Steam from the shower poured into the bedroom, the bathroom door wide open. Hermione wasn't sure Draco was trying to get her attention until he started singing at the top of his lungs. There was no reason for her to be nervous. She could either ignore him or walk over there and call his bluff. It couldn't go worse than the last time.
"Aren't you going to be late?" Hermione called from the door.
"Trying to get rid of me, Granger?" he sang out.
"Yes, I've grown bored of you already," she joked.
"Rubbish. I'm nothing if not entertaining."
She laughed nervously, still not sure of her next move. Draco had been in the bathroom for well over an hour.
"Granger?" He called out when she took too long to reply. "Come here. I want to show you something."
"I've seen it."
Draco howled with laughter at her reply and turned off the shower. "Fine you win, I'm decent I promise."
Hermione turned the corner to see Malfoy with a towel around his waist and using another to dry his hair. She instinctively looked away, still not used to being allowed to look at him. He threw the smaller towel on the floor and then leaned against the sink; arms crossed. He raised his brow, and she gave a polite smile back. With a huge grin he shook his head and curved his finger to signal for her to come closer.
She was in sight of the mirror when she noticed how many curls escaped from her braid during the night. This was why she needed the bathroom first. Malfoy always looked good the moment he woke up in the morning.
He grabbed the material of her jumper and pulled her the rest of the way to him. Her eyes were aligned with his bare chest, and she looked over the scars that stretched over him. Hermione had felt them before, but she was never in her right mind to pay them much attention. She traced their path gently with her fingers while Draco continued to talk.
"Courtesy of Saint Potter," he supplied. "They look worse than they are."
He turned her to face the mirror and pressed against her back. Hermione huffed and started trying to fix her hair, but Draco's head was in the way as he kissed down her neck. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, not having the strength to deny it. When she opened her eyes, she saw him watching her in the mirror. She stood up straight, putting space between them and turning to sit on the counter.
"You can shower, I don't mind." Draco said casually while he combed and styled his hair.
"Hmm, not everyone is as comfortable with their nudity as you." Hermione leaned back on the mirror to enjoy the view.
"Did you not have to share bathrooms in Gryffindor? I wouldn't be surprised if McGonagall finagled a prefect's bathroom for each of her star students," he poked, waving his comb in her direction.
"My old roommates weren't quite as fit," Hermione replied timidly, earning a small smile. "I'd hope the experience is rather different for you as well."
"Very. Crabbe and Goyle had nothing on you," he said, squeezing her leg for a moment before grabbing the toothpaste.
"Weren't Zabini and Nott in your dorm as well? I didn't notice them around you as much as the others." Hermione asked.
"I've always been closer to Vincent and Greg. I was a bit of a bossy child. Hard to imagine I know," Hermione jaw dropped in shock and Malfoy wrinkled his nose at her. "As we got older, Blaise started to get more serious about everything. Quidditch, girls, The Movement. Took Theo along with him after a while. Us three didn't want any responsibility other than taking classes and jinxing Gryffindors so we drifted apart a bit. We're closer now than we ever were back then, come to think of it."
Hermione rolled her eyes at his statement, but some things he said were questionable to her. "Blaise was more serious about blood purity than you?" She didn't cross paths with Zabini often, but when they were partnered up in class, he was always one of the more enjoyable Slytherins.
Draco nodded, "It was all quidditch and studies up to about fourth year. Started snogging any girl who was willing, which was all of them. And then one day he gave it all up. Said he wanted to focus on practicing dark magic and researching his pureblood history. Got Theo to go along with it early on and then it was the two of them."
"I never knew that. He was always pleasant enough to me," she thought out loud.
"I don't think I could ever fully trust them." He hesitated. "When the Dark Lord first came back, we were all brought in on the same meetings. But he and Theo were still so secretive. We'd come back to the room, and they'd have the door locked and silenced. Or they'd charm their bed drapes shut so that no one would overhear what they were planning in the middle of the night."
Oh Draco.
"There were times we'd all be chatting and sitting around and then they'd just be gone." He shook his head and walked to stand between her legs. "I keep waiting for them to turn me over. If it comes down to it, it'll be me and Goyle versus them."
My beautiful idiot.
"They must be really good at it."
"What?"
"Dark magic. Since they spent so much time training."
Draco snorted, "Blaise is pathetic. Anytime I get punished I hope the Dark Lord will assign him. His cruciatus curse is like a slap on the wrist."
Something seemed to strike him as he finished speaking and he seemed quite pensive for a moment. Hermione blinked a few times, waiting for him to find the truth within his statement. She was more confident in Blaise and Theo's trust, but she had come across more information than him. She doesn't want to see them killed because Draco was paranoid.
"Do you think maybe they thought the same of you? Your home is the headquarters for Voldemort's army. Maybe they were trying to get away from it but didn't want you to suspect them."
Draco was still deep in thought as she finished her statement. It took him a minute to snap out of it and process what she said. He pulled her to the edge of the counter so he could kiss her, running his hand under her shirt to feel her skin.
"Enough of that, I can't leave the suite like this," he said while pulling the small fabric of her shorts to the side to sneak his fingers between her legs. "Not when I've just washed you off me."
Draco kept staring in the direction of Blaise and Theo and Hermione thought her efforts to get him to trust them more had backfired. The two had a way of communicating without saying a word. They spoke and glances and gestures and Draco seemed to be tuning into it. Blaise finished up his conversation with Dolohov and headed out of the room towards the back exit, and Theo headed out the side door shortly after. Draco waited a few moments before grabbing Goyle and followed them.
Hermione at the back of the group, was relieved to find that Blaise and Theo were headed out to the greenhouse rather than a hidden alcove. They heard Malfoy and Goyle approaching and slowed down so the other two boys could catch up.
"Zabini. Always policing people for not checking in when they return from missions, and yet you neglect to greet me," Malfoy said, walking up to his friend.
Blaise huffed, "As if you aren't notified the moment any of us arrive."
Draco smirked in response and continued forward to unlock the door on the greenhouse. Hermione listened from the outside for a bit as the group rotated the ready branches from where they hung into jars. She decided Draco's suspicions were resolved enough to leave when Blaise's comment caught her attention.
"What is all this with Astoria, you really ended your courtship with her?" Blaise asked as he removed several buds from their jar to roll in a piece of parchment.
"Yeah." Draco answered, not inviting the conversation to continue.
"Why? We know it's not actually out of fealty."
"Because I wanted to." Draco snapped.
"Ease off, mate. The less involved she is the better, yeah?" Theo tried to mitigate.
"How is being left up for grabs better? She graduates in the spring, Malfoy. You left her only a few months to find someone new."
"Astoria won't have trouble finding a suitor, Zabini. She's the most sought after in her class, and ours," Goyle snarked in aid of his friend.
"And who is Cyrus going to choose? You know he doesn't care about her wellbeing. He is only interested in the size of the estate." Blaise barked back.
Something snapped in Draco. The expression of annoyance on his face turned into something more malicious.
"Nott can court her. Can't you, Theo? You're the only one out of all of us to not start any arrangements," Draco looked from Theo to Blaise, his expression unforgiving, "She and Pansy never quite got on, but I have a feeling they will have bigger issues to focus on rather than their spouse's mates."
Goyle scoffed, "As if Cyrus would approve his daughter to marry a Nott." Draco shared a humorless laugh with Goyle.
"Speaking of Pansy," he continued as Blaise lit up and took a hit, visibly trying to calm himself. Theo leaned against the wall of the greenhouse a few feet away from him. He looked annoyed but made no effort to defend himself. "I don't think I've ever really seen the connection between the two of you. She's off bedding her Durmstrang bloke any chance she gets, and you are always fucking some slag."
"Watch it, Malfoy." Theo threatened from his spot. The friendly energy was declining, and Hermione felt the rage rippling off them.
"Why?! I am tired of the two of you and your hypocrisy. Interrogating me every chance you get, but merlin fucking forbid anyone ask about what you've been doing."
Blaise balled his fist, taking another drag before tossing the rest on the ground, "We've been doing what we've always done. Staying alive and staying the fuck out of trouble as much as we can." Blaise practically shouted. "The girls don't have such luxury. Tradition doesn't allow them to inherit or run an estate outside of marriage. So even if I shagged every eligible person in England, Pans is still better off than if I were to leave her in the possession of her father. Which is a lot more than you can say for what you've done to Astoria!"
"But Blaise, you two haven't bunked off to pick up slags in weeks. Maybe even months." Blaise's breathing increased and Malfoy walked up to him until he was peering down, nearly bumping chests. "Now it begs the question Zabini, why you have chosen to go celibate rather than take your exceptional pureblood fiancé to bed."
Theo and Goyle had also moved closer, standing to the side of their opposing friends.
Blaise tried to feign annoyance, but Hermione could see fear for the first time in his face since Theo's punishment. He forced a swallow and unclenched his jaw to speak again, "You think I'm hiding something just because I don't try to fuck every pureblood that throws themselves at me?"
Draco turned to look at Theo.
"On the contrary, Zabini," he fixed his gaze back to Blaise, "I have a rather good idea that you are regularly fucking a well acquainted member of the sacred twenty-eight."
Draco didn't have time to move before Theo's fist slammed in the side of his face. Draco swung and hit Blaise before he recovered from his blow and Goyle pulled out his wand and started to throw hexes from over Draco's shoulder. The other boys switched fighting tactics and suddenly, jinx and hexes were flying around the greenhouse.
"Stupefy!"
"Confundo!"
"Stupefy!"
"Expelliarmus!"
Hermione took off at a sprint, not willing to risk getting hit by the spells. She made her way back to their suite and headed straight to the balcony to get a view of the greenhouse.
She felt sick to her stomach. She only brought up Theo and Blaise to ease Draco's suspicion of his friends. Draco had no right to out his friends. To shame them. Her stomach clenched again as she thought of his words, and she forced herself to take deep breaths and not make herself sick.
It had taken Hermione several minutes to get back to the suite on foot and she could see there was no longer anyone around the greenhouse. She was trying to see if there was anyone inside it when she heard a crash coming from the bedroom. Draco had apparated and there was blood dripping from his head.
"Oh my god, are you alright?" She shrieked, throwing open the balcony door. He jumped at the sound of her voice.
"Granger?! Why are you in my room?" He started to lean to the side and then caught himself after stumbling several steps. A confundus charm must have been one of many of the spells that hit him.
"I- yeah. You're bleeding. Can I help you?" She responded, grabbing his middle the second time he started to fall over.
"Not now love, I feel like death." Draco said while still running his hand through her hair. She laughed a little in relief and tried to get him to sit on the trunk at the foot of the bed.
"You look like you said something stupid, and someone deservedly punished you for it," she said mostly to herself. "Wait here I am going to get you a potion from the bathroom." Hermione found the potion she needed to reverse the charms effects and walked back into the room.
"Where are you going?!" She yelled as he walked towards the study door.
"I need a drink. I've got twelve inches to write for Flitwick and I'm not doing it sober."
Hermione groaned and ran to catch up to him before he started to fall over again. She caught up right as he walked through the door.
"Draco, I don't think-"
There was a sound of shattering glass and then Hermione felt a push at her chest as Draco shoved her back through the barrier of the doorway. It was too late. Over Draco's shoulder, she could see Blaise, Theo, and Goyle standing at the drink cart right next to the door. They were not looking at Draco with their shocked expressions. They were looking at her. They saw her.
"Granger." Theo said, dumbfounded.
Silence followed.
"That's Hermione Granger." Goyle said to Draco, as if he was unaware. Draco's lack of response hung in the air between them.
"We were looking for you," Blaise stated darkly.
"Expelliarmus!" Malfoy disarmed his friends and caught their wands with one hand while continuing to point his wand directly at them.
He wavered, and Hermione could tell he was having a difficult time staying focused. She eased through the doorway and lifted the vial of potion to his lips. Not knowing what they were going to do next but reasoned this was the logical first step, she could see the confusion leave his expression as the panic creeped in.
"Malfoy what is-"
"Don't fucking move!" He fixed the grip on his wand. There was no question if his threat was serious. He was panting and Hermione didn't want to startle him in his current state. His friends got the same feeling, and no one made a move.
The next thing she knew, Malfoy pushed his wand in her hand and the adjusted one of the others to fix on his three friends. The weight of it sat in her palm for a few moments before she closed her fist.
Magic. Powerful magic. It coursed through her, more consuming than it did when she found her first wand at Ollivander's. Hermione looked down at her hand and saw that her skin was glowing. All of Malfoy's teasing about his magic and how much it would affect her seemed to be proven true in that moment.
It was fire in her veins.
It was her first time holding a wand since the battle at Hogwarts, but she couldn't let herself relish in the feeling for too long before Malfoy finally spoke.
"Obliviate them."
The boys broke their silence, yelling out their protests. Theo instinctually stepped in front of Blaise.
"Fuck off, Malfoy-"
"We're your friends!"
"Please-"
"Do it!" He said again to her without hesitation.
"No!" Blaise's voice came out choked and threatening as Theo stopped him from stepping forward.
"I can't," she whispered. It took a few seconds for Hermione to find her voice. She had never allowed herself to make a sound in their presence.
"Just this moment. Just about you. Like you did with your parents." He was ordering her. "Do it!" It was the same voice he used as a lead.
She lifted his wand higher towards the group before her mind caught up with her. Hermione didn't blindly follow orders.
"No," She said, shaking her head. "It's too intricate and I've never used this wand before."
"We won't say anything, Malfoy," Blaise vowed, confident as ever. "We swear it."
"You haven't sworn it," Draco stared at his friends with no mercy, "but you will."
The next few moments were critical. Goyle looked between Draco and Blaise, waiting to see who would strike first. Blaise finally gave a single nod of his head before taking a few steps towards Hermione and Draco. Draco kept his wand fixed on him as he came to stand right in front of him.
"I knew you were hiding something," Blaise sneered.
Theo approached to stand beside him, and Hermione had an unobstructed view of them for the first time. Blaise had perfect skin and surprisingly warm eyes, whereas Theo had subtle freckles across his nose and cheeks, his eyes piercing green. Almost like Harry's.
"Lovely to see you again too, Granger," Theo mocked, calling out her staring. She had already forgotten they could see her. He shared a questioning look with Blaise before reaching out his hand to Draco.
"Not to me. To her." He said, stunning them. Theo was first to offer his hand to Hermione.
Hermione quickly glanced at Draco before taking Theo's hand and then Blaise's. "Should we go over it first?" She asked no one in particular.
"I imagine Malfoy has in mind what he wants. We'll either agree to it, or he'll kill us?" Blaise asked, nearly bored.
"Let's get on with it." Theo said impatiently. Goyle still stood farther away, observing.
"Didn't anyone teach you not to go snooping around or you may discover something you don't want to know?" Draco bickered with him.
"You made us come here, Malfoy. We couldn't even get past the door if you did order Neddy to bring us here," Goyle finally spoke up.
The sudden realization made Hermione internally chastise herself. She remembered feeling the wards going off but she had thought it was just her nerves.
Blaise was staring at her, and she felt herself retract under his intense gaze. Maybe Draco was right, and he hated her blood status more than he let on.
A string of light wove between their arms, binding them. Draco looked at Hermione to start the conditions of the vow.
"Do you, uh, Blaise Zabini and Theo Nott- um, Theodore?" She looked from Draco to Theo, who raised a brow before nodding slightly.
"Right, so. Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, do you-"
"Junior." Blaise cut in.
"What?"
"Theodore Nott, Junior." Blaise pronounced as if he was helping her fill out medical forms, and Theo poked his tongue in his cheek.
"Theodore Nott Jr. and Blaise Zabini, do you swear not to do or say anything that will reveal to any person outside of this room of my presence within the Manor? So long as it could put myself or Draco in danger?"
"I do."
"I do."
A ring of fire formed over where each of their hands met.
"And do you swear, to abstain from any activities or actions that could in result lead someone to discovering my presence in the manor, so long as my stay here is a secret?"
"I do."
"I do."
A second ring is formed.
"And will you keep Draco's involvement in my concealment a secret, not to be shared or overheard by anyone outside this room?"
"We will."
A third ring formed. Draco completed the incantation and they settled into their arms. Blaise and Theo pulled their hands back and moved to the side. Goyle gave an annoyed look to Malfoy, but then quickly conceded and took Hermione's hand.
"I, Gregory Goyle, will not tell anyone Hermione Granger is hiding within Malfoy manor, I will not lead or hint to anyone to find out she is hidden within the manor, and I, obviously, would never do anything that would reveal Draco is the one helping you. So long as it is a secret and could put him in danger."
The rings quickly form and set into their arms. Draco gave Goyle an arrogant smirk as his friend walked by him to make a drink.
"Bloody unbreakable vow. Not like I'm your best friend or anything." Goyle complained.
"Can't be too careful, Goyle. If we learned anything today, it's that even the people you consider your closest friends can betray you." The heat in Draco's words sparked up their fight from earlier, and Blaise was the first to shoot back.
"Merlin, betray you!? Who we are really bothers you that much?" Blaise said squaring up again and Hermione held her breath.
"Oh please, I don't care about that. It's the years of deceit. The lies!" Draco shot back, on the verge of yelling again.
Blaise's jaw dropped and Theo just threw his arms out in Hermione's direction. Draco looked between her and his friends.
"This is- that's different."
"I'll fucking say," Theo exasperated. Draco had nothing to say in his defense. It appeared all the Slytherins had something precious they decided to keep hidden away.
"What'd you do to her?" Goyle spoke up after he refilled his drink.
"What do you mean 'what'd I do to her'. She's perfect," he said gesturing towards Hermione, and she returns a tight smile.
"She doesn't speak, Malfoy," Theo said, waving his hand in front of her face. She really needed to get used to people being able to see her.
"She used to talk so much she drove you mad with it unless I'm mistaken. Did know it was possible to fuck someone into-"
"I can speak just fine, Zabini," she said, cutting him off while her cheeks reddened. Theo ran his hand over his mouth to hide his smirk and Goyle was failing in holding back his chuckle from the side of the room.
"What?" Malfoy snapped at him.
"Nothing it's just, Crabbe used to say we could be free of your bickering if you two would just shag it out." Malfoy tried to keep his face schooled, but Hermione could see the corner of his mouth start to betray him. "Good thing he's dead, or I'd be out fifty galleons."
It was a bad joke. A terrible joke really. Hermione covered her mouth to try and muffle her laugh. The tension started to ease a bit right before the Slytherin's narrowed in on her again.
"Now that we can talk freely, why the bloody hell are you here?" Blaise asked Hermione.
"Wards. I can't leave unless Lucius adds me to them."
"Can't leave due to wards that were applied because of your escape? There is a bit of poetry in that." Theo said as he sat on the couch. It was so odd to see others in her space.
"You can go into Malfoy's room?" Blaise asked and she nodded in confirmation. He and Draco share a look while the others think over the statement. "What a mess, Malfoy."
"I don't answer to you, Zabini."
"Nor I to you. I think it's only fair that we know why we took an unbreakable vow so that you could continue to shag a muggleborn."
"We're not shagging, you arsehole." Hermione snapped and Blaise grinned when she took the bait.
"You mean to tell us you are shacking up with Malfoy, and the relationship between you is strictly platonic?" Theo chimed in next.
Hermione crossed her arms and looked away. She met Draco's eyes for a moment before she felt the blood rush to her cheeks. She turned back to defend herself and saw Theo sitting with a shit eating grin and Blaise looking smug as ever.
Snakes. Both of them.
"Don't bother, Granger. They'll keep it up as long as you let them." Goyle muttered as he walked by her to sit.
"How did you all end up here anyways?" She asked, trying to change the subject. She walked to lean against the mantle of the fireplace.
"Had a duel with Malfoy and he got hit a little too hard. Neddy brought us up here so we could finish our conversation in private." Blaise answered casually, and she had to ask.
"Why were you dueling?"
"Ah, Blaise and Malfoy were just fighting again about…" Goyle paused, realizing his error. "Something."
"Something?" She questioned with her brow raised.
"Just a miscommunication," Malfoy answered, walking up behind her, and stopping just short of where he normally would.
"A miscommunication." Blaise confirmed. "But I understand now."
"A miscommunication with long, blond hair?" Hermione asked, knowingly.
It was Blaise's turn to be surprised, "Uhm, yeah."
She nodded, "I think we had the same one."
"Yeah… We'll figure it out. Maybe Nott Jr. here will earn a bride after all." Blaise said with a wink to Theo.
"You can't be serious? You are not actually still planning on marrying Pansy?" Draco scoffed.
"Of course I am, why wouldn't I?" Blaise said as if it were obvious.
"Wouldn't it be more practical if you just, I don't know, married each other?" Draco stated bluntly and Hermione jabbed him with her elbow. Theo and Blaise, for as much as they liked to poke at others, started to look increasingly uncomfortable.
"Don't be stupid Malfoy," Blaise barked at him.
"The Dark Lord isn't approving of any marriages anyways," Goyle threw in.
"Not now, but he has to eventually. Actually, his aversion to marriage is mostly children and that doesn't apply to you two. You may be one of the only betrothals he'd approve of now." Malfoy offered again.
"Malfoy. Shut up." Theo said with no humor in his voice.
"All of you shut up." Goyle snapped while he threw a small jar on Blaise's lap. "Roll us one. If you're going to torture me with these conversations, I'm not doing it sober."