A/N: Hello everyone!
So we've had a couple of questions. We wanted to point those out!
So this story is looking to be about 40 chapters. If it goes beyond that, then that's going to be AWESOME!
We know, we know! We want Draco and Hermione together too. Ugh! Like can't it happen already?!
Of course future Draco didn't think things through! ? He wanted his life back. And he can't just go killing Bellatrix, we need a story.
Anyway! We LOVE your reviews, and we are always SOOOO excited to hear from you! Let us know if you have any more questions!
"Half Blood Prince...Half Blood Pri- oh!"
Hermione turned and to her surprise, Theo was standing before her with a lackadaisical grin.
"Who is the Half Blood Prince?" he asked.
Hermione blushed, "Uh. Well. I'm not entirely sure."
Theo raised his brows, "Ask Madam Pince?"
"No..." Hermione said without looking directly into Theo's eyes.
Hermione held a book close to her, and Theo poked at her, "Well what book is this?"
She stepped back, "Its nothing." smiling slightly, her cheeks flushing.
Theo stepped forward to her, poking her, "It doesn't look like nothing Granger." he teased.
She moved the book to behind her back and he wrapped his arms around her tickling and poking trying to grab it from her, she giggled. "Stop it! Theo!"
"Shh! Pince will kick us out!" Theo whispered loudly.
"Stop tickling me then." She said breathily, between laughs.
"Oh Granger Danger!"
Hermione rolled her eyes, and pulled the book around. "Love Potions and Chocolate" Theo read out slowly, "Trying to make someone fall in love with you?" he laughed loudly.
Hermione's cheeks became scarlet, "Theodore Nott! Don't you poke fun at me!"
"I don't think you'd need to make a love potion for someone to fall in love with you, Hermione." Theo looked into Hermione's amber ones. Theo's scent began to invade her nose.
"I-I..." Before she could realize what she was doing, she leaned up and pressed her lips against his. Theo involuntarily kissed her back, but as the kiss began to deepen he pulled away. Hermione's eyes widened with fear, embarrassment, and rejection. "I'm so sorry." she said quickly.
Theo scanned over her face with surprise. "No, don't be sorry, Granger."
"I-I don't know what came over me."
"It's ok, I promise. I'm just..."
"Did I do something wrong, I'm a terrible kisser aren't I? Oh my God, I am." Hermione dropped her eyes to the ground.
Theo tucked his finger under her chin pulling her face to his view, "You're not bad at it, Granger. It's just, I'm not the one for you."
Hermione nodded reluctantly, "I'm sorry."
Theo gave his trademark smirk, "Don't be." he said again with a wink.
Hermione pushed the book back into the shelf that she found it in. "Still on for tonight? T-to study, I mean."
"Of course, the usual table."
Hermione rushed past him, and out of the library she went.
Theo licked at his lips, "Hmmph." That was interesting. Theo felt an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach, it wasn't butterflies, or bubbles. No. It was almost as if he had just kissed a sister, if he were to have one. He shuddered, and turned to see Blaise smirking arrogantly.
"Nott. Just proves our theory of your shagging."
"Shut up, Zabini. You don't know what you saw."
Theo trudged past him bumping into his shoulder and went on to the dungeons.
Draco was sitting on a transfigured bean bag in front of the fire, reading over a book. A book to which appeared to be by a muggle author.
Theo sat down beside him on the floor, "Whatcha readin' there, mate?"
Draco closed it, and ran his fingers over the cover, "Cinderella. It's a French tale of a woman who was abused by her stepmother, and she's on her way to being a princess."
Theo looked at Draco flabbergasted, "And may I ask what made you decide to read that particular book?"
Draco shrugged, "I saw it on a shelf in Baby Walburga's room, it caught my attention."
Theo nodded, "Look, mate. I've got to tell you something. And I already know you're going to be mad, and I just wa-."
"Just fucking tell me." Draco said with haste.
As Theo was about to tell him of his encounter with Hermione, Blaise Zabini let his appearance be known.
"Oh there you are. You know, I wasn't done talking to you." Blaise gestured toward Theodore, making Draco feel more annoyed with what was about to be said.
"It does prove what I saw. You're shagging Granger, and you're a blood traitor. Nothing more to it."
Draco scrunched up his face and looked over to his friend. "What do you mean?" he asked curiously.
"It means...Nott and Granger were snogging in the library, back in the restricted section." Blaise said coolly.
Draco stood from his bean chair and began walking to his dorm and Theo rose behind him to follow.
Once they made it into their dorm, Draco flicked his wand at the door and shot a locking charm and cast Silencio over the room.
"You kissed Hermione?"
Theo squinted his eyes, and curled his lips to the side, "Well, I wouldn't quite say that I kissed her."
Draco waved for him to go on.
"She was looking for a book, I was helping her, and then we began playing around, and she kissed me. It wasn't like 'heartfelt' or anything, it was just impulsive."
"Right. Because that sounds like Hermione Granger. It is so like you to place blame on her. That's not the type of girl she is, Theo. So why don't you get to the fucking truth of it."
Theo took offense to this. He, for one, didn't like to be called a liar. He had been called that all his life by his father. And for two, he didn't like being called this by his own mate, his best mate at that; his brother. The only one he truly considered family. He had never been anything but loyal to Draco.
"Woah woah, no mate, don't you dare lay this on me. You don't KNOW this Hermione Granger. You're not aware of what she is capable of. Or who she is, or what she wants. And to be quite honest, I don't think she even knows what she wants. So stop with this Draco Malfoy petty pity party, and get over yourself. I know you're confused and want to be with her. But you need to stick to the damned plan."
Draco stepped up, "Me? Me stick to the plan? How about you? You're all buddy buddy with her."
"No one told me that I needed to stay away."
"No. You're right, Theo. You're just taking full bloody advantage of the situation."
Theo scoffed, "I can't believe you think I'd betray you in such a fashion. You know what? Huh. Piss off."
Theo undid the locking charms and left Draco standing alone in despair.
Despair quickly turned into a seething, fiery anger that Draco had never felt before. He wanted to hex Theo into oblivion for betraying him and he wanted to simultaneously hunt down Granger and show her a real kiss. But he wouldn't. He refused to put her in harm's way.
Draco was terrified that each word he even uttered in her direction would somehow pull the strings of fate even tighter, pulling the two closer together along with it all.
He had lately even pondered a life where Hermione ended up with another man. It was never exactly a welcomed thought but he definitely hadn't wanted it to be Theo. Certainly life wouldn't be so cruel as to let his soulmate and best mate get together? The thought of them even sharing a kiss like he had shared with her in his memories was enough to make him shudder.
What if all this fate rubbish was just in his head? What if, when Draco had gone back in time, it changed things so much that now Hermione was destined for someone else?
"No. That just can't be. It can't." he told himself. He was far too selfish to let her go so easily. He couldn't be with her at the moment, no, but there was not a chance in the world that he would just step aside and give up the chance of their future.
Theo had stormed from their dorm to the common room. He plopped upon his favorite sofa, utterly beside himself. Draco had now officially gone completely around the bend, he knew that much. He also knew he wanted to curse Blaise Zabini to a solitary life with no one but Eloise Midgen to keep him warm at night.
If only he hadn't been sucked into this whole bloody mess. He could have kept on trudging through being paired to study with Granger. He could have kept with being just a sarcastic arse rather than throwing in all that charming cheek of his. Gods, why must he be so irresistible?
He smiled to himself despite it all before he caught what he was doing and placed his features back in check. His proper glower settled comfortably on his face again.
Through everything they had been through, everything they had seen, how was it even remotely possible that Draco could think he would put the moves on Granger? It was absolutely preposterous. He liked Hermione. Loved her, even.
As. A. Sister!
How was this not obvious?! He ground his teeth and let out a groan. He'd have to get going in order to grab dinner and make it to the library in time. Theo slowly rose from his sofa and collected his things he had abandoned earlier before briskly making for the Great Hall.
He arrived, sliding into the familiar Slytherin table in silence. He was not really hungry but he was also not one to miss a meal. He grabbed a chicken leg and took a big bite before looking across the Hall to see two eyes quickly look away from his own.
"Why didn't I sit on the other side of this bloody table?" he thought to himself.
He made a mental note to keep his eyes on his meal and sort out all of the tension right when he made it to the library.
After this uncomfortable exchange, Hermione hurriedly finished her plate and excused herself from Harry and Ron. "When in doubt, go to the library." she thought.
Theo's eyes strayed from his chicken leg just in time to see a mane of bushy hair disappearing from the Great Hall.
A few minutes later, he had eaten enough and decided it time to head toward the library before Hermione could think too much and leave.
He entered the library and gave Madam Pince the usual wink as he passed by, heading for the usual table. He had a bit of a speech to let Hermione down easy, repeating over and over in his head.
When he reached her, he was surprised. Hermione usually had books upon books and leafs of parchment scattered about by the time he joined her, but this time, she was sitting very erect in her seat, books ahead of her on the table in a tidy stack, her wringing hands perched nervously atop them. She was staring straight at him as if she had been waiting for his arrival.
"Couldn't wait to see me, eh, Granger Danger?" he managed awkwardly.
"Theo, sit. We should, erm, talk."
With a raised brow, he obliged.
"Listen, about earlier...I'm truly sorry!"
"I already said its alright, didn't I? You just couldn't resist the old Nott charm." he embellished with a wink.
"But it wasn't alright! It was...awful. I don't even know why I did it. It was like I was kissing Harry or something." she winced before looking upon him apologetically.
Her words startled him at first but he let out a sigh of relief. She could see in his eyes he had felt the same way and this relieved her too.
"I am so glad we agree on this, Granger. It's safe to say that I felt like I was slipped one of those Weasley twins' Puking Pastilles after our meeting."
Her face fell slightly before a knowing smile arose.
"Uh, I mean...not that you're disgusting or anything...just uh—"
"I know, Theo. I get it."
"Good." he paused, "So runes then?"
With a nod and a grin she began laying her books across the table.