September 3 1998
Panting for breath, Hermione sat in her bed after waking. She hadn't even intended to fall asleep but before she knew it she was out and the nightmares were back. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she crawled out of her bed that was covered in her books and scrolls for class. She needed to get a glass of water and she had hoped that Theo would be asleep. Slipping a cozy, white oversized wool sweater over her tank top, Hermione quietly stepped out of her room tucking a curl behind her ear. She hadn't made it a few steps down the hall when she heard multiple voices coming from her and Theo's common room. She knew it had been too good to be true to hope that Theo wouldn't be awake. But who did he have in there? As she made her way down further down the hall the conversation became more clear.
"Would you relax?" Theo scoffed and Hermione knew he must have been rolling his eyes. "Your tense shoulders are giving me body aches."
"He's probably worried your roommate is going to come out and hex him," a female voice said quietly that she immediately recognized as Pansy Parkinson and her body momentarily tightened in fear.
"She wouldn't hex you," Theo insisted. "Hermione isn't like that."
"She's the Golden Girl war heroine," Pansy insisted. "She hates us all by nature."
"Don't assume that," Theo insisted.
"I don't have to," a voice she would know anywhere said, causing Hermione's breath to catch. "She should hate me…"
"Don't be such a martyr," another male voice spoke that Hermione didn't seem to recognize. Deciding that it was best to just get it over with, Hermione walked into the common room, causing all four slytherin's to look up. Theo smiled sweetly at her, Pansy looked at her with no emotion, but when her eyes met Draco's she could see the fear that he held in them. Smiling softly at the blonde haired Slytherin, the curly haired continued on into the kitchen and made herself a glass of water before heading back to her bedroom.
March 2006
"Where is she?!" Draco stormed through the double doors in the hallway of St. Mungo's as mediwitches and healers followed him, trying to stop him. His eyes landed on two of his best friends that were both covered in blood, her blood. He felt his heart seize in his chest. They were covered in so much blood. "Where is she? What happened!"
"Draco just-"
"WHERE IS SHE!"
"The healer is with her now," Blaise said as calmly as he could, motioning towards Pansy who was holding a teary Lyra in her arms. "There was… there was a lot of blood Draco."
"It was the knife," Theo croaked out, his voice and eyes heavy with tears.
"What knife?" Draco asked.
"The knife," Theo emphasized and the look on his face made the blonde wizard's blood run cold. The knife. It couldn't have been the knife.
"No... how… why… why the fuck was it there?!" Draco shouted, charging towards Theo but Blaise stepped in between the two friends.
"I didn't know!" Theo shouted back.
"Now is not the time," Blaise sneered, giving them both a look before looking over at Pansy who was murmuring to Lyra who had her head lying on her shoulder sniffling. "Whatever the hell that knife did to her… it's not good ok?"
Draco paced in front of the room running his fingers through his hair. How could this be happening?
September 30 1998
The sound of a bag dropping caused Hermione to jump and look up from her textbook. It was late for anyone else to be in the library, which was why she found it odd that Theodore Nott was taking a seat across from her at her table.
"Relax Granger," Theo chuckled, pulling out his textbook before sending a wink her way. Hermione nodded, returning back to her reading. As she heard Theo start to tap his quill against his scroll while he read, she began to feel annoyed. There was a reason that she was in the library later than most people. There was a reason she sat at this particular table. It was her table, the one she had occupied the entire length of her learning at Hogwarts. Everyone knew that it was her table, the one that she would share with Harry and Ron throughout the years. Now here he sat, at her table, tapping his quill and destroying the silence that she had escaped to.
"What are you doing here?" Hermione sighed, looking up at the boy across from her. Theo looked up, raising his brow at the curly haired witch in front of him. Since moving into the head boy and girl dorm with her, the two had barely spoken unless it was about prefect schedules or their other duties. When he had walked into the library and saw her sitting there, he couldn't resist the opportunity.
"Well I'm studying," Theo chuckled. "That is what people tend to do in the library."
"Why aren't you studying in the dorm?" Hermione asked.
"Why aren't you?" Theo retorted back.
"Don't you have friends waiting for you there?" She shot back at him.
"Don't you have friends waiting for you?" Theo chuckled, watching as her eyes slightly shifted to Amber at his evasion.
"Are you seriously going to answer every question with a question?" Hermione sighed in frustration, slamming her book shut.
"Possibly," Theo smirked. "If it gets you to have an actual conversation with me." He laughed as she rolled her eyes, standing up gathering her books. "You know you could just come back to the common room with me, we could read, have some of whatever that delicious smelling drink you make is."
"Hot chocolate," Hermione grumbled.
"Yeah, whatever that is," Theo waved off. "I bet you and I have more in common than you think."
"I'm sure your friends are waiting for you," she responded, biting her lower lip.
"Not tonight," Theo spoke up, rising to his feet and gathering his own things. "Come on, live a little Granger. Take a chance."
March 2006
"What exactly are you saying?" Theo snapped, his eyes shifting back and forth between Healer Rogers and the door to Hermione's room.
"I'm saying that even though we stopped the bleeding and repaired the damage to her liver, there's still the matter of the cursed blade itself. There's some type of dark magic or poison… something that is working its way through Miss Granger's body," Healer Rogers spoke,to the three boys standing vigilant outside of her hospital room.
"How do we fix that?" Blaise was the first to speak of. "Whatever the cost, whatever it is, it doesn't matter. We will take care of it. Just fix it."
"The problem is that we don't know what we are dealing with here," Rogers spoke again, running his hands through his hair. "It could be as simple as waiting for a toxin to work its way out of her system. Which is why we are continuously giving her blood replenishing potions. Or…"
"Or it could be a poison…" Draco spoke for the first time.
"A poison is more… complicated. Until we figure this all out, we are keeping Miss Granger unconscious."
"No," Theo said, shaking his head adamantly. "No you can't keep her trapped inside her head alone. Wake her up. Wake her up right now."
"Theo…" Pansy spoke up from her seat. She held the sleeping Lyra close to her chest as she stroked her curls.
"No Pansy," Theo snapped. "Do not trap her in her nightmares. Wake her the fuck up!"
"I'm sorry… only her next of kin or power of attorney can make those decisions for her…"
October 10 1998
"NO!" Hermione gasped as her eyes shot open, hand immediately grabbing onto her arm, still feeling the knife slicing into her over and over. She could hear Bellatrix laughing, feel Greyback's hands…
"It's ok Hermione," Theo spoke softly, grabbing her hand, pulling her out of her thoughts. Turning her head to the right, she saw Theo laying down beside her in her bed. He squeezed her hand as she turned on her side to face him. "It was just a nightmare. You're not there."
"Just a nightmare…" Hermione repeated, taking a shaky breath as Theo wiped her tears with his free hand.
"You know Granger," Theo smirked teasingly, looking into her eyes. "If you wanted to get me into your bed, all you had to do was ask." Hermione laughed slightly, causing a smile to crack on his face. "You didn't have to go to these extremes you know."
"I'll remember that for next time."
Theo chuckled along with her, never letting go of her hand as he looked into her dull, lifeless eyes that used to burn so bright. Now they were just cold and distant. "Do you want to talk about it? It helps sometimes… talking to someone about it."
"You have nightmares?" Hermione's voice was quiet, timid.
"All the time."
March 2006
Blaise stood watch outside the window of Hermione's room, vigilantly watching every mediwitch and Healer that laid their hands on her. He kept picturing the moment he found her body, seeing it replay over and over in his mind like one of those muggle films she had tried to push onto them. She was so cold, so lifeless…
"Narcissa and Lucius are coming to get Lyra," Pansy's voice spoke up quietly as she entwined her fingers with his. His grip on her hand tightened, but he never looked away from the body. "She shouldn't be here for this…" All Blaise could do was nod his head. All the things he had wanted to say to her since their argument, all the moments he couldn't get back, they were all just waiting there on the tip of his tongue. He had been upset, angry, hurt… but he had never imagined that could be the last thing he ever said to her.
"Healer Rogers says we can go in the room once everyone has cleared out of there," Theo's voice sounded from the other side of him. Blaise didn't have to question where Draco was. Draco had taken Lyra out of Pansy's arms and refused to let go of her ever since.
"I can go and get clothes for you and Theo…" Pansy spoke again, trying anything she could to distract herself from the friend that lay in the room before them. She was more than just a friend though, she was family.
October 25 1998
Blaise watched from his place in the hidden alcove as students left the castle grounds for their trip to Hogsmeade. Under the strict terms of Draco and Theo's probation, they were unable to leave the school grounds unless they were escorted by an Auror or approved chaperone. He could have gone without them he supposed, but what fun would that have been? That's how he currently found himself watching the Golden Girl's friends trying to persuade her to join them on their trip into the village. She was adamantly shaking her head no, probably spouting out one of a hundred excuses as to why she couldn't go. It would take an idiot to notice that the Gryffindor princess wasn't quite the same girl that had wandered these halls before the second wizarding war. None of them were. As she retreated back into the castle, Blaise watched as she made her way back towards her common room, knowing full well that he was supposed to be meeting his friends there later. Maybe she would be joining them this time.
When Blaise entered the head boy and girl common room, he was greeted immediately with the voices of his friends. When he rounded the corner, he wasn't surprised to see them all sitting there carrying on with one another. He was ,however, surprised to see Hermione tucked on the far end of the couch, reading her book while the conversation swirled around her.
"Blaise help me out here," Theo spoke up, pouring fire whiskey into what looked like the ridiculously sweet drink that he had been forcing upon all of them since Hermione had made it for him earlier in the month. "Please explain to this blonde bastard here that people do not simply just ride a dragon."
"Obviously Theo," Draco rolled his eyes, nursing the firewhiskey in his hand. "All I was saying is that if you in fact could ride a dragon, then you would have the upper hand."
"Well I rode you," Pansy smirked looking over at Draco as Blaise rolled his eyes, taking a seat. "Does that count?"
"No Pansy it doesn't fucking count!" Theo shouted, exasperated with his friends. "I'm talking about a real live fire breathing dragon here, not Draco's rumored dick size."
"It's not rumored," Pansy laughed.
"That's not the point!" Theo groaned. "You can't just ride a dragon."
"I rode a dragon." All four slytherins heads shot over to Hermione, who hadn't looked up from her book but had spoken for the first time since they had all entered the room.
"I'm sorry you did what?!" Theo's eyes were wide as he stared at the tiny girl on the couch.
"I rode a dragon," Hermione spoke again, closing her book and looking up at them for the first time. "We freed a dragon, and then we rode on his back to escape from Gringotts."
"No fucking way…" Theo breathed, his mouth ajar from the shock.
"Well well, looks like Gryffindor's princess isn't as innocent as we all thought," Blaise smirked, looking at her impressed. "What other nefarious activities have you found yourself involved in Granger?"
"You have no idea," Hermione chuckled to herself.
March 2006
Draco held the sleeping baby close to his chest. They couldn't lose Hermione. Lyra couldn't lose Hermione. He had looked through the window once to see her. She was lying on the bed, lifeless and pale. He couldn't stand to see her like that. He needed to see her bright chocolate eyes soaking in knowledge as she tore through the pages of a new book. He needed to see the fire in her eyes, the magic crackling at the ends of her curls as he goaded her just to play with her. He needed to see her smile that lit up a room, hear her laughter fill the holes in his heart with warmth. He needed her.
His last words to her had been said out of fear and hurt. Draco had always lashed out at anyone when he was scared, and he was bloody terrified. He was in love with Hermione. There was no denying it. He had given every piece of himself to her that he could: his heart, his soul… it was all hers. But to watch her keep more secrets, listen to the words Pansy and Blaise had been saying, it made him fear that maybe they were her second choice. He had spent the last few weeks agonizing over the look on her face when he had taken their side. He could see the hurt and the betrayal clear as day in her eyes and it burned into his soul.
Lost in his dark rabbit hole, Draco flinched as he heard the double doors in the hallway blast open. He held Lyra tighter to his chest, his hand instinctively going for his wand. As he looked over, his eyes met the redheaded witch, who had a homicidal look in her eyes. Her husband that was walking beside her did not look much happier.
As Ginny caught sight of the slytherins, her anger intensified causing her magic to crackle around her as she raised her wand pointing it directly at them. "How fucking dare you?! Get away from her room right now," Ginny shouted, daring anyone to go against her.
"Ginny, it was an accident. I didn't know it was there! It shouldn't have been there!" Theo pleaded with her, tears in his eyes.
"It's your bloody house Nott!" Harry shouted at him. His best friend was lying in a hospital bed dying and after everything they had already put her through, they had the nerve to be standing here pretending to care about her.
"I brought a cursebreaker in!" Theo argued back. "I had a cursebreaker go through every inch of the manor. They were supposed to find anything harmful and yet they missed this! If anything it's your fucking departments fault! You have an imbecile in your ranks!"
"The only fucking reason I haven't hexed you within an inch of your life is because you've been nothing but fucking kind and loyal to her," Ginny sneered turning her fiery glare onto Blaise and Pansy. "You two on the other hand…"
"How did you find out?" Draco spoke up, standing up and shifting Lyra in his arms and walking over. They hadn't even thought to call the boy wonder and Weaslette.
"I'm her medical power of attorney. Who do you think they called," Harry scoffed, glaring over at Draco. He had trusted them all with Hermione. He had gone against his better judgement at her request and now look where it had gotten her. She had been miserable for weeks and was now dying in a hospital bed.
"He's also Lyra's godfather," Ginny snapped, walking to take Lyra from Draco. "Give her to me right now."
"What? No! You can't just take her," Pansy snapped, moving over to block Ginny.
"If you do not move out of my way Parkinson, I have a bat bogey hex that I have perfected and I am dying to use on you. Just fucking try me. MOVE," Ginny shouted, causing Pansy to jump. The look in her friend's eyes caused her to cower and move out of the way.
"Harry you can't just take her," Theo begged, trying to reason with him.
"Your place isn't safe clearly," Harry snapped out at him.
"It's the only place she's ever known," Blaise tried to insist. "She won't understand."
"Of course she's not going to understand!" Harry bellowed out. "She's going to start asking for her mum and she's not going to understand why Hermione isn't there! Make no mistake. If Hermione-" Harry closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "When Hermione wakes up, I'm taking her with me too."
"Give her to me ferret," Ginny snarled, but Draco held him on his hold of Lyra. He couldn't let her go. He couldn't lose her too. "Now!"
"Please Harry," Theo begged. "Please I'm begging you don't do this."
"You can try to fight this but legally you don't stand a chance," Harry snapped, his eyes going to Blaise. "So go ahead, hire any solicitor you want. It won't change anything."
Draco begrudgingly relented, feeling empty the second Lyra was in Ginny's arms, who held her protectively against her as if they were going to make a move. "To be really fucking clear to all of you. Hermione had options. Harry and I begged her to come and live with us. She declined, choosing to stay with you. She had a flat ready to go, she chose to let it go because YOU asked her to stay. She fucking chose you over everyone else in her life over and over. So think about that. She's been choosing the four of you since the end of the fucking war. She chose you over self preservation. She chose the hard road. So think about that while you think about the last fucking words you said to her."
November 18 1998
Draco sat at the Slytherin table with his friends in silence. Like every meal in the great hall, all eyes were on their table, waiting for any one of them to make a wrong move or say a wrong word. It was his least favorite part of every day. All he could do was block out the unnecessary noise and keep his head down. He never stayed for long, eating as fast as he could before he would get up and leave without a word. He couldn't breathe in the great hall. All he could see was rubble and the bodies of people he had grown up with, teachers that had taught him. How were they supposed to just move on so quickly? How could they when they had to sit in this hall every day and relive it all. Hearing the usual whispers and snide remarks, Draco kept his eyes trained on his food, willing himself to eat faster. That was when he heard her though.
"They are just kids Seamus!" Hermione shouted as she stood up from her seat, hair sparking as her magic flowed around her, in tune with her emotions. "You sit here, refusing to see that they are trying! They are trying to move forward, do better! How can they do that if all you see is the mistakes that they have made?"
"How can you defend them after everything they have done?! Especially to you! They teased you endlessly, called you a Mudblood. They made your life here bloody miserable!" Seamus shot back.
"Seamus…" Neville said, trying to calm his friend down.
"Why Hermione?!"
"Because they are my friends…" Draco watched as she gathered her things and made her way towards the doors of the Great Hall. He thought she had the right idea, leaving, but then he saw her stop, and turn to round the table and head back up towards her friends that she was just arguing with. To his surprise though, his eyes widened as she stopped and turned to face Theo, Blaise, Pansy, and himself. "Is it alright if I join you?"
"By all means," Theo smiled brightly, gesturing to the seat right across from Draco. Hermione sat down quietly, Draco unable to take his eyes off of her. Had she actually chosen to sit with them willingly, in front of her friends? "It's about time that I had some decent breakfast conversation, I'm surrounded by halfwits."
"They can hardly be blamed Theo," Hemione spoke casually, fixing herself a cup of coffee and grabbing a pastry. "They've lacked the proper stimulating conversations that make them actually have to use their own brains for once."
"Lioness had claws," Blaise smirked, chuckling to himself. "Welcome to the snake pit Granger. I think you're going to like it here."
December 10 1998
Hermione walked out of her room, rubbing her eyes as she made her way to the kitchen to get a glass of water. They had been up late, drinking and telling stories but she had turned in earlier than the rest of them. After having woken from a nightmare, the dorm was quiet so she had assumed that they had made their way back to the Slytherin common room. That was why when she turned to head back to her room and saw Draco sitting in front of the roaring fire in their common room she was surprised.
"Couldn't sleep?" Draco asked, his eyes never leaving the flames in front of him.
"Something like that," Hermione spoke softly, making her way to sit on the ground beside him. She grabbed the throw blanket off the couch and wrapped herself up in it for the extra warmth. Draco looked over at her, bundled next to him. She seemed so small, smaller than he had ever realized. "I didn't realize anyone was still here."
"Theo let's me stay here sometimes when I need to," Draco shrugged, his eyes moving back to the flames in front of them. "The silence gets a little loud sometimes. It's comforting knowing I'm not alone… that Theo is right there if I need him."
"Theo is good at that," Hermione nodded, her eyes watching the flames along with him. "I have nightmares sometimes… a lot of the time… and Theo always knows what to say, how to calm me…"
"He's had a lot of practice…" Draco's voice was so quiet, Hermione could barely hear him. She could only imagine the things that Draco dreamed about. With Voldemort invading his home for the better part of the war, she couldn't fathom the horror's he had seen, endured. "He's been helping with mine since sixth year."
"I dream of your aunt," Hermione spoke, after a few minutes of silence. Her hand immediately went to the scar on her arm, fingers tracing the letters that were etched into her skin just underneath the thin cotton of her night shirt. "I dream of that day… in the manor…"
"So do I," Draco choked out, his eyes flickering over to her arm. He hadn't dared to look at her arm since they had begun to start speaking to one another. He was terrified, that one look and he would never be able to look at her again. "I can hear you screaming… so much screaming. I see myself standing there wanting to help, wanting to do something-"
"Draco you would have died," Hermione spoke softly, Draco's eyes coming up to meet hers. "If you had done anything to help me, she would have killed you."
"I should have stopped her…"
"Draco," Hermione's words were soft, her hand even softer as it gently slipped into his larger one. Draco froze at first, unsure of what to do, but then he basked in the warmth of her small hand, enveloping hers with his tightly. "You did everything you could by refusing to identify us. I know… I know it seems so small to you, so insignificant…. But it was everything Draco."
"It doesn't make up for all the horrible things I've done…"
"Horrible things that you had to do to survive," Hermione retorted, an indistinguishable look in her eyes. "War changed us all… we all had to do things to survive. For a long time I hated you… hated you for all the torment you caused me. I couldn't understand how you could hate me when you never even knew me. But then I saw it… I saw it after your father was sent to Azkaban in our sixth year. I saw it that day in the manor. You were never taught any other way. You were raised to believe the things you said, taught that purebloods were the most deserving of magic and I can see over the last few years how you've realized that those beliefs aren't yours. I see you Draco Malfoy."
December 20 1998
With days left before the end of first term, Theo and Hermione had found themselves busy helping students and making sure that those who were staying at the castle were settled and comfortable. This left them little time with their friends, much to the annoyance of the other slytherins. This included Pansy Parkison, who despite not wanting anything to do with Hermione Granger, found herself slowly letting the witch into her heart.
When Hermione walked into the dorm and saw Pansy sitting on her couch reading witch weekly with none of the other Slytherins around, she was unsure of what to do. She nodded to her, speaking a polite hello before starting to head to her room but Pansy's voice stopped her. "Granger, what exactly are you wearing?" Pansy asked, causing Hermione to stop and look down at herself. She was wearing her normal jeans and an oversized jumper, nothing out of the ordinary.
"I'm wearing my clothes, Pansy. Why?"
"Because if we are going to be friends," Pansy started, setting down her magazine and turning all of her attention to the witch in front of her. "You're going to have to dress better than that."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me," Pansy stood up from her seat on the couch, determined in her gaze. "I assume you are done with your duties for the day?"
"Well yes but-"
"Excellent," Pansy said, grabbing onto her arm and dragging her out of the dorm with her. "You and I are going to Hogsmeade."
"We can't just go to Hogsmeade," Hermione tried to argue as the small, yet stronger than she expected witch pulled alongside her.
"Oh please," Pansy scoffed. "This coming from the girl who brewed polyjuice potion in her second year to spy on slytherins, broke Sirius Black out of Hogwarts with the aid of a bloody time turner , lead Umbridge into the forbidden forest and let the centaurs have their way with her, and rode a bloody dragon out of Gringotts. You break more rules than anyone I know. We are going to Hogsmeade and that is final."
As it turned out, going to Hogsmeade with the witch hadn't been as bad as Hermione had thought it would be. Once you got through the tough exterior that was Pansy Parkinson, she actually found herself enjoying her time with the raven haired witch. They teased and joked. She didn't have to pretend to be perfect. She didn't have to pretend to be happy and cheerful. She could just be herself. If she would take anything from her tentative friendship with Pansy it would be just that.
"See now this right here Granger," Pansy said, looking her over with a smirk of approval. "This is what you should be wearing. You shouldn't be hiding under robes and baggy sweaters and jumpers. You're a woman with a damn good arse and set of tits. We were born to show them off."
"I don't know," Hermione sighed, looking at herself in the mirror. Pansy was right, after a year on the run with little to eat, her body was finally bouncing back to normalcy after regaining a proper diet. "It's beautiful I just… I don't think I can pull it off."
"Well of course you can," Pansy rolled her eyes. "I know what I'm doing here."
"The clothes are fantastic," Hermione sighed, running her fingers over the soft fabric. "It's the rest of me that's the problem."
"The hair is a bit of a lion's. mane but it's nothing that a few beauty charms and sleakeazy's can't control," Pansy waved off. "As for the rest of you… you are a strong, badass woman Granger. It's time to show the rest of the world what you are capable of."
March 2006
Theo sat vigilant at her bedside, holding her hand tightly. He refused to leave her alone, especially since he couldn't convince them to wake her up. He wouldn't leave her alone to her thoughts and dreams. She had worked so hard to work through the trauma and the fear and he would be damned if she had to face it alone again. As Theo whispers words of encouragement to her, Blaise stood in the corner of the room with Pansy watching. He watched every time her chest would rise and fall, every time her body would move in the slightest. Any change in her vitals he caught onto quickly, ready to get help if it was needed. He was vigilant, steady, and unmoving. Pansy stood beside him, curled into his side quietly. She wanted nothing more than Hermione to wake up and hex them all for being there. She wanted her to scream at them, demand that they leave and never speak to her again. She would take anything over this silence, this fear of the unknown. Draco sat on the other side of her, his eyes never leaving hers, stroking her arms, smoothing her curls.
"I'm sorry," Draco murmured, kissing the palm of her hand. "I'm so sorry." He repeated the words over and over, almost like a mantra. It was a constant string of words, almost as if the words themselves could wake her up.
As the healer walked into the room, all eyes except for Draco's looked up at him. "I've already informed Mr. Potter of our findings but since you won't leave her presence, I've been asked to inform you as well. It is a poison that is working it's way through her bloodstream."
"What do we do?" Theo asked. "Draco is the best person I know at potions. He can find something, someone to fix this."
"Fortunately for Miss Granger," the healer began again. "We have dealt with this particular poison before. They are brewing the antidote now."
"Thank fucking circe, salazar, fucking Godric Gryffindor himself," Theo sighed in relief.
"It will not be an easy recovery," the healer said. "Which is why you must all leave."
"Excuse me?" Theo shouted. "You can't make us leave."
"I can," he nodded. "More importantly, Mr. Potter can."
"Fucking Potter," Blaise grumbled out.
March 1999
"No," Hermione laughed, laying out by the Black Lake with all of them. "Absolutely not. That is ridiculous."
"You have to do it," Blaise smirked, chuckling as he took another swig from the bottle.
"It's a ridiculous dare," Hermione shot back, smiling over at him. "Pick something else."
"You don't get to say no to a dare," Theo laughed, braiding her hair as she lay on the ground in front of him. 'That isn't how truth or dare works."
"Fine," Hermione hiccupped. "Then I choose the truth."
"Did you or did you not see both Boy Wonder and Weasel's dicks while sharing a tent with them? And if so which one was bigger." Blaise's smirk grew as everyone around them laughed. There was absolutely no way that she would actually answer the question. He loved to watch her squirm.
"If you must know," Hermione drunkenly scoffed, rubbing her hands over her face. "Yes I did see them both at one point or another."
"I knew it!" Pansy clapped excitedly. "I need all the details."
"What do you have a hard on for their cocks Pansy?" Draco smirked, chugging from his own bottle of firewhiskey. Pansy smacked him on the back causing him to choke slightly and Blaise and Theo to laugh.
"Well," Blaise laughed, still in shock from her answer. "Out with it Granger. Who's cock is better?"
"It's not like I tried them on for size Blaise," Hermione retorted, causing Theo to double over from his laughter.
"Merlin we need to get you drunk more often," Theo laughed, wheezing as he tried to catch his breath. "It's so fucking hilarious."
"That's because I'm Hermione Granger," Hemione laughed.
"Golden Girl," Blaise smirked.
"Brightest witch of her age," Draco chuckled.
"The Gryffindor Princess!" Pansy chimed in.
"Yes I'm all those things!" Hermione rolled her eyes, sitting up off the ground. "But if you must know, Harry's is better. I've seen Ron's up close. I would know."
"This is the best night of my life!" Theo laughed, his head falling into her lap.
June 1999
"It's weird right?" Theo said, standing around the little fire, looking up at the castle. He couldn't believe they had made it to graduation. All they had wanted since the moment they had entered that castle again was to finish their studies and get the hell out. Now, he found himself wishing for just a little more time.
"That you want more time?" Draco laughed from the other side of Hermione. "It's definitely fucking weird."
"After tomorrow it all changes," Theo shrugged. "We are out of our bubble… forced back into a fucking society that still is as prejudice as it was before the war."
"I'd like to think change is coming," Hermione shrugged her shoulders, staring at the flames that danced around them. "I mean at least we aren't trying to kill one another…"
"I'll drink to that," Blaise chuckled, taking a swig from the bottle. "So tell me Granger. Where will you be after graduation tomorrow? Following the rest of the Golden Trio to become an Auror?"
"I accepted a job at the Ministry in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures actually," Hermione smiled, Theo nudging her shoulder proudly. "It's where I always wanted to be."
"I expected nothing less," Theo smiled. "What about you Blaise?"
"Well I will be at the Vineyard in Italy for the summer but I'm thinking of starting my own business," Blaise shrugged.
"Oh yeah? Doing what?" Hermione asked, curiosity getting the best of her.
"Magical tattoos actually," Blaise shrugged. "Just a thought."
"I think you'd be brilliant," she smiled encouragingly.
"Well you will find me making my way through Europe breathing in all the latest fashions," Pansy smirked, twirling in her spot for good measure. She had refused to let her mother attempt to force her into a pureblood arranged marriage. She wanted to make her own way in the world.
"As you should," Blaise winked, smiling at the little witch.
"What about you, you big blonde bastard?" Theo chuckled, looking over at Draco. "What will you be up to hmmm? Besides annoying the shit out of all of us with your broody attitude."
"I bought a Quidditch team," Draco shrugged.
"I'm sorry what?" Pansy quipped. "You just… bought a team?"
"That I did," Draco nodded, sipping from the bottle of firewhiskey that had landed in his hands.
"Of course you did," Theo laughed, reaching around Hermione to steal the bottle. "Bastard has too much money to know what to do with it all."
"I could say the same for you," Draco rolled his eyes, chuckling a bit. "I figure I'll get someone to help while I learn the ins and outs of running a team."
"I think you'll be brilliant," Hermione smiled at him. "You've always been a quick learner."
"Only second to you," Draco smirked, watching as her brown eyes twinkled in the firelight. She was more beautiful to him than she would ever know. She radiated pure faith in all of them. He knew she was one of the only reasons he had made it through the year and didn't wallow in his own self pity. She was hope in its purest form.
"We should make a pact," Theo spoke, bringing Draco out of his ruminations. "We should all promise that no matter where life takes us all, we will still have dinners and game nights and stay in each other's lives. We make each other better people."
"Of course we will, Theo, don't be ridiculous," Pansy rolled her eyes. Blaise and Draco nodded in understanding, Hermione took his hand in her own and smiled softly at him. "Of course Theo."
March 2006
"She should be awake," Harry spoke, holding Hermione's hand as he and Charlie Weasley sat on either side of her. After the healers had started giving her the potions, they had been told they would start to see progress soon. It had been days now, with potion given three times a day and there was no sign of change. They had stopped giving her the potion to keep her asleep and yet, she wasn't awake. "It's been four days…"
"Mione is strong," Charlie spoke up, looking at Harry once he was able to tear his eyes off of her. "She will wake up. I know she will. How's Lyra?"
"She's restless," Harry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Ever since he and Ginny had brought her to Grimmauld Place, the little girl cried for her mum. She called for the others as well and unnerved him to no end. They were the ones that had done this to her mother. It wasn't safe for Lyra at Nott Manor. "She keeps asking for her mum…calling out for the Slytherins. She cries out for Draco… I literally pick her up and she says not dada. She cries… and it breaks my heart."
"Do you want mum to take her for a bit?" Charlie offered, looking at the man who was either at the hospital with Hermione or at home with Ginny and Lyra. "She's always been good with children."
"No," Harry shook his head. "Besides' it's good practice." Harry laughed a little, squeezing Hermione's hand. "I never even had a chance to tell her Ginny is pregnant…"
"You'll get that chance Harry," Charlie spoke softly. "And she will be just as excited for you as the rest of us were." The sound of the door opening, caused Charlie and Harry to both look up.
Theo entered the room, nodding at both of the men in the room before focusing his eyes on the girl lying in the hospital bed. "Any change?" Theo asked quietly, feeling the glare coming off of Harry.
"No," Charlie spoke, not yet. He didn't know the man well, but Charlie could tell he was worried. He could see it in his eyes that Hermione was important to him. "I'm Charlie. Charlie Weasley."
"Theodore Nott," Theo said, he chanced a flicker of a glance over at him before returning to watch Hemrione. The three men sat in Silence for a while, the air tense around them as they watched the girl they all loved fight for her life. "She's like a sister to me Harry… I never wanted this to happen. I would have rather died than something like this happening…"
"I know," Harry sighed, knowing full well the closeness of Theo and Hermione's friendship. Hermione had explained it to him once, how she felt a closeness to the Slytherin boy that she could describe. He had helped her through her night terrors, helped her survive when she felt like she was dying inside piece by piece. They were bonded in a way that was only theirs. He knew Theo wasn't completely to blame for what had happened to her, but he needed someone to blame. "Hermione would have my hide if she knew I had tried to keep you away from seeing her. She's clever with her hexes."
"Just like that wife of yours," Theo murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. "I still freak out every time I sneeze, thinking a bat is going to fly out of my nose."
April 2004
Theo pounded on the door of Grimmauld Place ready to demand answers. He had barely seen or heard from Hermione in close to six months. Now he hears that she had taken a leave of absence at work? That was not like her in the slightest.
"Nott?" Harry opened the door, looking in shock at the man that stood on his front stoop. How did he even know how to find his home? That was something we would definitely dwell on later. "What are you doing here?"
"Where is she, Potter?" Theo demanded.
"Where is who? What are you talking about?" Harry said nonchalantly. He wasn't an idiot. He knew exactly who Theo was looking for. It wasn't a shock, Hermione had disappeared from all of her friends. That didn't mean he was going to give him any information though.
"Don't play dumb with me Potter. You know exactly what I'm talking about," Theo snapped. "I don't know if you're protecting her or you honestly don't know where she is but I'm worried."
"Don't worry about her," Harry spoke again, sighing when he realized it wasn't going to be that simple to get rid of. "She's going to be ok."
"What do you mean she's going to be ok?" Theo demanded. "You have to give me something here! I'm freaking out."
"Come in," Harry nodded, opening the door wider to allow him to walk into the home. Theo had heard stories from Hermione about Grimmauld place but it looked nothing like she had described. Harry and Ginny must have redone the place. "Ginny is at practice right now."
"Alright," Theo nodded, following Harry into the sitting room and taking a seat. "What the hell is going on Potter?"
"About six months ago," Harry began, fidgeting with his hands in his lap. "Hermione had a breakdown at St. Mungos. She was working and… well from what I understand she began to hallucinate. She was screaming and making a scene… so they admitted her for being a danger to herself and to others."
"No," Theo shook his head. "No, Hermione is not crazy. That's just-"
"I think you and I can both agree that Hermione has never truly dealt with her issues and the trauma after the war. We both know about the nightmares," Harry pointed out and Theo sighed nodding. "When they released her… she was encouraged to take a leave of absence."
"That's a nice way of saying forced," Theo grumbled.
"Yes," Harry nodded. "After that… Hermione just lost all sense of herself. She went on a bit of a bender."
"Bender?" Theo asked, confused.
"Muggle terminology for, well she went a little unhinged," Harry tried again.
"She's not a door Harry! I don't know what that means."
"Ok she went a little crazy," Harry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "She didn't even speak to me. I only knew what I saw in the papers. But… she's fine now. I just recently spoke to her. She's doing alright. She's seeing a mind healer, getting the help she needs."
"I want to talk to her," Theo said. If anyone could get through to Hermione it was him. He could be by her side, help her through whatever it was she needed. He was the last person that would judge her for anything she had done.
"She will talk to you when she's ready," Harry said, an air of authority in his voice.
"No Potter! You don't get to just dictate-"
"It's ok Harry," a small voice rang out through the room, causing both Harry and Theo to turn and look at the source. There she stood, Hermione Granger, with a small, sad smile on her face.
"Hermione…"
"Hi Theo," Hermione spoke softly before turning to look at Harry. "Can you give us a moment please?" Harry nodded, standing and kissing her cheek as he left the room. Taking a deep breath, she went and took his seat across from Theo.
"Hermione," Theo breathed out in relief. "I was so fucking worried about you. Why didn't you come to me? I would have been there for you? I could have helped you."
"Theo.."
"I can help you," Theo shook his head, taking her hands in his. "Harry told me everything. I don't care. We are all fucking mental as far as I'm concerned."
"Theo, I need to tell you something," Hermione began but he cut her off again.
"Come with me to game night tonight," Theo begged. "Let us all be there for you. I promise you."
"Theo, I'm pregnant…"
March 2006
Hermione stirred in the hospital bed, causing all three heads to turn their full attention back to her. As she tried to open her eyes the first time, the blinding light caused her to squeeze her eyes shut tight, moaning from the sudden intrusion into her sight. "Hermione… Hermione, it's me. It's Harry. Can you open your eyes?"
Theo stood, dimming the lights with his wand as best as he could, not wanting to cause her any more pain than necessary.
"Harry?" Her voice croaked, the sound of it causing Theo to let out what sounded like a mixture of a cry and a laugh in relief. She was awake. She was alive. All three continued to stare as the curly haired witch slowly, but surely opened her big beautiful brown eyes.