Chapter 8

Friday Morning

Hermione woke up on the floor of her room, the bottle of whiskey tipped over next to her. The dark patch around it indicated that quite a bit had spilled out and considering how ill Hermione felt that was likely for the best. She stood up shakily making her way to her bathroom where she vomited into the toilet. She moaned in discomfort and started to cry as she wished there was someone, anyone there to take care of her.

...

Theo felt like something was wrong with Hermione, so he stood outside her room waiting for the door to open.

"Theo," Draco called, "We're going to be late for breakfast and then we have Alchemy this morning."

Theo frowned. "Something's wrong."

"She's probably just sleeping."

"Have you ever known Granger to oversleep?"

Draco shook his head. "Maybe she drank last night?"

"Alone?" Theo didn't like the thought of that at all. He stared at the food he'd left sitting there last night. "She's not eating."

"She's not." Draco agreed. "We could leave her some hangover and pepper-up potions? I have some in the trunk."

"I think that's a good idea, Dragon." Theo nodded in encouragement. His mate hurried to grab the vials, pleased to have made Theo happy.

...

"Alchemy is an advanced exploration that will require you to call upon a multitude of different skills. Alchemy is a branch of magic and an ancient science concerned with the study of the composition, structure and magical properties of the four basic elements, as well as the transmutation of substances; it is thus intimately connected with Potion-making, chemistry, and transformation magic." The Alchemy professor, Professor Almour, was smiling widely. The French professor had come from Beauxbatons for the school year just to teach this course rather than the transfiguration course that he taught there. He was enthusiastic and young and Theo hated him.

He hated the way the Frenchman looked at Hermione, the way he said her name, the way his eye lingered on her. Theo considered whether he could murder the man and make it look like an accident.

Theo's fury wasn't lost on Draco who kept trying to distract him. He would have rubbed Theo's back or his leg if the situation had been less public, but some discretion was required for a relationship like theirs.

"If you don't pull it together," Draco whispered into Theo's ear, "Your wings are going to come out in the middle of this classroom. She's hung over and doesn't even realise that he is leering at her. When she does, she is perfectly capable of handling the creep."

Theo tried to let Draco's words soothe him, but he was unable to completely dissipate the anger that had settled within him.

Hermione for her part was completely unaware of the turmoil that she was causing at the table in the back of the room, running entirely on the Pepper-Up Potion that someone had left for her this morning. She was just trying to make it through this class and the next so that she could go back to sleep.

She had Arithmancy class after lunch and then no more until Monday and she wanted to sleep for at least a day. She hadn't taken the second potion that had been left with food for her, because she had not recognized it. Now she was wondering if she hadn't made a mistake in refusing someone's generosity. She also wasn't particularly inclined to facilitate someone poisoning her or drugging her. There was no shortage of terrifying possibilities when it came to unmarked vials in the magical world. It was dangerous to trust, she knew that and needed not to forget.

...

"How did she manage to slip away and not come to lunch?" Theo groused. "She can't keep avoiding meals."

"Obviously she can," Draco responded as they headed to their next class. "She's likely to be in Advanced Arithmancy, so we'll see her there." Theo nodded, but didn't seem soothed by that knowledge. Draco knew that not being able to take care of one of his mates was driving Theo to madness. If Theo couldn't get a handle on himself he was going to reveal his nature to the whole school.

And that would be a mess. And Draco needed to help him avoid that.

What was a bonded mate for after all?

...

All three of them had Advanced Arithmancy with Professor Vector, which wasn't much of a surprise considering. The professor was writing some information onto the board as the students filed in. There were only fifteen students in the class, primarily Ravenclaws, which was also not unexpected.

Theo wasn't surprised to find Hermione already there, sitting at a back table, half asleep with her head on her arms.

"Granger, you look awful. Why didn't you take the hangover potion that we left for you," Theo asked, sliding into the seat next to her. "And you can't keep skipping meals or I swear I am going to hand feed you."

Draco scoffed at Theo's statement and sat at the table in front of them.

...

"So you left the potions this morning," Hermione ignored the last of the Slytherin's comments. "I was wondering who was responsible. I took the Pepper-Up, but the effects seem to be waning."

"Because you should have taken the hangover potion as well," Nott narrowed his eyes at her.

"I really don't understand why you care," Hermione started, but was cut off by Professor Vector.

"Welcome to the first day of Advanced Arithmancy. I will be reviewing the syllabus, but this course is primarily going to be built around projects and research. There will be some key things that I want you all to be sure to explore for your NEWTs, but for the most part you will be working on projects as partners. You will be partnered with the person that you are currently sitting with for the rest of the year."

She surveyed the room, "And we have an odd number, so Mr. Malfoy you'll be a threesome with Mr. Nott and Ms. Granger."

Hermione blushed at the professor's choice of words.

Could this year get any worse?