Perfectly in Pieces

Chapter 20: Theo

TW!! - depictions of gore

All rights of characters and world are reserved to J. K. Rowling
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"Shit."

His whole body flinches as he hears the Floo pop in the main entryway.

"Shit, shit shit."

He grabs the contraceptive potion for Hermione, and stuffs it into his healing kit with the other items he was stalking up on for the upcoming fucking spectacle again.

They had needed them last time.

He runs out of the potion room, aiming for the storage closet on the right side across from his father's office.

He hears a pair of voices from the entryway getting louder as he opens the door, and closes it most of the way behind him, leaving a small crack so he can see who is in his house.

One voice had to be his father, since none of the detection spells had gone off. But who was the other one?

He backs himself all the way into the far corner of the closet, trying to keep his body away from the sliver of light coming through the small opening.

Breathe in.... 6 Breath out.... 7

"The lil shit has had that area warded ever since he learned how. I have never had the desire to try to work through them, but I did try a few days ago like you requested. No luck."

His father.

"I have never seen wards so dense. Not even at the manor. Can you assist me in trying to tear through them? I need to get to it."

Theo loses count of his breaths as he recognizes the other voice.

Dolohov.

Shit...

"Antonin, this obsession is going to kill you. Let it fucking go."

"Never."

"My offspring has been working on those wards for years, and I swear the lil Malfoy has added his own ever since he started living with him."

"Are they gay?"

"How the fuck would I know or care? And why do you?"

"Because I would much prefer if they are, because that means they aren't touching what is mine."

"She's a fucking mudblood Antonin, and she wasn't even good."

There is silence for a moment as he hears his father open the door to his study and walk in.

"I am going to go try. We can deal with the potion afterwards."

"No, we deal with the potion first, and then we can go try to break through. If we get this right, you may not even have to worry about the damn wards. Plus I need to get back to the base house as soon as possible."

He hears the door shut, and the voices become so muffled, he can't make out the words.

Theo continues to count as his body shakes. It always shook when he was close to his father. He hadn't touched him physically in years, but that hadn't stopped him from hexing, and using the cruciatus curse on him whenever his guard was down.

You're fine Theo. 85.
You're fine. 86.
Just breathe, breathe. 87.
You have to get up there before Dolohov. 88.
You have to warn them. 89.

He knew one normal wizard was never going to be able to break through the wards he and Draco had placed on his rooms. Like his father had said, he had been adding them one on top of the other for years to make himself feel as safe as possible.