Hermione sat on her bed in the new dorms that Headmistress McGonagall had organised for the returning 8th years, an empty vial of calming draught in her hand. She could do this; she didn't need Harry or Ron here with her. The war was over, Hogwarts was safe again and she would have a normal school year. Yes, the four houses would be sharing an 8th year dorm. Yes, she would be living with the Slytherins. Many of whom are the children of people who tried to kill her. Many of whom bare the dark mark. But she could do this. She was Hermione Freaking Granger, and she could do this.
Pulling herself off her bed Hermione inspected her new room, she was thankful to find that she was no longer sharing, with each returning student being given their own room. It was rather large all things considered. There were no room allocations, so everyone had rushed to make their selections. Hermione had picked the last door down the hall without taking a second glance as to who her neighbour would be. When she walked in, she immediately had become overwhelmed and had to sit down but now, with the calming draught takin effect, she could appreciate the layout and overall design. A sole canopy double bed lay to the right of the room, a note lay on the bed from the Headmistress wishing her luck for the year and that her door was always open to Hermione, her trunk was sitting at the end of it. Just beyond that she could see a door, which she soon discovered to be a closet. Hermione wondered if all the rooms were spelled to be the same and to offer as much space as the occupier needed. She made her way anticlockwise around the space. The room was shaped almost like a hexagon, her bed on one side, the closet, a bookcase resting against the next, followed by a beautiful arch window that had a small love seat to rest upon and a view of the Lake. There were only two sides left now both of which contained doors. Hermione stood facing them. The left led back to the hallway, but the right, what could be through there?
Taking a deep breathe she grasped the doorknob and walked in, a sigh of relief washed over her as she looked at the bathroom before her. A glorious claw foot tub sat in the back centre of the room, a shower to the back left and what she assumed was the toilet the back right. The floor was marble and white, the fixtures a shimmering silver. This she had not expected but was thankfully for the forethought of privacy that was being awarded to the returning 8th years. Without thinking she headed across the room towards the door on the other side. Opening the door, Hermione gasped as she found another bedroom and a very scantily dressed man in nothing but his boxers. As it would appear, this was not just her bathroom.
Upon hearing the intrusion, the young man turned around to find Hermione standing there her jaw ajar as her eyes took in every inch of his body.
"Get a good look Granger?" he replied smoothly pulling on a pair of sweatpants, raising a single eyebrow at the Gryffindor Princess.
"Nott, I, sorry" she looked everywhere but his eyes as her cheeks flushed but she found herself unable to move. He was mesmerising to look at. His skin sun kissed, his eyes the most vibrant shade of green. His dark hair falling messily around his face.
She was looking better these days too, he noted to himself, not as thin and sickly as she had after the final battle. Though he supposed he was probably much the same in that respect the war was hard on all of them and those few months since were filled with trying to bring back any semblance of normalcy. He realised they had been staring at each other for longer than was socially acceptable.
"Look Granger not that I mind, but I'd like to take a shower and get settled, so unless you plan on joining me?" he raised his eyebrow again and smirked in true Slytherin sense as he begun to walk toward the bathroom, Hermione slowly stepping backwards with each step he took.
Hermione didn't notice it at first, as he slipped his hand behind her back to manoeuvre her through the bathroom until she was in her room again and he stood in the doorway. Removing his hand from her snapped her out of her dazed state. Her skin tingling from where his hand had been, she felt as though something was suddenly taken from her. He smirked at her as he began looping his thumbs on each side of his sweatpants before slowly pulling them down, so he was in his boxers again. Hermione's eyes darted down and blood pooled in her cheeks, his smirk was a full grin now.
"Now do I need to ward the door? Or are you capable of learning to knock before entering?" he chuckled lightly.
"I think can manage that Nott, just, let me know when you're done." Hermione steeled her face and took deep breathes.
"Deal." And with that he slowly swung the door shut, dropping his boxers with enough speed that Hermione was able to get a glimpse of his bare backside before the door closed.
She stood stunned for a moment, registering everything that had just happened. She could hear the water begin to run and had to remind herself to breathe she slowly listed everything off in her head. She went into the bathroom. She walked into another person's room unannounced. There was a boy basically naked. A Slytherin boy basically naked! Oh god she had to spend the year sharing a bathroom with Theodore Nott! He had touched her, flirted with her, and she didn't stop him. In fact, she kind of liked it.
That's it she needed Ginny.
