A/n:

I'm so sorry guys! I was so overwhelmed by the Christmas Holiday that I missed Sunday.

Theo is finally having a bigger part in the story and I'm so excited. This is one of my favourite chapters and I hope you will enjoy it as well!

It was early in the morning and Potions was the first lesson of the day. Hermione and Neville were never late, but it was their unlucky day as Peeves decided to prank them and steal their belongings. Only when the Bloody Baron showed up to help them did they retrieve their belongings and rush to the Potions classroom.

They were relieved to find that Professor Snape was not there when they arrived. As they regained their breath, they searched for any unoccupied desks in the classroom. There were two spots left at two separate tables, one next to Theodore Nott, and the other one next to Draco Malfoy.

Hermione's eyes danced between the two empty spots. It should've been an easy choice. Never in her right mind should she ever choose to stand next to Draco. Back before Christmas, they had an unspoken understanding, no one should know that they were meeting in secret. In the public eye, he was the bully and they loathed each other. Putting herself next to Draco was essentially walking into a trap, a trap of gossip and scandals. Thus the spot next to Draco should never be a choice, even if they were on good terms, which they clearly weren't.

Yet, she found herself struggling to move towards Theodore Nott.

If she took that seat, Neville would have to join Draco, and Neville never liked Draco.

She took another deep breath to ease her panting. Perhaps she just needed more time to recover from sprinting into the classroom.

Excuses were shooting across her mind, and at the worst time possible, Draco Malfoy turned around. Their eyes met again, and nothing good happened when she looked into his eyes.

Hermione had spent the whole summer erasing every ounce of confusion, doubt and disappointment that Draco Malfoy had unknowingly gifted her. She kept telling herself that she had to stop thinking about him and guard herself from being afflicted by anything about him.

And yet she was once again under the spell, or curse of Draco Malfoy.

She told herself she should resent him with every cell in her body. But when their eyes met, she swore she could see the mellowness in his eyes, and she wanted to ask him why he was looking at her in such ways.

So I bet it's a matter of time before one of them's killed. This time… I hope it's Granger.

Then again, his words struck her heart. He had said those words in the comfort of his house common room, and in front of his "loyal friends". She wasn't supposed to be the topic of their conversation, and Harry and Ron never once brought up her name. Draco was the one who mentioned her name and dragged it through the mud. She never expected him to say nice things about her in front of others, but was it really necessary for him to be so cruel and cold-hearted?

She once believed Draco Malfoy was hiding behind a mask, but now she wasn't sure if he was wearing his mask just to deceive her.

"Hermione… Hermione!" Neville finally caught her attention and she looked at him, a bit dumbstruck. "I can sit with Malfoy. You can take the one next to Nott."

She blinked a few times while trying to process what Neville was suggesting. On one hand, she was glad someone had made her choice for her, however on the other she wished she could dwell on the choices a bit longer. "But it's Malfoy, Neville. Are you sure-"

"I'll be fine, Hermione. It's all just heartless jokes really. It'll be better for you to stay with Nott though. He's known for being more open-minded."

Neville gave her the warmest smile and went over to Draco's desk, leaving Hermione standing in her tangled thoughts. She watched Neville place down his textbook and slightly adjust away from Draco. As for Draco, he turned his back on her as soon as Neville moved towards his desk. She swore she saw him furrowed before he turned, but she didn't understand why.

She took another deep breath, there's nothing I can do now, and moved herself to the space next to Theodore Nott.

Unknowingly to Hermione, Theo looked over to Draco to give him a sad, pathetic look, before smirking mischievously at him. Draco swore he would have punched him if they weren't in the classroom.

The lesson went on smoothly and the students were tasked to make a Wiggenweld Potion as revision.

While they were making the potion, Hermione noticed a few things about Theodore Nott. Unlike Draco, he was not too enthusiastic about learning. She was almost certain that if someone else was teaching, he would be doodling most of the time. However, he was not at all gullible. She could tell from the way he handled himself and the lesson task that he was a brilliant wizard. It was quite unfortunate that pursuing knowledge was not his passion.

But of course, the most noticeable aspect of Theodore Nott was how attractive he was. Hermione had heard quite a bit of gossip about him, but she never realised exactly how charming he was until she sat next to him. At one point during the lesson, Hermione was peeking at Theodore's potion and when he noticed her stare, he returned the most gorgeous smile. He might not be her type, but she completely understood why he was so popular among the girls.

"Excuse me, Hermione… Is it okay if I call you Hermione? I think I need some help." Theodore suddenly asked when she was preparing to add Honeywater into her brew. She was a bit startled by his approach. She never foresaw him asking her any questions, let alone how polite he was to ask for permission to call her by her first name. As a pure-blood Slytherin, he was surprisingly nice to her, perhaps a bit overly nice.

She looked over and saw the Flobberworm Mucus in his hand. "Of course, what do you need?"

He smiled at her reply, "I'm not quite sure about how much Flobberworm Mucus I should add."

Slytherin or not, Hermione didn't like giving cold-shoulders, especially when Theo was being awfully polite. She walked over to Theodore's side and explained to him what to do with his potion. Little did she know Draco had been observing their interaction.

Theo had brewed Wiggenweld Potion more times than Draco ever did. It was basically impossible for him to not know the steps of brewing this potion. The closer the two got the more annoyed Draco was, and he was certain that Theo was doing this on purpose.

"Focus, Draco." A sudden smack on his head from Professor Snape caught him off guard, only to realise he was so distracted that he didn't even notice his brew had almost boiled over.

"Sorry, sir," he murmured and returned his focus to his potion unwillingly.

"Shrinking Solution. Poisonous if brewed incorrectly. You will have to grow your own ingredients and brew the potion by Christmas." A few gasps let out upon hearing those words. The Professor shot them an intense gaze and everyone quieted down. "You will be working in pairs and, for simplicity, your partner will be the one stationed next to you right now."

It wasn't much of a big deal for most students since they usually sat next to their friends, all except for Hermione and Neville and their respective partners.

Hermione started to panic. Sitting next to Theodore was one thing, but doing a project with a pure-blood Slytherin was completely different. He might be more open-minded than the rest of the pure-bloods, but who knew if he was also wearing a deceiving mask, just like Draco.

Professor Snape gave them a few more instructions regarding the project before dismissing the class. Hermione waited as most of the students left the classroom before turning towards Theodore.

"Okay, so uh… we're in the same group now, and I guess we will have to plant things and brew potions together," Hermione said nervously.

"Guess you're stuck with me," Theodore replied with a smile. Sometimes she wondered if she was too credulous, which got herself hurt by Draco in the first place, but somehow Theodore's smile had instantly wiped away her insecurity.

"Well, we're having Herbology next, and I'm sure Professor Sprout will give us the information we need… We should discuss a plan, like when to seed and who's gonna take turns taking care of the plants… Maybe we should prepare more ingredients for a trial…"

It took her a few seconds to realise that Theodore had been watching her quietly and that her excitement had gotten the best of her, again. Her cheeks flared up and she chuckled at her own embarrassment, "Sorry, I sometimes get a little bit overly excited about schoolwork."

Theodore laughed, "You don't need to apologise. You're the genius. I'm more than lucky to have you as my partner. So, what do you say, discussion in the library after dinner on Thursday?"

Hermione's face lit up with the prettiest smile, "That will be great. Thank you, Theodore."

"Just Theo."

"Okay, Theo. I'll see you around."

Theo nodded in reply and she left the classroom blooming in happiness.

As soon as Hermione left, Theo turned around to face the boy who was leaning behind the pillar. "It's official. I am having a date with Granger on a Thursday night. As for you, have fun with Quidditch and Longbottom."

"Another word and I'll jinx you, Nott," Draco said with flames in his eyes while holding his wand.

"Nah, you better not. I don't think Granger will be pleased if she loses her partner," Theo teased and dashed out of the classroom before Draco could do anything to him.

Thursday night. Theo knew exactly how to push Draco's buttons. Would he actually follow them to the library if he was free? He wasn't quite sure either. He wondered if they would exchange anything besides the school project and, if so, would he ever be mentioned? After all, he was Theo's friend.

What the hell's wrong with me? Draco shrugged at his thoughts and tried his best to shake away the image of Hermione.

There was still time before the next lesson. Draco placed his belongings on a desk and walked into Snape's supply room. He took his time measuring out ingredients for a brew tasked by the Potions Master. That was the only way for him to clear out his mind.

It was another beautiful morning and students were enjoying the unlimited breakfast.

"Why would anyone choose Divination?" said Draco while flipping through his Arithmancy textbook.

"Hello? We are sitting right in front of you," Blaise frowned.

Draco rolled his eyes, "It's stupid. How is looking at tea leaves even legitimate?"

"Cause it's easier, dude. Not everyone is a smartarse like you," even Pansy got irritated, just when the trio finished their breakfast and left together for class. "See, even the Mudblood is taking Divination."

Granger? "That's a new low for her," Draco said with bewilderment.

"Enough about Divination. We're having Care of Magical Creatures after lunch, and I still don't know how to open the fricken book while keeping my fingers intact," Theo exclaimed.

Draco went on his way to the Arithmancy Classroom while his friends proceeded to the North Tower for Divination after breakfast.

Draco settled down in a back-row seat and did some pre-lesson reading until Professor Septima Vector arrived. Just when the professor was about to start the lesson, the classroom door opened and someone came rushing in.

"There you are, Miss Granger. Please take a seat and we will start the lesson."

Draco almost shot up from his seat upon hearing her name. He didn't expect to see Hermione in Arithmancy. He thought she was taking Divination with her stupid friends. His heart seemingly ran a bit faster when he realised they were taking the same class together.

His eyes followed Hermione as she placed herself in the front row and opened her textbook. There weren't many who took the class. The empty seats left a clear view for Draco and he watched her closely.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her hair went a bit wild, messier than how she looked when she left the Great Hall. Her breathing was rather rapid, probably because she had run to the classroom.

Why did she leave with her friends after breakfast? Why didn't she come directly to Arithmancy?

Then it occurred to him. She left the Great Hall with none other than Harry Potter. The rumoured couple left together before classes and returned with pink cheeks and hasty breath.

Draco wished he hadn't imagined the scene, but his brain seemed to have its own opinions. Even numbers couldn't stop him from picturing Hermione with Harry Sodding Potter and he didn't like it one bit.

Things were better when Draco got back with his friends. For once he found their noisy chit-chatting enjoyable as their voices flooded his brain and ears.

Soon after lunch, all year three students followed Hagrid, their new Care of Magical Creatures professor, to a paddock near his hut. Their first task was to open their textbook, The Monster Book of Monsters, and they all went speechless when they realised they had to stroke its spine to open it.

While the students were busy dealing with their monstrous textbooks, Hagrid went into the woods and brought out a magnificent creature. "Hippogriff! Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid roared with pride while leading it closer to the students. Everyone held their breath as they watched the Hippogriff tossing its fierce head and flexing its powerful wings.

"This is Buckbeak, everyone. Hippogriffs are very proud creatures and they are easily offended," Hagrid explained. He tossed a large fish to Buckbeak and it caught it swiftly. "Now, let's learn how to approach a Hippogriff. Who'd like to go first?"

Everyone immediately drew backwards, leaving Harry and Hermione standing in the centre. It took them seconds to realise they were being "volunteered", and perhaps Harry was standing closer to the fence, he was being called out by Hagrid.

Hermione instinctively grabbed Harry by the wrist. He swallowed hard and gave her hand a pat, "It's going to be alright. Just help me hold my book would you?"

Hermione gave him one more look of concern before taking over his book and stepped aside.

Everyone watched in silence as Harry approached Buckbeak and bowed. They all gasped when Buckbeak took a step forward, but then sank its knees and returned the gesture, giving Harry the permission to touch its beak. Everything happened so fast and before he knew it, Harry was riding Buckbeak and flying around Hogwarts.

Everyone cheered and watched them soar across the Great Lake, all except a few Slytherins standing at the back.

"Why is it always Harry Potter? It's like everyone is trying to kiss his arse." Pansy scowled.

Draco didn't comment. His mind was still lingering on the image of when Hermione reached for Harry's hand. He didn't want to admit the fact that the two of them did look like a real couple, and more importantly, he didn't dare to confess his feelings of envy and bitterness.

It took about five minutes for Buckbeak to return and lower Harry safely to the ground. Hagrid gave Harry a firm pat on the back, "Great job Harry. He isn't as scary as you think, is he? Alright, Hermione, you're up next. Come and say hello."

Hermione was too stunned to speak when she heard her name. She looked over to Harry for help but all she saw was his excitement. She scoffed at her stupidity. Why would she expect someone like Harry, who loved flying on broomsticks, to help her?

Harry came over and took the textbooks from her hands, "It's okay, Mione. I promise you'll love it."

Hermione looked around the paddock for help but only found her friends cheering for her.

No one understands.

She scanned the crowd one more time, hoping to find someone who could take her place. There was a moment she thought she noticed someone was looking at her sympathetically, but to her disappointment, people loved to watch drama rather than be in the act.

She took a deep breath and steadied herself.

It's going to be fine, she repeated to herself.

Just when she found the courage to take a step forward, a sharp, furious voice screamed across the field. "Are you serious? You are letting a Mudblood touch a Hippogriff?"

"Pansy…" Draco hissed under his breath as he reached for her arm but she immediately swung him away.

"To be honest, I don't see how dangerous this thing can be. If she is allowed to touch it, why can't I?" Pansy ranted and strode towards Buckbeak.

Draco tried to stop Pansy in her tracks, but failed without realising how determined she was. He could already sense the danger from Buckbeak's glaring eyes as she was approaching it. He dashed towards Pansy and pulled her away, but he was not fast enough. Buckbeak reared and exposed his steely talons.

Everything happened so quickly, and in the very next moment, Draco was lying on the ground screaming in pain, blood gushing from his arm. Hagrid bolted in front of Buckbeak and pulled it to the side, trying to calm the provoked giant.

Hermione's body went cold with dread when she saw the amount of blood pouring from Draco's wound. Her heart thundered in her chest, so loud that her heartbeat was all that she could hear.

Hermione used to think she could do anything. Never had she felt so small and useless until the accident unfolded in front of her very eyes. She crawled through her memories for any useful spells. Episkey was the only charm she could think of, but she doubted its effectiveness against such a serious injury.

Draco's blood continued to spread along his white shirt. She should stop the bleeding first, but Hermione didn't know any spells for that. She tried recalling the first-aid lessons she took a few years ago.

Put pressure on the wound and elevate it above his heart. He needs bandages.

Finally, another spell came to mind.

Ferula could do the trick. Maybe Episkey as well just for whatever tricks it could do.

Hermione pulled out her wand and stumbled towards Draco, while reciting the procedure over and over again in her head. Just before she reached him, a small figure jumped before her.

"Don't you even dare, you filthy Mudblood," Pansy put herself in front of Draco, blocking Hermione from approaching.

Hermione felt a surge of raging anger. She gazed at the helpless blond on the ground before shooting Pansy a deadly look, "Fine then. If he bleeds out, that's on you."

"Alright you two, step aside," Hagrid put himself in front of the two girls and lifted Draco. "You'll be fine, young man. Class is dismissed," Hagrid commanded and they left the paddock in a hurry. Pansy and her friends followed Hagrid closely while the other students slowly returned to the castle.

Hermione retreated next to Harry while clenching her wand.

She could've stopped the bleeding and helped ease his pain. She should've hexed Pansy when she got in her way. She shouldn't have left Draco unattended.

The spot where Draco lay was tinted crimson red. Hermione took a deep breath. The dry, metallic scent lingered in her throat and sank into her lungs.