ivy | theo nott

"Grace." The blonde blinked and looked up, Malfoy smirking slightly from across the table as she glanced down to her paper which was now covered with dark ink splatters across all of the words she had worked so hard to get down for the past hour.

"Oh..." She muttered, leaning over to her bag on the chair beside her and rummaging for her wand for only a second before she watched Draco vanish the ink from her parchment, his wand clattering back to the table again. "Thanks."

"Distracted?" He asked, the icy blue eyes linked with hers as she shrugged.

"No, I'm fine." Grace assured him, pulling her textbook closer to her again and pushing the thoughts that had been clouding her mind to the back of it.

"Come on," Draco muttered, her book sliding into his waiting hand with the flick of his wand before he stood from the table in the busy library. "We'll go study in my common room. It'll be quieter."

"What?" Her voice came out a bit higher pitched, though Draco wasn't going to comment on it. "Draco, I'm fine... we could just call it a night."

"You're going to have to get used to doing as I say." He teased, shooting her half a smile and not bothering to bite back the laughter as she huffed through an eye roll. "Besides, you're far more welcome in the Slytherin Common Room than I fear I am in Ravenclaw's."

She slung her bag over her shoulder, hurrying to catch up to him. "Why do you think that?"

"I get the feeling your friends don't care for me... I doubt you being forced into an arranged marriage with me has helped my case much."

"No, you're imagining things." She assured him, pushing the thought of Terry's opinion on Malfoy from her mind.

"Well, either way. My friends all love you, so it works out." He pointed out, tucking her textbook beneath his arm as they started down the steps into the chilly corridors leading to the dungeons.

"Maybe it's quieter down here because everyone froze to death." She muttered, and he shot her an amused glare.

"Serpens." Draco mumbled, hardly sparing Grace a glance as the stone walls slid apart to reveal a dimly lit common room. The main source of light came from the clear ceiling sprawling over them as they entered, the light of the moon shone through what Grace knew to be the Black Lake, painting everything in a pale greenish light.

"And where have you love birds been?" Enzo's voice echoed through the space from his perch on one of the leather couches before a crackling fireplace.

"Berkshire." Draco warned through an eye roll as he lead Grace towards the couches. "Some of us actually prioritize our school work. I don't suppose you've even started your History of Magic assignment for tomorrow?"

"Oh, what little faith you have in me, cousin?" Lorenzo grinned, "The Patil girl's doing it for me."

"Padma?" Grace cut in and watched Enzo's smile falter slightly.

"Oh... I mean... she offered Grace!"

"You were right. We should have stayed in the library." Draco muttered, though Grace could see the humor hiding behind his eyes as he settled into the couch, leaving some space for her beside him and nodding for her to take a seat.

"Moving along..." Enzo started, and Blaise sighed, settling his head into his palm. "Is it true, then? You two? Engaged?"

Grace could practically feel the smile fall from her face, her eyes flicking to Draco's.

"How could you keep it from us, Malfoy?" Enzo pressed on, obviously oblivious to Draco and Grace's reactions.

"Thanks Nott." He looked to Theo instead, ignoring Enzo's questions entirely. "I guess you missed the 'keeping it to ourselves' memo?"

"Don't see the point in keeping it some big secret." Theo shrugged. "If you two aren't going to grow up and tell your parents to piss off-"

"As if you'd know anything about that, Nott."

"Well, I'd never let my dad tell me who to be with-"

"Alright, enough." Blaise spoke up, shooting the brunette a sharp look. "When's the next Hogsmeade trip?"

"Not for three more weeks." Draco grumbled, "I swear, this school's like a prison..."

Grace covered her mouth to stifle the laughter that spilled out at his words as his eyes flickered to hers. "Oh, that's funny?"

"We get to go to Hogsmeade every month... I'm not quite sure it's comparable to a prison." She pointed out and Blaise grinned.

"Thank you, Grace... I think you're going to be good for Malfoy... Good for all of these idiots, actually." He chuckled.

"Well, she'd better put out soon. You know Malfoy's not waiting for their wedding night to get in her pants." Theo's voice was low as he leaned over towards Enzo, though it carried easily through the group of friends, Grace's stomach sinking at once.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Draco's eyes were wide as he spun towards Theo.

Grace was on her feet before Draco had even finished speaking, heat pooling in her cheeks as Theo's dark green eyes met hers, no trace of a smile to be found on his lips.

"Fuck off, Nott." She hoped her voice sounded fiercer to the boys than it did to her own ears before she spun on her heel, starting towards the hallway.

"What is your problem?" Draco towered over Theo for only a second, as if contemplating whether he wanted to pick a fight then and there before deciding against it and racing after Grace, slipping through the exit just as it began to shut behind her.

"Grace! Grace, wait."

"It's fine." She muttered, not turning back to him, sure that the pink was stained into her cheeks at this point.

"No, it's not. He's an idiot, he thinks he's funny... He didn't mean... That... That's not-"

"I know." She nodded, flinching slightly as his fingers wrapped around her arm, pulling her to face him. "It's fine."

"It's not." They were silent for a moment, the blue in Draco's eyes piercing through the dark hallway. "I'll handle him. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry." She whispered, her voice sounding small in the silence surrounding them.

"I don't... I just don't want you to think I..." He groaned, running a hand over his face in frustration.

"I know." She offered him a small smile, his eyes returning to hers. "Everything's fine."

He held her gaze for another moment before nodding. "Okay," He turned back towards the stone wall behind them. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go knock some sense into a certain asshole. You want me to walk you back?"

"Up seven stories?" She grinned, taking a step towards the staircase. "I'll be alright, Malfoy."

"Alright, Abbott." He shot her a lopsided smile. "Goodnight."

"Night."

➺

"I told you," Terry said through a mouthful of sandwich. "None of them can be trusted, especially Nott."

"Terry, first of all: ew." Leah jabbed her fork in his direction, "Second of all..." She paused, glancing towards Grace who was eagerly awaiting her next words. "Yeah, I've really got nothing... that really was a terrible thing to say."

"Obviously." Grace muttered, shrugging as she stabbed into another strawberry with her fork. She didn't know what had hurt worse: the words, or the fact that Theo had said them.

"I mean, Grace... That quite literally proves the only reason he's been nice to you all these years was to get you to sleep with him-"

"Terry." Grace sighed, dropping her head into her palms. She was thankful it was finally lunch. The morning had seemed to drag on, and yet they still had not moved on from her friend's favorite topic of the day. "He thought he was being funny. Theo doesn't want to..." She couldn't finish her sentence. Her heart felt heavy, and she no longer wanted the rest of her food.

"Hello, darling." The familiar voice appeared behind her and Grace turned to look up to Draco, towering over her and Leah.

"Draco." She smiled, her gaze wander behind him to where the Slytherin boys were still fully engrossed in their lunches, her eyes catching with Theo's dark green ones for only a second before she pulled them back to the grayish blue ones before her.

"I was going to walk you to Defense... if you'd like." He offered, watching as she stood from the table at once, pushing her plate towards the center where it vanished from sight.

"Sure! Thanks. I'll see you guys in a bit." She wished her friends a quick goodbye, thankful to escape the Slytherin bashing for at least a little while.

"You're done with lunch?" He asked, following as she started from the Great Hall and glancing back to her friends for a second.

"Yeah. Not very hungry."

"Alright..." He nodded, "Well, I thought we could sit together for class? I've given Nott strict instructions to piss off, so he shouldn't bother you."

Grace forced out a laugh, her eyes falling to the floor. It was sad, really... her new perspective on Theodore. Theodore who she had thought was her friend for years...

"Daphne was livid too, when she heard. I was surprised he didn't show up to breakfast with a black eye."

"She hit him?" Grace asked, her eyes flying to Draco's and widening in surprise.

"I doubt it. But she looked ready to." Draco chuckled as he pushed open the door to the nearly empty classroom.

"Hi lovely!" The sweet voice carried through the room, Daphne's smile lighting up as she turned away from the girl beside her.

"Why are you here so early?" Draco asked, falling into the empty row behind the bright blonde girl.

"I could ask you the same thing." She replied with a shrug, though Grace thought it was fairly obvious that Daphne had been using the empty classroom as a safe gossip space. "Grace, I swear to Merlin, you tell me if any of the boys get out of line with you again. I'm not opposed to hexing them. Any of them, even blondie here." She nodded towards Draco and Grace let out an effortless laugh.

"I don't think that will be necessary." She answered, and Draco shot the girl a glare.

"Yeah, Greengrass, you could maybe plot my demise behind my back like a reasonable enemy."

"You could use the advantage." She waved a lazy hand through the air, turning back to Viola and hurrying up her previous story as the rest of the class began to file in around them.

"Hey," Theo spoke softly as he fell into the table behind Draco, Blaise at his side. Grace recognized his voice at once, leaning over to her bag to pull out her book. "Grace."

"Theo." Blaise spoke, his voice low as well, a warning tone laced through his usually calm demeanor.

"Gracie, come on."

"Nott, piss off." Draco turned to his friend with a scowl as Umbridge stepped through the doorway, the class falling silent as she began the days instructions.

➺

"He's gone." Terry announced, as the two Ravenclaws hung over the edge of the staircase. Theo had only followed them up the first two, though Terry and Leah had insisted on hanging over each staircase afterwards on their way to Ravenclaw tower, as if he might pop out again at any moment.

"Yes, thank you, Terry." Grace grumbled as they finally reached the oversized door, reaching out to knock against the bronze eagle half-way up the entrance.

"What has an eye... but cannot see?"

"Needle." Leah answered without a second's pause and Grace shook her head, biting back a smile.

"Do you ever let anyone else even think?" Terry grumbled as the three stepped into the common room.

"Think faster." Leah shrugged with a grin, flopping easily onto the couch and dropping her head onto the arm rest behind her. "I'm never moving again. Could I just answer the door riddles for an hour and pass all my OWL's that way?"

"Yeah, that seems fair." Terry answered through an eye roll before dropping onto the arm chair beside her. "Grace, you feel okay?"

The blonde paused on her way towards the staircase, realizing her friends were no longer at her side.

"Oh, yeah... I might just lie down for a bit. I'm tired. I'll see you guys for dinner."

"Alright... I'll wake you up, sleeping beauty." Leah grinned, stretching her arms over her head before Grace turned the corner up the stairs out of sight. It wasn't a particularly long walk to the dorm she shared with Leah and Padma, though as she passed the first and second year doors, she couldn't help but wish they had the first year's at the top. It would be much warmer in her dorm that way as well.

At last, she made it to the fifth doorway, twisting the handle and stepping inside. The room was empty, which was typical. Padma usually spent most of her time with her sister and the Gryffindor girls. Grace crossed to the nightstand beside her bed and flung her bag to the floor, ready to climb into bed before noticing the crystal vase filled with deep blue and purple hyacinths.

Her mind went blank for a moment as she reached down for the flowers, feeling the soft petals between her fingers. Their scent filled the room already, and she wondered briefly how she hadn't noticed them right away. She sat on the edge of her bed, her gaze latched to the bouquet. She had seen Draco just an hour ago... wouldn't he have said if he had sent flowers to her room?

She briefly wondered how he had even gotten them up here, before biting back a small smile. It was Draco Malfoy. Surely he'd found himself a house elf to bring them up or even had an owl deliver them directly to the room. Her eyes scanned towards the windows which were all latched as they had been that morning and she shrugged as she leaned back against her pillow, pulling the covers up to her chin, her eyes stuck to the nightstand.

No one had a clue what kind of man Draco Malfoy really was. She was going to have to let Terry know at dinner just how wrong he was about the Slytherin boy.