Chapter 4
The next morning was Thursday. Theo desperately needed something to distract himself from the sleepless night that he'd spent pacing in the little apartment where he and Cedric met. He'd found a tie that still smelled of his lover and had folded it up and put it in a bag, so the scent could last as long as possible. He had laid in the bed they had shared only a few nights before and wished that he had never let Cedric go about freely without precautions in place for keeping him safe.
Theo told himself that he would never make the same mistake again.
He couldn't sleep there, not in the bed that he and Cedric had never slept in together. Another regret was added to the pile.
The perfect distraction was driving in the predawn to Victorville Prison. Tormenting Lucius Malfoy always improved Theo's mood and he did have a message from Narcissa to pass on before the funeral.
Now with a glass window and a phone between them, Lucius was still a handsome man, the prettiest bird in a steel cage. His long white blonde hair braided down his back, and the thick scar on his cheek was a nostalgic reminder of the fallout Lucius had had with Nott Sr. right before Lucius' arrest. The lithe frame he had gone to prison with had been replaced by large muscles and elaborate prison tattoos. There was a beautiful woman on his forearm that bore a resemblance to Narcissa. Other tattoos peeked out of the neck of his prison uniform.
"Theodore, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Lucius scowled haughtily, the filthy phone held away from his ear so that it didn't touch his skin. Even after more than twelve years in prison, the man was still as prissy as ever.
Theo stared at him for a minute or two, just long enough to make Lucius more impatient. "I just came by to let you know that your wife is passively ignoring your letters and calls now, rather than actively."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Lucius snarled.
Theo smiled evilly. "How long has it been since she answered your letters? Years, I'm sure. Well, she died last week. Cancer. She asked me to come tell you, when I was over helping her with some final wishes."
The look of shock and despair on Lucius Malfoy's face was delicious. Theo could feel the sorrow just beneath the surface of his tough exterior. Theo wondered if Lucius was going to cry.
Wouldn't that be a delicious memory to hold close when he was having a bad day. If only you could play memories back like movies.
"She told me to pass along a message, how did it go again? Ah, yes. If not for our son, I would regret ever having seen your face. I hope you die alone in there, choking, in a puddle of your own blood. I want you to die knowing I never forgive you, not for any of it." Theo enjoyed the look of Lucius Malfoy crumbling, his stoic facade melting away in despair. "Such a way with words. A beautiful woman, your wife."
"If you fucking touched her, Theodore." Lucius snapped, jealousy causing his eyes to narrow to slits and the vein in his forehead to appear.
"Now, now let's remember who pays your protection money and puts money on your books, and actually sends you books. You owe me, Lucius, not the other way around, so if I fucked that lovely goddess you left behind that's between me and her ghost now." Theo crossed his ankles, leaning back and waited to see what Lucius would say next. This had been just what he needed.
Lucius stewed angrily on the other side of the glass, and after several minutes of the overly loud clock ticking, "Is there anything else you are planning to torture me with today?"
Theo nearly clapped in excitement, because he had gotten under the cocky old fuck's skin. Instead, Theo merely raised an eyebrow at the imprisoned man.
"Actually, there is. Draco is back and brought the prettiest little British piece of ass with him. You aren't to try to contact him, if you do, all the privileges I pay for here will go up in smoke. If you are smart," Theo lit a cigarette, "you won't test me on this." He took two drags and then put the thing out on the table. He's smoked more to annoy Lucius at the waste than from any real desire to have a cigarette.
Lucius' eyes couldn't help but linger on the abandoned cigarette for a moment, before he growled. "Fuck you, Nott! That's my son!"
"Your son? That's Narcissa's son. That young man doesn't give a fuck about gambling, fighting, or being the biggest alpha asshole in the room. He likes science and his equally bookish girlfriend. There is nothing of you in him, Lucius, beyond looks and his surname. And. I. Want. You. To. Leave. Him. Alone. Do you fucking hear me?" Theo's eyes spoke of murder and yet Lucius showed no fear of him.
"You can't keep my son from me!" The older Malfoy looked like he was barely able to stop himself from screaming at Theo. Theo felt the moment when the switch inside him flipped from just enjoying Lucius' misery to actually being pissed that the man would dare challenge him when Theo held the entire deck.
"Fucking watch me, asshole," Theo whispered, eerily calm despite the anger boiling his blood, "I've kept him away from you for the last 12 years."
Theo had to keep his laughter to himself, no one had ever suspected that it was him who had filled Lucius' trunk with drugs and called the tip line on him. Who would have ever imagined sixteen-year-old Theo of something so petty, especially before he dealt with his father that final time. He was more likely to kill a man who had wronged him; sending Lucius to prison for life was much more torturous. And Theo discovered that he loved slow torture.
"And I will continue to do so. Don't fucking try me, old man, you won't like what I do." Theo slammed the receiver and walked out of the visiting room. He'd paid for the privilege of having it to themselves, but he knew the guard was waiting just outside the door for some more cash.
Theo turned so his back was to the cameras, and stuck the thick envelope in the inside pocket of the guard's vest. "Some old dogs need to learn to stay out of where they aren't wanted. I think mine might be forgetting who the master is and who is the dog."
"I know a couple of good dog trainers, sir, shall I call them up?"
"What a splendid and completely original idea. That would be lovely, please."
"And if the dog is damaged by the training what then?"
"Sometimes it's better to put a dog down if they can't be trained, it's just unsafe for everyone."
"Of course sir," the guard nodded, "I will see to it."
Theo nodded and headed toward the exit. He needed a drink.
...
Fleur and Pansy had taken Hermione to the beach as though their boss' long-term lover hadn't just been killed. It was hardly the first murder that they'd had to deal with in their line of work, and they were used to pretending that all was well. And since they hadn't been the one to put a bullet in the Mayor's son, nor were they in charge of dealing with the guilty party, their workload was exceptionally light at the moment.
It wouldn't last of course, but it was nice to enjoy the reprieve while they could.
The young women picked Hermione up for some kind of outing every day. Today it was just the beach, but Hermione was very excited. When Pansy pulled her cherry red convertible into the circle in front of Malfoy Manor and honked. Hermione skipped to the car.
"Bonjour Hermione," Fleur smiled as Hermione climbed in. "Ready to do nothing on the beach? I brought mimosas. Where is Draco today?"
"Still asleep. He stayed up late reading something about structure analyses of biological macromolecules and started annotating. By the time he came to bed, it was after three I think."
Pansy laughed, "I have no idea what any of that means, other than you never need to worry about another woman, who else could possibly understand him?"
Hermione blushed lightly, looking up at the bedroom window where Draco slept with a dreamy expression.
Once they arrived, Hermione offered to help with the beach stuff from the trunk. Fleur's sniper rifle peeked out from the piles of blankets and bag haphazardly thrown on top. Hermione was about to go for the beach tote when Pansy stopped her.
"No, I've got it," Pansy smiled and grabbed the bag, covering the gun with a blanket.
"Laying in the sun like this is a revelation," Hermione laughed, "everytime I have been on the beach in England it's been cloudy and cold."
Fleur laid back in her floppy hat and oversized sunglasses, her beach chair keeping her from being fully on the sand, "It can be cold and foggy here too, but it's been good weather, so we are enjoying it. And no algae blooms or sewage leaks or sharks this week, either."
"Fleur, stop," Pansy sighed, laying on her belly on her huge pink towel. Her black string bikini was barely there, but neither of the girls seemed concerned with the looks that Pansy was getting.
Hermione's swimsuit was positively modest in comparison.
The premixed mimosas were poured into the travel cups that Pansy had brought and Hermione sipped hers leisurely as she lay on the towel on the soft sand.
Pansy flipped over and refilled Hermione's cup and her own. "So how's Draco doing?" she asked.
Hermione took a deep drink and sighed, "I think he's doing okay. He either wants to sleep or he's trying to look through the house to figure out what's where. He gets a little overwhelmed with it, honestly. I think the only thing that works to calm him down when he's awake is …."
"Orgasms?" Fleur suggested.
"A good hard fuck?" Pansy offered.
A blushing Hermione laughed nervously, not used to the open way the two women discussed things of a sexual nature. "Well, yes."
Draco was pretty dedicated to her pleasure when it came to the bedroom. They'd both been virgins the first time and afterward he'd read fifteen books on sexual pleasure before the second time. "So he was better prepared," he had said back then. It was quintessential Draco Malfoy really. Her blush deepened and to change the subject she added, "And Theo seems to help a great deal as well."
Pansy laughed, "Theo's always doted on Draco even when we were all kids. His dad was a real prick, Draco's, although Theo's was no prize either. And after Draco's dad was out of the picture, Theo really stepped up to help Draco's mom."
"But Theo was only…what, four years older? He was still a teenager." Hermione asked, confused.
"Theodore Nott has never really been a child," Pansy confided. "He got his GED at fifteen and started working immediately."
"The GED is a test equivalent to completing your Year 13 or A levels," Fleur explained in her French accent, "In case you weren't familiar with American schools. It's taken me forever to figure out some of their idiosyncrasies."
Hermione took a long sip from her straw considering that, "Wow that's impressive, though why did he tell me that Draco was much smarter than him…that's odd."
"Theodore is overly humble," Fleur chortled, "The man is clever as a cat."
Pansy looked annoyed at her wife, "Draco and Theo are smart in different ways. Draco was always the science nerd when we were growing up. Theo was so supportive of the chemistry sets and would let Draco go on and on about it all, but Theo… Theo was reading at five. It was obnoxious, because my father was always like Theo is already reading. What's wrong with your daughter? To my mom. Healthy marriage between those two." Pansy snorted.
"Probably why you are a lesbian," Fleur pointed out, her sunglasses hiding her eyes but not the smirk on her cherry red lips.
"Probably," Pansy conceded, "Anyway Theo's dad died when he was sixteen and he took over all the businesses, there wasn't anyone else to do it but he made sure Draco followed his dreams. He helped Narcissa get him into that school where you guys met. Family is everything to Theo, and Draco is family as far as he's concerned."
Hermione wondered what it was like to have someone that devoted to making sure you met your potential. She thought her parents had sent her to boarding school mostly to get her out of their hair. And Ron and Harry had never really liked her for more than homework help while they were in lower school. They didn't mind her hanging about while they talked about their work in the Serious and Organised Crime Command of the Metropolitan Police, watched football on the telly or went to the pub, but they certainly weren't interested in her physics research. They'd never even tried to understand unless it was Ron trying to get her to tell him whether or not scientists really believed in extraterrestrials. She'd like to kick whoever let him watch that film about alien conspiracies.
Draco, on the other hand, understood her interests, but he would often hyper focus on his own research, sometimes being in his laboratory for days back in England. She'd have to drag him away more often than not or bring him takeaway so that he didn't starve while trying to unlock some biochemical mystery or another. She enjoyed that their professional interests were different, but they still were both educated enough to follow the other's train of thought when they talked about their work.
Theo sounded like a listener when he considered someone a member of his chosen family. What sixteen-year-old would move heaven and earth to fulfill the dreams of a twelve-year-old even if they were their oldest friend? He had shown Draco so much concern and kindness since they'd arrived from England. He'd said Draco's mother was like a second mother to him. Did he think of Draco like the younger brother that he had never had?
They looked striking together, Theo and Draco. Draco was all porcelain, pale hair falling into pale eyes, reading glasses and black jumpers. He was a moonlight reading binge. He was perfection and she loved him so very much. Theo was a beach sunset. He could be a model - all that coppery skin, dark short curls and Southern California business elegance even with the hand tattoos. The crown on his finger tickled at her mind, something Harry had mentioned in passing, but she dismissed the thought.
She admired the devotion that Theo showed, to Draco, to his businesses, and clearly to his friends. Hermione was jealous of the close camaraderie that Draco's childhood friends and their spouses had with each other. They had a bond to be envied, a found family.
What would it take for someone like Theo Nott to consider her family?
...
Theo left the Italian restaurant where he'd had lunch with Marcus who told him everything he had uncovered about Cedric's murder so far. Theo was pleased that it had been assigned to a detective with whom he had a personal connection, although he wouldn't have been above blackmailing a cop that he didn't have something on already. Marcus promised to keep Theo and Cedric's affair out of the investigation after Theo had sworn that he had nothing to do with it. Marcus really was a good guy at heart who knew that justice and law and order sometimes had a more ambiguous connection than others in his position. Marcus' boyfriend was a perfect example of that.
"Marcus, how would you feel if someone killed Oliver?" Theo had tapped his fingers on the table in a staccato beat.
"I'd do whatever it took to make them pay," the detective then admitted.
"Then we understand each other perfectly." Theo nodded, finishing his whiskey.
"I'll be as discreet as I can," Marcus then confided, sipping his iced tea, "There's no reason that you should come up in the investigation at all. On our end, the higher-ups may have me write it up as a drug deal gone wrong and want to pin it on whatever low-level enforcer confesses first. I'll let you know about where any real evidence points though."
"Thank you, Marcus," Theo had said, sincerely.
"Don't get all mushy on me," the detective had smirked, "Won't do to have Oliver get jealous."
Theo grabbed his to-go order from the hostess and turned down the woman's offer to help him carry it to the car as well as her attempt to stick her number in his hand. He'd call his manager Jerry and have the blonde let go.
He didn't think intentionally making Draco and Hermione jealous would work on those two, but if it did need to be done he was sure that some tramp could be found at the Dungeon to sit on his lap for a bit.
...
"Knock! Knock!" Theo called to the occupants of Malfoy Manor, annoyed that the door was ajar and unlocked. He needed to increase their security. "Guys? It's Theo."
"Hey Theo," Draco called from upstairs, "I'll be right down. Hermione's in the kitchen. I think she's trying to figure out dinner."
Hermione was not in fact trying to figure out dinner. She was sitting on the bar stool reading a book.
"Night Watch by Terry Pratchett, huh? Is it any good?" Theo asked, sitting the two bags of takeout on the counter next to her. Hermione, who hadn't heard him come in, let out a squeak and jumped, nearly falling off the stool. Theo put his hands on her waist. "There, there, I didn't mean to startle you. Let's not let you get hurt." And finally when she was sitting stable again, "That's a good girl." Theo pretended he didn't notice the way she bit her lip and a blush colored those lovely bronze cheeks. She definitely was nothing like he had imagined Englishwomen. He'd probably watched too much Pride and Prejudice with Fleur and Pansy.
"Sorry, you scared me," Hermione exhaled, "Thanks for not letting me fall…what did you bring?"
"I wasn't sure what you liked," Theo admitted, "so I brought all my favorites: fettuccine, calzones, braised rabbit pappardelle, chanterelle ravioli, lasagne. Some others. Things with meat and some vegetarian options too. I didn't want to choose wrong. And some bottles of water."
...
Hermione tilted her head and looked at him. She liked it when Theo was just slightly off balance, not much, but just a little. She grinned when he continued talking though.
"I need you to tell me which you like so next time I know."
"You really don't like not knowing things?" Hermione opened the food containers to hide her expression.
"No," Theo admitted, "I make it a practice to have all the answers as soon as I can."
Hermione looked up at him and when their eyes met she got the sense that he wasn't talking about what takeaway meals she preferred. She looked away quickly when she realized she was still staring into eyes that reminded her of the ocean. There was something captivating about Theo Nott. It made her feel discomfited.
...
Theo loved every blush and smile that he managed to wring out of Hermione. Draco appeared, his hair damp from a shower, in only pajama pants and Hermione flushed as her eyes followed the line of his waist. He loved the way she loved Draco. And Draco adored Hermione right back. He pecked her sweetly on the cheek and wrapped his arms around her while he looked over her shoulder at all the food options.
Someone once told Theo that if you were going to get a pet that it was always better to get two so that they could keep themselves entertained when you were too busy to play with them. Theo wanted to have Hermione and Draco as pets. He knew that he would take such good care of them. Hadn't he proved it with Draco? He'd gotten rid of Lucius, he'd taken care of Narcissa, he'd paid for that exorbitant school and the university fees, the rent on Draco's flat. Of course, Draco didn't know that Theo had done any of that. But Theo knew.
Hermione and Draco would never lack for anything if they were Theo's. He'd see to it.
After he perused through the food that Theo had brought, Draco chose the fettuccine with broccoli just as he had as a child. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.
Draco put on some action film and cuddled up with Hermione on the couch. Theo poured himself a bourbon from Narcissa's stash in the bar cabinet and joined them, focusing on their faces while they watched the explosions on the screen. First Hermione fell asleep with her head on Draco's shoulder and then Draco had fallen asleep as well. The sleeping pills in the water they'd drunk finally kicked in. Theo slowly nursed his bourbon and waited for the movie to finish to be sure that they were both really asleep.
Sitting his glass to the side, Theo went over to where they lay and whispered into their ears, "Hermione are you awake? Draco, can you hear me?" Neither had so much as a hitch in their breath.
Perfect.
Draco hadn't put on a shirt and Theo ran his hands over the light sculpting of his chest, and leaned forward putting his face into the crook of Draco's neck. He took a deep breath of the other man's scent and put his lips against Draco's pulse. Theo wished he dared put a love bite there. He could not wait until Draco was his to mark as he wanted. He'd tattoo his name on both of them so everyone knew they were his. Theo's hand skated lower over Draco's navel and lower, sliding under the waistband of his pajamas and cupping the cock he found there. He wondered if the drugs were strong enough that Draco would sleep through it if Theo made him cum in his hand or better yet his mouth.
Better not to test it tonight, Theo thought ruefully, but kissed his way down Draco's chest anyway, his lips lingering on the pale blonde hairs that disappeared downward where Theo's mouth so longed to travel.
Draco's cock thickened and twitched slightly in Theo's hand as Theo's lips and breath caressed his lower abdomen.
Soon love, soon. Theo pulled back and smelled his hand, sorry that Draco had just showered and his body's unique smell was only barely there. Theo wanted to smell Draco sweaty, filthy and covered in cum. He wanted to drown in it.
Hermione's mouth was slightly open and a tiny bit of drool dripped out the corner. If Theo's cock wasn't already hard from surreptitiously touching Draco that image would have done it. The sleeping pills had clearly worked better on her with her more petite size. Eager to test it, Theo pushed her upright away from Draco's unconscious form. He spread her knees and stood between them. Tilting her head back, he slid his thumb into her mouth wondering if in her sleep she would accept it. Her lips closed around his digit and she began to lightly suck. Maybe she'd been weaned too early, she reminded him of a kitten. She was his pet already. She just didn't know it yet.
He took his finger out of her mouth and ran his hands over her breasts, barely contained by some tank top emblazoned with "Hollywood." It must have been a gift from Fleur or Pansy. They'd already told him that Hermione never spent any money on herself when they were out. She'd order the cheapest thing and water, never shopping.
"Do you need money, kitten," Theo whispered, getting rougher with her breasts, pinching her nipples, rolling them with his thumb, "Do you need someone to take care of you?"
Theo sank to his knees and pulled her right breast free from her top and bra, "I'll take such good care of you," he whispered against her skin as he suckled her breast. She slept on, her breathing barely changing, but Theo could smell her panties getting soaked.
He'd had to jerk off watching them sleep before he left. He'd restrained himself from cumming all over the tits that he had worshiped for a good half an hour or between Draco's deep pink lips. Theo couldn't help himself entirely though. Theo kissed Draco's sleeping lips while he stroked himself to completion, just their lips pressed softly together despite Theo's desire to bite that lower lip.
He couldn't wait until he claimed them properly.
Theo took the water bottles that he had drugged and rinsed them out. Putting them in the trash from dinner that he would take with him. The remains of dinner went into the fridge for the two of them tomorrow. He pulled out a couple of fresh untampered water bottles next to them in the living room. He positioned them in each other's arms again and placed a throw blanket over them. He would hate for them to get cold.
After making sure that the windows were all locked and the security systems were active, Theo cast one more look over their perfect sleeping forms before he used his code to let himself out. He sighed once he was outside and reminded himself that he needed to go slowly. It had only been a few days after all.
Even if Theo had been waiting for Draco for what seemed like his entire life.
