AU! NO WAR.

Written for Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

House: Thunderbird

Class: Charms

Task: 4. Salvio Hexia: protecting someone from malicious friends

Bonus Prompts:

4. (character) Theo

12. (word) power

Word Count: 2187/4500

No Place For Toxic Friends

"He's the terrible friend for taking advantage of you. Tell you what? As an experiment — I know you like those — why don't you go up to Weasley and ask him for some of his... chocolates? Yeah, chocolates will work. Go ask him for some chocolate. If he starts whining about how those are his last sweets and whatnot, you'll concede that you were wrong."

Theodore Nott had always been one to stay in the shadows; he watched the people around him with a scrutinizing eye and learned their tics. As a Slytherin, he knew he needed to know what the person in front of him wanted, and he had learned how to read people's body language. He had always been a curious young man, and Hermione Granger was an enigma to him.

On one hand, Hermione was incredibly fierce and stood up for what she believed in or wanted, but at the same time, Theo noticed that she was terrible for sticking up for herself. It was something that had always bothered the Slytherin as he genuinely liked the witch. She was brave, kind, sweet, helpful, and incredibly good-looking. On top of that, she was the smartest witch in their year; it was impossible for Theo not to have a gigantic crush on her.

As Theo sat at his usual table in the library in the shadows, he kept an eye on Hermione. She sat at the table students had unofficially deemed hers, surrounded by large tomes, parchments and quills. Theo knew she was studying for their Arithmancy test the next evening, and he was aware he should be focusing his attention on his book too. But he just couldn't look away from her.

Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, and Theo wondered how long it would take for him to untangle his fingers from her curly locks. He was so busy daydreaming about her blushing as he ran his fingers through her hair that Theo didn't notice Ron Weasley make his way to her.

He was jarred out of his reverie when the redhead dragged a chair towards Hermione loudly and plopped down beside her. Theo scowled at the sight, fisting his hands as envy filled his heart. He didn't realize he had broken his quill and that its black ink had stained his fingers. He decided to focus his attention on their heated conversation.

"Can't you do your homework yourself, Ronald? I need to finish revising for my Arithmancy test tomorrow," Hermione hissed under her breath, and Weasley groaned loudly.

"It's not like you'll fail the exam, Mione! Come on, please! Just do my Transfiguration homework for me," Weasley whined, and Theo grimaced when he heard him. It was so like Weasley to beg Hermione to do his work for him.

Unfortunately, Theo knew how their conversation would go down. Hermione would lecture Weasley to understand the importance of education, Weasley would just 'hmm' and nod along — not listening to her at all — and finally, Hermione would get annoyed and agree to do his work 'for the last time.' Theo knew there was never a 'last time' for them.

As he listened to Hermione's lecture for almost the hundredth time that year, Theo had an idea. If I could just pull her away from Weasley long enough to notice me… In a matter of seconds, he knew just what to do. It would be a Slytherin move, of course, but it would also be for Hermione's sake. He wanted her to be happy, and Theo was sure he could be the one to make her happy.

The next day, Theo walked over to Hermione's table with an old issue of Witch Weekly in his hands. She was bent over a parchment, grumbling under her breath, and the funny expletives that left her lips made Theo smile with amusement. She's adorable.

"Oh, hello, Theo, are you looking for something?" she asked, startling him by using his given name.

Merlin, I didn't know my name could sound so good. He cleared his throat and said, "Hullo… Hermione. I just read this very interesting article and was wondering if you'd like to discuss it."

She looked at him with bewilderment, not having expected him to say that. She glanced at the essay in front of her and sighed. "I'm sorry, Theo, but I'm swamped with work at the moment. Maybe some other time?"

Theo frowned and stated, "You're doing Weasley's work again. Why?"

Hermione glanced at him and said, "He's one of my best friends."

"I didn't know you had to do someone's homework to be best friends with them," he said lightly, leaning against the chair.

She rolled her eyes and muttered, "I didn't say that, Theo. It's just one essay."

"Is it? Just one essay?" Theo asked her rhetorically, and Hermione looked away, her shoulders slumping. "I don't mean to offend you, but… are you sure you're friends with Weasley for the right reasons?"

Hermione frowned and said, "It's none of your business, Theo. I'm happy to help him out from time to time."

"You've written thirteen essays for him in the past two weeks, Hermione," Theo said, finally sitting down beside her. "You can't tell me you're happy to do his work for him."

Hermione glared at him for a few moments, but she didn't argue. Finally, she said, "Okay, I'm not happy with that, but that doesn't mean my friendship with Ron is wrong."

"Oh, it is. And I can prove it," Theo said pompously, leaning back in his chair. "Want to bet on it?"

"I don't bet, Theo," she said primly, placing her hands in her lap, and Theo smiled.

He reached his hand out and gently tugged on her errant curl, watching it bounce like a loaded spring. He was fascinated with how soft it was, and he didn't see her amused expression.

"Theo?" She waved her hand in front of his face pointedly, and he blinked quickly to clear his mind.

"Oh, yeah, why not? Are you scared I'll win? Do you believe I'm right?" he taunted her, and she bristled with indignation.

"I'm not scared, Theo. I just don't think my friendship with Ron is wrong — or that you need to prove anything to me. Anyway, it's none of your business — By the way, why are you so interested in this?"

Theo made sure not to panic. He simply smirked and said, "I want to prove you wrong on one thing, Granger. That's my ambition in life. So, want to bet? The winner can get the loser to do whatever they want. Deal?"

Hermione didn't want to agree to his stupid bet, but when he said that she probably didn't want to bet against him because she too knew he was right, she glared at him and reached her hand out to shake his. "Deal. Get ready to do something completely humiliating, Theodore Nott."

"Ooh, you're using my full name. I'm shaking in my boots," Theo teased, grinning mischievously at her. "Let's start. I'll ask you the questions, and you have to answer me honestly. You're one of those courageous-to-the-end Gryffindors, so I'm going to go out on a limb here and trust you. Can I do that?"

Hermione couldn't help but smile at his phrasing, and she nodded.

"First question, Miss Granger," he said in a tone reminiscent of Professor McGonagall's. He opened the Witch Weekly magazine and flipped to a marked page.

"Wait, what's that?" Hermione squinted at the magazine with confusion.

"It's an issue of Witch Weekly. I came across this wonderful article about toxicity in relationships, and what do you know? This is perfect for this occasion, isn't it?"

Hermione looked suspicious, but she shrugged and motioned for him to continue.

"Does Weasley only talk to you when he needs something?" Hermione nibbled on her lip but nodded her head in answer.

"Don't you know friendships should be equal? You deserve to receive as much attention as you give — it's all based on reciprocation and mutuality," Theo said pointedly and watched her frown. "My next question is… Are your conversations equal? Does Weasley listen to you and not just blabber about himself?"

Hermione thought for a few seconds before shaking her head solemnly. She didn't want to admit Theo was right, but she didn't want to lie either. Theo had said he was going to trust her to tell the truth, and that was what Hermione was going to do.

Theo continued to ask her the questions. "Does he make fun of you in front of others?" Another nod.

"Do you feel bad about yourself after spending time with him?" Another ashamed nod.

"Is Weasley aggressively competitive?" Another hesitant nod.

"Has Weasley ever congratulated you on your achievements without feeling jealous?" A shake of the head in the negative.

"Does he create unnecessary drama in your life?" A nibble of her lip accompanied with a nod.

"Is your friendship with Weasley based on conditions?" A tilt of her head and a nod.

"Does he ever promise he'll do something but later bails on you?" A groan and a nod.

"Has he ever used a secret against you?" A hesitant nod.

"Ever gotten you into trouble? This one's so easy, right?" Hermione groaned loudly but nodded in reply. They both knew the answer to that one.

"Does he exclude you from things with your mutual friends?" Again, yes.

"Congratulations, Miss Granger, you are in an extremely toxic friendship with a certain redhead," Theo declared and handed her the magazine.

She gaped at the article, disbelief evident on her face. "This is silly, Theo — it's just an article in Witch Weekly! No one really believes this!"

"Even if the magazine's silly, don't you think the questions I asked you — and more importantly, your answers — struck a chord with you?"

"Well…" She trailed off, not wanting to admit that Theo was right about something.

"Come on, Granger. Admit it," he said, leaning towards her and poking her nose playfully. "You give Weasley way too much power over you."

"I… He's my friend, Theo. I don't want him to call me a terrible friend."

"He's the terrible friend for taking advantage of you. Tell you what? As an experiment — I know you like those — why don't you go up to Weasley and ask him for some of his... chocolates? Yeah, chocolates will work. Go ask him for some chocolate. If he starts whining about how those are his last sweets and whatnot, you'll concede that you were wrong."

Hermione scowled at him, but she pushed her chair back and stood up. "I'll prove you wrong, Theodore Nott."

"Good luck."

An hour later, Hermione returned to the library with a dumbfounded expression on her face. She plopped down beside Theo, her lips pursed and eyes narrowed.

"Well? What did he say?"

Hermione stared at the table and muttered, "You were right."

"He didn't give you any chocolates? It's okay, Hermione; I've got plenty for the two of us," Theo said, pulling out a few chocolate bars from his bag and flashing them at her. "I've got those Sugar Quills you love so much."

All of a sudden, she sniffled and rubbed her nose. Theo frowned and asked, "Hey, what's wrong? Are you — Oh, Merlin! You're crying!"

She shook her head, her tears streaming down her face, and guilt churned in Theo's belly. He winced when she tried to turn away to hide her tears. He quickly leaned forward and impulsively pulled her into his arms. Patting her head awkwardly, Theo mumbled in her hair, "I'm sorry I did this to you."

"You were right, Theo." She let out a heart-wrenching sob and buried her face in his chest. "You were right... about everything… He refused to give me his stupid chocolate because it was Hogsmeade's best…"

Theo bit his tongue to stop himself from badmouthing her friend, and Hermione said, "I got so mad at him… I told him I wasn't going to do his homework for him anymore… and he just laughed."

"What? Why?" Theo patted her head again, slightly distracted by how soft her curls were under his hand.

"He mocked me for being childish… said that I would come back to him… You were right, Theo, about everything," she sobbed, clinging to his robes. "He's got too much power over me."

"It's not your fault you're so innocent. It's in your nature."

"Well, I don't like it!" she barked, suddenly pulling away from him. Theo instantly missed the feeling of her in his arms. "I refuse to give him any more power over me! I'm Hermione Granger!"

"Hell, yes, you are!" Theo exclaimed, joining in her sudden enthusiasm. "You don't need that pillock or his toxic negativity!"

"I don't!" She suddenly slumped and muttered, "But I don't want to ruin my friendship with Harry… He's my best friend."

"If Potter's a real friend, he'll understand your decision to break off your friendship with Weasley," Theo stated, his heart swelling with pride. He hadn't realized Hermione would actually go through with it, but he couldn't be prouder of her standing up for herself and her needs. She truly was a marvellous witch, and Theo was determined to do his best to encourage her to be her best version. And if he got to date her in the process, well… who was he to say no to an advantageous situation?

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