Lunch was… odd without Theo by her side. He had swung by at the beginning of the meal and said hello but settled back at the Slytherin table easily enough. Not quite next to Malfoy but nearby. Apparently a few fists was enough to fix whatever boundaries had been over stepped.
Hermione was glad that he and Malfoy had fixed their friendship to at least the point of civility but she still missed him. Lavender at least looked more relaxed, filling them in on the newest hair charms (not that Hermione asked).
As usual Theo met her by the door after the meal, ignoring the still heated glares of the Slytherin table but this time missing from the Gryffindor one. Hermione frowned as she found Malfoy staring at his food with Pansy leaning toward him. The sight of it made her stomach roll and she swore she could smell that vile scent from across the room.
"Patch things up then?" Hermione asked as they left the hall, heading to the library. Madam Pince agreed to the inter-house study group and now Hermione had to set about selecting the subjects and dates she wanted to cover them. Then she would spread the word.
"As much as one can with Draco. He's kind of a petty git but I figure being subjected to watching him screw Pansy was enough of a punishment."
Hermione flinched.
"Shite, I'm sorry," Theo said, glancing around before wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I wasn't thinking."
"It's fine Theo," Hermione laughed waving him off. "Just could have gone my whole life without seeing that."
"Tell me about it."
After a few feet Hermione finally asked the question that had been bothering her all morning.
"Hey Theo?"
"Hm?"
"Are we dating?"
Theo blinked at her, his face screwing up in confusion.
"I don't think we can be dating." Hermione's face fell and he scrambled to correct himself. "I meant because we haven't been on any dates yet. But… I'd like to of course. I'm taking you to Hogsmeade after all, even if we are meeting up with your idiot friends and- oh Merlin you're laughing at me."
Hermione was. Theo was hard to fluster considering that he wasn't bothered overly much by the opinion of others. Apparently that didn't cover her.
"So no, we're not dating but I would consider you my-"
Her heart did a funny little flip.
"-girlfriend... If you're okay with it."
Hermione hid her disappointment. She wasn't quite sure what she had wanted to hear. Him calling her his girlfriend was exactly what she had wanted but it somehow didn't seem like enough. Her instincts all but paced in her mind in displeasure.
"More than okay with it," Hermione smiled, lacing her hand in his briefly. There was no one around but she still let go.
"Well then," Theo grinned widely backing her into a nearby alcove. "Would my girlfriend like a snog? I don't think there was nearly enough of it last night."
His lips were on hers before she could answer but she kissed back anyway.
When she finally made it to the library she caught sight of Ginny and waved. She rolled her eyes with a knowing smile, saying nothing about her mussed hair and bruised lips.
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Hermione's skin was itching again. She frowned at the moon outside of her window as all the other girls in the dorm slept the night away. A few more days until it was time, but still her skin crawled. Quietly for now, but not for long.
It was in no way easier like she had thought it would be. Theo still walked her to class and would snog her senseless, but that was it. In spite of her body's suddenly bountiful desire he seemed to shy away from anything further. Of course Hermione knew he had every right to say no for whatever reason, but it still rankled and left her hot and frustrated.
More importantly, something else was nagging at the back of her mind. Her instincts had grown louder, the voice more insistence with the waxing moon.
Move. Get up. Search. Walk. Move.
Not only did she not like having something else in her head she was particularly annoyed that it didn't make sense. What did she need to search for? Where was she walking to? Was this how Harry always felt under the crushing pressure of destiny? If so she owed him a serious apology.
After another twenty minutes she surrendered and threw the covers off. She snatched her robe and crept down the staircase, not even glancing at the few students that never seemed to sleep.
When she broke into the corridor she set off at an ambling pace. Her muscles soon fell silent as she wandered the castle, bathing in the streaks of moonlight dripping from the occasional window or door. Every time she made to turn back to Gryffindor tower, the itch returned. Instead she wandered the castle dodging Mrs. Norris but otherwise uninterrupted due to the late hour.
After enough aimless wandering, she began to think on a complex arithmancy problem and her body finally fell silent. By the time Hermione had worked it out and was ready to go to bed, she had meandered to the other side of the castle.
She was in a nondescript hall with low torchlight. The air carried the scent of damp coldness that could only belong to the dungeons. Just as she was trying to gather her bearings the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall.
This close to the moon she was able to throw up a disillusionment charm wandlessly, pressing back into the wall and letting herself blend in seamlessly. As long as she didn't move she was practically invisible.
Her eyes trained on the gloom as movement emerged from it. She managed to restrain her scoff as Malfoy materialized down the hall, wandering about with his hands tucked into his pocket. She held her breath as he came to a lazy stop in front of her, an amused smirk on his face.
"Granger, if you are going to be stalking me you had better borrow that damn cloak from Potter. Your disillusionment charm doesn't cover your scent."
She scowled and dropped the spell, her wand in her hand and eyes narrowed at the bemused blond.
"What are you doing wandering around the castle Malfoy?"
"I fancied a walk."
"At two in the morning?" she growled. "That's awfully suspicious."
"Is it?" he questioned. "Then why are you out? I just left the common room not five minutes ago and it would have certainly taken longer than that to get here from your ivory tower. What's the matter? Did you miss me... come for that private lesson?"
"Not on your life Malfoy!" she hissed against his smug smile. Her cheeks flared as she recalled the way his hand dug into her hips in her nightmare. The way her head flew back in ecstasy. He didn't need to know about that.
He stared at her for another measure, the smirk falling off his face. There was a flash of something, she must have misread it because it almost looked like disappointment. A ridiculous notion her moon-drunk brain provided, desperate as she was. Eventually he rolled his eyes and set back off down the hallway silently and for some reason she followed.
"May as well sneak you inside since you're already here. Theo has been keeping me up with his love-sick tossing and turning."
"Pardon?" she scoffed.
"You know. Inside? Isn't that why you are down here?"
Malfoy stopped at a nondescript section of wall and turned toward her with his wand raised. She jumped back immediately pulling her own and throwing up a shield in response.
"Seriously Granger? I'm far too tired for this."
"What do you think-"
"Do you want to stand out here all night or not?"
She eyed the wall cautiously. When she focused she could just feel Theo somewhere on the other side and her instincts practically spun in a circle for joy. He needed her, and she needed him.
Pack. Close. Mate.
She cleared the words from her mind before she spoke.
"What are you casting? I'll do it."
Malfoy rolled his eyes and sighed but slipped his wand back into his pocket.
" Obscuro. "
"You have got to be joking? Like anyone won't notice a mass of black smoke moving through the common room."
"Most everyone is asleep. Besides, everyone will notice it but no one will ask questions. It's an understood thing."
"Too many sneaks in the snake pit?" she taunted.
"You do realize Theo is also a Slytherin right?" Malfoy questioned leaning against a wall. "And usually it's for the same reason you are sneaking in. Not all relationships were meant to be public. Especially amongst a culture where you are likely to end up engaged if your parents catch a whiff of you snogging someone in the corridor, let alone sneaking them back to your room."
"Why are you helping me? You hate that Theo and I are together."
"Did he tell you that?" Malfoy bristled.
"Of course he did," Hermione scoffed. "He wouldn't keep something from me."
For a second Malfoy paled and Hermione would have spun to check her back if Malfoy wasn't standing there with his wand. Just as quickly he was back to his collected blank self.
"He keeps a lot from you."
"Oh, bollocks. What do you know?"
"More than you think," he purred and Hermione was horrified how much it soothed her. It wasn't far off from the sound Theo made when pleased but it was deeper and carried the dark promise to work away the edginess that surrounded her. She had to find Theo before she was throwing herself at the next available man she saw. Partiuclarly if that was going to be bloody Malfoy. "But I also know I need some sleep and if I don't get you in there I will spend the rest of the night feeling like my skin is on fire. In or out Granger?"
"Why would you-"
"In or out."
She frowned, staring at the blond as he pushed off the wall. After a moment she conceded, casting the obscuring spell over the two of them.
He nodded once as the magic settled on him before turning to the wall.
"Hunt sic draconis."
The wall disappeared, allowing them entrance for a moment before it shut behind them. The common room was muted through the thick smoke of the obscurus , but Hermione could still make out the massive picture window leading out into the gloom of the lake. It was so much colder than Gryffindor tower, the blacks and deep greens making the room seem smaller. She frowned at Slytherins own set of insomniacs that stared at the dark cloud hiding the pair.
"Move it, Granger."
Malfoy grabbed her hand by the wrist before she could protest, leading them through the common room with a smooth grace. Her stride fell perfectly next to his, keeping their bubble of black encapsulating them as if they were one person.
"I thought you said they wouldn't question it," she hissed.
"They won't,'' he responded, leading her down a hall to the right, even as whispers began to flow in from the common room. "They'll titter and guess but won't look any deeper. After all, it could be one of them tomorrow."
He opened a door near the end of the hall stepping out of her spell with a confident stride.
"I've brought your bed warmer. Now shut the hell up and let me sleep."
Hermione bristled even as she dropped the spell, the door closing behind her. Theo's head shot out from his curtains, his eyes rimmed in darkness and his hair adorably mussed. Hermione's instincts were instantly soothed.
Pack. Home. Good.
"Hermione?"
"Hope I'm not bothering you, Theo."
"Never, Darling. Never."
"You're both bothering me," Malfoy scoffed, peeling off his shirt so suddenly Hermione was forced to turn to look away. "Put up a silencing charm. I have Potions tomorrow and don't want to hear your feral rutting."
Hermione waited until she heard the curtains slide shut. Cautiously she turned back to the room where Theo had crawled out of bed and was approaching her. She swallowed thickly, staring at the smooth muscles of his chest and the low hanging waistband of his sleep pants. His hip bones pushed out against his skin, drawing the eye down the V of his abdominal muscles and disappearing into-
"Sorry!" she said, snapping her head up to meet his amused smirk. She could have sworn she saw his chest muscles flex. "I don't even know why I am here. I was just in the hall and Malfoy-"
"Couldn't sleep?" Theo asked, taking her hand softly and running his softly across her wrist. It sparked her desire, thinking of how Malfoy had just held her there a moment ago. She pushed the thought away, already feeling the heady drug of sleep wrapping around her brain. That was the more important need right now unfortunately.
"No," she yawned even as he led her back to his bed. She may have been more concerned about expectations if he hadn't looked half asleep as well.
He guided her in, giving her the pillow that smelled most like him and she would guess was his favorite. She hummed happily as he slid under the sheets next to her, his skin perfumed with the comforting spice and smoke she had come to adore. When she curled into his chest he sighed contentedly, wrapping his arms tightly around her back. She was already feeling the pull of sleep before his curtains drifted shut.
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Hermione woke the next day the most refreshed she has felt all week. Even though the full moon was two nights away she felt calm and entirely luxurious curled against Theo's chest. She sighed happily and rubbed her nose against his neck, wishing she could find a way to bottle his scent and carry it around with her.
Still half asleep Theo's chest rumbled deeply carrying the sound through the room. Hermione heard a book drop paired with a curse and untangled herself enough to peak out of the curtain.
Malfoy was picking up his Potions textbook his face pulled into a tight frown. He was fully dressed and his hair was still a bit wet, falling into pieces across his forehead as he straightened. He pushed it back with one hand, shoving his book in his bag with the other. Hermione had to admit, against the dim background of the Black Lake he cut a fine figure. He wasn't as tall as Theo but his shoulders were broader and more toned. His legs seemed impossibly long and were always positioned just so without his awareness. The grace gifted to her by her bite was nothing compared to the inherent ease and surety of his movements. In the sleepy morning light, it all seemed so soft and beautiful that she almost forgot who she was looking at.
"Heading to class?" she asked. Malfoy jumped and turned to her. She had expected him to be sneering but instead he just looked adorably flustered to have been caught in his morning routine. It was more endearing that anything he had ever said to her
"I am," he said before checking a pocket watch (a pocket watch, honestly). "If you can tear yourself away from your simpering sweet-nothings you two should be getting ready as well. You should be able to sneak out once everyone has left for breakfast."
"Thanks," she said out of habit. "You know… for letting me in. I know you don't like this-"
"I hate it," Malfoy snapped, his sneer settling back into place and breaking the moment. "You two are doomed to be torn apart and I am not looking forward to that fallout."
Hermione was prepared to be offended but something tickled at the back of her mind. She went over his words carefully, trying to think like a Slytherin. Her heart warmed when she realized what he was actually saying. It wasn't their relationship he opposed. He was just worried about how his friend would react if (not when as he seemed to believe) it ended. It was honestly a bit sweet, in the prick-ish, can't-talk-about-his-feelings sort of way.
"Don't smile at me," Malfoy said, sliding on his robes. "It's creepy."
"Have a good day at class Malfoy," she offered with a grin. He frowned and eyed her suspiciously which only made her smile wider. Eventually he scoffed and headed to the door.
"Yeah whatever. You too Granger."
She slid back into bed as the door clicked, curling around a still dozing Theo. He inhaled softly and pulled her tighter against him, locking his arms around her waist. She would probably miss breakfast at this rate, but she couldn't find it in her to care.