September 28th, 1996
Hermione carefully curled Emilia's hair in the mirror in front of her, humming to herself as she made soft ringlets with the blonde curls. She patted at the muggle curling iron, something Theo had commented looked medieval. It burned her fingers slightly; she always touched it too much.
Sucking on one of her digits, she scowled at her reflection.
"Are you trying to torture me?"
Hermione turned, finger still in her mouth to glance at Theo.
"I burned myself," She mumbled through her finger and tongue.
"You could stop sucking on that so seductively," Theo purred, and Hermione rolled her eyes, "And maybe you could put on some clothes," He added with a small chuckle, coming to stand behind Hermione. He ran a finger up her exposed spine, all the way up her neck.
"It's nothing you haven't seen before," Hermione pointed out, glancing down at her body only clad in her underwear. Her bra was...somewhere on the floor.
"Exactly," Theo whispered, his breath warm on her exposed shoulder. She glanced up and startled for a second to see Bash's face looking back at her in the mirror, right next to Emilia's. She glanced behind her to see the Theo she knew. If she turned just the right way, out of the corner of her left eye was Bash's face and of the right was Theo's. It was downright startling.
She turned fully away from the mirror.
"We'll be late for Gren," She reminded, pushing his chest slightly.
"He'd get it. We're newlyweds," Theo said, fingers dancing over the lace of her panties.
"Theo," Hermione groaned, "We really don't have time."
Hermione stood up, grasping her dress from the bed. She found her bra and slipped it on, much to Theo's disappointment. She slipped her frock on before casting a simple wrinkle-free charm. Glancing back into the mirror, she puffed her hair with her hands. She hardly cared about makeup as Hermione, but she had a feeling that Emilia, at the very least, made an effort to her appearance. She hoped it would be acceptable, because, despite this choice, it didn't mean that Hermione magically knew how to apply her makeup.
"Get dressed," She instructed, passing by him to tilt his chin to her lips. Her fingers rubbed over his five-o'clock shadow.
"I know, I'll shave," Theo grumped.
"Keep it," Hermione said simply, "It's sexy." She winked and teased as she left, leaving Theo mumbling and groaning under his breath.
She popped into the Potions Lab, knowing she had an hour before the dinner date with their guests. Theo found her, but she figured it was partially through the bond and partially because he was headed down here anyway.
"Any luck?" Hermione asked, searching for the little vial from Bill. While Hermione was confident in most subjects, potions included, she could not deny that Theo was naturally gifted. More so than her. He'd been mentored by Snape, and that in itself could not be ignored. Therefore, she trusted him implicitly to do a better job trying to determine the chemical make-up of the water and then figure out a way to build their masks against it.
"I'm being cautious with it," Theo said, "We don't have a lot and short of breaking into Gringotts, I'm unsure we'll come across it again."
"We could," Hermione said, "I've done it once. Learned a lot," She said with a quiet laugh. Theo looked back at her before throwing his head back in laughter.
"Blimey, I forgot about that! Voldy was furious. Bellatrix was fuming that you stole her dragon."
"The bloody thing was abused there!" Hermione's cheeks reddened with anger recalling it, "But it was one of our only options left. Admittedly, we did have Griphook to help us then," She grimace, "I'm unsure we'd have that now. I think you're right. We'll just have to be conservative."
"Exactly. If I can figure out what it's made of…" Theo glanced hopelessly at the little dropper, "I sent some samples out."
"What?" Hermione said sharply.
"I trust them. They're wizards and witches studying abroad. People that Lucius knew, but that didn't mean that they agreed with Voldemort. Most cut off contact when the war started gaining traction. They'd all be Ravenclaws if they were at Hogwarts, they appreciate the pursuit of knowledge above all else. Perhaps one will have already examined the make-up of it."
"Is this wise?" Hermione wheezed, "That people will know what we're doing? How much do you trust these 'sources?'"
"I claimed it was part of a school study. They have little reason to suspect much of anything. That's how I came across them, writing magic-theory lessons on things I couldn't find at the Hogwarts Library or wanted a second opinion on." Theo shrugged effortlessly, "We can't afford to use up all of it on useless trials when I think there's a good chance someone has already studied these properties."
"You'd better hope to Merlin that this doesn't bite us in the ass," Hermione threatened with a narrowed gaze.
"And you? Any progress on the coins?" He switched subjects.
"Not much. It's hardly been a day and I was tired after the excitement yesterday. I'm still getting over my illness, after all. I have a lot of ideas I'm looking forward to trying."
"I love your intelligence," Theo said off-hand, causing Hermione's heart to stop for a second, "Merlin, I do. Sometimes I just wish I could spend a day in your head…"
He hadn't said he loved her, but he had just said he loved something that was very much tied to Hermione's persona. It wasn't her clothes or her looks or something stupid like that, but it was something she held dear to her.
And it seemed he hadn't realized what he'd said. She wondered if it was such a common thought in his own mind that saying it out loud didn't ring any bells that he'd just said much more than he'd said in terms of his feelings toward her.
Hermione's heart started beating fast.
"I like your mind too, Theo," Hermione said swiftly, "We're well matched."
She believed this wholeheartedly. She wasn't sure if there were many others she could have done this with, many others she wanted to.
Theo snapped his fingers, "Twizel?"
"Yes, Master?"
"How's dinner coming? Can I help with anything?" He asked, rolling up his sleeves.
"Twitzel would love for the Master to help her with the soup!" Twitzel's eyes glimmered, "And you, Mistress, should help too!"
"Me?" Hermione guffawed, "I think you're forgetting how awful of a chef I am."
"Which is why Mistress should." Twitzel snapped away.
"I think I just got insulted by an elf," Hermiome mumbled.
XXxxXX
"-So, they go, "What on earth are you doing?!" asked the American. The Japanese fellow looked up and without pause, replied "Waiting for a fax"!"
The dinner table burst into laughter. Hermione sorted into her napkin, trying not to make her little wheezing-laugh she often did. Their dinner guests were dissolving into laughter as well, thank Merlin. Gren had laughed so hard he was sort of choking and his petite wife, Chloe, wiped the corners of her eyes. Theo, who had just finished his 'legendary' Japanese golfer joke, was looking pleased as punch.
"Hon, that's so crass!" Hermione reminded herself to scold him, though it was only semi-honestly. She was pleased to see that Gren and Chloe were not off-put by a little dirty humor. This made them so much more likable to her, and apparently, it worked in the other direction.
"And I can't believe that you were sure they were going to be stuffy and prissy," Gren said, nudging Chloe meaningfully. Chloe sent her husband a betrayed look.
"I did not say those exact words!"
"You deeply implied it. I, just want to get this out there, was always sure that you were tip-top." He said, puffing out his chest and winking.
"Well, I'm glad that we've passed your standards then," Hermione said, unable to stop from rolling her eyes.
"If we're throwing people under the bus," Chloe realized with a gleam in her eyes, "Gren didn't describe you correctly at all, Emilia."
"What did he say I was? Quiet?" Try as she might, Hermione was not able to keep Emilia's personality as well tacked down as she'd liked. However, that only seemed to be working to her benefit in front of these two, but she made a mental note to do better later.
"Like a church mouse. You're just waiting for the right moment, eh?" Chloe surmised, swirling a glass of the very expensive bottle of wine that Theo had bought for the occasion, fingers tapping on the glass.
"People see what they want to see," Hermione said, which was not untrue. They were currently seeing Hermione and Theo as Bash and Emilia, which is what they needed to be seeing. Even as wizards, Hermione doubted they'd be able to pick up the trace remnants of magic glistening on their skin. To muggles? Their disguise was flawless.
"And how are we doing?" Gren asked, "Now that we've boorishly made our comments on the two of yeh?"
"Well, we have to discuss," Theo said, motioning for Hermione to lean in, pretending to whisper in her ear for a moment. He was whispering in her ear, but rather it was a dirty tease about what he'd like to be doing to her. Hermione tried not to roll her eyes but was enjoying this freer-feeling Theo. It gave her hope of what they could look like after the war was over.
"You'll do," Hermione said, feigning disinterest as she crossed her arms, "For our friends, that is."
"Oh, thank God," Chloe faux-worshiped, "All our prayers have been answered."
"But seriously," Gren said, "I think we could make a great little group. Lord knows there isn't many our age in this town, to begin with."
"Yes, I'd noticed," Theo agreed, "Makes sense to stick together." He reached to the center of the table to pull another cut of steak onto his plate, "I know what Gren does, but I don't think we've caught what you do, Chloe?"
"Nothing much right now," Chloe admitted with a forlorn sigh, "I thought I'd enjoy a break, but it's so dreadfully boring. And all the ladies that I've met only want to talk about galas or benefits. We know who it's really benefiting," She said.
"I know the feeling," Hermione mumbled.
"Before we moved, I worked to help settle the unemployed into jobs. I'm quite persuasive, and I usually got a good sense of what someone's abilities were. Like a temp agency, I suppose," She explained, shrugging, "That felt like I was making a difference. My stats were good, mind you! Most of the people I placed stayed at that job for at least six months, if not on a semi-permanent basis!"
"Sounds incredible, Chloe," Hermione breathed earnestly, "And quite interesting. Like each person was a puzzle and you just had to figure them out."
Chloe clapped her hands, "Yes! Exactly. I haven't had a good puzzle in a while," She scrunched her nose, "I don't suppose either of you is looking for a job?"
"Not really, no," Hermione said, "And I don't think we'd be your usual clients."
"I'm not sure I understand it completely," Theo said. Hermione tried not to turn to him sharply. What could be so difficult to understand about it? He had to be playing something else, but of what, she couldn't know, "So...I guess...let's say a person came in, someone who needed a job, you'd find them one?"
Chloe didn't even blink, though Hermione feared she might find Theo an absolute idiot after that question.
"Well, yes. In theory. I mostly worked with ex-convicts that were having a hard time settling or figuring out what they were actually good at. You know, besides stealing or getting into fists fights."
"Fascinating," Theo's eyes gleamed, "Okay, so, in theory. A guy walks in-,"
"This isn't going to be one of those 'oh, just a friend' where you're really talking about yourself?" Chloe asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, no! Just wanted to see a little of how your brain works," Theo said, slinging his arm around Hermione's shoulder, tilting his head. Hermione inhaled and exhaled, counting her breaths, watching Theo closely, "As I was saying. You get a guy, erm...let's say...late 20s. Wife, newborn kid. Ran with a bad gang most of his life but interested in making a change for the good of his family. Likes animals, has a soft spot for 'em." In a moment, Hermione understood he was subtly asking about a guy who sounded a lot like what she knew of Thorfinn. She bit her cheek to keep from saying something, but on the inside was caught between curiosity about what Chloe would say and frustration toward Theo, "Good at following orders. Not so good at his own thinking. What would you say?"
"Well, there's a lot more to know before I just 'put him someone'," Chloe said, tugging on her braid with thought, "Like, where is he living? I mean, my connections are everywhere, but realistically we'd put him near where he lives. And what sort of shift is he looking for? They might all be shitty, but sometimes it's worse to put a night owl in an early bird shift, and all. And what other things were they good at? A lot of times, the best jobs are the ones they wouldn't have thought of. That's what I'm for. I think of things." She squinted, "Is this a real person?" Somewhere, underneath her digging, she was excited at the idea.
"You could say."
"Bull," Chloe snorted, "They're either real or they aren't. People don't exist in between."
Hermione inhaled to keep from laughing, thinking of the Hogwarts ghosts that would likely have something to say about that.
"Well, as it so happens, Emilia and I are deeply interested in helping former convicts onto a new and better life as well," Theo said pleasantly, "And if you need something to do, an itch to scratch, we might just have a project for you."
Before anything else could happen, Hermione patted Theo's chest, "Seb, dear, not at the dinner table. I personally don't want to spend the whole night talking about work."
"She's got a point, babe," Gren said, patting Chloe's shoulder, "It will still exist tomorrow, yeah?" He asked, looking at Theo. Theo nodded, pretending to seem embarrassed. In truth, Hermione could see his mind whirling, his fingers itching to continue this thought process, see where it led them.
"Well, how about we go to the living room?" Hermione asked, standing, "I'll fetch the dessert and Bash can grab more wine if anyone wants it."
XXxxXX
Hermione furiously brushed her teeth, eyes narrowed at the face of Emilia reflected in the mirror. She heard Theo clomp up the steps, leaning in the doorway.
"Oh, still want some tea?" he asked, "That was a long day-,"
Hermione spit, spinning to her husband with fury, "What are you thinking?" She demanded.
"Uh...well, firstly, how exhausted I am. Overall, I like them. Gren reminds me of a strange mix of Seamus Finnegan and Cedric Diggory, which hey, works for me. I mean, Cedric was just so goddamn pleasant that it was hard not to-,"
"You know from my tone that is not what I meant, Nott," Hermione hissed, poking his chest hard.
Theo gave a long, suffering sigh.
"Hermione," He said, crossing his arms as he set the two mugs on the counter. She took in his clenched jaw, his raised eyebrow, his raised chin. A cold understanding washed over her like someone had dumped ice down her spine.
"You're going...going to tap them in? To the plan?" She whispered, a fury settling on her tone, "You're going to use them…"
"It's harder when you start to get to know people, mhh," Theo considered, but did not deny it, though his lips did quirk into a frown.
"They're muggles! If You-Know-Who figures it out, they would have no way to defend themselves! We're sending them to be killed," Hermione hissed, feeling something acid in her throat. Even the minty taste of her toothpaste could not make the bile that coated her tongue. If Chloe was connected to all these ex-Death Eaters and someone figured it out, she'd be dead in a ditch, and Gren would surely follow.
"So what? We spend loads more time looking for people who have the exact jobs that Gren and Chloe happen to have? Jobs we need to help save our people? They're right there, Hermione!"
"So that makes it right?"
"It makes it easier," Theo bit back.
"I just…" Hermione inhaled sharply, "I wish they were aware! Maybe not fully, but if they agreed to help us despite the dangers, I'd feel much better about it. They seem like the sort of people who would want to. Perhaps if we give them the idea of the danger, without specifics…"
"And what if they say no?" Theo questioned, causing Hermione to quiet, "Then we have to Imperius them and somehow that seems worse. At least, right now, they'd be doing their jobs. Well, Chloe. I mean, we'll probably have to really smooth talk Gren, but likely some sort of control…"
"I just hate it," Hermione whispered, pulling her arms around her waist, "I had no control back in the future and I...I don't like the idea that anyone…"
"You Gryffindors with your 'consent' and 'control'," Theo rolled his eyes, sliding the steaming mug to Hermione, sipping from his own, "Look, with your little club...Dumbledore's Bait-,"
"Army," Hermione hotly corrected.
"Same thing. Did you really tell them what they were getting into?" He sent her a look over the mug.
"Well of course! And we didn't really have to, Cedric had just been murdered and-,"
"So, no. Avadas...they're actually not too scary. People look like they just fell asleep. I bet you didn't show them the true horrors; the disfigured faces, the idea of a body bursting from the inside out, a body burned beyond recognition…" Understanding dawned, an understanding Hermione did not see, "Because even you didn't know that. Not truly, not the awful things you'd see in the Final Battle and onward. You get all up in arms about wanting them to know the truth, but even you and the wonder squad didn't know a damn thing."
"Which is why I perhaps want them to have the knowledge I didn't," She muttered.
Theo sighed, "Hermione, we said when we'd come here we'd do things for the good of the future, eh? There's no good answer to this. No right, no wrong. Any way we go, there's going to be issues, it's going to be hard. But it's easy. There only exist two paths for us," He held up his hands, "What can help us and what can't. And we always, always, have to choose what can help us."
Hermione stewed; she hated to openly admit he was right. "Yes, but-,"
"We agreed," He said, his voice growing firmer, "You bloody married me. I would not believe you for a second if you claimed that what I'm suggesting was harder than marrying me."
"Don't act like that," Hermione rolled her eyes.
"I'm not acting like anything," Theo said, grasping Hermione's arm and pulling her close, "We work well as a team, welcome surprise. But there is hardly any way I see us having ever gotten close enough to consider marriage in a normal universe. It was trying for both of us."
"Sorry marrying me was so horrific."
"Stop deflecting," Theo said, kissing her crown, "You know this is what we need to do."
Hermione's bottom lip quivered.
"It may be hard for you to believe," Theo's tone had gotten soft, "But in a different world, one where we actually were Emila and Bash and we lived in this house and there was no war...I could see myself getting along famously with them. Really, really good friends. And yes, a part of me is mourning that that probably won't happen now. That we'll use them and it will tangle any hope of normality with them."
"But we must go on," Hermione finished the unspoken words, and perhaps, a white flag.
"They're valuable to us. So, we protect them. You're right; they can't themselves, but we can bring them under our fold, just like any other witch or wizard. They'll just...never know it," Theo said, swaying quietly with Hermione, "I never claimed it would be easy."
"Just worth it?"
"Merlin, I fucking hope." He sighed, "I'll hold off with any unforgivables as long as I can, okay? We'll see if we can...entice them into it without that. Let me do it all, I am a Slytherin. My entire life was learning how to twist people exactly where I wanted them and made them think it was their idea."
"Mhh," Hermione gnawed on her lip, a quiet agreement. She was still upset, but not so much angry. Just upset. Upset that she agreed, upset that the world had gone to such shit that this was the only option left, upset that they would have to use Choe and Gren.
Upset that, as much as she tried to ignore it, she felt parts of Slytherin creeping up on her, enveloping her, consuming her.
"Sorry," Hermione sighed as they crawled under the covers.
"It's nice to have a devil's advocate," Theo shrugged, "Keeps me on the right track. That I have to be able to justify why we do it. Keeps me from becoming...one of them."
"A Death Eater?" Hermione asked. His silence was telling, "Theo you're...you're not like them."
"Of course I am. Or I was. Or parts of me still are," He said, "And I have to keep some of that. Think like them…" He trailed off. Hermione reached out for his hand.
She wasn't going to disagree. She wasn't going to tell him to stop being silly or to not say such things. He did need to keep that cruel, twisted side of him, or else they'd be useless. He did need to be able to dig inside himself to think like a Death Eater did, like one that truly believed in Voldemort, to be able to argue with them and their morals. It was a sacrifice Hermione hadn't realized he'd been making until now.
And as it was, one couldn't keep drinking from the pot without becoming a one with that drink, as one might equivocate it.
"Hermione?" He asked after a long moment.
"Yes?"
"If I'm ever...if I…" He swallowed, "Pull me back. Like you did at Nott Manor. I don't want to become my father." The openness of his admission, the rawness that came with it pulled at her heart.
"You don't have to ask, Theo. You may not believe it, but I'm still chiefly interested in saving your soul."
Theo gave a quiet laugh, switching the lights off. He didn't really have an answer. Hermione was content just to feel his hand still clasped in hers even when he fell asleep.