Then he wondered what brought Malfoy and Hermione together. They were different. Hermione was kind, loyal, just, brave. Malfoy was cunning, shrewd... evil. So different. Yet, Ron justified, Hermione saw something to connect to. What was the ground on which they were equal? Intelligence. Hadn’t Hermione said that herself? It was through her conversations with Malfoy that she started seeing him in a different light. Ron couldn’t remember a single time he felt comfortable conversing with Hermione.