Chapter 4.

Blah blah blah, I do this every single chapter (I nearly forgot first time, if anyone noticed) I don't own Harry Potter, which makes me sad. Couple things, thanks for the amazing reviews, and I just want to apologize for my sentence structure and grammar and the horrideous number of spelling/other mistakes, currently there is no beta reader, if anyone volunteers the job is yours provided you can wade through my mistakes…

"You can't blame me!" Cried Theo! "I was just sharing information, I'm not the one that told the whole school!"

"But why would you tell Malfoy?" Hermione said looking slightly exasperated

"Because he's obsessed with everything you do! If it's good he grudgingly praises you, if it's bad he slams into you, he won't shut up about you and it's infuriating, Zabini and I have just gotten into the habit of telling him stuff about you in exchange for cash, because he will pay us for this info, that's how obsessed he is!"

"Zabini as well? Other than obsessive this is just annoying and childish"

"We knew about you playing truth or dare, we know when you're in the library, I talk about what books/music you like, Zabini finds out about classes and social… We just like getting the payout really…"

By this time Hermione had stopped looking like he was about to kill him and just had a look of pure confusion on her face.

"So Malfoy basically has a twisted crush on me?"

"You could describe it as that." Theo smiled hopefully, he did feel bad, it wasn't that he'd meant to annoy her. Hermione slumped into one of the squashy plaid chairs. "But why?"

"I don't know."

"He pays you for information on me?"

"We just have too much money to throw around"

"So do I, but you don't see me throwing it around, I put it into an account and actually understand the worth of it all"

Theo rolled his eyes "Typical Granger"

She didn't respond, she didn't feel that she needed to. Theo felt bad, he sat down opposite her, peering at her face, until and idea struck him "We could spend my winnings together? Hogsmede tomorrow? Other than annoying Draco, I appear to have ten galleons just burning a hole in pocket. Doesn't a day of intellectual conversation and butterbeer sound good?" He smiled a little, after all he was trying to make up for being a slight ass. She looked up at him, and realized he was being serious, she sighed a little, shrugged and said "why not, we may as well spend your treacherously earned money."

Theo smiled and got up, crossing the room and after replacing the Dickens novel he quietly exited the study. Striding along the corridor to the dungeons he pondered Hermione's acceptance to his offer. She couldn't be too mad, otherwise he suspected that there would be more book shaped bruises on his back. Therefor, either she was going to get him back (he doubted this) or she genuinely wasn't bothered. Surprisingly he was looking forward to their kind of date. It wasn't really a date because he didn't have the intention of shagging her afterwards… These thoughts led him to the dungeon. Upon entering his room he discovered Draco sprawled on his bed reading his 'Quidditch through the ages".

"Get off my bed you dobbing oaf" Nott said. Draco looked up and smirked, "Oh hubby, how lovely of you to return." Nott hit Draco's leg with a quick backhand. Draco didn't respond and Theo went over and sat in the large armchair facing the bed. "Why are you even camped out in here, Malfoy?"

"Parkinson's looking for me again." Came the reply

"Hopeless."

"Quite a good shag though"

"She's okay to talk to, until she gets started on boys and then it's useless."

"We don't talk"

"Oh shut up, smart ass, I'm still pissed you ratted on me to the love of your life."

This kind of banter could continue for hours. To be honest neither of them could stand serious conversation at the moment. With impending NEWTS it just killed the buzz and suddenly the atmosphere was limp and dull and boring. Just immanent doom and gloom for the realization that their future was now, rather than later.

"Anyway, I have a date with Granger at the weekend, so trying to get her to hate me was useless."

At this Malfoy sat straight up, "You…have a date? With Granger?"

Whilst Theo was slightly embellishing the actuality of his weekend, it was too good of an opportunity to piss off Draco, after all, whilst not mad at him the bastard had still snitched on him. Malfoy slid down to the end of the bed staring at Theo.

"But this is perfect!"

Theo was vaguely surprised by this "Perfect?"

"Don't you see!" Malfoy was more excited than one thought possible of a Malfoy, "You can talk about me! Show her I'm not such an ass all the time, I mean, hypothetically you could, if someone hypothetically didn't mind her…" trailing off Draco was staring hard at Theo, waiting for his response.

"Maybe…what's in it for me?"

"Money?"

"No eejit, she knows about the money and she does not think that it's cool."

"I don't know what else to offer you…"

Theo realized that Draco had never really had to offer anything but money. It was sad that he'd never assumed that your friends might do something for free.

"Mate, I'll do it for free, it's no biggy." Malfoy looked suspicious.

"You're not going to use this as an opportunity to get with Granger?"

This made Nott laugh openly, and until his sides began to hurt. The idea of getting with Hermione was ridiculous, they spent far too much time together and if something went sour avoiding her would be impossible. Assuring Draco he would not get with Granger he ushered the boy out of his room. Closing the door Nott went to lie on the bed, damn his back hurt from where Hermione had whacked him. The pain inspired thought, and now all he seemed able to do was to think about what Draco had said. Did he want to get with Hermione? He enjoyed her company, and she wasn't half bad for a Gryffindor. That didn't mean he wanted to get with her, she was Hermione for christ's sake. It wasn't that she wasn't attractive, but he didn't see her like that, or at least he thought he didn't. What did Draco even see in her? He didn't understand and he didn't particularly want to. Didn't he? He had just kind of asked her out? Well, not really but still… Why all of this self doubt? Why was Granger making him doubt himself?! His thought began to slur and suddenly the thoughts were dreams and Nott was peacefully breathing fully clothed on top of his bed. How sweet.