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Draco Malfoy looked on from afar across the Great Hall. His seat at the Slytherin table had a perfect view of its neighbor, the Gryffindor table, and its irksome occupants. One in particular always seemed to draw his attention, even when he fought to tear his eyes away.
Her bushy hair had settled sometime in the last few years to a more manageable volume and her teeth hadn't been huge since first year. But more than that, Granger seemed to become more assertive and had formed an air of sharpness around her. She had always been different to everyone around her...
And he couldn't stand it. Draco Malfoy had a lot of things he couldn't stand about Hermione Granger, things he hated.
One. He hated the way she always knew the answer to everything. She had to have a word said in every lesson. Her know it all attitude given to anyone who hadn't read five chapters ahead was infuriating. In class it would be her hand in the air first, practically waving it around as though her bloody arm was on fire. He was surprised that she had yet to take anyone out with her flailing limb. Although it was only a matter of time. It never mattered the subject, the teacher (although Uncle Snape did avoid calling on her most of the time), or the dirty looks or sniggers it earned her, Granger was ready to answer. He could see it when she realized she knew the answer. The way a spark lit inside her eyes, making them gleam. He hated it.
Two. He hated that quick wit of hers. Always rising to defend her so called friends that couldn't be bothered to do the same for her when others picked on her. She would stick her nose in any argument he and Potter got into, most of the time he was winning, and then she came in. And then she mucked it all up. Coming to defend her friend and insulting him in the same breath, usually leaving him struggling for a good comeback and looking a fool. And a Malfoy should never resemble a fool of any kind. Especially when it came to her kind. And yet he found himself in that position often, watching as the air around her was charged with energy as her emotions rose in defense. It made everything feel more intense. And he hated it.
Three. He hated that right hook of hers. Enough said.
Four. He hated that Granger had impeccable aim, while using a spell or otherwise (see reason three). Whether aiming at a physical target or aiming for a goal in her studies, Granger never missed and often surpasses her aims while everyone else struggled to be average. He hated her for it.
Five. It seemed that no matter how hard classes or life became, Granger always had a way to keep herself together. She would turn to books in every case. Stressful workload? Books. Potter can't solve this problem? Books. The world outside is going to hell in a hand basket? Books. She could ignore or solve everything with a book. Because books made her feel powerful and secure and so damn happy. Happiness that apparently no one could inspire in her otherwise, but it still kept her from cracking under hardships. Something he could never do no matter what he tried. He hated that too.
Six. She was a Mudb-Muggleborn nobody from a nobody family and didn't know a single thing about magic until she was eleven! He, a Pureblood heir from an important family, one that went back centuries and always grew up around magic should have had the advantage. But no, she had taken those too. Both of them had returned to Hogwarts after the war to finish their education. She was getting offers left, right, and center for jobs and apprenticeships after graduation. Her world was open before her, big and wide. His was nothing of the sort. Despite his excellent scores, no one wanted a Malfoy near them, even one that had been pardoned. Everyone wanted the Brightest Witch of the Age. Muggleborn or not. He hated her for it.
Seven. She was powerful and confident despite her hardships. Despite people always trying to get her to conform to being less because of her birth, she still pushed forward. She rose above the darkness and the hate. She became the person she wanted to be. The person he himself never had the courage to be. His family pressures were too great in the end for him to break away from. Though that's not her fault, it never was. And he hates that it took so long to figure that out. Because what he really, really, really hated about Hermione Granger was that deep down, he didn't hate her at all.