Chapter Text
Fred, George,
I need a favour. Is that studio flat at the top of your shop still free? I know you talked about renting it out, but I presume you haven’t yet. Can my friend have it for the Christmas holidays? It won’t be safe for them to go home, and there’s no way they can come to us at the Burrow without provoking an international incident. I’m sure they’ll insist on paying you some rent for it.
Let me know, you’ll be my favourite big brothers if you agree,
Ginny
Gin,
The fact that we are not already your favourite big brothers filled us both with deep gloom and depression, as well as a burning desire to establish who has beaten us to the position so that we can punch them in the face. After much consideration, we reckon it must be Charlie. If it’s any of the others, we are beyond offended.
However, that question was quickly overtaken by outright curiosity about this mystery ‘friend’. We are assuming that your friend is male, given that you have not specified. If he can’t come to the Burrow, is it also safe to assume that he may not see eye to eye with some of our beliefs?
What we’re asking, Gin, is if we’re going to be hosting a Death Eater? And why?
F&G
George, Fred,
Honestly, what do you take me for? No, he’s not a bloody Death Eater. Don’t be bigger idiots than you can help. I’ll be blunt, since that might actually be understood by your tiny little brains. If he goes home, he’ll be marked, and he doesn’t want to be. He’s not a bad person, just a Slytherin with an unfortunate family. He’s been helping us (the DA) loads this year with information, prefect patrol schedules, etc. Can you help me or can’t you?
Love you both,
Ginny.
P.S. Charlie? Don’t be ridiculous. It’s Percy, obviously.
Gin,
Consider it done. Was it ever in doubt? Payment is declaring us number one, please, by return owl.
G&F
F, G,
You’re idiots. I love you. Thank you. And you’re top by miles. Always have been.
Gin
~
“I’ve got detention,” Ginny said quietly, one evening in the middle of December. As the weeks passed, she found herself spending more and more evenings on the balcony with Theo. When they didn’t have to discuss the war, or the school, they talked about anything else that entered their heads. “Tomorrow. Fucking Carrow caught me out after curfew last night when I left here. Only days left to the damn holidays. I thought I was going to make it.”
“Fuck,” Theo said, thumping his forehead onto his fist. “OK. It’ll be OK. None of them are very good yet. It’ll hurt, I won’t lie, but it should be bearable. And when it’s me… fuck. Ginny, when it’s me, scream like you never have before. Please. I’ll try and make sure it’s me and not Draco. But you have to scream. Understand?” Ginny nodded, and reached out to squeeze his fingers.
“I forgive you,” she said softly. Theo huffed a laugh.
”For torturing you?”
“For doing what you have to do to survive.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
Ginny shrugged. “The hurt will be temporary. This,” she held up their still joined hands, “This isn’t temporary, Theo. You’re one of my best friends now. Do what you need to do. We’ll survive it.”
Theo considered kissing her. He decided not to. They didn’t need the complication.
~
The following evening, Ginny stood motionless in the unused classroom in the dungeons, staring at the row of seventh years facing her with their wands in hand. Professor Carrow stood to one side, and Theo was lounging against the wall at the back, beside Malfoy. The two boys appeared to be ignoring each other, and her.
“So,” Professor Carrow drawled. “Miss Weasley. Your detention task is to help my seventh years with their spell casting. All you are required to do is stand there. Hopefully that is within your powers?” Ginny continued to stare straight ahead.
“Miss Weasley, answer me please.” Ginny ignored him. “Miss Greengrass, please have Miss Weasley answer me.” There was a small gasp from the end of the row in front of her and Ginny heard a quiet voice say,
“Imperio,” before her mind went blank.
“Answer the professor,” said Daphne Greengrass’ voice inside her head. Ginny struggled to resist. “Answer the professor, Weasley!” Ginny felt her mouth open despite her efforts.
“Yes, sir,” she heard herself say, and then the spell was dropped. She flickered her eyes to the end of the line where Daphne was bent double, gasping for breath. Professor Carrow spoke again.
“Thank you, Miss Weasley. Miss Greengrass, excellent casting. A big improvement. You may go.” Daphne stumbled out the door, still breathing heavily. Malfoy stepped forward and whispered something to Goyle, and they both sniggered. “Miss Parkinson, your turn. Show Miss Weasley what happens to pupils in this castle who don’t behave themselves.” Ginny braced herself, fixed her eyes on the wall above Theo’s head, and waited for the pain.
Pansy spent ten minutes casting, with minimal effect. Ginny managed to stay on her feet, gritted her teeth and kept her gaze fixed in place. Professor Carrow used the time as a teaching opportunity, correcting Pansy’s stance and pronunciation in between tries. At the end of the ten minutes, Pansy was dismissed to the back of the room and Goyle came forward. His spell was stronger and this time she cried out in pain, doubling over. Goyle was dismissed after another ten minutes, and Crabbe was called next. Again, his spell was stronger and Ginny dropped to her knees this time, crying out as the tremors ran through her muscles. After the prescribed ten minutes, Professor Carrow stopped things again. Ginny gasped for breath and used the sleeve of her robe to wipe her face.
“Well, thank you for your attempts, everyone. You are improving, certainly. Now, which of my star students will show everyone how it’s supposed to be done?” There was a pause, and then Ginny saw Theo peel himself off the wall and step forward languidly. He was the perfect image of a pure-blood heir, and nothing like the boy she’d been meeting on the balcony for the past four months. She suddenly felt scared as she pushed herself back to her feet and stood facing him.
“I’ll take this one,” he said, sounding bored.
“Mister Nott, thank you. Please demonstrate the correct casting position. Observe, please, Mister Goyle, the placement of the feet…” Ginny stopped listening as, for the first time since they’d entered the room, Theo met her gaze and, just for a second, the mask lifted and she saw him.
“Scream,” he mouthed. She blinked twice, hoping to confirm that she understood. Theo glanced over his shoulder. “Ready?” he asked. The professor nodded.
“Whenever you are, Nott.” Theo turned back to Ginny and raised his wand.
“Crucio!”
Theo’s spell hit her hard, and, as promised, she screamed. She couldn’t help it. The pain was worse than any of the others and her mind went blank as all of her muscles spasmed. She fell to her knees, and then collapsed on her side on the floor, pulling her knees in and cringing away from Theo’s wand. It seemed ages before Professor Carrow was satisfied and declared the lesson closed, ushering the students out and leaving Ginny lying on the classroom floor in the dark, trembling and crying.
She wasn’t sure how long she lay there, sobbing and groaning from the frequent pains wracking her body, until the door creaked open again.
“Ginny?” She managed a soft moan in response, and felt someone land on the floor beside her, so quickly that they skidded along the stone and bumped into her side. Strong arms were round her and pulling her up to lean against the someone - Theo, she rapidly realised. The comforting smell of his aftershave surrounded her even as he wrapped her in his robes for warmth. “Are you OK? I’m so sorry. I tried to keep it down.”
“It’s OK,” she managed. “It wasn’t so bad.” She groaned again.
“Shh,” he said, and she felt a hand stroking her hair back from her face, and then a soft, cool cloth drying her cheeks. “Here - pain potion.” She heard him spit the stopper across the room as a vial bumped against her lips and she tipped her head back slightly to allow him to pour it into her mouth. Another muscle spasm wracked her and she whimpered involuntarily, feeling Theo pull her tighter against him as she did so.
“It helps sometimes to be held tightly,” he said softly. “Or wrapped tightly, but I didn’t think I could sneak out the common room with a blanket. Another hour or so and the worst should be over, I think. I’m so sorry, Ginny.” She wriggled a hand free to clutch at his and squeeze his fingers.
“I told you, I forgive you,” she whispered.
For Ginny, the hour seemed endless, lying on the stone floor wrapped in Theo’s arms, struggling through one muscle spasm after another. Theo held her tightly, stroked her hair, and gave her sips of water frequently. Eventually, the spasms lessened to the point where she sat up, pushing her hair out her face. The loss of Theo’s arms made her feel cold and alone, and for one insane moment she considered lying back down.
“I think I can just about cope now,” she said slowly.
“I’m going to carry you back to your tower.”
“You can’t!” Ginny protested weakly, even as Theo swung her up into his arms. “Someone will see us!”
“It’s nearly two in the morning, Ginny, even the ghosts are asleep. You’ve been tortured. I am not letting you climb or crawl your way to Gryffindor Tower, and you can’t stay here. Bad things happen to people who are still here in the morning, trust me. Come on.” Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder as he slowly but determinedly began the climb from the dungeons to the foot of Gryffindor Tower, where he put her down in front of the portrait.
“Hogwarts has absolutely too many stairs,” he panted, leaning against the wall to get his breath back. “And the idiot Gryffindors, of course, live right at the bloody top. Can you make it from here?” She nodded.
“Neville will be inside. He won’t have gone to bed when I didn’t come back.”
“Good.” Theo hesitated, and after a second Ginny turned and threw her arms around him. He returned the hug awkwardly but tightly.
“Thanks for tonight. You did everything you could to spare me and I really do appreciate it.”
“I wish I could have done more. I’d have taken those curses for you, but even I couldn’t work out a way to do that.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Goodnight, Theo.” She kissed him quickly on the cheek, deciding against anything more, and climbed stiffly through the portrait hole. Theo remained in the corridor, his fingers raised to his cheek.
20th December 1997
On the way home for Christmas, Ginny passed the compartment where Theo was sitting with the other Slytherin Seventh Years. Their eyes met briefly, but neither acknowledged the other and Ginny moved on to take her seat with Neville, Luna and Seamus. She’d already passed Theo the key to the tiny flat at the top of Fred and George’s building, and given him instructions on how to get in. Her brothers, seeking plausible deniability, had agreed to avoid the back staircase that evening. It was the best plan she could think of.
They were almost home when it happened. The train slowed suddenly, then with a great screech of brakes stopped dead. The lights went out. There was a scuffle as the other three ended up in a heap on the floor, and the door opened and closed again. Ginny felt a hand close around her arm and almost screamed until a voice said in her ear,
“Shut up, it’s me,” and the trickle of a strong disillusionment rolled over her. “Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle went out just before the train slowed,” Theo’s voice continued in an urgent undertone. “I don’t know what this is, but it’s not good. Stay hidden. They’ll want you.” The others lit their wands, enough to let them see that Seamus was at the door now, shouting into the corridor, and Neville had a hand on Luna’s shoulder.
“You OK, Gin?” he asked into the dimness.
“Fine,” Ginny replied. “Just disillusioned.” Neville nodded approvingly.
“Good idea,” he began, doing the same to himself just as a spell blasted Seamus backwards into the compartment and a masked and robed Death Eater followed. Seamus hit the wall and slumped to the floor. Ginny was pulled back into the corner furthest from the door, feeling the warmth of the disillusioned Theo behind her, his arm tight around her waist, her back pressed against his chest. She began firing spells at the intruder, Theo aiming his wand over her shoulder to help. From the opposite side, Neville was doing the same, but a shield appeared in front of the robed figure, being held by someone else. The figure didn’t seem interested in duelling, but instead rapidly petrified Neville, shot a stunner at Ginny that missed and, she suspected from the grunt, hit Theo, and grabbed Luna’s wrist. It was like a signal. Immediately, the figure apparated, taking Luna with it, and a series of echoing cracks sounded up and down the train. The entire process, Ginny realised, had taken less than five minutes.
She sat up, casting finite on Neville first to cancel both the disillusionment and the petrification. She followed it up with another on Theo, who Neville blinked at in confusion.
“Where the fuck did he come from? Where’s Luna? Did you do this?” he asked Theo directly, pointing his wand at him. Ginny reached out and pushed it away impatiently.
“Yeah, you’re fucking welcome, Longbottom,” Theo snapped back. “If I hadn’t been here, they’d have taken Ginny as well as Luna, idiot.”
“They took Luna, Neville!” Ginny repeated Theo’s words. “I think that’s a bit more important than who is helping us fight them off, don’t you?” Neville’s eyes narrowed as he rapidly put things together.
“He’s your spy?” he asked Ginny in disbelief. “Nott? Are you out of your fucking mind, Ginny?” Ginny rose to her feet, the emotion and excitement of the last few minutes coursing through her on a wave of adrenaline as she pointed her own wand at Neville.
“Tell me one thing - one fucking thing other than the colour of his damn tie - that he’s done to make you not trust him,” she demanded. “Go on.” Neville stared back at her in shock. “I didn’t think you could,” Ginny continued. “Literally the only thing you have against him is his name and house. That’s it. I would have thought that you of all people, Neville, would have known better than to judge people by who their fathers were. You know what he’s done for us this year.” Neville turned scarlet at this and Ginny turned back to Theo.
“You should go before they notice you’re gone. Thank you for trying. Fuck, Luna…” She dropped her head into her hands. Theo squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.
“Hopefully she’ll be OK. They must want her for something, so they need to….”
“...keep her alive.” Neville finished for him. The two boys exchanged looks over Ginny’s head. “You should go, Nott, before you blow your cover. And I need to revive Seamus.”
“I’ll be OK. Planning to tell them I went for a piss and missed the whole thing,” Theo said. “I nipped out as soon as the Masked Trio did, so before anything happened. It was fun! I’ll choose the Gryffindor carriage for my Death Eater fighting in future, you can be sure. See you later! Don’t worry, Gin. You can’t help her that way.” He slipped back out into the corridor, blending in with the crowd. Ginny considered calling him back and kissing him. She decided not to, if only for Neville’s sake.
~
Much to Ginny’s surprise, neither Fred nor George showed any interest in the inhabitant of the studio flat above their own during the Christmas holiday. They were also perfectly happy to tell their mother that Ginny had spent her afternoon with them, helping to sort out Owl Orders, rather than appearing through the Floo and disappearing directly upstairs to entertain Theo. They even paid her for the hours she hadn’t worked. Ginny was highly suspicious of this, and mentally filed it to be investigated at a later point.
For his part, while he was finding time pass slowly, Theo had a large stack of books, all of his holiday homework, and remained grateful to Ginny for setting the whole idea up. Her daily visits were the high point of his holiday. When she appeared on Christmas Day, carrying a plate of her mother’s Christmas Dinner for him in one hand and dessert in the other, and explaining that as far as anyone knew, she was moping in her room over Harry, Theo found that for the first time he was having murderous, Malfoy-esque thoughts about Potter.
Ginny produced two bottles of butterbeer from her pockets, and curled up on the opposite end of the couch in her accustomed position while he tucked into the meal.
“You know, I’m getting to like this place,” she said, thoughtfully. Theo, his mouth full of turkey, looked around. The room was tiny, with a double bed pushed against the back wall, and the sofa they were sitting on opposite it. Other than these items, there was a coffee table which, with a quick shove, doubled as a bedside table, two cupboards for food, and a rickety chest of drawers, the top of which held all of Theo’s schoolwork. A door at the foot of the bed led to a tiny shower room.
“I love it,” he admitted. “I mean, I’d rather be free to come and go, but you know - that’s not the fault of the flat. I’d a million times rather be in here than at Nott House, terrified that every footstep was the summons for the ceremony. Would you really have been moping over Potter if you’d been at home just now?” Ginny sipped her drink thoughtfully and gave this due consideration.
“I don’t know,” she said eventually. “It’s weird - I loved Harry forever - since before I even went to Hogwarts. I loved the story, you know? He was a real life fairy tale hero, and then he was best mates with my actual brother and he was in our actual house, eating breakfast in our actual kitchen, and I got swept away living in a story book. It only got worse after the whole Chamber of Secrets thing. I mean… he saved me. It really was a bloody story book.” Theo reached over at that and rubbed her ankle comfortingly, it being the only bit of her he could reach. “Even when I dated other people -” Theo spared a moment from hating Potter to hate them too “- I still wanted to be with Harry. And then I was. And for a few weeks it was perfect, and it was everything I’d ever wanted.”
Theo envisioned a roast potato wearing Potter’s glasses and stabbed his fork into it violently. “And then?” he prompted, when Ginny gave him a curious look over the potato based violence.
“Then he left me,” she said. “And it just… I don’t know. We were supposed to be a team. I want the person I love to be able to lean on me, as I can lean on them. I want to be there, helping and supporting and holding him up, not shoved off back to Hogwarts to keep out of trouble while he does Merlin-knows-what .”
“You were - are - underage,” Theo pointed out. “You still have the Trace.”
“I know. I keep telling myself that,” Ginny sighed. “But still… if that’s the reason he’d given me, I could almost have accepted it. But he didn’t. He said he didn’t want to put me in danger. Does he not realise I’m in far more danger at Hogwarts than I would ever have been with him? I mean, how many times has he nearly died there? I would have died there, last week, if it hadn’t been for you. You know Malfoy would have killed me with his Cruciatus in that detention. He’d probably have got house points for it.”
“I refuse to even consider that,” Theo muttered, putting his empty plate down and looking suddenly pale.
Ginny gave him a sharp glance, and then moved so that she was leaning against him. “I’m fine, remember? You saved me. I’m OK.”
Theo wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her tightly. “Sometimes,” he said, slowly, “sometimes we don’t always see the best way out of a situation when we’re in the middle of it.” Ginny drank some more.
“You thinking about something specific?” she asked. He shrugged.
“Draco, I guess, since you mentioned him. I pushed too hard, last year, to try and help him. I didn’t know what he was doing - the whole Dumbledore thing - but he was my friend, and I wanted to help. After he stopped talking to me, and broke up with Pansy, and chased off Blaise… I was out of ideas, and I did something stupid. I think I actually, ultimately, made things worse. And he’s never spoken to me since - except the night that Blaise got injured. Then, it was like nothing had every happened. But as soon as we were done healing him, bam. He went back to ignoring me.
“So what I’m saying is… if Potter’s done something stupid too, then maybe consider that it was the best he could think of at the time and remember you used to be friends. Don’t hate him. He’s trying to save the damn world. I was only trying to save one crappy pure blood prick who, it turns out, didn’t even want to be saved.” Ginny laughed at this.
“I know,” she sighed. “I don’t hate him, not really. I miss him, and Hermione, and even sodding bloody Ron - but I guess there were some benefits to being at Hogwarts this year. Do you know, I even made a new friend?”
“Did you?” Theo asked, innocently. He leaned over the side of the sofa and rummaged in a drawer for two spoons, one of which he tossed to her. “How about you help him eat this frankly gigantic bowl of dessert you provided, then?” Ginny, who had over-filled the bowl for precisely this reason, grinned back.
Theo considered kissing her. He decided not to.
26th December 1997
HG: Ron’s back.
DM: Go him.
HG: He said it was me who brought him back.
DM: I’m sure it was. Unless he’s developed a sudden overwhelming desire for Potter.
HG: I don’t know that I like the idea of that.
DM: Weasley fancying Potter or Weasley fancying you?
HG: Me.
DM: Well, I suppose that’s something. For the record, I don’t like it either. You’re too good for him.
HG: We got attacked yesterday.
DM: Where?
HG: Godric’s Hollow. It was the snake.
DM: Fuck. I knew I hadn’t seen the blasted thing in too long. Are you OK?
HG: More or less. We lost Harry’s wand.
DM: Of course he fucking did. How in Merlin’s name does he expect to defeat the Dark Lord with no wand?
HG: I don’t think he’s really thought about it.
DM: But you have.
HG: Yes.
DM: Scared?
HG: Terrified.
DM: Yeah. Me too.
29th December 1997
DM: Lovegood’s in our dungeon. Snatched off the train. I only just found out, sorry.
HG: Luna. Yes, her father told us they had her. Tried to hand us over.
DM: I heard. You OK?
HG: All fine.
HG: I’m entirely passing over the fact that ‘our dungeon’ is actually something you can write with a straight face. You know, presumably. Mostly because it’s horrifying.
DM: Don’t really give a shit about the other two, but good to know.
DM: It’s not really a dungeon. Well, it is now, but it used to be a wine cellar. We’re not talking medieval torture here, Granger.
HG: So you say. I can absolutely see you presiding over a medieval dungeon.
DM: Much though I’d like to continue this, my presence is required elsewhere. I’ll do what I can for Lovegood. Luna. Do you think you can do a few days now without being attacked? This is really not good for my nerves, Granger.
HG: That made me laugh. Ron looks suspicious now - I had to tell him it was something I read. Well done.
HG: But I’ll do my best. Thanks.
~
Going back to school in January without Luna was bad. The members of the DA were spending more and more time inside the Room of Requirement, withdrawing from school life almost entirely. Now that Neville and Seamus knew who he was, Ginny suggested repeatedly that Theo should join them, and Theo in turn told her repeatedly that he was far more use to them outside, and that unlike the rest of them, he wasn’t in any danger. The school at large considered him a loyal Slytherin, a member of the establishment - a Death Eater in waiting. As he pointed out, if he suddenly vanished, he could never re-appear. His housemates would know immediately that he was a traitor. Ginny accepted this fact reluctantly while eating one of Malfoy’s chocolate frogs, several of which had been stolen by Theo in his latest break in. They were sharing them on the balcony.
“They’ll put you lot on these one day,” Theo said, twirling a card between his fingers. “When you win.”
“When we win,” Ginny corrected automatically.
“Harry Potter, Chosen One. Hermione Granger, Chosen One’s Brain. Ron Weasley, Chosen One’s Sidekick. Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnegan, Ginevra Weasley, Resistance Leaders. They could do a whole set.” Ginny nodded.
“And Theodore Nott, Spy,” she added. “Otherwise I’ll have the whole damn thing stopped.” Theo laughed, and decided - again - not to kiss her. Every time, the decision got harder.
It was the beginning of February when Ginny found a note in her pocket in Theo’s handwriting.
Come tonight, please.
There was nothing else. She showed it to Neville, who nodded his agreement and, shortly before nine that evening, she slipped down the now familiar walk to the balcony. Theo was sitting on the floor, wrapped in an enormous woolen cloak which he lifted the edge of to allow her inside. She sat beside him, puzzled.
“What’s this about?” There was no answer, just the solid weight of Theo leaning against her. Ginny rested her head on his shoulder. “Talk to me, Theo. Why did you bring me here?” Theo heaved a sigh.
“Seven years ago tonight, my father shoved my mother so hard she fell down the stairs in our house. She died there, on the floor, in our hallway, and I sat with her all night waiting for it. She died as the sun rose. My father was in his study, drinking. He’d locked the Floo.”
Ginny fumbled under the cloak to find his hand and squeezed it tightly. “Oh, Theo.”
“I didn’t want to sit here alone tonight.”
“What do you need?”
“Tell me about your family.” Ginny nodded, and then pulled out her wand and summoned her patronus. The horse looked at her expectantly. Theo reached out his free hand towards it, smiling when it passed straight through and the light shone on his palm.
“Go and tell Neville I’m fine, I won’t be back tonight, and if he tries to come and find me I’ll hex his bits off. And if Seamus is there too tell him I’m still not sleeping with anyone for information, and that if he suggests that I’ll hex his bits off too.” The horse disappeared, and Theo gave a weak chuckle.
“Can you teach me to do that sometime?”
Ginny nodded. “I think so. It’s not so hard. You need a really happy memory, so maybe just now is not the time.” The thought of a red haired witch balancing a plate of Christmas Dinner and two bottles of butterbeer popped into Theo’s head immediately.
“I think I should be able to manage that. Now, given that message, what are the chances of me getting through the night without getting my bits hexed off?” he asked. Ginny ignored this, and instead, leaned her head back on his shoulder and started talking. She talked herself almost hoarse, telling Theo at length about her parents, her brothers, their time growing up, The Burrow, their trip to Egypt, the fight with Percy, everything that came into her head. And Theo listened, entranced. She even managed to talk about her first year and the time with the diary, during which Theo wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, but still said nothing - though his private thoughts on Lucius Malfoy would not have borne repeating. Eventually, running out of things to say and wrapped in the warm cloak and Theo’s arms, Ginny dosed off, waking cold and stiff some time later just as the sky was lightening. She sat up.
“I’m so sorry. Did I fall asleep?” Theo nodded, his eyes on the horizon, arms still wrapped around her.
“It’s OK. You were still here.”
“What do you need?” Ginny asked quietly. “I’m here for you, Theo. Tell me what you need.” He turned towards her, wriggling until his face was buried in her lap. Ginny could feel tears soaking through her robe and stroked his hair endlessly.
“It’s OK, Theo. It’ll be OK, I promise. We can’t bring your mum back, but mine loves waifs and strays, honestly. One day, when all this shit is over and done with, I’m going to take you to the Burrow. And my brothers are all going to tease you rotten, and you’re going to help me do something to embarrass Ron, and my dad’s going to take you to the shed and show you his collection of plugs, and my mum’s going to hug you and never let you go. You’ll get Christmas jumpers and Easter Eggs and Sunday lunches and you’ll be so bloody sick of the sight of ginger hair.”
“I don’t belong there,” Theo said, his voice muffled by the cloak and her robe. “That’s for Gryffindors.”
Ginny scoffed. “Rubbish. You’re the most Gryffindor Slytherin I’ve ever met. You’re brave, you’re impulsive, you’re reckless… you absolutely belong there. And like you think you’re getting any choice, after this year, Theo Nott. You’re never getting rid of me.” Theo tightened his arms around her waist at this and Ginny sat still, watching the sunrise and holding him close.
~
DM: They’re going for another attack on the train on after the Easter Holidays. Don't send back Weasley.
HG: They’re after Ginny?
DM: Among others. Longbottom. Brown. Finnegan.
HG: I’ll tell them.
DM: Make sure they don’t send her back. No matter what. I’m not sure it will be kidnap this time. It feels like they’re panicking that there is still resistance.
HG: I’d love to see their faces if they knew the resistance was pouring their wine.
DM: I wouldn’t. There would be several killing curses immediately afterwards, all coming for me.
HG: Oh well. We should probably avoid that.
DM: Probably?
HG: Goodnight, Draco.
DM: Goodnight Hermione.
6th April 1998
It was the last day of the spring term when their luck ran out and it finally happened - Ginny was in the entrance hall and Theo, with his trunk in tow, had just emerged from the dungeons. He was heading for the train with the intention of ‘disappearing’ on the way and returning to Neville in the Room of Requirement. They were both sure that he wouldn’t survive a holiday at home without being marked, and Fred and George had reported that the shop had been destroyed by Death Eaters the month before, so was no longer safe. Regretfully, the leaders of Dumbledore’s Army had decided to give up the advantage that Theo gave them, and make sure he survived instead. Ginny, who had been demanding this from all of them - including Theo - for weeks, had a horrible feeling it was all about to go wrong. When she told Theo this, the night before the end of term on their balcony, he laughed.
“Didn’t realise you went in for that sort of divination shit, Gin. You’ve been spending too much time with Lavender. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine, assuming I can cope with being stuck with Longbottom and Finnegan for the rest of this. Shame you’re not coming back. That would have made it much easier to put up with.”
For the last time, he considered kissing her, and decided not to.
For the last time, she considered kissing him, and decided not to.
Instead, they’d hugged for a long time in silence and when they finally parted to return to their own houses, both were pretending not to cry.
On that last morning, their eyes met briefly across the Entrance Hall, and then a giant hand landed on Theo’s shoulder and Crabbe grinned coldly at him, while his other hand plunged into the pocket of Theo’s robe and pulled out his wand. Ginny’s heart sank. Divination bullshit or not, she’d been right.
“Headed home, Nott? Let’s go then!” Possibly only Ginny saw the brief flash of fear and despair in Theo’s eyes as Goyle grabbed the trunk from his hand and they flanked him, marching him out of the door and towards Hogsmeade.
Ginny herself followed on behind, walking alone. She had mixed feelings about this - she knew that she wasn’t coming back after the Easter break, based on the information received from Tonks’ spy. The Weasley’s would be disappearing as soon as she got home, going into hiding like so many others. Without Luna there with her unfailing optimism, and now with Theo going as well, Ginny found that her own determination was faltering regularly. She reached the train alone, and for a brief second her eyes met Theo’s where he was still flanked by Crabbe and Goyle in a compartment. He gave a tiny shake of his head and Ginny’s heart sank even further.
“Hurry up, Weasley,” Malfoy snapped, interrupting the moment. Ginny tossed her hair as she climbed on to the train.
“Fuck you, Malfoy,” she snapped over her shoulder. To her surprise, he just sounded tired when he responded.
“Yeah, you too, Weasley. Ten points from Gryffindor and a detention when the holiday is over.” Ginny ignored this. Neither thing seemed relevant anymore.
~
DM: They got Theo. After all this time, they fucking got him.
HG: Oh shit. I’m so sorry.
DM: I tried so fucking hard.
HG: From what you’ve told me, it was always likely they’d get to him, either through you or otherwise. He’s too valuable an asset for them to let wander around unmarked.
DM: Crabbe and Goyle are guarding him. I presume he’s coming to the manor, and I don’t think I can get him out of it without exposing myself.
HG: Do what you can, and stay alive.
DM: There is one thing I can do, I think. Wish me luck. I might be about to blow it all.
HG: Always. Be careful, Draco.
DM: Always.
~
The train thundered on through the dimming afternoon. Theo hadn’t been left alone for a second - his captors (as it was now becoming increasingly obvious that that was what Crabbe and Goyle were) even accompanying him to the bathroom. They were nearing the end of the journey when a few things happened in quick succession. Firstly, a bubble head charm appeared on Theo. Pansy Parkinson, seated opposite him, opened her mouth to remark on this, and then fell over sideways onto Daphne Greengrass, sound asleep. Daphne herself fell onto Blaise’s shoulder, and Blaise’s head landed on top of hers.
On one side of him, Theo felt Crabbe tip away towards the window, and on the other Goyle’s head fell forward onto his chest and he began immediately to snore. There were barely ten seconds between the initial appearance of the bubble-head charm, and the door sliding open. Theo, never one to pass on an opportunity, dived through it and canceled the charm. Malfoy regarded him tiredly and handed him a pair of leather bound notebooks.
“She’s in the last carriage, in the first compartment. Give her one of these - they’re linked, so you can still talk to each other. I’ll keep them asleep for fifteen minutes, but that’s as long as I can give you, so run. And if you haven’t told her how you feel, for fuck’s sake do it now.”
“Draco? What the fuck? How did you…”
“Don’t talk, T, run!” Theo ran.
“Theo!” Ginny was on her feet as he burst in the door, looking frantic.
“Ginny! I only have a few minutes. Draco knocked them all out. Crabbe and Goyle won’t let me out their sight, Gin. I don’t know what to do. I left it too late. I should have listened to you. I don’t want them to mark me!”
“Draco? What the fuck? And can you run?”
“Not with Crabbe’s hand on my shoulder like it’s been glued there, no.”
“Shit,” Ginny said. Theo nodded and then took a deep breath and caught her hand.
“Listen, Ginny… I don’t have long. And before they put that fucking brand on me, I want to tell you something. This year… Ginny… I have fallen for you so hard. I don’t expect anything back. I know you’re probably still waiting for Potter, despite everything. But I needed you to know how I feel while I’m still me, before I have that fucking evil injected into me. And you don’t…” He stopped abruptly as Ginny reached up and put her free hand over his mouth.
“Stop talking, you insane man,” she said, tears in her eyes. “I’ve been madly in love with you for months, you idiot. I’m not waiting for Harry. But I am going to wait for you. And Theo - even if they do mark you, nothing is powerful enough to wipe out the utterly good person that you are. You have put yourself on the line over and over again for us this year, and I am going to stand in front of the damn Wizengamot when this is over and tell them the same. But just now, I want you to use every minute we have left snogging me, because frankly I’ve wanted you to do that since about November. Agreed?” Theo nodded urgently, beaming behind her hand, and proceeded to obey her implicitly, pressing her against the side of the carriage. When he finally broke away with a groan, he rested his forehead against hers.
”I don’t have enough time left to shag you against the wall,” he muttered. “Even if I really, really want to right now.”
“I really want you to,” Ginny replied, laughing softly. There were tears in her eyes.
“I’ll do it another time,” he promised, kissing her again. “Don't cry,” Theo begged. “Really, don’t, beautiful girl. I can’t walk away if you’re crying, I know I can’t. And I need to or they’ll come looking and then we’ll both end up dead. We won’t be apart for long. I’ll find you - we’ll always find each other, Ginny, I promise. And here - Draco says we can use these to keep in touch. No idea how. We’ll figure it out. I need to go before my jailers wake up, love. I don’t want to. You know I don’t. I love you.” Ginny nodded, and hugged him again.
“I love you too. Be brave, Theo. Come back to me.” Finding himself unable to speak in reply, Theo merely nodded and squeezed her hard, before going back out into the corridor. Draco was still standing outside the compartment on guard. He politely turned his back until Theo had dried his face, and then reapplied the bubble-head charm without a word. Theo paused beside him.
“Thanks,” he said shortly. Draco merely nodded, and indicated the door. Theo re-took his seat. Draco gave him a very brief, sad smile, and moved on, his Head Boy badge glittering against his robes. Crabbe and Goyle woke up, and the ensuing argument over which of them had fallen asleep first woke Blaise, Pansy and Daphne. Theo slumped into his seat and ignored them all. He could still feel Ginny’s lips on his, could still feel the warmth of her hands on his chest, and could definitely still feel the tightness in his trousers that the entire situation had caused. He sighed, and closed his eyes.
~
TN: Hello?
GW: Hi! Is that you?
TN: It’s me, love. Did you get home ok? Do you know how happy it makes me to be able to call you that?
GW: Fine. Never mind me. Where and how are you? Also, I imagine as happy as it makes me to read it.
TN: Malfoy Manor. Spare bedroom in Draco’s suite, from what I can tell from the view from the windows. I’ve got my stuff back, including my wand. There’s a black robe in the wardrobe and a mask in the bedside drawer. Also… he’s here. I heard his voice earlier.
GW: Shit. Lock yourself in and hope he doesn’t realise they have you upstairs until as late as possible?
TN: That’s the plan.
GW: Any idea when they’ll do it?
TN: No. Just have to wait, I suppose. In the interim, I intend to amuse myself - repeatedly - with the memory of our ten minutes on the train.
GW: Amuse yourself? You mean…
TN: You know exactly what I mean, love.
GW: You are a horrible man.
TN: I’m your horrible man now.
GW: You are. Remember that… you know. During it.
TN: The mark or the wank?
GW: Theo!
TN: I will, love. It’s the only thing keeping me going right now.
GW: Have you seen Draco? Why is he helping you?
TN: No. No sign of him. I don’t even know if he is helping me, or if, Draco-style, he’s just doing whatever helps him. I’ll let you know what happens.
GW: Good luck. And Theo? I once told you we were what our parents were. You’re not, Theo. You are not your father. But do what you need to to survive, won’t you? You promised to come back to me.
TN: I will love. I promise.