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Second Chances	By : ShigeSato Category: Harry Potter Crossovers > Het - Male/Female Views: 2964 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, settings or named spells/objects in the Harry Potter franchise. They are the intellectual property of JK Rowling and Warner Bros. I make no profit from this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
Graduation Day. It was finally, finally upon them. For seven years, Hermione had worked hard for this exact moment. She let the feeling of relief and happiness flow through her, relaxing against Theo's shoulder as they all sat together in the Slytherin common room after the official ceremony. It was over – it was done. Her education was complete. Tomorrow, they'd be leaving Hogwarts for good.
"I can't believe it," Ginny voiced for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "We're actually never coming back here again."
"Crazy, isn't it?" Seamus agreed, staring out of the window into the Black Lake.
"Well, speak for yourself," Neville said, glowing with pride. Seamus grinned, happy for his boyfriend, and Ginny laughed. Neville had been accepted as the new Herbology teacher following Professor Sprout's announced retirement this year, a position he'd coveted since discovering his talent for the subject and which had been confirmed only this afternoon as the professor had approached him herself to tell him he'd got the position.
"Alright, the non-nerds are never coming back here again," Ginny corrected herself, and a wave of laughter rippled around the group.
"Except me," Hermione spoke up, raising a hand, "complete nerd over here, not returning."
"I agree with the 'complete nerd' part," Draco said languidly from his position on the opposite sofa. "One thing I will not miss is the stick up your ass in lessons, Granger."
"Oh! Oh! Professor McGonagall, it's just like it says on Page 172, Paragraph 4 of the Standard Book of Spells Volume Six," Blaise stuck up his hand and jumped up and down like a crazed monkey, and even Hermione had to laugh at the ridiculous impression.
"No, no, she never shouts out," Seamus said, "it's more like this, at least in Snape's class." He shot his hand up in the air, made a pained expression and danced about in a circle as if he was desperate for the toilet.
"Say what you like, Seamus," Hermione countered playfully, "but at least I didn't blow up my cauldron every single lesson and have – ooh, what was it – four hundred and sixty-two detentions in total?"
"Four hundred and sixty-three, Filch gave me one earlier for dropping a farewell Dungbomb in his office," Seamus responded proudly, "and actually, I'm late for it, so I'd better hustle."
The group collectively laughed as Seamus kissed Neville on the cheek and headed out of the portrait hole. Hermione let out a deep sigh. This was what it had all come down to, in the end, and as Theo's fingers gently stroked her arm, she was incredibly happy that things had turned out as they had.
After the ball, they'd returned to her revision schedule and everyone had, to her surprise, actually knuckled down and done their work. For the last few weeks, they'd had scheduled study sessions which had actually been very effective, and she would forever take credit for the fact that with her help and guidance, even Gregory Goyle had managed to pass his NEWTs. He'd broken down and hugged her in a very un-Greg-like way upon receiving the results, claiming he'd never really thought he would do it.
She hadn't spoken to Draco once about what she'd witnessed in the corridor, and it seemed he wasn't about to say anything either, so she let it be for now. None of them had seen Harry or Ron since the ball, as both Aurors had been out on a mission for the last month, and she suspected that there would be more answers about the nature of their relationship further along the road – if there even was a relationship to answer for. In the meantime, she didn't want to stir the pot. Let them be whatever they were in private, and if and when they were ready to tell, she'd be ready to congratulate them.
Since Valentine's Day, she'd had no word yet on the state of her parents' memory reconstruction but Theo assured her that the process would take some time, and that they would probably have an update by the end of the summer. She was excited about the prospect, especially because she'd be able to face them again with pride once she'd had a chance to find herself a job and renovate Nott Manor into the beautiful place she had imagined in her mind's eye.
"You looking forward to coming home tomorrow?" Theo asked in her ear, and Hermione leaned back into him and smiled.
"I can't wait," she confessed, "we have all summer to decorate it properly and make it our own."
"Am I going to have a say in it as well, then?" Theo asked, feigning surprise, and Hermione hit him lightly with a short laugh.
"Not if you mock me you won't," she teased.
Just then, there was a knock on the door and everyone stilled and exchanged glances. If it was a Slytherin they could come right on in, and if it wasn't, what could they want? Perhaps Seamus had returned after finding out his detention was cancelled? Confused, Blaise stood up and walked over to the portrait hole, opening it and peering out.
"Hello Professor, can I help you?" he asked politely.
"Yes, hello, Mr Zabini," came McGonagall's stern voice from the other side of the door. "Could you send Mr. Nott and Mr. Malfoy out, please? I'd like a word with the two of them."
Theo's eyes widened in fear, and he looked over at Draco who merely shrugged. Theo extricated himself from Hermione on the sofa and vaulted the back, joining the blonde who'd gotten up off the sofa and walking over to where Blaise watched them from over his shoulder as he held the door for the Professor.
"Good, thank you. Both of you, come with me, if you please," McGonagall's clipped tone left no room for argument. Draco slouched uninterestedly after her, and with a final worried glance at his friends, Theo followed suit. Blaise whistled in a low tone as he headed back to his place by the fire.
"Well, I wonder what that's about?" he asked, looking round the room. "Did they cheat or something?"
"No way," Hermione spoke up instantly. "Theo wouldn't do that, and let's be honest here, Draco doesn't need to, he's about as smart as I am when he actually tries. It's got to be something else. Maybe their results were counted wrong?"
"Maybe it's to do with Death Eater stuff," Ginny proposed, and everyone turned to look at her in surprise. "What? Both their fathers were pretty high up. I'm not saying anything against them, they're my friends, but out of everyone else in the room, it was only those two that were called in."
"We don't know that," Hermione countered, "Professor McGonagall doesn't know we're in here. She could have gone to Gryffindor looking for us, or asked for any number of Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs at their common rooms. Besides, wasn't Greg's dad a Death Eater as well?"
"Yeah," Goyle said gloomily, and Millie rubbed his arm in comfort.
Ginny shrugged. "Never mind, then. Bad theory."
"We'll just have to wait and see, I suppose," Neville remarked, shrugging, and sat down at the low table. "Anyone want a game of Exploding Snap?"
While the others played, Hermione opted out and sat on the sofa worrying about Theo. What if it was something bad? What if they'd found out – something – that both of their fathers were involved in during the war that might tarnish their reputations or be a cause for concern? The professor had sounded pretty serious. She couldn't take her mind off it, and ended up staring off into the Black Lake, tense and worried.
"Loosen up, Granger," came a voice from her left, and she looked over to see Pansy sitting down beside her. The girl looked uninterested and snobbish as usual, but Hermione knew this was her way of trying to offer some comfort. "They'll be back and they'll be fine."
"Yeah, I know," she replied, "I just hope it's not anything too bad."
"Trust me," Pansy answered, looking at her fingernails, "if it were to do with Death Eater stuff, McGonagall would've dragged at least me and Greg in there as well. She also probably wouldn't have let them graduate publicly. Just chill for a minute, I don't know how Theo copes with you being so wound up all the time."
"He's learned to deal with it," Hermione replied self-deprecatingly, with a small smile.
Pansy snorted. "There's the spirit, Granger."
They remained in the common room for the next few hours. Seamus returned from his detention smelling strongly of cleaning fluid and immediately blew himself up upon joining in the games of Exploding Snap. There was a definite tense undercurrent due to the absence of their friends, but Hermione forced herself to ignore it and concentrate on a book instead. They'd be back, just like Pansy had said. She couldn't do anything about it but wait.
After what felt like an eternity, the portrait hole opened and Theo and Draco appeared, both looking tired and fairly passive. Hermione squealed, dropping her book, and leapt across the room to engulf Theo in a hug. He wrapped his arms around her as Draco edged past them with a mock-revolted expression and padded back over to his sofa.
"What happened?!" Ginny asked eagerly, all eyes on Draco as he flopped back down. Hermione released Theo and waited with bated breath.
"Nothing important," Draco replied flippantly, and the whole room collectively let out a breath.
"Theo?" Hermione asked, pressing, and her boyfriend looked down at the floor and then back up with a grin.
"I've been offered the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts," he announced, and Hermione had to hold back another excited squeal. "McGonagall sat me down and spoke to me sternly about my reputation and my OWL results, but she said she and the rest of the staff have seen such a marked improvement this year in both my attitude and my grades, that they agreed my application would be approved – and that my first-hand experience would be an asset rather than a detriment. I'll be starting in September."
"I'm so proud of you," Hermione breathed, and kissed him fiercely, aware that everyone's eyes were on them but not caring one bit. "I can't believe it, you did it!"
"It's all thanks to you, honestly," he said, shaking his head and staring joyously into her eyes. "No way I could have pulled back those grades without your study schedule, and you were the one who told me to take the extra class – and honestly, the one who gave us all a chance at having a proper social life again. One hundred percent of this is down to you, and I can't thank you enough for it."
"It's not, it's all you, Theo," Hermione stroked his cheek with her hand and he leant into it. "I may have given you a chance and a push but you did this all yourself and you should be so proud of it."
Theo smiled and leaned down to kiss her once again.
"So why was Draco called in, then?" Blaise asked quizzically, turning his head away from the occupied pair to his blonde friend lounging on the sofa.
"She offered me Potions. I turned it down," Draco replied simply, seeming totally uninterested.
"Why?" Pansy questioned, her eyebrows furrowed. "You're really good at Potions and you've been wanting something to do that'll get you out of the Manor."
Draco only seemed annoyed at the query. "Because I don't need her approval or her recognition. This is all a result of some bullshit idea she's got in her head that we want a chance to prove ourselves. As far as I'm concerned, I don't want anyone giving me a job because of who I am, or who my father was, or because they think I need some sort of redemption. I know I'm a talented potioneer and I can easily find a job elsewhere, some country where people don't know me, and I won't have to deal with the constant crap of being stared at every day, by both my fellow faculty members and the students I'd be teaching."
Draco's tirade brought the mood of the whole room down, and Theo broke away from Hermione, looking at the floor. "You know, Draco, I still think you should take it. You know I'd be there too. We'd be in it together – as much as you say you hate the thought of it, it'll be the same for me."
"So don't take it either," Draco sniffed. "Nobody said you had to."
"I want to!" Theo burst out, frustration written all over his face. "Look, I didn't want to say anything in McGonagall's office, but this is a brilliant opportunity for you and you're looking a gift horse in the mouth. Don't you think after a year or two of being Hogwarts' Potions master, with their kids going home and saying how great Professor Malfoy is, that people will begin to look at you differently? Running away from your problems won't solve them, but working towards something to change your family's image will. Don't you think your mother would hate to think you're running off to another country? McGonagall is giving you the best chance you'll have in Britain and you should take it if you know what's good for you."
"You really have learned to dish it out, haven't you, Theo," Draco replied, his flippant expression still in place. "Last year you'd never have spoken to me like that."
"I've learned that you're a pompous prick who needs to be told that he's cutting his nose off to spite his face sometimes," Theo countered, but without any real venom in his tone. "Look, the others will agree with me, this is the best opportunity you'll get. And you don't have to do it forever. A year or two would really help to restore the Malfoy name – and it's not just about you, but your mother too."
"I have to say, he's right, Draco," Pansy piped up. "You know I don't disagree with you often, but on this point, you're being an idiot. Take the damn job." Blaise fervently nodded his head.
"Et tu, Brute?" Draco asked in a mocking manner. "Look, I'm not going to make this decision right now. I'll go and speak to McGonagall tomorrow morning and hear her out properly before I turn her down. Is that good enough for you all?"
"As long as you don't turn her down for the wrong reasons," Hermione said pointedly. "Those being pride or idiocy."
"Noted, thank you, Granger," Draco said, inclining his head towards her. "Now will someone deal me into this game?"
"Aren't we going to dinner? I'm starving," announced Neville, and right on cue Goyle's stomach rumbled loudly.
"I could fetch us some food," Hermione offered. "I think it'd be nice to eat all together here in the common room, for the last time at Hogwarts."
"Our common room," Draco said snarkily. "Don't know when you lot adopted it, but it's become too noisy in here far too often recently."
"That sounds like a great idea," Ginny answered, ignoring Draco completely. "Do you want some help carrying it from the Great Hall?"
"It's no problem, I'm not going to the Great Hall," Hermione replied with a small grin. "Theo can help me, he knows where we're going – we went there at Christmas to fetch snacks."
"Oh, you are not going to the kitchens without me," Ginny scrambled up indignantly, "Fred and George teased me for years about knowing where that place is! I have to know before we leave forever!"
"The kitchens?" Draco's curiosity was piqued. "If I'm potentially going to become a faculty member I should know where the entrance is. I'm coming along too."
Before long, and with plenty of exasperation on Hermione's part, the entire group headed together out of the portrait hole and towards the fruit painting. Theo laughed at her consternation. "Humour them today, we probably won't see them for a while," he reminded her, and she relented. Upon seeing the horde of young adults pouring into their kitchens, the house-elves were beyond excited and fell over to serve them as much food as they could possibly carry. With plenty of bowing and flapping ears, they came away with trays upon trays of hot, mouthwatering roast dinner and plenty of drinks, desserts and snacks.
It didn't take long to get everything set up in the Slytherin common room, and surrounded by mountains of delicious food and plenty of laughter, all eleven of the unlikely friends – Draco, Blaise, Theo, Pansy, Greg, Millie, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Seamus, and Luna – raised a goblet to their final day at Hogwarts, and to facing the future together, whatever it may bring.
- 13
- 14
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Second Chances