planted a hand on her hip. "I wouldn't have to if you stopped like a normal person!"

"We're not on speaking terms, Granger."

"Whatever, Malfoy. I just want to know what you saw in that stupid crystal ball."

"Nothing!" he snapped. His voice didn't sound as confident as he would've liked.

Her eyes narrowed. "For a Slytherin, you're a terrible liar."

"What?" he scoffed. "I'll have you know I'm a fantastic liar!"

"What was in that crystal ball?"

"Do you not understand English? Nothing!"

"Nothing? Really?" Granger argued. She really was relentless. "You didn't act like it was nothing, you acted like you were seeing your worst fear."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You said my name."

Draco's mouth fell open. "What?"

"You did. You looked into that crystal ball, got really pale, or at least paler than usual, then you whispered my name."

"I...I don't know what you're talking about." He turned to leave.

"I'm not done!" she yelled after him.

He picked up his pace. "Well, I am!"

He was just about to descend down a short flight of stairs when Granger grabbed the sleeve of his robe. He wasn't sure what happened, maybe the combination of his momentum and the imbalance of Granger's footing but somehow they got tangled up, tripping over each other's feet and toppling down the stairs. Granger shrieked, her hands clutching desperately to Draco's robes.

Draco had fallen many times off his broom. His hand instinctively grasped his wand. He murmured a hasty spell and their bodies went weightless for a moment, then back to normal.

The good news: the spell was enough to soften the impact. The bad news: the ground was a thousand year old stone. More good news: the fall wasn't that bad. More bad news: Granger fell right on him, breaking her fall with his body.

He blinked up at the ceiling. Strands of curly hair lay across his face. Granger groaned in his ear.

She was laying on top of him.

She raised her head and peered down at him. "Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes worried. Her face was inches away from his, her hair draped around his face like a curtain.

She was on top of him.

Draco swallowed loudly, coherent thoughts were officially out of his reach. She smelled incredible.

She. Was. On. Top. Of. Him.

She propped herself on her elbow, shifting her weight. Draco almost went cross eyed.

All he could focus on was how good she felt, how good she smelled. He couldn't describe it exactly, it just screamed pretty girl to his male brain. "Help..." he whimpered.

Granger tried to scramble to her feet but they were still tangled up. Her body was so soft and warm and was now squirming against his.

He hissed and grabbed her hips firmly. "Stop moving. Please."

She froze, staring down at him. He felt light-headed. His body was reacting. In a half second, the situation would go from awkward to horrifically awkward fast. He needed to get her off him immediately. Carefully but quickly, he extricated himself from her, gently pushing her off him. He rose unsteadily to his feet.

He had to squash the urge to offer a hand to help her up.

He watched her wearily as she stood.

She took a deep breath. "Are you okay?" she said again.

No, he wasn't okay! "Uh huh," he muttered. "Are you?"

"I think so," she said, though she looked shaken.

"Okay, good." He nodded, running a rough hand through his hair. Was that a blush on her cheeks? Merlin, he was losing it. "Okay, em, goodnight."

Without waiting for an answer, he turned and fled down the corridor.

Draco dragged himself to the Great Hall the next morning. He barely slept after the stairway incident—his traitorous brain kept replaying the moments her body was pressed so wonderfully against his. He ended up crashing in the Slytherin common room reading The Book of Warts and Other Gruesome Maladies for most of the night.

He didn't see her when he entered the Great Hall and he made sure to sit with his back facing the Gryffindor table to avoid any eye contact. How could he face her again? Did she have any inkling of his infatuation with her? Yes, he finally admitted the truth to himself last night as he gazed down at disgusting wart pictures—that he, Draco Malfoy, was officially infatuated with Hermione Granger. Ugh! What a bloody nightmare! What would his father say? Oh, who the hell cares about his father, he was spending his loathsome days in Azkaban. But his mother?

He downed his third cup of tea, deciding resolutely that he would avoid her at all costs. He would avoid even looking at her. If he pretended she didn't exist, maybe this stupid attraction would go away.

It was easy enough considering he had no classes with Gryffindor that day and everything went according to plan well into the evening where he found himself in his common room playing a round of wizarding chess with Blaise. After thoroughly thrashing Blaise, Draco left triumphantly for the owlery.

He had just climbed the last set of stairs from the dungeons when he heard a male voice.

"Come on, Hermione, don't be like that..."

Draco froze.

He heard Granger respond but couldn't make out her words.

"Give me one of your pretty smiles," was the voice's answer.

Draco's stomach dropped with an ugly twist.

He debated on walking away but his feet were already moving toward the voices. He peered around a corner and saw an annoyed looking Granger and that McLaggen git.

McLaggen sauntered toward her. "I'm not asking for your hand in marriage, I just want to spend some time with you, is all."

Granger rolled her eyes, looking unimpressed. "In the astronomy tower? How original?"

"It doesn't have to be in astronomy tower." McLaggen inched closer to her and Draco's hands squeezed into fists. "It can be anywhere you want, however way you want it."

Granger made a disgusted noise. "No, thanks."

McLaggen surged forward, pressing his hands against the wall and caging Granger between his arms. He grinned and leaned in for a kiss.

Draco's wand was in his hand before he knew it, with a hundred nasty hexes on his tongue when he saw McLaggen's entire body stiffen.

Slowly, Mclaggen backed away, his hands rising cautiously in the air. Draco could see why. Granger had her wand out and it was digging painfully into McLaggen's crotch.

Her face was flushed with outrage. "How dare you?" she hissed. "What gives you the right—If you ever try anything like that again with me," she twisted her hand and McLaggen straightened even further, "or with anyone else, for that matter, I promise you, I will demonstrate the most painful miniaturizing curse I know." She dug her wand in and McLaggen squeaked. "And it is permanent. Do you understand me?"

McLaggen nodded like his life depended on it.

"Good," she growled. "Now get out of my face."

McLaggen turned and bolted down corridor, his robes flapping loudly behind him.

Granger let out a huff as she muttered angrily to herself. Then she turned and saw Draco. Her eyes narrowed. "Malfoy?"

Draco could only imagine what he looked like with his wand in his hand and his stony expression.

"Are you okay?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, I..." She glanced down at his wand. "Were you..." She made a strange, disbelieving sound. "Were you going to defend me?"

Draco fidgeted, peering down at the wand in his hand before putting it back in his robes. "Well, it's not just...I mean, not personally—I would've defended...anyone in that—McLaggen is a complete wanker."

She walked slowly over to him, stopping a foot away. "That was very...nice." She gave him a small smile. "To do that for...anyone."

Draco was horrified to feel his heart surge at her words. He liked that he pleased her.

"Well, don't tell anyone," he said ruefully. "I don't want to ruin the reputation I so carefully built."

"Of course," she said, smiling wider. "Wouldn't dream of it."

She took one step closer, close enough that he could see her freckles clearly. She opened her mouth then closed it.

He sighed loudly. "You want to ask me about what happened in Divinations."

"I..." She let out a breath and nodded. "Am I that obvious?"

"Well, you are a Gryffindor. You lot are not known for subtlety." he answered. "I'm just...I'm not sure what to think of all this crystal ball stuff, okay." He ran his fingers through his hair, grabbing a handful before dropping it. He wasn't going to tell her the vision. He just wasn't, but that didn't mean he had to lie either.

"What I saw..." he began. "You weren't in danger. If you were at risk, I would tell you."

She looked at him dubiously. "I normally wouldn't believe you but...you were just about to defend me from McLaggen so..."

He could only shrug. He would've defended another girl in that situation—Merlin knows the war bled him dry of his lingering cruelty—he couldn't stomach people being targeted anymore. His reaction to defend her only cemented what he already knew. He had feelings for her.

"And as far as visions in crystal balls," she continued. "The research is dodgy at best."

He snorted. "Of course you researched it," he said.

She gave him a look. "What I'm trying to say is, the visions don't exactly predict the future." She shook her head. "The entire field is exasperating, really! Just vague wording and images that make zero sense that don't actually give any useful information."

Draco knew there was no mistaking what he saw. It was quite straight forward but he nodded along anyway. He refused to dwell on whether or not what he saw was actually the future. If he did, he might go mad.

"In the crystal ball, what I saw—I really don't know..." he managed. "It's confusing and...I don't feel comfortable sharing it right now."

Granger opened her mouth then closed it again. She seemed to be struggling with herself. "Okay." She took a deep breath. "Okay, that's fair."

He blinked in surprise. "Okay."

Draco's gaze roamed over her face. At this distance he could see a freckle darker than all the rest perched above her cheekbone. His fingers twitched.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around then," she said. She turned to leave, then stopped. "Thank you for...explaining the crystal ball stuff and also," she shrugged a shoulder, "for being willing to intervene with McLaggen—"

"Let's just refer him as The Utter Wanker, please," he finished.

She laughed softly and nodded. "Yes, The Utter Wanker."

With that, she left and—Merlin, help him—he did his best not to stare after her.

This has been rattling around my brain for awhile and I decided it was time to write it all out. I hope you enjoy it. Not beta'd so there may be some typos. Thanks for reading.