A/N: Hello, hello! Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! This story is definitely not abandoned, though updates are no longer frequent or regular. I've had loads of stuff going on IRL, and I'm unclear of when I will be able to return to regular updates. But just know, I am still working on it when I can. 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 eleven and be on the lookout for chapter twelve!

1974

Apparating back into her own home, Hermione let out a sigh of relief when she knew that she was finally safe for the day and could dispense with the facade. It didn't take long after arriving that she could feel her skin begin to bubble and change, returning her to her normal form once the polyjuice potion had worn off.

Immediately, she set out for her bedroom, already starting to unbutton the slightly too big witch's robes. The muggle that she'd snatched the clump of hair from was certainly very attractive, but there was no denying she had a more voluptuous body than Hermione could claim as her own. Luckily Director MacMillian of the Magical Property Rights Department loved the honey blonde hair and charming brown eyes of the muggle, and had readily offered Hermione a position as his personal secretary after his old one had mysteriously vanished...

At one point it might have been Hermione's dream to work at the Ministry of Magic, but having worked a regular schedule there for a month, she could only find MacMillian's longing gaze and unsubtle touches frustrating.

Theo was lounging back against the mound of pillows in their bed, reading a book when she entered, half-naked with fingers working to free her brown curls from the tight french twist she wore to work. He didn't bother to hide the slow, appreciative gaze that he gave her body, both of them having seen the other naked enough times for the embarrassment to had faded completely.

"Like what you see?" Hermione teased anyway, letting the dress robes slip from her shoulders.

He cleared his throat, his eyes returning to her face one again. "Believe what you will, but I much prefer you as you are. Seeing you in the polyjuice is unsettling," he countered.

Hermione scoffed. "Well, all the men at the Ministry seem to be quite enamored with Dahlia Wimple. I doubt that Hermione Nott would have the same effect," she said. It had taken a while to get used to the way her colleagues seemed to fall over themselves to help her with things, something that Hermione Granger had never experienced before in her life.

Theo set his book onto his bedside table. "I wouldn't be so quick to assume that," he told her, not elaborating, despite the slight pink that had appeared on his cheeks. "In any case, I can't wait for you to be done with Dahlia. How was your progress this week?"

She sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed so that she could look at him. "Fine. Progress is slow, but it is happening. MacMillian seems to enjoy the personal training a bit too much. He hasn't let me loose on the files yet, but I am sure he will eventually," she explained. Getting a job at the Ministry had only been the first step...now she actually needed time to find the property records for the Gaunt family. Unfortunately for her, MacMillian loved to spend his time with her on lunch meetings alone, much like he'd done with his previous secretary. But, Hermione was not going to sleep with him to get what she wanted.

Looking around, Hermione realized that Tilly wasn't tinkering away at their dinner and turned to look at Theo confused. "No dinner - please tell me we aren't going to the Blacks tonight. I don't think I can handle Walburga after the day that I had," she begged, rolling onto her stomach, propping herself up onto her elbows to get a better look at Theo.

His gaze was temporarily drawn to the curve of her arse, before he shook his head. "So you did forget," he said with a smirk, obviously pleased with himself. "I've given Tilly the night off because I am going to take you out to dinner. It's out first anniversary, wife."

She had forgotten. It was hard for Hermione to believe that she had Theo had been together in the past for a year now. She was even more surprised by how well they worked together and how much progress they had made. "You're taking me on date?" she stuttered, thinking that it was really one of the most romantic things that Theo had done, unable to remember the last time that they had gone out without some purpose.

"Yes, at eight o'clock," he answered, before picking his book back up. "So you'd better go get ready. It's a nice restaurant, but not so ridiculous. But still, you'll want to dress up."

Pushing up from where she was, Hermione hurried to their ensuite bathroom to get ready for the evening, enjoying this more spontaneous and unexpected side of her husband. She couldn't remember the last time that she'd been on a date, and it wasn't as though she and Theo had a relationship that included a courtship period.

Finding herself feeling truly excited, she slipped out of the shower and into a silk robe to get ready. Standing in front of the mirror, she slowly applied just a few glamour charms to enhance her natural beauty, something that seemed so normal now, even though it was not something she would have imagined doing previously. A splash of Sleak-Ezay's into her palms was run through her damp hair helped to keep her curls manageable enough that she could dry her hair with magic. Styling her hair quickly, Hermione stared at the woman in her reflection.

The woman who looked back at her was familiar but unnerving. Almost like some Stepford Wife version of herself. Then again, she supposed that is exactly what she had become, a perfect, pureblood wife, who didn't have the same concerns as Hermione Granger, muggleborn witch.

Heading to her closet, she sighed as she let her fingers run along the fine fabrics of all the fashionable witches robes that hung in a neat row. Finding a slinky, sexy red set, she slipped into it, knowing that it was sure to turn heads. She never would have dared to wear something like this before, but now, as Theo's wife, it was expected of her. Worse, she even found herself enjoying keeping up with the latest fashions, having other women look at her with jealousy in their eyes, and being talked about with other trendsetters like Narcissa Black and Amalia Greengrass.

She wondered what Harry and Ron would think of her if they could see her now. Merlin, she was sure that Ron would go red in the neck knowing how much she cherished this little material items, knowing that he would never have been able to provide for her in the same way that Theo did. He'd cherish the material as well, which would only make him lash out against her harder. It felt like a betrayal to admit that she was glad she hadn't gone back with him. They would have driven each other spare in the first week. It hurt that she couldn't say with any certainty that Ron wouldn't have left her high and dry.

After all, he'd done it before.

Hermione was pulled out of her pique when Theo entered the bathroom, now wearing a pair of stylish light grey robes that did wonders for his eyes. "You look great," she complimented, enjoying the way that her little comments could still leave him off-balance. She pressed her hand to his chest to smooth out a non-existent wrinkle, just wanting to touch him for a quick moment.

Theo recovered quickly, bringing his own fingers up to play with the edge of her silk bathrobe, dangerously close to her breasts. He might not always be as bold as she was, but that didn't mean she was unaffected by him. Staring down at those long fingers slipping inside the fabric was nearly enough to have her begging him to call off the reservations and just have an evening in.

"I don't even know why I try to dress remotely well, not when everyone will have their eyes on you," he quipped, bringing up his hands to cup her jaw lovingly. Then he released her. "I better not kiss you, or I fear we will end up being late."

A year ago, she might have been embarrassed by the little noise of need that was torn from her throat, but she wasn't bothered by it now. "Well, all I need to do is slip into my dress and then we can go," she assured him, turning to leave him to his own devices to finish getting ready.

When they were both standing ready, Theo side-alonged them to the apparition point, before making the short walk to the restaurant that he had selected. Hermione was unsurprised to see that it was a rather fashionable location in Diagon Alley, difficult to get a reservation at so soon after its opening earlier in the year. It was exactly the sort of place that Hermione and Theo Nott would be expected to go for a date, nearly as important to be seen by other people like them than it was to enjoy themselves. Still, Hermione knew there was no reason why she wouldn't thoroughly enjoy the simple but delicious French cooking.

Their table was nestled by the window, giving them a great view of the Alley and the complete dining room. It was only once she was seated across the table from Theo that she realized this might be the first time they'd gone on an actual date with one another, the anniversary date being significant to them and them alone, not to impress some other pureblood couple. Merlin, it was perhaps the first date she'd been on in over three years, if she was honest with herself, and she told her husband as such.

"Really? I would have expected...with Hogsmeade weekends, but, never mind..." he stumbled over his words, remembering that they were in public and it wasn't the best place to be talking about their lives before. "I've been remiss as a husband."

"We've both been busy," Hermione insisted, though that wasn't entirely true. Going on dates just didn't seem like something that was all that important to her, though she could admit she liked it every now and again. "And I don't mind quiet evenings at home with just you."

"Well, hopefully this can make up for it," he suggested, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a slim, velvet box, indicating jewelry.

Hermione happily took it. Just because she valued her mind did not meant that she could not be swayed by pretty trinkets. Snapping the box open, she was surprised to see a lovely set of diamond and pearl earrings looking back up at her, set in white gold. The diamonds were almost obscenely large, and she couldn't stop her awed gasp, catching the attention of some other diners as well. "Thank you, Theo. I love them," she gushed, reaching out for his hand and pressing a kiss to the palm, uncaring what anyone thought about her little display of affection.

Before she could say much more, a waiter came by and took their orders and Theo ordered a bottle of red wine to celebrate. When they were left alone a second time, Theo took hold of her hand once again, rubbing the back of her knuckles affectionately, pleased that he had done well with the gift. "To be honest, I have a rather expensive second edition Arithmancy book waiting at home, too, if the jewelry didn't go over well," he revealed with a flush.

Hermione grinned widely. "You know me too well, Theo," she answered, thinking that he really had outdone himself. He had certainly learned a lot about her in just the year that they had been on this crazy mission with one another. "And, it fulfills the traditional first anniversary gift of paper."

"What do you mean?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed, looking utterly perplexed.

"Oh, it must be a muggle thing, then," she said, slightly embarrassed that she hadn't figured that out by this time. She'd done enough research on pureblood traditions, surely she would have come across it by now if it existed in this world. "I'll tell you more about it at home," she added, seeing their waiter returning with food.

The food looked amazing and Hermione was nearly so caught up in the delicious smells that she was barely able to shoot her hand out to cover her wine glass before the waiter poured for her. "I'd prefer to do that on my own," she said to him, with the barest hint of a smile, amused when she watched him shrug his shoulders as if she was the oddest witch he'd ever come across. Then again, she supposed that it was pretty odd behavior.

Theo's eyebrows were furrowed in confusion, but he waited for the waiter to leave them alone before confronting her. "I'm sorry, did I not get something you liked? Perhaps champagne would have been better given the occasion," he offered, flubbing over his words. It was endearing to see how much he truly cared about her wants and comforts.

"No, it's fine. I'm just not drinking at the moment," Hermione reassured him, her smile widening. She did feel a little bit terrible that she had completely forgotten about their first anniversary and that she didn't have a proper present to give him, but she supposed that now was as good a time as ever to share with him the good news. Seeing his still confused face, Hermione knew she had to put him out of his misery before he went spare. "I'm pregnant, Theo."

She watched as his adam's apple bobbed up and down in his throat, a look of utter surprise on his face. "Real-really?" he asked, his eyes dropping to his plate. "How sure are you about it? I mean, how far along has it been? Do we need to do anything to verify it?" he asked stumbling over his words.

"I'm pretty sure. I did the potion myself, but it is still early days. Only six weeks or so," Hermione told him, her hand finding the flat of her stomach almost instinctively, even if there was currently no sign of the life that she carried. "I imagine there is some kind of midwife that we would go to now for prenatal care, but I was sort of hoping you'd have more insight on that," she added.

Theo was silent, still unable to meet her eyes. Suddenly, her stomach lurched, wondering if he was upset with her for some reason. A hint of anger began to bubble up inside of her, knowing that it was his idea that they try for an heir in the first place, and if he was going to be freaked out by her having a baby, then he should have thought about the consequences of unprotected sex. "Are you upset, Theo?" she asked, her voice even and thin.

"I just...I just never expected it to happen quite so quickly," he told her, his eyes finally meeting hers, slightly shiny in the low light of the restaurant.

"Well, I don't know why that would be," Hermione said with a frown. "It's not like we haven't had a...a very active sex life," she added, dropping her voice in case anyone was eavesdropping on their conversation.

"I know," Theo said, nodding. "It's just that...most couples in my circle have struggled with fertility. Haven't you ever wondered why there are quite so many only children in Slytherin? It took my parents years to get me," he explained, his voice a bit gruff with emotion. "Draco's mother was always upset that she was never able to have another child, despite their numerous tries."

Hermione blushed, realizing that she had never thought about fertility in the pureblood community. After all, the Weasleys had such a large family, and she'd always assumed that Neville was an only child just because of his parents situation. "I didn't know," she said quietly, thinking that it was likely caused by their very narrow gene pool. "But you aren't upset, are you?" she questioned, still needing to know that he wanted this baby as much as she had come to want it.

"No, not upset. A little overwhelmed and...wow, I never would have imagined that the two of us...can you imagine if anyone from back home knew?" he asked, smiling at her.

"I suppose no one would have seen it coming, but...I'm glad it's with you," Hermione told him, knowing that it was true. Theodore Nott was not someone she'd ever imagined ending up with, but now that they'd ended up in this situation together, she really couldn't think of anyone she'd rather it be with.

Before she could say anything else, Theo was standing from his spot, leaning the short distance across the table. He grabbed her face with both of her hands, pulling her towards him in a fierce kiss, being more demonstratively affectionate that he'd ever been with her, completely uncaring of what the restaurant's other diners might think of them. Hermione responded to the kiss with relish, only to embarrass herself with a little moan of pleasure, before pulling away.

Cheeks red, her eyes darted around seeing other patrons staring at them, before returning to her plate. "Theo!" she scolded half-heartedly, whilst also wondering if they could just apparate back home to see where his needy kisses could lead. "What will everyone else think?"

He returned to his seat, looking an adorable mixture of smug and sheepish. "Sorry, I just couldn't help myself," he explained. "I can't believe you told me that kind of news in public and then expected me to act like a normal person. I don't know how I'm meant to keep my hands to myself for the rest of the evening."

"Well...I'm sure this food isn't that great," Hermione said, pushing her fork through some mashed potatoes that suddenly seemed very uninspired. "I'm sure Tilly could come up with something quick if we really got hungry," she added, giving her husband a mischievous grin, enjoying his sudden openness with her.

She didn't have to ask twice. Theo was throwing galleons on the table to pay for their uneaten meal and offering her a hand before she could even stand up, too eager to get home and celebrate with her properly.