Chapter Text
Theo could admit that he had quite a few good qualities and skills, all things considered. He was quite intelligent, his dark curls always fell perfectly without any styling required, and no one had managed to win against him in poker. But there was one skill in particular that had saved his life on multiple occasions.
It was a skill he honed as a child, even before Hogwarts, when his father’s temper turned violent. Theo had quickly learned every secret route and every hidden hallway in Nott Manor. He found the heaviest curtains that would most efficiently conceal a small body when his father came storming through their home with his wand in his hand and alcohol in his breath.
When he arrived at Hogwarts, he explored the castle just as he had explored his own home. His father couldn’t reach him at Hogwarts, but young Theo hadn’t been naive enough to believe Hogwarts was as safe as the adults around him insisted.
He had been proven right too many times to count, and when the Death Eaters attacked the school, he hadn’t necessarily feared for his own safety. What he had been afraid of was what Voldemort and his followers, including Theo’s father, might make him do to others.
So he had hidden. Theo had disappeared into crowds, taken refuge in abandoned classrooms, and convinced students from the other houses to sneak him into their common rooms to let him sleep on couches that had been anything other than green.
There had been one day when Theo’s father had passed him in a corridor, without even noticing that his son was the student who had lowered his head while their paths crossed. That’s when Theo realised that a wizard doesn’t need to be in possession of a certain famous cloak to be invisible.
At the moment, Theo felt as far from invisible as a person could get with three grumpy witches staring at him. The one furthest to the left, an Auror close to retirement, looked him up and down, with a sceptical look on her face. The Mind Healer, sitting to the right, had her head tilted with a curious gleam in her pale eyes. Between the two of them sat a representative from the Ministry with her arms crossed, tapping her fingers against her arm in a manner that reminded Theo of a ticking clock.
They were sitting in one of the Ministry meeting rooms, but it could be mistaken for an interrogation room with the lack of decorations and gloomy lighting that came from a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling.
“Unfortunately, you have failed to convince all three of us that you have changed your views, Mr. Nott,” said the Auror.
Theo sighed. “I’ve already told you multiple times that I have never shared the same opinions as my father or the company he chose to keep while he was alive.”
The Ministry representative uncrossed her arms, which finally meant an end to the endless ticking. “Well, you can’t blame us for not taking your words for it when you don’t have any actual proof to back up your claims.”
Theo pulled up the sleeve of his left arm and held out his unbranded forearm towards the witches. “How is this not proof enough for you?”
The Auror smiled coldly. “We’ve been over this, Mr. Nott. The fact that you didn’t have time to take the mark before Voldemort was defeated doesn’t automatically prove your innocence.”
Theo rose to his feet so quickly that his chair fell back and hit the floor with a loud slam. “The reason I don’t have the mark is because I did everything in my power to make sure that never happened.” He knew it was stupid to raise his voice and let them see his emotions, but he couldn’t hold back his anger and frustration anymore. It had been almost a year of these bullshit meetings, and he was no closer to getting his wand back.
The Healer and the Ministry representative exchanged a look that Theo could not interpret. Still, there was no mistaking the satisfied smirk on the Auror’s face after having successfully riled him up and probably, according to her, shown off his “true evil ways” or something equally ridiculous.
“Theo, I understand that this must be frustrating for you, but you have not shown us any proof in the last year that you don’t hold the same hate for Muggle-borns like your father did,” said the Healer while she picked up his chair with some impressive wandless magic. “One of our main worries is that you haven’t been seen socialising with people other than your pure-blood friends since the war ended.”
Theo sat down. “I only have three friends, and they happen to be pure-blood, but that’s not my fault.”
“Have you tried socialising with anyone outside of your circle of friends?”
“My father killed many people, as I’m sure you’re very well aware of. Their friends and families don’t want anything to do with me. Which means I’m banned from all respectable establishments in the country. Believe me, ladies. I’ve tried.”
“Not all.”
Three heads snapped to the Auror, and by the looks of suspicion on the Healer’s and Representative’s faces, they had also noticed how ridiculously smugly the Auror had uttered those two cryptic words.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Have you attempted to enter any Muggle establishments, Mr. Nott?”
“Of course not.”
“So, according to you, there are no, what was the word?” The Auror flashed her teeth in a wicked smile. “Oh yes, respectable establishments in the Muggle world.”
Theo glared at her. “I won’t allow you to twist my words to make me sound like some sort of Muggle hater. I’ve barely set foot in the Muggle world, and it didn’t cross my mind to do it now, when I have no means to defend myself without my wand.”
“Why would you need to defend yourself, Mr. Nott? Are you claiming that all Muggles are dangerous criminals?”
Theo was one heartbeat away from throwing himself across the table to strangle the Auror with his bare hands when the Healer spoke, “Stop trying to provoke him, Mrs. Fletcher. Our ultimate goal is to keep this man from Azkaban, not to try to make him commit murder.”
Theo wondered if the Healer potentially had any abilities in Legilimency, and made a mental note never to look her in the eyes again.
The Ministry representative glanced at her watch, “It’s time for lunch, so let’s finish this meeting for today. I look forward to hearing all about your progress at next month's meeting, Mr. Nott.”
“What progress?”
“Explore the Muggle worlds and befriend some lovely people, just as Mrs. Fletcher so kindly suggested.”
The Auror looked between Theo and the representative with a panicked expression on her face. “Hold on now, that’s not quite what I was trying to say.”
The Ministry representative didn’t seem to hear her because she and the Healer were already packing up their things while discussing what to have for lunch. Theo couldn’t blame them for wanting to escape the dark, windowless room for the much brighter and inviting Ministry cafeteria.
When The Auror realised her protests were being ignored, she stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her like a petulant child. The Healer sighed and turned to Theo, who didn’t meet her eyes but instead looked at a mole on the left side of her forehead.
“Visiting the Muggle world for the first time can be overwhelming, so I would recommend that you do your research beforehand. I know from experience how challenging it can be.”
“Thank you, but I can handle it.”
Theo could not handle it.
It wasn’t due to a lack of preparation. After leaving the Ministry, he had walked straight to Gringotts, which was the only establishment in Diagon Alley where he still felt very much welcome. The goblin who assisted him had raised a bushy eyebrow at his request to exchange money into Muggle currency, but other than that small reaction, the visit had been completely efficient and neutral, and he had been out of the bank in time to blend into the crowd of lunch shoppers.
Disappearing into a crowd and going unnoticed was far easier when he had been alone compared to his usual outings with his group of friends, so he felt confident that he would be able to grab a few books on the topic of Muggles from Flourish & Blotts without making a scene. It had been a relatively successful shopping experience since the staff hadn’t recognised him until after he had paid and was already halfway out the door.
Since he had secured both money and knowledge, he had returned home to Nott Manor after Diagon Alley, spending the next few days reading through the books, which had been surprisingly entertaining even if one of the author’s tone of voice had been overly condescending. Theo had even felt the need to double-check if the book had been written for children in mind, which it hadn’t.
After finishing the books, he had taken the Floo to the Ministry and from there walked to Muggle London. Being unable to apparate because of his confiscated wand was getting on his nerves, as travelling through the Ministry came with the risk of running into a particular evil Auror.
Still, he had managed to get through unscathed and was currently walking down a lively street dressed in proper Muggle attire, which his House Elves had managed to find for him. From where, he had absolutely no idea, but he had gladly accepted the bags.
There was one thing he noticed as soon as he had arrived in Muggle London. He appeared to have lost his skill to be invisible. The people he passed seemed to stare at him, no matter how much he tried to keep to the shadows, and he had no idea why.
At first, he had suspected that his elves might have failed in bringing him the latest fashion of clothing, but he had quickly dismissed that thought after seeing multiple Muggle men dressed similarly to himself.
He also foolishly let himself think for a second that they could somehow see it on him, that he was a wizard and shouldn’t be walking among them. But then he remembered the words by the condescending writer. The only way a Muggle could tell if someone was a witch or wizard was if they cast spells right in front of them, and sometimes even in those cases, the Muggles might still not suspect a thing and blame the magic on some sort of trick or sleight of hand.
Theo could handle the stares. He ignored them and kept walking quickly, looking straight ahead. He could also handle the loud noises of the cars speeding by him. It had taken him almost an hour of walking not to flinch every time one came close, but he was handling it.
The one thing he couldn’t handle was walking into an establishment. Which was slightly annoying since that had been the whole reason for this little expedition he had found himself on.
Each time he had seen a place that looked promising, instead of slowing down, he had instinctively walked faster until he passed it. It was as if his legs weren’t listening to his brain at all. Or perhaps his body had gotten so used to running and hiding from all dangers and risks, so it kept doing what it had always done, and Theo couldn’t exactly blame it for doing what it had always done.
But it was getting late, and he didn’t have all night. He was going to be brave and gather enough proof for the old witches until they had no choice but to return his wand and drop all charges against him.
He took a deep breath and walked into the first bar he came across, which happened to be far more lively than it had seemed from outside. All the tables were occupied with some people even standing and chatting with glasses in their hands, and the only free seat he could see was at the bar. The music was loud, but the Muggles' voices and laughter were even louder.
Theo pushed through the crowd to get to the seat he had spotted when he entered, and luckily, it was still free by the time he reached it.
The two bartenders were busy, so he reached for a menu. He felt relieved when he recognised some items on the menu.
There was whiskey, but without the fire, for some reason. There was one option, but it was only red and white listed, leading him to suspect that they might only offer one type of each, which was a bit disappointing—and probably not even any good ones, considering the cheap price of each of them.
There was also a very long list of drinks, with absolutely ridiculous names. They couldn’t expect their customers to ask for sex on the beach, could they? Not one of the books Theo had read had had a chapter on Muggle alcohol. Still, in Theo’s opinion, this was a grave oversight by the authors because a heads-up would have been appreciated.
“Finding anything you like there, love?”
Theo dropped the menu and looked up at the bartender, who was flashing Theo with a bright smile and a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Theo glanced once more at the menu. He already knew what he wanted, but he wanted a reason to look away from the bartender. “I’ll have a glass of red wine, please.”
“Coming right up, darling.”
The books were also missing a chapter on how overly affectionate Muggles are with nicknames for people they don’t even know. Theo tried to think back to whether any of the Muggle-born students at Hogwarts had ever used those types of words, but he couldn’t recall ever hearing that in all his years at school.
The wine was placed in front of him, and Theo took a big gulp. Then one more for good measure. The taste wasn’t horrible, but it was, without a doubt, one of the worst ones he’d ever tried.
The second he finished it, the same bartender came up to him again with the same smile. “Would you like another?”
“I’ll try one of your cocktails, please. Whichever one you recommend will do.”
“Sure thing, sweetheart.”
Instead of walking away to prepare it, the bartender started preparing it right in front of Theo. The process was fascinating to watch, involving the measurement of various components and even some stirring. It strangely reminded Theo of potion making.
The bartender placed the finished cocktail in front of Theo. “Is this your first time here?”
“How did you know?” Theo took a sip of his drink, and the taste was far better than the wine had been.
“I would have remembered if I had seen you before,” said the bartender with a wink.
Theo almost choked on his drink, and it was with incredible strength that he didn’t accidentally spit it all over the smiling bartender's face. It took some coughing, though, to get the fluid back into the right part of his throat.
Through Theo’s near-death experience, the bartender had leaned back against a countertop and was now watching Theo, trying to hold back his laughter.
The glint in the bartender’s eyes hadn’t been mischievous; it had been flirtatious. Theo didn’t know what to do with that realisation, but then it hit him.
“How did you know?” he whispered.
“What?”
“How did you know?” Theo whispered louder, which made the bartender giggle. Could there be a possibility that even though Muggles couldn’t see magic, they could somehow see a person's sexuality? If that was true, why had not at least one of the writers thought to mention it in their books?”
“Mate, do you know where you are?”
“In London, but I don’t see what that has anything to do with things, and can you please stop laughing and answer my question?”
That made the bartender laugh even louder, which, to Theo’s horror, made some of the men around them turn towards them. The bartender seemed to sense Theo’s distress because he held back his laughter and leaned in closer so they wouldn’t be overheard.
“Darling, how many women do you see in here?”
Theo quickly glanced around the room. “Well, no one but you have still not answered my question.”
“I’m trying, darling. But it’s not my fault that you’re acting a bit thick.”
“How dare you insult my intelligence?”
The bartender rolled his eyes. “You’re in a gay bar, darling.”
“Oh.” Theo looked around once again. “That would explain all the men.”
“It would, wouldn’t it? I suppose even if it had been empty tonight, the rainbow flags would have given it away.”
Theo failed to see what role the flags played in all of that but decided not to ask since he preferred not to be called thick again.
“Some other customers are trying to get my attention, so will you be alright if I leave you for a second? I’m Sam, by the way.” Sam gave him a soft smile that seemed much more genuine than the one he had flashed when Theo had first arrived.
“I’ll be alright. Thank you, Sam.”
It wasn’t until a while later, when he was drinking his third cocktail, that Theo realised he had forgotten to introduce himself. But by then, Sam was busy flirting with a man on the opposite side of the bar.
Theo spent the rest of the night watching Muggles dance, flirt and disappear often in pairs towards the hallway that led to the bathroom if the signs on the wall could be trusted. It was still shocking to him that a place like this existed where people could freely be themselves. As far as he knew, there were no places like this in the Wizarding world. Not that he had ever been brave enough to ask around about one.
“Can I buy you a drink?”
Theo glanced at the man on his left, expecting that the man had been speaking to someone else, but instead found him looking straight at Theo with warm brown eyes that perfectly complemented his freckled skin. The man was beautiful, and even the small white scars across his face and forearms did not diminish his beauty. If anything, it made him look more handsome in a manly and rugged sort of way. He was tall, probably even taller than Theo, with broad shoulders, and although Theo couldn’t see his ass from the current angle, he was almost entirely sure it was great ass.
When Theo’s gaze moved back to the man’s face, he found an amusing look on his face. “Do you like what you see?”
Theo could feel his face turn as red as the man's hair. “I apologise, I didn’t mean to —”
“Hey, it’s okay. I’ve been checking you out since the moment you walked inside, and turnabout's fair play.” The man sat down next to Theo while doing some weird hand gestures to Sam that Theo guessed must mean something, but he couldn’t think straight with the man so close to him and with his heart feeling like it was about to beat out of his chest.
“I’m Theo,” he blurted out way too quickly.
“I’m Charlie.” The redhead held out his hand for a handshake, which Theo gladly accepted. Charlie’s hands felt rough and calloused in a way that reminded Theo of how Draco’s hands used to feel during Quidditch seasons.
Theo was about to ask Charlie a question when he was interrupted by Sam, who placed two glasses in front of them with a wide grin. “Good evening, gentlemen. Enjoying our time, are we?”
Charlie chuckled, “Immensely. Thank you, Sam.”
Sam leaned forward, close to Charlie’s ear, and whispered something impossible for Theo to hear over the loud music.
“Yes, I know. I’ll keep that in mind,” Charlie answered.
Sam left them, and Charlie turned back to Theo with a charming smile. “So where were we?”
“What did Sam say about me?”
“How do you know we talked about you?”
“Don’t play innocent, Charlie.”
“I’m far from innocent, Theo.” An electric bolt went through his body. “ Don’t worry about it. Sam is a good bloke, and he was looking out for you. That’s all.”
“That’s all?” His voice was barely a breath.
Charlie put a hand on his thigh. “Yes, so enough about Sam. Tell me about you.”
“I’d rather talk about you if that would be alright?”
“How would you feel about doing something that doesn’t require any talking at all?”