Malfoy is not the best company, distracted by his duties as he is – it isn't that he is rude, or awful, she just doesn't know what to say to him half the time – but he is still company. Silent company who never speaks of anything but the absolute necessities lately, but she likes to see him there. Once he has finished washing away the blood and filth of his work – metaphorical and actual – he emerges silently and his presence both eases and elevates the tension in the room. He settles into routine, Hermione notices, once the first week has passed. She isn't sure if it was a routine he had before, or if it is one that has come about thanks to her presence. The clock on the wall ticks toward 5 o'clock, and she watches it and thinks he will be back soon, and then the routine will begin.