Michael winced and started as if he had been slapped in the face. He felt the blood leave his face at Lavender's reaction - hurt, but completely unable to blame her. Hell, how often had he looked in the mirror and seen the same look of horror on his own face? How often had he looked into his eyes and tried to discern a spark of evil?
Then Lavender continued talking and gradually her words made sense to him again. In fact, it was more her tone, almost scolding, that caught his attention and snapped him out of it. Michael raised his eye to meet Lavender's and was surprised that she didn't do all the things he feared her to do. She wasn't repulsed from the looks of it. A sudden warmth flooded him and Michael feared he was quickly going from being deadly pale to a fiery blush.
"You...you are..," Michael reached out impulsively and cupped her cheek in his hands, keeping their gazes locked. "You're a lot more than people give you credit for, Lavender Brown." She was a lot more than he had given her credit for. Certainly a lot more than the mere giggling Gryffindor people liked to perceive her as.