When they exited the stairwell and he dropped her hand, she forced herself not to be offended. They really shouldn't be seen together until they figured out what exactly they were… if they were anything at all. It wasn't worth the effort to deal with if this was going to be a one time thing. Merlin, she hoped that wasn't the case.
Their chat ended up having to occur on grounds. When Theo had led her into a courtyard on still shaking legs they had an assortment of housemates coming up to interrupt in various shades of subtlety.
The Slytherins as a whole were rather covert, finding questions about homework or Theo's summer to ask while turning their nose up at her. The Gryffindors just straight up asked if she was okay while shooting glares at Theo.
After the sixth interruption in three minutes Hermione guided him from the courtyard and out of the castle. They settled at the top of the hill overlooking the lake, both of their eyes tracing the treeline while they pretended not to. Theo took off his robe, transfiguring it into a large blanket to sit on that still smelled like him which calmed her racing thoughts immediately.
"Ever the pureblooded gentleman," she teased as she sat.
"Well, there are some redeeming qualities to the culture."
He settled down next to her, a respectable distance away. It felt strange. Hermione wanted to curl up next to his chest where her lips could reach his neck. He shifted uncomfortably.
"I feel like I should be wrapped around you right now, not pretending we were forced to go on a date," he grumbled.
Hermione laughed and wrapped her arms around her knees letting his scent wash over her.
"So…" she started, watching his eyes flicker toward her. "Not just the moon then?"
"Apparently not," he sighed.
"Right then. Erm…" Hermione stumbled over the words. "So I haven't done this before and my brain still isn't very functional yet."
His mouth pulled into a tight smirk that had her stomach fluttering.
"That good, huh?"
"Well…" She bit her lip, trying to decide how much to share. She had spent an alarmingly short time dating, she wasn't really aware of what the rules were. "No one had ever done that before so I would say yes. That good."
"Pulled you into a corridor? Really? There are no shortage of hidden spaces throughout the-"
He took in her bright cheeks with a sharp inhale of breath and cursed.
"Seriously? No one has ever gotten you off before? Merlin, I-… don't you spend summers with the Weasley's?" he questioned.
"What about it?" she snapped. She would never let anyone disparage any of the Weasley family.
"Just… Don't they have like fourteen men in that family? At least one has to know what he's doing."
"You think I'm sleeping with all of the Weasleys?" she baulked. "And there are only four available brothers, none of which I am interested in."
"Because they can't get you off?" he questioned smugly.
"Because they are my family," she hissed.
"That's… I'm going to need a list of everyone you've ever dated so I can warn ever woman I know to stay far away from them… Poor Ginerva."
"What about Ginny?" Hermione snapped, suddenly concerned for her friend.
"I heard she and Potter were engaged. To be shackled in an orgasm-free marriage sounds like hell."
"Excuse you!" Hermione squeaked. "Me and Harry have never done anything either!"
"Well… we've all read the articles. Tent, cold winter nights, bored beyond belief. What else did you do for half of a year?" Theo questioned with his eyebrow raised.
She was about to start in on a rant when the corner of his mouth twitched up. He was teasing her again. Her eyes narrowed threateningly but he just laughed, settling back into the subject.
"So... That was your first time?" Theo leaned back against the thick wool to stare at the sky with a rakish smile. "I'm honored."
"Oh stop it." She lightly slapped at his shoulder, the last of her annoyance slipping away. "It's not like I don't have hands."
She took immense pleasure when his cheeks tinted red.
"Not the same," he managed to choke out.
"Well, there was hardly time with the war going on."
"Ah ah, Hermione. There is always time for a night of love. Why do you think there were so many people in our year?"
She joined him in laying flat on his robe, partially so that they would be harder to see but also partially because it let her lace her hand into his, hidden in the by the rise of their bodies. They stared at the sky, watching the clouds drift past. After a few minutes he turned to her, eyes wide and unsure.
"So…" he started, tracing his thumb tracing across her wrist. "Would you like a repeat of that sometime?"
"A repeat? No." Hermione felt her heart surge at the disappointment that flickered across his face. "An encore? Yes. Likely many. I hope you don't have plans for… oh, say... the rest of your life."
"Really?" he asked, the eagerness charming compared to the flirtatious cockiness she had grown used to from him.
"You can move in tomorrow. I promise to charm the curtains shut so that my roommates won't bother you," she laughed. "I may even remember to bring you food sometimes."
Theo rolled his eyes, running his hand across her cheek as she stilled.
"Gods, you're beautiful."
She knew she was blushing but couldn't find it in her to break from his gaze. It was one thing when a boy told you that you were beautiful while wearing a pretty dress and had spent hours on your hair. It was quite another when you were laying on the ground covered in dust and still a bit sweaty.
"I bet you say that to all the 'lovely ladies of Hogwarts'."
Theo cringed slightly before letting his hand fall away.
"No, just you."
She preened at the admission. Figuring that, if they were being honest with each other, she may as well admit to something.
"You're so handsome I have missed no less than three quarters of that Runes class."
"I'll copy you some notes." The casual statement still couldn't hide his pleased smile.
Hermione looked up at the sky, the chill of the autumn air was nothing compared to the waves of heat rolling off his body. She knew they were meant to be talking. That she should be asking him questions or trying to identify what in the hell had just happened. But for once her brain was empty, just purring to be in his presence with his hand wrapped tightly around hers.
"Hermione?"
"Hm?" she responded picking out a rabbit from the fluffy white clouds above them.
"Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"
She sat up, resting her weight on her spare hand as she stared at him. He didn't look to contain a shred of nervousness, but when she focused she could just barely feel the twitching in his hand.
"Won't your housemates-"
"Don't care." He glanced over to her, his eyes a stunning pairing against the verdant grass around them. "My father is dead. I can do whatever I want now. Bollocks to them and bollocks to yours as well. Island near Crete, remember. You have a standing invitation, clothing optional."
She bit her lip.
"Alright. When is the next Hogsmeade weekend?" she asked.
"No idea. I didn't intend on going," he shrugged.
"Hermione! Theo!"
They both released each other's hands with a nervous jump, not quite ready to address anything yet. Neville came sauntering up to the makeshift blanket and loomed over them.
"Oh good, he agreed." Neville settled to Hermione's right, even though it would make more sense for him to take the center. "Thanks, Theo. It's a weight off my mind. I think between the two of us we'll have her covered except for Arithmancy."
"Draco has that class. Did you need notes or something?" Theo asked
"Hermione, you were supposed to talk to him," Neville groaned.
Theo quirked an eyebrow at her and she flushed red.
"Want to fill me in on what I agreed to?"
"Imaginary stalker," Hermione grumbled in response. "He gets Neville a bad feeling unless one of us is around me."
"Oh?" Theo questioned. "And what do you need me for?"
"Not much," Neville responded, seemingly blind to the undertones of the two others on the blanket. "I figure that I can manage meals and to and from the tower. You can take her walking to and from classes. I'd appreciate it if you could help out."
Theo blinked slowly, a wide grin working his way across his face as he stared at Hermione. He ghosted his hand along the skin of her thigh briefly without Neville noticing.
"Happy to help."
"Let's head inside," Neville suggested, pulling up to stand. "I don't want to spend the rest of the day smelling like you from sitting on this. You've already got Hermione drenched in your scent and it's bothering my nose."
Hermione had to wave off her fellow Gryffindor when noted her flush and pressed a palm against her forehead. Theo was too busy laughing to be of any help.
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They all snuck down to the kitchen that night, not wanting to deal with the whispers that would have resulted from all three of them showing up to the Great Hall together. And, to be quite honest with themselves, as Hermione was now inclined to be, they wanted to be together.
Neville had already become friendly with Theo in the days leading up to the moon. They had gotten to know each other without ever actually talking while rolling around on the ground. She would have wondered if it were a werewolf thing if Ron's brothers didn't do it too.
There was a certain wildness to the three of them though. Harry, her and Ron had learned to move as a unit throughout their school years, handing things to the other without being asked or remembering things the other had forgotten. It had taken years of living side by side to establish that innate sense of togetherness.
Theo and Neville fell into it instantly. They always seemed to know what she wanted just before the thought occurred to her. If she needs a quill, Neville was already handing it to her with Theo holding out a piece of parchment. When Neville was about to be caught by the trick step, Theo's hand grabbed his robe while Hermione cast the counter charm. It was strange, nice and comforting, but also inherently too intimate for something so new. It made her head spin and pine for her old friends.
"You alright Hermione?" Neville asked, as they sat on a secret tucked away balcony, not bothered in the slightest by the cold when their collective metabolisms kicked out enough heat to cook a casserole.
"Fine," she responded, pulling out an apple tart and handing it off to Theo, somehow knowing it was his favorite. Harry's was treacle.
"You don't look fine," Theo frowned, even as he bit into the tart.
"I just… I just miss this. With Ron and Harry," she muttered, feeling all too girl and much too emotional lately. She would have blamed mood swings but the first thing shoved down her throat at Shell Cottage after she regained consciousness wasn't a year long contraceptive potion. I silenced her period as a side effect of the fertility control. She didn't like dwelling on the implications of that being a priority potion.
"It's okay Hermione," Neville offered, patting her on the back. "We're still kicking around."
"It's not the same," Theo said before she could. She could tell he was stuffing down some of his own emotions as he responded. "They are her best friends of seven years. A few days with our pathetic selves hardly replaces that."
"I know," Neville said petulantly. "But we can still be a load of fun."
"You are fun." Hermione smiled, taking Neville's hand. On impulse she took Theo's too, watching his eyes light up briefly. "But I also miss the long nights by the fire, lecturing Ron to do his homework, and, Salazar strike me down, the trouble we used to get into."
"Well… I don't know about homework," Neville started, glancing at Theo meaningfully.
"May as well," Theo responded with a shrug.
"But if you're looking for trouble we can get that taken care of."
"I'm not sure if-"
"Oh loosen up Hermione. We'll give you a good time." Theo pulled her to a stand forcing Neville to let go as she rose. Neville followed them up a second later, seemingly not noticing when she held onto Theo longer than strictly necessary.
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"Forbidden Forest. It's called 'forbidden' for a reason," Hermione groaned as they moved through the trees like shades. Without their voices, there was only the sounds of the forest.
"Well it's our forest now," Neville said, jumping over a fallen trunk and helping guide Hermione over as Theo boosted her up. When his hand trailed just under the curve of her bottom she had to repress a squeak.
"Besides," Theo landed next to her with a smug grin. "Unlike you lions, the snakes are good at not getting caught. We don't roar everywhere we go. No one will ever know."
She let the men guide her, fully aware that this could end terribly if any large and hungry monster wandered upon their path but somehow not caring. It was different from being out near the full moon when she was half drunk and wild. Tonight it felt like adventure and an innocent curiosity that she hadn't felt since the beginning of the war.
After what felt like a few minutes but was clearly a long distance away from the castle they broke through a clearing.
Hermione was gazing down a ridge with medium sized pools dotting the forest floor reflecting the stars. Glowing red willow trees, drifted in the breeze, their fronds licking at the water like playful fingertips. The air carried the scent of warmth on it and her eyes caught the misty steam rising from the water.
"Ember willows," Neville supplied, helping her down the ridge on sure feet. "Their roots can reach 500 degrees Celsius and keep the pools pleasant warm to burning hot. We found it the morning of the full moon but didn't get a chance to explore it much."
"What do you say?" Theo questioned, unzipping his robe and tossing it to the side. "Fancy a swim?"
"I don't have a suit."
"You can always go starkers." Theo winked at her, working the buttons of his Oxford free.
Her heart leapt and her mind jumped to topics that were certainly not appropriate with Neville present. Apparently it showed on her face because Theo smiled, peeling off his shirt in one smooth motion. She had seen him naked before but he had been covered in blood and whimpering in pain. So had she for that matter, it hardly counted. Now she could just make out the careful defined muscles of his lean form. The scars from the moon and his bite the only disruption to his perfectly even skin.
"Knock it off Theo," Neville groaned behind her. She heard a splash and spun, finding Neville resurfacing from one of the pools further down. He moved to float on his back and Hermione covered her eyes with a shout.
"You're going to hurt his feelings Granger," Theo chuckled.
"I'm wearing trunks, Hermione." She peaked out from her fingers to find that Neville was indeed wearing black and red trunks as he drifted under the branches of a willow. "Sometimes I swear you forget you're a witch."
Neville grinned at her then dove, a familiar clear mass of a bubble charm forming as he swam to the bottom to examine the roots.
"Honestly, he has the fittest witch in school about to strip down and he goes to dig in the mud," Theo groaned as he settled into a nearby pool. He hissed and the lean ridges of his stomach twitched, rolling with tension as he lowered himself before relaxing. "There is something wrong with that man."
"Or maybe he's just not a cad," Hermione quipped as her eyes traced the tanned skin where it stretched between his pecs and his collarbone. The light was muted and weak, blurring the scars on his shoulders into his tanned skin.
"Says the one oggling me like a Sunday roast." Theo winked when she blushed. "I can do you as well."
Hermione groaned at the double entendre as he waved his wand in her general direction.
"If I let you do it, I will be naked won't I?"
"Not wholly." He smirked, setting his wand on the ridge behind him when she shook her head.
Hermione started to unbutton her shirt as he watched, his eyes following her with far too much hunger to be appropriate. She exposed just the top of her bra to press her wand to it and thought of the swimsuit she bought the summer before the war and had never gotten to wear. Her father had nearly blown a gasket and her mother was preening about her daughter being so grown up.
Hermione didn't see what the big deal was. It was a deep plum two piece with thick ties and pleasantly covered the important parts of her chest and bottom. The material was thick and hid more than most suits she had seen on the other women at the beach.
Still when she shimmied out of her skirt and shrugged off her shirt she caught Theo's eye and it made perfect sense as to why her father wanted to burn it. Theo was half out of the water when Neville resurfaced.
"Come on down 'Mione!" He shouted. "Theo loves boiling away up there but this is where all the cool stuff is."
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Hermione and Neville eventually managed to coax Theo down into the cooler pools with promises of warming charms on the walk home. The ember willows were beautiful and sustained a whole host of rare organisms in their ponds. Hermione swam and explored the pond bed with the two of them, laughing in delight as silverfish flocked to Theo's hair, attempting to hide in it. When the bubble head charms got too cumbersome to maintain they splashed in the water, pointing out constellations and guessing at the mysterious flying shapes darting above them. The warm red caste from the ember willows made everything seem soft. She could barely make out Neville's scar either and without it, she could pretend that they were all just a few seventh years who had snuck away for a break from NEWTs.
After a few hours, the quarter moon was high in the sky and they had barely noticed the time pass. With great reluctance and a promise to soak in the warmer pools at a later date, the three dried themselves and got dressed before wandering back to the castle.
They fell out of the tree line laughing, eyes bright with the budding closeness between the three of them. As the wind shifted and a cold, earthy scent drifted to Hermione from the wrong direction. Rather than from the forest behind her, it was coming from the top of the hill.
Theo stiffened when the clouds parted and the minimal moonlight reflected against Malfoy's white hair. She couldn't read the git's face but something about his scent put her on edge.
"He seems pissed," Neville supplied helpfully.
"One guess as to who?" Theo questioned casually strolling through the grass.
"That's a trick question," Hermione quipped. Neville followed behind her, closing the ranks. "He's always mad at me so, even though it is you, either guess would be correct."
"What about me?" Neville laughed, letting his aggression leak away for the comfort of their group.
"I'm not sure he has ever spared more than a thought for you Longbottom," Theo said.
"Self-absorbed arse." Hermione scowled.
"You've picked up quite the mouth 'Mione." Neville chuckled. "Was that my fault or the Wesley's?"
"One Weasley. Ginny." She paused for a moment. "Charlie might have helped but most of his are Romanian."
"Got a filthy mouth do you Granger?" Theo threw offhandedly over his shoulder. "I'd love to hear that sometime."
She glared at the back of his head even as she felt her blood warm. Neville was about to launch into a (likely embarrassing) story but they had reached the top of the hill.
"Evening Draco," Theo hummed. "Out for a midnight stroll are you?"
Malfoy snapped his gaze between the three before sneering.
"Not with this crowd. Get your arse back inside. We have a house meeting that started ten minutes ago."
"Those things don't have nearly enough sex or alcohol to put up with."
"And playing wildman in the forest with Granger and Longbottom do?"
Neville sputtered and Hermione blushed. Theo meanwhile continued his stroll as if nothing had ever happened, leading them inside.
"Jealousy is a bad look on you Draco."
"What on earth are you spewing Nott," Malfoy growled. Hermione and Neville fell back slightly, watching the Slytherins dance their poisoned tune.
"I'm just saying there is enough to go around. You aren't entitled to much of anything Draco."
"Careful where you tread Nott. Snakes hide underfoot."
"And the lone wolf eats little," he quipped back. Neville was thoroughly confused and Hermione was aware they were using some sort of metaphor based code but she was missing too much information to understand it.
After a moment Theo rolled his eyes and turned to the Gryffindors with an apologetic grin.
"Apparently I am needed to spice up the bureaucracy. I'll catch you two later."
They waved goodbye, still feeling the simmering tension between the Slytherins until the boys exited the courtyard. Neville blinked at the retreating forms with a frown.
"Did you catch any of that?"
She pushed forward, intent on making her way up to Gryffindor tower for a nice long shower.
"Not even half."