Mirror Image

“Where’s Draco?”

Hermione looked up from where she was writing a note, Hermes perched on her shoulder waiting. “He’s out with Cissa for the morning. Something about buying stationary.”

Theodore collapsed onto Hermione’s bed, his arms and legs splayed out across the lavender comforter. He and Toma had gone to the Nott estate for two days before they were sent away again by an unstable and irate Thoros, and Hermione was all the more happy for their company back in the Malfoy Manor.

“What are you doing?”

“Writing a note,” Hermione said. “Ron and Harry invited me to stay at the Burrow this summer, I am politely turning them down.”

“The burrow?” Theo repeated. “That’s what they call the Weasley house?”

Hermione just shrugged.

The room was silent for a moment aside from the sounds of the grounds. Hermione had her windows open to let in the warm, fresh air of June, and her curtains wafted slightly where they were bound to the wall beside the french windows. There were fresh cut flowers at the window, too, which contributed to the floral scent of the space. It was something out of a movie - the Muggle thing Hermione had shown Theo and Draco last year - or a catalog from Witches Wares.

Then there was a noise like the bed creaking and when Hermione looked up again, Theo was turned on his side, his face propped up on his palm. “You’re so pretty. Wanna go on a date?”

“Well, aren’t you the charmer,” Hermione said with a smile. “Sure. Let me get changed?”

Theo left her in a hurry, slamming her door in his rush to get to his own room. It wasn’t often that Hermione and Theo found time alone, just for themselves, but when they did, it was something special. Hermione loved Draco, and she loved Draco and Theodore together. But with Theo and Theo only, there was a strange sense of belonging. Draco had always been so loud at school, so opinionated and open with his views. With him, Hermione had to separate her stupid, childish assumptions from the man she now knew was the real Draco. It wasn’t hard to love him, but there were moments when Hermione caught an errant thought in the back of her mind, and it made her hate herself.

With Theo, there were assumptions. No years-long ideas about who he was and how he felt to battle. It was carefree, always laughing and full of joy, and she loved the way he made her feel lighter inside and out.

Hermione signed off her note - telling Ron and Harry she would be in Australia for a time - and sent Hermes off with it. Then she got dressed in something a little nicer than her lounging clothes. She pulled back her hair, punned just above her ears, and headed to the front hall. Theo was waiting for her, wearing a pair of linen slacks and an open button up over a plain tee. They’d accidentally matched - her skirt was the same natural linen color, and Theo had blue buttons on his shirt that matched Hermione’s blouse.

“Where are we going?” Hermione asked. “The Library or the Gardens?”

Theo just gave her a sly smile, more a promise of trouble than anything else. “We are not going to have a normal Manor date. We’re going out.”

“You said we can’t go out,” Hermione said. “What if someone sees us?”

Theo’s smile didn’t even shift. “We’re going out, we’re just not going out to Wizarding London.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocketwatch. It was brass, old, and utterly remarkable. But as Hermione grabbed hold of Theo’s arm, she felt the ground beneath them shake and spin, and then they were flying through the air. A portkey.

They landed hard in an abandoned alleyway. It wasn’t anywhere Hermione recognized, even as she stepped out onto the street and looked around. She turned this way and that, looking for any giveaway, and then she saw it. The great spire of a familiar Gothic church. Hermione shivered a bit in the breeze, holding her arms tight around herself. Not even a minute later, Theo had draped his button up over her shoulders.

“Sorry,” he said. “I should have warned you about the weather. June in Wales isn’t much better than the spring in London.”

“Is this…?” Hermione trailed off, staring at Theo.

“Llandaff, where Roald Dahl was born and raised. For a few years at least.”

The smile Hermione gave him was well-worth the trouble Theo had gone through to get the portkey. It was as though the sun was there in his arms as Hermione beamed at him and threw her arms around his shoulder. Warm lips met him, a kiss he returned with a vigor, and when she finally pulled away, her cheeks were flushed with how hard she was grinning.

“What are we doing first?”

“A literary tour,” Theo said. “And then we are touring the church there. I have a short business meeting to attend to in the more magical part of town, and then we’re getting dinner.”

“Won’t Draco miss us?” Hermione asked.

Theo just shook his head. “He knew I was going to whisk you away today. He’s got business of his own to look after and then he’s taking supper with Lucius and Cissa.”

Hermione just shook her head, disbelieving in the best way, and Theo grabbed her hand tight before dragging her away to their tour.

~~~

“I didn’t even know there was a Wizarding part of Llandaff.” Hermione was standing just on the other side of a large fireplace, the only door to the Wizarding street of Ig Heol. It wasn’t much like Diagon Alley, where people were rushing up and down the street, cutting through little lanes and between shops. It was one lane, small and narrow, with only a few shops and pubs. There was an apothecary, with a notable sign in the window proclaiming owl treats 30% off, a potions supply store, a second-hand robes boutique, and two different pubs on either side of the street. There were three other stores on the very end of the street, arranged along the fat end of the cul de sac end of the road. She couldn’t see any signs, though.

“It’s small,” Theo said. “Really small. But there’s a few things you can get here that you can’t get anywhere else, not even Diagon Alley.”

“And what is on your shopping list today?” Hermione asked with a grin.

They’d been on so many tours, seen so many things, eaten such good food, she was genuinely impressed with Theo’s idea of a date. It had been the kind of thing Harry and Ron would never have thought of. It had been thoughtful and special, and it had been Muggle. Not that Hermione needed that. She didn’t - she was a witch and was more than happy to spend her days with both feet firmly in the Wizarding world. She was also a Mudblood - Roald Dahl was an important part of her childhood that she’d shared with the boys and it was something Theo had remembered. Enough that he set up an entire date in his childhood town.

So whatever he needed - potions ingredients, Quidditch gear, even something more risque like fairy wine or port - she would happily accompany him.

“We,” Theo emphasized. “Are meeting with a goblin.”

“A goblin?”

Theo led Hermione down the road and to a small building at the edge of the street. It was stone, all straight angles and crisp brick work, with a bright, painted sign in a language Hermione didn’t recognize.

“Goblin-wroght jewelry,” Theo said. He held the door open for her and she stepped inside. The inner office was open and airy, bright, with just a single goblin working at the front desk. He happily bounded to the desk and set his hand on the edge, tapping away with his fingers.

“Nott to see Soluk. I have an appointment.”

The goblin looked up for a moment and then back down at the books on the desk. After a second, he pushed away from the desk and went to a tall, ornate door by the back of the room. Theo just waited with that same, agreeable smile on his face.

The goblin beckoned them over, and Theo and Hermione stepped into a much smaller room. It was an office with dark wood furniture, a large ball of light held in a glass orb above the main desk. Around the walls were sketches of jewelry - necklaces, bracelets, chains, and rings.

“Mr. Nott. And company.”

There was a drawling, smart-looking goblin waiting for them. He held out a hand, and Theo shook it before Hermione did the same. “This is one of my fiances, Miss Hermione Granger.”

The goblins eyes twitched. “I believed that Miss Granger was of… questionable birth.”

Theo’s mouth dropped open, but Hermione only huffed out a small laugh.

“It is unbelievable,” she said. “That two Pureblood boys would want a Mudblood. But I try to make it a rule of life not to look too closely at good fortune.”

Soluk gave a rare, strange looking smile. “Examination only reveals the details.”

“And what details have you noticed so far?” she asked.

“You are unlike other Mudblooded witches I have met. I can understand why you’ve caught the eye of two high-standing Pureblood heirs.”

Hermione sat in a deep chair across from Soluk’s desk. Theo, after a moment, joined her in the second chair. Soluk pushed a few papers around, then grabbed at a folder and slipped it open. He passed a parchment to Theo’s hand. “I’ve designed some preliminary rings for you.”

Theo tilted the page to Hermione. There were a few rings - each a simple band with delicate, unique touches. The first was a bevel-edge ring with a floating gem set in the center. The second was slightly more ornate with etched stars across the band, but no gems. And the last was an art deco looking design, with stepped edges ringed with diamonds.

Theo hummed and then he tapped his finger over the first one. “I like the tension gem here,” he said.

“It reminds me of Lucius’ rings.” She slid her finger down the page and pointed to the last one. “I don’t like this one as much. I think it would be too simple for Draco.”

“Agreed,” Theo said. “Is there any way we could downsize the tension gem so there’s more space in the band? I’d love to have the star pattern along the underside of the ring where it would be hidden slightly.”

Soluk took back the page and made a few notes. “We could. I am more than happy to explore other design ideas if you would like.”

Hermione hummed. “What do you think of putting the star design inside of the ring? And then turning the setting of the tension gem so it was diagonal rather than centered and vertical in the ring?”

Theo smiled. “Yes! I would like to see a mock up like that!”

Soluk made another note, and then he set the paper down. “I could have that for you. Will you be returning to Ig Heol to see the completed design?”

Theo and Hermione exchanged a look. “I will approve the design by mail this time,” Theo said finally. “We’ll return to pick it up once it’s completed.”

“And payment?”

Theo reached into his trousers and slid a check over the desk to Soluk with a smile. The meeting was over in the blink of an eye, and Soluk clasped his hand around the check in the same moment he got up and quickly showed Theo and Hermione to the door.

Hermione stepped back onto the quiet street and turned back, catching Theo with a playful look. “You didn’t tell me we were going to be picking out Draco’s wedding band,” Hermione said.

“Didn’t I?” Theo teased. “It’s tradition for two partners to design the ring for the other. Draco and I have been working on yours.”

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks. “Am I supposed to be working on your ring right now? Theodore, am I being a bad girlfriend?”

Theo just laughed. “No, not at all, Mya. If Draco hasn’t dragged you out to a jeweler yet, that’s not about you.”

Hermione only pouted. “I feel terrible,” she said. “You and Draco know these traditions, you know what to do. I’ve spoiled all the fun.”

Theo stepped in front of her quickly and cupped her face in his hands. “Love, the fun is only just beginning. We couldn’t care less about traditions. We just want to marry you.”

And then he kissed her hard and sure. Their lips moved against one another, parting to allow their tongues to press against one another. Hermione felt something involuntary come over her - a moan pushed through her lips and into Theo’s mouth, and then she blushed hard. Theo only swiped a thumb over her cheek and smiled into her lips before returning her moan with one of his own.

After a moment, they pulled away from one another, and Hermione’s eyes darted away from Theo’s. Theo, who was never shy about anything, just cleared his throat pointedly until Hermione looked back at him. Theo pressed his lips, closed and chaste, over both of Hermione’s red cheeks. And then he pressed his lips back into hers and again, she felt his lips part and his tongue pressed at her lips. It was a headrush - the ground beneath her feets seemed to spin beneath her and then-

No. The ground was spinning beneath her. Theo crowded into her space and she fell backwards, trying to detangle her hand from Theo’s shirt to brace herself but instead of falling onto the unforgiving ground, she found herself in a bed. Her bed, back at the Manor. She pushed Theo up and broke the kiss.

“Sneaky.”

“I was excited.”

Theo’s breath ghosted over her face as he connected their lips again, and it was like there was a fire between her body and Theo’s hands as gentle fingers ran up and down her sides. And then they were pausing, Theo’s palms spread wide over Hermione’s ribs and the edge of his fingertips, just the edges, brushing the curve of her breast. He panted, breaking the kiss again.

“Can I?”

Hermione’s mind ground to a stop, frozen. She wanted that, she wanted to feel Theo’s hands on her chest in that intimate, loving way. She wanted the rough, animalistic scene she’d seen in movies. She wanted the not-quite-sex of Theo’s hands on her, of the intimacy there, of someone who knew her body almost as well as she did.

So she nodded, her curls flying around her head. Anything she might have said to further her agreement was lost to Theo’s mouth as he dove down to kiss her again, and Hermione moaned again.

~~~

Toma set his things down and stretched his arms over his head. There was a delightful pop as something in his back gave way, and he sighed. Since that day - last day of term and last day of his secrets - he, Hermione, and the boys had a strict no-secrets rule. Hermione had told Draco and Theo about the horcruxes as soon as Toma proposed this new concept. It forced him into telling them about what he’d done decades ago, show them what he’d been doing behind closed doors. The hollowed-out remnants of the Hufflepuff Cup was warped and twisted, like it had pulled itself into a knot when Toma had pulled his soul from it. Then he surprised Hermione - he had the Diadem of Ravenclaw, similarly warped and twisted.

Hermione had told him every single thing she knew about the Order. Who was involved, where they were meeting, and who they were actively recruiting. She also gave Toma every letter she’d gotten from Harry about his dreams, and anything she knew about the Weasley’s ideas about Pureblood families.

Theo had told them everything about his father, everything about the current Death Eaters. Everything he’d heard, rumor or confirmed, about the other Hogwarts students in the castle.

And Draco had revealed that Ministry men and women were working on squashing both the Order and the Death Eaters, though they seemed to have much more concrete ideas about what to do about the Order than they did about the Death Eaters.

Toma had honestly imagined the exercise would be more about making Hermione shut her mouth, and perhaps keep them under control with the illusion of trust. But it was surprisingly effective. He learned things they had absolutely kept from him - Hermione in particular came clean about her little lessons with Neville Longbottom and the interest Pureblood students had in those forgotten, powerful forms of magic - and they had been surprisingly helpful with Toma’s own plans. The prophecy regarding Hermione and himself was one thing, the horcruxes another, and both Draco and Theo had offered sincere and thoughtful input on both. They’d come up with a timeline for the rest of Hermione’s articles in the Prophet, a plan for how they would officially battle the Death Eaters, and a strategy to best handle the Order.

Most surprising of all, they’d just forgotten the violence. Hermione told Theo and Draco about the moments when Toma had hit her, and they’d seen Toma take her hit. But neither boy treated Toma or Hermione any different. There was no pity, no fear. Just four teenagers with more brains, power, and ambition between them all to rival any of the so-called world-leaders. Respect blossomed between them. Trust and equality.

The closest thing Toma had ever experienced like it was 50 years ago, when he’d taken Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Anton into his inner circle. Even Barty and Karkarof had been friends at one point. Or maybe not, maybe he hadn’t had friends. Can a man without a soul have friends?

But even then, they weren’t his friends. They were never his equal - Bellatrix and Rodolphus had kept secrets. Barty had gone to Azkaban without ever saying a damn thing about his plans. And Karkarof had spilled his secrets.

They had not been his friends. There was no trust, no mutual respect. They weren’t his equals. They weren’t planners alongside Toma’s own plans and wishes. They weren’t his confidants.

But Theo had been Toma’s first friend. He’d trusted Toma and shared the tragedy of his home with Toma with so little prodding, so little manipulation. At first, Toma would admit, he saw Theo as stupid. It was stupid to trust another man, stupid to think someone would keep your secrets out of affection and nothing else. And Toma found some disgusting part of himself wanting to return that trust and care. It was an instinct that had once resulted in Toma being ridiculed and hurt by the kids at the orphanage, and after that, he’d suppressed those instincts. Theo had reignited that instinct. And Hermione had, in a strange way, encouraged it. And they had never been like Bellatrix and the others - they didn’t worship the ground Toma walked upon. They didn’t put up with poor treatment. They forced him to see them as equals. They forced a weird kind of kinship, particularly when Draco agreed to Toma’s requests and Hermione protected him even at the risk of her own safety.

His thoughts on the matter were cut off as the door to the Library creaked open. Toma glanced over his shoulder at Theo. After a moment, Draco and Hermione followed him into the Library.

“We’ve got to talk,” Hermione said. “The summer hols won’t last forever, and we have serious things to discuss.”

Draco collapsed into the sofa beside the fireplace and looked across the room to where Toma had flipped open a calendar book. “Mark it. July 2nd, we’re having our engagement party and announcement. The papers will run the story as the Houses Malfoy and Nott to be wed along with a third family not to be announced. It’ll cause a small stir, but it’ll be manageable.”

Toma made a note. “Hermione?”

“I have articles planned for the end of June about family magic, another planned for mid-July regarding blood purity and the difficulties of being a Mudblood. Last one before school on the Death Eaters and extremism.”

“Make it four for the summer, I want one more on the Ministry and how they treat orphans. Focus on the Order if you can. Dumbledore is the worst offender of mistreating children.”

Hermione nodded. “What do you have planned?”

Toma folded his hands and prepared for a fight. “I need someone to do something for me. It can’t be me, and it can’t be Hermione because of her role in the Order.”

“What is it?”

“I need a Death Eater,” Toma said. “A real one. Theo’s done a wonderful job at bringing information to us from his father, but we need someone who is more connected to their cause.”

Theo sighed. “I can’t do it. I’ve told my father a million times I wouldn’t join them.”

Toma nodded. It would be suspicious, that was true. Toma could, maybe, get away with it. But even with his Muggle disguise, and his cover story as a half-blood, getting close to the Death Eaters was dangerous and risked his identity being revealed.

Hermione figured it out before anyone else did. “Draco can’t,” she said. “I’m not going to let that happen.”

“Draco could,” Theo said. At Hermione’s angry expression, Theo threw her hands up. “I’m not saying I want to see him marked by those psychopaths. I don’t, I don’t want him anywhere near those people. But he could join them under the guise of working with his aunt.”

“He’s not doing it,” Hermione said.

“He’s right here,” Draco said finally. He was staring into the fire, though, not at the others in the room. Still, he only huffed out a breath. “Why do you want someone on the inside?”

“We need to know what they are planning before they go through with things. Theo gets information every few months, it’s not nearly as often as we need. And if we’re going to keep pushing the Order to the edge, the Death Eaters are going to respond more frequently. We need more reliable information.” Toma wasn't wrong. They had a spy in the Order, it would be foolish not to place a spy in the Death Eaters.

Hermione shook her head. “We can speak to other people already involved. I know Professor Snape is in the Order and the Death Eaters.”

“And we have no idea which of the two he is more loyal to. I don’t need someone else who might betray us, I need someone I trust.” Toma, again, wasn't wrong.

Draco got out of the sofa with a rough, tight sigh. “Okay. Okay.”

“Not okay!” Hermione exploded. “You’re not joining a terrorist group!”

Draco leveled her with an emotionless look. “You’re in a terrorist group.”

And that was the rub, wasn’t it? Hermione was a part of the Order, physically staying with them in their hidden safehouse and encouraging their cause. If things were to be pushed to a war-like scenario, Hermione would be expected to fight for them. If they were being honest, and not sentimental, they would of course need someone inside the Death Eaters’ camp.

“We can plan more at another time,” Draco said, a hand over Hermione’s and a placating tone in his voice. “But for now, we will assume I will make an attempt to connect with my deranged aunt and join up in the coming months.”