They continued to dance in silence after that, Hermione was hyper-aware of the tip of his pinky finger brushing the fabric of her dress as they moved in perfect complement to each other. While Hermione often saw Malfoy, they very rarely interacted. She understood his connection with Harry and due to their now many mutual friends, they frequently found themselves in the same location at the same time. Their first few encounters had been awkward, with both parties barely acknowledging the other’s presence. Eventually, the novelty of being around each other had worn off, but they still mainly avoided each other. The closest they had ever come to having a conversation had occurred at this same gala the first year Hermione had come. 