A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I am excited for this one - we've got a bit of Theo POV in this chapter...or really, the whole chapter. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates, and answer questions.
Please let me know what you thought of chapter eight and be on the lookout for chapter nine!
By the time that the Black's holiday party had rolled around, Hermione had not needed to ask Theo's advice in shopping for robes. Armed with knowledge she'd gleaned from a stack of fashion magazines (that he privately laughed about, thinking the content far too vapid for Hermione Granger to find any useful information in), she'd left him at home to go to Madam Malkin's all on her own. She'd been so confident that she would be able to pick something out that suited.
But now that she was standing in front of the mirror in their room, painstakingly analysing every curve and dip of her body, Theo could tell that her confidence had all but vanished. He watched as she adjusted her cleavage once again, biting at her lower lip threatening to ruin the nude lipstick on her full bottom lip.
Wanting to reassure her, he stepped up behind her in the mirror, wrapping his hands around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder. "You look good," he told her, honestly. Fuck, she looked so much more than good, he questioned how he'd ended up married to her in the first place, before the harsh reality of their marriage came back to him.
Oh yes, he reminded himself, she married you because none of the other three could go with her.
"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice wavering in a very un-Hermione like way. "Because it seems a lot more...sexy than what I normally see women wearing and I don't want to commit some sort of horrible fashion faux-paux. I need to make friends with these women and-"
Theo cut her worrying off with a gentle kiss behind the ear. "If the other women there make a fuss, it's only because their husbands can't keep their eyes off of you, and they are jealous," he promised. "Besides, there is more than one way to skin a cat. We just need to make better in roads with these people...you're sexiness could be an asset."
That was the closest Theo had ever come to just saying that he found her sexy, but it still felt like he'd revealed too much of himself. While they had practiced touching one another to give the better appearance of being a couple, there was no true intimacy between himself and the former Gryffindor. Still, he found himself craving it, longing to have her again. Their first and only time and been rushed and uncomfortable and he wanted to show her that he was a better lover in the hopes of having beginning a sexual relationship with her. He didn't know if he could go the rest of his life without having sex again.
Worst still, he found himself genuinely enjoying Hermione as a person. They practiced occlumency and fighting off veritaserum, asking horridly personal questions of each other, until it felt as if there was nothing secret between them. Hermione had never judged him and he found himself drawn to her more and more. When she would smile or when he would catch her face relaxed in sleep if he should wake up before him, Theo's heart nearly threatened to beat right out of his chest.
Having decided that he'd done more than enough introspection for the night, Theo knew that they had to leave. "We should go," he said gently, releasing Hermione from his hold, immediately missing her body pressed back against his chest. "Fashionably late is one thing, but at some point it just becomes rude."
Helping her through the floo, Theo was unsurprised to find the party in full swing. Walburga spotted them easily, and greeted Hermione warmly, before insisting on introducing them to the hosts. "This is Arcturus and his wife Melania - Orion's parents," she explained with pride. "May I present to you the Notts - Theodore and his wife Hermione."
"It's wonderful to meet you. Thank you for having us to celebrate Yule," Hermione said with a pleasing smile. "I was worried that we wouldn't have found anyone to share the holiday with when we decided to move to London this summer."
There was a time when Theo would have shuddered at the idea of having a wife, but now he found himself proud to have Hermione on his arm. She had learned all the customs of the holidays that the purebloods celebrated, mostly from his experience, but with additional books as resources. There was no way that anyone would guess that she hadn't been brought up in the old way, and she'd only been studying for a few months.
Hermione was describing how they had met with Theo adding in a detail or two every now and again when they were approached by another couple.
"Cygnus Black," the blond man introduced himself. "And my wife Druella. You must be the Notts. My sister has told us so much about you."
They had both spent enough time studying the Black family tree to know that this was Walburga's brother...and the father of Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa. Definitely someone that they would want to keep an eye on.
"I had wondered why a wizard would have to go all the way to Hong Kong to find a suitable witch to marry," Cygnus said casually, making no secret that he was appreciating Hermione's body. "But now that I've laid eyes on this enchanting creature, I can see what the appeal is, Nott," he added with a laugh, clapping Theo on the shoulder.
He was reminded of his time at Hogwarts, when a Durmstrang boy had wondered how he'd managed to get a date at all, let alone one as pretty as Mandy Brocklehurst. It did not sound like much of a compliment at all to Theo's ears.
Luckily, he was saved from answering when a house elf brought around a tray of champagne glasses. Collecting a coupe glass for each of them, he handed one over to Hermione, who looked similarly glad to have the distraction. Knowing that he could not afford to make an enemy of this man, Theo raised his glass and made a toast to the Black family - one that was well received.
"Come, let me introduce you to some other people," Cygnus insisted, before leaning in conspiratorially. "Leave these ancients to their own conversation."
He lead them directly towards a circle of men who were huddled near one of the several fireplaces in the ballroom. "Hermione and Theodore Nott, gentlemen," he said presenting the young couple to them. "This is Rodolphus Lestrange my son-in-law and Lucius Malfoy my soon to be son-in-law, Lucius's father Abraxas, my brother-in-law Evan Rosier, and Alfred Nott."
"You are certainly well connected, Cygnus," Hermione quipped, getting a chuckle from all the men save one - Theo's father.
He'd been mentally preparing himself for the day that he'd cross paths with Alfred Nott, but nothing could have prepared him for the actual event. Those hard brown eyes made no secret that he did not approve of Hermione or Theo. "Theodore, was it?" he asked, his sneer partially concealed by a mustache that was still more brown than grey at this point in time. "How exactly did you come across the name Nott? I can't say I remember your name on my family tapestry."
"Please call me Theo," he answered graciously, trying to ignore the snub. "We share a great-grandfather if I recall correctly. My grandfather was George and my father is Edward. Perhaps you need to go back and look at the tree another time."
Not wanting to be embarrassed for not knowing his own family lineage, Alfred tried to pivot the conversation. "Orion told me that you might have my pocket watch," he said with a frown. "He was concerned enough that he encouraged me to check that mine hadn't been stolen and replaced."
"And then you determined that it wasn't?" Theo asked with amusement. He pulled out his own pocket watch and showed it to the man. "As you can see, I've got mine right here. Given to me by my father when I turned seventeen," he explained. He was grateful that Hermione had thought ahead, knowing the pocket watch could have been a tricky mistake. On one of their few excursions into the muggle world (Theo was embarrassed to admit that he was always frightened on them), they had purchased a pocket watch that had a passing similarity to the watch he had tucked away in his drawers.
It was Evan Rosier who laughed, breaking the tension that had settled on the party. "I told you that Orion was too paranoid for his own good!" he said with a laugh, giving Alfred a playful shove. "It looks similar enough, but it's certainly not your watch, Alfie."
"Yes, let's talk about something else," Cygnus encouraged. "We don't want to frighten Hermione and Theo away with your interrogation techniques."
Clearly not enjoying being called out, Alfred barely made his excuses before leaving the group conversation, a thunderous look on his face.
"I do not think that he liked us very much, Theo," Hermione said, giving his hand an affectionate squeeze, not realizing just how much he needed it in that moment. He knew that his father never really cared for him, but it did not make the looks any easier.
Still, it broke the tension with the rest of the assembled men, who chuckled. "You mustn't worry about Alfie," Rosier said with a sly grin. "He's always been a miserable fusspot, even when we were all at Hogwarts. Isn't that right, Abraxas?"
Malfoy agreed, basically the first thing that he'd said all night.
Theo took note of Hermione's empty glass and took it from her. "It looks as if you could use another drink, darling," he said, his hand dropping from the small of her back, determined to get a bit of air and time to think. "Will you be okay here?" he questioned, knowing that Hermione was more than capable of talking to the guys, but wanting to make sure that she was comfortable being left on her own.
"I'll be fine, just hurry back to me," she said, giving him a smile that was even reflected in her big, brown eyes.
"We will take good care of your wife, Nott. Promise," Rodolphus Lestrange said with a shark-like grin on his face and did nothing to ease Theo's discomfort at leaving Hermione alone. He knew that she needed to charm them, but it didn't mean that his stomach didn't churn with something like jealousy when he saw the way Lestrange looked at her.
Theo wandered away, stepping out into the courtyard, letting the chilly air fill his lungs, wanting nothing more than to let the facade drop for just a moment. He had never wanted this kind of life, even when he was in school - everyone so full of themselves and thinking that they were better than everyone else, solely because of who their parents were. Theo had no illusions that he was better than anyone else.
It was not long before a house elf came out to see if he needed anything and he sent it away to the kitchens to get a whole bottle of champagne. Not even bothering to drink it out of his glass, he raised the bottle to his lips, letting the carbonation fill his stomach and make his mind feel floaty and warm, enjoying the moment of solitude.
His eyes narrowed when he saw a person walking back in from the gardens towards the party, trying to make out who it was. To his surprise, it was none other than Bellatrix Lestrange. Making a snap decision, Theo stood abruptly. If Hermione could charm the men in the party, there was no reason that he couldn't charm Bellatrix. After all, according to his wife, Bellatrix was the key to getting Hufflepuff's Cup.
"You're Bellatrix, right?" he asked, startling the scowling woman. "What were you doing all the way out there in the gardens?"
She looked cross, and did not return his friendly greeting. "Who are you?" she demanded, her hand clenching near at her side, clearly trying to stop herself from reaching for her wand.
"Sorry. I'm Theo Nott," he answered, feeling off-kilter. Perhaps approaching Bellatrix without a plan in mind was not the best idea.
Her dark, dangerous eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh, I've heard about you before and your little wife from my Aunt Walburga," she said with a smirk. "Sounds like your wife is incredibly useless from all the things that she's had to ask my Aunt about. Don't know why you'd marry a witch like her."
Theo wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want to disparage Hermione, but he wanted to develop a rapport with the other witch at the same time. "London is brand new to both of us," he said finally with a shrug. "I'm glad Hermione has had someone to guide her."
Bellatrix sneered, her lips pulling back to show her teeth, clearly not finding his explanation very good. "I suppose someone has to do it," she said finally, before holding out her hand, practically demanding the champagne bottle.
He handed it over. "So you never told me what you were doing out here in the cold," he pressed, wondering why she'd left the party to begin with. Pulling out his wand, he cast a warming charm on each of them.
"I couldn't stand to be around my husband for another moment," she said with a frown. "He paws at me enough at home, and the only reason that I agreed to come was because he said that the Dark Lord might be here," she explained, her face lighting up for the first time since he'd spoken to her.
"The Dark Lord?" he asked, feigning ignorance.
Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "Lord Voldemort - he's the most brilliant wizard. He's got real plans for the wizarding world. He's going to put those mudbloods and muggles in their place," she said breathless, her chest heaving with excitement. "In the dirt where they belong."
Theo was barely able to keep his face neutral from hearing the way that she talked about him. It was clear that her feelings for the Dark Lord went much deeper than that of just admiration. "That does sound like an admirable plan," he lied through his teeth. "I would like to hear more about this Lord Voldemort."
"I could maybe tell him about you, if you wanted," Bellatrix said, eyeing him up, as if trying to gauge his commitment. "But he isn't someone to be trifled with. He doesn't really care to work with people who are only half in."
He watched as she took another swig from the now nearly empty champagne bottle, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to come off as too eager - that might tip Bellatrix that he was up to something. But he didn't want to seem insincere either. Instead, he just decided to remain silent, looking at her.
"You haven't told me what you were doing out here, yourself," she said after a few beats of silence had passed. "Trouble in paradise?" she questioned.
Theo startled, wondering how she would have gotten that idea. "No," he insisted. "What makes you think that?"
"Well, it would just explain why you left your wife all alone to be pawed at by that group of dirty old men," she said with a mean little twist of her mouth. "And it would explain why you are trying to make a pass at me," she explained.
He baulked, but he did look when she lifted the curtain to show him back inside the party once again. Hermione stood out, radiant in her black dress, surrounded by the men he'd left her with. It looked as if they were enjoying her company a little bit too much, but he didn't know what to do.
"My father is a terrible philanderer," Bellatrix said, amusement in her voice when she watched him touch Hermione's arm affectionately. "Has been his whole life, I'm afraid. If you want your wife to be faithful, I'd make sure that you don't leave her alone with him. Looks like she might just be enjoying it a little too much herself."
Theo nearly choked, but shook his head. "Hermione is just...she was excited to be invited to the party," he explained. "We don't have many friends yet in London, and she wanted to impress people."
"Well with that dress, it might have worked a little too well," Bellatrix answered once again. "Go on - go rescue your stupid wife, before they get her to do something she regrets," she advised, in a rare moment of compassion. Theo did not think that would happen again.
Taking her words to heart, Theo slipped back into the party, grabbing two fresh glasses of champagne, eager to stand by Hermione's side once again.
Hermione happily took the glass from him. "There you are," she said, genuinely happy to see him again. "I was thinking of sending a search party out for you. Your hands are freezing," she added when he wrapped his arm around her waist, projecting his ownership of her to the other men. He knew that he didn't really own Hermione, but they certainly didn't know that.
"Just went for a breath of fresh air," he explained, but didn't elaborate on. "Well, gentlemen, thank you for watching after her while I was gone, but I am afraid that we've monopolized far too much of your time. I believe that I promised Hermione some dances."
"Oh, we would be happy to watch over her anytime you need, Theo," Cygnus responded, looking a bit disappointed when he lead Hermione away from their circle.
Hermione chugged down the champagne and wrapped her arms around his neck when Theo lead her to the dance floor. "Thank you for saving me. They were insufferable and if I caught Rosier trying to look down my dress one more time I would have hexed him," she told him. "Do we have to stay much longer?"
"No, just a few dances," Theo promised. "Then we will go home." He wondered when the townhouse had become home, but he knew that Hermione had something to do with it.