Since I'm excited for you guys to know what I know, extra chapter this week! Try to contain your disappointment. As always I own nothing, and I adore all of you to freaking pieces for reading, reviewing, and just existing in general!
Chapter 18
Professor McGonagall posted the notice announcing the first Hogesmeade weekend, causing the common room to erupt in excitement. It coincided with Hermione's sixteenth birthday. At breakfast Harry approached Hermione with a suggestion. "While a certain Slytherin is bound to want to celebrate your birthday, too, I thought in the morning we could hang out? You, me, Theo, Draco, and maybe Tracey?"
"Including Tracey?" she grinned. "No Gryffindors?"
"Neville suggested throwing you a small party in the common room Friday night."
"That's every thoughtful, sounds like a plan. You need to ask Tracey if she's free."
Harry paled. "I thought you could, you know, ask her along."
She shook her head. "Nope, your idea, you have to handle the invites. Otherwise I'm throwing myself a party." Mentally she made a note to convince Draco to bow out at the last minute. Judging by his behavior, her best male friend shared her best female friend's interest.
Friday evening the Weasley twins decorated the common room. Banners proclaimed the importance of the day. 'Happy Sweet 16, Hermione!' "I didn't realize wizards made a big deal about sixteen, too." She told them.
"We don't." Fred told her.
"But Harry mentioned muggles do, and we thought you'd appreciate it. George said.
"I do, thank you."
"We also wanted a chance," started one twin.
"Test our board games."
"And what better place."
"Than a party?" finished the other.
They stood, waiting for an explosion of temper. Instead, she smiled. "Lovely. Just make sure everyone knows what's suppose to happen." They stared shocked, "What?"
"You're constantly yelling at us not to test products on students."
"On first years, they don't know any better. Everyone else can make more of an informed decision." She smiled, "Not that I approve of skipping class, but the magic involved is brilliant."
Once the crowd has massed, the twins explained the games to their housemates. Some students chose to play the more mundane muggle versions.
Hermione joined Fay, Sally-Anne, and Neville playing the wizard version of Outburst. The twins had but an amazing amount of work into the games. As much, if not more, than they did their prank products. Everyone had a fantastic time, even Ron, who initially protest the party. Ginny spent most of the evening trying to get and keep Harry's attention. She got him to join a few of them for a few hands of UNO, before someone else claimed his attention. To complicate matters, Dean Thomas kept flirting with her, even in front of Harry, maddening.
The next morning Hermione met Harry for breakfast. "Good morning, birthday girl."
"Thank you."
He handed her a brightly wrapped box. "This is from Dudley and me."
"You didn't have to."
"We wanted to, and two against one, you were outvoted." She opened the box, laughing. A black t-shirt proudly proclaimed 'Kitten' across the chest in yellow letters. "Mine says 'Pup,' Dudley's says 'Duds,' and Sirius's says 'Dadfoot.'"
"And they're black because we all have ties to the House Black. I love it! Thank you." She hugged Harry tightly. She folded it neatly and placed it in the bag Sirius sent her. The bag shrank anything placed inside making it easier to carry. You still had to be able to fit the item though the mouth of the bag.
Together they made their way down to the Great Hall. A thin, ethereal looking blonde in front of them caught Hermione's attention. Despite the autumn chill in the castle cooling the stone floors she had no shoes on. "Um, excuse me," Hermione called, "but is there a reason you aren't wearing shoes?"
The girl stopped and turned around. Her radish earrings danced back and forth. "Oh, they disappeared."
Hermione blinked, "They disappeared?"
"Yes, my housemates take them. They always reappear at some point before the end of the term, so that's good."
"But why do they even take them?" asked Harry. The girl shrugged.
"Hey, Harry, going to breakfast. Oh, hey, Loony." Ginny Weasley bounced up to them.
Harry gave the girl an odd look, "Your name is Loony?"
"No my name is Luna Lovegood. I'm a fourth year Ravenclaw."
"Nice to meet you, Luna. I'm Harry and this is Hermione." Hermione gave a small wave. "But back to your shoes, have you told anyone?"
"None of the prefects seemed overly concerned about it."
Hermione blinked again. "No one is overly concerned that you have no shoes to wear?" Luna nodded flashing Hermione a smile. "Well that's changed." Hermione slipped off her own trainers. She handed them to Luna. "Put these on." Once she had Hermione swiftly resized them to fit the younger girl. She waved her wand over them again. "There, now the only people without ill intent can touch your shoes."
"What are you going to do for shoes?" Ginny asked.
"I have another pair in my dorm. Harry, would you bring me a bacon sandwich? I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall." She turned to Luna. "Nice to meet you. See you later, Gin."
Hermione hurried back upstairs. She'd seen the greedy jealousy flash on Ginny's face when Hermione handed over her expensive looking shoes. She also saw the excitement on the girl's face at having Harry to herself. Hermione had downplayed the fact that Winky packed a dozen pairs of shoes so her mistress could be prepared.
She slipped into the fifth year girls' dorm and grabbed a new pair. Lavender complained loudly her beauty charm wouldn't last long enough to make it through the day. Fay sat at her desk applying her make up. The friends made eye contact and shared a silent laugh. Hermione waved farewell and raced to meet her best friends and boyfriend.
Tracey hugged her, "Many happy returns."
"Thanks." Tracey handed her a small gift bag. "This is from Sephora!" She pulled out a bottle of perfume. "I love this scent. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Your mother bought it for me. I just asked her to get your favorite."
Harry handed her the sandwich, "Draco said he'll see you later. He has your present from your family. I don't know what he and Pucey have planned, and I think I'm happier that way."
Theo laughed as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "You're probably right. Happy birthday, sweet. You get your present from me after lunch." He kissed her cheek.
Walking in pairs, the four friends trekked down to the village. Theo insisted on treating Hermione to her favorite sugar quills and ice mice at Honeyduke's. Harry urged Tracey to select her own favorites, on him.
At lunch they sat in a booth towards the back. A ghost of a smile danced on Hermione's lips while Tracey and Harry lightly flirted. She doubted they even noticed when she and Theo slipped away.
Theo presented her with a bouquet of flowers and a small book. She read the cover. "A Wizard's Guide to the Inner Meaning of Flowers?"
"Goes with the bouquet. Shall we?" He offered Hermione his arm. "Until Harry suggested getting together for what became a double date, I planned a picnic. Just a laid back thing for two."
"But we had lunch."
"Exactly. So we'll skip to laying on the blanket and cloud watching or whatever."
"Like looking up the meaning of my flowers?"
He chuckled, "Like looking up the meaning to your flowers." He lead her to a meadow just beyond the edge of the village. A quick spell spread the blanket out over the grass. Eagerly, Hermione sat and began researching.
She vaguely felt Theo rubbing small circles on her legs as she looked up the different flowers. Lilac- beginnings of love. Stock- you'll always be beautiful to me. And sunflowers- longevity and adoration. She hugged him tightly. "The meanings behind the flowers are as lovely as they are."
"And you are lovelier." She giggled and kissed him. He, of course, kissed back. Soon they sprawled on the blanket, snogging. Theo ran his hands under her shirt, caressing the soft skin there. Hermione slipped her hands under Theo's clothes. She rubbed small circles on the small of his back, pressing him closer to her the longer they kissed. He nipped at the skin behind her ears. She moaned and bucked her hips up into his. Instinctively, he ground down to meet her.
"Theo." she breathed into his ear, causing him to groan.
"Hermione, sweet, we have to stop." Theo say up, pulling away.
"What? Why?" she asked in a husky voice.
"Because, I really don't want to take our relationship any further out here, in a field, where anyone could just stroll up." He pulled her into a sitting position. "And I have your present." He pulled a small velvet pouch from his pocket. "This belonged to my great grandmother. It has several protection and shield spells on it. Once I put it on you, only you or I can remove it." He handed her the pouch.
Hermione removed the bangle carefully. Set in bright gold sixteen rectangle amethysts sparkled in a row. Between each amethyst two small circular diamonds were stacked on top of each other surrounded by metal scrolls. The solid back of the bracelet fitted snugly against the back of her wrist. The bracelet clasped on the side where the back met the jeweled section. "Oh, Theo."
"Do not even try and suggest it is too much. Because I will just go get you something more expensive."
She chuckled, "Then I will simple say thank you. It's beautiful." She kissed the corner of his mouth.
"Before we get out of hand again, we should get going. I promised Drake I wouldn't monopolize you all day."
"He was nice enough to bow out, so we should play nice."
At dinner she joined Draco at the Slytherin table. Their parents sent her a lovely letter wishing many happy returns of the day and the mention that Winky had delivered several new outfits to her closet, to spare the owl. The pale blue and silver wrapped package teased her from where Draco had placed it on the table. He insisted they had to finish eating before she could open it.
Finally, Draco handed the package to his sister. Hermione unwrapped it, finding a medium sized box. She opened the box revealing sixteen glass figurines. Each one depicted a different animal. They were numbered one through sixteen. Draco traced the delicate spun glass butterfly labeled number seven. "Father and Mother bought one every year for your birthday. They let me pick this one."
"They are amazing. I'm surprised you didn't pick a dragon."
"No, at that age, I was the dragon. These represented you. And you were off out there, out of reach- like butterflies."
Tears pricked at Hermione's eyes. "That is so bittersweet. At seven I spent my birthday having a trail riding party. I might not have liked all the guests, but I enjoyed the actual party immensely." Draco escorted his sister back towards her dorm as she described various birthdays past. She kissed his cheek, "This might be my favorite birthday to date."
With OWLs looming at the end of the year, Hermione fell into a pattern. She followed her study schedule, patrolled, and spent time with her friends. Even with the Dolores Umbridge and her ridiculous classes didn't diminish her happiness. September faded in October, and things began to change.
It wasn't until the beginning of November that the little things grated on her nerves enough for her to really notice. A seventh year Ravenclaw named Essence Broadmoor paired with Theo on a Charms club project. While Theo never responded, Broadmoor's behavior bordered on flirtatious. The project occupied much of Theo's free time. He made sure to see Hermione daily, but often it during study time. And then he often mentioned Broadmoor, or questioned what she would think about something. Even worse was when she joined them. The letters also started.
You were never suppose to be found. You aren't meant to be happy. That has to be changed.
They arrived every few days. Hermione ignored them after the first couple. She had had hate mail before, someone out there who thought they had any right to comment on her life, like she cared about their opinions.
Bright sunshine greeted the castle the morning of the first quidditch match. Excited students chattered as they prepared to make their ways to the pitch. Hermione wished Harry good luck as the team left the Great Hall together. She made a point to see Draco and Theo as well. Draco nodded, not saying much. Which Tracey assured her was his normal pregame behavior. Theo took her hand and lead her to an alcove away from everyone.
"I have something for you."
"Oh, do you, Mr Nott?" She questioned in a teasing tone.
"Yes." He removed his Slytherin house scarf. "I can't keep you warm in the stand personally, but I can give you this." He gave her a shy, crooked smile. "Will you wear my scarf?"
"Of course." He placed it behind her neck and used it to gently tug her closer. "Good luck. Be safe." She kissed each corner of his mouth.
"I'll do my best. Your house plays dirty." She laughed and shoved him away. "See what I mean?"
"Because your house is completely innocent? You poor, poor victims. How do you cope day in and day out."
Theo pulled her back to him. "Kisses from curly haired Gryffindors." He kissed her lightly. "I'll see you after the game either way, right?"
She nodded, "I will console the losers before I go celebrate with the winner."
"What if Slytherin wins?"
"I'll worry about that when it happens." She laughed at his mock pout. She gave him a small push. "Go, try and win your first victory over Gryffindor."
He waved at her, "It could happen."
"Sure, sure."
"Just disgusting." Hermione turned to see Ronald Weasley approaching her. "Routing for the enemy against your house and best friend." Hermione glared, but simply walked away. She had no need to engage Ron in an altercation. "Not a surprise for an evil traitor like you. If it wasn't for you I'd be on the team."
Hermione stopped and turned. "How on earth do you reason out that it is my fault you didn't make the team? I wasn't even there?"
"You telling everyone I wasn't good enough made them all think that."
"Ronald, I never said you weren't good enough. My exact words were- Ron would make a fair keeper. You decided I said you would suck. You decided I was against you. Honestly, I am beyond finished with you." She resumed walking.
"Yeah, off you go to pretend to be Harry's friend and poison him against everyone else." He yelled after her.
"The only one trying to poison anyone is you." She called back, mentally kicking herself for continuing the argument.
On the path to the pitch she encountered Tracey. The two friends fell into step together. "Lovely morning for a match."
"It is."
"Also lovely morning to do anything else."
"I know, right?" The girls laughed.
"Hermione, have you noticed Harry acting a little strange lately?"
"Not really, but then again he has been practicing round the clock. So, I haven't seen much of him. Why?"
"Nothing specific, he's just kind of been running hot and cold lately. I may be imaging things, you know. He has been busy with quidditch and Umbridge picking at him."
"If it keeps up, I can talk to him if you want." Hermione offered.
"I keep that in mind." The friends parted at the stands, Tracey heading off to join her housemates.
Hermione waved her scarf ends at Ron when he glared at her. Neville laughed at her. Seamus whistled. "Ye look like a Christmas display all red and green." He indicated her red Gryffindor jumper and Theo's scarf.
"I aim to please." She settled into a seat between Fay and Sally-Anne, ready to cheer her friends onto victory.
For the first time in six years of quidditch games, her sole focus wasn't on one seeker, and hoping Harry wouldn't die. Now, it was on both seekers and one chaser, and hoping they didn't die. Once she noticed Hermione's small silent cheer when Theo scored, Sally-Anne jumped in. When it became a quiet cheer, Fay joined in. Since they only cheered when Theo scored, the others around them left it alone. Ron began to protest, but three fifth years shut him down. They made it clear Hermione was not alone in being done with his tantrums and ultimatums. The game raged for three hours before Harry and Draco spiraled after the snitch. Hermione cheered when Harry rose up triumphant, but groaned a little, knowing defeating Gryffindor had become the Slytherin team's white whale. Pucey would be pushing them even harder to slaughter Hufflepuff in their game.
She slipped through the celebrating crowd, making her way to the Slytherin changing rooms. She hugged Draco, noticing his shoulders slumped in defeat. "You did amazing. It was an incredibly close game, and chase to the snitch." He rewarded her with a small grin that dropped from his face when he saw something over her shoulder.
Hermione looked behind her to see Theo talking to Essence Broadmoor. The Ravenclaw touched his shoulder sympathetically, offering her condolences. Hermione frowned and shook herself. She was not the jealous kind. She would not be that girl, the shrew, who kept her boyfriend from other girls. She trusted Theo, and he only wanted her. Plastering a fake smile on her face she approached the couple. "Hey, champion."
Theo turned from Broadmoor, smiling at Hermione. "Hey, yourself, sweet."
Broadmoor rolled her eyes. "Champion?" She demanded.
"Theo scored more goals than any other player on either team. The game could have gone either way when the seekers went after the snitch. So, he's my MVP."
Broadmoor rolled her eyes, "MVP?"
"Most valuable player. Muggle sports award the title to the player who's actions won the game, or were the most amazing." Theo stared at her, then leaned forward and rewarded Hermione with a toe tingling kiss. Part of her felt smug afterwards, Broadmoor broadcast her annoyance rather strongly.
"Theo," she whined, "since you don't have a party this evening we should be working on our Charms club project."
He gave Hermione a little smile, "She's not wrong. And you should be celebrating with your house. They were awesome enough to let you cheer for me." He pecked her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Of course."
Trying to forget Broadmoor's smirk as she made her way to the common room, Hermione realized that while she could trust Theo, she probably shouldn't trust Broadmoor too much.
The noise from the party reached her before she could even see the Fat Lady's portrait. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan had outdone themselves. Music blasted, smuggled butterbeer flowed, and purloined snacks made their way around the room. Hermione squeezed past the press of people, looking for Harry. She briefly thought she saw him snogging a girl in one of the darker corners, but the two Gryffindors disappeared into the crowd by the time she got there. She found him, eventually, talking to Angelina and Katie about the game, with Ginny plastered to his side. She noted he didn't seem to mind her presence, but she put that down to the party atmosphere in tight quarters. She congratulated the players on a great game, then let herself be stolen by Dean Thomas to back up his assertions about rugby. Her thoughts of Ginny drifting away.