Regency in Diagon Alley [Theodore Nott | Harry Potter AU]

Chapter Seventy-Five

Blood dripped from his chin where the blade had cut. Clicking his tongue, Theodore grabbed the towel to wipe the blood that rolled down his cheek and ran his thumb over the wound to heal. It was the second time he cut himself while shaving, for five years he has been shaving the stubbles that grew, only stopping the months before he came home, and still he has not mastered the art of it. When he was still duke, Roman would be the one to shave his stubbles, and for some reason he was good at it. Maybe it was because Roman was a painter and had steady hands or maybe it's because he was a swordsman, and he knew how to hold a blade?

It did not matter, what does is that Roman was not there to help him, and he would rather go to the soiree with a beard than ask Roman for help now. But with him already starting with shaving he needed to finish it or else he would look like a fool tonight.

The knock on the door disrupted Theodore from his concentration and had him cut himself again. Cursing, he called out for the person to enter.

"So, that's why you're in this room," Carina mused as she entered. "Why are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding," Theodore muttered as he tried to make a clean shave at the cheek.

Carina came behind him, her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her chin by the crook of his neck. "You don't use your own bedroom, you know. So, for you to do it, means you're hiding. Why?"

He sighed. "I wanted to surprise you tonight."

"Oh!" She smirked. "So, you plan to shave your beard and avoid seeing me until the ball?" she kissed him atop his head. "How sweet of you." She then pouted. "And how disappointing that this must go."

"I can grow it again if you want. But now, I think this is a good move – I was Percival Graves when I came here, and I guess part of that disguise was this thing... I want Theo to see me as Theodore Achilles – his father – and not have any trace of the man I pose to be as, and I am to grow it again, maybe then he will see me as me."

Her lips turned to a slight frown. "Are you having trouble with Theo?"

"No... but there are times – when we are alone – he would slip and call me 'Mr. Graves', of course I have me to blame for that. He apologizes and feels bad every time he slips. Maybe if I remove it, he wouldn't."

Understanding his reason, Carina made him face her, not caring if she touched the shaving cream on his face. "Do you need help?"

"I can shave on my own."

Smiling teasingly, she took the blade from his hand. "The cut on your cheek says otherwise. Come on," with a wave of a wand, she had his seat move back, giving her room to sit on his lap so she could do her work."

"And how is it you know how to shave a man's beard?" Theodore raised a brow. Carina got up, towering him and had him lookup, stretching his neck for her.

Smirking, she replied. "Does it bother you that I do?"

He was about to say something but then felt the blade lightly pressing on his skin and gliding upwards. Only when she finished the section did he speak, "Just for the record, I didn't breathe the entire time you had the blade on me – and you have very light hands."

"I'll take that as a compliment." She started on the next patch of his beard. Running the blade, gliding it along, leaving smooth and uncut skin. "When I was little, I asked Uncle Regulus if I could try shaving, problem was, I didn't have a beard. So, he taught me how to shave his beard. Cut him a few times, almost nicked his throat." Theodore's eyes grew wide at her. "But I learned, and since then – whenever I can – he let me shave his beard. Also, Roman and Morgan would ask if I could shave their beards, and so does Sirius. They say they prefer my light touch than the one in the barber shop."