I am officially crazy. School has been mental, and I have way too many WiPs already...but here we are. I honestly don't know how frequently I'm going to update this, no idea.

I entirely blame this on the amazing and wonderful Colubrina. Basically on October 1st, 2016, there was a thing on tumblr where Collie had people send her asks with fic titles and pairings, for which she would write a summary for the fic that she would never write. My muse of course loved the summary and I may have yelled at Collie about it, and she was perhaps an enabler and encouraged me to write it. So, here we are.

Just a heads up, this story is going to be written in the present tense (I've fallen in love with present tense since using it whilst writing 'A Dalliance In Time'). Which can be weird for some people and I just wanted to forewarn everyone.

I hope you all like this! Please leave a review and let me know what you think ;)

My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.

For Colubrina xxx

"Where did you get it?" Hermione asks softly.

The man across from her at her kitchen table shoots her a remorseful look, as if trying to speak volumes to her with his ice blue eyes. His hair is dripping-drip, drop, drip-his clothes are drying, but he's still drenched.

Outside thunder rumbles and tumbles and rolls about the grey, angry sky. The rain is pouring, assaulting the earth heavily, pounding across her slate grey roof shingles of her humble cottage out in the countryside.

She hadn't asked how he found her home, not after his story. However brief and vague it was. Her mind drifts as she remembers the last hour.

There is a soft, incessant knocking at the door. Who could that be? Hermione asks herself. The storm is raging outside, you'd have to be barmy to be out in this weather.

She gets up from the kitchen table, her chair scraping slightly against the floorboards in the process. She leaves the kitchen and rounds the corner, very aware of her wand tucked behind her ear.

The brass doorknob is icy to the touch and she can hear the wind whistling through the door, and she can feel it hissing at the bottoms of her feet through the small crack at the bottom of her door.

Hermione opens the door quickly, bracing herself for the cold-pulling her white, thick woollen cardigan around her body tighter with her other hand.

The figure in front of her is taller than her, though his shoulders are hunching forward as if he's trying to curl in on himself. The rain is hitting his back, his wet, dark curls are slick against his skin, sticking to his forehead. His head is bowed and there are water droplets gathered on his eyelashes, and dripping from his long, slightly crooked nose.

He's got a lean but muscular build, and his black outer robes are clinging to him, hugging him like a second skin so she can see all the contours of his body, the collar is flipped up-most likely to help protect him from the elements.

He tilts his head up to look at her and she sees that he has a strong, sharp jaw. She freezes in her tracks when their eyes meet. His ice blue eyes. An electric shock races across her bones when her warm brown ones stare into his.

He was in her year at school, but why was he here? Especially in this kind of nasty weather. There's something else about him, something familiar that goes far beyond simply being in the same year-occasionally sharing classes and passing each other in corridors every once in awhile. She has no idea what it is, but it is unsettling and a big part of her wishes she never opened the door. Another wishes that she could figure out why he looks so sad.

Before she registers what's happening his hand is close to her cheek, and there's a soft yet indiscernible expression on his face. She flinches, inadvertently taking a step back and his hand halts where it is. Falling dumbly back to his side a moment later.

"Your scar is gone," he says softly, his voice almost lost in the rain and wind. Then his eyes widen a fraction. "Shit. This was a mistake."

He turns to leave, and unthinkingly she surges forward, grasping onto his wet sleeve, the rain attacking her exposed arm and she shivers at how frigid the rain is.

"What was a mistake? What scar? You're Theodore Nott right? We went to school together?"

Theo only frowns deeper, nodding curtly and he angles his head to his left and she heard him mutter under his breath, "wrong time."

"Wrong time? What in Merlin's name are you on about?" Hermione demands, letting go of him and retreating back into the sanctity of her home, away from the harsh elements.

"I think it best if I leave now-"

"For fuck's sake, just come in and we can talk more, get you out of this horrible weather," Hermione says in a stern tone, stepping out of the way and gesturing for him to enter.

He shoots her an apologetic look before he steps inside, small puddles pooling at his feet on her nice, light hardwood floors. She grimaces a touch and makes a mental note to clean it up when he's in one spot and not moving about anymore.

"Just go into the kitchen, I'll be right there," Hermione commands, being careful not to step in any water as she shuts the door, bolting it and locking it back.

If she knew then what she knew now, she may have turned him away, and let him walk out of her life...but she hadn't and now she had to deal with the repercussions.

Hermione sighs softly through her nostrils, and repeats her question because he has yet to speak again. "Where did you get it?"

An emotion she isn't able to read flies across his features, fleeing as quickly as it came before he says softly-his deep voice almost comforting somehow - "from you, Hermione."

I hope you all like it, like I mentioned already, I'm not sure how frequent I'm going to update, so if I'm a bit slow on updating I do apologise.

Indieblue xxx