ivy | theo nott

Grace pushed the last few bites of dinner around her plate, her mind only partially listening to Leah's overview of what she had described as the most boring defense lesson to date, as if Grace and Terry hadn't been right beside her the entire time.

She couldn't figure out why Theo's words were still affecting her. It had been nearly a week, and she could still practically feel them bouncing around inside her head. It wasn't as if she hadn't heard that sort of thing before... the kind of boys who muttered those thoughts out loud rarely took care to whisper, but it had never been directed at her, and it had never come from someone she had considered a friend.

She looked up to Leah when her friend's words trailed off, leaving the three of them in a stark silence before Grace followed Leah's line of sight to the dark haired Slytherin behind her.

"Gracie..." He muttered, ducking his head to catch her eye though she was doing everything not to meet his. "I've been looking for you."

"I'm aware." She replied, turning back to her dinner, despite her stomach already feeling queasy.

"Can I talk to you alone? Please?" He added, before she could turn him down.

"No." Terry answered, Grace's eyes flashing to her friend's, noting the unusual scowl gracing his face.

"I just want to apologize." Theo continued, clearly unfazed by anyone's rejection as he took the empty seat beside Grace, leaning against the table to try to meet her gaze. "What I said the other night, Grace, I-"

"No..." She pushed her plate towards the middle of the table where it vanished at once before she stood from the bench, sparing Theodore a short glance and nodding towards the hallway. "Not here."

"Grace..." Leah shot her friend a nervous look, as if to ask if she was sure, but eventually allowed the blonde to lead the way from the Great Hall, a few Ravenclaws watching curiously as they left.

She stepped into the hallway and turned, slowing near the wall beside the staircase. It was much cooler out here, away from the crowds eating dinner, and she wrapped her arms over her chest, partially to keep warm and partially to show Nott he should hurry this up.

"Gracie-"

"Don't call me that." She cut him off, her eyes flickering to the ground beneath their feet. "Say what you need to say."

"I'm sorry. What I said... I was being stupid, I regretted it as soon as I said it. It wasn't funny-"

"Well, it wasn't really a joke, was it?" She answered, leaning back against the wall slightly.

"I don't..." He shook his head as she finally met his eyes.

"I don't need an apology from you, Theodore." She spoke again, realizing he wasn't going to. "Now that I know that we weren't ever really friends. I'll save you the trouble-"

"Trouble?" He repeated, wide eyes latched to her face.

"Yes, the trouble of pretending to be my friend, if all you wanted was-"

"No." He was already shaking his head again, moving a step closer to her but pausing when she backed away. "Gracie, no, that's what I'm trying to say, I never-"

"Okay. Whatever you say." Her eyes fell back to the Great Hall, already planning out how she was going to leave.

"I don't want you to think that about me. That's why I wanted to apologize."

"Well, it's unnecessary." She answered, shrugging as if she truly didn't care about anything he had to say. "Have a good night, Theodore." She turned away from him, not able to watch his face fall any farther and started up the stairs, letting out a sigh of relief when she didn't hear footsteps behind her.

Finally, she reached the landing of Ravenclaw tower, heading over to the doorway and knocking twice on the golden eagle.

"What can be hurt without being touched?" The voice rang from the knocker and Grace's eyebrows furrowed for a moment in thought.

"Feelings." She answered, partially surprised as the door eased open before her. She pushed it shut behind her easily and started up the stairway to her dorm, glancing at her watch as she leaned against the wooden door frame. Leah would be up any minute, maybe even Padma at this hour-

Her thoughts trailed off as the floral scent floated across the room, her eyes landing at once on the new vase of flowers. The blue ones were only just beginning to wilt on her desk across the room, and she stepped over to her bedside, sinking down on top of her blankets to reach out to the pale pink and deep maroon colored peonies, sliding the soft silky petals between two fingers.

Two separate bouquets in one week? She felt the butterflies stir in her stomach, her mind flashing to the blonde Slytherin so many stories below. They were already engaged, he had no need to try and win her affection. Maybe being a Malfoy wouldn't be so bad after all.

➺

Having transfiguration first thing in the mornings was always tough, though today Grace felt sure she was truly still partially asleep. She blinked a few times as everyone beside began packing up their things, hurrying to follow and standing beside Leah and Terry.

"God, if Minnie doesn't put a bit more pep in her step, I'm never going to pass my OWL's." Leah mumbled through a yawn and Terry rolled his eyes, though Grace could see the smile he was biting back.

It was easy to spot Draco, even in the crowded hallway. His blonde hair stuck out above the rest of the students hurrying between classes, though he seemed as if he had no where else to be, leaning lazily against the stoney wall behind him, a carefree smile lining his lips as the rest of the boys laughed along to Lorenzo's story.

"I'll be catch up with you guys." Grace said softly, nodding a quick goodbye to Leah and Terry before slipping through the crowd towards Draco. None of the boys noticed as she finally stepped out of the last string of students, grabbing a hold of Draco's arm lightly. The gray-blue eyes flashed to hers before his lips pulled into a small smile, pulling her into his side.

"Hi." She whispered, very conscious of all of his friend's eyes locked on them.

"Where'd you come from?" He asked.

"Class." She answered, scanning over the group, hoping for them to continue their conversation, but careful to skip over Theo's eyes.

"Grace, we've missed you! You've got to come around more." Enzo's lips pulled into his signature smirk as he punched her arm lightly before looking back to Blaise and continuing his earlier story. Grace turned to Draco again, careful to keep her voice down so his friends wouldn't hear.

"Thank you for the flowers." She started, the smile sinking off his face slowly at her words. "They're lovely, but you don't have to keep sending-"

"I..." He paused, his eyebrows knotting together. "I haven't sent you any flowers."

She could feel her smile falter, her stomach sinking. It felt like her mind had gone blank.

"Oh... You..." She muttered, feeling the warmth rising to her cheeks as Draco's gaze flickered quickly to Theo, who's jaw was clenched tightly as his own gaze bore into the ground under his feet.

"No, but I should, shouldn't I?" He nudged her softly, sliding two fingers beneath her chin to pull her eyes back to his. "What kind of fiancé am I?"

"Oh, shut it." She laughed, easily, though her mind was still churning. She supposed whoever had been sending the flowers could have gotten the wrong bed, especially if it truly was an owl or an elf delivering it. Maybe Padma had a secret admirer who was apparently a terrible planner. "I'll see you later? I've got to get to class."

"Course." Draco nodded, sliding his fingers into Grace's and giving her a squeeze which she knew to mean goodbye.

➺

Grace turned the page in her book, pulling her mind off the shrinking pages to her right. She had only started this last night and at this rate she would be looking for something else to read by tomorrow.

The door creaked open to her left and she glanced over absentmindedly, her eyes widening as her roommate entered.

"Oh, Padma!" She smiled, setting her book in her lap.

"Hey, Grace!" The girl waved, passing by the couches before the crackling fire.

"Listen... I think someone may have been trying to leave you flowers in our dorm? But they accidentally got put on my table by mistake?" She stuttered out, careful not to mention that she had thought they had been for her, from Draco Malfoy, no less.

A funny look crossed over Padma's face as she paused near the stairs, looking back at the blonde.

"Grace, I can assure you, they weren't for me... I don't know who would send me flowers." She laughed, awkwardly. Grace felt her eyebrows furrow in thought once again. She had mentioned it briefly to Leah, even though both girls knew that if someone was sending Leah flowers, they would both know about it. "They were definitely for you! It was probably one of the Slytherin boys... you're always hanging around them now, right? Or..." She trailed off and Grace's eyes widened.

"Or what?"

"Could be Terry?" She grinned and Grace rolled her eyes, sinking deeper into the couch.

"It's not Terry." She laughed.

"Well, it's got to be a Ravenclaw, right? To have access to the tower?"

Grace nodded, mostly to herself, returning Padma's wave before her friend started up the stairs, leaving Grace in the silence of the common room once again. She picked up her book, staring down at the first paragraph, yet her mind was still running over Padma's suggestions.

She must have sat in silence for only a few minutes before the door opened once again, her eyes flashing up and meeting the familiar green ones at once, her heart running still in her chest.

"Hi." He spoke, and even from across the room, Grace could already make out the start of a satisfied smirk spreading across his face.

"What are you doing here?" She answered, forcing her eyes back to her book and trying her best to lock into any of the words there.

"You've been avoiding me." He explained, striding confidently towards the couches and pausing behind the arm chair across from the blonde.

"I meant," She bit back, "How did you get in here?"

"Tell your magic door to make the riddles harder." He shrugged, flopping easily into the arm chair, his eyes latched to her face even if she refused to acknowledge him. He waited a few more moments, the silence filling the air around them, the only sound from the crackling of the fire every few seconds. "Gracie..."

"Please leave me alone, Nott."

"Come on..." He stalled, waiting for only a second before realizing she truly wasn't going to look at him again. "What? You honestly don't like me anymore, over one comment?"

"No." Her eyes finally flashed to his, though he almost wished they hadn't. The combination of hurt and anger lying inside of them. "I don't like you because you're not nice, Theo."

He let out what Grace assumed to be a scoff and slouched down into his chair. "Oh, because you're so nice?" He trailed off, watching her bottom lip fall open as she looked at him, regret filling his chest at once. "Yeah... I know. You're nice, Gracie. You're too nice for me." He reached up, rubbing along the back of his neck nervously.

"I didn't say that." She mumbled, pulling her legs up to her chest and starting back into her book, hoping the dark haired boy would leave if she seemed busy.

"No, but it's true." He answered, his eyes never leaving her face, watching as her blue eyes drifted quickly over the pages of her book.

They fell into silence for a few moments, though Theo made no move to leave, watching as she tried to read, though noticing how it was taking her longer and longer to turn each page and making sure to pull his gaze from her every time she tried to peek at him.

"I'm assuming the flowers are from you then?" She asked, finally, though her voice was so soft, he was almost sure she hadn't wanted to say it out loud.

"Would that help or hurt my case?" He answered, biting back his smirk that she had figured it out at last.

"Neither." She said, "You didn't have to send me flowers."

"Sure, I did. You deserve them."

"Theodore-"

"Please don't call me that..." He interrupted, his heart weighing heavily any time he heard that name roll of her tongue. "You don't call me that."

"I just did."

"But you don't, Gracie." He spoke the nickname softly, eyes trained to her lips, waiting for any hint of a smile that never came.

"You can stop sending the flowers." She shut the book with a quiet snap and stood from the couch. "And I'll be sure to tell Flitwick the riddles are too easy if even the Slytherin can get in."

He couldn't help himself, his lips pulling back into a grin at her words as he coughed out a short laugh.

"God..." He stood too, watching as she walked slowly towards the stairs, "You're going to have to forgive me, Gracie! I can't live without your impeccable humor."

"Mhm." She hummed, starting up the stairs, forcing her eyes upward, despite how badly she wanted to look back. To see if he was still waiting there. To see if he had left the common room like he was supposed to.

"Goodnight!" His voice called, much too loudly up the stairs for the late hour, and she cringed, turning the corner out of his sight and leaning back against the chilly stone wall, her ears trained for the sound of footsteps and finally the creak of the door shutting.