A Game of Cat and Mouse

T W E N T Y F I V E

"Elio, if you keep fidgeting with your shirt, it'll wrinkle more than if you just left it alone," his mother scolded as Elio unbuttoned and buttoned it for the umpteenth time. "Now hold still."

She walked over to him and waved her wand. Instantly, whatever wrinkles he had given it were gone. Elio smiled. His mother was always good at little charms like that. "Thanks, Mummy."

She smiled and pinched his cheek. "You're welcome, my little baby boy." 

He pretended to gag and shoved her hand off. "You're going to make my cheeks all red before Annie gets here!"

"What time is she getting here, by the way?" his father chimed in with a handful of almonds shoved into his mouth. "I'm anxious to meet the girl that has you in knots."

"Seven," Elio answered. "And I'm not in knots."

Theodore rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh."

"Why are you so nervous, darling?" his mother asked instead. "It isn't as if this is your first meeting."

No, but it wasn't their hundredth either. Elio and Annie's relationship was still pretty new. There was loads he didn't know about her and he knew that he still hadn't successfully won her over. Yes, she said that she loved him but Elio had always thought that love was a fickle thing (until he quickly fell in love with her, that is). Until she had a ring on her finger, Elio wouldn't stop being nervous. Actually, he was sure that he would be nervous even then. He didn't deserve her, not by a long shot. 

I'll have to spend the rest of my life proving why I do, he resolved. 

The only problem? The rest of his life now apparently included The Dark Lord and the entire Riddle family. Tom Riddle wasn't exactly known for his kindness so Elio wasn't looking forward to meeting his future father-in-law. That was if he didn't kill Elio instantly, which he very well may do. And if he didn't, James wasn't far behind him. Elio was sure that The Dark Lady wouldn't hesitate to hex his balls off if he did anything, too.

Yay.

Well, he supposed he did always like the thrill of adventure. Just this "adventure" was being with the love of his life and the "thrill" was a high chance of death from her family.

"I just really want her to like it here," Elio finally answered his mother because it was also the truth. The Nott estate might very well become her home and his parents would become part of her family. To say he was nervous was an understatement.

Though that could just be his heart wildly beating in anticipation of being with Annie again.

Soon, it was 6:59 and Elio could hardly sit still. If he wasn't pacing around the room, his leg was bouncing with jitters. Aria had to de-wrinkle his shirt more than once and Theo was watching it all with a smirk on his face.

Finally, at 7:00 on the dot, there was a knock. Elio jumped out of his chair, followed by Aria. "I'll stay here so we're not scaring the poor girl away," Theo said with a wave of his hands. Aria rolled her eyes and followed her son to the door.

When Elio opened the front door to the estate, he couldn't help but grin. Annie looked adorable in a periwinkle blue dress with a flared skirt and butterflies on the sheer sleeves. "Hi, topolina," he whispered just as she began to smile back at her.

James stood behind Annie with his hand on her shoulder, looking as if it was physically painful for him to not be glaring at Elio. "Hello, Nott," he grumbled.

"James," Elio said back with a smile. The tension between the two was palpable, like a thunderstorm rearing its head but never striking a bolt. In Elio's defense, he was almost always civil with James. Most of James's dislike stemmed from Elio being immature and unserious, which meant that the majority of their interactions were Elio saying something dumb and James threatening him. How the two boys managed to play on the same Quidditch team without killing each other was a miracle.