FOUR

Tuesday, 22 September 2020

Hermione had no trouble sneaking back into her dorm on Saturday without being noticed. While her room was empty when she entered, she spent a great deal of time making sure her bed was clean. And even with the Sober Up potion having taken full effect, she slept straight through to lunch on Sunday. Instead of going to the Great Hall to eat, Harry and Draco had nicked a few things directly from the kitchen. They ate in their common room before Hermione retreated to her room once more, but not before the two of them promised to have the place thoroughly cleaned before she came back out.

When she left her room the following morning, the only evidence of there having been a party was in their memories alone. Then again, it wasn't the party that was replaying in her mind on a loop.

Hermione considered skipping breakfast on Monday, but thinking of how awkward things would be if the next time she saw Professor Riddle was in class instead of in a neutral zone had her following Draco that morning. Despite her promise to herself not to seek him out, the first thing she did upon crossing the threshold was look towards the row where the teachers sat. Her gaze immediately locked with Riddle's and her breath caught in her throat.

But instead of dragging out their exchange, risking others seeing it too, Riddle simply inclined his head and turned towards Professor Snape at his side, carrying his side of the conversation with little effort. Hermione swallowed hard at that and tore her gaze away, seeking out Harry at their usual spot at the Gryffindor table. She joined him, but instead of diving into the food before them, she simply sat there, wishing the butterflies in her stomach would stop kicking up such a storm.

She spent her lunch in the library and Riddle was absent from dinner that night. And if he had returned for breakfast Tuesday morning, Hermione never knew as she skipped it as well. Instead, she had stayed in her dorm, debating on whether or not she should even leave to go to class. Sure, they had barely seen one another since Saturday night and it would be obvious she was avoiding him if she cut class, but the butterflies in her stomach were relentless.

As she laid on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, she could still feel the pressure of his lips on hers. A shiver crept up her spine as the ghost of his hands on her hips tightened and pulled her closer. Even her thighs clenched as she remembered what it was like to have him slotted between them.

How she was supposed to sit in class and focus on anything else was beyond her at this point.

But the closer it got to the start of class, the less inclined Hermione felt to break her streak of perfect attendance. She had yet to miss a class, whether it be here at Hogwarts or when she attended Muggle primary school. She wasn't about to start now. Not over some boy; professor or not. With a heavy sigh, she got to her feet, gathered her things, and made her way out of the dorm.

It seemed, however, the Fates had other plans in store for her.

As she rounded the corner of the hallway that contained the dorm she shared with Draco, the one that lead to the main, ever-moving staircase, she heard it. Several young voices chanting and cheering. Hermione paused long enough to inhale deeply and sure enough, the acrid smell of certain spells hit her nose, cluing her in as to what was happening. She picked up the pace of her steps and held her wand out in front of her. The moment she saw the dueling duo of younger students, she hurled her own spells to immobilize them.

When everyone else had scattered, save for the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw pair, she retracted her spell and glared at them. "No dueling in the halls," she bit out.

"He said-"

"I was just-"

Another flick of her wand rendered them silent and she glared between them again. "I don't care who started what. No. Fighting." She nodded towards the stairs and flicked her wand again to turn them in the direction she wanted them to go. "Off to see the Headmaster."

She followed them, wand at the ready in case one of them felt inclined to try and run. Luckily, neither did and they made it to Dumbledore's office just as the bell sounded through the castle, signaling it was time for the next set of classes to start. Hermione ground her teeth after giving the password to the statue. She hadn't meant to be late for Riddle's class and she didn't quite care for how it would look when she walked in well after it started.

"Ah, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said as she stepped off the landing of the spiral staircase. "And Misters Norton and Friar. What can I do for you lot today?"

"I caught these two dueling in the hall just now, Headmaster."

Dumbledore hummed as he looked back and forth between the boys. "Have you taken any points yet?"

"No, Sir. I brought them straight here. I felt this was above what I could deem fair."

"Ah, certainly," he replied, gesturing for the boys to sit in front of his desk. He then flicked his wand at a piece of parchment and a quill, sending them towards Hermione. By the time it reached her, a note had already been written and the quill had gone dry. "You may return to whatever class you've been delayed from," he informed her, turning a sparkling gaze upon the boys. "You both should consider yourself lucky she didn't punish you herself."

Hermione bit back a smile and inclined her head as she took the note and turned to take her leave. Once back in the hallway, she took a deep breath and looked around. By now, everyone was starting their next classes. She wondered what was going through Riddle's head when he realized she wasn't there. Would he be worried? Would he think that something happened to her or that she never wanted to see him again? Every possible scenario played through her mind as her feet carried her through the castle without her even realizing.

She stopped in the hallway of the Defense classroom. She stared at the door from across the hall and tried to muster up the courage to go in. What helped the most was imagining Draco standing beside her, giving her hell for being such a chicken. She could hear him now, "What kind of Gryffindor are you, Granger? Certainly not a brave one just standing in the hallway like this."

So with a sigh and her fist clenched tight around the note from Dumbledore, she strode across the hall and slipped into the classroom.

The moment she crossed the threshold, everyone's heads turned to look at who it was that opened the door. She felt her cheeks redden as she caught Riddle's gaze. He quirked one brow at her in what she assumed was askance. She gave a jerky nod of her head and then hurried over to her seat next to Harry near the front of the room.

Whether it was for her benefit or his, Riddle went right back to his lecture. As if Hermione had been there all along and not just interrupted everyone by being tardy.

"You okay?" Harry whispered as she began to unpack her bag.

"Fine."

She sighed at the way he narrowed his eyes and then shoved the note at him to let him read. He simply rolled his eyes and handed it back before leaning back so she could see what page his book was open to. Once she opened hers to the same page, she closed her eyes long enough to push away the events of Saturday night so she could focus on the lecture.

A skill set she would have to practice at if she ever wanted to learn again.

By the time the class was over, Hermione couldn't recall a single word Riddle had said. All she could remember was what he'd said to her Saturday night while she was propped up on his office desk with him standing between her thighs.

"Miss Granger?"

Hermione jumped in her seat at the sound of Professor Riddle calling her name. She cleared her throat and looked up at where he stood on the other side of her desk.

"See me after class."

"Yes, Professor," she replied automatically.

Harry snorted as he walked away. "As if you're in trouble, Mione. Relax, would you?"

Hermione attempted to play it off with a small laugh, but the only thing she managed was a shake of her head. She continued to pack her bag along with the others, but instead of getting up to leave right away, she stayed in her seat until the class was nearly empty.

With another clearing of her throat, Hermione approached the desk at the head of the room, her note from Dumbledore held out for Riddle to take.

He took it from her gently, his eyes gliding over it in a way that reminded her of when he had looked over her list of potential careers. Of how they had lingered in the hallway, taking small steps forward likes moths drawn to a flame.

"It wasn't my intention to be late, Professor," she began. "I was on my way when I heard-"

"Yes, the Headmaster's note has the details," he said, setting the parchment down on the desk.

Hermione swallowed around the lump that had formed in her throat. "Did I miss something important in the beginning of your lecture? I'm sure Harry will let me copy his notes."

The corners of his mouth twitched into the ghost of a smile as his head tipped to the side. "I'm not worried about what you missed seeing as how it wasn't much to begin with."

"Oh," she breathed, trying hard to keep herself from shaking as she held his gaze, unable to look away.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright," he said after a moment.

She nodded eagerly as she forced a smile. "I'm fine."

Hermione felt her entire body go still as he began to move around the desk so that he could face her with nothing more than an arms length of air between them. "Saturday night-"

Each of them jumped at the sound of the door to the classroom being opened again. Riddle took a step back as Hermione turned to see Draco waltz over to the desk he had been sitting at. He reached for a book he must have forgotten to repack and did a double take when he saw Riddle and Hermione at the front of the class. His eyes narrowed as he took in the sight of them, but before he could say anything, she turned back to Riddle.

"Anything else, Professor?"

He pursed his lips for a moment and then shook his head, returning her smile though it didn't reach his eyes. "No, you're free to go, Miss Granger."

With that, Hermione walked with Draco into the hall. Once they were a few doors down, he sped ahead of her only to stop in front of her. "Merlin, Granger, what was that?"

"Nothing," she said, realizing she had answered far too quickly. "It was nothing," she added in a whisper before taking off in another direction, leaving him staring after her with a curious expression.

As much as she hated the awkwardness between her and Riddle, she hated that it had been Draco of all people to catch them. Not that they were doing anything, but Draco was far too observant for his own good. It was part of his Slytherin tendencies and she knew it would be only a matter of time before he came to her, asking for more information.

Only when she was in the confines of her own room was she able to take a deep enough breath. And as she laid out over her bed again, wishing she hadn't left it at all, she repeated, "It was nothing," in the hopes that it would make it true.

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