Again, I will have to apologize for being late. :( Pregnancy has made me feel not so well lately and the stress didn't help and that's all I have to say for myself. Generally, if you wonder about what is going on with me/ficcing, I have a propensity to rant about that in my livejournal and not friend-lock the posts, so you don't have to have an account to check it. You'll be able to find it by clicking "homepage" in my profile.


So, this was how it was now: Theo was back to being distant and untouchable and Draco was back to being an absolute prat. Great. And here Hermione had thought getting the bracelet off would be a good thing!

Distance or no distance, she still wanted to talk to Theo, though. To know. All of this avoiding the subject—assuming that Nott even thought there was a subject to avoid—and just politely coexisting was driving Hermione absolutely bonkers. If that was the way it had to be for the rest of the year then fine, but if not… they were just wasting time.

She decided to get him alone after lunch Saturday, two weeks after the end of the bet, and followed him out after the meal. Someone was quicker than her, though. Padma Patil had managed to catch up to him just at the bottom of the stairs to the first floor and was now animatedly talking to him about something.

Hermione stopped, confused. Theo didn't generally seem to talk to a lot of people for all of his knowing everything, but she supposed that he'd been working quite closely with Padma for the past month or so. Still, she didn't know if she should interrupt, so she hung back a little, waiting for their conversation to end.

As she watched, Theo bestowed one of his rare genuine smiles on Padma, and even though she knew it meant absolutely nothing, it completely removed Hermione's desire to talk to him just now. Instead she turned back to go sit down with her friends for another few minutes.

Behind her she found Malfoy, grimly looking at her and the couple in front of her, probably reaching his own conclusions, and seemingly not liking them at all. She didn't quite understand that. If there were actually something going on, he would get his wish and she wouldn't be around any Slytherin anymore, and if there weren't… well, then nothing had changed and there still was no reason to look like he wanted to murder Theo.

As she walked past him, he surprised her by speaking.

"They're just talking."

"I know," she replied, barely looking at him, not stopping in her path to the Great Hall.


Draco didn't believe he had ever been so angry with anyone before in his entire life. What the hell was Theo doing? He shouldn't be ignoring Granger and instead talking more to whichever Patil than he ever seemed to talk to anyone else.

The startled look on Granger's face followed by confusion and insecurity had made Draco want to do some serious damage to his earlier friend. He wasn't supposed to hurt her. Draco thought he'd made it clear that he wanted for Theo to pursue Hermione, to be with her the way they would if it hadn't been for Draco in the first place. He couldn't just throw that away. Not if he wanted to live, in any case.

So Theo wasn't actually doing anything but talking, which was also what Draco had tried to tell Granger as she turned back, but if Theo hadn't rejected her so much lately—oh, yes, Draco noticed that, he was powerless to ignore anything going on between those two—she wouldn't have doubted him now. And she did doubt, Draco could tell that she did. He imagined that she might even be more hurt than she let on. The influence from the bracelet was still strong enough that the mere suspicion of hurt made him want to rip off Theo's arms and beat him to death with them.

"Theo," he growled, having somehow moved close enough to talk to him.

Theo looked up in quickly covered surprise. "I'll talk to you later, Padma," he said.

Padma. So that was the one. Draco glared at her as she smiled one last time at Theo and then scurried off.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

Theo raised an eyebrow. "I suppose I was talking to the Deputy Head Girl?"

"And what about the real Head Girl?"

"What about her?" Theo asked, calmly as ever, but Draco thought he could sense an edge of confusion and perhaps wariness.

"You're hurting her," Draco bluntly stated. "Keep it up and they'll never find your corpse."

Theo's eyes chilled. "You cannot dictate our relationship, Draco."

"You told me you weren't going forward because of me, correct? If you ever cared the least bit for her or cared what I thought, you will do something."

"You're putting me in an impossible position."

"No, I'm not." He steeled himself and told Theo what he never wanted him to know. Someone had to stop him from acting like an indecisive git… too bad it was at the expense of Draco's last pride. "Yes, I've kissed her," he forced out. "On three separate occasions. Once she was drunk and beside herself, once she slapped me, and once…" He swallowed, this was the hard bit. "Once I had the bracelet affect her and she thought I tried to rape her. She will never forgive me that. I understand that she doesn't want me, and I understand that it was just the bracelet working its magic when it-it seemed that she might, same as it's the bracelet's magic that's been affecting me. I understand everything you wanted to make me understand." He was beginning to stammer. It was just so bloody hard to be this honest. "Just stop confusing her already. I know you fancy each other so just… do it already, all right?"

Theo now looked openly surprised and concerned. "She thinks you would rape her?"

"It's not important, Theo!" Draco was feeling exasperated at Theo's apparent lack of focus. "Are you even listening at all?"

"I'm listening," Theo murmured in a voice that made Draco think he heard much more than what was being said. Well, let him hear Draco's feelings. It didn't matter, all that mattered was… Gah, he was turning into such a ponce.

"So, you'll do it then?"

"Let me see if I understand this correctly… You want me to date the girl that you want yourself to make her feel better, which in turn makes you feel better?"

"You make it sound like you don't want to," Draco muttered, ignoring the part about wanting.

"I do want to," Theo assured him, "but I also want us to be friends. You haven't been friendly lately and I can only guess why."

This bit was even harder, Draco was surprised to find. "I can't," he admitted. "You can have her and live happily ever after, but I can't be around to experience it first-hand, I just can't. Maybe once the effects wear off, but not now."

"And what if they never wear off?" Theo asked. "What then?"

Draco's throat worked as he wanted to swallow, but his dry mouth left him nothing to work with. "It has to wear off," he mumbled more to himself than Theo.

"So, essentially, I have to choose between a girl and a friend," Theo surmised.

Draco looked up in confusion. Choose? What was he talking about? There was no choice, there was no real competition! Why wouldn't he just take what was his? "I already made the choice for you," he said as calmly as he could, before he left Theo to process that.


This day was one of the better ones Hermione had had in a while. There was a riot among the prefects. Not that the prefects not getting along was a good thing—obviously—but they had come to her to help sort it out. In fact, it had been a Slytherin girl from fifth year who had approached her. It would seem that strangely, while Hermione's too frequent visits to the dungeons had riled a few people, others had simply gotten used to her. And since nobody ever got used to Theo and he could seem intimidating to some of the younger students, Hermione had been chosen.

And she thought she might even have fixed it!

It had all been due to some perceived preferential treatment. A couple of Ravenclaw prefects had managed to get around being scheduled for rounds quite a bit and they had been so clever about it that Padma hadn't noticed. At least Hermione hoped her chosen Deputy hadn't noticed. However, the ones caught begging off would now be doing rounds until they had caught up on their quota and then some, and she would be doing her own among them. After all, she had also been a layabout for far too long. As had Malfoy. With grim satisfaction, she planned to schedule him often, preferably at his worst nights, the ones after Quidditch practices and with the subjects he found most dull the next morning—partnered with anyone but herself, of course.

Hey, what was life without just a little bit pettiness? She refused to feel bad about this, seeing as he had really been shirking his responsibilities lately.

So, it was with her head full of plans she entered the office late that night, not even noticing that Theo was already there before she was halfway across the room.

Of course, it could be due to the fact that he wasn't at his desk as usual, but rather sitting in the couch, looking thoughtful, even for him.

"I've been talking to Draco," he said without greeting as soon as she noticed him. "You don't honestly think he'd rape you, do you?" He sounded concerned about the answer.

Hermione felt herself blush a deep crimson. So much for telling him about that incident at the right moment. Looking down but feeling his eyes on her, she shrugged. "S'pose not," she muttered.

"I didn't think so," he said, his voice gaining a hard edge. "It wouldn't fit with your actions lately. Yet, you're cruel enough to let him think you think so. Why? I know he's… done things to you while you wore the bracelet that you might want to punish him for… but rape? I don't think he deserves that."

Hermione felt herself becoming angry and defensive at the sudden attack. "I didn't know he was even listening to me when I said that, all right?" she countered. "He's said nothing to me about it and I don't appreciate being… cornered like this! I haven't even told anyone about it, so, as far as I'm concerned, him thinking for a while that I think he did it on purpose does seem a fitting punishment if he should care whatever the hell I think. I'm sorry if I'm not as perfect and forgiving as all you Slytherins seem to be. Or maybe you're all just really big bigots!"

She turned on her heel, ready to storm off, but was stopped by Theo's suddenly quiet voice. "I'm sorry," he said with a low sigh. "Of course you didn't spread tales or anything, I know that. But he does care what others think and I worry that one of these days he's going to decide that since everyone thinks he's a horrible person anyway, he might as well do something stupid. The path to becoming one of them is so much easier than the alternative, trust me. I don't want that for him."

Hermione allowed for that. "Still…" she muttered, feeling very bruised.

He'd risen and was very slowly coming towards her. "He cares more about everything than you think. He just tries not to show it too much. Please don't be too hard on him when you can help it… for me, if you cannot do it for him."

"Why would I do it for either of you?" she asked, still feeling hurt and ready to lash out. In the back of her mind she felt a bit unreasonable, but she was just so tired of this whole thing with Theo. First he kissed her, then he ignored her, and now he was asking these kinds of favors of her. What was all of this?

"Oh," he said, stopping his approach a few feet away from her. He was frowning, looking strangely confused. "I thought you might… not mind. Is it that difficult to do, then?"

She stared at him. She didn't know what to make of his expression and decided to just give up. All fight left her and she went over and plonked herself down into her chair. "I'll play nice," she said with a weary sigh. "Won't bother him for the rest of the year if I can help it. Promise." She turned her back on him to begin doing her work, but after she hadn't heard any sounds for a few minutes, she turned back to see him standing in the same spot, now frowning at the poor unsuspecting floor.

Very peculiar indeed.

"What's wrong?" she asked, feeling a bit concerned. "I am going to play nice. I'm sorry I let my temper get the better of me."

He looked up, still frowning. "Was it wrong of me to assume that you… might still like me?"

Hermione felt the need to blink. The concept of Theo being wrong, or even him thinking that he was, was somewhat foreign to her. Still, after this conversation, she hesitated. "I told you, it was just my temper."

"That's not what I asked, Hermione," he quietly said. "I know I'm putting you on the spot and I'm sorry about that, but your answer makes a great difference."

"So you'll know whether to ignore me some more?" she asked, cursing her voice for the trace of bitterness in it.

He looked both relieved and distressed. "I guess that answers it, then." Now he was the one to hesitate. "It's not easy for me, you know. I had to… wait… but it turns out it doesn't really make a difference and it just made you both mad at me, so…" Theo's voice trailed off, sounding uncommonly weary.

"So…?" Hermione asked, not sure she knew what he was talking about, but having an idea that the problem was, as usual, Malfoy.

He shrugged and looked away. "I'll have to accept his choice, won't I?"

She instantly knew she had been right. "And what is his choice?"

"To break off our friendship with a blessing for me to be with you."

Hermione's lip drew back in what came near to a snarl. "Some kind of blessing."

"It's the best that he can do and more than could be expected under the circumstances."

"Circumstances?" Hermione asked, not wanting to know, really.

He sighed, looking rather defeated. "I don't have a lot of friends. Not any, really. Creepy and omniscient you once called me, yes? Well, just about everyone else thinks the same. And I'm not really that outgoing. Draco was… different. He always seemed to accept me on my own terms. Nobody else ever really did. I wanted to keep that friendship as well as… well… gain you, but it's impossible."

"Then keep your friendship," she softly replied, feeling quite sick at the turn of this conversation. Of course Draco would get in the way. "I understand. Friends are the most important thing."

At this, Theo looked extremely frustrated. "I don't know what I would have done. But as I said, he didn't give me a choice. He told me he couldn't be my friend anymore and expressed hopes that you and I would…" He shook his head. "More than I would have expected, though," he mumbled to himself.

Hermione shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "If we just… don't, then he'll probably realize that you can still be friends since there's no Mudblood between you." She couldn't help twisting the word Mudblood a bit.

He quickly glanced at her. "First off, he wouldn't accept that. Draco is… very stubborn. He might just get angry that I let you go, worsening the whole thing. Second, it's not about blood, Hermione. He… Wearing the ring… It changed how he saw you. You have to have noticed."

Nope, she hadn't noticed at all. Or, rather, she tried not to. It was kind of hard to ignore, but she valiantly did her best. Soon it would change back and they'd all be better off for it. "It'll wear off," she honestly replied. "I think the way it works is that the one wearing the ring will begin feeling naturally protective since he has such complete control over the one wearing the bracelet. It's sort of an insurance system to benefit the, um, the wives, I guess."

"That's a bit like his theory." Theo paused and then rushed on. "But he's more than protective, and you know it as well as he does and better than I do. He's possessive. He tries to control it, but that's why he has difficulties being around you and allowing you to be with anyone else. He's jealous. You must have seen it. He isn't used to the emotion and has difficulties hiding it."

Hermione gaped. That was a bit too much insight for her liking. And it was really uncomfortable to think about. "It'll pass," she murmured.

Theo nodded. "It's probable. But it's why this is a big gesture from him. He's feeling these things, but he's choosing to remove himself completely from the equation so as to not cause any problems."

Gah. When he put it like that, Hermione began to feel bad for some of her earlier petty thoughts.

"Still, it's temporary," she argued. "In a few weeks, he'll have forgotten all about it."

Theo sighed again, just sounding sad about the whole thing. "Who knows? I haven't been able to find more information about this bracelet and ring. For all I know, the magic might have been made to last forever. What if he doesn't recover completely?"

Hermione stared at him in horror. That was something she would prefer never to contemplate.


Want to play a round of guess who? Nah, it's almost too easy...

"Oh, splendid! I get the one that looks murderous!" the girl complained.

At this Blaise's snigger turned into a cough as he choked on his spirits.

Draco wasn't aware he'd been scowling, but now his scowl deepened. "Do I know you?" he coldly asked.

The girl shrugged. "No, but my sister is in your year, I believe."