BOOM. DOUBLE UPDATE. Some of you have expressed concerns with the progress of the relationship and I'm here to tell you that things will get better. However, they're going to get worse before they get better. The next few chapters are already planned out and can I just say that some will test some people. *cough* Chapter 17 *cough*. Just warning you now. Change isn't going to happen overnight and I have wonderful chapters in store for all of you patient folks. I wish to make this as poetic as possible.

BTW, shoutout to my non English reviewers. I get some of you guys every now and then and even though I have to Google translate your reviews, I love them all the same!

Also, there may be mistakes. I'm proof reading again tomorrow and will fix anything I notice.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing

Hermione stared at Theo with a frown as he looked down, eyebrows furrowed, jaw clenched. His face was twisted in torment at Draco's words, Draco's disgusting words that she paid no mind to because she finally placed that unfamiliar emotion that was always on Theo's face.

Theodore Nott was in love with her.

Hermione eyes watered as it became more and more obvious the more she thought about it. She didn't know what to think, she didn't know what to say. She did know that she wasn't going to stand there and just let Draco taunt Theo about it anymore. She clutched the towel around her and jerked away from him, turning to harshly glare up at him.

"That's enough, Draco," she firmly stated.

Draco glared back at her before he slowly slid his gaze to Theo, eyeing him as if he were an insect. His lips curled into a sneer.

"No, I don't think it is. He's been kidding himself this entire time, holding out for something that's never going to happen," Draco spat.

Hermione winced as his words hit a little too close to home. Holding out for something that's never going to happen… Hermione shook her head, forcing that thought away before pushing against Draco's chest as he stepped forward.

"Give it a rest, Draco," she said in exasperation.

She turned towards Theo, taking a step towards him, not exactly sure what to say when Draco grabbed her arm.

"I don't think so," he hissed.

"Let go of me," she snapped as she turned to face him.

"Let her go," Theo said.

Draco's eyes snapped to him, bright and blazing as he gently pulled Hermione beside him, hand resting on her lower back.

"Are you challenging me…Teddy?"

Theo swallowed, rolling his eyes with a sigh.

"No, I'm not, alright? Just leave her out of this. This is between you and me," Theo said, motioning between him and Draco.

"You're damn right it is. However, you involved her when you decided to completely ignore what I said. I was under the impression that we squashed this two summers ago, Theo. I told you what was going to happen. I warned you…," Draco threatened.

"And I warned you!"

Hermione looked between the two of them in confusion. She didn't recall ever seeing Theo look so upset and Draco's expression was almost unrecognizable.

"She's not dead. I didn't maim her-"

"You tried to throw her over the damn balcony," Theo hissed, eyes wide.

Hermione gasped as Draco sharply turned to glare at her. She opened her mouth to say something before deciding to just shut up, shaking her head at him with a glare.

"Shit," she heard Theo mutter.

"Heh. I thought you didn't see him while I was gone," Draco mocked.

"We talked! Is that a crime? Don't you understand? I'm going to lose my mind, Draco! He was being nice, more than I can say for you-"

"He's in love with you! He'd have you the first chance he got," Draco spat.

"I already told you that I wouldn't fight you on this," Theo said.

Draco spun back around to face him.

"Yet here we are," he said.

"You're not treating her right! I told you, I told you to take care of her. I backed down for you! Do you know how much it killed me to know that you would be pursuing her instead of me? When you told us that You-Know-Who had no qualms about letting you have her, I thought it was a cover for you. I thought that it was just an excuse to be with her because I was under the impression that you loved her," Theo hissed.

What? Hermione looked up at Draco with wide eyes as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, jaw clenching. She backed away from him.

"What? What did he just say," she quietly demanded.

Draco looked away, glaring at Theo.

"Is that not what you said, Draco? Did you or did you not tell Blaise and I that you thought you loved her?"

Draco straightened up, flicking his hair out of his forehead, ignoring Hermione. Blaise was now seated back on the couch, watching the two of them argue, and for the first time ever, Hermione saw genuine worry on his face. If Hermione was piecing everything together correctly, then she guessed that this fight was long overdue.

"People lie all the time to get what they want, Theo," Draco quietly spat.

Theo shook his head.

"No, I don't believe you. You're a damn coward, Draco. That's what you are," Theo said.

Draco smirked.

"And you're what? Are we forgetting that you looked at her like she hung the damn moon for years, but couldn't even grow the balls to say…hi?"

"Draco, that's enough. This is unnecessary," Hermione said.

Draco sniffed, unbothered.

"I don't really care what you think, Theo. Everyone knows that nice guys always finish last," Draco threw at him, completely ignoring Hermione.

Theo glared at him, fists clenched at his side.

"Let's go," Draco said, reaching out towards Hermione.

She jerked away from him.

"Don't touch me," she hissed.

Draco leaned down, eyes boring into her own, quietly whispering:

"Let's not do this here, alright?"

"Is he telling the truth?"

Draco let out an exasperated sigh.

"Is he telling the truth, Draco? Did you really tell him that you thought you loved me? Just to get him to back down?"

Hermione stared at him in disbelief. She honestly didn't even know why she was so surprised. He was a monster.

"Let it go, Hermione," he spat, grabbing her arm.

"Let go of me," she shrieked, tugging her arm.

"Draco, let her go," Theo said, walking towards them.

Before anybody saw it coming, Draco had spun around, his fist immediately connecting with Theo's cheek. Hermione gasped in shock as Theo stumbled, catching onto the couch for support as his other hand was cradling his face. Draco's shoulders heaved with obvious anger as he loudly exhaled through his nose. Hermione swallowed at the look on his face, the same look he wore the night he had tried to toss her from the balcony.

Blaise must have seen the look before as well because he slowly stood up, approaching Draco with caution. Draco's jaw was clenched so tightly, Hermione was convinced that he'd crack one of his teeth. His hands trembled as he glared at Theo through glassy eyes.

"You are not taking her from me," Draco whispered.

"Draco," Blaise said, walking towards him.

"No! He's not taking her from me, Blaise," Draco spat at him.

Blaise nodded, holding his hands out.

"I know, I know. It's alright. He's not going to do that. He just wanted to make sure she was okay," Blaise responded, attempting to placate him.

Draco's eyes snapped back to Theo who was now just straightening up, massaging his jaw.

"That's not his responsibility. She's mine, Theo. You hear me? You so much as breathe in her direction and I'll slit your damn throat! You will not take her from me!"

"Draco…"

Before Hermione could even step towards him, Theo had slammed into him, both of them going down. She shrieked as they crashed into the coffee table, the piece of furniture completely breaking under the force. Both of their fists were flying, sinking into each other. Hermione winced when she heard Theo groan in pain.

"Blaise, stop them," she yelled at the dark haired boy.

Blaise was already on it, but as soon as he got near them, Draco waved his hand and Blaise flew into the wall on the other side of the room. He returned back to pounding Theo, hardly missing a beat. Hermione's eyes widened as Draco's hands wrapped around Theo's throat, pinning him to the floor. He's going to kill him. She heard Blaise making his way to his feet.

"Stop!"

Hermione wrapped her arm around Draco's neck, yanking back, but he held onto Theo with an iron grip. Blaise was by her side in an instant and grabbed one of his arms, pulling back.

"Draco, man, let go. You don't want to do this in front of her," he tried to reason.

"Want to bet," Draco spat through clenched teeth, staring down into Theo's eyes.

Hermione had never seen so much hatred in his eyes before, not even when he looked at Harry. Was it possible that Draco actually felt threatened by Theo? Theo's face was completely red as he struggled to breathe, his legs kicking out beneath Draco.

"Let him go, Draco," Hermione pleaded.

As if to say 'screw you', Draco lifted his head by the neck before roughly slamming it back down. Theo winced, scrunching his eyes up in pain.

"He's my friend, Draco. If you kill him…I'll never forgive you," she hissed in his ear.

She felt his shoulders tense beneath her and he blinked, staring down at Theo who was fading fast. Draco harshly exhaled and with a snarl, he let Theo go. The blue eyed boy gasped for breath as his head fell back down onto the floor. Blaise knelt over Theo as Draco stood and Hermione hurriedly took a step back as Draco turned to face her.

They glared at one another as he stood over her, chest brushing against her arms that were crossed over her own. He raked his eyes over with a sneer before smirking, not one trace of humor on his face.

"Let me make myself very clear…," he quietly began.

Hermione swallowed, standing her ground and resisting the urge to back up.

"If I even think that you've been around him, if I have the slightest suspicion…the next time you see him, he'll be in pieces. I won't give a rat's ass about your damn forgiveness," he whispered.

Hermione looked past him as Blaise helped Theo sit up, his neck already beginning to bruise.

"Your things will be moved into my room tonight."

And with that he brushed past her, his footsteps echoing into the foyer.

Hermione wrung her hands together as the footsteps got closer to the door. She didn't even know what she was doing here. She was still incredibly conflicted about her and this was probably the last place she should be right now. Hermione looked up through blurry eyes as the door opened, noting the look of surprise on Ginny's face. Hermione took a deep, shaky breath.

"Um…can-can I…I-crap," Hermione said, sniffling.

Ginny stepped forward, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Hermione, what's wrong?"

"Can we just forget everything for…for fifteen minutes? For fifteen minutes, can we just forget how I feel about you and…and everything that's happened? If you say no, that's okay, but for fifteen minutes, I just need-," Hermione broke off with a sob.

"Of course. Come in…please," Ginny said, moving out of her way.

Hermione walked into the room, pacing. Her hands were shaking so bad that she thought they would fall off.

"Hermione, what's going on? I heard yelling, but I…well, I figured that my presence might just make things worse," Ginny said.

"Theo's in love with me. Apparently, this is something that has been well known between the three of them for years," Hermione whispered.

Ginny's eyes widened, before she blinked, closing her eyes with a sigh.

"When he saw you the other day, I…I thought that I was just seeing things," Ginny said.

Hermione pressed her hand to her chest, using the other to push her hair away from her face.

"I've never seen Draco act like that with Harry. I mean, he was like that, but he wasn't. Looking back, I don't think Draco ever too Harry seriously as a rival when it came to me. I think…I think that he saw him as more of a pest than anything else. With Theo though…," Hermione said, shaking her head.

She licked her lips.

"Draco was scared. He's legitimately afraid that I might just run off with him," she said in disbelief.

"Well, he and Theo have a lot more in common than he and Harry. I mean, Theo basically has everything that Draco does. He has the looks, the money, the pureblood status, and he more than likely can treat you better than Draco does. I'm willing to bet that Draco knows that and he probably thinks that it's only a matter of time before you do too," Ginny quietly said.

"But I don't want him! Does that…does that mean that there's something wrong with me? Shouldn't I want Theo?"

What wasn't there to like about Theo? Everything that Ginny had said was true. She should be plotting to run off into the sunset with him, but she didn't want that. She didn't want…him.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Hermione-"

"Yes, there is. Theo's…he's a sweetheart. He's been in love with me for years. Hell, he stepped back and let Draco go after me because Draco told him that he loved me. I keep thinking that Draco couldn't possibly surprise me anymore and he just keeps proving me wrong," she said.

"Hermione…wha-Draco loves you. I don't get it, isn't that what you wanted?"

Hermione resisted the urge to scoff.

"He doesn't love me, Ginny. You don't claim to love somebody and then treat them like that. Besides, he only said it so that he wouldn't have to deal with Theo."

"What if that's not true? What if Draco's just being a coward who can't admit his own feelings," Ginny proposed.

Hermione opted to ignore that, pretending that Theo hadn't implied the same thing. She couldn't do that. Hermione couldn't afford to listen to every little opinion around her about Draco, she was already going crazy listening to her own. Hermione was about to reply when Ginny suddenly clutched her stomach, frowning before hurrying to the bathroom.

Hermione quickly followed, gathering Ginny's long red tresses as she emptied her stomach out into the toilet. Hermione looked away as Ginny reached up to flush it. She let out a humorless chuckle.

"Yeah, that whole morning sickness thing? Apparently that only applies to some mothers," Ginny joked as she stood.

Hermione folded her arms over her chest as Ginny washed her hands and rinsed her mouth out.

"When are you going to be able to know the sex?"

Ginny blinked, apparently taken back by Hermione's question. She shook her head.

"We want to be surprised," she answered.

"Any name ideas?'

"Way too many," Ginny said with a small smile.

Hermione awkwardly nodded, rocking on her feet.

"Ginny…did you tell one of them about the Valerian?"

Ginny stared at Hermione through the mirror before shaking her head.

"No. I know that you have a hard time believing that, but it's the truth. I just want you to be happy and if that means getting out of here, away from Draco, away from me, then I'd do anything to help. I've accepted the fact that our lives might not take the same road," Ginny said with complete sincerity.

Hermione stared at her for a while before nodding. There was an awkward silence, one filled with unsaid words and unanswered questions. Ginny sighed.

"Hermione…about Blaise and I-."

They both turned towards the room as the door opened and it wasn't long before Blaise stepped into sight. His eyes flickered between the two of them in curiosity, his eyes briefly raking over Ginny in concern before they landed on Hermione. She didn't miss the way his jaw ticked as their eyes met. There was still much animosity between the two of them.

"I don't want to be rude, but…"

Yes, you do, she thought.

"…I'm kind of turning in for the night, so…," he trailed off, raising an eyebrow.

"Right. I guess that would be my cue to leave," Hermione responded.

She turned to Ginny.

"Thanks for the talk," Hermione said.

Both she and Blaise rolled their eyes at one another as she walked past him and out of their room.

"No, absolutely not."

"It's just a bed, Hermione! A fucking big one at that. For Merlin's sake, I'm not going to bite you," Draco snapped.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Ha! That's rich considering I remember you having some sort of vampire complex while we were at Hogwarts," she spat.

Hermione resisted the urge to throttle him as he fought to keep a straight face, no doubt thinking of a few particular incidents. She glared at the dark huge bed with nothing but disdain. She fought to control her anger as she thought about how she had basically been evicted from her room and forced to share a room with him all because he didn't trust her.

"I don't understand why I can't just sleep on the couch. It's perfectly fine," she said, gesturing to the black piece of furniture in front of the bed.

It was nice and looked comfortable to sit on, but she knew that sleeping on it would be an entirely different story. Besides, the thought of actually spending the next 7-9 hours sleeping on that thing didn't actually thrill her. Still, she was very adamant against sharing a bed with Draco for obvious reasons, even if he was insisting that he wasn't even thinking about touching her because he was just as mad at her as she was with him.

"You're not sleeping on the couch," he spat for the umpteenth time.

This wasn't exactly her first time arguing for this option.

"Fine, then you sleep on the couch!"

"This is my room. You are not kicking me out of my own damn bed, Hermione," he snapped.

Hermione threw her hands up.

"Well, I don't know what we're going to do," she said in frustration.

"I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to get in bed, make myself quite comfortable and wait for you to join me," he said, glaring at her from the other side of the bed.

Hermione rolled her eyes, grabbing a pillow and walking towards the couch. She turned to hit Draco with the pillow as she heard his fast approaching footsteps, but he got to her first.

"Let go of me," she hissed as he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up.

She struggled against him, but it was futile and she landed on the bed with a gasp as he let her go. She scooted back as he sank one knee into the mattress and then the other, eyes trained on her as he approached her. She kicked out as he grabbed one of her ankles, yanking her towards him.

"I have no problem getting up and dragging you back to bed every single time you try to sleep on that stupid couch. Don't make me do it, Hermione," he snapped.

She snatched her foot away from him with a huff before getting on the left side of the bed, as close to the edge as possible. She crossed her arms over her chest as he made himself comfortable on his side before the room was bathed in darkness, save for the moonlight shining in through the balcony door windows.

Hermione stared up at the ceiling, thinking to herself that there was no way she'd be able to sleep. It just wasn't going to happen. She couldn't even begin to describe just how angry she was with him. Her mind briefly shot to Theo, wondering how he was doing. She couldn't imagine how he must have been feeling. To think that he had bowed out like the bigger person all because of more of Draco's lies and then to watch as… Hermione shook her head.

She wondered if he regretted his decision. More than likely, he did. Who wouldn't? It was probably torture for him and then to find out that Draco hadn't meant any of the crap he had spewed. Hermione looked at Draco out of the corner of her eye.

Theo had called Draco a coward, implying that Draco had lied when he said he lied to Theo. Hermione didn't believe that though. Draco lied about as much as he breathed. She would not put it past him to do such a thing, to hurt an acquaintance in such a way. He was capable of and had done much worse. Hermione's mind ran a mile a minute as thoughts like these raced inside of her head and she didn't even notice when sleep eventually claimed her.

Hermione stared down the wing in wonder, looking over her shoulder with a smile. She wasn't stupid. She had seen him come down here. His laughter suddenly rang throughout the halls and Hermione's smile widened. She reached down, picking up her long ball gown before running in the direction of the sound.

She had just turned the corner when she saw him disappear around the other corner at the end of the wing. She huffed quite loudly in mock irritation. He could be such a child sometimes.

"This is getting tiresome," she yelled as she walked down the empty wing, her grin wide.

His deep chuckle came from the desolate hall beside her as she reached the end. She turned to look at him as his silver eyes glowed in the darkness. He suddenly smiled, pearly whites practically blinding her.

"Come play with me, Hermione," he purred, extending his hand.

She teasingly eyed his hand, pretending to think on it.

"Please…"

"Well, since you asked so nicely," she said with a shrug.

She laid her hand in his and they both laughed as they ran down the wing, the moonlight shining a spotlight on them as they passed each window. Her dress and hair flew behind her as they ran up the spiral staircase and Hermione felt her heart skip a beat inside of her chest as he looked over his shoulder at her, his heated gaze boring into her own.

The staircase seemed to grow taller and taller the further they climbed, but neither one of them paid any mind. The contagious sound of their combined laughter filled the stairwell and it wasn't long before they came to a door. She followed him through and she closed her eyes as the wind whipped past them, blowing her dress and his open suit jacket. She looked around the beautiful roof, as she recognized the skyline of London.

She turned her head to watch as he climbed onto the railing around the roof, built for safety. He stood on the very top, looking down and Hermione gazed at him with wide eyes. He suddenly turned to her, stormy eyes meeting coffee colored ones. He didn't say a word as he extended his hand yet again, a silent question swimming within their depths. Hermione frowned in uncertainty, but then he smiled…and all doubt was gone.

She slowly made her way to him, his hand clasping around hers before pulling her up to stand beside him. She looked down at the tiny people below them, but she felt no fear. She gazed up at him as he turned his head to look down at her, bringing his other hand up to rest on the back of her neck. He pressed his forehead against hers as he began to lean, taking her with him. Hermione closed her eyes.

"Hermione!"

Hermione's eyes flew open and she gasped as her eyes landed on the moon up above. The wind blew past her face, whipping her hair, obscuring her vision. Her eyes trailed along the trees and…Blaise's backyard? She began to lower her head, but before she could look directly below her, someone spoke.

"Hermione…don't look down."

She slowly looked over her shoulder and met Draco's gaze. Blaise and Ginny stood behind him in his bedroom, just behind the open balcony doors. Ginny looked worried, borderline hysterical, as Blaise kept his arms around her. Hermione looked around in confusion. How…? She looked down at herself, confused as her eyes took in her sleeping clothes. Had she been…sleepwalking?

"Hermione…come on."

Draco held his hand out as he took a slow step towards her, as if worried she was still sleepwalking.

"I didn't…I wasn't…," she trailed off as she shook her head.

"I know. It's alright. Just step down…"

Still dazed, she laid her hand in his and he yanked her down, immediately pulling her into his arms. Hermione blinked in confusion, struggling to process what had just happened as Draco dug his fingers into her skin, his arms tightening around her.

"Leave us," he hissed behind him.

Hermione didn't even hear Ginny's protests as Blaise heeded Draco's words. She felt him press his lips against the top of her head, taking a deep breath, but Hermione couldn't care less. She was far too focused on her dream and the silver eyes that had led her to her death.

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