A/N: Holy smokes! I am completely FLOORED by the response to Shifts so far! I don't think any story I've written has garnered more than 20 reviews on the first chapter. So, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart! You've all made me deliciously giddy.
I love fluff. Do you? If so, let the fluff begin!
Standard Disclaimers Apply!
….
Hermione thoroughly ignored her classmates as she flew down the stairs and out Gryffindor tower. Had she paid attention, she would've seen many confused stares, heard quiet whispers and would've seen one Lavender Brown carefully dabbing at Ron's head with a wet cloth.
Clutching her wand so tightly in her hand that her knuckles were turning white, Hermione made her way through the halls until she was standing at the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black once more. She wrapped her knuckles against the door next to the portrait and waited, bouncing on her feet, the silk of her borrowed pajamas whispering against her.
Inside of the dormitory, Theo cocked an eyebrow at Pansy as he took a bite from his apple. "A fuh ih at?" He asked the witch as his teeth gnashed at the fruit's delightfully sweet flesh. There were remarkably few people who knew the location of their dormitory and even fewer who might be knocking at this hour of the morning.
Turning another page in her copy of Witch Weekly, Pansy motioned towards the door with a lazy wave of her hand. "How should I know?" she muttered. "Go find out." She drew the publication closer to her face to study one of the pictures, leaving Theo to find out what was going on.
With a roll of his eyes and another bite of his apple, Theo hopped up from the couch and crossed the room. He swung the door open and leaned against the doorframe, running a hand through his still damp hair. He stopped in his tracks, apple in his mouth, hand in his hair, as he took in the sight before him. A very angry Hermione Granger was standing outside of his door.
He gave her a cheeky grin and swallowed the apple in his mouth. "Well, hello there, little lioness," he said with a cheerful tone. His body stiffened when he caught sight of a flash of red on her neck and his smile fell. Before she could say anything, he hooked his finger under her chin and tilted her head to the side to get a better look at her neck.
"Oh fuck." He cursed under his breath, immediately swinging the door open and wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders as he ushered the seething witch inside.
After hearing Theo close the door, Pansy glanced up over the edge of her magazine. "Oh, hey Granger." She said with little regard before she caught the look of fury on Theo's face. The witch at his side was apparently seething with rage, though Theo didn't appear to be the cause of it. Her eyes trailed down Hermione's arm where she was four nearly perfectly oval purpling bruises. Fingerprints.
"Shit." Pansy threw her magazine down on the nearby side table and grabbed her wand, crossing the room to where Theo had settled Hermione on the couch. She caught sight of the dark red blood at Hermione's neck and gingerly lifted her curls away from the wound on her neck. The bruising on her arms would have to wait.
Pansy began to siphon off the blood off of Hermione's neck with her wand as she scolded Theo. "Why is it that every time you bring her in here, she's covered in blood, Theodore?"
Hermione spoke before Theo could reply. "At least it wasn't his fault this time." Her teeth were clenched and her hands were balled into fists, wand still gripped tightly.
As the wound was cleaned, Pansy could make out the perfect indentations and arch of a set of teeth. "Who did this to you, Granger?" Pansy asked, the tone of fury in her voice easily matching that of Hermione's.
"Ronald." She spat. "He managed to weasel his way into this castle for a Quidditch game and found me in the common room when I went back to the tower." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest as her lips snarled into a look of utter disgust.
Releasing a dangerous growl, Theo hurled the core of his apple across the room, it landing with a loud thud against someone's bedroom door. He grabbed his wand from the nearby table and furiously began to march towards the door.
"I'll kill him." Theo muttered, considering all of the ways he could easily spread Weasley's entrails over the lawns surrounding the castle. "That ginger prick is as good as dead."
It was Pansy's quick thinking that kept Theo from leaving the dormitory. She pointed her wand at the raging wizard and muttered a spell, causing him to stop abruptly in his tracks. It was as though his feet were glued to the floor and he flailed about, trying to keep his balance.
Theo growled in frustration as he started trying to figure out the incantation to release himself, though for all of his swishing and flicking, he was still thoroughly stuck in place.
Pansy ignored him, placing the her wand near the bite mark on Hermione's neck watching as the skin slowly knitted back together, still oozing a few droplets of blood.
"Release the goddamn spell, Pansy." Theo knew plenty of dark spells in order to accomplish the job and the thought of anyone hurting Granger made him want to commit murder in her defense. The thought of hunting down Weasley and demonstrating his vast knowledge of Dark Magic against his person was pleasing. He was even willing to risk a stint in Azkaban for the witch.
Pansy kept an eye on the wound at Hermione's neck as she disarmed Theo, sending his wand flying into her hand.
He growled angrily at the raven-haired witch. "Give me back my wand, sparrow." Theo warned even as he attempted a wandless accio on his wand without success.
Pasny gingerly lifted one of Hermione's arms so she could examine the bruising, noting the clear indentations of the fingers which had held onto her so tightly. It made Pansy feel sick to her stomach.
"I'm not letting you get sent to Azkaban over the Weasel. He's not worth it."
Pansy met Hermione's eyes, realizing the very likely possibility that there would be other bruses upon her person. "Did he –"
"No." Hermione said abruptly. She knew exactly what Pansy was asking and immediately refuted the accusation, though she wasn't sure it wouldn't have come to that if she hadn't been able to stupefy him.
"Oh, that Merlin." Pansy sighed in relief, standing up from where she had been sitting. "I'm just going to pop into the kitchen to get the bruise cream." She said, retrieving a small jar of cream from the cupboard as Theo continued to shift and writhe in place, muttering obscenities under his breath.
A new voice laced with exhaustion and anger greeted them from the back of the dormitory. "Does someone want to explain what is going on?" Hermione turned her head to see that Draco Malfoy had exited his room, which Hermione now recognized at the door the apple had hit. He was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his bare chest, wand held tightly in one of his hands. His hair was mussed and his pajama pants were slung low on his hips. At the sight of him, her breath caught in her throat.
Pansy managed to disarm Draco just as Theo shouted "Granger was attacked!" Pansy held both of their wants tightly in her hands, her eyes flitting back and forth between the two males, knowing exactly how Theo's statement would affect Draco. He was equally likely to fly off into a rage as Theo had done.
Hermione scrambled to the door and spread her arms across the ancient wood as though her petite frame would effectively block two much taller wizards from leaving their own dormitory. Theo sent Draco a pleading look as he crossed the room with cautious strides, his face marked with rage, though his movements were eerily calm. He stopped just in front of her and carefully crooked a finger beneath her chin, tilting her head. He examined the slowly healing wound at her neck before her eyes found the bruises on her arm.
Draco traced a finger just to the side of the bruises in a gentle caress even as Hermione stood frozen against the door, her mind a flurry of emotions that left little room for coherent thoughts.
Draco's voice was laced with an eerie calm, despite the look of rage which had so recently marred his features. "Please release Theo, Pansy. He won't be going anywhere."
Hermione felt the whisper of magic as Pansy released the sticking charm which was holding Theo in place and he quickly crossed the room to stand next to Draco. They bore matched looks of concern as they towered over her.
Theo grasped Draco's hand as the two of them watched her closely before Draco spoke to her in a calm, gentle voice. "You live with us now, Granger. Do you understand?" Theo's hand went to her shoulder as Draco's fingertips trailed lightly up and down her arm. The tone with which he said the words left no doubt in Hermione's mind that saying "no" was not an option. If she examined herself too closely, she would've found that she didn't want to say no. This was the third monumental shift in her small world within the past few hours and Hermione was struggling to keep up with the emotional strain it was taking on her.
The weight of Draco's gaze upon her sent a shiver up her spine as though he were peering directly into her soul. She acquiesced with a nod and felt her entire body relax against the door. Draco backed away from her slowly, pulling Theo with him and as their hands left her arms she suddenly felt somewhat empty.
Draco squeezed Theo's hand as if it were the answer to an unspoken question as his silver eyes met Theo's blue. Releasing Theo's hand, Draco snatched his wand out of Pansy's hand and sauntered back into his room, closing the door behind him.
Gathering the witch in his arms, Theo pressed her petite frame against his chest and held her for a minute before slowly leading her back over to the couch so Pansy could finish tending to her wounds. Hermione's eyes were as wild as her hair as Theo released a little chuckle and tenderly stroked her unruly curls. "Stop getting yourself into trouble, pretty witch."
….
Hermione wasn't at all ashamed to admit that she had studied her new housemates in detail over the past two days. Pansy had helped her settled into the room that had been set aside for Daphne Greengrass and had even drawn her a bath and lent her a jumper and skirt until Hermione could return to Gryffindor Tower to gather the clothing she had left in her trunk.
Hermione had arranged her books on the shelves and set out a few knickknacks and photographs in the room. Of course, any photos of Ron were left in her beaded bag. Her room had a window which overlooked a rather pretty part of the grounds and it caught the light from the sun in the mornings. She had set up a little reading nook near the window and it soon felt like home.
Hermione had no desire to return to Gryffindor tower and was thankful for the hospitality of the three Slytherins. Living here offered her significantly more privacy and served to feed her curious nature. Her new housemates were fascinating and she wasted no time in thoroughly studying them.
On the surface, Theo was the easiest for Hermione to read, but she knew there was more beyond what he showed. Oddly enough, Theo showed his mood by the apples he consumed. Tart, green apples meant Theo was in a relative good mood while the sweeter red varietals meant he was irritated about something. Luckily, he ate green more than red most days and she wasn't even sure he realized if his choice in apples was a conscious one.
Theo was very playful and lighthearted, but intensely studious at the same time. He used terms of endearment more than names and they all seemed to convey some sort of deeper meaning. He consistently referred to Pansy as "sparrow" while his use of "love" for Draco was almost always when he was speaking to Draco in hushed tones. Hermione didn't know from one moment to the next if she would be "pretty witch", "little lioness," or something else he came up with at random.
Despite only having effectively known Theo for about two days, he was easy in his affections and playful teasing though it was clear he was much more relaxed around Pansy and Draco. If Theo became upset or irritated about something, it was always Pansy who intervened and calmed the wizard down. She was surprised to find that it was never Draco who took that despite the closeness between the two wizards which appeared to extend significantly beyond friendship.
While Theo was studious, he was more so an artist which Hermione found rather surprising. When Pansy had invited in Hermione into her room to lend her a jumper, Hermione had noticed a beautifully painted picture of a sparrow in flight which hung above her bed signed T. Nott.
While Theo seemed to be a relatively open book, Pansy was much more closed off, though not quite as much as Draco. Pansy was studious in her own ways but it took effort to see beyond what she chose to project. On the surface, Pansy projected the appearance of a shallow, vapid witch and was often seen primping her hair in a mirror or charming her nails different colors. She was rarely without a copy of Witch Weekly, though her texts on healing were often quite near as well.
Pansy alternated between being just as crass as Draco and Theo and scolding them for it. She bickered with both boys as though they were siblings and Hermione suspected the trio had grown up together with how easy their interactions were. At one point, she thought the three of them might be lovers until she saw Pansy make a gagging face as Draco kissed her on the cheek after one particularly heated discussion. That thoroughly squashed that notion.
Hermione suspected the more she got to know Pansy, the more they would be fast friends. Pansy was wickedly smart with a sharp sense of humor. She radiated strength even when she was acting like a perfect pureblood princess, but there was an air of insecurity there as well.
It was Draco, however, who was a thorough enigma and the moment Hermione thought she had a grasp on exactly who he was, he went and completely threw her off course. He kept his distance from her after that first morning when he informed her that she was their newest housemate which surprised her. If she thought hard enough, she could almost feel the soft caress on her arm from that day.
When she interacted with Draco, he was always polite and cordial but there was always something holding them back from being easy with one another and Hermione suspected it had to do with their tenuous history. She could tell he wanted to move past everything but both of them seemed to be at a loss for how to truly make that leap. She would sometime catch him staring at her, but he would immediately turn away and bury himself in whatever task he was doing. There were other times where he would tease her almost as Theo would and then immediately draw back as though she was made of fiendfyre. He was thoroughly perplexing.
Of the trio of Slytherins, Draco was the most studious. His nose was almost always tucked in a book with a pair of delicately framed reading glasses resting atop his nose. His fingertips were often stained with ink, much as hers were, as he took notes about what he read.
Then, there were times where he simply disappeared for hours at a time and he came back looking peaceful, refreshed, and windswept. Hermione suspected he was off flying or at Quiddtich practice, but neither Theo nor Pansy confirmed her suspicions.
Given how much she had picked up about them over the past two days, Hermione wondered what they had learned about her in such a short amount of time.
The quartet mostly stayed secluded in their dormitory over the weekend, but Monday brought a need for breakfast in the Great Hall before classes began.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Hermione crawled out of her bed and wandered into the bathroom where she washed her face and brushed her teeth. She donned her uniform with its regulation length skirt, bulky jumper, and simple, practical black shoes. She plaited her curls into a long braid which fell over one shoulder and applied a glamour to the fading mark on her neck. She hadn't felt the need to cover it while she was in the dormitory with the Slytherins, but she didn't want to answer any awkward questions if anyone were to see it. The nearly-faded bruises on her arms would be covered by her jumper, if not her oxford.
Slipping on her robes, Hermione grabbed her satchel and made her way out of the dormitory. It didn't appear that any of her housemates were ready for breakfast yet, but she did hear the sound of at least one of the showers running, so someone was at least awake.
Hermione made her way down to a mostly deserted Great Hall save for a few students here and there and one very tired looking Professor Sinistra presiding over the head table and deposited her book bag on the bench next to her before grabbing a chocolate croissant and some fruit. The calming scent of English Breakfast wafted through the air as she poured herself a cup before savoring the taste of the chocolate coupled with the buttery croissant. Following the delectable bite with a strawberry only served to sweeten the taste.
She languidly ate her breakfast while perusing a book she had retrieved from the library on Arabic Runes until she felt a pair of arms encircle her from behind. Whoever was behind her released a girlish squeal which managed to both thrill her and grate on her nerves.
"Good morning, Ginny."
"Where on earth have you been, Hermione?" Ginny asked as she settled down next to Hermione on the bench at the table and began piling her plate with bacon, sausage, toast, and eggs.
"I've not left the castle." Hermione vaguely replied.
"I was so close to going to McGonagall when you didn't show for two days. Ron and Harry were here and you missed them."
Hermione felt a pang of sadness at missing Harry, but her temper flared at hearing Ron's name. "I assure you, I didn't miss seeing Ronald," she said through clenched teeth which made Ginny flinch.
"Whoa, what happened? Did you two fight again?" Ginny asked, popping a piece of bacon in her mouth while also managing to look thoroughly concerned for her friend.
"You could say that," Hermione trailed off as she noticed Theo walking toward their table. "But it's not something I really want to talk about right now."
Ginny nodded, knowing she would get the story out of Hermione before too long. "I get it. That still doesn't explain where you've been for the past two days, though. No one has been able to find you."
"I've… changed living arrangements." Hermione said in another vague attempt to avoid giving Ginny too much information in the middle of breakfast. She would much rather divulge the entire story somewhere in private.
"What?" Ginny said with a mouthful of toast. "What does that even mean?"
Theo had finally reached Hermione's table and sank down on the bed next to the witch, grabbing a green apple from the basket of fruit on the table.
"It means she's rooming with us, ginger." Theo said with a cheeky grin. Ginger. Clearly, Theo had already accepted Ginny since he'd given her a nickname.
"Oh, buzz off, Nott." Ginny said with an annoyed look and a dismissive wave of her hand. She had clearly not been as accepted of Theo's presence. "Aren't you at the wrong table?"
"Nope." Theo chuckled with amusement and took a bite of his apple. "House unity and all of that tripe." He said with a wink towards the red-headed witch before turning his attentions back to Hermione.
"Can I walk you to class, princess?"
Giving Ginny an apologetic look, Hermione shook her head with a laugh. "He means well, Gin. You'll get used to him."
Ginny sputtered, nearly sending crumbs of toast all over the table. "What? What do you mean I'll get used to him?" She pressed the back of her hand to Hermione's forehead. "Did you get knocked in the head or something?"
Theo snickered, knowing a head injury was exactly what had brought the two of them together, which earned him another cold stare from Ginny.
Placing a placating hand atop Ginny's shoulder and giving her a smile, Hermione calmly said, "I promise I'll explain everything later, Ginny. Somewhere more private." She placed particular emphasis on the last word and Ginny's eyes lit up as though it were Christmas as the prospect of secrets and suspected trysts. Hermione would have to crush her spirits later when she told her exactly what her brother did, but for now she thought it best to let Ginny make assumptions about her and Theo.
Ginny smirked as Hermione rose from the table, gathering up her satchel and draping it across her body. "I want details, 'Mione."
"Later," Hermione said as Theo gestured towards the doors leading out of the Great Hall.
"After you, princess."
As they walked away from the Gryffindor table, Theo munched happily on his apple while Hermione looked over at the Slytherin table. Pansy appeared to be thoroughly engaged in conversation with Astoria Greengrass. The pointing and girlish giggles at something on the table led Hermione to the conclusion that there was some new sordid tale in today's copy of Witch Weekly. Draco had a book open in front of him and a bagel in his hand, though his eyes were trained on Hermione and Theo with his face in the unreadable mask he so often wore when outside of the sanctuary that was their dormitory. Theo flashed Draco a reassuring smile over Hermione's shoulder as the pair continued their stride towards the doors leading out of the Great Hall. While she missed Theo's reassurance towards Draco, she didn't miss the stares and whispers from the other students which were beginning to grow louder and more frequent.
"What is this all about, Theo?"
Placing his hand against the small of her back, Theo leaned over and pressed his lips against the curve of her ear in an act of intimacy. "We're watching out for you, little lioness. It's what friends do."
The tone of his voice and his proximity sent a shiver up her spine, though she groaned her response. "I don't need a babysitter, Theo. I'm a big, strong witch. Even helped take down a big dark wizard just a few months ago."
Theo chuckled.
"I can take care of myself, thank you very much." She nearly pushed him away from her and tossed her nose in the air before she thought better of it. "Besides, he's not even here."
Theo chuckled lightly and pulled her into his side, his arm resting around her waist as they finally passed through the doors of the Great Hall, a sea of whispers erupting behind the pair. "We never said you weren't, pretty witch."
"If you pull me any closer, Theodore, people are going to think we're together or something." She chided, keeping her voice low so as not to attract any further attention, though she knew the mere act of them being in such close proximity was doing just that.
"Would that be so bad, my lioness? I'm quite the ardent lover." He teased, his lips fluttering against her ear, causing a crimson flush to spread across Hermione's cheeks. She knew anyone watching would think there was something beyond simple platonic friendship between them.
Hermione promptly wiggled out of his grip and began to walk more quickly towards her first class, hearing him chuckle darkly behind her knowing he could easily catch up with her if he wanted to.
"You're impossible." She muttered just loud enough for Theo to hear as she turned the corner, running straight into the muscular chest of one Ronald Weasley. At first she didn't realize exactly who she had run into until the scent of his cologne started to make her feel physically ill. She felt his strong arms grip her and she mentally flashed back to the morning two days ago where he had roughly shoved her against the wall and attempted to mark her.
"Where have you been?" He hissed in a low, threatening tone.
"Why are you here?" Hermione started, fixing her eyes on his defiantly, thankful for the thick jumper between her arms and his hands.
"You're not supposed to be here. You're supposed to be in training with Harry and I suggest you make that happen before McGonagall finds out you never left." She wouldn't let him intimidate her, especially when he had no business being on school property any longer given that the Quiddtich match was nearly two days ago.
"Let go of me, Ronald. I have to get to class."
Ron breathed out a sigh and loosened his grip slightly. "Hermione, I'm sorry."
"Good. You should be. Your behavior was inexcusable." Hermione scolded, keeping eye contact and standing her ground. There was absolutely no way she would let him weasel his way back into her good graces after what he did to her.
Just as Ron started to speak again, Theo approached the pair, his previously lighthearted smile replaced by the look of rage she had seen on his face the day she had come back bleeding and bruised.
Hermione didn't know how he was remaining so calm. "I believe the lady asked you to release her, Weasley. I suggest you do so. Now."
Ron's possessive grip on Hermione tightened once more and she bit her bottom lip to keep from whimpering. Theo caught her eyes and she saw his eyes darken as he reached for his wand.
"Get your Death Eater nose out of it, Nott." Ron sneered as he tried to turn Hermione around and escort her down the hallway. Hermione attempted to resist and ended up with her back pressed against yet another wall.
"This is your last warning, Weasley. Take your hands off of Hermione." Theo seethed through clenched teeth as he trained his wand on the other wizard.
Ron laughed coldly and squared his shoulders, leaning over the slightly shorter man threateningly as he continued to maintain his grip on Hermione. He was just about to say something when his face began to look very green. His grip on Hermione loosed enough for her to side step him and cross the short space over to where Theo was standing. Ron began retching and was soon vomiting up several slugs as he leaned against the stone corridor.
Hermione put on her best impression of Draco's cold gaze and sneered down at the retching redhead. "You listen to me and you listen good, Ronald Weasley. You will leave right this moment or I will ruin any and every chance you ever had of becoming an auror and see you locked in Azkaban for what you did to me."
He scampered away leaving a trail of slugs in his wake as Pansy made her way to Theo's side having witnessed the majority of the ordeal. She whispered calming words into Theo's ear and his body started to relax as Hermione stood to the side, taking her own deep breaths to help her calm down. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Draco had come up behind her.
On the surface, he appeared detached though his eyes spoke of great concern. "Granger."
Hermione drew another deep breath and looked over her shoulder at Theo who gave her a nod indicating he was fine. "Malfoy." Hermione said, returning the greeting.
Draco withdrew his hand from her shoulder and motioned in the direction of their first class. "After you." He said politely in a low, drawling tone. The pair continued down the corridor, side stepping slugs here and there in a companionable silence. Draco opened the door to allow her to pass through the door and chose the seat next to her at a table near the front of the classroom. A seemingly calmer Theo joined them a few moments later and took the seat next to Draco.
When Professor Vector was occupied with other students or drawing an arithmantical matrix she had yet to explain, Hermione took the time to observe Draco and Theo in a public setting. They were much more open in private but she was now able to notice the subtle ways they showed they cared in public. Theo leaned slightly closer to Draco when discussing an equation while Draco fingertips linger just a bit longer than they should have when passing Theo a bottle of ink. Their eyes showed a level of care while their expressions appeared neutral.
When they looked at her when the trio were required to work a complex arithmantical equation and chart the resulting matrix and probabilities together she noticed that the way they looked at her was exceedingly similar to the way they looked at each other. If they noticed the flush to her cheeks when she made that connection, they didn't say anything.
What had she gotten herself into?
….
September shifted into October bringing promises of falling leaves, apple cider, and pumpkin pasties. Hermione confided in Ginny as to where she had been staying so the ginger haired witch wouldn't worry after telling the redhead about everything that had happened with her brother. Ginny was nearly as enraged as the Slytherins has been and promptly sent her brother several Howlers, barred him from all future Quidditch games at Hogwarts, and enlisted the help of George to slip in a few Puking Pastilles and Nosebleed Nougat disguised as Honeydukes Chocolates into the care packages she knew her mother sent.
While Hermione and Ginny had never been too close given their difference in age, they were slowly becoming better friends, especially after the entire ordeal with Ron. Apart from the trio of Slytherins, Ginny was really one of the only friends Hermione had while she completed her eighth year. She desperately missed Harry, but he was nearly unreachable at this point in his training schedule.
Hermione and her housemates had settled into a comfortable routine and true to their word, they watched out for her, though no other incidents had occurred following Ron's return to auror training. Theo typically accompanied Hermione down to the Great Hall for breakfast where more often than not Ginny and Luna joined them, or at least stopped by to say hello, no matter if they sat with the Slytherins or the Gryffindors.
Draco joined Hermione and Theo for Arithmancy and Ancient Rules while she typically walked with Pansy to Herbology, though the quartet had that class together. Hermione and the Slytherins were in the remainder of her classes following an advanced Charms course she was taking while the three purebloods took a newly required Muggle Understanding and Acceptance course. Only muggle-borns were exempt from the course.
The group often studied together in their dormitory rather than venturing out into the library. It was often quieter and cozier than the library would have been though the easy access to additional reference materials was missed at times.
Hermione found it refreshing that they seemed to be just as content to study as she did. After seven years, she didn't have to badger any one to complete their revisions or hand over her essays so they could be copied. They asked questions, held debates, and helped each other with revising and editing as needed. It was delightfully refreshing.
During one of their study sessions, Hermione found herself tucked up against on one of the armrests of the couch. She had pulled over an end table and had various parchments and reference materials scattered around it while she worked to translate several Arabic Runes for an assignment. On the opposite end of the couch, Draco was sitting with one leg crossed as he read through a paragraph in their transfiguration text book while occasionally cross-referencing it with a book he had picked up from the library. Pansy was perched in the armchair near the hearth quietly studying her herbology notes while twirling a lock of dark hair around her finger.
A freshly-showered Theo sauntered into the common area from the bathroom, plopping himself between Hermione and Draco on the touch. With a very intentional stretch that he attempted to make appear natural, he stretched out between them, resting his head in Draco's lap while he tucked his feet up under Hermione's bum.
"I swear to Merlin Theo, if you even think about wiggling your toes…" Hermione threatened, scribbling down a partial translation for one of the runes she was working on.
Draco shifted and ran his freehand through Theo's damp hair as he continued to read through the text. Theo chuckled at Hermione's threat and grabbed Draco's free hand, bringing it to his lips and pressing a kiss to Draco's palm. Draco squeezed Theo's hand and briefly smiled at the man before turning his attention back to his book.
"How are the translations coming, princess?" Theo asked, closing his eyes as he rubbed his thumb over Draco's knuckles.
Hermione nibbled on her bottom lip she double checked the translation. "Proving trickier than anticipated. I may need to run down to the library. I know I saw a reference book by Abdelrahman Ghattas that might prove useful."
"I don't know why you picked Arabic runes over Nordic or Celtic ones."
Hermione shrugged. "I like a challenge." She said, flipping through a reference book while looking for information about the next rune in the sequence. "The Futhark alphabet just loses its appeal after a few years."
Pansy set her notes aside and exhaled an exasperated sigh, rubbing her temples with her fingertips in an attempt to soothe her aching head. "I don't know about you three but I'm done studying. If I read anything else about lunar cycles, nocturnal plants, and bioluminescent properties I'm going to be as mad as a hatter."
"There's wizard's chess, though we know I always win because two of you are complete rubbish at the game." Draco said, closing the textbook and setting it down on the end table on the other end of the couch ignoring the looks from Pansy and Theo who were clearly the two in question.
"There's Gobstones or Exploding Snap."
"I don't fancy getting my eye brows burned off again." Pansy said with a shudder thinking back to the last time they played the game.
"I just showered and you know how hard it is to get that Gobstone smell out of everything." Theo complained as he massaged Draco's palm between his hands.
"I have a few bottles tucked away in my trunk." Draco mused, running his fingers through his hair and tucking his readers on top of the book he had set down.
Hermione snorted, copying another translation down onto the parchment in front of her. "Surely there's something better that we could do that doesn't involve copious amounts of alcohol."
Theo smirked and wiggled his toes which were still tucked up beneath Hermione's bum.
"THEO!" she admonished, picking up a book from the side table and smacking him in the leg several times with the large volume.
Theo held his hands up in surrender, though he couldn't stop laughing. "Okay, okay. I give. You win. I'm sorry!"
"You're such a prat." Hermione muttered as her cheeks blushed.
Theo just laughed harder and told her how pretty she looked with red cheeks before she smacked him again with the book.
Draco, clearly amused with the entire exchange, pushed Theo off of his lap and stood up. "I'll get the firewhiskey," he said, before making his way to his room to do just that as Pansy just sat in her armchair with a knowing smile adorning her lips.
Several shots later, Hermione was feeling delightfully tipsy and rather carefree as she snuggled back against Theo's chest. His arms encircled her waist and her fingers were playing with the hem of her shirt, occasionally brushing over the skin of her stomach and sending a flutter of something coursing through her body. He had pulled her into his lap sometime after shot number two and she hadn't made any (significant) attempts to remove herself.
She wasn't entirely sure if it was the alcohol or if it was just the physical proximity and affectionate nature of the wizard in whose lap she was firmly ensconced, but she felt happier than she had in months. She was somewhat nervous that she was coming between Draco and Theo with the way Theo had been acting towards her, but Draco hadn't seemed to mind. He was laughing and smiling along with the rest of them even though there was a witch in the lap of his boyfriend.
"Most likely to shack up with someone in the greenhouse." Theo said, feathering the fingertips of one hand over Hermione's abdomen just above the waistband of her jeans. Hermione, Theo, and Draco pointed to Pansy while Pansy pointed to Theo.
Pansy grumbled that sounded suspiciously like "arseholes" before taking the shot gracefully, relishing in the burning sensation the firewhiskey caused in her throat.
"Oh, come off it, Parkinson." Draco quipped with a chuckle, the alcohol bringing out his more playful side rather than the serious, studious side Hermione was so used to seeing. It was rather a nice change of pace as they had almost been walking on eggshells around the other for the past month. "I've seen the lovey-dovey eyes you make at the one budding herbologist who happened to behead that damned snake."
Pansy's cheeks flushed a pretty shade of crimson and she reached over and flicked Draco in the forehead before grumbling. "I do not make lovesick puppy faces at Longbottom."
Hermione grinned up at Theo as Draco rubbed the sore spot on his forehead with an attempt at a sneer, though his laughter gave him away.
"They would be cute." Hermione said as Theo nodded with an equally cheeky grin just as Pansy sent them both a petulant glare. Clearly, she was not amused they had picked up on her mild (read: major) infatuation with the Gryffindor.
"I could introduce you." Hermione teased with a wiggle of her brows in a sing-song voice. "Well, more so than you just being partners during Herbology."
Pansy crossed her arms over her chest indignantly and muttered something indistinct under her breath which led to her other three housemates erupting into another fit of laughter at her embarrassment over the crush she harbored.
"Most likely to be on the cover of Witch Weekly for doing something scandalous." Pansy finally said having regained her composure. Three fingers immediately pointed to Draco who also pointed to himself with a chuckle, though he added that if Blaise were to be in attendance, he would be the obvious choice. Draco took the shot easily and without protest.
"Most likely to still be a virgin." Draco said and three hands pointed their fingers at Hermione who turned the same shade of crimson that Pansy had a mere two turns ago.
"Oh-kay. I think it's time for bed. We've all had a bit too much, I think." She said in an attempt to avoid embarrassment and taking yet another shot while she attempted to wiggle out of Theo's embrace which only served to make him pull her back into his chest.
"There's no shame in it, Granger." Draco said with a rare genuine smile. "It's all in good fun."
Hermione avoided eye contact with her housemates and looked down at her fingers, nervously threating them together.
"It's, um… it's what led to, well… you know." She whispered quietly her mind flashing back to the fight she had with Ron which lead to the encounter which left her bloodied and bruised the next day.
Despite the fact that he had been cheating on her, her reluctance to commit to that level of intimacy was what had spurred on the argument that night. She knew it wasn't something she should be embarrassed about – there was absolutely nothing wrong with saving oneself for marriage or waiting until one was completely ready, but sometimes what one knew and what one felt didn't quite align.
Sensing her apprehension, Draco took Hermione's hands in his in a rare display of something bordering on affection as Theo soothingly stroked her curls. He shared a glance with Theo and waited for Hermione to look at him. Once she had reluctantly lifted her amber eyes to gaze into the deep pools of molten silver, he spoke to her gently.
"Hermione, anyone who pressures you before you're ready is a piece of shit and what happened to you was in no way your fault." Draco told her gently. Pansy nodded in agreement in the background and sipped her firewhiskey.
The gentle caress and pressure of her hands in his coupled with his proximity made Hermione's head swim. She felt Theo press his lips against her curls as he did every so often when she was feeling overwhelmed and suddenly everything was just right and too much all at once.
"I, um. I still think I would like to go to bed." She deflected, though she gave Draco a slight nod of understanding. Theo gave her a reassuring squeeze around her middle and planted another chaste kiss against her curls as Draco released her hands. If she had been paying attention to anything other than the floor, she would not have missed the sadness in their eyes as she stood up from the couch.
Theo's voice was rather subdued despite the lighthearted banter that had been occurring for the majority of the evening. "Sweet dreams, princess."
"Good night."
Pansy watched Hermione leave the common area with a frown her on face. "Weasley did a number on her." She mused once the witch was out of earshot. "She tries to hide it, but she's just as broken on the inside as the rest of us."
Somehow, it made Pansy feel better knowing that Hermione wasn't the perfect Gryffindor princess that the world had made her out to be. A world like that would've been colored too bright and too harsh, but knowing that Hermione had her own demons to face made the world seem more neutral and soothing. She knew it was an odd outlook, but she'd grown fonder the witch over the past month or so and being able to find out what made her tick helped bring Pansy around.
Pansy had managed to study Hermione just as much as she had the trio when she first arrived. Hermione was cautious, almost overly so. She rarely did anything without careful consideration, though once she had fully decided on a path with sometimes took mere seconds or even several days, she threw herself in the task with full force. She was more cautious and guarded around Draco, and rightfully so. Pansy had been present to many of their confrontations in their youth. She and Theo, despite the way they had been initially introduced, were probably the closest pair, though she had made rather a lot of headway with all three of them. What amazed Pansy was Hermione's projection of fearlessness, but if you looked at her in just the right light, you could see the cracks and how she was really barely holding at all together. She was exactly the same as the rest of them and it was that which had redeemed her in Pansy's eyes.
"I still don't understand why you won't let us break his face, sparrow. He shows up at every Gryffindor game to watch Ginger play." Theo genuinely liked Ginny and had enjoyed getting to know the hell-raising little redhead after they realized she was just as furious with her brother as they were.
"Not true any longer. Red banned him from the rest of their games." Draco interjected.
Pansy shrugged her shoulders and gave her oldest friends a sympathetic half-smile, knowing they would have trouble understanding. "It's her battle to fight, not yours."
Theo started to object but Pansy held her hand up to silence him. "She already told him to back off, but I suspect there's a final battle brewing. Weasley's always been too stubborn for his own good."
Pansy glanced between her two best friends, noting the pained looks on their faces, "No matter how much the two of you care about her, this nonsense with Weasley is something she needs to do on her own. She urged.
"Do you think she knows?" Draco asked quietly, swirling the last of his firewhiskey around the circumference of his tumbler.
Pansy nodded, knowing Draco was asking if she realized that he and Theo cared for her. "She knows, but she may not be quite ready to accept it yet. She's going about things in typical Granger fashion. You know as well as I do that she is highly observant and she finds significance in the tiniest of actions. Once she's collected enough data, she will analyze it all until she comes to the most sensible conclusion."
"Which is…?" Draco questioned, his voice trailing off slightly.
Theo shifted closer to Draco on the couch and gently cupped the blonde's cheek in his hand, tilting his head slightly so he could look at him. "It means she'll get there, love."
With a sigh, Draco leaned over to rest his forehead against Theo's temple as Theo wrapped him in a warm embrace.
It was late. Exactly how late, Draco wasn't entirely certain. The living area was bathed in a soft, warm glow from the dying fire as he sat consumed in his thoughts surrounding their fourth roommate. The seeds of his affection for Hermione had been planted many years ago though Draco did everything in his power to push them aside. He wasn't entirely certain when it started and he thought he had been successful in pushing them aside, but ultimately that night he heard she had been cursed in the Department of Mysteries fighting against his father, he knew he had been unsuccessful. As loathe as he was to admit to himself that he had feelings for the witch, he couldn't deny any more that she had carved her name into his heart without even realizing it.
Thinking back, he remembered a conversation he had with the bushy-haired witch on the train to Hogwarts during their first year. She was so full of light in her childlike joy of attending Hogwarts for the first time and even at eleven, Draco sensed she was highly intelligent. She was witty and kind, even helping Longbottom look for his toad.
The moment he'd realized she was a muggle-born witch, he had turned her nose up at her. He could still remember the glossy confusion in her eyes as he'd turned down the corridor and left her standing there wondering what on earth she'd done wrong. He tried to blame her blood status at the time, but even his eleven-year-old self knew that what he had done was wrong. He'd forsaken a girl he'd found fascinating simply because of something completely arbitrary and unfounded. She was beneath him. Filth, his father would've called her at the time. How wrong he had been. He had seen too much death and destruction in his short life to realize that everyone's blood runs red.
Draco found that as she grew, Granger was beautiful in an unconventional way. She did not possess the model stature and lithe frame of someone like Daphne Greengrass, but she was petite and soft, with gentle curves and glowing, sun-kissed skin. Her amber eyes were flecked with chocolate, chestnut, and gold and sparkled with her brilliant intelligence. She could hold her own in a debate on nearly any subject, except for perhaps Divination and Quidditch and she was equally talented with spells. She was selfless, kind, and put others before herself. To make her even more perfect in his eyes, she didn't seem to let old prejudices cloud her judgement given how quickly she had accepted the three of them. It was even getting easier to be around her, once he realized how quickly she was to forgive and forget.
She had no idea of the effect she could have on him. She was his saving grace and she had absolutely no idea that just the thought of her and the affection he held for her had pulled him out of the darkness, though he had been in too deep to service to Voldemort to realize it at the time. She was the driving force each time doubt entered his mind at every task he was given during the war. When she was writhing and screaming on the floor of his drawing room and he was powerless to help her, all holds the Dark Lord ever had on him shattered. It was in that instant, he had truly begun to change.
Over the summer, Draco had confided in Theo about his feelings for the muggleborn witch once he found out she wasn't accepting the offer from Shacklebolt to join Auror Training and that she would be returning to Hogwarts. Theo, being Theo, simply told Draco that he loved him even more because of how he felt about Granger and promptly snogged him senseless.
While Theo had never been openly antagonistic towards Granger as Draco had been, he had simply admired her from afar while occasionally engaging with her in debate during Runes and Arithmancy. They both held similar feelings for her, though Draco's feelings at the time were much stronger.
Theo was the one who had put Draco back together over the summer after having lived under Voldemort's thumb for far too long. To Theo, love was simple, natural, and above all, freeing. It simply didn't matter who you loved, how you loved, or how many people you loved as long as there was mutual consent and a foundation of honesty. Theo managed to bring a sense of balance to Draco's fragile reality with his easy demeanor and rather progressive views. Theo was easy to love and he gave love just as easily.
Draco was torn from his thoughts as a scream echoed throughout the room, reverberating off of the walls. He was on his feet and at the door where the scream originated before he knew what he was doing and before the others would be roused from their slumber. As he opened the door, he saw Granger was writhing in her bed, gripping at the bedsheets with a soft sheen of sweat glistening on her forehead. Her face was tightly scrunched as though she were in pain with tear tracks staining her cheeks. Incoherent words fell from her lips as she begged and pleaded for something to stop.
Draco knelt at her bedside and took her hands in his, speaking to her in soothing tones, coaxing her out of the nightmare as Theo and Pansy had done for him countless times. When her eyelids fluttered open and their eyes met, something passed between them and she launched herself into his arms, gripped his shirt with her hands, pressed her face into the crook of his neck, and cried.
Draco picked them both up off of the floor and pulled her into his lap after settling on her bed, holding her close as she let out whatever it was she needed to release to the universe through streams of salty tears. He knew just how cathartic that release could be.
Ever after the flow of her tears stilled, they sat together in the quiet night listening to the sounds of the other's beating heart, neither speaking a word about what had happened almost out of fear that they hadn't made it to this moment. That they weren't a pair of tangled limbs seeking comfort from the other. That this wasn't exactly what the other had wanted.
Eventually, the pair succumbed to sleep.
When Draco woke the next morning, his head was filled with the sweet scent of herbs, tea, and parchment. Her essence was swimming around him and he felt the flutter of her breath against his lips with each exhale. He nudged forward slightly, inching closer to the source of the intoxicating scent when he felt their noses touch as his lips brushed against hers. He startled back as his eyes flew open, exhaling in relief when she appeared to still be sound asleep.
How on earth was he supposed to have explained that he very nearly kissed her, even if it was entirely by accident.
Gently twisting a stray curl around his finger, Draco studied her features as she slept. Tiny freckles dotted her cheeks which were bathed in a warm pink glow from sleep. Her pouty lips were opened just enough to allow puffs of breath to escape and her brow was no longer creased with worry, but smooth and relaxed. As he gazed upon her lovely form, he felt a feeling of peace wash over him and he realized he wanted to wake up next to her every single day.
"You're so beautiful." He whispered before reluctantly releasing the mahogany curl from between his fingers. He slipped out of her bed carefully so as not to disturb the sleeping witch and quietly exited his room.
The moment he shut the door behind him, Hermione's eyes flew open.
