Chapter 17
April’s wind was unforgiving, slashing the landscape like a punishing scythe. The grass, growing tall in the fields beside the road, rose and fell under the weight of the currents, waves of greens against the crisp blue of the spring sky.
Theo squeezed Hermione’s hand and pushed their laced fingers into the pocket of his coat, shielding their skin from the cool air. They were walking back to the castle from their monthly Hogsmeade visit. McGonagall had been more tolerant that year, allowing more weekend trips and even some Friday nights for older students. The war was over, indeed.
Theo adjusted his numbed fingers around the handles of a shopping bag, full of school supplies from Scrivenshaft’s Hermione couldn’t resist, and some treats from Honeyduke’s for his untreatable sweet tooth. He inhaled deeply, gulping down the sharp fragrance of grass and new flowers blooming around them, mixed with Hermione’s delicious scent at his side.
She looked up at him and smiled. “You’re happy.”
It wasn’t a question, he noticed, and a grin split his face. He was happy. For the first time in his life, he felt invincible, unthreatened by the world, free of social constraints and impending dooms of all sorts. He had finally accepted his demons and pushed them in the darkness of the past. He had come to realize he deserved some good as well and was determined to take as much as possible from life itself. The initial disbelief of having Hermione by his side was morphing into conscious gratitude towards the universe that had granted him such a gift. And he was determined to keep it, as long as she would allow him. Every moment spent with her was a new memory, a new sensation, a sigh of relief, a piece of the giant weight on his shoulders being lifted, chunk after chunk. And she was more radiant than the sun itself, and he could only bask in her warm light, content to support her and love her and care for her in every possible way.
“How couldn’t I? I have everything I need right here by my side,” he said, lightly bumping into her shoulder. Hermione laughed.
“Aren’t you a teensy bit nervous? I mean, it’s almost the end of April,” she said, and no one would have noticed that subtle line of panic hiding at the back of her throat, even if the smile was still on her soft lips.
He knew what she meant, of course. The end of the school year was approaching, NEWTs right behind the corner, and with them the end of a phase in their life that would signal their access to a very new, very scary one: adulthood. He knew she wasn’t worried about exams per se. Granted, she was nervous because she was Hermione Granger and being nervous about exams was her distinctive mark, but it was more what they represented that scared her. Leaving Hogwarts behind, jumping into life head first, without her family backing her up, in a world that was still recovering from years of prejudices and a war caused by them, it was a lot to handle. And there was also the tiny little detail of her being the Golden Girl, Harry Potter’s brilliant best friend, war hero, smartest witch of her age. Names and titles and rumors about her that ate up her true self, her dreams, her fears, her vulnerabilities, and made her an invincible figure in the public eye, that couldn’t possible make mistakes. And it weighed on her, even if she didn’t say it out loud, Theo knew. He saw it in the crease between her brows, when people recognized her and whispered in Hogsmeade’s shops, in the tension around her mouth when a teacher praised her a little bit more than usual, in her unconsciously held breath when McGonagall sent a proud look her way from the teachers’ table.
Theo stroked her fingers in his pocket. “A teensy bit, yes. But we’re going to revise night and day and crash those NEWTs as planned, baby. Actually,” he added, with a devilish grin, “there’s this new study that states how beneficial it is to alternate study sessions with deep snogging sessions, so I was wondering if we could try that?”
Hermione chuckled and swatted his arm. “You need to show me the figures, I haven’t heard of anything like this!”
Theo stopped in the middle of the road and pulled her in for a hungry kiss. “I have them in my dorm, I can show you everything when we’re back, Granger, and start a trial run,” he growled on her lips. Hermione smiled in the kiss and grazed his cold nose with hers. He lingered on her mouth a bit more, then inhaled her in, looked her in the eyes and waited.
Finally, as if pulled by the magnetic waves of his irises, she caved. “NEWTs are just the tip of the iceberg,” she whispered, worry now fully clear in her gaze.
“You still have time to make up your mind on what to do next, baby,” he reassured her, their foreheads lightly touching.
“I’ve been thinking, and researching,” she said, her matter-of-fact-very-Granger-like tone sending a shock of desire down his core, “and I came to the conclusion that we desperately need some better regulations for magical creatures in this post-war world. So, I’ll apply for the internship in the Law Enforcement Department Harry told me about.”
Theo’s smile spread slowly and he took out their joined hands to caress her cheek. “And you’re going to be the biggest pain in the asses of those bigots at the Ministry,” he proudly whispered, drawing out a nervous laugh from her quivering lips. She seemed to exhale, as if a giant rock had been taken off her chest.
“I’ll be right behind you, baby, whatever your choices will be. I’m right here,” he said, his warm palm cupping her cold cheek. Hermione nodded, eyes brimming with shiny gratitude that melted his heart. They kissed slowly and gently, the wind twirling around them, mussing their locks around their faces.
When they finally began to walk again, Hermione observed him from the corner of her eyes for a while.
“No tiptoeing, Granger, it’s a rule, remember?” he asked, a corner of his lips jumping up. Hermione snorted out a small laugh.
“I was just wondering about your plans. We’ve discussed mine in great details, because I couldn’t shut up about them, but you kept yours vague…” she trailed off, waiting for his reaction.
She was right, he hadn’t been open about what he wanted to do after Hogwarts, but it wasn’t because he had many ideas and couldn’t choose one, nor because he hadn’t got any and was feeling stranded. On the contrary, Theo knew exactly what he wanted, he had known for years now. But his family and its association with the Dark Side in the war had got him thinking that it wasn’t going to be possible for him to have access to his dream job. He was only recently beginning to muse that maybe, if he worked hard enough and showed he wasn’t his family, just maybe…
His eyes travelled to the castle while they trudged their way up the path that led to the gate, a sense of peace settling over his chest.
“Since I learnt how to read, I’ve always wanted to know more, to find out what was behind every little mystery, even the tiniest ones in everyday life,” he explained quietly. “That’s why I like studying and reading so much. But some things are still a mystery, and I’d like to try and solve them first hand,” he said, then his gaze found hers and his dimple appeared. “I think I might be a decent Unspeakable.”
Hermione gasped and looked at him in awe. “Theo! You would be a great once! That’s brilliant! And huge! I’ve heard the selections for their training program are insane. And you’ll have to get full marks in all your NEWTs to access the selection in the first place,” she blurted out, excitement mixed with her usual pantzer attitude towards everything exam-related. Theo could already see a revision plan forming in her brain and he couldn’t suppress a grin.
“That’s why I want to try that study-snogging method,” he teased and Hermione whipped around with a semi-glare.
“I’m serious, here. We’ll have to put in some real effort from now on,” she clipped.
“Right, because we’ve been screwing around so far,” Theo playfully scoffed.
“No, but I think we could do more! I mean, it’s difficult to get into the Ministry, we have to be prepared, not only for the school exams! We have to start studying for those entry tests as well. I’ll scratch together a study plan we can start to follow right away. We could do revision on even days and tests training on odd once, after homework, of course, and some practice during the weekends!” she prattled on, her feet unconsciously going faster once they were inside the Entrance Hall, as if she was really set on going to the library and getting down to business. Theo sighed and rolled his eyes. She was extremely sexy in her swotty mode and he couldn’t possibly resist another minute. He looped the shopping bag around his wrist and, with a swift motion, he grabbed her under her butt and swept her over his shoulder, a squeal of surprise escaping her lips. People walking out of the Great Hall turned their heads and hid amused smiles, that Theo promptly countered with his irresistible smirk, while he turned towards the stairs that led to the dungeons.
“Theo, put me down! We have work to do!” Hermione hissed, her head hanging behind his back. Theo squeezed her thighs with his fingers, his thumb teasingly inching up towards her butt. Hermione gasped.
“Indeed we do, we’re starting with a snogging session, missy. In fact, since I can already tell your study plan is going to be very, very hard, I believe we should skip the snogging and go for the fucking directly. I bet it works even better in terms of productivity,” he mused, while his thumb stroked her inner thigh. Her breath itched.
“This is serious, Theo!”
“Oh I’m taking it seriously, Granger, believe me. I’m going to fuck you so thoroughly, your brains are going to fall out of your ears,” he growled, turning a corner and pushing his fingers up between her legs. Hermione moaned and he almost lost it.
“You know, on second thoughts,” she whispered, ”you can show me the figures later. We can start the session in an empty class somewhere?” she suggested, one hand grabbing his strong bicep. Theo smirked to himself and reached a door down the corridor.
“Smartest witch is an understatement,” he muttered, getting inside a dark room and closing the door behind them. He left the bag on the floor and reached for his wand to lock the door and get some lights on, then quickly looked around and saw a desk at the far end of the class. He slid Hermione down his chest, his hands firmly secured at her hips, while she pushed on her toes and laced her hands behind his neck. He captured her lips and kissed her, tongue teasing hers right away. He gently walked her backwards to the desk, hands pushing aside her coat and trailing under her cardigan. His fingers found the soft skin of her stomach and raised goosebumps all over her body. Hermione pushed a hand inside his collar and skimmed his bare shoulder underneath the sweater with her nails. Theo growled on her mouth, then bit her lower lip, pushing his hand up and over her bra to cup her breast.
“Theo,” she moaned, her voice dripping with need like warm honey. He grazed her jaw with his teeth and she moaned louder.
“Do you want gentle, Granger?” he asked, hot breath teasing down her throat. Hermione shook her head, pressing her body to his, her hand tugging at his clothes. Too many layers.
“What do you want?” he asked again, a knowing smile in his voice, his lips hovering over the juncture between her throat and shoulder.
“I want hard,” she gasped, her chest already rising and falling with every labored breath. Theo bit the delicate spot, his hand snaking under her bra and pinching her peaked nipple. Hermione inhaled deeply, her eyes rolling back in her head.
“Tell me what to do, Granger. What do you want?” his words echoed against her throat and into her chest.
Hermione swallowed, pleasure cursing down her spine when his pads gently circled around her nipple.
“Fuck me, Theo.”
He didn’t need to be asked twice. With a sudden movement, he pushed her coat down her arms and onto the floor, and turned her around, a hand splayed on her lower stomach, pulling her back against the hard planes of his chest. She could already feel his hard length teasing her butt and she pushed harder against him, hooking an arm around his neck and resting her head on the nook of his shoulder. Theo’s fingers reached her exposed throat, gliding down her chest over her cardigan, the other hand popping the button of her jeans open and slithering down her knickers. He trailed down between her folds, his index teasing the hot, sleek entrance already throbbing for him. Fingers swiftly slipping into her neckline and under her bra, he gently sank inside her, thumb stroking the bundle of nerves at the apex of her core. Hermione let out a trembling moan, arching her back.
“Theo, please!”
He kissed the sensitive skin under her ear and up to her temple. “You’ll have to come for me first, love.”
And has he dragged the last word, he pushed another finger inside her and twisted them, exploring the tight, pulsing centre. He twirled his thumb over her nipple and twisted his fingers inside her again, hitting a new spot. She cried out, pleasure exploding behind her navel and irradiating everywhere. Her legs buckled and he kept her against him, his nose buried in her neck, deeply inhaling her sweet aroused aroma, as he dragged her orgasm out as much as possible. When he felt her body slowly relax, Theo didn’t relent and pushed her jeans and knickers down to her ankles. Hermione gasped, dazed, still coming down from the high.
Theo brushed the shell of her ear with his nose.
“Bend over, love,” he murmured, the low notes of his deep voice tickling her core, sending a wave of new arousal down her body. Hermione leaned over the desk, exposing herself without hesitation. Theo groaned, taking in her naked back and juicy sex in the dim light of the room. He took off his trousers and underwear, lined the tip of his length with her glistening entrance and pushed inside her in a single thrust. Her relishing whimper reverberated in his lower belly and he absorbed it fully, before getting out completely and pushing in again.
“Picture this, a year from now, in your office at the Ministry,” he breathed out, thrusting deeper and faster. Hermione cried out, slightly widening her legs and pushing on her toes.
“I’ll make up excuses to pop at your door,” he panted, leaning into her, one hand reaching under her arm and cupping her breast, the other dipping into her soft mane of hair, “and I’ll bend you over your desk, every single day,” he went on, stressing each of his final words with a harder thrust, until he felt her tighter around him and squeeze him in waves, tuned to her gasps and moans. With a final push, his pleasure uncoiled and he growled, riding the current of his release, goosebumps running down his arms and legs, to his fingers and toes. Theo caged her in, his forearms resting on both sides of her waist, and gently kissed her spine, their hearts running like wild hippogriphs.
Hermione let out a trembling sigh. “We’re getting those jobs. Even if we have to study day and night. I want that desk,” she said, a smile in her voice. Then after a breath, she giggled. “I wonder if magical elevators have emergency stop buttons, too.”
Theo chuckled and rested his forehead between her shoulder blades. “Sweet Salazar, Granger. They’ll kick us out after the first week.”
He felt her body ripple with laughter, his head bouncing a little.
“Then we’ll have to make it count, Nott.”
A mischievous smirk lifted his lips. “We’ll have to last a bit longer, Granger. I have far too many ideas for just a week.”