I Love You Not

The past hour or so had been, in one word, emotional. Not only had she seen her brother after some time but it had been the first time Toby and his Mother had seen and spoken in five years. Five years! All the memories of the memorial one year post Toby's disappearence, the no longer mentioning of his name, the family trips, the time when they had been whole - with their Father. All the memories hd flooded back in a short space of time. Originally Hallie had expected her Mum to hate her, not want anything to do with her considering she had known of Toby's existence for over a month... Thankfully Toby didn't mention it was Hallie who sent him away in the first place and that was a secret the pair would take to the grave. Amelia Cooper would never find out. It was easier that way.

Hallie had wanted to stay longer, spend more time with her Mother and brother but felt it was time they had a moment alone, besides she had other business to attend to whilst at Hogwarts. She needed to catch up with Maura, surprise her, startle her. Before that, however, she needed to speak to the Headmaster. Theodore Rookwood. Her beloved fiance. Ha. There were a lot of things they needed to discuss and hadn't seen each other since Theodore had stormed out of the meeting. Initially Hallie had been offended, felt as though she was the problem, that he hated her. Over the next week or so she'd come to the conclusion he was just sick of the meeting, sure she'd thrown a drink over him, but there had been times when she'd almost stormed out. Well, at least that's the way of looking at it Hallie had taken upon herself. She needed to make an effort, after all, the law had put them together.

Walking down the corridor she reached the stone gargoyle. The guardian of the headmasters tower where, in her time at Hogwarts, Kingsley Shacklebolt had resided. Now. Her future husband. Gosh she felt old. For one she was getting married and two to the Headmaster. Headmasters were usually old, it was rare that Theodore had taken up the position at such a young age, then again he had inherited it. Hallie was already scepticle of his ability of a headmaster.

After saying the password that her Mother had told her she climbed the staircase and knocked on the door before letting herself in to her fiance's office, after all, it was half hers in her eyes. Behind Rookwood's desk hung a portrait of Kingsley Shacklebolt. He had been a marvellous headmaster until his sudden absence, it felt strange to actually see him - snoozing. Other famous witches and wizards looked down at her, some recognising her from times when she'd been in trouble for sneaking out of Hogwarts or being late one too many times.

Nothing changed there then. Hallie was still late for work on occasions, oh well, perhaps she wouldn't be working there much longer. If the Ministry continued to go down the path it was rolling Hallie wasn't sure she wanted to work for it, no matter how much the auror position mean't to her. She could always claim it again in the rise of a new Ministry. Word on the street people weren't happy, it was, what the people called a civil unrest. Hallie, however, wasn't quiet at that point to rebel just yet. You never know, her marriage might work out.

'Theodore?' Hallie called out, not being able to see him. Maybe he was upstairs, after all the Headmasters study was huge.

Spoiler:

“Theodore?”

At the sound of his name, Theodore shot up, vertical once more from the waist up. His hands groped into the loose sheets that covered the mattress and he looked about himself wildly as he fought to regain his breath, his chest heaving, a sheen of sweat glistening in his cocoa-cream skin in the low light creeping in through the blind-covered windows. Theodore swallowed heavily, his throat dry and crusty from the alcohol from earlier, or yesterday, he wasn’t sure which. One of his hands left the sheets and he thrummed his fingers through his hair as he felt himself began to calm, his heart settling from bullet to freight train and his breathing relaxing somewhat from ailing floating device to post-sleep lethargy.

Kicking the sheets away from his legs, Theodore shot up out of the bed. He groped for his wand which was sat down next to the newly acquired one that had once been Elijah’s on the bedside. With a flick of his wrist, the blinds shot up and light spilled in through the windows, bright and dying in the sky. He swallowed again, burying the lump in his throat, and picked up the empty glass of milk he’d taken to bed with him after Athena had left testily with sticky, chocolate covered children in tow. He sighed, feeling as though that was all he ever did, and padded barefoot across the room to the door, following the sound of creaking floorboards below, announcing someone’s presence in the study.

Theodore ducked his head over the side, his spare hand curling around the railing. He winced a little bit at the sight of the familiar blonde and he consoled himself with her moral erectness - she wouldn’t be there for long if she could help it. Theo himself wasn’t sure he could stand another argument with his wife to be just yet. Marriage required discussion, though, and that was something that couldn’t be avoided if he wanted things to at least work out in some fashion or another. Whether Theodore liked it or not, Athena had been right and that was something she’d hold over him - especially when she found out he’d listened to her. There had to be something else he could give Hallie. Something she actually wanted.

“Hold on a second,” he called out before trundling loudly down the stairs, stepping lithely out of the way of books, pieces of paper, empty or half-empty potions bottles stacked irregularly on the steps. The House Elves had long given up trying to clean up after him and Theodore was beginning to understand why.

He reached the level where the kitchen was and quickly stowed his glass in the sink before returning to the staircase and winding down finally into the study where, sure enough, there she stood: Hallie Cooper in all her glory.

He’d known to expect her and he’d felt the wards move around the castle to let her through. After that, he figured quite rightly that she’d seek him out and try, bless her, for a discussion. Suddenly, Theodore felt rather underdressed but felt as though the barest would keep her on her toes a little bit; surprise her even. He was determined to be civil - if not nice - and while he wasn’t sure about the latter, he could at least try the former; even if he was only wearing pyjama bottoms.

“I trust you had a good meeting with your mother?” He inquired dutifully before adding, “at the expense of sounding rude: is this a flying visit or do you intend to stay? In the case of the latter, would you like something to drink? Hot chocolate, perhaps?”

(OOC: I apologise for the monster word count and the totally unnecessary beginning. I put it in a spoiler. :3 Anyway, there you go!)

Hallie's mouth momentarily dropped at the sight of a bare-chested Theodore. Now he knew how to look good naked, which made Hallie ponder for a moment about their sex life. How soon would it start? Would it be awkward? Would it be the most pleasurable thing she'd ever experienced? Before she knew it Hallie was getting lost in her fiancé's body, not that that was anything new, Hallie always was fond of the boys. Not that she slept around or anything, her all the wall experiences only totalled two - and that's if that actually counted as all the way.

'Wha-?' Her thoughts were soon punctured by Theodore talking, asking her how long she would be and how on earth did he know about the meeting with her Mother - unless she'd told him beforehand? 'Oh, It was fine. I was hoping we could talk about everything, I mean, we do have a wedding to plan.' 

The length of time surely meant that a hot chocolate was in order and who was she to deprive her taste-buds of something so sweet. 'Do you have marshmallows?' She asked, a cheeky eyebrow raised wearing a bit of a smile. Before Hallie had entered she'd told herself to try with Theodore, try and get to know him, be herself around him. Even if Maura thought it was sickening it was going to happen, she may as well try. 

(OOC: now my post feels dwarf compared to yours)

(OOC: It’s adorable.)

Hesitantly, Theodore began to wonder whether Krum and Levski were waiting for some sort of perverse confirmation or validation of their union. Theodore, thankfully, knew that even they didn’t have that much control over marriage. Marriages had been arranged since the year dot and while much of it was negotiations and fertility talks - the ‘love-thing’ could happen gradually, dear - even the suitors of old couldn’t control or change the ceremony. There was a reason why it was very rare for wizards and witches to divorce. ‘To death till us part’ really did mean business and there was much more magic involved than there was in the Muggle version of the ceremony. Of course, even in Muggle ceremonies there was some magic - they just didn’t really notice. But it wasn’t something that could be duped, ultimately. You did have to at least get along with your spouse-to-be.

Theodore’s lips quirked a little at the sides and he chuckled before gesturing absently to the snoozing portraits. They were all beginning to get a little louder now, prompting Theodore to suspect that very few of them were still sleeping. Phineas Nigellus Black hadn’t even bothered with pretending; he was wide awake and watching with avid interest. Shacklebot was the only one Theodore actually believed to be sleeping. No one could feign that level of disinterest while still listening to things below. That was the beauty of Kingsley Shacklebot - in his later life he’d lost himself and given into a derisive disinterest that no one else, not even Black, could replicate. At least he was on side. The rest of them were complete peeping toms - Dumbledore particularly!

“You can’t just come onto the grounds without the Headmaster knowing,” Theodore explained without the edge of arrogance that true wakefulness would’ve afforded him with. “You’ve been here a while, at least, which suggests to me that you were going to see your mother. I’m merely a footnote, unless of course you got lost, which I don’t believe for a moment.” He smirked before gesturing for her to follow him.

“Don’t worry; I’m not offended,” he added jovially, “quite glad, actually. I’d much rather bicker with you sober than I would with a stomach full of ...well, anyway, marshmallows I can certainly provide.”

Theodore jumped up the stairs, being careful to avoid the quill that he’d rested on a stack of books a few days before that had, since, had the penchant for tickling at his ankle. Soon enough he reached the living quarters landing, the middle floor beneath the study and the three bedrooms that were upstairs. Then of course, above that, was his own personal library - an extension of what was already in the library - followed by an owlery and a place from which he could suitably watch the stars without going to the Astronomy tower and breaking up some sort of romantic rendezvous.

Entering the kitchen, Theodore flicked his wand, having taken it out of his pocket once more, and lit the candles which were hovering in the air. It was quite large, really, despite the fact that the tower, from the outside, was skinny and not at all particularly safe-looking to inhabit. Still, magic did wonders and he had large worktops, an island with stools at which to sit if he couldn’t be bothered to set the table, and an ornate dining table and chairs which looked straight out of the Founders’ era. Then, of course, there were some pieces of art, a few ill-looking plants and a side dresser full of plates, glasses, some books and some odds and todds that Theodore wasn’t entirely sure belonged to him.

There were also some false teeth floating in a blue liquid on top of the fridge. It was clean enough and not at all disgusting-looking beyond the initial dismay that someone had left their teeth in a blue jar. Theodore genuinely didn’t have the gut to deal with it so, after cleaning the top of the fridge when he’d arrived, taking off everything bar the jar, he determined that it made a rather bemusing feature. Plus, for some reason, also, the blue liquid glowed in the dark - interesting, indeed.

Theodore took a saucepan out from the cupboard above the stove and set it down on the gas before going in search of some milk. After pouring enough for what they’d want into the saucepan, he followed it with a cinnamon stick and a vanilla pod and seeds which he quickly chopped up and scraped clean after removing it from the little jar he had in his spice cupboard.

“Just need to let that boil,” he said, mostly to his self, before reaching up to take out two glasses prematurely, figuring it was better to have things ready than be flapping around trying to get the chocolate to melt and find something to put the hot chocolate into. “Cookies or brownies? Which would you prefer or would you like to go with both?” He inquired lightly before opening up one of the darker, cooler cupboards in which he kept his biscuits and other sweet creations. “I do have some Viennese whirls in here, if you’d like. They’re not made up but I do have jam and cream if you want to have a little bit of fun.”

Food was certainly, easier to discuss than a wedding - especially when sweets were involved. Plus, you couldn’t discuss a wedding on an empty stomach! It was important to be full and contented. Then they could bicker and snip until the cows came home.

Phineas Black was somewhat of a nosey bugger. Every time Hallie had ever been sent into the Headmasters study there was was, leering down upon the scene, occasionally calling out his opinion. Not that there was anything wrong having an opinion, just, he didn't seem to have a filter. Then again, neither did Hallie at times. Hopefully he would remain silent during their conversation, and if he didn't, well Hallie might have a thing or two to say to him. 

Hallie stared at Theodore, a mingle of confusion and praise on her face. Had he been doing his research on her? Flicking through her student records, found out she had a knack for wandering the castle. Hallie never understood why it was a crime, it was an adventure and most of her adventures never got her into any danger. Most of them anyway.

'Whatever.' Hallie responded casually to his statement about bickering and what not. She followed him into the kitchen, a part of the study Hallie had never seen. Even if there were a pair of rather discomforting teeth peering at her at least it wasn't the gaze of Mr Black out there.

'Who knew you, Professor Rookwood, had such a sweet tooth.' Hallie chuckled, nudging him patronisingly. In the meeting he'd come across as a bit of a swine, an arrogant swine demanding this and that. Yet, here he was asking her if she wanted brownies, cookies or both.

'Just brownies.' Hallie retorted, she didn't have time make a silly jam roley poley or whatever it was that he was talking about making. Cooking wasn't her forte. Although in that a thought had struck her. Fun. Theodore was actually open and have the word fun in his vocabulary. Perhaps he wouldn't be a terrible Father after all, maybe he would be the one to bake with the children and serve wonderful meals whilst Hallie took the children out on adventures and. No. They would defiantly both be mucking in when it cane to nappy time.

'And, do you have anywhere private in here we can go? I don't really want all them-' She jerked her head towards the main room, '-listening in on us.' 

It wasn’t much of a secret in Rookwood circles that Theodore enjoyed cooking. It was something his father had always scorned him for but ate whatever Theodore put in front of him without complaint, often praising the House Elves that made it, thoroughly embarrassing Theodore when the younger man had to admit to his father that he didn’t have a House Elf - utterly befuddling Thaddeus because it didn’t seem to compute with him, the idea that his son was capable of cooking. Unlike Lionel, his revered younger brother who was a welcome softener to the blow of losing two children either side of his birth, Theodore was handy around the kitchen and made a point of not keeping House Elves unless the home in which he was staying needed cleaning beyond the usual ‘scourgify.’

“Theodore,” he corrected his fiancée. “If I’m going to marry you, Auror Cooper, then you can at least call me by my name. You get the joy of trying to repeat the middle names.” He chuckled, despite himself, before reaching to stir the milk. “Yes indeed - a sweet tooth. It’s one of my many flaws, I’m sure you’d agree. However, it does mean that you’ll never not have something to eat if you’re peckish. I’ve been trying to perfect hard-boiled sweets lately but they’re still not quite right.” He frowned a little bit and took down the jar of brownies before moving to the freezer portion of the fridge.

Theodore quickly removed a tub of Highland ice cream which he wagered was just as good, if not better, than the Cornish stuff and set it on the side to warm up enough to get out without breaking the ice cream scoop in the process - something late night impatience and a need for ice cream had often resulted in.

“Just brownies,” Theodore scoffed. “No such thing unless you’re going to eat the whole jar. We need to mix hot and cold. Sweet with even sweeter. Ice cream.” He smiled a little, as much as Rookwood can, and turned around, glancing absently at the pan before nodding absently. “I can close the door,” he offered. “That’s about all you’re going to get. They hear everything anyway. I’ve already heard one too many stories about how past headmasters have grown their families during their tenures at Hogwarts. They’re dead but very much alive, I’m afraid, and I’ve already tried the curtain trick the Blacks used on Walburga’s portrait. Dumbledore managed to set fire to them.”

“Besides,” Theo added, moving to stir the milk again as it began to bubble and thicken. “If we close the doors they’ll invent some sort of tale about you jumping my bones and vice versa and they will find a way to tell your mother, my mother and everyone else’s mother along with the kitchen sink so if they have to hear something in order to get them to shut up, I’d rather it be that. Unless of course you do jump my bones in which case, I shan’t be too worried about their gossip.” Theo chuckled, an impish grin on his features, and he watched as the milk quickly, all of a sudden came to the boil.

Theodore removed the pan from the heat and turned off the hob. He set it on one of the cool rings and then went up into the cupboard for some chocolate. He unravelled it from the packet and dropped it in with an unceremonious ‘plop!’ before putting the packet in the bin. He wouldn’t disturb the chocolate until it really began to melt, instead he left it to melt in its own, good time and turned back to Hallie.

“So what input am I meant to have? Forgive me but I was never very good about being involved with my parentally orchestrated betrothal so I didn’t exactly retain much. Apart from paying, turning up and not going to see strippers the night before...what am I meant to do?”

Hallie couldn't help but scoff when he referred to her as 'auror Cooper', he was beginning to let her in, show off his personality. Theodore wasn't all the ass he seemed to illustrate. In fact, he was soft. A soft lil rich boy who liked to bake his cakes and eat them too. 'Just as long as the children don't have too much, can't be spending time at the dentist every other week.' Hallie paused. She'd mentioned children already, it had just flowed from her Tongue without thought. Did this mean she'd come to accept that he would be the Father after all?

'Fine a dollop of ice cream.' Hallie gave in, 'vanilla! Too much chocolate'll make me sick.' She added as Hallie walked towards the door and gave it a tough close before whipping out her wand and pointing it at the door. Muffliato, with a swish at the door anyone the other side would have their ears filled with a buzzing sound, meaning anyone the other side wouldn't be able to hear. And by 'anyone' she meant the old Headmasters and Headmistress'.

'They can think what they like, they're not listening.' Hallie told Theodore as she returned by him, leaning against the island in the middle. 'Now.' Now it was time to get into detail, really discuss their future together. 

The blue eyes of Hallie watched as he opened a packet of something or another, emptied it, then popped it in the bin. The way he worked his way around the kitchen was rather charming on the verge of hot - not so hot if he had a top on.

'It's not about whose job is whose.' Hallie replied. 'We need to talk about the wedding, where we're-' Her eyes had caught his pectoral muscles again, gosh they were great. 'Where we're living, finance, like whose-' The blue eyes travelled down to his neatly engraved abdominals. '-whose money is whose and.... And-'

Hallie glanced in another direction, her eyes focusing on the blue jar of failed teeth, hoping they weren't Theodore's, although chances are it was a possibility thanks to his sweet tooth. 'And.' No, she couldn't say it looking at a pair of teeth, reverting her attention back to Theodore she refrained from dropping her gaze past his mouth. 'And sex.' 

'We're going to, you know, end up-' Raising a hand to her forehead she groaned slightly. 'I'm sorry but can you please put a top on, it's kind of distracted talking about sex when you're, you're, well. Looking like that!' Hallie shouted waving a hand in the direction of his topless body. 

Pureblood wives were a little different from, well, Hallie. She wasn’t going to lay back, think of England, Ireland, Scotland or wherever the Ministry had sourced her from and then busy herself with whatever it was she’d spend his money on. The latter wasn’t exactly something that Theodore could afford, however, and the differences were, finally, beginning to sink in positively. She wouldn’t bleed him dry and she would work for as long as possible before the Ministry started getting batty about babies or whatever it was they planned on doing. She’d do her own thing and, oddly, that independence had always drawn him to certain kinds of women - the Halfbloods and the Muggleborns of his peer group and, occasionally, just outside. He’d never seen himself marrying such a lady, though.

Theodore scoffed back at Hallie in response, a smirk lighting on his features, and he chuckled before moving back to the cupboard in search of some marshmallows which, unfortunately, he couldn’t boast to having made. He took the small jar down, grateful for the shrinking charms he’d put on the marshmallows, and took a handful out, placing them onto the side before replacing the lid on the jar and putting it back up into the cupboard. Once the door had closed, Theodore took his wand off of the side and a clean plate off of the draining board rack. He set it down on the island and pressed his wand onto the ceramic, setting some bluebell flames there. Then, he charmed the marshmallows to hover above the flames and brown off a little bit and, at their barest, warm up some.

“So,” He stated, his mouth moving the barest of flutters as he watched the flames. “We make sure they clean their teeth, don’t we?” He queried rhetorically. “Besides, you should always have a sweet after dinner. Not that I’ve made dinner. Perhaps next time?” He quirked his eyebrows upwards playfully before returning to the stove, hesitantly moving to poke at the chocolate, the broken squares at the top having finally begun to give up their shape into the mixture.

At her admission about the chocolate, Theodore chuckled, recalling many a time he had relinquished his belly’s contents as a child when he’d grown far too excitable after what could only be considered a ridiculous amount of sugar. That had been his mother’s way of placating him, though. He’d been her favourite in many ways and her least in others but he’d always been the favourite of her friends whose sons had long grown and their homes no longer had that long-missed patter of footsteps on creaking floorboards. Their doting had given him his taste for sweetness in all facets of life: food, women, wine, art - for his many vices, he held them responsible. He didn’t blame them, though. No, responsibility and blame were two different things. He wouldn’t have done things differently.

“Too much chocolate makes you dislike chocolate,” he told her easily. “Besides, vanilla’s the best for this kind of thing. It’s plain but palatable and that’s what we need.”

Theodore truly began to stir the mixture now, loosening the chocolate until, finally, it was time to whisk. He removed the spoon, dropping it into the sink and the frothing water that had gathered there in the bowl, and reached over for the whisk in the pot with other metal utensils - some of which he wasn’t entirely sure what he was supposed to use them for, but glad of them all the same. Then, with the whisk in hand, he began to deftly stir the mixture with practised vigour, listening to Hallie carefully, still, but concentrating adamantly on their drink. Once the mixture was frothy, creamy and the right texture and consistency, he could add the sugar and then, they’d be ready.

After setting down the whisk, Theodore lifted up the pan and poured hearty amounts of hot chocolate into the cups on the side. Once they were suitably filled, he cleaned up the sides of any spillage and took the cups over to the island. It was then that Hallie finally spoke up about what he’d not noticed to have been bothering her and Theodore’s eyebrows shot to his hairline, an absurdly amused expression changing and encroaching over his face.

“Oh, I see. You want to do it in the reverse order, do you?” He queried, pushing the hot chocolate towards her before returning to the other counter to take down some plates. Theodore began to talk as he set out three brownies on each plate and two dollops of ice cream, stopping only a moment to rummage in search of some caramel for himself.

“You want the sex,” he told her as he took down the bottle. “And then you want to talk about money and finance and where we’re living and the wedding and whose job is whose, yes?” He smirked at her as he shook the bottle and after squirting some of the caramel over his ice cream, he put the bottle back and took the plates over with two spoons.

He put the plates down and smiled a little at her. “I’ll go and get a jumper. I’d say take off your top and we’d be even but I do want you to drink the hot chocolate and unlike the whisky, that will scald my skin so, if you’ll excuse me.”

He ducked out of the room for the barest of seconds and hurried up the stairs, finding, much to his delight, a jumper folded up on the end of his bed along with a hamper of washing from one of the House Elves who didn’t appear to have gotten the message: that he could do it. Still, Theodore was grateful and slid the jumper on over his head as he made his way back downstairs and into the kitchen once more.

“Okay, so, we’ll figure out the sex last, shall we?” He chuckled. “What was it first? Whose job is whose, right? Do explain, blondie. Isn’t it a prerequisite that I do all the DIY?” Again he chuckled and sat down opposite her, reaching for his hot chocolate which was, at a first taste, pretty darn good if he did say so himself. “Eat. Please. I don’t want to be accosted by your mother for not eating my supper because I went through this and yours.”

'Yes.' Hallie replied without thinking, 'I mean no, yes, no I-' Pausing she shook her head in a fluster. 'Shut up.' She muttered, a slight blush flourishing around her cheeks as she took the hot chocolate and quickly hid behind the cup as she took a sip. Trying not to let her eyes drift to the beauty of Rookwood's physique Hallie focused directly on what was in his hands. Caramel. Being squeezed. Oh, such strong, masculine ha- focus Hallie she warned herself non verbally. 

As Theodore walked her way, yet again, Hallie couldn't resist the urge to take another glimpse of what he had to offer. She couldn't deny it. The ministry had matched her well, despite the initial arrogance Rookwood held. He was tall, dark, slightly older than her and handsome. Oh how beautiful their children would be - unless the Rookwood's held any secret scars below the belt.

'Oh God!' Hallie gasped, placing he mug on the island. 'I really am sorry about that I kind of, umm, got ahead of myself.' Hallie apologised, her bright blue eyes staring as equally apologetic into Theodore's whilst her hand rested gently on his arm. 

Upon realising where her hand was he quickly retracted it. Perhaps a jumper was the solution to her hormone crazed mind. Hallie was a sweet, classy girl who was deeply attracted to men. Everything about men she loved. Their hands, strong jaw-lines, wide shoulders, facial hair. The male specimen really was a marvellous creation, a creation to be enjoyed and why shouldn't she enjoy it? It was necessary, natural and Hallie shouldnt feel bad about appreciating the workings of God. Or evolution, whichever it was.... Magic.

Hallie took a sneak peak at his bum on his exit for a jumper. Damn. That was hot too. Was there nothing hot about this man? Thinking back the way he had stormed in the office, demanded this and that to the deputy minister was rather hot. Very hot. So hot, at the time, Hallie hadn't even noticed it. She did have a thing for the rebel.

'Cool it Hal.' She muttered to herself during his absence. Right now letting her emotions drive her, as they usually did, wasn't going to get her anywhere. Sure if they had sex now it'd solve the awkward sex talk about when they did, how it would be. No. No. She couldn't have sex with him, not in the headmasters study. He was a professor! And she a kinky school girl. No. No. Hallie had to keep a clear head.

Thank God for the jumper. Hallie thought silently ad Theodore returned to a slightly embarrassed Hallie Cooper. Oh. The arrogance was back, or was it flirtatiousness? Whatever it was Hallie didn't care, she was far from fed up of being called blondie.   'You do remember what happened the last time you called me blonde, don't you?' She quizzed testily, her face slightly forward and her eyes somewhat warningly in a sultry way. Clearly her sudden sexual arousal hadn't fully left her. 

'And I'll nibble. I cant eat three brownies and ice cream, what are you trying to do make me chubby?' She asked, an eye brow raised whilst she raised the brownie to her mouth and took a deep, slow bite. 'Oh God. Maybe I will eat it all.' And with that she took another bite.

'Now. Money. I was thinking what's mine is mine and yours I yours for now? Then later down the line we can get a family vault, make it easier for the children when we die.' Wow. How morbid. Hallie really was thinking into the future, six months ago she didn't like the idea of that. No mystery. It was surprising how adult life changed your perspective. 

'For the wedding I'm thinking Hogwarts. That way I can have my Mum and Maura Goldstein as braidsmaids. Plus it might be a good thing for the students to see some joy - if we're happy about getting married by then.' Hallie added before continuing on discussing whatever she wanted to say. 

'The house. In all honesty I think it's best I move into one of the bedrooms upstairs and use the floo network to get to work each day. That'll keep me closer to my family and give us more chance to get to know each other, we may as well try seeing as we're stuck together.' Taking a sip of her hot chocolate Hallie paused.

'Which... Leads on to the sex.' Closing her eyes briefly and rubbing her Tongue against her teeth Hallie quickly thought about how to word what she wanted to say. 'I think if we live together, here, and get to know each other it'll be less awkward. I mean, heavens knows it'll be awkward unless it just. Y'ano. Happens.' Like how Hallie had been edging for it earlier, perhaps if they had done it then it wouldn't have been the worst of things.

'After that comes children. Miss Levski or whatever she is called said I am very likely to have a boy so if we do then I really do want him to be called Robert, after my Dad and then I am willing to let the Toby slide in return for our next boy being called Toby - you can have the middle names named after your Dad or brother if you like. Oh. And seeing as I'm changing my name to Rookwood I think it's best they are Rookwood's too. Oh. And I just realised I said a load of stuff without giving you chance to talk. So go. Say whatever you want and don't dare hand me that jar of teeth telling me to christen them Robert!' 

With the jumper on, Theodore looked less like he’d just rolled out of his lover’s bed and was aching to roll back into it. Instead he looked more like his place was on a couch on a Sunday in late autumn, just before it turned winter and the brittle leaves finally relinquished their hold on the trees. There was nothing overtly sexual, he didn’t think, about a man in pyjama bottoms and an old yet well-loved jumper. He’d pulled the sleeves up to his elbow, showing creamy skin, peppered with freckles and moles but exempt from what many members of his family wore on their forearms: the Dark Mark.

He was purer than them, in that manner. The Ministry had taken him out of the ill-tempered, tetchy stock of Rookwood men because he wasn’t outwardly involved in anything underhand or blatantly illegal. He stood on the Wizengamot for the explicit reason that he was boring. He had always been encouraged to do something this way, or that way, and buy this instead of that, cultivate it and sell it for five times the price. He’d been taught to do that and he’d ignored it. What he’d gained from it was an enviable position which had been neglected for decades by their family. Hogwarts was a lucky, or unlucky, accident by those terms.

Shifting in his seat a little as he listened, Theodore picked up his spoon and broke into the soft brownies which immediately began to ooze dark chocolate from the soft centre which had taken him weeks to truly perfect. Now, it was an art form of sorts and something he could be proud of. He distinctly remembered his sister quipping that if he lived in the countryside then he should join the Women’s Institute and grow vegetables in order to enter the many contests they ran on that front as well as the annual baking bonanza. Theodore didn’t tell her, really, how up for that he actually was.

“I thought it’d at least be five years before you started thinking about having me killed off,” he commented dryly as he spooned some ice cream into his mouth. Theodore ran it across his palette with the tip of his tongue and savoured the sweetness before letting it drift down his throat.

He swallowed a mouthful of hot chocolate as he considered what she was saying. Theodore licked his lips a little and clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth before cutting up another piece of brownie with the side of his spoon.

“If I were you, I’d split the vaults and put a fund in to buffer between. Secure the main portion and have the trust fund, if you will, open so that, in the unlikely event we happen to run amuck a dark lord or two, they will have something to live off of. Just let the Goblins know what they’re meant to do with the main vault and make sure they know to hex anyone who decides to siphon gold out prematurely.”

He pushed around some more of the brownie, eating some of it with the ice cream before a mouthful of hot chocolate to follow it and he nodded here and there, continuing to show Hallie that he was in fact listening to her.

“My tailor had my cousin-in-law deliver my dress robes to me. Apparently, I’ve been ignoring him.” Theodore smirked a little before reaching up to wipe the side of his lips clear of a bit of lingering caramel. “I think you may know her. Athena Goyle would ring more of a bell, I should wager. Being that she will most probably be the only one to come, she’d like my cousins to be flower girls.”

Theodore paused for a moment, deliberating over the ice cream before looking at Hallie properly.

“Hogwarts is a nice idea,” he conceded gently. “Perhaps then, some of the older ones would be less inclined to kick up so much of a fuss when Levski turns up to write off their lives.”

Their unity was more of an important factor for the students than it was even for them. Whether they bickered and griped and snipped and loathed each other later didn’t matter as long as on the day, all was well. The students needed to see that the Ministry could produce healthy, happy couplings and, that way, Theodore was half-sure that they’d be happier about their own matches and less distraught about the whole affair. He wanted his students in Hogwarts, learning and growing, maturing under their own steam. If it meant that, too, they had to be married in order to stay, he’d find a way to make sure none of them ran into difficulties along the way.

“I did inform Krum, perhaps rashly, that I’d changed my mind on the house. For now, that will do. I will pose it to my father, the idea of lending me some money, as much as it pains me. I don’t particularly want children growing up in a city. But that’s coming from someone who grew up in the countryside so, naturally, I want the same. Ultimately, I don’t want to go home. I can’t have that. The lesser of the two evils is to owe my father money and that’s what I’ll take if he’s willing to indulge me. At the expense of sounding ridiculous, for what I think you deserve, we’re talking in the region of eleven million and upwards which is, granted, cheaper than in London but certainly, it has better views. A bargain, really. For now, here will be fine.”

He intended on changing that as soon as possible, though. He’d already had a cheeky inspection of the grounds around the property and had considered breeding race horses to fill the stables that the property had. As it was, though, he didn’t think Hallie would take particularly kindly to that level of opulence - especially if she was willing to settle in a rather cramped tower that, really, wasn’t the place for man and wife at all. He wanted a home and grounds to walk. He wanted sheep grazing and all of the trappings that living in the countryside brought with it.

And by Merlin, he was determined to get it.

The sex talk wasn’t something that Theodore was entirely ready for, if he was to be honest. Perhaps it was because he felt like a child again, with his mother trying to explain that really, Thaddeus wasn’t doing anything awful to her at all. Of course, as much as she’d tried to play it off, Theodore had known it wasn’t her who his father was being exceedingly grotesque with. Every Rookwood man had a mistress under his wife’s nose. It wasn’t something Theodore was particularly interested in repeating - if only because, truly, he did worry about Hallie being angry and that anger being directed at him.

“You underestimate me,” He commented dryly, a slow smirk creeping onto his face. “Don’t you worry, on that front, I don’t believe we’ll have much of an issue, hm? It’s not a particularly challenging obstacle.”

Theodore’s eyebrows rose a little bit, surprised at her being so forthcoming with what Levski had said. He hoped that she would expect the same honesty from him because she wouldn’t be getting it, not until he was settled with it himself.

Theodore brushed his hand over the length of scarred skin between his smallest finger and the cockle of his wrist. He sighed minutely and nodded thoughtfully for a moment before considering what he was going to reply to her with.

“I won’t be honouring my father like that,” he informed her, coolly. “You are welcome to both names but can I press you for Tobias? He does need to get a job at some point and while Lord Toby sounds endearing as a four year old, it won’t be met with much respect when he’s twenty and looking for something to occupy his time with.” Theodore chuckled despite himself and shook his head, returning his attention to the brownies once more.

“There, I don’t think we’ll do too badly, will we?” He smirked before hastening to add. “Don’t feel the need to rush off later. You’re welcome to stay for dinner and flush out mothballs from beneath your preferred bed if you like.”