his eyes found hers within an instant and fixed there despite the swarm of activity swirling around her. everything around her seemed to slow to a halt, the stress and commotion melting away under his burning gaze. slowly, he raised a palm to offer her a diminutive wave and a lopsided grin, and she returned it with a tiny wave of her own from where her hands lay folded primly in her lap. as his palm rose higher to card through his hair, hermione couldn’t help but notice the slight flush that had drawn up his neck.