Chapter 15
Grace pulled herself from bed, stifling a groan. Despite having spent most of the night before in the Slytherin common room, crushed in between Draco, Blaise and Daphne with a few too many strongly poured drinks, she had still somehow beat both of her roommates out of bed, even managing to pull together a somewhat acceptable outfit.
Her stomach was already grumbling halfway down the first set of steps, the familiar babble of conversation floating out from the Great Hall as she descended the final staircase. It was brighter than she would have guessed, though she supposed she wasn't used to sleeping in quite so late, even on Sundays.
She glanced over towards the Ravenclaw table, ensuring what she had already guessed, that Terry too was still fast asleep upstairs, before turning to the Slytherins, spotting Draco and Daphne's nearly identical blonde heads and an extremely tired looking Theo and Enzo across from them.
She started down the farthest aisle, her ears picking up a few different conversations as she passed until she had nearly reached her friends. She watched the hazel green eyes flicker to meet hers for only a moment before the toe of her boot caught on the uneven stone floor.
"Woah!" Draco exclaimed, spinning in his spot and reaching out at the last second, his fingers finding her waist and pulling her easily to his lap. "Easy, darling. Bit late to be falling for me now, don't you think?"
"Oh, shut up." Daphne chuckled, sliding over to make room for Draco to shift Grace onto the bench between them. "Are you alright?"
"Fine." Grace nodded quickly, feeling the heat that had taken over her cheeks and hurrying to pull a chocolate chip muffin to her plate. "Sorry."
"It's fine." Draco grinned, and even Enzo's lips had curved into the start of a smile, though his eyes were still barely open as he stirred his spoon into his lukewarm coffee.
"We're getting you all to ourselves lately, huh?" Daphne said, between bites of her own breakfast. "Your friends are going to hate us."
"They already do." Theo added, his eyes boring into Grace's.
"That's not true." She lied, "How you feeling, Enzo?" She changed the subject, and the brunette finally looked up from his drink.
"Never better, Abbott. In fact, I wish I had a mimosa right about now-"
"Oh, stop... You're going to make me sick." Daphne whined, Enzo giggling at her response and re-filling his mug with fresh coffee before sliding the pot towards Grace.
"Malfoy... were we going out to the pitch again?" Theo interrupted, Draco blinking as he thought over the words before realization settled on his face.
"I said if we lost, Nott. You can have one day off, can't you?"
"Ah, come on. Might as well." He stood from the table, eyes locked with Draco's as Enzo looked between the two.
"Alright, just for a bit. It's cold and I'm tired-"
"No, Berkshire. You stay."
"What?"
"Why can't he come?" Draco smiled, amused as Enzo's eyes finally widened.
"He's a dead man walking." Theo shrugged, starting towards the door without another word or a goodbye.
"Merlin... you'd think he was shooting for captain next year or something..." Draco glanced between the remaining friends before standing as well, slugging the last sip of his coffee and muttering a quick goodbye before hurrying after Theo.
"Nott, wait up! I'll fly with you, but I'm not jogging out there." He laughed, eyebrow furrowed in confusion as Theo finally slowed ahead of him in the hallway. "What's wrong with you-"
"Do you even like her?" Theo cut him off, his voice sharp in the silence of the corridor. "Do you actually like her?"
Draco blinked. "Who?"
"Fucking Grace!"
"Course... Of course I like Grace, what are you-"
"No." Theo spat, taking another step towards Malfoy. "Enough to marry her. You have to figure it out Malfoy, now, because if you don't, then you need to end it-"
"You think it's my choice?" Draco was yelling now, neither of them seeming to care if anyone did happen to step into the hallway with them. "You think I didn't try to end this, before it even started?"
"Obviously not hard enough. You've got mummy and daddy wrapped around your finger, you always have-"
"If you genuinely think I want to be married off at fifteen, then you're crazier than I thought."
"No, I don't think that, and that's the problem, because you're still letting it happen."
"It's. Too. Late." Draco seethed, "And you're pissing me off now, Nott. Why do you even care? If my parents want to ruin my life, what does it matter to you?"
"Because Grace is my friend. And you referring to marrying her as ruining your life might have a bit to do with it." He snapped, turning his back on the blonde and pushing through the doorway into the chilly spring morning. Draco watched him leave as the doors swung shut behind him, waiting a few moments in the tense silence Theo had left behind before shaking his head and starting back towards the Great Hall.
➺
It was nearly halfway through March now, though clearly no one had thought to mention that to the frigid temperatures of Hogwarts. The chill from outside seemed to seep through every stone, and Grace truly wondered sometimes how she couldn't see her breath in the hallways.
She turned the corner, hugging the pile of books tighter to her chest before the air left her lungs in the start of a scream, Theo swinging out from the dark corridor just in front of her, half a smirk pulling at his lips.
"Easy, Gracie." He chuckled as she offered him an eye roll, stepping to the side in an attempt to move past him.
"What is wrong with you?" She muttered under her breath as he hurried to catch back up with her.
"Didn't mean to spook you." He shrugged in a way that told Grace he absolutely had meant to do just that. "Haven't seen you in a few days."
"Is that so?" She mumbled, purposely keeping her eyes on her feet as they walked.
"You trying to avoid me, Gracie?"
"Why would I do that, Nott?"
"That is a great question." His lips pulled into an over-dramatic grin as he took a few steps forward and wheeled before her, stopping both of them in their tracks. "Why are you avoiding me, bellisima?"
"Theodore-"
"Ooh..." He cringed, "See, I knew you were mad at me."
"I'm not mad at you." She shook her head, sighing as he didn't move to let them resume their walk and trying to ignore the way her stomach was nearly growling for dinner.
"Come on... what are you not telling me? You want more flowers, or should I change it up-"
"No! Definitely no more flowers." She paused, realizing he was not planning to give up or let her pass without having this conversation. "I'm not mad at you, I just... I know the guys were all joking about it, but I didn't realize how many fights you actually got into-"
"Fights?" His eyebrows furrowed for half a second, "Oh, please. I don't fight that-"
"Okay." She shrugged, trying to step around him to no avail as he blocked her path once again, his eyes darkening in the dimly lit corridor.
"So what is it, Gracie? You're scared of me? Think I'm dangerous?"
"No," She scoffed, "I just... Think you've got anger issues and if your only answer to everything is to throw punches-"
"Oh, I have anger issues?" Theo let out a short, bitter sounding laugh. "And you think your fiancé's any different?"
"I've never seen Draco... even... Don't call him that." She shook her head as different answers flooded her mind.
"Why not? Just because he hasn't officially asked you yet? Or because it's all fake anyway?"
"Why don't you give me a good reason you feel the need to knock Adrian out every time he comes anywhere near you and then we can discuss my problems." She snapped, Theo's lips for once sinking into a thin line. "Enzo wouldn't... tell me."
"Tell you what."
"What he said... did..." She corrected.
"Because even Enzo wouldn't say-"
"I'm not a bloody child." Grace seethed, taking a step away from Theo, his bright green eyes watching her every move. "I can handle it, whatever was said, especially if it's about me."
"I didn't say you couldn't..." Theo rolled two fingers over his eyes and sighed. "Draco asked us not to say-"
"Draco's not in charge."
"I know that-"
"And I don't need you to keep fighting my battles. Just because you feel guilty for saying-"
"That's... That's not why I... Dammit, Gracie." He groaned. She waited another few seconds before his gaze finally returned to hers and he took a few steps closer to her. "Look, I don't... I don't mean to. All the fights. I don't want to. It just happens sometimes. I just get so mad, it's like all I can see is red..."
He trailed off, his eyes growing even brighter, even as the sun above them sank beneath the windows lining the top of the corridor.
"I don't want to keep fighting... especially not if it's going to make you upset with me."
"Told you I wasn't upset." Grace mumbled, and Theo's frown relaxed a bit. He reached for the books that she still had clutched to her chest and tucked them beneath one arm when she finally released her hold.
"My parents..." He started, his voice so low now, she could barely make out his words. "My dad, really... He was always mad. Always fighting with my mom, but she was really calm, it seemed like it never bothered her. Although, when I grew up, I guess I realized that was a problem, huh? That she was so unfazed by him, screaming at her and getting so angry all the time?"
He would no longer meet her eyes, his own gaze stuck to the floor as they had started back down the hallway in the direction of the Great Hall. Grace wondered if he had ever told anyone else this, if he had ever even said these words out loud.
"What was he mad about?" She asked, softly, her eyes flickering to his empty hand hanging loosely beside hers.
"Dunno." He shook his head. "I was seven. When she died. I can't really remember any details on their fights. Just the yelling. And after she was... gone, he... I mean, he doesn't really get mad like that anymore. Just kinda shut down afterwards... I stay out of his way, and I think he likes it like that."
"I'm sure he doesn't..." She trailed off. She didn't know anything about Theo's family, and she shouldn't pretend that she did. "Is that how you like it? You don't miss him?"
"No." He answered at once, easily.
She nodded, though quickly realized that Theo wasn't looking at her. She was vaguely aware of the way her heart seemed to hammer in her chest before she reached for his hand, sliding her fingers into his and watching as his eyes flickered to hers at once.
"I wasn't avoiding you." She said as they neared the staircase at last. "I'm not afraid of you. I just don't want you to get in trouble... or hurt..."
Well, I'm not going to get hurt." He tried for a smirk, though it only lifted half of his mouth. "And what's life without a bit of trouble?"