Chapter Text
Hermione was kneeling on the floor of her flat, her head stuck in the fireplace as she spoke with Ginny. “It’s absolutely dreadful!” She complained to her friend who she could see was helping Molly with dinner back at the Burrow.
“Oh, come on! It can’t be that bad.” Ginny told her, flicking her wand in circular motions as she whipped a bowl of mashed potatoes that was floating in front of her. “It’s not like you have to see them for every meal like at Hogwarts.”
Hermione let out a sigh and nodded her head slightly. While that was mostly true, Ginny didn’t know or understand Theo very well. It was as if he hadn’t been raised by anyone at all. He had approximately zero manners or any idea of what a social cue was. He invited himself to anything and everything he wanted without any regard for anyone else’s feelings.
“It’s actually almost worse than that. Today, Theo sat next to me during my inorganic chemistry class.” Hermione whined as Ginny took a seat at the table in front of the fireplace at the Burrow and raised an eyebrow at the brunette. “He isn’t even in that class!”
Ginny’s shoulders shook as she failed to conceal her laughter. If looks could kill, Hermione was certain that her glares would have killed the redhead by now. She knew her friend was probably sick and tired of hearing about the diabolical duo who lived across the hall from her but there was really no one else to talk to about them.
Harry and Ron were constantly doing their auror training and barely had time to answer her Floo calls. It probably didn’t help that Hermione hadn’t told them everything. Yes, they knew Malfoy and Theo lived across the hall. Yet, they had no idea she saw them practically everyday due to Nott’s incessant attempts at fostering a friendship for the odd trio.
As if on cue, there was a knock on Hermione’s front door. A groan pushed past her lips and Ginny stood from her spot at the table, wiping her hands on her jeans. “It’s been a month of this. I know you, if you want something to stop, you’ll make it stop. I have faith in you.” The redhead said, smiling softly. “But I would definitely answer that sooner rather than later. I heard that one time Theo scaled Ravenclaw tower without magic just because Cho wouldn’t answer his owls.”
Hermione rolled her eyes at her friend and said goodbye just as another annoying knock echoed through her apartment. She pushed herself to her feet, dusting off her knees as she stood. She stalked towards the door and raised onto the tips of her toes to look out the peephole but it was being covered.
Theo pounded on the door this time and called out to her. “Open up, Granger! I know you’re home. Not in a weird way, I just heard you talking. Through the door. Because I was eavesdropping. Okay, maybe it is in a weird way. Granger, do you think that’s-”
Hermione shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose as she yanked the door open. “There she is!” Theo beamed, pushing past her and into her living room. Yet again, without invitation. He plopped down on the couch, letting his sweatpants clad legs hang over the arm.
“What exactly are you doing?” Hermione asked, crossing her arms over her chest and staring down at the wizard lying across her sofa in Muggle clothes. It was still rather odd seeing him in anything other than wizarding robes. The first time he and Malfoy had attempted to go to class, Theo knocked on her door to ask if his robes looked fine. That was a lengthy conversation which almost made her late to her first class.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Theo questioned, rolling his eyes at Hermione as she stood in front of him, eyebrows raised. “I’m hanging out.”
Hermione narrowed her eyes at him before speaking. “I didn’t ask you to ‘hang out’ and typically an invitation is required to-”
“Theo doesn’t do anything based on invitation.” Malfoy drawled from the doorway behind her. She turned to see him leaning against her door frame, his left hand tucked into the pocket of his trousers and his legs crossed at the ankle. The picture of nonchalance.
Hermione groaned and just barely caught the smirk on Malfoy’s lips as she turned back to face Theo. He had grabbed the biology textbook she abandoned on the table earlier in the day and was leafing through it.
“Please tell me you weren’t planning on doing homework.” Theo raised his eyebrows as he looked at her over the top of the book.
“And what if I was?” Hermione retorted, snatching the book from Theo’s hands and placing it back on the table.
“It’s a Friday night! That’s why!” Theo said, jumping up from the couch and standing with his hands on his hips in front of Hermione.
Malfoy let out a small chuckle from his place in the doorway and she rolled her eyes. Hermione could see the wheels turning in Theo’s head and she dreaded what was going to come out of his mouth.
“We’re going out.” Theo finally declared, looking smug and determined.
“Well, you two have fun with that!” Hermione said, trying to usher the two men out of her flat so she could get to her studying.
“No, no, no! Not so fast, Granger!” Theo said, skirting around her terrible attempts at corralling him. He used his finger to make a circle motion, pointing at her, himself and Malfoy. “WE are going out.”
Hermione shook her head, her hair bouncing around as she did so. She kept saying “no” over and over again as she shook her head. Theo responded to this by repeating “yes” at her every time she spoke, only getting louder as time went on.
She didn’t want to go out on the town with Malfoy and Theo. There were probably eight million things she’d rather do than be stuck in a scenario that could end with two drunk Slytherins she’d be responsible for.
Hermione had seen more of them in the past month than she had during their entire last year at Hogwarts. And none of their interactions had been of her own volition. It wasn’t like she hated them. Well, not anymore. There had been a large portion of her life where she hated Malfoy. He had been her childhood bully and made her life a living hell and on top of that he fought on the side of the war that wanted her dead.
However, she had forced herself to attend almost all of the Death Eater trials. It was through them that she had learned the extent of the abuse Malfoy had been enduring during that time. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy’s trials had provided most of the ammunition that their son needed to win his case.
Narcissa’s testimony took days. Days in which she recounted the abuse she had allowed to happen to her son, at the hands of Voldemort, Lucius and her own sister Bellatrix. The ways they threatened and manipulated him when he was just a child. She had shown genuine remorse during his trial and was able to provide loads of new information on Voldemort's closest supporters.
Lucius on the other hand, managed to keep his trial quite short. He pleaded not guilty to everything, denied every claim Narcissa or anyone else made, and refused to give up information regarding any Dark witch or wizard. He earned himself a life sentence in Azkaban while his wife had managed to walk away with probation and a five year period of house arrest.
Theo’s father was just as bad if not worse than Lucius in his own sick and twisted ways. While his mother was dead, Narcissa testified on his behalf as well. The Malfoy’s and the Nott’s had long been family friends and she had seen more than enough to supply the evidence. It was those reasons that Hermione had testified on their behalf in front of the Wizengamot.
All that being said, that didn’t mean she wanted to be best friends with them. Or go to wherever it was that Theo wanted to drag them to. Hermione couldn’t help but note that Malfoy didn’t look exactly thrilled to be going out either.
“Pleeeease!” Theo whined, dropping down onto his knees in front of her. Hermione couldn’t help the laugh that pushed its way past her lips and she covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m quite literally begging on my hands and knees!”
He looked up, flashing her puppy dog eyes that looked so much like the ones Harry and Ron had given her at The Leaky. Hermione looked over to Malfoy and raised her eyebrow at him, the look in her eyes begging him for help. He simply raised his hands in defeat and shrugged his shoulders at her.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at Malfoy, shaking her head at him. She made a mental note to remember that he refused to help her with his friend.
“Oh, fine!” Hermione finally said, throwing her hands in the air in exasperation. Theo shot to his feet, cheering as he did so. “But we’re not going anywhere crazy. We’ll go to a pub, have a couple drinks, and then go home at a normal hour. I have studying to do tomorrow!”
The happiness in Theo’s eyes dimmed for a moment but it was back in full force a second later. Hermione didn’t like that look but she also didn’t exactly know what it meant. She was still learning all the Theo-isms.
“Come on Malfoy! We have to get changed.” Theo said, grabbing hold of his friend's arm and tugging him across the hall. “Be ready in 10 minutes!”
Hermione almost had her door closed when Theo stuck his head out of his door and shouted across the hall to her. “Granger! You better change too, I am not being seen out with you in that.”
An embarrassed blush crept onto her cheeks as he slammed his front door shut. She looked down at the old t-shirt for her parents dentists office and the jeans she was wearing. Hermione shook her head, chuckling to herself as she walked to her bedroom. He was acting like she was wearing the dress robes Ron had worn to the Yule Ball. If that were the case, she would have understood his disgust.
Hermione found herself crammed in a wooden booth wearing a dress she was sure Ginny smuggled into her wardrobe on moving day. Theo was on her left keeping her boxed in and Malfoy was on the bench seat across from her. The pub they were in was busy but not jammed full of people, which was nice. Theo was talking rather loudly with one of the guys at the table next to theirs.
From what she could gather, the man was talking about football and Theo was doing his best to keep up. He seemed to be doing fine at the beginning of the conversation but as it progressed he began looking a little lost.
Hermione chuckled to herself and shook her head, taking a sip of her beer. She had forgotten that Muggle beer was generally shit and wished so desperately that she was drinking a Butterbeer instead. She sipped on it anyways as she took in her surroundings.
Malfoy had ordered a whiskey. He had taken the bartender's recommendation much to her surprise but he claimed he wasn’t well versed in Muggle alcohol. He had taken one sip before his face scrunched up in disgust and it had sat abandoned on the table ever since. Theo, on the other hand, seemed to drink anything and everything and did so very fast. He was currently drinking a vodka soda, bought for him by the football fan, but before that he had beer, whiskey, and rum. Hermione could feel her own stomach churning from that combination of drinks and was positive he would be needing at least two hangover potions in the morning.
Malfoy had his arm slung over the back of the booth and was lounging with his leg stretched out on the seat next to him, his foot hanging off the bench by a good amount. Every now and then he ran his hand through his hair, messing it up slightly as he did so. He had stopped gelling his hair back during Year 8. Instead he left it slightly long and tonight it was parted in the middle and the silver-blond hair had a slight wave to it.
He was wearing a black button down shirt, the top few buttons undone, tucked into a pressed pair of black trousers. His Malfoy signet ring flashed in the light every few seconds from its spot on his left hand. He wore no other jewelry or accessories but he finished the outfit with a black leather belt and shiny black dress shoes.
She remembered him being skinny and lanky when she had seen him at Hogwarts for Year 8. That wasn’t the case anymore. He was still thin but he was lean and muscular, he had filled out enough that he no longer looked like he was being eaten alive by his own height. His shoulders were broad and strong. His clothing was, no doubt, exceptionally tailored and fit him like a glove.
He was looking out into the crowd of Muggles in the pub, his profile highlighted by the light hanging down over the middle of the table. Her eyes followed the curve of his nose, over his plump lips and noted how sharp his jaw was. His bicep rippled under the sleeve of his shirt as he finally reached for another sip of the whiskey he hated. She felt something weird click in her brain as she realized that Malfoy was kinda-
Hermione felt Theo move closer to her on her left when suddenly his hand was cupping her ear so he could whisper into it. He was a little drunk now and his words slurred ever so slightly. “Didn’t anyone teach you that it’s rude to stare?”
Her face flushed bright red and Hermione averted her eyes down to her half empty beer. She felt Theo chuckle as his shoulder bumped into hers and she shot him daggers. She grabbed her beer and finished it off before motioning to him to get up.
Hermione slid out of the booth, avoiding making eye contact with either of the Slytherins as she did so. She made her way through the pub, ignoring Theo when he shouted at her to get him another drink. She finally allowed herself to breathe again when she stepped outside onto the sidewalk. The air was cool and crisp, a slight autumn breeze rolling through.
She leaned against the wall of the pub, taking some deep breaths and pressing her cold hands into the flushed skin of her face. She had been staring at Malfoy. Like, really really staring. To the point that a drunk man with no boundaries had called her out for it.
Hermione groaned and leaned her head back against the brick of the wall behind her. How absolutely mortifying. And if Theo noticed, there was no way that Malfoy hadn’t. She felt herself growing more and more embarrassed by the minute.
Hermione stood outside until her fingers went numb and then she forced herself back into the pub. She stopped at the bar and ordered a shot of whiskey which she downed before walking back over to the table. Theo and Malfoy seemed to be in the middle of a very animated conversation that died the second she walked up.
Narrowing her eyes at them, Hermione reached behind Theo and grabbed her jacket, shrugging it over her shoulders. “I’m going home. And Theo before you say anything, I told you I wasn’t going to stay out late.”
“Mmkay, whatever you say.” Theo said, significantly more drunk than before, she noticed. Everything he drank must have been catching up to him. He stood up, putting on his own jacket as he did so.
“Oh, no, that’s okay. You two can stay, I just want to get some sleep.” Hermione said, desperate for a quick walk back to the apparition point in silence. She didn’t particularly feel like spending any more time with them.
“Actually,” Theo said, standing next to her, waiting for Malfoy to stand up and join them. He swayed slightly as he stood. “We can’t stay without you. We need you to walk us home, we have no clue where we’re going. And we can’t apparate so without you we’d be positively stranded.” His face turned slightly red and he shut his mouth quickly as if he had just said something he shouldn’t have.
Malfoy ran a hand down his face and sighed, staring coldly at his friend. He stood abruptly and grabbed his jacket but didn’t bother putting it on. He reached down and shot back the rest of his whiskey, a small hiss pushing past his teeth as it went down his throat. “Let’s go,” he muttered as he pushed past Theo. He was outside before Hermione could fully turn around.
Theo’s head hung and a dejected sigh pushed past his lips. Looking very much like a kicked puppy, he walked toward the door after Malfoy. Hermione groaned to herself and shook her head as she walked after the two men.
When she got outside, Theo was standing on one side of the doorway and Malfoy on the other, neither of them speaking. Boys were so stupid. She shook her head and began walking in the direction of their flats. It was only a 15 minute walk so it wasn’t the end of the world but she found herself a little annoyed by the fact that she was stuck babysitting the Slytherins.
As Hermione walked, she felt someone getting closer and closer to her, taking up the same pace as her when they settled into step by her side. She turned her head, expecting to see a saddened Theo but she was surprised when she was greeted with a head of blond hair instead of brown. Malfoy looked down at her quickly before returning his gaze to the street ahead of them.
Hermione took one moment to look at him before she also returned her gaze to where they were going. They walked in silence for a couple minutes. The only noises surrounding them were the sounds of the city and Theo’s drunken shuffling behind them.
She had a few million questions filling her brain and when she finally opened her mouth to ask one of them, Malfoy beat her to it. “Thank you.” He said quietly. “For being nice to Theo. I know he’s too much sometimes but he’s a good friend and a good person. And he seems to enjoy your company and trust you. He deserves people being nice to him. So, just, thanks.”
Hermione was stunned but she simply nodded her head, unsure of what to say. She couldn’t recall a time when she had heard Malfoy sound so sincere. She honestly hadn’t been able to figure out how he felt about Theo. Up until this point, he seemed to be tolerating his roommate for the most part.
Hermione glanced back at Theo behind them, chuckling at the way his eyebrows were furrowed in what appeared to be concentration to keep up with her and Malfoy. She turned back and looked ahead once again.
“Is there another reason other than Theo’s drunkenness that you two can’t apparate home?” Hermione questioned. There had to be a reason why Malfoy gave him that look when he had brought it up back at the pub. She looked up at the blond and saw that his jaw was clenched and his face looked tense.
“Yes.” He muttered, anger in his eyes as he looked back and shot his friend another deadly look. Hermione shook her head and rolled her eyes, waiting for a better explanation than that.
“One of the terms of our probation is that we’re not allowed to use magic when we’re not in the Wizarding World. And even when we’re home there are limitations on what we can do. We’re not even allowed to carry our wands with us. Narcissa has to keep them in the Manor when we’re here.” Malfoy’s voice was laced with disgust and anger as he spoke.
Hermione’s eyes were wide with shock. She had no idea that the Ministry had required that of them. She also wasn’t sure how she felt about that form of punishment. On one hand, she knew that their punishments had been well thought out and could have been way worse considering what they had done. On the other hand, she couldn’t imagine being without her magic and wand. They had come to feel like a safety blanket of sorts.
She thought back to the past month, scanning through the memories. Even back to the day in the hallway when they were moving the couch, they hadn’t used any magic. She filed those memories back to where they belonged and looked over at Malfoy, who was gripping the jacket in his hand way too hard.
“It’s not something I enjoy bringing up or talking about. In my opinion, the fewer people that know we’re magicless the better.” Malfoy said, looking like he was resisting the urge to look back at Theo again. His jaw remained clenched when he wasn’t speaking.
Hermione nodded again, deep in thought about the situation. She took a few deep breaths before answering. “Well, your secret’s safe with me. I won't tell anyone.” She offered him a small smile that he didn’t acknowledge.
She barely noticed the shift in his eyes as he turned his head away from hers. His eyes had gone from filled with anger and disgust to clouding over into an icy slate. He had occluded the memories and feelings away. Perhaps it was easier for him to handle when he tucked it to the side, to be dealt with at a later time. She debated asking him about it but they were almost at their building and she didn’t think she would have time.
“Goodnight, Granger.” Theo mumbled quietly as he pushed past her and Malfoy. He closed the space between the small group and the front door to their building and disappeared inside before Hermione could respond. They followed him into the lobby but he was nowhere to be seen. She heard Malfoy sigh quietly.
“You’ll tell Theo I said goodnight, right?” She asked Malfoy as they stepped into the lift. He nodded his head, pressing the button for their floor, the third.
“Sure, Granger.” He responded as they stepped into the hall and began the short walk to their doors. His fancy shiny black shoes made an impressive sound on the floor whenever he took a step down the silent hallway.
They stopped outside their respective doors and politely gave one another a slight nod of the head before they turned away from each other. In the month since university had started, they’d definitely gotten less awkward around one another but it wasn’t perfect. Most of the time they had a buffer in Theo being there or they were surrounded by strangers on campus. One and one, they were still working out the kinks.
Hermione unlocked her door and was about to step inside when Malfoy called out from behind her. He spoke with the same sincerity in his voice that had been there when he talked about Theo and simply said “Goodnight, Granger.”