Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

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
- 2
- 3
- 4
Hermione woke the next morning to a passed-out Ginny lying on the bed next to her. She smiled and stifled a laugh – Ginny must have either forgotten which was her bed, or been so drunk she couldn't make it across the room and just dropped onto Hermione's, conveniently the closest to the door. She sat up and looked around, careful not to disturb the sleeping redhead. They were the only two people in the room; Parvati's bed was empty, and she strongly suspected that the Indian girl was currently in the boys' dorm with Dean. After all, they'd been going at it very early on in the evening.
She clutched her head as a wave of nausea rolled over her, and wordlessly summoned a hangover potion from her trunk. If there was one reason she'd always be grateful for her natural affinity for Potions, it was because she had brewed these herself and she'd been able to tailor them exactly how she wanted – with a sweet taste and less side effects. After she'd gratefully gulped it down, the memories of last night started coming back to her in force. She rarely ever forgot anything, even while drunk, probably because her brain was used to working overtime.
Merlin, though, what the hell had Malfoy been thinking? Storming out like that and then coming back to ambush her outside the common room? Circe only knew what the Fat Lady must think of her after witnessing that little display. She couldn't deny it, though – she'd kissed him back. She had liked it. It had felt visceral and exciting in ways that kissing Ron just hadn't. She pondered – did she enjoy it because it was unexpected and naughty and thrilling, or was it because she could actually like Malfoy?
Immediately, she dismissed the thought with a snort. Never happening. It must have been her getting caught up in the moment, that was all. Her thoughts moved from Malfoy to Theo, to Theo's sparkling eyes and swishy hair and gentle expression. Contrary to all her previous protests, she thought she really might be developing a crush on him. She smiled for a moment, then remembered what she'd done with Malfoy, and groaned. Things were, all of a sudden, a lot more complicated.
Ginny stirred next to her at the sound of her voice. "Wh-whassat?"
"Morning," Hermione said with an amused grin, summoning another potion. She knew Ginny would need it – she always did. The Weasley girl took it gratefully and downed it in one gulp; then, the vigour returning to her rapidly, she sat up with an excitable grin.
"Hermione! Guess what?!"
"You made out with Blaise?" Hermione said with a raised eyebrow.
Ginny looked shocked, then sheepish. "Oh. I guess you hadn't all left before we started. How – how much did you see?"
"Well," Hermione thought back, "Millie and Seamus were too drunk to notice anything. Theo, Goyle, Neville and I saw you getting into quite the little snogging session and then decided we'd best leave you to it." She smiled, because despite the impropriety of it all, she was glad her friend had had a good time. "That must have been at about 3am. I was asleep when you got back."
"Oh," Ginny sounded relieved. "Thank Merlin you didn't stay any later – things got pretty heavy."
"Tell me we don't have to go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione signed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Nothing like that," Ginny admonished, smacking her. "As if I'd do that on the first night, come on. We just did…some other stuff."
"I don't need to know," Hermione stated, putting her hands up in front of her face.
Ginny laughed. "I can't wait to see him at breakfast. I hope he still thinks I'm cute then."
"I'm sure he will," Hermione said with a smile. Blaise hadn't seemed like the type to just ditch someone immediately. Then again, she didn't know any of the Slytherins all too well yet.
"So what did you get up to?" Ginny asked, settling back on the bed. "Anything interesting?"
"Well…" Hermione didn't quite know where to start. She decided the best way was chronologically, so she began from the ending of I Never Ever and told Ginny about all the events leading up to her entering the portrait hole. Ginny looked gobsmacked when she was finished.
"Wow," she said, once Hermione had finished talking, "I can't believe Malfoy would do that! It's like – it's Malfoy! Eww! But also – I've heard rumours…was it good?"
Hermione felt herself grinning against her will. "Well…yeah," she admitted. "It was fantastic."
"Eurgh," Ginny said, but in a fascinated tone. "I can't even imagine it. But you say you don't even like him? You think you like Theo?"
"Well, I don't know about like yet," Hermione cautioned. "I think he's good-looking and nice to speak to, and I find him interesting, and I'd like to get to know him better."
"You like him, you like him," Ginny chanted childishly, almost bouncing up and down in excitement. "Merlin, won't it be amazing? Us two with our Slytherin boyfriends? We could have a double wedding!"
Hermione laughed. "Hold up, Gin, I ended last night by kissing his best friend – and my mortal enemy – in the corridor. And despite it all, it felt really nice. I don't know what Theo thinks of me, even, but judging by that I know what Malfoy thinks about me, and that's really confusing."
"Yeah," Ginny said, her face serious again. "That's a bit of a shitty development. Honestly, I don't know what to say – except I'm really glad you're opening up a bit and starting to follow your instincts. Look what's happened, a crush and a snog both in one night! I'm proud of you!"
Hermione laughed despite herself. "If only they were the same person, eh?"
At that moment, the door opened and Parvati crept back in, in the same dress she'd worn the night before, her high heels in her hand. She looked over at Hermione's bed with a start, her guilty look betraying that she had hoped they'd be asleep.
"How's Dean?" singsonged Ginny, and Parvati cringed.
"You…you saw that, then," she said, clearing her throat and crossing the room to drop her shoes on her bed.
"I think pretty much everyone in the castle saw it," Hermione remarked teasingly. "You guys were all over each other."
Parvati sighed, sat on her bed and put her head in her hands. "Oh man. I was so drunk."
"Do you regret it?" Ginny asked seriously. "'Cause I'm pretty sure Dean's been into you for a really long time. Like, I remember him mentioning you a lot, even when we were going out like two years ago. He'll be broken up if you don't actually like him."
"Of course I like him," wailed Parvati, "I just – I don't know if I'm ready for something like this. I know how much Dean likes me and I don't want to let him down. I can't be this perfect ideal that he thinks I am, because I'm a mess, ever since Lavender…"
She tailed off, and immediately, Hermione and Ginny both got up and sat either side of her, hugging one shoulder each. It was standard protocol when one of them began to get upset about something that happened during the war – it had become a comforting habit. "Don't, Parvati," Hermione said softly, "Lavender wouldn't want you to be feeling like this, you know that. She'd be egging you on, telling you to go out with Dean and supply all of us with the juicy details." As much as she'd loathed Lavender during their years at school, she knew the girl well enough to know that that's exactly what she'd have done.
Parvati looked up at her with a watery smile. "Yeah, you're right. I'm being stupid. Dean likes me, and I like him, and it shouldn't need to be any more than that, should it?"
Ginny grinned. "Nope. Spot on. Shall we get some breakfast, then?"
Suddenly Parvati seemed to remember something and clapped a hand to her mouth. "Oh sweet Circe, I'd forgotten," she said, stifling a growing smile. "In the boys' dorm, last night – obviously Dean and I were pretty occupied, but I remember Seamus and Neville coming in super late, and – they went to the same bed," she finished in a dramatic whisper.
Hermione and Ginny exchanged a glance. Hermione had never been one for gossip, really, but this was something pretty big. "Are you sure? Did you hear anything else?"
"No," Parvati affirmed, "I don't know if they just went to sleep or what. But I didn't think Seamus was gay, so it was pretty surprising to say the least."
"He's bi," confirmed Ginny, "Dean mentioned it to me once. Don't think he should have, but he was pretty drunk at the time. Could well be there's something going on there."
"Wow," Parvati said, eyebrows raised. "Well, there you go, I guess."
At that, the three of them began to get ready, dressing and heading down for breakfast. It was always a little later on the weekends, and though it usually bothered Hermione because she woke up at the same time every day and then had to wait longer for breakfast to start, today she was very glad of it. As she piled eggs on her toast, she looked around the room and saw many bedraggled eighth-years looking sorry for themselves. At least it had been one hell of a party.
Soon after they arrived, Hermione saw the Slytherin crowd troop in from the corner of her eye. Millie looked very hung over, and Blaise was sporting bags under his eyes to match Ginny's, but the rest of them seemed unaffected. Malfoy deliberately avoided looking at her as he walked past, and Pansy gave her an uneasy glance, but Theo smiled and raised a hand. Blaise made a beeline for the Gryffindor table, leaving his friends behind. As he approached, Ginny stood up and a grin spread over her face. Hermione watched her friend, entranced – she really did have a soft spot for the Slytherin. It would seem he reciprocated, as well, since he was unashamedly walking over to her in front of not just the eighth years, but the entire school, teachers included.
"Hey," Ginny greeted him as he arrived at their spot.
Blaise didn't even reply, but instead walked straight up to her and kissed her soundly on the lips. Parvati gasped and Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Hey, you," he said breathlessly afterwards. "Meet me by the lake after breakfast? I want to pick up where we left off last night."
"Deal," Ginny grinned, then kissed him again, and he smirked before nodding to the other two girls and leaving to go to his own table. She sat down and let out a long breath. "Well, that was…"
"Unexpected?" prompted Hermione.
"Fun," she replied, and gestured around the Great Hall at the stunned faces. "Seems like he doesn't give a shit about what they think, which is fantastic because neither do I."
"Did I miss something?" questioned Parvati, looking between the two of them, baffled.
"Ginny got very well acquainted with the inside of Blaise's mouth last night," Hermione helpfully supplied. "It would seem as though he's pretty keen."
"Good, 'cause so am I," Ginny said distractedly, shovelling down her breakfast with the gusto only a member of the Weasley family could manage. Clearly she wanted to finish and get out to meet Blaise.
Hermione laid a hand on her arm and looked at her seriously. "Gin, don't forget. Whatever you do here gets around, and sooner or later it's probably going to get back to Harry. He might ask about it, and I know he was really gutted about the break up – what do you want me to say, if he finds out?"
"That I'm messing around with a Slytherin?" Ginny pondered. "Yeah, I doubt that will go down too well – not with Ron either, to be honest." She sighed. "I don't want you to lie, but just play it down a little, if you do get an owl. After all, I don't even know what we want from each other yet, or how much he likes me, so no sense rocking the boat unless it looks like it's actually going to last. Is that okay?"
"Of course," Hermione smiled. She was grateful Ginny hadn't asked her to lie, because her loyalty was always to Harry first and it would have put her in a very difficult position. The way she'd phrased it, she didn't even know if it was going to be something serious, and it made it easier for Hermione to downplay it too. Maybe she wouldn't even get an owl from them. Ginny stood up and left, catching Blaise's eye as she hurried out of the Hall, and Hermione saw the Slytherin grab some toast and follow her almost immediately. She shook her head. There was definitely going to be an owl.
She finished her breakfast in relative peace, interrupted only by the arrival of Neville, Seamus and Dean. Parvati and Dean's awkward, stilted conversation eventually became too much to bear, so Hermione excused herself, intending to go to the library and catch up on some homework. She hadn't got anything done yesterday because of the party, so she was prepared to settle in for an afternoon proofreading her Ancient Runes essay. Nobody else went to the library on Sundays, so it was always lovely and peaceful.
She felt Malfoy's eyes following her as she left the Great Hall, but she didn't look round. If he wanted to come and talk to her, he could, and if he didn't, that was fine by her. She didn't know what had made him kiss her, and that unknown fact niggled at the back of her brain, but the knowledge that he was clearly in the midst of some sort of crisis where she was concerned gave her a newfound sense of empowerment that she was very much enjoying.
She settled down in her usual seat at the back of the library and took out her books, ready to get started. The sky outside was grey and the wind cold, it being mid-October, so there were no distractions as she buried herself in the third draft of her essay. She worked until well into the afternoon, when the murky sky outside had begun to darken, then paused to light a lantern so she could see better. Surprisingly, Madam Pince didn't mind lanterns in the library so long as they were supervised, and preferred it to when students would cast Lumos spells. A backfiring spell, she always said, would cause much more damage than an upset lantern.
Whilst fetching some oil, Hermione noticed another person sitting at the very back of the library, head bent over some parchment. Whoever it was was using their wand to see by, and Hermione knew that Madam Pince would swoop down on them if she saw them. She decided to take them a lantern of their own to spare them the librarian's wrath.
When she approached the table, though, and the figure looked up she saw the familiar face of Theo. "Hermione," he said in surprise. His hair was more ruffled than usual, from his running his hands through it constantly, she supposed, and his jumper was rolled up past his sleeves. He looked exhausted.
"Oh, hi, Theo," she replied. "I didn't know it was you over here. Sorry to disturb you. I just thought I'd warn you that Madam Pince doesn't like wandlight, and bring you this instead."
He took the proffered lantern with a smile. "Thanks. I don't really come here often, I don't know the library rules."
"What brings you here today?" Hermione asked, honestly glad of the short break from her own work.
"This assignment from Professor Sinistra," Theo gestured at the parchment in front of him. "I was planning to do it this weekend, but then the party happened so now I'm a little behind."
"The Rune chart?" Hermione asked, surprised. "I didn't know you took Ancient Runes. How have I never seen you in class before?"
Theo looked sheepish. "I'm taking extra-credit classes. I have private sessions every Tuesday and Thursday evening since my timetable is too full. I need this for next Tuesday, but I'd already put aside tomorrow night to work on Slughorn's Potions essay, and now I'm really regretting going to that party."
Hermione smiled. Here was someone with a work ethic she could appreciate. "I'm working on the same assignment right now. Would you like some help?" she offered.
Theo looked at her, surprise evident in his dark eyes. "Really? I know enough about you – and overheard enough conversations between you and your friends – to know you don't like helping others with their homework. I wouldn't want to put you out or anything…"
Hermione snorted. "I don't like helping slackers with their homework. Ron and Harry used to spend every evening playing chess and then ask me to copy twenty minutes before the lesson. I don't mind helping someone who actually wants to learn."
Theo's sheepish face told a story. "Sorry. I guess I shouldn't assume things. I would really appreciate the help, if you still wouldn't mind. Just with this one section."
"It's all right," Hermione said with a grin, pulling up a chair beside him. To be honest, anyone who'd heard her retorts when the two boys had dared to ask for her homework had a right to be cautious. "It's easy to make assumptions, and you don't know me that well yet."
"Yet?" Theo questioned with a smile.
"Yet," Hermione confirmed, and bent over his parchment. She certainly had the intentions of getting to know all of the Slytherins much better, true to her word to Blaise. She didn't think any of them deserved the treatment they were receiving (except maybe Malfoy) and she'd really had fun getting to know them the previous evening. "So which part exactly are you stuck on?"
They worked together on Theo's assignment for the next few hours. Hermione found him to be a delightful study partner. He actually wanted to learn the material, which was something she valued, but more than that he didn't ask her for the answers. He debated with her, offering his own ideas and asking for her opinions, and at one point in their conversation they actually discovered something she hadn't even thought of, so she had to run back to add it to her own chart. All in all, she had a very enjoyable time, and when he finally dropped his quill and ran his hands through his hair with a sigh, she leaned back, content that they'd done a great job.
"What time is it?" Theo asked, rubbing his eyes. Besides their little flickering lantern light, it was almost pitch black.
Hermione muttered a wandless spell. "Half past eight. We've missed dinner."
"Whoa," he said, "I should get back to the common room or they'll have a search party out soon."
Hermione laughed. "I doubt anyone in Gryffindor has even noticed. I'm always late at the library. Besides, Ginny will have been busy all day, I'd imagine."
"Oh, Merlin, yeah," Theo shook his head as he gathered up his possessions. "I had no idea he was going to do that at breakfast. Quite the statement, wouldn't you say?"
"Ginny loved it," responded Hermione, "but I'm worried. Word might get back to Harry and Ron, then I'll be the one getting the Howlers about it."
"Howlers?" Theo questioned. "Why, is she still involved with Potter or something?"
"No," Hermione said quickly, not wanting to make Ginny out to be some kind of slut, "but Ron's her brother and he's pretty protective – and I think Harry is still kind of upset about them breaking up. Hearing she's with a Slytherin…"
"Right," Theo nodded in understanding. "I guess they're not on the same page as you about Slytherins."
Hermione looked apologetic as she stepped back to let him leave the library first. "They're still dealing with the aftermath of everything every day in their jobs," she said, in an attempt to defend them. "They don't see the innocent Slytherins."
Theo laughed. "I don't think there's ever been an innocent Slytherin."
Hermione laughed along with him. "Alright, well, innocent in the eyes of the law, anyway," she corrected herself. "It'd be difficult for them to reconcile memories of the war and of Malfoy and Pansy's attitudes with the fun we had at the party last night, or how much Ginny likes Blaise, or us hanging out and working on assignments together."
"I see that," Theo said sagely. "To be honest, it was difficult for me to understand it when Blaise came in and announced we'd been invited to the party. I figured it was some kind of practical joke, and then when he said it came from you, I was even more confused."
"How so?" Hermione questioned, genuinely curious.
"Well," Theo replied, frowning, "you don't seem the type to play cruel jokes. If it wasn't that we were going to turn up and be covered in Stinkbombs for everyone else's entertainment, I couldn't understand why anyone, especially you, would want us there. Blaise explained it to me, though," he finished with a shrug, "and so we went. And now, here we are."
Hermione grinned. "It was sort of on a whim at first," she confessed, "Blaise had been so polite during Potions and I just suddenly thought, maybe Slytherins aren't all bad and I just blurted it out."
"I'm glad you did," Theo said seriously as they approached the entrance to his common room. "The others act like they couldn't care less, but they could and they do. Our house needed someone to give us a chance to show everyone we're not our parents."
Hermione beamed as they arrived at the door. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you all better," she said truthfully. "Perhaps we could all have some drinks at the next Hogsmeade trip or something."
"That'd be great," Theo replied, "I'll see who's up for it. In fact, would you like to come in for a drink now?" He gestured at the doorway. "If nobody's missing you at Gryffindor, maybe you could hang out with us for a while."
Hermione almost accepted; it was on the tip of her tongue. Theo was so lovely, and she wanted to continue talking to him. She wanted to find out if Millie was okay after her fall last night. She wanted to tease Blaise about his public display of affection this morning. Then she thought about Malfoy, who would invariably be present, and the word 'yes' died on her lips.
"I should probably get back," she said apologetically. "I need to get something to eat anyway."
"Oh," Theo said with a flash of disappointment. "Well, alright then. See you around. Thanks for the help today."
"My pleasure," Hermione replied as he departed into the common room, and meant it.
- 2
- 3
- 4
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Second Chances