Chapter 19
Grace ran her fingertips along the first paragraph in her textbook, trying to force herself to focus. She had her legs pulled up beneath her on the stone bench in what was typically a perfectly quiet corridor, although the past two days, it had been difficult to find a single spot in the entire castle that wasn't buzzing with whispers.
"Still studying?" Theo's voice pulled her from her thoughts and she glanced up into the glowing green eyes towering above her for only a second before he fell into the open spot at her side.
"If I could even get through a chapter..." She sighed, dropping the book to her lap. "What is with everyone today?"
"What do you mean?" He asked, scanning the hallway around them.
"I feel like I'm the only one still studying for OWL's."
"That's because you are." He teased, leaning back lazily onto the chilled wall. "Cut them some slack... they're all nervous because of that article Potter put out."
Grace felt her eyebrows sink in confusion.
"Article?"
"In that bloody magazine." Theo shrugged, turning to face her. "You haven't heard?"
"Harry Potter wrote an article?" She asked, sounding skeptical.
"No, just gave an interview. Has to have the limelight on himself at all times..." He reached for his bag at their feet and began to rummage through the various papers crammed inside.
"In the Prophet?"
"No, you know they wouldn't print anything he says." He replied, "It was in that magazine Looney Lovegood's father runs. Umbridge banned the entire magazine after hardly two hours, but it's still the talk of the school."
"Well, what did it say? Why's everyone talking about it? I didn't hear anything-"
"Oh, because you're so in the know?" Theo's lips pulled into a smirk and she huffed. "How do you plan to get a hold of it now that it's banned? Not like you to want to break the rules."
"So tell me what it said." She pressed and Theo shook his head, pulling a thick transfiguration book from his bag which he dropped to his lap with a thud.
"Sorry, Gracie, I would never break the rules so brazenly-"
"Theodore, you've never followed a rule in your entire life!"
"That's simply not so." He replied, through a grin before passing the hefty textbook over to her.
"I'm doing Herbology right now."
"Just open the bloody book." He insisted, watching as she flipped to the page near the center which seemed to be bookmarked with a thin, glossy magazine, The Quibbler scrawled in curly purple letters along the front.
"See, you little sneak... Never followed a rule in your life." She grumbled, flipping through the first few pages until spotting the black and white photo, the familiar jet black, messy hair which barely concealed the lightning shaped scar carved along the boy's forehead.
HARRY POTTER SPEAKS OUT AT LAST: THE TRUTH ABOUT HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED AND THE NIGHT I SAW HIM RETURN
"But..." Grace started, her eyes still trailing swiftly over the words, goosebumps emerging along her skin beneath her sweater. "He's been saying all this... all year... why's everyone believe him now?"
Theo shrugged. "He's... Well, the way he talks about that night... Doesn't feel very made up, does it?"
Grace's eyes landed at last on the list of names scrawled out halfway through the article, glancing up to Theo who shrugged.
"Theo, he's said..."
"I know."
"He can't just say all of this without any proof-"
"Calm down, cara mia." Theo drawled, and Grace ignored the unknown Italian once again.
"He named Draco's father too..." Her eyes flashed back to Theo's and he watched the nerves flood her face, her lips trembling only slightly.
"Yeah, he's so pissed." Theo tried to laugh, though it sounded forced even to his own ears.
"So he's saying Harry's lying?" She clarified.
"I don't know... Stormed right out of lunch yesterday once he'd read it."
Grace's eyes fell to the floor for only a second before she felt Theo's fingers surround hers, pulling her hands apart.
"If you'd quit picking at them, maybe they'd grow out right."
"You're worried about my nails right now?" She scoffed.
"Grace... He's been talking all year and no one believed him. So forgive me if I'm not writing home to ask my father how he spent that night last June."
"Don't you want to know? If it's true? All of it... I mean, if Harry's not lying, that means-"
Theo moved before Grace had even registered the new voice, the book shutting heavily in her lap as she looked up to Umbridge.
"Mr. Nott, I'm glad I've found you." She said, her voice always sounding so proper, though her eyes were widened with what seemed to be a combination of lack of sleep and nerves.
"Professor," He nodded a greeting, plastering on the fakest smile Grace had ever seen.
"Would you stop by my office before dinner tonight? I'm starting a new program, Mr. Malfoy mentioned you might be interested in helping us out. I need a few more eyes and ears around the school, especially with all of the trouble certain students have been stirring up lately..."
"Of course, Professor." He nodded at once, the pair falling into silence until she had turned the corner out of sight.
"Of course, Professor." Grace mocked and Theo ran his tongue lazily across his back teeth, his mouth falling into a smirk.
"Mad she didn't ask you?"
"I don't need to be a part of any secret little societies."
"Good, since she didn't offer, huh?" He teased, nudging her as he stood, grabbing the book back from her lap and waiting for her to follow him. "Come on, you're not going to get any real studying done out here, so quit pretending."
"God, you're so infuriating."
"My specialty."
➺
Grace ran her fingers over the fabric of the couch at her side, giggling as the final words of Leah's story faded into laughter. She swirled the last few sips of her drink around at the bottom of her glass and glanced towards the doorway once again.
"Are the guys coming, Grace?" Cho Chang asked from the couch over, though she didn't sound nearly as excited as the Ravenclaw girls had the last time they had wanted the Slytherin to join their party.
"I mentioned it to them, so... I don't know, they might..." Grace trailed off, swallowing down the annoyance at the nervous look Cho wore. All year, everyone was fine ignoring Harry Potter, and now all of the sudden his word was law. "I'm getting another drink." She muttered, starting towards the table near the back of the common room.
She poured out a bit of firewhiskey and filled the rest of the glass with whatever juice she had been working on all night, turning back to the couch with a sigh before her eyes caught onto the group making their way through the entrance.
Draco, Blaise, Theo and Enzo were huddled in two's behind Daphne who was hanging lightly on the arm of the familiar looking Quidditch player.
"Hi!" Grace glanced over the six, hurrying towards the doorway to meet them and leading them over to where she had left Leah on the couches before the roaring fireplace.
"Grace, have you met Graham?" Daphne asked, her voice sounding so casual despite the way she had been gushing about the boy last weekend.
"No, I don't think so. Grace Abbott." She held out a hand and Graham took it easily, nodding politely.
"Graham Montague." He explained, though something in his smile seemed to indicate that he knew of every conversation Grace and Daphne had shared over him.
"Can I get you guys something to drink?" Grace offered, though as she scanned over the group, she noticed Theo was no where to be found.
"Lead the way." Draco nodded, either not noticing or caring for the number of looks he'd been receiving since their entrance. Grace led them back to the table of liquor and stood back to let them mix their drinks, her eyes skating over Draco's tall form as he splashed a hefty pour of whiskey into his cup.
Graham had gone first, passing a drink to Daphne and following her back to the couch where she launched into a conversation with Leah at once, Blaise on their tail as Enzo drained half his drink in one gulp.
"Since when do we spend our evenings with the team captain?" He grumbled, Draco's eyes flickering uncomfortable between the brunette and their friends across the room.
"Oh, lighten up, Berkshire. I like Montague."
"Do you?" Enzo drawled, obviously not caring either way for Draco's opinion on the new member of their group, stalking back to the couches and dropping down beside Blaise, making sure to keep his eyes off of the blonde across from him.
"This is going to end badly..." Draco murmured, his eyes finally landing on Grace's and widening. "What?"
"What?" She asked, watching as his lips fell into a scowl.
"What? You've heard the rumors, I guess?"
"Rumors?"
"That stupid magazine?"
"Oh..." She trailed off, letting her gaze fall to their feet. She had wanted to talk to him about it, if only to make sure he was okay... If there was one thing she knew about Draco, it was how important his family name was to him... and having it smeared across the news, around the school, in a matter of days... "That. Theo showed me-"
"Theo showed you?" Draco snapped, "That blood moron." He ran two fingers over the bridge of his nose and let out a sharp sigh.
"It's fine, Draco..." She shook her head, stepping closer to him before his eyes re-opened, a dark glow lit behind the usual gray.
"No, it's not bloody fine. Potter's a liar, and it's my problem now, as usual."
"Everyone knows..." She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence truthfully. She had seen the glances the boys were getting the last few days plain as day. "He's got no proof."
"I'm gonna kill Nott. What was he thinking, anyway-"
"You didn't want me to know?"
"There's nothing to know." Draco snapped, "He's lying. All of it's a lie, so there was no point in you worrying over it..."
"I'm not worried." She lied, and watched as Draco took a long sip from his drink before nodding.
"Alright, well-" His words died in his throat as a tall Ravenclaw fourth year toppled into Grace, her colorful drink drenching her pale pink shirt.
"Hey!" Draco shouted, pulling Grace towards him only a second too late. "Watch it, damn..." His eyes flickered over the stain seeping through her top before digging for his wand. "Here, I've got it..."
"Thanks," She mumbled, feeling the heat of a blush creeping into her cheeks as the liquid dried from the soft material. "Um... I'm all sticky, I'm going to go... Wash that off..." She forced out a laugh and he nodded, watching as she made her way through the crowded room towards the staircase before he took his place on the couch with their friends.
Grace rounded the corner before pausing, leaning against the wall and pressing her hands against her face, forcing a deep breath through her lungs and waiting for her cheeks to feel less warm. Her mind kept replaying the last sixty seconds, Draco's fingers surrounding her arm, pulling her into his chest, his eyes scanning over her chest...
She groaned, quietly, though she was sure no one would have been able to hear over the noise from the common room, and then continued her walk towards her dorm, wasting no time before turning the doorknob and pushing into the room.
Her breath left her chest for a moment, the tall, dark form standing just on the other side of the door, his hand still extended as he had been reaching for the handle.
"Theo!" She snapped, though his lips were already pulling into the familiar smirk. "You scared me!"
"Sorry, bellisima." He smiled, glancing over her outfit. "What are you doing up here?"
"What am I doing, in my dorm?"
"Not down at your party." He clarified.
"Some girl bumped into me and I spilled my drink on myself."
"You look like you got it out alright."
"Well, it's sticky..." She grumbled, her eyes falling to the new bunch of flowers on her night stand. "Theodore-"
"Oh, come on. I was already up here, I wasn't going to waste a trip-"
"You're..." She trailed off, her gaze stuck to the coral and pink peonies. "Insufferable."
"Am I?" He grinned, waiting another moment for her eyes to flash back to his.
"Yes, now go downstairs, I have to change."
"I'll wait for you." He offered with a slight shrug.
"Get out!" She could feel the laughter bubbling through her chest, though she forced her lips into a frown, pressing two palms against his chest and shoving him towards the door.
"Alright! Where are your manners!" He chuckled, letting her push him into the hallway, the door slamming nearly in his face before she moved towards her closet, pulling out a dark gray sweater, just in case anyone else wanted to try to spill anything on her the rest of the night.
She wondered for only a moment how much liquid had managed to soak through her shirt before Draco had caught it... The warmth creeping back into her face before she shoved the thought from her mind, dropping the sweater to her bed and reaching behind her for the zipper of her top.
Grace reached and reached, adjusting her arm over her shoulder before finally accepting defeat. She scanned over the sweater before her, contemplating just throwing that on over the shirt and heading back down before, with a huff, she stepped back towards the doorway, wrenching it open and watching as Theo's eyes scanned over her once again.
"That's the same shirt." He said.
"Yes, thank you." She rolled her eyes, ignoring the return of his smirk. "I can't reach the zipper."
"Oh?" He asked, stepping back into her dorm and leaning against the door frame.
"Don't be smug."
"I'm never smug."
"Hah! Please." She mocked, her heart speeding up against her will as he kicked the door shut behind him and stepped towards her.
"Turn around." He ordered, and she pulled her hair to the side, her breath practically trapped in her lungs as she waited. There was a moment of silence, just long enough that Grace almost turned back to face him, to see if he had left the room, before she felt his fingers tracing gently over her skin. One hand pressed gently against her back while the other dragged the zipper down until the soft click echoed through the silence.
Neither of them moved for a moment before Grace finally sucked in a new breath, spinning towards the tall Slytherin. "Thank you." She nodded towards the door and he cocked his head to the side, slightly.
"That's all I'm good for? Zippers, then I'm banished to the hallway again?"
"I have to get changed!"
"I'll turn around!" He promised, though his lips still held a soft grin as he pressed his hands over his eyes, spinning to face the wall.
"You're delusional." She scoffed, grabbing the sweater from her bed and storming into the bathroom, making sure to slam the door loudly, though it did nothing to stifle his laughter.
"I'm delusional. You're the one who thinks I'd want to see you topless." He called through the door.
Her jaw dropped, pulling the sweater on and rushing back into the dorm.
"I never said-"
"Mhm." He teased.
"Alright, bellisima-" She mocked, pitching her voice down to match his sultry tone, accentuating the word the way she had grown so accustomed to.
"You can't call me that." He chuckled as she started towards the mirror beside the closet, pulling her now-messy hair from the neckline of her sweater and tucking the loose strands neatly into place. She took another slow breath, watching the color drain from her face before her eyes caught onto the peonies on her nightstand.
Theo stepped forward, his eyes meeting hers through the mirror before she spun to face him.
"What?" She asked, tucking her arms over her chest.
"You like them?" He asked, stepping closer to the small blonde.
"What?" She shook her head, as if she had no clue what he was referring to.
"Your flowers."
"Oh, my flowers..." She nodded, letting her eyes drift back to the pink bouquet.
"You do." He answered his own question. "Those your favorites?"
"That's like asking what your favorite detention was." She muttered, starting towards the doorway, though realizing he wasn't coming with her.
"Why can't you just admit it? You like getting flowers."
"I..." She shook her head, stepping back towards the nightstand. "Maybe I would like them better if it didn't come from you breaking into my dorm every few days."
"Mmm..." He nodded in mock understanding, "So in a few days, when I come back up here-"
"You shouldn't-"
"You're saying," He continued as if she hadn't spoken at all, "Peonies are not your favorites?"
"They're... Yes, they're pretty." She admitted at last, ignoring the smile that now overtook his face.
"Merlin, was that so difficult?" He grinned, enjoying the eye roll it had earned him.
"Can we please go downstairs now?" She asked, sharply, breathing a silent sigh of relief as he started towards the hallway again.
"Have you heard from your parents?" He asked, eyes on the dark staircase before them.
"About what?" She asked, knowing at once as he shot her a lazy glare. "Oh... No... I haven't written much this year, I suppose..."
"Do you usually write them more?"
"I guess... I don't have much to say to them right now."
"You think they know you're upset?"
"I'm sure."
"Do you think they would care? If you were upset with them?"
Grace glanced to his face again in the dim light far above them, though his gaze was still set on the steps.
"Yes."
"So... maybe you should write them?" He suggested, "Now that everyone's had some distance. Say how it's far too early to be marrying you off, you're not even sixteen..."
"Oh, it's about age?" She laughed, and Theo shrugged.
"No, it's about them marrying you off at all, but I was planning to outline you some talking points."
"Oh, thank you, Theo! How nice of you to involve yourself so deeply in my personal life!"
"Shut it." He nudged her easily into the wall. "It's a good idea. Unless you and Draco are content to just let your parents run your lives forever-"
"Obviously we're not... content..." She sighed.
"Aren't you? Is that what I'm missing? Are you secretly happy about all of this? I mean, you and Malfoy, that's your dream, isn't it-"
"Stop!" She felt her eyes go wide as she slapped his hand beside her, lightly.
"Am I wrong?"
"Yes, you're wrong." She snapped. "I don't want to be engaged. To Draco. Or to anyone."
"Good." He nodded, just as they reached the common room once again, "Prove it to me."
"I don't have to-"
"Write your parents. Promise?" His head fell slightly to the side once more as he waited for her answer, accepting her small nod as a yes and trying to suppress the smile he felt tugging at his lips. "Alright... let's go then." He clapped both hands to her shoulders, leading her easily through the crowds. "Watch out! Incoming clutz!" He called out, Daphne and Leah grinning as they fell into the vacant spaces between their friends.