Theo had been able to avoid Blaise for days now. He'd been in and out of the clinic loads of times. He'd been up in the loft looking at the disarray up there. It needed a lot of work, but he was thinking he'd have it clean enough to at least sleep in it by next weekend. He'd been staying on the futon in Weasley's office. She hadn't said anything about that. His bag of belongings was also sitting in the office.

Theo had given up wearing a suit and tie every day. Some of the work he did was messy. Thank the gods he'd had the scrubs he'd been given from St. Mungo's. He was tired of doing a laundering charm on them every day though. He needed to get a new pair or wear his shirt and tie every other day to mix it up. It sort of sucked not having real clothes anymore. He could count on his hands the number of articles he had, and this included his shoes and counting each one separately.

He liked the bakery in town. That was nice. He had just grabbed a sandwich today. He was walking back to the office and chewing when the lab door opened and Zabini stepped out.

"Oh hell."

Blaise looked up from the file in his hands and blinked.

"What the fuck?" he asked loudly. "I am not the one who communicates with the dead! That's Draco!" Blaise sighed and looked over at Ginny's office door. "Weasley! Know any exorcisms?"

Malfoy communicated with the dead? The fuck? Theo was scowling. "Not exactly dead, Zabini. Don't you read the Quib? I was the zombie employed at Mungo's. I'd eat your brain, but I am afraid I'd still be hungry after. Weasley's already said she would prefer me not snacking on the patients."

He took a bite of his sandwich and chewed loudly.

Blaise was very confused. He didn't read the Prophet because he knew the journalists were a bunch of lying pricks, and he didn't read the Quibbler because the journalists were a bunch of wackos.

"I don't know what you're babbling about, but you were dead. I had Tracey weeping on my shoulder about it. What the hell is going on, and why are you here?"

"I should have pamphlets made," Theo muttered to himself. "I work here."

He was surprised that Tracey had not run off immediately to her beloved Blaise and told him of the choking incident.

"I was declared dead. Not actually dead."

The walked into the office and flopped onto the futon. He had files spread on the little coffee table in there. He began looking them over and eating. Zabini was standing in the doorway looking pissed.

"You think I did it for the hell of it. You really don't know what's going on, do you? I was in one of those sodding camps. I was making fucking cauldrons with my own hands. They killed people in front of us. Muggles, Muggleborns... all those people that had just up and gone missing. Then I get back here and my whole life is in the shitter. Tracey married to fucking Goyle? What the shit is that shit? You let that wanker marry her? My mother's got herself a boyfriend. I have no research job - I have to work in emergencies at Mungo's and am expected to treat poodles before little girls with hex burns. My flat it let to someone else and all my belongings were sold off. Yes, this was my grand plan to escape Tracey."

Theo shook his head and started muttering to himself.

Blaise stopped and tried to take a mental inventory. Nott was not dead, just declared dead. He was stuck in one of those work camps he'd heard talk of. He also had no life left, and he was working in the same clinic Blaise did.

"First, I don't read papers, so no, I had no idea you were zombified and brought back. Second, I did not let Tracey marry Goyle. She ran off with him to America while Pansy was kidnapped by Crabbe. I hated Goyle before, but since that, Tracey has been nothing less than a cold bitch to me. We've only spoken once, and I nearly hexed her. Three, I've heard all about Mungo's and their new policies. Longbottom is supposed to be joining us here because he hates the working conditions there, and my God, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I'd rather have him than you."

He sighed and hit the wall with the folder. "And why the fuck are you working here? I'm a business partner, and I had no say in this? What the hell?"

If Theo got to see a tantrum today, it was going to be lovely indeed. He was smirking now.

"Don't ask me, Zabini. I just work here."

He was slightly relieved that Tracey's behavior was not normal though. His smirk faded.

"You do know she's one of them, don't you? Tracey. She's Liberi."

Blaise narrowed his eyes at Nott. "Don't ask me; I just work here," he mocked. "It wouldn't surprise me that she was. It seems like everyone and their bleeding crups are. As long as they stay away from me and my girlfriend, I don't give a shit. Let them try to do what every dark wizard before them has tried, and failed, to do."

He made a face. "I'm not having an actual conversation with you. I refuse. I still don't like you."

Theo started snickering. Not that he actually cared, but since Zabini was so keen on getting out of this conversation, he was going to stay in it. That should throw him off balance. Theo had never been much of a talker. He was getting more into it lately though. Especially arguing with Natalie and Gray.

"Who are you dating again? Abbott, right? Little Hufflepuff. I seem to recall Tracey griping about that before."

Blaise glared at Nott. "Do you want me to hex you? Then you can heal yourself, you little ponce."

"I'm just asking a question, Zabini. Damn."

But there was no just asking questions with Theodore. There was always an agenda, sometimes hidden, sometimes obvious.

"She wouldn't be the one in the bakery who made my sandwich, would she? Blonde hair and a smile for days? Doesn't really seem your type, does she?"

This was becoming surreal. Nott never talked this much. Was this the same person who would lock everyone out of the room because all the boys talked too much for him? Years of having to do his classwork in the common room because another quill scratching on parchment would have been too loud for the bugger, but now Blaise couldn't shut him up. He was going to rail into Weasley. Perhaps even take back that nice Thailand vacation.

"Fuck you, Nott," Blaise growled. "Have you even seen us together? No. Will you? No. Stay away from Hannah and if you so much as breathe near my lab, I will hex you within an inch of your life. Stay out of my way."

Theo couldn't help himself. He started chuckling. This was familiar. Finally something was familiar to him, something felt like it used to. If anyone had ever told him that he'd be glad of Zabini's existence, even for a minute, he'd have hexed them.

Still, Zabini's overprotective mine mine mine jealousy was hilarious today.

"She makes a good sandwich, Zabini. I might not be able to stay entirely away from her." Then Theo sobered. "If I need a potion for a patient, I'll be stepping in your lab."

He was not a man of the people, but he was here to work. Work had never been a problem for Theo - unlike a lot of his classmates.

"If you need a potion for your patient, tell Bones or Weasley, or even write a note and slide it under my door." Blaise was trying not to shake as he pointed at Theo. "And do not come near Hannah. Owl order if you must."

Theo tilted his head to the side. He'd slide a note under the door - one with exploding ink in it. Or something equally as interesting.

"You're not my boss, Zabini. The bakery is a public place. I can even go in there and eat my lunch on the premises."

Blaise was pretty sure he was half of Nott's boss, and that was good enough for him. He would be having words with Weasley anyway.

He sighed. Damn. Hannah wasn't going to like this. Blaise was pretty sure he could warn her off for a few days, but once she found out Nott didn't pose a true threat, she might have lunch with him just to piss Blaise off. Perhaps he could convince Mac that Nott was trying to break Hannah and him up, and she'd beat the shit out of him on behalf of love.

With a smirk, he crossed his arms. Yes, enlisting Mac's help sounded like a plan. "I'd like you to try."

Theo raised a brow. Well, I guess I know where I am having lunch tomorrow.

"Are you finished warning me off of your Hufflepuff then? Is there anyone else I am not supposed to speak to?"

Blaise was glaring at him.

"On a completely unrelated topic, I pulled a splinter the size of my forearm out of Greengrass' shoulder last week. She was caught in that explosion at the Welsh reserve. She's fine. River Montgomery isn't though. Remember her? She's in a coma at Mungo's. I was going to speak to Weasley about moving her here. I don't trust those blighters."

Of course he remembered River. He never spoke to her much, but she was supposed to help Draco with the school, but buggered off when Goyle traipsed off to America.

"You're going to have to ask first. Longbottom has been on the top of her list to work here, and he did for a while, but he has a few long term patients in long term care at Mungo's and they're the only reason he's not here. He gets first dibs on extra rooms." Blaise snorted and turned to leave Weasley's office. He still had work to do, and he felt the need for a good fit in the privacy of his lab. "Besides, I don't give a flip whether she stays there or here. She's on their list of people to eventually off, so I'd rather it be there."

"Maybe you should actually listen when I speak instead of using that time to think of what your next retort will be. My saying I am going to speak to Weasley means I am going to talk to her about it, probably ask even, and if they are after River, they get NOTHING. I'll put her in my flat if I have to just to keep them from getting what they want."

Now he was scowling again, and finishing up his sandwich and slamming files around. THEM. Theo hated them, hated them all.

His eyebrow went up. "Wow. Someone's a bit protective and snippy."

Blaise completely saw the hypocrisy in his statement, but he was snippy about his girlfriend, not someone he rarely spoke to in his entire life.

"Whatever, Nott. Just stay away from my lab, my girlfriend, and myself, and I think we'll be fine."

"I give a rat's arse about Montgomery. What in the hell was she doing at the potions lab at a dragon reserve anyhow? It's about them not getting what they want. As for your adorable little list of demands? Done, I don't think so, and done. Toddle off then and throw your tantrum about having to work that old pole up his arse Nott in the privacy of your lab. You know you want to. Go on."

Blaise's eye started to twitch. "Keep making smart-arse remarks like that, and I swear I'll skin you alive."

Blaise had made it into the hall for that last bit.

"Oh, you sweet-talker. Save it for Draco. Does Abbott know she'll always be the second wife?"

He shut the door in Blaise's face.

Trying to calm down, Blaise took a few deep breaths. By number fourteen, he couldn't take it and he threw the now crumpled file into his lab. He strode out of the hallway and into the lobby.

"I'm leaving for the day!" he shouted, not caring is Bones was at her desk or not, or if there were any patients. If someone even looked at him strangely, he was sure he was going to hex them. Deciding that he'd rather destroy parts of his home instead of his lab, he pulled out his wand and apparate home.


{SUMMARY} Blaise finds out that Theo is the new healer at the clinic. It goes about as well as can be expected.