ELEVEN

Wednesday, 4 November 2020

Hermione stayed in bed for the entire day after Halloween. Only a part of it was because of her interaction with Riddle. Most of it was due to what she consumed at the party. Both left her in a mood that didn't want to be disturbed. She figured most of her friends were in the same boat considering none of them showed up to check on her. It wasn't until after she forced herself to take a shower at the end of the night she wondered if Draco hadn't said something to Harry. Regardless, she was grateful for the privacy and once her hair was dry, she slipped into a peace slumber once more.

Monday, she put all her energy into her studies, using her free time to get ahead on some of her upcoming essays. Tuesday, she did the same, but she braced herself at the start of Defense. However, ready as she was to take a cold shoulder from him during the day's lesson, Hermione hadn't been prepared for a complete snub. It was as if he refused to acknowledge her resistance and by the end of class, she'd had enough.

She stewed a bit during lunch, but was able to put it to the back of her mind by the end of Herbology. Since Hagrid's class always seemed to require the most concentration, it was easy for her to forget about him then too. Especially when Hagrid asked her to stay behind after class, his cheeks glowing as if bursting to tell her good news. And it was. It was what she had been looking forward to from the moment he mentioned it was even a possibility.

Hagrid had finally arranged for Newt Scamander to come by and speak with her about her career path. He was a legend when it came to magical creatures and if there was anyone she could learn from, it would be him. The excitement she shared with Hagrid about it lasted until she got back to the Great Hall for dinner. When she laid eyes on Riddle sitting with the other professors, she recalled how she had mentioned wanting him to be there. She still did, but now she wasn't sure she should even ask, let alone if he would accept. But it was a few weeks off yet; plenty of time for her to decide.

Wednesday went the same as Monday. She was able to go about her day without a care in the world, focusing on everything her lessons had to offer. She used her free time to work on her essays, tidy up her notes, and help Harry with one of his assignments for another class. It led to an argument with her and Draco when he came back. Then again, anytime Hermione involved herself in a discussion about Divination, it always led to a fight. Eventually they agreed to disagree and Harry sighed in relief.

After that, she picked up on the way Draco and Harry interacted. Not making it too obvious, she excused herself to the library, giving them the time alone they couldn't ask for. On the way out, she caught Draco's gaze and bit back a smile at the way he tipped his chin at her in a silent thank you.

Not surprisingly, both of them were late to dinner, but no one said anything about it as Harry took up his seat at Hermione's side and doubled up on his portions. Harry and Hermione were one of the last to leave, taking their time wandering through the castle as he walked with her to Professor Riddle's office. He even waited with her until she bid him goodnight.

It wasn't until he disappeared from view that she turned the corner and walked up to Riddle's office. She knocked, just as she always did, but there was no immediate response. She waited a few seconds and did it again, but only to get the same result. Her lips curved into a frown as she stared at the door before her. "Professor?" she called, keeping her voice low.

Not sure what to do, Hermione leaned back against the rough stone wall next to the door and debated her options. She had already gone over her time in the Great Hall, trying to recall if he'd sent a note she might have missed, but he hadn't. So she could either sit there until the time their sessions would typically last until or she could take the hint and leave.

And just as she pushed herself away from the wall to go with the latter, Riddle appeared around the corner. She saw the hitch in his step as he noticed her as well as the deep inhale. It wasn't until he stopped a short distance from her that she could smell the spice of Firewhiskey on his breath when he exhaled. Yet, neither of them said anything as he used his wand to unlock his office and then held the door open for her to step inside.

Hermione made her way towards the desk, but kept her bag on her shoulder as she stood behind the chair. She waited for him to walk around to his side of the desk, but when it became clear he wasn't stepping much further away from the door, she turned to him and crossed her arms over her chest. He stood there, one hand raking through his hair, the other pulling at the already loosened knot of his tie.

"I think it would be wise if we discontinued your tutoring sessions," he said after a moment, his voice tight.

Last time he'd said those exact words, Hermione had felt her heart drop into her stomach. She'd been devastated at the fact that certain feelings might have jeopardized the innocent parts of their relationship. She had begged him to reconsider, promising that she could forget about the rest if he could. This time… This time Hermione was angry.

"No."

His head turned towards her, a look of surprise on his face as she caught his gaze. "Hermione-"

"No," she repeated, removing her bag and dropping it into the chair before taking a step towards him. "You don't get to be interested in me one minute and then shun me the next."

A pained expression filled his gaze as she took another step towards him and Hermione squashed the nerves that started to make her tremble as she carried on with everything she'd been dying to say for ages now.

"I'm tired of all the games, Tom. I'm tired of thinking there can be nothing between us; of you telling me that we have to forget only to catch you looking at me in a way that says you clearly remember. I'm tired of you telling me we can't be together only to find an excuse to be near me or kiss me senseless when no one else is looking."

She paused to inhale, holding his gaze as she continued her approach.

"Most of all, I'm tired of having to pretend that I don't want you. That I don't sit in your classroom remembering what it's like to be wrapped up in your embrace. Or to be in this room and not think about the way your lips felt on mine when you first kissed me."

She swallowed hard as she came to a stop before him. Her head tilted back so she could look up at him through her lashes. He had turned his body to face hers and she could see how shallow his breaths were as he tried to fight it.

"If the only reason you don't want this; don't want us is because I'm your student, I understand," she said, waving her hand between them. "But I won't be your student forever."

"Hermione-" he rasped, but she held up a hand between them, wanting to finish what she had to say first.

"If it's something else, I'll understand that too. If you really don't want me that way, tell me. Decide. But once you do, that's it. There's no going back. So which is it?" she asked, her voice falling into a whisper. "What do you want?"

She saw it, the moment he let his guard down. In that moment, her stomach flipped with a flicker of doubt, one that was eased with his breathy whisper of the word, "You."

Hermione's sigh of relief was swallowed by his mouth as it slanted over hers. He closed the miniscule gap between them by wrapping his arms around her, tugging her to him. She pressed herself into him, stretching up on the tips of her toes to return his kiss in full. Together, as if sharing one mind, they moved until the wall of his office near the door forced them to stop. Their groans mingled with their kiss at the feel of him pressing tightly up against her.

Her heart beat rapidly inside her chest as her body sung with happiness the more his hands roamed over her. She clung to him, almost afraid to let go lest he change his mind again and decide he didn't want to risk it after all. But as the passion between them began to calm, she felt him relax. By the time they mutually broke the kiss so they could breathe, he seemed perfectly fine right where he was.

"This won't be easy," he murmured, one hand coming up to tuck a cluster of her curls behind her ear.

"I know," she whispered back, still trying to catch her breath.

"We'll have to keep this a secret," he added, his fingers ghosting down the side of her face in a way that made her shiver. "I won't be able to take you out on a proper date or sit with you at meals." His hand continued to lower until it sought hers. He twined their fingers together and lifted their joined hand up so he could brush his lips across her knuckles. "I won't be able to do this," he said, kissing each one in turn. "Or this." Another kiss. He gave her fingers a light squeeze. "I won't even be able to hold your hand."

Hermione swallowed hard as she returned his squeeze, repeating, "I know." She tugged his hand towards her, brushing her own lips across his knuckles. "I know and I don't care. This isn't something nefarious born of a rebellious phase. This is something real." She paused to smile up at him, letting go of his hand in favor of cupping his cheek. "And I don't care about that stuff. It will make the times that we can show affection worth it."

He smiled down at her for a moment before he leaned in again and pressed his lips to hers. She sighed against him, enjoying the feel of him before he stepped away from her altogether. He lingered for a few more seconds before heading towards his desk. Hermione stayed where she was, watching as he sat down in his chair.

"Regardless of...us...I still think we should-"

Hermione shook her head as she started to move. "Putting a stop to our tutoring sessions now would just raise questions. Besides," she said, passing up her usual seat in favor of walking around to his side of the desk, sliding in between the desk and his chair. "It's the one day a week we can have a real moment to ourselves. One that we don't have to steal."

He gave a slow nod as he mulled it over, but his eyes quickly widened in surprise as she gave into her sudden rush of inner boldness and took a seat astride his lap. "I thought you said this wasn't a rebellious phase?" he asked, his lips curving up into a smirk.

"It's not," she murmured, leaning in for a quick press of her lips against his. "I just like the taste of Firewhiskey."

A/N: