Hermione
Ginny and I are walking in step together towards the Great Hall for supper.
"Did you hear that Headmistress McGonagall is going to make an announcement after supper," Ginny murmurs to me as we enter the Great Hall. "Professor Onyx told us at the prefects meeting this morning."
"What is she going to announce?" I ask, leading us to our spots.
"Won't spoil that," she winks and settles in her spot.
I roll my eyes and take the seat next to her, "spoilsport."
"Have you heard from a certain professional quidditch player?" Her tone is hushed as she asks. Finally .
A blush warms my face, "as a matter of fact, I just sent an owl to him today." After our date in Hogsmeade, Viktor and I have been exchanging frequent letters, and I must admit, I'm growing rather fond of him.
"That's good to know," she gives me a knowing smile but I'm not sure as to why it's knowing .
Our chatter revolves around courses and random gossip through dinner until Headmistress McGonnagal steps up to her podium.
"Students," her hand comes up and silence falls over the hall, "thank you." Her sharp eyes move over the mass of students. "As this is our first year back to Hogwarts after the war, it is imperative that we strengthen our ties between houses. The ministry and our heads of houses decided to do a quarterly Hogwarts formal. The first one will be held on October 31st. Attendance is not required but heavily encouraged. That is all. Good evening." With a wave of a hand, dessert appears on the table.
Ginny reaches over and grabs my arm, "you can invite Viktor! I know the Headmistress will let him attend with you!"
"I'm sure he's quite busy, Gin. And she said house unity! He doesn't go-"
"Oh hush," she rolls her eyes. "He was a great ally during the war!"
"I'll speak with the Headmistress first," I'm not fully decided at this point but no use in taking it off the table.
A sharp squeal fills my ears, "we will have to ask to take leave to shop for dresses in London!"
I smile at her, "that will be fun." I glance at my watch and sigh, "I have to-" An all too familiar warmth starts to blossom in my stomach and work its way through my body stopping me from finishing my thought.
"What were you saying?" Ginny asked, taking a deep glug of pumpkin juice.
"I have to go," the words sound robotic to my ears but I need to leave before my skirts are soaked with slick. I didn't wear my under-the-skirt shorts until I was a couple days away from my heat to help conceal the potential of any alpha's catching the scent. The shorts feel uncomfortably tight against my sensitive skin, which is why I usually choose to go without them. Getting up, I give Ginny a half-hearted wave and exit the Great Hall.
I need to look at my calendar, how did I lose track of the dates? Is it hot? It's hot. My heart is pounding in time with my clit and that unquenchable thirst starts in my throat. My legs aren't moving fast enough for me but I can't be spotted sprinting through the halls. The heat is starting to eat at my lucidity. My brain reels and my thoughts are all over the place when I spot Malfoy walking towards me, going towards the dining hall. I hadn't even noticed he wasn't in there- but why would I?
"Granger," he hums as he passes by me, and I instinctively hold my breath, trying to resist the pull of his scent that already has a hold on me, whether I like it or not.
Alpha , my mind whines. I fight the urge to press my knees together or press my fingertips against my scent glands. I let out a soft hum in response and start to climb the stairs, but then pause and turn back to face him. "Malfoy?" I call out, needing to give him a heads-up about my current, unplanned situation.
He pauses in his step and turns to look at me, "hm?"
"Uh, I won't be able to make it to lessons," I manage to say as the flames of my heat lick up my throat. With a firm resolve, I push my omega down, "it's–"
"No need to explain, I'll make sure you get the notes. See you," he waves one hand. His voice . My mind starts to race as I recall the the various times he praised me using his alpha tone and a rush of pleasure rushes through me. Just the thought of his praise could make me cum right now.
Once he continues his walk towards the dining hall, I quickly douse myself with my scent inhibitor as I start hurrying up the stairs towards Gryffindor Tower. I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that most students are either in the library or dining.
Need alpha, need alpha's knot. My mind starts to chant as I hurry to my room. Kicking my heels off, I gather all my school books and pack a small bag. Time is of the essence before my heat overtakes me. After slipping into my spandex and sliding on my slippers, I leave my room and go towards the Come and Go Room.
Slick starts to soak my shorts and I pace in front of the empty wall three times. An urgent need grips me, and a soft whimper escapes my lips. As soon as the door appears, I throw it open with a wave of relief flooding through me so strongly I could weep.
I'm safe.
I'm fine.
Tossing my stuff on the ground, I lean against the door with a heavy sigh.
I'm never caught off guard when it comes to my heat. Keeping my eyes shut, I blindly pat around for my bag until I feel the familiar leather texture. Digging my hand into it, I feel around for my planner before finally opening my eyes to review the calendar.
I'm right to be surprised; my heat wasn't expected for another two weeks. I let out an exasperated sigh, knowing what the next three days are going to be like for me. Reaching back in my bag, I pull out my quill and parchment to hastily scratch out notes to my professors before sending them away with a flick of my wand.
This is a bloody nightmare.
Draco
After classes, I holed myself up in my room to focus on my Muggle Studies project and the assigned scroll I have to write. I didn't anticipate dozing off at my desk and waking up with inked words smudged on my face. I feel like Granger . After cleaning off the ink, I get ready to head down to the Great Hall for dinner. I remembered the Slytherin prefect mentioning that McGonagall had an important announcement after dinner. Glancing at the time, I realized I would be lucky to make it in time for dessert, let alone the announcement.
As I stroll towards the dining hall, my mind wanders to Granger's progress in our flying lessons. Although she's making progress, she can't stay in the air. She's not motivated enough… how can I – suddenly Granger rushes past me with a look of distress on her face. Her anxiety feels almost tangible.
"Granger," I murmur as I pass her. She doesn't say anything in return, just a soft hum.
"Malfoy?" Her quiet voice rings out after a few short steps, causing me to pause and look at her.
"Hm?"
Her feverish and wild-eyed appearance catches my attention as she speaks, "I won't be able to make it to lessons," her words sound strained, "it's–"
I can tell she feels uncomfortable and I don't want her to feel the need to explain herself. "No need to explain, I'll make sure you get the notes. See you," I wave at her before continuing my path. I can't help but notice how attractive she looks today, it's making my mouth water. Her lips seemed fuller than usual, and her breasts were straining against her white button-down. The sudden surge of desire catches me off guard, and I try to push the thoughts out of my head.
Still lost in thought, I enter the Great Hall to a buzz of excitement from the other students, likely due to McGonnagal's announcement. As I make my way to the table, the alluring scent of amber and honey overwhelms me, causing my knees to buckle. I glance around and notice the other alphas surreptitiously sniffing the air too.
I turn around and follow the scent out of the Great Hall and to the stairs. As I start to climb, the scent becomes fainter until it eventually fades away completely, leaving me frustrated and curious.
Hermione , my mind growls out. It makes no sense! She and I stopped and spoke. I would have been able to scent her out without even trying. If that scent is hers… it is, I know it. Still, no sense was to be made–she's a muggle-born .
A hand squeezing my shoulder pulls me out of my haze.
Nott gives me a tight smile, "hey mate, you headed in?"
I blink a few times at him, gathering my wits, "yeah. Uh, what was McGonnagal's announcement?"
"A house unity ball on Halloween," his eyes are a bit blown but he seems lucid.
"Oh, that's it?" I say as I watch his eyes travel up the staircase where the scent dies out. Irrational jealousy eats at me and I feel my alpha clawing at the wall of my occulemency, wanting out.
"Yeah, Astoria is really excited, I think she was looking for you," he answers and looks back at me.
I clench my jaw slightly, fighting to keep a hold of myself, "I should go find her then." But I can't make myself move from my spot.
Longbottom walks out the Great Hall doors and skitters to a stop in front of us, "oh, hey," he coughs into his hand and blushes deeply. Nott and I stare at him.
Another alpha coming out looking flustered? Then there is no mistake that it's an omega scent. But there's no way it is Granger, a muggleborn , someone with a menstrual cycle . We'd been in close proximity plenty of times and I have never smelled an omegean scent.
"I'm just headed to the tower," Longbottom explains in a mild tone and starts up the stairs.
"I'm headed off to the library," Nott mutters and shoulders past me in the direction of the library.
"Going to check in with Astoria," I say, feeling stupid that I'm telling these two idiots where I'm going. Astoria is getting up to leave, "hey dove."
"Drake!" She practically squeals, filled with enthusiasm. "You missed McGonnagall's announcement! We're having a ball! This is so exciting! I need to write to my mother about getting a dress made," she gives me a quick peck and I manage to keep myself from pulling away from her. "You haven't eaten yet, sit and eat. I'll see you in the common room later." With a flip of her blonde hair, she disappears with her sister and Pansy.
The anxious energy emanating from the alphas in the Great Hall is almost tangible. Unable to focus on eating, I leave and step outside into the cold darkness, hoping to clear my head. The absence of pheromones in the fresh air helps calm my alpha. I run my hand through my hair and take a deep breath, enjoying the frigid air piercing my lungs.
Now that I've calmed down, I need to look at the facts. What are the undeniable facts I need to consider?
Granger is a muggle-born, fact.
Granger has a self-proclaimed menstrual cycle, fact.
Granger never has a scent, fact.
I smelled cinnamon and honey in year three when Granger punched me, fact.
I smelled cinnamon and honey in year four after Granger's stint in the library with Krum, fact.
I smelled cinnamon, honey, and amber when Granger was being tortured in my house, fact.
I have never smelled that scent away from Granger, fact.
That scent was in the Great Hall and where Granger just was, fact.
That scent attracted other alphas, fact.
That scent is an omega's scent, fact.
Granger is a muggle-born, fact.
I clench my teeth and massage my forehead with frustration. I hardly ever have the urge to smoke, but right now I'd kill for a cigarette. This whole situation is mind-boggling. Granger can't possibly be an omega, can she? A deep sigh comes from me. I need to release this pent-up energy. Summoning my broom, I hop on and zoom towards the quidditch pitch, flying at breakneck speed until I can barely hold on any longer.