FIC: "Slytherin's Secret" (Theodore/Hermione, Draco)
Title: Slytherin's Secret
Author: the_woods_
Prompt: "if you wanted honesty"
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Theodore/Hermione, Draco
Summary: Some moments of truth.
Warnings: -
Word Count: 1,214
Author's Notes: Based on a current plot bunny running through my head about secret Slytherin societies. Not DH-compliant.
Chapter One, Part One
Someone was ranting about Mudbloods and blood traitors in the Slytherin common-room, again.
Theodore was not surprised at how quickly the defeated Dark Lord’s prejudices rose up among his former followers’ children. It was the first night back at Hogwarts after the damage of the war had been settled; a year and a half since he’d last been in the castle. Only a handful of other Slytherins in Theodore’s year decided to return to Hogwarts for their seventh year. Most students in the common-room ignored the rant given by the younger Slytherin. He was a student who, judging by his need for attention, had no individual stake in the war. Theodore noticed Blaise and Pansy staring openly at the stranger. Goyle, even more pathetic without Crabbe by his side, stood at an awkward distance, eyes concentrated on the floor. A few students were quietly nodding in agreement. Theodore leaned against the fireplace, watching the scene with growing interest.
It was Draco who, surprisingly, shut the boy up. Theodore saw the blond out of the corner of his eye walk into the common-room. “Oi,” he commanded, causing the room to glance in his direction. “What’s all this about Voldemort?”
“Just venting, is all.”
Draco walked up to the kid and towered over him. “Just venting, ey? Next time you decide to vent about blood and purity and nobility and the like, come knock on a former Death Eater’s door. Knock on mine. Or on Nott’s,” Draco mentioned as he nodded towards Theodore. “Or maybe you could visit Crabbe’s tombstone, ask him about his final stand for your Dark Lord.” Draco leaned in closer, his eyes narrowed at the scared Slytherin. “When you start to rue the day you met bloody Harry Potter, or when the marks you bare are thanks to the Dark Lord’s lunacy, then you’ve got a right to take a piss on blood traitors and Mudbloods.”
The blond pushed past the boy and headed toward his room. Everyone else parted awkwardly, as if they were like cattle unsure of where to wander. Theodore crossed his arms over his chest and remained standing against the fireplace. There was a lot to be done this year; understanding Draco’s motivations was only part of his plan.
Blaise and Pansy made their way over to Theodore’s area. He greeted them with a nod.
“Bit shifty tonight,” Blaise commented quietly. Theodore nodded in agreement.
Pansy combed through her short hair and looked around. “What do you think of Draco’s little outburst?”
“Hardly little,” Theodore answered.
Blaise smirked. “I got your owl, by the way. Curious to see how the research goes.”
Pansy raised an eyebrow. “Research?”
“Just a bit of reading before classes started. I’m planning to hit the library right now, before lights out.”
“Running for resident bookworm, are we?” Pansy teased.
“I’d have to go up against Mudblood Granger for that one,” Theodore said with an eye-roll.
He said goodnight to the pair and headed out of the common-room quietly. Theodore enjoyed being left to his thoughts as his shoes hit the paved pebbles of the Hogwarts corridors. Soon enough, he found himself in front of the library. With a simple alohomora, Theodore unlocked the entrance and made his way towards the restricted section. He pulled out a piece of parchment from his robes, whispered light into his wand, and headed to the Restricted Section.
A cough sounded out behind him. Theodore stopped without turning around. “Excuse me,” said the unmistakable voice of the newly appointed Head Girl. “But I believe you need to be in your common-room.”
He turned around slowly, twirling his wand with his fingers. “Pardon me, Granger,” Theodore bit out sarcastically, “but it’s not curfew, yet. No harm in roaming the halls."
Granger gave him an incredulous look. “Nice attempt at spinning it, Nott. What you call “roaming the halls,” Muggle law claims “breaking and entering.””
He knew she was trying to bait him. Introduce the Muggle world into their conversation and get a rise out of him, an insult.
“The war’s over, Granger,” Theodore answered, his voice dangerously quiet. “Maybe you should take a lesson from the Headmistress and cast your prejudices aside.”
“Bit hypocritical of you,” she argued. “I’ve got ears. I could hear your lot still using “Mudblood” on the train-”
“Your lot?” Theodore echoed, taking a step towards Granger. “And what lot, exactly, is my lot?”
She narrowed her eyes. Without a word, she walked up to him, staring him down. She reached out and grabbed his left hand, pulling the sleeve of his robes up without hesitance. They both looked down at the dull mark along his forearm.
“It’s fading,” Granger said, bringing her eyes away from his Dark Mark and settling on his face. “But it’ll always be there. Can you imagine? Your kids asking about it? Having to constantly cover it up when you walk down the street?”
She paused. Her honesty unnerved him, but he resolved not to fidget in her grasp. There was a small silence settling between them. He took his arm back without malice and covered the Dark Mark with his sleeve. “You’re right about one thing,” Theodore responded. “It’ll always be a reminder. Not a reminder of the choice I, or Draco, or the rest of us former junior Death Eaters had,” he said with heavy sarcasm. “No…it’ll be a reminder of what choice we didn’t have, the philosophies and actions forced on us by parents brainwashed by an egotistic madman.”
Theodore wordlessly put his light out. The library went dark. He made his way around the Head Girl. She stiffened and he felt it as he brushed lightly against her shoulder. It was curious, and he wanted to reason she went stiff because she was a Gryffindor and he was a Slytherin, or because she was a prude and he, well, was a boy. He felt it was something else, though he couldn’t put his finger on it.
“I saw you,” she said suddenly, forcing Theodore to cease walking. “On the battlefield, during the battle over Hogwarts.” He turned and faced her in the dark. She walked up to him and even though he couldn’t see her, he could tell her eyes were searching for his. “You were healing someone,” she continued. “In the corridor by the Room of Requirement.”
Theodore sighed. “Yeah. That was Blaise. We were looking for Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco. All of us made a pact to make our way to that room so we could take shelter for the rest of the battle.”
He heard Granger’s robes rustle as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Only Draco and Goyle made it out,” she reflected.
“Yeah, well, some blokes go bloody crazy,” Theodore muttered.
“Ron decided not to come back because he didn’t want to see anyone who fought for the other side,” Granger responded. “He lost his brother during the Hogwarts battle, you know.”
Theodore pocketed his wand. “I thought I saw the other Weasley at the feast.”
She nodded. “Ginny’s here. She’s a bit more-forgiving,” Granger finished lamely.
Another silence surrounded the pair. Before things got too awkward, Theodore promptly turned on his heels and exited the library, not bothering to offer a goodbye.
Author: the_woods_
Prompt: "if you wanted honesty"
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Theodore/Hermione, Draco
Summary: Some moments of truth.
Warnings: -
Word Count: 1,214
Author's Notes: Based on a current plot bunny running through my head about secret Slytherin societies. Not DH-compliant.
Chapter One, Part One
Someone was ranting about Mudbloods and blood traitors in the Slytherin common-room, again.
Theodore was not surprised at how quickly the defeated Dark Lord’s prejudices rose up among his former followers’ children. It was the first night back at Hogwarts after the damage of the war had been settled; a year and a half since he’d last been in the castle. Only a handful of other Slytherins in Theodore’s year decided to return to Hogwarts for their seventh year. Most students in the common-room ignored the rant given by the younger Slytherin. He was a student who, judging by his need for attention, had no individual stake in the war. Theodore noticed Blaise and Pansy staring openly at the stranger. Goyle, even more pathetic without Crabbe by his side, stood at an awkward distance, eyes concentrated on the floor. A few students were quietly nodding in agreement. Theodore leaned against the fireplace, watching the scene with growing interest.
It was Draco who, surprisingly, shut the boy up. Theodore saw the blond out of the corner of his eye walk into the common-room. “Oi,” he commanded, causing the room to glance in his direction. “What’s all this about Voldemort?”
“Just venting, is all.”
Draco walked up to the kid and towered over him. “Just venting, ey? Next time you decide to vent about blood and purity and nobility and the like, come knock on a former Death Eater’s door. Knock on mine. Or on Nott’s,” Draco mentioned as he nodded towards Theodore. “Or maybe you could visit Crabbe’s tombstone, ask him about his final stand for your Dark Lord.” Draco leaned in closer, his eyes narrowed at the scared Slytherin. “When you start to rue the day you met bloody Harry Potter, or when the marks you bare are thanks to the Dark Lord’s lunacy, then you’ve got a right to take a piss on blood traitors and Mudbloods.”
The blond pushed past the boy and headed toward his room. Everyone else parted awkwardly, as if they were like cattle unsure of where to wander. Theodore crossed his arms over his chest and remained standing against the fireplace. There was a lot to be done this year; understanding Draco’s motivations was only part of his plan.
Blaise and Pansy made their way over to Theodore’s area. He greeted them with a nod.
“Bit shifty tonight,” Blaise commented quietly. Theodore nodded in agreement.
Pansy combed through her short hair and looked around. “What do you think of Draco’s little outburst?”
“Hardly little,” Theodore answered.
Blaise smirked. “I got your owl, by the way. Curious to see how the research goes.”
Pansy raised an eyebrow. “Research?”
“Just a bit of reading before classes started. I’m planning to hit the library right now, before lights out.”
“Running for resident bookworm, are we?” Pansy teased.
“I’d have to go up against Mudblood Granger for that one,” Theodore said with an eye-roll.
He said goodnight to the pair and headed out of the common-room quietly. Theodore enjoyed being left to his thoughts as his shoes hit the paved pebbles of the Hogwarts corridors. Soon enough, he found himself in front of the library. With a simple alohomora, Theodore unlocked the entrance and made his way towards the restricted section. He pulled out a piece of parchment from his robes, whispered light into his wand, and headed to the Restricted Section.
A cough sounded out behind him. Theodore stopped without turning around. “Excuse me,” said the unmistakable voice of the newly appointed Head Girl. “But I believe you need to be in your common-room.”
He turned around slowly, twirling his wand with his fingers. “Pardon me, Granger,” Theodore bit out sarcastically, “but it’s not curfew, yet. No harm in roaming the halls."
Granger gave him an incredulous look. “Nice attempt at spinning it, Nott. What you call “roaming the halls,” Muggle law claims “breaking and entering.””
He knew she was trying to bait him. Introduce the Muggle world into their conversation and get a rise out of him, an insult.
“The war’s over, Granger,” Theodore answered, his voice dangerously quiet. “Maybe you should take a lesson from the Headmistress and cast your prejudices aside.”
“Bit hypocritical of you,” she argued. “I’ve got ears. I could hear your lot still using “Mudblood” on the train-”
“Your lot?” Theodore echoed, taking a step towards Granger. “And what lot, exactly, is my lot?”
She narrowed her eyes. Without a word, she walked up to him, staring him down. She reached out and grabbed his left hand, pulling the sleeve of his robes up without hesitance. They both looked down at the dull mark along his forearm.
“It’s fading,” Granger said, bringing her eyes away from his Dark Mark and settling on his face. “But it’ll always be there. Can you imagine? Your kids asking about it? Having to constantly cover it up when you walk down the street?”
She paused. Her honesty unnerved him, but he resolved not to fidget in her grasp. There was a small silence settling between them. He took his arm back without malice and covered the Dark Mark with his sleeve. “You’re right about one thing,” Theodore responded. “It’ll always be a reminder. Not a reminder of the choice I, or Draco, or the rest of us former junior Death Eaters had,” he said with heavy sarcasm. “No…it’ll be a reminder of what choice we didn’t have, the philosophies and actions forced on us by parents brainwashed by an egotistic madman.”
Theodore wordlessly put his light out. The library went dark. He made his way around the Head Girl. She stiffened and he felt it as he brushed lightly against her shoulder. It was curious, and he wanted to reason she went stiff because she was a Gryffindor and he was a Slytherin, or because she was a prude and he, well, was a boy. He felt it was something else, though he couldn’t put his finger on it.
“I saw you,” she said suddenly, forcing Theodore to cease walking. “On the battlefield, during the battle over Hogwarts.” He turned and faced her in the dark. She walked up to him and even though he couldn’t see her, he could tell her eyes were searching for his. “You were healing someone,” she continued. “In the corridor by the Room of Requirement.”
Theodore sighed. “Yeah. That was Blaise. We were looking for Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco. All of us made a pact to make our way to that room so we could take shelter for the rest of the battle.”
He heard Granger’s robes rustle as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Only Draco and Goyle made it out,” she reflected.
“Yeah, well, some blokes go bloody crazy,” Theodore muttered.
“Ron decided not to come back because he didn’t want to see anyone who fought for the other side,” Granger responded. “He lost his brother during the Hogwarts battle, you know.”
Theodore pocketed his wand. “I thought I saw the other Weasley at the feast.”
She nodded. “Ginny’s here. She’s a bit more-forgiving,” Granger finished lamely.
Another silence surrounded the pair. Before things got too awkward, Theodore promptly turned on his heels and exited the library, not bothering to offer a goodbye.