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Theodore Nott POV
He was standing in queue, behind an odorous old witch who was yammering about her free roaming cat who climbed into her neighbors window the night prior. Then the neighbor shut their bedroom window before leaving for work, unknowingly trapping the cat … or perhaps purposefully saving the cat from this crazy coot. Therefore, the Aurors must bust into her neighbors home to save her cat. She was quite insistent that the neighbor was kidnapping her cat.
The Auror behind the front desk responded, “Ma’am, it’s not catnapping, if you watched your cat enter”, maybe trespass would have been a better word, “your neighbors house the night prior and you didn’t notify them at that time that your cat entered their home. You waited until your neighbor left for work before coming here to report this. You will have to wait until your neighbor comes home from work or perhaps send them an owl to get your cat back.”
The woman huffed and stormed off in a rage. “If my cat dies, then it’s on your shoulders Mr. Potter. I should go get my cat myself since you're obviously no help.”
Auror Potter stood up from the front desk of the DMLE lobby wearing perfectly tailored Auror robes. Delicious . He tried not to drool as he inspected the way they hugged his body. “That would not be wise, Mrs. Cottlesworth. We would have to arrest you for breaking and entering. Once again, try owling your neighbor or knocking on their door. Also, maybe don’t let your cat out at night.”
Mrs. Cottlesworth, as Potter called her, didn’t even turn around as she fled the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The nutters that come here with their outlandish stories that the Aurors can’t assist with, he thought while shaking his head.
Auror Potter turned his attention to Theo, the only other person waiting in the lobby. “Your leg’s bleeding,” Potter informed him in a bored tone like it wasn’t fucking obvious. That’s the whole reason he was in this dilapidated office.
He glanced down to see blood still oozing from a five inch long gash along the back of his left calf. He turned his ankle left and right. At least nothing felt broken. Plus, he managed to walk here just fine. He looked behind him to see a small trail of blood leading up to where he stood at the entrance of the DMLE. He chuckled at the thought of his blood trailing from the Floo, all the way here. He shrugged for good measure. Honestly, he was surprised someone hadn’t reported it yet. “It’s just a scratch. It will be fine.”
“Just a scratch!” Potter wheezed a little at the end. “You're literally creating a puddle.” Potter gestured with flailing hands towards Theo’s feet. Oh, now he was worried … or was he just worried about the environment of the DMLE. Honestly, the blood was an improvement.
He glanced at his foot again, this time to see a small puddle had formed around his ankle, based on the squish of his shoe, there was more in his shoe than on the floor. He pulled his wand from his pocket and vanished the blood surrounding his foot. “There, no puddle.”
Potter rolled his eyes. “Here.” He gestured to a vinyl chair at least four decades old, it was the closest to the front desk in the lobby. “At least let me clean it up and mend it. I’m not a healer, but I think I could manage this ‘scratch’.”
Theo smirked at Potter exaggerating his wording for his oozing wound, but he gave a single nod before he casually walked to the suggested chair. The chair was extremely firm, so he slid his bum forward towards the front and leaned back. He spread his legs wide and extended his left leg out to give Potter better access.
Potter grabbed some supplies from the cabinets behind the desk and then kneeled between Theo’s legs which surprised him. His eyebrows arched for a moment before he schooled his expression to nonchalance. He thought Potter would go to the other side, where he could see the wound better.
Potter used his wand to clean the wound and a spell to stop the bleeding temporarily. Then he held up a bottle of Dittany, “This will sting.” The first drop burned. The second drop he released an involuntary hiss. “Do it quicker, Potter,” he instructed with clenched teeth. Potter squeezed the entire dropper on his wound while leaning over his leg as he watched the wound close completely.
Potter capped the Dittany vial and used his middle finger on the bridge of his glasses to push them up. He had a satisfied smile plastered on his face. He sat back on his heels and put his hands on his thighs. Did Potter know that he was sitting before him in a submissive pose?
He licked his lips and couldn’t help saying, “Good boy. Waiting for instructions.”
Potter’s jaw dropped open before he quickly scrambled to his feet. “That’s not…” His cheeks blushed furiously. “I wasn’t….”
Theo grinned at him and leaned forward, perched on the edge of the chair. “Oh…you're not out yet?”
Harry stammered, “No, I am…. That’s none of your business.” He quickly snapped while running a hand through his hair. He turned away from Theo, his robes swishing behind him as he walked to return the Dittany back into the cabinet. I wonder what his arse would look like without the robes blocking his view, Theo thought while assessing his broad shoulders. Potter’s body seemed more toned and slightly more muscular since completing Auror training. I mean, Theo last saw him during the war when they were starving and on the run, practically malnourished, of course we would have filled out with some decent meals.
“What if I want it to be my business?” He stood and walked closer as Potter settled in at the desk. He placed his forearms on the raised counter and leaned closer, hovering over Potter.
“Why are you here, Nott?” Potter changed into his Auror role. Why was he working the front desk anyways? Wasn’t that a clerical job? He was wearing Auror robes, therefore he had successfully passed training to be wearing official robes.
“I was attacked in Diagon Alley and I came to report it.”
“Oh,” Potter casts a charm on a parchment which rose next to him, poised to take notes. “Go ahead with your statement.”
“I would like to file a claim against both Magical Menagerie and Weasley Wizarding Wheezes for injury.” Theo informed Potter with a stern expression. He watched Potter's face change from seriousness to bafflement. “It’s somewhat outlandish, but one of those new golden fanged frisbees was thrown inside the shop of WWW while a customer was leaving, thus flying out the door and directly in my direction. I jumped over the thing just to be attacked by a Niffler, clearly it came from the Magical Menagerie because those things don’t roam around Diagon Alley.”
“You were attacked by a niffler?” Potter glanced at his legs again. He wondered if Potter just now realized that his right trouser leg went to his ankle and his left had been severed at the knee. The bleeding was sticking to his trousers and pulling, so he severed it instead.
“Yes, weren’t you listening, it was chasing a gold colored fanged frisbee.” Theo was annoyed that Potter wasn’t taking his report seriously. Maybe Mrs. Cottlesworth was right? Maybe lack of seriousness was why he’s stationed at the front desk?
“Are you sure it was a Niffler? They are very keen on real gold versus fake gold. Maybe a cat?” Potter's skepticism irritated him.
“Yes! I have eyes, Potter! I know what a Niffler is. I can submit my memories if you don’t believe me.” Honestly. Does no one take this seriously?
“Okay, you're submitting this claim. For what purpose do you wish to achieve?”
“That they are held accountable for my medical….” he tapered off with the realization that he wouldn’t have any medical bills after being healed by Potter. He glanced at his healed leg. “And my ruined trousers.”
“Well, sorry for mending your leg to avoid the medical charge. I can submit a claim for the cost of the trousers. How much were they?” Potter stood to assess his trousers, at least that’s what he assumed Potter was doing.
“Are you checking me out, Potter?” Theo turned to show Potter his perk arse and then rotated back again.
Potter sighed heavily. “I was trying to assess the damage to the trousers.”
“How about I make you a deal, Auror Potter?” Potter cocked his head in a way that Theo took to mean, please continue with your amazing idea. “I cancel my claim which avoids you completing paperwork and you go out on a date with me.”
Potter’s eyebrows lifted and he cast his wand at the parchment to stop taking notes, followed quickly by another spell to remove what Theo just said.
“Why would you do that? You clearly seem very concerned to have these shop owners held accountable for your attack.” He asked with a mocking tone. This brat was making fun of him.
“Well, first of all, you healed my leg making my claim weaker. Second, I find you intriguing and I want to get to know you better.” Theo told him with all honesty.
Potter pulled on his collar like it was suddenly suffocating him. “I haven’t been on a date before…with a man that is.”
More intriguing. “Well, if you say yes, that will change, won’t it?” Theo bit his lip in a seductive way. “What time does your shift end?”
Potter cleared his throat and cast a quick tempus charm, “fifteen minutes.”
Theo smiled with satisfaction. “I can wait.” He leaned forward two more inches. “Do you want me…..” he glances down to Potter’s lips, “to wait here?” He watched Potter swallow and fidget in the uncomfortable looking office chair.
Potter’s eyes locked with his and Theo watched his head dip once in confirmation before he vanished the parchment on his side.
“Shall I wait here or shall I meet you somewhere?” Theo gestured to the empty, dated lobby with minor disgust on his features.
“You're the one who asked me out, so you tell me.” Potter retorted. His tone was haughty, he was surprised he didn’t put his hands on his hips. He wanted to be told, huh? He could definitely do that.
“I’ll meet you in Diagon Alley, outside WWW. I’ll start by showing you where I was injured. Maybe we can clean up my leftover blood together from the crime scene. Then I can take you to dinner, at my home, since I am unsure if your reputation could take another hit being out with a death eater's child, a gay one no less.”
Potter rolled his eyes. “See you in thirty, so I can go home and change.”
Theo shook his head, “No, Auror Potter. I like my man in uniform.” He winked at him once, before he strolled out the door while he cast cleaning charms on the floor every couple feet. At least something good came from this bloody mess.