Chapter 3
"Deal." I nodded and sipped on my tea thinking of what I would ask first, welcoming the warmth as it trickled down my throat.
"Okay, rules, you have to tell the truth, only one question at a time, and we each get one pass. Me and draco get one between us not each, to make it fair." Nott stated. Okay, I can deal with this.. I think.
My first question had to be, "Are you in a relationship?"
They both laughed at my question, I looked between them both waiting for an answer. "Trust you to ask such a boring question Granger, I am offering up access to all of my deep dark secrets and that's what you open with?" Nott laughed once more, shaking his head then finally answered. "Yes we are in a relationship." Interesting.
"How long have you been together?" Malfoy wiggled his finger in the air, I sighed and sipped some more on my tea.
"Ah, ah, ah Granger, our turn remember?" He smiled looking at Nott who nodded for him to ask away. I braced myself while I waited.
"Are you and Weasley still together?" I let out a breath, oh good, an easy question.
"No." I could have elaborated more but why should I? I'll let them wonder a little while longer. Two could play at that game. Or three I suppose in this circumstance.
"How long have you been together?" I asked again.
"Hmm, officially just under a year, unofficially, just over 3 years." Malfoy answered. What the hell does that mean? I was going to ask but figured I'd just get the same reaction as before, so patiently awaited my next question, hoping it would be as simple as the first.
"Did you really go to Paris over the summer?" Nott asked, smiling. Shit. Wasn't expecting that one. I could just lie again and say I did, but what's the point in that? He clearly knew I was lying and the purpose of this game was to be honest. But how could I know they were being honest with me? I sipped on my tea to prolong my thoughts before deciding I might as well just tell the truth. It's not like they were going to blab to Neville and I didn't have to elaborate anyway.
"No." Another short simple answer from me, I told the truth, what more did they want. Malfoy raised his eyebrows in surprise, he probably thought I'd lie again, or was shocked I lied about it in the first place.
"What the hell do you mean by official and unofficial?" Malfoy looked to Nott to answer this one. He looked upset.
"Well Granger, our, how should I put it, extracurricular activities started in 5th year, but we didn't really know what was going on ourselves let alone wanting everyone else to know so we decided to keep it a secret. Worst decision I ever made to be honest, I hated making you feel like I was ashamed of you.” He said this to Malfoy sincerely looking sad. “I was just as guilty as you in that Theo if not more so, don’t forget.” Malfoy responded taking Notts hand into his. Theo looked back to me and continued. “We officially got together and made it public just under a year ago after the war. We got a lot of shit for it, but we came out stronger. I’m just so glad we finally worked everything out between us. How did you not know this anyway? It was all over the Prophet." I blushed at the use of extracurricular activities which didn't go unnoticed unfortunately, causing Nott to grin like the bloody Cheshire cat. I so badly wanted to ask what those entailed but thought better of it.
"Is that your question?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. I hoped he would say no. I didn't want to explain why I was so blissfully unaware of the goings on of the wizarding world for the past few months.
"No no, just a passing comment. What I really wanna know is why you lied to Neville about it?" Good Godric there it is. The question was just phrased in a different way but basically the same. Why did I lie to Neville? I didn't want him to know how terribly I was doing. He seemed so happy to see me 'happy' and I didn't want to ruin that for him with the weight of my problems. Again I felt this expectation to be who people needed me to be, so I pretended and did what was expected. Hermione Granger doesn't dwell, she's moving on just like the rest of us. But the thing is, she isn't. She really isn't. I realised then I hadn't spoken for a while.
"I think I'm going to use my pass here" Malfoy looked almost disappointed in not being able to hear the real answer. If I had blurted all that out though what would happen? They'd probably laugh at me and say I was overreacting. Silly little emotional Gryffindor.
"Okay fair enough, definitely using your pass for that question?"
"Yes." I replied letting out a sigh of relief.
"Okay, new question then" Nott sat forward, looked to Malfoy, then back at me. "How would you feel about the possibility of becoming, dare I say, 'friends' with us this year? We don't have to be besties and have sleepovers and talk about the hottest wizard in Witch Weekly, although I'm not saying no to that" Malfoy rolled his eyes at that comment. "but I would like to start afresh this year, and I think a good way to do that is to be on talking terms with you. I mean we are going to have to spend a lot of time together, what with sharing the common room, dining together and being neighbours. I think it would be good for us to skip the awkwardness and just try to be civil." Nott finished his speech and took Malfoy's hand in his, was he comforting Malfoy? Why would he need to?
I was completely taken aback by his question. How would I feel about that? Do I want to be friends with Theodore Nott and Draco Malfoy? He did have a point, it would be easier to be able to avoid all the awkward silences or even worse than that, small talk, especially with us living so close now. I do also want to at some point speak further to Malfoy about other things and this would be a good way in for that opportunity. I finished my tea at this point and placed my mug on the table. I looked at them both, it looked like they were holding their breaths for my answer.
I nodded and gave a small smile. "Sure, we can give it a shot at being friends. Though I will warn you now, Witch Weekly is not my preferred reading material." I joked and Nott let out a huff of laughter.
"Okay, dually noted. I guess now that we're friends I should probably start calling you by your first name, Hermione" He drawled out my name letter by letter, making me once again shift in my seat. I liked how that sounded coming out of his mouth. What was going on with me tonight!?
"Fair enough Theodore." He cringed at that and shook his head no.
"Please, call me Theo. Theo, or hottest guy in the room are the only two things I will respond to." I laughed, the tension breaking slightly. Malfoy, or should I say Draco, now chimed in speaking low to Theo.
"Hmm, that isn't the only thing you'll respond to, baby." I blushed furiously and noticed how Theo reacted to his voice. He squirmed under Malfoys gaze and squeezed his eyes shut, his head falling backwards letting out a small frustrated groan. Draco looked toward me and a shiver went through my entire body and I had to rub my legs together now. That voice, that deep, commanding voice was so darn attractive I didn't know what to do with myself. It was that same deep voice that gave Theo the instruction their conversation was over back on the Hogwarts Express. He was staring at me, clearly taking in my reaction. He seemed... pleased?
"Okay Hermione, your question." Theo said as he recovered from the effects of Dracos comment. My head was spinning a little still. Question. Right, yes, what question did I want to ask next? I had so many, but my biggest one was the train conversation. What were they arguing about outside of my compartment? Is that too private to ask? What did I have to lose?
"What were you two talking about on the train? When I saw you outside of my compartment." I spoke quickly, trying not to look too embarrassed to be asking such a personal question. Theo looked like he wanted to tell me so badly, but before he could speak Draco cut in.
"Pass." He said it quickly and firmly. Damn. Fair enough I guess, I can't argue with that.
It was quiet then for a few minutes until Theo slapped his hands on his knees and stood up from the sofa. "Alright, well if it's okay with you Hermione, I'm going off to find my bedroom." He cleared all the mugs and placed them on the countertop. Draco stood then and Theo took his hand and led him toward the staircase.
He looked back over his shoulder smiling at me "Night Hermione. See you in the morning"
"Night Theo, Draco." I nodded to them both before turning back around facing the opposite direction. I wonder if they'll sleep in their own beds or in the same room.
What an interesting evening this turned out to be. I sat for a little longer by the warmth of the fire and finally got up to go and find my bedroom. Walking up the stairs to the top, I came to a long corridor. Walking down I passed all the doors of the bedrooms, reading all the names either side until I came to mine. Opposite me was Susan Bones, next door to me on the right, Theodore Nott, and on the other side, Draco Malfoy. What are the chances. I turned the doorknob to enter the room, it was decorated in Gryffindor colours, crimson and yellow all around. My trunk was there, the golden H.G reflecting the light from the fireplace at the foot of the double bed. I rummaged through to find some comfortable pajamas to wear. I picked up my class schedule fom the yellow comforter and moved it to the bedside drawers. I'll study that tomorrow.
I walked past my bed to the door to the bathroom. I opened it and first saw a stand alone white claw foot bath tub in the middle of the tiled room. There was a shower unit in the right hand corner and a sink with a mirror above it on the right wall. On the left side of the room was a vanity set up. I got ready for bed and climbed beneath the sheets, it was extremely comfortable, way more so than the beds we had in our previous years. I grabbed my wand casting a silencing charm around my bed. I wasn't sure yet if the rooms were sound proof or not and the last thing I needed was to cause a scene with my night terrors. I'd scare the whole dorm half to death probably and Godric knows that would spread around the school like wildfire.
I do sometimes partake in some dreamless sleep potion, and it does work, but truth is, I don't want it all the time. Sometimes the night terrors, as awful and scary as they are, they make me feel something. Something other than sadness, or worry, and I would go as far as to say I crave that feeling of something else. Of something different. No it's probably not the 'healthy' thing, but it's the unhealthy things we humans crave a lot of the time.
My head hit the pillow and I stared at the ceiling, awaiting sleep to find me.