A/N:
Written for Round 1 of the 2017 Death By Quill Writing Competition hosted by The Slytherin Cabal (18+) on FB/AO3
The Theme for Round 1 was OBSESSION
Thanks to my beta bentnotbroken1 for the invaluable help! Hope you all enjoy this!
"Auror Programme Trainees please report to Level 2. Auror Programme Trainees please report to Level 2". The magically recorded and diffused voice echoed throughout the Ministry, repeating its message on a loop.
Hermione Granger had been paying for her coffee in the Ministry cafeteria when the announcement sounded. She'd had to grab her disposable cup and fly through the corridors. Once she got to the elevators she launched herself in the closest one, not paying attention to her surroundings and consequently crashing into someone in the process, at least judging by the "Oomph" that followed her triumphal entrance.
The former Gryffindor turned around, an apologetic smile plastered on her face, to see her quiet yet polite course mate, Theodore Nott, holding his ribs with a grimace on his face.
Hermione blushed profusely and muttered apology after apology, while the dark-haired wizard waved his hand and muttered "No worries, Granger, it was only an accident", a small smile gracing his features, "unless it was all a well-orchestrated plan by Weasley. He didn't send you to sabotage me so he'd finally win a sparring duel now, did he?"
Hermione didn't know where to look, she could practically feel the redness crawling up her neck to her cheeks "What?! Nott, I'd-I would never, I mean I-I…you are joking, right?"
Thankfully, the elevator saved her from further embarrassment, finally stopping at their destination, a metallic voice announcing they were at Level 2 as the doors opened. Theodore shook his head and stepped out into the corridor. "Of course I am, Granger." He called back over his shoulder, raising his hand in a salute. "Where's your sense of humour?"
Hermione, on her part, recovered quickly and followed him down the corridor. Once she got to the training room she found Malfoy waiting for her, toying with his wand to pass the time. He had a smirk plastered on his face.
"Well, well. Look who finally decided to show up for practical training…"
Hermione was still a bit flustered by the elevator accident, even though she didn't know why, so she opted for a venomous glare, not trusting the steadiness in her voice, or lack thereof. She noticed Nott chatting amiably with Harry and Zabini, and shook her head, mentally berating herself for her absurd reaction.
"My, Granger…what happened? Kneazle got your tongue?", teased the blond still grinning in a way that Hermione had always found beyond infuriating. She barely acknowledged him and kept throwing glances at Harry and the two former Slytherins. Malfoy followed her line of sight and his grin turned into a knowing smile. "So, my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. You did come out of the elevator right after Theo, all ruffled. Didn't know you had a crush on my best friend…"
Hermione snapped out of her trance "Says the one who has a crush on my best friend".
Her partner blushed furiously and muttered "Beyond the point, Granger. We were talking about you and Theo."
The brunette sighed, exasperated by his persistence "Look, I have no idea what you're talking about. Honestly, Draco…sometimes you do worry me. What did you drink this morning? Ogden's? Me and Nott, that's ridiculous. Why would I be interested in-"
"Because he's smart. No, more than smart…he's challenging. And witty. Not to mention his irony and sarcasm. Plus, he's always been a bit of a nerd, like yourself. And he's in love with books nearly as much as you are. He's on top of our course, so he makes a fine Auror…and he's good looking."
Hermione opened her mouth to retort, only to be shut up by Draco. "He is, Hermione/" – said the blond giving her a pointed look –"give me some credit, will you? Theo is my best mate, not to mention the fact that he's hopelessly straight, but to say he isn't hot is just preposterous."
If they hadn't been told to position themselves in front of their respective partners, in duelling stance, ready to fight, Hermione would have liked to point out that she never said he wasn't a good-looking young man. Quite the contrary…he was a fine specimen. Tall, but not exceedingly so, wild brown locks, cut shorter on the sides and the back, and a little longer on top of his head. Piercing green eyes, not the same green as Harry's, though. Nott's were…a deep, dark green. They were warm and gentle if a bit distant sometimes…as if constantly lost in thought. His skin was pale, even though not even remotely as pale as Draco's, and his nose was splashed with a few light freckles. She had never noticed before today, actually. She thought they were extremely cute. And his lips…well, they were full and they looked so soft and…
"Wait. . Did I just think Theodore Nott's lips look soft? Stupid thing, Hermione. Why do you even listen to your idiotic partner, again? You are NOT interested in Nott, and Draco is just teasing for the sake of it. He's just getting even, what with you finding out he's got the hots for Harry…"
Hermione was still chastising herself for fixating on Draco's words, all the while throwing covert glances (well, at least she thought they were covert) at the object of her thoughts, the momentary object of her thoughts, when Draco playfully scolded her "Eyes on me, Granger! I'm sure there will be plenty of time for you to act on your feelings, but now you're mine to defeat".
Hermione scoffed and shook her head, hoping he wouldn't notice her crimson complexion at the thought of Nott, then took her place in front of him and said "Defeat, Draco? Maybe in your dreams".
And with that they started exchanging hexes and curses, all the while throwing up shields and ducking left and right. Draco was most certainly one of the best duellers she'd ever faced, but she had always beat him through the absurd amount of spells she knew.
Today, though, she was a little distracted. She couldn't help replaying in her head what had happened in the elevator with Nott, as well as Draco's words. He had a point, didn't he? Theodore was good looking, straight (which wasn't to be undervalued, as she'd learnt the previous year after her short-lived and unrequited crush on her current training partner), intelligent and…available? Wait. Was he free? She'd never heard him mention any witch and Draco, who could be a real gossip, never spoke of a girlfriend. "Oh, for Merlin's sake! I must stop thinking about him…. he's just an intelligent, good looking bloke. Why should I even hope to have a chance? This morning he didn't seem particularly flustered. Why wasn't he the tiniest bit uncomfortable? And why the hell was I?"
So engrossed was she in her slightly neurotic thoughts, that she failed to throw up her shield to counter Draco's Stupefy, and before she knew it all went black.
"Ennervate"
"My dear Hermione, the day has finally come. I have kicked your arse during training"
Hermione slowly opened her eyes, thanking all the Gods for the cushioning charms in the sparring area. She could see Draco hovering over her, an extremely satisfied grin plastered on his pointy face.
"Shut up, Malfoy," she groaned while pushing him away.
"Didn't know you were such a sore loser, Granger." Came a voice from behind. She snapped her head towards the sound, finding an amused Theodore Nott there, as well as Ron, Harry and Zabini. She instantly turned crimson red and averted his gaze.
"You alright, Hermione?" asked Ron, while extending his hand to help her up.
"Yeah, yeah. I just got distracted and hadn't got time to cast a Protego" she explained while letting Ron get her to her feet. "Which,"– she then turned towards her partner pointing her index finger- "for the record, can hardly be defined as having my arse kicked, Draco."
He smiled and threw an amused yet indecipherable look at Theodore, then added, "Well, one gets what he can, Hermione, and in any way possible. Remember my dear lioness, I'm still a Slytherin, and this is the Slytherin way".
She couldn't be 100% sure, but she swore she'd heard Theodore whisper "Slytherin way, indeed" on his way out of the training arena.
"-nd I've been asked to write this speech for the 3rd Anniversary….since the Battle, you know. Would you mind giving it a once over? I'd be way more confident if I knew you checked it, Hermione".
Harry had been going on and on about his speech at the Commemorative Ball for at least twenty minutes. Hermione had feigned interest, with a nod here or a "Yeah, sure" there, while in fact, she had been throwing furtive glances at Theodore, who was sitting at a nearby table in the way-too-crowded canteen. Why had she never noticed the delicate way he moved his hands while he spoke? Or the way he smiled gently when something amused him? Not to mention his voice. Why had she never noticed he had such a sexy voice?
"Yeah, sure Harry."
"Oh, thank you, Hermione! You're the best. Honestly, I know I might be stressing too much over this, but I really want to do justice to all the fallen, and what better way than commemorating them at the best of my abilities? I mean, it's the least I could do to honour their memories, right?"
She could hear Harry speaking to her, but she couldn't focus on his words. She was too busy studying the man across the room. She just couldn't believe she had never noticed how utterly appealing Theodore Nott was. Hermione couldn't tear her eyes off him, vaguely aware of the fact that her cheeks had to be permanently crimson, especially since he caught her staring more than once. The annoying thing, though, was the fact that he never seemed to acknowledge her. It was downright embarrassing. Her so flustered and him hardly bothered by their "accidental" eye locks. But then why had she had the impression that his whispered sentence in the training arena was for her to hear? Maybe she had misinterpreted his behaviour. Had she? Merlin, he was worse than a bloody riddle!
"Hermione?" Harry's voice broke her from her musings.
"Yeah, yes. Totally, Harry."
"Good, good. I mean, the Ball itself will be perfect to honour their memories, no doubt about it. I just think the speech could be the icing on the cake. Not because I will be the one giving it, mind that. I honestly think it would be a solemn moment, whoever the orator. Oh, by the way…have you gotten yourself a date, Hermione?".
He was a Slytherin, though. Slytherins were never bothered. And if they were, they hid it well. She had learnt from Draco that showing the others they had weaknesses was the worst sin a Slytherin could commit. So why was she hoping to read something into Theo's eyes? And did she refer to him as Theo? She had to stop staring at the brunet. The stimulating, sensual brunet. Oh, Merlin. Did she just think he was sensual?
"Oh, yeah. You're right"
"Oh, am I now?" –said Harry cocking his eyebrow and finally giving up on trying to engage his best friend in a coherent conversation- "And did I mention the fact that yesterday I dragged Malfoy to Knockturn Alley, we paid for a gigolo and we finally tried a menage à trois?"
Well, the fact was that Theo was sensual. Oh, Merlin…that meant Malfoy was right. She couldn't stop fixating over Theodore Nott. Wait…did Harry just say menage à trois?! Belatedly realising her mistake she finally locked eyes with her best friend, who was smirking and shaking his head.
"Oh, I'm sorry Harry!" she rushed to apologise, "I don't know what came over me today, my head simply isn't here. I feel a little…confused." She buried her head in her hands and her friend patted on her back reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Hermione. We all have those days sometimes. I'll just grab you a nice cup of coffee, it will help you focus!" and he flew to the other side of the canteen before she could thank him for his thoughtfulness.
She'd hardly drawn a breath, when Draco slid in the seat next to hers, leaning over to whisper, "Granger, Granger, Granger…obsessing much?" and chuckling darkly in her right ear. Hermione barely had time to gather her thoughts, that the blond was already on his feet, an evil little smirk plastered on his face.
Honestly, did he live to torment her? He was the most infuriating friend she had. He was lucky she had such a bleeding heart, otherwise, she wouldn't have played matchmaker and he wouldn't have ended up dating who had been his dream boy since school.
She was not obsessing over anyone.
Inaccurate. False. Untrue.
Only, she was. Theodore was sipping on what looked like Butterbeer while placidly talking with Zabini and she literally couldn't tear her eyes off him. What the bloody hell was happening? She wasn't like that. She didn't lose her head. She didn't spend her lunch break drooling over hot, seductive wizards. Hermione Granger did none of those things and Theodore had just gotten up and…where was he going now? She had to find out.
Hermione hastily grabbed her robes and bag and made to follow him, all the while hoping he hadn't noticed her sudden interest. She'd have to apologise to Harry for leaving like that, but she was sure her friend would understand.
She was so focused on Theo's back that she failed to notice the glance he exchanged with a very smug Malfoy, who was leaning on a wall near the exit of the Ministry canteen.
She'd been discreetly following him for more than ten minutes, walking through so many corridors and levels she wasn't entirely sure where she was.
And then, all of a sudden she'd found herself in a narrow, dim corridor. One she'd never seen before, actually. The lights were dancing on the walls, giving the long hallway an eerie look. Theo had disappeared into thin air and she had found herself alone in the semi-dark. The best course of action would've been to turn around and walk back to the Auror Quarters, but Gryffindors were well-known for throwing themselves into situations head first and, intelligent as she was, Hermione was still also very much a Gryffindor.
Which was precisely why she had taken a step forward, daring to face the dark passageway ahead.
Just because she was fascinated. Nothing more. She simply wanted to see if he'd noticed her, if he'd ever remotely entertained the idea of going out on a date with her. Or kiss her. On her part she'd spent pretty much the most part of her day fixated on his lips and how they'd feel on hers.
She'd only taken a couple of steps when a strong hand pulled her inside an alcove. She couldn't contain a small scream, that reverberated through the empty hall. "Shhhh, Granger," Theodore whispered sensually, breathing hot air on her sensitive neck, "or someone might hear you".
Hermione was too surprised to form a coherent sentence. "How did you-I mean, I was-You were-I just-I mean…what's going on?"
Theodore laughed huskily, slightly tilting his head backwards in the process. He then straightened himself back and leant over, stopping a few millimetres from her mouth. "Well, I am the one who's been followed around, so you tell me."
Hermione could feel her cheeks flaming, and only managed to whisper "I think I might've spent the whole day thinking about you and our encounter in the elevator. And I'm sorry I've been a bit of a cree-"
But she never got to finish that sentence, since Theo crashed his lips- the lips she'd spent a great deal fantasizing about- on hers, kissing her passionately. He had one hand in her unruly hair, pulling her even closer. Tsk, as if she had any intention to move away.
His lips moved even more sensually than she thought they would and his smell, a mix of pine and mint, was downright intoxicating. She soon remembered she had hands too and she raised them, hooking one behind his neck and using the other to grab his brown locks, a moan escaping from her lips when she felt how soft they were.
After what could have been either an eternity or a few seconds they parted and he finally gazed into her eyes. "Believe me, Hermione, your little and new-found obsession over me is nothing compared to mine over you," he said grazing her chin with his fingers.
Hermione shivered and leant into his touch, and the dark-haired wizard smiled deviously "I can't believe I owe that bastard for finally having you in my arms".
Hermione blinked rapidly, not entirely sure who he was referring to. "Wha-what bastard?".
"Draco, of course."
Hermione narrowed her eyes "Wait. What do you mean Dra-oh. Oh. This was all planned, wasn't it?"
Theo smiled "Indeed it was, Hermione. Sometimes you need someone to point out the obvious, in order for you to open your eyes and act on it. Don't you agree?"
Hermione suddenly noticed she had her mouth open. She'd just been played by a couple of Slytherins. Not that she minded, of course. Without their devious plan, she'd never have realised she was a little more than attracted to Theo, she'd never have decided to follow him there and they probably wouldn't have kissed.
"I do, I do. This doesn't change the fact that you're a little sneak!"
Theodore smirked and closed the distance between them, then whispered "I'm no Draco Malfoy, but I am a Slytherin too and this, my beautiful lioness, is the Slytherin way." before claiming her lips in another passionate kiss and stealing away all her rational thoughts.