Midnight at the Owlery
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: This story is the result of a persistent plot-bunny and does in no way mean that I'm planning to neglect The Importance of Inter-House Unity. Please think of this as a little encore. I hope you enjoy it :)
A/N #2: Any helpful hints about fixing the formatting are gladly received :)
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It was December the 31st a quarter to twelve in the evening and Theodore Nott was sitting in the Owlery, freezing his behind off. The room had always been rather chilly, but the combination of the empty feeling in Theodore's stomach and the bitter December cold made the boy shiver.
He sighed warily and continued fiddling nervously with the object in his hands. There wasn't much time left now, he knew, and Theodore Nott as his fellow students and the staff of Hogwarts had known him, would cease to exist. He'd leave this life behind and start a new one. Hopefully a better one, Theo thought as his fingers traced the outline of the portkey he was holding. Merlin, he was nervous! Part of him was excited at the prospect of starting a new life while another part of him – the nostalgic and emotional one – wanted nothing more then to throw away the portkey and join his friends in the Slytherin common room where everyone celebrated the beginning of the New Year.
He sniffed. They probably didn't even miss him. Feeling very sorry for himself, Theo wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his chin on his knees. He swallowed heavily and breathed a melodramatic sigh. He was all alone. On his own. No one cared or even noticed …
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"Hey, you!" A sharp voice interrupted his pitiful thoughts, "Are you trying to get frostbite or something? You mustn't sit that still when it's so cold. It's bad for your blood circulation."
Theo sighed – less dramatically this time. He didn't even need to turn around to recognize the speaker. The bossy voice alone was a dead giveaway. "Go away, Granger."
She huffed in indignation. "This is a public place. I have every right to be here!"
Theo rolled his eyes. No, she did not have the right to be here. She ruined the mood! How was he supposed to feel sorry for himself when that shrill voice of hers constantly interrupted him? An owl hooted in annoyance next to him and Theo was sure that it agreed with him.
"Do you know that it's impolite to ignore people?"
Theo groaned and let his head sink onto his knees. Go away, go away, go away he chanted in his head but to no avail. She was nothing if not persistent.
"Why are you here, anyway? Considering recent events students are not allowed to go anywhere alone, you know?"
Theo gave up and turned around. "I can't help but notice that you're here on your own as well."
Hermione flushed. "I…have my reasons."
"So do I," Theo grunted and gazed out of the glass-less window and into the cold night. There were almost no stars to be seen tonight and the moon had long since been hidden behind dark clouds. An ill omen, according to his father. Theo deeply inhaled the chilly night air. This was better. He was getting back into the mood. He was…a soft rustling next to him caught Theo's attention. She was actually sitting down next to him! The nerve of her! "I don't remember inviting you to sit here with me."
Hermione gave him a cheeky grin. "Public place."
Something sounding suspiciously like a growl came from Theo. He turned to her in a huff. "What do you want from me? Why aren't you with your little friends? Shouldn't you be down in the Great Hall hoping for a kiss from Weasley?"
She bit her lip and quickly averted her gaze. "I'm not."
Theo rolled his eyes. "Thank you. I already noticed that much."
For a moment only the soft rustling of feathers and the gentle clicking of beaks of a hundred owls munching on their owl treats filled the uncomfortable silence as the teens quietly sat next to each other, each of them lost in thought. Then both spoke simultaneously.
"Why aren't you with the other reptiles?"
"Why are you up here, anyway?"
Before any of them could pull up their respective protective fences, they exchanged a small, genuine smile.
"You were saying?" Theo asked and gave her an encouraging smile. Damn his manners which forced him to be polite to anyone!
Hermione grinned. "Why aren't you with the other Slytherins?"
"Long story." Theo shrugged. Well, actually it was a very simple and short story but he really couldn't tell her that. He squeezed the portkey in his hands once more as if hoping for some kind of reassurance from the small object. Finally, he smirked. "Perhaps I like my solitude."
Both knew that he was lying but they let it slip for the moment. Hermione sighed and fixed her eyes on an undefined spot in the distance as she tugged on a stray strand of her hair. Her miraculously non-frizzy hair, Theo noticed with a start. What happened to the bushy waves of madness? Being a boy, he decided that an unflattering comment about her hair would be the best way to get the conversation –how did he start having a conversation with a Muggle-born Gryffindor, anyway? – going again. "So, where has the frizz gone? Your hair looks actually manageable tonight."
She gave him a furious look that made him raise his hands in a pacifying gesture.
"What? That was a compliment!"
Hermione scowled and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'Boys!' under her breath.
Theo plunged on. "No really. You look really pretty tonight." And she did, he noticed with growing alarm. "What happened?"
"Sleakezy's Hair Potion happened!" she snapped and started to stand up but froze in mid-motion as she suddenly felt a warm hand on her arm.
"Don't go yet," Theo's voice – his rather velvety and nice voice, Hermione noticed – broke through her troubled thoughts. She gave him a long look and for a very short moment she felt a connection to the silent Slytherin. Hermione smiled and sat down again.
"How could I ever leave the panoramic view of this wonderful tower? And for what? A warm and cozy New Year's feast in the Great Hall?"
Theo returned her smile. "Not to mention the wonderful smell of owl droppings."
"And sitting among regurgitated rat skeletons," Hermione smirked.
"And getting a cold because of the chilling draft."
"And being insulted by the oh-so-pleasant company."
"Being taught about manners by a Muggle-born."
"Spending the last minutes of the year with an elitist Slytherin." Hermione leaned toward that very elitist Slytherin and smirked at him. He smiled right back and shuffled a bit closer to her.
"Whereas you could be spending the last minutes among a crowd of uncivilized Gryffindors."
"Who at least wouldn't question my heritage." Hermione's eyes blazed. She was enjoying this playful banter.
"Not out loud, anyway," Theo agreed. And swallowed hard as he suddenly noticed their proximity. 'When did that happen?' a small rational voice in the back of his head questioned while another voice – a rather reckless and previously unknown voice – urged him to close the distance between them. What was the worst that could happen? He'd never see her again. He'd never see anyone here again, so there really was no point in worrying and…
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With a crack like a whip fireworks exploded from the Great Hall, illuminating the night sky with brilliantly bright colours. There were green explosions of light, a yellowish sprinkling of stars and red and blue and purple firecrackers. It was beautiful.
"Happy New Year, Theodore," Hermione smiled at him from her smelly perch in the cold Owlery. Theo grinned.
"Happy New…" His eyes widened and his mind went blank as – for just a blink of an eye - he suddenly felt soft lips on his.
"Her…Hermione," he breathed, startled by the hoarse sound of his own voice.
She blushed and hid behind the curtain of her hair. "I just thought that…it's New Year's eve and…"
Theo quickly stole a glance at his watch. It was almost time to leave. Silently Theo cursed the fact that he had only noticed Hermione during the very last minutes of his old life. He was sure that somewhere fate was laughing at him. Damn it!
Theo blinked rapidly, then reached out and cupped Hermione's cheek in his hand. "Goodbye," he whispered to her confused face and closed the distance between them once more to meet her lips in a kiss.
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It was January the 1st five minutes past midnight and Hermione Granger was sitting in the Owlery, being confused. A second ago she had been kissing Theodore Nott ('Nott of all people!' a scandalized voice in the back of her head screamed.) and then he just vanished into thin air. She lifted a shaky hand to touch her lips as if trying to make sure that the past minutes had really happened and were not just the result of too much butterbeer. But, Hermione mused, she hadn't drunk anything even remotely alcoholic this night and the feeling of light-headedness and dizziness were due to something else entirely. She looked at the place he had occupied a few seconds ago. The straw still held the imprint of where he had sat only moments before. She frowned. How very curious. She'd have to notify Professor McGonagall about this. Minus the kissing incident, of course.
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Napoli, Italy
Estrella della Notte stood regally in the foyer of the Manor and smiled like she hadn't smiled in years. Ever since the great fight with her brother - Nicodemus Nott – she had been hoping and praying that this day would come to pass. After she had left the country – for she would not in any way support her brother's ignorant views about You-Know-Who and Muggle-borns! – she had returned to her ancestors' home – Italy. It was here that the della Notte-clan had prospered into an influential force in the Wizarding World until – she thought it was Francesco della Notte – had decided to emigrate to Britain, leaving behind the family's glory as well as the name of della Notte and became the first Nott. Another triumphing smile crossed her thin lips as she stepped down the broad marble staircase to welcome her nephew.
The circle closed now and the last Nott came home. Theodore Nott, condemned to a life as a Death Eater's son and forced to become a follower of You-Know-Who, was gone.
She embraced the thin boy and ran a hand through his shaggy dark brown hair. "Welcome home," she smiled warmly and led him into the house. Theodore della Notte, a young man who was just waiting to live his new life in freedom, was born.
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