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Theo Nott’s life had changed the moment Hermione Granger made him sit through a Blink-182 album. After the war, a lot had changed. Enough so that somehow Draco had managed to successfully ask Hermione out on a date, and the rest was history.
That was how Theo had found himself sat with Pansy and her in her’s and Draco’s cottage on the outskirts of the Malfoy estate, three bottles of red wine deep into an evening of waiting for Draco to return from his most recent Auror training placement. The full pardon he’d received at the behest of Harry had been down to his insistence that the knowledge the youngest Malfoy held about Death Eaters behaviours could be invaluable to the Ministry, and they’d eaten it right up.
Hermione had taken all but one dinner to warm to. He was surprised to find her to be one of the quickest, funniest people he’d ever met, not the uptight swot he’d been taught to hate in school. She also had a killer taste in music. The record player in the centre of the room was never turned off.
Every song was an assault on Theo’s senses. And he fucking loved it. Where he’d grown up being told muggles were dirty, and a waste of air thanks to his wonderful father, the space of one evening was enough to convince him they were all geniuses. Every last one of them.
“You know,” Hermione said, her cheeks slightly red and words ever so slurred, “They perform this stuff live a big events, for muggles. They’re called festivals. Loads of bands playing at once for like three days straight.”
Theo’s head turned slowly, a his eyes finding hers, trying to convey every ounce of wonderment he could. “I want to go. Now. Can we go right now?”
She laughed, reaching for the fourth bottle of wine on the table. “Unfortunately not. However-”
Wednesday 20th August 2003
2:46pm
Malfoy Manor, Wilshire
2 days before Reading Festival
“Granger, I literally cannot fathom how little you are packing right now.”
Pansy was stood staring horrified down at the small duffle bag Hermione was holding, containing all the clothes she intended to wear for the four days they were camping, whilst Theo, Draco, Blaise and Adrian were practising putting up a tent without using any magic in the sprawling lawns of Malfoy Manor.
Hermione smiled at her, thoroughly amused by her utter dismay. When she’d first suggested going to Reading with the Slytherins, she’d been half joking, only having the idea come around after Theo had gone nuts for her record collection. What she hadn’t expected was everyone to enthusiastically agree going.
Well, almost everyone.
“This is going to be a fucking nightmare,” Pansy declared, throwing herself dramatically into one of the camping chairs she’d just been introduced to.
“Oh stop being dramatic, you’ll love it,” Hermione dismissed her, dropping the bag she’d been holding up in demonstration to return to emptying a varying array of spirits into clear plastic water bottles. “Anyway, it’s not like you had to pay for it. I took all the money out of Theo’s vault.”
The aforementioned’s head suddenly popped up from where he and Adrian had been fighting with a tent pole whilst Draco and Blaise shouted obscenities at the canvas structure. “What were you saying about me, Granger?” He called.
“Nothing, lovely, back to work please,” she called back, before turning back to face Pansy and saying in a quieter voice, “I was just going to pay for it myself, but then he said he din’t like Linkin Park that much and I took that as a personal slight.”
Pansy groaned, throwing her head back in exasperation, then promptly screamed when the chair toppled backwards with the minimal force she’d exerted.
Thursday 21st August 2003
Roughly 9am
Just outside Calcot
1 day until Reading Festival.
“Draco you are never driving us anywhere ever again,” Adrian huffed from the very back of the car, where he and Theo had commandeered the two fold up seats in the boot.
They were stuck on the M4, and had been for about two hours. Every inch of the car that didn’t contain a person was packed with cold bags, rucksacks or blankets, as they had to at least look like they weren’t keeping a majority of their belongings already in the tent to avoid any suspicion from muggles.
To his credit, Draco had done extremely well. Theo had spent a majority of the car journey singing obnoxiously loudly to every single song that came on, whilst Blaise, Pansy and Adrian had played possibly the worlds longest and most competitive game of ‘I spy’
“-something beginning with ‘R’-”
“Road?”
“No.”
“Renault?”
“Blaise, I do not know what that is, no.”
“Race Car?”
“Rain cloud?”
“It’s not raining or even remotely cloud you fucking dolt, River?”
Hermione could quite literally see the life leaving Draco’s eyes the longer they edged along the motorway, a vain in his forehead visibly throbbing. “Do you want to pull over at the next service station?” She asked tentatively, should it send him spiralling and he end up crashing the car. Or killing someone. Or both, even.
He wordlessly shook his head, although his grip on the steering wheel was enough to turn his knuckles white. Hermione wondered if one of them would actually go insane that weekend.
Thursday 21st August 2003
1:34pm
Green Campsite, Reading
1 day until Reading Festival.
“Jesus fucking Christ on a bike I am never doing this without magic again,” Blaise heaved as the final tent pole was slid into place, though rather notably he had used the muggle phrases Hermione had been drilling into all of them for the sake of secrecy. On the flip side, his flippant reference of magic had made the effort entirely redundant.
Theo was beaming like a mad man as he looked around, the field they’d chosen full of predominant teenagers and young adults similar to themselves. He was delighted to note that the kids in the tent next to them were no older than 17 and already pissed, fumbling with their own tent and having a significantly harder time than the group of wizards next to them.
Hermione and Pansy were unloading the car while the rest of the boys carried what they needed into the tent, ignoring the rather surprised looks from passers by as four six-foot-something men and two women entered and exited a rather modestly sized canvas tent, as thy struggled to fit four being into the orange monstrosities they’d bought.
When Theo had mentioned has much to Hermione, she’d waved him off and said they’d likely all be way too off their tits to even notice anything was amiss by Thursday evening, and it’d be fine as long as no one actually got their wands out and started randomly casting.
Thursday 21st August 2003
11:25pm
Green Campsite, Reading
1 day until Reading Festival.
Theo had tears rolling down his face, doubled over in laughter and clutching at his sides, with Hermione having fallen off her chair and now rolling on the ground at Pansy’s feet and Blaise having to lean on Adrian to stop himself falling over. Draco was still gagging as he stared in utter shock at the five of them, water bottle clutched limply in his hand.
“WHY THE FUCK IS THERE VODKA IN A WATERBOTTLE?”
Barely able to pull himself together, Theo just managed to get out, “Ask Granger.”
Draco turned on her, from where she’d just been able to push herself to a seated position, back resting against Pansy’s legs as she fought to contain her laughter. “I did tell you I was bringing my own alcohol.”
They’d all been sat outside in a circle, working their way through a crate of canned been when Draco had announced that he wanted to brush his teeth, the reason unbeknownst to anyone, and he’d disappeared. What had followed next was the sound of him retching, then several minutes of gagging, before he’d emerged from their tent, holding the offending bottle with a face like a smacked arse. It took them, as a group, ten minutes to pull themselves back together.
“It’s not even good vodka,” Draco grumbled when he sat himself back into his own seat, pulling the blanket he’d been hoarding tighter around his shoulders.
Hermione just snorted from the floor, “You wanted me to bring the nice stuff with me? Absolutely not. Tesco’s own is perfectly fine for a festival.”
Adrian, still red faced from laughing, raised an eyebrow. “You are aware we are all rich, no? We could have just bought stuff from the bars here.”
All the humour had dropped from Hermione’s face. “Do you want to pay 15 quid for a pint of beer, Pucey?” Theo was actually quite scared by her tone.
As was Adrian, apparently, but less by her, more the horrific price just presented. “Fucking hell, give me as much of that cheap supermarket shit as possible.”
“That’s what I though,” Hermione smiled.
Draco looked like he wanted to cry.
Friday 22nd August 2003
9:30am
Green campsite, Reading
Day 1 of Reading Festival
With two saucepans held aloft in his hands, Theo smashed them together.
“RISE AND SHINE, FUCKERS!”
What followed was a display of exactly how much his fellows did not want to rise and shine.
“Nott I will fucking kill you,”
“Shut the fuck up,”
“Will literally shove that saucepan up your arse you wanker,”
“Azkaban would be worth doing exactly what I want to do to you right now,”
“They won’t find your body.”
The last came from a particularly irate looking Pansy, who stormed into the kitchen, her hair looking more rat nest like than ever before, dark purple circles under her eyes. Theo walked over to her, dropping a kiss on her nose. “Looking wonderful as ever, darling.”
“You’re lucky I love you, Theodore Nott, or I’d have hexed you out of this tent already.”
“Mmm, no you wouldn’t. Hermione said no wands this weekend.”
“You think I’d adhere by the rules?”
Taking her face in his hands, Theo smiled. “Hermione is quite literally the only person I’ve ever seen you take instructions from. So yeah, I do.”
She grumbled something unintelligible, then propped herself up onto her toes to give him a quick kiss before pulling back to rummage through the cupboards in search of some form of hangover cure.
“Barocca and a shot of coffee, Pans,” Hermione said, joining them in the kitchen. Surprisingly, her hair was fine, her curls tied back in a plait, but her eyes were just as dark, especially as she rubbed at them with the heels of her palm. An excellent start to the weekend, really, worth everyone already massively hungover.”
“I think I might die this weekend,” Pansy said flippantly, pressing a few buttons on the coffee machine she’d fought to bring, whilst Hermione filled six glasses with water (actual water this time, she made sure to check) and small tablets out of a little tube.
“At least you will have died having seen Blink-182 live and in the flesh.”
Theo thought his grin might be enough to split his face open.
Friday 22nd August 2003
4:17pm
Near the main stage
Day 1 of Reading Festival
“These cheesy chips were not worth the 7 quid I paid.”
“Yeah, no shit Theo.”
Friday 22nd August 2003
9:24pm
Main Stage
Day 1 of Reading Festival
Theo was having a religious experience. He genuinely felt his soul transcending from his physical being. Pansy was sat on his shoulders, holding hands with Hermione who was sat on Draco’s, both screaming along to Blink-182, joyfully oblivious to just how sweaty everyone was.
Blaise too had managed to wrangle his was onto Adrians shoulders after bribing him with his fancy cigarettes that he usually refused to let anyone else so much as look at, let alone smoke. (‘I import these from Italy, you peasant, get your own fucking cigs’) Although neither clearly had any idea what was being sung, it didn’t stop them from singing utter gibberish.
In fact, Theo was certain Blaise had started singing Weird Sisters lyrics in leu of not knowing anything else. He was absolutely pissed anyway, so it would hardly have come as a shock. To be fair, they were all pissed again, Theo having drunk a whole bottle of Asda’s own gin at the utter mortification of Pansy after Adrian bet he couldn’t do it.
And he was right. Theo had promptly thrown up in a bin. The cheesy chips making a reappearance really drove home the fact he’d paid a whole £7 for them.
However, he blamed the group of 15-17 year olds who had watched, and cheered, as he’d done it. He’d grumbled about them wanting to watch their elders suffer before being reminded that he was barely 23 and being far too dramatic, and then told to go and buy some water because his breath fucking stank.
Another heinous amount of money was parted with for the water.
One song came to a close, before another fired up, and Theo was utterly entranced by the drummer. Hermione had said he was called Travis or something, but Theo couldn’t help but stare at him. He was covered head to toe in tattoos, and he just looked so damn cool. Maybe it was the alcohol he’d consumed after the gin incident (or the gincident, as Draco has already started calling it) but he decided then and there that shaving his head and covering himself in tattoos would be an excellent idea that he would certainly never regret. Pansy then kicked him in the ribs.
Saturday 23rd August 2003
4:52am
Green campsite, Reading
Day 2 of Reading Festival
“Blaise, this is an excellent idea.”
“Adrian, move away from the strange man in the jacket. You are too high.”
“But he said the mushrooms were magic! And for only £50!”
“I know. Hence why I am asking you to move away. Now.”
“But magic!”
“Dangerous! Get in the fucking tent before I drag you by your hair.”
Saturday 23rd August 2003
10:06am
Green campsite, Reading
Day 2 of Reading Festival
Adrian was wearing sunglasses, with a blanket over his head and a cup of black coffee in his hand. “I am never drinking alcohol again.”
Draco snorted, passing him the plastic cup with the barocca everyone was being ordered to drink. “Well thats a fucking lie.”
Sighing, Adrian lifted the blanket just enough to accept the second drink before promptly dropping it again. “Yeah, it is.”
Blaise was still asleep, after having spent almost three hours trying to wrangle Adrian the night before after he’d woken up to find him missing at 2:30am. He’d found him eventually, sat with a completely different group of people, all sharing a joint as he called them by the wrong names. Apparently, convincing an inebriated Adrian that Draco was not a teenager with black hair and nose piercing was harder than he’d anticipated, and getting him back unscathed even more so when the place was crawling with drug dealers trying to overcharge idiots like him for thief spiked shit.
Surprisingly, Hermione and Pansy were ok, with only light headaches that a bit of paracetamol and some water had managed to cure. Theo, on the other hand, was almost as inconsolable as Adrian, awake but refusing to move from his bed. Despite being his girlfriend, Pansy offered him no sympathy and instead went to make some form of breakfast with Hermione (which was quite easy, considering their tent had a small stove in the kitchen and afforded them all sausage sarnies. It also afforded them a lot of jealous looks from their neighbours, including the 17 year olds from next door who they were convinced had not been in a state of sobriety since arriving).
Saturday had been the day Draco had most been looking forward to, being that it was being headline by Blur, his favourite of Hermione’s muggle music taste. Theo much preferred The White Stripes, and quickly learnt that neither Blaise nor Adrian had any idea who any of the acts were, and Blaise had infact resorted to singing Weird Sisters the night before. They also learnt that Pansy by far knew the most muggle music out of all of them aside from Hermione, but that wasn’t too shocking to him given that the girls had been attached at the hip for the better part of two years.
Still, they looked quite the group, all in varying degree of dress (or, in Malfoy’s case, undress, as he had decided to forego a T-shirt that day due to the excessive sweating of Friday), and varying distances away from ‘brink of death’ (Adrian was teetering).
However, what really made the morning was the appearance of the mudslide. Hermione had mentioned how bad festivals could get underfoot, but no one had really anticipated exactly what they saw when wondering back over to the stages once Adrian and Theo had been resurrected. Minimum of 5m long, thick mud trailed along the pathway, a whole line of, admittedly mainly men, queued up to throw themselves down it on the stomachs as a gathering crowed cheered and chanted for them. Adrian had to be physically restrained from joining in.
Saturday 23rd August 2003
11:56am
The Mudslide, Green campsite, Reading
Day 2 of Reading Festival
Adrian broke free of his restraints.
Adrian threw himself down the mudslide.
Adrian threw up.
Theo doesn’t think he will ever laugh as hard as he did in his life ever again.
Adrian was sent back to the tent to get changed.
Saturday 23rd August 2003
2:27pm
Main Area, Reading
Day 2 of Reading Festival
“Granger, what in the ever loving fuck is a port-a-loo?” Pansy’s eyes were wide with horror as she stared at Hermione, who, once again, was looking mildly entertained.
“Why, my wonderful friend, it is a toilet that can be rented and moved around.”
Blaise was snickering, having just witnessed Pansy’s first foray into festival toilets. It was safe to say she was not a fan.
“No, that was not a toilet. That was a troff full of liquid shit that I am somehow supposed to use and not immediately vomit over. Is this some sort of self flagellation alternative?”
Draco and Adrian had yet to return from their own adventure to the toilets, and Theo was half expecting Draco to have actually vomited. He was not remotely envious of either of them.
“Huh.” He heard Blaise say, his eyes following his friends up to the sky where he’d readjusted his attention. “Is that a tent disappearing off into the sky?”
Theo followed the triangular shaped orange meandering its way through the air above them, indeed floating higher and higher into the clear blue sky. “Well that’s unfortunate.”
Saturday 23rd August 2003
8:48pm
Main Stage, Reading
Day 2 of Reading Festival
“DUUUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUUUN DUN DUUUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN.”
The ground quite literally felt like it was shaking beneath their feet as 80,000 people simultaneously screamed the bass line along with The White Stripes. Once again, Pansy was on Theo’s shoulders, Hermione on Draco’s and Blaise on Adrian’s, all decidedly less drunk than the night previous but with plenty of time to bring themselves back up to speed.
Theo was legitimately unsure as to how he’d never even heard of a festival before now, the closest thing he could picture being the Quidditch World Cup he’d attended just before fourth year. Granted, the Quidditch World Cup paled in comparison, and had far less drunk and high teenagers.
Saturday 23rd August 2003
10:36pm
Main Stage, Reading
Day 2 of Reading Festival
OK, Theo understood why Blur was Draco’s favourite. The performance of Parklife had been legitimately life changing and feeling several sweaty bodies pressed against him as Song 2 blared all around them was unlike anything he’d ever felt. To have once believed that these around him should serve families like his, to now partaking in such a shared experience made the whole. weekend that much more important to him.
Pansy had only kicked him in the ribs three times that day as opposed to the previous day’s record breaking fourteen. She assumed she’d just realised kicking her legs in time with the music wasn't the safest bet after having seen the purple bruises that’d appeared along his sides that morning, though she hadn’t apologised. It wasn’t as though he cared either though, as long as she was enjoying herself.
An even louder scream can from Hermione when she realised her, Blaise and Pansy were all visible on the huge screens next to the stage, the cameras having focused on them for a few seconds before swinging across the crowds again, and then back to the band.
Sunday 24th August 2003
12:06am
Green Campsite, Reading
Day 3 of Reading Festival
Draco and Hermione disappeared off into their room of the tent, giggling like children before putting up an array of silencing charms. Incredibly subtle of them.
“I wonder how many children are born 9 months after this festival?” Pansy idly wondered out loud as they watched their friends retreating.
Theo hummed in agreement before looking down at her, then the sipper that lead to their own room. “Soooo, you wanna-?” He asked, and grinned when she shot straight from his side into the little compartment.
Sunday 24th August 2003
3:38am
Green Campsite, Reading
Day 3 of Reading Festival
It was Blaise screaming that woke him up. Like, legitimate, life in peril screaming. Theo was up from the bed in a second, barely got through the tent to find Blaise in the communal area, wearing only a pair of boxer shorts, staring in abject terror at a man no older than twenty in a windbreaker, Hawaiian shorts and neon green bucket hat staring with wide eyes around their tent.
“Ayo what the fuckkkkkkkk,” he slurred, his face in a mixture of disbelief and strange calmness.
Blaise was not looking between him and Theo in an utter panic. “I just wanted a drink and he was just standing in the entrance of the tent. I don’t know what to do.”
Theo tentatively took a few steps forward, not wanting to cause too much alarm. “Hey mate, are you lost?”
The man didn’t appear to register anything he’d said, instead just continuing to look in wonderment around him. “Did I walk into a different dimension?”
Lost for words, Theo made the final few steps separating them, and slowly put one hand on the mans shoulder, the other on his back, deciding to just try to manoeuvre him back towards the entrance. He followed surprisingly easily, putting up little to no resistance. Once back out in the open, he was quickly met by a ground of other men, roughly the same age.
“Gaz, you need to stop running off you wanker,” one in a matched green hat called, running over to Theo and grabbing his mate’s arm, giving him a grateful nod before promptly slapping Gaz over the back of his head with his free hand. “I told you you’d had too many shrooms.”
As they walked back off into the campsite, Theo could have sworn he heard him blabbing on about wizard tent, but thought nothing of it. He was obviously high, and Hermione had said any slips would likely be passed off as hallucinations. They were fine.
Blaise however, was not. He was practically shaking where he stood when Theo rejoined him.
“We just broke the statute of secrecy. I’m going to Azkaban. I can’t go to Azkaban, I’m far too pretty.” Theo just laughed, walking straight past him and back to bed, which in the short time he’d been gone, Pansy had managed to sprawl herself across rather unceremoniously.
Sunday 24th August 2003
10:43am
Green Campsite, Reading
Day 3 of Reading Festival
“Adrian you can’t eat pizza for breakfast.”
“I can, and I am. It was only £6. Here, try some.”
Draco took the slice that was offered to him, chewed for roughly fours seconds, then spat it back out. “That is not pizza, that is cardboard covered in tomato soup and mild cheddar. We have a whole kitchen, could you not just cook for yourself?”
Adrian shrugged. “It’s the festival experience.”
Sunday 24th August 2003
12:04pm
Green Campsite, Reading
Day 3 of Reading Festival
“Ok,” Hermione announced, leaving the tent, “We have one day left and six bottle of various spirits. I refuse to drink this shit when we eat back home to our fully stocked bar, so it has to go today. Anyone got any objections?”
Everyone shook their heads, barely playing any attention as they were all too focussed on Adrian who was teaching them how to properly roll cigarettes after calling them all posh arseholes for only ever smoking straights. Blaise was having none of it, making a big point to get through as many of his Italian imports as they all struggled with their rolling papers.
Hermione sighed, grabbing the utter disgrace Draco was fumbling with before rolling it perfectly. “Cheers, ‘Mione,” he smiled, his expression promptly dropping when she grabbed his lighter and lit it between her own lips.
“Nope, roll your own blems you lazy sod.” And she disappeared back into the tent.
“Where the fuck did Granger learn to do that?”
“Eh, she’s been coming to Reading since 1999,” Draco replied, instead just reaching for his own pack of cigarettes having completely given up.
Sunday 24th August 2003
5:16pm
Main Stage, Reading
Day 3 of Reading Festival
Theo had never heard a Good Charlotte song in his life, and decided that doing so after this weekend would improve it significantly. They were so fucking good.
Sunday 24th August 2003
10:47pm
Main Stage, Reading
Day 3 of Reading Festival
As Metallica’s set drew to a close, and the girls had returned too the ground after hours sat up in their boyfriend’s shoulders, the group of wizards traipsed their way back to their tents, none sober enough to be walking unsupported, having finished at least a water bottle of spirit each and then more, having bitten the bullet and paid the extortionate rates for bar drinks. Hermione and Pansy were still scream-singing, relying on each other to stop themselves from falling into the mud. Theo was certain that Pansy was grateful for being forced into combat boots for the weekend by now, despite how much she’d protested initially.
Theo was wearing five hats that he definitely had not arrived in, Blaise having made it a game to try and snatch them off the heads of unsuspecting people around them, everyone else having the joined in. Adrian just had him beat with six hats.
The bonfire that’d been set up in the middle of their campsite was somewhat unnerving, especially given that the lad tending to it looked about 15, but Theo honestly did not care. Instead, he pulled out the final crate of beer they’d had stashed in the tent, passing them out to everyone in their group as a muggle not far away produced a speaker, and began blaring his own music for everyone.
Monday 25th August 2003
2:28am
Green Campsite, Reading
1 Day after Reading Festival
Draco and Hermione had gone to bed at around 1am, since Draco was the designated driver still and thought it best to have had at least some sleep before braving the traffic the next morning, bur Blaise, Adrian, Pansy and Theo had elected to stay up later, having met a particularly nice group of muggles more their age who were more than willing to share the remainder off their alcohol. He didn’t catch their names, and doubted they’d caught his either, but sharing the joy of the final few hours of their weekend was good enough for Theo.
That was when the first tent went up in flames somewhere to their right, and they decided to call it a night.
He knew there was a ban on magic, but Theo did wordlessly cast a protego over the tent as he passed thought the door.
Monday 25th August 2003
4:32pm
Green Campsite, Reading
1 Day after Reading Festival
7 hours.
That was how long it took to get out of the car park.
They’d all woken up with by far the worst hangovers they’d ever had, replacing their single coffees and baroccas with instead as many shots of espresso and rehydration tablets as they could possibly manage without being sick.
Draco looked like a corpse. Seriously, Blaise said he reminded him of the Vampire that Slughorn had invited to their Christmas Party in 6th year, which had afforded him a massive amount of laughter from Hermione and a death stare from Draco.
They hadn’t even bothered with packing their stuff back into bags to go into the car, instead just dismantling the tent and deciding to deal with it when they got home. After all, enough muggles were just leaving their stuff on the field, them only packing a tent into the roof box didn’t look as strange as turning up with nothing.
And then the literal hell on earth had ensued.
Cars everywhere with no order to anything, poor workers who definitely were not being paid enough scrambling to give directions to people we who were not listening and certainly too drunk to be driving was all anyone saw for the remainder of the morning and into the afternoon.
When they’d finally escaped, Draco has announced that’d never been so happy to see the motorway in his life.
“I am never being dragged to a festival again. Ever,” he announced.
“Give it a week tops and you’ll be asking me to book Glastonbury,” Hermione countered, not even looking up from the book she’d had tucked in the car door.
“Nope,” he replied, briefly catching Blaise and Adrian fast asleep in the back of the car through the mirror.
“I am willing to put a good number of galleons on it.”
“I personally loved it,” Theo piped up, despite the dark circles under his eyes, hidden by a pair of Pansy’s sunglasses and a neon pink bucket hat securely on his head.
Hermione turned to beam at him. “I knew you would Theo. You down for Glasto?”
“Oh, absolutely.”
May 5th 2004
St Mungo’s
Almost 9 Months after Reading Festival
Strangely enough, 9 Months after the festival, Theo found himself sat in the waiting room outside the maternity ward of St Mungo’s next to a heavily pregnant Pansy.
“Remember when you asked me how many babies are born after festivals, Pans?” He asked lightly.
“I do.”
“I’m think the answer is ‘a lot’.”
She stared at him for a few, very long seconds. “Do you want a fucking medal?”
He went to answer, but was interrupted by Draco bursting into the room, looking like a madman with eyes wide. “They’re here.”
Theo and Pansy were on their feet immediately (Well, Pansy struggled a bit, but the sentiment was there), following Draco into the room, where Hermione was sat with two small bundles in her arms. She smiled up at them, before back down to the twins.
“Uncle Theo, Auntie Pansy, meet Scorpius and Lyra Malfoy.”
May 20th 2004
St Mungo’s
Almost 9 Months after Reading Festival.
Two weeks later, Sebastian Nott arrived after possibly the longest labour the hospital had ever seen. Pansy had morphed into a fire spitting lizard woman after three hours and banned a panicking Theo from the room and summoned a much calmer Hermione, meaning the two men were left alone with the newborn babies for several hours as Theo refused to sit still.
But it was all worth to the moment he held his son in his arms for the first time.
Agreeing to go to Reading Festival had truly been the most life changing thing Theo Nott had ever chosen to do.