Chapter 3
Theodore Nott didn’t grow up lonely by any means. He was considered to be the class clown of the Slytherins fourth year and above, and thus, was relatively popular. He had people he considered friends in all years, but he could count on one hand the number of friends he knew were ride or die for him: Draco, Pansy, and Blaise.
He had known Draco his whole life, grew up with him and Pansy, and met Blaise on the train their first year. But he always felt like a part of himself was missing. He knew his mom had died when he was still a toddler, but his dad had never got into detail about how, just that she had died of a broken heart—he never told Theo what had hurt her so much that she gave up the will to live.
He had always felt like he was missing a part of himself, and would have attributed that feeling to losing his mother if it weren’t for the young girl that appeared in his first memory. Images of a young girl with wild, curly hair, eyes that matched his, and the phantom touch of a soft hand in his sometimes haunted his dreams and thoughts. He couldn’t put a name to her, but he had the distinct impression she was someone important to him.
So he was surprised when he was called into Professor Snape’s office, along with Draco, to meet with their mutual solicitor, Warwick Prent. Prent filled Theo and Draco in on the events about what happened at the Department of Mysteries, including the fact that six of their classmates had been there and that their fathers had both gotten arrested.
What neither boy expected was to be handed a letter from Thoros Nott, addressed to both Theo and Draco.
Prent handed the letter to Theo first. Theo stared at it for a few seconds. Finally, he gulped, glanced at the Head of Slytherin House, and opened the letter, popping off the Nott family seal.
Theodore,
My son, I cannot express how sorry I am that I have been arrested, making you lose another parent. I regret my recent actions that have left you to be by yourself in the Manor all on your own with only the house elves as constant company.
Something good has come from our raid at the DoM, however. I won’t make assumptions about how much of your early years you remember, but the Notts lost an important member of our family around your second birthday—your twin sister, Olive.
The four of us—your mother, you and your sister, and I—were out shopping one day around your second birthday. Olive dragged us to the bookstore, where, after a short while, she got abducted. We never found out what happened to her, nor who took her. Ultimately, Olive’s disappearance was the cause of your mother’s death.
I am sorry, son, that after the loss of your mother and sister both that I became distant for a few years. You are my greatest pride and joy, and I don’t always show it, but I love you more than anything.
I don’t know how long I will be in Azkaban, so I task you with finding your sister. I don’t know her name, but she was at the Department of Mysteries last night. She got hit with a curse from Antonin Dolohov, and I pray that, with Severus at the school, she has survived. I have complete faith that you will know her when you see her—she is your twin after all.
Find her. Find her and protect her. Let Draco read this letter once you are done, as Olive is, after all, his betrothed.
I hope in due time I will be out to help you protect her, and what remains of our small family will be reunited sooner rather than later. Trust Severus; he will help you in any way that he can, all you need is to ask him. Not only is he your Head of House, but he is also your godather, as you very well know, and is now your legal guardian until I am able to return. I’m sure that Narcissa could do with this good news as well.
Warwick is aware of the situation we have found ourselves in.
I am afraid I do not have any advice to give you about how to approach your sister, as I have never met her as the young woman she is now, so I am unable to make any suggestions as to how to break the news to her. Again, Severus may be able to help in that regard–he is Olive’s godfather too, and he will have had past interactions to help guide the way to approaching Olive.
I hope to see you soon, son. I will answer any questions you—and hopefully Olive—have once I get out.
Love,
Your father
Theo didn’t realize his hands were shaking until he finished reading the letter. He glanced at his solicitor then reread the letter. He couldn’t explain it, but he just knew that the young girl in his dreams had to be his twin. He covered his mouth with his hand. The fact that the dream that constantly replayed in his head at night wasn’t a dream, but a memory.
Staring at the ground, his eyes went out of focus. He was dimly aware of his arm moving to hand Draco the letter from his father.
Draco read the letter. Theo heard a breath rush out of his friend in a sharp exhale. Theo looked up slowly and made eye contact with Draco.
Severus cleared his throat. “Care to share with the rest of the class, Mr. Nott? Mr. Malfoy?”
Wordlessly, Draco handed his godfather the letter from Lord Nott. Severus read the letter quickly, his eyes slowly getting bigger as he went on.
“So…” Severus started again, eyes still on the letter. “It seems that young Olive Nott has finally been found.” He dramatically fanned the letter down onto his desk. “Come, boys. Let us go visit Miss Granger in the Hospital Wing and see how she is recovering.”
“Granger!?” Draco choked on a breath and started coughing.
Theo could only stare at his godfather, barely breathing.
Severus’ eyes slowly drifted between the two teenagers. “Indeed. The only other two options were Ginevra Weasley and Luna Lovegood, and I think we can all agree that Miss Granger is the most-likely candidate of whom your father was speaking.”
Theo’s eyes had slowly started falling until he looked at the top of Severus’ desk.
“Theodore?”
Theo’s eyes snapped up to his godfather’s. Severus raised an eyebrow.
Clearing his throat, Theo said, “apologies, Uncle Sev. I’m just…in shock.” Theo slumped back in his chair, forgoing his proper pureblood training of sitting up straight and with dignity. “I don’t know how I wasn’t able to feel it. Magical twins are supposed to have a special bond, and yet my magic didn’t recognize her.” He sat up suddenly, wild look in his eyes. “Shit, is Granger okay?!”
Severus stood up, black robes billowing. “Let us see how she fares, now.”
Prent stood too, gesturing for Theo and Draco to follow suit.
******
All Hermione knew was the darkness and pain. Unlike in second year when she was petrified, she wasn’t aware of much. When she was petrified, she was aware of everything around her, including whenever someone came to visit her. Time had stretched on, having no beginning, no ending, and no meaning.
This was different.
She couldn’t see anything. Her body felt like it was on fire. She didn’t trust the various sounds she could–or at least thought she could–hear.
Screams, whimpers, groans, and arguing.
Screams of her friends fighting the Death Eaters. Whimpers, probably her own. Groans of pain–from herself or others around her, she wasn’t sure. Arguing from…voices she couldn’t recognize, overlapping as their owners fought for dominance in the conversation.
For all Hermione knew, the sounds could be from her dreams or hallucinations. Or maybe she was dead, and she was on her way to the afterlife and was hearing the screams and cries of the Damned.
Something deep within her told her that wasn’t correct though–that these sounds were very much alive.
They were also very much getting on her nerves.
“–my sister–”
“–wake her–”
“–you have no right–”
“Mr. Malfoy!”
Malfoy?
Hermione couldn’t imagine what Draco Malfoy, school bully and her personal demon, would be doing in the Hospital Wing.
I mean, I suppose he could actually have an injury, but wouldn’t the headmaster and Madam Pompfrey have the Hospital Wing cleared for the six of us? Maybe he came to laugh at us.
Hermione felt a presence near her right elbow. Her body started tingling, starting from her head traveling down to her feet, then back up, stopping above her abdomen.
“She is stable, still, but only just.” Hermione recognized the voice of Madam Pomfrey. “I would be loath to transfer her to St. Mungo’s at this point in time.”
“She is my betrothed, I am her legal representative at this time!”
Malfoy’s WHAT?!
“Oi! Get away from her, you wanker!”
If Hermione could have laughed or cried out in relief at hearing Ron’s voice, she would have.
“Shut it, Weasley!” Malfoy growled from somewhere to her left.
Hermione started panicking. Ron was there, but where were the others? Were they alright? Were they alive? What was Malfoy talking about? Who was near her head on her right, breathing loudly, annoying her?
“Everybody be quiet, ” Professor Snape drawled. His voice was closer when he said, “And everybody out. Yes, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Nott, that includes you as well.”
“I am her brother!” The heavy-breather by her head finally spoke. “I have a right to be here!”
“Mr. Nott,” Madam Pomfrey said. “We do not know why her heart rate suddenly increased. We need to investigate and find the cause.”
“There is no reason why Theo nor myself need to leave for that to happen!” Malfoy argued.
“For all we know, Draco, you two could be the problem,” Snape drawled.
“I fail to see how that is a possibility.” Malfoy scoffed.
“We don’t know what Miss Granger may or may not be aware of. For all we know, she can currently hear us and could be reacting to certain…words carelessly thrown around.”
There was a pause before Theo hissed, “Shite.”
“Quite right.”
“Out!” Madam Pomfrey ordered, skirts rustling as she presumably hustled Malfoy and Nott away from her bed. “Both of you!”
The sound of privacy curtains sliding closed effectively cut off any protests the two Slytherins might have.
Snape and Pomfrey murmured to each other as they ran diagnostics on Hermione. She tried to follow what they were saying, but she couldn’t concentrate. After a few minutes of the professor and matron working over her, Hermione fell back into a fitful sleep.