I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO THE CHARACTERS IN THE HP WORLD THEY BELONG TO JK ROWLING

Thank you to my lovely betas xsoullessXbeautyx and GryffinKitty

I'm sorry for all the updating messages anyone got. The newest chapter is posted. I've had a lot going on in my personal life with my children and I've not been able to sit and really write until now. So thank you for all of you who have stuck by me. Much love. please feel free to leave a review or pm me if you have questions that I can answer. I love feedback!

Chapter 10

Hermione apparated back to Nott Manor after her dinner with Harry. A million things swirled through her mind. She was so distracted she didn't hear or see Theo coming towards her.

"Did you have a nice time with Potter.. I mean Harry?" Theo asked.

"Oh! Theo I didn't notice you were here. I'm so very sorry. Dinner was fine. Harry was bothering me about finding a date for the wedding." Hermione said a bit distracted.

"Oh, you don't have a date?" Theo sputtered nervously.

"No, but Harry wants to set me up with his American friend Chad. I just don't find it an appropriate first date. So he's making me go on a date with him beforehand." Hermione said in frustration. Theo's eyebrows began to twitch and he started tapping his fingers on his chair.

"Do you even want to go on a date with him?" Theo tried to ask casually, but his voice cracked mid sentence.

"No, I really don't. I have so much to do trying to figure out what is going on with your ailment, preparing to visit your father, and the wedding. I'd rather just go alone or with a friend." Hermione was beyond frustrated with the dilemma Harry was putting her in. He knew she didn't want to date right now. Maybe not ever at this point. She wanted to find someone who excited her intellectually as well as physically, which proved to be rather difficult. Her thoughts drifted to Severus. It broke her heart to walk away from him, but she knew she had to. He came very close to being her love of a lifetime. He was so intelligent and most people didn't know so compassionate. She could see it in his face, the determination, when trying to save Theo. She could tell he felt guilty for Theo's circumstances. Hopefully when they went to Azkaban they would get some information from Nott Senior.

"I am honestly very sorry you have to deal with me and put your life on hold." Theo tried to convey his sincerity. He didn't want Hermione to suffer on his behalf. He also didn't want her going out on dates with some American named Chad. He should just pluck up the courage and ask her to go to the wedding with him. Then he thought about how she would never see him as more than a patient and a friend. Damn Draco for doing this to him. Everyone always thought his feelings for Hermione had been flippant but no one besides Daphne really understood. They had long talks in the Dungeons the night Hermione had been captive in the Black Lake during the Triwizard tournament. Theo had torn apart the common room during a panic attack when Daphne had walked in.

"Theo! What's wrong? Are you ok?" Daphne came running towards him.

"She'll never know Daph. She'll never know how much I want her to be the most important thing to me." tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Who are you talking about? What is this all about Theo? I'm so worried about you." Daphne said rubbing circles on his back.

"Hermione. I've been in love with her since third year. I can't do anything about it. Draco would kill me and my father would kill her. We all know how capable he is of that." Theo said wiping tears from his face.

"You're in love with Hermione Granger? Theo… you know how dangerous that is for you and her if people knew? Just that you have feelings for her would drive your father mad. Does Hermione know?" Daphne asked.

"Of course she doesn't. I do my best to not get paired with her in class. It hurts my heart too much. Can you believe Viktor Krum chose her? What could she possibly see in him?" Theo was devastated.

"Theo, you have to try to get over her. This won't do either of you any good. If you can't I'm always here to help you. I'm so sorry you are hurting." Daphne hugged him tightly.

"Oh Theo, you aren't a burden on me in anyway. Honestly it's so nice to have an intelligent conversation for once. I wish we had been able to get to know one another during school. I know that wasn't really an option since I come from Muggles." Hermione said rubbing his shoulder. He had to look down and blink away the tears.

"As do I Hermione. It would have been nice to have been better acquainted." Theo gave her a small smile. Pinky appeared in front of them suddenly.

"Missy Hermione, would yous like some tea?" Pinky asked.

"That would be lovely Pinky. Theo would you care to join me? We can discuss some things to prepare to see your father or just chat if you like." She smiled at him.

"That would be great. I'll join you in the Library in a few moments. I need to firecall Daphne to firm up something." Theo replied.

"Of course. I'll see you in a moment." Hermione said following Pinky to the Library.

Theo moved through the house to his office. He stuck his head into the fireplace to speak to Daphne.

"Daph! I need to talk to you." Theo shouted.

"For heaven's sake Theo! I just left what do you need?" Daphne replied.

"Hermione wants to talk. Not just about my case but to get to know me better. What do I do? I don't want to make an arse out of myself."

"Theo, Hermione is like anyone else. I know this is harder for you given your feelings for her, but you need to just try to let her in. I know that is hard for you. She's an amazing person and if you just bring the wall down she will take the opportunity." Daphne encouraged her friend.

"Is there anything she likes specifically?" Theo asked nervously.

"She loves the ocean. It's the place that reminds her of her parents. She misses them very much Theo." Daphne said.

"What happened to them?"

"That's her story to tell Theo, but try to ease that conversation gently." Daphne replied.

"Thank you Daph. I better head to talk to her." Theo said.

"I'll owl you about when we will talk to Astoria." she said sternly.

"Of course. I will talk to you soon." Theo backed his head out and headed towards the library.

Hermione was sitting on the green couch with her feet hanging over the end of it. She looked so relaxed. Theo saw that she was reading a book called Little Women. He hadn't read it before so he assumed it was a piece of muggle literature he had not seen. She was chewing the inside of her lip and her brow was furrowed in concentration.

"Sorry for the delay Hermione." Theo said maneuvering his chair near the couch. Hermione shot up from laying down on the couch.

"No problem, I was just enjoying a book while I waited." Hermione gave him a smile.

"What is that you are reading?" Theo asked.

"Little Women it's a story about four sisters during a war." Hermione replied.

"Funny, since we've survived our own war." Theo said with a chuckle.

"I didn't even think about that. I always wondered what it was like to have siblings though. I'm sure you understand what I mean. Harry and Draco are amazing friends to us and like brothers but it's not the same." Hermione said.

"I can understand what you mean, but I never wished for siblings. Not with my father anyway." Theo replied. Hermione felt heat spread across her face as she realized she had brought up painful memories for Theo.

"I'm so sorry Theo, that was insensitive of me. I forgot that we did not have the same home life for a moment." Hermione apologized.

"No need to apologize. My father was not a typical parent. As horrid as Draco's parents were they were amazing parents. They loved him and doted on him endlessly. My mother loved me though. She was a wonderful woman. I miss her very much." Theo said with tears threatening to form.

"Oh Theo! I found something you might want to see." Hermione ran to grab the photo album she had found earlier. She handed the silver leather album to Theo who looked perplexed. He opened the leather bound book and saw his mother's handwriting. He could feel the heat from the tears brimming in his eyes. There it was for all to see the love Cassandra had for her son. Meticulous notes with every photograph. He flipped through the album until he came across a photo of himself with Draco.

-Theo and his best friend Draco Malfoy. I never thought I'd see Theo bond with another child the way he does with Draco. They are kindred spirits. Mothers who love them to the ends of the Earth, and Fathers who expect too much from them. I can only hope that Narcissa and I raise them to be good men. I always wonder what kind of man my Theodore will be. Will he be kind and gentle like me? Calculated and withdrawn like Quincy? I can only hope that I influence him enough to not become a monster like his father. He's already such a kind boy. I hope one day he will grow into a good man.

Age 5 at Nott Manor.

Theo wiped the tears that were falling from his eyes. Was he a good man? Did he live up to the dream his mother had for him? He shut the book and pushed it onto the side table.

"Thank you for showing this to me. I will finish looking at it another time." Hermione nodded at him understanding that this was overwhelming for him. The two sat and chatted about their first few years away from Hogwarts trying to get to know one another without delving into emotional topics. Hermione noticed that Theo seemed to be feeling some fatigue.

"Are you tired Theo?" Hermione asked.

"My shoulders just hurt because I'm not used to being in this chair all day." Theo waved his hand dismissively.

"I can try some massage techniques Paisley showed me if you'd like." Hermione began rolling the sleeves of her blouse.

"No I don't want to be a bother. I'm sure once I get accustomed to the chair I'll feel better." Theo replied.

"Don't be silly let me help you. I will just start lecturing you if don't. Or I'll call Draco." Hermione smirked.

"Fine. Just levitate me to where you need me." Theo said with a twinge of annoyance. He didn't want Hermione to see his body this way. He knew his body was not the same as it once was. He used to be very muscular and now he was just lean. It was embarrassing to him for her to see him like this. It was definitely not how he pictured the first time she'd see him without his shirt on. Hermione could hear the displeasure in his voice, which she could understand. It can't be very easy to have to undress in front of someone you barely know. Even if that had been school mates.

"I think you will be more comfortable if we go to your room." Hermione suggested to help ease the situation. So they both headed up to the second floor to Theo's bedroom. She saw that her room was just down the hall from him. Theo opened the doors and Hermione glanced around. It wasn't really what she expected. She had assumed Theo's room would be much like Draco's covered in green. How Luna dealt with that was beyond her. No, Theo's room was modern but homey. The walls were lined with books, shelved in deep mahogany bookcases. The walls were a deep blue, the color reminded Hermione of Theo's eyes. A giant four post bed lined the wall on the other side of the room. The bed spread was a very pale silver color with green trim. Hermione smirked seeing Theo couldn't help but add a subtle hint of Slytherin pride into his room.

"I'm going to levitate you to the bed if that's alright with you." Hermione said. Theo shrugged in response.

"Wingardium Leviosa" Hermione lifted Theo up from his chair and placed him gently onto the bed.

"Do you need me to help you undress?" Hermione said a blush spreading across her cheeks. Theo look scandalized and shook his head 'no' quickly. Hermione thought she should turn around until she saw Theo starting to undress. His long fingers were so graceful gliding along the buttons of his shirt. She watched him shrug off his shirt and saw his bare chest. She could see that he had lost some muscle mass but that he was still a sight to behold. She could still see the faint outline of his once six pack; The deep v from his hips leading to his pants. Hermione blushed wondering briefly what Theo looked like completely naked. She saw Theo lie back in the bed.

"I'm going to have to turn you over if that's alright." Hermione said. Theo nodded at her and began to turn him over onto his stomach. She started rubbing his shoulders in circular motions as Paisley told her. She started to work down his back working all the way down to his lower back. She got lost in the rhythm of it all and hadn't noticed Theo's breathing change.

He couldn't believe how amazing her hands felt on his back. It was like little jolts of electricity every time her hands moved against him. He felt so relaxed with her. When she began working on the muscles towards his lower back his breath quickened. He felt a flutter that he hadn't felt in over a month beneath him. He couldn't believe it as he had tried, and failed, to see if self stimulation would work after he lost the use of his legs. He felt himself keep hardening at her touch as she worked lower on his back. It felt so good but at the same time he felt an amount of fear that Hermione would see his body's reaction to her touch. He hoped she wouldn't notice because it would be horribly embarrassing for her to see him like this.

"How does your back feel now?" She asked.

"Much better thank you. You have a magic touch." Theo propped himself up on his elbows to reply.

"Do you want me to rub your legs?" Hermione asked reaching for his calves.

"No! I mean I'm just so relaxed right now I think I'd like to just go to bed." Theo said hurriedly.

"Oh, alright then. I'm glad it made you feel so much better! I'll have to tell Paisley it worked. We will have to work on your legs tomorrow though Theo. Some stretches at the least." Hermione said getting up from the bed.

"Sounds like a plan then. Thank you so much for your help today Hermione. I know it's been a very long day. I hope you get some rest tonight." Theo said.

"I think I"m going to go enjoy a long hot bath and a book." Hermione chuckled.

"Good night Theo, I'll see you in the morning and we will discuss meeting with your father." Hermione said as she walked out the door and closed it behind her.

Theo groaned at the hardness in his cock. It had been so long that he had been able to get hard he wasn't used to the sensation any longer. He slipped his hand underneath his pajamas and began to imagine Hermione there. He imagined her full rounded breasts swaying in front of him while she rode his cock. Palming them in his hand as he rubbed and pinched her nipples. Her gasping in pleasure. His hand began to pump his cock more vigorously. His orgasm ripped through him and he lay there spent from the excursion. He performed a cleaning spell and turned off the lights. Thinking to himself he needed to speak to Draco and Blaise about this new development.

Meanwhile

Hermione had entered her room exhausted from the long day. She started making a mental note about all the things she needed to do tomorrow. She saw a female barn owl at the window with a note attached to her feet.

You won't save him. I'll make sure.

Hermione should have been scared but she was furious. Someone was out to make sure Theo wasn't going to get better. She wrote Severus a note explaining what happened and sent the original note. She begged him not to tell Theo that they would figure this out on their own. She would find out who sent this. There had to be a link to who originally cursed him. She felt her magic crackling around her and decided she'd better take the bath she intended. Heading to the tub she started to undress. She turned on the faucet to let the water run and then turned to face the mirror. Noticing her skin had gotten tanner now that the weather was warming up. Grateful for it with Harry and Daphne's wedding coming in August. Her dress was a mint green, which of course she shouldn't be surprised by. She found Daphne's sense of humor delightful. Daphne was making all the Slytherin girls wear maroon and she, Ginny, Paisley and Luna were to wear the mint green. Pansy was furious with Daphne for weeks after. She stopped the water in the tub and stepped in. She could feel her muscles unwinding in the tub. It been a crazy few days and she was hoping after speaking with Quincy Nott she and Theo would be able to slow down and get things going with therapy. She soaked in the tub until she felt her skin pruning and got out to dry off. She threw her hair in a bun,not wanting to deal with drying tonight, and laid down in the soft bed. She laid staring at the walls for a moment before drifting to sleep, thinking of Theo's deep blue eyes.