Let's Meet Half-Way

Author's Notes: A one-shot from me. Really... I should concentrate on my chaptered fics. But alas... I never did have any sort of plot for this, nor had any idea where this will end. I'm not that satisfied, honestly, with the way things went from... midway through the story. But anyway, a little fic featuring Theodore Nott and Padma Patil. Unlikely pair, yes? Well... they don't really have much background from the books so I pretty much had free reign over their personalities.

Disclaimers: HP characters are JK Rowling's own. Most of their personality are based from the RPG Clocks over at GJ.

Theodore Nott was nervous about this meeting. Sure, it had been set two weeks back because both were busy with their work but just two days ago, he was seen with the person most people detested. But he really couldn't help who he associated with. He had been raised that way and although he did not engage in such activities like he used to, he still reveled at the feelings of exhilaration when he did. Sighing he turned to look at the door of the café again before taking a sip of his already warm coffee.

He arrived earlier at the destination because he couldn't keep still at his house. He was wondering whether or not she would arrive. Thinking that being at the coffee shop would help calm his nerves, he went there 20 minutes early. He was wrong, however, as instead of calming down, he became more agitated as he watched people come in and out of the place. At least, it was better than pacing in his room.

For perhaps, the hundredth time that he turned to the door, he was pleasantly greeted by the sight of her crossing the street and entering the shop. He waved over to her and he saw a relieved smile alight her face before weaving in through the patrons and arriving at the table.

"Padma," he greeted her, standing up and moving round the table to help her sit. He was surprised when she gave him a peck on the cheek before sitting down gracefully at the chair he held out for her and muttering a soft Thank you. When he sat down, he noticed that she was slightly flushed and he deduced that it was because of her walk there.

"Am I late?" Padma Patil asked him as she set down her bag on the chair next to her. She felt her face warm slightly when she kissed him in greeting, silently praying that he hadn't noticed, and as she was eager to get his attention from her red face, she spoke up. She knew she wasn't because she had planned on getting there before the time.

Theodore shook his head. "No. You're actually still early," he answered her with a smile before turning his head and nodding at a waiter. At the waiter's appearance, he placed another order of black coffee and looked at Padma in question.

"A misto with extra shot and hazelnut," she informed the waiter who nodded and went to prepare their orders.

"Customized?" he asked, referring to her order.

Padma nodded. "My friend Su is a coffee-addict and she introduced to me a lot of ways to mix and match the drinks with different syrups. I've always liked my coffee strong thus the added espresso shot and I love the smell of hazelnut," she explained.

"Ah," he acquiesced. Eyes shifting from his now empty first cup to her face, he struggled to find the words and ease that should come with small talks when she broke the silence.

"I don't really care if you're friends with Malfoy or not. After all, you were in the same House," she started. "I just hope..." she trailed off. She had no business on what he did besides what he told her before but she wished and hoped that it would be far from what she knew the Malfoy heir was doing.

Theodore released the breath he unconsciously held when she began speaking. He didn't know why but when she said that she didn't care as long as he didn't do what he knew she was implying, he felt as if a great weight had just been taken off him. "You needn't worry, Padma," he said softly, giving her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

The waiter returned at the moment to bring their orders and to take away his empty cup.

Both sipped quietly their coffee, not wanting to break the silence that had enveloped them. Both were contemplating what their words meant, silently taking apart the conversation and trying to pick up the insinuations and implications that they knew were there. They didn't want to assume and yet their instincts had been guiding them all morning up to that last utterance.

This was only the second official meeting that they had but both already felt something had already begun developing between them. Their chance meeting at Diagon Alley had sparked interest to both parties that prompted Theodore to ask Padma out for dinner. It was only a more formal meeting of friends, nothing more, as they talked about their current work. They discovered that there were a lot of things that they both liked: from art and history to coffee and pastries. They talked long until midnight and found themselves hesitant to part ways, thus the making of a second meeting.

"So... How are you, Theodore?" Padma inquired, once again breaking the silence that happened between them.

Theodore shook his head and grinned at her. "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Theo?" he admonished, his eyes taking on a mischievous glint.

Padma sighed but her tone was playful. "And how many times do I have to answer that I'll only call you that when I feel you may already call me by my nickname?"

He chuckled raised both hands in mock defeat. "Fine, fine. And to answer your original question... I'm fine. Like I told you, I had to go to France to look at some artifacts and paintings that will be lent to the museum and so far, I haven't rejected anything that they had on the list. Instead, I kept asking them if we could borrow more pieces from their collection." He paused his tale to take note of how she listened raptly and to take a sip of his coffee.

"Mmm. So you just came back here in London last weekend?" She asked, lifting her cup to drink.

"Yes. Did you receive the miniature Eiffel Tower that I sent you?"

She nodded.

It was his turn to ask the question. "How about you? How are you?" he asked her.

She shook her head slightly before smiling. "I'm alright. Considering I had to operate on a man's marrow, trying the Muggle method of transplants which his body kept on resisting." She paused as she saw the question in his eyes. "Muggles have this method of curing a person's illness by replacing the defective organ with somebody else's. For example, when one's heart fails, they find a... donor who would give his heart to the patient so that the patient can live longer," she explained as best as she could. When he nodded for her to continue, "We were trying to incorporate that with our methods since not all illnesses could be cured by magic or potions."

"Ah," Theodore mumbled. He was still a little bit confused but he, more or less, understood what she was trying to say.

Padma chuckled softly. "If only I could find the best way to explain it, I would."

Theodore shook his head. "It's ok. Even if you did, I still wouldn't be able to grasp everything. You do remember that I hate anything related to the human anatomy, right?"

She laughed. "I get your point."

"So, milady... We can't drink coffee all day, can we? How about we spend the day someplace else?" He prompted, wishing that she'd say and that she didn't have any pressing matters to attend to that day. He didn't really know her work schedule. Just that she was free to do anything this morning.

She inclined her head to the side in thought before flashing him a smile. "I have the whole day off. My supervisor said that it's high time I take a leave but since I don't want to be away from the hospital for so long..."

"You have until tomorrow," he finished, understanding her sentiments. "Where to then?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows that had her laughing softly before shaking her head at him in mock reprimand.

"Anywhere. Just lead the way," she answered.

He nodded and placed some bills on the table, stopping her hand from getting her own money and they stood up and walked out. He held the door for her and once outside, offered his arm to her. She held it in a firm grip, just like before. She held it with the right amount of pressure, not tight nor loose. Just enough that he'd be able to lead the way without dragging her with him.

Soon, they saw themselves walking towards the Buckingham Palace. They had been talking animatedly about various topics that they just followed where their feet led them. Or rather, they just followed where Theodore's feet led them.

Padma hadn't had this kind of fun for a long time. True, she did have intelligent conversations with Lisa Turpin and the not so serious ones with Su Li but the combination of both in just one person? And with a Slytherin nonetheless? Not that she had been thinking of Theodore as just another Slytherin since they met in Diagon Alley but the thought came back unconsciously when she saw him with Draco Malfoy two days prior. But now, that thought was fading from her mind yet again.

"I can't believe it's lunch already," Theodore said suddenly when they had fallen into silence and were just contented to walk leisurely.

Startled from her quiet musings, Padma looked around and noted that indeed, the sun was high up and shining brightly. "I suppose I have to treat you to lunch," she commented nonchalantly, waiting what he would say to the claim.

He ceased walking and stood in front of her, eyes staring down at her petite frame. "You suppose?" he drawled out, his arm straightening and he stopped her hand from letting his arm go by holding it with his outstretched hand. "And you also suppose that I, being a man of honor, will just let you, a woman, treat me to lunch?"

She rolled her eyes at that as she tried tugging her hand free. "Yes."

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "Really? Then we're going to this restaurant that all the Purebloods have been raging about."

Curious, she quit tugging her hand and stared at him. "What restaurant? And where is it?"

Theodore shrugged and pulled her to him before turning and continuing their walk. "It's in Essex and it's called J&P."

Padma almost missed a step when she heard the name of the place. Grinning, she just let him lead her to an alley and they Apparated two blocks away from the restaurant.

"... They were said to have the best curry dishes in the whole country," he was saying and she mused if he even noticed that she was only listening to him with an ear and wasn't adding any inputs to his stories.

Reaching the place, he opened the door for her to enter and they were soon enveloped with the smell of exotic cuisine.

"Padma!" a cheery voice greeted the woman before she was enveloped in a warm hug, effectively loosing the hold of the two's hands.

"Nisha!" Padma greeted in return before pulling out of the embrace. She looked at her side and grinned at her companion who looked shocked. "Theodore, this is Nisha, manager of the restaurant. Nisha, this is Theodore, a schoolmate and friend of mine."

The two shook hands and Nisha winked at Padma after glancing at the two.

Padma just rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Is Dad here?" she asked.

"No. He just popped in earlier to check how the staff are doing," Nisha explained. "I'll get you two seated in a few minutes." And with that, she disappeared from their side.

Theodore took the opportunity to grab ahold of Padma's hand again to make her face him. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked, cocking his head to the side and raising his left eyebrow.

Padma resisted the childish urge to stick out her tongue at him and instead scrunched her face at him before playfully replying, "You were going on and on about how the food supposedly tastes good here. How the service is impeccable. How the decoration and ambiance are..."

Laughing, "Stop now. Alright. So I wasn't in the mood to listen when I went... rambling about food," Theodore cut her off, before pulling her towards him, releasing her hand in favor of putting an arm around her shoulder as a waiter, Mehul, appeared before them and led the way to their table.

Not resisting, Padma let herself be pulled and sat on a chair. The waited glanced at her and nodded at him, silently indicating that she will be having her usual meal. Mehul wrote down her order and waited for Theodore's.

"So what are you having?" he asked, looking up from the menu.

"My usual," she answered cryptically, not giving any sign that she would elaborate her answer.

Smirking, Theodore didn't persist and instead, beckoned the waiter and pointed various dishes to which the waiter nodded. He didn't see, however, that the waiter grinned at his order as he walked away. They were exactly what Padma liked to eat when she dines in the restaurant.

Silence reigned for a few minutes between the two, before Theodore broke it and soon, they were chatting away. They barely noticed the arrival of their food, or when they finished it, or when their glasses of juice were replaced by cups of coffee. They didn't notice the turnover of the customers at the restaurant as they argued about what went right or wrong during the Last Battle, then to the state of the Wizarding World in general. They were discussing about the different cooking styles of different countries when Nisha approached them.

"It's already dinner time. Do you two want to order anything?" she asked them, nodding at the window beside their table and not bothering to hide the impish grin on her face.

Padma raised an eyebrow at the manager in question before looking at the window. She gasped. It was indeed, dinnertime already. "Um, Theo? Shall we stay or...?" she asked as she turned back to face her companion, not realizing that she had called him by his nickname.

Theodore looked at her in surprise. "It's your choice," he answered, watching her carefully to see if she knew what she had just called him.

Padma glared. "Do I have to be the one to make the decision? You're the man here, Theodore."

Disappointed that she was calling him with his full name again, he shrugged. "We'll just stay here then."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," Padma muttered irritably. She then turned her full attention to Nisha who was watching the entire exchange with a knowing smile. "Nisha..." she intoned warningly. "Anyway, I better order something else for both of us before he orders the same thing he ordered earlier. And don't look at me like that. I know you liked what you ate so don't bother denying it."

Theodore just stared and listened to her tirade. "Will you just order now?"

Padma huffed before telling Nisha that they'd have the lamb special, two iced teas, and their specialty bread.

Nisha nodded and went off to find Mehul so he could relay the order to the cook as she had to entertain some other customers.

"Lamb?" Theodore asked.

Padma nodded. "Dad is the best cook I know to cook lamb," she answered him simply.

Theodore raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Soon, they were enveloped in silence that, although wasn't uncomfortable, it wasn't comfortable either. Something was in the air and Padma was getting fidgety, drumming her fingers on the table. Their food came and both ate quietly, only glancing at one another often. Midway through their meal, she put down her utensils and sighed.

"What?" Theodore asked, looking up from his food.

She looked at him, her face unreadable. "You're quiet."

He stared at her for a few seconds. "So are you."

"Why?"

He shrugged.

"Are we past the point where we could talk about anything that now we can talk about nothing?"

He inclined his head. "Perhaps."

She narrowed her eyes at him before grabbing her utensils and resumed eating irritatedly.

After a few moments, he sighed. "I think I'm beginning to like you."

She choked and she fumbled for her drink. He handed her glass to her and she drank carefully so she wouldn't choke the second time. "What?" she asked in disbelief. He was handsome, yes. Intelligent for he was very knowledgeable with history and the arts. A good conversationalist for her since if anyone heard the topics that they had been talking about, they wouldn't describe him as that. Wary of everyone, which wasn't really a problem considering their pasts. And charming. And nice. And just a little bit dangerous.

"Do I have to repeat myself?"

She shook her. "What I meant to say was... Will you clarify what you said? I mean..." she fumbled for words. She didn't exactly know what she wanted to hear. It wasn't as if, she had heard that line many times. It was actually the first and she didn't know how to react.

He smiled gently at her. "Don't worry," he said for the second time that day. "I just wanted to let you know."

She stared at him, letting his words sink in and when they did, her eyes widened and she blushed. She quickly bowed her head and ate.

"Padma," he called her softly, making her look at him in question, her cheeks still a little red, before averting her eyes to somewhere on his left. He smirked. "You know, if you keep on acting like that, I may have to resort to doing something forceful to make you act like you were before I confessed."

Her eyes swiveled back to him in a glare. "Are you threatening me? Because if you were, you better rethink your plan. I didn't survive the war by doing nothing."

He laughed. "You really are too serious at times, you know."

She bristled. "Shut it."

Quickly, he reached out and pinched her nose playfully. "You are so tense. Has nobody ever told you they liked you?"

Instead of answering, she just rolled her eyes at him then ignored him again in favor of her food.

Surprised by her reaction, "You mean... But why?" he asked her incredulously.

"Are you sure you want to interrupt my dinner again?" she asked in return, a hint of steel in her voice.

"Aren't you going to answer my question first?"

"Can you not figure it out? And here I thought you were smart." Glaring at him in irritation before she let him see how much it hurt that no bloke would want to be with her because of how she was.

Raising an eyebrow, Theodore assessed the woman in front of him. He had already deduced just what type of person she was. But he really couldn't figure out why no one had ever told her they liked her. She wasn't intimidating in the least. But to be honest, there were times during the past couple of hours when she'd look at him a certain way and he had this feeling that if he didn't rectify himself and soon, he would end up under a couple of hexes. But still, he liked her. It was too soon to conclude but he was sure. He didn't even know exactly which qualities had drawn him to her. It had only been her beauty at first, of that he admit. After all, he did had the tiniest bit of a crush with her twin Parvati and even confused her as the Gryffindor when they first met again after a long time. But he had quickly differentiated her with her perkier twin just a few minutes after their initial interaction.

She was... different.

Decided, he reached out and placed his hand over her left. "I think nobody felt worthy enough for you... Or that you wouldn't find them worthy."

Padma blinked and her breath hitched at his soft utterance. She didn't expect him to answer her rhetorical question. "I..."

He then closed his hand that was over hers, enclosing the small hand in a gentle grip. "Will you let me?" he asked.

She stared at him, looking for any sign of deceit... Anything that would make her pull her hand from his grasp and flee. But she couldn't find it.

And all she could do was nod.

End.

Last Notes: These leaves a lot hanging and I just sort of... typed everything whatever my muse Roko told me to. And, oh! My muse has a name! Finally! XD