Chapter 26

November 2nd, 1995

Hermione hated Quidditch. She hated everything about it. But most of all she hated watching her boyfriend potentially die while playing it.

And to make everything worse, Ron was playing today as the Keeper for the first time. He'd asked for a good luck hug before the game and she had given him a good luck hand shake instead. Everytime he touched her she felt like she was going to vomit. She wished he would stop, it was just too much for her. And she saw the rage in her boys' eyes when Ron put a hand on her shoulder or arm. They didn't want anyone other than them touching her. And she didn't either, but it didn't seem to matter.

Ronald Weasley did not care about boundaries, especially not the boundaries of girls. He liked to do things that made his sister uncomfortable. Hermione still felt uncomfortable when she remembered how mean to some of the girls he had been when they had learned to dance for the Yule Ball. The more time she spent with Draco and Theo the more she couldn't ignore how critical Ron was to her, how controlling he was of who Harry spoke with or sat with. It was unhealthy. Hermione had just been trying to ignore it, because she had never really had friends before. She supposed she didn't really have friends now, either.

The Slytherin stands were now singing a song that she knew Draco had composed. Hermione was trying desperately not to laugh as the refrain of "Weasley is Our King" filled the pitch.

Weasley cannot save a thing,

He cannot block a single ring,

That's why Slytherins all sing:

Weasley is our King.

The Gryffindors around her were all livid and it was clear that the singing was damaging Ron's fragile self-confidence.

Luna tapped her ridiculous lion hat with her wand causing it to roar and Hermione couldn't help, but chuckle at that. She did give the little blond Ravenclaw a bit of a side eye when Hermione noticed that her mouth was moving along with the song that the Slytherins were singing. How did she already know the words?

Suddenly screams from the Slytherin stands pulled her attention back to the pitch. The snakes had scored. Angelina was yelling at Harry because he was glowering at the other team instead of playing. What had gotten into him?

Slytherin kept scoring and Hermione was torn between feeling put out for her House and pleased that perhaps they would be celebrating a Slytherin win in one of the abandoned potions classrooms that they frequented at night.

Draco and Harry were neck and neck chasing the snitch now. She wanted to cover her eyes. She wanted to scream at both of them not to die.

She hated Quidditch.

And then before she could blink. Harry had the snitch. Well damn. She saw the way Draco's face folded in on itself for just a moment until he shook himself off. And headed down to meet the rest of his team down on the pitch. Harry was so arrogant, he didn't even see the rogue bludger coming towards him despite Hermione actually screaming then in warning.

She rushed down the stands, but knew that if the bludger had knocked Harry as hard as she thought, Madam Pomfrey was probably already on the pitch.

By the time Hermione got down to the grass however, Harry seemed fine as he and the Weasley twins were on top of Draco, punching and hitting him. Hermione was close enough that the pain reverberated through the bond. She was about to jump between them and cover Draco with her body (which would have been one way to announce their relationship) when Madam Hooch yelled, "Impedimenta!"

Fred, George and Harry were yanked off of Draco who had curled into a fetal position on the ground. Hermione was enraged and was desperately trying to hold herself in check. Madam Pomfrey was there in an instant and Adrian Pucey and Marcus Flint were roped into carrying the stretcher for Draco back to the castle.

Across the pitch, Theo stood holding his side. Their eyes met and she could feel the fear and rage that mirrored her own radiating through their bond. He looked at her longingly for only a moment before tearing off after the Slytherins who had Draco. Hermione desperately wanted to follow. She sunk her fingernails into her palm to stop herself.

Madam Hooch and Umbridge were lecturing the twins and Harry when Hermione shifted her focus back.

"Lifetime ban," Umbridge was saying, "No longer members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Detention with me for a month."

Good! Hermione wanted to scream and at the same time the vision of how Draco had looked swam before her eyes. It wasn't nearly enough.

When Umbridge and Madam Hooch walked away, the twins headed to the locker room, but Harry stood there, shoulders hunched, staring at his feet.

"Harry James Potter," Hermione screamed at him, "What in the bloody hell is wrong with you! Why on earth would you do such a thing?"

"Oi Mione, It's going to be okay. The team can replace me and we will still win the house cup just you wait and see."

Hermione saw red. How could Harry be so obtuse? He had seriously injured someone and all he was worried about was Quidditch? She cried out in frustration and walked away from him, leaving him staring after her in confusion.

...

Hermione was loitering outside of the infirmary, not certain how she would know if anyone was in there that shouldn't see her. She should have stolen Harry's invisibility cloak, all of this would be much simpler. She leaned against the wall attempting to appear casual.

"It's a good thing no one else is around, love, because if you are trying to appear casual, I want you to know that you are anything but." Hermione jumped at the sound of Theo's voice in her ear and he put his hand over her mouth to prevent her from shrieking in surprise.

As soon as her body relaxed slightly, he took his hand off her mouth and grabbed her wrist. "Come along, the coast is clear," Theo sighed, "Finally. Lucius was here. It was very ugly. I'm glad Draco slept through it."

They quietly snuck into the hospital wing, both of them freezing every time their shoes made a noise on the floor. They got to Draco's bed behind the divider after what was really a minute but felt interminably longer.

They stood looking down at their boyfriend. He looked small and fragile in the bed. His obvious injuries had been healed, but his lips still looked swollen and there was blood in his hair.

Hermione laced her fingers through Theo's as they stood silently.

"Umbridge kicked Harry and the twins kicked off the Quidditch team," Hermione whispered, "Lifetime ban."

"Good." Theo replied, "But also fuck Quidditch. I hate it so bloody much."

Hermione leaned her head on his shoulder and soaked up his warmth even as the rage inside both of them flared and fed on one another.

"I hate it too," Hermione agreed.

"Draco loves it though," Theo sighed, "I wish he would have gotten a lifetime ban, but he would have been devastated."

Hermione nodded and let Theo wrap his arm around her shoulder.

Later when they snuck out of the hospital wing, they did not see the dark figure of their Potions professor lurking in the shadows before they parted to head to their dormitories. If they had seen the expression on his face it would have made their blood run cold.