It was a little game he had started when he first started at Hogwarts: one point for a glare, two for a snicker and three for any muttered comment made about him, his family, his dog (it counted, but for slightly less). Points were docked if he had actually deserved such attention. This time, though, he had never seen this girl before, thus he was certain of not offending her, but offended she was by his mere presence. Theodore was indifferent to such trivial matters. People could be quite ridiculous when they wanted to be.
Most people were terrified of him because of his father’s reputation and connection to Lord Voldemort. Theodore had been branded by his fellow peers as being a clever boy who would eventually fall into the same trap his father had. Everyone all assumed that he would follow in his father’s footsteps, which was an assumption he hated. What most people didn’t know was that he didn’t really care what his father did or his connections. Did he have pride in his heritage? Of course. He was a pureblood through and through, but did he think it necessary to go to the steps Voldemort did to prove his pride? No, not at all. All Theodore Nott wanted to do was survive school, in particular his Charms class.
Thinking of Charms, Theodore felt what little joy he had gotten from his recent breakfast deflate a bit. He wasn’t particularly fond of Charms, mostly because there wasn’t anything that really caught his interest in the class. There was just one single reason that he wanted to go and it had nothing to do with the class itself, but one particular person in it.
Without realizing it, Theodore arrived at his classroom door without a single person about him. Everyone else had made it in time. Indifferent to the fact that no one was in the corridor but him, Theodore strolled in, stooping low as he passed through the door. He was tall for his age and lanky, which made him stand out more. Of course, every eye turned to look at him as he walked in during the middle of Professor Flitwick speaking. Theodore brushed his thick brown curls from his forehead as he flashed Professor Flitwick what he hoped was a charming smile.
“Mr. Nott! Late again, I see! Five points from Slytherin!”
Apparently his smile was not that charming. After walking past the several glares he had received from both Slytherins and Hufflepuffs (Millicent, the cow, kicked his shins as he passed her desk), Theodore fell into his chair like a sack of potatoes and Flitwick continued his speech.
Blaise Zabini, Theodore’s partner, flicked his eyes over Nott’s form of dress before turning his perfectly sculpted face away in disdain. He could be such a prat at times. Everything about him had to be perfect, from his crisply pressed robes to his shined black shoes. His tie was always straight and his undershirt a blinding white. He even sat perfectly straight with his well manicured hands clasped on top of his desk.
Theodore looked down at his own robes and noticed that his tie was slightly askew and his robes wrinkled. He hadn’t really brushed his hair this morning because he had been running late and a slight shade of stubble was growing on his face because he forgot to shave (another glorious side effect of hitting puberty early). He had rings under his eyes and he slumped in his chair out of laziness. In all, he wasn’t sure why Blaise had decided to be his partner in Charms other than the fact that they were both in Slytherin.
“So, what’d I miss?” Theodore whispered slyly.
Blaise scowled in his direction before he answered, “Maybe if you came to class on time and didn’t lose us points, you would know.”
Theodore just stared at Blaise expectantly, still waiting for his real answer. Blaise knew better than to try and take the high road with Theodore because it usually never worked.
Giving in, Blaise sighed and then whispered, “Not much. We’re starting the Aguamenti Charm today.”
“Thank you, Blaise. You’ve been as enlightening as ever,” Theodore answered sarcastically.
Blaise merely sneered at him and returned to his state of impersonating a statue. Theodore knew that Blaise wasn’t really angry. No matter what he did, Blaise always seemed to forgive him. He didn’t know quite why this was since they weren’t particularly close friends and had very little common interests.
Fortunately, Blaise was adequate in Charms and Theodore knew that they would be able to scrape by today since he had no intention of paying attention. Theodore could be adequate or more so if only he would actually try. He could be quite brilliant in a lot of subjects, if only he could get himself to care.
Professor Flitwick began his lecture on the Aguamenti Charm and Theodore took out his quill and a piece of paper and pretended to write. Most times he just drew doodles and swirls on the side of his paper. Occasionally he would write something useful.
Right at that very moment though, he was doing neither and was looking about him at his studious peers. Most were diligently and furiously scratching away at their paper. Some looked flustered. Others looked fascinated by the subject and still others were like him and could care less. A few had actually adopted his practice of doing as little as possible and didn’t write anything at all.
Theodore’s wandering eyes finally landed on Susan Bones, who sat just to the left of him, and they lingered there for awhile. He had never really spoken or had any interaction with the Hufflepuff; their circle of friends seemed to be universes apart. And yet he wanted to know her.
Theodore rolled his quill between his fingers, trying to figure out what he saw in Susan. The sound of Flitwick’s voice and all the busy quills on paper seemed to fade away, a faint rustle in the back of his mind. All he focused on was Susan Bones. There was something different about her, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Maybe it was the way her veil of thick brown hair fell around her face. Or the way her lips turned up slightly whenever she was happy. Maybe it was the sadness he sometimes saw sitting like a tremulous veil over her eyes or how she played with the delicate silver flower necklace she wore when she was nervous. Whatever it was, Theodore found himself drawn to her.
He knew, as everyone knew, about the recent death of her aunt. Who hadn’t heard the story that Amelia Bones had been killed personally by Voldemort himself? Theodore also knew about the past as well, how Death Eaters had been responsible for the death of several of Susan’s relatives many years before and it was for that very reason that she disliked his presence at times.
Theodore was used to mutterings and glares from people he hardly knew. He was used to people walking in the other direction in fear and the raised eyebrows, but he had never fully gotten used to the way Susan Bones looked at him. Every time he caught her eye, he saw an overt distrust and that hurt more than he could ever understand. Yet despite that look, never had he ever had a cross word from her. It was true that they rarely talked to each other, but when she was forced to speak to him in class, it was always civil.
Theodore couldn’t understand her and he couldn’t understand why he had an urge to. It was very clear that they seemed to be on opposite sides of each other. What could they really have in common? What did he see in her that made his eyes linger? It was an enigma that taunted him. She was gentle, but she could be fierce. She was easy going and stubborn at the same time. She was clever and naïve. She was plain and she was beautiful. It was maddening because every time he thought he had her figured out, he was confused again.
It is possible that there aren’t many complex personalities amongst those closest to you, hence the fascination with one Susan Bones, his rational mind mused.
Theodore smiled to himself at that thought. It was quite a true statement. Other than Blaise, who could be mysterious at times, the people that Theodore surrounded himself with didn’t tend to be as frustrating to understand. Daphne Greengrass, the girl who claimed to be his girlfriend, was as transparent as a clear window pane. Crabbe and Goyle were nothing more than meat heads with an emphasis on the meat part and Pansy seemed attached at the hip to Draco. Draco may have some intricacies that Theodore had yet to see, but in all, no one from his acquaintance had ever intrigued him as this girl who sat just to the left of him.
“Theodore Nott!”
Theodore jolted as his eyes flickered away from Susan to look down into the angry eyes of Professor Flitwick, who had caught him, once again, not paying attention. Theodore could feel every eye on him in the classroom and managed to keep the blush in his face down to the minimum. In particular, he could feel Blaise and Susan’s eyes scorching him.
“Have you heard a word I’ve said? Or are you too busy spying on your neighbor’s papers?” Flitwick asked, his eyes flitting over to Susan.
Normally, Theodore had no issues with Flitwick. He was a decent teacher who left Theodore alone, but today, he was really hating the man at the moment. Theodore could see Susan, out the corner of his eye, move her paper away from him, a scowl on her face and as she did so, he felt his heart drop to his stomach.
“Did you hear me?” Flitwick asked, his voice growing higher and higher the more he got irritated.
“I heard you,” Theodore snapped. Around him, a murmur of shock rippled throughout the classroom. No one had ever spoken to Flitwick like that. Flitwick also seemed to be startled by the reply and his voice rose another octave higher.
“Fine. Then why don’t you explain to the class what the main properties of an Aguamenti Charm is?”
Theodore could feel Blaise nudging his knee underneath the table, trying to slip him his notes, but Theodore paid no attention to that. Without turning from Flitwick, Theodore stated, “The Aguamenti Charm is used to conjure a jet of clear water for as simple a task as filling a water glass to something more complex like putting out a fire. The word comes from the Latin words of “aqua” which stands for water and “mentis” which means mind, and one can infer the meaning of this to be the making of water from the mind.”
The whole class was shocked into silence, especially since not once did Flitwick ever mention the origins of the charm’s name. Theodore could have heard a pin drop to the gray stone floor of the classroom if one had been dropped. Blaise looked surprised, though whether it was because of Theodore‘s articulate answer or his audacity, he wasn‘t sure. Ernie Macmillan wore a scowl on his face and Millicent Bulstrode’s mouth hung agape in a less than flattering way. Theodore didn’t care what his classmates thought of him, except one.
When he stole a glance at Susan, he noticed that she looked stunned as did everyone else, but there was something different in the way she looked at him, almost as if she was re-evaluating her opinion of the Slytherin who sat next to her. The moment was quickly gone though when Susan realized that Theodore was watching her. She blushed and then turned away from him.
“That…is correct, Mr. Nott,” Flitwick started, his eyes piercing into Theodore, trying to see if there was any trickery at work. Finally, after deciding there wasn’t, he continued, “Five points to Slytherin.”
Professor Flitwick turned on his short legs and strode to the front of the classroom, jumping right back into his lecture as if nothing had happened. When he was across the classroom, Theodore turned to Blaise, who still had his notes under the table grazing Theodore’s thigh.
“You can take your notes back, Blaise. I suspect I’m not in need of them, thank you!”
Blaise scowled and jerked his papers back to the table top. He began to furiously scribble down notes, more out of anger than anything else. Theodore sighed. Blaise would forgive him. He always did.
“I heard that Lavender Brown girl from Gryffindor was caught all over that weasel boy in one of the closets. Why anyone would want a red haired weasel is beyond me!” Daphne Greengrass said as she flicked her long black hair off her shoulder.
Theodore watched from the open door into the common room. It had been a long and very odd day and Theodore just wanted to go to sleep after dinner, but he knew that there was no way he was going to escape Daphne and the clique of Slytherin girls that she was queen of.
Cliques didn't often last in Slytherin. Alliances were always being made and broken. Being in the house of the ambitious and cunning created a mixture of changing loyalties, but there were some groups that tended to stay the same. Draco and his cronies were one group and Daphne’s gang of Slytherin girls another. Theodore, on the other hand, didn‘t really belong to any group.
As Theodore ducked into the common room, his eyes cast about him for any available seat for him to crash, preferably away from Daphne. He spotted the perfect spot next to the fire, across from a fourth year Slytherin whose name he couldn’t remember. Blaise was near the fire as well, intensely studying his notes.
As quietly as he possibly could, Theodore wove his way towards the empty chair, skirting Daphne’s squawking hens as much as possible. He had no idea why Daphne had formed an attachment to him, but she had. She had it firmly fixed in her head that they were going to get married, mostly because it was the wish of their parents for such a good alliance between pure-blood families.
Theodore’s father, being a Death Eater, had some clout amongst a pure-blood family like the Greengrasses, who supported Voldemort, but never went the full length to join him. Theodore’s father had told him more than once how advantageous it would be to the family if he were to marry Daphne, since her family came from wealth. Theodore would have sooner married a giantess than Daphne, but there was no way he would tell his father or her that.
On the outside there was nothing wrong with her. In fact, most people considered her and her sister, Astoria, to be quite pretty. Daphne was always well dressed, her long black hair always in the latest style and her blue eyes were considered by some to be beautiful. Everything would be fine except she didn’t care for anything but gossip and making herself the center of attention. Theodore, being the antithesis of attention, wanted nothing to do with Daphne.
So it came as a great relief when Theodore made it to the empty chair without being accosted by Daphne Greengrass. As he approached the chair, Blaise looked up from his papers and Theodore gave him a smile and a nod.
“Anyone sitting here?” Theodore asked. Both Blaise and the fourth year Slytherin shook their head, Blaise more vehemently than necessary.
A scowl marred his friend’s perfect face, and Theodore could see that Blaise struggled with something inside. As Theodore sat, he saw his friend lean back in his chair, his eyes becoming distant and contemplative as he looked at Nott. Sometimes Blaise got like that around Theodore and he had no idea why.
Expecting a lecture from Blaise, Theodore was surprised by what actually came from his friend’s mouth.
“I’d steer clear of Daphne if I were you. She’s in rare form tonight. It’s bad enough that a third year Hufflepuff girl accidentally spilled something on her new shoes in the corridors earlier today, of which we had to hear the entire story,” Blaise stated and the fourth year across from them looked up and nodded irritably to confirm the story, “But she has also heard about the little episode in our Charm’s class, in particular the part where you were caught by Flitwick checking out Susan Bones.”
Theodore groaned as he sunk low in the chair and leaned his head back. He could hazard a guess on who had told Daphne this. He should have seen this coming. Nothing ever escaped Daphne and her gossip hounds around here. If there was some juicy morsel of information, she would know about it and if she was angry or didn’t like you, she would use it against you. Theodore had a feeling that the next couple of days was going to be rough. He rubbed his hands over his face, feeling his scratchy stubble beneath them.
“So…were you?” Blaise asked timidly, which was not like Theodore’s friend at all.
Theodore looked up, surprised by the change of his friend’s tone. Blaise was acting stranger than normal around him and he had a feeling that his answer to the question was important to Blaise, though why, Theodore couldn’t figure out.
“Was I what?” Theodore asked wearily.
“Were you 'checking out' the Bones girl?” Blaise asked.
“I don’t know where Daphne heard that I was 'checking her out'. I was only looking about me and I caught sight of Susan’s notes is all,” Theodore lied.
“You know you could have looked at my notes. I would have given them to you,” Blaise stated. Theodore was caught there. He knew that Blaise would have given him his notes, even if he disapproved of Theodore’s lax behavior. When Theodore looked up to respond, he saw a faint glimmer of sadness and pain in Blaise’s eyes. These strange emotions he saw were soon gone, as Blaise stiffened in his chair, his eyes widening at something behind Theodore.
“Theo! When did you get here?” called out an all too familiar voice. Theodore managed to hide the shudder he had and turned his head to see Daphne and her gang of Slytherin girls standing right behind him.
“I just got here. Blaise and I are going to--” Theodore started, but was quickly cut off.
‘You’re not going to believe what happened today,” Daphne began as she perched on the arm of Theodore’s chair, running her fingers through his hair. He hated when she did that. Theodore tried to squirm away, but found that hard to do in the small chair.
Daphne was completely unaware that she was making Theodore edgy. She plowed through the story of her day with a flick of a hair there and a roll of her eyes here. Theodore hunkered down in his chair and endured the torment. As Theodore tuned her out, he thought about what it would be like if it were Susan's fingers in his hair instead of Daphne's.
“I have my pride,” Daphne stated self righteously.
The words and the change of the tone of Daphne’s voice snapped Theodore out of his daydream. He looked up at her dubiously as she continued on about why she would never wear just any robe from any vendor, but ones made in France.
No, you have vanity. Theodore thought to himself. That is a completely different attribute altogether. He was tempted to say this aloud, but decided against it. It would cause more trouble than his tired mind could really handle right now.
Daphne was the epitome of the difference between pride and vanity. Theodore had pride because he didn’t care what others thought of him or his family. Having pride in his accomplishments and his heritage didn’t need the approval of the world. Daphne, on the other hand, lived on the food of approval. All she ever cared about was what others thought of her, but put very little stock into what she thought of herself.
“That’s great that you have your pride, but I’m a little tired and--” Theodore started, but was quickly cut off again by Daphne.
“That reminds me, Theobear. I heard a scandalous rumor from Millicent. She said that you were caught ogling that Susan Bones girl. I told her straight away that you didn’t waste your time with blood traitors or Hufflepuffs, not when you have me!” She stated as she once more rested her fingers in his hair.
This time Theodore had had enough of this. He jerked out of her grasp and stood up. Without thinking, he walked closer to the fire and stood next to Blaise’s chair. Blaise looked up at him and a flash of something darted across his face. Theodore was certain he had seen a flicker of joy on his friend‘s face, but figured it had to do with the nearby firelight.
“Is there something wrong, Theo?” Daphne demanded, her eyes narrow and dark. Theodore knew he had to choose his next words carefully.
“Don’t tell me what Millicent said was true!” Daphne spat out. He could see the anger in her mounting.
“No!” Theodore snapped. “Millicent is a cow who likes to cause trouble. I was just sneaking a peek at the Bones girl’s notes and got caught by Flitwick. That’s all. And what does it matter? I don’t remember asking you to be my girlfriend anyways!”
Daphne recoiled as if Theodore had physically slapped her, a pain and an anger matriculating across her face. Theodore had more than once demonstrated his dislike of her, but she had persisted in the notion that they were a couple because she had believed that his father, the Death Eater, would have the final say and that they were destined to make the next great pure-blood match.
What she hadn’t known was that Theodore’s father had very little to do with him when he had been growing up and thus now had very little influence over him. It was his mother that Daphne should have been trying to win over and it was his mother who wanted her son to be happy over making an alliance that would make him miserable. His mother would know what such an alliance would be like.
Despite the part of him that was happy about what he had said, another part of him didn’t like to see a girl on the verge of tears either. He knew he had been unduly harsh on her and he blamed it on how tired he was. Theodore sighed as his face softened a bit.
“Daphne, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so harsh--”
“You would rather be with a blood traitor than me? YOU WAIT UNTIL MY PARENTS FIND OUT, THEODORE NOTT! WAIT UNTIL MY FATHER GETS A HOLD OF YOU!” Daphne screamed out in a rage.
Everybody fell silent as every pair of eyes in the common room turned towards the enraged girl, who was now standing and whose limbs shook with anger. Blaise sat tensely in his chair, his eyes volleying between the pair.
Theodore felt his temper rising. He really hated when someone tried to use the threat of parents or a higher authority on him, especially for something as innocuous as the Charm’s incident. He especially hated when a person made a scene because they wanted attention. Now he was angry for making the apology he had just made.
“Tell your parents, Daphne,” Theodore answered calmly. “I don’t care because I never wanted anything to do with such a vain, selfish and uncaring individual as you have shown yourself to be. You have taken a situation that was nothing and blew it out of proportion for no reason and now you want me to bend to your will like all your lackeys. I will do no such thing!”
He didn’t yell like Daphne did, but the lethality that was hidden in the tone of his voice made it very evident that Daphne had pushed him too far and she knew it. It was very rare to push Theodore Nott to the point of rage. In most cases, he was indifferent, but never enraged and everyone knew it.
Daphne was stunned and large alligator tears started streaming down her face. She was making yet another scene, trying to rally sympathy for herself. Theodore didn’t care whether the people in his house thought low of him. He didn’t care that Daphne’s friends had circled her like angry hornets nor that Millicent was smirking in the corner at him. He had said what he had said and he wasn’t taking it back.
Daphne looked at him for a moment through her tears, expecting him to cave in and apologize to her. She was used to getting her way and Theodore had no intention of giving her that. He stared back at her defiantly, daring her to say another word. He knew it was all a ruse and sure enough, he saw the steely Daphne resurface as her face flushed red.
She stormed over to Theodore and screeched, “YOU‘RE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS THEODORE NOTT!”
Daphne then jerked around and stomped out of the common room and down the stairs to the girl’s dormitory, her followers trailing behind her. The minute she was gone, murmurs started circulating around the room. Most people looked at Theodore in shock and some with surprise. Very few actually looked angry, which was a telling statement to him; most people didn’t like Daphne Greengrass and her clique of girls. Millicent wore a wide grin on her face at the devastation she had created. Theodore glared at her and then slumped back down into the chair he had previously occupied. He could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on.
Blaise stared at him steadily, leaning forward in his chair so as to be a little closer to his friend.
“Are you okay, Theo?” he whispered. Theodore looked at his friend for a second, noticing out the corner of his eye that the fourth year Slytherin across from them was listening as well. Theodore sighed.
“I’m fine, Blaise. It’s not like we were really going out anyways, but I know there will be hell to pay in the next couple of days. Who knows what a jealous and angry Daphne will do?”
“Yeah. There will be hell, but there was nothing you can do about it right now,” Blaise answered calmly.
Theodore contemplated his friend for a moment and than gave him a wane smile.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m going to go to bed since there’s nothing else I can do tonight,” Theodore answered as he rose up sluggishly from his seat. Leaving the warm chair was rough, but he knew that his warm bed would be better.
Surprisingly, Blaise also got up.
“I’m going to go to bed too. I’ve had enough studying for the night!”
Theodore patted his friend on the shoulder and the two boys walked down to their room, which they shared. Theodore was apprehensive about sleep, feeling that the events that had just happened would trigger insomnia, but when his head hit his pillow, he quickly fell into a deep slumber as his brain tried to tally up the thousands of points that had just been added to the hate-Theodore-Nott pot.
Theodore awoke the next morning with a weary feeling of doom hanging over him. He would have given the world not to have to get out of bed, but hunger rumbled through his stomach like wild horses and he couldn‘t ignore it. As Theodore sat up and perched on the side of his bed, a moment of panic rolled through him. He didn’t know the sort of damage that would ripple out from the events of the night before and it had brought on a whole new set of worries. He knew that Daphne was capable of great cruelty when she put her mind to it. She would seek retribution for the humiliation she had received last night.
What was odd about this fresh worry was that none of it was for his own well being. Daphne could say and do what she wanted to him and, although it would sting, Theodore had a thick coat of indifference that shielded him from it all. If he had had any real feelings for Daphne it may have been a very different situation.
No, what made his heart beat a little faster in his chest was the anxiety he had over those around him who would be affected by Daphne’s wrath. In particular, Theodore’s mind kept drifting back to Susan Bones and he was unable to get the image of her wide brown eyes from his mind nor the turn of her lips when she smiled. He knew that Daphne would only need the slightest incentive to go after the gentle Hufflepuff and for that reason, Theodore had a knot in his stomach. He sighed loudly, completely forgetting the four other occupants of his room.
“Theodore!”
Theodore turned and saw Blaise casually leaning against his bed post looking down on him. He was looking as crisp and perfect as ever and it irritated Theodore that Blaise never had his bad looking moments. Theodore knew that he himself was in shambles from the mess of his tangled curls to the grizzle on his face. He looked up at Blaise bleary eyed.
“Yeah, Blaise. What is it?”
“You need to get dressed because breakfast will be over soon!”
“Is it that late already?” Theodore asked in complete surprise.
“Yes,” Blaise stated bluntly.
“Bloody hell!”
Theodore jumped up from his bed and rushed about getting ready. After taking a quick shower, a shave, throwing his clothes on and a rapid attack on his brown curls with a brush, he was ready to bolt out of his room looking half-way decent.
“Whoa, Theodore!” Blaise said as he grabbed Theodore’s arm. “You’re forgetting your books!”
“Thanks!” Theodore responded as he lunged for his books which were scattered around his bed. It was only when he bent down that he realized that Blaise’s hand was still on his arm.
“Thaaaaanks,” Theodore repeated awkwardly, shrugging off Blaise’s hand. He then scooped up his books, but not without feeling as if the back of his head was having two holes being whittled into it. He didn’t know what to make of this odd behavior from his friend and decided it was best not to say or do anything.
When Theodore looked up, Blaise’s eyes quickly flickered away to study the floor.
“So…uh…let’s get down to breakfast. I’m starving and we’ll miss out on all the food, knowing how some members of our house eat!” Theodore responded nonchalantly, trying not to take notice of the odd behavior of Blaise Zabini.
When Theodore had reached the Great Hall, he had expected some word to be said to him about what had happened the night before, but, excepting a smirk from Millicent and the frosty glares from Daphne and her gang, no one really commented on what had happened. It was strange and it made him uneasy. The rest of the morning went without incident, but he would have been a fool to believe that Daphne didn’t have something planned.
Soon the lunch hour rolled around and Theodore met Blaise for lunch. As they ate at the Slytherin table, he started to notice that Slytherins were now avoiding eye contact with him. That’s not good, Theodore thought. His worry increased when he was leaving the Great Hall to head to his Charm’s class. He accidentally bumped into a fifth year Hufflepuff and as he was apologizing to her, she glared at him, quickly turned and marched away from him. That’s really not good. This was not typical behavior for a Hufflepuff. The only time he had ever seen a Hufflepuff really angry like that was when one of their own had been hurt.
When Theodore entered the Charm’s classroom, he could feel the air charged with tension. Everyone fell dead silent and every eye turned towards him. He was used to people looking at him, but this was beyond normal.
Theodore smiled, which disconcerted many people. Some looked away in anger, while others had a knowing smile on their face. Most continued to stare.
“Why is everyone staring at you?” Blaise asked as he came in after Theodore.
“You noticed too?” Theodore responded in a whisper.
Both boys walked to their seats and sat down. Many people turned back to their conversations, but that still didn‘t dispel the tension in the air. Theodore knew that something had happened and it irritated him that he had no idea what it was. As he waited for Flitwick, he couldn’t avoid sneaking a look at Susan Bones. Inside, a part of him was a little scared of what it was he would see.
What Theodore saw was worse than he had ever expected. Susan Bones was the only one who didn’t attempt to look at him. Her arms were on the table and her head was low, the sheen of her beautiful hair covering the majority of her face, but through the strands, he could see that her eyes were red. She had been crying.
Just as Theodore was thinking how crappy a guy he was because he was sure that he had been the reason she had been crying, Ernie Macmillan passed by his desk and confirmed it.
“You’re right git, Nott and I don‘t care who you‘re father is,” Ernie whispered as he bent down next to Theodore. “You stay away from Susan, you filthy scoundrel! ”
Blaise sat up straighter in his chair, his hands clenched tightly on his desk. Theodore, on the other hand, stared steadily at Ernie, before he answered very calmly, “I don’t care who my father is either. It’s not my father you have to deal with Macmillan, but me and I…,” Theodore suddenly lunged forward and got right in Ernie’s face. He could see the whites of Ernie’s eyes as they widened in fear, while Theodore’s were as dark as a storm cloud and his words as cold as ice. Theodore continued, “…don’t like being called a foul name unprovoked!”
Ernie looked a little taken aback. He hadn’t really thought it would escalate as it did, but Theodore could still see he wanted to push it.
“Don’t push me today, Macmillan because I’m not in the mood to deal with this crap. Now sit down before you say something you may regret!” Theodore snapped and out the corner of his eye, he could see the class jump.
Ernie was stunned silent as was the rest of the class. Theodore knew this could turn very ugly very quickly. He could feel Blaise’s wand as he pointed it at Ernie below their desk and Theodore himself was enraged. He knew that Ernie was all words and no action, whereas Theodore could be a man of action if he were pushed to it. He knew he should have held his temper in check. Most times, he was a pacifist and tried to avoid conflict, and most times, he didn’t let insults get to him, but Ernie’s words had hit some sore spot in him today and his anger had had enough. He didn’t know if this was because Ernie had gotten right in his face or because he had done this right in front of Susan.
Theodore continued to stare Ernie down as the class held their breath. Ernie was unsure of what to do, whether he wanted to push this further or let it lie. He knew Ernie was wondering how much influence his father had had on Theodore and how much of the Dark Arts he really knew. This was what everyone wondered about him.
Normally in this type of situation, he wouldn’t have cared what happened, but hearing Susan at his side, trying to cry as silently as she could and being unable to do it, made his resolve flicker. He hated causing her pain and he had no idea why a girl he barely knew had such an effect on him.
“Macmillan, Nott, what’s going on here?” Professor Flitwick snapped as he walked up to the two boys who looked like they were going to attack each other at any given moment.
“Nothing Professor,” Theodore stated. He snatched up one of Blaise’s spare quills he had lined on his desk and smashed it flat against Ernie’s chest, who was staggered by the move. Most people underestimated Theodore’s strength because of how lean he was. “Ernie, here, needed a quill and was just about to sit down!”
Flitwick turned expectantly towards Ernie, giving him a hard look. He wasn’t a dunderhead. He knew something was just on the brink of happening. Now it was up to Ernie to take the out Theodore had offered him. Theodore waited and as he did so, he realized that he could no longer hear Susan crying and he knew that she was watching them.
“Is this true, Ernie?” Flitwick asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Theodore. Theodore knew that the teacher didn’t believe a word of this and knew that if Ernie pushed it, Flitwick would be more willing to believe Ernie than Theodore. That was always the case. It was something he had had to live with all his life. Why would anyone believe that the son of a Death Eater hadn’t started the fight? Everyone would assume he must have done something to provoke it. It was a prejudice Theodore had gotten used to over the years.
Ernie glared at Theodore, before he backed away with the quill and answered, “Yes, it‘s true.”
Ernie didn’t say another word. He turned on his heels and marched back to his seat near the front of the classroom. Theodore watched him go every step of the way and he could feel the spell of tension, that had held the class silent, break. Flitwick sensed that whatever was one the brink of happening had passed and he went to the front of the class to start the lesson, but Theodore felt Flitwick watching him.
After Ernie and Flitwick left, Theodore leaned back into his usual languid pose and tried to pay attention to the lesson. He felt a sharp kick in his shin as Blaise leaned in close to him.
“You owe me a quill, Nott!” He whispered.
“I know, my friend and I’ll get you another one on our next Hogsmeade visit,” Theodore answered before he turned away and pulled out his own paper and quill. This time he was going to make an attempt to take notes. He didn’t want any more attention drawn to him than necessary.
But try as he might, Theodore couldn’t concentrate. It was driving him insane that he didn’t know what had provoked Ernie Macmillan to attack him. Ernie was a decent guy, who rarely ever got into someone’s face unless he was extremely angry. Something had happened to Susan and Theodore had to know what.
After class, Theodore waited, trying to get Susan alone to talk to her, but Ernie escorted her out of the classroom with a nasty snarl on his face when he passed Theodore and he knew that he wasn’t going to find anything out from them.
It would be hours later in the common room that he would hear what had happened and from Daphne’s own lips, although indirectly. When Theodore came into the common room later that evening, Daphne was in the center of the room with a small following of people. She ignored him when he passed, which would have been fine, but she also said something that caught his attention, as she had intended.
“So my friends and I ran into that Bones girl alone in a corridor this morning,” Daphne stated loudly, being sure that Theodore heard. He knew that nothing good would come from this story. Pretending to ignore her, Theodore took a seat that was far enough to seem like he didn’t care, but close enough to hear what had happened.
Daphne continued on, “I said, ‘Susan Bones, you owe me something.’ Of course, she looked confused. Hufflepuffs can be so dim sometimes. Like she didn’t know that she was a boyfriend stealer!”
Theodore felt his anger growing. Once again, Daphne was making assumptions, assumptions that had nothing to do with the truth.
Daphne continued, “She said that she had no idea what I was talking about. I said, ‘Oh, but you do! I had a boyfriend. You may have heard of him. Theodore Nott and I are destined to get married, it’s been a match since our births, but he dumped me and all because of you!”
As Daphne said this, Theodore could see her giving him a triumphant grin, which only made his blood boil in rage. He could feel his fingers dig into the armchair as he listened to the rest of the story.
“She denied it, of course. She said that I was greatly misled. She said she hardly talked to Theodore and had no idea what I was talking about. It was then that I noticed the pretty little necklace around her neck. In fact, this very necklace I have now.” And with that said, Daphne pulled out the chain and flower pendant that Theodore had seen Susan playing with just the day before. Theodore felt his teeth grind in his mouth and still he listened on.
“I told her that I wanted her necklace,” Daphne stated loudly as she twirled the necklace in the air with her fingers. “Said it was more than fair trade for the loss of a boyfriend. She said no, that it was a gift from her dead aunt. Of course, that just made it all the more valuable to me. I smiled and said she was going to give me that necklace. The stupid girl shook her head, and tried to walk away. She actually tried to walk away from me. That’s when Catherine here,” and Daphne pointed to her lead lackey, “jinxed her. It was funny to watch her fall flat on her face!” And Daphne started to laugh.
Theodore had had enough of this. He stood up quickly and strode over to Daphne and her group. Every eye watched him. Blaise stood in the open common room door, his eyes wide in apprehension. Millicent sat in the corner, grinning as she watched the showdown. Pansy stopped in her tracks as she was making her way to Draco, fear registering across her face. Theodore didn’t care about anyone in that room. His eyes were fixed on Daphne and that necklace.
Daphne looked up at him as he approached, her smile wide, but her eyes troubled. She had never seen Theodore as he was at that very moment. He looked like a rogue storm cloud, broiling on the surface as he rose to his full height, which was daunting to everyone in the room.
“Theodore, I’m glad you’re here. I was just--”
Daphne didn’t finish what she was saying because Theodore, without hesitation, grabbed her hand that was twirling the necklace and yanked the necklace from her fingers. He then threw her hand back down.
“Theodore, why--”
“Don’t say another word Daphne. I don’t want to hear it. You make me sick and I never want to see you again. Don’t talk to me. Don’t look at me. You’re deluded if you thought we were ever going to get married. Keep your money and your status, because that’s all you’ll ever have!”
Theodore turned and stormed away. For the first time, he felt free of Daphne. For the first time he thought he could smile. There was just one more thing he had to do.
The next day was bright and, for Theodore, slightly terrifying. He awoke knowing of the thing he had to do, but it still terrified him to even think of doing it. He had to see Susan. He was going to talk to her today and that fact twisted his stomach into a tight knot.
He had been contemplating all night on how he was going to get her alone, dangling her necklace in front of his face as he laid on his back. It soothed him how the moonlight had caught the gilded surfaces of the small thing, but in the end, he had not come up with an easier solution than to just ask her. He knew that Ernie and the other Hufflepuffs would make it difficult for him to get close to her. That left after lunch when it was the only time he had ever seen her leave the Great Hall alone.
So for the entire morning, Theodore played out in his head what he was going to say to her. He barely paid attention to his classes or the people around him. All he could think about was her and her necklace, which he had safely tucked away in his pocket and which he liked to touch. Running his fingers over something that had once lain against her perfect skin kept him calm when his nerves would have gotten the better of him.
Theodore’s anxiety increased throughout the morning. He could barely eat and he was more than inattentive whenever anyone spoke to him. Blaise was the first to notice. It was during their Arithmancy class that morning that Blaise finally spoke to him about it.
“What’s the matter with you, Nott? You’re acting stranger than normal,” Blaise whispered. He nudged Theodore’s arm with his hand, which lingered longer than it should.
Theodore looked down at Blaise’s hand and answered, “No stranger than you’ve been acting lately towards me. Now could you kindly remove your hand, Blaise?”
Blaise pulled his hand away as if it had been stung and quickly turned away. Theodore knew he had hurt his friend, but Blaise had to know that a friend was all he was ever going to be to him.
Luckily, Theodore didn’t have to say anything further to his friend because Blaise didn’t speak to him for the rest of the morning, which left Theodore alone with his thoughts. He needed this time to mentally prepare himself for what was to come.
But no amount of preparation could calm the twisting snakes in his stomach as the lunch hour approached. Finally it was time for lunch. Theodore entered the Great Hall silently, his eyes scanning the crowd until he found Susan sitting at the Hufflepuff table. She was surrounded by her peers and there was no way he could get to her. Theodore had to wait. He didn’t spend long at the Slytherin table for several reasons. Daphne and her group were glaring at him. Blaise looked as if Theodore had stabbed him in the chest. Theodore couldn’t handle all of this at the moment, so he grabbed a quick snack and walked out of the Great Hall, to wait in a hidden alcove for Susan.
Soon enough the students came piling out of the hall, each drifting off into the direction of their next class. Theodore watched every one of them. He hoped that Susan wouldn’t come out in a large group, which would make it impossible for him to get to her, but fortunately for him, Susan was one of the last ones to come out and she was alone.
Theodore waited until she was close to his alcove and then stepped out, stopping her in her tracks. He began to speak, but was mortified when she took one look at him, turned and started to walk away.
“Susan, wait!” Theodore called out. She stopped in the nearly empty corridor. She didn’t turn and she didn’t say anything, but she didn’t leave either.
Theodore slowly approached her, his hand digging into his pocket. The necklace bit against his palm as he clenched it tight, as if letting it go was to let go of his resolve. His stomach rolled and his heart beat so hard in his chest that it was becoming difficult to breathe. His brow was beginning to bead in sweat. Never had he been this nervous around anyone before.
With each step that brought him closer, his stomach tightened that much more and his nerves were completely frayed. Theodore had no idea how Susan would react to him. Up until now, she had ignored him and he could tell by the way she clenched her hands at her side that she was one millisecond from walking away from him.
“Susan,” Theodore whispered to her, his voice soft and gentle. She responded, slightly turning her head to the side. She was listening, which was more than he had ever expected to get from her. “I have something that belongs to you.”
Theodore pulled out the necklace that had been stolen, the light refracting off the delicate silver edges. Susan’s eyes widened and she turned to face him.
“How did you…” she began, but her words stopped as she looked into his dark eyes.
Theodore’s heart seized up in his chest. He was having a hard time breathing as a warmth spread out from his stomach, rolling up into his chest. The world fell away into a hush, as if nothing existed except the two of them.
“I…it doesn’t…Never mind how I got it,” Theodore stuttered, hearing how ridiculous he sounded as the words clumped up in his mouth.
Theodore stepped closer and to his surprise, Susan didn’t move. She watched him closely, but not out of fear. Theodore undid the clasp of the necklace as he came closer.
“May I?” he asked as he held the necklace chain open. Susan’s eyes widened in shock as she looked from the necklace to his face and he saw a bloom of red slowly spread across her pale, soft cheeks like the fall of the light of a sunset on a white rose. She nodded, which as the last thing he thought she would do.
Theodore felt his stomach heave and his heart jolted up into his throat as he stepped even closer to her, the clean scent of her driving him wild inside. He felt his hands begin to shake as he reached out to move her hair aside, the tips of his fingers brushing her throat. Susan shivered and smiled in embarrassment. Her thick hair was warm and as soft as silk. He wished he could run his fingers through the entirety of it, but managed to control the strong urge to do so. Theodore leaned closer as his hands brought the two ends of the necklace around her neck, his clumsy fingers fumbling with the latch.
He was so close to her that he could hear as her breath caught in her throat. One tiny centimeter and his lips would brush hers. Their eyes latched onto each other as their noses touched. A wild desire to move that much closer rushed through him. Never in his life had he wanted to kiss someone as much as he did now. He wanted to taste the softness of her lips, to run his fingers through her hair and hold her close to him. The thrill of such emotions shuddered through him and he knew she could feel the reverberation. What would she do if he should take that one centimeter, if he dared cross the boundaries that separated them? He was dizzy from the excitement his emotions caused in him.
Theodore’s nervous fingers jumbled the necklace and it fell out of his grasp and down her neck.
Theodore froze as his heart stopped in his chest. He couldn’t believe he had lost a hold of the necklace. He felt his face burn in embarrassment at his clumsiness and he quickly stepped away from her, thrusting his hands into his pocket. He felt completely ridiculous, which was not something he was used to feeling.
Susan’s face was as red as his, as her small hands came up to catch the falling necklace. She quickly latched it around her neck.
“Thank you, Theodore,” She responded, her voice like a bird song to his ears, which made him all the more embarrassed.
Theodore looked up to respond and was surprised by the smile he saw on her lips. Her steady eyes caught his and they lingered there. Theodore felt the ghost of the warmth he had felt just moments before and the urge to stride over and kiss her almost overtook him. He wanted to be close to her. It was all he could think of.
“You’re welcome. Can I…can I ask you a question?” Theodore asked.
“Yeah, sure,” Susan answered quickly and her red cheeks darkened. She began to nervously play with her necklace as she sneaked furtive looks up at Theodore’s face.
Well, it’s now or never!
Theodore knew that once the question he wanted so desperately to ask left his lips, the future was altered to him. He knew he was crossing the Rubicon. He knew that there would be hell to pay for this and he knew that he didn’t care. All he wanted was to do was to know her, to hold her close and breathe her in. All he wanted was Susan Bones.
“Will you meet me at the Three Broomsticks at our next Hogsmeade visit?”
Theodore held his breath as he waited. He didn’t know what would happen. He didn’t know what her answer would be and the thrill of that unpredictable future, one that hadn’t been chosen by others, made him wanted to scream out in joy.
Susan’s eyes met his and she smiled, which dazzled Theodore, as she answered, “Yes.”