A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this chapter in particular. I really hope that you enjoy it. 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 fourteen and be on the lookout for chapter fifteen soon!
After her odd interaction with Theo out on the school grounds, Hermione wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the holiday break feeling rather sorry about herself in her room. She'd replayed the conversation over and over again in her head, wondering just where it had gone wrong. One minute he was opening up to her, and the next, he was giving her the cold shoulder. It was the same way that he'd behaved all year.
The more that she thought about it, though, the more that she came to realize he was trying to push her away. He hadn't said that he didn't want to be friends with her, but rather that he would be trouble for her. And, he'd only said it once they began talking about the Ministry.
It didn't take her long, then, to connect the dots and realize that he was just concerned about him being a werewolf. Was he afraid that she would reject him? Be repulsed by him? She supposed that he would have no idea about her relationship with Remus Lupin, that she thought he was a dear friend, and that she knew much more about lycanthropy than the average witch. He would have no idea that she wasn't...prejudiced against werewolves. Knowing that he must be ashamed of his being a werewolf and that she would turn him away if she knew began to gnaw at her the longer she thought about it.
She needed to talk to him, and fortunately, she knew the perfect time to do it. A quick glance at her calendar confirmed to her that the next full moon fell on Christmas Eve. Hermione already knew the room that he was being held in, but she also figured that he would be taking wolfsbane if the school had allowed him to stay there. He had been in the room long before moonrise, trapped inside by warding. It was a risky plan, but she just needed to get inside the room before he got there, and then he would be a captive audience. She could explain everything and then he would have to see that they could remain friends. She wasn't afraid of him.
Lugging a copy of Hogwarts, A History with her, she left for the room he'd be put in after lunch, ready to settle in for a few hours of waiting. She hadn't known what to expect, but it was actually quite homey, albeit cramped. The room was dominated by a small bed pressed against one wall next to the only window. There was a desk and a small bookshelf with a few titles. She let her fingers trail along the spines of the books, but found most of them terribly dusty - they'd probably been left behind by the room's previous occupant. There was no evidence of the Slytherin who was the room's only resident now.
While Hermione knew that it was probably never nice for Theo to be trapped in this room, he would at least be able to get a little homework or reading done before the pull of the full moon transformed him every month. She wondered if he passed the moon curled up on the bed or perhaps in front of the fireplace, staring up at the moon's silvery light. Or, did he pace the room like the caged animal he was?
A wave of her wand had a cheery little fire crackling away in the hearth, chasing away some of the chill that seemed to creep in. Knowing that she had a lot of time before Theo would get there, Hermione settled onto the bed, her book balanced on her lap. Staring out the window, she watched as a heavy snow fell on the other side of the glass. Sighing, she opened the book reading over the familiar words that she must have nearly memorized by now.
Hermione must have fallen asleep because the sun had already slipped over the edge of the horizon when she was startled by voices just outside of the room. "Alright, Mister Nott, in you go," Professor Slughorn's normally jovial voice commanded, opening the door and pressing Theo inside.
Hermione watched his back, holding her breath to escape notice, but she knew that Theo was aware of her presence even before he came into the room. His back was ramrod straight, and she could tell how frantic he was.
"But Professor, wait-" Theo was saying frantically, trying to get the Professor's attention.
"Don't worry, Mister Nott," Slughorn said patronizingly, not even bothering to figure out what Theo's fears were in his hurry to get out of the situation as quickly as possible. "The wards will drop in the morning as usual," Slughorn reminded his student, before shutting the door in his face, not caring what would go in the room once he left.
Theo began pounding on the door with his fists, unwilling to give up so easily. "But Professor, there is someone else in here," he called frantically. However, Professor Slughorn was unable to hear and the silencing wards were placed, to keep any howling trapped within the room.
His shoulders dropped when he realized that the action was futile. Then, he spun around on his heel, his face looking thunderous and irate when he faced her. "What are you fucking doing here, Granger?" he demanded.
"It's okay, Theo," Hermione said, standing up from her little nest. She was sure that he would see that he was overreacting if she could just get a handle on the conversation. She had never been so confident in her own convictions.
"No, it's not okay," he shouted at her. "You need to leave, right now, Granger." It looked as if he had a tenuous grasp on his anger, his fists opening and closing at his sides. He was every bit the caged animal that was inside of him. "Salazar, Granger, how is it possible that you could be so stupid?"
"I am not stupid," Hermione said, feeling rather indigent about the whole situation. She knew it must have come as a shock to him that she was there, but if he just calmed down for a minute he would be able to see that they could just talk it out.
"Yes, you are," he argued back, turning away from her, as if he couldn't lay eyes on her for a single moment longer. Then, a look of pure determination came over his face. He raised his wand and began casting spells on the wooden door.
"What are you doing?" Hermione questioned, sounding worried over the ferocity he was using to attack the only thing that was keeping them in. She pressed a hand to his shoulder, hoping to calm him down. "Theo, just stop for a minute."
"What am I doing?" he sneered at her. "I am trying to get you out. You need to leave. You can't be here." He was unshaken by her pleas.
Hermione could feel her heart thudding away in her chest. "It won't work," Hermione said, feeling resigned. "Even if the both of us wanted to work together, we wouldn't be able to dismantle all of the wards. They are layered into the school's walls," she explained. "I know...I checked them last month."
He spun around, taking a step towards her, nostrils flared and his jaw tense. "Why the hell would you try to take them down, last month?" he questioned her sharply, perhaps still not putting two and two together about her knowing about his lycanthropy. "You have no idea what you've done, Granger. You need to get out now."
"I don't need to get out," she answered, jutting her jaw up into the air. "If you would just calm down and speak to me for a few minutes, you would see that nothing is wrong."
"Calm do-calm down? How can I calm down when you don't even realize the situation you've gotten yourself into? This isn't something that you can smart yourself out of. This isn't some little adventure with Potter and Weasley," he said, his deep blue eyes never leaving her face, his pupils dilated. Even though the moonrise had not yet begun, she could already see hints of the predator that bubbled under the surface.
Hermione knew that he still wasn't listening to her. Pressing her hands against his chest, she tried to gather his focus. "Because I know," she hissed, defiantly. "I know that...I know that, you are a werewolf."
A beat of silence passed between the two of them, and she was positive with his sensitive hearing he'd be able to hear her heart fluttering away, her pulse racing.
"You think you just have everything figured out, don't you?" he accused, his voice dropping an octave. The sound of it sent a thrill racing up and down her spine.
"I also know that you've been trying to push me away," she continued with her tirade, unwilling to stop now, not when she had his undivided attention. "I can't begin to imagine...how hard it is to live with lycanthropy, but I don't think that means that I can't be your friend. It's...it's nothing to be ashamed of, and I won't treat you any different just because you are a werewolf," she told him earnestly, willing him to believe the truth in her words.
"You have no idea the kind of danger that you've just walked into," he growled, still not letting go of any of his...concern. Hermione was dismayed to learn that he still thought he was dangerous to her.
I also know that there is no way that Dumbledore would let you come back into the school if you weren't taking the wolfsbane potion. The wolfsbane potion means you will keep your mind during the transformation," Hermione said slowly, carefully. Holding eye contact with him, she wouldn't back down, knowing that this was just another tactic to keep her at arm's length."I'm not afraid. You won't hurt me."
A sardonic smile came over his face. Theo shook his head back and forth. "You are...so frustrating, Hermione," he groaned, before rounding back on her. He took another step forward, a new sort of hunger reflected in his eyes. "I knew that you'd probably figure out about my lycanthropy as soon as we were partnered together. You are just...so observant, and it was only a matter of time before you matched the pattern of my absences to the phases of the moon," he explained, quickly closing the gap between the two of them. "You are incapable of keeping your nose out of other people's business."
When there was no room left between them, Hermione took another step back, needing to put some distance between them so that she could understand his words."But if you knew that I knew about your lycanthropy...why were you so concerned about keeping me away?" she asked, feeling utterly confused.
"It isn't dangerous for you to be here because I'm a werewolf," he said, advancing on her once again, until her back was pressed against the stone wall. When there was no space left between them, she could see nothing but the heat in his eyes. "It's because you are my mate," he growled out.
The words, spoken so possessively, sparked something dangerous inside Hermione. She was barely able to gasp, barely able to comprehend what Theo meant, before he was swallowing the noise up with his lips, capturing her mouth in an intense kiss. There was no escaping him, but Hermione never even thought of getting free.