"...and then we cut off the excess with the axe…" There were the thunks of the axe blade against the wooden block, the strong but flexible twig ends chipping away under the blade. "And there you have it! A brand new besom, good for many years, if you look after it correctly!" Molly Weasley presented the new broom to her small audience, each at their own wooden work horse, a hand axe, a long pole, and a bundle of birch twigs beside them. They applauded the older witch's skill and set about making their own, Molly circulating amongst them, guiding and praising in equal measures.

Hermione watched in amusement as Rodney Finnigan struggled with the bundle of sticks, the twine, and the axe, as Seamus hovered nearby, almost hopping from foot to foot. Rodney wielding the axe was clearly making him nervous! Molly intercepted the wobbling blade, firmly taking it off the young lad and helping him to wrap the branches around the pole. Seamus gave a sigh of relief and, at her nod, left his son in Molly's capable care. Hermione laughed at the sight, feeling good for a change: the sun shone brightly, the breeze was cool, and she felt much better than she had. She did, however, really need to wash up before she met Narcissa.

She turned to go and collided with a man walking past. "Oh Gods, I'm so sorry!" she cried, helping to steady him and the tray he was carrying. The food on it was a little disturbed, but nothing had fallen.

"It's fine, it's fine," the man said with a laugh, "I need to watch where I'm going too. Never know who's going to suddenly need to get away from all the amateurs with axes!" He glanced pointedly at the small group Molly was wrangling.

Hermione found herself laughing with him, his voice pleasant and his laugh infectious. As he adjusted the plates she surreptitiously looked him over, not recognising him at first.

He was tall, about six foot, maybe a little more, slim but not skinny. His hair was dark brown and hung loosely around his eyes, which were bright and cheerful, light green in colour, and there was a light stubble on his chin and cheeks. He wore a long sleeve Muggle t-shirt, black with a rough square of sickly green in the centre. Within the square sat the image of a giant locust, glistening, its soulless eyes dripping with malice. The words "Unto The Locust" were stenciled in jagged writing beneath it in the same toxic green colour. Black jeans, worn and slightly ripped at the knees, covered his lower body and a pair of black trainers were on his feet. He looked like a Muggle and it made her stare for a bit longer than was probably polite.

"It's the clothes, isn't it?" he said, with a smile. "Magic folk still can't get their head around a wizard wearing a Muggle band t-shirt…"

"No, no, it's just… it's certainly striking..." Her cheeks coloured. "Sorry, Hermione," she said holding out a hand.

"I know," he replied with a smile, shaking it gently. "Theo. Theo Nott."

"I remember the name but… I… Wow, I never would have recognised you! You look... very different!"

"And you look just how I always remember you," he grinned, then stammered and coughed, "well, you know… saw you in the papers a few times… I, uh, vaguely remember you from Hogwarts, of course…"

Hermione blushed slightly. "I don't remember you being quite so… accepting of Muggleborns back then."

He grimaced and looked embarrassed, running his free hand through his hair. "Yeah… bad times, controlling parent… Look, I was an arse back then. Sorry… I got a lot of perspective some years back. I was part of the group that got evacuated from Hogwarts and out to other families. I think my father got cold feet at the last minute about me being there..."

"Hey, Nott!" yelled a familiar voice from a short distance away. "You bringing that grub over here or what?"

The pair looked over to a nearby bonfire. Around it were set small tables and benches, many already filled with chatting magic users, breaking bread and swapping recipes. The tall blond man at one of them was waving, beckoning them over impatiently. Draco shouted again, "Come on, numb-nuts, I'm hungry!"

Hermione grinned and waved, seeing Harry, Seamus, and Luna at the table too. Theo leaned closer to her and, in a breathy upper class accent, said, "Observe… the magical, wild ferret in his natural habitat, ever thinking of his stomach... prone to hangriness if left without food for too long he snaps at those near him..."

She sniggered and glanced at Draco, his exasperated look making her laugh more.

"Care to join us, there's plenty to go around," Theo offered, "unless you've got somewhere you need to be, obviously…?"

"Oi!" Draco yelled. "Stop bloody flirting with Granger and get your arse over here with my lunch!"

A blush crept up Hermione's face at that and she glanced at Theo; he had a slight grin on his face.

"I'm not flirting!" he shouted, before muttering out of the corner of his mouth to her, "well, not yet anyway." He raised his voice for Draco again, indicating the witch at his side. "Is it okay if we have company?" To her he whispered, "was saving that for later," then yelled, "Hermione looks hungry, hasn't had lunch yet." From the side of his mouth, "I insist. I'd really like us to talk some more."

"Of course it's alright, just get both your arses over here so I can eat!"

"See, not so we can eat, so I can eat," Theo said with a grin. "Selfish, hangry ferret..."

Hermione's face was burning from the quiet comments Theo had made; he was handsome certainly, and there was a sparkle in his eyes that spoke of mischief. His quiet assurance certainly served to warm her slightly, but this was tempered with the emotional upheaval that made up most of her waking hours. The loss of Rose and her grief, her guilt, still weighed heavily on her, Ron being here and liable to bump into her at any moment made her extremely hesitant to be found chatting with anyone new, even if she was amongst friends. Then she bristled slightly; why shouldn't she talk to other people? Other men? It was just lunch, it wasn't like a… date… or anything like that! And what if it was? She was single! She wondered if Theo was too...

"That would be nice, thank you," she said quietly, not quite able to meet his eyes. She was a grown arse woman! What the hell was wrong with her that she felt like a giddy schoolgirl when he smiled at her.

"You're even prettier when you're bashful," he said with a wink, walking towards the others. "Coming?"


"This… this is beautiful," Hermione whispered, reading the words inscribed in the little notebook of Theo's. "Did you…?"

"Write it? Me?" he laughed. "No, I wish I could write poetry like this! No, this is a Muggle band's song. I just wrote down the lyrics."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "In a small notebook that, judging by its condition, you carry around with you everywhere, always? 'No-one but me can save myself but it's too late, now I can't think why I should even try.' Sounds like there's a story to why this song is so important to you, Mr Nott."

Theo blew out a breath and gazed into the fire they stood near. The others were behind them, finishing eating, still chatting. He seemed to consider his words carefully, maybe wondering how much to share. "After the war ended I was… lost, I guess. I had no home-it was taken by the Ministry for the crimes committed by my father-and I was living with Muggles because no self respecting pureblood family wanted anything to do with me. My parents were both dead; mother when I was young, and father in the Battle; my nearest relatives were too, or incarcerated. I was basically alone, amongst the people I had been brought up to hate, and unable to do the one thing that made me who I was… use magic. They confiscated my wand, and the family I lived with didn't want me using magic anyway. They knew about magic, of course, and were nervous about me and who I was, who my family was.

"The Ministry checked in on me from time to time, but it was little more than a cursory inspection to make sure I hadn't murdered them all and was sitting on a throne made of their corpses." Hermione smiled sadly as Theo continued. "Crossed my mind, once or twice… thrice… heh! But eventually even those visits became owl brought questionnaires. How are you? Are you being fed? Do you often have thoughts of murdering your host family? You know, the usual.

"I had no contact with my world, so I was forced to integrate into theirs. I learned to drive, used the internet-that was interesting-and actually got to know the people who were caring for me. They were nice, still are I guess though I haven't seen them in a couple of years now. Steven and Gaynor their names are. And they are just… kind and caring people. They've got a daughter, Elsbeth, bit younger than me, bit of a recluse, didn't like to socialise much. That suited me fine at first, but I gradually got to know her.

"We… well, we fooled around a bit, eventually, but kept it secret from her folks. We were supposed to be related as far as the outside world was concerned, so wouldn't do to be seen making out, you know?

"She was pissed off at everything, just a really angry young woman, and she listened to some of the most awful music you can imagine: loud, abrasive, obnoxious stuff that just drilled through your skull. Said it helped her deal with how she was feeling, that she could put it on and let it all drain away. I didn't understand that at first, until she let me have one of her old players and a few CDs."

Theo grinned and offered the mead bottle to Hermione for a swig before continuing. "I listened to everything, took it all in: the screaming vocals, the melancholic music, the aggressive lyrics… it spoke to me. It sounds a bit silly saying it out loud," he said, looking a bit sheepish.

She shook her head, sitting on the grass and patting the area next to her. "Not at all. I completely understand, though my personal refuge was the library," she said with a small laugh. "Polar opposites, in fact. Silence and words, and the comforting smell of the bindings. It was soothing."

"Didn't matter the time of day, whenever I had to go to the library I always saw you in there, either reading or digging through the stacks."

"It was my sanctuary against the madness."

"Exactly," said Theo. "Away from the wizarding world I didn't have a sanctuary, even started to forget I was a wizard at times. Elsbeth went to a muggle university halfway across the country, met a boy, broke my heart… you know, the same old story," he laughed, but she could see the old pain in his eyes. "It hurt at the time, and I think I lost a little bit more of who I was, drifting further away from… me."

"'Drifting further everyday'?" she asked, with a small smile.

He gave a laugh. "Yeah, exactly! That's when I heard that... those lyrics," he said, tapping the book Hermione held. "It… it filled a void in my soul… Sounds ridiculous, I know, but that's how it felt. I don't mind admitting that I cried, just a little bit."

"I like to collect rare books and I once found a first edition copy of 'Hogwarts: A History' in a small shop in Chester that was closing down. I got a similar feeling that day."

"'Hogwarts: A History'?" Theo said with a smirk, an eyebrow raised.

She casually swatted his arm. "Don't judge! More people should read it. Came in very handy when we were there, I'll have you know. Anyway, I found it and was just so happy. It was like I had been…"

"Completed," they said together. They looked at each other for a long moment before Hermione glanced away, her cheeks heating.

"I don't think I've ever had that reaction to music before. Books, written words, they tend to touch me deeper."

"Maybe you just haven't found the right song yet?"

"Maybe. I've not been in the mood for music for…" She sighed and swallowed the lump in her throat. "A long time."

"Yeah, I heard… I'm really sorry, Hermione. It must be awful." He reached out and held her hand gently. She smiled at him, liking the feel of his touch, taking comfort in the contact. Theo reached into a pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small device, a set of headphones wrapped around it. "I might have a song for you here."

She put one of the earbuds in place as Theo flicked quickly through the list of songs, the witch's eyes opening wider at the amount of music held on the small device. After a moment he turned the screen towards her and she read the display. "'Darkness Within'? Sounds… ominous."

He laughed and indicated for her to lay back and close her eyes. Feeling slightly nervous she complied, her heart skipping a little at his gentle touch as he placed the other earbud in place. For a moment she only heard the sounds of the others nearby and the bustle of magical folk conducting business and enjoying the festival.

"This song," Theo said quietly, "spoke to me too. It sums up the part music played in keeping me sane. I think it will speak to you too."

"It's not some of that obnoxious screeching that will blow my eardrums up, is it."

"Shush," he said with a laugh. "I wouldn't be rough with you first time out."

The words sank into Hermione's mind and conjured different images than Theo had, possibly, intended. She opened one eye and saw him looking at her with such intensity that her core heated immediately. Maybe there had been a double meaning there. An almost uncontrollable urge to grab his collar and drag his lips to hers flooded her body and she quickly closed her eyes again.

Those thoughts were driven from her mind then: a clean and beautiful note rang out on an acoustic guitar, a melody building and dancing, before a man began to sing. His voice was deep and rough, a voice more used to angry shouting, but here it was soulful, mournful.

'Here in the darkness that I lay
Depression heavy in its weigh
And how my body aches to leave
To sing its final eulogy'

As the song progressed, as the man sang about how music was the guiding force of his life, how it had saved him, he acknowledged the damage it had done to his life as well. The pain in his voice pulled at her soul, dredging up memories of Rose, her love, her loss.

We build cathedrals to our pain
Establish monuments to attain
Freedom from all of the scars and the sins
Lest we drown in the darkness within

Her throat ached and she felt tears trickle down her cheeks. The words, the music-a single guitar played with soul and feeling-dragged her heart out of the pit where she had stored it, let her see that her loss could not be allowed to define her, that she had a duty to carry on, to rebuild, to live. She ignored the part of herself that told her she didn't deserve to continue, that the darkness should consume her completely for what she had done. She couldn't ignore it forever, but for the moment she allowed herself to feel truly alive and free again.

The pair had been laying on the grass near the fire for a couple of hours, listening to music and talking about the past. Harry, Seamus, and Draco were playing cards at the table and passing around bottles of mead, laughing and joking with each other. Luna had wandered off to join in with the dancing and to chat with some of her Ravenclaw friends that she had seen.

Theo was a revelation to Hermione; he was kind hearted but had a dark sense of humour that she liked, he was intelligent and witty and they talked and talked, the conversation never faltering. He had been through isolation and heartache with the loss of his identity and his family, but had found something to cling onto and heal himself. She couldn't truly appreciate some of the more aggressive music he showed her, but there was almost always something in the song that she enjoyed. It gave her hope that what she was doing would help to do the same for her. When Lucius Malfoy had finally been released from Azkaban for his part in the Battle of Hogwarts he had found Theo in the Muggle world, brought him home again and given him a purpose once more.

"So what is it that you do for the Malfoy's, when you're not wooing random young women at harvest festivals with your music with indecipherable lyrics and tales of your tortured past, Theo?" Hermione asked with a grin.

"I'm a contractor really," Theo replied. "I solve… problems for them. Make them go away, you know?"

Hermione frowned and looked over at him. "What sort of problems? And what do you mean, 'make them go away'?"

Hearing the hesitation in her voice he looked at her, seeing the concern in her eyes. Hastily he laughed and said, "Oh, not like that! Gods, no, nothing sinister in it at all! I'm sort of their Legal Eagle; I deal with legal wrangles they may encounter, find mutually beneficial solutions-or at least ones that will benefit the Malfoy's and their interests more-and get things resolved."

"Sounds…" She paused, not sure how she felt about this.

"Vicious? Cutthroat? Like I'm a dangerous bad boy that will fulfill your wildest fantasies, then ride into the sunset on a powerful motorbike, leaving you broken hearted, but longing for my return?"

Hermione's explosive guffaw was so loud that the others looked around to see what was going on. They grinned at Theo's mock offended face, and the young woman doubled up on the ground snorting and wiping her eyes, before turning back to their game.

"Hey!" Theo said with a laugh as the witch at his side shook with quiet giggles. "You're not supposed to find that funny! It's a real possibility with a loose cannon like me!"

"I'm sure it is," she cackled, not believing a word of it.

"Alright, so I don't have a motorbike, so that's not necessarily something you need to worry about. How do you feel about the 'wildest fantasies' part?"

His voice was casual and she looked over at him, her heart now thudding for a different reason. She wasn't sure when they had gotten closer, but the gap that had been between them was now gone, their shoulders touching. A small frown marred his otherwise smooth complexion, his green eyes locked onto her brown ones, intense in the firelight. Her gaze dropped briefly to his smile before snapping back to his eyes, her mouth dry. Her chin lifted slightly, invitingly, her breath seemingly caught in her chest, as their faces drifted closer.

There was a noise, starting low and getting louder, a repetitive chant as well as the soft sound of someone tapping on wood. "Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss…"

Hermione glared at the table and saw it was Seamus chanting and gently slapping the surface of the table, Harry and Draco joining in now with leers on their faces. Seeing the moment had passed Seamus threw up his hands. "Awww! So close!"

"She was leaning in!" Draco declared, as Theo slumped back, shaking his head with a wry grin. "There was definite leanage going on there!"

"Could've been an epic smooch! It's been building for ages!" said Harry as Hermione, blushing furiously, stood and strode towards him. "No, don't hurt me! Seamus started it! Ow! No punching!" he laughed, as Hermione hit him on the shoulder repeatedly.

"You're all horrible!" she declared with a sniff, dropping down onto the seat with her nose in the air.

As Seamus and Draco ribbed Theo, Harry looked over at Hermione, concern in his eyes. "Seriously though, are you okay?" he asked quietly.

She smiled, reaching out and placing her hand over his. "I think so. Just a bit… nervous."

"About tonight, or…" He nodded his head subtly in Theo's direction.

She sighed and shrugged. "Bit of both. He seems really nice, though."

Harry nodded. "I'll have a chat with him."

"Harry, no, you don't…"

"Come on, Missy, Cissy awaits!" sang Luna, suddenly reappearing at her side. "Time for us to go!" Without waiting she began dragging the brunette to her feet.

"Easy, Luna! I'm coming, I'm coming! Bye guys!" She gave a small wave to Theo who raised a hand in return and smiled.

"See you boys later!" Luna linked her arm with Hermione's as they skipped away-Luna skipped that is, Hermione was just struggling to keep up. "Bye, Seamus!" the blonde witch sang and the other men all cheered that, Seamus grinning and blushing slightly.

"You need to watch that one, Finnigan," said Draco with a grin, pointing after the two witches. "She's after you, big time! Ten Galleons says she invites you to Hermione's ritual tonight!"

"Luna's a married woman, ya fool! There ain't nothin' more with yer one than a bit'a harmless flirtin'!"

Harry hissed his breath in. "I dunno, Seamus, mate. She goes pretty doe-eyed around you… married or not… She doesn't even seem as… flighty as she normally is, when she's looking at you."

"I would!" said Draco, as Theo joined them at the table.

"I think most of us would, ferret," declared Harry with a laugh, "but you're just as married as she is. And no, two wrongs don't make a right."

"They can make a night ter remember though!" said Seamus thoughtfully, taking a swig of the mead. "Alright, my deal. Theo, now yer bereft o' woman, yer in?" At his nod Seamus dealt out the cards to the four of them, the bottle passing freely around. There were several empties on the grass around the table and everyone present was more than a little drunk.

"Theo," said Harry, sternly, "usual options, make your choice!"

"Oh god," moaned Draco, his head dropping to his arms. "Must we? This game is so wrong…"

Theo looked confused for a moment until Harry said, "Okay, Hagrid, Slughorn, Dumbledore! Fuck, Marry, Kill?"

All three men made sounds of disgust, Seamus going so far as to gag. "You are a sick puppy, Potter!" said Draco, throwing his cards down as Harry laughed.

"Okay, gross," muttered Theo, "but... kill Slughorn; odious man, never liked him much, and I'm sure he wouldn't be missed. Fuck Dumbledore; pretty sure he'd be up for that and becoming the fuckboy of such a powerful wizard would open a lot of opportunities. Marry Hagrid."

"Wow…" Seamus breathed, looking bewildered.

"Hey, Hagrid's a lovable guy, he'd defend you and your honour no matter what, even if you were also banging Dumbledore on the side. Plus you'd never want for unusual creatures to learn about, and he probably gives very warm hugs!"

"You put waaay too much detail in that," said Draco, shaking his head. "Anyway, didn't you say two of those had already shacked up, Potter?"

"Nope," Harry declared, his finger pointing unsteadily at the blond wizard, starting to get a little bleary eyed from the mead, "I said that I left the pair of them in Hagrid's hut in my sixth year after getting that memory out of Slughorn. They were drunk, they were singing, they were very friendly with each other…I left alone… what happened afterwards..." Harry held his hands out in a dismissive gesture as the others started to laugh. "That's all I'm saying!"

"The Prophet would'a 'ad a field day wi' dat!" crowed Seamus. Harry's head was on the table, his shoulders shaking with mirth and Theo let out a bark of laughter. Even Draco was starting to snigger. "They'd'a called 'em 'Slugrid'!" Seamus cried, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Haghorn!" declared Draco with an explosive laugh and Seamus fell backwards holding his sides.

The sound of the group's raucous laughter drew several looks from nearby witches and wizards, some of whom tutted good naturedly.

One looked on with anything but good nature. They had watched the group for several hours, hidden from sight, bright brown eyes filled with first annoyance, then anger as the scene with Hermione and Theo had unfolded. They glared at Harry with venom after the ladies had left, and the men's laughter drove them almost incandescent with rage. With a growl they turned and stalked away.