Chapter 5 : Theodore

Nott Manor

Never stand out. Being exceptional only creates expectations, expectations that are bothersome to fulfill . Become your best version but do it for yourself, far away from the eyes of other people. These were the words that Theodore Nott kept repeating to himself as he grew up.

His father, the feared Thoros Nott wanted his son to be the best. The perfect pureblood scion, someone who would continue the 'old ways' as he liked to say . Theodore had the potential to become everything that his father wanted but he swore to himself that he would never do it. He hated his father with passion and the last thing that he wanted to become was a puppet, blinded by the pureness of his blood as all his ancestors before him. He was never like the likes of Draco Malfoy who, even though was his best friend , wanted to become the splitting image of his father. Theo just wanted to be his own person, free to become whoever he wanted.

His mother, Merlin bless her soul, would have never wanted him to become like all the pureblood fools the society held in such high regard. She was a special person, almost too good for a world full of misery and hate and, had she been alive, Theo would have done anything to protect her. But she was dead and he was left alone in the world, as even though he still had his father, he was better off alone. Rather than a father, Thoros was a puppet, grooming the next heir as his father, his father's father, and all the heirs before him had done.

He was smart, this much he knew. He only needed to be explained something once before he could learn it and he could master any spell after a little exercise but he was set to keep his skills to himself. Not fulfilling his father's expectations was the only way he felt like he was still himself, someone that he could be proud of. He would never disobey his father upfront but he would do anything he could to avoid being manipulated like his other pureblood friends.

A small pop broke him from his thoughts and an old house-elf appeared in front of him

"Tiny is sorry to disturb young master but Tiny was told that master is expecting you in his office"

"Thank you Tiny" responded Theo and with that he rose from his seat and started to walk slowly in the direction of his father's office.

Since the Dark Lord had returned, Theo's life had had a turn for the worse, as his father's expectations started to grow. He was not only required to be the perfect son but the perfect servant for Voldemort, something that the young wizard believed that was not compatible with the whole aristocratic lifestyle he was supposed to lead. But the Lord's return meant that Thoros was away a lot on Death Eater business, something that made Theodore extremely happy.

Once he arrived in front of his father's office he knocked a few times at the door and waited for his father to acknowledge his arrival, knowing that it would be plain rude to barge in without permission.

"Enter" his father eventually spoke with his usual cold voice and Theo entered the somber room and stood in front of his father's desk. Thoros didn't even look at his son and he continued to read the papers in front of him but Theo knew that this was his father's way to show him that he was not important and that he had to wait patiently for his turn.

After ten minutes his father finally spoke " Theodore, thank you for coming. Please take a seat". The boy listened to his father and sat down on the closest chair to the desk. His father was in full business mode, not that he had ever been a paternal, warm figure, but Theo knew just from watching him that his father was going to talk business.

"Theodore, I have something important to talk to you and I need you to listen very closely. As you know, our Lord has been more and more pleased with our efforts to help his cause and I am proud to say that we are going to be rewarded" Theo cringed inwardly but he kept his face straight as he knew that his father would not appreciate any interruption. Unaware of his son displeasure Thoros continued " Our Lord has decided to accept my offer and move his entire base in our home. He is finally going to stop relying on that fool Malfoy, something that I have been trying to achieve ever since before the war. "

Theo's world started spinning because of his father's words. Sure he knew what his father's activities were but he felt a little pride at the thought that he was not involved in any way. The Nott heir was thought to be too inexperienced and too lacking to be of any use to the Dark Lord. Because of this Theo felt that his soul was still pure, untouched by the evil. But right now the man in front of him was threatening everything he had tried to achieve. He knew that with the arrival of the Dark Lord in his home his peace would be gone.

"Next week they are going to settle inside the manor and I expect you to be on your best behavior. We must show them that we are worthy of this honor. " Theo nodded and after a short pause his father concluded " Very well. You may leave"

Theo rose from his seat and started walking slowly towards the door when he heard his father " Oh and no word to the Malfoy heir. I don't want Lucius meddling in my business" .

"Yes father" responded Theo and with that he left his father's study and started walking towards his safest place, the only place that could help him heal his heart and clear his thoughts. He needed his mother

The Nott cemetery was located in the northernmost area of the whole estate and his mother, Kala Nott, was buried there with all his ancestors. She would have hated it, Theo thought. She always hated the whole uptight pureblood lifestyle and she hated those stiff ancestors of his. But she endured it all for her family, because she had such a golden heart that she didn't want to disappoint them.

Once in the cemetery it was impossible not to see which one Kala's tombstone was. It was very well taken care of and it always had fresh flowers in front of it. In contrast, the other tombstones were dirty and it was evident that nobody even bothered to visit them.

Theo sat down in front of the beautiful tombstone which read " Kala Nott, nee Potter, Loving mother and wife. " and underneath it was written "Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely". His mother had lived graciously and had greeted death as an old friend so this quote summed her up perfectly, Theo believed.

"Hello, mother. I have missed you. Well, I actually miss you daily, every moment and every second. You know, life has been messed up since you left but I don't blame you. You couldn't have done anything. I am proud though that he hasn't turned me in a copy of him. I am still your son and not his." after this, the silence engulfed the entire space but Theo didn't mind. This was his peaceful time, the only time he could breathe and be himself.

"Things are going to be even worse, mother but I won't give up. I am going to fight for my life and for you to be proud of me. Please keep on guiding me from now on. I love you very much "

A few tears escaped from his eyes but Theo wiped them and left the graveyard before he could meet with his father by accident. He knew that the chances of his father visiting the grave were slim but he didn't want to risk it. He didn't want to show his father his feelings because it would only make him weak. He would have to become tougher in the days to come as he could feel that the future events would change his life forever.

Exactly one week later Theo found himself in the worst situation possible: He was standing with his father and his 'co-workers' ,and worst of all, with the Dark Lord at the same table. They were all having a formal dinner to celebrate the move into Nott Manor and Theo was supposed to be the perfect host so he had to be polite and entertaining.

"So tell me young Theodore, what plans do you have for your career? I understand that you have left Hogwarts and are studying at home so I am curious about your plans." asked Voldemort with a sinister smirk plastered on his face.

"I believe that I am going to follow my father into politics, my Lord. I want to help shape our world and fight for our cause " answered Theo with the most perfect smile he could show " As for my education it is unfortunate that I could not continue it but there are still a lot of people from the wrong sorts attending that school. For now I am more comfortable with home-schooling where I can learn more useful things for a proper pureblood"

Voldemort seemed pleased with Theo's response so he continued making small-talk with his other followers, unaware that the young wizard was struggling to keep his composure.

After the dinner most of the wizards started to leave, happy that they spent an evening in their lord's presence but Theo was dreading this moment because it meant that he would be alone with his father and the Dark Lord, something that scared him tremendously.

An hour later, the last wizard attending left and Theo braced himself for the worst.

"Theodore, come, let's have a walk !" said the Dark Lord as he started walking towards the gardens and the young wizard followed him without saying a word. Voldemort didn't say a word for about twenty minutes into the walk and it was just when Theo started thinking that the Dark Lord had changed his mind when the older wizard spoke.

" I can not say how happy I am that you share our views on the society that we are trying to build. You see, I was starting to be worried because you do not share the same views as us "

Visibly anxious, Theo answered as fast as he could " I am deeply upset that I have failed to show you my loyalty, my Lord. I have always believed I was a lacking person so I wanted to better myself before I could offer my services to you. I didn't want to be a disappointment. I can assure you that my loyalties have always been with you and your cause"

Visibly pleased, Voldemort stopped from his walk and continued " I always knew that you were valuable. Your father always kept on saying that his son was lacking but I know a capable man when I see him Theodore and I can say that you have a great destiny in front of you "

"Thank you my Lord. Your words fill me with joy " answered Theodore politely and bowed deeply in front of his maser.

"So tell me, Theodore. What would you say about a mission to prove yourself? This could show your father that you are not the useless young boy that you once were"

"I would be honored and I would do anything my Lord commands" and Theo did not lie. He would do anything. Well, what could he do? Disobey the Devil himself when he was living in his home? And he didn't even have a reason to fight him. He had nobody in his life that would need him fighting. The only thing he could do was preserve his life.

"I knew you would be eager to help " said Voldemort " Your mission is going to be a special one and you mustn't tell anybody or you will be punished, do you understand? "

Theo nodded and listened patiently for Voldemort to explain his mission but he would have never guessed his mission, not even in a million years. With heavy heart he accepted his master's request but he would never have thought that this mission would bring so much hardship but also so much happiness in his life.

Malfoy Manor

Malfoy Manor was everything that Hermione used to read about in fairytales. It was one of the most beautiful houses the young witch had ever seen, even more beautiful than some muggle castles. It was filled with so much history and culture that Hermione was sure that you could study it for years and even then you would not know everything about it.

Narcissa answered any question about the house and even though Hermione knew that she was doing it to get closer to her she could not help but feel a bit of sympathy for the woman who was finally finding her lost baby. Draco was a little more reserved but Hermione could see that the boy was studying her every step and she couldn't help but feel nervous. She wanted to know more about her brother too but thinking about the fact that there were real family ties between them unnerved Hermione to no end.

The only person who Hermione did not have contact with was Lucius because he was still unconscious after the torture and the witch couldn't help but feel some respect for the man who sacrificed himself for his family. He even sacrificed himself for her, well for Cassiopeia, but nonetheless for a girl he hadn't seen in so many years.

Seeing Hermione so deep in thought Narcissa broke her from her reverie "Please tell me what is bothering you Ca-Hermione". She quickly corrected herself as she did not want to make the girl think that she was rushing her into anything.

"I was thinking about how strange the situation is. I am in the house of the people who were my enemies a few days ago and it is all very confusing"

"I understand that this situation is not a perfect one but I must thank you for trying to understand. It means the world to me" answered Narcissa, happiness obvious on her face.

The two women sat together in silence for a few minutes when Hermione eventually spoke

"Tell me something about you. Something ordinary that not a lot of people know" after a little bit of hesitation she added "About Lucius too...and Draco. I just want to know more about you in order not to feel so strange "

Narcissa beamed and after a few moments she eventually started speaking " When Draco was little and was learning how to speak he overheard me talking with his father and calling him Lucius. Being a toddler he picked it up right at that moment so the next time when he saw his father he wanted to call him like that but he could not so he just said 'Lucy'. Needless to say, Lucius was livid as his son was calling him a girl's name" Narcissa started laughing while remembering her young son " He tried so much to teach the boy to address him as 'father' but Draco was so happy because of the new word that he learned that he kept calling him "Lucy" for a few months"

Hermione couldn't help herself but laugh at the silly memory, something she would have never thought to be possible in the presence of the older Malfoy woman. Seeing that Hermione was enjoying her story, Narcissa continued .

"Draco was so fond of his way of addressing his father that he even repeated the name in front of the house elves so after a short while everyone in the house was calling him Lucy, me included. His reactions were priceless. He kept on sulking for a few months but he loved his son so I strongly believe that he was proud that his little baby was so fond of him"

For the first time ever since meeting the Malfoys, Hermione felt that they were humans. Of course that she knew what they were but when she was seeing them in public they had that pureblood mask that made them look more like robots . Their Slytherin upbringing contributed to that too.

"Would you mind telling me something about yourself too?" asked Narcissa hopefully.

Hermione thought hardly about a memory that she could share with the woman but soon enough she found the perfect story to tell her.

"When I was younger there was a boy who kept on picking on me and one day he was particularly cruel so I just snapped and punched him directly in the nose. I showed him that even though I was a woman I could stand up for myself in both magical and muggle way " said the girl, hopeful that the older woman would not judge her too much.

After a few seconds Narcissa just burst out laughing and she surprised the girl by telling her a similar memory of her own

"If I can tell you a secret, I punched Luciuss in the nose once too. He was so bewildered that someone stood up to his pompous arse that he fell in love with me right there. We are more alike than I would have thought, my dear."

The two women laughed at the absurdity of their tales and afterwards they settled into a silence which was neither awkward nor upsetting. They were just comfortable .

"Oh .." added Hermione "I think I should mention that the boy that I punched was Draco "

Narcissa stared at Hermione for a few seconds and then she started to giggle like a teenager

"I suppose he deserved it. That boy is too much like his father for his own good"

When Draco entered the room he was surprised to find his mother and Hermione, as it was too strange for him to call her his sister, talking and laughing, something that warmed his heart a little.

"Sweetie, come and join us. We are sharing embarrassing stories." said Narcissa while gesturing for her son to sit down.

"Yeah, Draco. Narcissa has told me so many embarrassing stories about you that I feel like we grew up together." said Hermione, a smug smile on her face.

"Well, thank you dear mother. I appreciate you sharing around my most gracious moments" said Draco attempting to sound upset but failing. "I came here to announce that the elves are saying that father could be waking in a few days as his state improved a lot "

"You mean Lucy is going to wake up soon" said Hermione and everyone started to laugh wholeheartedly, something that all of them needed.

A quarter after midnight, Hermione realized that sleep was just not going to come to her that night. She was just too full of thoughts to simply go to sleep so she decided to go for a walk inside the Manor, hoping that a few minutes of walking would tire her enough to sleep.

The halls of the Manor were long and full of portraits of different ancestors which were politely saluting her as she walked by. " Stupid purebloods" she thought " A few days ago you would have just sneered at me and address me less than pleasant words. All hypocrites"

Little by little she made her way into the main room which was one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen. Hermione was sure that years ago that room was where the Malfoys hosted amazing balls and truth be told she felt a little bit of sadness that she couldn't be present for all these. Suddenly, she was brought back from her thoughts by the sound of the fireplace roaring and fear started overwhelming her. Someone was coming and she had no wand.

From the green flames emerged no other than Theodore Nott who was now watching curiously the blonde girl in front of him. She was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen and there was something familiar about her but he couldn't exactly say what it was. It was no doubt however that the girl in front of him was a Malfoy as her looks betrayed her. But he knew the entire Malfoy family and he had never seen that girl.

"I don't believe that we have been introduced. My name is Theodore Nott. And you are?"

Hemione was at a loss of words so she kept on biting her lip, a habit she had developed during her childhood when she was nervous. She didn't know what she was supposed to say to the son of a well-known Death Eater but the fact that he didn't seem to recognize her eased her nerves a little.

Seeing that the girl was nervous in his presence Theodore continued " I am sorry for frightening you but I assure you that I mean no harm. I am an old family friend " . There was something really familiar about her, that he was sure of. The way she kept on biting her lip was so familiar but he couldn't really remember someone with a similar habit.

Suddenly, Theo felt that that he could not move and he fell to the ground, unable to support his body weight. Just when he wanted to ask what was happening he heard the girl's scared voice and he realized how he knew her.

"Granger? " he managed to ask but it was the last thing he managed to say as darkness eventually surrounded him.

A/N Thank you for reading and reviewing. It means the world to me. I am extremely grateful that there are people willing to read my updates.

-Irina-