Thank you so much to all those who reviewed the first chapter: Elizabeththelast, NatRose17, happiness8000, and MoonflowerDaydreamer.
Updates will be weekly on Friday starting from this chapter!
THE BLACK LAKE; 1994
Hermione huffed, leaning against one of the smaller trees growing near the edge of the Black Lake. Her chest burned, but not as much as her legs. She winced as she shifted her weight; she really should have stretched before starting to run and was paying the price now.
She was sure her roommates would have had a good laugh about that, Hermione thought with a bitter scowl, reaching up to her ponytail and tugging on the ends to tighten it once again. It had been difficult to find an elastic that fit her hair, and she'd be mightily miffed if this one snapped or came loose. She could just imagine how Lavender would whisper cruel things, as though Hermione couldn't hear her if Hermione had begun her stretches in the girl's dormitory or attempted to tame her mane. And once Hermione had gotten outside, it had seemed silly and she'd just done away with taking the time to warm-up. Well, never again, she muttered to herself with a shake of her finger, she'd know that stretching was of utmost importance before attempting a run like she'd begun doing at home!
"Do all Gryffindors talk to themselves, or is that just a Granger thing?"
Hermione's hand resting upon the bark slipped off so suddenly that she nearly lost her balance. At once, a hand was gripping her upper arm, steadying her in the muddy slip near the banks.
"Merlin, I just-," Hermione began to laugh quietly, looking up, intending to respond to the person, and then perhaps berate them for sneaking up on her.
She jumped back, her feet stumbling into the first few feet of the cool water, the lake lapping at her ankles.
"Now, that hurts," Theodore Nott raised a single eyebrow, watching how Hermione flinched back.
She was aware of the Slytherin's existence, at least in her peripheral, as most students were. Though, to be honest, until this moment...Hermione was unsure she'd ever spoken to him, despite sharing classes for the past three years. She couldn't even truly remember anything outstanding about him. He sat, did his work, snorted with Malfoy, and then went onto his next class. Simple, reliable, like clockwork for three years. She doubted he'd as much looked in her direction, other than by mistake or prompted.
It went both ways. Theodore, like Stephen Cornfoot or Anthony Goldstein, were just classmates that Hermione sort of forgot existed until something reminded her.
She would find it hard to forget him now.
Just as the summer had been kind to Hermione, shaving off the remainder of her baby-fat and coloring her skin a perfect light tan, the break had worked in Theodore's favor too. While her memories of him had brought forth a weedy, gangly kid that looked too awkward for his long limbs, Hermione could see that his face had begun to thin and he'd had a growth spurt. He'd grown into his large hands.
Not that Hermione was thinking about that. Rather, she was trying not to think about thinking this.
He'd grabbed her arm. Intentionally. Knowing who she was.
"If Malfoy saw you grasp me," Hermione finally spoke, a waver in her voice, "I'm sure he'd cut your hand off. Now that you've sullied it so." She spoke sharply, the sarcasm and distaste seeping into the warm air.
Theodore took a step back, which was enough for Hermione to feel safe coming onto the shore again. She took her wand out of her hair, waving a drying spell to her running shoes, keeping one careful eye on Mr. Nott. She was sure as hell wasn't letting her guard down for the likes of him.
"I won't tell if you don't," Theodore replied cheekily, something that made Hermione's cheeks blush. From his slight smirk, he obviously thought it was in some sort of attraction. Instead, she felt angry that he dared to even play this insipid game at all with her!
She knotted her wand back into her hair.
"Well, enjoy the rest of your afternoon," Hermione said stiffly, jogging away. Although tired and sore, putting distance between the pair of them was plenty of encouragement enough.
Her parents had gotten on this running kick over the summer; something about making their bodies as healthy as their teeth. While Hermione had moaned and complained about it, their rigid insistence that she ran with them every day had turned her into a sort of an athlete. Not a good one, hardly. She wasn't particularly fast, nor agile or even graceful, but she had begun to enjoy it.
And, she figured that most years she spent chasing after Harry trying to keep him from getting killed or running from something trying to kill them, being in shape wasn't going to be the worst thing.
It was her first day back at Hogwarts for her fourth year. It would be all too easy to let this hard work fall to the wayside, now that her parents weren't here to be her personal trainers. It had even passed through her mind. That is until she'd woken up to Lavender's and Parvati's shrill giggling and gossip. That had been enough to make her need a breather. In the previous years, she'd gone and busied herself with doing Ron or Harry's homework, but even that seemed like an undertaking right now. The idea of breathing the fresh Scottish air was all too tempting.
She couldn't fathom what Theodore was doing by the lake on the first morning back to school. Too early to be collecting supplies. Most everyone else was reconnecting with school chums, playing pick-up matches of Quidditch or lounging in the grass. It was a nice day, but the swimming docks were over on the far other side.
As she rounded a bend, she saw that Theodore was also jogging. He probably had been before stopping her, she realized, but she'd been so preoccupied with his presence itself to notice the sweat on his skin, a pair of shorts she'd seen Quidditch players practice in, and then a nice sturdy pair of shoes. Not exactly muggle clothes, but Wizard work-out things.
What she was 100% sure of was when she saw him last, he'd been wearing a shirt. He wasn't now, which is what caused her to double-take. His chest was already starting to form into abs...abs that went on for miles…
Hermione tripped right in front of him.
"Merlin above," Theodore stopped, "You alright?"
Hermione spat out gravel.
"Fine," She said curtly, brushing away the dust from her skin, "Just a scrape."
"Nothing life-threatening?" He asked. Hermione almost laughed. She started to, a wheezing sound, before snapping her lips closed.
"I'll live. I'm sure you're secretly upset about that." She said, crossing her arms. When she tried to stand, her ankle twisted sharply. She winced, turning her leg to see the area already swelling.
"Here, here," Theodore said, helping her hobble to a bench.
"Why are you-," Hermione began once sitting, but then paused, "What...you...you absolute snake." She spat.
"Woah, there," Theodore blinked once, "I think maybe you should be thanking me!"
"Aha! You do want something!"
"Yes," Theodore sounded exasperated, "A 'thank you', and perhaps an apology."
"Me? Apologize?" Hermione sputtered.
"Well, yeah, you're being unreasonably rude to me."
Hermione stared at him, open-jawed, furious, " Unreasonable? " She echoed, folding her tongue over each syllable like it were thorns, "The likes of you have never given me any reason to trust you, or to like you, or to be nice to you when you've only ever made my life here hell!" She would not apologize to him. He was battier than a Lovegood if he thought she was going to be groveling at his feet for being a decent person and helping her to a park bench. Wow, Nott didn't curse her ankle worse, but instead walked her to a place to sit? He should get a bloody Order of Merlin!
It was his fecking fault anyway. What was he trying to prove by running shirtless? That he was good looking? That he could distract girls? Well, call both a success, she thought with as much bitterness as she could.
"Because I'm what...a Slytherin?" Theodore confirmed, his voice cool and even. So much so that Hermione should have known she hit a nerve.
"Oh, don't play dumb. It doesn't suit you." It was almost a compliment, but that's as much as she'd give him.
Theodore crossed his arms, locking his jaw. The muscles in his lips twitched. His sea-green eyes, such a color that Hermione had never noticed before, were stormy. Just as choppy and rough looking as the Black Lake behind them.
"Well, well, Miss Granger," He began, his voice dripping with- if Hermione didn't know better- she'd almost call hurt, "I never took you for the type to make the same mistakes as everyone else. Underestimating me comes with a price, dear."
Hermione scowled, "Don't call me dear." She paused, digesting his words, "What do you mean?"
"Come now. You're the most intelligent person in our grade. Dumb doesn't do you an favors either," Theodore blocked her completely, her whole vision awash with just him. She glared up at him petulantly. He sighed, his shoulders dropping, "You hate me for the same reasons you hate Draco, or Pansy, or those two dundering idiots, aye?"
"I thought it clear."
"Just confirming," Theodore said, "So, if we break that down...have I ever personally insulted you? Or anyone you know?"
Hermione opened her mouth to say, 'yes, there were these times', but found herself drawing short. She couldn't, but that didn't mean it didn't exist, "I'm sure it's happened."
"You'd remember. We always remember what upsets up more than what pleases us," Theodore said, which was sound scientific logic, "And, you ever heard me utter the word 'mudblood'? Besides right now." He added.
"Well, no, but-,"
"Have I ever given you any indication I didn't like you?"
Hermione furrowed her brows. Even in class, when they were forced to partner across houses, Theodore hadn't ever put up a fuss that the other Slytherins had. He'd seem almost pleasant about it, albeit quiet.
"Do you like me?" Hermione asked in absolute befuddlement.
Theodore sat down, perhaps no longer afraid Hermione would try to make a break for it. Unlikely, since her foot was smarting like hell.
"I don't want you dead," He said, "And I've admired your intelligence," He said as casually as though they were talking about what was for dinner.
"Huh," Was all Hermione could manage, "But you...you're Malfoy's friend. And his views are obvious. I've never heard you speak out against him."
"I've known Draco since we were in nappies. I'm a Slytherin, not an idiot. Plus, I know you hate others not doing their own homework, but I've seen you let Weasley copy your notes for class."
"That's different," Hermione stumbled over the words, "This is for a five-point paper. I'm arguing about being a good person."
"That's all relative, though, isn't it?" Theodore said, waving one hand around, "I'm not going to try to kill you, nor turn you in, but I'm also not going to hand over my own skin on a platter. I'm not a fucking martyr," He said, "I'd be a Gryffindor if I were."
Hermione clenched the edge of the park bench, trying to form an argument.
"I thought that...out of anyone, you'd notice that I wasn't like most of my Slytherin compatriots." Theodore continued. Hermione had the question in the back of her head, as she had for most of this conversation, but it wasn't until now she managed to speak it.
"To what end?"
Theodore blinked, as though he had not asked this of himself at all. It was the first moment of unsureness on his part. Hermione saw his face shift, his handsome features changing ever so slightly. In this morning light, he was backlit by the sun, and perhaps she was thirsty and starting to hallucinate or maybe he had her under some sort of spell, but her stomach was starting to flop around. Her fingers started to turn sweaty. Her heart raced, despite sitting unmoving, and her mind very much enjoyed the moments her eyes slipped down to his chest, and lower still.
"I think I'm just tired of it all," Theodore said finally.
"Of what?"
"You know," Theodore said simply. Deep down, Hermione did, "And I thought maybe, if I were to show you kindness, some sort I could...well, it didn't work. I'm sorry for startling you. Twice."
Hermione nearly cried out, asking him to stay. She bit her lip hard, trying to squish down the feelings that were starting to grow, taking root. This was not what she needed right now, or any time, to be honest.
"It's fine. I'm sorry too. And thank you."
Theodore crossed his arms, "I'll take what I can get. Want help back to the castle?"
"And let everyone see?" Hermione whispered, "You are still a Slytherin, Theodore."
"We're good liars. I'd think of something." Theodore said, "And, just Theo."
"Right. Theo." It felt strange to be referring to a Slytherin by something other than his last name, not that she'd be casually talking to him like this in class, "But, I'll make it back. I might just sit here a bit."
Theo inclined his head, getting up to jog off again.
"Wait!" Hermione stopped him, "What was that price you were talking about?"
Theo looked at her strangely, then laughed, "Oh, don't worry about that. Have a good day, Hermione. I'll see you around."
Call her crazy, but Hermione knew he meant all of it. His words made her heart flutter like a hummingbird's wings, frantically trapped in her rib-cage.
Great Godric, he'd gone and made a mess of things now, hadn't he?
Nott, Theodore, Theo...what an enigma.
