Chapter Text
Hermione incedio’ed the parchment without a second thought. “I’m not doing it.”
“Why not? Everyone else is?” Ginny replied, watching the ashes fall. “Even Harry and you know he gets all weird about things like this.”
The muggle-born witch broke into a slight grin, remembering the time she showed him a mobile.
“He’s always been a bit paranoid.”
“Please,” Ginny begged. “I don’t want to do it alone.”
“Ugh, knowing my luck, I’ll get a creepy older wizard or something.” Hermione whined. “Best case, none at all.”
Ginny barked a laugh. “No, best case you can finally get off those nasty potions and actually experience a heat.”
“I’ll pass.” She deadpanned. “I fully intend on never, ever going off of them.”
“I don’t know why you insist on it. I’m content with raw dogging my biology.” Ginny said, wiggling her toes. “Feels kind of freeing, honestly.”
“You’re also an Alpha, practically at the top of the pyramid.” Hermione groaned, sinking into the couch.
“I still get urges .” Ginny replied, conjuring a parchment. “I have another one.”
Hermoine flipped her wand menacingly and muttered another incendio.
“I have multiple things throughout the flat.” Ginny replied, with her wand circling the room. She gave it a flick towards one of the table drawers and the a parchment rattled within to break free.
Hermione groaned, “I really don’t think I’ll get a match.”
“Fill. It. Out.” The redhead said, in a more authoritative tone. “You’ll never know till you do it. Maybe you’ll get a hot alpha.”
The parchment flew through the air and hovered over Hermione’s face. With a roll of her eyes, she snatched it.
X
X
“Are you checking betas off?” Hermione mumbled with her quill in her mouth.
Ginny gave her a look .“I think so.”
Pause.
“Are you?”
“No,” Hermione answered, plainly.
X
“What did you put for number 14?” Ginny asked, now lying upside down on the sofa.
“The one about our kinks?” Hermione questioned.
Ginny sat up, “Yeah. How many are you putting in?”
“Like two?” Hermione replied, glancing up. “What did you put?”
“I’m putting Dom/Sub and breath play? Is that fine you think?” Ginny said, squinting her eyes.
The older witch nodded. “I think so. “
X
“What age range did you put down?” Hermione asked, looking hers over.
“18-34.”
Her eyes shot up, “34?”
“Yes, why…what did you put?” The younger witch hesitantly replied.
“23-28.”
“Oh.”
X
“I need some wine.” Ginny suddenly declared.
“Bring me the red one, please.” Hermione yelled out as the younger witch marched into the kitchen.
“Whole bottle or glass?”
Hermione looked down at the remaining questions.
“Bottle!”
X
“Are you done?” Hermione slurred.
Ginny giggled. “You’re gonna get fucked, Hermione. I’m manifesting it.”
“Who are you hoping to get matched with?” Hermoine asked, smiling like a schoolgirl. She tipped the last of her wine into her glass.
“I don’t know any omega blokes,” Ginny complained, then muttered: “Stupid bloody suppressants.”
“Fine, fantasize with me. Everyone at Hogwarts signed up, who are you hoping is your match.”
“I like a good fantasy.” Ginny said, nodding. “I’ll tell you one of mine and you tell me one of yours, deal?”
Hermione smiled, reaching out her hand.
Ginny shook it, “Deal. Blaise Zabini.”
Hermione nearly choked on her sip of wine, “Blaise?”
“He’s a fine, fine man. The things I would do to him.’ Ginny replied, staring off into space. She hummed in appreciation. “Yours?”
“I’m not sure. Blaise is pretty cute, but if we’re sticking to Slytherins…” She trailed off biting her lip.
Ginny gasped, “No.”
“You can’t laugh.”
“I won’t, I swear.” She said, adamantly. “Witches promise.”
“Dra -“
Hermione didn’t even finish his first name, when Ginny burst into laughter.
“I don’t know why you’re laughing.” Hermione deadpanned, “I didn’t even finish.”
Ginny howled, trying to catch her breath. “Don’t, please.”
X
“Why do they need our blood?” Ginny asked, with her nose scrunched.
“I can only assume it’s to look for magical compatibility markers.”
Ginny placed her wand over her palm, “I hate it already and I haven’t even broken the skin.”
“Do it quick and just drip it in?”
“On three?” Ginny asked, hopeful.
Hermione nodded.
“One,” She started.
“Two.” Ginny said.
“Three.” In unison- mirroring similar cuts.
X
“And now?” Ginny asked.
Hermione shrugged, “We wait.”
X
“Have we gotten any owls?”
“No.”
X
“It’s been four weeks.” Ginny groaned, “I literally can’t wait any longer.”
Hermione shrugged, focusing back on her novel. “I honestly forgot about it.” Lie.
It was all she could think about, with her first activity every morning was to check the window for an owl under the guise of feeding Crookshanks (Who was loving the early morning breakfast. Sometimes two- if Ginny needed another excuse to check.)
“I hope I get good matches. I feel myself getting antsy.”
X
“It’s been five weeks.”
“Maybe it was a scam.” Hermione thought aloud, spreading the jam on her toast.
Ginny gawked, “I hope not. I gave them my blood.”
X
Then, finally: “Oh my Merlin,” Ginny’s voice bellowed through the flat.
“What is it?” Hermione yelled, from her room.
Ginny shouted back, “They’re here!”
Hermione ran towards her, looking now at the package in her hands. “What is that?”
“There’s a note.” Ginny gave her a package. “This is yours.”
Ginny gave her a glance. Then shrugged, “I’ve got time.”
Hermione felt cold glass of the vials as she slipped them out one by one. The bottoms were marked by a number, and she conjured a parchment.
The only noise in the flat was the grandfather clock ticking as it echoed around the flat.
Ginny finally spoke, “My number one is okay.”
“Same,” she breathed.”Should we count down?”
“One…” Ginny started.
“Draco Malfoy.” Hermione blurted, covering her mouth the moment she said it.
“Um-” Ginny paused. “That wasn’t on three, but fuck .”
“Mine is drastically better.” Ginny beamed. “Neville, omega.”
“He’s an omega?” Hermione gasped, “I would have never guessed.”
“I had a hunch,” Ginny replied, shrugging. “Never could look me in the eyes.”
Hermione stared down at the parchment in her hands. It’s not too late, burn it. Pretend it never happened.
He’s an alpha, the other voice in her head said . He could take care of you and your heats. Are you scared, Hermione? Where’s that Gryffindor attitude? He was her highest match by far.
Hermione carefully tucked it away without another word, the ball was in Draco’s court.
X
“Have you talked to your match?” Ginny asked, one morning.
Hermione didn’t even glance up. “No.”
“Has he sent an owl?”
“No.”
“Oh.” She said, taken back, “I sent an owl to Neville last night.”
X
And then finally, an unfamiliar owl showed up at her window.
