The 8th Year
Chapter 10 – Feels Good at First
Neville had finally gotten the guts to ask Hannah Abbott to Hogsmeade after wondering whether he should or shouldn't for weeks. As a result, he was feeling pretty nervous about their first date as they walked down to the village together. In actual fact, he had nothing to be nervous about because he and Hannah clearly had loads in common. Hannah was very pretty, she had long blonde hair and blue eyes. On this particular day she was wearing jeans, furry snow boots and a heavy winter cloak. Neville had matured greatly since his childhood days and was taller than Harry now; he'd lost his puppy fat and had become a bit of an unexpected heart-throb since he'd lost his stumbling stuttering ways during the war.
Neville and Hannah already knew each other quite well, they'd spent a lot of time together in the room of requirement the year before when they'd been fighting Snape's regime and waiting for Harry to return. They had also fought together in the Battle of Hogwarts. So their date went quite well as they stopped by Honeydukes to stock up on chocolate. Neville then led Hannah towards their secret destination but they ended up stopping briefly on their way.
"Hannah, do you want to see Aberforth?" Neville asked suddenly as he came to a stop outside the Hogs Head. Although Abe taught DADA temporarily, he also still ran his pub at weekends.
Hannah smiled, "I thought you might want to," she said, looking a little sheepish as she delved into her bag and pulled something out, "That's why I brought this."
Neville frowned as she showed him a cardboard box. She opened it to reveal a box of 6 hand baked cupcakes. Neville chuckled, "He'll like that."
Hannah's smile widened, "I hope so. It took me so long to get the house elves to let me make them myself; they looked like they might explode," she told Neville and they both laughed as they made their way into the dingy little pub.
The pair immediately saw Aberforth who was standing behind the bar cleaning glasses. They approached him with smiles, "Good to see you again Abe," Neville said with a grin as the old man looked up at the pair of them.
He smiled back, "Hello Neville, Hannah," he said, "I see you two more than normal these days, teaching up at that bloody school."
"Well let's face it Abe, Harry does most of the teaching in our class," Neville grinned.
Aberforth laughed and poured them both a drink, "Well why bother when the little sod is so much better qualified? It's on the house folks."
"Thanks Abe," Hannah smiled.
"So why'd you two go back this year then?" Aberforth asked, sitting down behind the bar to talk to them.
Neville looked a little embarrassed to admit it but he said, "Well, I want to be an Auror so I need the grades."
Aberforth nodded, looking impressed but not surprised, "An Auror eh, like your parents."
Neville just nodded, the war had made him realise how much he did have in common with his parents and how much he wanted to become an Auror.
"And what about you Hannah?" Aberforth asked Neville's blonde-haired companion.
The Hufflepuff smiled and shook her head, "Not for me, I've had enough fighting for a lifetime. I do want to go into botany though."
"Hannah made you cupcakes," Neville piped up, looking pointedly at Hannah who handed Aberforth the box, "There are some with lemon icing and some with strawberry," she said cheerfully.
The younger Dumbledore opened the box and smiled, "Well thanks you two. That's awfully nice of you."
They left the pub shortly after that and began an incredibly long hike...
"Neville, where are we going?" Hannah asked in amusement as Neville led her up the walking trail. They had been walking up it for at least 20 minutes now and Neville was glad he had told Hannah to wear warm clothes.
The Gryffindor smiled at the Hufflepuff next to him, he knew she was fit because he saw her jogging at ridiculous hours of the morning around the Hogwarts grounds so she wasn't struggling to keep up, "You'll find out soon," he promised, "We're nearly there."
Hannah rolled her eyes at Neville's enthusiasm and they walked a little further up the hill. As they did more snow began to fall from the grey skies overhead, scattering the already white mountains.
"Okay," Neville said as he stopped and turned to her, "We're here," he said as they reached what was almost the top of the large hill because it could hardly be called a mountain compared to the huge rugged mountains in the backdrop.
"Where is here?" Hannah asked in amusement but Neville only grinned and pulled her into a small cave. Inside there were all different types of plants growing on the damp walls and while Hannah moved closer to examine them Neville expertly waved his wand and set up a picnic in the middle of the cave.
Hannah grinned at him as he cast charms to make the roof of the cave invisible so they could see the snow falling over the picturesque village below them, "Oh Neville, this is so sweet," she said as she sat down next to him on the blanket. Neville smiled broadly and offered her a bottle of butterbeer which she happily accepted as she leaned back against the Gryffindor to enjoy the winter's day view.
"So Hannah, do you wanna be my girlfriend?" Neville asked causing the blonde Hufflepuff to turn to look at him in surprise.
Neville smirked as Hannah blushed furiously and took a few minutes to compose herself, "You're asking me out?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yeah," Neville said as if this was obvious, "Why is that so hard to believe?" he asked with a laugh, "I've fancied you for ages."
Hannah blushed again and said, "Well I mean you and Harry are the Gryffindor heartthrobs. All the girls want to be with you and you are this amazing war Hero and you're so strong and brave and I'm just me."
Neville shook his head in disbelief, "Hannah, I'm not a war Hero. So what, I killed a snake? Big deal! I don't care about being a heartthrob, it makes me kind of uncomfortable actually. I haven't changed just because I did one brave thing in the war, I'm still Neville Longbottom. And just you is amazing. You took down more Death Eaters than I could count in the final battle and you saved a couple of 2nd years from Greyback."
When Neville's speech finished Hannah bit her lip and asked, "Can I kiss you now?"
Smiling Neville replied, "Please do."
And she did.
Ron hadn't stayed in Hogsmeade for long. After investigating Zonkos and having a butterbeer he had gone back up to the school and left Harry alone in the little village. Harry didn't find that he minded much though. He had gone for a wander and just as he was heading back to Hogwarts he saw Draco and Hermione come out of Madame Puddifoots. He knew he was being over-protective and nosy but he pulled his invisibility cloak on anyway and silently padded behind them.
Draco put his arm around Hermione's shoulders to steady her as she slipped on a patch of snow. They were talking animatedly as Harry got close enough to hear titbits of their conversation.
"Seriously? They think we're green?" Draco was saying.
Hermione seemed to be having a fit of the giggles as she answered his questions, "Yes, some of them do."
"And they think we all fly on broomsticks all of the time?"
"Uh-huh."
"And they think we're all old and warty?" Draco asked in disbelief, "I'm offended Hermione! I mean, do I look old or warty to you?"
Hermione was still chuckling as she said, "No, you look incredibly young and handsome, Draco."
He grinned at her, "What else do Muggles think they know about us then?"
"They think if you weigh less than a duck you're a witch," Hermione sniggered.
Draco scoffed, "Honestly, they've got it all wrong. I bet they think vampires are bloody romantic heroes."
This sent Hermione off into another fit of the giggles, "Well it's funny you should say that because there is this series of books which does make them into romantic heroes. You know the story, Muggle girl, two incredibly hot vampire brothers. One who's quite a gentleman and the other who is a sexy badass."
Draco smirked, "And you read these books?"
"Yes," Hermione said with narrowed eyes, "Why?"
"Which brother did you have a crush on?" Draco asked knowingly.
"You think you've got me sussed out, don't you Draco Malfoy?" Hermione asked him in amusement.
"I think you had a crush on the incredibly sexy, but oh so bad one," Draco said smoothly, "I think you are drawn to danger, Granger."
"Was that meant to rhyme?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, it was a clever coincidence. But you are avoiding the subject," Draco smirked.
Hermione smirked back, "To be honest, I liked both of them."
"Well, well," Draco grinned, "They always say it's the quiet ones."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Oh shut up, you know what I mean. A man who happens to be a gentleman but is also quite a sexy badass would be pretty nice. Don't suppose you've got any friends that fit the category, Malfoy?"
"Oh, you wound me Granger," Draco joked.
Hermione laughed and said, "So do you think we should turn around and tell Harry we know he's following us yet?"
Harry froze and Hermione and Draco turned around to face him. Hermione looked incredibly triumphant as she said, "Harry, you might have saved the wizarding world but you have yet to figure out that you still leave footprints in snow even when you have an invisibility cloak on."
Draco sniggered as he pulled Harry's invisibility cloak off, "I'm starting to think you really need a girlfriend Potter, if you have nothing better to do than follow people around all of the time."
Harry rolled his eyes and grabbed his invisibility cloak off of the blonde, "Well put in a good word for me then!" he said as he stalked past them.
"You'd have to actually have the balls to talk to her first!" Draco called after the Gryffindor.
Harry's response to this was to make a crude gesture behind his back.
"So he does still have a crush on Daphne," Hermione said in amusement as Draco placed his hand on the small of her back again.
"Oh yeah," Draco said with a shake of his head, "Not that he's said more than two words to her in any of the classes they share or in the common room mind you."
"Surprisingly enough Harry is quite shy," Hermione said matter of factly as they walked through the gates and were back in the grounds of Hogwarts once more.
"He saved the wizarding world but he can't tell a girl he fancies her," Draco said with a shake of his head.
"Yeah well it took you long enough," Hermione retorted, "I can't believe you've had feelings for me since the Yule Ball."
"Well there was no point telling you until the war was over," Draco said, "It was unlikely that both of us would survive it after all."
"Wow, you're just a bundle of laughs today" Hermione joked as they neared the castle.
Hermione managed to avoid being questioned that evening about her date with Draco. But she only avoided this by escaping to her dorm and literally locking herself in her four-poster bed. Draco wasn't so lucky because he was stupid enough to sit down in the common room next to Theo.
"So, how was the date?"
"The date you tried to make sure I didn't go on you mean?" Draco retorted.
"It was for your own safety," Theo said offhandedly, "I didn't know Potter would be so cool with you dating the princess or that Weasley wouldn't blow his top."
"Neither did I," Draco admitted as a smile crept onto his face, "But it was a risk worth taking. We had a great time today."
"Alright, I've heard enough," Theo said as he got to his feet, "Anymore romantic shit and I think I'm going to have to spew."
"Oh bugger off then you git," Draco said with a wave of his hand.
Theo disappeared promptly upstairs with a rather wicked laugh. Draco shook his head in amusement and glanced down at the book he was currently reading. He didn't get through another sentence though because Harry took it upon himself to sit down in the seat Theo had just vacated.
"How long have you been in love with my best friend for?" He asked calmly.
"Excuse me?" Draco asked in disbelief.
"It was a pretty clear question Malfoy," Harry said, "How long have you been in love with my best friend for?"
Draco narrowed his eyes at Harry and then realised that he was being deadly serious. So he sighed and glanced around the common room, there was nobody nearby and it had emptied significantly as the night went on anyway.
"I don't know...a while," Draco replied.
"I thought so," Harry said, "You do realise that you should have learned a vital lesson from your Godfather, right?"
Draco frowned, "What the hell are you talking about Potter?"
"Calling your favourite Muggle-born a Mudblood sure as hell isn't the way to get her to like you," Harry said matter of factly.
"Yes well…good lesson. Unfortunately, it's about 7 years too late," Draco muttered, "And I was brought up to hate everything about her so taking her out to Hogsmeade today and kissing her last night was-"
"You kissed her?" Harry asked, somewhere between shocked and pissed off.
"Right, she hadn't told you about that then," Draco realised quickly.
"No, she hadn't," Harry said with narrowed eyes, "That's a little forward, don't you think?"
"She didn't have any objections," Draco said, a smirk starting to make its way onto his face.
Harry rolled his eyes, "Alright, I've heard enough. I don't want to know the gory details."
"Fine by me," Draco said calmly.
"So are you two together?" Harry asked curiously.
"I don't know what we are yet," Draco replied, "All I know is that tomorrow seems like a brighter day because of her."
"Well, that's something I guess," Harry said as he got to his feet, "And you're actually being kind of pleasant towards everyone so long may it last."
"Oh fuck off Potter," Draco said half-heartedly.
Harry grinned, "You didn't even mean that Malfoy. You must be smitten!" he said as he disappeared up the stairs to his dorm.
"Are you ready for this week's gossip?"
Hermione sighed from inside her bed. The other girls in her dorm (minus Lilly) thought that she was asleep and she was going to keep it that way. Once a week they gossiped about what was going on in and out of Hogwarts. It was the usual who liked who, who was doing this, who was doing that. Hermione found it immature but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep with all of them squawking.
The instigator was Sally and Annie was just as excited to take part in it all. Sally was the typical ditzy blonde. She was funny and practically everyone liked her, she generally kept herself to herself and didn't really put herself out there though. Annie was the daughter of one of Hogwarts governors so she thought a lot of herself but once you got past the rich girl walls she came across as a mixture of Slytherin and Ravenclaw, more so than Gryffindor. Annie wasn't exactly shy but she was rich so she didn't like to partake in tasks that involved dirty work. She had never joined the DA for that reason and when the war had started she and her rich Daddy had fled to their holiday home in Switzerland. Sally hadn't been a part of the DA either, Hermione had told her about it when it was all beginning. Lavender and Parvati had jumped at the chance but Sally was never very confident with spells or with herself and she said she'd rather not. Hermione knew that Sally also hadn't fought in the war because her parents were Muggles and they had fled to America to avoid Voldemort's regime. As for Megan Jones, she was a nice enough girl but she was another typical blonde girl who liked to party, be popular and do the trendy, cool things that everyone else was doing.
"So, anything interesting?" Megan asked eagerly.
"Lots of things this week. Apparently we're getting a new professor, he's young they say, he's only just graduated from Durmstrang," Sally told them all which caused the first round of 'oohs'.
"Oh, Durmstrang is like near Norway! Nordic guys are so gorgeous," Annie sighed and the other girls made noises of agreement.
"But in 8th Year news!" Sally said cheerfully, "Neville Longbottom likes Hannah Abbot and he took her to Hogsmeade! Theodore Nott asked Daphne Greengrass but she said no and went it alone with her girlfriends. Oh, and Dean Thomas took Tracey Davis!"
"And our own Annie went with Terry!" Megan interjected.
"How was it Annie?" Sally asked eagerly.
"It was great," Annie said and Hermione could tell that she was smiling. That was another thing about Annie, she was very pretty. She was tall with tanned skin, dark brown hair and deep brown eyes. She always wore a lot of make-up but she never looked like she had overdone it, she just looked flawless almost all of the time.
"I knew you two would get together soon!" Sally said happily, "I bet he realised after the final battle that he didn't want to lose you."
Annie said, "I'm just happy something good finally seems to be coming of it. Did you know by the way that Mandy Brocklehurst went to Hogsmeade with that Slytherin in 7th Year? You know the one she played Quidditch against a few times?"
"Really? Maxwell Harper? The sexy Slytherin 7th Year?" Megan asked in shock, "I thought they couldn't stand each other!"
"Uh-huh! They did hate each other at first! But they're in Ancient Runes together and they get on now so it seems," Annie informed them with a laugh.
"Wow that's a shocker! Any other 8th Year hook-ups?" Megan asked brightly.
"Well, I happened to have a very nice make-out session with Blaise Zabini at the post Hogsmeade party down in the dungeons last night," Sally said and Hermione could hear the smirk on her face.
"He's hot Sal!" Megan said.
Sally grinned, "I know, right?"
"Did you hear about Ernie and Justin?" Annie asked, "I can't say I'm really surprised but neither of them are interested in girls."
"Oh yeah," Megan chuckled, "They are far more interested in each other, duh! That's been obvious for ages!"
"But come on girlies, we're saving the best till last," Sally said with a grin in her voice and Hermione's heart sank because she knew what was coming.
"Our very own sweet little book loving Hermione," Annie said, "Went to Hogsmeade with Draco...Malfoy!"
"I know, he's only the hottest guy in our year!" Megan agreed.
"Theodore Nott is totally comparable," Sally added.
"But Draco Malfoy! What a catch!"
"Apart from the fact he was a Death Eater who probably like tortured a ton of people and who you know like murdered baby rabbits by breaking their necks when he was a kid," Lilly's voice said from her own bed and Hermione had to try her best not to snigger because she knew that Lilly was being sarcastic but she doubted that the other three girls did.
"What?" Megan asked in a high-pitched voice.
"Oh yeah," Lilly continued, "I mean come on guys. Only fucked up kids become Death Eaters. He was probably a little mini Damion, killing baby animals, controlling demons, summoning the devil, you name it."
"Lilly," Annie said, her voice sounded very prim and proper (she was from Chelsea) compared to Lilly's (who was from Hackney and was very much an Eastender), "Are you doing this 'funny' thing again where you lie?"
Hermione was doubled over with silent laughter listening to this conversation.
"It's called sarcasm not lying, stupid," Lilly said matter of factly, "And it's none of your business who Hermione dates, or who anyone dates for that matter. Why don't you all try growing up instead of sitting in prayer circles talking about who kissed who? I feel like I'm at a sleepover with a bunch of 12 year olds."
Hermione grinned in amusement as the three girls objected very loudly to this comment, she took the opportunity to cast a silencing charm around her bed to drone them out so that she could get some sleep and she also made a mental note to thank Lilly the following morning. Hermione couldn't help but think she was right, sharing a dorm with those three was exactly like a sleepover with a bunch of 12-year-old girls.
"Are we together?"
Draco raised an eyebrow at Hermione, "Bit forward isn't it Granger?"
"Well you are never alone!" Hermione remarked irritably as she glared at Theo, "He's always with you! And you're an arsehole! You can't just kiss me then ask me to Hogsmeade and ignore me afterwards!"
Theo snorted in amusement, "I'll leave you to your boyfriend, princess," he said with a smirk.
Hermione rolled her eyes at Theo and his stupid nickname for her as he stood up and walked away. But Draco and Hermione were still in the common room which was a public space with practically no privacy.
"I wasn't ignoring you," Draco objected, "I was just...freaking out slightly."
"Because you realised that you were going to have to actually deal with this, now?" Hermione asked hotly as she crossed her arms, "If you had just kissed me I'd let it slide but you asked me out on a date Malfoy! So what exactly are we?"
"I've been asking myself that same question all week," Draco admitted, "All I know Granger is that I had more fun than I have done in years when I was with you on Saturday."
Hermione smiled slightly. She had grown fond of Draco, very fond actually. She enjoyed their chats in the library and it didn't matter at the moment that they weren't particularly personal. She didn't like to talk about herself, especially since the war but she did like to talk for hours about new potions and ground-breaking spell techniques. In Draco she had found someone whose intelligence equalled and even rivalled her own and she enjoyed that. She had broken up with Ron because he wasn't what she wanted or what she needed. He was still very immature and Hermione had grown up a lot faster than she should have because of the war. She wanted an adult, a man who she could relate to, who she could have intellectual conversations with, who would be there for her and who she could be there for. A man who she could envision some sort of future with. Despite the obvious pitfalls of Draco being a pureblood with a family who cared far too much about status, Hermione felt like he was far more of the person she wanted than Ron was.
"Draco, we all went through a war," Hermione said softly as she sat down next to him on the sofa, "We might be back at school but we're all adults. There isn't any point dancing around this like teenagers. I know you've made a lot of mistakes, I know you've got a cupboard filled with skeletons and I know that if you and I were to get involved with each other there would be a lot of arguments and misunderstandings. But I also know that I love being around you and that I had so much fun on Saturday. So the question isn't what we are, it's are you willing to take a chance on us?"
Draco surveyed her for a moment with a slight smile and then leant towards her and kissed her in the middle of the common room. It wasn't a long kiss or a passionate kiss, just a peck really, but it was his answer to the question.
"Yes," Draco said simply, "If the war taught me anything it's that I need to take risks more often."
Hermione's cheeks were faintly pink as the majority of the common room watched the scene. She was eternally grateful when Harry shouted, "Oi, you lot! Stop being nosy and mind your own business!"
Draco chuckled as chatter started up again around the room and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, "Having the chosen one as a best friend does have its merits."
"Yeah," Draco frowned as Harry pointed at Draco from across the room. He then pointed to Hermione and then to himself. He made the motion of slitting his throat and disappeared up the stairs to his dorm with a wicked grin.
Hermione smiled in amusement at the look on Draco's face.
"He's quite unhinged isn't he?" Draco asked worriedly.
"He's only playing with you. It's his second favourite sport after Quidditch, Malfoy-baiting," Hermione chuckled.
"Yeah well he's quite scary," Draco said as he turned back to Hermione.
"Not when you get to know him," Hermione assured the blonde.
"The consequences of liking you, Granger," Draco said with a fake sigh of exasperation, "Having to befriend Pothead and Weasel."
"Hey, if you want to be my lover you've got to get with my friends," Hermione said and from behind her she heard a barking laugh which she instantly recognised as Lilly's.
"What?" Draco asked, somewhere between bemused and confused as Hermione turned around and accepted Lilly's hi-five.
"Spice," Lilly grinned, "Best album to ever grace this earth!"
"Oh I know!" Hermione agreed, "My Mum and I saw them live just before I came back for 8th Year. It was their Spiceworld tour in London, it was amazing!"
"What on earth are you two talking about?" Draco asked in disbelief.
"The Spice Girls," Hermione and Lilly echoed.
Draco looked blank, "Is this another Muggle thing? Like this "Wicked" thing you told me about with green witches?"
Lilly snorted in amusement, "You told him about Wicked?"
Draco rolled his eyes, "Right then ladies, I'll leave you to your Muggle talk and go chat Quidditch strategy with Theo..."
"Is there a new trend that I've missed amongst Slytherin house?" Theo asked loudly as he walked into the Slytherin girl's dorm, "You know the sudden let's all date Gryffindors one?"
Daphne raised an eyebrow at the scruffy haired boy, "All?"
"Yes, all," Theo said as he flopped down at the foot of Sadie's bed, "I mean Trace, honestly!"
"What?" Tracey asked defensively, "You and Dean get on fine!"
"Yeah he's nice but I never thought you would date one of the Gryffindorks," Theo retorted, "And Blaise went to Hogsmeade with Sally bloody Smith! Yeah she's fit but she's still a Gryffindor."
"Blaise likes her Theo," Sadie piped up, "They sit together in Arithmancy."
Theo rolled his eyes, "Still! Then there's Draco, I mean don't even get me started on Draco. Did you see him casually kiss the Gryffindor princess in the middle of the common room?"
Daphne snorted, "Honestly Theo, you sound jealous. Are you worried Granger is going to get in the way of your bromance with Draco?"
Theo scoffed, "No but seriously Daph, why is everyone dating Gryffindors this year?"
"Because they aren't all bad Theo," Daphne said simply, "Maybe we should try and be nicer to them with this whole house unity thing that McGonagall keeps talking about. Didn't you hear the announcement at breakfast this morning? As of next week we're going to have our own 8th Year table so we'll see even more of them."
Theo made a face, "Doesn't mean I want to bang any of the Griffins," he said simply. It was vulgar and crude but that was Theo for you, "Would you do any of them Daph?"
Daphne laughed, "Longbottom may be a war hero now but he still got stuck outside the common room for an hour last week because he couldn't figure out the answer to "Whenever you take one you leave more behind" which was obviously-"
"-Footsteps," Theo said at the same time as her.
"And I wouldn't touch the Weasel with a 12-inch pole, house unity or no house unity," Daphne added, making a face, "Dean's lovely but not my type and Tracey really is quite smitten with him-"
Tracey rolled her eyes, "Oh shut up Daph."
Daphne smirked and continued, "And the other one is an Irish slob. So out of them all Potter is the only one I'd even consider."
Theo grinned, "Oh, do you want a piece of the chosen one Daph?" he asked suggestively, "After all they must call him the chosen one for a reason."
"Oh shut up," Daphne said irritably.
"He's had a crush on you for ages, Daph," Sadie smiled, "Ever since 6th Year potions."
"How do you know that?" Daphne asked in surprise.
"She's friends with Granger," Theo said offhandedly, "And it was obvious anyways. He's not exactly subtle."
"He's completely clueless," Tracey snorted.
Daphne shook her head in amusement, "I didn't say I liked him anyway, just that he's the only Gryffindor I'd ever even consider screwing. But if you tell anyone that I said that, I'll let slip about your secret Theo."
Theo groaned, "Oh come on Daph, low blow."
"What secret?'" Tracey asked eagerly.
"Well it wouldn't be a secret if I told you Trace," Theo smirked, leaving the dorm as quickly as he had entered.
"You're not really going to tell her, are you?"
Daphne stared at Theo in disbelief, "Is this why you dragged me into a broom cupboard?"
Theo grinned, "Woah, why did you think I dragged you into a broom cupboard?"
Daphne snorted, "I thought you were going to try and conquer me again."
"No, I gave up when you said you wanted to screw Potter," Theo smirked, "Your standards are obviously a million times lower than mine."
Daphne rolled her eyes, "If you're trying to convince me not to tell Sadie you've had a schoolboy crush on her forever this is not the way to do it, Theo."
"Are you really going to tell her or this just emotional blackmail for all of the times I've tried to get you to sleep with me?" Theo asked her with narrowed eyes.
"Oh it's a bit of that," Daphne grinned, "But in all seriousness Theo, I know she's the only girl you want to date rather than conquer. Why don't you just ask her out already?"
"Because I don't want to mess things up with her," Theo said, flailing for an excuse.
Daphne saw right through him however, "You're just being a coward."
Theo looked up at her with a smirk and Daphne immediately frowned, "What?" she asked suspiciously.
"Fine, I'll make you a deal," Theo said. He was your atypical cunning, scheming Slytherin after all.
"You're on," Daphne said immediately.
"If you ever screw Potter, I'll tell Sadie that I like her," Theo said with a grin that caused Daphne to glare at him, "Fuck you Theo," she said in annoyance as she grabbed the door handle.
"Well you can if you want but I thought you'd rather have Potter!" Theo sniggered as Daphne yanked open the door of the broom cupboard, made a rather rude hand gesture in Theo's direction and stalked away down the corridor.
TBC :)