FIC: "Slytherin's Secret" (Theodore/Hermione, Draco)
Title: Slytherin's Secret
Author: the_woods_
Prompt: "artificial light"
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Theodore/Hermione, Draco
Summary: Some moments of truth.
Warnings: -
Word Count: 1,285
( Chapter One, Part One )
( Chapter One, Part Two )
( Chapter Two, Part One )
( Chapter Two, Part Two )
( Chapter Three, Part One )
Chapter Three, Part Two:
It was the end to a long week. Pansy must have distilled her suspicions about Theodore and presented them to Blaise and Draco, because even they began to ask him about Granger. The truth was he didn’t want to be bothered by things that seemed insignificant in the long run. Who cared if Granger was helping him piece together the past? What did it matter if he and Granger took to talking frequently during class? Hogwarts would let out in a several months and they’d both graduate, heading off in completely different directions.
Draco had taken to cornering him in his own dormitory room the night before. He asked Theodore why he had been seeing a lot of Gryffindor attached to his arm, lately.
“We’re not attached, you prat,” Theodore grumbled as he put his bag on the floor.
“Oh?” Draco piped. “That’s odd. I could have sworn you two were connected at the hip, seeing as she’s always by your side when we pass you in the halls.”
“Sod off, Draco.”
“So Pansy was right. You do fancy the Mudblood.”
Theodore rolled his eyes. “Just because we’re friends, doesn’t mean we’re anything alike. I don’t automatically feel like snogging every girl who displays the least bit of interest in me.”
Draco stepped up to Theodore as the latter undid his tie. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
Theodore simply tossed his tie onto his bed and turned away from the blond. He lifted his sweater over his head and began unbuttoning his white-collar long-sleeve. Draco walked to the door, but didn’t leave.
“Might want to be there when your girlfriend unveils her newest Muggle Literature gimmick,” he mentioned without feeling.
“Of course I’ll be there,” Theodore asked in his dangerously playful tone. “Always a treat seeing the smugness wiped clean off of your face.”
Draco left the room and Theodore closed his door. Undoing his belt, his mind wandered to Granger and he shook his head. It was going to be a long weekend, what with her Muggle demonstration by the lake and all.
She had mentioned the idea of a presentation to Theodore earlier in the week.
“It’ll certainly bring a crowd, no matter what their feelings are,” Granger argued enthusiastically. “And if I could just get them to see that parts of Muggle culture aren’t as bad as they’ve been led to believe, I’m sure the rest of the students will be up for a little less tension between Purebloods and Mudbloods and Muggles.”
Theodore laughed in spite of himself. “Whatever you say.”
She touched his arm and stared at him intently. “You’ll come, right?”
“Come where?”
“I’m not sure of the location, but I mean to the demonstration,” she said. “When I show the students what Muggles are capable of making.”
He didn’t promise her anything. He didn’t outright refuse, either.
Theodore was not surprised, then, to find himself on that Saturday night walking to the Hogwarts Lake. The sky was cloudy and there were hardly any stars. The moon was new and made the night sag heavily. Theodore wondered about the darkness, why Granger had chosen this night, of all the autumn nights, to display her Muggle talents.
When he arrived, there was a rather large crowd. He made his way to the front by creeping along the edge of the crowd, circling until he arrived at a clear view. Granger and the other Head, some Ravenclaw Theodore barely knew, were standing at the front. The Ravenclaw was silent, but Granger was animated and brought life to the deadened night as she spoke to the professors and the Headmistress. The half-breed giant was by her side; so was Potter and Weasley. Weasley’s older brother, the one who was part of the Golden Trio, was also there. Theodore smirked to himself as he imagined the type of conversation that forced Weasley back to the school grounds.
A thought appeared out of nowhere and took hold of him, sinking itself into his skin. Did Granger’s friends know about him? Did she tell them about their meetings at the library, their time in class together? He knew she would never tell them about their research on the secret society-leave it up to Gryffindors to stay loyal as them come, regardless of who that loyalty was to. Theodore remembered Weasley had a temper. It unnerved him when he realized that he would rather face the angry redhead than abandon whatever had developed between himself and Granger. She made the time pass, especially now that Pansy and Draco were avoiding him-Blaise, too, but mostly because of Pansy.
Silence settled over the crowd. Theodore took out his pocket watch; exactly thirty minutes until curfew. Of course Granger would manage to hold a spectacle within the limits of Hogwarts’ rules.
Theodore watched as she magically amplified her voice and spoke among the crowd. Even booming, he didn’t listen to her words. He simply watched. Observed the way her robes glided back and forth as she moved. How her hair was everywhere, but it probably kept her head and ears warm, anyway. The way she didn’t have those inane and girlish hand gestures like Pansy, but had developed something much more professional and mature. Her rapport with the crowd was quite enchanting.
Suddenly, the trees around them began to glow. Theodore’s eyes widened in slight surprise as he glanced from one tree to the next. There were strange little circles of lights-patches, really-and they blinked on and off. They were brighter than some of the stars Theodore had seen. The small circles of light were harsh on his eyes but they had a strange magical quality to them. They blinked in rapid succession, some unsolvable puzzle Theodore had no idea how to decode. There were various colors, as well, and he guessed that was what captivated him the most. The lights were not simply white, or orange like flames. They were unnatural, alien. Blue, like aquamarine mermaids. Green, and not Slytherin green, but something with much more life thrown into it, like limes and grapes from the Great Hall feasts. Red, like freshly-picked strawberries; the ripe kind his mother used to harvest when he was young. Yellow, like the kind you would use if you wanted to paint some disgustingly happy landscape.
Students left and right were making noises of strange satisfaction. “Ooohs” and “aaahs” filled the crowd and Theodore had to clamp his mouth shut to keep from joining the heard.
“How did you do this? Is it magic?”
“What’s the source? Where does it start?”
“Does it burn?”
“How do you stop it? How do you turn it on?”
“Can it go on forever?”
“Can I touch it?”
Questions were thrown into the night air and even Theodore was curious. He watched intently as Granger silenced the crowd and began explaining…something about Christmas lights, about artificial lights. More about potatoes and potions and wires and elec-tris-sit-tee. Theodore looked around him and noted the reflection of those lights upon the faces of his peers. The scene was drastically different from the one he had witnessed a few weeks ago, where the cry against the Muggle Literature section had started in the first place. He briefly wondered if Draco was among those in the crowd, or if Pansy could see the lights from the Astronomy Tower as she made out with Blaise. He chuckled and imagined the looks on their faces upon seeing these elec-tris-sit Christmas lights from afar. The things probably look like charmed fireflies, dancing in the trees.
Theodore turned toward Granger once more, enjoying her obvious glee. Something inside of him warmed and glowed at her expression of excitement. The presentation was a success, from the looks of the crowd. She had managed to convince even him of the possible magic found within Muggles and their technology.
Author: the_woods_
Prompt: "artificial light"
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Theodore/Hermione, Draco
Summary: Some moments of truth.
Warnings: -
Word Count: 1,285
( Chapter One, Part One )
( Chapter One, Part Two )
( Chapter Two, Part One )
( Chapter Two, Part Two )
( Chapter Three, Part One )
Chapter Three, Part Two:
It was the end to a long week. Pansy must have distilled her suspicions about Theodore and presented them to Blaise and Draco, because even they began to ask him about Granger. The truth was he didn’t want to be bothered by things that seemed insignificant in the long run. Who cared if Granger was helping him piece together the past? What did it matter if he and Granger took to talking frequently during class? Hogwarts would let out in a several months and they’d both graduate, heading off in completely different directions.
Draco had taken to cornering him in his own dormitory room the night before. He asked Theodore why he had been seeing a lot of Gryffindor attached to his arm, lately.
“We’re not attached, you prat,” Theodore grumbled as he put his bag on the floor.
“Oh?” Draco piped. “That’s odd. I could have sworn you two were connected at the hip, seeing as she’s always by your side when we pass you in the halls.”
“Sod off, Draco.”
“So Pansy was right. You do fancy the Mudblood.”
Theodore rolled his eyes. “Just because we’re friends, doesn’t mean we’re anything alike. I don’t automatically feel like snogging every girl who displays the least bit of interest in me.”
Draco stepped up to Theodore as the latter undid his tie. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
Theodore simply tossed his tie onto his bed and turned away from the blond. He lifted his sweater over his head and began unbuttoning his white-collar long-sleeve. Draco walked to the door, but didn’t leave.
“Might want to be there when your girlfriend unveils her newest Muggle Literature gimmick,” he mentioned without feeling.
“Of course I’ll be there,” Theodore asked in his dangerously playful tone. “Always a treat seeing the smugness wiped clean off of your face.”
Draco left the room and Theodore closed his door. Undoing his belt, his mind wandered to Granger and he shook his head. It was going to be a long weekend, what with her Muggle demonstration by the lake and all.
She had mentioned the idea of a presentation to Theodore earlier in the week.
“It’ll certainly bring a crowd, no matter what their feelings are,” Granger argued enthusiastically. “And if I could just get them to see that parts of Muggle culture aren’t as bad as they’ve been led to believe, I’m sure the rest of the students will be up for a little less tension between Purebloods and Mudbloods and Muggles.”
Theodore laughed in spite of himself. “Whatever you say.”
She touched his arm and stared at him intently. “You’ll come, right?”
“Come where?”
“I’m not sure of the location, but I mean to the demonstration,” she said. “When I show the students what Muggles are capable of making.”
He didn’t promise her anything. He didn’t outright refuse, either.
Theodore was not surprised, then, to find himself on that Saturday night walking to the Hogwarts Lake. The sky was cloudy and there were hardly any stars. The moon was new and made the night sag heavily. Theodore wondered about the darkness, why Granger had chosen this night, of all the autumn nights, to display her Muggle talents.
When he arrived, there was a rather large crowd. He made his way to the front by creeping along the edge of the crowd, circling until he arrived at a clear view. Granger and the other Head, some Ravenclaw Theodore barely knew, were standing at the front. The Ravenclaw was silent, but Granger was animated and brought life to the deadened night as she spoke to the professors and the Headmistress. The half-breed giant was by her side; so was Potter and Weasley. Weasley’s older brother, the one who was part of the Golden Trio, was also there. Theodore smirked to himself as he imagined the type of conversation that forced Weasley back to the school grounds.
A thought appeared out of nowhere and took hold of him, sinking itself into his skin. Did Granger’s friends know about him? Did she tell them about their meetings at the library, their time in class together? He knew she would never tell them about their research on the secret society-leave it up to Gryffindors to stay loyal as them come, regardless of who that loyalty was to. Theodore remembered Weasley had a temper. It unnerved him when he realized that he would rather face the angry redhead than abandon whatever had developed between himself and Granger. She made the time pass, especially now that Pansy and Draco were avoiding him-Blaise, too, but mostly because of Pansy.
Silence settled over the crowd. Theodore took out his pocket watch; exactly thirty minutes until curfew. Of course Granger would manage to hold a spectacle within the limits of Hogwarts’ rules.
Theodore watched as she magically amplified her voice and spoke among the crowd. Even booming, he didn’t listen to her words. He simply watched. Observed the way her robes glided back and forth as she moved. How her hair was everywhere, but it probably kept her head and ears warm, anyway. The way she didn’t have those inane and girlish hand gestures like Pansy, but had developed something much more professional and mature. Her rapport with the crowd was quite enchanting.
Suddenly, the trees around them began to glow. Theodore’s eyes widened in slight surprise as he glanced from one tree to the next. There were strange little circles of lights-patches, really-and they blinked on and off. They were brighter than some of the stars Theodore had seen. The small circles of light were harsh on his eyes but they had a strange magical quality to them. They blinked in rapid succession, some unsolvable puzzle Theodore had no idea how to decode. There were various colors, as well, and he guessed that was what captivated him the most. The lights were not simply white, or orange like flames. They were unnatural, alien. Blue, like aquamarine mermaids. Green, and not Slytherin green, but something with much more life thrown into it, like limes and grapes from the Great Hall feasts. Red, like freshly-picked strawberries; the ripe kind his mother used to harvest when he was young. Yellow, like the kind you would use if you wanted to paint some disgustingly happy landscape.
Students left and right were making noises of strange satisfaction. “Ooohs” and “aaahs” filled the crowd and Theodore had to clamp his mouth shut to keep from joining the heard.
“How did you do this? Is it magic?”
“What’s the source? Where does it start?”
“Does it burn?”
“How do you stop it? How do you turn it on?”
“Can it go on forever?”
“Can I touch it?”
Questions were thrown into the night air and even Theodore was curious. He watched intently as Granger silenced the crowd and began explaining…something about Christmas lights, about artificial lights. More about potatoes and potions and wires and elec-tris-sit-tee. Theodore looked around him and noted the reflection of those lights upon the faces of his peers. The scene was drastically different from the one he had witnessed a few weeks ago, where the cry against the Muggle Literature section had started in the first place. He briefly wondered if Draco was among those in the crowd, or if Pansy could see the lights from the Astronomy Tower as she made out with Blaise. He chuckled and imagined the looks on their faces upon seeing these elec-tris-sit Christmas lights from afar. The things probably look like charmed fireflies, dancing in the trees.
Theodore turned toward Granger once more, enjoying her obvious glee. Something inside of him warmed and glowed at her expression of excitement. The presentation was a success, from the looks of the crowd. She had managed to convince even him of the possible magic found within Muggles and their technology.