Disclaimer: All characters belong to JKR.
Better Than One
By: OurLoveIsForever
Chapter Seven: Fortitude
Perhaps it would have been for the better if I had remained asleep. If I had, I wouldn't have had to listen to the racket going on around me. I could remain in my dreams where everything was much nicer and pastel colored rather than colors of grey. I blinked once or twice, trying to get the sand from my eyes without alerting the loudmouths beside my bed. I closed my eyes once again and waited.
"Of course, I do, Jackie! Will you leave me alone already? I told you three times. You've known for longer than that. As dumb as you act sometimes, you're actually very perceptive."
"You've seen through my guise." Well spotted, of course, he did. He was Theodore Nott, after all.
"I knew it in school. You haven't changed a bit."
"I get it. Yes, I am a bit sharper than most give me credit for. However, you are trying to change the subject. Explain to me why you were so upset until Greengrass came to calm you down."
"I was not upset."
I could practically see Jack's eyebrow rise. "Is that so? You were nearly ready to kill. Malfoy and Greengrass had to talk you down from going to the first Death Eater hideout you could think of…Explain to me why Creevey felt the need to call them in the first place…"
Silence fell and I felt it time for my 'awakening'. I opened my eyes slowly to see Nott jump toward the side of my bed with an open look of concern. "Lisa?" I wondered just when we began using first names.
"You're awake!" Jack practically whooped, taking hold of my right hand. "I was so worried, Lisa!"
"What happened exactly?"
Nott shifted beside me and slipped his hand over mine, shocking me so much that I nearly pulled my hand away. The most important fact though was that I did not pull my hand from his. Rather I simply allowed him to grasp it. Secretly, I reveled in how wonderful the warmth felt. "I found you unconscious on the floor in front of the stage. I—You were very injured. It's been nearly seventeen hours since—"
The face flashed in my mind and I froze, my hand tightening on Nott's. His eyes widened before he leaned forward, placing his other hand on my far shoulder. I jerked my head around toward Jack, who looked on nervously. "Jack, could you give us a moment?" She gawked at me a second before nodding.
When the door at the other end of the hospital room clicked shut, I looked back toward Nott, who, of course was still 'Jonas McGuiness'. "Jonas, I saw a face."
He seemed a little shell-shocked for a brief period before he took his right hand from my shoulder and grasped his wand. "Muffliato. Lisa, I swear, you are going to be the death of me." I watched his eyes. They were the easiest way to read him. Everything he thought was evident through those emerald orbs whether he liked it or not. "To be honest, I thought you wouldn't make it." The wounds were really that bad? Surely not. "The injuries were far worse than you think." He was studying my face, much like I was reading his eyes.
"You were worried about me?" I asked, hoping to playfully bait him.
"I was very worried. He had cut your back up so bad that your shirt was in shreds. There was a lot of blood all over the stage." He answered quickly, tightening his grip on my hand. "You were a bit delusional when I picked you up. I was surprised you were even awake. You said something about me being an angel."
I felt my neck heat up at that. He had heard me? Merlin, help me… "I did."
He sighed slightly and nodded. "I'm no angel, Lisa."
I felt like laughing then. I couldn't say why, but my heart was just filled with so much joy despite my current health. The warmth of his hand, the care in his eyes…there was only one thing to explain my rapidly beating heart. I fancied Theo Nott. Oh for Merlin's sake!
"Well you have saved me nearly three times now. I think you deserve some sort of recognition."
"It is nothing compared to other things I've done."
I raised my brows and allowed him to continue.
"I lie. More than anything, I lie. I might as well be Jezebeth or something of the like." I recognized the name of the demon of lies and falsehoods and frowned. "I'll do nearly anything to get my job done, Lisa. I've killed people. You—you're the only person who has made me feel so desperate. I couldn't even say why that was…"
I didn't know what to say but the words came from my mouth without thought. It was as if my soul or heart was answering him rather than my mind. "I've killed, too, Theo." He seemed to shudder at the use of his name. "In the Battle, I killed as many as I could. I mowed them down so fast that they only barely managed to injure my leg. Part of the muscle is still gone to this day. Terry Boot and I, we killed a total of fifteen Death Eaters together. We were only eighteen and I most likely had seven to eight deaths to dirty my hands. To me, Theo, there is no such thing as a 'good' or 'bad' person. There may have been when I was younger, but now, I see that there is no difference. There are only people trying to live their lives." I gave a light puff of air and smiled. "Although I don't live by this doctrine, I find that there is also a difference between believing in something and living by it."
His shocked face was something that I wish I could always remember. The way his jaw was dropped slightly and his eyes were widened. The way they melted into a slow and easy smile that made my stomach drop…I wished that I would be able to remember that even when we were old and gray.
"Theo, I saw his face."
And that smile disappeared. The moment was gone.
Nott's hand slipped out of my own. I felt like a little piece of myself went with him. "His face?"
I drew in a breath and narrowed my eyes. "One of the men that attacked me was Marcus Flint."
His eyebrows rose before he swooped toward me. I barely had time to draw a breath before his lips chastely brushed against my own. I stared at his closed eyes and closed mine a moment later I couldn't say what had made the Nott heir lose control like that, but I wasn't about to complain. His lips were far softer than I had ever imagined and though I would normally deny it, I had thought of what his mouth might taste like. Slowly, he pulled back, placing one hand on either side of my head. His smile was radiant.
"You truly are a very smart witch."
"And yet somehow, you manage to call me 'foolish' more than anything else…"
"Some of the things you do are the most foolish, reckless—"
"Reckless sometimes gets the job done."
"It also almost got you killed."
I conceded that fact and settled for a smile. "He lost his concentration when I stepped out of bounds. I pushed him farther so that he would get angrier. If there was one thing I remember about Marcus Flint, it was the fact that he had the intelligence of a mountain troll."
"I have to inform my superiors as quickly as possible." He straightened his stance and nodded down at me with an official air. "You may have cracked this case, Lisa."
"Merlin, I hope so. I don't think I can do that again."
Nott's chin rose up as he looked down upon me with a strange new expression I had never seen before. There was defiance in his green eyes that made my heart rate triple. Somewhere in that gaze I also saw an emotion I wasn't sure how to take. Love. "You won't have to. This has gone on long enough."
There was a knock at the door to which Nott replied before I could. As silently as possible, the door eased open revealing a dark skinned man with an up-to-something smirk. "Theo, we're ready."
I jerked my head up to see Nott nodding as Zabini left again. "Ready? Ready for what?"
"Nothing to worry about right now. I'll send Jack in as I leave." He paused and smiled slightly. "This will all end very soon, Lisa." I wasn't sure what had gotten into me. One near death experience and I was in love with bloody Nott! No, that wasn't quite right. I had been falling for him all along, as much as I tried to ignore it. The night following his nearly martyrdom had been the catalyst. I knew it. I couldn't deny it anymore. I was a Ravenclaw. I could see the facts. I was in love. "You're safe here. The restaurant has been secured. This was the last straw, Lisa."
I drew a breath. "My employees?"
His hand came up to run through his hair which was beginning to grow longer. I watched in wonder as the brown sweater and darker brown corduroy pants grew looser and looser. The once boxy chin of Jonas McGinnis lengthened and thinned. The only similarity between the two forms, his green eyes, seemed to grow even darker in color, a more brilliant green. Gone were the larger muscles and build, before me stood the old Theodore Nott. To be completely truthful, he was even more handsome. Perhaps I was biased. "Well, I am glad to be rid of that." I raised my eyebrows. "You have no idea how uncomfortable it is to constantly live under polyjuice."
Truthfully, I had never thought of how it must have been for Nott. I suppose I didn't spare a thought for anything but myself and what I had considered 'my own'. "I expect it was horrible." I murmured, shaking my head.
He nodded, stepping around the end of my bed. "I will be back later in the evening if all goes correctly."
I watched feeling that somehow our positions had been reversed. He was the one going into danger and I was helpless to do anything to help. "Be careful, Theo."
His head bobbed as he smiled and left me alone.
-
The night was passing slowly. I should've expected as much. Every so often a Healer would come into the dimness of my room. They would check the still-healing gashes on my back, make sure that I was reasonably comfortable, and offer me food. I would turn down that option every time. As hungry as I was, I couldn't eat. Sighing, I turned my head over toward Jack's sleeping form curled up in the magicked arm chair. Her hair was a nest, wrapped up into a loose ponytail as she buried her head in her folded arms.
"She looks uncomfortable like that."
I turned around to see a tall figure in the doorway silhouetted against the light of the hallway. "Perhaps you should take her home, Tysen."
"She would hate me for it."
"No," I shook my head before leaning it back against the pillows. "She would appreciate it. She's been here all day. She needs a good sleep and decent food. You know she gets irritable if she doesn't get at least one of the two."
"So do you." My bartender smiled. Slowly, that smile faded into a frown. "Are you alright?"
"I'm very well. I'll be perfectly fine here by myself for the remainder of the evening." Even if I was worrying over N— "You're worried about him, aren't you?" My entire body jerked at the question. I sent him a questioning look before he answered. "Well, I'm not completely daft, am I? I've known that you fancied him far before you did." That wasn't what I was confused about really. "Oh, I've known his true identity for a few weeks actually. Since the night he was tortured." He shrugged. "That's beside the point."
"Tysen, you won't lie to me. Are they all safe?"
"As well as can be. Potter has them all under guard currently. Potter must feel particularly sure that Nott has this figured out otherwise he wouldn't risk it."
"Our customer—"
"Lisa, why don't you worry about yourself for a little bit?" I drew in a deep breath. "You've been worrying about all of us so much that you've put yourself into danger knowingly. Stop martyring yourself and live."
"Live? My life is that pub!" I whispered, shaking my head. Tysen's head shook as he stepped forward, reaching to touch the end of my bed.
"You put too much on yourself, Lisa. You can't protect everyone. Protect yourself right now and for Merlin's sake be honest with yourself." Slowly, he slid past the end of my bed and moved toward Jack's sleeping form. "And Lisa?" I raised my head to watch him pull my best friend into his arms. She seemed to remain asleep as he held her before turning to me. "This isn't just work for him anymore. You're the one he wants to protect. Let him."
Without saying anything more, Tysen left me to my thoughts, to the dimness of that blasted hospital room. I understood what he meant. He was telling to stop denying myself as I had over the years. He was telling me to let go.
And let go I did. I was ready to take the steps required.
"We caught them."
I hadn't even realized I was falling asleep until his voice barreled into my thoughts. I jerked myself upright and winced before lowering back down.
Theo stood just inside the door, panting. His hand came up to comb through his hair. "We caught most of them, Lisa. Marcus Flint, James Walker, and Graham Montague. They put up one hell of a fight, but they're on the fast track to Azkaban." He was striding toward me with a grin. "From what we can tell they were being told what to do from another, more powerful group headed up by—"
"Adrian Pucey." Another voice stated from the doorway. I glanced behind him to see another shorter figure. A woman stepped inside my room, a scowl on her face. Nott turned sharply to glare at her for some reason. "Pucey seems intent on amassing an the old Regime." She cracked a bit of a grin then before stepping past Theo to place her hand out.
I glanced up to see his reaction. It seemed he was mixed between stunned, amused and downright irritated.
"I'm Astoria Malfoy."I froze, staring at the woman in complete shock. Astoria Malfoy? Draco Malfoy's wife? Why in the world would she be— "I wanted to come see the woman that has Theo so worked up."
The nearly playful look in her eyes made me question her motives. It seemed almost as if she was doing this to simply irritate Nott. I narrowed my eyes momentarily before her grin expanded into a full smile, confirming my suspicions. Gently, I took her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Malfoy. I'm—"
"Lisa Turpin. I know. He hasn't stopped talking about you since you kicked him out of that pub of yours. Draco reckons you bewitched or poisoned him."
"I don't think it is possible to bewitched him."
"Yes, I said he was much too smart to be poisoned." Mrs. Malfoy agreed, winking. "I do hope that you start to feel better, Turpin. You and I should have lunch sometime." I was in a state of shock. "Perhaps I can drag my ever-so-difficult husband to that pub of yours sometime."
I raised my eyebrows at the idea of Draco Malfoy deigning to enter my tavern. "We'd be happy to have you." The idea was to move past old opinions.
She turned slightly, placing a hand on Nott's shoulder. Her whisper was loud enough for me to hear. On purpose I suspected. "She's good, Theo." She left just as quickly as she had come, leaving me just as confused as I had been before.
"Forgive her. She's... in a fragile condition."
"She's pregnant?"
"Nearly three weeks. Draco is a complete wreck. I've never seen him so frantic." Nott had become distracted so easily. I wondered for a moment just why she distracted him so much. "Astoria is fairly happy though. She's complaining already. Draco has already had to spend the night at my manor twice." He turned to see my surprised expression and smiled. "Astoria is my best friend. My sister for all intents and purposes. I walked her down the aisle at her wedding."
I suppose I really didn't know much about him outside of work, outside of his protection. I winced a bit at that. I was in love with him but I barely knew him. Before I could even murmur a word, he jumped into an explanation of current events and things to come. He seemed so amped up by the battle that I had little heart to interrupt him.
"Potter has two teams of Aurors tracking the trails we picked up a few other rebel groups. They were actually at the Flint residence. I rather guessed that. Their mansion is very secluded, very well hidden. It was truthfully a wonderful hideaway. If he had not lost his temper, it would have been months before we would have tracked them down."
"Creevey is actually down the hall. He got an unidentified curse in the arm." I watched as he moved toward my bed and took my hand. "I understand if you do not want anything to do with me after all of this."
I stared at him. He couldn't be serious. I had just convinced myself. Before he could speak again, I cut him off. "Would you like to go out after I get out of here? Perhaps go to dinner." We would move slowly. I knew that. My prejudices were long gone. He was a protective soul. He had done everything in his power to help me through one of the most difficult times of my life. At that point, I didn't care if he had twenty different false facades. All that mattered was the way he was looking at me at that moment.
I really couldn't say when I had become a sappy romantic. Maybe deep down, I had always been one. I had been fighting my attraction so long that it seemed to come in waves, knocking down my resolve one levy at a time.
His smile was slow and relaxed. "I'd like that."
A/N: The last 'chapter'! So I hope everyone enjoyed it. Leave me some feedback! Until next time! The epilogue.
