Chapter 1

A/N Thank you for dropping in. This is the first chapter of the sequel to The Two Sides of the Coin. This is a triad fic. It will be smutty at times. If you are strictly Draco/Hermione this is not your story. Please consider visiting my page later this year for a story I have written just for them. I welcome your reviews and constructive criticism. I have no beta so please point out if I've got something wrong as it pertains to the stories. I'm also posting a Harry/Hermione story that I hope you will read. I have many stories in line, I'm trying to be organized. This story will resume in February and I update on Mondays and sometimes sooner. Please let me know what you think. Happy Holidays. I do not own this world.

12 years later

In a small cottage on the English seaside Theo Nott was staring up at the ceiling as the light of dawn crept in. He had not been to England in the past decade, preferring to stay in Italy where he had completed his apprenticeship. He had been sent all over the world to break curses on sacred objects and places. The air had a chill to it and waves could be heard crashing against the rocks outside. Theo had lost touch with his Hogwarts friends. His thoughts wandered to them briefly but he firmly put them aside, as was his habit. Stretching his arms Theo thought it might be a good idea to leave the country quickly before the memories became overwhelming. It had been a mistake to come back. Every place he had gone reminded him of people and things that he had gone through a lot of effort to leave behind.

He rolled over and regarded the sleeping woman next to him. Valentina was a beautiful, accomplished witch. He loved taking her to his bed. He did not however, love her. Theo knew that her feelings for him had become more complicated lately. He sighed. In the time since he had dissolved the arranged marriage from Odile there had been many witches.

Theo had enjoyed their company and spent many delightful nights in their arms but none of them had touched his heart. Theo wanted to be in love he had tried so many times to fall deeply into the witch he was with. It had always ended with him feeling cold and preferring his own company. He also admitted that it was time to think about an heir. Though his name had been tarnished, Theo still felt the sense of duty ingrained in him since birth. He had had an odd existence in the past years. He would spend months in solitude until his thoughts drove him to fine a willing witch. He was wealthy enough and a good enough lover that this was never a problem. They would amuse him for a while but not one of them had reached his heart to his dispair. Sometimes he wondered if his childhood had robbed him of the ability. He looked again at the beautiful woman by his side.

Valentina was a strong witch in her own right. He had met her while breaking a curse on an ancestral home in France. He had been drawn to her fearlessness and intelligence. Theo knew that they would be a powerful couple if he chose to marry her. She had been hinting enough lately. They had been together for two years. The thought of entering another marriage left him uneasy.

It also concerned him that Valentina seemed to know a lot more than she should about Dark Magic. Her temper was legendary and he had heard faint whispers from her old acquaintances that she was just as good as casting curses as breaking them. This had not concerned him. He had faith in his own abilities. No, the Nott name already was steeped in dark magic. He did not want to bring a child into the world who would have to wear the burden of dark magic from both sides. Theo sighed again. He and Valentina had fought late into the night. It had been a fight full of accusation and items thrown. Even now a porcelain shepherdess lay in pieces on the floor of their rented cottage. Her smiling face winked up at Theo, a reminder of the increasing outbursts from Valentina. She had asked if he loved her and he had not been able to give her the answer she craved. He wondered idly what kind of mother she would make, then recalling her temper, he shuddered. He had mistaken that temper for passion and was now regretting it. Theo knew that he had to let her go. It wasn't fair to either of them and the situation had grown uncomfortable.

He stood up and quickly dressed himself. Valentina heard his rustling and sleepily rolled over. She smiled at him but her eyes turned panicky when she saw the serious look in his deep blue eyes.

"We need to talk." He told her solemnly.

Valentina sat up abruptly, suddenly very awake. "Oh no you don't!" She hissed. "Don't you run away from me Theo." She grabbed her wand.

Theo held up a placating hand. "Valentina please. It's not right to stay together and you know it. I don't love you. I wish I did but I don't. You want more, I can't give it to you. And we can't take any more nights like last night. I'm done." He told her firmly.

Her eyes narrowed to hateful slits. "It's been two years!" She shrieked. "I was warned about you. I should have listened. All that time wasted!" She lamented. "You need an heir Theo, why not me?" Her voice was hard and calculating.

Theo shrugged. "I just can't." He said simply. A good friend had cautioned him in the beginning of the relationship that Valentina had grown up without galleons and wanted very much to be wealthy, but he had not taken it to heart. He had not wanted to think that money mattered to her. The way she was glaring at him now told Theo that he had misjudged the situation. Valentina cared very much about his vast fortune. He inched his way to the door while removing his wand from his pocket. "You will see that I have the right of it. You are a beautiful witch. I'm not the wizard to make you happy."

Valentina was crying tears of rage now. "You think that you can walk away just like that?" She shrieked. "You've never loved anyone have you?"

A head of golden brown curls flirted across Theo's mind but he quickly pushed that thought away. Unfortunately, Valentina was an accomplished occlumens and she had caught it. "There was someone once." She was triumphant. "But she must be with someone else if the thought of her hurts you like that." She giggled to herself. "Poor Theo, what a burden to carry."

"I just loved the idea of her." Theo said honestly. "And she's not what we are talking about right now. I'm sorry Valentina, it's over between us. There isn't anything left to say." He turned and began walking toward the door. A rush of magic came at him, the sound like wings rustling. It blew through his body and ruffled his sandy hair. Theo whirled back around to Valentina who was smirking. "What have you done?"

"It more a question of what will you do." She told him.

Theo thought quickly. He knew that the witch must have cast some kind of curse on him. He also recognized that the Ministry would not look kindly on what she had done. To Valentina's surprise he ran out of the door and apparated on the spot.

He landed at the ministry and by memory made his way to the Auror office. His long legs began to weaken as he walked there. The world around him became dim and distant. He could vaguely see the ministry employees around him casting quizzical looks his way. The door to the Auror office opened easily. Theo fell forward and strong arms caught him before he hit the floor.

"Easy there!" A voice exclaimed, and then, "Theo Nott? Is that you? What's happened?"

Theo tried to focus but his vision was darkening. "Cursed." He whispered. "Valentina Esposito at Trillium cottage in Downderry." What he assumed to be a face wearing glasses nodded above him.

"Go there now." The person told two wizards standing near him. Duel popping sounds echoed through the room as the aurors apparated.

Theo recognized that voice. "Harry Potter." his smile was faint. "Where's Hermione?" And then Theo Nott slipped into a deep slumber. His soul detached from his body and floated upward. He could see that the wizard below him was trying to revive him before a mist obscured everything from view.

—-

Draco woke to a pounding at his front door that echoed through the halls. Next to him Hermione snuggled deeper into his arms. Kissing her gently on the forehead he detached himself and grabbed a robe to ward of the chill of their Manor.

He could hear Kreacher speaking to someone as he made his way down the stairs. Harry Potter stood in the entryway. He looked up as Draco approached. "Morning." Draco said raising a blond eyebrow up in surprise.

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry to drop in like this but there is a bit of a situation." He cleared his throat. "Theo Nott burst into our offices just as I was about to go off duty."

Draco started. "Nott's in England!" He exclaimed.

Harry waved away Draco's questions with his hand. "Yes, well, it seems he's been cursed by a witch. We were able to apprehend her and we've got her in custody now. Theo is in a deep sleep that no one can rouse him from."

"What's happened?" Draco was alarmed. He had not seen Theo in several years.

"We don't know yet. The witch has built up a tolerance to Veritaserum. We were hoping to find you at home. Would you be willing to let us use the new truth serum you just developed?" Harry looked hopefully at Draco who was already turning back up the stairs.

"Give me a moment?" He said taking the stairs two at a time. Draco had just perfected a new truth potion but had not yet received the patent for it. He had let the Aurors use it once before under his supervision. Racing into his potions lab he grabbed a bottle of it and made his way back up to the bedroom.

Hermione was still sleeping and Draco took a moment to smile at her serene face. Twelve years and three small children had not made her any less beautiful. Slipping into his closet he quickly dressed and cast cleansing charms on his mouth and person. He combed his hair and shrugged. It was less manicured than his usual look but it would have to do.

He walked over and leaned down to kiss his wife. She smiled as his lips touched her cheek. "Where are you going my love?" She said sleepily. In spite of the urgency of the situation Draco felt himself stirring in response to her husky, sleep laden voice.

"Harry's here. There's a situation at the ministry that requires my truth potion. I'll tell you more later. The elves will take care of the babies. You sleep now." He kissed her cheek again and brought her blankets up over her bare shoulders.

Hermione gave a soft hum of approval. "Come back soon." She said and nestled back into her dreams.

—-

Harry and Draco hurried to the holding cell. The witch in question was shackled to the table with magical cuffs that prohibited the use of her magic. Her long black hair was disheveled and her face wore an expression of such rage that Draco actually took a step back. Her anger twisted her face into an ugly mask. He wondered what his old friend had seen in the witch before him.

"We will try the Veritaserum again." Harry told the witch.

Valentina smirked. "It worked out so well for you the last three times didn't it?" She willingly took the potion that Draco poured down her throat. Immediately her eyes became glazed. He nodded to Harry.

"What curse did you cast on Theo Nott?" Harry asked immediately.

Valentina eyed him sullenly then began to speak. "I cast a curse of unrequited love on him."

"What does it do?" Harry wanted to know.

"It means that he will not wake until he can convince the one he loves to love him back." She smiled.

"Who does he love?" Harry asked.

"No one." Valentina was annoyed. "He doesn't love anyone. He never has."

"How's he supposed to get out of it then?" Draco demanded.

Valentina laughed, her eyes sparkling with madness. "He won't. He can't. He will be like that until his body dies."

Draco clenched his fists. "Suppose he did love someone? How is he supposed to find them if he's asleep?"

Valentina stopped laughing abruptly and regarded him thoughtfully. "I'm not sure. I never found the answer to that." As if being cut by strings her body slumped over onto the table. Draco's potion was extremely strong and caused the drinker to fall into a slumber after only two minutes. She would not wake for a few days.

Harry sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "That's that then." He opened the door and instructed the guard to take Valentina to Azkaban until she woke. He guided Draco to his office and made strong coffee for them both.

"Poor Theo." Draco was despondent. "I'd always hoped he would come back. What can be done."

Harry pursed his lips thoughtfully. "The healers at St. Mungo's are not hopeful. He appears to be in perfect health as far as his body is concerned but they cannot detect his magic within it." He was silent as he took a moment to regard the blond in front of him. "Draco, you and I both know that there was someone Theo loved very much at one time."

Draco's shoulders tensed. "That was a long time ago and the last time I saw Theo in Italy eight years ago he told me that he had only loved the idea of her." Draco nodded at the memory. Theo had been dating a gorgeous and intelligent witch at the time that he had seemed mostly content with. He wondered what had happen to her.

Harry was looking at Draco with sympathy in his eyes. "What?" Draco was suspicious. "Stop staring at me like that Potter. What do you know?"

Harry hesitated a moment and then pulled a bag from his pocket. He removed a very worn square of paper from it. Draco's heart sank as he recognized what Harry held. "This was found in his wallet." He told Draco.

Harry gently unfolded it to reveal Hermione's face at sixteen years old. Draco knew that the opposite side would show his face at the same age. He took a shaky breath and his silver eyes met Harry's green ones. "What can this mean?" He asked.

"It means that things just became infinitely more complicated." Harry told him.

—-

Back at their manor Hermione slept on. She had been up the last two nights. The twins had colds and were too young for potions. Remus and Sirius had been fussy and had refused anyone's company save their mum's. Fortunately they had gotten over the worst of it, affording Hermione the opportunity to sleep in.

She dreamt that she was walking through a cold mist. She could see shapes appearing here and there but could make nothing out. At one point she thought she heard the pinging noise of the heart monitor charm that St. Mungo's used on their patients. She wandered onward. There were not walls or trees to indicate what kind of place she was in. When she glanced at her feet she had a dizzying sense of vertigo. There did not appear to be a floor. Only more of the same mist swirling underneath her. Just as she was beginning to panic a warm hand wrapped itself around her forearm.

She flinched involuntarily. The fingers were touching the place where the word "Mudblood" has once been carved into her skin. For the first time in years her arm tingled as if in warning. She whirled around trying to free herself. A pair of deep blue eyes framed with thick lashes met hers. She gasped in surprise. "Theo? Is that you?"

He had aged well she thought. His cheekbones were a little more defined and his full lips quirked up in a half smile. He had, if anything grown taller. His body was still slender but Hermione could see that he had filled out a little. She touched him with a trembling hand. His cheek was warm under her fingertips. Theo closed his eyes and a wave of tension seemed to leave his body. "It is you? Isn't it?"

"Hello Hermione." He said, his eyes roamed hungrily across her face. "I think I've been wanting to see you for a very long time."