Smells Like Teen Spirit

Hurt

TW: Scroll down to A/N at the end or message me.

Highly recommend checking out the playlist for this chapter or at least having it on standby. You can find it on my Tumblr at canttouchthis87.

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March 7, 1998

The Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch match was typically a boisterous affair - and this year was no exception. With both Harry and Draco graduating, there was a lot of masculine pride riding on the outcome of the game.

Hermione felt quite torn. On the one hand, she was a loyal Gryffindor and Harry's best friend. However, she and Draco had started seeing each other romantically, ever since he had gifted her the mixtape. Both boys insisted they were entitled to her loyalty, which was why she had decided to sit with the Hufflepuffs, who were mostly tripping on shrooms and trying to find the snitch.

"Hermione!" Susan called out from the other side of Ernie. "Can you help us?"

"Er—" Hermione looked to where Susan and Hannah were huddled together "—sure?"

She moved past Justin and Ernie (who were convinced that they had in fact caught the Snitch) to sit with the two girls who appeared to be actually watching the game.

"Alright, we need you to settle a debate." The girls both looked quite serious, though Hannah's lip was quirking slightly.

"Uh huh..." Hermione wasn't sure where this was going but had a bad feeling regardless.

The pair looked to the pitch and then back at her. "Which one is, you know, bigger?"

Hermione sputtered and Susan and Hannah broke into a torrent of laughter. "Excuse me?"

"Malfoy or Potter! Since they're playing for bragging rights...Who really has something to brag about?" Hannah whispered the last part, giving her a conspiratorial wink.

If they weren't so wasted, Hermione might have been offended. But as it was, she felt reasonably confident the girls meant no harm.

"I wouldn't know," she told them finally with a slight smile.

Hermione had, thankfully, never seen Harry's penis, and she and Draco were taking things slow. She was enjoying the languid pace of their courtship; rather than go on typical dates, they were exploring the castle together. He took her to the Slytherin Common Rooms where she enjoyed watching Theo and Draco bicker about music while she and Pansy looked on and rolled their eyes. She in turn showed Draco how to get to the kitchens one night when they were stoned, introducing him to the Hogwarts bound house elves.

It was just like before but also entirely different. They continued to sit by the Black Lake and talk about music - but now she sat between his legs, with his chin draped over her shoulder. And now, when they had time between classes, he would drag her into an alcove to make out.

But that was all they had done - and Hermione was okay with that, enjoying the simple thrill of being able to kiss him and hold his hand without the pervading doubt that she was alone in how she felt. Because she knew what they were to each other, and for the time being they weren't focusing on what would happen when they graduated. Rather, they were focusing on the here and now.

"Well, if you don't know, you must have a theory," Hannah asked, lifting her eyebrows provocatively.

Hermione's lip twitched, because she did have a theory but there was absolutely no way she was going to say it out loud.