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

Chapter Twenty-Two

The mess of the Den was large with four long and great tables placed beside each other, all crowded with Tamers – Dragons and Creatures – and a never-ending feast placed before them. The walls of the Den were old, ancient even but held strong for the centuries it has witnessed. At the very front of the mess was a table elevated by two steps, overlooking the people. The seat for Theodore and his Heads of the Reserve, rarely used by the duke and only for special occasions or formal business. Above them, three banners were placed behind their seats, the two flanking the middle were smaller, dyed in charcoal. The one on the left had the symbol of a dragon eating its tail – an Ouroboros – and the other was a phoenix. Both symbols weaved with golden thread.

Then there was the one at the middle, the larger one. The fabric dyed in a void of darkness with golden thread to create the symbol of the family who ruled over them: a falcon in mid-flight with a snake in its talons about to strike. The Nott family crest, specifically Theodore's line. Not including his uncle.

When Carina first came to the Den, she was overwhelmed by the sight of so many people in one place, not bothered by manners or rank – though they still bowed to Theodore and address him as 'your Grace'. Tames, young and old, men and woman, were gathered in one place to warm by the bonfire in the very middle, where above it was an open sky. A window that would magical seal when rain or snow falls.

Coming to Nott Manor, she knew the difference it would have from a London-life, but coming in Clach Dhubh... walking its grounds, talking to its people, living there felt like she jumped through another realm. A different world, one that she would only see in those fiction books she would read. Clach Dhubh was a sanctuary not just for magical creatures but for people too. And every word Theodore told her, the unofficial promise he has her was true. In Clach Dhubh she was free to do whatever she wanted and be whoever she wanted.

After years of living the expected image of a lady, Carina was finally able to breathe.

For the first few days of her staying, Carina did not wear any of the clothes she brought with her and chose to use the ones Theodore provided: trousers, shirts, jerkins, boots. Rose was partly glad and concerned for her whenever Carina would come out wearing such fashion; The good thing about it was that the soreness that Carina's skin would get from always wearing a corset would finally have time to heal without a potion, but she was still a lady. The Marchioness.

Unlike her first time in the Den, where Tames paused to bow a greeting to her, Carina strolled down aisle, squeezing past a couple of Tamers who believed she was one of them. She would glance at Rose to see if the maid was able to catch up, luckily, she did, but not long as one of the Kholer brothers, Bjorn, have caught her attention. Carina took this chance to escape her chaperone and join the crowd where Theodore and Roman sat.

It was Roman who first noticed her and greeted with his usual, cheery way, "Woke up later today."

"I did not, he," she pointed her thumb at Theodore. "Left me. Minty said he left even before the sun was up." She sat down on the bench beside Theodore, where the duke has prepared a plate for her to eat.

"There was something I needed to see to," Theodore told her. "I hope you were not scared to find yourself alone in the manor."

"Just a bit, especially whenever it echoes in those halls," she shuddered. She was thankful that no one was there when she ran as quickly as she could from the eerie hall, almost slamming into a pillar. Her friends would never let that down if they saw her fleeing like a child.

"See, it's not just me!" Roman said to Theodore. "I told you that hall is too creepy."

Theodore rolled his eyes. "There only one solution to that. Don't go to that part of the manor."