Theodore returned to the flat late at night. He cursed at himself for being staying out to long, he didn't want to make Carina wait for him – if she did wait for him. Theodore was then welcomed by a quiet flat, he saw the dim light that lit the dining area. He called for Carina a few times, but no one answered, and he guessed that she must be asleep.
He made his way to the dining area and saw a covered plate that had his name at a piece of paper. He sighed, knowing that she made all the trouble to make dinner for the two of them and he was out the whole time.
"I really am an arse."
•†•
The following morning, Theodore woke at the sound of muffled talking. He stirred in his bed and reached for the clock and saw the time, it was already seven in the morning. He sighed and got up. It was only right to start the day early so he could help out Carina in her flat. Putting on a shirt, Theodore exited his room, but upon entering the living room, he was greeted by an awkward scene before him.
Teddy Lupin stood at the middle of the living room, holding his teddy bear, as he stared at Theodore with a blank expression.
Theodore didn't know what to do with the present child, and Teddy's stare made things more awkward than it already was.
"Ted, you all right, you're awfully quiet."
Carina came to the scene and saw what was going on. She stifled a laugh as she saw the two have a stare off.
"Everything all right?" Carina asked.
"Yes, Carina!" Teddy turned to her with a smile.
"Go to the kitchen, breakfast's ready." Carina gestured for Teddy.
Teddy skipped to the kitchen and went to his spot at the table, leaving Carina with Theodore.
"Good morning." Carina said.
"Yeah... good morning." Theodore said back.
"So... breakfast?"
"Sure."
The two of them went to the dining area and saw Teddy taking huge bites of his pancakes. Before they sat down, Theodore helped Carina with tea, and some milk for Teddy.
"I hope you like it." Carina said.
"Everything you make is good, Carina." Theodore smirked.
They ate their breakfast happily, as Teddy started his twenty questions at Theodore. He often asked about why he hadn't seen him before or where did he come from. Theodore answered them all truthfully, and enough for a three-year-old to understand, and when he mentioned dragons, he got Teddy's interest, and the boy started asking more about the magnificent creatures.
"Carina said that Harry faced a dragon when they were in fourth year!" Teddy exclaimed, "Was it..."
"It was a Hungarian Horntail." Theodore said, "Very dangerous, I almost got myself burnt by one of those – luckily I was able to get away, but I didn't got out unscratched." Theodore pulled down his shirt and showed Teddy the huge scar that he got from the dragon, it trailed from his left shoulder down to his chest.
Carina's eyes widened at the sight of it.
"Wow!" Teddy said. "But... what about those?" Teddy pointed at the blank ink at Theodore's right arm.
"Oh... this." Theodore pulled up his sleeve and revealed what was hidden under it. "It's a tattoo."
"Cool!" Teddy grinned as he stared at the tattoo went around Theodore's arm.
"Where'd you get it?" Carina asked, her eyes also not leaving Theodore's tattoo.
"Romania." Theodore shrugged.
"Do you have more?" Teddy asked.
"Yeah, at my right wrist." Theodore showed his wrist. "It's a peregrine falcon."
"Cool, but what's that at your arm?"
"It's a wolf."
Theodore caught Carina's gaze and the two stared at each other for a while. They both knew who that wolf was.
"Why a wolf and not a dragon?" Teddy asked.
"I like wolves." Theodore smiled. "Their not magical – not like dragons – but their strong, brave, and loyal to their pack..."
"That's cool! Do you have any more?"
"I do plan on getting one when I get back to Norway..."
Teddy turned to Carina with a grin, "Can I get a tattoo?"
Carina turned to her godson, she glanced at Theodore and saw him stifle a laugh, she returned her gaze to Teddy and saw him giving her the "puppy eyes".
"No." Carina said.
"Why not? How come Theodore can get one?"
"Because he's an adult, and you're still too young." Carina said.
"She's right, Teddy." Theodore added, "You have to grow up first to get a tattoo."
"Fine!"
After breakfast, Theodore had offered to wash the dishes, he insisted when Carina told him that she would do it. In the end, Theodore had told her to just tend to Teddy while he cleaned up – it was the least he could do since he's staying at her place.
While Teddy was busy with playing with his toys, Carina slipped to the kitchen to see how Theodore was. She saw him putting away the last plate, and then he was done.
"So, how long are you staying?" Carina asked.
"Are you tired of me already?" Theodore smirked.
"No... I'm just curious, since you mentioned that you're going back to Norway..."
"The Kohlers gave me three months off – they've been wanting me to have a vacation since I came to their reserve.
"The Kohlers?"
"It's the family that owns the reserve in Norway, their mad people... I'm surprised that I'm still alive..."
"You like it there, don't you?"
Theodore turned to Carina. He leaned his back at the sink and shrugged.
"They like my second family... they took me in when I needed a job and a place to stay."
"I'm glad that you found a home there..."
Theodore hummed.
"So three month... that's long." Carina said.
"Long enough."
"Carina!" Teddy called from the living room.
"I should..."
"You should... besides, I'm heading out... Blaise invited me at his place for a drink – he also wanted to invite you over."
"I'll pass." Carina cringed at the thought of going to Blaise's Manor.
"Don't like it there?" Theodore smirked.
"I like Zabini, but I don't trust him enough to be alone with him – especially in his home."
"Fair enough."
•†•
"So... how is having Nott around?"
After Theodore left, Hermione and Ginny came to Carina's flat. They all wanted to spend some time with Carina and Teddy at her flat. Carina would tease them about them going to her place just to feel single again, but the two married young women would just laugh at it.
"Quite good, actually." Carina said.
"And he doesn't mind having Teddy around, right?" Ginny asked.
"He doesn't... from what I saw earlier, Teddy's quite fond of him, they spent the whole time talking." Carina smiled at the memory.
They were at the living room having a glass of Muggle wine, Teddy was at his room playing with his toys, so the three girls were given some time to themselves.
"Really?" Hermione asked, quite surprised.
"Why the surprise? Did you think Theodore's the type of guy who's annoyed by kids?" Carina chuckled.
"To be honest, yeah." Ginny said. "Well, we are basing it on how we knew him back in Hogwarts."
"He's perfectly fine when we were in Hogwarts." Carina said.
"To you..." Ginny said, "But every time I saw Nott, he's this brooding-mysterious-guy, who would always follow you and Roman around."
"It's more like us following him around." Carina smiled at the memories of the time in Hogwarts.
"So, what does Nott do anyway?" Hermione asked.
"He's a Dragonologist in Norway."
Hermione and Ginny choked at their wine.
"Yeah... I got the same reaction when he told me."
"It's just... we didn't expect him to take that career." Hermione said.
"In Norway?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah... from what I got off of his and Teddy's conversation, the reserve in Norway was a huge valley and their accommodating about a hundred dragons – and still counting."
"And I'm sure Teddy was excited about it." Hermione smiled.
"You have not idea. Teddy even changed his hair color to the same color as Theodore!"
"I'm afraid Teddy's got a new role-model." Ginny chuckled.
"Don't tell Harry." Carina said, "He'll be devastated."
"What else did they talk about?" Hermione asked.
"It's more about dragons... then Teddy saw Theodore's tattoo."
"Tattoo?"
"Nott has a tattoo?" Ginny exclaimed, "What's happened to him?"
"I bet, Teddy, got excited about that too." Hermione laughed.
"You have no idea. He even asked me if he can get one!"
The three of them burst out laughing at the thought of Teddy getting a tattoo, then Ginny mentioned that Harry thought of getting a tattoo, but didn't went through it since he didn't know what to get.
"Thank Merlin he didn't!" Ginny laughed.
"Merlin, how would Harry look like if he got a tattoo!" Carina almost fell off her seat as she laughed.
"But if he did get a tattoo, what do you think it would be?" Hermione asked.
The wine was getting to them, and it was only one o'clock in the afternoon.
"I bet he'll get a hippogriff Buckbeak." Ginny said.
"I think he'll get one of Stag." Hermione said.
"I bet he'll get one at his chest in the most cheesy font that says 'Ginny'." Carina laughed.
"Oh no!" Ginny cringed. "No! Don't!"
The three of them laughed until they dropped to the floor. Their wine glasses empty, and the wine bottle itself empty.
"Carina, what are you doing at the floor?"
Teddy came out of his room. Carina, Ginny and Hermione turned to him, still laughing.
"We just fell, sweetheart." Carina said.
"Don't worry, Ted, we're fine!" Ginny called out, still laughing.
"Is there something the matter, Teddy?" Hermione asked.
"No. But look!" Teddy showed his arms.
Carina, Hermione, and Ginny stopped laughing and saw what Teddy did to his arms. It was covered with many colors, all from the colorful pens that they got him.
"I got a tattoo!"
•†•
Theodore and Blaise at the study of Blaise's Manor. They both were sharing a good bottle of foreign wizard wine.
"This is good." Theodore said as he finished his glass. "But I still prefer ale."
Blaise's face scrunched.
"Seriously?"
"It's stronger." Theodore shrugged. "At Norway, ale is like water to them – they practically drink ale whenever they're thirsty."
Blaise chuckled. "Must be a great place then."
"I still prefer English ale..."
"So you've tasted Muggle drinks?"
"They're actually good." Theodore shrugged.
They both finished their second glass of wine before Blaise started the conversation.
"So, Draco said you're staying at Carina's?"
"You went home with a Bride's Maid, like hell I'm going to your place while you fondle with that." Theodore smirked.
"And it was a great fondle." Blaise chuckled. "So how's it there, not awkward?"
"No... I haven't really spent the whole day there with Carina. Yesterday she left before I even woke up, and I went to the Malfoys – when I got back she was already asleep in her room."
"What about today?"
"I'm here, aren't I?" Theodore said. "And I was thinking of moving here for the next three months of my stay."
"You're not staying at Carina's." Blaise's brow rose.
"I don't think it's a good idea."
"What, it brings back too many memories?"
Theodore smiled, he turned to his wine and took a sip.
"There's not much memories, I don't recall the time of war of us having good memories and considering we only dated half of the term during sixth year..." Theodore shrugged. "Oh wait, I do remember our times at the empty corridors."
"Sneaky little bastard." Blaise shook his head.
"But I doubt that could do anything..."
Blaise stared at his friend for along time. Theodore was never one to be very open with his feelings, but like a normal man, a bit of wine and a talk about the past, Blaise got Theodore like an open book, and from the looks of it, he knew that there was some thing going on in Carina's flat.
"Three bloody years... no letters, no visits..." Blaise said. "It was like you disappeared in the ends of the earth."
Theodore smirked and hummed in response.
"By the way, where did you even get that tattoo, it's pretty cool." Blaise gestured to Theodore's arm.
"I know a guy in Norway. He does a really good job. You plan on getting one?"
"I'm thinking about it." Blaise shrugged.
"What are you going to get?"
"Dunno, a snake?"
"Like the person you are? Quite fitting."
Blaise frowned at Theodore. Theodore saw Blaise's reaction and laughed.
"Funny, really funny." Blaise said.
"Lighten up, Zabini." Theodore smirked.
"Why are you really here, Theodore?" Blaise asked. "It's not like you to come to my home without an agenda."
"You caught me then."
"What is it?"
Theodore turned to Blaise, he had a bitter smile. Blaise frowned he knew exactly why.
"I thought me going to away might change that, but it didn't." Theodore placed his glass at the table. "And I thought maybe going back here, I might not feel anothing, but I was wrong – what's worse is I'm living under the same roof as her for the next three months."
"You can always move."
"When is the time you don't have a woman in your bed, Blaise?"
"There are times." Blaise shrugged.
"Malfoy's married, I don't want to intrude..."
"Then go home... I believe your estate is all cleared."
"That's the last place I want to be."
"You're making this difficult, you know that." Blaise sighed. "How long do you even have before you go back to bloody Norway?"
"Three months."
"Long enough to sweep her off her feet." Blaise shrugged.
"I feel like I'm betraying Roman." Theodore muttered. "You should've seen how he looked when he told me that he caught me and Carina during sixth year – we broke him."
"Roman's dead, Theodore... it's been three years now." Blaise said, solemnly. "And he knew that Black always had her eyes on you, not him – he understood that!"
"He died because of me."
"He saved you because he knew that if it were you, then Carina would be beyond repair... Theodore, Roman sacrificed himself not just for you, but for Carina as well..."
"He loved her."
"I understand that-that you still feel guilty about it – he was my friend, but Theodore! It's been three years – I moved on, I accepted it... Carina's moved on and accepted it – yes, she misses him, but it's not the same as she misses you!"
"Roman would've done a better job."
"Roman is dead, Theodore... you can't do anything about it – stop living in the past because it won't do anything but bring you grief and guilt... everyone's faced their past and moved on, it's just you who just kept running... I bet Norway was just an excuse to run away from what happened."
Theodore was silent for a moment. The scene of Roman's death replayed in his mind, how Roman called for him, then was struck by the Killing Curse, he could still hear Carina's cry during that time, and he could still see Roman's face so still.
"Thanks for the drink." Theodore said.
"Where are you going?"
Theodore had got up from his seat and made his way to the fireplace. Blaise ran after him.
"Theodore!"
But Theodore was already eaten by the green flames and disappeared.