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Guest: This is a triad, Draco/Theo/ Hermione fic. Started as a quad but I couldn't balance the emotions of the boys right so Neville got cut.
The next day she was finally getting back into the swing of things. The moon had begun to wane and with it, her magic and mood stabilized. Suddenly she remembered why she had come back to Hogwarts at all and threw herself into her schoolwork with gusto. She pointedly reminded herself that for the other twenty-eight-ish days of the month she was just a normal witch and needed to act like it.
Hermione missed Harry and Ron something dreadful, but it was so nice to attend classes and learn again. Neville appeared to take on his role of male best friend happily, often to the point of overbearing as he walked her to and from classes whenever possible. As much as the general fussing annoyed her at times, she couldn't deny it was rather nice.
Hermione exhaled as she settled herself onto one of the plush couches dotted around the common room. She occasionally greeted familiar faces as they weaved in and out of the portrait for class. Her body was almost healed and it looked like they had managed to get through the first moon of the year without giving away too much. No one had mentioned her missing classes yet and she didn't want to draw attention by asking.
Taking the spare moment she summoned a quill and some parchment. Ginny's words still tugged at her, like there was something about them she should have already known. She began scratching out a letter to Bill, trying to find the right words without sounding awkward.
She had almost finished when Samuel Baxter appeared
"Hey Hermione."
Samuel was two years below her and was one of the younger members of the DA.
"Morning Samuel."
"I hate to bother you while you're working on something. But I saw you heading into Ancient Runes on Tuesday and I was wondering if you still had your notes from when you took it sixth year?"
He saw me Tuesday morning? But I was-. Hermione suddenly remembered the illusion charms Professor Flitwick had apparently been working on. She would have to find time to chat with him about those.
"I believe so." Hermione forced herself to respond normally. "If they survived the burning of the Burrow they should be in the attic. I can have Molly send them to you."
She quickly scratched out a note with Samuel's name and her request to the Weasley Matriarch. Poor boy would probably be getting a holiday card for the next twenty years now.
"Thanks so much!" Samuel smiled broadly. "Last year was bad enough under the Carrows, I would have failed if you hadn't already started covering OWL work in the DA. As it is I barely scraped by with five A's."
"Samuel," Hermione chided, already preparing her lecture. "I know you're better than that! You should have at least had E's across the board. I insist on helping you revise for the N.E.W.T.s. I hear they are waving the OWL score requirements. If we start now we could-"
"Please!" Samuel stood holding his hands up in defense. "Spare me today. I have to get to Herbology before Sprout puts me on compost duty."
"Oh well don't be late!" she shooed him with her hands. "We will set up a study group later. Maybe we could meet every week. I know most of the new seventh years will need help catching up to their N.E.W.T.s. Maybe in the common room. Oh, or the library! That way other houses could join. Madam-"
"Hermione. I don't mean to be rude but…"
"Hm?" She glanced up to find Samuel inching toward the door. "Oh, yes of course. Go. I was just thinking out loud."
Samuel exited the room swiftly as she signed her letter to Bill. She waited until the common room was empty before pulling herself to her feet. Hermione stumbled slightly and groaned when the edge of the coffee table dug into her shin. Her hips ached as if she had been dancing the Can-Can all night and were the only part of her that was still sore.
A memory flashed, long spindly legs launched her body toward a door, pained howls dripping through it like poisoned honey. She shivered.
It had always bothered her that she could never remember the time she had missed. Now, she wished she could erase that night from her mind.
Hermione stumbled out of the door, tripping over the edge that she should have been able to hop in her sleep. She scowled at the frame, wondering if Peeves had been messing with it lately.
A few corridors away when she was met by a familiar face.
"Afternoon Gr- Hermione." Theo paused awkwardly as a group of second year Gryffindors drifted by.
"Afternoon Theo," she replied cheerily. They have reached a tentative friendship through all of this but this was the first time they were together so publically. Her cheeks flushed at the memory of the last time they were alone.
"I got my robes back from the elves this morning."
"Did you?" she questioned lightly as set out down the hall.
"I did." He fell into a lazy step beside her, ignoring the whispers as they strolled. "It took until bloody breakfast for me to notice the charmed pink stitching on the hem."
Hermione tried to hide the resulting smile at her success. She hadn't expected him not to notice. With how put together Slytherins tended to be she had figured he would have seen the spot of color the second it appeared in his closet.
"How odd. I wonder what has gotten into the house elves."
He rolled his eyes but she could still see a small smile prickling at the corners of his mouth.
"Heading to class?" he asked.
"Nope. The owlery."
"I'll walk you then."
They passed through the halls, ignoring odd glances and out right sneers from both of their housemates. Hermione allowed the companionable silence for as long as she could before that odd bubble of guilt forced to speak the moment they were alone.
"Theo. I cannot express how sorry I am."
"It's not your fault," he groaned, clearly sick of her apologies.
"I know that!" she huffed.
And she did know it. She knew it the moment after she woke up in the cells. She knew it all week. She knew it at this very moment. Rationally, she held no responsibility for him being a werewolf. She didn't stick him with his bastard of a father. She didn't hurt him. She didn't order him to those cells. So it made absolutely no sense at all when she spoke again.
"I should have protected you."
"Protected me?"
There was something, almost cautious in his tone. She tried not to think about it as they walked. She needed to get this out there or it would eat at her every time she saw him.
"Yes. I told you it would be okay."
"I won't hold some platitudes uttered in a moment of panic against you, Hermione."
"I promised, but it wasn't."
"It's not your job."
"It is Theo," she growled back.
Defend. Protect. Pack.
She had found that the little voice had grown just a bit larger since last moon. She hoped it went away soon.
"And I am sorry. There. I'm done," she finished, taking a chance to glance up at him.
His eyes regarded her thoughtfully, as if he was judging her honesty. After a moment he melted, a small smile working its way onto his face that was nearly… hopeful. It sent a rush of affection through her body. He was truly beautiful when he smiled.
"You aren't going to drop this are you?"
"Nope." She grinned.
"Bloody masochist lions. Alright."
He looped a strong arm around her shoulder and tugged her to a stop. In slow precise movements, as if giving her time to push him off, he folded their bodies together in a loose embrace.
"If it will make you feel better I forgive you. But there is nothing to forgive."
She smiled against his chest, surprised at how natural it felt. In a way it was like hugging Neville, the feeling of comfort and home spreading across her skin. In another, it was totally different. His breath against her neck sent sharp spikes of… something through her body making her blush. The hand at the base of her spine twitched possessively at the waistband of her skirt. She couldn't help the sharp inhale, his scent warm and inviting.
She coughed awkwardly and pulled away. Theo blinked at her for a moment then let go.
"I'll turn you into one of us if you keep hanging around," she teased lightly.
"What do you mean?" He questioned in a gravely tone. The sound called to her, her instincts flaring but, for once, providing no direction.
"You know… a lion?"
"Oh… right. Well… better that than a Puff."
Before the silence could stretch too far Hermione realized they had made it to their destination. She smiled a bit too brightly as he pushed ahead of her. Theo opened the door that led up to the spiral staircase and motioned her in. Her foot slipped on the first step and she stumbled against his chest. His hand wrapping tightly around her waist to steady her.
Her mind blanked and Hermione sucked in a breath, feeling a coil of warmth bloom in her stomach as his scent blew through her nostrils. Spice and smoke overtook her mind, blurring out her logic.
"Oh sorry. I've been clumsy lately" She laughed awkwardly but he didn't seem to notice.
Theo was staring at her with glazed eyes, the darkness of his pupil overtaking them. Instinct roared just beneath her skin so strongly that if they had given any sort of command she probably would have followed it. Hermione moved to separate them but Theo's arm tightened around her waist, locking her into place as he stared. His eyes drifted shut and he inhaled slowly, the airflow tickling at her hair. All of her stilled, some innate part of her warned her to do so, to watch. When he spoke his voice rumbled down her spine.
"You smell nice."
"So do you." She blinked at the admission. She hadn't planned on admitting that… ever, but her body was positively vibrating and that made her stupid. It was like everything around them was simultaneously overwhelming and inconsequential.
"What do I smell like?" she asked, curiosity still tickling at her consciousness.
There was a flash of confusion on his face before his eyes cracked open again. Something primal hummed within her, and she licked her lips. His eyes shot down to the motion, a desperately hungry edge to his jaw.
"Like you were made for me."
She didn't mean to do it. He was just so… there. So handsome and kind, looking at her like she was something so beautifully rare that it made her heart flutter. It was like she had found something she hadn't know she had been looking for but was desperately missing all the same.
Her lips brushed against his hesitantly before she pulled away, trying to gauge his reaction. His eyes had snapped fully open, dark and dangerous. Suddenly unsure she bit her lip, trying to think of what to say.
Theo stared at her in silence, that darkness swirling in his eyes. Finally, his chest vibrated against her and the arm around her back tightened, pulling her back as he closed the gap between them.
Hermione couldn't think about anything other than the feel of him pressed against her. His body rolled, hard and lean where she was not, crushing them together until she forgot they were supposed to be separate. He was a shock of electricity running through her very soul and she had no idea how she had existed before this moment.
She sighed softly into his mouth, his tongue darting out to lick the opening. Hesitantly she let his tongue enter her, exploring her mouth in smooth, deliberate motions. When he bit her lip as he pulled away, it drew a quiet moan from her. Theo pulled away breathlessly, his forehead resting against hers and his lips just inches from her mouth.
"Don't do that."
"Why not?" she whispered with more confidence than she felt.
"Bad idea," he mumbled, bringing up a hand to brush against her cheek. His eyes were soft, doubt swirling in them like whirlpools.
"Terrible idea," she agreed even as she leaned into his palm.
"We should- "
"We should."
She closed the gap between them, his resulting growl rumbling through her chest and drawing out a purr she wasn't aware she was capable of making. When she pulled back he looked more certain, eyes glittering like sapphires.
"It's just a snog," he breathed.
"We're just still twitchy from the moon," she lied, all but hypnotized by his eyes and the way his hand spasmed along her back. It sparked a need in her that she hadn't quite felt before and couldn't place. A dangerous flicker reflected in his eyes. Hermione wasn't sure what it meant but she was more than thrilled to find out. He pushed her against the wall, towering over her as the rough stone scraped on her back. He looked so positively predatory. So very male and absolutely delicious.
Their attention shot to the distant sound of footsteps and he snarled at the intrusion. Suddenly more aware of their rather public location she stiffened and he stepped back. Hermione felt the heat rush to her cheeks as he cleared his throat awkwardly. She let the words rush out of her before he could say a thing.
" I didn't mean to attack you like that, seems to be becoming a habit, huh? Sorry. Apparently it's the day for apologies," she babbled. "Anything else I should cover? Maybe-"
He silenced her with another kiss, chaste and light but it somehow blurred her mind more than the other two. Maybe it had something to do with how focused his eyes were, even though they still had that spark of desire.
"Don't apologize," he rumbled, stepping back just as a few Hufflepuff's rounded the corner. "Go send your letter before..."
Theo continued to watch her, his eyes promising something she couldn't place but that still sounded horribly enticing.
"Sure." She took a step up the staircase, tripping over the stone for a moment before righting herself. She saw him jerk as he stopped himself from reaching to catch her, the Hufflepuffs now close enough to identify their house colors.
"See you Hermione."
Theo turned his back hesitantly and walked away, shoving his hands in his pockets. The Hufflepuffs fell silent as he passed, watching until he rounded the corner and speaking to each other in hushed whispers and giggles. She scowled and stomped up the stairs.
Jealousy flared and she tamped it down viciously. It was ridiculous. She hadn't even been so envious when Lavender and Ron were snogging in front of her in fifth year and she had an actual claim to him. A couple of younger girls whispering about a boy she barely knew shouldn't affect her so drastically.
Then again… when she had kissed Ron, that hadn't affected her so drastically either.
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She was still positively vibrating the next day. Hermione had decided she had never truly experienced a school-girl crush until now, and with Theodore Nott of all people. She tried to sneak glances of him at breakfast but by the time she arrived he had gone, leaving her sighing dejectedly.
As such, Ginny instantly zeroed in that something was up and accosted her with accusations. Unsurprisingly Ginny picked up on Theo's secret double life as a werewolf and was more than satisfied with Hermione's confirmation. It distracted her enough that Hermione was able to convince the redhead that her morose mood just had to do with the waning of the moon.
Currently she was in the library waiting for Neville to arrive to study. They didn't share a lot of classes but it was still nice to have the company and he would frequently ask her to edit his essays while she would pick his brain about Herbology and wizarding topics. They had set the routine up over Summer and had just shifted to classwork instead of werewolf research.
Hermione jumped when two bags landed on the table. Marking her spot in her book she looked up in confusion, her eyes widening when they met an unexpected cerulean blue.
"Hey Hermione." Neville plopped down across from her with a smile. "I ran into Theo on the way over. Mind if he joins?"
"N-not at all," she stuttered out.
Hermione blushed and tried to focus on silencing her pounding heart as the Slytherin settled next to Neville. She realized she was still staring and tried to think of anything to say to make it more natural looking.
"Are the snakes going to disown you for studying with us?"
Theo's eyes finally turned from hers as he pulled a book out of his bag.
"That ship sailed the moment Longbottom accosted me in the Great Hall."
"I was jumping out of my skin and don't pretend you weren't as well." Neville rolled his eyes, pulling out a book on mushrooms. "Besides, I'm growing on you."
"Like fungi?" Theo questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"If you prefer." Neville frowned. "But she does have a point. I don't want to make things harder for you."
"Who gives a shit. I'm running off to an island near Crete when I graduate. Networking is hardly needed when lounging on a beach."
"Count me in," Neville chuckled. "I could go for a vacation after all of this."
"Not a chance Longbottom. Did you forget the whole starkers part of my plan? You don't have the right parts to be invited to my island… Hermione however," His eyes roved over her and sent a shiver up her spine. "You can come."
"Oi!" Neville grumbled. "Don't joke like that. Hermione would never go for your sorry arse."
Theo continued to stare at her until she had to look away.
"You aren't wrong there," he responded.