Upon exiting, Draco found the place completely deserted. No students, no professors, not even Filch and his mangy cat, Mrs.Norris, patrolling the corridors. However, of all the rotten luck, one lone figure remained sitting on the stairs, one figure that inevitably belonged to none other than Hermione Granger.Draco scowled inwardly. Just exactly what was he supposed to do now? He realized his mistake too late. He should have gone with Nott and Zabini towards the Slytherin common room when he had the chance, in order to avoid the awkwardness of passing her distressed form by himself.He decided to just suck it up, ignore her, and just walk past her. How hard could it be? He'd done it several times with various other people...just not her. Relying on his determination, he decided to do just that. But as he took one more step away from the Great Hall, his resolve fell away, and he couldn't help himself. Still in her beautiful gown, loose tendrils and curls framing her face, Hermione Granger looked positively mesmerizing.What the bloody hell was it about this girl that compelled him to go to her? Because it was at that moment he realized, to his utter horror, that his legs seemed to be working of their own accord. His head was screaming at him to stop and he was reminding himself over and over again how he shouldn't care about her or the current state she was in. But no matter how hard he tried, it didn't seem like his cerebellum wanted to agree with the rest of his brain.This was ridiculous, why should he be afraid of coming within reach of her? He walked resolutely towards her to...to do what, exactly? He had no clue. He approached her cautiously, wondering whether or not she'd notice him and hex him into the next decade. However, she didn't move a muscle. Her eyes were downcast, as if she was intently studying the floor. All Draco could hear was her steady breathing, far calmer than it had been when she was crying.Suddenly the silence and the fact that she was not reacting to anything at all started to get on Draco's nerves. This was Hermione Granger, for crying out loud. If there was one person who couldn't keep quiet, it was her. Always attentive, always involved, and always wanting to have the last word. The Yule Ball couldn't have stripped that much from her. He found her silence quite uncanny, and he was starting to grow uncomfortable. He decided this was it. He had to break the silence."What's wrong, Granger?" He said, sneering at her. "Did Krum finally see the error of his ways and dump you for a Beauxbaton girl? Or did Potter and Weasley get all jealous that the Quidditch star seeker chose you over them? I mean, that was quite a scene you three caused."Granger didn't even flinch."Malfoy, I am really not in the mood right now," she replied quietly, not bothering to look up at him.He stared at her.What the hell just happened there?