A/N: Warning... might be a little serious.

It was the break of dawn, when he carried me from the lounge, where we had slept, down the corridor, and into my bedroom. I could feel his arms around me, and his calm, even heartbeat. Part of me wondered why he hadn't levitated me with magic — but somewhere deep down, the answer was there. It was strange to think one person's return would cause another bond to flourish, but that's what happened, what was still happening, what I hoped would never stop…

"Theo…" I murmured, reaching out, grazing his forearms with my fingertips, as he lowered me to the bed. "Where...Where are you going...?"

For a moment, we were suspended in this in-between place, where anything could have happened, where the ground could have shifted beneath us and the tides could have turned, before he answered me. "St. Mungo's" he whispered back, placating the tension between us with an unexpected kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back tonight...Sleep well, Hermione."

One Week Later

It had been seven days since Theodore Nott left for the hospital, with no word from him other than an obscure letter the night he should have returned. There was no explanation in that letter, no indication as to where he was or what was keeping him. I had only the nerves that ricocheted within the confines of my ribcage, and the small tendril of fear that coiled around my heart, tightening more and more and more, with each second he was gone.

I tried reaching out to Daphne, as she worked with him, but she had no idea where he was — which meant something was wrong.

On the seventh night, there was another letter, delivered to me at the Auror Office.

I'm sorry.

I can't tell you what's going on, only that I'm fine and that I'll be back soon.

x

Again, it was obscure.

Harry assured me he was fine, and that if anything dangerous had happened to him, it would have been clear in his letters. But I could see no signs of tension or danger in his wording or handwriting. It seemed something had happened, something he didn't want to talk about with me or anyone else.

It was then that I recalled the few words we'd exchanged before he left.

Perhaps he wasn't lying to me about St. Mungo's. Perhaps he was there — not as a Healer but as a patient.

On the eighth night, Daphne invited our circle of friends to her house for dinner.

I had originally planned not to attend, seeing as a certain someone was still in town, and I had no stomach for that drama, but Harry and Ginny convinced me otherwise. I sat with them and the others at the dinner table, and ate what little I could, whilst drowning my sorrows in white wine and avoiding the passing glances of the person seated diagonal from me.

It was an hour into dinner, that I excused myself from the table and made claims to use the ladies room.

From there, that person followed me.

I calculated his footsteps about ten seconds behind mine, following me through the corridor and into the guest room furthest from the dining room. I'm sure it looked quite scandalous, but I didn't care. I rounded the corner and waited for him inside, seated at the edge of the bed, with both arms behind me for support.

On the tenth second, he arrived, leaning against the doorframe with that classic look about him; silent but deadly.

"Where's Nott?" I demanded.

Without another word, the young man — tall, blonde-haired and dressed to perfection — handed me an invitation card. It wasn't creme coloured as Harry and Ginny's wedding invitation had been. It was plain white, with plain black lettering. I glanced at him, confused, until laying eyes on the words in front of me.

In Loving Memory

of

Theodore Nott

I felt that same tendril tighten, suffocating me as the card begin to slip from my fingertips. "Wh — What is this? What am I holding?"

"It's for his father," Draco explained, quickly realizing that I had misinterpreted the funeral invitation. "Theodore Nott Sr. fell ill eight days ago, and passed away the night before last — at St. Mungo's."

It hit me like a ton of bricks.

You see, in the time I had known Nott and lived with him, he had never once spoken about his father — his last living relative. To my knowledge, they didn't have the best bond, as Nott didn't share his father's traditional views on blood status and wealth and things of that nature. Nott Sr. had also been a lot older than his wife, the latter of whom had died giving birth to their one and only child.

"Where did you get this?" I asked Draco, noticing he'd closed the door.

"All pureblood families received invitations," he explained. "Sacred Twenty-Eight."

I'd read about the Sacred Twenty-Eight once before, knowing they were an ancient group consisting of the truest, purest bloodlines in the British wizarding world. As fate would have it, Nott and Draco were amongst this group — as were Daphne and Astoria.

Draco, as though sensing my next question, answered it before the words escaped my lips. "Daphne doesn't know."

I nodded, feeling she wouldn't have lied to me about Nott's whereabouts. "So…his father…passed…"

"How are you feeling?" Draco asked.

"I don't know. I just need to find him."

"Well…" he thought aloud. "…chances are he's at the Nott Family Manor, sorting out funeral preparations and figuring out what to do with his family's estate."

I could hear him, but I wasn't listening. I could only think about my roommate and how heartbroken he must have been, thinking he had to go through this alone and that no one — including me — would understand. Both my parents were alive and well, but I did lose people dear to me before and after the Second Wizarding War. It hurt a little, that he didn't trust me enough to tell me what was going on all this time, but I couldn't think about it like that.

This wasn't about me.

This was about his father.

"Would you be willing to take me there?" I blurted, staring up at the blonde wizard with moisture in my eyes.

Draco paused a moment, before nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, of course, I'll take you."

I swallowed down the tension and smiled. "Thank you."

"If you want to talk to Nott privately, we should probably leave tonight. I'm sure the manor will be packed with people come morning."

"Okay — just —" I breathed, in and out. "Give me a minute."

A/N: Thoughts?

Cheers

xo.

(P.S. I'm looking for actors/models to represent characters in this story. I have most of them sorted, but I still need to find representations for Draco, Ginny, and Harry. Suggestions are welcome!)