For several seconds, Hermione just stood gaping at the distant Slytherin in front of her.
"That's just… outrageous!" she finally sputtered. "Why would you say that?"
"I call it as I see it, Granger," Theo calmly replied. "All the evidence points to the fact that you want to wear it."
"You're being absurd! You know how hard this has been!"" she hissed. "At least I thought you did," she bitterly added.
He didn't even blink. "By your own admission, he is not so bad when you're alone. I can see why now."
She shook her head. "You got it all wrong. Nothing ever happened between us." He just looked at her and she amended, "Only that one time."
"But you wanted it to," he said. "You wanted his attentions. What I cannot discern is whether you genuinely like him or whether you're mercenary and just don't realize that he doesn't have access to his family's fortune anymore and maybe never will again."
She blinked. "Malfoy is broke?"
"I guess that answers my question."
Hermione frowned, her shock and need to defend herself rapidly turning to anger and annoyance. It seemed that Theo was very quick to jump to conclusions today. She knew that he knew better than this; it was highly out of character for him to be acting this way. Why he would be making these accusations, she had no idea, though.
"Excuse me if I'm surprised by you telling me that the almighty Master Malfoy doesn't have a knut to his name," she scathingly said. "Heaven forbid that my every reaction shouldn't signal a deep desire to be humiliated by him at every turn."
For a second she thought Theo looked smug of all things. As if he'd been baiting her on purpose.
"So you're saying that you do not wish for that?" he innocently asked.
She narrowed her eyes. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Why do I get the feeling that I'm being tested?"
"Why would I test you?"
That was a very good question indeed. She shrugged. "Perhaps you want to see if it really was a fluke or if I'm harboring some hidden desire to be walked all over by Malfoy?"
"Very good," he mumbled. "Very astute. Maybe I want to see exactly that."
"I never liked him. It would never have happened under normal circumstances." She was pacing and wringing her hands again. She couldn't help it. He made her nervous. "God knows I don't want to date Malfoy for any reason," she continued, "but it happened anyway. It was this thing," – she pointed to the bracelet – "that made it happen as far as I can tell. It worked like a… an aphrodisiac or something. Neither of us knew that could happen and I'm quite sure neither of us wants it to happen again."
"I saw you," he very quietly replied. "I walked in just as he bent over you and I kept waiting for you to push him away. You didn't. Quite the opposite. I know all the circumstances, but I cannot even begin to imagine how much it should have taken for you to react like that."
Was that pain briefly showing in his eyes? Hurt? Hermione swallowed. Nott was very slow to trust people, and he had trusted both her and Malfoy. He had trusted them not to hurt him. She could only imagine what it had looked like to him, how it must have felt.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
In an instant, his features were schooled into a blank mask. "Don't apologize to me, Granger," he said. "You owe me nothing."
Hermione was so frustrated that she thought it was a wonder she wasn't pulling out her hairs. "He wouldn't have known exactly how to seduce me if he hadn't been able to feel it through the bracelet. And he wouldn't have tried anything if he hadn't been overwhelmed by my feelings as he did it. It started out pretty innocently, really. And… it's Malfoy. Why would he want to seduce a Muggleborn?"
Theo's eyes narrowed at some point during her rant, and she could almost see his mind working. "I did not know he was in a position to be overwhelmed by your feelings," he finally said. "That does change matters a little."
She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"I said 'a little', Granger. I hardly think these items have the power to make either of you do anything you do not want to. Draco might have gotten a bit carried away because of whatever he sensed in you, but everything else was willing on both of your parts. If it hadn't been, I'm sure the contract would have been broken."
Hermione shook her head. "I don't think so. He didn't mean to force me, I don't think."
"It doesn't say that he has to mean to. Next time you do something foolish like this, have a Slytherin draft your contract for you. You're too naïve when it comes to the written word."
"Does this mean you believe it's true when I say I don't want to wear the bracelet?" she ventured.
He contemplated this for a few seconds. "Maybe," he finally said.
"Are you still angry with me, then?" she softly inquired.
This time he didn't even hide his surprise. "I was not aware I had shown any anger," he carefully said.
She shot him a weary glance. "You're an expert in psychological warfare," she informed him. "You must know how effective your indifference is."
"Effective, possibly; conveying anger, I didn't think so."
"I hurt you and you shut down. It's not that difficult to figure out."
He pressed his lips slightly together. "I don't think we should be having this conversation. Why don't we go over the things for today?"
"Theo…" Hermione began.
"You kissed the person I consider my best friend," he interrupted. "It doesn't matter how you look at it; I can hardly be expected to just pretend it didn't happen."
"But isn't that exactly what you're trying to do?"
He had picked up a piece of parchment and she noticed that his hand was slightly unsteady. "This missive from McGonagall states that we shouldn't get the students' hopes up with promises of a Hogsmeade weekend, but I think we should let them know there's a possibility, just the same," he said, his voice cool and controlled, clearly dismissing her. "As it is, they are constantly asking questions and I think we should let them know just how much trouble the teaching staff is going through to try and give us this weekend. What do you think?"
Hermione sighed dejectedly. He was clearly not willing to discuss their predicament further. "Sure," she muttered. "If you say so."
Feeling unbelievably weary, Hermione finally let herself out of the office after she had helped settle a few more or less insignificant matters. She sighed. She had a feeling that she may have passed Theo's test, but he was still wary around her. She supposed it was nothing more than she deserved since she had in fact snogged his friend.
"Oh, look, there she is."
"Took her bloody ages too."
Hermione looked up, startled, to find her two best friends leaning against the opposite wall, obviously waiting for her.
They didn't look very happy.
"Hey guys," she said, looking from one to the other. "What happened?" She had a sinking sensation that she might already know. She had actually begun to hope that they would never find out.
"Why don't you tell us?" Ron asked, looking uncharacteristically stony-faced. "Seems you've been keeping secrets from us!"
"Ron!" Harry admonished. "We don't know for sure yet."
Ron leaned back against the wall in a sulk.
"You're talking about what happened after the Quidditch match, aren't you?" Hermione quietly asked.
Harry shot her an inscrutable look. "So it's true, then?"
She slowly nodded.
"He forced you?" Harry asked in a rather toneless voice.
She shook her head. "I had too much to drink and I… I-I—"
Ron quite suddenly pushed away from the wall, turned his back on the other two and walked away.
"He's hurt," Harry said in an emotionless voice. "Who wouldn't be in his position? For weeks he's believed in you, and then he learns that you've been willingly sitting on that prat's lap, even snogging him publicly, while he's been worried sick about you. And he had to find out from another Slytherin. Four days later. Why didn't you at least tell us?"
"What was I supposed to say?" Hermione quietly asked. "It was Malfoy. There was nothing I could say that wouldn't make you despise me."
"Perhaps," he conceded, "but you know what would have been better? Anything that was not finding out from a spiteful Slytherin after several days. Did you know that Ron got in a fight over it? He refused to believe the rumors. It wasn't until… until his sister told him that she knew it to be true that he began thinking there might be some truth to it."
She frowned. There was something slightly odd in the way Harry referred to Ginny as Ron's sister. She really hoped her secret hadn't come between the two of them. "And how do you feel about it?" she asked.
"Me?" Harry asked. "I'm bloody furious, if you must know. You're acting strange, keeping secrets, kissing Draco Malfoy. I don't even recognize you anymore. I understood it as far as he might be forcing you to act as you did, but this latest thing? I don't know anymore. I don't actually really care who you snog, that's your business, but you saw Ron and he's my mate too. You should get your priorities straight. Before it's too late."
Hermione swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. "I see," she whispered.
She did see. But there was little else she could do. Draco was going to do whatever Draco was going to do, no matter how much she pleaded for leniency. He didn't care if she lost her friends. He might actually be happy about it.
"It shouldn't be that complicated, Hermione."
"No…" she mumbled. "It shouldn't." She sighed. "I have to go. I'm already running late."
"You're going to see him, aren't you?"
"Nothing's changed," she said. "The deal is still the same as before. I have to go."
"Or what?"
"You know I can't say."
With that, she slowly made her way down to the dungeons.
Draco was frowning, leaning back in his chair and glaring at his door. She was sure taking her time today. She should really know better, but from what he was sensing, she probably didn't care just now.
He was confused.
She had wanted to be allowed to be with Theo, hadn't she? Theo had certainly wanted him to allow her to be with him. So why wasn't she feeling disgustingly happy? He had been waiting for that feeling, feeling sick to his stomach and unable to concentrate on his homework, as he had waited for that moment where it would be clear that Theo and Granger were now an item. But it hadn't come.
She was upset and unhappy.
It just didn't make sense.
She finally pushed his door open and shuffled inside. She looked tired. She looked as if she was just about to give up. His frown deepened.
"What happened?" he asked.
She started as if she had forgotten he would be there. He wondered where her mind had been at.
"I'm sorry," she muttered. "It was… my friends… they detained me. I can come earlier tomorrow to make up for it if you like."
He blinked, not sure what she was talking about. After a few seconds he realized that she had thought he had asked her why she was late. He probably should have, but that wasn't what was on his mind.
"Yes, yes," he said, waving a hand. "You do that. But what happened with Theo? It didn't go as I expected."
"Oh." Her face grew shuttered, but he could feel the dejection in her again. "It went very much as I expected."
"And what did you expect?"
She shrugged slightly. "That he would hate me for what happened."
He stared at her. "Theo does not hate you."
"He's angry with me and he thinks that… that…" She bit her bottom lip and he forced himself to focus on her eyes. Her bleak eyes.
He felt his stomach twist uncomfortably. "That what?" he quietly asked.
"That I meant to… to go after you," she sighed.
"WHAT?" He shot to his feet. "That's ridiculous! You didn't want that to happen anymore than I did!" Something nagged at him and he pushed it away, unwilling to identify it.
She shrugged. "I told him so. I don't think he's convinced."
"I can't believe this!" he said, running his hands through his hair and pacing. "He blamed me for it and so I tried to make it up to him by removing my restrictions and now he doesn't even want you? Doesn't he realize how—" He stopped himself by faking a cough. No, Theo would not realize how difficult it was for him to allow this. Hell, Draco didn't even understand why it was so hard.
Hermione had crossed her arms across her chest—eyes, Draco, eyes—and was now scowling at him.
"What?" he asked.
She placed her hands on her hips, anger coloring her cheeks. He decided that some point beyond her left shoulder was a good place to look when looking in her direction at all.
"I'm not some parcel for you to give to your friends to make up for your mistakes!" she growled. "Nobody asked me what I wanted!"
He frowned slightly. "I saw you with him. If you don't want him, you sure make a good pretense of it."
"Funny," she replied. "That sounds rather like what Theo said in regards to you."
He stopped pacing, his heart pounding in the queerest fashion. He chanced a glance at her. She had crossed her arms again.
"Yeah… but… he was wrong…" he muttered. Wasn't he?
"Of course he was wrong," she said, making him sigh – with relief, of course. "But so could you be!"
"I'm fairly sure I'm not," he said, swallowing. "I know how you feel about Theo rejecting you just now."
"Ok," she admitted. "I suppose you're slightly better informed. But it wasn't just the thing with Theo."
He felt tired and just wanted her to go away. Far, far away from him. "What was it then?" he sighed as he sat down again.
"My friends," she said as if he should know. He supposed she had mentioned those losers, but he'd hardly been interested.
"I thought they had decided that I was the one forcing you to do everything?"
"You are the one forcing me to do everything," she reminded him, "but they heard about… the incident… and they aren't happy."
"They didn't know?" he asked, genuinely surprised. "No wonder they're pissed off if they just found out."
She shrugged. "And so they are." She sighed and looked away.
He looked at her for a few seconds. She looked bone-weary. "Didn't you just tell them I forced you again?" he asked.
"That would be lying."
"Then lie."
The impudent witch just stuck her nose in the air. "I do not lie to my friends!" she scoffed. "And since when are you one to take the fall?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm not. But I don't care the least bit what your moronic friends think of me. It would be easier for you if you just told them I forced you."
"Since when do you care about making things easy for me?"
"Since never," he conceded. "But I'm not gaining from this, either, am I?"
She pursed her lips in thought before looking at him suspiciously. "Aren't you? I thought you would love destroying my friendships."
His lips parted slightly as he realized she was right. It was what he was supposed to want. And he hadn't even considered that.
Oh, fuck.
Uh... too tired to find a proper preview... Just going to go with an exchange I personally find funny.
"So, what did ferret-face want you to tell me?" he asked in a forced cheery voice.
"Ron!" Hermione softly admonished. "That insult got old years ago."
"Yes, well, it's the nicest one I can come up with at the moment. The rest all somehow involve his parentage or sexual orientation."
