Hermione
I'm sitting with Ginny in the Great Hall for lunch when the post is brought in. Since I've been back at Hogwarts, I've hardly got any mail. So imagine my surprise when a Eurasian Eagle Owl elegantly swoops into the hall with the other owls and stops in front of me. The letter it's carrying is a simple envelope with my name written in nice penmanship.
Most of the post I've received since the war ended were either fan letters or hateful "anonymous" letters. So far there has been no fan mail. Just a couple letters from Harry, Winky, and one from Ron, surprisingly.
I pull the letter off the owl's leg and give it a piece of sausage and a soft scritch on its head.
"Who's that from?" Ginny asks and raises her brows.
"No clue," I admit and tuck the note into my bookbag, "I'll let you know when I find out." I tease as I briefly glance at the Slytherin table. I've been ignoring Malfoy and haven't even spared him a second look at any meals.
We hadn't tried flying again since that first lesson where I stomped off in anger.
Malfoy has a funny look on his face but quickly breaks eye contact and engages in conversation with Astoria.
A pang of jealousy runs through me but I ignore it. It's my omega responding–not me . I swallow down the rest of my coffee, "I'm going to nip off early to class. I had a couple questions about the suggested readings. I'll see you later, Gin."
"Sure, questions for the professor," she rolls her eyes but waves.
I hurry through the halls and stop in an alcove tucked away from curious eyes and pull the letter out of my bag. I break the wax seal and pull out the yellowed parchment embossed with a VK. The script is dignified and refined. My eyes fly across the parchment.
Skŭpa Hermione,
I hope you've been well since we last spoke. I was worried for you during the war and relieved to hear of your successes. Drumstrang did its best in support of your friend, Harry Potter. Now that you've returned to Hogwarts, I want to ask if you want to meet and have lunch with me in that small village once you've settled in. I look forward to hearing from you.
Nezhno,
Viktor Krum
My heart skips a beat at his letter and my face flushes. He was the first alpha I ever had feelings for and my omega responded strongly to him (even more so than to Ron). I fold the letter back up and put it in its envelope and step out of the alcove, trying to tuck it into my bag.
Pansy is walking briskly through the hall and students are quick to jump out of her way, but I don't see her. We run into each other and both fall back onto our arses. I drop my bag and my books scatter out of it.
"Watch where you're bloody going, Granger ," she hisses at me and starts to stand up, gathering all of her items. "Oh wasn't this the note you got during the lunch post?" Her tone is mocking. "Quite a bit of fanmail you get, swot…" She pulls the note out of the envelope, holding it up between two fingers.
A majority of our class has stopped in the hall and is watching this situation unfold and part of me is panicking. Everyone's eyes are on me and I feel my heart starting to pound harder and the blood rush into my ears. Not now, please not now . The anxiety attack unfurling in me keeps me from taking action. My omega is going haywire and gathering my thoughts seems near impossible.
"Shall we read it to the class?" Pansy gives me a sneer and unfolds it. " Skŭpa Hermione, well I do believe that Bulgarian for 'dear'... correct?" She opens her mouth to keep reading but I've finally broken from my anxious daze. No one is allowed to make me feel inferior and spread my business but me.
I pull my wand out of the pocket of my robe and point it at her. Glaring at her down my nose I speak in a strong tone, "Parkinson, give me my letter back or you're going to regret it." I'm not one for causing trouble or making threats but I'm no longer going to let a bully push me around.
Pansy laughs in my face, "oh yeah, Gryffindor Princess? Prove it," she challenges before reading the rest of my letter and her jaw drops a bit.
A painful hex is on the tip of my tongue when Malfoy steps into the small circle that surrounds us. "Pansy, come off it." His alpha tone is heavy and makes my knees weak. "We don't want to get into trouble." He reminds her and plucks the parchment from her hands and folds it without looking at it. His long fingers tuck it back into the envelope and Malfoy holds it out to me.
I eye it before meeting his silver gaze, "thank you, Malfoy," I mumble and take the letter from him and shove it in my bag.
He shrugs, "don't mention it. Let's go before we are marked late." I follow him into the classroom with Pansy being left behind, looking gobsmacked.
Draco
I watch Hermione leave the Great Hall. I feel like I recognized the owl but I couldn't put my finger on how. Slowly, each of my friends gets up and heads towards class until it is just Astoria and myself.
"Walk me to class?" She asks, picking up her book bag.
"I can't for this class but I'll find you after our last class and walk with you back to the common room," I say as we fall in step with each other leaving the Great Hall.
"Sounds good," she smiles up at me and goes to her tiptoes to peck my cheek.
A hum comes from me and I turn to kiss the top of her head, "have a good rest of your day. I'll see you." I wave and head toward class.
As I'm approaching the classroom, I see my fellow classmates gathering in a circle. I step up to it and my eyes widen at seeing Pansy and Granger facing each other. Hermione's letter is in Pansy's hand.
"Shall we read it to the class?" Pansy sneers and unfolds it. " Skŭpa Hermione, well I do believe that Bulgarian for 'dear'... correct?"
Bulgarian… I know the Weasel doesn't speak another language. The only Bulgarian that I know that would ever reach out to Granger would be Krum . Hermione isn't doing anything. Why isn't she standing up for herself?
Pansy's mouth opens to keep reading and Granger finally breaks her trance. Her wand is pulled out and pointed at Pansy, "Parkinson, give me my letter back or you're going to regret it."
I believe her words but Pansy just laughs in her face, "oh yeah, Gryffindor Princess? Prove it," I watch Pansy's dark eyes flit over the rest of the letter and her jaw drops.
It's definitely Krum . My eyes move back to Granger and I can see the commitment in her eyes to hexing Pansy. I didn't want Granger to get in trouble from some adolescent bullying and I guess part of me is concerned for Pansy and her getting into trouble.
Protect her.
I know who my alpha is talking about.
I step into the circle, my alpha right at the surface, "Pansy, come off it. We don't want to get into trouble," I remind her and pluck the letter from her fingertips and tuck it back into the envelope. My eyes meet Granger's and I hold it to her.
"Thank you, Malfoy," she mumbles and shoves the note in her bag before going into class. Those were the first words she's spoken to me since she stomped off from our flying lesson. I follow her in and take my seat next to her.
"Sorry about Pansy," I find myself saying before I can stop my mouth.
She looks at me surprised before relaxing her face, "it's not like you were the one who stole the note or caused a scene."
"No, but we are too grown to be acting like that." I sigh and lean back in my seat. "I should also apologize for how your first lesson went… I should have been more patient."
A blush blooms on her face, "I'm sorry too." Her eyes drop to the parchment in front of her, "I shouldn't have stormed away like that."
Granger apologizing ? She didn't do anything wrong in my eyes. "Want to try again after your Herbology class?"
Surprise flickers across her face again, "you still want to help me?"
It's not like I have much of a choice . "Of course I do. You need the credit. I need the volunteer hours." I shrug. "Actually come prepared this time as well."
"I have shorts in my bag," she mumbles and busies herself with titling her parchment, "I'll meet you at Black Lake."
My throat dries at her comment and my eyes stay on the parchment in front of me instead of the nude-stockinged thighs next to me, with no shorts under that skirt .
"Meet you at Black Lake," I say under my breath, eyes facing forward.