Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any affiliated characters. I just happened to come up with the plot for this ship. All credit to J.K for her amazing universe that she allows us to play in.
Warning: Rated M. Cursing, sexual innuendos, lemons and fluff ahead.
My beta is Grammarly, therefore any mistakes you catch are all mine. Sorry.
Music is my muse:
Song for this chapter: You Found Me, The Fray
Lyric: Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me.
Aftermath
Chapter Three:
You Found Me
Hermione was drifting in a warm cloud that smelled very nice, musky, but clean. She knew she was sleeping but she couldn't figure out how her basic cotton sheets had suddenly become so comfortable. Someone was talking in a low voice, reassuring her, and she lifted her arms as she was told, trying to snuggle back into the warmth and softness and go back to sleep.
It had been a long time since she had actually wanted to sleep. Years really. And so she resented the person who kept trying to wake her up. When finally they let her alone she let out a quiet sigh of relief and let the darkness take her away.
She awoke at some point to her normal nightmares. But someone was there, whispering comforting words in a gruff sleepy voice. Strong hands turned her and pulled her into a warm body. She tried to lift her eyelids, something fluttered on the edges of a memory; but there was the scent again, that seemed to calm her, and that voice, it made her think that the dreams might not come back, so she burrowed into the warmth and fell back into sleep.
She woke three more times that night, and each time that same voice, that same scent, that delicious warmth wrapped around her, and she would drift back to sleep. Until finally her dreams shifted and the darkness faded and for the first time since she had been a teenager, she fell into a peaceful sleep. Unaware that a man sat holding her in his arms, his face a bit desperate as he counted each of her deep breaths, his eyes a turbulent sea of regret and anger, but his hands were soft as they held her, his heart pressed to her cheek as she slept.
OooOooOOoO
Theo had never been accused of being a tender man. Respectful, yes. Careful, absolutely. But tender? No.
But as he held Hermione Granger in his arms, his hand rubbing soothing circles into her back, a wave of tenderness rushed over him. Did she do this every night? Was that why she was so reserved now? Why she was so quiet? Was exhaustion to blame for her more stoic personality? He had done some recon after leaving her in Tuily's care earlier that night, and what he had found out had surprised him.
The normally brash and loud mouthed Granger he remembered from school was not how she was described by her fellows. Yes, she had taken a job at the ministry, but it wasn't what he had expected her to do. She worked for the French Ambassador to the ministry and the man- who happened to be his cousin on his mother's side- had said she was quiet, professional, mild mannered, charming, and brilliant.
While Theo could certainly agree with the latter two assessments, and he didn't think she would be unprofessional, mild mannered and quiet were never analogies he would have used to describe Hermione Granger. She had been fearless, brash, unpredictable, sassy, witty, and rather easy to rile. Her temper was rather legendary with his housemates. And she had never been quiet! Merlin, she had been the opposite of quiet. Never shut up, actually.
He shifted her in his arms and let out a silent groan as her lips brushed over his bare chest. He had been sleeping in the other room for tonight, the one just off of his. But she had started yelling just as he was getting into bed and he had rushed in to find her in the middle of a nightmare and done the only thing he could think of. He climbed into bed and held her down trying to sooth her or wake her up. Each time she had cried out he had repeated his actions. Soothing her back into sleep, he had given up on waking the chit up, she had to be utterly exhausted because she never really opened her eyes, and she was rather strong for such a petite little thing.
Tuily had put her in one of his old Quidditch shirts and every time he looked down at her he smiled at her in Slytherin green. The shirt was old and soft from repeated wears, it covered her though, so he didn't feel like such a voyeur watching her sleep in his arms.
He had been meaning to get out of the bed and go back to the spare one, but every time he tried to roll her off of his chest she just burrowed deeper into it. So he had finally given it up for a bad job and moved down off the headboard. Her little lush legs were tucked under one of his and she was using his left pec as a pillow. Her arms were wrapped around his waist and she was drooling on him. The sheer absurdity of that picture had him falling asleep with a smirk on his face. He would almost bet all the gold in his vault that Hermione Granger was not going to be quiet when she woke up in his shirt, on his chest, wrapped in his arms.
OooOOOooO
Hermione frowned as her bed vibrated and made an odd sound.
Since when did her bed snore? Since when was her bed this warm?
She shifted and froze.
Since when did her bed have hair?
Her eyes flew open and she realized two things immediately.
This was not her bed.
And she was half naked in the arms of an equally half naked man!
Okay, and one more thing.
Said man smelled fantastic!
She peeked up and realized that he was snoring, and clearly deeply asleep. Carefully she shifted her arms from around his waist and let out a little gasp. She was in bed with Theo Nott, and he looked even more gorgeous without a shirt on. She moved slowly, untangling her legs from his, which were encased in pajama bottoms at least. She moved gently away from his heat, freezing as he shifted and turned, but letting out a small breath of relief as he continued to snore. Slowly she scooted off the bed until she was free and dropping her feet onto the plush carpet as she looked around.
The room was cozy, obviously male as there was very little in it. A large chair by the fire, a wardrobe, a dresser, a huge bed! The room was in varying shades of dark blue and green. She didn't see her clothes anywhere and she couldn't honestly recall how she had gotten here, or gotten undressed. Quietly she moved to a door and peaked out. It was a hallway and she saw another door open that looked like a bathroom. She quickly rushed into it and after using the loo and stealing a toothbrush she peeked out again and groaned. He was still snoring and she wasn't ready to wake him up yet. She had no idea where she was, and although she could use the floo network, she knew that his house wouldn't be linked to hers! And she was pretty sure that the wards on his house wouldn't let her apparate out of here if she could, which she couldn't because her wand was in her purse which had to be with her clothes.
She considered all this quickly shifting from one foot to another in the hallway. Finally, she decided to go and make a cup of tea and build up her courage to wake up her sleepy companion and demand answers, and her clothes back! She studied her surroundings as she moved down a hall, she would guess that she was in some kind of townhome, tastefully decorated, and the windows were enchanted to look out at a seascape. The stairs led down to a kitchen and she smiled as she filled the tea kettle and watched waves rush onto a beach in the windows.
It was nice here, she felt safe somehow. She shifted to grab a tea cup when she heard what sounded like a fire come to life. Before she could hide a tall man was walking into the kitchen.
"Nott, why the bloody hell-"
Hermione let out a scream and dropped her tea cup.
The man in the doorway turned in astonishment and then bellowed. "Who the-"
But then he got a good look at her and Hermione got a good look at him and she felt her face go bright pink. Draco Malfoy stared at her in shock and then smirked. Her hands flew to her face, unaware that by lifting her arms she had lifted up the shirt, so now half her thighs were on display.
However, before Draco could get a good leer in, Theo rushed down the stairs and jumped in front of her, his wand out.
OooOooOOoOoO
Theo was breathing hard as he took in the scene in front of him. Hermione deflated into his back shaking as she buried her small body into him. He didn't turn around to comfort her though; he was too busy trying to decide if he should hex Draco Malfoy.
Draco raised his hands but didn't wipe the leer off his face. "Hang on now, Nott. I just got a peek, no need to-"
Theo raised his wand his face going dark with a warning but Draco, being the typical git that he was, just chuckled. "Fine, don't share but put down the wand and introduce me to your companion."
Theo reached behind him and kept Hermione behind his back, she had jerked at the 'don't share' comment and he could almost feel her disgust burning a hole in his back.
"Malfoy, you know damn well I never share. Go wait for me out there." He jerked his head towards the parlor.
With another leering smirk, Draco sauntered out, mumbling about Hermione's legs as he did.
Theo waited till the door swung shut and then locked it and silenced it before turning around to look down at a rather shocked but adorable tussled Hermione.
"He is such a total prat still." She said glaring at the door.
Theo grinned and waved his wand to repair the broken tea cup. She accepted it with a small frown and then set it down. "How did I get here-" She looked at him her eyes dark with distrust. "I don't remember how I ended up here."
Theo nodded slowly and moved back to pour her some hot water, reaching over to the tin for some tea. "I decided that you wouldn't like to put on a show for the muggles in the park and brought you back here. After a few hours of sobbing your heart out, you fell asleep."
She nodded and flushed before glaring at him. "You took my clothes off?"
He rolled his eyes and handed her the tea cup. "No, I called for help for that." Her eyes went wide and her face paled a bit and he snorted. "Merlin, I'd love to know what you're thinking. But you'd be wrong. Tuily came and took care of you, she was my nanny."
She frowned and then said slowly. "Um, a house elf?"
Theo grunted. "She's sleeping or she would be down here fussing over you and forcing you to eat, telling you how thin you are. She is old now and I let her have a lie about in the mornings."
He watched as Hermione shook her head looking a bit confused. "You let your house elf sleep in?
Theo sighed. "She isn't mine the way you are thinking, Hermione. More like I am hers. Where I go she follows. When I moved out of the Nott Mansion she moved with me, and she has a little room in the attic I fixed up for her."
Hermione nodded and then said. "Oh, I see."
Theo grinned at that. "No, you probably don't. I remember you and your little organization to free house elves. Don't go upsetting Tuily though; she is far from a slave. She is more like a nagging nan and I spoil her rotten I assure you."
Hermione gave him a long look and then ducked her head looking a bit embarrassed. "I'm in your shirt. Malfoy saw me in your shirt."
Theo snorted in disgust. "He didn't recognize you, so don't fret about it. And your bag is up in my room, with your wand and clothes. Why don't you go change while I rustle up some breakfast and get rid of Draco."
Hermione nodded and then rushed up the stairs with her cup of tea.
Theo sighed and then pulled at his hair before he unlocked the door and pushed through it. "What the hell do you want at half past seven in the morning, Malfoy?"
Draco Malfoy was leaning against the fireplace grinning stupidly. "I wanted to know why the hell you stood me up last night at the pub."
Theo snorted. "I was busy."
Draco lazily nodded his hands in his pockets. "I can see that. Mostly I just saw legs, but she looked rather fetching in your shirt, mate. Who is she?"
Theo sighed and lied easily. "No one you know."
Which was pretty much true. Draco Malfoy wouldn't really know this Hermione Granger.
The blond smirked and stood up straight. "Well, whoever she is, I like her legs. Most girls her size don't have legs that nice or that tan. Reminded me of Granger and her nice pins. Remember her? Pain in the arse but a bloody nice set of legs."
Theo flinched; well he was right on that count. Granger did indeed have nice legs. Draco was still talking.
"-course she didn't have enough hair to be Granger though."
Theo grunted not saying anything. Oh, she did have enough hair actually, he had just braided it into a side braid last night to keep it from tickling his face.
"So, have fun with your little bit of fluff."
Theo rolled his eyes.
"Next time send a damn owl will you?"
At this Theo nodded and said honestly. "It wasn't planned, so I apologize."
Draco snorted and threw floo dust into the fire before he disappeared.
Theo closed off the bloody floo network, something he should have done last night, and then headed back to make some breakfast.
Damn Malfoy and his bloody timing anyways. He was sure Hermione was going to have her guard up now.
Author Notes:
Draco is sure still a part, isn't he? ;)
Theo looks like the new super man actor in my head, just an FYI. No idea who that actor is but that's who I see when I am writing him. Harry something I think?
Cheers!
