Title: I (Don't) Want You
Team: Caerphilly Catapults
Position: Chaser 1
Round: QL Daily Prophet Don't Be Mean! Competition
Prompt: "Keep rolling your eyes, maybe you'll find a brain back there."
Additional Prompts used: Insult to be used by main character in response to an insult/inappropriate behaviour
Hogwarts Assignment: Perfumery & Aromatherapy, task 1
Prompt: write about someone who needs clarity
Bejewelled II: scolecite
Prompt: [trope] soulmates
Break a Leg: number 30
Prompt: [trope] opposites attract
Gotta Catch Em All: normal number 7, Teddiursa
Prompt: [character] Theo Nott
Gather Your Party: Rogue number 3
Prompt: mutual pining
Scamander's Case: Doxy, male
Prompt: [action] eyeroll
Easter special: egg hunt number 7
Prompt: [action] studying
Writing club: fight club 21; colour theory number 15; founder says, Salazar number 1; literary legends number 11
Prompt: "What part of 'I want you and only you' do you not understand?"; [phrase] cat and mouse chase; [dialogue] "How could you take [name]'s side over mine?"; [word] dream
Word count: 1994
Betas: Rose, Dora, Bea
A/N Set in Harry and Hermione's 7th year at Hogwarts. A No Voldemort!AU where Harry's parents are still alive and James Potter was a famous Quidditch Player/now manager of Quidditch team.
A small smile played at the corner of Hermione's mouth; Theo's breath tickled her neck as he peppered kisses there.
"Theo!" Hermione admonished half-heartedly. "We came into the library to study!"
"I know," he whispered into her neck beneath her bushy brown hair, causing her to shiver. "I had every intention of studying tonight, until I had to listen to Draco's ranting, again!"
Hermione sighed and put down her quill.
"I endured another one of Harry's rants this afternoon as well. The question is: what are we going to do about it?"
"I was thinking about locking Draco in a broom cupboard," Theo deadpanned, extracting himself from Hermione's bushy mane of hair.
"Oh? With Harry?" Hermione looked interested.
"Oh…erm…yeah, I suppose I could lock him in with Harry. I was just thinking of locking Draco in there because I'm so done with listening to him pine, but your idea would work too," Theo said with a shrug as Hermione let out an uncharacteristic girly giggle.
"What? What's so funny?"
"I'm just imagining their outrage. How long do you think it would take them to admit their feelings to each other?"
"Are we leaving them food and water? Because leaving them with their wands would be a bad idea. If not, I think Draco would starve to death before admitting it." Theo rolled his eyes and Hermione sighed.
"And Harry, that boy is so stubborn I just want to scream sometimes. I am so done with their ridiculous game of cat and mouse. Following each other around, trying to get the other to notice them," Hermione fumed.
"So, are we going to lock them in a cupboard together?" Theo asked hopefully. "At the very least we'll have respite from their rants."
"If I can think of nothing better by the weekend, then yes," Hermione answered. "Especially since I now cannot focus on studying, again, because of those two."
Theo was sitting in the Slytherin common room massaging his temples. It was close to midnight and the throbbing pain in his head was not subsiding, not even after taking a headache potion. And Theo knew why.
"In the name of Merlin's saggy left testicle, Draco, will you just snog him already! It's obvious to everyone else that you want to," Theo said through gritted teeth. He'd had enough. Twice in one day he'd listened to Draco rant on and on about Harry and he couldn't take it anymore. Once a day was bad enough. But twice! No, enough was enough. Draco needed telling. And telling good.
"What? No…utterly ridiculous. Of course I don't want…what are you talking about?" Draco spluttered indignantly. "Preposterous idea."
Theo looked pointedly at Draco as he imitated Draco's rants, "'Theo, did you see Poter today? Merlin that hair is awful! I just want to brush it!'"
"I didn't mean I wanted to brush it. Just that it needs brush–"
"'Did you hear him laughing with Weasley all through Potions? He's so annoying.'"
"Well, he–"
"'Saint Potter! Thinks he's so great. Just because his father was a famous Quidditch player. Potter's not even that good!' 'Why's he going to the ball with her?' And let's not overlook the fact that you go out of your way to follow him around trying to get his attention."
Draco flushed. "You're taking that all out of context. I hate him. He's so annoying," Draco blustered.
"But you don't hate him. You want to think that you do. You want everyone to think that you do, but you don't. And no-one! No-one apart from you and Harry believes this stupid charade!" Theo glared at Draco before adding, "Also, I haven't forgotten all the times you've dreamt about him, mumbling his name in your sleep. Just admit it you want to suck–"
"I do not!" Draco protested loudly, while Theo rolled his eyes. "Keep rolling your eyes, maybe you'll find a brain back there. Then you'll see how ridiculous your train of thought is."
Draco turned on his heel and stomped from the common room.
Hermione and Theo were sitting under the shade of the beech tree by the lake the next evening as Theo recounted to Hermione what had happened in the Slytherin common room the previous night. Hermione's lips were pressed tight together and she shook from silent laughter as Theo finished recounting the tale.
"Then he told me to keep rolling my eyes and maybe I would find a brain back there and that I'd realise how ridiculous my ideas were. Then he stomped out of the common room," he finished with a sigh. "Please can we lock them in a broom cupboard now?"
Hermione turned to look at Theo with a smile. "Yes, we can. Harry was going on about Draco and how tight his jeans were again last night. Honestly, it's just pathetic. I think the rest of the school will thank us if we shut them in a broom cupboard. They'll either kill each other or snog each other. One way or another, we won't have to put up with them pining."
"Hermione, I love you." Theo grinned, watching Hermione's cheeks go pink. "Are you sure you shouldn't have been a Slytherin?"
"Quite sure, thank you."
"Hermione, I don't understand. Why are we going down to the Quidditch pitch?"
"I've told you. You need to teach me how to fly."
"But you hate flying."
"Theo likes to fly," Hermione replied simply.
"Well, get him to teach you," Harry said as they entered the Quidditch pitch and made their way to the broom shed.
"I want to surprise him."
They turned the corner to the broom shed and met Theo and Draco.
"You!" Harry and Draco said together, drawing their wands and pointing them in the other's face.
"Expelliarmus!" Hermione and Theo cried out. Harry and Draco's wands soared out of their hands and Hermione neatly caught the two wands.
"What the–" Harry exclaimed, as Theo shoved Harry and Draco into the broom shed and Hermione sealed the door shut.
"Watch it, Potter! That was my foot," Draco snapped.
"How in the name of Morganna could I possibly watch what I'm doing? It's pitch black in here!" Harry snapped back.
"Theo!" Draco shouted through the door. "You let me out now or I swear I will hex you."
"With what wand?" Theo asked.
Hermione gave her wand a little wave. "There," she said, "now you've got some light."
"Hermione, let me out," Harry shouted, thumping on the door.
"No!" Hermione told him firmly. "I'm not letting you out and I'm not giving you two your wands back until you sort this out."
"What're you talking about?" Harry asked. "I don't know what you think–"
"What we mean," Theo cut in, "is that we're tired of you two pining after each other and ranting to us about it. You talk it out. Admit your feelings for one another and we'll let you out."
"I don't have feelings for Potter!" Draco raged.
"And I don't have feelings for Malfoy. Other than hate!" Harry snarled.
"Liars," Hermione hissed. "We've had enough. You stay in there until you admit your feelings or until you starve. Either one is fine with us."
"We'll come back in the morning," Theo told them as he and Hermione left the Quidditch Stadium. And Harry called after Hermione, "How could you take Nott's side over mine?"
"Easily," Hermione called back. "Think it'll work?" Hermione asked, as the banging and shouting grew fainter and fainter as they got further away.
"No idea," Theo shrugged.
On their way to the library, to finally study in peace, they ran into Professor McGonagall.
"Ah, Miss Granger. Have you seen Mr Potter? I need a word about his essay," Professor McGonagall asked.
"Erm…yes," Hermione replied tentatively with a sideways glance at Theo.
"Well? Where is he?"
"We locked him in the broom shed with Draco." Hermione decided honesty was best.
"In the broom shed? With Mr Malfoy? Well, needs must I suppose," Professor McGonagall said before looking alarmed. "Have they got wands?"
"No, we took those off them," Theo replied.
"Oh, that's alright then." Professor McGonagall looked relieved.
"You aren't angry, professor?" Hermione asked.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Miss Granger" Professor McGonagall shrugged. "Someone had to do something. The pining was getting beyond a joke."
And she strode off, leaving a slightly bewildered and amused Hermione and Theo to make their way to the library.
"Not gonna lie," Theo told Hermione as they took a seat. "I thought we were going to be in trouble there, for a minute."
"Even the teachers will thank us for our service to the school." Hermione grinned, opening her bag and pulling out her books.
Several hours had passed and Harry and Draco were hoarse from shouting after Theo and Hermione. They had finally slumped to the floor, conceding that Theo and Hermione had actually walked away and left them locked in a broom shed.
"This is all your fault!" they both exclaimed at the same time.
"It's not my fault," they said again at the same time.
They both glowered at each other, then stubbornly turned their backs and crossed their arms across their chests. They sat like this for several more hours until they were certain it must be past the students' curfew time. Would Theo and Hermione really leave them here all night? It was looking likely, but still neither would talk to the other, let alone admit their feelings.
Eight hours had passed before Draco finally voiced aloud the thought that was worrying him.
"What if they don't let us out until we talk?" he whispered. Unsure if he wanted Potter to hear it or not.
"Hermione wouldn't do that!" Harry stated confidently.
"Theo would!" Draco voiced his concern. Harry turned to face Draco, looking worried, rather than annoyed, for the first time since they had been locked in here.
An uncomfortable silence fell between them once more. Much to his surprise, and irritation, Draco wasn't angry about Potter's company being forced upon him; in fact, it was quite the opposite. This annoyed Draco, the fact that Theo might have had a point about his feelings towards Potter. Several times, Draco tried to get his voice to cooperate with him and just tell Harry how he felt. Theo and Hermione both seemed quite certain that Harry felt the same about him, so it wasn't really a risk, was it? But each time, his courage failed him and the words died on his lips. To Draco's irritation, it was Potter who broke the silence between them, voicing what he couldn't find the courage to say. Damn Gryffindors!
"I don't hate you," Harry said, so quietly that had Draco not been only a foot away from him, he wouldn't have heard him. "Themione are right. I have feelings for you other than hate…the opposite of hate." Harry blushed furiously and stared at his lap.
"I don't hate you either. I…I like you…a lot. Like I think I want you and only you." Draco flushed pink, unable to believe he'd actually said it.
"What?" Harry said, looking up at Draco, who blushed more and found himself unable to look at Harry as he said.
"What part of 'I want you and only you' do you not understand?"
"I understood. I just wanted to hear you say it again. It was nice to hear you say it," Harry breathed and Draco dared to look up into Harry's beautiful bright green eyes.
Harry's face was impossibly close to his, less than half a foot away. Harry seemed to be leaning in towards him. Draco could feel his own body leaning forward almost imperceptibly. Harry's eyes were closed as he leaned closer. Draco shut his eyes. His face so close to Harry's that he could feel Harry's warm breath on his lips. He was so close; the closeness sent a shiver down Draco's spine and he leaned in a little more…