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Theodore thanked the gods for making him best friends with Draco Malfoy. Post war, his life really hadn’t changed much. Other than taking over as Lord Nott from his scumbag of a father who he may or may not have personally killed in the Battle of Hogwarts, things were still relatively calm. Trying to date still sucked, but he thought he had finally figured out why all the witches his age continued to bore him to death.
Narcissa Black was a woman who had endured the hells of war in her own home and came out the other side of the experience with grace, poise, no small amount of lethal talent, and the ability to stop a man in his tracks with a single look. She had lied to her husband, her fanatical sister, and the Dark Lord. And Theo was in love.
Lucius Malfoy had been sentenced to life in Azkaban for his many crimes during the war, and Draco had assumed the mantle of Lord Malfoy after his acquittal. Theo regularly checked in on his longest friend, as well as the former Lady Malfoy. Narcissa had quietly divorced Lucius, and he surprisingly had not fought her on anything. With Draco as head of the family, Narcissa was fully supported and lived in her own wing at the manor while Draco took over the Master suite. They had a standing dinner appointment twice a week and over the last six months Theo had become increasingly aware of Draco’s mom.
He’d started coming up with excuses to pop over to Malfoy Manor. And while he was positive she saw right through them, he really didn’t care. He’d risk Draco’s wrath for a chance to show Narcissa that he wasn’t a little boy anymore. He was a fully capable adult wizard who knew that Narcissa deserved to be pampered and supported in whatever she wanted to do. He didn’t want to hold her back, he wanted to help her live her dreams, whatever they were.
The other pureblood witches had shunned her for her divorce, but she had made some friends slash protégés in Pansy Parkinson and Hermione Granger, growing particularly close with Granger as they formed a bond over the shared trauma of Granger’s captivity and torture at the manor.
Theo checked his reflection one last time before apparating to Malfoy Manor for his own weekly meeting with Narcissa that, as far as he knew, Draco was still unaware of. They’d usually have lunch, take afternoon tea in the back garden or the library, and talk for hours about the most mundane of subjects. She was a brilliant woman who had recently expressed her desire to finish her mastery in healing that had been abruptly cut off by her marriage to Lucius.
Theo had done some digging into how she could accomplish that goal and he finally had some answers for her. He confidently strode into the smaller dining room and his heart stopped for a moment as he took in the sight of her. Regal, gorgeous, easily able to completely crush him in a second. He loved it. She looked up from the book in front of her and gave him a brilliant smile.
“Hello Theodore,” she said fondly and he pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her hand as he replied, “Hello Cissa.”
He took his seat next to her at the table and their lunch appeared in front of them. The Malfoy elves had an incredible kitchen staff and today they had made his favourite meal. Theo dug into the seared duck breast, delighting in the way his companion smiled at the look of happiness on his face.
“I swear you spoil me rotten,” he commented and she shrugged gracefully.
“I like having someone to spoil. And you let me while still giving me respect as an equal. It’s… nice,” she said quietly and he took a deep breath before diving in.
“Cissa, a few weeks ago you mentioned wanting to finish your mastery in healing. Is that still something you’d like to do?”
Her fork hovered halfway to her mouth before she set it back on her plate and turned to look him in the eye.
“Theodore, what have you been doing?”
“I made some inquiries. I had Hermione help me too. We’ve found someone at Mungo’s who remembers you from the program and has said, if you’re willing, they would love to talk to you about taking you as an apprentice and possibly accelerating your final exam based on any experience you gained during the war.
“I know it wasn’t really my place, I’m not your son, nor am I your husband, but you’ve… well you’ve come to mean a great deal to me and I want you to be happy. And however I can facilitate that, I am at your disposal.”
He didn’t shy away from meeting her eye, nor did he shrink in the face of his own emotions and let them begin to show through. She silently appraised him before a smile spread across her face and she leaned forward until her lips were by his ear.
“You really are such a good boy, aren’t you Theodore?” she murmured before pressing a kiss to his cheek, lingering longer than he expected and his whole body flushed at the praise and contact.
“For you I’ll be the best possible,” he whispered as she pulled away and her eyes sparkled with life and no small amount of mischief as she winked at him.
“I just bet you would,” she chuckled before going back to their lunch. “I appreciate your efforts and would love to meet with the healer that you and Hermione found who is willing to work with me.”
Theo cleared his throat, knowing his heart rate wasn't likely to slow any time soon after that little surprise from her. “I’ll send them an owl first thing tomorrow and set it up as soon as possible.”
She hummed her agreement and the rest of their day was filled with lingering looks that passed between the pair, and as he bid her goodnight he took her hand in his once again, turning it over to press a kiss to the inside of her wrist before winking at her and promising to see her at dinner with Draco in a couple days.
He landed back in his room at Nott Estate and couldn't stop smiling, the grin never leaving his face even as he fell asleep.