A Matter of Propriety

One: Lifestyles

Padma Patil had fallen asleep among some of her favourite books again. Her dark skinned cheek rested against the worn and slightly musty pages of her current reading- Herbalist Approaches to the Potions Orientated Healer, which had become one of her favourite books to page through when she had some free time. Not that she was particularly inclined to only brew potions to help ease the pain and discomfort of others when it came to magical mishaps, but it was always interesting to get a new perspective on different sides to the subject she'd slowly begun to dedicate her life to.

Of course, she hadn't meant to fall asleep in the middle of the book shop. It was already getting late and only a few patrons were left mingling in the store. The clerk had begun to clear everything up and twittered loudly, burst into the section where Padma had curled herself up with her books. "Excuse me!" The voice startled Padma as she jerked from the sleep she'd fallen into. "I'm closing shop so please, if you wish to purchase something, pay now." Padma looked guiltily at the books in front of her, knowing full well that she shouldn't be taking anymore new reading materials home with her. The bookcases she owned were already charmed to hold three extra rows behind the books she had but that still meant she had a mountain of reading materials that she really shouldn't continue to collect until she finally got around to reading half of them.

As the clerk left the woman to gather her things, a pair of hazel eyes watched, amused, from the sides. As she struggled to gather everything, the man stepped into the light, hesitating for a moment. "Do you need some help with your books, Miss Patil?"

The formal, clipped tone and the use of her surname in such a polite manner could leave little doubt in who was addressing her. Padma paused before her eyes turned to see Theodore Nott standing in the aisle, a neutral expression on his face as he waited for an answer.

"If you wouldn't mind," Padma said after a long moment. They worked in silence, gathering up the books she had strewn across the table, carefully placing each where they belonged on the shelves. Yet, as Nott began to place the book Padma had fallen asleep on, she cut in, "Wait, not that one!"

He frowned lightly, glancing to the title before placing the book back down on the table. "A bit of light reading I see?" His tone had a lighter note to it, as if he'd have liked to tease her but didn't know if it would be quite proper. While the two had known one another in school and had classes together, they'd always classified the other as an acquaintance, someone to speak with politely when you ran into them but otherwise not communicate outside of random encounters with them. They were both exceedingly polite when they met up with one another in the world but outside of that, it seemed that neither knew one thing about the other that wasn't common knowledge.

He was surprised when Padma smiled back. "Just a bit," She finished placing her final book upon the row, making sure it was neat and in order before she picked up the massive book she'd fallen in love with off the table. "I'm sure I could do without another book but there's a lot in here that I've found particularly interesting."

"Not surprising, I'm sure," Nott agreed as he placed his last book upon the row. "I've heard you're making quite an impression upon the staff at St. Mungos."

Padma blushed. "I suppose, if that's what they're saying…" Secretly, she was quite proud, yet found modesty won in the long run when she was confronted with compliments and praise about her work. Thankfully, the blush was light, vanishing after a moment when she cleared her throat. "I'm not the only one making an impression on the world. I hear you've taken on some big cases and won."

Nott nodded his head, shrugging in a nonchalant and confident manner. "Yes, I have." It was this confidence that helped him win some of the bigger cases the wizarding world had seen in ages. Scandals involving some key members of the Ministry had led to a new reform and Nott had been one of the lead prosecutors on the case. It had been high profile, splitting the community for the weeks that it dragged through but, in the end, had been for the good of everyone it seemed.

There was so much about the world that Padma didn't quite understand right then. Despite the overwhelming evidence that there was Death Eater activity happening throughout the community, the Ministry refused to provide a statement to the public. People had vanished recently and there was a tense feeling in the air. There was danger and there was very little anyone seemed able to do about it. Her twin, Parvati, had begged Padma to come and stay with her and her husband for a spell but Padma had refused it in the end. Despite how much she got along with her sister, trying to get along with Draco Malfoy was a different story all together.

"I suppose I should pay for this," Padma said after a long moment of silence stretched between the two. Slipping past the tall form of Nott, she moved to the register, digging through her purse to carefully count out the coins that were required to pay for it. Yet, as she turned around (the book securely in her arms) she saw Nott was standing in wait by the door.

"You're not going out on your own, are you?" He questioned, his tone clipped and incredulous. There was a flare inside Padma's chest as a surge of irritation erupted.

"Yes, I am," She replied in a heated tone. "It's not uncommon for a woman to go about on her own, even when it's dark out. It's not like I'm completely defenseless." Nott seemed taken aback as their eyes locked, though his expression of irritation he felt melted away as he shrugged.

"It's not right to let a lady walk home alone. Please, let me escort you." It wasn't so much a question as a remark. He held the door open for her and Padma hesitated for a moment before she crossed the threshold and moved into the night air. She paused, waiting for him as he followed, hands in his pockets as he paused as well. "Which direction?"

"This way," Padma turned right and, walking slowly (and with Nott at her side), they made their way down the long stretch of alley that would lead them out into London. Padma knew she could have simply apperated, though the idea of getting some night air had been appealing. She liked being able to make choices like this: whether or not she wanted to sit outside for a while after dinner or if she'd like to take a stroll early in the day or any other sorts of things. She liked having freedom to do what she pleased (though with a bit of structure, mind you) and usually abhorred anyone infringing upon this right she held so dear. Yet she didn't feel so much contempt towards Nott as she held towards others that knew better than to do anything like this.

They walked in a mixture of comfortable and slightly awkward silence, pausing only to wait for light changes before moving along. There were a few moments when they passed others that Nott drew 

slightly closer than he had before, a hand lingering just below her elbow, falling back a few paces once again when they were on their own.

"Well, this is me," Padma said finally, her footsteps coming to a half before the flat she'd only recently moved into. "Thank you for walking me home," She added after a moment.

"It was nothing." He was silent a moment before he gave a light, wry smile. "Enjoy the reading. Let me know if there's anything interesting there." He turned to leave but Padma called after him.

"I'll owl you, then, if I find anything interesting."

"Or perhaps we could have tea sometime this week? If you're not busy."

The question perplexed Padma as she frowned lightly, hugging the book close to her chest. Parvati would have been all over this, giggling and squealing about how her sister had been asked on a date. But, of course, that was hardly what was offered in front of her. It was a chance to get to know this mysterious man and have an intellectual discussion with someone who, more than likely, would challenge her thinking.

"Perhaps," She answered finally, moving up the first few steps. "I'll let you know."

Nott waited outside her flat until he saw the light go on inside before going on his way again. Three days later, he wasn't surprised when he received an owl from Miss Patil, a slight smile slipping across his lips. Two days after that, he spotted her in the tea parlor and, from across the room, they shared a slight smile before he sat and their heated discussion of the contents of her new favourite book began.

And somewhere in between the tea cakes and leaving, the start of a friendship blossomed.

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Author's Notes: Hello guys! I know, I still have a story on hold, but I got very inspired to start this. AMOP is a dedication to one of my biggest OTP's. It's kinda sad how much I love this pairing. Anyways, please, drop a review if you feel you want and stay tuned! A note to know, also, all chapters are inspired by some sort of prompt and the title of said prompt will be the chapter title for each update I make.