Black [Theodore Nott]

Chapter 75

Lupin found himself staring at the walls of his house often for the past few months. Tonks had been trying to get the man to stop worrying by letting him feel the baby that continues to grow inside her, but even she was worried. Harry, Ron and Hermione were nowhere to be found; Hogwarts was now being run by Death Eaters; the Order's numbers are dwindling by the day; and Carina was still missing.

"Sweetheart." Tonks whispered as she took Lupin's hand with hers.

"For a moment, I remembered my first year at Hogwarts." Lupin smiled bitterly. "I thought I was going to be alone for the whole time I would be there, until a stubborn girl came my compartment in the train and asked if she could sit there."

Tonks smiled and just held on to Lupin's hand, she listened as her husband relived one of his happiest days (next to him getting married to her and finding out of her pregnancy).

"It was Emmanuelle..." Lupin smiled. "Who knew that a girl like her would actually befriend a creature like me..."

"And who would have thought a woman as kind as her would marry a man such as Sirius." Tonks said, smiling. "It's quite an odd pairing, don't you think?"

"Sirius married the most stubborn girl in Hogwarts." Lupin chuckled. "But as odd their pairing could be, they balanced each other... Emmanuelle was kind and gentle, she gave Sirius what he never had..." Lupin turned to his wife. "She gave him love."

"And she gave him the most beautiful gift of all." Tonks smiled.

"Yes..." Lupin's smile faltered. "I failed. Again."

"Sweetheart, you didn't..."

"Yes, I did..." Lupin's eyes were now glassy with tears. "I promised to protect their child... I failed... we don't know where Carina is – we don't even know if she's still –" Lupin stopped himself before he could even finish. No, he thought. The mere thought of Carina's body being found at the streets just like Alric Alston's, or at the floor of her home just likes her mother's broke Lupin.

"We'll find her, love." Tonks said as she wrapped her arms around Lupin's shouders and let the man cry on her chest. "We'll find her... the Order is doing everything they can..."

A knock on their door caught the couple's attention. Standing from where she sat, Tonks went to answer the door.

"Tom." Tonks said in surprise.

Tom came in to the home looking ragged, tired and beaten up.

"Tom, what happened to you?" Lupin asked.

"Snatchers." Tom muttered, "They're all over the place. They're looking for Charity."

"Where is she?" Lupin asked.

"Jason took her and the children to a portkey that took them outside the country." Tom said.

"Where?" Tonks asked.

"I don't know." Tom sat down on the chair, his fingers raking his brown locks. "Jason won't say, Roman won't say... but they gave me this.."

Tom fished something from his pocket, it was a piece of crumpled parchment. Lupin took it from Tom's hand and saw what was written inside.

We breathe flames

"A dragon?" Tonks asked.

"That's what I thought too, but what does it mean?" Tom asked, frustrated. "I don't know what to do now... Carina's captured, my family is Merlin knows where – I don't know what else to do..."

"Kohler." Lupin said.

"What?" Tonks and Tom asked.

"Kohler." Lupin repeated.

"What does that mean?" Tom asked.

"It's a name. It's a Scandinavian name – common to Muggle families in Scandinavia, but there is only one family of Kohlers known in the wizarding world." Lupin said.

"And you're saying that my wife and children at with them?" Tom asked. "Why? What are they anyway? Where are they?"

"Norway."

"Specific, Remus." Tom groaned.

"At the Dragon's Den."

•†•

"I miss you..."

Theodore looked at the mirror and stared in to Carina's gray eyes. Everyday, Theodore would check on Carina to see if she was still sane or alive (which she always wished), and everyday that he did he slowly regained Carina's trust once more, especially when he tells her about what was happening in Hogwarts and the world.

"I miss you too." Carina smiled.

He noticed a scar at her forehead, and frowned at the sight of it. They weren't treating her any better, she needed to get out of the Manor.

"Where are you, anyway?" Carina asked with furrowed brows. "Are you in the bathroom?"

"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom." Theodore said. "It's the safest place for me to see how you are."

"You don't have to." Carina said, "You could get in trouble..."

"I don't care..." Theodore said. "I have to know that you're safe."

"I'm not." Carina muttered.

"I know..." Theodore muttered.

There was silence between the two. Theodore stared at Carina's face and took in every detail she had.

"You know..." Theodore began, "I always wondered if I was never a jerk to you before... would we had been..."

Carina chuckled. "I guess. Why?"

"If so... then I wished I never had to put up that jerk-façade just to get your attention." Theodore smirked.

"As annoying as it was... it worked." Carina smiled. "But why did you act like a jerk for four years?"

"Because I thought that you wouldn't even give me a second glance with Roman around." Theodore chuckled at the memory.

They were first years then, he was walking along side Roman as they entered the Great Hall, he remembered seeing the girl he saw at Ollivanders; dark brown hair, gray eyes, and a sweet smile. When he was about to say something to the girl, Roman beat him to it by greeting her as if they were friends – they were friends. The girl didn't even notice him at first until Roman introduced him to her.

"Carina, this is Theodore – Theodore, this is Carina." Roman introduced them to each other.

"Carina Black." Carina held out her hand for Theodore.

"Black?" young Theodore thought out loud, and regretted to even thought of questioning her name.

"Why is it a problem?" Carina asked. "I know who you are, you're a Nott."

"So?" Theodore said coolly, "Got a problem with me being a Nott?"

Theodore saw the color at Carina's face, she was angry, and her reaction amazed him. Thus started the years of playing cool, cold, and sarcastic of Theodore Nott towards Carina; it was just to get a reaction from her – to get her to notice him.

"I have to go." Theodore told Carina. "You should to..."

"All right." Carina said.

"Stay strong."

"Stay strong."