Happy Holidays to all :D

Thank you to all my reviewers: xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, viola1701e, FreyaWrackspurt, Nicole O, mega700201, krankykitty, sophiecambellbower, Royan Granger-Nott, ForeverTheWhiteTiger, Elizabeththelast, and kingphobes!

Sept 19th, 1996

"Happy birthday, Hermione."

Hermione looked up from the book she was reading through, quirking an eyebrow.

"It's not really my birthday." She said plainly, turning back around, "Since we skipped half the year." She was very aware of the date, but it just felt like another moment to her, "Oh! For our fake birthdays, so we can more accurately track it, we should calculate how much we had to go before we would have hit our birthdays and add that to the day we arrived here to get our new birthdays. So we can continue to accurately chart our years and...you already thought of that, didn't you?"

Theo smirked, "Guilty. But, it is a great idea. Which is why I thought of it." He nudged her, "But it would be remiss not to mark this date."

"I disagree."

Hermione hardly needed to be reminded of her birthday, which in her youth had hardly been a big event. Her parents had always made her some cake alternative, being dentists and all, and while Hermione understood the need for clean teeth, she'd wished they'd let up just once. Now that they were gone, Hermione hated her birthday for not taking those moments more seriously, holding onto them. And, what women liked to be reminded she was ageing? Plus, it felt rather useless anyway, since it's not as though they were here to enjoy things such as 'birthdays' anymore.

"But...but I made you a cake."

Hermione sighed, knowing that Theo wasn't going to let this go. Who would have guessed that between the two, he'd be the more nostalgic one? Hermione was entirely ready to let it go and forget about the whole celebration.

"At least, to celebrate the other Hermione's birthday." He said, nudging her, waving to a cake next to him that somehow had gone completely unseen, "It's your favourite," He goaded.

"Chocolate caramel," They both said in unison. This did win Hermione over and she let Theo cut her a very big piece.

"You knew that. Did I ever tell you?" She asked, trying to recall. Maybe she had. Maybe it came up innocently.

"One of the only times I ever saw you eat candy was if it was caramel." Theo said, waving his fork "I'd guess it was because of your dentist parents. But anyway, cheers," He said, holding up his fork, "To younger Hermione."

"To Younger Hermione," Hermione echoed.

"-Who is turning sixteen today."

"Err, seventeen."

Theo blinked at her blankly, "What?"

"Seventeen. I turn...seventeen…" She trailed off, noticing Theo's expression. His lips were turned down and he was staring at her intently, "I'm legal today. Younger me." There was another long pause in which Theo did not speak, "What, you don't believe me?" She was actually closer to 18, what with her usage of the time-turner her third year and re-living everything for an entire school year, but as far as the Ministry counted, she was seventeen.

"No, I do, I just…" Theo ran his fingers through his dark hair, "I thought I knew so much about you."

"Oh?" Hermione asked, curious but also not believing him.

"Six years of watching you, even without meaning to. Trust me, I wasn't gawking, you were just always there. I know that you always wore your jumper as part of your uniform, even when it was ungodly hot out and the only time you did shed it was if it's over 27 C, I know that you preferred lemon tea with just a splash of milk but never any sugar, and I know that sixth year, you had fifth hour off and were almost always late for Ancient Runes, which means that you were exactly on time, which to you is late."

"But we didn't have that class together," Hermione said, knitting her eyebrows. She was reeling from all the information spewed back at her, things she hadn't even actively thought about, such as the whole bit about the jumper, but she realized with a startled inhale it was all true.

"No, we didn't. I had Herbology with Ravenclaws, and we were in that side room, the one not too far from the Prefects bath. My assigned seat was just below a window where I'd see you walking briskly in the direction of Ancient Runes, and sometimes your hair would still be wet. Ergo, you had fifth-hour off, sixth-hour Runes. You probably preferred to bathe there when no one else would be scrambling for it, which I get that, but often lost track of time. Point being, I know all of these things about you and I somehow never picked up you were a whole year older than all of us?"

Hermione didn't really have a reply. She stabbed her cake, shrugging. It was quite good. Kudos to Theo on being a decent baker. And, kudos on Theo for figuring all that out. Someone may see her hair wet on occasion and never think much of it. She wondered how often he'd seen her so that he had committed this to memory?

"I guess it's nice to know I can still surprise, on occasion," Was all she finally managed to say.

Theo snorted, "Hermione, you're anything but ordinary. Surprise may as well be your middle name."

September 21, 1996

It was two more days before Theo announced they should go out of the house. As much as Hermione yearned to take the next large steps in their plans, she was also growing attached to the routine and the safety of their house, which they'd decided to call Castle Drake.

It had been Hermione who had offered up the tentative title. An olive sprig of an offering. No, not quite the olive branch- they weren't fighting, but it mattered that she was the one who spoke it. They'd been going back and forth on a name for it for a long while, whenever their minds had a free moment. Had Theo brought it up, maybe Hermione would have denied it outright. The fact he didn't said many things to Hermione.

She couldn't say that she was overjoyed to have her house's namesake as Malfoy, the boy who had teased and made most of her school days miserable. She trusted Theo, and by extension, trusted the Draco she had never got the opportunity to know. It was more of a peculiar kindness to her husband than it was anything else.

And, had Draco never died, she may never have gotten this chance. So, there was much to be grateful for, as many reasons as there was for Hermione to be glad she wouldn't have to interact with him much ever again.

"We don't have to," Theo had tried to say, but his eyes showed how much he liked it, "We can settle on something else."

"Nonsense. It was Draco's idea for this whole insane plan, wasn't it?" Hermione pointed out. At Theo's careful nod, she continued on, "And so he should be honoured. Drake is a reasonable enough name for anything. A dragon has been used as a mascot for centuries."

The more she said it, the more Hermione was starting to feel like it was the right name.

When she and Theo were not arguing about the thinness of the timeline and starting to organize a plan, and when they were not fortifying the wards, Hermione was carefully putting things away.

She was a bit miffed at her own lack of Gryffindor bravery. She should have been bothering Theo to get out long before he suggested it, but every time she thought about saying something, it died in the bottom of her throat.

Nature and instinct were hard to ride over, it seemed. Her body, aware that it was safe, well-fed, and arguably happy here, were none too keen for her to leave it again. Every time she imagined going out, her stomach would lurch uncomfortably, as though her base-self thought she'd be thrust into the world again, like before.

She had Theo now as he had her. They would keep each other safe. She knew it.

Theo didn't look any more pleased to have to go out of the house, though it was not for the same reasons. Already, he was becoming aware of where he could slink off to in the house to vanish for a bit, and there were many locations. Hermione equated him to an entirely black cat choosing a black rug to nap on.

It was something about Slytherins she hadn't quite thought of.

If Gryffindors were classified by 'action', Slytherins were 'inaction'.

Hermione had never given thought to if she should or should not fight for what was right. Like most of her other lion-hearted housemates, it ran as naturally through her as did her blood. In fact, it was almost a cardinal sin to think of just sitting back and letting something so awful happen without attempting to intervene. Of course, Hermione often took things farther than most did and had been accused of sticking her nose in places it didn't belong more than once.

Theo, on the other hand? Until spurred into action, he may have been content to sit back forever. Not quite for it, against most certainly, but not a man of action like Hermione was. He was more or less begrudged into this, doing it because the pieces had fallen and something had to be done. Ignoring even the fact that he was a quiet and withdrawn sort, his Slytherin side kept him tethered away from the action. It must be an entirely new world for him to be taking such a front-seat to all of this mayhem. It must also prove how bad things had gotten that the Slytherins were taking up arms to win this.

"We'll have to go down to the courthouse, rightfully marry in the Muggle world," Theo said, "And I also think it's about time we pay a visit to my dear father," His lip curled in a vicious smile, "Inform him of our nuptials. Plus, the Nott Manor was raided and destroyed in our time. I'd like to pick up some childhood things...for sentimental reasons."

Hermione had near nothing from her past life, except for her Hogwarts book. She hadn't thought of going back to her old place...if all things went as they did before, her younger self would be Obliviating her parents within the year and sending them away. That Hermione had taken very little with her. This Hermione was not opposed to sneaking in afterward, collecting trinkets and memories she hadn't realized she missed until it was gone.

"Your father?" Hermione said, his words catching up, an alarm bell tingling in her mind as she realized what he was planning, "Theo-,"

"He is not a good man, Hermione," Theo snarled, his mind made up and in no mood for arguing, "You think I've done bad things? You think Voldy's a bad guy? For every psycho out there, there's one who follows just as gleefully behind!"

"But why do we get to be judge, jury, and executioner? If he's so bad, time will give him his due."

"No," Theo said firmly, shaking his head, "No, no...I don't trust time, eh?" He said, holding his hand over his chest to where he kept the time-turner kept, always, "And besides, whatever fate has designed for him is too good. There is zero lost love between us."

"I just think...I know we can't let him stand, erm, he does know about time-turners so that's a problem but have you considered what will happen in his absence? To the younger you?"

Theo turned around, grasping the tweaked Polyjuice bottle for their chosen identifies, nodding, "Well, of course, I have," He whispered, "The Dark Lord wouldn't do anything rash. I was hardly a thought in his mind at this age, didn't start becoming noticed until after the Battle of Hogwarts. I fought well, as well as I could manage. Accidently encouraged Goyle into killing Michael Corner, fuck, I didn't mean to," Hermione's blood went cold. Even if he hadn't himself, she recalled seeing Corner's body laid out on the table, nearly indistinguishable and bruised. It wasn't the worst she'd seen, but to know that Theo had a very specific hand in his death made her feel ill, "Said I had a great future the way I could will people to my plans. Maybe he saw me in him...great Merlin, what an awful thought. He might start giving me minor things, but I doubt he trusts me like he did my father. By the time he would? Hopefully, we'll have saved the world by that point." Theo added with a wry smile.

"Are you sure you want to do it today? Are you ready?" Hermione asked softly. Killing one's father was not a light undertaking.

"Yes, it must," Theo said firmly, "If not, I'll find the family grimoire in three days and start reading about how to make a time-turner. We have to go now, so my younger self has no knowledge of it."

He held out Hermione's bottle, a shade lighter than Theo's. She took it, holding it to the light to see the markings on the side of the bottle indicating how much she needed to drink for this month. While it didn't feel any different to put this face on, it was noticeable to Hermione. Theo would still look the same to her-she, of course, recalled what Bash would look like- but she was still a bit deflated to accept it.

"Cheers," She said dryly, clinking the potion bottles together, "Let's get married. Again."

XXxxXX

The courthouse wedding was nothing to write home about. It was quiet, quick, and simple. Theo bought two bands that fit perfectly over their magical tattoos. While it was probably smart to hide them from the muggle view, Hermione was sad to see it go. She had begun to enjoy looking down to see it. It was now a part of her, just as was her hair and her intelligence. She was starting to rearrange what it meant to be Hermione Nott instead of Hermione Granger. It helped her compartmentalize away from her younger self as well. That Hermione would have been horrified at the idea of marrying a Death Eater.

And yet, here she was, marrying him again.

They chatted with the workers at the courthouse, introducing themselves. Word had spread that a couple had bought the castle on the edge, and most were eager to meet the pair. She could tell that they were being sized up. And who wouldn't? It wasn't the average pair that went and bought a castle on a whim. She remembered the feeling from Hogwarts in her first year, when every time you smiled and introduced yourself to someone, they were choosing and making decisions that would probably follow you the remainder of your time. So, it was imperative they present themselves correctly and how they planned.

Hermione was nice and friendly, as she always was, and people seemed to positively, albeit a bit disinterestedly, to respond to her.

Theo, though?

Well, he put on what Hermione internally called 'Bash Brilliance'. If she didn't know for a fact his wand was firmly in his pocket at all times during their trip to the town square, she would be sure he'd magicked some people with how they fawned over him. If Hermione was friendly, Bash was a celebrity. Not a single person he interacted with disliked him. He was getting invited to hunting groups or secret clubs and social get-togethers by the dozen, most within the first time of making his acquaintance.

Theo took it all in stride, putting forth a persona of a person most enjoyable. Someone who hit all the right notes with his jokes was able to immediately understand what a person wanted to hear and give them just that, and never seemed overbearing or aloof. Hermione could hardly complain; they may need ins at high places to pull this whole plan off.

She fell into the role of a darling, obedient house-wife to a wealthy man. She hadn't planned it, but she did admit that she was a bit adrift with all this political subterfuge and innuendos. Even though Theo's background was wizard, it carried over well enough for him to rub elbows with the richest people in town no issue. Hermione, not wanting to make it obvious she had no idea what they were laughing about, just kept quiet.

Which, Theo would tell her later, made all the right impressions.

"Men like that, they enjoy seeing a man who can control their wife." He explained this to her as he steered her away from yet another dreadfully boring small-talk with an old white man who looked exactly the same as the twelve before, rubbing soft circles on her back, bracing for impact from Hermione's objections.

Hermione bristled as they walked out of the court-house, "Control?" She sputtered, "You, control me?"

"Look, I know that's bollocks, but it's what they think." He said, holding up his hands, "The wives are all vapid and boring. If they had a lick of smart, they abandoned it for charity events or saving orphans in Africa or something. You may have to brush up on your knowledge of fashion, gemstones, and proper manners." He said.

Hermione shuddered, "Sounds boring."

"It is. Trust me." He winced, "Or, just stay silent and agree with anything they say and they may like you even more."

Hermione sent him a long, withering glare, "I don't think I could honestly keep my mouth shut. It's just not in my nature."

Theo pulled Hermione close to his side, chuckling, "Oh, don't I know it."

XXxxXX

Theo apparated them to a deep forest. Hermione did not recognize it. She could tell Theo was nervous, though he didn't say it. He kept looking over his shoulder, waiting for something, even though they were perfectly disguised.

Wordlessly, except for the enchantments, Theo transfigured his muggle clothes into stunning and expensive pure-blood robes. It was not unfamiliar to something she recalled him owning before. Hermione tried to draw all of her memories of Narcissa Malfoy or Fleur into her brain to transfigure her own, but after one look at her weak wandwork, Theo snapped.

"Here! Let me do it," he growled, using his own wand to do a few short motions to glimmer her clothes into a pair of robes befitting a proper pure-blooded wife, as Hermione couldn't imagine she'd be pretending to do anything but.

"You don't have to snark at me," Hermione hissed, "You're the one who insisted we do this today. I will not be wrongly yelled at."

Theo simmered, glaring at her for no good reason.

"Can you do any accents?" He asked, crossing his arms. At Hermione's blank and confused face, he sneered. This was the Theo Hermione recalled from school, the bitter and twisted one, the one she hated so much. His father truly brought out the worst in him, "You know, disguise our voices?"

"What does it frankly matter?" Hermione said, "If our cover story is that we're hailing from abroad and coming back, perhaps both of our parents were English and therefore passed it on to us?"

"No, no," Theo was cagy, "My father wouldn't believe it for a second. He would wonder why he didn't recognize my last name. He knows all the purebloods in England, he could recite all the genealogies."

"Well, unfortunately, I'm rubbish at most except French. But we're not trying to be French." Hermione paused, "We claim we're Nordic like you keep referring. That somewhere down the line, our respective ancestors married off to different cultures, changing our last names. Theo, we're going to-," She dropped her voice an octave, the word tasting sour on her tongue, "Kill him. All of this really isn't necessary is it?"

She didn't like the idea of killing Theo's father, but all of these dramatics was rubbing her the wrong way. Theo didn't seem his usual self. While he was the master of disguise between the pair of them, he was unhinged and going too big, too noticeably different.

Just like that, Theo's shoulders seemed to lift, "Yeah, I suppose…" He scowled, but still looked troubled, "I dunno. Once again, the quieter you seem, the better it is. Let me do the talking."

Hermione, who wasn't sure she wanted to be here, had little qualms with this.

"Is there anything I should be aware of about your father?" Hermione asked, jogging to keep up with Theo's long strides, "Just to be prepared?"

"Well, you've met Death Eaters before." Theo said in a dull tone, "Think of Umbridge, in a male form."

Hermione shuddered. "Surely, no one can be as vile as she."

"Oh," Theo coughed, but it sounded raw like he was holding back a scream. It was almost a pitying 'oh', something that grated on Hermione's mind. "Hermione...let me lay it down to you. He kills with glee, innocents preferable. Children mostly; thinks they're loathsome and irritating. Rapes pretty women before he kills them. And then there's me. Haven't you ever wondered why I'm an only child?" He questioned.

"Most pure-bloods seem to only have one," It had not escaped Hermione's notice of this, "I figured it was something to do with all the intermingling of the same bloodlines diluting fertility."

"Perhaps, somewhere," Theo said, "But my explanation is much simpler. Have you ever actually seen my father, Granger?"

Hermione shook her head. At least, never without his hood and mask on.

"He was one of the first to sign up with Lord Voldy, way back after school."

Hermione counted off on her fingers, "He must be nearly seventy, then!"

"Exactly. And here I am, his first kid in the older years of his life. Not because he wanted to 'focus on his career' or 'hadn't thought about it before now' or any other weak-ass excuse you might try to fling." Theo stopped so abruptly on the path that Hermione bumped into him, "My mother was his third wife," Theo said quietly, "The others...my mother did last the longest."

He stared at the horizon, at the sun still in the sky with a deeply disturbed expression. Hermione pressed her lips, a cold horror growing her bones. She thought she might know what he was going to say, but a part of her hoped it wasn't.

"He probably could have had kids all the way from the first wife, but he kept beating them so horribly every time they became pregnant, they miscarried. I don't even want to know how many half-siblings or full siblings I could have had," Theo rasped, "And most times, the woman were so horribly abused that…" Theo steeled himself, "Wife number one killed herself. Wife number two tried to escape and my father found her. She bled out, left alone for three days. Would have starved had she not died first."

"How do you know all of this?" Hermione whispered thickly, "Did your father...tell you?"

"Hardly. The portraits. They told me when I was young. They were all terrified I'd turn out like him. Pure-bloods may have fanatical views sometimes, but they all fear monsters," Theo chuckled, "The only reason I'm here today is because of Narcissa. She befriended my mother, took her into the current pure-blood wife circle. It wasn't long after that she found out she was pregnant with me, the fifth time since my father married her, she protected my mother. Convinced my dad to let this one live, citing that she wanted her own child to have a playmate if we were the same gender or a future spouse if we were different. I don't know the full details of this discussion, but whatever she said made enough of an impression for my father to hold off his sadism enough for me to be born."

Hermione slipped her fingers in his hands, wanting nothing more than to just hug Theo right now. He looked emotionless, his eyes glassy.

"She was safe for nine months," Theo said, holding himself together as he shook slightly.

"Was she beautiful? Smart? Like...you?" Hermione could imagine a woman with high cheekbones, inquisitive blue-green eyes, and a kind smile. It was obvious Theo loved his mother but mourned for her. Hermione had head enough to know it wasn't going to be a happy ending, "You don't have to talk about her now."

It was like Theo hadn't even heard her second addition, caught up in memories, "She was," He replied faintly, "She looked nothing like me. Except for my hair colour, the only things I took from her were internal. My intelligence. My humour. My…"

"Kindness?" Hermione guessed. Theo was looking anywhere but at Hermione. He was looking at his own hands, which were shaking hard.

"She was killed when I was five," Theo said. Hermione noticed that it was 'killed' instead of 'died', just as she had feared, "Right in front of me."

A long-ago memory resurfaced, popping up behind Hermione's eyes.

"Third year. You could see the Thestrals in Care of Magical Creatures. Her?"

"Aye."

"Theo, I-," Hermione came to stand in front of him, pressing her hands to his cheeks. They were cold, blotchy red, "You don't have to tell me any more." She insisted, pulling his face down to press her forehead to his.

"It's okay, you should know. As my wife," Theo said, a hint of humour returning to his eyes, and also a softness when he looked at her, "You asked if there was anything to prepare yourself with when it came to my father. I think this counts. I should have told you before. As my wife, you should know."

"I haven't told you much about my parents," Hermione murmured, her fingers still tracing light patterns on his face, keeping them tethered. The air around them was crisp. Not as cold as the last moments in the forest before they'd time-traveled, but enough that it was reminiscent of a past time. This time, it was her soothing him, though.

"We should fix that," Theo said after a moment, "We should talk about ourselves, about our lives. It will make us understand each other more." He turned his face, kissing Hermione's palm, seeking the heat rising from her body.

"Okay, back at the house," Hermione agreed, but she was still trying to read the whole situation, read Theo's emotions and his preparedness for this. She was entirely ready to drag him, unwillingly, back to Castle Drake if she felt like he was just going to devolve before they could do this cleanly. If they had to kill people, she'd be damned if they were caught because of their first foray into this whole plot.

Theo gently detached her hands from his face. He seemed to re-orient himself, pull everything together. Maybe he sensed Hermione's plans.

He motioned they keep walking.

She thought that was it. She was smart enough to put two and two together. However, it seemed Theo wasn't done. It was like she'd opened Pandora's box, dredged up long-suppressed memories. She could hardly fault him for wanting to talk about it. She wondered if anyone, Draco included, knew all he was telling her now.

"It wasn't anything special. I think my mom just got better at potions and healing spells; Narcissa was instrumental in that, I have no doubt. Plus, now that my mother was out and about in society, unlike his other wives, I think he knew he had to be a bit more cautious. The society might have turned a blind eye to bruises and broken bones, but if a spouse went mysteriously missing? That was something else entirely." Theo shrugged, "It was never going to last. My father has always been a mean, awful, drunk. He's always had a temper, always enjoyed violence far too much. It started with me. I once intruded on a 'meeting' and he walloped me so hard that Nacrissa feared my brain was bleeding internally. My mom tried to leave, I think. Take us somewhere safe. I don't recall it perfectly and none of the portraits will talk about this to me. All I know is that my father was furious. I don't know if he intended me to see it, I wouldn't be surprised, but I will never forget seeing that. If it's all the same," Theo whispered, "I'd rather not share it in detail."

"Of course you don't have to," Hermione said, "You never have to tell me any more than you wish."

"One day," Theo said faintly, "One day I will. Not to scare you, but so you…" He pressed his lips together, "So you understand. But not today."

They'd reached the gates of the Manor. Not quite as large as the Malfoy's, it was still impressive. It looked more Gothic, older in construction.

Theo paused, staring up at it with a twisted look on his face. Hermione could almost see his heart pounding out of his chest.

Just as she was about to suggest they go home, prepare mentally for this and try tomorrow or the next day, Theo shook himself out of his fugue.

"Let's go."

Lots more info about Theo and his fam. I think that something along these lines is what most of the fandom holds, at least in some bits and parts! Any predictions about what you think will happen?