A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I am so glad you liked the Slytherins - I love sharing all my little headcanons about them for sure. You can follow me over on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.
Please let me know what you thought of chapter eighteen and be on the lookout for chapter nineteen soon!
It was growing difficult for Hermione to contain her excitement over the new developments between her and Adrian. Their date the night before had been lovely, and it was exciting to learn a little bit more about what he was like. He was certainly an ambitious wizard, and he wasn't embarrassed about going after what he wanted, something that Hermione personally thought she could learn a little bit from. He'd given her some great advice about her own career path, too, not belittling her desire to pursue a mastery like some of her friends would, not understanding the desire to keep learning.
She had not needed any convincing at all to accompany him to his bedroom where they continued where they left off. Hermione was quickly becoming addicted to his kisses. He knew that he was a good snogger, but wasn't too full of himself about it. He learned exactly what she liked, seeming to take pride in making her gasp or moan in delight.
Hermione had also been a little too keen to get his shirt off, taking her time to appreciate the muscles that his time playing Quidditch had built. She was still a little embarrassed to realize how much she liked it, but she now thought she could spend the rest of her life cradled in his strong arms and be happy.
That was probably jumping the gun, though.
Adrian had been equally reciprocal in his worship of her own body. He made her feel exceptionally pretty when she saw the way that his eyes darkened and his pupils widened when long fingers traced up her curves. Godric, if this was a dream, she was sure that she never wanted to wake up.
But it wasn't a dream. After they'd had their fill of one another, it was far too late for Hermione to think about returning to Gryffindor Tower, and so Adrian had offered her an undershirt of his to sleep in. It was very intimate to share a bed together, especially so soon, but it didn't feel odd to be wrapped up in his arms. It felt perfect.
Hermione could have spent all of Saturday lounging in the bed with him, but Adrian was unfortunately disturbed by a floo call. She listened in and heard him chatting to a couple of his friends, telling them about her. It was nice that he wasn't trying to keep her hidden and wasn't embarrassed to be dating a muggleborn. They hadn't really talked about his opinion on blood purity, but she knew that his family had not been Death Eaters. It was a conversation that they would have to have eventually, but there was no need for it now.
Hearing them rib him for actually getting her to speak to him made her smile, and she was even more sure than ever that she was going to tell Harry and Ron.
When Adrian returned to his room, Hermione was already halfway dressed. "Leaving so soon?" he asked, not hiding his disappointment.
"Yes, I do have to take care of a few things today," Hermione said, pulling her jumper over her head. "I am going to owl Harry and Ron about you. And then I thought I would go ask Headmistress McGonagall for special permission to visit Hogsmeade tonight. I thought you might be up for a date tonight...that is, if you don't mind spending all of your time with me."
"Of course not," Adrian said with a grin. "Who else am I going to spend time with?"
Hermione knew that he had just turned down Quidditch plans, so she certainly wasn't his only option, but it was a lovely sentiment nonetheless. Pushing to her tiptoes to give him a lingering kiss goodbye, Hermione set off in the direction of the owlery.
Deciding to just tell them about Adrian in a letter rather than in person, Hermione hoped that Ron would get his worst behavior out away from her, where she was least likely to get hurt. Hopefully it would give them time to adjust to the idea of her seeing a Slytherin. It also cut down on the chance of them finding out from anyone else but her...who knew when they would be able to meet her in person with their auror training.
She also made sure to include a reminder to Harry about borrowing the Marauder's Map if he could send it.
After that, she was off to the Headmistress's office to ask about visiting the village that evening. McGonagall quickly gave her permission, without even looking up from her papers. "Off to Scrivenshaft's, Miss Granger?" she asked.
"Actually, the Three Broomsticks, Headmistress," Hermione responded matter-of-factly. "I am planning on having a date tonight."
That certainly got McGonagall's attention. "Well, I normally wouldn't give special permission for something like that Miss Granger," she said a bit sternly. "But you are of age and perhaps your eighth year status affords you a bit more leeway. Please, do not make me regret this."
"I won't, I promise," Hermione agreed, knowing that she wasn't about to do anything to jeopardize it. Hopefully, she and Adrian could take several more dates there together before the school year was over. It was just the Three Broomsticks, but at least it was a way to get out of the castle for a little bit.
And it might get Max off of the trail of Adrian's mystery witch, Hermione thought with a smirk.
With that confirmed, she found Adrian in the library and told him to meet her in the Great Hall that evening so they could walk down together. Then, she finally returned to Gryffindor Tower so that she could get ready for her date and face the barrage of questions she was certain to get from Ginny. As long as Ginny could help her pick out an outfit at the same time, Hermione was willing to entertain the interrogation.
It was nice to have a bit of girl time with her friend, who helped her put together a nice looking outfit from her trunk. They chatted a bit more about Adrian and Hermione had to tell Ginny that she wasn't sure if they were official just yet, or if they were still in the process of getting to know one another. But, Hermione sincerely hoped that it would grow into something more. She found that she really liked Adrian far more than she ever expected to.
Before she knew it, the time they had agreed to rolled around and Hermione had to bolt down from Gryffindor Tower to the Main Hallway where she was meeting Adrian. "You look great," she said, feeling her mouth go a bit dry when she saw him looking so dapper in a set of trousers, smart jumper and a perfectly tailored cloak.
Adrian gave her hand a squeeze. "You look stunning yourself," he said, his eyes still a bit wide when he saw how well she cleaned up. Hermione could admit that Ginny had worked some magic on her wardrobe to find something that was actually suitable for a date. Hermione was glad that he liked the way her jumper-turned-dress (thanks to some creative tailoring charms!) fit her.
They made their way together out into the cold, though the promise of warmer days lingered in the bitter night air. The end of the school year was not far off, and with it Hermione's NEWT exams, and the end of Adrian's mastery project. Hermione gingerly talked about what might happen between the two of them when they both left Hogwarts.
Adrian told her about the flat that he already had in London, and Hermione told him of her intentions to move into Grimmauld Place with Harry and Ron until she could find somewhere more suitable to live. She was relieved that he didn't seem overly bothered by the idea of her living with two men, but she supposed that he must know how important the boys were to her. If he was going to be irrationally jealous they should probably just quit while they were ahead.
"So, are you sure that you don't mind that I told my mates that we are together?" he asked, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck, obviously nervous.
"Of course I don't mind," Hermione said. "So long as they don't just seem me as some...some slag I guess."
"They would never suggest that," Adrian said, seriously (perhaps concerned about his friends' wellbeing if Hermione thought they would think of her that way). "But, they would never think that if it were my girlfriend I was with."
Although she heard what he said, his words didn't really register in her mind, because she was too distracted by a dark form on the edge of the forest when they approached the school gates. "Is that Max?" she asked, feeling a bit stunned.
"What? How can you even bring him up at a time like this?" Adrian asked, clearly irked.
"No, it is him, look!" Hermione said, before pointing at the other wizard skulking about, being incredibly suspicious. "What is he doing?"
"Hermione, please, I'm trying to ask you to be my girlfriend," he whined, though he did look at where she was pointing. "Okay, but what is he up to?" he added, his curiosity suddenly piqued.
Hermione strained her eyes, but if she looked hard enough, it looked like he was taking something out of his pocket. And then, he was putting whatever it was around his neck. And then, in the blink of an eye he was vanishing out of sight.
Gasping and grabbing Adrian by the upper arm, she turned to look at her new boyfriend. "I know how he was disappearing in the castle!" she said eagerly, before realizing that she'd never given him an answer. Pressing up onto her toes, she gave him a quick kiss. "And I'd be delighted to be your girlfriend."
Adrian returned her smile. "Well that's a relief," he said sheepishly. "I don't like competing with another wizard for your attention. But you have to tell me now - what's his secret?"
"He is using a time turner," Hermione said, with a triumphant smirk on her lips. "Trust me - I used one in third year, and I'm positive that's how he's been sneaking around."
"What?" Adrian asked, sounding shocked. "Who gave you a time turner in third year?"
"McGonagall," Hermione said, off-handedly. "But, isn't this wonderful - now we know that he really is from another time. And, I've just realized...we've been looking for him in the past, but really, he is more likely from the future. Time turners go back in time, afterall."
"I have so many more questions for you," Adrian said with a shake of his head. "But, I'm going to freeze if we stand out here much longer. Proposal to continue onto the Three Broomsticks?"
"Accepted," Hermione said eagerly, thinking that it would be nice to warm up in one of the booths by the big fireplace at the little pub. She was keen for some dinner and maybe a butterbeer, too. "I'm not letting Max distract me out of a date. He'll still be here tomorrow...I think."
The walk was not too far and, in their good company, went quickly. The new couple spent most of their time plotting how they were going to confront Max with their knowledge and how they were going to figure out what he wanted. It didn't take much convincing on Adrian's part to let him try it his way, as so far, Hermione had come up hopelessly empty handed where Max was concerned.
But once they made it to the cheerful little pub, they pushed all conversation about Max aside and endeavored to just enjoy one another's company for a change, with Adrian sharing a few silly stories about his time on the Slytherin Quidditch squad and Hermione giving him a complete explanation of her use of the time turner. She even shared details about Buckbeak's escape, though, only after swearing him to secrecy. She didn't fancy being prosecuted for something like that now, though she was sure she would have one top notch solicitor in her corner in the form of her new boyfriend.