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“–so annoying,” Draco was saying. “So bossy, and she’s always positive that she’s right, and even if she is , that’s not the point!”
Blaise sighed dramatically, sprawled against a green armchair in the Slytherin common room. Theo rolled his eyes, bracing himself to endure another round of Draco’s Granger inspired rants. This was his 14th rambling so far – and yes, he was counting.
Draco’s unhealthy obsession with Granger had manifested, or at least begun to show itself, two months prior in November. He had just gotten back from patrolling with Granger, and was decidedly “fed up” with her behaviour.
“Why does she have to be so kind? So self-righteous? So bloody Gryffindor?” Draco had said. “She’s forgiven me – which is of course a good thing, but she doesn’t need to try and be nice to me because of it.” He had shuddered. “Offering to take over my rounds because I’m sick? Of course not!”
He blew his nose.
Theo had exchanged knowing glances with Blaise.
There was also the incident in December, where Draco had gone into a fifteen minute tirade about her on Christmas day. Theo and Blaise had been too scared to interrupt him.
“I hate her,” Draco had started out with, as if the denial would convince the two. “She has no right to give me a Christmas present. Does that make me her friend now? She gave Longbottom a present; am I in the same league as Longbottom?”
Theo had given Draco a reassuring shake of his head, hoping it would calm him. It did not.
“And she smiled at me when she handed it to me. Merlin, I hate her smile. It’s just so aggravating, provoking, and fucking adorable.” He had coughed, as if that would Obliviate Theo and Blaise’s ears.
“A hand knit Slytherin green scarf? I can’t imagine her ever willing going near the colour green,” he had scoffed. “And the hand-written note, saying I know you get cold during patrols? What is she, my mother? Can’t this micromanaging beautiful swot take a hint?” Draco had then stomped off to his room.
The next day, Theo had seen Draco wearing the scarf wrapped snug around his neck. He wore it every day throughout the rest of December until February.
There were a variety of other Granger induced ramblings. Some, Theo and Blaise had deemed to name, were the Jealous Ones. There were also the Hopelessly In Denial Ones, but those were the overwhelming majority. On very rare occasions, there would be a Wistful One.
An example of a Jealous One happened on December 29th, when Draco was returning from the library. After looking at his expression, Theo had known it would not be a good idea to ask about whether he had finished his Transfiguration homework. Unfortunately, he was offered information that he had no interest in hearing about.
“Michael Corner? What is Granger doing with Michael Corner?” Draco had fumed. Blaise had rolled his eyes, but Draco hadn’t noticed. “He’s not good enough for her. She needs someone who has more substance and will value her for who she is. Not Corner.” He had said the name as if it was a swear word.
Blaise had decided to offer his opinion on the situation, and Theo admired him for his bravery. Perhaps he should have been sorted into Gryffindor. “I’m pretty sure they were just studying for the Charms test, mate,” Blaise had responded. “I also heard that Corner’s been seeing Lisa Turpin. Granger’s not his type.”
“Oh,” was Draco’s thoughtful response. “Good.” With that, he had moved to leave the common room and gave what seemed to be an attempt at a smile to Blaise.
“And mate,” Blaise had added. “She’s looking for another study partner for the test. I’m sure you could offer her some help.” Draco had looked back at him strangely, and briefly nodded his head, ducking out to most likely head back to the library. Blaise smirked at Theo.
The few Wistful Ones consisted of Draco usually looking (wistfully) outside a rain-streaked window and sighing (wistfully), uttering thoughts about Granger that he thought Blaise and Theo couldn’t hear. “Why can’t I stop thinking about her?” and “I feel these weird sensations in my stomach when I’m around her” were some things he said.
Theo was jolted back to the present when Draco continued talking about Granger as if he and Blaise hadn’t heard the same speech 14 times already. “And she looked so gorgeous in Potions today, with the sun streaming onto her hair like a halo, but she’s already a bloody angel–”
Oh, Theo thought with restrained excitement. It seemed like Draco was going to be a bit more transparent today. Catching Blaise’s eye, he could tell that he was thinking the same thing.
“And her skirt was slightly shorter today, and it hitches up when she’s walking, and having to brew potions and do rounds with her today was fucking torture–” Draco cut off, most likely realizing what he had said. Theo and Blaise immediately preoccupied themselves by staring at the wall (and ceiling, in Blaise’s case) and putting disinterested expressions on their faces.
Draco, satisfied that no one had heard him, set out of the common room once again. Probably to see where Granger was. He had a sort of obsession with that.
Once Theo was sure Draco was out of the room, he turned to Blaise. “It’s torture for us when he’s constantly talking about her,” he groused. “We’ve got to do something about this.”
“Oh, yes,” agreed Blaise, with a glint in his eye. “I was thinking along the lines of trapping them together, or forcing them to be partners in all of their classes.” Theo smiled; he was glad Blaise was always on the same wavelength as him.
The next day, Theo went up to Professor Slughorn to ask for a change to swap Potions partners. Blaise had previously had Granger as his partner, and Theo had Draco.
Citing how Granger and Draco would “work wonderfully together” and that they were excited to “move past the old prejudices of the war,” Slughorn easily agreed.
When Draco heard the name of his new partner being announced, his face morphed between surprise, brief joy, and anger. He narrowed his eyes at Theo and Blaise, who were standing together innocently, blinking at him.
Draco growled (like a rabid animal, Theo noted gleefully) and prowled off to work with Granger. In between stirs of a healing potion, Theo and Blaise stole glances at the other potions pair.
Unfortunately, they did not seem to be getting along. They were arguing, and Granger’s hair was getting frizzier by the second. Their whisper-shouts started to get louder, their motions frantic.
A perfect way to create some sexual tension! Theo eagerly listened in, casually leaning a bit towards the pair as he added lacewing flies to the potion.
“Malfoy, it’s three counterclockwise stirs, not clockwise! Our potion’s going to mess up if you keep on making similar mistakes!” Granger said, gesticulating wildly at the bubbling cauldron. “What’s wrong with you today? You’re supposed to be good at Potions!”
Draco’s face looked momentarily pleased before contorting in anger. “What do you mean? You’ve been watching me in Potions?”
“Oh no, here we go again,” Theo muttered quietly as Blaise snickered next to him.
Granger frowned, hands on her hips. “I’ve noticed your marks and the commentary Slughorn has given you. And stop turning this on me! What’s gotten into you lately? I hoped we’d work well as partners!” Her voice rose slightly.
“It’s all of your fault!” retorted Draco. “You insufferable, bossy witch! You keep on distracting me, with the sunlight hitting your bushy head just right, and your soft pink li- lemons!” Granger looked at him strangely once Draco spouted nonsense about lemons. “See, you’re already distracting me! I started thinking about pink lemons!” He threw his hands up in the air as if his point was made.
Granger huffed and placed her hand on his wrist, dragging him out of the dungeons. “You’re coming with me, Malfoy, and I’m going to set your mind straight. I am not going to get a bad grade on this assignment because of you!”
Slughorn merely waved at their retreating backs.
Once Draco and Granger left, whispers sprouted out all around them. Their “fight” did not go unnoticed by anyone, and Theo knew the Hogwarts gossip mill would be ecstatic with this set of news.
“Does Malfoy think he’s fooling anyone? He’s clearly been head over heels for Granger, and he couldn’t even stop himself from complimenting her!” whispered Parvati Patil excitedly.
Finally, someone who sees, Theo thought to himself. Other than Blaise, of course.
“Do you think they’re going to snog?” squealed Lavender Brown, who seemed to be delighted at the prospect. “Hermione talks about Malfoy a lot, and she’s been trying to befriend him. And c’mon, we all know he was looking at her lips.” She giggled. More hushed whispers ensued.
Draco and Granger appeared shortly after, looking very much like they had not been snogging. Theo heard a disappointed sigh from Patil and Brown’s table. Draco, however, had his slightly glazed over eyes fixed on his hand, where Granger was gripping it tightly as she dragged him back to their cauldron.
Blaise leaned over to Theo and whispered conspiratorially, “He already looks like a lovesick fool.” Theo smirked and replied that it was because Draco was a lovesick fool.
“Remember, three counterclockwise stirs,” Granger reminded him, letting go of the death grip she had on Draco’s hand. The rest of the class passed rather uneventfully, and Theo was disappointed that nothing major had happened in terms of Draco and Granger’s relationship.
—
On Saturday, Theo and Blaise devised a plan to get the two trapped into an abandoned broom closet.
It was a simple plan, but would work. After all, neither Draco nor Granger would be expecting the two to plot something like this.
At precisely 12:45 pm, Theo hurried over to find Draco coming back from the Great Hall. “Draco!” he said, employing his Slytherin acting skills. “Blaise wants to meet you immediately in the broom closet on the second floor. You’ll have to wait a couple minutes for him to get there. I think he said something about planning Granger’s demise. Definitely up your alley.” Theo nodded enthusiastically to help his point.
Draco, whose ears visibly perked up at the sound of “Granger,” looked determined to help Blaise plan her demise. “Yes, of course. That’s my ultimate goal – lovely how Blaise has caught onto that.” He rushed away.
—
In another section of the castle, Blaise was having a harder time convincing Granger to come with him.
“Granger! It’s high time you get out of this library; your knowledge is insurmountable already! Why don’t you follow me? I’ve got something cool to show you.” He had hoped that flattery would do the trick, but it was evident that Granger’s ego did not control her decisions.
“Thank you, Zabini, but I’m content to stay here. You can show me whatever you want up here. It better be appropriate for the library setting,” Granger replied, not sparing a glance at him.
“You see, Granger, I’ve been itching to get Draco back for filling my pillow with Flobberworms a couple months ago. I heard that you’re a bit of a vengeful one, especially concerning people like Draco, so I’d like to enlist your help.” The lie flowed smoothly off his tongue.
Granger shut her book. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Of course I’ll help!”
He smiled at her enthusiasm. “Great. Now just follow me, if you will. We’ll be going to a more secluded spot to discuss plans.”
She followed him until they finally reached the broom closet. She looked at it suspiciously, but he told her reassuringly that it was because no one would ever think to look for them there.
Blaise stepped behind Granger, making her open the door, and once she’d stepped into the room, he cried out “Expelliarmus!”, two wands flying into his hands. Then, with the efficiency that came with lots of practice, he immediately closed the door and locked it.
He could hear the two gasp, and yell out “Blaise Zabini!” before pounding on the door. Blaise chuckled, muttering a quick Silencio in order to not distract passerby.
—
“Brilliant, Blaise!” Theo clapped his back appreciatively, glad that they’d successfully pulled off their mission and would be basking in the whingingless atmosphere once Draco shagged Granger. Or once they got together.
Theo didn’t know, but didn’t care to find out which. All he cared about was that in only 40 minutes, he wouldn’t have to endure Draco’s backhand compliments towards Granger, and Blaise and he would finally be at peace.
Theo, in good spirits, decided to charm a small banner stating “CONGRATULATIONS DRACO!” in big bold letters. He set it on Draco’s bed, the banner flapping lazily even without a breeze.
He played wizard chess with Blaise, and won spectacularly. Blaise was in a good mood as well, and wasn’t even fazed by his loss.
The two relished in the blessed silence, and were excited to see the results of their friend’s entrapment.
Finally, after a couple more rounds of chess and Exploding Snap, the duo awaited Draco’s inevitable dramatic entrance, which was to happen in approximately 2 minutes. Theo and Blaise settled by the door, ready to rejoice once Draco arrived and to congratulate him (and themselves for their amazing plan).
However, when Draco did arrive at the predicted time, it was all for naught. He shoved past them, stomping off towards his bed. Theo heard Draco cast an Incendio, most likely towards the flashy banner he’d charmed earlier.
Theo frowned, looking at Blaise. They came to an unspoken agreement just then, and headed off towards Draco’s bed, ignoring his half-hearted protests about privacy.
“I’m going to get you guys back for that,” Draco growled, the tough facade less scary due to him being facedown on his pillow.
“What happened, mate?” asked Blaise, reaching out to pat Draco’s head reassuringly (most likely in a condescending manner, however) but retracting his hand at the last second.
Draco’s muffled voice was hard to discern through the pillow. “Weh awgooed he ho eyem.”
“Pardon?” asked Theo, cocking a brow at his friend.
Draco pulled away from his makeout session with the pillow.
“We argued the whole time,” he sighed exasperatedly. “I’m going to get you guys back for locking me up with her. What were you two thinking?”
“Well, you see, were were hoping that-”
“We wanted you to shag Granger.”
Blaise looked at Theo in horror. “You didn’t need to be so blunt about it!”
“Draco’s been dancing around his feelings for ages now. It’s high time somebody tells him about what we’ve all noticed.”
The two friends turned back to Draco, who was sitting upright on his bed and sputtering.
“Wh-what? What feelings? And why would shagging Granger be a good idea?” The blond wizard looked positively miffed.
Blaise stepped closer to the bed. “Look, Draco. Theo and I, well, we’re much more perceptive of your own feelings than you are. You’re clearly madly in… lust, I suppose, with Granger. You have a massive crush on her that’s buried under layers of self-loathing and denial. We’re your best mates; we know what we’re talking about.”
Theo nodded enthusiastically for good measure.
“Madly in lust? I think not!” cried out Draco, who seemed to be a bit delirious now after having his hidden feelings discovered by his friends. “It goes much deeper than lust. Granger is much more than just a beautiful witch, she’s-”
He stopped, horrified, whilst looking up at Theo and Blaise, who were stifling their laughter.
“I hope we’ve allowed you to see this through a whole new perspective,” stated Theo, clapping his friend on the back. “If you’re really interested in Granger, go after her. She may be more amenable than you’ve thought.”
—
Although Draco seemed to act slightly differently around Granger now, Theo and Blaise’s conversation with him seemed to have only made the complaining worse. Now, instead of purely backhanded compliments, Draco was more prone to only complimenting her.
Theo was a romantic at heart, so it was rather sweet, but he could take only so much daydreaming and one-sided conversations from his friend.
Currently, Theo was lounging on a plush armchair while Draco sat nearby, scribbling in a leather bound journal.
“Careful, you might snap your quill,” chided Theo as he glanced over at his friend. “What are you writing?”
“None of your business,” Draco snapped, slamming the cover shut.
In what Theo liked to think of as an impressive display of magic, he flicked his wand and said “Wingardium Leviosa!” and gleefully caught the journal in his hands.
Draco immediately tried to run towards Theo, but Blaise restrained him.
“Don’t worry, Draco, I already know you were writing love poems. Not something extremely private or important. I do respect privacy.” Theo flipped a page open.
“Those are extremely private and important!” Draco cried out, but stopped struggling against Blaise after Theo had already browsed through a couple of the poems.
28/1/1999
Your hair golden in the light
Your self-righteousness gives me a fright
This fluttery stomach feeling is shite
Kiss me to save me from this plight
5/2/1999
Why do you fill my head so
I curate interactions by starting a row
My hatred for you is just a show
I doubt you’ll ever give me a mo’
Theo wiped a tear from the corner of his eye after reading the poems. “Beautiful.”
Even Draco, whom Blaise had released, couldn’t help but look a bit pleased.
Blaise clapped. “‘Tis lovely.”
—
Theo peaked around the corner, pushing Blaise behind them. They were busy spying on Draco and Granger, hoping that he’d somehow grown balls and would treat Granger with a modicum of respect.
They had, after all, told him that what Draco was doing was the equivalent of pulling on a girl’s pigtails. Except that he was now an adult, and therefore mature enough to not use such methods to gain a witch’s attention.
The two were curiously meeting in an abandoned classroom, which had immediately raised Theo and Blaise’s suspicions.
“–not a big deal,” Granger’s voice said, exasperation evident in her voice.
“You could do better than McLaggen,” scoffed Draco. “Wasn’t he super handsy in sixth year?”
Theo was surprised that Draco had remembered Granger’s short-lived sort-of relationship with McLaggen in sixth year, even when he was dealing with having to follow Voldemort’s wishes.
“He’s changed, Malfoy! And it doesn’t matter to you whom I’m partnering up with!”
“Well, it matters because you might get distracted, and I don’t think I could pay attention if you two were flirting right next to me!”
“Honestly, Malfoy, I’d never let that get in the way of schoolwork. And besides, don’t you have Parkinson to hang around with?”
“Pansy? No, Flitwick decided to switch her and Theo at the last minute. That has nothing to do with this argument!”
“Hmph,” said Granger, and Theo could imagine her pouting and crossing her arms. “I don’t know why you’re so interested in this! I can handle myself perfectly well, thank you very much, there was no need to request the spot right next to me in Charms!”
Beside him, Blaise’s mouth dropped open.
“I don’t trust McLaggen,” Draco groused. “Being closer to you in class has been proven to help my grades!” He raised his voice again, seemingly remembering that he was in an argument.
I doubt that, Theo mouthed out loud to Blaise, who nodded. He always gets distracted around her.
“Well, how close do you need to be? You’ve been hanging around the library more often than normal now, it’s awfully suspicious! Are you trying to cheat off of me?” Granger’s voice got higher and shriller near the end.
“I NEED TO BE EVEN CLOSER!” shouted Draco, which made Theo jump a bit from his hiding spot.
“HMMM? HOW CLOSE, MALFOY?” Granger shouted back, matching his volume.
Theo was disappointed that he couldn’t see them standing off right now. It would’ve made for lovely entertainment.
“CLOSE ENOUGH THAT YOU’RE ON TOP OF ME!” Draco burst out. “Er– AND NO, I’M NOT TRYING TO CHEAT OFF OF YOU! DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT LOW OF ME?”
Theo couldn’t help but chuckle, and the sound was luckily muffled.
“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?”
“I SAID THAT I’VE GOT TO GO NOW, GOODBYE! ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO TALK TO YOU!”
“OH, I BET IT’S A PLEASURE, ALL RIGHT!”
Theo and Blaise scurried away before Draco or Granger could stomp off in their direction.
They hurried into a (thankfully empty) bathroom and started giggling madly like gossiping schoolgirls.
“I… can’t… believe… he said that,” Theo gasped.
“It’s hilarious how he’s been reduced to this,” Blaise choked out, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.
“I know! Something about Granger just does it for him…”
Theo was suddenly struck by a brilliant idea. “You know, Draco’s probably never going to confess, which would turn out horribly for us. Why don’t we send Granger his poems and say it’s from him?”
“That’s definitely an invasion of his privacy, and not morally right… I’m in!” Blaise clapped his hands together eagerly, urging Theo to hurry back to Draco’s bedroom so they could cast a quick Gemino spell on the filled in pages.
Draco, luckily, wasn’t in the Slytherin dorms at all, so it was easy to duplicate a copy of the poems and set the original journal back.
Theo and Blaise excitedly sheathed the writing in an envelope, stamping it with a noticeable Malfoy wax seal, and sending it off with Draco’s personal owl.
The owl blinked at them twice before allowing them to attach the letter to his leg, seemingly weighing whether the journey would be worth it.
—
The next day, Theo and Blaise sat together in Potions, anxious to see whether the letter had had its desired effect on Granger.
And although Theo had to squint to see it, he was nearly positive it had.
When Granger walked in and took her new spot next to Draco, he saw her look over at him, flushing a faint pink.
She had quickly looked away, but Theo had caught it. It seemed that Blaise had as well, if his constant glances at Granger were anything to come by.
The plan was coming along swimmingly.
Once, when Granger was handing over salamander eyes to Draco, their fingers touched and she seemed to leap a foot away from him, her cheeks flaming.
It was progress.
Draco had noticed her reaction to him, and his brows furrowed. Theo thought that he looked a bit hurt, confused as to why she seemed to be repulsed by his touch.
You’ll find out soon enough, Theo thought gleefully to himself.
When Draco subconsciously leaned closer to Granger to speak to her over the din of their classmates, Theo saw her glance down at his lips.
He tried his best not to squeal out loud.
Potions class had become a Muggle cinema (Theo knew what they were due to Draco asking about whether he should ask Granger on a date there) for Theo and Blaise, and they were enjoying the free entertainment.
After class, which passed by smoothly, Theo went over to Granger and tapped her on her shoulder. She jumped, turning around and looking at him with her eyebrow raised.
“What is it, Nott?” she asked, not unkindly.
From the corner of his eye, Theo noticed Draco looking at the two curiously.
“Nothing. I just wanted to let you know that you’re a great person, you know.”
Granger eyed him suspiciously. Theo couldn’t blame her.
“So is Draco too, I mean. He’s improved a lot from the prat of his old days.” At that, Granger snorted. “I’m sure you two would be great friends if you both were nicer to each other. He’s working on it.”
“What are you implying?” asked Granger.
Theo walked away, whistling. “Nothing!” he called over his back. “Just food for thought!”
Blaise snickered when he joined them, and Draco’s eyebrows had leapt into his hairline.
—
“What is the meaning of this?” Draco asked rather loudly as he headed towards Theo and Blaise, who were sitting in a thankfully empty common room.
Theo blinked back at him innocently. “Meaning of what?”
“Granger. Why is she suddenly coming up and talking to me? I mean, even more than before?” He narrowed his eyes. “What were you saying to her earlier today?
“I merely told her that you’re a decent person. Groundbreaking, I know,” Theo remarked, inspecting the dark green chaise he was lounging across.
“Why would you do that? That makes it seem so suspicious! Merlin, do you think she suspects?” Draco raked his fingers through his hair hurriedly, suddenly very nervous.
“Suspects what?”
“That I– oh, nothing, you great prat. She’s been acting weird around me all day and I’m nearly positive it’s related to you.”
Theo shrugged casually, slipping into an expression of nonchalance.
“Don’t know anything about that!” Blaise, who was sitting next to Theo, nodded in agreement.
Draco glanced at the two suspiciously, but thankfully dropped the subject. Theo knew he’d be mortified if he knew that Theo had talked to her about him after giving him the love poems.
He bid Draco and Blaise a farewell, eager to get out in case Draco somehow caught wind of it. He knew that Draco didn’t have the heart to kill someone (case being Albus Dumbledore’s murder, 1997), but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try .
—
The next day was both terrible and lovely.
Theo sat down with his two friends in the Great Hall for lunch, giving himself a healthy serving of bangers and mash onto his plate. Besides him, his goblet filled with pumpkin juice, and Blaise swallowed an asparagus.
From across the table, he saw Draco’s eyes get comically wide, and he missed the sausage on his fork when he brought it to his mouth.
The hairs on the back of Theo's neck stood up.
Judging by Draco’s expression, there were only a few people that could be standing behind him. Voldemort, Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, or Hermione Granger.
Theo liked to think of himself as smart, and using advanced logic, he deduced that it could only be the latter. Voldemort had not been resurrected for the second time, and Lucius was rotting in Azkaban.
Draco’s next words confirmed his thoughts.
“Granger. What are you doing here?” Theo turned around to look, seeing Granger’s brow furrowed and her gaze set on Draco’s.
She harrumphed. “I’m here to join you all for breakfast. Draco has implied to me that I ‘don’t have enough Gryffindor courage to be seen with him in public.’ Well, I’m here to prove him wrong.” She glared at him to prove her point.
Theo looked between the two of them. “What happened? Being seen with each other in public? Is there something I should know?”
“Yeah, mate, how come we weren’t the first to know that you started dating Granger?” piped up Blaise.
“That’s because I’m not dating Granger,” Draco replied, gritting his teeth. Theo saw him give a strange look to Granger after that, probably bemoaning the fact that they weren’t currently together.
Theo was glad that Blaise had conveniently sat down next to him, as it meant that Granger would have to sit next to Draco in order to not make the seating arrangement too awkward and asymmetrical.
Granger took her spot next to Draco as predicted and reached for an omelette. Draco stared at the omelette with jealousy. Theo could clearly decipher it as a wish to be the one being eaten up instead of the egg.
“Well,” Blaise started, “how have you been, Granger?”
Beside him, Draco hissed, “That’s what you’re starting off with?”
“I’ve been doing well! Classes are going wonderfully, and I’m on track for everything.” At this, Blaise rolled his eyes, but not maliciously. “How have you and Theo been?”
Beside her, Draco pouted petulantly. Theo hid a smirk.
“Lovely, thank you for asking,” he responded with Blaise nodding in agreement.
“I’m doing good as well, thanks,” Draco added. Granger looked at him and seemed to be attempting to stifle a laugh, but it slipped out anyways, leading to Draco looking extremely pleased with himself.
Granger, who then decided she was done temporarily ignoring Draco, asked him a question about Potions and they were off, discussing ingredients and potion theory.
Theo was content to sit back and lazily watch, bringing a sausage to his mouth. Blaise merely looked on with a raised eyebrow, impressed with the familiarity that the two had talking to each other, as much as they’d like to pretend they hated the other.
Perhaps Draco had finally grown a pair and decided to interact in an unharmful way towards the witch he fancied. Theo mentally applauded him for it.
However, all was not well, as it seemed like the two had reached a heated debate, arguing about something with a familiarity that spoke of past arguments on the same subject.
“That wouldn’t happen!” Granger said, shaking her head adamantly.
“Yes it would, didn’t Professor Snape teach you that in fourth year?” Draco asked.
“No, because he was always biassed towards you and the Slytherins!”
Draco looked smug. “Well, that doesn’t stray away from the fact that I’m right.”
“I hate you,” Granger groaned, rolling her eyes.
Draco leaned conspiratorially towards her. “That’s not what you said when I had my–”
Granger suddenly put her hand over Draco’s mouth, muffling what he’d been about to say. Her cheeks flushed a bright pink, and Draco’s eyes were all too knowing. Theo watched, captivated.
“I told you not to mention that!” she hissed at him quietly, but Theo heard.
“Wait a second,” Theo drawled, dragging his eyes between the two. “What are you talking about?”
Granger’s cheeks flushed again, but a much milder tone of pink. “Nothing.”
Blaise sipped his pumpkin juice. “You know that’s hardly a deterrent for curiosity, Granger.”
“It’s none of your business,” she harrumphed, glaring at Draco out of the corner of her eye.
She then stood up, finished with her plate, and walked out, presumably back to her dorm or to her next class. Draco watched her leave, whilst Theo and Blaise watched him watch her.
Theo had a feeling that something important had happened between them, and he was very curious as to what.
—
“Blaise, this is it,” Theo said in a dramatic whisper, turning around to look at the friend beside him. “We’ve come so far, and here we are, about to witness the finale.”
Blaise nodded solemnly. “Something amazing better happen, or I’ll regret missing Honeydukes for this.”
Theo wasn’t totally sure whether or not Draco and Granger would appear and confirm his growing suspicions, but he didn’t show it to Blaise. Instead, on the outside, he gave a confident grin. “Oh, just you wait, Blaise.”
With that promising statement, they cast Disillusionment charms over themselves and stood inconspicuously next to their dorm door.
After five minutes of uncomfortable waiting, Theo heard the footfalls coming up to the dorms. “Be quiet,” he reminded Blaise as they adjusted their position.
The door swung upon, and as Theo had hoped, Draco stepped in.
Theo had heard Draco talking to Granger about meeting her in his dorms a couple days ago, planning a meeting when they were confident Theo and Blaise would be gone. However, the latter pair decided to cancel their trip to Hogsmeade in order to prove Theo’s suspicion.
Draco walked over to his desk, running his hands through his hair. He seemed to be rather nervous, as he was fidgeting with his signet ring and pacing around.
Someone knocked three times.
Draco turned around, eyes widening slightly, before opening the door. In walked Granger, who looked as nervous as he did.
“Granger,” he said.
“Malfoy,” she replied.
There were a couple beats of awkward silence where the two only stared at each other, unsure as to what to say.
“Let’s address the Hippogriff in the room, Malfoy. So you didn’t plan to send me those poems?” Granger placed a hand on her hip, her brow furrowed in exasperation and confusion.
Theo sucked in a breath at the mention of the poems. He hadn’t expected Granger to outright confront Draco about them, but then again, he had learned to never underestimate Gryffindors.
The top of Draco’s cheeks turned slightly pink. “Well– yes. I didn’t send you them. I have a sneaking suspicion that it was either Theo or Blaise who did.”
“I kissed you earlier because I assumed you returned my feelings, but if you actually didn’t write them, I must’ve misunderstood everything– I’m so sorry about that, I must’ve made you uncomfortable–”
Beside him, Theo could hear the quiet sound of surprise that Blaise made at the mention of a kiss. Theo was both overjoyed at the revelation, yet also disappointed that he wasn’t able to witness one major milestone in Draco’s developing relationship with Granger. Theo felt as if he deserved to know, of course, because of his attempts to push the two together.
“Granger.” Draco’s voice was low. “Before you get in over your head, please listen to me.” He swallowed.
Theo held his breath in anticipation.
“I thought it was obvious. That the Brightest Witch of Her Age could tell that I was secretly pining away for her.” He gave a dark chuckle. “I wrote the poems about you, but they were stolen from me. I was – and still am – too scared to say anything to you about it.”
Granger gave a small squeak of surprise, but Draco carried on, undeterred.
“I’ve felt something for you for a while now, Granger, but it’s only bloomed into a crush since this year.” On the outside, he looked confident, but Theo knew him and could detect a tiny waver in his voice.
“I know we argue a lot, but in some strange way, it’s been comforting knowing that at least one thing hasn’t changed. So…” Draco paused then, unsure as to how to carry on. Theo was suffocating in the awkward silence that blanketed the room.
Granger’s eyes were impossibly wide. She started giggling. Theo could see Draco’s expression morph from nervousness to confusion before it shuttered back into a blank mask.
“Oh, Mal– Draco, sorry for laughing, I just couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. It’s, well, I’ve started to catch feelings for you this year. I had no idea you felt that way about me, until the poems. And even then, I was sceptical.”
Theo and Blaise were not shocked at this revelation, but Draco clearly was. Theo sighed internally at the obliviousness that seemed to encroach both Granger and Draco.
“Are you telling the truth?” There was a glimmer of hope in Draco’s eyes, making him seem much younger and boyish.
Granger blushed. “I wouldn’t lie to you about that.”
They looked at each other, still standing a metre apart. The air was thick with tension and hesitation.
“I guess someone has got to be the Gryffindor,” Granger said, smirking. She walked up to Draco, pulled his body closer to her, and stepped on her tiptoes to kiss him.
Draco stood there stiffly for a couple of seconds, with Granger’s mouth pressing onto his, and she pulled back, an embarrassed expression on her face. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but then Draco dipped down and placed his lips back on hers, and she sank into it contentedly.
It was too sweet; Theo had to look away. He covered his ears with his hands as well, because he frankly did not want to listen to one of his best friends and former enemies make obscene noises.
They were kissing for a long time, which was unfortunate for Theo and Blaise, who had to repeatedly check whether the coast was clear to move away.
Finally, Draco and Granger had discovered that it was possible for them to physically detach themselves from each other, and Theo waved his arm around until he found Blaise. He grabbed his arm, and tried to tug him towards their own beds and hide behind the drapes.
Blaise seemed to get the message and they quietly walked further away from the couple, constantly glancing towards them in order to judge where to step.
Theo desperately wished he could cast a Muffliato or silencing charm, but neither he nor Blaise were proficient in nonverbal wandless spells.
He stepped on a loose floorboard, the sound of its creaking cutting through the air.
“Wait.” Granger’s eyes narrowed in their direction, and she looked down at the floorboard, which had just righted itself. She had her wand out in a flash, and she pointed it vaguely towards them. “Show yourself.”
Seeing as they had no choice, Theo and Blaise sheepishly took out their wands and removed the Disillusionment charm. They stood before their friend (and acquaintance), looking anywhere but their eyes.
Once Theo finally looked up, he was met with furious grey eyes. Granger didn’t look angry; just disappointed. Draco, however, was seething.
Draco took a deep breath. “You two were here the whole time? And you heard and saw everything?”
“Er, yes,” responded Theo. “I looked away and covered my ears at the last bit though, if it helps.”
“I did as well,” Blaise added. “We didn’t mean to intrude on something so intimate.”
“But you clearly had some reason to intrude, if you two were already Disillusioned by the time I came here,” deduced Draco, glancing at Hermione. She was watching them with a relatively neutral expression on her face, but she seemed a bit amused by the conversation.
Theo tread carefully. “You see, we assumed that you were going to be mad at us and then come looking for us, so we hid ourselves just in case.”
“Congratulations on your relationship!” Blaise said in order to keep the attention away from the weak excuse.
“Corking news, it’s been a long time coming,” Theo jubilantly said, although he was sure his face was a tinge green after thinking about what they had just witnessed.
The two of them sidled up to the door. “Anyways, we’d love to stay and chat,” Theo said, waving to the new couple. “But we’ve got to go! Goodbye!”
They shut the door behind them, and Theo heard Granger giggling and Draco sighing.
—
“–so beautiful, kind, swotty, and really just perfect, don’t you think so?” Draco was maudlin, sipping a goblet of pumpkin juice.
Blaise rolled his eyes. “Draco, we’ve been over this thousands of times.”
“Except now he’s realised how madly in love he is with Granger. It’s rather sickening,” Theo said, but he had a smile on his face.
“Good morning Draco!” Granger came up behind him and kissed him on the cheek, then sat down next to the blond as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“And to think that just weeks ago Draco was constantly complaining about her,” Blaise said, shaking his head.
Theo laughed. “That hasn’t changed – he just complains about her being too good instead of being ‘an annoying swot,’ which we know he didn’t agree with back then.”
Granger smiled at that, and Draco’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “I’d love to hear more about that,” she said, giving him a meaningful look.
“We can demonstrate if you’d like,” offered Blaise. “Just different variations of ‘Did you see Granger today? She was so kind to me today – what’s she trying to do, make me fall for her holier-than-thou attitude?’”
She giggled at that, smiling at Draco, who returned it in a sickening display of public affection.
“And to think that emotionally-repressed-and-in-denial Draco was worse,” Theo sighed. “I support your relationship and all, but I don’t know how I can stand years of witnessing your PDA.”
“Years?” Draco seemed to still be hanging onto that word.
“Who knows?” asked Theo nonchalantly. “You can never look too far into the future.”
Draco gazed off wistfully.
Granger looked a bit nervous, but not opposed to the mention of years, which was a good sign. Theo knew that he wouldn’t be able to handle a heartbroken Draco.
“Yeah,” Granger agreed. “I’ve always loved planning ahead.”
—
Theo felt oddly nervous, even though it wasn’t his wedding. Just Draco’s. And Hermione’s. The press was going to have a field day with their wedding, as their romance had created headlines right from the start.
“You alright there, mate?” he asked, stepping into a room near the venue where Draco was currently hiding in.
Draco visibly gulped. “Definitely… just taking a sip of water.”
“Don’t worry, Draco,” Theo came over, patting his friend’s shoulder. “You love Hermione. Hermione loves you. That’s all you need to know. The fanciful affair of a wedding is just to please your parents and the press. You know that Hermione will not think of you any differently, no matter whether small accidents happen.”
“Yes, yes,” Draco shook his head, seemingly clearing his thoughts. “Thanks, Theo. You’ve come a long way from the playful and scheming prat you were at Hogwarts – now, you’re just slightly more mature.”
Theo laughed. “No problem. But hey, I’d still consider myself a contributing factor to your and Hermione’s relationship. So this wedding is happening partially due to me!”
Draco denied Theo vehemently, stating that he would’ve eventually gotten with Hermione eventually. It was rather sweet.
“But in all seriousness, everything’ll go well, I promise. Hermione’s already quadruple checked everything – you’ve got nothing to worry about. Relax and enjoy your wedding day.”
After the wedding was over, Theo reminisced with Blaise about the good old days at Hogwarts, and their never forgotten quest to get Draco and Hermione together.
“We’re amazing, you know,” slurred Blaise, still tipsy from the alcohol served at the wedding. “For getting them together in eighth year.”
“I agree,” agreed Theo, nodding vigorously in agreement. “Marvellous beings, we truly are. I’m chuffed Draco gave us a mention in his speech. Would’ve been awfully rude not to, really.”
Blaise hummed, his eyelids drooping. “So true.” He paused, sobering slightly. “I’m glad we decided to encourage him, although in unconventional ways, to make a move. They’re perfect for each other.”
“They really are,” Theo noted, smiling up at the ceiling. “We’re the perfect friends for him.”