Chapter 5
A dopy smile spread on Hermione’s sleepy face. She hugged the pillow, her eyes still closed, the dregs of a sweet dream trailing away behind her lids. She had been in his arms, slowly dancing to a lento in the Great Hall decorated for Christmas. She couldn’t remember what he’d been whispering in her ear, but his ocean eyes were clear as day in her mind.
Day. Daylight. Morning. Lessons.
Her eyes flew open in horror, sunlight filtering from a crack in the curtains. Her wand alarm hadn’t gone off. Her heart already speeding up in her chest, Hermione threw her covers on the floor and jumped up, patting around to find her wand. Where the hell had it rolled to? Now wide awake, she scanned the floor and saw it peaking from under the bed, on top of her crinkled translation and her Ancient Runes book sprawled upside down. She must have fallen asleep while studying the night before, forgetting to set the alarm.
Hermione Granger was late for lessons. For the first ever time in her life.
Whimpering in pure pain, she grabbed her wand and sent her books in her bag with a whirl of her wrist, while snatching her uniform from the desk chair. She haphazardly got dressed, buttoning her shirt with one hand and tugging her shoe on with the other. She slang her bag on the shoulder and piled her monstrous morning curls into a high ponytail while running out the door and down the stairs.
There was no-one in the common room, which made it even worst. She was really late. The Transfiguration classroom wasn’t very far away, Thank Merlin, but breakfast was out of question. She sprinted down a couple of corridors and up a flight of stairs, before turning a corner at full speed and being met by a line of fellow students waiting outside the closed door of the class. She’d made it, just in time!
Hermione doubled over, her hands resting on her thighs, panting, her chest rising and falling fast. A warm hand rested lightly on her back, drawing delicate circles. Her heart almost stopped.
“Breathe, Granger, you made it,” Theo soothed, his voice slightly tinged with worry and amusement at the same time. Hermione stood, extremely conscious of her disheveled state. Her cheeks must have been crimson red, fly aways fanning all around her face. Her shirt was untucked in places and she’d ditched her vest and her tie as well, judging from the feel of freedom around her throat. Gods, was she wearing socks or had she forgotten them as well?
Theo gave her a once over and his lips turned up with a naughty smile that would have made her blush if all her blood wasn’t already in her face. He was plainly devouring her with his eyes, there was no mistaking that look of pure hunger in his deep blue pools. The previous night, after seeing Daphne Greengrass snog Terry, he’d walked her to the Gryffindor tower and had bid her goodnight slowly grazing her jaw with his index finger, leaving her wanting. Thinking back on his hands on her stomach, she shivered in pleasure all over again, hot desire pooling in her lower belly. Hermione wanted to do things to Theo and wanted him to do things to her even more. The fact that her need was mirrored in his gaze only made it worst. Or better?
She swallowed when his eyes stopped on her neck, deliciously taking in the curve of her exposed throat. He reached in the back pocket of his trousers and took out his wand, then fished in his cloak, producing a white, silk, tissue. Theo transfigured it into a red and gold tie and took a step towards her, a question in his eyes.
Hermione exhaled and lifted her chin. Theo fully stepped into her space and slid the tie around her neck, prying the collar of her shirt up with his thumbs. He slowly tied the knot, expert fingers pushing and pulling on the fabric until it was snugged comfortably around her throat, then adjusted her collar. Observing his handiwork, he dragged a finger under her chin and smirked.
“Perfect,” he murmured, his eyes resting on her lips for a second too long. Then he stepped back and she exhaled a shaky breath.
“Thank you.”
Theo smiled, his dimple winking at her. Sudden realization flashed on his face and he reached in his cloak pocket again, pulling out a bunched up napkin.
“Here, I didn’t see you at breakfast, so I guessed you were running late, as weird as it sounds,” he grinned, giving her the small bundle. Hermione frowned and took it, peeling away the napkin carefully. There, snuggled in the fabric, was a scone with jam and cream. Her head snapped up and she stared him, confused. Theo smiled wider. He had noticed her absence in the Great Hall and brought her breakfast. Hermione held her breath, surprise written all over her face. She was speechless. Hermione Granger was speechless. And late for lesson. All in one day. The world was probably slipping from his axis.
“Theo…I don’t know what to say…”
“Just eat, Granger. You’ll need it, with all the running you did this morning,” he teased, pulling a smile from her as well. Hermione took a bite, eyes locked with his, and chewed slowly. Theo’s gaze dropped to her lips and she glimpsed that hunger again. Without thinking, she swiped her index on the side of the scone, where a dollop of cream was squeezing out, and brought it to her mouth, licking her index clean. Theo followed her movement and his own lips parted a little, his hot gaze eating her up.
“Careful, Granger,” he almost growled, “or people could get ideas.”
Acting on a spur of courage, Hermione flashed him a teasing smile. “I like ideas.”
Before he could answer, the classroom door opened and McGonagall beckoned them in. Hermione took another bite of her scone and turned, feeling his hot stare trained on her like an incandescent branding iron.
*********
“Well done, well done indeed! Miss Granger, Mr Nott, I have to say you didn’t disappoint my high expectations here!” Slughorn boisterously said, examining their finished Wolfsbane potion two days later. The other couples had done a decent job for the most part, managing to complete the potion even if it wasn’t perfect. Only Daphne and Boot had handed over a smelly excuse for a sample, with solid lumps floating on the surface. Theo definitely didn’t wonder why, spotting a badly concealed hickey on Boot’s neck.
Hermione was beaming at his side, her eyes twinkling with pride, and Theo couldn’t fight his own smug smile at the sight of her most resplendent self.
“With your permission, I will be bottling it up and send it to St. Mungo’s to be used for treatment on their werewolf patients. This good a potion cannot be wasted!” the professor went on, producing a big, empty flask with a cork stopper, from his sleeve.
“It would be an honor, Professor,” Hermione squealed. Theo bowed his head to hide his grin. Salazar, he wanted to kiss her so badly right now. After what he had labelled as “the sexy scone incident”, he couldn’t think of anything else than her smart mouth and how it would feel sucking on his digits. And sucking in general. On other places. All over his body. The mere thought made him hard on the spot.
“And these are your prizes. I took the liberty of splitting the potion into two equal vials for the both of you. We don’t want any fights anymore, right?” Slughorn chuckled, handing them the small vials of Elixir of Life. Theo observed Hermione stare at the precious potion in her hands with watery eyes and a grin that stretched from side to side. She was radiant, so beautiful his heart ached with want. As if sensing his gaze, she turned and offered him a look of pure joy. He basked in her light, warmth filling his chest.
He had dreamed about Hermione Granger giving him that kind of look for ages. Actually, he’d been happy to receive any kind of look from her, as long as she would notice him. Now, being at the receiving end of her attention and appreciation was almost overwhelming. Theo had never felt this happy in his entire life. All the pain, all the miserable nights and terrifying days spent in fear of dying under his father’s tortures, all the nightmares and tears shed in the darkness of his bed, seemed a small nuisance in the back of his mind. She was seeing him and offering him a ray of her light. And he was relishing it, like a lizard sunbathing on the cobblestone.
Life had never been this warm before.
********
“Did someone dog-eared your books, Granger? You look murderous,” Theo asked, walking next to her out of the Arithmancy class hours later.
Hermione glanced at him, an annoyed frown plastered on her face. She worried her lower lip between her teeth, pondering if she felt comfortable enough revealing him what had send her knickers in a twist. He gave her an encouraging smirk, flashing his ever present dimple. If there was someone that wouldn’t laugh at her peculiar quirks, that was him.
“I didn’t get those calculations right,” she confessed, hugging her books tighter to her chest and averting her gaze.
“Which ones?”
“All of them!” she exploded and went on babbling at full speed. “I couldn’t make sense of any of them, I don’t know what I did wrong! I followed the passages carefully, but the results were different from those on the blackboard! I don’t understand the principle behind the calculation, maybe, I have no idea and it’s infuriating! I always understand everything! What is happening to my head?”
With each of her squeals, Theo’s smile widened, but there was no taunting or teasing in his eyes. Just fond understanding. Hermione sighed, frustration and weariness slowly seeping out of her.
“Are you busy tonight?” he asked. She arched a brow at him. Really? He was hitting on her right now? After she’d worded her heart-wrenching concerns about the correct functioning of her brain?
Theo sensed her retort coming and chuckled. “I have to show Harper what a terrible choice for the team I would be, later this afternoon, but we could study together after dinner. Maybe I can help you with those calculations,” he offered.
Hermione eyed him, a thoughtful crease forming on her forehead. Spending time with him in the library was tempting on itself. If she managed to solve her Arithmancy issues as well, it would be perfection.
“You sure it’s not a problem?”
Theo grinned and leaned over her. “Being alone with you and teaching you something? You would make my wildest dreams come true, Golden Girl.”
Hermione blushed and pursed her lips. “Alright, then. After dinner, Transfiguration aisle.”
“I’ll be there,” he winked.
They walked side by side in silence for a couple of seconds, then Hermione peered at him from under her brows.
“Are you really this bad at Quidditch?”
Theo humphed. “I am an excellent flyer and I can hit a Bludger with my eyes closed. But there’s no way in hell I’m going to train in the cold for month with a bunch of tossers,” he scoffed. Then looked at her. “I have better things to do this year,” he said, his caressing voice playing the cords of her heart like an expert harper. Pleasure cursed her veins at the implications hidden in his words and warmth pooled between her thighs.
Godric sodding Gryffindor! Hermione would need to buy a new set of knickers at this rate.