Chapter 7: The Hogwarts Library

Her coffee curls were neatly pulled into a bun, set high at the top of her head, leaving Granger's neck completely exposed for Theo to stare at. The book he'd been reading for his potions assignment was still laying open before him, but Theo honestly had no idea what it said. If the instructions had included that he needed to skin a niffler, he was none the wiser as the only thing Theodore Alexander Nott could pay any attention to was his old charms partner sitting three tables over from him with some girls in their year.

His hands itched to reach over and pull at the tiny little perfect curl at the base of her skull, just to see if it was really as soft as her hair looked. Her laugh ringing out at whatever one of her companions had said made his heart long to hear her laughing so openly and carefree like that towards him again, just as she had during all those hours of their project.

"I'm telling you, I swear to Merlin himself, if Blaise's mum brings that freaky elf of hers round again I might have to cut him off. The shades wouldn't be so odd, but he wears them even at night…indoors. He was there for Boxing Day tea, and I swear it felt like he was about to off Posey when she offended his Mistress. Not that I would complain, but still." Pansy started, continuing to rattle on about her boyfriend and their family drama as she dropped her bag on the table and sat in the seat next to him.

Not even bothering to reply, since he was only half listening, Theo only nodded his head along. When it came to his best friend, Theo knew it didn't matter if she had your full attention or not, there was no stopping Pansy once she got started on a rant.

When Granger tried to pull her wand from her hair, the thing getting stuck in the wild curls, Theo had to hide a laugh as the little witch began cursing louder than was acceptable in the library. This action stopped Pansy from whatever she was spouting about the Zabini elf, causing her to look towards the sixth year girls study table, consisting of a Ravenclaw and two Hufflepuffs.

Theo had noticed the prior term that Granger never sat with nor did she interact with the other Gryffindor girls in her year. It seemed, to Theo at least, that while she was liked enough, Granger was more often than not the target of her own housemates' bullying. It made Theo's heart ache for the witch, because once he'd gotten to know her, he saw how easily that tough exterior of hers actually did crack.

"So, McLaggen was her date to the Slug Club Yule party. He was out to lunch with his father and uncle over the holiday at the gentlemen's club while I was there with daddy. I could hear him telling McLaggen Senior all about his new Muggleborn girlfriend." Pansy explained, finally pulling Theo's attention away from the back of Granger's neck. "From what I could hear, his father isn't thrilled with her blood status, but willing to overlook it if it will help the family get a connection with Potter. In turn, helping their family's image for his upcoming bid for Chief Warlock."

The quill in his grip snapped at her words, causing ink to splatter all over the text in front of him. Theo glared at his best friend, hopeful that she would sense the danger she was in if she continued down this line of discussion. Only, the raven haired witch seemed to have a death wish, as she laughed in the face of a Nott's rage, using her short straight hair to hide herself from other students who'd glanced in their direction.

"I wouldn't worry too much, my dear Theo. I overheard Granger telling the smart Patil twin that she had no interest in pursuing anything further with McLaggen because he made her uncomfortable and said things that were red flags. Honestly, for someone so bright, it was dumb of her to even go to that party with him. Everyone knows, or should know, what happened to that seventh year Hufflepuff after she went on a date with him last Valentines Day. Granger is lucky Potter was around and didn't leave her alone with him." Pansy continued, keeping her voice low, but all Theo could hear was static. Everything she was telling him only had the wizard formulating what McLaggen's fate would be if he even attempted to breathe the same air as Granger again.

With Pansy's attention now turned towards Blaise, who'd walked in with Tracey Davis following closely behind him, Theo was able to get back to watching his witch. Her laugh was musical as one of the Hufflepuff girls said something. Shutting the book she'd had opened, Granger stood from her seat, seeming to notice Theo for the first time since he'd followed her into the library over two hours prior.

It was probably on the verge of stalking, but since they'd finished their project, Theo couldn't resist. Just being near Granger was enough to lighten his heart, and that was something he craved after Draco had broken things off with him at the end of the previous school year. Even if it was for both their safety, the distance from the Malfoy heir was still heart wrenching.

However, somehow, just being around Granger had lessened that pain, even if just slightly. Her joy was contagious and the passion she had for, well, everything drew those around her in like a doxy to a flame.

When their eyes met, Theo couldn't help but smirk in her direction as her brows shot into her hairline. Nearly as soon as that happened, her eyes dropped, not even hiding the fact that they were roaming over his body.

The oxford he wore had the top few buttons undone, purposefully, since one of the first few things Granger had ever told him that he was fit. Theo's confidence had been boosted by that simple statement ever since. After years of trying to hide in oversized clothing, hopeful no one would pay too close attention to his physical appearance, Theo had decided it was time for a change. Granger wasn't the only female or male to appreciate the new more snugly fitting button ups Theo had started wearing, or the trousers he'd decided to waste his father's riches having custom made. Not that Theo actually gave anyone else the time of day, his new wardrobe was to draw in Granger and Granger alone.

Realising what she'd been doing, Granger's face flushed a nice deep red colour before scurrying off into the depths of the stacks of the Hogwarts library.

"Do you think these other witches can comprehend when a wizard is taken? Frankly, it's pathetic to be so desperate. Look at her, hanging all over him." Pansy scoffed, watching as Blaise continued to shamelessly flirt with their fellow Slytherin. After only waiting a few more moments, Pansy slapped her hands against the top of the table.

"That's it," the girl said, finally having enough of her boyfriend's antics as she pushed away from the study table, never having actually opened a book before going to tell Davis off for Blaise being a playboy.

Theo spared a few moments to watch as Pansy stormed away, before turning his full attention back towards Granger and where she sat with the other three witches. If anyone asked him to describe the girls she was sitting with, Theo wouldn't have even been able to relay what colour their hair was, as his eyes were glued to his witch. She must have sensed his gaze now, as she adjusted her seat so that Theo was able to admire her profile instead of just the back of her neck.

Merlin, she was stunning.

An ink blotch on her cheek, from where she'd touched ink covered fingers to her face when she'd brushed away a flyaway curl, made Theo grin as he gave up all pretence of studying. Granger's eyes kept flickering over to where Theo was sitting before looking back at the book she'd just recently gone to retrieve, though she'd yet to turn a page.

"Hermione," the Patil girl snapped, waving a hand in Granger's face. "Are you even listening to me? That's not the equation or the incantation you'd use for that particle counter curse." The Ravenclaw said, clapping her hands to emphasise her point.

"Oh, Godric, you're right," Granger muttered, scratching on the parchment and correcting the error that she'd made. "Sorry, I'm kind of…distracted…" she trailed off, not daring to look in Theo's direction. Though it was clear to the wizard he was who was distracting her. The knowledge that he was getting under her skin only made the smirk he wore widen.

"Well, if you're not going to study," Patil said, waving her hand, dismissing Granger from their group. The bolder of the two Hufflepuff's began to argue, but Granger continued loading up her things, shrugging in the other girl's direction. When the blonde girl finally let out a sigh, she shook her head sadly before going back to her work. The scratching of her quill indicated that she was no longer paying any attention to Granger, leaving his witch free of prying eyes.

Motioning with her head towards the restricted section, Theo nodded in agreement, gathering his things before trailing behind the petite witch. The swaying of his hips, an action that Theo wasn't completely sure was purposeful, kept him distracted enough that he bumped into more than one other student as he followed her.

Slipping through the gates with his access slip from Snape in his bag, Theo continued following Granger as the crowd of students lessened until they were so deep in the library that they could no longer even hear the chatter of their school mates. When she rounded one last corner, Theo was starting to wonder if she'd forgotten about him, but when he turned it, he found her standing in the aisle, a shy smirk on her face as she stood waiting for him.

"Hey," she whispered, twirling his fingers in the same curl he'd been admiring for so long.

"Hey," he answered, not entirely sure what else to say to her. Was it appropriate for him to ask about her holiday and if she'd gone anywhere? Hell, Theo didn't know anything about Muggles or if they even celebrated the same holidays that the wizarding community did. Would it be odd if he said he missed her? Even though the only thing they'd been was charms partners for the better part of the last term, they'd never spoken about anything other than the assignment.

There was no talk about their families, friends, or childhoods. The small talk had been skipped and everything had been strictly business between the two of them, but it'd still been enough that Theo had fallen for the Gryffindor Princess.

"Good holiday?" Granger asked, breaking the silence that had settled. She scuffed the toe of her Mary Janes against the dusty floor, leaving a line in the dirt.

No, it was awful. My father wrote me threatening messages from Azkaban since you just helped put him there. Though, none of my house elves died while I was away at school, so that was a positive to come home to them all healthy.

"Yeah, how about yours?"

"A bit dull," she answered quickly, a shy smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "I, er…I miss working with you. I just thought you ought to know." Granger said, her eyes falling to the floor. "I know, it may sound silly, a Muggleborn wanting to be friends with a Pureblood, but I find you fascinating in ways I didn't think possible…" she trailed off, stopping any train of thought Theo might have had, only able to focus on the words she was saying.

"You think I'm fascinating?" Theo asked, completely stunned by her openness and the vulnerability she was showing. Bloody Gryffindor.

"Well, yes, your mind, the way you see magic. It's, well, to be frank, you're brilliant. A bit bloody scary if I'm being completely truthful, but you're much more clever when it comes to charms than I am, and I'm not afraid to toot my own horn by saying I've been experimenting with advanced magic since I first came to Hogwarts. You know, in my second year I brewed Polyjuice and last year I made these coins, oh bugger, I know I have a few in here…" she trailed off, sticking her hand in her bag, rooting around for whatever she was talking about. "I just had this idea, you know, I got it from the dark mark as horrible as that sounds, but it worked. It was brilliant, and worked flawlessly," she continued, still searching in her bag as she cursed under her breath.

"I have no idea what you're saying," Theo confessed, stepping towards her, reaching his hands out to stop her assault on the bag.

Granger's eyes shifted so that she was meeting his gaze, her plump lips hanging open and her tongue darting out of her mouth to wet them. "I find your mind to be a very sexy thing, Theo." Granger murmured, her voice so low it would have been impossible to hear if it hadn't been silent where they were hiding.

"Is that all of me that you find sexy?" Theo asked, watching as Granger took in his appearance again.

"No, but I think you're now very aware that you're fit."

ooo

Racing through the Great Hall, no one looked twice at either Draco or Theo as they ran in the chaos up and down the aisles. Dead bodies and others who were injured were organised in front of them where they'd just the day before been eating dinner.

"Neither Granger nor Potter are here, only Weasley," Draco said, coming up to Theo's side and gesturing towards the family of redheads gathered around the deceased body of one of the twins.

Theo looked towards the group, again, trying to see if Granger might be with them mourning the loss of the man. The parents were both there, with the mother on the ground clutching the body of her son. The daughter, the witch Blaise had an on again off again fling with all year, was holding onto her father while tears rolled down her face. And then, bloody hell, they really did have a lot of children. The other twin was on the ground with his mother, while the most annoying Weasley was flanked by the three eldest brothers and the French part Veela.

Only, the part Veela seemed to be distracted as she gave the tallest brother a hug and a kiss before disappearing into the crowd, heading towards Pomfrey.

"Where the hell could she be?" Theo asked, diverting his gaze from the grief stricken family, not wanting to intrude on their private moment any longer.

"I don't know, but I ran into Lovegood healing people just a bit ago with Abbott and Patil. I thought she might know, but she said she hadn't seen Granger since everyone was in the Great Hall before the attack. Wait, where the fuck is Pansy!?" Draco asked, now looking towards every witch and wizard bent over a gurney as they worked to save lives in the makeshift infirmary.

At the comment, Theo's stomach dropped as he began to scan the hall looking not only for his witch, but also his best friend. Fucking women, honestly, if he didn't love the two of them, Theo would have sworn off all females to keep his sanity.

"She's not dead," Theo assured Draco who was still panicking, pulling the necklace from under his robes. "She gave this to me after Thoros killed my mother. It's two way though, and if something had happened to her it would have changed colour," Theo explained, indicating to the stone attached to the chain. "She's just scared, not injured," he said, as the stone glowed yellow.

"And why, pray tell, have you never thought to gift one of those nifty pieces of jewellery to Granger?" Draco asked, his eyes narrowing a bit as they flickered from the artefact to Theo's face. "Would have come in handy to know she's not dead with a war going on that's specifically targeting those with her blood status!" Draco hissed, causing a few heads to turn in their direction.

"It was a gift from Pansy to me," Theo explained, tucking the chain back in his robes. "It's a rare stone from Vietnam, so it was in her family. You know as well as I do Thoros tracks all the financials, so despite being wealthy, I couldn't have purchased something like this."

Draco's shoulders slumped slightly, his anger easing for a moment. "If you'd asked, I could have bought it," he whispered.

Proclaiming such a thing nearly made Theo laugh and lash out at his boyfriend. They both knew that even though Draco's spending wasn't monitored the way Theo's was, it never was an option. Draco lived with the snake, and buying a relic for protection would have brought him unwanted attention. Not to mention, the entirety of the year before they hadn't been on speaking terms. It was a moot point.

"Best not to dwell," Theo said instead, knowing that it would do more harm than good to get into a fight with Draco at the moment. While they were getting sideways glances from the passing members of the order, Theo knew that any sign of aggression on their part would quickly end their welcome. Becoming a prisoner of war wasn't something Theo was inclined to become.

Just as Theo was about to say something, a ruckus in the courtyard could be heard inside. The atmosphere of the room shifted, no longer were those gathered in mourning, as they gripped their wands preparing for battle once again.

"Healers," Theo heard the Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt say, taking command of the room, "continue to tend to those injured. Everyone else who can stand, come with me if you're willing. We finish this, once and for all," the man said, rousing his troops. Following their new leader, the entirety of the Weasley clan, Longbottom and the remains of his student resistance group, the staff, and a handful of others began to trickle outside to where the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters waited.

"What should we do?" Draco asked, turning towards Theo, his silver eyes wide with terror as the pair slipped into the crowd of walking towards the evil waiting just beyond.

"We fight, hopefully not against your father this time."

ooo

Theo couldn't wait, the words had hardly left her lips before he was crashing his mouth against hers. The surprised gasp that slipped from the little witch and stunned stillness only lasted a moment before she was throwing her arms around his neck, releasing a deep throaty moan.

Her body's reaction was all the encouragement Theo needed, his own hands snaking down to her waist and pulling her body flush against his. She was the perfect fit for him. Where Draco had hard lean muscles, Hermione's body was soft and inviting, completely opening up for him. Brushing the comparison aside, Theo poured all the pent-up tensions he'd felt over the last year into kissing the girl in his arms.

She wriggled against him, her thighs parting as she sought friction between her legs, causing Theo to chuckle. "Looking for something?" He asked, murmuring against her lips as he ground his own erection against her hip.

Granger pulled away, her eyes going wide as she peered down at the bulge that was clearly visible through his trousers. The look on her face would have been comical had Theo not been desperate to feel her. "Is that…" she muttered more to herself than Theo, reaching out only to pull her hand back at the last moment.

Theo gripped her wrist, pressing her palm exactly where he wanted her to touch him, causing Hermione's breathing to get heavier and Theo to moan. "It's all for you, you and that bloody swotty tone you use. The way you wiggle in your seat when you're excited and that body of a Goddess you have, not even realising how mental you drive me." Theo told her, letting everything that had been building all of last term to spill out to her in a full confession.

Her pupils blew wide as he spoke, and just as he finished admitting to her his secret, Granger surprised him by leaping into his arms. Her smooth legs wrapped around his waist, gripping him to help hold herself up. Not wanting to look a gifted unicorn in the mouth, Theo took the invitation she'd given him and latched onto her neck. His fingers slipped past the hem of her skirt and to the damp knickers covering her core. Rubbing the material covering her clit, Granger ground herself against his hand, chasing her first release.

"That's it, that's a good girl," Theo encouraged, slipping a finger past the damp cotton and into her tight channel.

Her cunt clamped down around him as her body began shaking with her release hitting her.

"More," she whimpered, her hands fumbling with his belt.

Theo pulled his hand from the witch, his finger dripping from the climax he'd just pulled from her. Looking Granger in the eyes, he slipped it between his lips, sucking every last drop of her arousal off him.

The action seemed to spur her on, as she finished with his belt and clasp, pulling his aching cock out into the cool air. Theo's head fell back at the feel of her hand wrapped around him, enjoying how she so gently stroked him a few times before he could no longer wait. With one swift move, Theo had Granger pinned against the shelf, causing a few of the fragile books to fall to the ground.

Granger, so lost in passion, didn't register what had happened, otherwise Theo knew she would have been scolding him for the treatment of the precious book. As it was, Theo had ripped the cotton from her body, exposing her to his tip as it brushed against her entrance with her hand guiding him. When she rocked her hips forward, releasing him from her grasp, Theo pushed himself to the hilt into his witch.

The moment he felt her hymen rip, Theo froze, his eyes widening, and he began to panic, searching her face for a reaction. Pain was there and she was holding still, taking a few deep breaths as her body adjusted to the intrusion.

"Fuck, Granger, I didn't…If I'd known…" Theo started rambling, but Granger only shook her head.

"No, I want this Theo. I'm yours, I wanted you to be my first," she assured him looking up into his eyes as she began to squirm in his grasp. "You can move, I promise, I won't break."

"Mine…" Theo repeated, as he began to do what she'd requested. Thrusting in and out of her, the treatment let her body begin to relax in his grasp again as she got used to his girth inside her. "Mine, my Mia…" Theo murmured, his hands gripping her thighs so tightly that there would surely be bruises left behind.

"Yours, forever yours," Hermione promised him, as Theo's pace quickened, her pussy clamping down as another orgasm slammed into her.

Theo was lost in her scent, her sounds, and the feel of her warmth. This witch was his, and he was hers. Though he wouldn't tell her today, Theo knew that Hermione Granger owned a piece of his heart.

ooo

The dust was starting to settle, and Draco couldn't take his eyes off his deranged aunt's body. While everyone else was focused on the Dark Lord dead on the floor, Draco couldn't look away from Aunt Bella.

Good riddance, he thought, looking now at Molly Weasley, who'd been the one to take her down. Blaise was standing nearby, holding both Weaslette and Luna, as their bodies shook from the effort that it must have taken in their duel against the psychotic witch. Never had Draco ever thought of Blaise as a protector or one to risk his own neck, but it seemed that the Italian wizard was more than willing when it came to those two witches.

Once the shock of Bella's death had worn off, Draco looked towards the crowd that had gathered around Saint Potter, scanning those closest to him. However, she wasn't there…

Theo had seemed to notice the missing part of the Golden Trio as well and began to make his way towards where Weasley was congratulating Potter. "Draco!" He heard his mother calling his name, but Draco didn't stop pushing through the throngs of people as he followed Theo.

A sneer in their direction came from the eldest Weasley who had finally noticed them. As he began to get in the way, a simple touch from his wife seemed to make him reconsider, instead letting Draco and Theo through to where Potter and Weasley were.

"Where is she?" Theo asked, his voice calm and steady. "Where's Hermione?" He asked, gesturing around them, pointing out the missing girl.

It was then that the duo finally took notice of their missing link and began to look at the faces surrounding. Weasley turned to glare at Draco and Theo, his nostrils flaring as the question registered with him.

"What," he spat, "wanting to finish the job your precious master couldn't finish? You lost this war, see the snake head's dead body over there? You lost!" Weasley exclaimed, not answering the question.

Turning his attention away from the idiot redhead, Draco narrowed his eyes towards Potter. "Where's Granger? Don't make us ask a third time." The underlying threat from Draco had everyone around them gripping their wands, ready to attack if need be.

Theo looked around at those gathered and began to laugh, shaking his head in disbelief at the reaction. "So, I say that Hermione Granger is missing, and instead of anyone going to look for her, you decide to throw into our faces that the man we were forced to serve because of our worthless fathers is dead."

The tensions in the group were still high with Weasley's face turning even redder by the moment as he gaped like a fish at what Theo had said. "What do you care where Mione is anyway?" The sidekick finally asked, puffing his chest out. "Looking for a Mudblood whore to slide your Death Eater cock into to show how you're still superior?"

A gasp echoed through the hall as silence had fallen while everyone tried to listen in on the confrontation between the boys. There wasn't a soul alive or otherwise who hadn't just heard what Ronald Weasley had said. With his wand still in his robes, Theo didn't even bother to reach for it as his fist flew through the air instead, connecting with Weasley's jaw.

Screams erupted around them while Weasley stumbled backwards, holding his face where Theo had more than likely cracked the bone. Seeing the blood he'd wiped from his mouth on his hand, Weasley looked up to Theo, yelling out and charging towards him, tackling the Nott heir to the ground. Theo, used to physical altercations, rolled on the ground until Weasley was under him, pounding his fists on every piece of Weasley he could touch while the redhead failed under him.

When Potter stepped forwards, reaching out to grab Theo, Draco didn't think, he just reacted. Throwing his own fist at the boy who wouldn't bloody well die, an audible crack rang through the hall just before blood started spurting from his nose. Abandoning his friend, who was pinned to the ground by Theo's legs now, Potter jumped at Draco. His balled up fist connected with the blonde's eye, sending pain shooting through Draco's skull.

With fists still flying, the remaining Weasley brothers had jumped into the action as well. Blaise and oddly enough, Weaslette on the side of the Slytherins, had taken the brunt of the older men's attacks. Chaos reigned down in the centre of the hall until the sound of Professor McGonagall's voice and binding spells stilled them all.

"What is going on here!" The elderly woman shrieked, her wand pointing at all the Weasley siblings, Draco, Theo, Blaise, and Potter. "Is there not enough to do that the lot of you couldn't restrain yourselves for even a moment!"

"Professor, Malfoy and Nott are asking after Hermione," Potter chimed in, "she's missing, and they must know something. Their fathers–"

"If I knew where she was, I wouldn't have bloody well broken your nose, now would I have, Potter?" Draco drawled, seething at the accusation that he'd had anything to do with Granger's disappearance.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy and Nott have been helping run an underground hospital with the help of Mr. Zabini and Ms. Parkinson. If they were on the same side of the war as their fathers, they wouldn't have risked their lives every day in this castle to help save children." McGonagall explained, causing an awkward silence to fall over everyone gathered around.

"Wait, how did you know?" Blaise asked while Draco sat stunned silent and Theo was thrashing at his bindings trying to get free. "The staff wasn't supposed to know…" the Italian wizard trailed off, looking around to see all of the members of the Order looking at the detained Slytherins.

"Why do you think none of us tried to stop you when we saw you carrying injured children into a bathroom in the middle of the night?" McGonagall asked, her face softening as she looked at the trio. "Now, do I understand correctly that Ms. Granger is missing?" She asked looking around, receiving nods and nothing else as a response.

"Mr. Shacklebolt," she turned to the leader of the order, causing him to jump and stand up straighter. "We need a search party; I trust I can leave you up to the task?" She asked, to which the interim minister nodded. "Then I suggest you get started. If you'll excuse me, I have a school to care for." She finished her statement, turning on her heels and began walking away to where the remainder of her staff was still working tirelessly.

With the Headmistress now gone, the bindings that she'd put them all in fell away, allowing for everyone who'd been involved in the prior altercation to stand. Rubbing their wrists, Draco and Theo looked at each other, nodding in agreement that they had to start searching for their witch again.

Before either could move, however, Gawain Robards, the new Head of the Auror Office stepped up to the pair stopping them. "I'm going to need both of you to come into the ministry with me for questioning," the older wizard said, pulling back his robes to show where his wand was currently stored in its holster. The silent threat was unmistakable, but that didn't stop Theo.

"You've got to be fucking with me," Theo said, starting to push past him, only to be stopped as the elder wizard held out a hand. "Hermione is missing, I've got to–"

"You are a marked Death Eater, and your father is one of the most well-known Death Eaters that was a part of the inner circle, not to mention is now on the run. Trust me, son, I'm not asking and I'm choosing to keep the handcuffs off you because I trust you both will cooperate. Unless you'd rather join them," Robards gestured around towards the remaining Death Eaters, including Lucius, who were currently cuffed and chained together sitting against a far wall. "Now, as I was saying–"

"My father is missing?" Theo asked, his tanned skin turning a grey colour as the news began to sink in.

"Among others," Robards stated solemnly.

Draco and Theo shared a look of concern, knowing that Thoros Nott would not come quietly and with Hermione missing, that meant that her life was in danger. A silent agreement passed between the two teens, and they nodded to Robards, following him from the hall without another word.

As they left, Luna and Fleur filtered off to the side to assist in helping to remove the gurneys with the dead and severely injured to be relocated to St. Mungo's. "Should we tell them, or anyone really about Hermione's condition?" Luna asked the elder witch as they worked together, their eyes flickering to the backs of the boys leaving with the Head Auror.

Fleur stood upright, looking towards the wall where too few captured Death Eaters sat, readying for transfer to Azkaban to be held until their trials. "No, ze babe iz afer with less people knowing," Fleur finally answered.

"Agreed," Luna said, pulling a sheet over the face of one of the deceased just as the St. Mungo emergency responders began to file into the room. "My cousin has enough to worry about as it is."

ooo

Never in his life had Theo ever been so exhausted. The only other time that he could compare this to was after his father had killed his mother and he'd been forced to sit with Robards as they tried to sort out her murder. The Aurors' office had attempted to find who'd killed her and dumped her body in some muggle waste land, but it'd been a waste of time.

The bruises on Theo's face had shown at the time of his interview, and it was clear to Robards, who was the lead investigator on the case, that Thoros Nott was more than likely behind the death of his wife. The problem being, the sole witness was bound to the head of his family by blood magic that'd been performed on Theo as an infant, making him unable to testify or give evidence against his father.

As it was, the case was marked as cold, and his father never saw any prison time.

After the extensive interview, where Theo again hadn't been able to speak against his father, Robards has finally realised what had been done to Theo. Luckily Draco was there this time to explain the magic that had been used on the Nott heir as a baby, something Theo wouldn't have been able to do for himself. Robards had been frustrated but accepted the answer after throwing a bit of a fit.

Once he'd stopped asking Theo specifics about his father's activities, saving those questions for Draco, Theo had spilled everything he'd learned about the Dark Lord's organisation sans his father's involvement. After they'd finished, Draco and Theo each telling everything they knew and submitting more memories as evidence than even Robards had thought possible, the young couple was free to leave. No pending charges at the moment against either of them.

Draco had offered Theo to come straight to the cottage with him, but Theo had declined. Stating that he had tried calling for the family elves, but none had responded, meaning Thoros still had them bound to the Manor. He wanted to check on their wellbeing and then release them, even if they did not want to be freed. Draco had given him a kiss and disappeared into the floo, knowing that Theo would be home as soon as he could.

When Theo tried to enter the Nott Estate via the ministry guest floo, Theo was shocked to find that his access to his family's property was blocked. With a heavy sigh, Theo realised that his father must have shut down their connection to the floo network to keep Aurors from being able to enter the residence with a search warrant. It wouldn't be the first time this had happened.

Going out onto the calm streets of London, as it was late in the day and had been over twenty-four hours since Theo had slept, Theo concentrated and apparated to the Nott Gates. Wobbling on his feet with his landing, Theo looked up at the large iron gates that kept anyone not permitted from entering the property out.

Slicing his palm open, Theo allowed his blood to trickle over the lock and stood waiting to be granted entry. However, the longer he stood there, the realisation began to sink in of what spell might have been enacted. It might not just be his sheer exhaustion that was playing tricks on him…

Allowing an absurd amount of blood to pour onto the lock, Theo continued to wait, the minutes ticking by as reality finally struck him. He wasn't able to get on the property and the elves weren't going to be able to leave.

"PIPPA!" Theo shouted through the gate, taking hold of the posts, releasing it quickly when the magic burned his hands. "PIPPA!" Theo yelled again, tears streaming down his face as he worried for the safety of his elf.

Just as he was getting ready to call out for a third time, a pop rang through the silent grounds and before him stood Pippa. The tiny elf looked more battered than ever before, her body shaking as she sobbed in front of him, unable to reach him.

"What happened," Theo asked, sinking to his knees in the mud, aching to reach out to his beloved elf.

"Pippa cannot say," she answered, hiccupping as she spoke. "Ma-master Theo, not to come home," Pippa wailed, also reaching her hand out, desperate to caress Theo. "We is safe, Master Theo. Ripple and Pippa is safe, Master not be home. Master not come home after evil man die." With a snap of her fingers, a trunk appeared next to Theo. "Master Theo must go, go to Master Draco. Pippa loves her Master Theo."

"What, Pippa, no!" Theo called out, as the little elf's shoulders slumped. Another snap of her fingers and Theo was gone, landing in the sitting room of his and Draco's cottage.

"Theo?" Draco asked, looking up from a table covered in maps that he'd been bent over. "What are you–"

"Thoros locked the bloody estate. No one and can get in or out, not until the fucking bastard is dead." Theo deadpanned, the exhaustion finally catching up to him as he collapsed to the ground.

Draco came over to where Theo was laid down, curling up next to him, resting his head on his chest. Theo wrapped an arm around the man, pulling him close, letting the warmth of his wizard soothe his aching heart. The couple closed their eyes and it was only a few moments before sleep took them both.

ooo

When Theo woke, he looked out the window of the small sitting room, shocked to find that it was still dark out. Draco had moved him to the couch, but not to the bedroom. More than likely wanting to stay near Theo while he worked.

"What time is it?" Theo asked, his body stiff and aching from where he'd slept.

"It's nearly nine, we slept almost twenty four hours. Gunter is working on a meal and unpacking our things," Draco answered, looking up for only a moment to shoot Theo a soft smile. Turning his attention back at the maps in front of him, Theo watched as Draco waved the tracking chain over them, a frown on his face as he searched for Hermione.

As Theo stretched his arms above his head, he spotted a pair of pink booties sitting on the end table next to him. Picking them up, he sighed, his worry for Pippa reemerging. "When I can get Pippa in to see a healer, I'm going to get her checked over." Theo commented, looking over the odd gift.

When Gunter entered the room carrying a tray filled with an assortment of foods his eyes flickered to the booties in Theo's hand before setting the tray down on a small table that had just materialised.

"Gunter," Theo said, curiosity rolling over in his mind as he looked at the same gift Pippa had continuously been giving him for literally months at this point. "Why would an elf give their master baby booties? Is there a reason or has my father's abuse finally caused Pippa to snap?" Theo asked, setting them to the side as he began to load up a plate with steak and kidney pie.

"No, Pippa be fine." Gunter answered as Theo took a bite, waiting for the elf to continue. "It means House of Nott has a new heiress."

A/N: Hello! Sorry about the nearly year gap in updates. My bad...

Anyway, as far as formatting goes for this story, I will be breaking it up into 3 books. The first book will be finished with the next chapter. Book two will have a time jump with the boys searching for Hermione and Theo's child. Anyway, the final chapter of this will be coming out within the next few weeks! I'm going to try to get as many of my WIPs completed over the summer since starting in August I will be having a full class load (I'm currently a grad student).

I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and that it was worth the wait!