Hermione
Theo's absence stretched until Wednesday, during which time he hardly spoke more than a brief greeting and some coursework discussions. The tension in the air was palpable, with Draco and Theo's pheromones clashing heavily. It wasn't until about two weeks had passed that Theo resumed his friendly banter with me, and within the following week, he and the other alphas seemed at ease approaching me. All the while, Draco shot them disapproving glares from my side. At this point, any lingering off-putting scent from when I rubbed Draco's essence into my glands had completely dissipated.
Draco accompanies me to every class, we trade tables for meals, and he ensures that no alphas overstep their boundaries while allowing me the freedom to handle situations on my own terms. Spending time with him is effortless, and I find peace in his presence, feeling secure and protected.
I have been avoiding Hogsmeade trips, fearing that it is a waste of my potion. The one I've been attempting to brew has mysteriously been sabotaged every time I try to tend to it in the brewing rooms. However, Draco has been persistent about getting a broom, and after much persuasion, I finally agree to accompany him to Hogsmeade.
Upon waking up, I notice the sunlight streaming in through the frosted window is brighter than usual. Peering out, I saw that the lawn is blanketed in snow. Of course, it chose the last week of November to finally snow after teasing us all month.
In preparation for our trip to Hogsmeade, I meticulously went through my morning routine to calm my nerves. Draco and I have grown closer over the last month, especially with all the time we spend together. Another upside is that we discuss the anomaly of the loss of omegas and have been ordering books from wizarding countries all over the world to learn from others' experiences.
After dressing in my warmest outfit, I wrap a scarf around my neck, deliberately tuning out the faint voice in the back of my mind that persistently reminds me of the feelings I'm starting to develop for my alpha companion. As I reach for the doorknob, a sudden sharp tapping on my window makes me jump.
My stomach twists as I recognize the owl on the other side of the glass – it is Viktor's. I have been going back and forth about reaching out to him, but my omega and I are no longer interested in him, so it is easier to just leave it. I pull the note off the owl's leg and watch as it takes off before I can interact with it. Quickly, I unfold the note, and my eyes scan the writing.
Hermione,
I'm deeply sorry for my behavior at the ball. It was inexcusable. I would love to meet and apologize in person and perhaps try again.
Sincerely yours,
Viktor
I leave the note on my desk and exit the room, trying to push the added complication from my mind.
Draco
When Theo finally made his appearance, I waited until he was heading out of the common room. I followed him every step, patiently waiting for the right moment when it was just the two of us. That's when I seized the opportunity to pin him against the wall with a forceful slam, my forearm pressing firmly against his throat.
"Get the fuck off," he snarled, trying to shove me away, but I increased the pressure on his throat.
"You make her do anything against her will again or even try, I promise you I'll make your life a living nightmare you can never wake up from," my tone dripped with dangerous intent as I glared at him.
I could sense Theo's anger, but I didn't care. "I won't ever do anything she doesn't ask for," he wheezed out, his voice barely above a whisper, his narrowed eyes fixed in a glare.
I took a step back and released my hold on him. "I'll know. So, keep your distance," I warned.
"Just because you're following her around like a pup doesn't mean she wants you either," he snapped before shoving past me.
She may not want me, but I know her omega does.
As the weeks passed and our mingled scent gradually faded, alphas grew more confident in approaching her, even with me standing by her side. When they came up to us, she would subtly take a small step towards me, all the while maintaining her usual kindness.
It takes me weeks of persistent persuasion before Hermione finally agrees to consider looking at brooms with me.
After dressing for the snowy day, I position myself in the corridor leading to the Gryffindor Tower. Hermione emerges from the portrait, her previously stormy expression lighting up upon seeing me.
"Good morning," she greets with a smile.
"Morning. Ready to go look at brooms?" I ask, following her as she walks past me. I couldn't help but notice she is scentless, raising questions about the alphas' behavior in my absence. However, I decid against asking, not wanting her to feel overwhelmed, and simply fall into step beside her.
"I am. But I'm telling you, Draco, I don't need to buy a broom," she insists, giving me a glare.
"And I'm telling you, you aren't buying a broom," I reiterate, complete with an eye roll.
Hermione huffs in response but doesn't push the matter further.
"Hermione! Wait up!" The Weaslette's voice echoes down the corridor.
Suppressing another eye roll, I come to a halt, waiting for Ginny to catch up. After a couple of days of Hermione and me eating together, the Weasley girl had decided to join us at the Gryffindor table, much to my annoyance.
"Told you I wasn't going to wait up," Hermione laughs, hooking her arm with her friend's, and the three of us continue our journey toward the courtyard.
"Just because he waits on you doesn't mean you have to be up early to meet him," Ginny comments pointedly.
She gets up early to meet me? Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hermione's face turn a shade pinker, and she avoided making eye contact with me. "It's just polite not to keep someone waiting."
"He's a ferret," Ginny huffs.
"Ginny!" Hermione gasps.
"Better than a weaslette," I mutter under my breath.
"Draco!" Another gasp escapes Hermione. "I swear, you two will drive me mad. We're friends! Besides, both ferrets and weasels are in the mustelid family." The last part comes from under her breath.
"You're friends with him. I never claimed the same," Ginny sniffs, pulling Hermione closer as we step outside into the chilly air.
"I concur," I snidely comment, casting a wordless warming charm over them. Hermione's shoulders relax at the warmth, but her face remains pinched.
Just as she is about to speak, Ginny unhooks her arm. "I'm going to walk with Luna and Padma! See you for lunch?" She waves and joins her friends. "Bye Malfoy," she adds sullenly.
"Weasley," I respond in kind. "We can walk with them if you'd like," I murmurs to Hermione as the redhead disappears from view.
"No, it's okay. We can walk with your friends," she replies with a small smile.
Friend, I want to correct her but don't. Pansy, Daphne, and, obviously, Astoria hates me. Theo keeps his distance. The only friend I have left is Blaise.
Blaise has taken to Hermione and enjoys her witty humor, especially when she directs it at me. The two oddly got along well, but every once in a while, I'll feel her ankle pressing against my leg, and I'll return the pressure to give some form of comfort.
"We could also just walk the two of us," I suggest quietly, deliberately slowing my pace so that we become one of the last pairs of students strolling out of the courtyard. I discreetly cast another warming charm her way. I'm aware of how often she is cold, especially with the freezing weather.
A grateful smile is thrown my way, and we walk through the light layer of snow, the crunch of our footsteps the only sound between us.
After a while, I clear my throat. "What kind of wood is your wand made from?" I ask, studying her.
"Vinewood and unicorn hair," she replies, her gaze meeting mine. "Are you casting warming charms on me?"
A faint blush crept up my cheeks, and my eyes widen a bit. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Granger. I'm just casting them on myself, so if you happen to catch some warmth..." I trail off with a nonchalant shrug. "My wand's core is unicorn hair as well."
She gives me a knowing look but doesn't push further about the charms. "And what's the wood of your wand?"
"Hawthorn," I answer absentmindedly. "My broom has a hawthorn base as well. I feel it responds really well to me. So I think we should find you a broom with a vinewood base."
Hermione
I'm only half-listening to his broom-talk. My mind is stuck on the letter sitting on my desk, awaiting my response. Does it even require a response?
Glancing at Draco from the corner of my eye, I wonder what Draco would think about the letter. What would he believe is best? He's an alpha who has managed to maintain control with me. But Viktor's lack of control isn't entirely his fault. Why am I going back and forth over alphas?
"Hello? Granger? Anyone home?" Draco lightly bumps my shoulder.
"Sorry. Yeah, a vinewood broom sounds fine." I offer him a small smile.
"You alright? You know we don't have to walk together, especially with your inhibitor," he says gently. "I'm sure no alphas will bother you." They do bother me, all of them but him. And with our entangled scent fading, they're being bolder, and it's annoying.
"I want to walk with you. Who else will keep me warm?" I tease. "I've just got a lot on my mind."
"Still trying to figure out why omegas dropped significantly after the early 1940s?" He asks.
Outside of classwork and my omega daydreaming about Draco, I obsess over what could have been the cause and have poured plenty of my personal time over every history book I could get my hands on. "Yes, but that's not what's on my mind." With a breath, I decide to come out with it. I obviously value his opinion if my initial reaction was to wonder what he'd think, right? "Viktor reached out and asked to see me," I confess, keeping my gaze forward, avoiding eye contact.
His tone carries a note of restraint as he asks, "How do you feel about that?"
I offer an honest response, "I'm not entirely sure if I want to see him." My uncertainty is clear. "But, at the same time, I understand that what happened isn't solely his fault."
"Ah," he nods, and I observe the subtle flex of his jaw. His scent becomes more pronounced around us, and I can't help but notice how our shoulders are mere inches from brushing against each other's. "Well, do what you think is best. If you don't want to meet with him, don't feel obligated to do so just to be nice."
My voice carries a soft, vulnerable tone as I ask, "Do you think he reached out only because I'm an omega?" This question weighs on me, but if this is my reality now, I need to embrace it.
Draco's silence fills the chilly air, and I focus on the small puffs of hot breath escaping my mouth and the steady rhythm of our footsteps in the snow. Finally, he speaks, his words measured. "I'm not sure, Hermione. On one hand, I know Krum had an interest in you during fourth year and this year, even before your public outing. But also, having not just a person returning those affections but an omega returning affections…" He trails off with a shrug. "It might be a mix of both."
I nod in acknowledgment, and a sense of relief washes over me as the broom shop comes into view. Draco holds the door open for me, and I step into the welcoming warmth of the store.
We spend nearly two hours exploring the broom shop. While being with Draco makes the experience more bearable, I find myself completely disconnected from the conversation. While Draco discusses broom models and their attributes, I nod and make the occasional comment, but it is all on autopilot. My mind wanders to Viktor's letter waiting for me on my desk and whether this contact is solely because I'm an omega.
"Okay, we'll take this one," Draco's voice snaps me back to the present. I furrow my brow as he reaches into his pocket.
"I can get it," I interject, putting my hand on his arm to prevent him from pulling out his money. "It's a broom for me, right?"
Draco counters, "You've already expressed how you don't need a broom. So I'll get it." He smoothly retrieves his wallet.
"But it's a vinewood broom for me," I point out, pulling my wallet from my purse.
Draco argues, "For a broom, you won't fly on after this year." He glances at the shopping attendant. "I'll pay for it."
The attendant, sensing the back-and-forth between us, shifts his eyes between Draco and me. "If you're sure," he says cautiously, pressing a few buttons on the cash register.
"I'm sure," Draco affirms before I can respond.
I shoot Draco a glare but choose not to push the matter further. The broom is wrapped and handed over. I carefully fit it into my purse and follow Draco out of the shop. "Thank you," I say, my tone begrudging.
"You're welcome," he replies with a cheeky grin, bumping my shoulder. "Thanks for letting me buy it."
"Not that I had much of an option," I give him a pointed look before smiling softly.
"Want to grab an early lunch?" He asks, leading us towards that same spot where we were both on dates with our respective partners at the time. Not that Viktor was even close to being my partner.
"Yes, I need a coffee," I smile, following him inside. "My treat?" I offer.
"You wish," he snorts and settles across from me.
We'll see about that.
The conversation is comfortable between us until he decides to bring up alphas.
"I know we spend our days together in class and whatnot," he waves a hand. "How are the alphas really, Granger?"
I take a measured sip from my cup and let out a soft hum before speaking, my words carefully chosen. "They've definitely been… smothery," I begin, my voice hushed. "The way they flood the halls with their pheromones is probably the most annoying." I hesitate, knowing that revealing the full extent of the situation might be something Draco wants to hear. Our mingled scent fading has brought about more than just intrusive alphas; it's brought discomfort, damaged potions, and disrupted routines. The common room in the evenings is no longer a place of peace.
Draco leans back in his chair, his long pale fingers gently tracing the rim of his cup. His eyes take on a thoughtful look. "Well, I noticed that after we spent the night together, you smelled like me to an extent, but now, you smell more like you."
A blush creeps up my cheeks, and I divert my gaze for a moment. The memory of that night, and the information I've chosen not to disclose, makes the conversation uncomfortable for me. "That's probably why they're feeling more bold in approaching me and coming around…"
"What's odd about it is during that night, besides the… activity," he trails off and clears his throat, his own cheeks tinted with a blush, "it's not like I directly scented you in a lasting way." His tone remains steady as if he's trying to maintain a sense of detachment from the topic.
Chewing my lip, I drum my fingers on the table. I didn't realize how bad the alphas had gotten now that I've thought about how it was before. I can ask him to scent me, my omega screams out at me. It wouldn't only benefit my omega with getting what she wants but also it would keep the other alphas away from me. If I decide to meet with Viktor and I smell of Draco, it could–
"What are you thinking so hard about over there, Granger?" He laughs, picking up his cup and sipping from it, his eyes on me.
I blink a few times, my face turning bright red under Draco's scrutiny. "I wasn't entirely honest..." I admit, sensing his curiosity and a hint of concern. I'm not ready to tell him how to really fix my scent issue, but I could ease him into it…
A heavy sigh escapes me, and I decide to lay it all out. "The alphas have been making my life miserable ever since the scent of you has faded," I blurt out, the words coming out in a rush. "Sure, the pheromones are annoying, and they make me uncomfortable. But it's more than that. They constantly watch me, tracking my every movement. They make me feel like I'm being stalked. In the brewing room, they've been sabotaging my scent inhibitor potion, so now I only have a few vials left. I've been trying to save them for important occasions. And to top it all off, I can't even spend my evenings in the common room if I wanted to because they won't just let me be!" I rub my forehead and take a deep breath, finally letting him in on the full truth.
His jaw clenches, and I can see the tension in his body. His hand tightens into a fist, and his eyes darken with anger and concern. Heavy breaths escape him as he stares at me. I quickly add, "It's obviously not your fault," and reach out to cover his clenched fist with my hand. I trace over his knuckles lightly, trying to offer comfort. "It's no one's fault, really. It's just… biology," I continue in a soft tone, hoping to ease the tension. My heart is pounding in my chest, and anxiety bubbles in my chest. I need to ask him. Just ask.
I move my hand to gently trace the back of his, my fingers trembling slightly. "Do you think it'll help if we try to, uh..." I clear my throat, unable to meet his gaze as I stare at the cup in front of him. "...cover my scent with yours again?" My voice trails off, and it feels like my heart has stopped in my chest as I wait for his response.
Draco
It feels like I've just been thrown off my broom, hurtling towards the Quidditch pitch with the kind of whiplash Hermione's words have given me.
She opens up about how the alphas have been treating her, revealing the discomfort and fear she's been living with. And now, she's asking me to scent her. The ground beneath me feels uncertain, and I'm left grappling with the weight of her request and the emotions churning within me.
I remain silent for a while, lost in thought. Hermione, perhaps sensing my hesitation, begins to backtrack. "You can definitely say no," she says, her voice filled with understanding. "I know it'll be difficult, and I'm probably the last person you'd want to–"
But I don't let her finish. I interrupt, determined to give her my answer. "I will," I say firmly. It's not just about my desire, although that's certainly there. It's about ensuring that she can have a normal and respectful experience, free from the fear and discomfort caused by other alphas. I want her to know that she doesn't have to be with me to feel safe around the castle, and that my alpha side simply yearns to be close to her, in whatever way she's comfortable with.
Hermione's eyes flicker to mine, surprise and gratitude evident in her gaze as she absorbs my response. My hand, previously clenched in a fist on the table, relaxes slightly, and I turn my palm upward, gently squeezing her hand in reassurance.
"I will," I repeat, my tone resolute. "You deserve to feel safe and protected." My words are straightforward, reflecting the sincerity of my commitment. But then, a mischievous smirk tugs at my lips. "Plus," I add with a teasing tone, "it's not like it won't be fun," I observe her delicate blush and offer a soft smile. "But before we dive into anything that might involve our biologies," I pause, a nervous lump forming in my throat, "let's finish up here, and I'll explain things in more detail." Her expression tightens with curiosity. "Alright?"
Her brow furrows slightly. "Okay."
I nod, my stomach twisting with a strange mixture of anxiety and anticipation. I look around the cafe, catching the waitress's eye and giving her a subtle wave to come over.
Hermione surprises me with a sweet smile. "Oh, I already took care of it," she says as she stands up, popping a peppermint from the front into her mouth and offering one to me.
I chuckle, shaking my head. "You cheeky minx," I mutter, accepting the peppermint.
"Well, it's only fair, considering you let me treat you to such a nice broom." She hums, and we walk out of the shop.
As we walk back towards the castle, we find ourselves mostly on the path. Hermione's curiosity finally gets the best of her. "What is it you want to talk about?" She asks.
I feel that familiar lump return to my throat, and my stomach knots with anticipation. I guide us off the main path, taking a quieter side route through the forest that will eventually lead us back to the castle.
I stop in my tracks, muttering a warming charm as I pull Hermione gently to a halt. With a deep breath, I begin to stumble through my request. "I know when we start doing this scent-covering thing, our biologies will do their thing and I want," I pause, gathering my courage, "I'd like to..." Her wide, curious eyes fixate on me as I struggle to voice my desire to kiss her. The absence of her scent aggravates my alpha, but I push aside its demands. What I want is clear: I want to kiss Hermione Granger, and I want her to kiss me, not just our biologies. But why? I'm not sure. I don't deserve such a woman, much less this omega.
Her smile is small but encouraging. "You'd like to?"
I repeat, my face flushing crimson, "I'd like for us to share a kiss. If you want to." My eyes remain locked onto hers, unwilling to break contact.
"Share a kiss?" She inquires, her own cheeks turning rosy.
My response is straightforward. "I don't like that the only time we do anything is when it's our omega and alpha. And I want to make sure that–"
She interrupts me, seeking clarification. "You want to kiss me?" Her raised eyebrow demands an answer.
"I do," I reply honestly.
Hermione nods in response, her teeth gently biting into her lower lip. "Okay."
"Okay?" I seek extra confirmation.
With a shy smile, she reaffirms, "Okay."
I reach out, take her hand, and pull her closer to me. Despite my alpha's elation at her agreement, the absence of her scent allows me to remain clear-headed. Our breath mingles, filled with the scent of peppermints. I study every detail of her face, from the freckles on her cold-flushed cheeks and nose to the dark spots in her honey-colored eyes. Committing these details to memory, I lean in and gently press my lips against hers.
As our lips meet, a soft contented sigh escapes from her, muffled by our shared moment of intimacy. My hands, driven by a mixture of longing and affection, move my hands to her hips and pull her in closer to me. Her own hands rise, fingers splaying gently across my chest. I know she can feel the erratic rhythm of my heartbeat.
A deep, primal rumble builds within my chest, a testament to the powerful emotions coursing through me. Slowly, I lean against the tree near us. With tender urgency, I nip at her lower lip. In response, a delicate gasp slips from her, her hands moving to cradle my face, holding me close.
A loud purr comes from Hermione and her nails lightly rake down my neck as she presses herself against me.
Breaking the kiss, I rest my forehead against hers. "Just wanted a kiss," I pant out.
She nods. "Yeah. A kiss. Just us." She blinks and tries to move back from me but I keep her against me.
"Just us… but we should try to solve the scent issue you're having," I breathe out, glad we've finally had a normal kiss.
