Hihihi this chapter… What to say about this chapter? It's probably one of my favourites (aside from the dates chapters). The movies that Hermione says is her favourite is actually mine, and isn't Christmas if I don't watch 'Barbie in the Nutcracker'.
"Please, Mione, pleeeeease! I want to go with you," Ginny practically begged Hermione, who wasn't buying it. "Why don't you want to go with me?"
"I'm not against it, I just don't want to go." Hermione raised an eyebrow at Ginny. "Why don't you invite Blaise or Draco with you? I'm sure Draco would love to go with you."
Hermione smirked as Ginny blushed brightly. "I'm not going with Blaise because he never stops talking during movies and Draco..." Ginny trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"I thought you and Draco used to go out together without me or Blaise and that you two had fun with each other." Hermione liked teasing Ginny. "And sitting together in the dark? That sounds romantic."
"Draco is kind of avoiding me, okay? What happened after the art gallery and going to the bar without you and Blaise... I don't know, I just need a girls' night out with my best friend."
Hermione had sworn she would not fall for Ginny's doe eyes, but when she added the pout, Hermione felt her resolve break.
"I can't refuse you when you make that face," Hermione said, fighting a smile. "Fine, I'll go with you to the Christmas movie marathon."
"Yay! You're the best, Mione!" Ginny hugged Hermione and both laughed. "And you know what's the best part? They will stream 'Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas' and 'Barbie in the Nutcracker.' Aren't they two of your favourite Christmas movies?"
Hermione glared at Ginny, knowing damn well what her best friend was doing, and she was upset that it was working.
"I already said I was going, what else do you want, you redheaded devil?" Hermione asked, noticing Ginny's evil smile. "What? What else are you planning?"
"I'm not planning anything, I'm just making sure that you're going to the movies." Ginny shrugged, but Hermione knew her better than this. "I'll bring the sweets, you'll take care of the popcorn."
"Don't let me down, Ginny." Hermione glared at her, but Ginny didn't want to go alone. "I hope you get my favourites because I'm bringing you lemon pepper popcorn."
Ginny held Hermione tightly and said, "You're the best, Hermione, and I'll give you all the chocolate you want. Thank you for doing this with me."
"Anytime, Gin." Hermione hugged her back and knew that this was more about Ginny wanting some company than about the movies. "I'll pick you up at your flat," she said.
"It's a date," Ginny said, and Hermione knew in her heart that this was a date she wouldn't regret.
Hermione and Ginny were among the first ones to arrive at the old movie theater, where the movie marathon was held each year. Ginny had brought Hermione more chocolate than she had expected, something she was not complaining about.
"Looks like they are going to stream Rise of the Guardians and The Santa Clause!" Hermione couldn't help but laugh at Ginny's enthusiasm. "This year will be better than last year."
"Were you here last year?" Hermione inquired, having heard this for the first time.
"I brought my niece, but there were no children's movies when we arrived." Ginny shrugged, but smiled nonetheless. "Besides, I couldn't bring chocolate or lemon pepper popcorn."
Hermione told Ginny, "Good point," as she handed her popcorn. "Let's go find some good seats."
As Ginny walked into the dark room with Hermione, the popcorn almost fell on them when she ran into someone.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't look where I was going," Ginny said to the stranger. "Why did they leave the lights so low before the movie even started?"
"No harm done," a voice Hermione recognized replied. "I don't understand why the lights are so dim; there is still one hour until the movie starts."
"Theo? Is that you?" Hermione asked just before the stranger turned and Theo's smile greeted her. She exclaimed, "What a pleasant surprise."
"Hi, Hermione." Theo's smile spread, and Hermione blushed, grateful for the dim lights. "The two of us need to stop meeting like this, but at least Charlotte wasn't running into you."
Hermione smiled at the mention of Charlotte. "And where is she? Or have you come to watch the Barbie movie yourself?" She smirked at him, and he laughed at her jab. The sound was so delightful and it echoed in the mostly empty room.
"She's already seated, as I know Charlotte can get a tad overexcited at the movies." Theo scratched the slight scruff on his jaw while Hermione almost swooned at the sight.
Was there anything about this man she couldn't like? Apparently, the answer was no.
They were locked in a stare that would probably last a while if Ginny hadn't coughed and both of them hadn't looked away, blushing severely.
"Are you going to introduce me to your friend, or are you going to lose yourselves in each other's eyes?" Ginny smirked at Hermione, who glared at her.
"This is Theodore Nott. Theo, this is Ginevra Weasley, my best friend since I can remember." Ginny elbowed Hermione in the ribs for calling her Ginevra.
Theo smiled and shook her hand, saying, "Nice to meet you, Ginevra. Call me Theo."
Ginny smiled and said, "Nice to meet you too, Theo, and you can call me Ginny. Where has Hermione been hiding you?"
"Ginny!" Hermione shouted, not believing her friend. "I'm sorry, Theo, she doesn't get out much and has no manners."
"Don't worry, Hermione." Theo chuckled. "And I don't think she was hiding me, Ginny; we just always meet unexpectedly."
"Interesting," Ginny said as she looked at both of them and shrugged. "Why don't we go find some seats, Mione?"
"Would you like to sit with my sister and me? Charlotte will be thrilled to see you," Theo said, and Hermione nodded without thinking. "Great! Let me show you where we are."
Ginny and Hermione followed Theo to Charlotte's seat, and Hermione could feel Ginny's eyes on her back, but she wasn't ready to deal with her yet. Ginny would read too much into this, and Hermione wasn't ready to open up to her yet.
"'Mione!" Charlotte squealed when she saw her approaching. "I knew you'd be here! I told Theo that you would be here!"
"How could you have known that I would be here, Char, when even I didn't know I would be here?" Hermione wondered, trying to make sense of what Char had said.
Hermione was impressed with her matter-of-fact demeanour as Charlotte said, "Because they have Belle's Christmas movie. You told me Belle was your favourite princess."
"You can't blame her logic," Ginny said, laughing and reaching out to greet Charlotte. "Hi, I'm Ginny, Hermione's friend."
"I'm Charlotte, I'm her friend too!" Charlotte gasped when she shook Ginny's hand. "You look just like Ariel!"
"Thanks, that's the best compliment I've ever received," said Ginny, beaming widely at her. "I like her, should we keep her?"
Hermione and Theo laughed when Charlotte and Ginny bonded over their love for Disney. They sat together and let the two of them discuss which sidekick would make a better friend, Sebastian or Max.
Hermione didn't pay attention to them. Sitting so close to Theo in the small room, all she could think of was how nice he smelled and how his leg was pressing against hers.
"Belle is your favourite Disney princess, isn't she? That makes sense," Theo said as they waited for the first movie to begin.
"Really? What makes you say that?" Hermione asked, turning into her seat and looking at him a little closer. Her hand brushed against his, and to her delight, he didn't pull away. Trying not to squeal, she said, "I don't think I told you which Disney princess I liked best."
"You look a lot like her, and from what your mum told my mum, you always liked to read. She also mentioned something about a yellow dress you had," Theo teased, making Hermione blush. "It's nice to learn more about you."
"And who is your favourite Disney character? I won't ask your favourite princess, but if it's not Belle, you're wrong." He likes learning more about me!
"Oh, Hercules, of course! I knew all of those songs when I was a kid," Theo said immediately. He leaned in closer, his arm brushing against hers and his breath caressing her ear. "And I still know all of them."
"As you should," Hermione teased, trying not to hyperventilate at his close proximity. When the lights dimmed, she said, "I think the movie is about to start."
Theo teased back, "And you'll be lost in the world of Beauty and the Beast," but he didn't say anything else as the movie began.
His leg and arm were still pressed against her own, and their fingers brushed when they shared the popcorn. Every now and then, Hermione could feel his gaze on hers, but she was too engrossed in the movie to turn to look at him (even though on the inside, she was turning into a mushy mess).
A pause was made between showings of 'Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas' and 'Barbie in the Nutcracker' so people could take bathroom breaks and grab more food. During this time, Hermione and Theo went to get some snacks, while Ginny took care of Charlotte while sending not-so-subtle winks at Hermione.
Hermione walked around in an attempt to get some blood back in her legs. "I'm sorry for all of the things she's teaching Charlotte right now. She doesn't have a filter," Hermione apologized.
He laughed at her as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Char is going to love having a new friend, especially one who looks just like the little mermaid."
"Ginny loved that movie when we were kids," Hermione said with a smile on her face. "You're a good brother for taking Charlotte to see these movies."
Theo sat on one of the benches in the lobby and said, "It's an adventure for her and for me, I can never say no to Christmas movies. I always loved Christmas movies, and all the magic involved in them."
Hermione sat at his side. "I understand. Christmas is my favourite time of year, and I love spending time with my family. I'm not a fan of my family's annual Christmas party."
"Why?" Theo frowned at her words. "I thought you liked spending time with your family."
"I love it. This is the time when I can see my uncles and aunts without being rushed, and we always exchange gifts and drink hot chocolate before going out to see the snow falling," Hermione said softly. Theo gave her hand a quick squeeze, which sent her heart pitter-pattering again. She ducked her head to hide her blush before she cleared her throat and continued, "But I don't like my cousins' behaviour towards me."
"Ah, family drama." Theo chuckled, and Hermione joined him. "I should thank my lucky stars that I didn't have to deal with something like that."
"You should," she said. Hermione huffed but smiled nonetheless. "It's not funny or pleasant like the series or movies made it seem. I fought with them when we were planning the party, so I don't know what's going to happen now."
"Maybe now they'll leave you alone?" Theo asked, and Hermione shrugged. Theo covered her hand with his and tugged her closer. "Okay, don't let this ruin your mood. Tell me, what's your favourite Christmas memory?"
During that conversation, Hermione told Theo about how she got Belle's dress for Christmas and didn't want to take it off for a whole week straight. Theo laughed until tears appeared in his eyes. However, he then told her about the time he had received a wooden pegasus like the one Hercules had and how Theo had dragged it with him everywhere.
They stayed in the lobby and exchanged stories about Christmases past and about each other, missing the other two movies that were streaming in the movie theatre that day. Hermione probably would have stayed in that bubble a little more if Theo hadn't closed the distance between them.
"You know… I thought you were beautiful when we met outside the coffee shop," Theo said, brushing one lock of her hair behind her ear. Hermione felt her breath stop. Theo leaned in closer, his eyes still trained on hers, and murmured, "When I met you at the ice rink, I thought it was destiny. You were so good to Charlotte, and that made my heart melt. I have wanted to do this ever since."
"Do what?" Hermione tried asking, but before she could, Theo's lips were over hers, and every coherent thought slipped from her mind.
Hermione had been kissed before, but no one had kissed her quite like Theo did. He kissed her so tenderly, and it felt like she could kiss him for the rest of her life; without realizing it, she raised her arms and wound them around his neck, playing with his hair while he slipped his arms around her waist, bringing them even closer together.
If Hermione's brain hadn't kicked in, they would most likely have stayed locked in that kiss. She pushed him lightly and looked at Theo with wide eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Hermione. I didn't mean to force you, and I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I did something that upset you." Theo was rambling, and Hermione, if she weren't freaking out, would have thought it was adorable.
"You didn't force me, Theo, I just need to go." She stood up too quickly and almost fell over herself, but Theo caught her. His arms were strong and fit so well around her that Hermione was loath to pull away. "Thank you! Could you tell Ginny that I'll be waiting for her in the car? Thank you again. Bye!"
She ran from the lobby, glad to see the movies seemed to have ended and she wouldn't have to wait long for Ginny. Ginny appeared beside her car in less than five minutes, frowning.
"What happened? Theo didn't say anything except that you were waiting for me here and that I should come here to help you." She always knew when Hermione needed help, and now was one of those times. "What the hell happened? You didn't return to watch the rest of the movies, so I thought you two were having fun."
"We kissed, I panicked and ran," Hermione said quickly, but she knew Ginny understood by the way her eyes widened. "I just came to the conclusion that I may have a crush on him and that I could fall in love with him over time, and now we kissed? I freaked out!"
"Wow, just wow!" Ginny exclaimed while Hermione paced in front of the car. "Is he a bad kisser? That's why you ran?"
"Ginny, that's not the time!" Hermione practically screeched, yanking on her hair. "I'm scared, okay? I don't know what to do!"
"What would you like to do?" Ginny smiled as she said, "Let's start there and then we can freak out together."
Hermione stopped pacing and looked at her best friend. "I want to go home and choose my next date from the list."
"What?" Ginny asked, blinking at her friend, who just nodded in acknowledgement.
"Yes, Ginny, I want to continue the dates." Hermione knew that she was probably acting irrationally at the moment, but she didn't want to dwell on it. "Before I act on my feelings for Theo, I need to be sure of them."
"And your way to act on your feelings is by going out with other guys?" Ginny asked, and Hermione nodded. Ginny shrugged and said, "If you're sure, let's go."
Hermione hugged Ginny and got into her car. She saw Theo leaving the theatre with Charlotte by his side, a small frown on his face. However, she didn't want to think about the way he had kissed her at the moment. She murmured, "Maybe I'm making a horrible decision, but you know me."
Ginny smiled at Hermione as she entered the car and said, "Yeah, and I'll be here for you. I hope you pick a good one this time."
"I hope so too, Gin," Hermione said, trying not to think about how she might be letting the one who was meant for her escape.