sugar & spice

chapter eighteen

"Give me the paper, Hermione."

Her gaze bounced between Theo's outstretched hand and the parchment in front of her. "I think we should double check it one more time."

"Double check it? We've read over the blasted translation at least half a dozen times in the last week." Draco rubbed the corners of his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

She bit her lip. This assignment counted for the majority of their grade in the class. Not to mention it was wonderful preparation for their N.E.W.Ts. Just one more read through wouldn't hurt, would-

Theo snatched the parchment away before she could grab for it. "Ah ah. I could practically hear you thinking just one more time."

"One more time wouldn't hurt," she argued, crossing her arms.

"Speak for yourself," Draco grumbled. "I'm literally dreaming in runes, Granger. And trust me, there's plenty I'd rather dream about."

Theo cocked his head. "I wonder. Do you think there's a runic sequence for tight little-"

"Theo!" she snapped.

Chuckling, he tucked the stack of parchment away inside his bag, out of sight, as if that would put it out of her mind. He turned back to the table and shrugged at her glare. "It's done. We're finished. Another read through isn't going to do anything but drive you out of your mind. It's perfect."

Nice try, but... "You and I both know translations are never perfect, Theo. They're inherently imperfect."

"Even better. If perfection isn't attainable, we've certainly come close enough for Professor Babbling's standards. I'm sure of it."

She sighed. Maybe they were right. How many errors could she possibly have missed, could they have missed? And even if there were errors, what were the chances of her discovering them now, on one more read through? Slim, honestly. "Fine. You have to admit, it's a little odd. Being done."

They'd spent months on the project. Merlin, it was responsible for shoving them together, giving them a reason to spend time together in the first place. It wasn't just odd being through with the project, it was...she was feeling a little sentimental. That was it.

"Just think," Theo said. "No more project means more-"

"Time to study for our N.E.W.Ts?" She struggled not to crack up when Theo's face fell.

Draco chuckled under his breath and shook his head slowly. "Gods, how did we not see that coming?"

Theo grabbed Draco's hand, lacing their fingers together with a smile. "I think what Draco and I are suggesting is that without the project, we can spend more time outside the library."

She stared.

"Who are we kidding?" Draco looked at Theo and smirked. "We knew exactly what we were getting ourselves into."

"True." Theo nodded. "Her swotty personality is half her appeal."

"You do realize, I'm sitting right here?" She paused. "Wait, what's the other half of my appeal?"

Draco and Theo's eyes dropped to her chest in tandem.

"Hey!" She laughed. "I have a half a mind to charm your arses stuck to your chairs. Try leaving the library glued to your seats."

"Hermione," Theo drew out her name, a sure sign that he was about to lay it on thick. "We have months to study for our exams. Do we really need to start now?"

She pursed her lips. "Is that a legitimate question?"

Theo groaned, while Draco simply shook his head in clear exasperation.