A/N: Okay so I decided that in the Wizarding world Valentines Day didn't exist, because well… just not in this story no. haha(: And because who doesn't need something as utterly random, but as fitting as this. And I do believe the octopus/squid thing exists in the story, I just don't remember where I read it.
Feb 17 "He thought how sad it was to be an Animal who had never had a bunch of violets picked for him."
Theo stood to the side of the corridor, making sure the crowds rushing by him were following the rules. "Hey Theo." A cheery brunette appeared by his side, grinning. Brushing the black fringe out of his eyes Theo smiled down at his bookworm. "You'll never guess what I found." She smirked, her eyes glittering.
"Mione, I doubt anyone would know the things you do." He smirked, shaking his head.
"Yes well, what can you do?" She drawled, "And you, do you even notice the attention you get?" She laughed, staring at the group of girls staring at Theo.
"Yes well, what can you do?" He drawled back, making her grin.
"Why haven't you asked one of them out?" She asked. Theo shrugged.
"I don't know, been busy I guess. Why haven't you asked anyone out?" He shot back, catching the eye and glaring at a third year holding one of WWW's products. Theo smirked when the boy visibly paled and scampered from the corridor. He knew Hermione was asexual, but he also knew that that didn't mean she was against the idea of dating someone. Just the idea of locking lips.
"Merlin, your glares are as intimidating as your questions." She joked, "Anyway, are you going to come see what I discovered?" She inquired, meeting his knowing gaze to her subject change, rolling her eyes in response. She wasn't going to answer his questions, especially when his answer was vague as well.
"Hmm, is it worth my free period?" He raised an eyebrow, his eyes back on the trickle of students rushing to their classes. Hermione snorted.
"Have I ever give you reason to doubt me?"
Theo laughed from his spot, lying down on the grass, as the girl in front of him repeatedly waved her wand, sending water from the lake flying, arching, and shooting in all directions. "Of course a bookworm like you would find out how to do this." He smirked, his eyes full of mirth, earning himself a face full of water. Spluttering, and trying to wipe it off his face he opened his eyes to Hermione clutching her sides laughing.
"Not bad for a bookworm then?" Hermione snorted, putting her hands on her hips.
"For a bookworm, brilliant, for a war hero, leaves something to be expected." He shot back, and then paused, before grinning and standing up.
"Now Theo, it was just a joke." She stammered, her hands held up in the air, trying to reassure him or defend herself; he didn't care. Theo ran at her. Hermione gave a small shriek and started sprinting. Theo grinned as he caught up to her and grabbed her waist, eliciting another shriek from the Brightest Witch of their Age. "Theo no don't! My hair!" She yelled, trying to wiggle out of his grasp, only making more of the water on him rub off on her.
Hermione's hair had calmed down a lot. He vaguely remembered it being a giant bush in first year, and now it was curly, a bit fluffy, but it suited her. Guess he'd see the hair pom pom today, he thought grinning. "What's wrong Mione, scared of a little water?" He laughed, bending down and quickly wrapping an arm around her knees, picking her up bridal style.
"Theo think about this!" She tried reasoning with him, "If you do this, I WILL retaliate." She shrieked, wrapping her arms around his neck, her head and shoulders trying to get over his shoulder and onto his back.
"I don't know spider monkey, this seems completely worth it." He laughed, now at the lake's edge, trying to loosen her grip around his shoulders. Hermione let out a shout as she was promptly dropped into the lake water, spluttering she sat up, soaked, and let out a sob, her head in her hands. Theo completely froze. He had no idea she would react like this. "Hermione, Mione," He stammered reaching out a hand to help her out of the water, "I'm so sorry, please don't cry." His voice raced out as she grasped his hand. All the blood completely froze again in his body when she looked up to face him, her face completely void of tears. All Theo saw was her grin, evil, as she gave a hard yank, sending him down into the water. How it was this deep near the shore was completely beyond him.
"Not bad for a war hero either eh?" She smirked. Theo rolled his eyes, smiling, and started splashing her, the two going deeper into the lake. Theo stopped, when the smile vanished from Hermione's face, her eyes widening in fear. She was frozen. "Theo. Get out. Now." She whispered her breathing eratic. Theo looked at her, stunned at her change in demeanor, before he looked around and saw a long purple object coursing towards them. Cursing, he grabbed her arm and trudged through the water. Hermione had no troubled keeping up with him, and they almost made it to the safety of the shore too, until he felt something wrap around his leg and tug, dragging him underwater. "Theo!" He heard the shriek. He struggled and kicked but the tentacle only gripped tighter, and for a second, Theo had accepted death as he was plunged under water and was dragged deeper, the algae and the murky water passing him quickly.
Theo barely recognized the warmth around him, and the softness of the material underneath. Then the memories hit him, and Theo vaguely wondered if this was what the afterlife felt like. Theo made to turn on his side, but was stopped by a weight on his legs. Opening his eyes Theo found himself on a bed, veiled off from whatever stood around him by a curtain. The infirmary? Theo tried to sit up but was once again stopped by the slight weight resting on him. Looking down, his eyes widened at a sleeping Hermione, her cheek resting on her folded arms. She looked distraught even in her sleep, "Hermione?" He whispered, lightly grasping her arm. The brunette woke up with a start and immediately shrieked and hugged him when she escaped the haze of sleep.
"Oh Theo, I thought- I was almost too late- You were so gray- so cold! There was so much blood!" Hermione cried into his neck, each statement separated by a sob. Theo rubbed her back, and whispered words of comfort to the crying girl. "And now you're half blind." She sobbed again, and Theo immediately stiffened. He was what? Theo looked around him, viewing his surroundings; what should have been a view from his left eye was gone. She was right. The curtains sheltering the two opened, revealing a rather dismal Madam Pomfrey.
"Theodore, I see she told you." The elderly lady sighed, and gave one of the brightest boys she had ever seen a sad smile. He met her gaze with an utter sadness. It all felt wrong to him now. "Now don't you give me that look. It was only one eye. You can still see me perfectly." Her voice turned matter of factly. She turned her gaze from Theo to the girl wrapped around his torso. "Now Hermione dear," Her voice softened, coaxing the Head Girl off of her patient, "you need to go to class, you've missed one class period and I don't need anymore professors huffing that one of their best students is missing." She tried to comfort her, "You can visit him after dinner." Madam Pomfrey smiled, wiping the slightly damp hair out of the young girls face. Hermione nodded, casting one last guilty look at Theo, before disappearing from the clinic.
"So, it's permanent." Theo croaked, astounded that the crackly voice that had indeed emanated belonged to him. Madam Pomfrey gave another sad smile and nodded.
"But all your other senses are working perfectly." She reassured, her voice maintaining that it-will-all-be-all-right tone. Theo couldn't even recall what had happened to make him lose his vision. He remembered the squid's tentacle dragging him under, but afterwards it had all been a blur. He vaguely recalled several flashes of lights, and hands pulling him to shore, but he had blacked out afterwards. He'd been a fool dragging Hermione into the lake like that. He remembered the lectures Dumbledore had once given about the creature that lived in there, hell, how'd he even manage to forget? One of them could've gotten killed.
"Do I look any different?" Theo stared into the nurse's eyes, his face the complete opposite to the whirlpool inside him.
"Well yes, your left eye, its pale blue now, because of the," Madam Pomfrey stopped, frozen, as if she had said too much. Theo almost exploded, here he was, half blind, and she wasn't going to tell him why. But exploding wasn't going to work on her, and if anything, Theo still was a Slytherin.
"Yes?" He nodded reassuringly. The elderly lady took a deep breath.
"Well one of the hexes Hermione threw hit you, and I managed to fix everything except the eye." She speeded through. Theo froze up once again. The guil-
"Now you understand," She started again, interrupting Theo's thoughts, "that all she had to go by was a dark shadow in the water, and if it wasn't for her, the blasted squid would have tried to play with you. Deep in the lake. Do you understand?" She spoke sternly, her eyes narrowed. Yes she felt sorry for the boy, but she knew Hermione, had seen her and her friends enough times through out their education to know that the girl would already be feeling miserably guilty, and Merlin help her, if this boy made it worse. Theo nodded in understanding, and Madam Pomfrey walked away to check on her other patients, leaving a large bar of chocolate on the small table next to Theo's hospital bed. The blue and purple eyed boy smiled, and reached for the bar. She always left these for her patients.
"Theo?" A voice came from his left, Theo turned his head quickly, already uncomfortable with his lack of sight.
"Harry." Theo nodded, giving a small smile. Harry smiled back and reached into his pocket, pulling a few baskets out and placing them on the floor next to the bed before enlarging them.
"We saw Hermione rushing you in right after the accident, you should've seen her. I told the others, and we managed to send a few owls and get these for you." The-Boy-Who-Lived nodded at the assortment of sweets and books. Theo's eyes widened.
"Thanks." He replied, looking down at his gifts.
"So…" Harry scratched his neck. He was comfortable around Theo, yes, and they had become friends. Which is exactly why Harry was spending his free period here, but they had never been alone. "How are you feeling?" He finished, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"Surprisingly well," Theo answered, rolling his shoulders. He studied Harry, but tried his best not to make it obvious. Potter looked how he did when he was around Hermione or Ron, only a bit less comfortable. Theo could understand that. When they had hung out it had always been in groups.
"So your eye…" Harry trailed off, giving a sad smile.
"Vision's gone; Pomfrey said there was nothing she could do about it. Figure Ron's going to enjoy the advantage in Quidditch." Theo sidetracked, recalling when the group had spent a Hogsmeade weekend at the pitch, having a small scrimmage. Harry chuckled.
"And yet I'm still sure you'll find a way to beat him." He grinned, and then paused, the mirth turning into seriousness. "Theo you have to understand that Hermione never meant for your eye to happen. When I saw her levitating you down the hall, she was barely able to walk; She was crying and screaming." Harry stood up and began pacing, and Theo left him to it. In all honesty, he had already thought about it all and fast, and if there was anyone to blame, it was himself. "And you know in a way she saved your life!" Harry pointed out, face set in triumph, "I mean it was pretty stupid for you two to be in the lake anyway," Theo stopped him there. The day he let someone talk down to him was the day he, the day he grew a second head.
"I don't blame her." He spoke calmly. Harry stopped and plopped down on the chair, his legs hanging off one arm rest and his back against the other one.
"Well that's a relief." He grinned, moving his glasses back up his nose, "But you're going to have a hard time convincing her of that."
Theo slipped into Transfiguration, giving a brief nod to the professor before silently taking his seat next to a curly haired brunette. And she was sitting to the left of him. Figures. Theo turned his head slightly so he could get a view of her and the board McGonagall was writing on. "Hello there." He whispered, smirking when Hermione jumped, her eyes wide and guilty as they raked him, most likely looking for a huge hole in him she could blame herself for. He had gotten leave from Pomfrey with Harry's help, and the argument was completely worth it with his bookworm acting this way. He smiled, and was about to speak again when a voice interrupted him.
"Today we will be learning the difference between, quite simply, the z wand movement and the spiral wand movement when it comes to transforming animals. You will find that the two are highly useful for different transfigurations, and that later on can be used to help the earlier stages of becoming an animigas" The Headmaster spoke clearly, her words appearing on the black board as soon as she said them. Theo and Hermione turned their attention towards their professor, each sneaking glimpses at each other when the other wasn't looking. Theo thought he was at a complete disadvantage.
When class ended, and the other students moved into the corridors, Hermione looked at him, her eyes glistening with tears, and before she could say anything Theo shook his head to silence her. Quickly, and quietly he took a quill and waved his wand over it, transforming it into sun flower. Hermione laughed as she took it.
"Who would've thought that the first flower I'd ever get would be from someone I maimed." She chuckled self deprecatingly. Theo blinked, realizing she wasn't joking. A girl like her had really never been given a flower? He'd change that from now on. The purple and blue eyed boy rolled his eyes in response.
"Honestly Hermione," His voice was slightly mocking, but his small smile countered any malice, "you saved my life, and for some stupid reason, you think you almost ended it." He shook his head, pulling her into a hug. Hermione snuggled into him, her head once again buried in his shoulder.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered. And Theo hugged her tighter, allowing himself only one tear to fall for his lost eye sight. It wouldn't do for her to see him upset about it. "And if you're upset," she continued, causing him to worry that somehow she knew he cried, "don't you ever hide it from me." She finished, stepping back to look at him, eyes big. A cough interrupted their exchange, and they both blushed when they saw McGonagall at her desk, an eyebrow raised at them. The duo gave an embarrassed smile before apologizing and quickly exiting the classroom. Once outside Theo started laughing, leaving Hermione stunned. "Laughing? Are you insane? That was completely embarrassing!" She squealed, her hands waving in the air trying to find the sense Theo seemed to have lost.
"It just amazes me, that's all." He grinned at her confused face. "I've never once had any of this excitement happen to me. And it's all because you and the remainder of the Golden Trio," He smiled, using the title the group would poke fun at, "are absolute magnets when it comes to trouble." Hermione snorted and started walking down the corridor.
"You coming?" She grinned over her shoulder, her hazel eyes sparkling.