A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! Hermione and Rodolphus are definitely going through a tumultuous time and Hermione I think is quickly realizing that she doesn't know everything, and she doesn't know what the right choice is all the time, either. You can follow me 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!
May 1968
Any of the lingering tension between Hermione and Rodolphus was essentially ignored the next time that they met one another. It was abundantly clear that their weeks together at Hogwarts were coming to an end, and neither one of them had time for the petty back and forth when the days were dwindling. And although Hermione knew that the issues between them - namely Rodolphus's family and her time traveling - were not going away anytime soon, there was no need to linger on them when nothing was going to get solved now.
The Quidditch season was mercifully over, with Slytherin winning the Cup after a surprise upset over Ravenclaw, snatching the snitch and victory right out from under the noses of the Eagles. Rodolphus had invited Hermione to the celebration back at the Slytherin Common Room, but Hermione declined, thinking that it would practically be suicide to walk into the party being that she was a muggleborn and a Gryffindor. Plus, she still didn't want her business advertised to all the rest of the Slytherins. Lucius Malfoy was an annoying little shite who would absolutely tattle on Rodolphus first chance he got, and after the frosty reception that she'd gotten from Andromeda, Hermione didn't want to do anything to jeopardize Narcissa's future marriage to the Malfoy heir, no matter how detestable she found them.
Rodolphus teased her for losing all her Gryffindor courage in the face of a few snakes, but she'd just laughed it off. Pressing a lingering kiss to his lips, she instructed him to enjoy himself on his own with his teammates. Hermione promised that they could celebrate on their own some other time and begged off in favor of spending a night with Fawn and Elna. Lottie, of course, had to go and console her Ravenclaw beau who was utterly heartbroken at having lost his last match of his Hogwarts career.
The other girls in her year were excitedly sharing plans of what they were being to do that summer, sharing a packet of pepper imps between them when Hermione returned to their room. Grabbing her pillow from her bed, Hermione joined the pair of them on the floor excited to talk about something that wasn't studying for a change.
Fawn was traveling to Switzerland with her aunt for a portion of the summer, and promised to bring them both back some chocolate.
"You'll have to sample some of the local wizards, too," Elna teased, before flopping onto her back. "I bet the Swiss are so handsome and they can speak to you in all sorts of languages. Which is more attractive - French or Italian?"
"I think that both can be pretty sexy," Hermione said with a mischievous grin. "They could be reciting a recipe for a Sunday roast, but if you don't understand a lick of it, it all just sounds wonderful when it's whispered in your ear."
"Hermione! You naughty witch!" Elna said with a gasp and a giggle, giving Hermione a playful shove on her shoulder. "And just how many boys have you had whispering in your ear?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with delight at the intrigue Hermione had planted.
She flushed, thinking of the times just a summer ago - or was it two now? - that Viktor had lapsed into his raspy Bulgarian and the way that it had made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck, but in the most delicious way. Bulgarian was generally not the nicest sounding language, but that afternoon, tucked away inside to avoid the rain, Hermione could have listened to him talk forever. It seemed so far away now, but still remained a treasured memory. "Not as many as you are imagining, surely," she said with a secret smile lingering on her lips.
"Well, I don't think there will be any time for that sort of thing this summer," Fawn said, a flaming blush of her own on her cheeks. "I'll be helping my aunt and she isn't going to want me wandering around town, looking for a boy to snog."
"Oh live a little," Elna said, rolling her eyes at what she must have thought was prudish behavior. It was no secret that Fawn did not have the same number of boyfriends that Elna and Lottie had, and in an odd way, it reminded Hermione a bit of her time with Lavender and Parvati. She hoped that Fawn wasn't too self-conscious about it. "Hermione, does Rodolphus speak French? I understand that his family have an estate in France, still."
Hermione didn't try to hide the smile that grew on her face when she thought of Rodolphus. There was no chance that she would have been able to keep the relationship secret from the ever perceptive girls that she ate every meal with, but she was glad that they did not seem to gossip about it, recognizing her desire to keep things on the down low. "I don't know," she answered honestly, not having any knowledge about the French estate either. "I will have to ask him next time I see him."
"I bet he does," Elna said with a dreamy sigh. "He looks like the kind of person who would learn, just because he knows that it makes witches swoon. Oh, I swear, Hermione you have the best luck of anyone I know, snatching him up."
"Oh, leave our Hermione alone," Fawn scolded. "You know that she did her absolute best to keep her distance from him, but once he had his sights set on her he couldn't let her go."
"Still, the bravery of her," Elna said, flopping back amongst her pile of pillows with a loft sigh. "I can't imagine being with him, knowing that Bellatrix was just lurking around the corner at every turn. Though, I bet you could take her, Hermione."
Hermione was oddly proud of Elna's positivity that she best Bellatrix in a fight. She wasn't entirely sure if she believed that herself, and if she was honest, Bellatrix scared her. She seemed to want what she wanted and she also seemed willing to do whatever it took to get what she wanted, no matter the price. It was definitely a dangerous combination to be dealing with.
"Why should Hermione have to fight Bellatrix? It seems clear to me that all three of them at happier with the way things are now. It's not as if Bellatrix is heartbroken over Rodolphus," Fawn said smartly. "Don't let her worry you, Hermione. I fully support your relationship."
"Thank you, Fawn," Hermione said, feeling genuinely touched, even if Fawn had said as much previously. It was nice to have at least one person rooting for her.
"Of course they all seem happier now, but Bellatrix's father is involved, and you know that he isn't going to stand for a situation where his daughter looks like the slighted party," Elna answered matter-of-factly. "I'm just saying, Hermione, that you should enjoy Rodolphus now, while you can."
Hermione did not enjoy the way that the conversation was going, especially because she knew it was just reminding her of the inevitable - that she and Rodolphus could not possibly last. "Can't we talk about something else?" she nearly begged, looking to Fawn for support. "Like the Squib Rebellion, maybe?"
"The Squib Reb-" Elna groaned before being cut off by Fawn.
"I agree, something else to talk about would be refreshing. The Squib Rebellion is incredibly important right now," she said diplomatically. "It's such an unfortunate turn of events, but I am afraid that there isn't a happy ending for anyone right now, especially considering the Squibs being forced to resort to muggle means to cause mayhem. They aren't making themselves seem any more ready for societal integration by doing that."
Hermione was a bit shocked to hear that Fawn held that kind of a belief. "What other choice do they have?" she asked back, knowing that the Squibs were working with what little they could. "They have no magic."
"Don't get me wrong, I think it's horrible the way that they are treated, but the fact that they have no magic makes them incompatible to our society. Pretending like everything is okay isn't going to make them suddenly gain the ability to cast a spell," Fawn argued, getting a bit heated with her argument, catching Hermione a bite off-guard. "And the Ministry is handling the whole situation utterly poorly."
The time traveler had not expected this kind of reaction from a Gryffindor, but Fawn was still a pureblood, so she could see that her family might have these kind of thoughts, seeing squibs or really anyone who wasn't a pureblood as an outsider. It gave her pause that maybe her steadfastness was misplaced.
Before the discussion could get out of hand, Lottie was breezing back in the room, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Hate to break up what I am sure was an illuminating discussion," she said, unable to hide the grin from her face. "But Hermione has a very eager, very Slytherin visitor waiting outside of the portrait, who refuses to leave until he can speak to her."
Somewhere between embarrassed and pleased, Hermione couldn't believe that Rodolphus would come camp out in front of her dorm, demanding to see her. "Did anyone else see him?" she asked, standing and smoothing her hair. "I hope he isn't making a bit scene," she said, worrying her bottom lip.
Lottie rolled her eyes at Hermione, smirking. "Oh, stop worrying so much about appearances Granger, and go and snog your beau. It's almost the end of the year," she encouraged, pushing Hermione towards the door.
Hermione made the way down to the Common Room in record time, and quickly made her way past the portrait, glad to see that it was late enough that no one was lingering around. Rodolphus was leaning against the wall opposite the entrance to Gryffindor, his eyes lighting up when he saw that it was her walking through the portrait.
Rodolphus made quick work of the space between them, grabbing her arm and pulling her a bit further down the hallway where things were more secluded. Pressing her against the stone of the corridor, he dipped his head and pressed kisses up the side of her neck.
"Rodolphus," she giggled, enjoying the way that he made her feel, her fingers combing through his soft hair. "What are you doing here?" she asked, needing to know if there was a greater purpose to his visit. A spicy smell clung to the fabric of his shirt, indicative of the firewhiskey he must have been consuming at the celebration.
"Couldn't go to sleep without giving you a kiss goodnight," he whispered, pressing his forehead against hers to stare deep into her eyes, giving her a sappy grin. He was almost certainly a bit tipsy from the alcohol. His fingers slid under the hem of her shirt, splaying against the hot skin of her stomach, itching to creep higher. Dipping down, he captured her lips in a passionate kiss, immediately deepening it, his tongue slipping against her, making Hermione clench her legs together for want of more.
Knowing that things were liable to get out of hand quickly, Hermione reluctantly broke the kiss after a few beats. "I'm glad you got to say goodnight in person then," she answered, unwilling to let go of him so soon. "I will certainly be able to sleep better for it."
His fingers reached up to play with a single curl of hair, seemingly enthralled by the feel of it. "I don't know how I ended up liking you so much," he said in a brief moment of candor. "At first you were just an intriguing challenge, a stranger appearing out of nowhere intent on keeping me as far away as possible, but now...now I don't know what I'll do without seeing you every day. Hermione," he whispered reverently, before pressing one final lingering kiss to her lips.
She felt her heart beating wildly out of control, completely unprepared for his confession. It seemed that there was much more to Rodolphus Lestrange than she ever could have imagined.