Chapter 3
Getting up from the sofa, Theodore makes his way towards the bookcases lining the walls. Walking along the wall of shelves he's searching for the book he had read on Soul Mates, making a small noise of success under his breath when he finds what he's been looking for. Climbing up the ladder to reach the book, he’s startled when Hermione starts to speak.
“Why don’t you just accio the book to you?” She asks in confusion. It seems so odd for a wizard to do anything without magic, that it throws her for a loop.
Grabbing the book and getting back to the floor, he makes his way back to his previously occupied seat next to her. “Residual magic build up.” He says looking at her. He knows she's going to have more questions, this isn't something that just any wizarding family would know. Not unless they have a Manor or family heirlooms that are used often. The only older wizarding family she had constant contact with was the Weasleys, and well… he is sure this is something new to her.
“Residual magic build up? I’ve never heard of that. What is it?” Hermione asks excitedly. The prospect of learning something new about the world she lives in always brings her a spark of excitement.
‘She sounds excited.' He thinks to himself with a quiet chuckle. It’s so endearing, her curiosity, her need to know everything she can get her hands on.
“It’s something wizarding families that have been around for a long time need to worry about. You might not feel it but the manor is heavily saturated in magic, that after a long period of time and many generations, makes it almost… sentient. Yes, that's a good way to describe it.” He pauses to make sure they are on the same page. She is looking at him with so wonder and a hunger for more knowledge he can’t help but grin broadly at her.
“After so many generations of spells being cast, every so often the Lord or Lady of the manor has to go through and essentially scrub some of that magic from high spell traffic areas. It’s not something that is hard to do but it is essential. With the manor already being so heavily saturated in magic, too much magic in areas can cause odd and sometimes dangerous things to happen. So we go through and cleanse the excess residual magic build up from those areas. Now this can take generations to build up to the point it needs to be cleansed but there are some places that are not easily cleansed of residual magic without messing up existing spells, charms or enchantments. The library is one of those places. Some of these books are well over a thousand years old. So they have preservation charms or stasis ruins embedded into them. If I were to come through and cleanse the library of residual magic there is a chance that I could ruin the protective spells on these books, in turn ruining the books. Does that make sense?”
Hermione was in awe. She had never heard of this, had never known about family manors being almost sentient. ‘How amazing is magic’ she thought to herself. She understood what Theo was talking about with the residual magic building up, but she wasn’t quite sure what the Manor being sentient had to do with anything or really what that even entailed.
“What does that mean, the Manor being sentient. I know what the word means obviously, but what does that entail?” She's enthralled, she hadn’t learned anything new or exciting in so long this was like a treat to her.
Thinking to himself for a moment to gather his thoughts, Theo finally replies, “The manor is old, very, very old Hermione. When my ancestors started building the Manor it was around the time Hogwarts was being built. There have been, of course, upgrades made to the outside to keep it in style” he says with a careless shrug “but the same type of magics that was used to build and protect Hogwarts was used to build and protect the manor. Meaning, and I am trusting you not to tell this to anyone.”
He looks at her and she nods her head in agreement.
“Meaning that the manor has a Ward Stone. That Ward Stone is used to not only protect the manor but to ward itself in many different ways. The manor keeps itself completely hidden unless a Lord or Lady of the family asks the wards to open and let people in. I can come and go as I please and bring people with me without having to ask, but other people are unable to find Nott manor. Actually you are the first person outside of that family that has been here in years. Next to Hogwarts, Nott manor is the second safest place in all of England. No one knows where we are, almost like a fidelius charm except the secret keeper is the Manor itself. It's a complicated bit of magic that has grown and evolved with each generation.”
Hermione is looking at Theodore in complete awe and bafflement. Not only did he share something with her that if ever in the wrong hands could destroy his home, he expertly explained a highly advanced and secretly guarded magic to her with no more than a dismissive shrug of his shoulders. Like he hadn’t just entrusted her with information so precious she is sure only the Lords and Ladies of Nott Manor were the only people to know about this. It’s amazing the amount of trust he is placing in her even though he just actually met her.
“Incredible. Thank you Theo, for telling me all of that. And I swear I will never tell anyone about what you have told me regarding the Manor. I can take an unbreakable vow if you would like. I am curious if I will ever be able to come back here though, after I go home?” She would like to come back here. These past few hours with Theo have been some of the best she's had in years.
“If you promise to not tell anyone where Nott Manor is I would be more than happy to add you to the Wards. That way you could come and go as you please. And the fact that you even offered to take an unbreakable vow tells me you will keep this information secret.” He looks excited as he says it to her, almost disbelieving that she would want to come back.
“I promise I will never tell anyone where Nott Manor is and I will keep all information I learn about the manor to myself and never share it with anyone.” Smiling, Hermione responds in complete honesty and a bit of excitement.
“I will add you to the Wards after dinner if that is alright with you, it is getting rather late. Stay for dinner?” He asks, his voice even but she can hear the hopeful lit to it.
She smiles at him reassuringly “I would love to stay for dinner Theo.”
He looked so excited that she agreed. Theo calls for Bipsy to tell her the good news, the little elf is ecstatic saying she will make a whole feast. He has to remind her that it is just the three of them and not to go too overboard… “Please Miss Bipsy”. The whole interaction is so sweet that she can’t help but smile softly at them.
It’s still odd to Hermione, that when she is with Theodore she almost feels like herself. It's refreshing to say the least, to not just have negative emotions all the time. It’s so nice to feel something positive for the first time in weeks.
As she is watching Theodore and Bipsy banter back and forth she comes to a realization. After just telling Theo about her parents death she felt better. Yes, she had a complete breakdown but she still feels a little better after the whole ordeal. That didn't even include the details of what had happened. He trusted her with such sensitive information about the manor. She would like to extend the same courtesy to him and tell him about what has been going on in her life. About Ron and about her parents. She has a feeling he isn’t coping well with the war aftermath either and she wants to help him like he helped her. So she decides to tell him everything, to show him the same trust that he showed her.
She hears a soft pop and realizes Bipsy has left, most likely to start on dinner. Looking up she catches Theo’s eye and he smiles at her softly. Like he knows what she wants to say to him. But before she can say anything he speaks first.
“I wanted to give this to you to look through.” He holds out the book that started the discussion about residual magic.
”It’s a book on soul mates. I read this book a few years ago and one of the passages caught my attention when we were talking earlier. It’s about Platonic Soul Mates and I think that is what we might be. Our reaction to each other sounded similar to what I read in here and I figured you would want to read it for yourself.” He says with a mischievous smirk. She can tell it’s not meant in a bad way. It seems that is just Theo’s brand of humor.
“You can read it now or later if you want, you can even take it home to read and bring it back when you're done.” He says to her grinning like he’d just told the funniest joke. Hermione smiles at him and slightly rolls her eyes.
“Thank you, I guess it isn’t that big of a surprise that I would want to study the book for myself is it.” His smile broadened at her exasperated tone.
“I'm glad we are in agreement.” He states in a matter of fact tone, crossing his arms over his chest like he just won some kind of argument. It's all rather silly and dramatic and she can't help but revel in the lightheartedness of the moment.
She’s quiet for a moment, almost thoughtful before she begins to speak.
“I would like to tell you about what has happened in my life.”
Theo doesn’t say anything for a moment, studying her with a serious expression, he finally replies “ You do not have to tell me anything that you are not ready to. I want you to understand that. Just because I shared sensitive information with you does not mean that I expect you to return in kind.”
Internally Hermione is relieved that he doesn’t expect anything in return, but it makes her all the more sure that this is what she wants, no, needs to do.
“Thank you Theodore. Really, that means a lot to me for you to say that. But I want to tell you, if you want to hear it. For both of us.”
She feels a little insecure about opening up about everything but she now knows she needs to get it out to try to move on with it. She will never forget. But she can try learn to accept it for what it is and grow as a person. It won’t be easy but…. She doesn’t feel like she will be alone in this anymore.
Theo reached over and places his hand over her own small one, still clutching to the book he had just handed her moments ago. “I will always listen to anything you have to say, Hermione.” It’s so genuine and open that it brings tears to her eyes. That just seems to be something Theo can do. Being so honest and open with her that it constantly brings her to tears, she just knows this is going to be a regular occurrence and she is going to have to get used to it.
Hermione looks down at her hands that are grasping at the book in her lap. Taking a deep breath she starts to tell him about her relationship with Ron. How it never really felt right but it felt like it was just the next logical step, that this is what was expected of her. She tells him about how he was always hovering, never giving her space and always reminding her how she should be so grateful to him and his family. How she wanted to find her parents after the war was over but no one would help her, that Ron wouldn’t even give her the time to look. That she felt more like an object for Ronald to show off instead of his equal. How it all went down hill and how she got up the courage to leave him. Then once she had left him she went in search of her parents, from finding them to losing them in less than a week's time. She tells him what she did before the war to her parents to keep them safe, how casting that obliviation charm and wiping herself from their minds tore her apart. But she would have done anything to keep them safe. Just to have them ripped away from her in a stupid freak accident. She tells him about her depression with it all and how it didn’t help with her already poor head space after the war. When she is done it's been about 2 hours since she started talking. The tears started sometime during her explanation but she felt a little lighter saying it all out loud to him.
Looking up she is surprised to see his face blank but his hands are clenched tightly into his pants and they're shaking, his eyes are furious. Not at her. But for her. He reaches for her so quickly she flinches back, but all he does is wrap his arms around her tightly tucking her face into his shoulder he whispers to her “You are such a strong person Hermione. I don’t know how you have held yourself together for so long but you are so, so strong. But you're not alone. Not any more.”
She’s crying again, but she is also smiling. ‘This, this is acceptance and support’ She thinks to herself. ‘I would do anything for this man to keep him so kind, I would burn down the world for Theodore Nott if he asked me to.' She has no doubt he is also ruthless though, he was in Slytherin after all, a kind boy that was forced to be a death eater and still survived with some kindness left inside of him. She had seen the rage in his eyes, like he would kill for her if she so asked. She can honestly say she doesn’t care. All she can think is ‘It feels like I've finally come home.’
It’s right about then that they both hear the soft pop of Bipsy’s arrival.
She’s quiet for a moment before she speaks, squeaky voice full of concern. “Is Master and Miss okay?”
“Were okay Bipsy, Thank you.” Theo replies, still holding Hermione to him.
“I’ve come to tell you that dinner is ready in the dining room.” She looks at them for another moment and then pops away.
Letting Hermione go, Theo stands up and stretches, then holding out a hand to her. “Well, shall we venture down to the dining room for dinner? I can give you a quick tour on the way and we can finish our discussion after some good food and adding you to the Wards. What do you say, Miss Granger?” He smirks at her.
Drying her eyes on her sleeve she takes a deep breath and smiles up at Theo, gently taking his hand and letting him pull her up. “That would be wonderful Mr. Nott.” He laughs loudly and tucks her hand into the crook of his elbow.
“This way my lady.”
“What a gentleman.”
He’s smirking at her again but his eyes are warm and full of mirth. He takes her to the dining room, pointing out different areas of the Manor that are visible from their path and telling her a bit about each area. There is so much history around her she can’t help but feel in awe of the Manor itself and of Theodore. He knows so much and is so gracious to share it all with her. It's all just so amazing.
About twenty minutes later they arrive at the dining room. It is on the opposite side of the Manor but they were also walking at a leisurely pace as Theo told her about everything. When they finally arrived at the dining room Bipsy was already seated waiting for them. The room was huge like it had once been used to house grand celebrations. In the middle of the room was the dining table, laden with all sorts of delicious looking food. It wasn’t a small table but it was by no means the largest table she was sure could fit easily in this room. The dining room itself was very grand, done up in beautiful gold, beige and white. It made her feel under dressed to be in such a grand area in nothing but a knit sweater dress and leggings.
Dinner was amazing, easily some of the best food she had ever had, making sure to tell Bipsy that. She had never seen a house elf blush but it was precious. After a dessert of mini apple pies and another thank you to Bipsy, Theo took her to the Ward stone room to add her to the Wards. The walk there was quite long and the hallways were like a maze. She could only imagine how large Nott Manor must have looked from the outside, and unless this was something like her beaded handbag then the manor must be massive.
When they went down a set of stairs, almost like they were going into the basement she shivered. She wasn’t sure what it was but the air felt heavy, not oppressively so but heavy nonetheless. Theo stopped walking, turning to look at her. “Do you feel that?” he questioned in a surprised tone.
“Yes, what is that? The air itself feels heavy, it's not suffocating but it's heavy.”
“I might be correct about the soul mates thing after all. What you’re feeling is the magic of the manor, fed by generations of Notts. Normally someone not of our blood wouldn’t feel it but if we are soul mates then our magic is connected like our souls. It makes sense then that you would feel the family magic.” He looked amazed as he spoke, reaching for her hand he guided her down the stairs till they reached a very old wooden door. It looked to be covered in ancient runic writing.
“This is the Ward Stone Room, it houses the Ward Stone and keeps it safe, come.”
Opening the door the magic beyond the door seemed to rush out to greet them, wrapping around them both almost lovingly. Like it recognized Hermione as one of their own.
The room itself wasn't all that impressive, but with the beautiful glowing amethyst stone towering in the middle of the room, bathing the old worn stone in purple iridescent light, it was-for lack of a better word- magical.
As they got closer she could see that the towering amethyst stone was actually covered in runic carvings, much like the door to enter the room was. Upon closer inspection she noticed they were different ruins though.
Walking forward Theo put his hand on the stone, as soon as he touched it the light the stone was giving off changed color. Turning slightly more azure than the beautiful purple light it was giving off before. Without removing his hand from the stone he reached back for Hermione, she reached forward and put her hand in his. He brought her hand up to lay it on the stone, keeping his hand pressed onto hers. He didn’t say anything but he didn’t need to.
The stone was warm beneath her hand and it was slightly pulsating. Like it was alive. ‘Sentient’ she reminded herself.
She felt the magic around them shift, feeling a pull on her magic but she didn’t fight it. The stone pulsated strongly beneath her hand and she knew instinctively that she had been accepted into the Wards. But it felt more than that, she just didn't know how to explain it or how to form the words to ask. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind for now. She would ask Theo about it later.
Opening her eyes, -unsure of when she closed them- Hermione looked over at Theo. He was looking at her in surprise. Maybe she wouldn't have to formulate her question into words after all. His face showed surprise but his deep chocolate eyes held so much affection for her that she felt herself smiling at him in return.
He cast a quick Tempus spell -showing that it was later than either of them had realized-, they must have lost track time while working with the ward stone.
“It's rather late.” he said, startling her out of her thoughts. Furrowing her brow she opened her mouth to respond but he beat her to it.
“Why don’t you stay the night again, I'll set you up in a room near mine and we can have the in depth discussion we are both itching to have in the morning?”
She was surprised he offered for her to stay but she couldn't say she was against the notion. Walking from the Ward Stone room she agreed to staying another night. She felt so light after being added to the Wards she wasn’t sure what happened entirely but she was sure Theo would fill her in on it in the morning.
He led him back through the maze of hallways and up another flight of stairs.
“This is the family wing.” He said, showing her around. He opened a beautiful deep blue ornate door. Inside was an elegant looking room, done up in silver, white and deep blue. It vaguely reminded her of the color scheme of his family library. “This will be your room from now on, whenever you want to use it, it is always here for you. My room is right across the hall, the green door. If you need anything you can call for Bipsy, she insisted, or you can knock on my door.”
He looked giddy as he was telling her all of this. She was sure there was more significance going on than she was picking up on currently, but she was sure she would learn it all eventually. Of that she had no doubt.
“Thank you Theo. I'll see you in the morning.” She reached forward and hugged him. “Really, Thank you.”
Smiling, he hugged her back. “That's what family is for. And we are family now Hermione.”
She wasn’t sure what he meant but she was sure from the look in his eyes he would explain in the morning. And she was really starting to feel the day's events creeping up on her.
“Goodnight Theo”
“Goodnight Hermione