Theo Nott sat in Hermione's kitchen, a rapidly melting ice pack held to the back of his head. Hermione could feel his eyes on her back and she determinedly did not look at him as she made two cups of tea. She was trying to collect her thoughts and get her traitorous thoughts under control once more.
He was supposed to be giving her space to work through everything with Ron. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to be with him after all this. He was fun to shag, but she didn't consider him relationship material. What the hell was he doing here?
She had spent the last hour, whilst Theo was unconscious, congratulating Rose on her magic outburst that had smashed the window and blasted Theo onto his arse. The little girl had been worried that she was in trouble but Hermione was just relieved to see her magic make an appearance at last. At least it was in there somewhere, and from the force of the blast, quite powerful. Hermione had repaired the glass on the door easily enough.
She turned and plonked the mug of tea down on the counter. Theo looked up at her sheepishly. "I…"
"Most people use the doorbell, Nott. Or at least knock! They don't just wander around to the back door, peer in through the patio door and scare the living shit out of the occupant's five year old daughter."
"I'm sorry, Hermione. I just wanted to see if you were in at all… but I was trying not to disturb you. I didn't mean to scare her."
"Well that worked, didn't it?"
Theo grimaced at the sarcasm and took a swig of the tea. "Her magic seems to be alright after all."
Hermione shrugged noncommittally. "Who'd have thought that scaring the crap out of her would be the way to kick start it."
Theo grinned, forcing a small smile from Hermione. At the look in her eyes, Theo snorted with laughter then winced as the pain in his head returned.
As he clutched the back of his head again Hermione gestured at him. "Come here. Let me take a look at the wound again. I'm good with cry babies… they generally overreact to the smallest of scratches."
Theo started to protest but hissed in pain when Hermione grabbed his head and parted his hair, the motion pulling at the wound. It wasn't too bad but there were a couple of tiny stones stuck in the wound and Hermione quickly cleaned them out with her wand. Theo winced and twitched at each pull, forcing Hermione to slap him lightly on the shoulder. With the wound cleaned Hermione applied an Episkey healing charm to close the cuts.
"All done." Despite her declaration, Hermione found that her hand lingered in Theo's hair and she continued to check his scalp. Her fingers ran through his hair, forcing a sigh from him and she felt a tremble run through her body. "What is it about you, Nott?"
Theo suddenly twisted in the chair, pulling the witch down into his lap. His mouth found hers and her hands tugged harder on his hair, her teeth biting his lip in sudden desperation. She could feel his hardness growing against the underside of her thigh and a corresponding heat built in her groin.
His hands caressed her face and they parted, gazing into each other's eyes. Theo was panting for breath, his pupils dilated. "I can't get you out of my head." Hermione shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut, unwilling to stop but desperate to let go.
At that moment the door pushed open and Hermione sprang up as if burned and stepped away from Theo.
Rose's little face peered around the door. "Mummy… Daddy's here."
Hermione rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath. A baleful finger was suddenly levelled at Theo. "You! Stay here and don't move!"
"I'm here if you need me."
"Don't even start! Sit!"
Rose glared at Theo and mimicked Hermione, pointing at Theo and gesturing for him to sit. The man raised his hands and sat down again, a wry smile on his face.
As they headed towards the lounge, Hermione told Rose not to mention anything about Theo to Ron. "He doesn't need the extra stress of worrying about us at the moment. We're strong women and can look after ourselves, aren't we? We don't need to involve Daddy." Rose nodded her agreement and reached up to hold Hermione's hand.
"Ron." Hermione tried to find some warmth, some semblance of happiness at seeing him. She could only manage annoyed and a little awkward with the kids nearby.
The red-head silently handed her a bundle of envelopes, some of them thick and expensive looking. Hermione swallowed hard, fighting tears that threatened and she knew what these envelopes contained. As Ron opened his mouth to speak, Hugo ran up shouting loudly. "Hi, Daddy! Hiya, Daddy!"
Ron crouched down and wrapped Hugo in a big hug and lifted him up. "Hiya, little man! How are you? Have you been a good boy for Mummy?"
"Yes!" Hugo nodded his head emphatically, looking seriously into Ron's eyes.
"Have you now? I suspect that's a bit of a stock answer, but we'll take it." Ron smiled as Hugo chattered rapidly for a few seconds, playing with his fingers before pointing off in the vague direction of the lounge. "Daddy, man! A man. Mummy see man!"
"A man?" Ron looked at Hermione, eyes narrowing briefly, a strained smile on his face. "You got visitors have you?"
"Yes." Hugo plunged into more unintelligible babble after this declaration, accompanied by pointing to the lounge and then the kitchen.
"Really?" Ron's voice was filled with sarcastic excitement and Hermione grimaced, knowing that there was no way of avoiding the inevitable, but determined to try.
"It's nothing, Ron. Someone came over and knocked on the door at the back. He scared Rose and she, kind of, blasted the window and knocked him out."
"I didn't mean to, Mummy!" Hermione made shushing noises, trying to calm the young girl down but Rose, feeling like she was being blamed for what had happened, kept talking. "I didn't mean to hurt Mister Nott, it just happened! I don't know where it came from!" Hermione shut her eyes, wanting the ground to swallow her up; her skin was burning the second Theo's name had come up.
"Is Mister Nott still here?" Ron asked quietly and Rose nodded. Hugo babbled excitedly and pointed at the kitchen, struggling to get down from Ron's arms. Ron set the young boy down and he immediately ran to the kitchen, pushing the swinging door open and shouting for Ron to follow. Ignoring Hermione's protests, Ron stalked into the kitchen, stepping past his son and turning baleful eyes upon the man within.
"Weasley!" said Theo, jovially. "Good to see you again." Nott was stood on the other side of the dining table, a poor barrier should Ron decide to blast him. As it was Ron glanced down at Hugo, who once again had his arms wrapped around the red-haired man's leg, waffling happily to himself.
"You seem to be standing now and I'm sorry that you only sustained a minor injury. For the sake of my kids, I think you should leave, Mister Nott."
"I just came over to make sure Hermione was okay, Ron. Nothing sinister." Theo held his hands out to the side.
"I don't care, Theo. Regardless of what happens, now or in the future with this… mess, I don't want my kids involved any more than can be helped. So, if you want help, I can gladly help you leave… but I suggest you find your own way out because I don't know the property very well and might mistake a window for a door."
"Point taken… Bye Hugo! It was nice to have met you." Ignoring the tightening of Ron's jaw Theo came around the table and held out his hand to the little boy.
Immediately the little red head walked up, took hold of Theo's fingers and shook his hand. "How do do?"
Theo laughed and even Ron's face briefly softened in a smile at the little one's antics. Then he locked eyes with Theo and the smile left him again. Theo nodded and backed away, just as the second door, adjoining the lounge, opened and Hermione gestured for him to leave. The witch cast an annoyed glare at Ron who studiously ignored the look, stooping to chat with Hugo again.
Later that night Hermione lay awake for a long time, staring at the ceiling without really seeing it. Moon cast shadows danced on the ceiling; branches from nearby trees swaying in the gentle winter breeze. Somewhere nearby a vixen was calling for some male attention and Hermione glanced across at the sleeping figure sprawled on his front beside her. His toned back was visible where the covers had slipped down and the marks of her fingernails were visible in the half light. She remembered the feel of his dark hair, gripped in her hands as he had…
She sighed in a strange combination of melancholy and satisfaction. She was still conflicted about her feelings for this man but his prowess and ability to make her weak at the knees made it hard for her to stop letting him in. Into her life, into her home, into her; Theo Nott was a difficult drug for her to quit.
It hadn't taken much to persuade Theo to stay; to sneak into Hermione's bedroom and wait there till she came for him. After she had made lunch for the kids, she sent them off with Ron for the rest of the day. They discussed Rose's magical outburst and Ron agreed to see if he could get her to do anything else and that he was going to have them for a couple of days later in the week while Hermione finished unpacking and organising the house. The look in Ron's eyes and the package he had delivered, still hurt but she only wanted to spend some time with Theo and dismissed the feelings quickly, resolving to feel sorry for herself later.
The rest of the day had been spent in bed and out of it. Theo was a passionate and generous lover and much more adventurous than Ron. They travelled around the house, having sex in several rooms; the bedroom, the kitchen whilst making coffee, the bathroom whilst showering. Every time was heaven for the bushy haired witch and she was able to pretend that her life wasn't falling apart around her ears. Ron had brought the kids home later on and Theo had, at her insistence, stayed concealed in her room. She just didn't need the aggravation.
Unfortunately it seemed that Rose hadn't had any more magical moments, but the explosion was at least reassuring to both her and Ron that she had some magic. It would come, in time, they reassured her.
Hermione lay awake now, aching but generally happy, and thought how lucky she was that her friends had not completely abandoned her. Harry had helped her find this place. Fred and George gladly diverted the Weasley family's anger away from her and distracted them while she had collected her stuff from her ex-home with Ron.
She found herself reminiscing about the break down of her marriage, blaming both Ron for her straying and herself for letting Theo get under her skin. She was starting to feel that she was more alive than she had been in a long time, now that she was away from Ron's oppressive routine and demands that she become a 'proper' housewife. She didn't want to give up her job at the Ministry and was going to do everything she could to keep it, even though it would mean time away from Hugo during the day.
She had these next two weeks off work to sort out the house, arrange day care for Hugo (with someone who could handle a magical baby!) and get her life in order. Then, after another week at work, she was off again and had to tackle Christmas! It was going to be a stressful time and, if she was likely to spend it alone…
There was a sudden rumble, as if thunder had rolled over the house, and the whole building shook. In the darkness, Rose screamed in fear, Theo fell out of bed in surprise and Hermione sat bolt upright, her heart pounding. Leaping out of bed she threw open her bedroom door and sprinted down the corridor to her kids.
She reached Rose's room, just as the little girl came out. In the half light of the corridor her eyes were wide. "Are you okay, Rose? What happened?"
"I don't know, Mummy! Something went bang and scared me!" Her voice trembled with fear and she was on the verge of tears. Hermione gave her a hug, pulling her close and feeling her body shake. "It wasn't me, Mummy! I promise!"
"It's okay, my love. Stay in your room, sweetheart, I'll come and get you in a minute. I've got to check on Hugo."
Hermione ran on to Hugo's room, Rose still calling after her. The distressed witch pushed open the door to her son's door, seeing the moonlight casting a shadow over the floor, toys, stuffed animals and jigsaw pieces scattered across the carpet. She felt her heart stop beating.
The bed was empty.
