Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic.
I won't be able to post for the next 2ish days for those of you following this story, but the story, but I'll be back by Monday at the latest.
January 9, 2001 London, England - The Time Office
Theo poured himself another cup of coffee, the third of the day, and leaned against Hermione's desk watching Draco and Hermione. They were trying to puzzle out how to fuel the particle accelerator for what Hermione had dubbed the Patera Temporis. Theo glanced at the papers they were reviewing, looking over the equations and finding that they were quite similar to those of the now-completed Patera.
"Why don't you just fuel it with a memory, like with the Patera Temporis? The spell would have to be modified slightly, but it could still be applied." Theo asked, curiously.
"Because a single memory wouldn't be able to fuel both devices." Draco said. Theo shrugged.
"So use two. The second wouldn't have to be used until the subject was ready to return anyway. The memory would be destroyed, but that's the price of time travel." Theo said simply, returning to his desk to retrieve the list of spells used on his improved prototype.
"Here. Hermione helped me with most of the transfiguration and binding. I'm sure you two can apply these to the particle accelerator." He said, before settling down to write his report on the first test stages of the Patera Temporis.
He'd only used it to take him back in time by a few minutes, so far. He would spend five minutes in an empty room, then use the memory of the empty room to transport himself back in time, under a Disillusionment Charm. He'd have to time himself, only moving out of the empty room in the past after his past self had used the device. It had taken him a while to wrap his head around the timelines and how the test should go in practice, but he eventually figured it out and all five of his experiments went off without a hitch.
His report was the last thing he had to do before they could move on to the real test: using the device in conjunction with the particle accelerator to go back in time. Theo had a bit of anxiety about the last test. He knew one of them would have to actually perform the test, but he didn't want his friends to be stranded in the past. He wouldn't be able to function knowing he had been the cause of something like that. Even thinking about it made him anxious. He sat down his quill just moments after picking it up, huffing slightly. Hermione looked up at him.
"Theo, what's going on?" She asked, an eyebrow arched. He merely shrugged, but Hermione wasn't going to let him off that easily.
"Luna's been on that expedition in Kent for the past couple days, because tonight's the full moon. She's looking for mooncalves. I haven't been sleeping well because of it." Theo admitted. Draco smiled, knowingly.
"I didn't think you two were that close." Hermione said, eyebrows shooting up. Theo frowned a bit, then blushed, his eyes widening when he realized what she meant.
"Oh, n-no, Hermione. That's not why I can't sleep. Not at all! She and I usually hang out and talk at the Leaky, or, recently, my flat, after work. Helps me unwind and she enjoys the company." Theo said quickly.
"Oh," Hermione giggled. "Well, that makes a bit more sense. When will she be back?"
"She's supposed to be back tomorrow night, but I won't see her until Thursday. We, um, have a date." Theo said, smiling and looking down.
"About bloody time." Draco muttered, a grin plastered on his face. "Why don't you come over to the manor tonight, mate? I've got nothing better to do, and Hermione is abandoning me for Ginny."
Theo thought it over; it would get him out of his head, that was certain. He nodded.
"Alright. I'll be over around seven." Theo said carefully. He supposed it was better than spending the night going over and over how his first date with Luna was going to play out. He gathered up his thoughts and locked them away, forcing himself to think about his work for the last few hours of the day.
That Night, Wiltshire, England - Malfoy Manor
Theo and Draco sat in the lounge of the manor, each holding a snifter of brandy and talking idly. Theo knew there was something that Draco wanted to talk to him about; he could tell by the way Draco grasped for conversation instead of letting it come naturally as they always had. He let it go at first, figuring Draco was just trying to find the right time to bring it up. But as the night drug on, an hour and a half, and several measures of brandy, slipping by without head nor tail of Draco coming clean, Theo was getting a little pissed.
Draco's back was stiff as a board as he talked half-heartedly about Theo's upcoming date. He'd finally had enough, setting down his snifter on the table in front of him with a firm clink. Draco was so tightly wound, he jumped.
"Draco, what are you hiding?" Theo demanded.
"Hiding? I'm not hiding anything." Draco said, fidgeting. His voice was nearly an octave higher than normal and Theo rolled his eyes.
"Draco, you're shite at lying. Remind me again how you got into Slytherin?" he drawled. Draco bristled at that.
"It's only with you and Hermione. I swear, you two don't let me get away with anything." Draco sulked.
"Probably because you feel like the scum of the Earth at even the suggestion that you're being less than honest with us. Your tells are fairly blatant when you lie to me." Theo observed. "So are you going to tell me or not?" Draco's eyes lit up.
"Is 'not' an actual option?" he asked hopefully.
"No." Theo deadpanned.
"Bollocks." Draco slouched, running a hand across his face. "Damn it, Hermione, why did you insist I have this talk?" he muttered under his breath. Theo arched a brow. So they were both hiding something?
"Draco. Just say it." he groaned. The suspense was killing him.
"Before I do, I need you to remember that I am your best mate and that this is not my idea." Draco nearly pleaded. "Say it with me, 'this is not Draco's-'"
"I will hex you into next week if you don't spit it out, Malfoy." Theo growled, beyond done with his games.
"Hermione wants to be the subject for the last test." Draco said quickly, wincing and turning away from Theo. It took him a few seconds to realize what Draco had said, and to process the information.
"No." Theo said firmly, yet calmly. He couldn't risk Hermione's life like that.
"What do you mean, no?" Draco asked, his face more shocked than upset. "She didn't tell you no when you offered to test the shorter tests. She's been feeling really inadequate for her position recently, Theo. She hasn't really been doing much other than theory, numbers, and a little spellwork. She wants to actually contribute to this, and this is how she wants to help." Draco argued, stumbling a bit on his words. Theo frowned.
"What else is there to it, Draco? Why else does she feel the need to go, and why isn't she telling me this herself?" he asked. Draco visibly sagged as though Theo had placed a physical load upon him. He sighed, resigning himself to revealing the truth.
"Fine. So you're aware that she knows about me finding you in the tower when - yeah. Well, I
was talking with her right before the anniversary and I told her how I found you, and how confused I was by the not knowing who wrote the note." Draco started. Theo nodded; they were finally getting somewhere, and Draco was telling the full truth. Theo watched the man carefully for any of his tells.
"Theo, she presented me a theory that I can't help but think is accurate. She's the only person that knew exactly where both of us were that night. The only person that would care enough about you to warn me. She knows the importance of that night. What if you're still here because she's already gone back?"
Theo paused. They'd accepted, in their research, that humans had been hardwired to perceive the flow of time as a chain of events, always moving forward and never back. But with the discovery of wormholes and time-travel, the horizons were expanded and philosophy became practical. Theo, as well as Hermione and Draco, had become convinced that the proposal of eternalism was the most correct theory in regards to the metaphysics of time, if only through extensive testing of various time devices. The approach that past, present, and future were all very real and existed simultaneously, always moving forward. But with the added element of time-travel being a possibility, the trio had begun to view time almost cyclically. The past could indeed be changed by an event in the future, or vice-versa.
It was, therefore, entirely possible that the only reason Theo was alive was because of the events he was currently living through. He let that sink in for a moment. In one aspect, he was touched that Hermione cared about him enough to risk her life to go back in time just to ensure Theo didn't succumb to his depression. In another, Theo felt emotion welling in his chest as he realized he was essentially saving himself.
"How positive is she that she wrote the note?" Theo asked absently. He needed probability, confirmation that his life was indeed on the line with this decision.
"She's about eighty percent sure that she wrote the note. And being the only person I've ever told about the whole situation, and someone who frequented the Room of Requirement, I think she's the only real option." Draco said, confidently. Theo groaned.
"I'm not going to like this. In fact, I'm going to hate every second that she is gone. But I suppose it can't be helped. I won't stop her." Theo grumbled. Relief washed over Draco's face.
"Thank Merlin, am I glad that didn't devolve into an all-out brawl. I fully expect that's why she asked me to do it, you know. You two are so protective and stubborn that it was a serious concern of mine that it would actually be detrimental to your friendship." Draco sighed, taking a spi of his brandy. Theo smiled sideways at him.
"Me? Stubborn? Where'd you get that notion, mate?" Theo asked, innocently.
"Hm, maybe the intense interrogation at the beginning of this conversation? Seems pretty stubborn to me." Draco laughed. Theo shrugged, leaning back in his chair again.
"Nah. And if you thought that interrogation was intense, you should see my interrogations when I'm mad." He smiled, the wide grin spreading slowly and evily across his face, making Draco shiver.
"How about I just take your word for it, eh, mate?" He suggested, and Theo's laughter boomed about the room loudly. He was happy that Draco was relaxing again, as that meant that he would be able to, as well. With the stress from the looming tests and his first real date in- well, ever, Theo was glad that his friend had gotten everything out in the open. But now, he was going to do something he'd sworn to himself that he'd never do.
"Draco, I need some advice." Theo started, shifting nervously. Draco sat up a little; it wasn't often that Theo asked for anyone's advice. "What the hell am I supposed to do on a first date?" Draco blinked once, then burst out laughing. Theo scowled at him until he stopped.
"I'm sorry, Theo, it's just, well- I thought the same thing when I first took Hermione out. I'd never been on a date with a girl outside Hogwarts. I had no idea what adults did on a date. I just went with my instincts. Usually dinner is involved, but it can be whatever the two of you want." Draco told him. "Talk to her and see what she'd like to do. You can even let her take the lead, you know." he smiled at the other man.
"That actually makes me feel better. Luna is really agreeable, and she loves it when I ask her opinion about even trivial matters. Maybe I'll make it all about her. She hasn't been getting very much attention from her father recently." Theo mused. Draco nodded.
"Yes. Do that. Make it all about her. I honestly think that woman could take you to the most interesting, if odd, place in the world if you give her free reign and tell her she's pretty." Draco shook his head.
"Well, that won't be a problem. I've been trying not to tell her how gorgeous she is since I first ran into her at the Leaky. Didn't want to come on too strong." Theo blushed a little.
"They grow up so fast." Draco cooed, dabbing an imaginary tear from his eye before pulling his leg away from a well-aimed kick to his shin.
Theo and Draco talked well into the night, Draco trying to calm Theo's mind about their project and his date, and eventually veering away from both topics to discuss trivial matters, like Harry and Ginny's engagement, which Hermione had told Draco about the night before. The men finally pulled themselves back to reality when they realized it was nearly one in the morning. Theo decided it wasn't worth it to head back to his flat and just crashed in one of Draco's several spare rooms.
Before he drifted off to sleep, he looked out of the window near his bed, seeing the full moon hanging in the sky, and thinking of the woman whose name the bright orb shared.