The first time he saw her after the war was in a courtroom. A courtroom where his fate was being decided by the Wizegamont. She was seated off to the side by Potter with her hand raised as if she was in class, waiting to be called upon.
He remembered the sound of her voice as she rallied for his release. He had heard rumors that she fought tooth and nail at other trials of his housemates.
"We were all just CHILDREN, fighting YOUR war. Adults were meant to keep us safe and you failed us. If anyone should be on bloody trial it should be you!" Hermione pointed a finger at the other side of the Wizegamont, where the older generations sat. They glared back at the little witch.
"He's marked, Miss Granger! We are grateful for what you and Mr. Potter have sacrificed, but we cannot ignore his associations!" A wizard who he thought might be Mr. Clearwater replied.
"He was a spy for the Order!" She revealed. Dramatic gasps filled the courtroom and Mr. Clearwater looked up in shock at her stubborn stare down.
"Do you have proof, Miss Granger?" Kingsley Shacklebot held out his hand with a kind smile towards the witch. She turned to Harry who walked to the front, holding a vial with a worn out cork.
The minister stared at the liquid inside and turned to the Wizegamont. "I'd like for the courtroom to clear, including the accused, as we review this evidence," He announced.
A half an hour later and Hermione was practically digging her hand into Harry's arm as Ameila Bones stood, reading from parchment.
"We have reviewed the memories of Severus Snape, a known spy for the Order. Due to this evidence, we find Theodore Thoros Nott, guilty of the charges laid against him today. Guilty, but cleared of all charges," Theo tried not to look at anyone but Amelia, but out of his peripheral, Granger's undeniable victorious smile was hard to miss.
"It is with great sacrifice from Mr. Nott that we are standing here today, free. Without spies amongst Voldemort's ranks, we would have not succeeded. We are suggesting probation over time in Azkaban. He was a Death Eater, and took great costs to ensure Harry would win in the end. We were also shown memories from Miss Granger of Nott helping the younger students of Hogwarts escape the castle during battle, and tending to the injured. We, as the Wizegamont, feel Mr. Nott will be a good example to others in his situation during this probation period, and become an upstanding citizen in our community as we move forward and heal."
Theo felt dizzy as the shackles were magically removed from his wrists. He looked over to Granger, who smiled at him. Feeling inadequate and awkward, he gave her a nod as he kept his face perfectly blank. He had many unanswered questions. And he had been cleared. Cleared of everything.
Four months later, these questions remained unanswered. Granted, Theo hadn't risked going out much, mainly due to the treatment he and his fellow Slytherin's received from the public. Despite having a clear record, "Death Eater scum" was often an insult hurled at him in public spaces. Never too loud, spoken under the breaths of those who bumped into his shoulder, or hexed him in the streets and alleyways.
If Theo went out, it was for desperation of fresh air, not the stagnant air that flowed through his shared flat with Draco. On a day like today, the cool fall September air was too hard to refuse. He strolled through the Leaky Cauldron and immediately felt a sense of relief as he stepped out onto the streets of Muggle London. The anonymity was a huge reason he chose to endeavor out into the strange, foreign world. He liked that people smiled as he passed them on the street. It was a freedom he hadn't really ever felt. He was always to be the perfect Pureblood. And those habits had stuck around, which was fine. The appeal was more that he had a choice in how the general Muggle public saw him. They tended to find him poised and polite as he held open doors and said his "please" and "thank you's." They'd get a flash of his dark mark under his suit sleeve and say things like "Cool tat!"
That comfortable anonymity was how he found himself at a coffee shop around the corner from the entrance to Diagon Alley everyday for the past week. He had just ducked into the shop as large raindrops started to fall from the sky. He ordered a large black coffee and a blueberry scone, and successfully evaded the flirtatious stares from the blonde behind the counter. He made his way eagerly to his corner by the window and opened up a Muggle newspaper, taking great delight in the stories and non-moving images.
When the bell rang above the door, he looked up out of habit and almost choked on his scone. Four months later, and there she bloody was, smiling as she ran in from the downpour outside, running a hand through her soaked curls, a robe peeking out from a messenger bag slung over her shoulder. He watched her tug the sleeves of her red jumper down as her body adjusted to the temperature in the shop. Theo pressed his back into the corner wall as much as he could, begging Merlin, Morgana and bloody Salazar Slytherin that she would not see him. He slowly tried to make his escape, grabbing his coffee and shoving the scone into his mouth as he stood. Watching her rather than where he was going, he didn't see the chair that was pulled out by a group of giggling teenage girls who had been sitting in front of him. The next thing he knew, his foot was caught, his scone went flying, the steaming hot coffee was all over his suit, and he was on the floor. He heard her ask for a rag from the blonde behind the counter and he was up, trying to subtly cast a cleansing charm as he turned his face away from the witch. She tapped his shoulder and he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to find a way to escape short of apparating. He turned to her in defeat and she gasped.
"Nott?!" She asked with surprise. He supposed he couldn't really blame her. A Muggle coffee shop was not a likely place to run into him.
"Granger," he said with a nod, accepting the rag out of her hand as she stared at him in a daze. He cleaned the floor and got up to see his shoes scuffed and his suit wrinkled. He avoided her stares as he smoothed his hands over his pants and flicked off any dust that might be lingering. He walked up to the counter, ignoring Granger as she followed him.
He looked at the blonde's name tag as he handed her the rag. "Sorry about that, Daisy," He apologized with a tight smile, as she idiotically batted her eyelashes at him. He turned and headed straight for the door, but he made the mistake of hesitating under the awning as the rain came down even harder.
"Nott! Wait!," He heard her voice and he sighed. She apparently wouldn't be letting this awkward encounter go. He turned to look down at her and considered ignoring her. Because of course she was fucking perfect in her disarray. She was all pink tinged cheeks, wide eyed with a brilliant smile to match. A smile that he'd only seen when it was directed towards others.
"Granger," Theo cordially answered. She had an expectant look in her eye. She wanted to talk and the downpour meant he was stuck. "How do you do?" he managed lamely.
"Fine! Just fine. I was just across the street at the bookstore and now I'm here for some coffee," She rambled, breathlessly. He shivered. Hermione noticed. "It's quite cold out now. Would you like to join me? We can catch up." She pointed with her thumb to the door behind them. The invitation rolled off her tongue with ease and he almost said no.
For some reason beyond his comprehension, he hadn't said no. In fact, a resounding "yes" blurted out of his mouth and he found himself right back in the shop, sitting across from Hermione fucking Granger, ignoring the daggers from Daisy at the register.
Mind, they hadn't said much to each other once he came back with her latte and his fresh coffee. She stirred in far too much sugar and fidgeted with the hem of her jumper for all of ten minutes straight. It was agonizing.
"So," she finally broke the silence and Theo was grateful. "How are you?" She asked as if they were acquaintances and not the enemies they should be.
Theo chuckled, and she bristled in response. He reeled in the smile that crept on his face. "I'm fine Granger. You?" he answered with as much sincerity as he could muster.
She laughed a pretty laugh that made him swallow heavily. "It's all a bit silly isn't it? I'm sorry. I don't know how to make small talk," She admitted with a shrug.
"You know, we don't have to endure small talk," He pointed out, taking a drink from the paper cup in front of him. He felt her stare and continued to look down.
"Right well. Do you frequently visit Muggle London?" She asked, attempting to sound casual. The look of perplexity in her eyes, as if she was trying to search the answer out of his expression gave her away. 'Bloody Gryffindors' Theo thought to himself.
He leaned forward, giving her a calculating stare back, and watched her squirm in discomfort. A smirk appeared on his face, and he found he quite liked it.
"It's been a recent adventure, I suppose. Can't stay inside all the time. Not to mention my flatmate. Real tosser that one is," He said.
"Flatmate?" She inquired.
He nodded. "Just Draco and I. It's not a bad place. It's got a view of Diagon Alley.
She scoffed. "Well with Malfoy as a flatmate I'd imagine it would be swanky."
"Not so, Granger," He corrected. "We had to downsize our life a bit. Malfoy and I had our properties and half of our vaults swept away by the Ministry. We got to pick what the funds went to."
"And what did you pick?" She asked, subconsciously leaning forward into the center of the table.
"For the restoration of Hogwarts," He answered, his voice gruff. He cleared it, not quite meeting her eyes.
"Well that's...a great thing," She nodded in approval and Theo exhaled. He noticed her forehead scrunch up and her eyes shut tightly.
"You alright?"
"Yes, yes. It's just a bit of a headache" she replied with a wave of her hand.
Before he could inquire more, the bell rang and Theo practically leapt from his seat. Harry Potter came walking towards the table with an eyebrow quirked in their direction.
"Harry!" Hermione said, as if she'd just been caught with her hand in the biscuit jar.
"Mione," He said in hesitant greeting, reaching down to give her a kiss on her cheek. He turned toward Theo and reached his hand out. "Nott."
It was a bizarre situation he found himself in, but Theo took the Chosen One's hand and shook it firmly.
A sudden realization hit Hermione and she groaned. "Harry! Oh, I'm so sorry! I forgot we were meeting here," she said in a fluster.
Harry looked at her confused, but Theo saved them the trouble entirely. He stood up, minding the chairs around, only realizing he was covered by the coffee he had spilled. "It's fine, Granger. I've actually got to go," He said, edging towards the door.
"Oh. Okay. Well, thank you for the company," she said with a sincerity that made him feel completely and utterly out of place.
He returned a tight smile and nodded towards Potter before bolting for the door. In his haste, Theo hadn't remembered to charm the rain away. By the time he slammed his front door shut he was drenched and coffee stained. And worse, the rain had failed to wash her away from his thoughts.