@slytherdornet & @hprarepairnet after the war challenge - part II
Draco couldnât believe what he was seeing. Heâd just walked in Theoâs office to pick him up for dinner and he found Hermione Granger sitting in front of Theoâs desk. As soon as she turned her head to look at him, Draco realized that she knew. She had never looked at him the way she was doing it now; her big eyes searching Dracoâs face curiously as her face flushed bright red. Draco tried to stop the way his heart jumped to glare at Theo.
âI had to,â Theo said, leaving his chair and walking over to Draco. Draco took a few steps back and shook his head.
âYou didnât even talk to me first!â Draco tried not to shout but it was becoming increasingly difficult.
Draco couldnât back away any more without actually leaving the office, so when Theo reached him, he closed the door behind Draco and took his hand. âI did! At the party I-â
âThat wasnât a conversation, that was you admiting you fancy Granger while I kept my mouth shut!â Draco turned to look at her then and felt his anger ebb a little. She was sitting quietly, her hands on her lap as she stared at the floor, obviously pretending she wasnât listening. He turned back to Theo. âI didnât think you were gonna run off and tell her that we both like her!â
âIf I had waited for you to act first, you and I wouldnât even be together right now. Remember how long you kept your feelings secret and denied having them at all? If I hadnât taken the first step youâd still be at the manor brooding quietly like you did for the first fifteen months after the war.â Theoâs hand was craddling Dracoâs face now and it made Draco relax slightly. Theo was right, of course, but that didnât make Draco any less nervious about the current situation.
âYou still should have said something,â Draco said, his voice significantly lower. âItâs one thing to make me expose my feelings to myself but youâve involved somebody else now and I donât even know if sheâŚâ Draco trailed off as he noticed Hermione moving form the corner of his eye.
He and Theo looked at her as she walked closer. âDracoâs right,â she said. âYou two should talk and work things out. I appreciate your honesty Theo, but everybody needs to feel right about this if anythingâs going to happen. Iâll leave you two alone.â Hermione was about to walk away when Draco stopped her.
âWait,â he said, his hand reaching for her shoulder automatically. Had he ever touched her before, not includding awkward handshakes? But it didnât feel strange at all, it was almost familiar. âIf anythingâs going to happen?â He repeated her words. âAre you on board with this?â
The way Hermioneâs cheeks reddened again spoke volumes, and Dracoâs insides were doing somersaults again. He figured Theo had just blurted out his and Dracoâs feelings without any regards to how Hermione would take it, but now that he thought about it, he should have given his boyfriend more credit. Theo rarely improvised and if he made a bold move like that it meant that he had done his research and knew there was little probability of losing.
He had known that she liked them too, or at least heavily suspected it.
âWell, I mean, I donât know what âthisâ is yet but I guess Iâm not against it,â Hermione said awkwardly, twiling a strand of hair between her fingers.
Draco felt himself smiling despite himself, and then he noticed that Theo was looking at her with the exact same smile.Â
Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at them. âYou know, Iâm really at a disadvantage here. You know everything about each other; I barely know that you two are Slytherins and bisexuals, and that last bit just came up five minutes ago.â
âNot true,â Theo said âYou know lotâs of-â
Draco interrupted him. âYou must know some things about Theo, you work together,â Draco said with a small glance at Theo. âAnd he loves talking about himself.â
âHe mostly talks about you, actually,â Hermione informed him. âAbout your hardworking habits, the types of books you read, how you take your tea,â Hermione looked toughtful for a second before looking up at Theo with a frown. Draco did the same, but Theo was looking anywhere but at them. âAnd he did it all so I would like you,â Hermione concluded.Â
Theo sighed when neither Draco nor Hermione kept their eyes off him. âDid you honestly expected me to wait patiently while my boyfriend and his former enemy started fancing each other? I wanted you both to like each other as much as I like you.âÂ
âHow can you be so sweet and evil at the same time?â Hermione shook her head, a small smile tugging at her lips. Draco quite agreed that that prhase perfectly described Theo. When no one said anything, Hermione cleared her throat. âSoâŚwhat now?â she asked awkwardly.
Theo looked at Draco, most likely because he was the one who seem to have some issues before, but the cat was out of the bag now and he had never dreamed that Hermione wouldnât run away in a situation like this.
Draco laced one of his arms with her. âI think itâs time for you to know some things about Theo too.â
Hermione chuckled and Theo rolled his eyes. âDonât you mean that we should all get to know each other?â
âNo, I know you pretty well, I just want to get even.â Draco looked down at Hermione. âDinner?âÂ
She nodded and offered her other arm to Theo, who joined them and let them lead him out of the office. âKeep in mind that I only shared stories that made you look good,â he reminded Draco. âDonât scare her off.â
Hermione stopped walking and almost made them stumble. âOh Theo,â she laughed in a low voice that sent a shiver down Dracoâs spine. âIâm about to go on a date with two Slytherins on my own free will, I donât think Iâm the one who ought to be scared.â
She started walking again, pulling them along. Theo and Draco shared a look over Hermioneâs head, a perfect mix of amusement, fright, and excitement on their faces.
As soon as they stepped outside the building, Hermione disapparated them.
