Hermione's Racing Thoughts

Hermione looked up at the sound of footsteps. Draco Malfoy just stepped off the lift and was walking over to the Aurors' department, his head hanging like he was thinking of something unpleasant. He passed all of the stations until he arrived at his, in the far back. She continued to watch as he pulled out his chair and sat down. She observed as he picked up a photograph, sorrow evident on his face. A couple of minutes passed and Harry turned to him.

"Draco looks so unhappy today," Hermione observed. "Harry is such an idiot, only asking him if he is tired when clearly there is something upsetting him. Although...I suppose it is better than what they used to do. And, it's definitely not okay for anyone to nose around in someone's personal life. I need to focus on my work, but I can't get the look on Malfoy's face out of my head. There's something different about him today. What could it be?"

Hermione stared straight ahead with her eyes unfocused, thoughts racing through her mind.

"Come on, Hermione, what is different?"

Once again, lifting her eyes ever so slightly, she eyed Draco as he picked up one of his photos for the second time. Months ago she glanced at the photos but could only vaguely recall them. She frowned as she tried to remember them.

"Let me see, I know one was from his wedding. I remember that one because Lucius and Narcissa were in it. I know another was of his wife, Astoria. She came here to talk to him once, and she definitely fits the description of who the Malfoys would want Draco to marry. What was the last one of?"

Hermione peeked at him again, and to her great surprise, saw tears in his eyes. Never in her years of knowing Draco Malfoy had she witnessed him shed a tear. She realised she had been watching him way too long and quickly looked down again.

"Something terrible must have happened to make Malfoy cry. And the way he is holding those photos, it seems like..."

She was struck with a thought.

"It's Astoria. It has to be. Did she die? What happened to her?"

Hermione finished, in record time, the mountain of paperwork on the Nottingham cases. Harry and Draco were halfway finished, and Ron fell asleep one-fourth of the way through. She looked at Ron whose desk was two down from hers on the left and rolled her eyes. Rolling up a copy of The Daily Prophet, she whacked Ron on the back.

He jerked awake like an alarm went off, and when he sat up, there was a paper stuck to his face from lying on it.

"Wha-What? Wassgoinon?" His unfocused eyes found Hermione who was facing him in her chair, her arms and legs crossed.

"Ronald Weasley, you couldn't stay awake, could you?"

Ron probed the small portion of work actually completed on his desk, looking guilty.

"No! I finis--" He yawned, bringing his hands up to rub his eyes.

Hermione chuckled. "Nevermind, Ron. Do have fun tonight, finishing it up, though! You know they need those reports finished by tomorrow morning." She pointed to the papers he had.

"Harry and Malfoy didn't finish..." He muttered, looking defeated.

At the mention of Malfoy, Hermione's eyes darted to him, then back at Ron.

"Well, they're close. Aren't you, Harry?" She accused him.

Harry laughed. "Yes, Mum."