i've been thinking about theo x hermione lately; they seem like a cute bookish couple! ^^
this is a muggle au for the @slytherdornet autumn challenge!
theodore nott was a romantic
and it especially came out around the time when the leaves were falling and he could feel them crunching under his boots as he walked to work
he loved thinking about what autumn symbolized
how the changing leaves represented the cycle of true love
or how the crisp air was a constant reminder that although love was refreshing, it could leave you feeling cold on the inside
he had many ideas for books but he had nowhere to start
maybe it was because he had never truly been in love before and only dreamed of love
but at least he worked at the local book store
all he did on the job was read
so he could easily spark some ideas and maybe get a better idea of what love was truly like
what theo was unaware of was that love was nothing like novels
it hardly ever had a clean beginning
and he had no idea that when she came into the bookstore that he had found love just then
he never would have expected she would be the one for him
her unruly curls were flying everywhere and her face was bright red with frustration
her hands were raised in exasperation as she marched up to the register
he had no idea what had made her so mad and he honestly didn’t want to know
he had never seen her before in his life
but he noticed an engagement ring on her finger
and he noticed it was an emerald
she was draco malfoy’s fiance
that was the only explanation
that was the traditional malfoy family heirloom
the dreaded hermione granger
who was apparently so absorbed in work that she couldn’t help but talk about it constantly
and who was an advocate for the weirdest things that it made people in this small town uncomfortable
she was expected to move into town anytime
theo had hoped he would be able to always avoid her like he did malfoy
but her rage became vocal before he could even attempt to dash away
“i cannot believe this!” she screeched, “my fiance told me that he would meet me an hour ago at this local cafe, and then i.. i see him with his ex girlfriend.. MAKING OUT.. in front of the bookstore in my NEW town that was going to become my solace! i was walking here to clear my head before i called him, and then i saw THAT.”
theo had no idea what to say
but he politely put his book on the counter as he folded the corner of the page he finished reading
he figured she would be appreciative of the polite action to give her his undivided attention
but instead her face became redder
“you’re one of THOSE people!” she accused
theo perked his eyebrow up and calmly asked, “what do you mean?”
“you FOLD the corners of your book pages! why on earth would you do that?”
“it makes it more authentic,” he automatically replied, “it makes the book mine. i made those creases, and it holds everything that was ever mine inside that one crease. each crease i have ever folded tells a story.”
now she was the one stunned to silence
and that’s when theo noticed the faint beauty mark on her right cheek
he figured she would at least cry as she calmed down some
she slid her engagement ring off her finger and chucked it across the room
“um,” theo responded to her sudden action, “do you really think you should do that?”
he motioned toward the ring that was now across one of the aisles
she just shrugged her shoulders
“i told him it was over before i came in here,” she said proudly, “i got the last word, and that means i get to make the final decision with where the ring goes. especially since we broke up because he was making out with another woman. i don’t care if it’s a damn family heirloom. it’s hideous anyway.”
theo had to try and not bust out laughing
“you have a thing for control, don’t you?”
it came out before he realized what implications those words could have
but she surprised him by laughing
“is it that obvious? tell me, what’s your favorite book?” she asked
“it’s hard to choose a favorite when every new book you read becomes your new favorite.”
she looked him in the eye and smiled faintly
she tucked her hair behind her ear
and that’s when theo realized that his town had to be wrong about hermione granger
because he could tell just by these few moments she was not only a workaholic or a control freak
she was so many other things that he wanted to discover
she was everything he wanted to write about
he would always remember her response to his comment
“i couldn’t agree more. it’s hard to fall in love with words, don’t you think?”
