Archive of Our Own

i.

suddenly the summer, it's clear

He woke up with a strange mark on his wrist.

'Ah,' he thought, remnants of his sleep drifting away as Theo sat up, eyes still trained intently on his new tattoo. 'It has finally come.'

The grey crescent moon looked simple and almost inconspicuous on his wrist. Theo rubbed his thumb over it, wondering if it was just some dirt, but no matter how many times he rubbed, it never disappeared.

A slow frown appeared on his face, pondering over the Soulmate Mark. He tried to rack his brain just to think of a possible interpretation of the tattoo on his wrist. But, his mind was filled too much with anxiety for his trial for the day.

Sighing, he gave up guessing who the Ministry thought would be suitable to be his partner. Theo hauled himself out of his bed and got ready for the day.

-ooo-

By the time he Flooed into the Atrium, Theo was numb. He couldn't make sense of his emotions right now, too afraid to become hopeful for a trial he knew wouldn't end quite well for him.

He took a deep breath and meandered through the busy crowd, intent not to meet anyone's eyes.

He was drawn into a halt, however, upon spying a colourful flyer plastered near the lifts. It showed an image of two lovers with grey tattoos on their wrists. The couple's hands met and white light surged out, enveloping their wrists, and the marks turned darker, signifying that they truly were bonded.

Theo didn't think too much about this Soulmate Magic the Ministry had concocted at the end of the Second Wizarding War. He was too busy trying to save his face from the possible terrible repercussions of his actions during the War to even think about such frivolous things as soulmates. Truth be told, he thought he wouldn't be part of this ploy considering his role during the War, but after another glance at the grey moon on his wrist, Theo felt that initial surprise was once more.

The Soulmate Charm was a spell invented by an Unspeakable as an order of the Minister of Magic himself. The Ministry didn't even hide their main reason for inventing said spell, seeing that after the Wizarding World had severely suffered from a lot of deaths, both from the Dark and Light sides. Theo's eyes landed on the brief slogan on the poster, a sneer appearing on his face at the elegant handwriting scrawled underneath.

Soulmate. Copulate. Procreate.

'Bloody fucking hell,' he sighed, drawing his eyes away from the sickening poster to walk inside the lift. He was brought at the very back, pressed against the wall as numerous Ministry employees slid inside in hopes of getting to their offices in time.

"Level 1," the sweet voice of the lift crooned, a merry ding heard inside as the doors opened. A few employees stepped out as multi-coloured paper planes zoomed in.

As they ascended once more, Theo felt his heart dropping to the ground.

"Level 2."

His legs felt like lead as he mechanically stepped out. A few annoyed employees hissed for him to quicken his pace, but try as he might, he couldn't heed their requests.

It was painstaking, but he finally reached Trial Room 3. Swallowing down his trepidation, Theo took another deep breath, reached out to the door, and pushed it open.

He was hoping for the best.

-ooo-

It wasn't the best.

Well, granted, it wasn't the worst either, but Theo wished his punishment would be lighter. He was merely convicted as an accomplice of the Dark Side during the Second Wizarding War after all. He counted himself lucky he wasn't Branded, unlike Draco who was still awaiting his trial next month, so he knew Azkaban wasn't an option for him.

He anticipated paying a hefty sum for his past misgivings, and maybe even placed under house arrest for a year or two to be investigated by the Ministry. But then, the Wizengamot also ordered him to seize all of his assets, including his ancestral home. It was a way to punish his ancestors too, they said. He was the only living Nott currently in Britain, they added. Hence, they had no choice but to demand that he paid for his atrocious family too.

"But, where will I live?" he caught himself blurting out.

"We've prepared an apartment for you, Mister Nott," the wrinkly member of the Wizengamot sternly said. Theo opened his mouth, about to protest once more, but one sour look from the annoyed wizard prompted him to shut up in the end.

"You're dismissed," the Chief Warlock decreed, slamming his gavel thrice and calling for the next person to stand in trial.

Theo sighed, too tired to protest more, and walked out from the chair he was sitting on. A clerk escorted him out of the Trial Room and explained in detail what his verdict had been. "If you have more questions, feel free to ask away," he grumbled, seemingly bored out of his wits, and although Theo had numerous questions, he opted to bite his tongue and keep them to himself.

"Here's the key to your new flat," he then said, offering the silver key to Theo. "We've already sent some clothes to your new home, so you don't have to worry about going back to Nott Manor."

"But, I still have some things I wish to get," he protested.

The clerk scowled, a glare on his freckled face. "As I said, you don't have to worry about going back to Nott Manor," he snapped. "So, please just go." He pulled out a butterbeer cork from his pocket and placed it on his hand. "This portkey will bring you straight to your new, lovely home. It will activate in five minutes."

He then left without giving Theo more room to protest. The wizard scowled at the cork on his hand. "Bloody fucking hell, indeed," he murmured.

The portkey activated and Theo felt the familiar tug on his navel. When he rematerialised, he was standing at the middle of the smallest, and quite possibly the simplest, room he'd ever been.

When they said it was a flat, he was expecting it was at least furnished to keep him comfortable. What he was greeted, however, was a single, dreary grey couch in a room that was even smaller than his bedroom in Nott Manor. The walls were painted white and nothing else. Save from the divan, the apartment was void of any furniture.

Theo paled and distracted himself by exploring the two doors in his new home. One was the loo, lined with white tiles. He was thankful there was at least a toilet, sink, and shower inside that would accommodate his needs. The other room was a bedroom, this time with walls a slightly darker shade of grey. There were a small bed and a bedside table, and a dresser that could hold his clothes.

'Speaking of which,' he thought, eyes landing on the two boxes sitting at the foot of his bed. Theo crouched down and rummaged inside. His luxurious wardrobe was even seized, and all Theo had left were casual clothes he could change into every day.

His new life finally sank in, prompting him to plop down on his bed with a heavy heart.

He should have expected this… should have expected his punishment for his grave sins in the past would come haunting him now that the War was over and the Light Side won. Still, now that he was confronted with his new reality, Theo was at a lost.

Suffocating despair crawled up to the pit of his stomach, wrapping tightly around his heart until he couldn't breathe. His head was bursting with overwhelming emotions and he predicted a headache was coming.

He tiredly hid his face behind his hands, mourning for the luxurious life he had to give up just to atone for his sins.

'This is enough,' he chanted, again and again and again, until his mind had considerably cleared.

A thankful distraction arrived when Draco's familiar owl tapped his beak against his new bedroom window. Theo hauled himself out of his bed and let Apollo in. He softly hooted in greeting, affectionately nipping Theo's fingers as if to give him some semblance of comfort. He then dropped his master's letter on Theo's hand and perched on the windowsill, waiting for Theo's reply.

Theo,

I sincerely apologise for failing to attend your trial today. I've been busy for the past few days and I couldn't afford to attend. I already heard the verdict for the trial and you have my sympathies. Astoria extends her love too and reckoned we should drop by after my trial just to celebrate our new lives. I think she is barmy for even suggesting so, but I'm afraid we cannot refuse her at all.

I'm… really sorry, mate. I'm just glad you're not sent to Azkaban.

Draco

P.S. The date of my trial has already been decided next month. I do not require you to attend, of course, because surely you'll be busy with your new life. But, I'd like it if you will be able to come.

Theo sputtered out a laugh. Even in his letters, Draco was terribly stiff and formal. 'Habit,' Draco had pointed out once when Theo asked why he was being so awkward around him. They were mere acquaintances back in Hogwarts, not entirely friends since Theo had refused to take the Mark at the last minute which wasn't received warmly by the other Death Eaters. But after the War, when Theo was trying to rebuild his life back, he found himself drawing some comfort from Draco – and by extension to his wife, Astoria – and they'd been friends ever since.

With this in mind, Theo penned his reply – 'Of course I'll attend your trial! If you must know, I already have all the time in the bloody fucking world – and tied it around Apollo's claw. The owl hooted his goodbye and flew out of the window.

-ooo-

Theo woke up in the middle of the night, still unused with his new bed.

Sighing, he turned on his right side, this time giving him the clear view of the bright, crescent moon outside his window. With how hectic everything had been that day, he'd actually momentarily forgotten about the new mark on his wrist.

He slowly lifted his wrist, illuminating his own crescent moon, and he wondered whose poor soul was tied with a good-for-nothing bloke like him.

-ooo-

The day of Draco's trial had arrived. The only people who attended were him and Astoria, both pale with nervousness as they awaited the blond's verdict.

"I'm honestly more worried for him than I was with your trial," Astoria said, her manicured fingers tightly gripping Theo's arm to draw some comfort. He grimaced in pain, but didn't dare pry out her fingers away from his arm.

"Of course you're more worried for him," Theo pointed out. "He's your bloody husband."

Sweet Astoria had a sad smile on her face, tears in her eyes. "Besides that, of course," she breathed out, a nervous chuckle slipping out from her lips that was too high-pitched to pass as genuine.

'Of course,' he echoed in his mind, knowing that Draco's punishment might be graver since he was Marked compared to him.

Draco's trial didn't draw out for too long, and his verdict was announced. Astoria was in tears by the end of the declaration, relief beyond belief that at least Draco wasn't going to Azkaban. Harry Potter had sent his testimony via owl that Malfoy had done some last-minute good deeds that had helped him win the war against the late Voldemort. The Golden Boy's golden words had immensely softened the huge blow Draco's punishment would have been.

He had a similar fate with Theo, with all the Malfoy assets seized by the Ministry as payment to families who'd lost a lot during the War. Draco was ordered to work under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement too to provide intel about the remaining rogue Death Eaters roaming around. Unlike Theo, however, Draco was also banned from using magic for six months.

Still, at least, he was a free man.

Once Draco was dismissed, Astoria bolted away from Theo and threw her arms around her husband. The normally composed Pureblood socialite broke down in Draco's arms, and the normally stoic Pureblood heir had a soft expression on his face.

Theo felt a lump growing in his throat, a weird emotion emerging in his heart. His eyes drew towards the dark tattoos on their wrists – Draco, a hawk and Astoria, the constellation 'Draco' – and Theo found himself glancing down at the grey moon on his wrist.

"Congratulations."

The trio jerked in surprise, staring wide-eyed at the person who'd disturbed their small, happy celebration.

"What are you doing here?" Theo blurted out before he could stop himself.

Luna Lovegood blinked her large, glassy eyes, a serene smile on her face that looked out of place inside the dreary courtroom. He eyed the dangling radishes on her ears and frowned, recalling a brief memory during his Hogwarts years when he'd seen her floating around, adorned with weird accessories.

"I actually came for you," she said, piercing him with her bright, blue eyes. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to attend your trial last time. I still have not figured it out by then."

His eyebrows knitted in confusion, wondering what the hell she was talking about. There was something about her smile and her eyes that made him uncomfortable.

"Oh, right, I'm Luna Lovegood, by the way," she said. "I was a year younger than you back at Hogwarts, so you might not know me at all."

A snort escaped from Theo's lips. "Everybody knows who you are, Luna Lovegood," he replied with an indulgent smirk, remembering her face splashed in numerous editions of the Daily Prophet, proclaiming her as one of the Champions of the Light Side.

Her blue eyes had grown a little wider, tilting her head to the side, seemingly deep in thought. Theo's gaze drew at her blonde hair, almost silvery like Draco's, and for some strange reason, he was reminded of moonlight.

It was as if everything clicked into place at that moment. Theo knew his jaw had dropped, but his head was too busy placing two-and-two together to mind that he looked like an idiot.

A moon. Luna.

He lifted his wrist, completely showing the grey crescent moon tattooed on his skin. Luna's smile grew wider and mirrored his action, lifting her own wrist to show her equally grey mark.

A knot. Nott.

"Hello, Theodore," she said, stretching out her hand that bore her Soulmate Mark. "I'm afraid I'm your soulmate."

He could feel the surprised glances from both Draco and Astoria. Dumbly, then, he stretched out his own hand and grasped her proffered palm.

Instantly, white light shot out from their marks, enveloping their wrists like a thin thread, before seeping back into their tattoos.

Theo glanced at the crescent moon, which now stood stark against his pale skin.

ii.

you paint dreamscapes on the wall

He invited her over to his flat in a whim, quite overwhelmed with the newfound discovery that the Luna Lovegood was his soulmate. He bade Draco and Astoria goodbye and offered his arm to Luna for Side-Along Apparation.

"The Ministry thinks it's hilarious not to place a fireplace in my home," he explained upon her quizzical glance. "And since you've never been there, Side-Along is the easiest choice for transportation."

They rematerialised in the middle of his living room. Luna instantly unlatched from his arm, blue eyes already roaming around his simple living room.

Theo mentally kicked himself for inviting her immediately. His cheeks reddened in embarrassment at her rapt observation, watching as her fingers brushed against the bare white walls. She peeked inside the loo, and then to his bedroom, before finally returning to his side.

"Your flat looks very sad," she simply claimed.

He grew affronted with her comment. "Well," he softly snarled, lips tugging into a small frown at how she merely blinked in question at his suddenly thunderous expression. "Since you weren't in my trial, let me inform you that the Ministry seized all of my possessions and gave me this very sad flat. I apologise for its very sad state."

She was unfazed by his sarcastic quip, her blue eyes this time landing on the bare walls once more. "It doesn't matter," she said as a small smile appeared on her face. "It is sad, but I can change a few things to make your home livelier."

His annoyance melted into confusion. "I can move in next week," she then announced, still oblivious to the confusion on his face. "I still need to dispel a few wrackspurts in my bedroom before I let the new owner in."

"I'm sorry?" he asked, confusion increasing tenfold.

Luna blinked, her smile still unwavering. "I already sold my flat after I finally realised the knot on my wrist meant my soulmate was you," she simply replied.

Theo's jaw dropped in surprise. "Why the hell did you do that?" he sputtered out.

The blonde merely shrugged, brushing a few tendrils of her hair away from her face. "Isn't it that after soulmate, we copulate?" she innocently asked. If it were possible, Theo's jaw dropped further down. "I thought it will be more convenient if we just live together until we ultimately reach the final goal of procreation the Ministry so desired."

"What?" he breathlessly asked, but the witch was once more brushing her fingers against the bare wall, ignoring his sputtering altogether.

"I can paint some sunflowers on the walls to make your flat cheerier," she offered. She craned her neck and flashed another smile. "If you'll let me, of course."

He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. Luna patiently waited for his reply, until Theo blessedly stuttered out "Of course."

"Brilliant," she said, her smile stretching wider. "Then, I'm afraid I must leave for now. The wrackspurt infestation in my bedroom is really difficult to control. I promise to address it first before moving in with you. I'd rather I won't bring in wrackspurts in this already sad flat and make it sadder."

"Wrackspurts aren't real," he blurted out.

Luna merely hummed and waved her hand in goodbye.

-ooo-

She moved in the following week as promised, bringing with her her worn Hogwarts trunk. Crammed inside were some change of clothes, a few well-loved books, and strange possessions he knew would only make sense to Luna Lovegood. Besides her trunk, she also only brought an odd black box, with some buttons and knobs that had piqued his interest.

"It's a telly," she said, carefully placing the hovering television on the floor opposite the grey couch. "It lets you see moving pictures."

"It won't work in here," he pointed out. "I don't have this elec – err, elit – "

"You mean electricity?"

"Yes, that's it," he said.

She dismissively waved her hand. "I can contact a company to install electricity in this flat," she reassured. "It won't take a day."

Theo was mid-protest, quite uncomfortable with anything Muggle after growing up in a strictly Pureblood household, but Luna had already turned away from him, quietly inspecting the television. She had a thoughtful frown on her face, before bending down on her trunk to retrieve her old Hogwarts textbooks. She then waved her wand once more, letting the telly hover a few inches from the ground, and proceeded to place her textbooks underneath.

"We need to buy a new table," she decided. "But this will do for now."

"Lovegood—"

"Call me Luna, Theodore," she cut him off. "Isn't it weird to call your soulmate by their last name?"

He awkwardly scratched his chin. "Err… alright," he said. "In that case, please just call me Theo."

She looked like she was truly pondering his request. "I think I like Theodore more," she said, prompting him to frown. "Now, where must I put my belongings?"

Theo sighed, already feeling a forming headache. "There's a dresser inside the bedroom," he said. "You can have the bed too."

Luna paused and turned to him. "You're not sleeping with me?" she asked, blinking her too-wide eyes at him.

He snorted. "Well, that will be terribly ungentlemanly of me," he replied.

"But, copulate—"

"We'll talk about copulation once we get to know more about each other, Lovegood, Merlin!" he exclaimed in exasperation.

"Luna."

Theo sighed, although he couldn't suppress his smile any longer. "Please, just take the bed, Luna," he said, his smile growing bigger when she mirrored his expression upon saying her name. "I can sleep on the couch for now. It isn't uncomfortable."

She grew contemplative for a few moment, silently weighing in his words. "Alright," she finally replied.

He watched as she pulled her old trunk inside the bedroom, silently wondering if things would be more interesting now that Luna Lovegood quite literally barged into his life.

-ooo-

He woke up to the smell of coffee and paint – both of which he rarely smelt first thing in the morning.

Theo blearily opened his eyes and allowed his vision to focus first, before slowly sitting up from his small, albeit comfortable couch. A steaming cup of coffee was sitting atop an old and tattered Divination textbook and beside it was a plate of toast, this time placed on top of a Potions textbook.

"Good morning, Theodore."

His gaze landed on Luna, who was sitting cross-legged in front of the wall. She had her usual, dreamy smile on her face, blue eyes twinkling with genuine delight upon seeing her soulmate awake. He then slowly glanced at the paintbrush on her hand, yellow paint dripping on her worn apron.

"What are you doing?" he bluntly asked, head still clouded from remnants of his sleep.

She batted her blonde curls away from her face and pointed at the yellow petals on the wall. "I'm painting sunflowers today," she said. "You gave me permission before, remember?"

"Right," he slowly said, his lips tugging into a small frown at the yellows, greens, and browns now decorating his previously simple wall.

"I made you breakfast," she continued, although her eyes were now glued on the little yellow petal she was meticulously drawing. "I… hope it satisfies you. I'm afraid I'm a terrible cook. My daddy used to tell me I'm better off holding paintbrushes than ladles."

Theo quietly nodded his head while Luna started humming under her breath. She then ignored Theo altogether as she now focused all of her attention to her task at hand.

He merely watched her for the following hours, sipping his too-sweet coffee and slightly burnt toast. Back at home, when he had his house-elves at his beck and call, he would have snapped at the house-elf who made this poor excuse of a breakfast. But now, despite how she desperately needed some improvement, Theo strangely couldn't stop drinking his coffee and eating his toast.

By the time he was finished with his breakfast and magicking the utensils clean, Theo found himself slowly approaching Luna and sitting on the floor beside her. The blonde gave him a sideways glance and flashed him a pretty smile. Theo was distracted by the streaks of yellow and green on her nose and cheek, and before he could stop himself, his fingers were already hovering inches away from her skin.

He paused when Luna's eyes widened, realising what he was about to do. "Err… there's some paint on your cheeks," he explained. He briefly met her bewildered gaze and sheepishly smiled. "May I?"

She wordlessly nodded her head, prompting him to gently rubbed the paint off her cheek. Instead of wiping it away, he only managed to spread it down her chin.

"You may need to wash your face instead," he pointed out with a chuckle. Luna matched his amused smile, which strangely made him warm and uncomfortable.

"Thank you, Theodore," she softly replied.

The wizard sighed and retrieved his hand back. "Please, just call me 'Theo'," he claimed. "I'm only called 'Theodore' when my father's angry with me. I half-expect you to whip out your wand and—"

He abruptly paused, catching himself, and cleared his throat.

Luna's smile didn't waver, however. "I think 'Theodore' is a pretty name," she complimented.

He snorted. "My name isn't pretty," he weakly protested. "What is pretty is… is…"

Your eyes.

Your hair.

Your smile.

'Ah, bollocks,' he thought, flushing under her amused gaze.

"Hmm?"

He sighed and shook his head. "Do you need help?" he asked, gesturing at the half-finished wall. "I'm a decent painter myself."

For her answer, Luna transfigured a cloth into a paintbrush. "You can start by painting the grass," she directed.

Theo nodded his head and did what he was told.

-ooo-

He gazed at the finished mural they had worked on for the rest of the day. It turned out decent, much to his surprise. Luna wasn't exaggerating when she said she was a better painter.

They mostly painted in silence, save from Luna's random humming that was music to his ears. Her soft voice had lulled him into a relaxed state, his hand brushing to and fro on the wall to paint the grass Luna desired. By the time she declared it was finished, the moon was already high above the sky.

The day had gone by in a blur, but it was a good thing this time. Theo couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this… peaceful. The roaring mess inside his head had quietened into a pleasant hum that strangely sounded like Luna's soft voice. For a moment, he'd forgotten about his lost ancestral home and everything that had happened in his life as repercussions of the war they'd lost.

His mind was brought into the present when the slumbering blonde shifted on the couch, the top of her head pressing gently against his thigh. He quirked a smile, noticing that the streaks of paint on her face had increased.

She looked at peace while sleeping – well, more peaceful than when she was awake. Theo had wondered numerous times today if the blonde had been affected by the war just as much as everybody in their generation had been, but there were no traces of trauma nor suffering he'd seen.

He heard from Astoria a few days ago that Luna had lost her father to the war, in the hands of the Death Eaters. It had strangely made him feel guilty because he was most probably associated with her father's murderers. How could she ever accept that a person like him could be her soulmate? How could she ever sold her flat just to barge into this bloody apartment he knew would even pale in comparison to her previous abode?

It didn't make sense to Theo, because he knew that if he were her, he'd be repulsed at the thought of being stuck with a person like him for the rest of his life.

But then again, this was Luna Lovegood – the girl who'd always been weird back at Hogwarts. He wondered what was going inside her head. No, he wanted to know what was going inside her head. He'd like to get to know her more, discover her quirks, likes and dislikes.

'Will she let me?' he thought, absentmindedly reaching forward to clutch one of her blonde curl sticking against her painted cheek.

"Luna," he softly said. "Come on. Wake up and sleep on the bed instead."

She stirred on the couch, then slowly opened her blue eyes. "Hello," she softly greeted. "What time is it?"

"Time for bed," he answered with a smile, watching as she shifted her feet back onto the floor. "Are you hungry, though? We haven't eaten dinner yet."

"Are you?" she returned back.

Theo shrugged. "Maybe a bit," he said.

"Hmm," Luna said, frowning as she glanced around their small apartment. "I think we need to buy a microwave and an electric stove, too. That is, after we've installed electricity in this flat."

"A what?"

"Why did the Ministry give you a flat without a decent kitchen?" she asked. Theo's eyes widened because Luna looked honestly frustrated. "Isn't it a basic component of a home?"

"I think they thought that a snotty, Pureblood like me doesn't know how to cook," he simply said. "Which, in their defence, isn't exactly wrong."

"Still," she petulantly said. "A kitchen would have been nice. I regret selling off my microwave and electric stove because I thought you'd at least own one."

"Again, a what?"

Luna sighed, ignored his question once more, and stood up. "I may have to Owl the Ministry to demand them," she said.

"You don't need to do that!" Theo claimed, climbing onto his feet.

But the blonde just waved her hand dismissively, dead set on her task. "I may have to do it tomorrow because I'm apparently starving." She rounded to Theo and smiled that pretty smile of hers once more. "Do you want to eat out instead? I'm somehow familiar with Muggle London. I know a delicious pasta place near here. I'm sure you'd love it too."

"Luna—"

"It's my treat, don't worry," she reassured, eyes softening at the hesitant look on his face. "I know you're hired for cheap labour in the Ministry and your wage isn't enough to give you three meals a day." An annoyed frown appeared on her face once more. "Maybe I should Owl the Ministry too and demand better compensation."

"And again, you don't have to do that," he sighed. "It's my punishment. I don't think I have the luxury to protest."

"Then I'll protest in your stead," she resolutely said. "Don't worry. I think I'm hailed as one of the Heroines of the Wizarding World. I'm sure the Ministry will listen to my demands."

Despite his exasperation, Theo managed to crack an indulgent smile. "I'm sure," he replied.

"That's settled then," she said, beckoning him closer. "Come on. That pasta place might close soon."

"Wait," he said, hurriedly striding towards the questioning witch. "You still need to wash your face. You have paint streaks everywhere."

"Oh," she merely replied.

Theo sighed and conjured a wet tissue at hand. Then, without asking for her permission, he clutched her chin and tilted it upward to give him a better view of her pale face. Luna's eyes widened when he started wiping the paint away. It was already too late when he realised what he was doing and Theo just bravely wiped the remaining paint streaks away despite his embarrassment.

"Thank you, Theodore," she softly said.

He met her blue eyes and found himself unable to stop himself from smiling return.

iii.

it's like i'm wasting your honor

As promised, Luna had contacted someone who could install electricity in their new home. The man – a burly bloke with a strangely-shaped moustache above his lip – reckoned loudly it was strange that a house wouldn't have any connection to electricity at this time and age. Theo was terribly uncomfortable, unused to interacting with Muggles, and merely smiled awkwardly for his answer.

Thankfully, the stranger had left Theo alone for the rest of the day and focused on his work. By the time he was done, the sun was already setting.

"There, all done. You can finally watch movies on your telly," he good-naturedly said, pointing at the black box Luna had brought with her when she moved in his home.

"Err, thank you," Theo said as he reached for his wallet. "How much is—"

"The Missus already paid, lad," he said, cuffing Theo on the shoulder, who lurched forward at the mighty force.

Once he left, Theo eyed the telly suspiciously. He'd been admittedly curious about this box that showed moving pictures – movies, Luna had called them. He'd tinkered with the buttons before while Luna was at work, but as expected, nothing came into life unless this 'elektriticy' Luna always yammered about was installed in his flat.

Slowly, then, Theo approached the black box and pressed a button that said 'on'. Instead of the usual blank screen, it blared into life, showing multi-coloured images that moved. Theo was so surprised he fell on his bum, eyes wide as he watched funny-looking sea creatures walking around this place that looked like a small town.

He waited for the image to loop back, but to his astonishment, the moving pictures had always changed scenes.

"Oh, the telly's working."

Theo yelped in surprise, his gaze landing on an amused Luna who'd just gone back.

"I didn't know you're here!" he exclaimed, climbing onto his feet with a scowl.

Luna merely smiled in amusement. "You were too engrossed to notice my return," she pointed out. "What are you even watching?"

"Nothing!" he claimed, hastily hitting a button in hopes of turning the television off. Instead, the images had changed in setting, prompting him to slightly panic.

"It's alright," Luna softly laughed. "You've merely changed channels."

"What?" he dumbly asked.

Luna smiled and didn't answer him. Instead, she sat on the couch opposite the telly and patted the empty space beside her. "Come sit beside me, Theodore," Luna said. She then lifted a small plastic in her hand, her smile growing wider. "Florean gave me more ice creams to taste so that we can add more flavour to our menu."

Theo eyed the tubs of ice creams in her hands with distrust. Luna was currently working as an assistant to Florean Fortescue in his ice cream shop. Part of her job description was to taste new creations of the famous shop owner, and so far, Theo had concluded that the flavours were either a hit or miss. He dearly hoped for the former, his memory of the wasabi-flavoured ice cream from last week still vivid in his mind.

He finally sat beside Luna and summoned two spoons. Luna popped the lid open and presented the first tub of ice cream with a sweet grin on her face. "We recently asked Bertie Bott if we could make an ice cream flavour out of his famous sweets," she explained. "Hence, this ice cream. Every bite promises a different kind of flavour."

"I already regret eating this," he sighed, prompting Luna to softly laugh.

"It isn't too bad," she promised.

"You said that about the wasabi-flavoured ice cream last time," he gruffly murmured. Luna flashed an innocent smile and dug into the ice cream.

She made a face once the dessert melted in her mouth. "Wet parchment," she announced. "Go on then. Try it."

Theo scowled but scooped a spoonful nonetheless. Luna stifled a giggle when his face turned green, a look of utter disgust on his face. "Vomit," he whined, throwing his spoon away.

"Exciting, isn't it?" she asked, already helping herself for another scoop. She licked it with the tip of her tongue and brightened. "Strawberries!"

Before she could place the whole spoon inside her mouth, Theo had already beaten her to it. He sighed and pulled away. "Ugh, thank Merlin," he said, letting the sweet flavour of the strawberry wash away the disgusting aftertaste of vomit.

He heard Luna giggle and met her eyes, surprised that they were quite closer than a few minutes ago. "That good?" she asked.

He couldn't stop himself from glancing at her pink cheeks, and then to her pink, parted lips. "Very good," he admitted, thoroughly distracted by her closeness.

Luna flushed redder, but her smile stayed on her face. "Another bite, then," she suggested.

Theo groaned and pulled away, giving them a decent space that cleared his suddenly clouded mind. "No more, please."

-ooo-

Luna had forced him to watch her favourite movies for the following days. It had become a ritual in their new home. Every time they came home from work, Luna would slot in a circular thing she called a 'CD' in this 'CD player' and they would spend the rest of the night silently watching the moving pictures on the telly.

Theo had always looked forward to it. It didn't take him long to realise his favourite part of the day was going home – to Luna – and indulging her as he watched one of her favourite movies.

It also didn't take him too long to realise that he liked Luna. Really, really liked Luna. At first, he thought this soulmate magic thing had made a mistake, because he reckoned they had nothing in common. But then, as he continued spending time with her, he found out they could talk about the most inane thing, whether it was about work or her make-believe creatures and even some commentaries about the movies they watched.

It was easy to talk to Luna, to smile with her, to like her, and Theo had thanked all the blessed stars above that for the first time in his miserable twenty-one years of existence, something finally good had come to him.

Which was why, he was wary with these newfound feelings, because the serious self-doubt started creeping in.

Luna was… Luna was bright and warm and good and wonderful.

Whereas he… well.

He blinked back into reality when he felt her head leaning against his shoulder. He glanced down and saw that the blonde was fast asleep. He noted that it was already past midnight after a quick look at their wall clock, which was way past Luna's bedtime. This movie was longer than what he'd originally anticipated, and after a tiring day at an unusually busy weekday, Luna was understandably tired.

"Hey," he said, tapping her knee. "Come on. Wake up and sleep on your bed."

Luna hummed and slowly lifted her head. "Is the movie done?" she asked, yawning widely after her question. Theo snorted, feeling an impending yawn escaping from his lips.

"Not yet," he said. "But we can finish it tomorrow."

She hummed once more and pulled herself up. "Alright," she said. She was about to stand up, but then paused, a contemplative look on her face.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing," she replied. "But…" She pierced him with her big, blue eyes. "Why don't you sleep with me tonight, Theodore?"

Theo flushed under her innocent gaze. "That, I believe, is a very bad idea," he insisted. Especially now, when there were already some strange stirrings in his heart evoked every time he looked at the pretty blonde.

"We don't need to copulate tonight," she reassured, prompting Theo to sputter out a surprised, embarrassed laugh. She smiled, a little uncertain with his reaction, and reached for his hand. "Procreating may take a few months too, although I've already received a letter from the Ministry asking for some progress."

"We need to report?" he asked incredulously.

Luna smiled. "Part of the Soulmate project is to send monthly reports for progress," she explained. "I think it has something to do about projecting a population estimate. A lot had, well, died during the War and the Ministry reckons we need to repopulate quickly to save our kind."

"They're too meddlesome," he grumbled. "And, you make it sound like we're some poultry in a farm that needs to immediately give fresh produce."

She shrugged, her smile still in place. "Aren't we?"

Theo laughed while she tightened her hold with his hand. "Come on, then," she said as she stood up, pulling him with her. "It's been a tiring day."

Theo, this time, didn't protest and followed her inside the bedroom.

Nothing had changed since the last time he'd been here, but strangely, the room didn't feel cold and empty. The bed was well-kempt, and he spied a lone sunflower in a vase sitting on top of the bedside table.

Luna tugged his arm and sat him down on the left side of the bed.

"Goodnight, Theodore," she said, luxuriously stretching her arms overhead before slipping on the right side of the bed. She drew the blanket up to her chin, gave him another smile, and closed her eyes.

He swallowed and tentatively lied down, eyes still cautiously glued on the blonde as she quietly drifted to sleep.

It truly had been a tiring day, but Theo knew it was wishful thinking to hope for sleep to come. His heart was thudding loudly inside his ribcage, all his nerves alive at the thought that he was sleeping beside the witch who'd started to unknowingly hold his heart.

With his mind only filled with everything about her, one thing that stood stark above all was how easily she accepted him as her soulmate. They were from different sides in the war, and she'd been deeply involved with the Light Side. Surely, someone with her reputation wouldn't settle for a wizard with a dark past he couldn't leave behind despite how hard he tried.

How he was being treated at work, and by the Wizarding Society, was a testament to how his life would be difficult for the coming years. And Luna… Luna didn't deserve all of it. She deserved everything good – everything he wasn't.

Above all, she deserved peace after all the horrors she had to endure during the Second Wizarding War.

And Theo couldn't give her that. Not even in a million years.

He could give her his heart, though. His time, his thoughts, his laughter and tears... his everything else.

In the dead of the night, with the moon at its highest peak, Theo brushed a golden strand away from her face and whispered, "Is it enough?"

Was it, though? Was his everything else enough?

Theo blew a sad sigh and glanced at the illuminated moon that mirrored the dark tattoo on his wrist. His gaze then shifted back at the slumbering witch, his heart and mind heavy with the thought that he didn't deserve her at all.

His eyes widened when she suddenly placed her hand on top of his. Her eyelids fluttered open and her glittering, blue eyes met his. "Yes," she whispered, a small smile playing on her lips. "It is."

iv.

but the rain is always gonna come if you're standing with me

"How's everything with Lovegood?"

Theo paused perusing the document on his desk and glanced at Draco. His best friend quirked an eyebrow at his long silence, prompting Theo to flush and clear his throat.

"Fine," he abruptly said. "Everything's fine."

He quirked an eyebrow at the blatant hesitation in his voice, but what could Theo do? Everything was fine for him. For Luna, however, he wasn't too sure.

"It is enough."

He flushed deeper, recalling the words she'd whispered a few nights ago, and felt like his heart would burst out from his chest soon. A silly grin appeared on his face, also remembering the weirdly flavoured ice cream they'd shared yesterday, with Luna urging him to take another scoop despite how loudly he was protesting.

Dare he say it, but he thought this soulmate thing between them was going quite swimmingly. Theo hoped that this would last for a few more months. Maybe even a few years.

Hopefully, for a lifetime, if he were honest with himself.

His daydream was brought into a halt when a stack of parchments was slammed on top of his desk. He flinched and glanced with wide eyes at the Head of the Investigation Division, Rupert MacAlister.

"Quit dawdling around and finish these reports within the day," he barked. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw how Draco bared his teeth. Theo quickly hit his pointy elbow to his chest, his annoyed scowl morphing into a pained grimace.

"It's almost the end of our shift," Theo gently reminded. In fact, they only had fifteen minutes left before they could officially leave the Ministry.

"And?" MacAlister said with narrowed eyes.

"And nothing," Theo sighed, knowing protesting was futile. He pulled the stacks of parchment towards himself and hazarded it would take two to three more hours before he could go home.

MacAlister gave him one last glare and stomped away.

"Slimy git," Draco growled at his retreating back. "One day, I swear. One day."

"Yeah, yeah, hope for the future all you want but we have work to do now," Theo sighed, shoving half of the pile towards Draco.

The blond sighed and plopped back down on his desk.

"Wait," Theo said, reaching forward to get a few more reports from Draco's pile. When the pale wizard glanced at his direction in surprise, Theo smiled. "I'm sure your pregnant wife needs you to get home as soon as possible."

Deep gratitude coloured Draco's pale face. "I owe you one, mate," he said.

He waved his hand dismissively and went back to work.

-ooo-

He'd worked way past the end of his shift. Theo was the last one in the department to leave, with Draco having finished his pile an hour ago and instantly left to take care of Astoria.

After making sure that he'd finished everything, Theo fixed his desk and prepared to leave. He dropped by MacAlister's empty office to place the reports on his desk and finally left the Ministry.

He popped just near the pasta place Luna loved in Muggle London to buy dinner. It was also his way of apologising for coming home so late since their usual ritual of watching movies was disrupted.

By the time he was fumbling for his keys in front of their flat, it was already nine in the evening. Theo hoped Luna still hadn't had dinner and she wasn't too upset that he didn't tell her he'd be going home late tonight.

He paused with his searching when he noticed that the door was ajar. Although Luna could sometimes be absentminded, she always made sure that the door was closed.

Instant dread crept from his stomach as he surreptitiously reached for his wand. One quick whispered spell told him that the wards he'd erected were still intact. This would have marginally calmed him down, but instead, it only fueled his dread more.

After taking a deep breath, Theo pushed the door open and whipped his wand as fast as lightning.

He gasped in surprise at the scene that greeted him. Their grey couch was ruined, scorch and slash marks marring the furniture. Their telly as upturned, its makeshift table made of old Hogwarts textbooks now a haphazard mess on the floor. Dread now morphed into raw horror upon noting the blood streaks on the sunflower mural he and Luna had worked so hard to make.

"Luna?!" he cried hysterically.

For a brief, heart-stopping moment, silence had met his desperate call. But then, he heard a soft voice coming from their bedroom, propelling him to march forward and throw the bedroom door open.

"Luna!" he cried, hastily reaching forward at the blonde sitting on the floor. The front of her blue sundress was soaked with blood, her hand weakly pressing against a wound to stop the bleeding. "What the bloody hell happened?"

Instead of answering, her eyes fell near the window. Theo followed her line of vision and saw a stranger slumped on the floor with thick ropes wound around his immobile body. There were strange scratch marks on his face and half of his robe was singed. Theo also noticed the state of the bedroom, with the bedside table blasted into smithereens and feathers on the messy bed coming from ruined pillows.

"What happened?" he croaked once more, shakily inspecting the bleeding wound on the side of her abdomen.

"I… I'll explain everything to you later, Theodore," she weakly said, her face ashen and sweaty from pain and fatigue. "Right now, I think you need to take me to St. Mungo's."

Her eyeballs rolled to the back of her head, and Theo quickly reached forward to catch her as she slumped forward.

-ooo-

"Mr. Nott?"

A very pale Theo was instantly on his feet, a crazed expression on his face as he strode towards the Healer in lime green robes. "Is Luna okay?" he demanded.

The Healer calmly smiled and stepped aside. "Miss Lovegood is awake and is asking for you," he simply said.

Theo warily looked at the closed door. "Is… is she okay?" he asked once more, this time the tone of his voice sounding fearful. The image of her bloodied form flashed back into his mind, and Theo had to swallow down the panic that was steadily rising from his stomach.

"Everything's fine," the Healer reassured. "We've managed to stop the bleeding and counter the curse placed upon her. Miss Lovegood only needs to rest for a few days in the hospital."

He stiffly nodded his head and murmured his thanks. Theo then proceeded to slowly open the door and strode inside.

He stopped dead in his tracks upon meeting Luna's bright, blue eyes. The blonde was propped against the headboard of her bed, clad in the standard St. Mungo's attire for patients. After a quick glance from her head to toe, he noted that there were no signs of her assault a while ago.

This had marginally calmed down Theo, who tentatively took a step forward.

"Hello," she greeted, flashing a weak smile when he finally reached her side.

"Are you… are you alright?"

"Yes," Luna replied. She patted the space on her bed and said, "Come sit down, Theodore. I'll tell you what happened."

Theo dreaded this the most, because he had this inkling whatever had transpired a while ago was because of him. He'd already reported about the unconscious stranger in their home, and it was confirmed that he was related to a Death Eater Theo had recently revealed to his seniors, consequently leading to his capture. Even the Aurors in the DMLE reckoned this was some revenge crime, but they couldn't conclude anything yet since the perpetrator was refusing to talk and Luna was still unconscious.

"Theodore?" she asked, worry lines appearing on her forehead. "Are you alright?"

He sputtered out a too-high laugh. "I'm not the one who you should be worrying about, Luna," he replied. He sat down beside her and didn't stop himself from reaching her hand. Luna apparently was planning to do the same thing, her hand already meeting his halfway for a tight hold.

"What happened?" he asked after finally mustering enough courage.

"Well," she started, "I was about to go out to buy dinner because you weren't home yet, so I thought you were still busy in the Ministry. Then, somebody knocked on our door and this stranger introduced himself as a friend of yours. So, I simply let him in and told him to wait for you to arrive."

Theo expelled a long, suffering sigh. "Luna," he beseeched, "I have no friends. Except for Draco and Astoria, of course. So, please, for the love of all the good things and holy in this world, be careful in the future. I'm not…" He paused and thickly swallowed, shifting his eyes away when he felt that it was starting to water with overwhelming emotions. "I wasn't a good man – isn't a good man still - and some people would love to see me dead more than everything else in the world. Now that you're a part of my miserable life, they'd start to target you, too and… and…"

His eyes widened when Luna gently placed a hand against his cheek. He glanced back at her, only to realise she'd grown blurry because of his forming tears.

She had a sad, gentle smile on her face while she gingerly wiped his tears away. "I'm sorry," she said. "It was my fault for trusting too easily."

"Yes, you trust people too easily," he sighed, once again thinking she'd easily accepted him as her soulmate, no questions asked.

He brought their intertwined hands against his lips and gave the barest of kisses on her knuckles. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he sighed. "You deserve so much better than this. The War had ruined us and I know that even though you don't show it, you desperately want to rest too, Luna. You desperately want to be at peace. And… and I can't give you that. But-but I promise to give you everything else. I promise. Please, please believe me."

There were also tears in her blue eyes, reaching forward to wrap her arms around his shaking form. "It's alright," she whispered against his ear. "It's alright; it's enough. You're enough, Theodore."

v.

i would die for you in secret

It had already been three months ever since Luna Lovegood moved into his apartment and Theodore Nott was quite sure he was very much in love with her.

After the attack in their new home, Theo had placed powerful wards around their home and formally introduced Luna to Draco and Astoria. He insisted that if ever she was in danger and Luna couldn't reach him, she could turn to the Malfoys. It didn't surprise him when Luna and Astoria had hit it off ever since, having gone to countless 'girl dates' Astoria fondly called and officially declaring Luna Lovegood as the best friend she'd always wanted.

They had slowly reverted back to their usual routine. Currently, they were once again sitting in front of their small telly, watching one of the movies Luna had purchased for them to watch for the night.

For some strange reason, however, Luna was acting peculiar. Normally, she would be too engrossed with the movie, quipping little reactions that always brought a smile on Theo's face. But now, she seemed thoroughly distracted and frustrated at the same time.

Theo grabbed for the remote and pressed 'paused'. Luna didn't even blink. She didn't even look at him questioningly when he had done so.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, grasping on her elbow to get her attention.

Luna rapidly blinked her eyes, snapping off her reverie, and turned to Theo. To his surprise, there was a deep frown on her face. "What?" he asked, wondering if he'd done something wrong to make her upset.

"I'm tired,' she declared, her blue eyes dangerously flashing with an emotion he had never seen her wear before.

Dread instantly pooled in the pit of his stomach. Was this it? Did she finally realise that he really was a good-for-nothing person not worthy of her time? He wouldn't fault her if she'd really decide to leave him this time, Soulmate Magic be damned, but still…

(Note: Again, he was very much in love with her already, so that would cause a lot of problems for him).

"Tired… of what?" he slowly asked, thickly swallowing when she blew a frustrated sigh.

"I'm tired of waiting, Theodore," she grumbled. "We should get married."

His eyes widened, clearly not expecting her annoyed plea. "Oh," he breathlessly uttered after a few moments of surprised silence. "Okay. Yeah, yeah, alright."

Her frustrated look completely dissolved, replaced by the serene smile he'd come to love so much. "Okay," she echoed, reaching forward to plant a firm, sweet kiss on his lips.