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     Hermione was vigorously reading Hogwarts: A History. She had read it more times than she could remember, she’d even memorized it but it still brought her comfort, and right now for some reason she felt like she needed it. After reading for a majority of the ride and shutting out Ron and Harry who were prattling on about Quidditch, Hermione realized she should probably at least talk to them. She put her book down with care as she  stared out the window of the Hogwarts Express, watched the greenery outside before turning to her two best friends. She was pleased they were here as were Ginny and the rest of their friends, though it took a lot of her convincing for Harry and Ron to do so. They were less than ecstatic to return to school, to say the least. 

     “This is gonna be a good year. Yeah?” Ron said, drawing her from her thoughts. “No one’s trying to kill us...no one’s trying to overthrow the wizarding world….no giant spiders.” He swallowed at the last phrase like he was praying he was right, maybe even trying to convince himself. No giant spiders. He couldn’t handle any more giant spiders. 

     Despite breaking things off with Ron during the summer, they agreed to remain friends. They had given it a go and it just didn’t feel natural. If her Fifth-year self saw her now, dumping Ronald Weasley, it wouldn’t be pretty. She clung to the idea that she was happy to return to Hogwarts with her two best friends, not a best friend and strained relationship. It will feel like every other year. She told herself this repeatedly. Hopefully less attempted murder but still, like every other year. 

     Hermione released her bottom lip from between her teeth and opened her mouth to answer Ron but Harry beat her to it, ready to affirm his best friend. 

     “Yeah. No giant spiders or mass murderers, Ron.” He joked and then shifted his weight to look at Hermione. “Besides, it has to be a good year, because Hermione's Head Girl, we will never get in trouble. It’s brilliant, if you ask me.” He grinned crookedly at her, hoping she would agree to their obvious request of immunity but instead of an agreement, a scoff left Hermione's mouth.

     “Harry Potter. Don’t even. I have no qualms about throwing you or Ronald in detention even though he’s a prefect and you’re-”

     “But Hermione, I’m the Boy Who Lived! I defeated Voldem-“

     “Yes,” Hermione cut him off, “even though you’re the Boy Who Lived”, she chided. “Honestly Harry, how can you ask that I don’t do my job as Head Girl right? I take it very seriously.” She narrowed her eyes and it was obvious to Harry and Ron that she wasn’t budging on this, for now. They exchanged a glance to agree on trying to convince her for immunity later. 

     She had felt honored to receive Professor McGonagall’s letter announcing she had been selected to be Head Girl for this school year, well, excited is a slight stretch, she had actually screamed out loud when she read it. It was an accomplishment she has been dreaming about since First Year. She went straight to Ron to see if he had a shiny new Head Boy pin, but before she could even get a word out, he held up the Prefect’s badge. 

     She had been wondering from that moment who could McGonagall have chosen. Maybe they’re from a different house, like Ravenclaw. Maybe it’s Michael Corner. She was soon pulled out of her thoughts by the familiar landscape outside the window. 

     “We’re almost there. I should change into my robes and start telling the other students to do the same.” She suddenly stood and collected her books and trinkets before tossing them into her bag. “I’ll see you at the Welcoming Feast.” Hermione said to the two boys as she picked up the badge and pinned it to her backpack. 

     About five minutes later, she emerged in her uniform. She ran her hands down the fabric to straighten out her robes and skirt and hopefully steady her shaking hands. Hermione moved down the train to poke around, looking for a shiny badge that matched her own, which was now pinned to the front of her uniform.

     She searched for the Head Boy but the gleam of the badge was nowhere to be seen. She clenched her jaw slightly and let out a sharp breath. Hermione got uncomfortable every time she didn’t know something that directly applied to her. It was another thing that could go wrong. The Express soon came to a stop which shook Hermione out of her cloud of thoughts and put her into action. She started to guide the First Years out of the train and towards the boats. The rest of the prefects helped with the other years and their transportation. 

     The feast and Sorting Ceremony went as planned, even though the entire time she was glancing towards the Great Hall doors like she was waiting for something, anything, but it never came. After she made sure everyone was back in their Houses, Hermione walked through the halls towards the Head Boy and Girl common room. 

     She felt a little twinge in her stomach at the idea of not heading back to the familiar Gryffindor Tower with all of her friends, but Hermione knew that she and the Head Boy would inevitably get along. Harry’s parents had. She approached the portrait and gave a warm smile before saying the password. She took three steps before she found herself standing behind Draco Malfoy, of all people. He was sitting by the fireplace, her fireplace, making himself at home. Hermione clenched her fists, ready to demand to know why he was lurking around her common room. 

     “What are you doing here?”, she huffed out in a shrill tone. Malfoy lifted his eyes from the book he was holding, a look of deep inconvenience etched across his face.

     “Fancy seeing you here, Granger.”, he sneered at her. His Head Boy badge pinned adjacent to his Slytherin patch. 

     “Fancy seeing me here?”, Hermione scoffed and took a step closer to the couch, her couch, that he was spread out on. “This is the Heads common room and I am the Head Girl, after all, of course I’d be here.” She crossed her arms over her chest. 

     “Well, Granger, as it happens, I am the Head Boy”. He gave her a smug look as he flicked the metal badge on his robes, “and I have as much right as you to be here. In our common room”. He seemed pleased by the look of absolute shock and displeasure that crossed the Head Girl’s face. “And I obviously knew you were the Head Girl, I mean, it was to be expected.”, Malfoy sniggered at her 

     “What’s that supposed to mean?”, she snapped, insisting a proper answer to his tease. Actually, she thought, he is just trying to grate her nerves, the answer is meaningless.  “You know what? Don’t answer that. What I would like to know it’s where you were tonight while I was doing both of our duties for the Welcoming Feast.”

     Malfoy’s eyes flashed with something unreadable before he answered, “I was rather occupied with other matters.”, he simply shrugged. “Besides, I’m sure you had it all under control.” Hermione bristled at his vague response. 

     “It doesn’t matter if I had it under control or not. You have duties as Head Boy and if you’re not going to fulfill them, you leave me no choice but to talk to Professor McGonagall about it”. She spoke with a snotty attitude and jutted her chin out, attempting to create an air of authority. She was becoming more frustrated by the minute. 

     “By all means, Granger, be my guest.” Malfoy gave her an irritatingly laid back smile before he returned to his reading.

     An inhuman sound emerged from Hermione's throat before she stomped her foot on the ground like a petulant child and stormed out of the portrait. She marched in the direction of the Headmistress’s Office, her footsteps echoed loudly through the now almost vacant hallways. 

     What was Miner- Professor McGonagall thinking? How could she choose Malfoy to be the Head Boy? They would have to share a common room and actually be forced to communicate for Head duties. There was no way he was going to agree to anything she said. He was incorrigible, and there was no way they would make it out this year in one piece.

     Once she was in front of the Gargoyle that led to the Headmistress’s Office, she stood there, contemplating the password. Hermione opened her mouth to speak but the Gargoyle simply moved, letting her step into the staircase and left her in front of the office doors. Before she could knock, the doors opened with a groan. 

     “You may come in, Miss Granger”. Professor McGonagall’s voice echoed from her office calling for the young witch to join her. When Hermione entered, the old witch was sitting in her chair with a quill in hand. She waved a hand at the chairs in front of her desk as she eyed Hermione from behind her glasses.

     “Good evening”, Professor McGonagall spoke again. “I was expecting you. I trust you found your new dormitory to your liking. The house elves have worked very hard for your arrival-”

     “About my liking… I wanted to discuss something with you, Headmistress.”, Hermione said quickly, her eyes also widening with the realization that she had just cut off the older witch. She immediately overcorrected with a polite and calm tone. “With all due respect, Professor, how could you ever see it in your right mind to make Draco Malfoy Head Boy?”. She moved to sit in the plush crimson chair that absorbed her. 

     “He was a Death Eater who, may we not forget, let his kind into the castle in Sixth year, he didn’t fight at the Battle of Hogwarts, he has the worst attitude of anyone I’ve ever met and he failed to perform his Head duties this evening at the feast.” Hermione continued without a single breath being let in. “I’m sure there are plenty of boys at this school who can do a better job than him.” She finally took a deep breath into her lungs which burned slightly from exertion. Her thoughts became much more clear now that she had said everything. 

     Anyone but him, Hermione practically begged. 

     The older witch pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “I truly am sorry to hear about Mr. Malfoy’s absence at the feast.” She gave Hermione a gentle smile, “I am sure there must be a logical explanation and I will meet with him this week to see if there is any reason that is keeping him from performing his duties.” She shifted in her chair and it creaked softly, Hermione knew there was a but coming. 

     “However, Miss Granger,” she winced, there it was, “you must understand I always strive to do what is right for the school and you two were the best choices for Head Boy and Girl”, Minerva pressed her lips into a thin line before resuming, “and if you have any differences, I advise you work them out. It would be ideal for you two to become amicable.” She placed the quill back in its holder before she folded her hands together. “I am sure it would promote house unity throughout the school.”

     Hermione held in a laugh of despair. This had to be a joke. House unity? How do you achieve house unity with a Death Eater?! Hermione knew better than to question the wise witch and sighed. “You know I always trust your judgement, Professor, I really do.” She took a deep breath and caught her bottom lip between her teeth. She was quiet for a few moments before speaking, “I will try my best to make this work.”

     “I am very glad to hear that, Miss Granger. It’s good to see you and I hope you have a good night.”, said McGonagall, her eyes and posture warm. 

     Hermione gave her a quick nod as she stood from the chair, albeit, with some struggle. She exited the Headmistress’s Office and started to walk back to her dormitories while her thoughts ran rampant. Why him? Out of everyone, why him? Blaise Zabini was a Slytherin. That was house unity. Why- 

     “Come on, Hermione”, she said to herself out loud. “Professor McGonagall did this for a reason. You can do this. If anyone can, it’s you.”, she nodded in affirmation before continuing up the stairs with a new wave of energy. She was willing to make an effort. Yet she could only hope Malfoy was as interested in avoiding conflict as she was.

     Once she stepped through the portrait, she noticed Malfoy had retired to his bedroom, his door closed and lights off. Hermione took that as a moment to take a breath. She could do this. Couldn’t she? She gnawed at her bottom lip as she made herself a cup of tea. She cupped the warm mug in her hands and gave a final glance to Malfoy's door before moving to her own. As she opened it and saw the bags strewn over the room, it dawned on her that she didn’t have time to unpack. Yet at this point, she was too exhausted to do it at this hour or even think about where she would place her belongings. 

     “Accio Pyjamas”, she mumbled and set down her mug. She got changed and then moved to sit on the window bench with her steaming tea in hand. She stared up at the night sky, mentally recalling all the constellations she knew as she finished off the mug. She glanced down at the loose tea leaves and let out a scoff. 

     “I despise divination, honestly”, she mumbled before blowing away the obvious shape from the loose tea leaves. 

     The Cat- Beware of trouble caused by treachery.  

     Hermione moved towards the bed and put the mug down on her nightstand before pulling the covers back and settling under the sheets. She fell asleep before her head could even properly hit the pillow. 

Chapter Text

     Hermione woke up the next morning earlier than usual, as the birds had yet to even start making noise. She felt eager to start the day and Crookshanks seemed to share that sentiment as he pawed at her face to wake her. 

     “Mmh. Crooks please. I’m getting up”, she grumbled and pushed the orange cat away slightly as she sat up. She rubbed her eyes and looked around at the almost fully packed room. No time like the present. She stretched her arms up above her head before she stalked towards the bathroom at a torturously slow pace, hoping to stay quiet and not wake Malfoy. 

     Once she was back in her room and dressed, she started to unpack her trunk, taking her time to place each book with care on the shelves. Once they were placed, her next mission was to try and fix the way the shelves dipped with just the sheer weight of the books. She was unsuccessful and gave up officially around half an hour when her stomach let out a low rumbling noise. 

     She let out a sigh of defeat and exited the sanctuary of her room in the direction of the common room’s kitchen, where she found Malfoy leaning back against the counter, an apple in hand. She could be civil. 

     “Good morning”, she greeted with an attempted cheerfulness that she was sure fell short. Malfoy simply ignored her, not looking up from his reflection in the unblemished apple, most likely couldn’t stop staring at himself. 

     Hermione took a deep breath and tried again. “Tea?” She lifted the muggle kettle she had requested from the house elves. “I’m making some for myself and I think we should talk.” When he yet again didn’t respond, she continued. “About setting ground rules for the dorm since we will be living together for the rest of the year and I don’t quite fancy the idea of y-”

     “Fine”, was all he said, effectively cutting her off. His eyes left the apple and found hers, his permanent scowl still stuck on his face even though she had just graciously offered him tea. Prick. 

     After she made the tea and they were both sitting at the kitchen table, she started on her lingering list of questions she had thought of in the shower. She knew the answer to the first one but just needed another verbal confirmation. 

     “Are you really the Head Boy? This isn’t a joke?” She leaned forward, her elbows on the table and Malfoy looked up at her again, his grey eyes harshly digging into her. They looked bored with her repeated questions. 

     “Cross my heart, Granger”, he said slowly, very obviously talking down to her as his hand raised to trace a soft ‘X’ over his heart. He then leaned back in his chair on its two back legs and took a sip of his tea and continued, “Believe me, I want to be here as much as you want me to be here.” This for some reason enraged Hermione even more. 

     “If you don’t even want it, why would you say yes?!” She sputtered like he just said the most egregious thing ever, and in her mind, he did. 

     “You say this like I had a choice. Would you ever say no to McGonagall?” He raised a blond eyebrow in her direction, knowing the answer was a firm no. 

     “I guess that’s all the confirmation I needed.” She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. “Well, yours and Professor McGonagall’s” Hermione said, like that was supposed to be obvious. Malfoy decided to finally sit up straight again, the chair creaking when the two front legs hit the ground. 

     “Oh, speaking of which,” He leaned forward on his elbows, edging closer to her over the small table. “I received a letter from McGonagall this morning, asking me to meet with her this afternoon to talk about my absence at the Welcoming Feast. I guess I have to thank you for that.”, Malfoy jibed. 

     “Well, it is true.” Hermione protested, leaning backwards to increase the space he had just breached. “You were absent, and besides, did you really expect me not to say anything to Professor McGonagall? It is my duty as a Head Girl to report any students who aren’t fulfilling their duties, Head Boy included.” She jutted her chin out slightly like she was waiting for him to challenge her. When it never came, she continued, “But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. We need to set some rules if we’re going to coexist as Heads for the rest of the school year, since we share a living space and all.”

     Malfoy held in an incredulous eye roll before taking another sip. “Go ahead then, Granger”. As he placed his mug back on the kitchen table, the large orange cat hopped up onto it, moving to stretch out in the middle like he owned it. 

     “I think we should meet once a week to write down and arrange the Prefect’s reports for McGonagall and assign patrols.” She said quickly, remembering to add the next part before she lost her nerve. “Also, no mingling with friends in this common room or bringing whoever your new girlfriend of the month might be. If you want to do any of that, you can do it somewhere else.” She let out a breath once it was out there, her hand mindlessly going to run through Crookshanks’ fur. 

     “Fine by me, Granger. Whatever you say”, he said sarcastically, “but the same goes to you. I don’t want to see Scarhead or Weaselbee hanging around here. Place’s tainted enough by that ugly bloody cat.” His tone was laced with the same amount of disgust that crossed his features as he eyed the animal on the table. 

     Before she could reply and defend poor Crookshanks, he was standing and heading to the portrait without another word, leaving her in silence. 

     Hermione only had a class left before lunch. She had always enjoyed Charms with Professor Flitwick and this year was no exception. She sat in the front,  her quill splattering ink all over her hands with the speed she was copying every word he spoke. It was a nice distraction from the unfortunate living situations she would be forced to return to.

     After she exited the classroom with Neville, they walked towards the Great Hall Entrance. Her eyes scanned the room quickly but she caught herself before they had reached the Slytherin table. She rolled her shoulders back and then moved to sit at the Gryffindor table with Ginny, Harry and Ron, who had already started eating. Before she could even reach for food, Ginnys’ elbow landed firmly on her ribs. 

     “Ow!”, Hermione said and put a hand over where she had been jabbed, her other hand reaching to still collect food. Ginny was staring at her expectantly, waiting for what seemed like an answer to a question. 

     When none came from Hermione, the redhead then spoke, “How is your new dorm?”, her voice was full of excitement, ready for the gossip Hermione would inevitably give. Even though Hermione refused to call it gossip, she believed Lavender and the Patil twins gossiped enough for everyone. “Who is the Head Boy? I haven’t seen him around, I think.” She leaned forward on her hand.

     Hermione glanced in her direction before letting out a sigh. “It’s Malfoy”. Her words were barely audible but the entire table had heard nonetheless. 

     Ginny, Harry and Ron stopped eating, looked up and spoke at the same time, “Malfoy?!”. Ginny was the first one to speak separately after their joined confusion. 

     “If I were you, I would’ve hexed him the moment I stepped through that portrait. Please tell me you did that.” Her brown eyes were lit up with the idea of hexing Malfoy silly. 

     “I didn’t, obviously, though I should have. I thought it was a joke or something.” She huffed as her fork stabbed the food in front of her with more aggression than necessary. “I even went to Professor McGonagall’s Office and she said this is what the school needs right now, whatever that means”. 

     On the opposite side of the Great Hall, at the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy was gesturing angrily and talking, well, complaining to Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson.

     “She’s such a bitch.” He scowled and ran a hand through his hair, attempting to steady his gesturing hands and regain control. “She had no right to complain to McGonagall. You know what the old hag told me? She said if I fail in my duty as Head Boy one more time, she will be taking my badge.” He scoffed, “Ridiculous”.

     Pansy was the first to speak up, her hand reaching across the table to rest over his in an almost possessive manner. “Yeah. She’s truly wretched. So swotty. She has nothing better to do.” Pansy scoffed and Theo snorted.

     “Could be worse, yeah? You could be living with Pansy, for Salazar's sake.” Theo snickered and leaned out of the way of the incoming swat of the Slytherin’s manicured claws. 

     “Shut it, Theodore.” She hissed at him before turning her attention back to Draco. She squeezed his hand but he pulled it from under her grip to grab his water. He raised the cup to his lip before lowering it again. He had decided he wasn’t done complaining. 

     “I can’t explain it. She’s just-” He huffed and raised the cup to his lips once more. 

     “It’s only day two and she’s driving me insane.” He drank the water, finally finished complaining. For lunch at least. 

     A week later at the Gryffindor table, Hermione took a deep breath and ran both her hands through her curls, trying to tame them down but inevitably making them worse. She had been so strained with Malfoy. They had barely said four words to each other all week and he was always lurking. Everytime she wanted to shower he had already claimed it and every time she stepped into the kitchen he was already there eating breakfast. It was like he had learned her schedule just to disrupt it. She was going to implode at this rate. 

     “-he’s a right git, I tell you. First thing he said to me this morning,” she cleared her throat and dropped her voice and changed it to an obnoxiously posh accent to mock him, “Hope you don’t mind doing the Prefects’ write ups. I’ve got plans, Granger”, she then groaned and put her face in her hands. “I'm going to lose my mind. This is it. This is how I go absolutely mad. I will be in St. Mungo’s by October if he keeps this up.” She exclaimed into her hands. Ginny reached an arm out and patted her shoulder, attempting to offer some semblance of comfort. That's when Hermione felt it, the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, the thickness in the air suddenly palpable, almost touchable. 

     Hermione felt she was being watched, no, knew she was being watched. So she lifted her eyes from her hands and pushed her hair back behind her ears once more. She glanced to the side and immediately met Malfoy’s stone cold eyes across the Hall, where he was sitting with his friends. His eyes went from annoyed to angry within a second and he stared her down with an icy glare before turning back to his conversation. 

     She brought her attention back to her friends and let out a soft huff of defeat. Harry placed a hand on top of Hermione’s and said, “Don’t worry, Hermione. If Malfoy gives you too much trouble, you let us know and we will handle it. We got your back. I have no problem hexing him into graduation”. 

     Hermione gave him a warm smile and nodded, “Thanks, Harry.” 

     They finished their lunch with random conversations about Quidditch and then went back to their afternoon classes. 

     Hermione had been patrolling for two hours. The only thing that could be heard was her footsteps echoing against the flagstone. Her mind was elsewhere as she thought of how all she wanted was to get in bed and read with Crookshanks. When she rounded the corner of a dark hallway and suddenly heard a moan. She froze dead in the spot, a part of her brain telling her that her mind was playing tricks. 

     Holding her wand, she casted “Lumos” and started searching for the source of the hopefully non-existent noise but couldn’t find it. 

    She took a deep breath and decided to make her way back to the dormitories, clearly this was a sign that she needed sleep. Except when she walked by one of the classroom’s doors and heard the moan again, clearly coming from that classroom, she didn’t freeze. She knew what she heard. She gripped her wand a little tighter in her hand before she pushed the door open and held her wand out. Nothing could have prepared her for what the wand had illuminated. 

     Hermione felt rooted to the floor, speechless with the sight in front of her. If she wanted to move, she couldn’t. If she wanted to talk, she couldn’t. She was stuck and her breath somehow failed to work. 

     It was Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson against one of the desks, his head in the crook of her neck. Her leg was wrapped around his hip and his fingers dug into her thigh, keeping her in place against the rickety desk. Her head was thrown back as she moaned each time his hips snapped against hers. 

     When she came back to her senses, which took a longer period of time than she’d like to admit, she spoke.

     “Merlin's Beard!”, she exclaimed and put a hand over her eyes. They either didn’t hear her or they seemed intent to ignore her and continue the thrill. She shifted her weight and cleared her throat loudly, “Malfoy!” and they stopped, both their heads snapping in her direction with an angry expression. Draco released his tight grip on Pansy’s thigh and she pulled her shirt together. Once the moaning stopped, Hermione dropped her hand from her eyes. 

     “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Granger?”, Pansy spat, her hand still clutching the open and broken buttons of her shirt. Hermione stiffened under her gaze. 

     “I should be the one asking you that, Parkinson, it is after curfew, after all. You shouldn’t be outside your House this late.” She crossed her arms tightly over her chest before her gaze shifted to Malfoy who looked capable of murder in this moment. “Ten points from Slytherin, from each of you, and I’ll have to report this to the Headmistress.” Hermione said, almost triumphantly, entertaining the possibility of getting Malfoy’s badge removed.

     Malfoy stepped away from Parkinson and quickly fixed his trousers. As he buttoned them, he turned and stood, facing Hermione. Somehow his face had only become more menacing. 

     “You can’t take points away from me. I’m the Head Boy”, Malfoy scoffed. “And besides, any points you took from her, I can give them back. Use your brain, Granger.” He fixed the buttons of his shirt while he spoke, flattening the white cotton that had been wrinkled under Pansy’s grip. 

     “I am clearly using my brain, Malfoy. You are breaking one of the school rules, if you haven’t noticed you wer-” 

     Pansy let out an obnoxious laugh, interrupting Hermione mid-sentence.  “As if you had any idea of what was happening just now, you frigid mudb-” Hermione felt a chill run up her spine. She uncrossed her arms and took a step forward as she raised the vinewood wand to Parkinson’s half exposed chest. She gave her a look like she was tempting her to try and complete her statement.

     “Go ahead Parkinson, finish that sentence”, Hermione prompted with a raised eyebrow. Pansy didn’t. When she was satisfied with the look of anger and disbelief plastered on the raven-haired girl’s face, she lowered her wand and pocketed it in her robe, “but good luck trying to explain this to Professor McGonagall tomorrow.” She turned on her heel to the door, pausing when she heard Malfoy speak.

     “Don’t you dare, Granger”, He practically growled and Hermione turned her head so her side profile was illuminated by the light in the hallway. 

     “Watch me”, and with that, she rolled her shoulders back and her posture turned smug as she left the classroom, heading straight to her dorm. 

Chapter Text

     The Pitchfork

 Beware of Deceit on the Part of the Opposite Sex

     Hermione could never sleep as much as she used to. 

     The next morning, well, if the ungodly hour before the birds are awake and the sky is still a dark blue is considered morning, Hermione laid in bed, staring up at the canopy as the events of the night before replayed in her head. She has the perfect reason to go to Professor McGonagall, report Parkinson and Malfoy, have his badge removed once and for all. She had been dreaming about the latter since the moment she found out he was Head Boy. It would be the ultimate win. All she ever wanted is to wipe that smug expression off his face for eternity, wave the victory in his face and watch it melt away like a candle under a flame. 

     She shifted under the sheets and her mind floated to the other image that had been unable to leave her alone. She rubbed her eyes with her hands until she started seeing the little sparkles, hoping it would be gone when she opened them but it wasn’t. 

     The way Parkinson seemed to be enjoying whatever Malfoy was doing to her, the way he was touching her. Hermione isn’t crass, she knew they were clearly having sex. But it was the way Parkinson’s head was thrown back, her mouth open, her hands tugging at the back of Malfoy’s hair, and the way she cried out for him.  It seemed that whatever Malfoy was doing, he was doing it right. Sometimes she wondered what it felt like to be touched like that. Ron had never given her a feeling that looked anything close to what Parkinson felt, even though she hadn’t given him the chance for the most part. Hermione shook her head, hoping the thoughts would disappear with it. The last thing she needed was thinking about how talented Malfoy might or might not be at sex. 

     Once she was dressed in her robes for the day, she grabbed her wand and satchel from her nightstand. She opened the door a crack and poked her head out to look around the common room, intent on avoiding Malfoy at all possible times. She let out a soft breath of relief and her shoulders dropped with the release of tension she had no idea she was harboring when it was clear he wasn’t in the common room. She quickly made her way out the portrait. Hermione was supposed to meet Harry, Ron and Ginny for breakfast and she was so close but when she rounded the corner of the hallway that led to the Great Hall, she came face to face with Malfoy. It almost looked like he was waiting for her. She moved to go around him but he side-stepped, blocking her way. 

     “Granger”, he started, “we need to talk.”

     “Talk about what, Malfoy?” She tilted her head up to look up at him, trying to convey an air of boredom and inconvenience. 

     “Don’t be dense, Granger”, a scoff escaped him, “It’s quite unbecoming of you.” He stared down at her, his eyes cold and the permanent scowl as intense as ever. 

     “If you’re trying to convince me not to go to the Headmistress, you’re not only wasting my time but your breath”, Hermione crossed her arms and looked at him defiantly before yet again trying to get past him, which he blocked by putting his hand out against the wall, obstructing her path. 

     Malfoy seemed to become angrier by the minute. “You can’t fucking tell her, Granger.”

     “And why is that?”, she demanded and Malfoy ran a hand through his blonde hair, flattening it down. 

    “I don’t care too much about my Head privileges-” Hermione scoffed at his admission. “Truly, I don’t, but if you must know, I came back to Hogwarts thinking I could get some sort of second chance and you’re ruining it for me”, he said in a tone that Hermione couldn’t quite place, which for some reason made her feel even less trustworthy of the blonde in front of her, if that was possible. Partial Truth, she thought, unaware yet of which half of his statement was the lie and which was the truth. 

     “Oh, spare me, Malfoy”, Hermione laughed bitterly, “do you really expect me to fall for that?” 

    “Fine, you win”, he lifted both of his hands, with what she would call defeat if she didn’t know him better, and stepped closer to her. “You see, the real reason I don’t want you to go to McGonagall is because the whole school would find out Pansy and I are fooling around”, he continued, “and I don’t want that. We aren’t serious, you know. I don’t want to get her hopes up.” He leaned his arm back against the wall, resting his weight on it.

     “How chivalrous of you”, Hermione rolled her eyes, somehow feeling more disgusted by him than she had ten seconds earlier. 

     Malfoy took another step closer and insisted, “So, do we have a deal?”. They were less than a foot apart and she resisted the urge to step away from him. She stared up at him and contemplated for a second. If it was about Parkinson and his relationship, she would have no issue telling the Headmistress but the term ‘partial truth’ floated through her head and there was a tiny, annoying, thought at the back of her mind. What if Malfoy was telling the truth about the second chance. She hoped her eyes didn’t show her churning thoughts or hesitancy. This wasn’t about Pansy, that she knew. That was a lie. 

     “I guess you’ll never know for certain. I’ve been entertaining the idea of what it would be like to have a different Head Boy.” She pressed on, seeing the twitch of anger in his face. “Maybe, after Professor McGonagall takes your badge away, she will name Michael Corner. Or even if she wants to promote house unity, she can even name Blaise Zabini Head Boy,” She let out a soft sigh at the thought, “I bet he’s less of an absolute arse than you are.”, and with that, she pushed his arm off the wall and walked past him, into the Great Hall, leaving him there, his grey eyes glowering at her back. 

     After they were done with lunch, Hermione and Ginny left the Great Hall together towards the girl’s lavatory. Once inside, Hermione was washing her hands when Ginny turned to face her, leaning her hip against the sink.

     “So, there is no chance you’re getting back with my brother?”, Ginny sincerely inquired as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. “He’s like a lost pygmy puff without you.” Hermione bit at her lip and glanced over at Ginny. 

     “I don’t think so, Ginny.” she said earnestly. “I mean, he wanted something I wasn’t able to give him yet. We were together for four months and it… it seemed unfair to keep him waiting”, Hermione admitted before turning away from the redhead’s brown eyes to look in the mirror, hoping that would end the conversation. 

     “It’s gross to think about any of my brothers in that way but I don’t think Ron has slept with anyone yet either. He doesn’t look like it”, Ginny started drying her hands and Hermione’s thoughts flew to Lavender but she quickly shoved them away, back into the box of thoughts she’d deal with one day, eventually, hopefully. 

     “Honestly, I don’t mind if he does. Our relationship felt, for lack of a better word, unnatural. I think we’re better off as friends”, she explained and Ginny said nothing for a second before turning back to Hermione. 

     “So any other wizards up for the spot next to the great Hermione Granger?” She joked and Hermione held in an eyeroll. 

     “No. It’s not my priority. It’s my last year here and I’m thankful to even be getting the chance. I’m focusing on my N.E.W.T.s''. She was ready to stop talking. 

     She wished she had stopped talking, yet a phrase slipped from her mouth before she could even attempt to stop it. “Have you ever been with someone like that?” 

     A laugh of surprise escaped Ginny before she cleared her throat and nodded. “Yeah. I have. Harry is quite good at it too, the Chosen One can truly-” Hermione held up a hand to request her to stop whatever extremely vivid rant she was about to go on. The redhead witch smiled at her, “If you’re ever curious, you just gotta ask” She teased .“Why did you ask though? You usually don’t”, she said curiously. 

    Hermione yet again opened her mouth and blurted out the next words without forethought, she had to stop doing that, it would bite her in the ass someday. “Pansy Parkinson mocked me last night for being a virgin”. Her face scrunched at the admission. It felt trivial now that she had said it out loud.

     “What? How?” This caught Ginny’s attention and she stepped closer to Hermione. “I could hex her”, Hermione gave her a look and Ginny fell silent with a soft huff.

     “Well, I found her and Malfoy having sex in an empty classroom last night during one of my patrols and took points from them.” She crossed her arms over her chest, growing irritated at just the thought of the memory. “She was angry and implied I was too prudish to even know what they were doing.” She left out the almost said word, knowing Ginny would hex the Slytherin girl into the Black Lake. 

     Ginny laughed. “Malfoy and Parkinson. What a shocker”, she said sarcastically with an eyeroll. “I can tell you… everyone saw that coming.” She said.  

     “I didn’t. I wish I saw that coming. Could have avoided seeing them having sex against a desk.” Hermione mumbled as she grabbed her wand from the sink. 

   Both witches left the girl’s lavatory to attend their respective afternoon classes, but what the Brightest Witch of Her Age had failed to realize was that someone was eavesdropping on their conversation, inside one of the bathroom stalls. Her lack of prudence over her words had officially come back to bite her in the ass. 

     After her last class of the day, Hermione walked towards the Heads common room. Her tie was pulled loose around her neck and her hair had frizzed out of the elastic. She approached and said the password. The second she stepped inside, she almost collided right with Malfoy, who seemed to be on his way out. She stepped away from him and frowned at him, but before she could open her mouth to say anything, he spoke. 

     “Congrats, Granger”, he sneered, “I’ll stay out of that massive hair of yours for tonight. Don’t want to be anywhere near you, anyways. Also. Tell your fucking ankle biter to leave me alone.” His eyes shot back to Crookshanks who sat innocently on the arm of the couch. Hermione glanced in the direction of his glare and by the time she turned back to where he was standing, he was out of the portrait. 

     Draco was lying across one of the four posters in the Slytherin boy’s dormitory, his hands behind his head. He was glad to be catching up with his best mates despite the lingering feeling of annoyance Granger always left him with. Even though he constantly saw them in class or at the Great Hall, it was good to just hang around with them and chat about things. He certainly needed it, what with Granger constantly taunting him with her bloody rules and all her bollocks. 

     “I see you’ve made yourself at home, mate”, Blaise teased, standing up near his trunk after retrieving the second pint of Firewhiskey, the first one somewhere empty on the floor, and sat next to him, “This is my bed, you know.” Draco scowled and swiped the bottle from his hand, sitting up on his elbows to drink from it. 

     Before Draco could even pull the bottle from his lips, the door swung open and Pansy barged into the dorm. 

     “The fuck, Pansy? Can’t you see we’re in the middle of something here?”, Draco scolded, sitting up on the bed, passing the bottle to Theo and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. 

     “Shut it, Draco”, Pansy moved to stand in front of the mirror to fix her bob which needed no fixing with not a single hair out of place, “you’ll want to hear this”.

     “Hear what? And how did you even know I was here?” Draco pressed and leaned back on his hands. 

     “Daphne saw you on her way out”, Pansy was becoming impatient, “but that’s not important.” She spun away from the mirror to face them before leaning back against the vanity. 

     Theo spoke then, after taking a sip of his Firewhiskey, “Go on then Pansy, let’s get this over with. You’re crashing fellas fun night.” He said and both Draco and Blaise unanimously turned their heads to glare at Theo for using the name they had explicitly said no to. Draco raised his hand to smack him upside the head as Pansy started to talk again. 

     “Like I care, Theodore”, Pansy shot him a glare and continued, “I was in the girl’s lavatory earlier when Granger and She-Weasel came in.” She shuddered like the words pained her, “Those two are so foolish, they didn’t even check if they were alone.”

      “And this is relevant because…?”, Theo said nonchalantly, his hand dropping from where he had been rubbing his head. 

     “Unless they were snogging, I’m not interested.” Blaise added and let out a bored sigh. 

     “This is so much better than that. Turns out our dearest Head Girl is a stuck-up prude”, said Pansy almost triumphantly and all three boys groaned and Theo threw a pillow towards Pansy as she spoke. 

     “We already knew that, Pansy. Tell us something we don’t know”, Theo whined like a sulking child.

     “No, I meant she’s a virgin”, Pansy said in a huff, tossing the pillow she had caught on the desk behind her. “That’s what I heard her and She-Weasel talking about. I can’t believe she dated the Weasel for almost five months and she didn’t let him into her knickers.”

     This conversation caught Draco’s attention, slightly, “That’s because Weaselbee is daft. He probably doesn’t know how to locate his prick”. He laughed at his own joke and Theo looked down at his lap to attempt to hide the laugh that crossed his features. “I’m sure she’s not so hesitant if it's someone who knows what they’re doing.” He took the Firewhiskey from Theo’s hand, draining it quite a bit. 

     “Well ginger-minj must not take after his father. How many siblings does the prat have?” Theo snickered and Pansy rolled her eyes at him.

     “Don’t be so crass, Theodore.” She scolded him before turning her attention back to Draco.  “And you think you could do it? Get into her knickers?”, Pansy raised an eyebrow. “Since all it takes, according to you, is someone who knows what they’re doing.” Her tone was very obviously challenging and it only fueled Draco’s quick answer. 

     Draco scoffed at this. “Of course I could do it if I wanted.” He moved to take another sip but paused with the bottle to his lips when he saw their reactions.

     Three pairs of eyes turned in his direction. Theo and Blaise bursted out laughing. Pansy had a borderline demonic look on her face as she thought of something wicked. 

     “You could try but she won’t let you, not with that stick up her arse”, Blaise said after wiping his eyes, a spare chuckle still coming out every other breath. Theo still had yet to contain his half drunk giggles. 

      “I think we should let Draco prove himself”, Pansy smirked and Theo’s laughter picked up, still thinking they were joking but the tense silence between his three companions quickly sobered the Slytherin boy up.

      Draco scoffed. “What the fuck, Pansy? I wasn’t being serious. I would never want to sleep with Granger”. 

    “Is it because she’s a Muggleborn that you wouldn't sleep with her?”, Theo asked with no amusement on his face and the three Slytherins looked at him with unreadable expressions. 

     Draco held back a frown and answered, “What- No, Theo- It’s not because of that. She just- drives me insane. It’s bad enough I have to live with her-”

    Pansy cut him off, “All the more reason you should do this, Draco.” Her voice was almost a purr as she tried to convince the blond. “It’s the perfect opportunity, you’re basically next door. And if this were to happen, we would have something on her and she won’t make your life impossible for the rest of the year. Think about it.” She shrugged innocently.

     “No chance”, was all he said back. Pansy’s eyes flashed with amusement before she pushed herself from where she was leaning from the vanity and walking over to the bed.

     “Why, Draco? You mean to tell me the challenge that comes with a stuck-up prude doesn’t turn you on?”, Pansy insisted as she climbed onto her knees on the bed. “After you’re done with her, we can let the entire school know that the Brightest Witch of her Age likes Slytherin cock”. She whispered, close to his ear. Blaise and Theo exchanged a glance over them. 

     Draco took a sharp breath in and tried to clear his mind from the fog of Firewhiskey as he debated this. He had been trying to find a way to get back at Granger since the moment she ratted him out to McGonagall. He shut his eyes in thought. Maybe he could hold this against her and she would stop her endless taunting. Draco opened his eyes and turned to look at Pansy

     “I just have to shag her once and that’s it?”, Draco asked and a slimy smile crossed the witch’s face as she nodded at him.

    “That’s the Draco we all know and love”, Theo tried to high five him but Draco shot him a glare and Theo cleared his throat awkwardly. He raised his hand to high five himself before dropping his hands into his lap. 

     Pansy moved off the bed triumphantly. “I’d say you have three months to do it, because it won’t be an easy task, considering how prudish she is”. Pansy seemed to debate something, as her hands rested on her hips and her head tilted to the side. “You should get it done by the Christmas Ball, before we leave for break.” She turned back to look at him. 

     Blaise looked between the two again, seeming to be the only one of them with the thought that this could end particularly bad. The Firewhiskey dulled that thought as Pansy offered her freshly manicured hand to Draco, her grin wide across her face. 

     “We should shake on it.” 

     Draco took it.

Chapter Text

The Goat-

Enemies Are In Close Proximity

     Hermione was thumbing through the beginning pages of her book early in the morning. She stretched her arms, still in bed, feeling content about finally getting a good night’s sleep for the first time in a long time. There were no nightmares or memories. She had casted a Silencio just in case, like she did every night. She sat up and reached over to run her fingers through Crookshanks’ fur, who was curled up on the empty pillow next to her.

     “How dare he be so rude, Crooks? I haven’t done anything to him”, she whispered to the sleepy cat, scratching the spot behind his ear. “but you were a good boy indeed. “ She smiled at him. “Keep biting his ankles, he well deserves it”. The cat simply purred in agreement.

     Hermione was suddenly shaken from her morning gossip with Crookshanks by the smell of eggs, sausage and toast. She pulled the thick covers off and debated the idea of pulling them back once the cold air hit her. She could hide in here forever. She had books and...and… she had no food. The second she smelled the food from outside, her stomach rumbled, the decision made for her.

     After she got dressed and grabbed her belongings, she opened the door to the common room, thinking about getting a small bite for breakfast before getting started on her daily responsibilities. She made her way to the kitchen, walking right past Malfoy at the counter before her posture stiffened and she took two calculated steps back. She did a double take to make sure she hadn’t lost the last bit of her sanity and gone completely bonkers. She certainly didn’t expect to see the kitchen table set for two and Malfoy leaning against the kitchen counter, sipping from his mug of tea and looking at her expectantly.

    “Morning”, Malfoy smirked at her, his eyes filled with amusement at the witch's confusion.

     Hermione felt at a loss of words from his sudden politeness. After shaking her head, she spoke. “What is this?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

     “Breakfast, clearly”, he looked as if he was suppressing the need to roll his eyes. “I had the elves set it up”. Hermione’s face scrunched at the idea of the elves doing all of this and she was still as confused as the moment she left her bedroom.

     “The elves shouldn't have to do all of this. I can make breakfast for myself but can I just ask...why?” She slowly moved towards the muggle kettle to pour herself tea.

     “I think it would be appropriate to start getting to know each other better. Since we room together and all”, the corner of his mouth quirked up as he gestured to her to sit.

     She eyed him suspiciously as she worried her lip between her teeth but sat down anyway. He caught her eye and continued, before sitting down himself, “Don’t give me that look, Granger. As we both know, we are co-Heads and we must start acting like it. You and I have a long year ahead of us and we should start getting along, in order for it to go smoothly”. Hermione raised an eyebrow at the civility of what Malfoy was saying.

     “I, for once, completely agree with you, Malfoy”, said Hermione after filling her plate with food, more than she had initially planned to eat, as she was feeling at ease for the first time since they moved in together.

     “I’m glad to see we are on the same page”. He said stiffly.

     Five minutes passed while they ate their respective breakfasts in an uncomfortable silence. Malfoy dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin and spoke again. “So, what books are you currently reading?” He said, attempting to hide the boredom in his tone.

     Hermione lifted her eyes from her plate, perplexed by his question. “I- Um, it’s a Muggle one”. She answered, hoping that would be the end of it.

     “What is it called?”, Malfoy asked and she noticed he didn’t look disgusted at the word ‘muggle’. That must be a step in the right direction.

     “Pride and Prejudice”, she said quickly and casted her eyes down, thinking that he would take the hint and stop asking questions. But she wasn’t that lucky, considering he continued.

     “What is it about?” He sipped his tea and watched her.

     Hermione crossed her legs and bit at her lip, contemplating for a few seconds how to explain the plot of this particular book to the most prejudiced person she has ever had the displeasure to meet. After she put her thoughts together, she looked at Malfoy behind her lashes, who was still staring at her expectantly.

     “Well, essentially, it’s a novel that shows the way marriage and money were perceived in England in the early 19th century”.

     “So, it’s a romance novel”, Malfoy snickered into his mug of tea.

     Here we go, Hermione thought. “Yes, it’s a romance novel. What seems to be so funny?”

     “Nothing”, Malfoy shook his head with a smirk, “I just didn’t think that the Brightest Witch of Her Age enjoyed reading something as trivial as romance, that’s all.”

     “Everyone enjoys romance, Malfoy. Even me”, Hermione huffed.

      His stone eyes flashed with something unreadable and she returned her attention to her plate, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

     “Fair enough”, he mumbled, leaving it at that and changing the subject to something safer, thankfully. “I’m thinking we should start meeting every Wednesday night to work on the Prefects’ reports and assign patrols, except for the ones each of us has patrols of our own.”

     “Sounds good to me”. Hermione agreed even though the confusion over Malfoy’s sudden change of behavior was still etched across her face, which didn’t go unnoticed by him.

     His eyes locked on hers as he spoke. “What is it, Granger?”

     “It’s nothing.” Hermione shook her head and looked away from his gaze which made her skin prickle.

     “I can hear your brain churning from here. Spit it out”.

     She placed her fork down with a sigh. “I’m just surprised you’re suddenly interested in doing your job as Head Boy, and being nice to me on top of it all.” She gestured at him before placing her hands in her lap, fiddling with her fingers.

      “Isn’t that what you wanted? For me to be the exemplary Head Boy? You’re not making any sense, Granger”. He moved to rest back on his chair, letting his legs fall open and his forearm rest on the back of his chair. He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together in small circles as he watched her.

     Hermione crossed her arms over her chest at his blatant display of manspreading and laid back on her own chair. “Yes, I still do, but that doesn’t explain why you’re suddenly being nice to me.”

     “Why, Granger? Didn’t know you get off on being treated poorly. I certainly didn’t peg you as the type. Thought you might have had a thing for praise instead.” Malfoy lifted his pale eyebrow in question. Hermione blushed deeply at the implication in his comment. Malfoy chuckled, sensing her discomfort.

     “Relax, Granger. I’m joking”. He eyed her up and down, like he was finally acknowledging she wasn’t completely unfortunate looking.

     She glared at him. “Well, you shouldn’t. We aren’t exactly friends. Only friends get to joke with me.” Hermione said and lifted the cup of tea to her lips.

     Malfoy seemed to evaluate something carefully before he spoke again, “I think we should be.” He paused, “Friends, I mean.”

     Hermione’s eyes grew wide, almost choking on the scalding tea. After swallowing, she started. “And why would you want that, Malfoy? Are you that pressed for friends that you’d consider befriending me?”

     He let out a soft breath of annoyance, letting his head drop back. He shook his head at the ceiling, like he was out of patience. “Why do you think so low of yourself, Granger? Can’t you believe I genuinely want to be your friend?” He said upwards, his Adam's apple bobbing as he spoke.

     “Why would I believe that?” A thought suddenly crossed her mind and she stood up, placing her tea on the table. “Oh, I see what this is about. You’re trying to get in my good graces so I won’t report you to McGonagall.” She said harshly.

     Malfoy ran his hand down over his face and groaned. “Merlin’s balls. Why do you think everyone has an ulterior motive?” He sat up and rested his elbows on his thighs, looking up at her through his eyelashes.

     “Maybe not everyone, but Slytherins do, especially you.” Hermione put both her hands on her hips, defensive, as she stared down at him.

     “That’s it.” He clenched his jaw as he scowled up at her. “You can’t say I didn’t try to be nice, Granger”, and with that, he stood up from his chair and started walking towards the portrait.

     “Looking forward to our meeting next Wednesday”, Malfoy yelled from the portrait, right before he walked out.

      Hermione found herself alone and confused in the common room. She crossed her arms once more and Crookshanks hopped up onto the table, purring as he walked around the plates of food trying to find a comfortable spot. Her eyes didn’t leave the portrait as she reached out to pet him.

      “He’s up to something. Right, Crooks?” She looked at the cat now, “I’m not crazy”.

_________________________

     Draco stomped out of the common room portrait in a haste, desperate to get away from that wretched witch. He wasn’t sure why he was so upset, she had been correct, suspecting he had an underlying intention from the moment he opened his mouth. He pushed his way through the groups of students trying to make it to their first lesson of the day, knocking some First Years who were in his way and sneering down at the ones who tried to complain. He was glad to have a free period at this hour, he wouldn’t be able to focus in class anyway, not with all the rage boiling in his blood.

      He was certainly barmy. Why did he agree to this stupid bet anyway? Draco knew he could do it but why would he even bother? Granger isn’t worth the effort. He’d be in St. Mungo’s by Christmas if he brings this bet to completion.

      Deciding to put an end to this once and for all, Draco halted his footsteps on the flagstone, changing course and heading down in the direction of the dungeons. He knew Pansy, Theo and Blaise had a free period this morning as well and what a better opportunity to stop this nonsense.

     Once he was standing in front of the Slytherin’s common room entrance, he spat the password at the stone wall and there was a low rumble as the stone arch opened before him. Without hesitation, he walked towards the couches located by the fireplace where his three halfwitted friends were lounging and laughing about something.

     “Here you are, you fucking twats”, Draco announced himself. “Yes, that includes you, Pansy”. He sat in the plush leather armchair and stretched out, the scowl heavy on his face.

     “I’m exempt from that. Right, mate?” Theo grinned at him as he closed the old book in his lap, “I don’t like being lumped with Pansy.” This comment earned him a smack in the head by the witch sitting next to him.

     Blaise chuckled at the sudden interruption. “Good morning to you too, Draco. What’s got your wand in a knot this morning? A certain irate roommate?”

     “Don’t push your luck this morning, Zabini. I might hex you into supper”, Draco practically growled as he pushed his hair back and out of his face.

     Pansy stood up and sauntered over to where he was seated. She wrapped her arm around his neck as she sat on his thigh and spoke softly. “What’s the matter, Draco?”, and then she lowered her voice and pressed closer, “I can help you lighten your mood”.

     Draco moved her away from him and snapped, “I don’t have time for your games. That’s not what I’m here for, Pansy”. He said as he removed the arm around his neck

     Pansy stood and stepped away, trying to hide the wounded look that graced her features as she walked back to the couch.

     Draco took a deep breath and spoke again. “What I need right now is for you three to release me from that silly bet we made last night. I can’t believe I agreed to this.” He scoffed at them.

     Blaise and Theo shared a look before the latter opened his mouth. “We didn’t make you agree to anything, Draco, this is between you and Pansy.”

     Pansy, who was now staring at her manicure as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, finally looked up. “I’m sorry, Draco, but a bet is a bet. And like you said, you agreed, for Salazar’s sake, you even shook on it.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

     “I was drunk when I agreed, and she’s infuriating and not that good looking. I can’t do this”, Draco stood from the chair and paced in front of the fireplace, getting more irritable by the minute.

     “That’s not my problem, is it?”, Pansy shifted her weight and faced the opposite side of the common room, clearly hurt by Draco’s recent insolence.

     Draco ran his hand through his hair desperately and shouted “Fuck!”, not caring about the worried looks thrown his way by the remaining students who were still lingering in the common room.

     Theo and Blaise exchanged another glance at each other, very obviously having the same thought.

This can only end in disaster.

Chapter Text

Two Of Swords

When we are faced with a decision, it is not always clear which path to take, especially if both paths seem as good as or as bad as each other. The Two of Swords represents that feeling of indecision and being caught in the middle, not knowing which option is best.

     Hermione had an unwavering pit settled in her stomach the rest of the morning. 

     Talking to Malfoy had put her in a foul mood that she could not shake no matter how hard she tried. As she left the dorm, she had no interest in speaking to anyone, snapping at every young witch and wizard who got in her way, even the poor and lost First Years who were just asking for instructions so they could get to class. 

     Just great . How will the student body trust her if she’s going to snap at them every time they come asking for help? Leave it to Malfoy to crawl under her skin and make it itch with utter abhorrence. 

     She dragged her feet as she entered the dim Transfiguration classroom, avoiding McGonagall’s gaze at every possible point. She slid into a desk at the back of the room and as she sat down, she saw Malfoy walk into the classroom like he hadn’t stormed out of the common room an hour earlier. He looked… unbothered. 

     Malfoy glanced in her direction and his sharp eyes raked her up and down before connecting with her glare. A small smirk crossed his features as he turned to where he was going to sit. Hermione felt her bloody boil at Malfoy’s audacity. The witch dug her nails into her palms, leaving tiny faint crescent moons indented into the soft skin. 

     The words from McGonagall's lecture were ricocheting around her head, as if her skull was a pinball machine. As she stared at the empty parchment in front of her, she mentally patted herself on the back for her habit of reading the lesson content weeks before the actual class.  She wouldn’t have been able to keep up with the lesson otherwise and she certainly wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of Professor McGonagall’s disapproving look for getting caught not paying attention to her class. Yet when she looked up, there was a reproaching mien to the Headmistress which she guessed had nothing to do with her participation and instead with the blond boy that McGonagall was extending her gaze to as well.

     When class was dismissed, Hermione started gathering her things, placing them in her satchel, attempting to escape the classroom as quickly as possible, hoping to avoid the words which came when she had made it to the first row of seats. 

     “Ms. Granger. Mr. Malfoy.” Her Scottish accent was thick as she called after them. “I know you two are eager to get to the Great Hall but I was hoping you could stay back so we can discuss if there have been any other misunderstandings.” The older witch moved behind the Transfiguration desk and sat down. 

     Hermione glanced at Malfoy as she slid into a desk at the front, trying to ignore the churning in her stomach. She would have to make a decision.  He was staring at her, his grey eyes filled with what she might have thought was panic if it had been anyone else. Malfoy had most likely assumed that she had made up her mind and was ready to tell Professor McGonagall everything. 

     “I would like to ask how the two of you are holding up together. It has been a little over a week now and yet you two seem very removed from each other. I’m not saying you have to be friends but I was hoping at least the two of you could become amicable.” She could feel his eyes boring holes into the side of her head as she paused on talking. 

     “I-” Hermione opened her mouth to talk but realized she had no idea what she was going to say. She could easily blab to the Headmistress, tell her about Parkinson and Malfoy when he was supposed to be doing his rounds on the other side of the castle. She could get that shiny Head Boy badge yanked from his uniform, his room to be packed and then empty, the common room would become a place of peace instead of stress. She glanced over to Malfoy whose gaze hadn’t left her. His face was stoic and unemotional but his jaw was visibly clenched. If Malfoy could beg, he would have in that moment, she was sure of it. 

     “We-” She blinked, not dropping the brazen eye contact as she thought, debating. It would be so easy to get rid of him and he sure deserved it, yet…

     “It has been quite tense but nothing we can’t work out eventually”,  Hermione could hear him let out a breath she was unaware he was holding as she turned her attention back to Professor McGonagall. 

     “It’s still new, Professor. It is obvious Granger didn’t expect me to return to Hogwarts. She wasn’t sure I or my fellow Slytherins wanted a second chance. She was doing what she knew, which was to be wary around me.” It was Hermione's turn to stare at the side of his face, her jaw fell slack. He shifted in his seat, aware of her eyes on him yet not planning on acknowledging her. “It is completely warranted considering how I’ve...treated her in the past.” 

     Professor McGonagall nodded in his direction. “I do agree with you, Mr. Malfoy. I was wary to put you and Ms. Granger together so soon, but I think if anyone can help you with the second chance you so greatly desire it is her. And she knows if she is unhappy with this arrangement she can come to me immediately.” She glanced at Hermione to make sure she was aware how serious she was. “So I expect you to keep her happy, Mr. Malfoy.” She turned her critical gaze back to the wizard. Malfoy nodded 

     “Are we free to go, Professor McGonagall?” Hermione asked and bit at her lip. 

     “Of course.” She nodded, effectively dismissing them. Hermione grabbed her bag and sped out of the room before Malfoy had even collected his things. 

     Hermione headed towards the Great Hall. She was so consumed in her own thoughts that she almost missed Padma and Parvati’s whispers and curious looks directed at her by the big doors. She gave them an uneasy side eye as she quickly ran a hand over her head, trying to tame her curls back into the ponytail, thinking that maybe her hair looks more wild than usual today. 

     That was the most logical explanation for the Patil twins’ gossiping and she didn’t pay them any more mind, not having the space or energy to worry.  

     Marching in the direction of the Gryffindor table, Hermione was ready to start with her long string of complaints to Ginny about Malfoy’s odd behavior this morning. Yet when she reached her group of friends almost at the end of the table she could feel the strained atmosphere. Ginny looked up at her with an odd and unreadable expression. Hermione’s confusion was short-lived once she heard a giggle from across the empty seat she was about to take. Ginny's gaze turned apologetic.

     “Oh Won-Won, stop it! You are too funny”, squealed the high-pitched voice belonging to Lavender Brown. 

     Lavender had grown, her face more mature, more haunted. All of them had the same look, a thin veil of the aftermaths of the war tainting their features. She still had the same wide smile and the same warm brown eyes and tight curls. The only physical difference was the large teeth and claw mark scars peeking out from the top of her uniform around the base of her neck and collarbone. 

     Lavender had barely made it after Greyback's attack and she hadn’t woken up for weeks after the battle, alone in St. Mungo’s. Hermione had gone to visit a couple times when she was still asleep, since she was the one who had stunned Greyback and brought Lavender to the Great Hall, she felt like she needed to. 

     Lavender was seated across the table with her arms draped over Ron, who was  suddenly uncomfortable at Hermione’s arrival, a bright blush spanning under his freckles. 

     “Erm, hi, Hermione”, Ron greeted her sheepishly, “Lavender and I got back together.” He looked away from Hermiones’ gaze,  “I hope that’s okay.”

     Harry’s face was buried in The Daily Prophet, pretending he wasn’t listening closely but the red tint of his ears gave him away. 

     Lavender looked struck by Ron’s statement and Hermione just pursed her lips.

     “Why would that not be okay?” Both witches questioned simultaneously yet Lavender's tone was much more like she was chiding the ginger while Hermione’s came from a place of confusion and slight boredom of the childish sentiment. They weren’t together, why should Hermione care? She had ended things. Why would he need her opinion on Lavender Br- 

     Ron placed his hand on Lavender's thigh and Hermiones’ thoughts came to a stop. Before she could even question why, the silvery voice of Luna Lovegood spoke from behind her. 

     “Hello, everyone”, said Luna, and Hermione was ever so grateful for the sudden interruption. “Do you mind if I sit with you today? The Ravenclaw table seems to be infested with Nargles.” The soft spoken witch scrunched her nose at just the thought of them. 

     Apparently, Hermione wasn’t the only one pleased with the interruption by Luna as Harry had put the paper down and gestured for both of them to sit before anyone else had a chance to open their mouth and say something, “Absolutely, Luna. Take a seat.” He smiled at her.

     Once both witches were sitting, Luna faced Hermione and flashed her a gentle smile, her aura light and dreamy.

     “How are you enjoying the new dormitories, Hermione?” Luna inquired, tilting her head in curiosity, “If you’d like, I can come by anytime and make sure there aren’t any creature infestations in the common room”.

Hermione gave her a warm smile. “Thank you, Luna. That’s very kind of you, but I’m sure the only mischievous creature infesting the Head dormitories is Malfoy.” 

     “Can’t argue with that”, mumbled Harry taking a sip of pumpkin juice. 

     Ginny stopped talking with one of her Quidditch teammates and turned to join the conversation. “Luna!” She exclaimed happily “What have you been up to? I haven’t seen you in a while.” Ginny smiled at her and leaned on her hand. 

     “Oh, I’ve been helping Madam Pomfrey at the infirmary. I started training with her last week.” Luna hummed and smiled back at the redhead. 

     “Training for what, Luna?”, Harry asked.

     “I want to become a Healer after Hogwarts. Haven’t I mentioned it?” Luna smiled at them, “And it would be nice to have some knowledge before going into Healer training and she's offered to have me as an apprentice” She hummed and everyone agreed. 

     Hermiones’ eyes widened slightly and she turned to face the blonde. “Luna, I have a book that could be of great use for you right now. I have it in my dorm, you can come by after supper and I’ll give it to you.” Hermione smiled, hoping good company might raise the energy in the room. 

      “Sounds wonderful, Hermione. I’ll be there”, and with that, they finished up eating and headed to their afternoon lessons. 

___________________________

      After dinner, Hermione had made an effort to make sure all students were heading to their respective Houses for the night, hoping the long task meant that Malfoy would have retired to his room by the time she got back.  When she rounded the last corner before the portrait, she found Luna standing in front of it curiously studying the ceiling. When Luna spotted her, she gave her an affectionate smile and stepped away so Hermione could say the password. 

     The portrait opened and the first thing she noticed was two male voices. Malfoy’s and somebody else’s. Once they were fully inside the common room, Hermiones’ eyes landed on Theodore Nott sprawled across one of the couches and Malfoy lounging in the other. 

     “Hello, Draco. Theodore”, Luna greeted the two boys, her voice soft and whimsical.  Both of the Slytherins sat up straight when the two witches came into view. 

     “Good to see you, ladies”, Theodore gave them a curt nod, glancing between the two and then to Malfoy, who was watching Hermione.

     Hermione glanced at him and when they made eye contact she realized she was also breaking her own rule of not having visitors. “I’ll be quick. I just need to give her a book. She won’t stay long.” She quickly exclaimed. 

     “That’s okay, Granger. She can stay as long as she wants to”, Malfoy replied, his tone serious as he nodded in Luna's direction.  Hermione raised an eyebrow at him and his inability to jibe at her. 

     Without another word, Hermione shuffled to her bedroom to retrieve the book for Luna. She went to her bookshelves and ran her finger over the spines of the old and worn books before she found what she was looking for. Advanced Healing Techniques for Curses and other Injuries , she let out a soft breath as she slowly pulled it out of its slot in the bookshelf. She tucked the book under her arm before going back to the common room to join the rest, but she only found Luna and Theodore standing in silence.

     She held out the book to Luna with a smile. “I read it last year before leaving with Harry and Ron, but I think it would be more useful to you now.” Luna slowly took the book from her and ran her fingers gently over the cover. 

     “Thank you, Hermione. And you don’t have to worry about any infestations. Just be aware of Nargles around Christmas. Mistletoe.” The blonde witch smiled and started to walk out the portrait, not before turning on her heel, “Goodnight, Theodore.” She then dipped to leave the exit. 

     Hermione bit at her lip, left in the common room with Theodore, who was sitting awkwardly on the couch. “Would you like some tea?”, she asked and Theodore lifted his gaze to her. “N-no, thank you. I’m good.” 

     Hermione simply nodded and entered the kitchen to make some tea for herself. As she turned on the kettle, she noticed Malfoy exiting his bedroom, holding something out for Theodore and sitting back down. Hermione moved over to lean against the doorframe of the kitchen.  He met Hermione’s gaze from the living room and she crossed her arms over her chest as she shot him an icy glare for not complying to their rules. Granted, she hadn’t but it had only been for five minutes and Malfoy had agreed. 

     The stare contest didn’t go unnoticed by Theodore, who gave them both a nervous glance as he picked at the fuzz on his trousers. “What’s the matter?” He asked in a shy tone. 

     Malfoy shifted his gaze to Theodore and spoke before she could. “Granger has a rule of no visitors but she’s too polite to say anything in front of you.”

     At that, Theodore stood up from the couch and flashed her a sincere smile, before turning his face to Malfoy. “Well, you should listen to what she says”. 

     Malfoy opened his mouth to protest but Theodore flashed him a slight smile next as he fixed his robes and walked towards the portrait with a “Goodnight, Malfoy.” He turned his attention to Hermione, “Goodnight, Granger.” The portrait shut behind him.

     Hermione scrunched her face in confusion at the fact of having not one, but two Slytherins being suddenly nice to her. 

     She made her way back into the kitchen and silently poured the hot water into her mug, purposely saying nothing to Malfoy, whose stone eyes followed her every movement. She knew he wanted to talk to her but hoped she would talk first, she wouldn’t. 

     With her mug of tea in hand, she made her way to her bedroom and when Malfoy tried to open his mouth to say something, probably start another fight, she held up her free hand, not even sparing a glance in his direction.

     “Don’t start.” She waited for Crookshanks to bounce in after her before she shut her bedroom door with a slight slam.

Chapter Text

     The Hermit - It indicates the extremes of solitude – like being some sort of creepy recluse. Don’t lock yourself away. It gets mighty lonely on that mountain top.

     Crookshanks stood on Hermione’s chest as she snored, kneading biscuits. He continued to paw at her as the half-kneazle tried to wake her. 

     “Crooks, please.” Hermione whined, exhaustion heavy in her voice. She tried to push the cat off her chest so she could sit up.  

     She let out a soft groan and sat up in bed. She rubbed her face and dug her palms into her eyes before she moved to go sit on her window bench. As she looked out the window at the steady, miserable morning rain, she let the lazy drumming of the storm dull her mind as she just sat there, face pressed against the glass.

     As she just took deep breaths and let the stress wash away with the rain, she could feel the joy creeping through her body like every year on her birthday. She secretly loved her birthday. She just told everyone she didn’t enjoy it because for some reason, birthdays equal parties and that she couldn’t stand. 

     Hermione always preferred the peace that came along with solitude, she was more than happy to just spend her birthday curled up with a book on her lap, no one to bother her. But she knew she had responsibilities and was accustomed to spending the day with Harry and Ron and receiving a letter from her parents. 

     Her parents. 

     Hermione felt a pang in her chest but just continued to listen to the rain as her mind ran with the thought of not getting a letter from them this year. She rested her chin on her knees and took a deep breath. 

     “They’re safe and happy.” She reminded herself again and again. The warm feeling of content returned to settle in her chest at the fact of reaching the age of nineteen surrounded by her friends and knowing her parents are safe in London after their return from Australia.   

     Once she was fully dressed in her uniform, she stood in front of the mirror, debating doing something about her hair as she ran her fingers through the frizz. Hermione decided to use a small portion of the Sleekeazy Potion, nothing compared to the liberal amount she used for the Yule Ball though. That was an absurd amount of potion. 

     After her hair looked surprisingly tamed, Hermione proceeded to cast a glamour spell on her eye bags, which looked like she hadn’t slept for days before the charm started to take effect. She had been sleeping fine, at least that's what she told people who asked. 

     Hermione shut her bedroom door but before she could make it to the portrait, she noticed Malfoy was still in the common room, sitting at the kitchen table and sipping from his mug of tea.

     He lifted his eyes to her and both his eyebrows shot up at the sight of her. His shock was swiftly replaced with his signature smirk, and if she wasn’t already watching him, she would have missed the initial reaction. 

     “Good morning, Granger.” Malfoy greeted her and then his smirk broke into an inscrutable smile that didn’t seem to quite reach his eyes. 

     This sight caught Hermione off guard, she didn’t think she had seen Malfoy smile before. She wasn’t sure that was a facial expression he could manage. His muscles were probably aching at just the quick attempt. What she was sure of was that Malfoy looked handsome when he smiled. Stop. Did you just say you find Malfoy handsome?

     Hermione shook her thoughts away and replied to her flatmate, who was staring expectantly at her. “Good morning.”

     Malfoy leaned back on his chair, the two front legs lifting off the floor as his unabashed gaze raked her body up and down, like he was assessing her. He had to stop doing that. 

     “Today is Wednesday”. He ran his index finger over the rim of his mug as he made proper eye contact with the witch. 

     “I’m aware.”  Hermione said curtly, making her way to the portrait. 

     “What I mean to say is that you must remember we agreed to have Heads planning on Wednesdays. We can meet after lunch, I know you have a free period.” Malfoy lifted his pale eyebrow and craned his neck to look at her, daring her to contradict him. 

     Hermione sighed, realizing there was no way around it. “Of course I remember. I will meet you in the prefects’ room after lunch”, and with that she was out the portrait, walking in the direction of the Great Hall. 

     As soon as Hermione entered through the gold doors, Ginny looked up from her plate and stood with excitement before throwing her arms around Hermione’s neck. 

     “Happy Birthday, Hermione!”, Ginny exclaimed and made a show of jumping up and down before letting go of her. 

     “Thank you, Gin”, Hermione gave a tense smile and tried to fix the wrinkles in her shirt that the redhead created. 

     Harry and Ron were waiting behind them with a smile on their faces, Lavender nowhere to be seen. She was soon enveloped in a group hug by her other two best friends. 

     “Did you do something to your hair today, Hermione? You look even more beautiful than usual”, the redhead inquired as she coiled Hermione's hair around her finger. “Doesn’t she, Ron?”, the ginger stopped in his tracks and looked up at them with an uncomfortable expression, before nodding.

     Hermione glanced down the Gryffindor table to try and find Lavender yet when she couldn’t spot her, Hermione could only hope that if there were any troubles in paradise, she wasn’t the cause. 

     She sat down and flashed warm smiles at Neville and Harry. “We should have lunch today, all of us, I’d like to spend more time with you but I have Head Girl duties to attend in the afternoon and I’m not very keen on the idea of a late night”, said Hermione, glad she had her agreement with Malfoy as an actual excuse. 

     Ginny and Harry shared a look that didn’t go unnoticed by the brunette before the other witch spoke. “Well, I won’t be able to attend lunch today but Harry and Ron can keep you company.” Ginny hummed with a soft smile. 

     “Why? What can be more important than having lunch with your dearest friend whose birthday happens to be today?” Hermione teased, crossing her arms over her chest smugly.

     “I promise I’ll make it up to you. Now eat you guilt tripping witch”, Ginny splayed her hand on Hermione’s cheek and pushed her head towards her plate, leaving no room for complaints. 

     As the class ended for lunch hour, she was making her way to the lavatory when Harry grabbed her arm. 

     “Hey Mione. Wait up. Are we still having lunch together?” Harry asked as he caught up with her, falling in strides with her steps. 

     “Of course we are. Even though I’m not looking forward to watching you act like a lost puppy in Ginny’s absence.” She joked with a smile as she moved her bag around to the front to put her books in it. 

     “I am fully capable without Ginny!” He protested with a laugh. “Talking about being without someone”, he gave her a side glance, “How is living with... Malfoy?” He shuddered as the boy's name left his mouth.

     “It’s slightly painful. Sometimes I never see him”, she pushed her hair behind her ear, “and sometimes it feels like he is trying to get in my way to annoy me”, she huffed, the frustration returning in full force as she just thought about it. 

     “He is probably just trying to get on your nerves. At every possible turn.” Harry grinned. “Just...don’t let him get to you. Easier said than done though.” He followed her into the Great Hall. 

     “He also seems to go out of his way to be... decent to me at times? I’m sure it’s just another one of his games for his entertainment.” She mumbled as she sat down across from Ron, placing her bag on the table with a thud. “Hello, Ron.”

     “Hi, Hermione. Happy Birthday!” The wizard gave a genuine smile as he picked apart his bread roll. “Who were you talking about, by the way?”, he asked and Hermione held back an exasperated eye roll.

     “Malfoy.”

     By the end of the lunch hour, Hermione glanced at her muggle wristwatch and with a lift of her eyebrows realized she was going to be late to meet Malfoy. 

     She stood up and said her goodbyes before practically jogging all the way to the room reserved for Prefect and Head Boy/Girl meetings. She stood in front of the portrait out of breath, said the password and stepped in. 

     “You’re late”, Malfoy hissed from the spot he was sprawled on the couch. He lifted his gaze from the book to look at her with his iron-grey stare. He shut his book and placed it on the coffee table as he sat up straight.  

     Hermione opened her mouth to apologize and give her explanation, maybe even pull the birthday card, but she realized he wouldn’t care and would probably even taunt her about it. 

     “I’m here now, so let’s get this over with.” She muttered bitterly as Malfoy rolled his eyes. She walked to the couch in front of him and sat down, grabbing her parchment and quill from her satchel. 

     “Let’s start with the rounds.” Hermione said, leaning over the parchment to be prepared to write. 

     “What day do you want to have rounds together?” Malfoy asked in a low voice.

     Hermione looked up from the parchment with a frown. “Rounds together?” She questioned, staring at him through her lashes. 

     Malfoy stretched his neck before he answered with a tone of boredom. “Yes, Granger. The Head Boy and Girl have rounds together at least once a week.” He let out a condescending sigh, “Everyone knows that.” 

     She had an overwhelming feeling he was lying, she had read every book there is about Head duties and she didn’t remember any part mentioning they had to patrol together. If everyone knew that, where was it in the books? She bit down on her tongue as she attempted to not argue with him, If he wanted to do his rounds with her, let him, that way she made sure he was actually doing them right. 

     “We both have rounds on Thursday night, so that day should be perfect.” Hermione leaned over again to write it down and then to work through assigning the Prefect’s rounds and everything they might need for McGonagall. 

     “Anything else for tonight?” Malfoy asked as he cracked his knuckles, the noise making Hermione cringe internally. 

     “No, I think we’re finished.” Hermione answered as she rolled up her parchments and put them into her bag. She stood and had expected Malfoy to leave her alone in the dim room but instead he was towering by the door, waiting for her. She scrunched her nose in confusion but moved to him and he said nothing as he walked out with her tailing behind him. 

     They left the prefects’ room and walked towards their dormitories in a painful silence. Hermione glanced down at the almost non-existent space between them. Malfoy was walking strangely close to her on their way back, their arms brushing and jolting with faint electricity at every step they took. When they reached the portrait, he leaned on the wall next to it, still close enough to loom over her. 

     “Granger, I’ve been meaning to ask you, why didn’t you rat me out to McGonagall when you clearly had the chance?” He asked as she said the password. 

     Hermione was at a loss for words at that moment, her mouth gaping to try and form words. Thankfully, the portrait opened and she stepped inside before she could answer. She finally thought of a semi-appropriate response, yet the thought was quickly interrupted by multiple voices who yelled at the same time. 

     “SURPRISE!!!” 

     Her eyes widened at Ginny, Harry, Ron and Neville standing in the middle of the common room smiling at her. Luna was sitting on the couch scratching the spot behind Crookshanks’ ears and the cat was purring at the attention. 

     Luna and Neville spoke at the same time. “Happy Birthday, Hermione!” Luna’s voice was as light and airy and as always she turned to acknowledge a lurking wizard. “Hello, Draco.” 

     “Hello Luna”, Malfoy used her first name as he stepped inside the portrait behind Hermione. Amusement filled his features as he scanned the slightly decorated room. He looked at Hermione with curious eyes. 

     Harry and Ron turned suddenly rigid at Malfoy’s presence, making it clear the boy wasn’t welcome. Before she could open her mouth once again, Malfoy spoke.

     “Granger, you didn’t mention your birthday was today.” The amusement was still on his face as he stepped up behind her. “I’ll leave you to it then”, his head dipped to mumble into her ear. 

     He strode in the direction of his dormitory, not before sneering at Harry and Ron who were giving him dirty looks with their arms crossed over their chest, like a pair of bodyguards. Hermione could only roll her eyes at that. 

     “How did you get in here?! I’m not supposed to have visitors”, Hermione exclaimed after Malfoy shut his door and moved toward her friends, noticing all the bottles of butterbeer sitting on the kitchen table. “And when did you get all of this?” She gestured with her pointer finger, her tone frantic. 

     “Relax, Hermione.” She stood and moved around the couch to cup Hermione’s cheeks in her hands, smushing them together slightly. “I made a little trip to Hogsmade earlier and got us butterbeer and some candy, that’s why I missed lunch”, Ginny explained, patting her cheek before dropping her hands. She guided Hermione to the couch and placed a mug of butterbeer in the brunette's hand.  

     “Okay…” Hermione sighed, “but that doesn’t explain how you passed through the portrait. I hardly believe Malfoy told you the password.” She mumbled as she sipped the butterbeer. 

     “He didn’t. I went through your stuff during the summer and found McGonagall’s letter with all the information I needed. We’ve been planning this for weeks.” Ginny smiled and everyone hummed in agreement.

     She spent the rest of the evening drinking and talking with her friends. She always got more talkative after a couple of butterbeers, her words coming out quick and her hands flailing as she gestured. It was good to catch up with Luna and Neville, whom she had barely seen, unless it was a quick exchange of words in between classes. 

     After Hermione blew out the candles and everyone left, she casted a quick glance at Malfoy’s bedroom door before downing the rest of the butterbeer left in the glass. He must have gone to bed already. 

     She needed to make sure she remembered thanking him the next day for letting her friends stay. She quickly organized the common room before walking, well stumbling, to the kitchen.  She grabbed a small piece of parchment and scribbled a note on the kitchen table for the blond wizard.

       Malfoy,

      I apologise for breaking my own rule of no visitors in the common room, twice in a row. If you’d like, I can do one of your rounds this week, just to be even. 

      - Hermione 

     Draco jolted awake around four in the morning, sweat dripping down his neck. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, trying to push away the image haunting his dreams. It was always the same nightmare and the same screams. Some nights it felt so realistic, he thought the screams were coming from outside his bedroom door, or even sometimes, down the hall. 

     He got up, scratching the back of his neck and exited his dorm to get a glass of water. As he crossed the kitchen door, he felt a piercing pain on his right ankle and hissed. Fucking Granger and her bloody fucking cat. Draco casted Lumos and spotted the ginger monster prancing back to his usual spot on the couch, like he hadn’t just bitten him. Rotten .

     On his way back to bed, Draco caught the note on the table in the corner of his eye. He stopped and backtracked two steps to read it. He chuckled, shaking his head. Leave it to Granger to apologise to him, even though he’s the one who’s rude to her. 

     He couldn’t help the genuine amusement at her reaction when they found her friends in the common room. He didn’t have anything against Lovegood or Granger, not with everything his family put them through, but leave it to Potter and Weasley to get under his skin with their heroic bollocks. 

     He knew that the two so-called heros would have never been alright having Granger be around a party with his friends as they were all seen as rabble, a dark stain on the otherwise freshly cleaned flagstone. No one respected them anymore, as with everything that happened during the war. He tried to keep to himself more often now. Most of the time, Granger assumed him to be out, but he was actually in his room, reading, sitting in isolation while listening to the life outside, or being comforted by burnt ember liquid as he curled up by the window, hoping to not feel suffocated anymore. 

     Though it bothered him to hear them having fun, he knew she deserved some fun. Honestly, that witch had no social life, always studying and Head planning. She always had her face buried in something or she was leaned over parchments with her wand sticking out of her barely up hair. Truth be told, she wasn’t unpleasant to look at either.

     Draco sniggered at the memory of the moment she exited her bedroom that morning, he had to do a double take. It was idiotic of him to think she had dolled up for him, her lips shiny and soft, her incandesent eyes now dark and somehow larger, if that was even possible. It was a first and a fleeting thought and considering they had a meeting that day and all, he believed it was warranted. When he learned it was her birthday, his assumption was quickly shattered. Draco put the note back on the table and grabbed a quill. 

     Granger, 

     Careful. 

     I will hold you to that. 

     - Malfoy

Chapter Text

The Dove

Will Receive Affection

     Hermione had no idea the chain of events she had started when she left the note for Malfoy the night of her birthday. It was a good idea, a way to reach out when they weren’t around each other, well, she thought it was a good idea. She just didn’t imagine he’d be reaching out to her for such... trivial matters.

     September 25th, 1998

     Granger,
      I don’t like your cat. It keeps trying to bite my ankles when I’m getting water at night. Make it stop.
      - Malfoy

      Malfoy,     
      Maybe stop bullying poor Crookshanks. He is a very intelligent cat and can tell you don’t like him. Stop bothering my cat.
     - Hermione 

**

      September 27th, 1998

      Granger,
      Tell your witless friend to avoid falling asleep during prefect rounds or else, I’ll decide to report him. I found him snoring in one of the classrooms. Yes, I’m talking about Weaselbee.
     - Malfoy

**

     September 29th, 1998

     Granger,
     Please stop harassing the house elves, it's their job. They like doing all of the work. Not everything needs to be done the muggle way.
      - Malfoy

      Malfoy,
      I was just trying to offer them the new sweaters I knitted!
      - Hermione

**

      October 1st, 1998

      Malfoy, 
      Parkinson came by looking for you today. 
      - Hermione
**

      Draco leaned against the stone wall facing the dungeon’s entrance with his arms crossed against his chest and his right foot resting on the wall behind him. He looked down at the stones as he waited, following the cracks. 

      When Pansy walked through the stone arch, talking to Daphne, Draco stepped away from the wall and reached out to her by the arm.

      “Pansy, we need to talk”. Daphne shared a glance between them and walked away without a word. 

      The raven-haired witch pulled her arm from his grip to place both hands on her hips as she faced him. She took a sharp inhale as she stared at him impatiently. “What do you want to talk about, Draco?”

      “Why are you missing your rounds? I’m responsible for the Slytherin prefects and if you miss another round, Granger will be the death of me.” His tone came out much more sharp and authoritative than he had expected but he didn’t let his stance waver. 

      Pansy lifted her perfectly shaped brow and spoke in a scornful tone. “Speaking of Granger, any luck yet? That must be the reason you haven’t come to me lately.” Her nose scrunched in bitter amusement. 

      Draco scoffed, “Get over yourself, Pansy. I don’t need you.” He hissed as he stood toe to toe with her. 

      The other witch failed to hide the hurt splayed across her face from Draco’s statement. 

      “Well, she must be getting on your nerves since you’ve been so irate at every little thing .” She enunciated the last three words as she stared up at him, her eyes unnervingly malevolent. After she spoke, all traces of an emotion had vanished from her face, leaving Draco with only a hard shell to examine. 

      He looked her up and down as he sneered, “She’s getting on my nerves but so are you.” He leaned closer to her, their noses almost touching, “Fuck off, Pansy. Do as you please”, storming out in the direction of the Great Hall. 

**

      October 3st, 1998

      Malfoy,
      Parkinson missed her rounds last night and this isn’t the first time. Deal with it.
      - Hermione

      Granger,
      How am I supposed to deal with it? She won’t listen to me.
      - Malfoy

      Malfoy,
      Well, she’s your girlfriend. If she won’t listen to you, I doubt she’d listen to me.
      - Hermione

      Granger,
      I told you we weren’t serious.
      Besides, she hasn’t talked to me in days.
      - Malfoy

**

      Hermione picked up the note as she poured her tea. Now, this was an interesting turn of events. Hermione was instantly curious as to why Pansy had detached herself from her everlasting seat on the wizard’s lap but decided not to meddle in Malfoy’s private affairs. Her decision was short-lived when she noticed Malfoy and Parkinson sitting on opposite ends of the Slytherin table during lunch the next day. m

      “Does anyone know what happened between Parkinson and Malfoy?”, she asked the group and Ginny shrugged. 

      “If any of us were to know something, it would most likely be you, Hermione.” Harry said as he sipped his pumpkin juice.

      A couple of hours later, she found him sitting alone on the bench outside the Potions classroom. They were both early for their lesson. Malfoy lifted his eyes from his book at the sound of her footsteps and then looked back down, resuming his reading. 

      Hermione stood on the opposite wall fidgeting with her satchel strap for five minutes until Malfoy’s low voice shook her out of her thoughts. 

      “What, Granger?”, he said without bothering to look up in her direction. 

      Hermione stood still. “I didn’t say anything.” 

      “No, but I know you’re dying to”, he placed the worn book next to him on the bench and stood up to meet her curious gaze.

      Hermione let out a soft huff, looking away before speaking.  “I was just wondering, is everything alright between you and Parkinson?” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and lightly scuffed her foot against the flagstone.

      “Interested in my love life now, are we?”, Malfoy chuckled as he watched her. She looked back up at him, resuming eye contact. The wizard lifted a pale eyebrow, waiting for a reply. 

      “Of course not.” Hermione placed both hands on her hips. “It just makes a nice change to not see Parkinson draped all over you.” She snarked.

      Malfoy smirked and glanced up at the ceiling for a second before leveling his gaze on her. “Careful now, Granger. You almost sound jealous.” His smirk turned into an infuriatingly sardonic grin. 

      “Yeah, as if I could be jealous of Parkinson and you.”, she scoffed. It took her a beat to feel the way the tension had shifted and another to realize the extent of what she had just said.

      Before he could even open his mouth to retaliate, the rest of the students started moving through and the classroom doors opened, putting an end to their conversation. They shared a look before going inside.

      October 8th, 1998

      Granger,
      I  have plans tonight. 
      Won’t be able to make my rounds, 
      Going to use your offer.
      - M

**

      Draco held the transfigured bottle of Firewhiskey as he walked down the hall next to Blaise in silence. Well, it was silence until it felt a little off, then Draco spoke. 

      “Are you sure Theo is down here? Why wouldn’t he read at the library like every other sane person? Why an almost abandoned wing?” He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest as he subtly pulled his sweater closer, attempting to beat the bitter chill of the new fall. 

      “Do you not trust me all of a sudden? I promise mate, he’s just right around this alco-” Blaise stopped once they rounded the corner and Theo looked up from his book at the two tall wizards. 

      “What do you two want?” Theo said as he scanned them for any sign as to why they had come looking for him but fell short with just a syrup bottle in Draco’s hand. “I actually have no idea. Out with it.” 

      “Here”, Draco spoke first as he held out the syrup bottle. “I… haven’t seen you two in forever, so I decided to recruit Blaise to help me find you.” He moved to sit cross-legged against the wall on the other side of Theo, and Blaise moved to sit at the point in front of both of them. The maple bottle slowly morphed back into the burnt orange liquid and Theo spun the cap off. 

      “Fancy a drinking game anyone?” Theo gave a lopsided grin as he held up the open bottle. Draco rolled his eyes as he leaned back on his hands and Blaise just nodded. “Let’s do… Oh wait!” Theo almost jumped with excitement. “I got this from an unfortunately open potions cabinet.” Theo held up the tiny glass vial and tilted it in the light. “Veritaserum! No room for lying”

      A scoff passed Draco’s lips and judging by the way both Blaise and Theo turned to him, the noise was louder than expected. 

      “No”, Draco answered simply and took a sip of the Firewhiskey, ignoring the way Theo had turned on a set of puppy eyes. 

      “Are you hiding things from your best friends, Draco? We’re hurt!” He exclaimed, placing his hand over his chest, and Blaise raised his own from his reclined position to interrupt. 

      “I actually don’t care that much.” He said and Theo’s hand clamped over Blaise’s mouth. 

      “Shh, you don’t know what you’re talking about. See Draco, not sharing secrets has caused Blaise to go insane, to lose it, to start talking nons-” Draco snatched the small vial from Theo’s hand. 

      “Quiet.” He grumbled before grabbing a cup to put the smallest amount in it. “We’re playing as long as you don’t do whatever ridiculous lecture that was again.” He turned to Blaise “You first, Blaise. How many poor witches have you shagged since we arrived?” He asked as he took a gulp of alcohol, which Blaise quickly stole. 

      “Ah. I’m drinking but I can answer this one anyways, easy mate. None.” He chuckled and took a swing, “Can’t go near the big bad wolves.” He jeered as he turned his attention to Draco. 

      “Speaking of, how is little red holding up?”, Theo asked with an amused look. “Has she hexed the ever living shite out of you yet?”

      “There are things worse than a hex, Theo.” He mumbled to the boy as he took the Firewhiskey. “She drives me absolutely insane.” He groaned. “She tried to make me read a muggle book last week, and this week she was after the house elves trying to free them. Don't even get me started on her bloody cat-” He ran a hand through his hair with exasperation as he brought the bottle to his lips and tipped it back. 

      “Ooh, a muggle book. How torturous” Theos' voice was flat with a lack of amusement as he taunted the blonde. “How could she ever force you to read?” He snickered and Draco shifted his leg out to kick at him. “Also, none of you are playing properly. It’s either you tell the truth or you take a shot. Not both.” He sat up more to take the bottle from Draco’s grip.

      “Alright, Theo. Your turn then.” Draco cleared his throat, “How about you, any girls pining for the position of Lady Nott?” He grinned and Theo shifted before taking a gulp from the bottle. 

      “Not unless you’re offering, Malfoy.” He grinned and Blaise let out a chuckle as he took the bottle and kept the game going for about an hour. 

      The boys knew way too much about Theo’s sexual preferences and Blaise’s sexual history. Blaise passed the bottle to Draco along with the veritaserum. 

      “What is it really like living with Granger?” Theo asked as he rested his chin on his knee. Draco went to lift his back off the wall to bring the bottle to his lips but when he left the support of the wall, he slumped forwards. The wizard let out a laugh before taking a deep breath and sitting up straight. He grabbed the veritaserum. He had nothing to hide and another shot might not be in his best interest. 

      “Well, she’s fucking annoying for one. Always doing things the muggle way. But she leaves these notes every time something insignificant happens instead of looking for me. I don’t even get it.” The longer he talked the more slurred his words became but they were still comprehensible. “Why not just find me and talk to me?” He huffed and leaned back against the wall. “And did you know she sings in the shower? I have to cast a silencing charm just to go back to sleep.” 

      Blaise slowly nodded and moved to open his mouth to ask Theo a question but Draco wasn’t done. 

      “I mean, she slowly has become less insufferable and she makes quite good tea but that is besides the point-“ 

      “There was a point?” Theo interrupted and Draco just shot him a glare. 

      “I keep believing I have her figured out but something new happens and I’m just as lost as I was before.” Draco slurred, unaware that this sentence made little sense to the boys sitting around him. “Like for example. Her birthday! I thought for the tiniest second she had gotten dressed up for me”, Draco laughed and rubbed his face, “And I don’t know why I would think that. Of course, as soon as I figured it was the witch's birthday, I knew it was for her. I don’t know why she would do anyth-”

      “Alright. You’re cut off.” Blaise took the Firewhiskey from him and Draco glowered at his friend. 

      Hermione had been patrolling the halls for an hour when she reached the courtyard and heard laughs and male voices in the distance. She bristled at the thought as she rounded the next corner, determined to take points from the students who were breaking curfew. The voices became louder with every step she took, one of the voices called her. 

      “Oi, Granger!”, Blaise Zabini exclaimed and his two companions turned her way. Theodore Nott and Draco Malfoy were resting against opposite walls next to Blaise, the alcohol barely being held by Theo’s lax fingers. 

      “There’s our favorite Head Girl”, Theo greeted her with a sincere smile, sitting up straighter against the wall. 

      “Good evening, boys. It’s past curfew”, Hermione looked at the three wizards in front of her who had flushed cheeks and glassy eyes, clearly intoxicated. 

      “Apologies, Hermione. But the Slytherin common room was a little too crowded and we lost track of time.” Theo’s face turned apologetic. Draco and Blaise both glanced back to look at Theo at the use of her first name. Draco’s brows scrunched in confusion before he turned back to look at her. 

      “Oh come on, Granger. Don’t be a spoilsport”, Blaise whined and added, “You should join us”, picking up the Firewhiskey to wave in her direction. 

      Hermione wrinkled her nose, “No, thank you. I’m on Head duty”, and turned to Draco, “I give you fifteen minutes so you can all go back to your dormitories. The only reason I’m not reporting this is because I owe you for my birthday.”

      She turned on her heel to finish her rounds and heard footsteps behind her. “Granger, wait”. Draco caught up to her and spun her around by her arm. 

      Hermione couldn’t take her eyes off his hand still holding her arm, as he spoke again. “Stay for a little while. Get to know my friends. I promise we’re worth the trouble.”

      When she lifted her gaze, she found him staring intently at her, the corner of his mouth quirked up. Hermione held his gaze. “I rather not. You lot excel at condescending everyone who isn’t yourselves. I don’t fancy being looked down at the entire night.” She frowned with ambivalence up at the blond wizard. 

      “Then teach me how to look. I promise I learn fast.” His eyes sparkled as he ran the pad of his thumb over her forearm. His words were low and slow and Hermione could smell the alcohol radiating off him. 

      Hermione held her breath for a few seconds as she stared into glossy and rather expectant grey before reality hit her. She stepped back as she pulled her arm from his grasp, walking in the opposite direction. 

     October 9th, 1998

     Malfoy,
     Don’t forget we have to start working on the Halloween Ball.
     We should have started earlier!
     - Hermione

     Granger, 
     It’s a bloody Halloween Ball.
     How much planning can it take?
     - M

**

Chapter Text

The Wheel Of Fortune
A major change for the better is in the works.  If you have been toiling away, the Universe is now ready to move things in your favor.  Whether this be luck or simply the consequences of past decisions, know that everything is turning and moving.  Momentum is gathering. The Wheel of Fortune is a sign that everything is moving in divine order.

     “Goldstein, what are you doing?! Those cobwebs are supposed to be hung over by the drinks, not the pumpkin table! And Ron, if you’re going to be up on a broom, at least have the decorations straight. How hard is it?!”

     Hermione Granger was a painfully meticulous party planner. 

     October 10th, 1998

     Malfoy,
     I’ll see you at half past 7 for the Halloween meeting with the prefects.
      Don’t be late.
      - Hermione

**

     “Thank you all for attending this meeting. As we well know, the Halloween Ball is in less than two weeks, so it’s imperative that we work around the clock.” Hermione stood in the front of the prefect’s meeting room, alongside Draco Malfoy, instructing the prefects about their duties for the upcoming celebration. 

     Malfoy leaned on the desk behind them, rubbing his eyes, showing signs of hangover from the previous night. He chewed sweet spearmint gum, trying to escape the taste of regret in his mouth. 

     Hermione stepped away from the front and started distributing assignment sheets to each prefect. “Right, so Goldstein, you will be in charge of scattering the decorative cobwebs throughout the Great Hall.” She slid the paper on his desk. “Ron, you will hang the lights.” She stood in front of Parkinson next. “Parkinson, you’re in charge of crafting and sending out the formal invitations.” She continued to hand out the sheets to the remaining prefects. 

     “Everyone will be responsible for set-up and clean up no matter their assigned jobs.” She said as she moved back to stand next to Malfoy at the head of the room. He glanced at her as he massaged his forehead. 

     “Finished assigning jobs? Can we be done?” He groaned softly and squinted away from the light shining in from the windows. 

     “I think we’re done. You’re all dismissed.” She said to the prefects as she leaned onto the desk behind her, bracing on her hands. The students stood and filed out of the room, minus Ginny who swayed by the door, seeing if Hermione wanted her to stick around. Hermione gave her a half smile and shook her head, fine with being alone. Ginny shut the door on her way out and Hermione pushed off the desk to start collecting trash. Malfoy stayed where he was leaning, popping his gum as he blew small bubbles. 

     “Are you just going to stand there, Malfoy? Or are you going to help me clean?”, she glanced over her shoulder at the disheveled wizard who looked like he might keel over and die at a sharp gust of wind. He narrowed his eyes at her and shuffled to grab his wand, casting a quick Scourgify around the room. 

     “No reason to clean the muggle way.” He mumbled and stepped closer to her. “Now, can we leave?” He whined like a child who had been deprived of their precious afternoon nap. She let out a huff and spun around, not prepared to be mere inches from him. 

     “Uh- I- Uhm-” She swallowed, feeling slightly suffocated at the proximity. Malfoy looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. 

     “Cat got your tongue, Granger?”, his voice was low and gravelly as he taunted her. “Can we go now?” He muttered, his hot breath fanning her face, making her nose tingle with the smell of spearmint. 

     “Yes. I just have to grab the scrolls.” She gestured to the scrolls of parchments behind her and Malfoy glanced at them before reaching to the table behind her, grabbing them. Hermione leaned back slightly so she wasn’t completely pressed against him. He smelled... familiar . He smelled like the citrus steam that filled the common room when he took two hour showers. He smelled like the late summer breeze when they opened the windows for fresh air. Malfoy smelled good, despite looking like death was a mere clockstroke away. 

October 15th, 1998

Granger, 
I have not stopped sneezing all week. I think it's the cat. I don’t like the cat. Maybe Weaselbee wants it. 
- M

**

     Hermione tossed her bag on the counter with a little more aggression than was necessary. She felt it was justified since she just had to endure an entire hour and a half of Lavender and Ron. She shuffled around the kitchen and started to pour herself tea as Crookshanks hopped up onto the counter, stalking around the note Malfoy had left earlier that morning. Hermione reached for it and picked it up. 

     “Malfoy!” She shouted, just as he left the shower. He froze in his spot outside the bathroom, which was still leaking steam. His hand had the towel still pressed to his wet hair and his pants hung low on his hips as he slowly turned to look at her.  

     “Granger. You’re back so soon. I was hoping to be... non-existent when you read that.” He lowered the towel and opted for shaking his hair dry instead. Hermione put down her mug and scooped Crookshanks up in her arms before turning to him. 

     “You honestly think that your opinion could ever sway what I do with my cat.” She glared at him, petting Crookshanks who was wagging his tale as he stared curiously at Malfoy, or maybe the cat was taunting him. Malfoy narrowed his eyes at the half-kneazle before huffing. 

     “I was just joking, Granger.” He rolled his eyes. “Can we have this conversation once I’m fully dressed?” It was then that Hermione noticed he was still shirtless from his shower. Her eyes moved down his chest, tracing the scars that broke what would have been unblemished skin. The black ink of the dark mark peeked from where he was holding the towel and she could feel a shiver rake up her spine at the thought of it. She looked back up at him, her mouth parted slightly and her cheeks rouged. 

     “I-I’m sorry.” She blinked, trying to reset her thoughts. “There is no conversation.” Her voice came back in full conviction as she shifted her hold on Crooks. “If I’m being completely transparent, you would leave before Crookshanks.” She gave a sarcastic smile before walking past him towards her room. 

     October 19th, 1998

     Malfoy, 
     Sorry about the smell. One of my potions exploded this morning. Just open the windows and don’t take deep breaths. 
     Sorry again,
     -Hermione

**

     October 22nd, 1998

     Granger,
     Fancy having dinner tomorrow?
     -M

**

     Draco had written four of these notes before finally slapping the last one down on the countertop. He was just asking her to dinner for Merlin’s balls. He hadn’t made much headway with the bet and he thought it was time to be charming and if he was being completely honest, he wasn’t even sure why he was still doing the bet. He had no stake in it other than his pride, but yet again, what are Malfoys without their pride? 

     “This is bloody stupid, it’s Hermione fucking Granger.” He mumbled to himself. “It’s for the bet. We’ll have dinner. I’ll even act like Weas- no,” He seemed distraught by the thought even crossing his mind, “I don’t want to win that badly.” He leaned on the countertop, gripping it with his hands and letting his head fall forward, “Fuck, this is going to be harder than I thought.” 

     Hermione read the contents of the note for the eleventh time since she saw it on the kitchen counter the previous day and took it to her room. She paced in front of the mirror for ten minutes before she was supposed to meet Malfoy for dinner. Surely this had to do with the Halloween Ball planning or prefects’ duties, but that didn’t save her from the strange flutter in the pit of her stomach.

     She wore what she usually did on the weekends, a pair of jeans and a knitted sweater. When she exited her bedroom, she found Malfoy waiting for her at the kitchen entrance, wearing black pants and a dark blue long sleeved polo. She had half a mind to step back into her room and shut the door, pretending he hadn’t asked her to have dinner but her feet moved her forward.

     They reached the table, already set for two, as Draco pulled the chair for her. She eyed him warily before taking the seat. As he moved to his seat she looked over the table, it was simple, like a normal dinner would have been and that made it easier to take a breath. The moment he sat down, both plates were filled with food. 

     “You know, you don’t have to make the elves work overtime. They have enough work with the Great Hall and the dorms”, Hermione gave him a reproachful look before picking up her fork. 

     Draco shook his head in disbelief. “Just thank me- or the elves for dinner and start eating.”

     Five minutes passed and Hermione couldn’t stand the silence any longer. “Is everything alright?”

     Draco finished chewing and dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

     “Well, I don’t know. Why else did you ask me to dinner?”, Hermione’s brown eyes looked at him expectantly. 

     Malfoy’s eyes sparkled with an intention she couldn’t quite decipher before answering, “I just wanted to show you how much I appreciate you being the Head Girl. Honestly, I could’ve had it worse, for Merlin's sake, it could have been Lavender bloody Brown for all I know.”

     “Thank you Malfoy... for the backhanded compliment.” She shifted uncomfortably under his heavy gaze and rearranged her food around her plate.

     Malfoy flashed her a smirk. “You are very welcome, Granger.” Hermione nodded and then proceeded to eat the food. After another painstaking five minutes of silence, Hermione decided to speak again. 

     “This is very good-” She started to speak but when there was no reaction, she could feel her cheeks heat up as she fell silent again. 

     Malfoy finally broke the unbearable silence after yet again another ten minutes. “Do you have a date for the Halloween Ball?”

     “I was thinking about going dateless, since we have to make sure everyone behaves throughout the night anyways. I’ll probably hang out with Ginny and Harry for a bit.”

     “For Salazar’s sake, Granger. They’re a couple, I don’t think they want you third wheeling. Though I think you got used to that with Potter and the other Weasel all those years”. He huffed as he ran a hand through his hair, making it a little messy. 

     She pointed a finger at him as she contradicted the blond wizard. “First of all, don’t talk about my friends like that ever again. I was never a third-wheel, and second, they don’t mind. It’s not as if I’m going to be with them all night”, Hermione lifted her chin and crossed her arms over her chest in a petulant way. 

     “Alright, Granger. No need to get your knickers in a twist over that”, Malfoy’s grey eyes went slightly wide at her quick fuse before he rolled them. 

     Rage flared through the brunette’s body. “ I don’t have my knickers in a twist.”

     Before Malfoy could answer, there was a loud noise outside the common room and their heads snapped in the direction of the portrait. Hermione was suddenly aware of how she could feel her thumping heartbeat trying to escape her chest and worm her way into her stomach. 

     “What was that?”, Hermione started reaching for her wand. 

     Another bang.

     Hermione could feel the way her hands had started to tremor as she gripped the wood. She tried her best to control herself in front of Malfoy, hoping she didn’t look absolutely harrowed with fear. She took deep breaths even though every time it felt like she was getting less air in her lungs. That was until someone spoke.

     “MIONE, let us in!”, Harry’s voice broke through the portrait door. Hermione groaned, dropping her wand back down against the table as her breath returned to normal. She placed her head between her hands and prayed her rapid heartbeat would fade next. 

     “Let her be, she’s busy or in bed by now”, Ginny’s voice could be heard over Harry’s banging on the portrait. 

     Hermione took a deep breath and stood up to see what her friends wanted. She reached the portrait and opened it. “What?!”, she snapped at Harry’s flushed face, still slightly on edge. 

     Ginny was trying to get Harry away from the portrait. “Sorry Hermione, we went for a few pints at the Hog’s Head. The Chosen One can’t hold his liquor, it seems”, she said with an eye roll. Hermione could hear Malfoy’s laugh behind her. 

     “I’ve just- just missed you dearly Mione. It’s been weird since Ron got with L-lavender. I just love you so much.” He hiccuped and Ginny spoke before he could continue his drunken almost incoherent speech. 

     “It may have been more than a few.”  

     “I’m in the middle of something”, Hermione said flatly and Malfoy chimed in from his seat at the table. 

     “It’s just dinner, Granger. Feel free to talk to your friends”. His voice was insufferably charming as he spoke to the group and her cheeks went red once more as Ginny wiggled her eyebrows.

     “It’s not what it looks like”, Hermione was quick to defend herself. 

     “Is that Malfoy?” Harry slurred, his voice rising an octave as he tried to seem sober. He moved forward, trying to catch a step but missing miserably and almost tripping over Ginny.

     “Alright, that’s it. Off to bed you go, drunkie”, Ginny placed Harry’s arm around her shoulders for stability and turned in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. “Enjoy the rest of your night, Hermione!”, the redhead threw her a wink before she walked off. 

     Hermione stepped fully inside and Malfoy was waiting for her with a smirk. “So, drunk Potter? I would’ve loved to see that. You could have invited them in.”

     “Where were we?”, Hermione placed a curl behind her ear before sitting down. 

     “We were talking about you going stag to the Halloween Ball,” he held up a hand when she opened her mouth, “and before you say anything else, I was thinking, since I don’t have a date either, and you’re the Head Girl and I’m the Head Boy, it would be appropriate for us to go together.” He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand as he watched her. She wasn’t fully sure of his offer and then he spoke again “You know. McGonagall and her civility and house unity plans.” And that was it. Hermione decided he was right. 

     It would make more sense than going alone. 

**

     Draco and Theo were charming the skeletons to hang from the ceiling, and while they were at it, both wizards took the opportunity to scare the other prefects by placing some of the skeletons inside the cauldrons and making them pop out every time someone passed by. They were doubled over with laughter by the time the fifth prefect walked by one of the decorative cauldrons. Before they could recover from the last prefect, Pansy swayed over to them, not even flinching at the jump scare. Pansy placed a possessive hand on Draco’s shoulder and dug her fingers in slightly. 

     “Hello, Draco. Do you need any help?”, the raven-haired witch purred near Draco’s ear as she ran her manicured hand over his arm. 

     Draco yanked his arm away from her clawed grip as he answered. “Theo and I have it under control. Shouldn’t you be doing whatever Granger assigned to you?” He raised an eyebrow as he stared down at her. 

     Pansy huffed and rolled her eyes. “As if Little Miss Perfect could tell me what to do. She has gone full tyrant.” 

     “That doesn’t matter. I’m in charge too so I say you go do whatever you’re supposed to be doing.” Draco glared at her and turned to look at Theo but Pansy beat him to it, snapping her fingers in Theo’s face.

     “Theodore, go away.” Theo exchanged a glance between his fellow Slytherins and backed away in the opposite direction, not wanting to be in the middle of their argument. 

     Once Theo was out of earshot, Pansy stepped closer and started. “Draco, what’s the matter? Why are you being so ...rude to me?” She reached up to push hair out of his face in an almost loving manner. 

     Draco gave her a side glance. “You should be asking yourself the same question, or did you forget the bullshit you tried to pull last week?”

     “I was in a mood”, Pansy pouted and placed both hands on his chest. “Let’s do something fun tonight,” her eyes sparkled, “I’ll let you do whatever you want to me.”

     Draco scoffed and reached out, holding her chin, his thumb lightly tracing her bottom lip. “Love, I already do whatever I want with you, if you haven’t noticed.”

     Pansy removed her hands from Draco’s chest, the playfulness suddenly leaving her tone. “What is wrong with you? I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve your cold shoulder. After everything we went through last spring, I thought-”

     “Pansy, forget about last spring.” Dracos voice was menacing and unavoidably low as he spoke. He threw his hands in the air in exasperation before continuing, “I consider Theo, Blaise and you my friends and I left with the three of you so we could be safe. There’s nothing more to that. Don’t bring it up. We’re here now, alive and… somewhat safe.” He bit the last word. 

     The raven-haired witch turned her face, failing to hide her glassy eyes from the blond wizard in front of her. She put on a facade and smiled bitterly at him. “Well, at least I know it now.” Pansy hissed and turned around in the direction of the golden doors, leaving Draco to rub his temples. 

     Granger was watching the two of them bicker and chewed on her lip, adjusting the parchments in her hand before going to approach him, not before walking past the charmed cauldron. The skeleton shot out and let out an animated scream and the witch almost jumped out of her skin as she screamed right back. 

     “That isn’t funny! Uncharm that!” She exclaimed as she walked up to him, holding the parchments to her chest. “How is your job going over here?” She asked, attempting, and failing, at nonchalance. Draco glanced over at her and then back to the skeleton in front of him. 

     “Fine, Granger. You can go back to giving Weasel a real scolding. That is, if he is even processing it. Information seems to go in one ear and out the other with that one.” He turned to look at her just in time to see the scowl on her face. “All in good fun, Granger. What did you actually want to talk about?” He asked. 

     “Well, two things. You know you can take house points from her, right? You’re the Head Boy. You can do those things, and second. What happened between you two? I mean, one minute you’re fornicating in an empty cl-” Granger was interrupted by his groan. 

     “Granger, please don’t say fornicate. Are you secretly 60 years old?” He said as he shot a skeleton up to its rightful place on the ceiling, purposely not looking at her. 

     “I was just curious since you asked me to accompany you and-” The witch was yet again interrupted as he slowed his movements. He was visibly tense and turned to look at her. 

     “Nothing happened, Granger. Don’t worry yourself with problems that don’t concern you. You’ve finally solved yours. You don’t need to solve mine.” The words came out harsher than Draco intended and judging by the way her dark eyes widened, Granger took them harsher than he had wanted. The slight flicker of remorse that settled in his stomach didn’t show on his face as not a muscle twitched to break the scowl on his face. 

     “That wasn’t what I was trying to do, Malfoy. I was just-” He turned away to start charming the decorations again, attempting to signal that the conversation was over. Yet the stubborn witch had decided against that. “Why do you do that? You can’t just dismiss me. You can’t talk over me. I am your equal whether you think so or not. I’m not some puppet you can just quiet. I have barely been able to say a full sentence this entire conversation!” She hissed and he turned to look at her once more. Her eyebrows were furrowed in anger and her nose was scrunched and he let his eyes study the way her face changed when she glowered at him. 

     “Goodbye, Malfoy!” The edges of the parchment crinkled with her tight grip. It was then he realized he hadn’t even responded to her. She stomped her foot on the flagstone before turning on her heel and walking away from him. “In case you weren’t aware, that's how you end a conversation!” She shouted over her shoulder as she moved to find the female Weasley. Draco’s eyes didn’t leave her back until he heard Theo speak. 

     “You did really well there, mate.” He said sarcastically as he leaned over the punchbowl. “Do you think it's too early to spike this?” He hummed in thought. “Oh, who am I kidding? Some fifth years will do it for us.”  

Chapter Text

The Wolf

Guard Against Jealous Friends

      Ginny laid on her stomach on the brunette’s bed, legs up in the air behind her and her face resting on her hands. Hermione stood in front of the ginger in costume. 

     “Well, personally I love it.” Ginny grinned at her, pushing her hair behind her ears. It was blown out, falling in soft waves around her green-glitter face, highlighting her cheekbones. She pressed her lips together, tilting her head, still examining Hermione's outfit. 

     Hermione turned around to face the mirror once more. She ran her hands down the red skirt that fell right above her knees. She turned back to Ginny as she messed with the black string that was attached to the corset. 

     “I don’t know, Ginny. Should I just go as something else?” She adjusted the curls that were framing her face. “No one will know who I am except maybe the muggleborns.” She huffed. Ginny pushed up off her stomach to sit on her knees. She moved the bodice back and forth to readjust her cleavage. The green corset she wore was covered in vines and leaves. She flipped her hair over her shoulder as she looked Hermione up and down once more. 

     “Who cares if they don’t get it. You love explaining things to people and you look ...lovely.” She hesitated on the last word, sounding tentative.

     “Say it, Ginny”, Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her. Ginny leaned over to grab her wand from the nightstand. 

     Ginny had made her Red Riding Hood costume shorter, shrinking her skirt so it rested around mid thigh, something that revealed too much leg, in her opinion. She then cinched the corset to cling to Hermione’s waist, filling out the white scrunched bodice instead of letting the cheap leather fall loose around her figure. 

     “There! Now it's perfect!” The witch exclaimed and Hermione opened her mouth to protest as she attempted to pull the unforgiving fabric down her legs. 

     She turned to look in the mirror. Her cheeks burned pink as she thought about being in public like this. She ran her hands over the skirt once more and shifted how she stood in front of the mirror, the blush slowly fading. 

     “I-I actually quite like it.” She admitted quietly and Ginny squealed and got off the bed to go stand next to her. 

     “Listen. I think you look so fit right now,” Ginny said as she stared at them in the mirror. “1998. The year Hermione Granger broke Halloween.” She joked. Hermione suppressed an eye roll at her friend's dramatics before turning her attention back to the mirror to stare at herself for just a little longer. Her thoughts were interrupted by Ginny leaning down to pick up Crookshanks. “Hello pretty boy,” she cooed at the cat. “I should head out soon, Hermione.” She scratched behind the cat’s ears and leaned down to place kisses all over his head. 

     “Of course, Ginny. Don’t want to leave Harry unattended.” She joked and Crookshanks purred in the girl’s arms as Ginny moved to put him back on the floor. 

     “I’ll see you tonight.” She laughed and moved to the door. Ginny paused and then glanced over her shoulder at Hermione. “Oh and… have fun with Malfoy.” She said in a dulcet tone before leaving Hermione alone in her room. She stood there facing her reflection for a couple more minutes, admiring, and made to leave her dorm. 

     As soon as she was out the door, Hermione let out a gasp at the sight of Malfoy, dressed in a black suit, his white oxford ripped with claw marks, eyes yellow and fangs peeking from his mouth. There was a splatter of dark fake blood in stark contrast to the white. He looked at her up and down once, his eyebrows furrowed, “And what are you supposed to be?” His voice was apathetic yet his gaze showed the opposite. His grey eyes were curiously looking her up and down. His state rested on her bust before moving down to settle on her exposed thighs. 

     Hermione felt the unfortunately familiar wave of self-conscious jitters settle in her stomach. “I’m dressed as Red Riding Hood.” His eyes flitted back up to hers. 

     “I still have no idea of what you are, I’m not well versed in whatever that is.” Malfoy drawled as he cracked his neck. He pulled a small silver flask from the inner pocket of his jacket as she spoke. 

     “It’s from a Muggle tale.” She wrung her hands in front of her skirt and gave him another assessing look. “ And you’re disguised as a…wolf?” She prayed her voice wasn’t as shaky as she felt as she continued to think about the implications of the accidentally matched costumes. 

     “Yeah, what about it? Are you frightened of a werewolf?”, he sneered as he stalked closer, the predatory wolf feeling less the costume and much more him. 

    “It’s just that in the Little Red Riding Hood story,” she bit at her bottom lip, debating the idea of not telling him the connection. “She goes through the woods on a mission to find her grandmother and… the Big Bad Wolf stalks her through the forest and tries to play nice, just so he can...eat her. When it doesn’t work, he becomes someone she trusts so he can attempt to trick her one last time and then he devours her.” She said, recalling the darker ending of the popular children's tale. 

     Malfoy’s eyes glinted with something imperceptible and she tried to ignore the way it made her stomach twist with unease. Hermione could see the red rims around his eyes, which she thought had to do less with the costume and more with his current state of intoxication. His tongue darted out of his mouth to wet his lips, baring his long fangs at the movement. 

     Malfoy took another step closer and the silence of the common room was somehow deafening. They could hear the violent wind shake the stained windows during the lull of conversation. She jumped slightly at a harsh snap of thunder and Malfoy smirked as he gave her a calculating once-over.

    “So, are you saying you want me to chase you and eat you?”, biting his lip at the last word. “The Forbidden Forest is right there, I’m game if you are, little witch.” His words reverberated through her, sending shivers down her spine. 

     Her cheeks were a flaming red as she snapped at him. “Malfoy!”

      “It’s a joke, Granger. You made it so easy for me.” He chuckled darkly. 

      “I was just surprised we matched our costumes, without intention.” She quickly explained, “Nothing else.”

     Draco said nothing once more but instead stepped back, the tense air exchanged for a much more comfortable one. “Would you like me to change? I can probably transfigure these to vampire fangs.” His voice dripped sarcasm as he brought the flask to his lips. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him before responding like he was serious and not being completely flippant. 

    “No. You shouldn’t have to. It was an accident. Besides, it’s not like anyone will know who I am. You didn’t.” Hermione sounded almost bitter as she crossed her arms over her chest. Sometimes she wished wizards would at least know some of the muggle tales she had grown up with so she didn’t have to feel so isolated.

     “Well, then we should be going. After you, Red.” He gestured to the portrait and Hermione eyed him warily before walking past him to the exit. 

     As they stepped through the golden doors guarding the Great Hall, she looked around in wonder by how the decorations looked in full display. The charmed skeletons danced towards the ceiling, along with the charmed pumpkins. The ceiling of the Great Hall was something spectacular to observe in itself as it was exposing the starry night and the unnaturally full moon. The clouds rolling over the dark sky let off the occasional thunderclap, making some students jump. 

    People were walking by the cauldrons and a few of them jumped back, spilling punch over their companions due to the scare given by the spelled creatures crawling out of them. The cobwebs framed the old flagstone on every wall and the fake spiders she knew had been catching Ron’s attention all night, giving him a proper fright. 

     Both Malfoy and Hermione spotted Blaise and Theodore loitering by the drinks table. Hermione could easily notice how they were looking juiced-up already. As soon as the wizards spotted her companion’s blond hair, they gestured for them to come over. When she got closer, Blaise’s eyes widened in surprise and Theo gave her a warm smile. 

     “Well well well, who do we have here?”, Blaise smirked as he looked at her up and down. 

     Malfoy cut in before her. “She’s supposed to be the Red Hood Girl.”

     “It’s Red Riding Hood, actually,” she corrected him and jabbed her elbow into his side, not only for speaking for her, but because she knew he had given the wrong answer just to be an arse. “It’s from a muggle tale.”

     Hermione turned her face to the side to look past Malfoy for some of her friends but couldn’t spot them through the students and fog. What she did spot was the way certain students were eying her and Malfoy. She noticed some of her muggleborn and even some of the half blood classmates were giving her curious looks, probably caused by her choice of costume and current companions, since if anyone would be familiar with the tale it would be them. Hermione could swear she even saw the Patil twins whispering by a corner but the muggle tale was lost on them, probably, hopefully. 

     Theo lightly tapped her shoulder to bring her back to their conversation.

     “Who’s Red Riding Hood? I’ve read some muggle stories as I do tend to find them quite entertaining but I can’t say I’ve read that one.” Theo looked like he was genuinely interested to hear about the tale, which had her retelling the story to the purebloods without a second thought. After she was done telling the story, twice by now, Theo and Blaise shared an amused look and Hermione realized her mistake in telling them the connection.

     Blaise spoke first, “So, Malfoy is dressed as the Big Bad Wolf?”, as soon as the words left him, he doubled over with laughter and Theo couldn’t help but giggle as he brought his cup of punch to his lips. Hermione could feel the way Malfoy stiffened next to her.

     After Blaise recovered, he took a deep breath, now facing Malfoy who feigned annoyance, “It’s only October and you’re already pussy-whipped. Matching costumes and all”, while he pointed his finger between the two of them and Malfoy was quick to reply. 

     “It was an accident.” He snapped and Theo and Blaise let out another quick round of laughter before beginning to tease the boy. 

     “I think it’s quite adorable-” The end of Blaise’s voice faded, as she was no longer listening to the boys but instead was searching for a quick exit so she could find her friends. 

     Hermione’s cheeks flushed and she tried to avoid their attention by whispering an “excuse me” and picking up a cup, which was immediately filled with the punch sitting on the table. 

     With drink in hand, she walked around the three boys and craned her neck to find Ginny but she made instant eye contact with Pansy Parkinson, who was looking furiously in her direction, dressed completely lavish in a long black velvet dress that had a slit over her right leg and a plunging V-neck that dove past her breasts to rest at the bottom of her sternum. She wasn’t exactly wearing a costume but she knew how to make an appearance. 

     Before Hermione could properly react to the raven-haired beauty throwing daggers with her eyes, she was dragged away by a green arm.

     “There you are. I was looking for you,” Ginny led her towards their housemates, who were leaning awkwardly against the stonewalls. Hermione flashed them all a smile and then took a sip of the punch. “I just got here with Malfoy”, she said and Ron's face grew into an uncomfortable expression. 

     “Why did you come with Malfoy?” He asked and Hermione thought he might have sounded jealous but she quickly buried the thought away. 

    “Because we decided that we should do better with how we represent to other students and neither of us had dates”, she shrugged and Ron let out an incredulous scoff but bit back his snarky response. 

     “No one asked you so you decided to go with Malfoy. Yeah that checks out as mentally sane.” Ron rolled his eyes and Hermione could feel the rage simmer in her chest. 

     “For your information Ronald, and by the way I can not believe we are having this conversation yet again after the Yule Ball, but Cormac McLaggen asked me. I just didn’t quite fancy having to stand the smell of his assaulting cologne all night and then have him beg me for a pity snog.” She snapped and Ron went bright red. Ginny let out a low whistle as rocked back onto her heels. 

     “And who are you two even supposed to be?” He gestured to Hermione and Ginny as his eyes dropped to Hermione’s chest before back up again, changing the subject. Hermione genuinely wondered if the boy had no shame after just being scolded.

     “She’s Red Riding Hood from a muggle tale and I’m Poison Ivy from Batman. The muggle movie Harry and Hermione made us watch.” She said and Ron looked confused. “She wasn’t in the movie. She was in the comics.” When the confusion didn’t fade from Ron’s face, Harry spoke.

     “Well, I think you look lovely, Hermione,” he complimented her and tried to smooth his hair down once more. Harry’s costume consisted of a small ‘Hello my name is’ tag that read ‘Jack’. Harry was never big on Halloween and she’s sure Ginny berated him for disrespecting her favorite holiday. 

     Hermione smiled softly and nodded her head in thanks. She swayed back on her heels as she sipped more of the punch, listening to Ginny talking about how they may be inviting Quidditch scouts to see her play. As everyone else congratulated her, Hermione’s head started to spin lightly. She pressed her palm gently against her forehead. 

     “I don’t feel too well all of a sudden. I think I’m going to get something to eat,” she hummed softly and Ginny glanced at her. 

     “Are you alright? I can come with you”, she offered and Hermione waved a dismissing hand in front of her face. 

     “No. No, don’t worry about it. I’ll be back. Congratulations Ginny”, she smiled at her friend as she took steps back into the crowd.

     She spun on her heel and started to move into the crowd of students. The floor shook with the loud music and with every step she took she felt slightly less steady on her feet. The music thrummed her ears, sending vibrations down her spine as she moved through the people who continued to knock into her, too preoccupied with themselves to take note of who else was around them. She could feel the fuzziness starting to settle in her head and her skin felt warm and tingly under the soft fabric of her costume. She reached the table after what felt like an eternity inside the main crowd of people.

     Theo was there and picking at a chocolate chip cookie as Hermione approached. Theo had his hair parted in the middle so it fell down to right above his cheekbones. He wore a brown suit and a fur lined coat on top of it. He carried a cane and had a large ring on his pinky. He looked up as Hermione stood against the table and a smile spread across his face. 

     “Hello again, Hermione”, he said and she gave him a half smile as she examined his costume in her head. Her face scrunched in momentary confusion before she spoke. 

     “You’re...Oscar Wilde?” She asked in disbelief and the smile on Theo’s face grew. 

     “Yes!” His laugh was warm. “I told you, Granger. I like muggle literature. He is one of my favorites.” He picked at the lip of the almost empty cup, pulling it apart in his hands. 

     Hermione grinned. “It was the cane that gave it away.” She informed him and he snorted as he ate a piece of the cookie. 

    “I was hoping it would be the lavish fur coat, which might I say, I think I need to wear more often,” he adjusted the collar. “Hermione, your cheeks are quite pink. Are you alright?” He questioned and she gave him a reassuring nod. 

     “Fine. Just a little lightheaded.” She laughed and reached for another cup of punch, drinking it before Theo could vocalize an objection. He lowered his finger and rubbed at the back of his neck. She turned to him and a giggle passed her lips. “Theo, can you hand me a cookie?” She asked, her weight leaning on the edge of the table. He nodded and passed her one. 

     “Can you tell me more about muggle fairy tales in exchange?” He asked and Hermione brightened at the idea, cheeks glowing a flushed red, eyes glossy and full of excitement. 

     After Draco looked for Granger and her red cape for about thirty minutes, thinking he would find her with her Gryffindor chummies, he was surprised to see her talking animatedly with Theo by the food table. Her hands gestured wildly as she explained something to Theo who sat completely enamored by whatever story the witch was telling. He almost missed the way she seemed to be staggering on the spot and thought that maybe she wasn’t used to wearing heels. 

     Draco walked in their direction and bumped Theo’s shoulder with his arm playfully when he reached them. She turned to the sudden movement and her eyes lit up. “Malfoy! There you are. We were just talking about you.” Her mellifluous voice came out breathy as if she had been talking for hours without a single breath in between. 

     Theo chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. “Nothing bad, mate. I promise.”

     Draco exchanged a look between the two of them before speaking with a slight tone of mockery, “I didn’t realize you two would get along so well, but to be honest, it was to be expected. Are you really being bookworms in the middle of a Halloween celebration?”

     Granger raised her finger to protest his derisive statement but a hiccup escaped her lips. She quickly covered her mouth with the hand she had just raised and giggled at the boys in some sort of excuse. “I think the punch might have been slightly strong.” She whispered through her fingers. 

     The blond wizard rolled his eyes and grabbed her by the shoulders, “Alright, that’s it. You’ve had enough fun for one night. We are going back to the dorms. I’m quite sure you don’t want people seeing you in this state.” His decision was quick but he knew it was the right one. 

     “But, Malfoy, we can’t!” She stomped her foot on the ground like a petulant child who was just told her stay at the park was over. “We are in Head duty tonight. We can’t leave before anyone else does,” she begged, her honey eyes wide and glassy. 

     “You are in no condition to be guarding the other students, and neither am I. I’m pissed, for Merlin’s left ball, did you honestly believe I would go through this night sober and willing to take some points?” He scoffed as he spun her around, holding onto her shoulders from behind as he started to direct her to the Great Hall exit. 

     Theo started to protest and Draco lifted a hand from the witch’s arm to silence the brown-haired boy. “Stay out of this, Theodore. She’ll be fine. She shouldn’t be seen in this state.”

     He led her towards the golden doors, attempting to ignore concerning looks thrown their way, probably due to the way the witch kept stumbling every ten steps. Once they rounded the first corner, she thrashed at him to free herself from his grasp. 

     “Let me go, Malfoy! I can walk by myself”, Hermione cried out dramatically as she rested against the hallway wall, bending over to take the heels off. 

     Draco waved his wand as he transfigured his fangs back to normal, running his tongue over his now flat teeth as he placed both hands in his pockets, with a look of boredom. “Clearly.”

     Hermione stumbled again as she tried to step away from the wall and sighed in defeat. “Okay, I might need a little help getting to the dormitories.” She extended her arm and Draco stood closer as he let her link her arm through his. 

     At close proximity, the wizard couldn’t help to inhale the sweet smell emanating from the brunette. It was her , sweet jasmine and heavy rain that covered the English countryside.  He turned to see how the witch was holding up but her gaze was fixed on the floor as she made sure each step wasn’t on a crack in the stone. She hummed to herself as she walked, leaning into him. He couldn’t avoid letting his eyes roam over her body. His gaze was immediately brought to her cleavage, which considering he was almost a foot taller than her, was a bloody amazing view. 

     He quickly looked ahead at the hallway in front of them as his trousers started to feel slightly stiff right below his belt and his head started to buzz with alcohol. Draco took deep breaths and tried thinking about not so pleasant sights in order to tame his wild thoughts. He heard another giggle coming from the witch currently attached to his arm but refrained to face down again. 

     “Can we go to the kitchens?” She pleaded as she yanked on his arm, her eyes sparkling with mischief.  

     “No.” He spoke firmly despite a small voice in the back of his head pushing him to say yes. “Come on. We’re almost back.” He said as he felt the witch leaned on him more. He moved his arm from hers to wrap around her waist instead, his fingers resting gently above her hip. 

     They finally made it to the common room and he had to place both hands on her hips and lead her inside the portrait so she wouldn't trip on the entrance step. Once inside, Hermione leaned on the back of the couch, running her hands over her costume skirt. 

      Draco eyed her with amusement as he stood by the kitchen door. “Are you okay there?”

     “I’m fine”, Granger slurred as she tried to lift her leg to rub at her foot, probably swollen by the use of heels all night. As she almost placed her foot over her knee, she wobbled and fell backwards over the back of the couch with a yelp. 

     “Granger?!”, the blond wizard swiftly stepped away from the kitchen and walked towards the couch to help the brunette, who was now on the floor laughing hysterically.  “Salazar’s arse, get up, you drunken witch!”

     He grabbed her by the arms as he pulled her up from the floor in a brisk motion and she was suddenly flushed against him. The blond let her arms free and she placed both hands over his chest as she looked up at him with those brown doe eyes. He tried to ignore the way his heartbeat had started to race and thrum in his ears. 

     “You’re proper pissed.” He mumbled- attempting to joke in hopes of lightening the tension, but instead his voice was devoid of humor- just barely a whisper.

     They were merely inches away and Hermione lifted a hand from his chest to trace a finger across the aristocratic features of his face. Her finger started at his cheekbone and then slowly traced down to the sharp edge of his jaw. His breath hitched in his throat, her touch only strengthening the heartbeat ringing in his ears. Her thumb ghosted over his lips and he found himself holding his breath. 

     “I knew your lips felt soft.” The witch murmured quietly, her honey eyes mesmerized with the soft pink lips under her fingertips before she moved down his jaw to his neck. Her finger traced against the soft skin, feeling the way his throat bobbed when he swallowed his nerves, the way it constricted at the ghost of her touch. His eyes lowered to her lips, watching the way she worried the dark red flesh between her teeth as her lustrous eyes continued to observe the way he reacted to her touch. 

     He kept staring at her lips as he ran a hand over the skin of her arm, causing her to shiver faintly at the touch. His other hand stayed firmly planted on her hip, his fingers digging in slightly. Draco lifted his hand and grabbed her chin gently, mimicking her actions, pulling her bottom lip from between her teeth before running his thumb over it, smearing her lipstick.

     Draco let out a slow and controlled breath as she raised herself on her toes and he leaned down to meet her halfway, nuzzling her nose with his. Her breath ghosted over his lips and just as he tilted his head to get closer, their lips almost brushing. He swore he could taste her if he only just leaned in. He lifted his eyes to hers, taken aback by the glassy brown instead of the normally clear and expressive gaze he had grown used to. 

     That was the first crack in the trance and then a hiccup passed her lips and the fuzzy haze that had clouded his mind shattered. She was drunk. She didn’t actually want this. He didn’t actually want this. He quickly took a step back from her, his hand leaving her face. His breath quickened as his brain tried to work through what had almost happened. He hadn’t wanted it, right? He couldn’t be daft enough to want it. 

     He lifted his eyes at her once more and she seemed almost… sad at the sudden loss of contact. Her lips parted, chest heaving and her cheeks rosy. Granger opened her mouth to say something but Draco was already making a beeline for his room. Before she could get a word out, he slammed the door to his room shut. He casted a Muffliato, trying to ignore the way his heart was trying to beat out of his chest.

     His fingers trembled as he unbuttoned his stained oxford and shrugged it all off to the floor. Granger. Hermione fucking Granger. He lifted his rouge colored fingers to his lips and then dropped his hand to his side. He had almost kissed Hermione Granger and he had never been more sure that it had nothing to do with that futile bet. He had wanted to kiss her, not that he would ever admit that, a Malfoy’s pride and all. 

Chapter Text

The Comet

Misfortunes - worry - grief

     Hermione drummed her fingers against the ceramic mug, gnawing at her lip as she was lost in thought. Crookshanks hopped up onto the kitchen table and meowed at her in which she raised her hand to silence the cat.

     “Please stop yelling at me, Crookshanks.” She silenced the cat and then took a sip of her tea. “I just need to think. Oh god, Crooks, it hurts to think.” Hermione laid her head against the table with a soft thud. Not two minutes passed before the witch ran her fingers over her temples, trying to dispel the pounding in her head and then down through her curls, ruining the soft patterns. 

     “Okay. Think, Hermione. You didn’t drink that much. You remember.” She started running the events of last night in her head. First thing that came to mind, the punch. She didn’t get drunk that easily, surely something must’ve happened to the beverage table. Bloody fifth years . 

     Hermione had been drunk before but it had never given her whiplash like this last round had. Usually when she drank butterbeer with her friends she would feel light and communicative and, if she was being completely honest, horny. After three or four pints, Ron’s hand would disappear under her skirt. Then the next morning she would wake up in need of a shower and then she’d be meeting them at Breakfast at the Burrow. 

     The brunette also remembered her conversation with her friends. She always enjoyed spending time with them, but as usual, Ron was a tosser when it came to school balls. She had to start keeping score. He was also a right git about her costume and she didn’t miss the way his eyes lingered a little too long on her chest. 

     She caught the way a smile spread across her face at the following memory. She had spent a good deal of the night talking to Theo Nott. The Slytherin boy was so charming, and cultured about the muggle world. She had believed her crush on Theo in the early years was just her wishful thinking. He was kind and he was warm but he also was a pureblood who surrounded himself with hateful bullies. 

     Hermione had sat at the table behind Theo almost every day in the library. She was sure she hadn’t chosen that seat because of him but because it was the second best seat in the library. His was slightly better. The two tables sat at the end of the library near the windows. The gold sunlight would warm the books and her skin and she rarely used a candle unless she stayed after hours. The shelves had thickened out so that any noise was muffled. Theo had gotten the better seat, the chairs were more worn in and comfortable and someone could sit at the old table all day and not complain. Hermione would have usually tried to get there before him and claim the table for herself but she decided she quite liked sitting behind him. His hair always smelled like coffee and the books that he left behind were always interesting. Sometimes the sun would dance on his face and she couldn’t imagine anything better. 

     Theo glanced up at her one day and gave a half smile before clambering off the chair like his legs weren’t doing what they needed to do to get him up to standing. He scooped up one of his books and walked over to stand by her table. 

     “Granger, right?” He gently rested the worn book in front of her as he spoke. 

     “You can call me Hermione.” She sniffed, suspicious. He hadn’t spoken much to her lately, probably had something to do with the company he kept, or maybe he was just as rotten as the rest. But she couldn’t imagine how someone so much like her could be so... Slytherin. Cold, cunning, ruthless. She couldn’t imagine him wearing green and silver so she imagined it was gold and red that lined his Hogwarts robe and his soul. 

     “Time Turners?” Theo looked down at what she was reading and leaned over the table in an attempt to read upside down. 

     “Yes. Just some extra research for fun.” She slowly closed the book and crossed her arms over the desk before looking up at him. “Is everything alright?” She asked as she chewed on her bottom lip, trying to control the way she was buzzing from excitement. 

     “Well, Hermione. About a week ago, I came back for a book I had left and I noticed it was gone,” Hermione could feel the heat creeping up her cheeks at the direction this was going, “And so I didn’t really mind and I completely forgot about it until I started the second volume and then that was gone too.” Theo grinned down at her as he picked at the edge of the book. “So I thought I would bring you the third volume so you didn’t have to grab it off my desk while I have my back turned.” 

     “I am so sorry,” Hermione sputtered, her mind filling with anxiety and her stomach infested by butterflies. Then he laughed and Hermione froze in confusion, all thoughts and reactions at a halt. “You’re not upset that I stole your books?” She questioned and he shook his head, opening his mouth to say something back when their quiet corner of the library was ruined by the insufferable voice of Draco Malfoy floating through the book stacks. 

     “Theodore. Come out of your cave!” His footsteps grew closer. Theo tapped the book once before stepping away, gathering his books in his bag as it stayed hung on his chair. He picked up the bag and swung it over his shoulder as Malfoy entered into the sunny opening. 

     Hermione scowled at him as she pulled the book closer to her. Malfoy eyed her up and down before scoffing slightly. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. Oh, how she loathed him. 

     “Nott, do you really let this mudblood sit so close to you?” His face morphed into one identical of his father’s, disgust etched in every feature. Theo glanced back with his mouth agape at Hermione. His brown eyes had iced over and his mouth shut before he turned to Malfoy and shrugged. 

     “It’s a library. People can sit wherever they like. Even her if she so chooses.” Theo moved to leave but Malfoy spoke again. 

    “Even when she stares at you? It’s quite pitiful really. Sad little mudblood. Do you reckon she sits here on purpose? Just trying to get her filthy hands on-” When Hermione realized Theo wasn’t going to stop his friend, she pulled her wand and stood. 

     “Watch your mouth, Malfoy.” She snapped and he let out a low laugh and she stiffened, “Or do I have to punch you once more to make sure you get the message to leave me alone.” She grabbed her bags and books and moved to storm out of the library but not before sparing a glance in Theo’s direction. 

     He looked up at her and their eyes met for the briefest moment. Her face was hot from the embarrassment, she didn't usually take to Malfoy’s taunting but this felt much more humiliating as hot pinpricks ran down her spine. Theo looked...bored, like her embarrassment, his friend’s teasing, had inconvenienced him in some way. 

     Hermione knew in a split second that he was meant to wear the silver and green. He looked as cold and calculating as the blonde boy he was standing next to.  He was silver and green and there was no way Hermione could imagine him intertwined with red and gold, as the latter stood up for their friends. Maybe she was overstating their relationship as her fantasies crumbled at the reality before her but she couldn’t seem to find it in her to recreate that barrier as she stormed out of the library. 

     Hermione looked at Crookshanks and sipped her tea, her exterior excelling at looking calm, yet her inside had started to twist painfully as she continued to think through the night. 

     She had abandoned her friends at the party. She had left the celebration way before she was allowed to. What would the Headmistress say if she found out the students were unsupervised for a few hours? Something could have happened. 

     But something did happen, or well, it almost happened. What the fu-

     She had almost kissed him. He had almost kissed her.

     Her eyes shot up to his locked door. The wizard she currently shared headquarters with. How could she look him in the eye anymore? They had been less than an inch apart and she had felt on fire, consumed by it. His hand was digging into her hip and his thumb had smeared her lipstick and her skin was buzzing with alcohol and-

     He had pulled away from her. The heat that had run through her turned ice. He stepped away at the last moment. The cold started to prick at her nerve-endings, goose pimples appearing under her sweater.  

     She raised her hand to her lips, trying to ignore the way her fingers were trembling at the severity of what had happened. He had not only leaned in to kiss her but also pulled away at the last moment.  How dare he? He was the one who approached her and leaned in. Her memory from last night might be a little blurry, to be fair, but she could swear their noses had touched. Malfoy had grabbed her face so he could kiss her. Her fingers left her lips to trace along her jaw where his fingers had gripped. 

    Hermione dropped her hands and picked up the Daily Prophet, turning the pages rougher than usual, as she continued to sip from her tea mug. Leave it to Rita Skeeter to still publish rubbish, even after a war. Rubbish. All of it. It was an understatement to think she was in a bad mood. 

     She heard a meow and looked up to spot Crookshanks. The cat had his claws sunken into Malfoy’s door, the wood scraped under his claws as he meowed at the door.  

     “Crooks, stop!” She hissed at him and moved quickly to go pick him up, ignoring the way her head pounded against her skull. She stood up and brought Crookshanks to her chest. 

    Her steps away from Malfoy’s door stilled as she heard loud noises from his dorm. A door slammed, and his drawers were banged shut with such force the old wood might have even splintered. She couldn’t help her reflex of reaching for her wand as her other hand dropped Crookshanks to his feet. She gripped the wood and spun back to the door. As she was in front of it, she put her ear next to it and heard him cursing as he continued to toss things around. 

     “Malfoy, are you okay?”, she inquired from the doorstep, wand in one hand and the other reaching for the doorknob. She shuffled her weight from foot to foot. 

     “Don’t! Don’t come in.” Malfoy answered with pure desperation and she could hear his footsteps reaching the door she was leaning on. She stumbled back, her socks making it hard to take a steady step back as he swung it open and stepped outside. His ice eyes settled on her face and she let out an unconscious shiver. “Did you need something?”

     “N-No. I just wanted to see if you were okay. I heard noises and thought something might’ve happened.” Hermione took another step back as she spun her wand between her fingers. 

     “I’ve told you before. Don’t concern yourself with problems that aren’t yours.” He dropped his shoulder to lean on the wood frame. 

     Hermione wrung her wrist in her fist nervously. “Anyways.... I also would like to say thank you.” She looked away from him as she spoke. 

     Malfoy lifted a pale eyebrow. “Thank you? For what, exactly?” He leaned over her slightly.  

     “For last night. I mean, uh- for bringing me back safely from the party and,” the words got choked up in her throat and she cleared it to continue, “not taking advantage of the situation.” She rocked her weight back on her heels as she finished the sentence. 

     A inentegible expression crossed Malfoy's features but it was gone as quick as it had appeared. He quickly replaced the unsettling look with a sneer. “You have to be careful, Granger. Believe it or not, I’m a decent human being with standards,” He spoke down at her like she was a child. His stone eyes raked her up and down in a way that made bile rise in the back of her throat. “but don’t think for a second that if any other wizard were in my position, it would’ve had the same outcome, nobody likes a tease.” He scoffed and nipped his lip with his teeth. “With the way you were so desperate last night, whoever had retrieved you from the party was sure to receive quite a gift.” 

     Her blood boiled and the room echoed with the sound of the slap she had just given him. The impact so hard his face was turned to the side and stayed like that for a few seconds. She felt the tingling against her palm and glanced down, away from his marked face to her stinging palm.

     “I was just trying to say thank you, you rotten-” Her words morphed into a frustrated scream through her teeth. “Say a lie like that again and I will hex you until your precious Malfoy hair falls out,”  Hermione stormed towards the portrait and picked up her shoes, leaving barefoot before he could get another word out. 

     She rounded the corner before the Great Hall, her muscles still rigid with anger. She had swallowed her pride and thanked him. And what did he do? Insult her, as usual. She stretched her cramping fingers out from the fist she had clenched and took a deep breath. 

     He can’t ruin her day, it would surely turn around. Before she reached the Golden doors, her path was blocked by Cormac McLaggen. This day could not get worse, she had no hope the day would right itself. She knew she should turn on her heel and just get back in bed before he could spot her. 

     “Granger. There you are!” Cormac smiled like he didn’t have a care in the world and Hermione had many. She didn’t have time for this. Hermione pursed her lips together before giving an awkward smile. 

     “Good morning, McLaggen. How can I help you?” And while she spoke, she tried to side step around him, yet instead he just turned to take his place at her side. 

     “What’s the rush? I tried finding you last night. I was hoping to catch a dance at the Halloween Party.” He grinned at her, very obviously making a weak pass at her. 

      Her shoulders slumped in defeat. “Well, you found me now.” Her tongue was bitter and her nose scrunched as she tried to ignore his nauseating cologne.

     “It’s good I found you. I actually wanted to talk to you about something. I wanted to talk about the Slytherins and considering you’re Head Girl and Hermione Granger.” He said her name with emphasis like her name itself was scribbled somewhere on the plaque of a gold statue. To be fair, there probably was one. Her name was a symbol of heroism and hope, especially for muggleborns. 

      She glanced at him, silently giving him the permission to continue. 

     “I think that we are honestly giving them too much trust. I mean, they hid during the war, whereas we fought and put our lives on the line and now they are just allowed to roam free? Do they not get anything taken from them?” He swallowed thickly when he finished talking as he had realized how aggressive his tone had become as he spoke. He was full of hot air and animosity towards the Slytherin students. 

     “You know that’s not fair, McLaggen. Just because they didn’t fight doesn’t mean they weren’t affected by the war. Many of them are not going home over the holidays since they have no home to go back to. And yes, they should not get a free pass since they have done some horrible things but like what I said at their trials, they have suffered enough and they should not have to suffer more. They are here for an education like the Ministry wanted and-”

     “They were allowed to come here on the conditions of branching out to other houses and to help with anything Hogwarts requested and yet you’re the only Gryffindor they have spoken to. They are still secluded and scheming and what if they’re planning something?” She didn’t miss the way panic flashed in his eyes and she actually felt a pang of sympathy for him. He was, like the rest of them, scarred from this war. But she couldn’t help him, she couldn’t sooth his fears about the Slytherins. 

     “Actually, Cormac. We can maybe talk about this later. I need to use the lavatory, if you’ll just excuse me for a minute.” She took a step back to break pace with him and before he could even answer, she walked in the opposite direction of the Great Hall and to the first floor lavatories. She glanced back one last time to make sure Cormac wasn’t following her and as she turned her head she felt a hand wrap around her upper arm. The hand yanked her into an alcove right next to the bathroom as she scrambled for her wand. 

     “What in Merlin’s name is this?” Hermione snapped as she tugged her arm from the grasp. She turned around in the small alcove and the bricks scraped the back of her sweater when she turned. Theo’s voice came first before she had adjusted to the dark to see his face. 

      “Hermione. I’m sorry about that. Truly. I didn’t mean to scare you,” said the brown-haired boy as he scratched the back of his neck. 

     Her brows furrowed. “Theo? Why would you just pull me back here? You do realize how terrifying that was, right?” She questioned and even though he was a familiar face, her grip on her wand didn’t falter. 

      “I just wanted to see you… and talk to you.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Draco and you left in quite a hurry last night.” Even in the dim alcove she could see the genuine concern etched across his face. 

      “Yeah, I’m alright though, we just went back to the dorms.” She gave an awkward smile and moved to leave but his hand grabbed her wrist. 

     “I need to talk to you about something.” He blurted and she turned back to him. “Well, more like I need to tell you something. It’s about Draco. Honestly I should have told you sooner but I just didn’t ima-” 

     Footsteps followed by a third voice echoed from the archway. Theo quickly fell silent. “Grang-” Cormac turned his head into the alcove. His eyes darted from witch to wizard as he quickly gathered all the information he would seem to need at the way he was towering over her in the dark hideout. Hermione’s wand was gripped and her eyes went wide at Cormac. “ You ?! Get the fuck off of her, fucking Death Eater!” Cormac’s voice was shrill and acerbic as he aimed his wand at Theo’s chest. Theo quickly raised both hands in surrender, dropping Hermione's arm from his grip. 

     “I wasn’t-” Theo stumbled over his words in a rushed attempt at an explanation but he was cut off by Cormac’s unintelligible incantation. The light from Cormac’s wand crackled, striking the other boy in the chest. Hermione had shouted a disarming spell too late as by the time Cormac’s wand had landed in her hand, the spell had already faded except for the residual of the bright flash. 

     “Cormac. What the fuck did you just do?” Hermione spoke through clenched teeth. She dug her palms into her eyes and rubbed before opening them again, she couldn’t have been right, though she was rarely ever wrong. Theo stood as a statue, frozen in place, face paralyzed with fear, the same way she had spent frozen in time when she was petrified. 

Chapter Text

The Sword - Lover’s quarrels

     She rubbed her eyes for the third time, little spots floated across her vision as she blinked and gaped in disbelief. Hermione turned to the Gryffindor boy with a terrifying glare. “What did you just do?” Hermione walked around Theo. “You… turned Nott into stone.” Her eyes ran over the way Theo was frozen in surrender, mouth half open and his skin covered in rough stone. 

     “He was going to do something to you! I told you they’re planning something. You’re dragged into a dark alcove?! I stopped him!” McLaggen answered as if he was expecting a medal. “It can be fixed, I’m sure.” He straightened his jumper.

     Hermione’s jaw fell slack at his nonchalance, as if he hadn’t just petrified a student. She dragged her hands down her face and then back through her hair, gripping it and pining the curls back with her fingers. “It’s a statue curse, of course it can be fixed. But do you know how long it takes? Days!” She screeched. 

     McLaggen scoffed as her hands fell to her side. “You can’t honestly be mad at me. I just saved you!” He jutted his hands in Theo’s direction like that was supposed to answer all of her questions, calm all of her nerves. 

     “Hardly,” Hermione retorted and when she glanced away from Theo, she could see Cormac’s cheeks starting to grow red. “Twenty points from Gryffindor and I’m reporting this to the Headmistress immediately.” 

      Before he could get another word out, she shoved past him to leave the alcove. 

     “Hermione, wait!” He called after but she had already started up the stairs to Professor McGonagall without another glance back.

     Hermione knocked on the professor's door. “Headmistress, are you there? It's an emergency!” Her voice cracked as she shouted at the stone. 

     The doors creaked open and she quickly rushed inside. Professor McGonagall looked up from her desk and put her quill back in the ink pot. Hermione pushed back her hair once more to try and get it out of her eyes. 

     “Miss Granger,” the older witch’s eyes studied her with concern, “You look like you just broke a fight between the Bloody Baron and Peeves.” McGonagall stood, placing her hands on the desk and leaning closer to Hermione. 

     “Cormac McLaggen cursed Theodore Nott. Turned him into stone by the first floor bathrooms.” Her words came out in a jumble. She was still trying to process what happened herself. She had been right there, yet, she couldn’t seem to stop the way she was panicking. Saying it out loud had made it much more real, made her realize how little control she had. She placed a hand on her chest to try and catch her breath but the harder she tried, the more it felt like her lungs weren’t expanding. 

     McGonagall's face changed and she grabbed her wand from the table. She moved around and placed a hand on Hermione's shoulders, which were now heaving in an attempt to get some air. She felt like she was suffocating, repeatedly drowning in the open room. Her mind couldn’t stay on one thought. 

     “I-I tr- I tried to stop him,” she swallowed. “I wasn’t quick enough. I have his wand.” She held out Cormac’s wand to the older witch and she took it. 

     “Miss Granger, I think you should take a seat.”

     “I don’t want to take a seat! I want- I want to not have a petrified student. I should have reacted sooner! I should have done better. I should have disarmed him, he was talking crazy and I was too slow and-” Hermione let out a choked sound as she ran out of air to continue. 

     “Miss Granger, you can barely breathe. Sit down. I will go take care of Mister Nott,” Hermione wasn’t aware that she had obeyed orders until she felt herself sinking in the plush chair. “It is just a statue curse and Mister Nott will be alright. Mister McLaggen will be punished accordingly, but you need to breathe.” Minerva examined the girl before her and let out a pitied sigh. “The war is over, Hermione.” Her voice had softened in empathy as she squeezed the brunette’s shoulder. “You mustn't confuse these moments as the past. You cannot let the memories continue to manifest in this way. It will only lead to more misery- which you’ve had enough of for many lifetimes.”

     After Professor McGonagall made sure that Hermione was settled in the office, she left the room to deal with the recent events. Hermione had gotten control of herself a few minutes later and proceeded to leave as well, planning to go straight to her dorm and get some sleep. She could barely conceptualize the idea of having to walk back, let alone attend her classes.

     On her way back, she heard the portraits whispering that Nott was removed from the alcove and taken to the Hospital Wing, where he would receive treatment from Madam Pomfrey in the following weeks. Hermione reached the common room - Malfoy nowhere to be seen - so she slept the rest of the day, missing her classes with Crookshanks for company.

     Right before her rounds, Hermione stood at the Hospital Wing entrance, biting at her cuticles as she watched Luna hover over Theo in the crisp hospital bed. Luna lifted her gaze from him as she heard Hermione’s approaching footsteps. 

     “Hermione, how good of you to visit,” Luna smiled fondly at her. Hermione’s eyes fluttered down to Theo. His skin wasn’t grey anymore, yet it was still devoid of his normal coloring. He was still petrified. 

     “Is he faring alright, Luna?” Hermione looked back up to her and swallowed the lump of guilt sitting in her throat.

     “He’s getting better. The potion Madam Pomfrey gave him did wonders, but he still won’t wake up for a few days. He needs rest,” answered Luna’s dulcet voice as she slid empty potion vials in her pocket. 

     Hermione and Luna stood in comfortable silence for a few minutes as Luna ran back and forth with new potions, lining them up on Theo’s desk in rainbow order.  

     “You know,” Luna interrupted her train of thoughts, “he’d be happy to know you came to visit him.” She picked up a dark red liquid to inspect it closer. 

     Hermione’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “What?”

     Luna looked up and a small smile crossed her face, her lips quirked up and then she looked back down to Theo.  

     “He fancied you for quite a few years, I believe,” she continued, not even sharing a glance in her direction as she changed the subject. “Someone was kind enough to explain what happened. He was likely trying to protect you.”

     “Luna, I don’t- protect me from what?” As soon as the last syllable left her mouth, Madam Pomfrey’s office door opened. 

    “Miss Granger, it’s good to see you but visiting hours are over for today.,” Madam Pomfrey greeted her, or rather dismissed her as she approached Luna. Hermione did a double take and hesitated for a couple seconds. 

     “Of course, Madam Pomfrey. I didn’t realize the time,” Hermione casted a glance in Luna’s direction, still confused by the ominous statement. “I’ll be on my way now.”

     Hermione walked down the empty corridors after her rounds, her chest felt like it had caved in and she just wanted to crawl back in bed, read a couple chapters from her alchemy textbook and sleep. Her mind had grown heavy with hypotheticals.

     Theo was trying to protect her? Protect her from what? He did seem off, jittery. What had he said? He mentioned something about... Halloween and Malfoy-

     Oh Gods, Malfoy. Who knew how he was going to react to this? His friend was cursed, it wouldn’t be a good reaction, that's for certain. 

     Her mind did well to remind her that, to make matters worse, she had slapped him just that morning. This conversation was bound to be miserable.

     The moment Hermione stepped through the portrait, she found Malfoy sprawled on the sofa by the fireplace, a book covering his face. He heard her enter and looked up, tilting his head in her direction for a brief moment, and then looked away, his glare cold. 

     When she realized he wasn’t going to speak to her, she cleared her throat to get his attention. Hermione could see his eye roll from the top of his book. He sighed as he closed it, sitting up. 

    “What now, Granger?” Malfoy hissed as he placed both forearms over his thighs, leaning forward over the table. He tossed the book on the cushion next to him and laced his fingers together.

     “I thought you would like to know that,” Hermione started, unable to level his gaze, “Nott is in the Hospital Wing. I was just with him and he seemed-”

     “How long has he been there?” Malfoy abruptly stood and was passing by her before she could even finish her sentence, making his way towards the portrait. 

     “Malfoy, wait, stop!” Hermione insisted and he turned around to face her, “Madam Pomfrey won’t let you in. She practically kicked me out because visiting hours are over. He’s been in there since probably half past noon.” She crossed her arms over her chest. 

     Malfoy’s entire demeanor changed, his cold and stoic exterior quickly becoming the opposite. His eyes grew and his face had turned pink in what she could only assume was anger. He shoved an accusatory finger in her direction, “So, you’ve known Theo’s been in the infirmary for hours and it just crossed your mind to come to me? What happened?!”

     Hermione let out a sharp breath. “I was on my way to the Great Hall for breakfast or, well, lunch when McLaggen approached me,” Malfoy groaned at the mention of the Quidditch player, “and I was trying to make an escape because I can’t stand to be near him sometimes,” the blonde let out a slight laugh at her unintentional brutal honesty before going back to his scowl, “so I excused myself to go to the girl’s lavatories. Right before I reached them, Theo pulled me into an alcove and started talking absolute nonsense, but before he could say anything important, McLaggen found us and petrified Nott, thinking he was about to a-attack me or something.” Hermione took in a deep breath after her ramble. 

     If Hermione hadn’t been staring at him, which she’d been doing way too often lately, she would have missed the way Malfoy’s eyes widened when she said Theo pulled her aside, but he swiftly replaced it with anger once again.

     Malfoy started to pace in circles, threading his fingers through his hair repeatedly, the blonde falling and sticking out in every different direction.

    Hermione stepped back towards the kitchen and leaned back onto the counter that Crookshanks was sleeping on. Malfoy’s nostrils flared as he tried- and failed-  to control his temperament. “Merlin’s balls, Granger! You and your idiotic friends always screwing everything up for us. Bloody Gryffindors. All for what, a little bit of attention?! A little bit of praise?!”

     Hermione scoffed, interrupting his sad attempts at an insult, like she hadn’t heard it all from him through seven years of schooling. “McLaggen is not my frien-”, before she could continue, Malfoy charged in her direction and stopped merely inches apart. His finger jabbed at her chest, staying pressed against her sternum. 

     “You have no idea what Theo’s been through, he is the last one of us who deserves this. Fuck!” Malfoy roughly raked his hand down his face. “Look Granger, I know you like to protect your friends, so you have to understand me when I protect mine. Theo is like a brother to me, so don’t be shocked when I hex fucking McLaggen until his fingers fall off.” 

     “You can’t hex McLa-” She narrowed her eyes as Malfoy yet again interrupted her. She really needed to tell him off for that but she had a feeling that now wasn’t the best time. Malfoy wasn’t done with his speech. 

     He stepped closer, his breath ghosting over her face. She could smell the spearmint gum he was always chewing as it she took in a breath. “You fucking Gryffindors. You all think you’re better than everyone, always playing heroes. You know, Theo is a good person. Always has been. Everyone seems to believe that we’re evil, Voldemort's children or whatever it is the Daily Prophet named us, but Theo doesn’t have a bad bone in his body.”

     “How can I control what McLaggen does? I tried stopping him, I even disarmed him but it was too late. It was done.” She looked away from him, her eyes flitting down to his collar. 

    Malfoy’s eyes glinted with anger. “Yes. I quite expect everyone will congratulate him, maybe they won’t even punish him. You know, who could be cross with the wizard who saved the Gryffindor Princess?” he sneered down at her. 

     Hermione looked up once more, clenching her jaw. “He didn’t save me. I wouldn’t let people believe that,” she scoffed. “And of course he got in trouble! I took points from him and he will have detention for the next three months, maybe even be forced to do patrols,” she retorted before softening her tone, dropping her eyes from him entirely. “Theo will be okay, Luna is there taking care of him... Now, if you hadn’t been such an arsehole, I would have told you just now.”

     He murmured a low “Fuck!” He narrowed his eyes at her. “You should have told me as soon as it happened. How am I the arshole?” He scowled.

    “Because you just started yelling at me! I came here to tell you. And also, while we’re on the topic. You have to stop interrupting me. It is impolite and rude and quite frankly it makes me want to-” 

     “Stop talking,” Malfoy cut her off.

     “See! That! That right there!” She looked up once more and lifted her finger to point back at him like he had done earlier but she stilled, her finger stuck in mid air as she suddenly realized how close they were. Her lower back pressed against the kitchen counter and both of his hands rested on the counter by her hips. 

     “Can you truly not hold your tongue for more than three seconds?” Malfoy’s eyes raked her face in search of something, until they stopped at her lips. She let out a shaky breath, trying to ignore the way her stomach was twisting in knots.

     “Can you not interrupt me every three seconds?!” She raised her voice slightly and Malfoy licked his lips. 

     When telling the story, neither of them wanted to admit they had been the one to cave first. 

     They both launched forward, closing the already minute gap between them. She let out a soft gasp of surprise, which gained him access to her mouth. She let out a soft noise and the hand that had been stuck in the air slowly moved to wrap around his neck. His teeth nipped at her lip and her stomach did another flip. 

     She ran her tongue along his bottom lip, happily confirming her theory about his lips being soft. His hands started roaming over her body, stopping to grip her shirt, digging his fingers into her hips. He lifted her up and placed her on the counter, nudging her knees apart to settle in between them.

     She ran her hands through his hair, lightly dragging her nails down against his scalp. He let out a muffled groan and the rumbled sound sent shivers down her spine. They made out for what felt like hours but in reality, it had been minutes. His kisses were soft but at the same time demanding. Demanding her to reciprocate, demanding her to want him as much as he wanted her. 

     His fingers released her thigh and she suddenly felt cold air hitting the skin of her stomach, goose pimples raised on the exposed skin. She tilted her head back, pulling their lips apart and baring her throat to him. He did not hesitate to start there, nipping from her jaw to her neck. She took a deep breath and then turned her head down to see that he had loosened her white shirt from her skirt, holding the bunched fabric in his hand before he let go and started to ghost his hand along her stomach and up her chest. 

     Hermione’s breath hitched in her throat as her skin burned the path his fingertips touched. Malfoy lowered his lips and continued kissing along her jawline and neck, biting and sucking on her skin. 

     His hand fondled her breast over the material of her bra. She let her head fall back and tried to close her thighs around his hips, desperate for some form of friction. 

    He tugged the cup down and started to massage and twist her nipple. A startled moan escaped her mouth. She rolled her hips forward on instinct, trying to ignore the way her skin was buzzing with excitement. She could feel his clothed erection press against her thigh and like a bucket of cold water, reality hit her.

     She wasn’t ready for this. She wouldn’t lie and deny that Malfoy’s lips and hands felt like they were setting her on fire, almost sculpted perfectly for her. But he was probably just doing this because he felt emotional over his friend’s current situation. He didn’t want her, he wanted a distraction.

     Hermione took a deep breath and placed her hands on his chest, giving him a little push. ‘Mmh- wait, Malfoy, stop,” she shuddered and Malfoy raised his head from her neck, his mouth parted as he panted quietly. His lips were swollen and the perfect pink. His hand left her breast to run down her side, resting it on her hip. He took a deep breath and studied her face, his pupils blown wide.

     Malfoy took a step back and cleared his throat, moving to adjust his belt. “Right, okay then,” he stole a fleeting glance at her disheveled appearance. Her hair was frizzy and everywhere, her shirt untucked and wrinkled and her face flushed.  Malfoy stood there for another second before making his way to his bedroom, leaving her alone in the kitchen. 

     Hermione sat on the cold countertop, gripping the edge, her entire body tingled and pulsed. She let out a shaky breath and shut her eyes. What just happened? 

Chapter Text

The Dragon - Sudden changes.

     A week had passed since their kiss. A week of avoiding each other in the halls or during classes. Well, it was more accurate to say that Hermione was the one avoiding Malfoy. She did her best to not run into him in the common room and she would always beg Harry to let her check the Marauder’s Map before going to her lessons. 

     Ginny whispered in her ear on a few occasions during supper about Malfoy burning holes in her skull, trying to make her look up. Hermione knew this, she always felt his eyes on her, his gaze intoxicating and heavy, setting her skin on fire under her robes. She could picture the way he was staring. She knew the way his jaw was clenched and the way his eyes were liquid silver as he stared at the curve of her waist. 

     Malfoy knew she was avoiding him on purpose as she never seemed to be in the Heads' dormitories while he was there and she had stopped responding to the little notes he sent her. 

     November 3rd, 1998

     Granger,

     If your cat is so intelligent, maybe tell him to stop hopping on the kitchen table while I’m eating. It’s honestly disgusting. I’ve tried explaining that to him but he just gives me a nasty look. I don’t like it.

     - M.

     November 6th, 1998

     Granger,

     We have to begin the preparations for the Christmas Ball. I’m baffled that you haven’t started bugging me about it. I’m honestly concerned for your health.

     - Draco

     November 8th, 1998

     Granger,

     Stop avoiding me.

     - Draco

     She tried to move on with her daily responsibilities and forget that night on their kitchen countertop and the way her cheeks flushed every time she thought about it. Since her schedule for rounds didn’t include the cause of her torment, the brunette could spend more of her alone time researching statue curses in the library, in case Luna and Madam Pomfrey needed more information for Theo’s recovery. She also went and visited him at the infirmary, not before she did a triple check to make sure the Slytherins weren’t there to keep him company.

     “He’s almost completely healed. He’ll be out soon,” Luna’s silvery voice answered her. 

     Hermione looked up from Theo, “Do you know how many days he’ll stay like this?”

     “Well, he’s supposed to wake up quite soon actually, but once he regains consciousness, he will have to stay in for another week of observation.”

     “Do you think he’ll fully recover? This won’t affect him?” Hermione worried her lip between her teeth and glanced down at the boy between them. 

     Luna smiled fondly. “Do not worry, Hermione. Madam Pomfrey is positive, in her own way, that he’d be just the way he was before. She has examined his head for injuries but he seems to be unharmed, so that is wonderful,” she wiped her hands on her apron, her mellow smile still etched across her features. ”I also have to thank you for the book you lent me a few weeks ago, it has been very helpful.” Hermione smiled back at her.  

     Draco and Blaise sat opposite of the other over Theo’s bed, eyes fixed on their unconscious friend. Draco reached out and poked him warily in the ribs. 

     He stared down at Theo, pressing his lips into a thin line. He wouldn’t deny that his heart had twisted in trepidation when Granger told him Theo pulled her aside. 

     Many people assumed the Slytherin kept to himself but in reality, Theo always had quite a big mouth. Was he going to tell her about the bet? The possibility had crossed his mind, yet he never gave it a genuine second thought. 

     Draco knew he was a selfish person, he was raised to view himself with utmost importance and was constantly praised for his selfish acts. The selfish voice demanded that Theo needed to wake up now, then the newly conscious boy could easily explain what exactly he was doing with the Head Girl in a dark alcove. He nervously ran his thumb and forefinger over his eyebrows and let out an exasperated sigh. Blaise looked up on the other side of the hospital bed. 

     “Draco, calm down mate. I don’t think the bloke is going to attack you. He’s out cold,” his friend let out a low chuckle, amused at his own joke. It was then Draco realized just how crazed he might appear. He sat up and rolled his shoulders back, taking a deep breath. 

     “I’m just... preoccupied.” He dropped his hands into his lap and grimaced at the knowing look that crossed Blaise’s face. 

     “Is the Slytherin Prince not enjoying his treatment from Granger?” He snarked before continuing. “I was sure that after Halloween you might have made some progress but…” He trailed off, instead he watched the way his friend squirmed at the mention of her. His features stayed stone and impartial as always but Blaise knew him better. Draco’s gaze flitted away and back, his jaw tightened slightly and his hands moved together, picking at the skin around his nails. 

     Draco rolled his eyes, “You’d think it would be easier to deal with her as time went on but it’s just gotten harder. “ He scratched at his neck. “We bloody kissed and now she's dead set on avoiding me.” His stomach clenched uncomfortably and he shifted his weight on the miniature hospital stool.

     Blaise straightened up, suddenly invested in the conversation. “You what? You kissed? She kissed you? Or you kissed her?” He paused and cleared his throat. 

     “Is there a difference?” His scowl deepened and Blaise let out a low scoff. 

     “Of course there's a difference, Malfoy. If she kissed you...that just means the bet’s working.” He scratched at his stubble as if he was in deep thought. “But if you kissed her… well mate, that means-” Draco held up a hand, cutting him off. 

     “I understand. I know what it means-”

     “No but then you woul-”

     “Blaise.”

     “Do you fancy her?” He leaned forward and scrutinized Draco with dark eyes, waiting for his tell.

     “No,” Draco said quickly, narrowing his eyes at his friend.

     “Screw the bet mate, I know you fancy her-”

     “Blaise. I swear to you. I will hex yo-”

     A cough coming from the creaking bed between them interrupted both of them as Theo dramatically grasped at Blaise’s shirt and brought his other hand to his throat, making a terrifyingly pained face.

    “Water!” Theo exclaimed after neither of them moved or spoke for 15 seconds. “Merlin’s beard, I feel like I swallowed gravel,” his eyes flickered between his two friends as he released the wrinkled cotton shirt and flopped back into the bed. Draco glanced around for the pitcher, letting Blaise get Theo up to date. 

     “Technically, I think you did,” Blaise's face showed minimal amusement before he gave Theo a quick embrace, “Welcome back mate, we thought we had lost you.”

     “What happened?” Theo raked his fingers through his hair, making a mess of the hair Luna had just combed through as he tried to remember the events that brought him to the infirmary. 

     Blaise raised off his chair and crossed his legs under himself before shuffling to face Theo. “McLaggen… He found you in an alcove with Granger and immediately thought the worst. Turned you into a statue.”

     Theo’s face paled a little and Draco was eyeing him suspiciously. 

     “We’re glad you’re alright,” the blonde started, “Why were you even with Granger? Aren’t you well aware of her plethora of bodyguards?” He snickered. 

     Theo’s throat bobbed. “I honestly can’t remember.” He looked up at him and squinted in thought. 

     Draco knew he was lying. Before he could press him further, Luna Lovegood approached them with potions vials and wand in hand. 

     “Good evening, everyone. I truly don’t wish to interrupt but now that Theo is awake, we need to run some tests. You can visit again tomorrow,” the fair-haired witch smiled at them. 

     Theo glanced at her and relaxed, letting out a soft sigh. He murmured a goodbye to them as they left the Hospital Wing. Blaise headed to the dungeons and Malfoy walked in the direction of his common room, thinking about the next time he could poke at Theo, desperate to find out what he was going to say to Hermione. 

     Hermione stumbled into the common room, she watched her Mary Janes as they clanked against the wood floor, lost in her own thoughts. As she made her way to the couches, she bumped into what could only be Malfoy’s chest, firm arms shooting out to grab her and hold her still. She looked up in panic as she stumbled back, still in his grip and before she could think of something to say, he cut her off.

     “You’ve been avoiding me, Granger.” The blonde wizard smirked. “We need to talk.” 

     Hermione shook her arms from his grasp. “Take your hands off me!” She demanded and started to turn around in the direction of her bedroom instead. 

     “No. Sit. Down.” Malfoy grabbed her arm as she walked past, holding her upper arm. He led her to one of the couches with little effort and she shrugged him off as she took the seat right next to him.

     “What do you want?” Hermione snapped. 

     Malfoy rolled his eyes before meeting her gaze, “We need to talk about what... happened,” he made a show of gesturing towards the kitchen, flopping his hands about as he pointed. 

     “There is nothing to talk about, Malfoy,” she crossed her arms over her chest, unable to meet his gorgeous silver eyes. Hermione, focus . “You were upset because of what happened to your friend and wanted a distraction. Many people react to things this way, it's normal, that’s it. End of story. We can officially stop talking about it now!” She clapped her hands against her thighs and moved to stand but Malfoy gave her a slight look and she plopped back down onto the couch next to him. 

    “One. I find that assumption quite insulting. Two. That doesn’t explain your part in it. You kissed me first,” Hermione could feel the taunting in his voice. She quickly looked up before looking away. 

     “I- I’m,” the brunette wrung her hands over her lap for a few seconds and blurted, “I don’t think I kissed you first-”

     “Yes, you did.”

     “No I didn’t!”

     “Yes, you-”

     “Okay, this is counterproductive. It doesn’t matter who kissed first.” She was blushing and quickly rubbed at her face, hoping it wasn’t noticeable. 

     “How about this? Here’s a little confession, Granger,” Malfoy leaned forward settling his arms on his thighs and fiddling with the ring adorning his forefinger, “I didn’t do that in the heat of the moment. I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time.” His voice had dropped low and Hermione could hear her heartbeat in her ears. 

     “You have?” Hermione violently shook her head in correction, “I mean- you what?!”

    The blond wizard leaned back and draped an arm over the back of the couch. “On Halloween. The only reason I stopped was because you were drunk, not because I didn’t want to kiss you…” 

     Hermione cleared her throat and if she didn’t know better, she would say Malfoy looked nervous. His sleeves were uncuffed. His eyes were accompanied by dark purple eyebags and his face was sunken. Since when did he look so exhausted? When she said nothing, Malfoy decided to once again fill the silence. 

    “Mm, I don’t know what you’re afraid of, I know you liked it.” He tilted his head slightly, his blonde hair fell out of place and he gave her a crooked grin. “Aren’t you supposed to be a Gryffindor?” Malfoy scrunched his nose in slight mockery and Hermione scoffed. 

     “I’m not afraid,” Hermione retorded and then tilted her head to mock his. “Aren’t you betrothed to Parkinson?” Her lips peaked up in a smug smile. 

     Malfoy studied his nails for a brief moment before their eyes connected, “I told you we weren’t official and besides, I haven’t spoken to her in weeks. So that’s not an issue, next.”

     “Alright, fine.” She hissed, accepting her defeat, “I just don’t think…” She paused, running through the alternate ways she could say this. “Malfoy, I’m not going to just be a quick shag. That seems to be a recurring theme with you when it comes to women and I want no part in it.”

     “I have no intention of rushing you. We could go slow,” his hand creeped closer to the hem of her skirt, messing mindlessly with the sewed fabric. Her eyes burned holes where his fingers brushed her thigh. “Just tell me when you want us to stop.” 

     “I don’t know.” She tried to ignore the way embarrassment flooded her chest. She couldn’t help but wonder if he was just playing her, set on a secret joke she was unaware of. She cleared her throat and blinked feverishly as she tried to get rid of the way her stomach twisted. 

     “Come here,” he moved his hand away from her skirt and she found herself mindlessly following the gesture, settling closer to him. She looked intently at how close their knees were, a slight sway would knock them together.  

      The blonde’s voice made her look up. “How far have you gone in the past?” His voice was velvet as he asked the invasive question. 

     “That’s none of your business, Malfoy,” her cheeks flushed pink at the thoughts that accompanied the question, “Just because I haven’t had sex doesn’t mean I haven’t done...other things.” She jutted her chin out, attempting to create an air of confidence. 

     Malfoy arched an eyebrow in question. “Care to be more specific?”

     “No.” 

    Her cheeks had continued to burn under his scrutiny. She crossed her legs together, inconspicuously pressing her thighs together and said nothing. Her skin had started to tingle with warmth under her robes as more memories flashed behind her eyes. Hermione on her knees for Ron, his hand buried in her hair the summer before they went horcrux hunting. His rough fingers between her thighs in the tent, countless times. Malfoy did not need to know that, not yet at least. 

     The tingling might also be because he’s so close she could smell his gum. She could just reach out and-

     “Granger, are you… blushing?” Malfoy’s taunting chuckle pulled her from her thoughts. “Who else have you snogged and more ?” His glittering gaze slowly travelled up and down her figure, as if he was remembering the way her curves looked underneath her robes. “Was it Krum? Do you have a thing for Durmstrang men?” He teased and she shook her head in denial, “Or was it the Weasel?”

     She snapped, pointing a finger at him, “Don’t call him that!” Her lightly lusted haze faded at the taunt towards her friend. 

     “Touchy touchy, aren’t we?” The blonde taunted her before moving closer to her side of the couch, knocking their knees together and sending a wave of light pins and needles up her thigh. 

     Seeing as she wasn’t going to respond, he smirked and pressed, his voice now hoarse. “Tell me, did Weasley ever make you feel like that?” His hand had gone back to fiddling blindly with the hem of her skirt. 

     She could feel his breath ghosting over her neck. When did he move so close? She could feel her cheeks warming up again. She swallowed her nerves and responded. 

     “That’s none of your business.” She said once more and he clicked his tongue in disappointment. 

     The feeling of his lips moving so close to her skin made goosebumps rise against her arms. She felt his fingertips brushing her arm, over the raised bumps. Hermione looked up and found that his other arm had looped on the couch behind her. He had her caged in. Her breath hitched and she could feel Malfoy tense as he stopped moving.

     “Are you okay with this?” He questioned and she leaned back to put some space in between them. 

     She searched his face for any sign she should say no, any trace of mockery or malevolence. She looked into his eyes, seeing nothing but beauty from the stone grey. 

     She had learned that as much as Malfoy tried to appear unemotional and collected, he had a tell. He could keep his face impassive yet his eyes would easily tell the truth. He was unable to hide behind the expressive silver. The Malfoy heir could easily be seen through if someone had just bothered to pay attention. 

     If someone truly thought Malfoy was as cold and calculating the Ministry had made him out to be, they had never paid attention. 

     Or maybe she should pay more attention. She might have caught the sudden glitch in his features as he was unable to contain the prickling feeling of guilt before she answered. 

     She let out a soft “yes” and apparently that was all he needed to close the small gap between them. He leaned down to catch her lips with his and she immediately relaxed into his hold. His tongue was eager darting out to taste her and she quickly opened her mouth for him. She found herself lost in his touch and scent, leaning in and running her hands over his clothed biceps. She dug her fingers into the fabric and tugged, bringing him almost on top of her. 

     His hand found her face, running his fingers roughly over her jaw before he pulled apart from her. “We can stop anytime but you have to communicate,” she nodded and he went back to capture her lips with bruising force. His right hand found the curve of her hips and settled there, pressing his fingers into the flesh before bunching up the fabric of her skirt.

     Hermione felt a rush of that patented Gryffindor courage as his fingers dug into her hip, causing her thighs to clench together before she moved to straddle him without breaking the kiss. Resting her knees on either side of his hips, she sank down, settling herself in his lap. 

     She knew two things with certainty. 

     One, Malfoy was grinning into the kiss, a silent praise to her bold decision. His rough hands dragged down her sides, wrinkling the pressed shirt, until they fixed on her hips once more. He tugged her closer on his lap and her hands went to his chest. 

     Two, she could feel him straining against his zipper as he rested between her thighs and every time she rocked her hips, the friction would send delightful shivers up her spine. She rocked her hips as his lips lowered, leaving featherlight kisses across her jaw. Malfoy paused and let out a low moan. He then continued down her neck where he licked and sucked, no doubt leaving marks she would have to glamour the next morning. 

     Her head rolled back and she let out a breathless moan at the feeling of his teeth scraping down her neck. Her hips rolled unintentionally at the sensation, desperate for more. She needed more. 

     A moan escaped both their mouths when she pressed down against his clothed erection. The fabric of his trousers gave her a slight headrush and his hands roamed under the skirt to settle at the back of her thighs. His fingers dug into the unmarked skin as she rocked her hips once more.

     A hard knock came from the portrait and Hermione froze, as did Malfoy who had hesitated not even an inch from her skin with parted lips. Neither of them moved until they heard Ginny shouting outside.

     “Hermione! Harry, Ron and I are heading to the Great Hall for dinner now. Do you want to come?” She called and Hermione raised her hands to fix her hair. She went to get up when Draco grabbed her wrist. 

     “Yes, Granger… Would you?” He whispered and Hermione pulled her wrist free. 

     “Shut up.”

Chapter Text

The Deer - Disputes.

     Hermione wholeheartedly believed she could add surviving dinner in the Great Hall to her extensive list of strengths and achievements.  

     It took an unusual amount of skill to sit there and pretend Lavender wasn’t there as well, draped all over Ron as they ate in what seemed like a private bubble. It took more skill to sit there and eat and pretend she wasn’t picturing the destruction that had covered the Great Hall a few months earlier. Lavender told Ron a story and he let out a genuinely warm laugh, leaning in and kissing her softly when the laughter died down. Hermione had to look away from the public display of affection, her eyes instead landing on the golden doors where there was a flash of platinum blonde hair. 

     Hermione had to do a double take as Malfoy strolled his way towards the Slytherin table. She couldn’t help but continue to stare at him, making a silent note at how despite walking into a room full of people who quite literally loathed him, Malfoy radiated nothing but confidence. 

     He took a seat on the bench facing hers, letting his bag drop next to him, then looked up in her direction. Malfoy smirked, his eyes flashing, making it clear he knew she was staring. 

    He turned to Zabini and engaged in conversation as he poured his tea, four spoons of sugar and way too much milk, she recited as if it was a quiz answer as he leaned over for the sugar. Hmm, was that weird? she thought and quickly shook her head. She lived with him, she was bound to know how he took his tea. 

     Malfoy poured milk into his tea for what seemed like minutes. Oh my God, that is an obscene amount of milk. There is no tea, he is making sugar milk.  

     "Hermione!" Ginny snapped her fingers in front of her face. “What’s wrong with Parkinson?” she mumbled and Hermione turned her attention to her. 

    “What are you on about?” Hermione glanced at the Slytherin table once more, this time looking at Pansy, flanked by the Greengrass sisters, holding her fork a little too tight and throwing daggers in her direction.

     “If she could cast a Killing curse with her eyes, you’d be dead by now,” Ginny whispered in her ear, now unusually close. 

     “I have no idea,” Hermione lied as she turned to Ginny, forcing the redhead to give her a little bit of space.  

     She could guess Pansy had caught her exchange with Malfoy just now, they weren’t exactly subtle. She couldn’t quite tell if the two Slytherins were done for good but Parkinson didn’t seem to be over him quite yet. 

    “Well, just ignore her.” Ginny added, suddenly grabbing her arm excitedly, “Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask you. I know that the preparations for the Christmas Ball are happening soon but could I be excused from some of the activities? One of the Holyhead Harpies scouts is coming to see the last game before the Christmas break and I need to be in my best shape.”

     Harry chimed in, still chewing his last bite, “I know I’m not a prefect but Ron and I will be helping her train. Right, Ron?”

     Ron, who had been leaning really close to Lavender, didn’t budge. They were whispering to each other, clueless of the conversation happening around them. 

    Hermione’s gut twisted with jealousy and she looked down at her plate. She knew she wasn’t still hung up on Ron or anything, God no, nothing like that . She was truly happy for him. Hermione felt like every time she looked up, she was interrupting a private moment. Private whispers, private conversations, private affairs. Lavender would go on a long winded rant and Ron would quickly steal a kiss. 

     She wasn’t jealous of them. 

     Harry faced the couple as he smacked Ron’s arm, waiting for the ginger’s response. “What?... Oh, right! Yes, training.”

     Hermione rolled her eyes and turned back to Ginny. “Yes, of course Ginny. Take as long as you need, I’ll take over your prefect duties in the meantime,” she faced Ron, “but you need to help at least a little. Additional rounds. Don’t think I forgot the mess you made for Halloween.”

     His face reddened at her admonishment and Lavender added, “Really Ron! Why wouldn’t you help Hermione?”, his blush turning a deeper shade of red, almost matching his hair. 

     Neville, who was feeding his plant next to them, chipped in. “Harry, I heard you’re set to start Auror training right after graduation. That's amazing.”

     Harry pushed his glasses up his nose and smiled. “Yes, Neville. I got word from the Minis-”

     Hermione’s jaw dropped and she grabbed the nearest book and smacked Harry’s arm with it. “Ow, woman! What was that for?” He hissed and held his upper arm. 

     “You got accepted into Auror training without taking your N.E.W.T.s and you didn’t tell me?” Hermione screeched, turning a few heads in their direction. 

     “I was going to tell you today. I’ve tried to tell you before but you’ve been really busy with Head Girl duties and all that rubbish,” Harry replied, massaging his arm. 

     Hermione gave him a side-eye for referring to her activities as rubbish. She did lots of things! Like studying and patrolling and spending time with Crookshanks and Malfoy. 

     Hermione winced internally at the realization and felt her chest sink at the thought of not giving her friends enough of her time. Coming back was her idea and she hadn’t even taken into consideration how this would be their last year together. Learning about his plans for after Hogwarts quickly brought her back to reality. 

     Everyone seemed to have a place to go, an escape plan for once they left, except for her. Hermione Granger without a plan, who would have guessed? She was pulled thin, exhausted and unable to keep up with the unnecessary tasks she forced herself into. Even though she had received countless letters from the Ministry with endless job offers, she couldn’t find the energy to open any. She knew what they would contain: 

      Any position Hermione Granger desired was hers for the taking.

     “That’s really great, Harry. I’m proud of you.”

     November 13th, 1998

     Granger, 

     I have to leave the prefects’ meeting early so I can see Theo. I’m putting this in writing so I have proof. Now you can’t say I never told you. I told you. (Just like I did the last time). 

     - Malfoy 

     Draco bit anxiously at his cuticle, attempting to drown out the banter between his two friends. He heard Blaise clear his throat and straightened up, his vision unblurred to both of them staring at him. 

     “Hmm?” He questioned, oblivious as to why they were exchanging glances at his expense. “Have I done something?” 

     Theo shook his head, letting hair fall over his eyes as he looked away, pretending to be preoccupied. The bed let out an almost comical squeak as Blaise stretched out on it, straining the old springs. Theo stood next to the bed, still in his infirmary gown. 

     “No. It’s uhm… well it’s quite-“ Blaise raised a hand between the two, silencing them. 

     “Tell us about Granger,” Zabini snarked. 

     Draco scoffed and despite the way his heart picked up at her name, a smooth smile crossed his face. The initial thoughts were now gone, occluded and locked away, allowing him to keep his stoic exterior. 

     “Well, I can safely say the bet is going well.” He leaned back in the chair, folding his lanky legs under him and adjusting his seat. 

     “That’s nice,” Theo nodded slowly and discreetly stuck his hand out from behind Blaise so he could secretly take the coin from Theo’s hand. Draco furrowed his eyebrows before turning his attention to Theo.

     “Theo. Were you going to tell Granger?” He outright asked, tired of the back and forth the two were doing.

    “Yes,” Theo held unwavering eye contact. “I was. I find what you’re doing particularly cruel, especially after the way she defended you over the summer.” He sniffed and jutted his nose up into the air, ready to leave that as his final response. 

     Draco scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s not cruel, it's me trying to shag her. Who cares about motive?” He defended, yet as he spoke, he was well aware of how it was a lie. He cared about motive. He was swiftly drawn from his thoughts by Theo’s bitter laugh. 

     “You do!” He groaned. “And she does! You’re being a prat and you know, it’s not like you anymore. You would have dropped this by now. Parkinson's opinion does not matter that bloody much.” He let out a harsh breath, his cheeks pink and his eyes sunken from exertion. Draco looked away from him and down at Blaise, hoping he would disagree with Theo and in turn alleviate the pit in his chest.

     “It’s not about the bet.” Malfoy shifted once more in the chair, glancing out the window to avoid the vulnerability that was making his stomach churn. “It would be of poor taste to continue to say that. The bet is some stupid issue with Pansy that-” He returned the sharp glare Blaise was throwing towards him. “-I have yet to address with her. I know I’ve been ignoring her,” he scoffed with a bruised ego. 

     “That’s an understatement,” Blaise said and pulled his legs towards him to allow Theo to rest at the end of the bed. Draco shook his head in denial but thought, Merlin, how long has it been? 1...2-

     “Listen,” Draco cleared his throat. “I’m not attached. Our feelings are mutual. I don’t fancy her or anything and-” Theo groaned, interrupting what would have become a speech riddled with half truths. 

     “You do understand how that is problematic, don’t you?” He questioned and Draco refrained from rolling his eyes. 

     “Of course I do. Now, would you like me to continue?” He asked and Theo pretended to ponder for a minute, tilting his head to the side and tapping his forehead with his finger. 

     “Come on then, tell us everything,” Theo slapped Draco’s thigh in encouragement and laid his head down on Blaise’s thigh. Blaise looked down at him and made a face before shaking his leg and pressing his palm against Theo’s forehead. 

     “Mate, get off of me!” He tried and Theo just shushed him and gestured to Draco. Blaise mumbled something inaudible and then relaxed, letting Theo use him as a pillow. 

     “Like I said, I don’t fancy Granger, but-” As soon as the contradiction left his mouth Theo’s hand shot up in the air, over his head and against Blaise’s chest. His bicep covered his ear and he wiggled his fingers until Blaise slipped the Galleon from earlier into his hand. He pulled his hand quickly to his chest. 

     “Continue,” Theo smiled and Draco itched a sufficient hex. 

     Hermione shuffled around the prefect’s common room, fidgeting with the parchments her and Malfoy had written out for the prefects. He was leaning against the table as they bickered back and forth. 

     “You never told me last time and I waited for you!”

     “Granger, I told you six bloody times. You just never remember the things I say.” 

     “That’s not true! Besides, why even bring it up? I thought that argument was over,” she said as students started filing in. 

     “I told you I was missing rounds earlier that day. Multiple times and-” he quieted when Pansy stepped in and his gaze drifted somewhere else in the classroom. 

     “Good evening!” Hermione chimed, giving them all a warm smile. “We have a lot to talk about today since we are officially starting the Christmas Ball preparations,” she announced as Malfoy stared at the back wall in boredom. 

     Once she was done explaining most of the activities around the room, Malfoy walked behind her, pausing to place a hand on her hip and whispering in a low voice, “I’m going to check on Theo. I’ll see you for rounds later.” He moved by her and left the room. 

     Her skin prickled where his breath had brushed her ear and neck and she swore she could still feel his fingers holding her hips. She took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together before looking around. 

     “Actually, meeting adjourned. There is no reason to stay so late. We worked quite fast,” she said and all the prefects gave her a look of surprise. She just gave a half smile in response. “Come to me if you have any questions.”

      A feminine voice cleared her throat when she thought she was alone and Hermione turned towards the source of the sound. 

     “Parkinson. I thought everyone left. Did you forget something?” Hermione inquired, unsure of what the raven-haired witch was doing there after the meeting was over. She turned back to the table, trying to go back to what she was doing. 

     Pansy ignored her and stepped closer, folding her arms over her chest and raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow as she stood behind her. “What’s going on between you and Draco?”

     Hermione’s heartbeat spiked at the other witch’s accusative tone. She had asked Malfoy on several occasions about his relationship with Parkinson and every single time he told her it was nonexistent. Hermione wasn’t at fault for anything in regards to their crumbled fling and she didn’t plan on letting Pansy accuse her of that. 

     She furrowed her brows and started fumbling through the papers that were sprawled out on the desk. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

     Pansy huffed placing both hands on her hips, clearly unamused at her failed attempt of nonchalance. “Don’t play dumb, Granger. It doesn’t suit the Brightest Witch of her Age,” she mocked. 

     Hermione spun around and glared at the witch. “ I’m not an idiot, ” she snapped. “I know exactly what you mean. I just don’t understand why it concerns you.” 

     “Well,” Pansy pretended to be deep in thought as she twirled her dark hair around her finger. “It doesn’t concern me, but we can consider it as a warning. Nothing he says to you is real. None of your Gryffindor friends will let you cry on their shoulders when Draco inevitably leaves you,” Pansy added as she stared at her manicured hand. 

      Hermione knew her next words were going to be cruel. 

     But she was sick and tired of this particular witch’s treatment towards her in their last seven years of schooling. She had given Pansy plenty of opportunities for civility yet still, she was insufferable. 

     “Oh,” Hermione’s sweet laugh filled the tiny prefects’ training room. “You mean, he left you. I don’t know why the two of you broke up. My guess is he couldn’t stand you anymore. See, because while everyone else has grown, you continue to be a bitch.” Hermione’s insult was buried under her saccharine voice as she spoke down to the other witch, tilting her head slightly to the side. 

     Pansy’s nostrils flared and she took a step forward, pointing her finger at the brunette. “You two won’t ever last. Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she hissed before turning around and storming out of the old room. 

     Hermione let out an exasperated sigh and ran her fingers through her curls. These Slytherins knew how to get under her skin. 

**

     November 14th, 1998

     Malfoy, 

     I can’t attend rounds tonight. Hope that’s okay. 

     - Hermione

**

     November 16th, 1998

     Granger, 

     Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in days. This would be much less concerning if we didn’t live together. 

     - M

     Malfoy,

     Sorry. Been busy with Ginny and classes. 

     - Hermione

**

     November 19th, 1998

     Granger,

     Two things:

     1. Crookshanks has been somehow appearing in my room. He sleeps at the window. I don’t understand how he keeps getting in. 

     2. You’ve been avoiding me again. We need to talk. 

     - Malfoy 

     November 20th, 1998 

     Malfoy, 

     Sorry I didn’t return home yesterday. I spent the night with Ginny in the Gryffindor tower. I’m not avoiding you. I’ve just been busy. 

     - Hermione

     Malfoy picked up the note first thing in the morning back in their dorm. He dropped his bag onto the chair next to him and let out a scoff. 

     “Is she bloody joking? Not avoiding me?” He said out loud in disbelief. His mind ran through what could have sent her running and nothing seemed to fit. She had seemed to forgive him for everything he had done. She had given him a somewhat clean slate unlike so many others.

     What if she knew about the bet?

     Too many people know about this bloody bet. 

     Fuck. 

     She’s bound to hear about it sooner or later. 

     He quickly picked up his quill and scribbled a response. 

     Granger, 

     I have seen you twice in a week. That’s the definition of avoidance. We need to talk. 

     - Malfoy 

     November 21st, 1998 

     Malfoy, 

     I’ll be back after dinner. If you want to talk then. 

     - Hermione 

     Hermione stood at the doors of the Hospital Wing, quickly running through the options in her head as she tugged on the loose thread of her sweater. 

     She could leave well enough alone.

     Or she could ask him.

     She stood in the doorway, watching as the fair-haired witch sat on the edge of Theo’s hospital bed, as he ate ice cream. 

     Hermione could see the way Theo’s eyes traced over Luna, following her every move and as he swirled the spoon in his mouth, Luna met his gaze and a blush crept up his neck and face. 

     She felt she was intruding on an intimate moment and the need to announce herself surged. She cleared her throat and took a couple of steps forward. 

     “Hello. Sorry to interrupt.” 

     Both Luna and Theo looked in her direction, frozen until he tapped her thigh and Luna swiftly stood up from the bed, smiling at the brunette. 

     “What a nice surprise, Hermione!” her dreamy voice fluttered from outside the previously charmed curtain. 

     Theo tore his gaze away from Luna and turned to Hermione, giving her a crooked smile from the bed. 

     Hermione returned the smile. 

     “I just thought I could visit and see how he’s doing,” Hermione wrung her hands in front of her and turned to Luna, “and to talk to him, if that’s alright.”

     “Absolutely. I need to restock the potions cabinet anyway,” she smiled, collecting the bowl and the empty potion vials on the bedside table. 

     Hermione took a few steps forward until she was standing in front of Theo’s bed, she eyed the chair next to it and gingerly sat on it. 

     “How are you feeling?” Hermione started. 

     Theo sat up straight against the headboard and ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve been better but I honestly can’t complain.”

     Hermione smiled and nodded in sympathy. “I bet Luna is doing an excellent job. You look better already.”

     His blush crept up his face once again. “Yes… she’s been taking good care of me.”

     “Do you remember what happened?”

     “Not much, really. But Blaise and Draco filled me in,” said Theo looking down and toying with the string of his pyjamas. 

     “Just know that McLaggen was punished and I’m truly sorry I couldn’t prevent it,” Hermione’s voice wavered at the end. 

     Theo lifted his eyes at her and gave her a reassuring smile. “No need to worry, Hermione. It wasn’t your fault.”

     She met his gaze and nodded. “Theo, I’ve been curious since that day… What were you trying to tell me?”

    “Oh,” his eyebrows furrowed and his gaze was fixed in a point past her shoulder. “I honestly can’t remember now. I’m sure it wasn’t that important.” He chuckled, “Otherwise, I would’ve remembered.”

     Hermione was not convinced by the Slytherin and she hadn’t failed to notice he looked away when he said it. Her mum always told her that if someone doesn’t meet your eyes while saying something important, they’re most likely lying or telling a partial truth. But she decided not to push him on the subject, at least not yet. 

Chapter Text

            Heavenly bodies - (Sun, Moon, Star) - Good luck - great happiness and success.

     Hermione sat next to Ginny at their desk in Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall had combined her more talented seventh year students with the eighth years to fill her class. 

     As Ginny was chattering her ear off, Hermione had checked out. Her left hand supported her face and the right one drawed nonsense over her parchment, waiting for the lesson to be over. Professor McGonagall taught them about Vanishing Spells, which was dull in her opinion. 

     In a different situation, she would’ve been excited throughout the class, raising her hand at every given opportunity to share facts about the topic, but she hadn’t been sleeping well for weeks now. She wanted to go to her dormitories and lie down for a few hours. Sometimes it’s all she ever wanted to do, curl up in the blankets and stare out the window until she fell asleep. 

     “Hermione,” Ginny whispered and Hermione looked up from her doodles. “Malfoy has been staring at you all class.” She nudged her head slightly in his direction and Hermione scowled at her before glancing back at him. His harsh stare immediately found hers and she went red at the eye contact. 

     “Well, remember…” She turned back around to face Ginny. “When I told you that we kissed, and that it was a one time thing? Well it wasn’t,” she admitted and stared down at her desk, expecting a lecture, or ‘really Hermione, Malfoy?’ What she wasn’t expecting was for Ginny to laugh. 

     “Bloody hell. I owe Luna 3 galleons,” the redhead leaned back in her chair and shook her head in disbelief as Hermione sat there, slack jawed, trying to process what was just said. 

     “I’m sorry, are you and Luna betting on me?!” She whispered and Ginny put a hand over her mouth to try and stifle her laughter. 

     “Well, not so much on you but more you and Malfoy,” Ginny explained, a little too loud as Harry had overheard. 

     “What about you and Malfoy?” He asked, interjecting in their conversation, leaning over his desk to get closer. 

     “It’s nothing,” Hermione said firmly and Harry narrowed his eyes in suspicion. 

     “You can’t genuinely think that was believable,” Ginny whispered in her ear and Hermione jutted her elbow back into Ginny's ribs as she gave Harry an inconspicuous  smile. 

     “It’s about who’s doing rounds tonight,” Hermione lied, talking over Ginny's soft coughs of pain. Harry nodded in understanding. 

     “I know we’re supposed to forgive them and all but it's still awful that you have to be alone with him. You’re a Muggle-born. Let someone else babysit the prick!” Ron whispered  as he leaned forward from the row of desks right behind them. 

     Hermione turned around, ready to scold him but she was cut off by a manicured hand slapping his arm. 

     “Don’t be a prat Ron,” Lavender hissed. “They have just as much right to be here as you do.” She fixed him with a look that could have killed Voldemort himself. “They defected and they have discussed their private conditions with the Ministry to attend Hogwarts. You need to mind your business and be civil because creating animosity puts their education on the line.” Ron had gone red from embarrassment during her long-winded rant and everyone was left staring at her with their mouths slightly agape. 

Lavender fucking Brown. 

     Lavender let out a breath as if she had been letting that simmer under the surface for quite a while. As she leaned back in her chair, she looked around at everyone’s shocked faces and frowned. 

     “What?”

     “Nothing,” Hermione and Harry said quickly and Ginny just continued to stare at her for a couple seconds before grinning. 

     “I quite like you.” The redhead was fully turned around, her arm on Lavender's desk as she settled her chin on her palm, watching her with newfound appreciation. 

     Lavender gave her a warm smile before going back to the assignment at hand. Ginny hadn’t moved from the blonde witch’s desk. 

     “Piss off Ginny,” Ron mumbled and pushed his sister's arm off the desk, causing her to fall forward and almost out of her chair. 

     Ginny turned around to Hermione who was still attempting to make her backpack disappear. She tried to speak the incantation but a loud bang came from across the classroom. 

     “How?!” Dean shouted. Seamus had blown up his shoe instead of making it disappear. The burning smell quickly filled the small classroom. 

     “Well, this is a perfect time to end the lesson.” Professor McGonagall quickly dismissed the class, not before calling Seamus to her desk to scold him. 

     Theo sat up on the hospital bed, his knees pulled up to his chest, as he gnawed anxiously at a hangnail. His eyes followed Luna as she sauntered around the infirmary, restocking potions and towels in every station.      

     He had grown closer to the fair-haired witch in the past few weeks, considering she was the person who he spent the most time with. He seemed to miss her when she had to attend her classes, left with an empty feeling until she returned. And when she did, he couldn’t help but watch the soft aura that always surrounded her, an ethereal glow, comparable to the Gods and angels he had read about in the muggle books. 

Aphrodite. 

     Luna finished with her duties and walked towards his bed with a wet cloth in hand. 

     “May I?” She asked. When he nodded, she pressed the freezing rag to his forehead and he closed his eyes, laying back.

     “Luna, I feel awful,” he muttered and when she didn’t respond, he opened one of his eyes to find a flash of concern on the witch’s face.

     “Are the potions making you dizzy?”

     “No- No, I lied to Hermione last night. She asked me about what I was going to tell her in that alcove and I said I didn’t remember,” he sighed and Luna removed the cloth from his face. 

     “Yes, I’m aware. You want to warn her about the bet but if you do, you feel you’d be an unloyal friend to Draco,” Luna reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together. 

     Theo ran his other hand through his hair in exasperation. “If Draco wants to stop talking to me, so be it, I don’t care about the consequences but I can’t just continue to let this happen.”

     “You do care,” she said and Theo looked up, “Draco has been your friend since childhood, your only friend for many of those years.” She tilted her head in thought. “But this is more complex than that.”

     His brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

     “Oh, Theodore. You’re so oblivious,” said Luna, pulling away and smiling, “Wrackspurts are quite pesky creatures.” She let out a hum of content and then turned away to resume with her other chores. 

     Her words did not do well to soothe his confusion or his worries. What does a bloody wrackspurt have to do with anything? 

     Theo knew that trying to decipher whatever Luna had meant was equivalent to solving a difficult puzzle, and even if he liked puzzles, he decided not to dwell on it. She could be so bloody cryptic. 

     Draco exited the prefects’ common room after a short evening of planning with the Head Girl before their joint patrol. They had barely a second to exchange pleasantries before she had given him a rundown on their schedule. 

     He eyed the witch next to him, scrutinizing her behavior towards him to determine how upset she was or if she even knew anything at all. He was certain she wouldn’t have hesitated to punch him if she had known. 

     Hermione walked a step ahead of him as they headed to their side of the castle for patrol. He quickened his pace to fall in line next to her, ignoring the way his skin itched in agitation over the night before. 

     Draco had waited for her. It was almost midnight and he tossed a Daily Prophet in the corner as he cleaned up the cluttered coffee table. For someone so rigid, one might have expected excessive cleanliness, yet Granger's environment was just as cluttered and neurotic as she was.

     He looked through her stack of books under the table and stopped when he saw a familiar title, Pride and Prejudice. He pulled the book out and sprawled himself on the couch but he quickly fell asleep, the book left open on his chest and Crookshanks curled up by his feet. 

     He woke up in a slight state of panic in the middle of the night to a dark common room and when he looked around, he saw her belongings next to her bedroom door, meaning she had come home in the middle of the night and he had missed her. 

     Fuck me.

     He needed to be put out of his misery so he decided to test the waters and just ask her. Merlin, he was starting to sound like her with the muggle sayings as well.

     “Granger…” He interrupted her while she was mindlessly humming a song. She looked up, her dewy eyes staring back at him, expectant. “I waited for you last night.”

     The brunette blushed and averted her gaze. “Sorry, I didn’t realize the time. I went straight from dinner to the Hospital Wing and then ran into Ginny and Harry. You know how I feel, I barely have time to talk to them.”

     “Oh, you went to see Theo?” he tried, feigning nonchalance despite the way his stomach twisted as he waited for her answer. 

     She met his eyes again. “Not exactly. I went to visit Luna, going to the infirmary is the only way to see her nowadays. But then I talked to Theo for a bit, to see how he’s doing.” 

     He was suffering now. “Did he say anything interesting?”

     Her steps came to a halt and her eyes seemed to be searching for something on his face. His heart rate spiked and he was able to build his walls before she could see right through him. She sighed in defeat of not finding anything, oblivious to his occlumency, “Not really, but he looks better. Hopefully, he’ll be out of there soon.”

     He nodded, marking the end of the conversation but not before deciding he needed to be more careful around her and convince his friends not to say anything. If she were to find out, it needed to be from him. 

     Hermione walked through the first floor corridor alongside Malfoy to ensure all students were in their respective Houses for the evening. She had agreed weeks ago to Malfoy’s demands that they share a round of patrols once a week but she had been avoiding him, and worse, he knew. 

     Hermione had no interest in coming in between whatever messed up relationship he had with Parkinson, nor did she fancy the idea of helping him cheat. 

     She hadn’t been able to avoid him any longer so she asked him, unleashing her worries in a verbose rant. 

     “- and what even is your relationship with Parkinson? Did you ever officially break up with her? Because you seem to believe that it's over, yet she still acts like you never even said goodbye. She thinks it's my fault, It’s not my fault. I- It’s not my fault? Right?” 

     “Granger” He chuckled. “Calm down. It’s not your fault. What Parkinson and I had was bound to fall apart, it was never supposed to be a relationship.” 

     She eyed him from her peripheral as they walked down the chilled hallway. She swore could feel his body heat radiating as he walked closer next to her. Or did she move closer to him? She might as well blame it on him. 

     He had a hand inside his pocket, the one on her side, and the other one toying with his wand, spinning it through his fingers as he whistled. His breath made small clouds that fell straight from his pink lips and swirled in front of him. 

     As they reached the Entrance Hall, Malfoy stopped abruptly and looked both ways before whispering, “Did you hear that?” His eyes widened in what seemed to be concern. 

     She braced herself and pulled out her wand, “Hear what?”

     He stood really close, hovering over her small frame, his breath ghosting over her ear, “I think there’s someone inside the broom cupboard.”

     Hermione hadn’t heard anything but she casted “Lumos” and reached for the door, trying to quell the nerves pooling in her stomach. She opened it and found it empty. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

     “Malfoy, there’s no one he-” 

     His hands grabbed her hips “Ahh!” He shouted and she jumped, letting out a startled scream. She pried herself free of his grip as he doubled over in laughter, hands on his knees and she tried to catch her breath. 

     “That wasn’t funny, you prat!” She shouted, knowing only the portraits could hear them at this hour. He just held up a hand as he continued to laugh. His laugh was sugary and intoxicating. When she thought about it, she hadn’t heard him laugh, genuinely laugh, ever, well until now.

     “I have-” He paused to laugh once more, “never seen someone jump so high.” He let out a faint giggle and straightened. Hermione scowled at him despite the laugh building in her throat as well. She refused to give him the satisfaction. 

     “I don’t find you funny. I knew there was no one in there, I-” 

     She was cut off as the blond shoved her the rest of the way into the closet and entered, closing the door behind them “Now there is,” he hummed. 

     The brunette threw her arms around in exasperation. “Are you barmy?! Why’d you do that? Open the door.”

     Malfoy took a step closer with a predatory smile, both hands in his pockets. “Come on Granger, everyone’s in bed. Live a little.” A couple more steps and he was towering over her. She felt herself hit the cold stone behind her back as she took a step back. 

     Hermione crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow at him as Malfoy placed a hand on her cheek, tilting her face up to look at him. “Are you aware that we share dormitories? We don’t have to sneak out.” She rolled her eyes as he just chuckled in response, his thumb tracing over her bottom lip. 

     He lifted his other hand to place it beside her head on the stone and his grey eyes sparkled even in the dim closet, light only coming from her wand that she had let fall to the flagstone.

     With his mouth in a lopsided grin and his voice just a murmur, he spoke, “I know.” His thumb traced up and down her cheekbone as his fingers slipped to hold the back of her neck. “It’s just that I’ve always had this fantasy of shoving you into a broom closet and snogging you senseless.” Hermione swore she could have died on the spot. 

     Her breath caught and she uncrossed her arms, her gaze fixed on his mouth, following the movement as his tongue stuck out to wet his lips. “You have?” She asked and her stomach roared with butterflies as he responded.

     “Yes,” was all he said, his voice so low she could have imagined it if she hadn’t been staring at his lips. His face slowly lowered towards hers. 

     She swallowed but said nothing, just raised her hand and moved aside the fringe falling over his eyes. His eyes closed at the contact and when he opened them again, she could see the grey was barely there. He took another step closer, one of his legs between hers, caging her in. 

     “So... May I?”

     She nodded. His face dipped lower and he kissed her soundly on the lips, his hand slid from behind her neck to cup her jaw, raising it to get a better angle. She shut her eyes and eagerly kissed back. 

     His tongue ran over her lower lip, requesting access to her mouth. She allowed it and moaned when his tongue swirled against hers, sending heat prickling down her spine. Her hands went straight to his arms to pull him closer. His hand moved back to bury into her curls and the one on the wall came down to rest on her waist, flushing their hips together. 

     Her eyes grew wide as she felt his erection against her thigh and she let her head fall back against the stone and into his grip on her curls. Draco lowered his mouth, peppering kisses over the jaw until he reached her neck and started to suck and nip at the sensitive skin voraciously. Hermione let out a startled noise and her hips mindlessly rocked against his thigh, another wave of heat rolled through her entire body this time. 

     Her eyes rolled back and his hands came to the front of her shirt, undoing her buttons until her lacy white bra was on display for him. He cupped both breasts over the material and gave them a slight squeeze which had her thighs squeezing together around his. 

     “You know you have amazing tits, don’t you?” he whispered, tugging slightly on her hair to have her meet his gaze.  

     A blush creeped up her cheeks as he moved his hand down from her curls to unclasped her bra. Hermione shuddered at the freezing air hitting her hot skin. Her nipples were fully hard from the cold and when Malfoy’s warm lips wrapped around one, she let out a startled moan. 

     He lifted his right leg, bunching her skirt around her hips, until it settled right against her clit. Hermione moaned and her fingers dug into his biceps. Malfoys raised a hand to pinch her other nipple sharply, causing her hips to snap forward against his thigh and a string of whimpers to fall from her mouth. His fingers dug in the flesh of her breast and the hand on her waist, guided her to keep a rhythm against his thigh.  

     “Malfoy…” she moaned and he started to kiss up her chest, until he was standing. He captured her lips in his mouth, biting softly at her bottom lip before dragging his mouth across her jaw. 

     “What do you need?” whispered Malfoy against her ear, still rocking her hips against him. 

     “I-I’m-” She whimpered and squirmed against his thigh, unable to finish her sentence as the pressure in her stomach almost became too much. 

     “I know, love,” he mumbled. “I know. So close.” He gave her nipple another twist and her hips jerked, her entire body going rigid as an orgasm ripped through her. She let out a broken moan and he continued to move her hips to ride her through it. 

     She panted harshly as she came back down, her mind now well aware she could still feel his erection straining the fabric of his trousers. She quickly made up her mind. She wanted to do something for him. 

     Hermione pushed him back just so there was enough space to run her hands over his torso. She stopped at the belt buckle for a couple of seconds and then quickly removed it, tugging the belt from the loops and then undoing the button of his trousers.

     Malfoy kept nipping at her neck. She ran her hand over the bulge still covered by his briefs and he groaned, resting his head on her shoulder. 

     His reaction was enough to encourage her to continue, she craved to see him fall apart, to hear it as well. She freed him from his boxer briefs, wrapping her hand around his shaft. She used her thumb to gather the moisture at the tip, running it down the length and started to pump up and down in a steady rhythm. Hermione heard his breath catch as he screwed his eyes shut against her shoulder. 

     “That feels good. Just… tighten your grip a little,” he nipped her earlobe making her eyes roll back, “Fuck, yes. Just like that.” 

     Ron had never spoken to her like this. It was something entirely new and it had an instant effect on her. In this moment, there was nothing more fervent than his praise, him telling her that she was doing so well combined with his hands roaming over her body. She could feel her walls clutching on nothing. 

     It didn’t take long until his breathing became ragged and he came, holding his weight against the wall and her body. 

     After a couple seconds of collecting himself, Malfoy grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her deeply before reaching for his wand and cleaning the mess. 

      November 25th, 1998

     Granger, 
     We need to host something small for the prefects before we work on the Christmas Ball planning. We can talk about it after Defense. Find me. 
      -M

     Bill- Professor Weasley was pacing in front of the class as the bell approached. “Today’s class went very well. I’m extremely pleased with all of your efforts.” The sound of students packing up echoed in the classroom and he furrowed his eyebrows. “Just a reminder! Next class. Come prepared to duel with one of your classmates. It is an essential skill in Defense N.E.W.T.s.” 

     Hermione gathered her belongings and threw her satchel over her shoulder as she exited the classroom. She was determined to get a second cup of coffee as soon as she sat at the Gryffindor table, she certainly needed it. She didn’t make it ten steps out the door, when a masculine voice called her. 

     “Hermione!” She turned around. It was Michael Corner. 

     The Ravenclaw boy walked fast towards her, trying to catch up. He had grown taller during the last year that he now stood well above her. 

     “Hello, Michael. How are you?” She asked in the nicest way possible, even though she wasn’t in the mood to talk to anybody. She was the Head Girl after all and had a job and reputation to uphold. 

     “I’m doing alright.” He answered before jumping into what he had planned to ask. “Listen, I’ve been meaning to ask you. I know it’s not even December yet but I was wondering if you’d like to go to the Christmas Ball with me,” he spoke so fast that she almost missed the question entirely.

     “Oh…” Hermione slowed her movements to a pause. She didn’t have a date yet but she was honestly hoping Malfoy would ask her again, like he did at the Halloween Ball. 

     Well, he didn’t quite ask her to be his date then, he basically insinuated it with his “Neither of us has a date and we’re Head Boy and Girl. Might as well go together.” God, even in her mind, she could hear his voice. 

     “Well?” Michael pulled her out of her train of thought, shifting his weight from one leg to another. She didn’t realize she might have taken that long to think. 

     “It’s very sweet of you to ask me, Michael, but I already have a date for the Ball,” she lied, offering a saccharine smile to the Ravenclaw, internally hoping that Malfoy would ask her eventually. Otherwise, she would look the fool showing up dateless to the Ball when Michael had asked so early.

     “Oh, no worries Hermione…” He shuffled awkwardly and his cheeks singed with a blush. “Uh, have fun at the Ball!” he made to leave, turning in the opposite direction of the Great Hall. 

     She called after him. “Michael?” He turned around with a hopeful look in his eyes, believing that maybe she had changed her mind. “The girl you end up going to the Ball with will be very fortunate.” She gave him a sincere smile. 

     Michael smiled back and nodded, turning around to leave.

Chapter Text

The Moon (crescent) - Prosperity, fame. If cloudy, difficulties will be solved.

     December 5th, 1998

     Malfoy, 

     Remember we will be hosting the Prefects’ meeting for the Christmas Ball here tonight. Don’t be late.

     - Hermione

     Draco picked up the parchment left on the kitchen table and read the words as he rolled his eyes. Granger’s orange monster kept staring at him from the top of the loveseat, wiggling his tail from side to side. He is barely late to important meetings, as if he would risk losing his badge. He had made it through the first trimester unscathed and he planned to keep it that way. 

     He took a sip of his tea and grabbed his belongings before exiting the common room. He made his way towards the Great Hall and halfway there, he came across Granger and some Third years inquiring about the next Hogsmeade trip. Draco leaned his side against the wall, waiting for her to be over.

     He heard her call after them as they thanked her and started towards the Entrance Hall. “...And if you have any more questions, do not hesitate to come find me.” They waved and smiled at her, probably exhilarated of having a conversation with the Golden Girl. 

     She turned around and spotted him, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow. “What do you want, Malfoy?”

     Draco pushed himself off the wall, straightening his robes. “You know, the duels are today. I hope I get paired up with you. Can’t wait to see your face when I win.” The side of his mouth quirked up. 

     She huffed, placing her hands on her hips and raising her chin in defiance. “You won’t stand a chance. My guess is I’ll have you on your knees at the end of it, begging for a rematch.” She snickered before walking past him, brushing their arms together as she leaned in, whispering “You've never taken losing well.” She pushed through the double doors, leaving him in the hallway. 

     Hermione rushed into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom ten minutes before the lesson started as if she was late. The oldest Weasley was already inside, setting up the space for the duel practice that would take place that day. He glanced up with a frown. 

     “Got somewhere to be, Hermione?” He joked as he levitated the last wooden desk towards the wall, settling it on top of the others. 

     “Good morning, Professor Weasley!” She bit at her lip, calling him professor felt quite strange, she seemed to have a running track record with Defense professors. “Do you need any help?” 

     “No need, I’m almost done here.” He gave her a half smile, pulling his hair back into a ponytail, the front strands falling loose around his face. “You rushed in quite early. Were you able to at least get breakfast? If not, I’m sure I have something quick around here.”

    Hermione smiled at his concern, a slight brush gracing her cheeks. “I just came from the Great Hall. I’m quite alright. I woke up a bit earlier this morning and got there first thing.” She clasped her hands together, wringing them awkwardly. “How’s Fleur?” She asked.

     Bill's smile broke into a grin. “Oh, hasn’t Ron told you? Fleur is pregnant!” 

    “Bill! That’s wonderful.” She exclaimed, wrapping him in a congratulatory hug which he quickly returned. “Molly must be absolutely ecstatic.” Hermione laughed as she pulled away, his hands still holding her shoulders.  

     Bill chuckled as he looked down at her. “You have no idea. Fleur writes to me almost everyday saying Mum has her going mad.” He ran one hand down his face before tucking his hair behind his ear. 

     Hermione let go of him and as she opened her mouth to joke more about Molly’s motherly instincts and the way the Weasley matriarch must be relentless with her French daughter-in-law, she heard the door open and both Bill and Hermione turned their heads in the direction of the sound. 

     Draco entered the classroom with Blaise Zabini in tow. The blond wizard stopped in his tracks when he spotted the two Gryffindors and his eyes flickered from Hermione to Bill then back to Hermione, his gaze inscrutable and heavy, causing her robes to suddenly feel too warm. 

     “What’s wrong with you mate? Move,” Zabini hurried him, eager to take his seat. 

     Malfoy broke her gaze and mumbled, “Nothing.” Hermione looked away, loosening her tie slightly as both Slytherins moved away from the doorway and toward one of the walls. 

     Hermione caught Bill’s eyes turning cold as he eyed the two wizards before he cleared his throat and resumed his usual demeanor. He walked to the front to get the lesson started. 

     Hermione knew that there was tension at the beginning of the term with the Slytherins and some of the professors, especially between Bill and Malfoy. Draco being the only marked Death Eater in the castle and Bill being so close to the war and losing his younger brother in the midst of the battle. The relationship was less than amicable. 

     The Headmistress wanted to make sure the professors would do their jobs without retaliating against the students so she sat Draco and Bill down at her office for a conversation, which was not spoken about at all when Draco had returned to the common room that night. He had actually saved the usual taunts and desperate attempts at flirting and went straight to his room, not leaving for the rest of the weekend. 

     Bill clapped his hands to attract attention to the front after letting everyone get settled and seated against the walls. Hermione pulled her bag into her lap and leaned back. 

     “Good morning. I hope all of you practiced for today’s duels.” She heard Ron groan in the seat next to Harry yet Bill continued, ignoring his brother’s protests, “Here is how it will go, not only will we be disarming, but there is a twist. Instead of just knocking your opponent’s wand out of their hand, you have to have it in your possession. Whether you summon it from the floor or you both chase after it.” He shrugged. “I feel like watching you all run after a stick will be quite enjoyable.” He joked, yet the class was silent, only Parvati’s whispering to Lavender could be heard, which quickly made her stop. He cleared his throat and moved on. ”Who wants to go first?”

     Bill looked around and no one raised their hands nor stepped forward. “Let’s see…” He glanced around the room again. “How about Parvati and Ron?” He smiled at her and she huffed, standing up. 

     “Woo! Go Parvati!” Lavender quipped and Ron shot her a look. 

     “Really? Not even your own boyfriend?!” He whined and Lavender shrugged as she tossed her curls over her shoulder.  

     Parvati stepped into the center of the room and waited for Ron. Once he got in position, they bowed and the duel started. 

     Ron casted an Expelliarmus and Parvati blocked it with a Protego, she did the same and then the two went back and forth until they had both broken a sweat, panting as they continued to fire off spells. 

    In the third round, Parvati successfully disarmed Ron, making his wand soar through the air and landing a few feet from each other. They made swift eye contact before both of them launched forward to retrieve the wand. Parvati grabbed onto Ron and tried to pull past him and Ron dove to his knees to retrieve the wand. Parvati got to it first and held it in the air for everyone to see, smiling and claiming victory.

     Most of the students clapped and Ron’s face turned red, standing and pushing his hair from his face. Parvati gave him a civil smile and handed him his wand back. “Good duel.” She smiled and Ron just nodded, giving her a half smile back as he took it. 

     With hunched shoulders, he turned towards the rest of his housemates, sliding down the wall to settle back next to Lavender. Hermione could hear Ron telling Lavender that he would've won if she had rooted for him. Lavender snorted and leaned over to rest her head against his shoulder, Hermione couldn’t make out her reply but Ron reached out to take her hand, holding it in his lap. She quickly looked away. 

     “Excellent, Miss Patil,” Bill ceased his clapping and looked around for more volunteers. Dean and Seamus stepped forward, pushing each other into the center of the classroom.

     They placed their wands in front of their faces before getting into position. Dean let out a slight laugh. 

     “Just don’t blow me up, mate,” Dean pleaded with amusement and a slight hint of worry. 

     Seamus simply chuckled before he got ready to perform the spell. By the time he opened his mouth, Dean had beaten him to it. Seamus’s wand hurtled towards the teacher’s desk. They both ran to grab it but considering Dean’s legs were much longer than Seamus’, he took a hold of it first and called victory, holding it up for the class.

     “Good job,” Bill congratulated them and faced the opposite wall. “Now, let’s pick two from Slytherin.” His face scanned the few students on their side before he made a decision. “Parkinson and Greengrass, your turn.”

     The two witches smirked at each other and stepped forward to take their place. Pansy flashed her a smile and Daphne tossed her hair over her shoulder before aiming her wand. 

     Pansy sent Daphne’s wand flying through the air but the blonde witch jumped to grab it with her other hand as it flew over her head, winning the duel. 

     “Ha!” Daphne exclaimed before turning to the class and flashing her award winning smile that she usually reserved for professors, or wizards. 

     The raven-haired witch huffed and ran a hand over her bob to make sure not a hair was out of place from the effort as they both walked back. 

    Bill kept calling other students to participate, matching Gryffindor against Slytherin a few times. He called Goyle and Lavender, Millicent Bulstrode and Harry, Neville and Theo. Hermione picked at her robes as she waited to be called. 

     Professor Weasley searched the room once more. “Well then… who do we have left?” His eyes landed on her. “Miss Granger and” he glanced towards the opposite wall, “Mr. Malfoy.”

     Hermione’s eyes widened and she quickly glanced at Malfoy as she used her hand to help herself up off the floor. She ignored the whispers coming from both Houses as she stepped into the center and faced Malfoy, who met her stance with confident steps.

     Hermione bit at her lip as she watched him. He looked... excited. He threw her a smirk as both of them lifted their wand hand in front of their faces before letting it drop to the side. They bowed and turned around, taking three steps before turning back around, facing each other again. 

      Hermione’s wand shook slightly in her hand and she squared her shoulders, gripping her wand steady.

      “Expelliarmus!” Malfoy shouted, voice thunderous. 

      Hermione put up her shield yelling, “Protego!”, returning his intensity two-fold.  

      They kept this dance going for a couple of minutes, switching on who was trying to disarm as they started to circle each other. The students and Professor Weasley’s attention bounced from one opponent to the other until Hermione casted the disarming charm once more and Malfoy opened his mouth too late. 

     His wand ricocheted on the floor and Hermione got ready to cast Accio , in no mood to run after the wand. As the wand was being summoned, her own wand was torn from her grip and across the room, landing on Malfoy’s waiting hand. He wiggled the wand in her face as his landed in her palm seconds too late. 

     Wandless magic.

     Hermione’s jaw dropped slightly, her eyes narrowing as she glowered at him. 

     “Exceptional, Mr. Malfoy,” Bill applauded their effort. “You’ve succeeded expectations. Impeccable duel. Fifteen points to Slytherin.” Hermione held in a scoff. “That is all the time we have for today since that duel took longer than I thought. You’re all dismissed.” 

     Malfoy nodded at him and came to stand in front of Hermione to hand back her wand, looking too pleased with himself. His smirk caused her skin to tingle pleasantly, tiny pricks all over where he had touched before.

     She cleared her throat and took it and pocketed the vinewood inside her robes. She held out his wand for him and when he took it she didn’t let go, causing him to look at her. She mouthed ‘ cheater’  before she let go of his wand. 

     She walked towards the wall to collect her satchel, yanking it up and tossing it over her shoulder. 

    Harry and Ron were waiting for her by the door, now bombarding her with questions of how on earth could Malfoy beat her in a duel. She gave them a stern look and dismissed them, walking past them to her next class. 

     After dinner, Hermione, still seething from losing the duel, walked the halls until she reached the portrait leading to the Heads common room. She mumbled the password and the portrait let her in. She found Malfoy on the couch, hunched over as he scribbled a letter on the coffee table. 

     She let her bag drop on the floor by the couches, gaining Malfoy’s attention as he folded the parchment shut and shoved it in the bag by his feet in a hurry, as if he didn’t want her to see it. 

     He quickly changed his demeanor, crossing his arms behind his head and leaning back into the cushions, smiling like a Cheshire cat.

     “Congratulations on winning the duel.”

     “Well, thank you, Granger,” he nodded in her direction, still grinning. 

     The brunette huffed, toying with a loose curl. “You know, wandless magic is against the rules.”

     Malfoy rolled his eyes, still amused. “Professor Weasley didn’t say it was prohibited and he even congratulated me at the end of the duel, in case you missed that.” He stood up and walked towards her until he was a couple of meters from the witch. 

     “Still. I could’ve done that, if I’d known it was allowed,” she said as she leaned her hip on the back of the couch. 

     Malfoy smirked. “Could you?” And without any movement from his lips or hand, her feet were dragged forward until she was flushed against his body, his hands steadying her by the hips. 

     Wandless magic again.

     She gasped, taking a hold of his body and feeling his taut stomach beneath the fabric of his shirt. She thanked the gods in silence for Quidditch as his strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her even closer against him and lowering his head to meet hers. 

      Resting their foreheads together, he brushed her nose with his and whispered in a husky voice, “Aren’t you going to congratulate me properly?”

    Hermione felt his minty breath brush her lips before he caught them in a bruising kiss, his tongue begging for access and his hands roaming over her body until they settled on her backside, giving her a tight squeeze that made her gasp. Draco took the opportunity to tangle their tongues together, procuring a moan from the brunette.

      His hands squeezed her bum harder and she could feel his erection straining against his trousers. She smiled into the kiss and pushed him slightly away from her. 

     Malfoy stared at her, expectant and catching his breath, his eyes full of desire. She bit her lower lip and guided him to sit on the nearest couch. He made space for her, thinking she was about to straddle him when she summoned a cushion and his confusion was evident.

     Hermione chuckled internally as she placed the cushion on the floor between his legs and kneeled over it. The reality of the situation dawned on him and he eagerly removed his hands from his lap, waiting for what was about to come. 

     His sparkling eyes met hers and she didn’t break the contact as she reached for his belt. He gulped audibly. 

     “You don’t have to-”

     “I want to,” she assured him, successfully removing his belt and undoing the fastener. 

     He nodded, running a hand through his hair and taking a deep breath. He lifted himself to help Hermione lower his trousers and boxer briefs until his cock was freed from its constraints. She eyed the length with awe, she had definitely done this before but Malfoy was undoubtedly longer and thicker than Ron. 

     She wrapped her hand around the shaft, running it from the base to the foreskin and back down. She could hear his breath catch and he couldn’t take his eyes from her movements. 

    Encouraged by this, Hermione lowered her mouth and ran her tongue over the underside until her lips closed around the head, tasting the precum. Malfoy groaned and she could see him opening and closing his fists beside his lap, aching to use his hands. 

     She bobbed her head three times before she felt her hair was beginning to fall over his thighs, obscuring some of the view. She let him go with a pop and talked. 

     “You can touch me.”

     Apparently, verbal permission was all he needed because the second she spoke, his hands went straight to her hair trying to hold it up but a few curls still managed to spill from his hands. She resumed her ministrations, engulfing his cock with her mouth once again and using her hands at the base where her lips couldn’t reach. His head fell back against the couch.

     Hermione could feel his fingers brushing her hair and his nails sometimes scratched against her scalp, making her moan around him. 

     “Fuck!” he growled the first time she did it. 

     She kept bobbing her head up and down, flicking her tongue against the frenulum on a few occasions and moving her hand in rhythm with her mouth. She could feel he was close, considering his cock kept twitching and his breathing became ragged. 

      “I-I’m so close,” he whimpered, eyes lidded, urging her mouth off him. “If you don’t want to-”

      A loud knock interrupted him mid-sentence and he froze, eyes alarmed and she felt him twitching again. She released him with a pop and glanced at her watch. 

     “Oh, that must be the prefects.” She said nonchalantly and stood up, wiping the corner of her mouth and running a hand over her uniform to make sure she looked presentable before heading towards the door. Draco stared bewildered after her as he put himself together. 

      “Wicked witch,” he murmured. 

Chapter Text

Pyramid - Peace, happiness and plenty.

    Hermione swung the door open to face three prefects standing by the portrait. Ginny was staring at her with perturbing wide eyes, as the redhead had gotten there before  the other prefects. 

     Ginny glanced back at Malfoy, who was holding his books over his lap as he stood, making his way quickly into his bedroom. Hermione could feel her face turn a slight shade of red and stepped back, forcing a smile onto her face. 

     “Oh. Uhm-” She stopped herself to clear her throat. “Come on in,” she gestured for them to enter and the two fifth years stepped in. 

     Ginny quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her aside and into the kitchen, casting a wordless Silencing charm before slamming her wand on the counter. 

     “Ginny, please-”

     “Draco Malfoy?!” She laughed in utter disbelief and gave Hermione a shake. “ Draco bloody Malfoy?!” The witch jumped from excitement, giving Hermione another jostle. 

     “Look, I can explain-”

     “Why on earth wouldn’t you tell me?!” She smacked her arm as she turned to the side, her left arm reaching back and supporting her against the kitchen counter. Hermione pouted slightly as she went to rub her arm. 

     “Draco Malfoy!” She put a hand to her head, rubbing her forehead in shock. “Bloody brilliant, Hermione.” She looked at her, flashing a huge grin. 

     There was another knock outside the portrait and Ginny lowered the charm. “Malfoy, let them in, will you?!” She shouted and heard a firm ‘No.’ 

     Draco was busy… with other things. He pressed his head against the door and then pulled back before letting it fall forward again with a soft clunk. 

     He pulled away, shaking out his hands and letting out a sharp breath as the She-Weasel shouted a response. 

     “Fine. I’ll get it!” 

     “Thank you, Weaslette!” He huffed to himself as he paced back and forth. 

     “Think of… Dobby, think of Crabbe, think of something!” He berated himself as he tried to come down from the edge. 

     After about five painful minutes, he had gotten himself under control and grabbed his bag from where he had dropped it by the door. He pulled out the letter he was in the middle of writing and picked up from where he left off. 

     December 6th, 1998

     Mother,

     I apologise for not writing to you these past few days. I’ve been busy with lessons and Head Boy duties and the Ministry has not let up yet, still hoping to see me fail and it’s only December. 

     I hope everything is running smoothly at the Manor and you’re back at your philanthropy. 

     I was hoping to request a favor. If the Ministry cretins have stopped sacking our library, I’d appreciate it if you could send me a book. I intend to give it to someone as a Christmas gift. 

     Please write back to me soon. I miss you dearly. 

     With love,

     Draco

     The prefects meeting had been quite boring, if she was being honest. She might have even dozed off at some point. Malfoy nudged her awake. “It’s almost over,” he whispered in her ear and she nodded, wiping the sleep from her eyes. 

      As the younger prefects started to file out the room, Ginny turned to Hermione. 

     “So, I thought I should mention that I told all of the 8th year prefects to bring their significant others, or friends, and I thought we could have a little party. What is the point of having such a huge common room if not to invite people?!” Ginny gestured and Hermione furrowed her eyebrows.

     “Oh Ginny, I don’t think s-'' Ginny pressed a finger to Hermione's lips. 

     “Shush. It will be fun,” the redhead beamed. 

     Lavender brought a cake, an adorable yellow cake with charmed candy bumblebees stuck into the icing.  

     “The elves quite like me,” she admitted and Luna smiled. 

    “Lavender was kind enough to let Theo and I in as well.” Luna placed a plate of lemon cookies on the living room table. “I saved these for when the other prefects left.” She dropped the stasis charm on the treats before returning to the conversation everyone was having. 

     Malfoy left to get plates and a knife for the cake. “Granger!” He called from the kitchen. Hermione got up and made her way into the kitchen. 

     “Is everything alright?” She asked and Malfoy nodded as he turned to look at her. 

    “Yes, everything's perfect.” He nodded as he drummed his fingers against the counter. “I was… just hoping to ask you something.” Hermione just blinked at him, trying not to let any emotions cross her face. 

     Was he about to ask her to the Ball? Oh my God. A ball? Am I hung up on a ball? What am I, fifteen? Despite her acknowledgment that dances were foolish, she couldn’t help the way her heart thrummed in her chest at the possibility of him asking her. 

     “Of course. What is it?” Her voice came out much more controlled than she had expected. 

     “I was wondering,” his hand went to her waist, pulling her closer. “Would you like to come to the Christmas Ball with me?” He asked and Hermione just stared up at him, not moving. 

     Eventually, she nodded. “Yes,” she confirmed and Malfoy grinned, leaning down to kiss her fleetly. 

     “Good,” he mumbled against her lips, sending shivers down her spine. “Back to the party now.” He gave her backside a squeeze and she jumped away with a squeak. 

     She shot him a glare before making her way into the living room.  

     When Malfoy sat back down, Theo grinned, “Everyone needs to try one, I helped bake them!” He said, full of pride as Luna played with his hair. She was seated on the couch and Theo sat on the floor in front of her legs. “They’re quite special,” he grinned and Luna smiled, reaching for one. 

     Everyone across the table, Lavender, Ron, Harry, Ginny, Pansy, Blaise, Draco and Hermione, took a small bar. 

     Hermione was certain she had never tasted something so perfect. She leaned forward from the couch to grab another and Theo reached up, catching her wrist. 

     “Just have one for now, Hermione. They’re surprisingly filling,” he said, looking up at her. She looked down at him and slowly nodded, pulling her hand away and leaning back into the couch beside Draco. 

     Ron frowned softly as he watched the two of them but Lavender distracted him with a light squeeze on his knee. 

     Harry and Ginny were crammed together into a chair made for one person as they both ate the blondies. Harry was trying to talk to her but the redhead was too busy waggling her eyebrows at Hermione, who was doing whatever it took to avoid meeting her gaze. 

     She shoved the rest of the cookie in her mouth and then quickly stood, stepping over everyone’s long legs to get to the kitchen and away from Ginny. 

     Ginny finished her cookie and shifted on the couch armchair she was perched on as Harry looked up at her. 

     “Is Hermione alright?” He asked and Ginny simply nodded.

     “Yeah, she’s perfectly fine. She has no clue what is in these cookies though.” 

     “Oh, absolutely not.” 

     Hermione was going to fall off the face of the earth. She sat on her kitchen floor as Malfoy walked in. “Granger, you were supposed to fetch tea fifteen minutes ago. Whe-” he rounded the corner and looked at the witch starfished on the wood floor. 

     Hermione turned to look at him, raising her arm for Draco to help her off the floor. 

     “It’s just so smooth,” she whined as he hoisted her up. “I wish I could stay on the floor forever.” She groaned and Draco placed her on her feet, cupping her cheeks with both hands as he examined her pupils. 

     “How high are you?” He laughed, his thumb mindlessly stroking her cheek. 

     “Mmmh, I’m not high at all.” She leaned into his touch, shutting her eyes. Each stroke of his thumb sent a jolt down her spine and every part of her skin he touched was on fire, or so it felt like. Lovely, lovely fire, warm, tingling, enticing fire. “How could I be blazed?” She opened her eyes, blinking widely at him. 

     “The cookies, Granger. The special cookies?” He snorted. “Did you really have no clue?!” His laughter increased twofold as he pulled away to wipe the tears falling from his eyes. 

     Hermione had started to laugh with him, though she wasn’t sure why. Her stomach cramping after a little, her lungs desperate for fresh air, gripping his shoulder as she laughed to the point of tears. 

     “Granger, you can't keep letting people drug you!” He said as he straightened himself out. “We thought you knew, Theo explicitly stated, ‘special’.” He moved to get the cups of tea she had started to prepare before the effects had hit her. “Come on, back into the living room.” He attempted sobriety.

     Hermione nodded and moved into the living room, her hand running along the counters and the walls as she walked to the couch. She plopped down, unaware the rest of the group was deep in a game of cards. 

      She was surprised Pansy had decided to stay after the prefects’ meeting, yet the raven-haired witch had done nothing problematic. She had been the perfect house guest. She mostly kept to herself, chatted with Blaise during the games and answered when she was addressed. 

     “You're cheating!” Blaise declared, slamming his hand down onto the table. Theo shot him a menacing glare. 

     “I’m most definitely not cheating-”

     “I don’t believe you. I saw you cheat. You always cheat,” Blaise accused him and Theo huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. 

     “Potter, do you think I cheated?!” 

     “Absolutely.” Harry answered. 

     Hermione had done her best to keep up with the conversation, trying to jump back and forth between speakers without getting her head to spin. She was really blazed . If fifth year Hermione could see her now, her tiny heart would implode. 

     “Weasley, how about you?” Theo shot Harry a glare before turning to the ginger, who shifted under his gaze. 

     “I’m sorry mate, but most definitely,” he said after a second, wrapping an arm around Lavender's waist as she perched on his lap. 

     Before Theo could even ask another classmate, Luna ran a hand through his hair to get his attention and he looked up at her, resting his head against the edge of the couch. The blonde witch pushed hair away from his forehead. 

     Hermione couldn’t help but wonder why her hair wasn’t being played with. Someone needed to play with her hair. Right now. She also really wanted that tea. Malfoyyy, she called inside her head, trying to wordlessly summon him. 

     Malfoy appeared from the kitchen not even a second later.

     “Oh my god. I'm magic, aren’t I?” She muttered and Malfoy made a face at her. 

     “What are you on about, Granger?” He asked as he put the freshly brewed tea on the table. 

     “Nothing.” Hermione blushed, light pink warming under her splattered freckles, as Malfoy leaned over her to put the tray down. His top three buttons were undone and he smelled so nice. He tastes even better. Hermione felt heat settle between her thighs and she shifted on her seat, crossing her legs together to try and ignore the way he sent warm pinpricks through her body. “Nothing at all,” she sighed dreamily.

     He moved forward to sit next to her, relaxing into the couch and spreading his legs until his knee knocked against hers. 

     “What game are we playing and has Theo cheated yet?” Malfoy asked and Theo whined like a child stuck in Tesco’s. 

     “I’m not cheating!” 

     Hermione had been staring at Malfoy for most of the night. He had joined the game of cards, taking Theo’s place since he had been ‘banned indefinitely.’ Both Theo and Hermione have been banned from the table, now sitting against Hermione's bedroom door. 

     “You know, Malfoy doesn’t tell us much about you, which is surprising because-" he was interrupted by Lavender's cheers as she yet again won the round. 

     “Because what?” Hermione reluctantly turned her head to look at him. 

     “Well, because he’s smitten with you,” he said. “And Hermione,” he cleared his throat and she sensed this conversation had turned more serious. “No matter what happens, know that he’s a good person. He went through a lot last year, we all did, and earlier this year he made a couple wrong choices but he’s over the moon for you,” Theo blabbed and Hermione just nodded, feeling stunned with everything Theo put on her. 

     Before she could question him further, Draco glanced over at them and shot her a smile. 

Chapter Text

   Ten of Swords
betrayal, backstabbing, final ending.

 “Luna, Theo. Is there something you need?” Hermione blinked away from the light that flooded the hallway as she opened the portrait. Theo Nott stood behind Luna, a lazy smile on his face, whereas hers was ecstatic. 

     “Morning, Hermione,” Theo nodded in her direction before stepping inside. 

     “Nott, wh-” Theo quickly interrupted the blond as he rose from the couch. 

     “Have you made tea?” He asked, heading straight for the kitchen, and behind him, Luna held up a small quilt bag. 

     “I’ve brought muggle tarot cards,” the Ravenclaw chimed. “My father saw them on his travels and sent them as soon as he could.”

     “I-” Hermione gawked at her, staring her down but the wispy smile didn’t waver. She then moved inside past Hermione to sit where Draco once had. 

     Draco slowly stepped closer, approaching her from behind. 

     “Did we invite them?” He whispered and before Hermione could answer, the portrait opened again. Draco’s jaw dropped slightly. 

     “Who did you give the password to?!” He scowled and Hermione just squeaked as Ginny stepped inside. 

     “Good morning! I’ve heard you two were making breakfast.” The redhead beamed, hand in hand with an exhausted Harry Potter. His eyes swollen from sleep and his hair straight from his pillow despite Ginny’s attempts to flatten it. 

     “We are not making breakfast!” Hermione scoffed, moving to shut the portrait door. 

     “Wait!” Ron called and not even three seconds later, the tall ginger stopped in front of the portrait. “Excuse me, ‘Mione.” He smiled, lightly brushing past her to enter the common room. 

     “Two Weasels.” Hermione glared over her shoulder and Draco bit his tongue. Smart man.

     “Nice sweater by the way. One of the Chudley Cannon players was just recruited by them,” Ron observed as Lavender entered through the portrait. 

     Hermione blinked, her mouth gaping like a fish as she self-consciously crossed her arms over her chest to cover the brown sweatshirt with large red lettering that read: 

BULGARIAN NATIONAL QUIDDITCH TEAM

     Ron’s eyes widened in realization. “Do you think you could ask Viktor if I could meet with him? I know you two keep up with each other.” He asked, pleading. Hermione felt her cheeks heat up and her eyes flitted to find Draco’s, yet he wasn’t looking at her, instead he glanced at the sweatshirt before glancing behind him. 

     “I don’t want him around sharp things,” he snarked, insulting the other wizard, a crooked grin stretched over his face as he turned towards the kitchen.

     Pansy grabbed Blaise’s wrist, right before the corner leading to the Head dorms. “Why am I going? He won’t speak to me, I fucking told him-” Pansy tried but Blaise just pulled his hand away and held it up, silencing her. 

     “What did you expect?” His voice rumbled as smooth and low as he stared down at her. He was watching her as if she was mental. She exhaled sharply, crossing her arms tightly over her chest, digging her sharp black acrylics into her biceps.  

     “I’d expect him to at least listen to me!” Her voice broke slightly. “But he won’t. So why am I going?” She shrugged , pulling her hand away to examine her nails as she continued to speak. “I know what I’ve done, I know it’s awful. I was just, I was so jealous and I couldn’t bring myself to care about her. He kept me safe, I couldn’t lose him.” 

     She refused to meet his eyes, her gut twisting in vulnerability as she continued to speak against better judgement. “You know, he was always talking about her. That day at the mansion truly messed him up. As I’m sure her day was much, much worse but-” Blaise put a hand on her shoulder to stop her from rambling. He had gone soft, well, as soft as someone like Blaise can get. Shoulders slumping and his head dipping, he tried to find her eyes. Once he did, he spoke. 

     “It’s Christmas. I’m bringing you along so you can apologize. To both of them.”

     Hermione chewed on the inside of her cheek as Lavender approached her, holding up a wicker basket.

     “I made banana nut muffins and cornmeal muffins.” The blonde beamed and Hermione’s eyes widened as she reached out to take one. 

     “When did you have time to do this?” She asked and Lavender simply shrugged. 

     “It’s our last day together before our break, might as well celebrate a little holiday. Neither you nor Malfoy got back to us about the invitation to our Christmas party, so we brought it to you.” She hummed and turned towards the kitchen. 

     Hermione just let out a soft laugh before going to sit on the couch. She pulled her knees to her chest and tucked the large sweatshirt over her legs, sitting in a ball as everyone else made themselves comfortable, Ginny by her side and Harry next to her. An empty seat separated her and Luna, and on the other side of Luna, an ottoman was left over for Theo. Ron sat next to them, with a seat saved for Lavender. 

     The portrait opened once more and Blaise stepped inside, alone. "You made it!" Theo grinned as he stepped out of the kitchen. Blaise just nodded at him. 

     "How could I miss our Christmas morning- as Luna put it."

     Hermione stared at her reflection in the mirror, pleased with the way her royal blue sparkle dress hugged her curves. She decided to wear an off-shoulder, opposed to her Yule Ball gown, and to let her hair down but chose to cast a spell for her curls to look tamed, instead of using the Sleekeazy’s Potion. 

     Even though she didn’t tell Draco what she was wearing, she was certain he was going to look debonair in his dressing robes. She put her simple necklace on and after taking a last look in the mirror, she exited her bedroom. 

     She found him seated on one of the armchairs by the fireplace, putting his cufflinks on. When the blond heard the click of her heels, he looked up and she felt her heart thump against her chest with anticipation as he swept his eyes over her figure, before a grin spread across his features, showing his approval. 

     He stood up, walking towards her, and grabbed her chin, making her meet his gaze. 

     “You look absolutely gorgeous,” he leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips and she felt herself blush.

     “Do you promise?” 

     His eyes were glazed over and his patented smirk was back in place. “Cross my heart, Granger.” He let out a quiet chuckle as he took her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles. “Before we go, there’s something I would like to give you. I didn’t want to give it to you in front of everyone.”

     Her breath caught. “A Christmas present? I got you something too, but I meant to give it to you tomorrow, before we-”

     Draco stopped her ramble by placing a finger on her lips, silencing her and smearing her lip gloss a little. Thank goodness she went for a nude color. 

     “It’s fine, you don’t need to worry about it now. Just wait here.” He let go of her hand and went into his room, returning with what looked like a red and gold book in hand. 

     He carefully placed the book in her waiting hands and her eyes sparkled at the title. She ran her hand over the cover. 

     “Draco, this is.... I can’t accept this,” she shook her head and tried to pass him the book back.

     “Of course you can. It’s a gift,” he said, stepping away from the book she was proding towards him. He scratched the hairs on the back of his neck. “I meant to wrap it but I just received it this morning.”

     She genuinely laughed. “Do you honestly think I’m going to care about wrapping when you’re giving me a first edition Hogwarts: A History ? How- How did you even get it?” she said turning the book around to study the details. 

     “It’s been sitting in the Manor Library for years, but no one in my family reads it, so I thought you would like to have it,” he said, shrugging, like he didn’t just give her a very expensive gift. She didn’t even think this edition was for sale anymore, and if it was, it was probably worth the Minister’s annual salary.

     Hermione gaped at him. “Well, even worse. I don’t think your parents would be quite pleased to know it’s missing and that I have it,” she tried once again to give him the book. 

     “My mother was the one who sent it.” He gave her a serious look. “Please, Granger, just take it. I want you to have it.”

     His demeanor told her this was important for him, and she didn’t want to make him feel bad, so she held her tongue and simply accepted the gift. She nodded, placing the book on top of their coffee table. 

     “I’ll leave it here until we get back,” Hermione said, slowly moving closer. “Thank you. I love it.” She threaded her arms around his shoulders and intertwined them behind his head, inhaling his cologne as he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his forehead against hers. 

     They stayed like that for almost a minute, until he cleared his throat and stepped back to look at her. He offered his arm, “Shall we?”

     Throughout the beginning of the night, passing students, mainly Gryffindors, asked Hermione why she had arrived at the Great Hall on the arm of Draco Malfoy, she simply shrugged them off, stating it was easier for the Head Boy and Head Girl to attend school events together, especially during such divided times.  Some bought it, others didn’t. 

     When Ron came to ask her, or better said, demanded to know the reason, she wasn’t so polite and told him it wasn’t his problem. 

     Professor- Headmistress McGonagall approached her at the beverage table, while she supervised that the punch wasn’t spiked again, and informed her that it was mandatory for Draco and her to open the Ball by sharing the first dance as Head Boy and Girl. Hermione was aware of that, so as soon as the Headmistress left to greet the other guests, she started to look for Draco amongst the crowd and found him by the double doors, talking to Theo and Blaise, who were accompanied by Luna Lovegood and Daphne Greengrass, respectively.  

     She went to greet them, complementing the girls for her dresses and sharing polite conversation with the other two Slytherin boys while she sipped her drink, feeling Draco’s hand on her back the entire time. 

     They heard the soft chime of clinking glass and all the students, staff turned towards the front of the Great Hall where the band was playing, eyes landing on Headmistress McGonagall as she called for attention. 

     “I would like to welcome you all to this special occasion. Tonight, we are celebrating Christmas. This year had a rough beginning and it is almost over, but we have so much to be grateful for.” All eyes turned to Harry, and Hermione noticed the way her best friend, even after all this time, wasn’t comfortable with the attention. 

     The headmistress continued her speech. “I would also like to thank the Head Girl and Boy, along with the prefects, for planning this marvelous evening. Excellent work, Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy,” she tilted her glass in their direction and addressed the crowd. “They have done a spectacular job with the school this year. Now, without further ado, let’s begin.”

     The band got in position and Professor McGonagall waved for Hermione and Draco to open the Ball by being the first couple on the dance floor. Draco took her arm in his and guided her to the center of the room, where their eyes met and she didn’t dare to look around.

     She focused on him, and him only, and as the music started playing, she grabbed his hand and he placed the other one on her waist, their bodies swaying to the rhythm. Soon after, they were joined by Professor McGonagall and Professor Slughorn, then other members of the staff. Harry and Ginny were the first students to join, much to Harry’s dismay, and the rest of the students and couples followed their steps. 

     Hermione couldn’t help but notice the way Draco’s hand lingered on the small of her back while the other students joined the waltz, shielding their exchange from any onlookers. She was sure nobody else had noticed, that was until she spotted Ginny and Harry dancing a few couples away and the redhead shot her a wink, trying to keep Harry with his back to them. 

     She mouthed a ‘thank you’ over Dracos shoulder in the redhead’s direction before returning her attention to her dance partner. Draco was looking down at her, and his countenance carried an expression she couldn’t place, but it made her feel almost… adored. 

     They kept waltzing for the next four or five songs, without taking their eyes from each other. She didn’t want this night to end. She felt safe in the warmth of his arms and her skin prickled where he rested his hand on her waist. 

     Eventually, Draco asked her if she wanted to get something to drink, and it wasn’t until the words left his mouth that she realized she was quite parched, considering she hadn’t had anything to drink since the beginning of the Ball. 

     They reached the beverage table and Hermione glanced around, smiling to herself as she took in all the decorations, all the students and all other guests that seemed like they were having a pleasant time. She thanked Draco as he handed her a goblet full of elf-made wine, and she saw him getting a Firewhiskey for himself. 

     He met her eyes again and smiled, raising his hand to tuck a curl behind her ear. He leaned into her and his lips brushed the shell of her ear. 

     “Have I told you that you look ravishing tonight?”

     She blushed as he took a step back, his hand lingering on the side of her neck. “Yes, you quite did,” she looked up at him, laughing softly. “Earlier, in the common room.”

     “Well, you needed a reminder,” Draco said as he ran his thumb over her bare shoulder. He looked around the Great Hall. “I’m going to spend some time with Theo and Blaise. Would you want to join us?”

     Hermione nodded her assent and Draco took her hand, guiding her through the crowd of people, towards the other side of the room where Theo and Blaise were chatting with their dates. She couldn’t take her eyes off their entwined hands and didn’t care to check if anyone was watching them. 

     As soon as they reached the group, Luna made a comment about the Nargles in the mistletoe and Hermione couldn’t help her laugh at the confusion that bloomed across Daphne’s face.   

     Draco had let go of her hand but kept his on her lower back for a while, keeping her close as they all talked. As the conversation drifted towards Quidditch, Daphne excused herself to meet with her Slytherin girlfriends. Luna seemed to be studying the charmed ceiling, so Hermione let her eyes wander around the room, looking for her other friends.

     She found them sitting by the benches and Ginny beckoned her to come over, so she muttered her apologies to the boys and took Luna with her, reassuring them that they would be back. 

     As soon as they reached her Gryffindor friends, Ginny took her aside by the arm, going far enough to make sure no one was eavesdropping. 

     “You and Malfoy seem pretty cozy tonight,” she wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive way, laughing at Hermione’s blush, “Don’t worry. They-” she nodded towards Harry and Ron, “haven’t seen anything, I made sure of it.”

     “I’m as surprised as you. He isn’t really into public displays of affection, but he has hardly let go of my hand the entire evening, and he keeps touching my back,” Hermione whispered, looking sideways and making sure she wasn’t overheard. 

     Not that she was ashamed of him or that she didn’t want her friends to find out. She wanted to tell them, honestly, eventually, but truthfully, she feared backlash which delayed her announcement. 

     Ginny giggled and leaned into the brunette’s ear, before lowering her voice. “Do you think this is… the night?” She wiggled her brows in an insinuating way. 

     Hermione felt her face flush and ran a hand over the skirt of her dress, clearing her throat. “I think so. I- I love the way he makes me feel.” She stole a glance at the spot she left him and found him staring back at her. He gave her a tight-lipped smile and nodded in their direction, asking her to rejoin them. 

     She stood there, probably smiling like a fool, until she felt someone give her a gentle push on her shoulder blades. Ginny was looking at her with her arms crossed, and nodding towards the Slytherin group.

     “Go with him and have fun!” Ginny squealed in pure elation, hugging her. “This is exciting. It’s like I’m getting deflowered all over again.”

     Hermione almost choked at her friend’s bluntness but chuckled anyway. “I didn’t need to be reminded of that,” she said, glancing at Harry. 

     After she said her goodbyes, Hermione made her way through the crowd and reached the table where Draco was waiting for her. He wrapped his arm around her waist, resting his hand on her hip and murmured against her hair, “Welcome back.” 

     “Are they still talking about Quidditch?” She asked, shocked and Draco nodded in defeat. 

     “Sadly.”

     The rest of the night went smoothly. No one spiked the beverages this time, there were no altercations. All the Houses were interacting with one another. They even joined the dance floor once again, after the music changed to wizard rock. 

     During one of the songs, she watched as Draco laughed and jumped with Theo and Blaise, and it made her genuinely happy to see him like that. He caught her eye and drew closer to her, grabbing her hands and rubbing the pad of his thumbs over her knuckles. 

     They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, but in reality, it was just seconds. Their eyes revealing unspoken thoughts. 

     She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down, raising on her toes to meet him halfway. Lips brushing the shell of his ear, she asked over the loud music, “Do you want to leave?”

     Watching as his throat bobbed at the question, she stepped away to meet his gaze, and he nodded. Next thing she knew, he was guiding her by hand through the multitude that still lingered in the Great Hall, out of the double doors and towards their common room.

     “My bedroom… now,” she murmured against his lips as they stumbled into the common room. 

     Draco’s eyes connected with hers, searching for something. He cupped her face with both hands before whispering, “Are you sure?”

     She nodded, reaching up on her toes to attach their mouths once more. He let her, leaning into the kiss and swooped down to scoop her into his arms, his hands cautious of the fabric of the royal blue dress he liked so much. 

     He carried her through their common room without taking his gaze from hers until they reached her bedroom door and casted a wandless Alohomora . Once inside, he kicked the door shut and let her down by the bed. He linked their hands together, his eyes pleading for something. 

     “Are you entirely sure?” He asked again and when she lifted her head to nod once more, he interrupted her. “No, I want you to use your words.”

     Hermione stared at him for a couple of seconds before letting out a soft, “Yes, I want this. I want you.”

     Draco slanted his lips against hers and his hands went straight to her hair. He deepened the kiss by pulling her by the waist, flushing their bodies together and she gasped when she felt his erection against her stomach, which gave him access to tangle their tongues together. 

     Her hands grabbed the front of his dress robes, her fingers making work of removing them between kisses. Once he was only wearing his trousers, Hermione turned around, pulling her hair over her shoulder and looking over it at him. 

     “Unzip me?”

     Draco chuckled but she could tell by the roughness of his voice that he was affected by the sight of her flushed skin, swollen lips and unruly hair. “Eager, are we?”

     Even with his taunts, he lifted his hands to her shoulder blades, grabbing the zipper. She shivered as she felt his knuckles graze the newly exposed skin as he pulled it down. She took her arms out of the sleeves, letting the fabric pool around her feet and turned around, facing him again. 

     Due to the cleavage of the dress, she didn’t wear a bra underneath, so she stood there, almost completely naked in front of Draco, only a scrap of fabric that some would call knickers covering her lady parts. She felt the cool air of her room hit her exposed chest, making her nipples pebble. 

     She looked up and found his eyes ranking down her figure, his grey irises barely there. She could’ve sworn she heard him mumble “beautiful” and saw his fingers twitch, itching to touch her. 

     Hermione took a deep breath and grabbed his hand, sitting on the bed and helping him out of his trousers. After he was undressed, Hermione took his member in her hand, inching her face closer and looked up at him. He smiled down at her and cupped her jaw, tracing circles over the skin. “No, love. I don’t think I can last that long tonight.”

     Draco kneeled in front of her, urging her to lay down by the edge of the bed and spread her legs. He told her to let him know if she was uncomfortable at any moment and he would stop. He brought their mouths together briefly before lowering his kisses down her neck and clavicle, nipping and licking at the explored skin. 

     He dropped a kiss in the valley between her breasts and looked up at her with adoration etched across his face. She couldn’t wait any longer. 

     “Malfoy,” she pleaded. 

     “Draco,” he mumbled against her chest before capturing a nipple in his mouth. 

     “What?” Hermione let out a gasp. 

     “Call me Draco,” he whispered, swirling his tongue around her right nipple as his hand played with the other.

     She let her head fall back on the mattress as he switched the ministrations before peppering open-mouthed kisses down her abdomen until he reached her knickers. He sat back on his haunches and pulled them down her legs, throwing them somewhere behind him. She lifted herself on her elbows and watched his movements as he pinned her thighs on the sheets. 

     Draco started kissing the inside of her thighs and stared up at her as he came face to face with her center. He kept eye contact as he gave her slit a swipe of his tongue and sucked on her bundle of nerves. She couldn’t help but let out a moan and covered her face immediately, which made Draco pry her hands away, telling her she had nothing to be ashamed of because she looked beautiful and he wanted to see her face and hear her moan. 

     He returned his mouth down, adding a finger and then two, pumping them in and out, and after a few minutes of watching Draco’s mouth and fingers work between her thighs, she came for the first time that night, gripping the sheets. 

     When she came back from the high, she looked down to see Draco licking his lips and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Her chest heaved with the aftermath of her orgasm and she gestured for Draco to get on the bed, kissing him hungrily and tasting herself on his tongue. 

     Her hands explored his naked body, tracing the scars on his torso until one reached the hair below his navel, following the path before taking his cock in her hand, pumping it slowly. She wanted him so much. She could hear his breathing become ragged before he seized her hand away and rolled on top of her, resting his weight on his arm. 

     She took purchase on his strong arms, silently grateful for quidditch, and bumped their noses together. Draco cupped her jaw without breaking eye contact and she could feel his heart beating hard against her chest and his erection between her thighs. 

     “Are you sure about this?”

     Hermione chuckled, one hand running through his hair. “Yes, yes. I’m absolutely sure. Please.”

     The hand that was cupping her jaw lowered and slithered between their bodies. His fingers ran over her slit before he grabbed his cock and thrusted it into her. She shut her eyes and released a whimper at the intrusion. She heard Draco letting out a moan when he was fully sheathed.

     “Hey,” she opened her eyes to find him staring down at her, his eyes full of worry and lust. “Are you alright?”

     She realized the pang of pain wasn’t so uncomfortable anymore. She nodded and kissed him again. “Please move.”

     After a few thrusts and panted breaths, he murmured against her ear, “Fuck! You feel so… fucking… amazing.” As soon as the discomfort passed, she started to feel the tip of his member hit something inside of her and couldn’t help the moans that followed. 

     Looking into his hooded eyes, she thought that this moment here and now felt right. 

     “Come with me,” Draco sneaked a hand where their bodies met and began running circles against her clit. 

     Minutes passed and Hermione tightened her grip around his biceps, arching her back as she felt her walls flutter around Draco, and then she felt something snap inside of her, letting out a loud moan as she reached her second climax. 

     Draco returned his hand to the side of her head and murmured against her ear while he kept the rhythym for a few more thrusts, “So fucking... perfect, so tight. Mine .”

     She could’ve sworn she imagined the last word was Mine as he came with a grunt, collapsing on top of her. He rolled over, giving her space to breathe and when she turned her head, she found him smiling with his eyes closed. She eyed the ceiling for a few seconds before looking at him again and he was asleep, his face now serene. 

     For most of the school year, Hermione dreamt of nothing and that was the way she preferred it. Compared to the nightmares that replaced the quiet, dreaming of nothing felt like a fair trade. 

     Yet that night her dreams were filled with warmth, soft touches, flashes of blonde, and alabaster skin. 

     When she woke up, it was a different story. She rolled onto her stomach and flopped her arm out to his side of the bed. When she felt the sheets bunched up, she lifted her head from the pillow and opened her eyes with a soft groan. She pushed her curls out of her face, tucking them behind her ear and looked around the room for Mal-

     “Call me Draco.” 

     Draco wasn’t here. 

     Despite the soreness between her thighs, she kicked off the sheets and stood from the bed. She let out a soft groan and pushed her hair back, quickly tying off her hair. She stepped over her discarded dress, looked around for him in their common room but found it empty. 

     She stood under the arch next to Ginny, watching the heavy rain drip off the edge as Ginny spoke about the travel route to the Burrow. 

     “Hermione!” She snapped her fingers twice and Hermione spun to her. 

     “What?” She blinked and Ginny laughed, unscrewing her quidditch water bottle. 

     “You left the party quite early with Malfoy.” She grinned into the mouth before taking a couple sips. Hermione flushed red. 

     “Well, We- Hmm-” Hermione pressed her lips together and Ginny laughed. 

     “Was the sex as good as you expected?” Ginny asked outright and Hermione answered quite quickly. 

     “Yes, absolutely. I mean as far as first times go, I really do think it was best case scenario.” Hermione grinned, swaying back and forth as she thought. 

     “Wicked.” Ginny grinned, her eyes traveling to gaze past Hermione. “Speaking of, do you believe his ears are ringing?” Hermione spun, following her gaze to where Malfoy stood on the other side of the gates, facing the wall, talking to someone she couldn’t see as he stood in the rain, his raincoat pulled tight around him. 

     “He looks kind of upset, no?” Hermione asked and Ginny shrugged. 

     “I’m not sure, maybe if you go and talk to him…” She trailed off, waggling her eyebrows. “You can cheer him up!” She beamed.

     Hermione glanced back at her, narrowing her eyes. “Fine, I'll meet you at the carriage,” she said. “Don’t leave without me!” She scowled as she stepped into the rain before cutting through the garden.

     “It’s so cold,” she said to herself, teeth chattering as she walked down the small cobblestone path that weaved through the garden. The dirt had been soaked through and was now mud that overflowed onto the walkway. 

     Hermione grumbled as she dragged her suitcase along by her side. “I knew I should have charmed it.” She shifted it to her other hand and the suitcase popped open with a snap, sending her clothes into the mud. “No!” She muttered to herself. “No no no.” She got onto her knees and started to grab her now soaked and muddy clothes. She froze when she heard a voice, slowly rising to stand.

     “Draco, please- please just listen to me-” Pansy sobbed, her hands attempting to wipe her face dry but instead smearing her dark makeup everywhere, the rain doing nothing to keep it intact.  

     “I’ve been listening to you for months, Pansy, and all you’ve managed to say is that you’re sorry,” Draco leaned forwards. “What the fuck does that even mean, you’re sorry. Sorry for what? You can’t just apologize, yet never change, that isn’t how life works Pansy, people will get tired of listening to you apologize.” Pansy once again tried to interrupt but Draco just stepped closer. 

     “You still let our parents' traditions dictate your life despite what those traditions brought upon us.” He stared down at her.  “Or do you not remember how I had to smuggle you off of your own estate. You were going to have a summer wedding, right? Rowle wouldn’t have fit your name as well as Parkinson, in my opinion.” He sneered, shifting his stance. Pansy glared at his chest before lowering her head, staring at his shoes. “At the safe house, you were a different person, you were kind and funny, you were my friend, then we got back here and it’s like nothing happened, no war, no hiding, no trials. It’s like you disappeared again and-” 

     Hermione turned around, trying to be as quiet as possible, this wasn’t her business, she should most definitely not be here. She took a step forward but froze when Pansy interrupted, quite loudly. 

     “And what about you Malfoy? Going on about bloody change like you haven’t been drinking all semester, have to keep up daddy’s habits, don’t you?” She gave him a sickly smile as she spat out whatever hateful retort would hurt him most. “You’re no different-” Pansy said, tracing a hand over the soft fabric of his shirt, squeezing his bicep.

     “Get off of me!” Draco shoved her hand away. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” He took another step closer and Pansy took a step back, not breaking eye contact despite the way her hands anxiously gripped the hem of her shirt. 

     “I think we’re the same.” She shouted. “You’re no better than I am, yet you have miraculously convinced everyone around you that you somehow have been fixed, you are now the exemplary new Malfoy.” Draco's eyes twitched with unbridled rage. 

     She continued. “Now, let’s stop pretending like somehow you have become a good person.” She crossed her arms over her chest and Hermione took one more step back into the gardens. “I don’t know what lie you’ve told Granger but she must believe you.” Pansy immediately lit up, as if a lightbulb went off. “Oh, speaking of, did you win? Did you shag her?” When there was no answer, Pansy just snorted.

     Hermione felt her chest slowly cave in, her hands gripping her frozen mud soaked clothes to her chest. She tried to lean to the side but couldn’t see Draco through the trees, no matter where she moved. 

     “Well, you’ve won-”

     “Stop it.”

     “Oh, but don’t-”

     “Stop talking.” 

     “I would offer you a prize, but shagging the Gryffindor Princess seems plenty reward-” 

     “Scr-” 

     Hermione Granger could feel her skin. Her damned fucking skin. She could feel every freckle, every scar, every bump, every nerve as it was hit with the windchill of December in Scotland. They were talking about her as if she was a prized cattle. Her breath caught in her throat. Theo had told her, or he had tried. He knew. Blaise knew. Pansy knew. Draco…

     She leaned harshly to her right, straining to see Draco's face. She took a step over to the side and slipped off the sidewalk, mud replacing the pavement. She let out a shriek as she landed in the mud. 

     “Stop talking,” Draco said, not to interrupt her, but to listen. “Who’s there!” He called and Hermione scrambled to stand. “Stay here,” Draco said before entering through the gardens. The only thing between them, a line of trees. Hermione quickly retreated, leaving the garden as quick as possible. She was halfway towards the carriage before she broke into a sprint, just desperately wanting to be as far away as possible. 

     “No need to run, Hermione. We were going to wait for y- Merlin's beard, Hermione, what made you decide to roll in mud?” Ron gaped at her and she just stood there, tears prickling at the back of her eyes but she refused to move, frozen. 

     “Hermione?” Harry asked, before turning to Ginny, who was just watching her in silent observation. “Is Hermione alright?” 

     “I can’t believe I was so stupid.” Hermione muttered as she finally moved, sitting down on the bench. She braced her elbows on her knees before burying her face in her hands. "Fuck."

Ten of Swords, reimagined 
No more suffering, the worst is over, the hidden is revealed, you can act without hiding.