ivy | theo nott

Grace stepped through the doors of the Great Hall behind a huddled group of first years with a sigh. It was finally Saturday. She had done it. Made it through all of her exams, very confident she wouldn't be receiving anything below an Acceptable. The rest of the hall was filled with chatter, conversations straining to be heard over the rest of the students over mountains of eggs and pastries.

Grace spotted the Slytherins at once, huddled together near their usual place along the farthest table in the hall. She turned towards them, her stomach growling, though none of the eyes turned to face her.

Daphne had one perfectly manicured nail trapped between two rows of pearly white teeth, her eyes flickering between Theo and Draco who were both leaned over the table over a long, un-rolled parchment. Blaise and Enzo were doing their best not to make eye contact at all with anyone.

"-going to find out anyway, better it comes from us-"

"She can find out with the rest of the school, whatever the prophet is going to say. Who knows if they'll say anything!" Draco hissed, Theo's eyes flickering up to meet Grace's at last and Draco stiffened, crumpling the parchment in one fist before shoving it into his pocket and forcing on a fake smile.

"What's going on?" Grace asked, slipping into the empty space beside Draco and wasting no time before reaching for a coffee mug.

"Nothing-"

"Draco's father-"

"Nothing!" Draco's lips curled into a snarl and Theo let his sentence trail off, his eyes darkening as he glared at his friend before pushing the stool back from the bench and stood from the table.

"Going for a smoke." He muttered.

"It's not even ten..." Daphne's voice softened once she realized the brunette was already out of ear shot, turning down the aisle and through the double doors out of sight.

"What's going on?" Grace asked again, looking to Draco who shrugged, pulling a plate closer to the Ravenclaw and nodding towards the pile of food before them.

"He's being dramatic. Like always."

"How were the rest of your exams?" Daphne asked, though her usual glittering smile seemed forced now, and Grace couldn't miss the way that Enzo's eyes were boring down into his untouched pancakes.

"They went pretty well. How were yours?" She replied, sneaking a glance at the hallway, wondering if she could catch Theo still. If he would tell her what had their friends so worked up?

Before Daphne could even answer, there was the familiar sound of dozens of owls soaring through the windows above the Great Hall, swooping low in calculated movements, dropping letters and newspapers to their owners, some pausing for a small snack or a piece of pastry before heading back up to the owlery.

Grace had learned most of the owls of her friends by now, especially the large glistening black one that had dropped Daphne's copy of the Daily Prophet between the group, finally bringing Enzo's gaze up from his plate, his eyes going wide.

For a few moments, nobody moved, nobody spoke, until Draco's eyes locked to Daphne's, offering her a short nod and a shrug. The blonde girl reached carefully for the paper, unwrapping the twine tie and rolling the parchment out over the table.

The room had erupted into a mixture of gasps and shouting before Grace could even lean forward, trying to skim over the large bold writing along the top of the page, a picture flashing there of Fudge outside the Ministry of Magic.

HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED RETURNS

"What does that say?" Grace's voice nearly broke on her words, reaching to twist the paper more in her direction, Enzo's face now practically white as Draco ran two fingers over his eyes.

"In a brief statement Friday night, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge confirmed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned to this country and is active once more..." She read, squinting to read over Draco's half-eaten breakfast between them. "It is with almost equal regret that we report the mass revolt of the dementors of Azkaban, who have shown themselves averse to continuing in the Ministry's employ."

Daphne pressed her lips together as Grace read, grabbing for Enzo's hand across from her, though he didn't meet her eyes.

"This is why... all those prisoners escaped before... Dumbledore's been right all-" She trailed off, her mind flashing back to Harry Potter's Quibbler article, naming Draco and Theo's families...

"It's going to be fine." Draco promised, his voice set, as if he'd been planning his next words out this whole time. "Whatever happens, the Ministry will deal with it."

"Right..." Grace nodded, not wanting to dig herself deeper from her previous words. She scanned over the group, Enzo still not meeting anyone's eyes, though Daphne and Blaise were exchanging a worried glance.

"I mean it," Draco turned to her, "Don't worry... It's summer, don't let this ruin-"

"Oh, right, I should be saving up all my worrying for whatever our mothers have planned for us in the next few weeks?"

Draco groaned, letting his head fall into his open palms. "Yes, exactly. Merlin. Maybe Dumbledore will let us all stay here."

"Never thought I'd hear that sentence leave your mouth, Malfoy." Daphne snickered, wrapping the paper into a tight roll and effectively changing the subject of the breakfast table, though the rest of the Great Hall was still alive with whispers, hushed terror and nerves taking over every table, and Grace couldn't ignore the way every professor at the head table seemed pale faced as they leaned into each other's conversations with short nods every few moments.

➺

In less than twelve hours, every student inside the castle walls would be shoving their way down the familiar path to Hogsmeade, racing for a good compartment, ready to get home, to see their families once again. For the first time in all five years of schooling, Grace couldn't be less excited to get home. To see her parents. To find out what this summer would bring, for her and Draco. It was entirely likely that today would be the last official day of her childhood, that any day now she would be engaged...

Which is why she found herself perched atop Daphne's emerald bedspread, watching as the blonde tried her best to cram nearly four suitcases worth of clothing into one. How she had ever managed to get it to school in the Fall was beyond Grace's imagination.

"Ugh!" Daphne groaned, leaning all her weight on top of the exploding trunk.

"We could shrink all your stuff down to make it fit, your parents could help you put it back once you get home." Grace suggested, holding back a laugh at the scene before her.

"Yes, I suppose that's what we'll have to do." She sighed, letting go of the trunk to allow it to spring back to the floor, a small pile of clothes flying out with it as she set to work, shrinking her clothes down one by one as Grace hopped down beside her to help.

"Daphne..." She started, quietly, though they were the only two in the dorm, much to Grace's relief. How she had managed to spend this much time with the Slyhterin's since Christmas and only barely run into Pansy Parkinson was still a mystery.

"Hmm?" The blonde hummed without looking up from their work.

"Are you worried?" She went on, folding the now miniature clothing into a neat pile on the floor. "About the news? About the breakouts and the... You-Know-Who?"

Daphne didn't face her, continuing with her task for a few seconds of silence. "I mean... sure... Just because we don't really know what's happening... but, our parents will know more, and we'll be home tomorrow and... there's not really anything we can do, right?"

Grace watched as her friend tried to keep her face stoic, as if she truly believed what she was saying, even if she wouldn't meet Grace's eyes.

"Do you think... Draco... and Theo, you think they're worried? They seemed-"

"I'm not sure Grace..." She shrugged, finally looking up. "You'd have to ask them."

Grace nodded quickly, not wanting to upset her friend.

"Can I ask you one more thing?"

"Of course." Daphne answered, her tone bright yet her eyes were nervous.

"Any ideas on what I should get Draco for his birthday?"

"Oh, bloody hell..." Daphne groaned, leaning back against the wood of her bed frame. "That really just comes round every year, doesn't it?" She grinned.

"They tend to do that, birthdays." Grace laughed. "I mean, I've got to get him something decent!"

"Oh, Draco won't care. He'll actually be pissed if you do get him anything." Daphne waved a hand through the air. "Maybe you could get him a book? Though I don't know what he already has. Probably everything in that massive library they've got. We should ask Enzo, or Theo..."

Grace let her mind wander to Theo for only a second, not having to imagine very hard the face she would receive if she were to ask him for advice on Draco's birthday gift.

"You need anymore help?" She asked, the pile before them had shrunken before their very eyes into a much more manageable task.

"No, I'm fine now! I'm going to have to bring more bags next term. I say this every time, and yet at the end of every year, I'm right back where I started." She sighed, dramatically as Grace started towards the doorway.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then." She waved, starting down the staircase and glancing through the busy Slytherin common room. Not spotting any familiar faces, she continued towards the doorway which had been open practically all day, students rushing in and out constantly.

She started slowly up the staircases towards Ravenclaw tower. The last day of the school year was always chaotic; students racing about last minute to return books, find their lost items, packing and goodbyes, though it was now nearly nine, and the moon had long since appeared above the castle, casting perfect shimmering light through any windows Grace passed.

She glanced towards the familiar corridor, her mind sliding to the end where the rickety wooden  ladder would be, waiting to take anyone up to the astronomy tower for one last time. Without a second thought, she made her way down the hallway, not stopping until she reached the tower, glancing up at the open doorway for only a second before starting up, one rung at a time.

Her gaze settled on the moon first, before falling to the dark haired boy against the railing, the glowing embers of half a cigarette resting between his lips.

"Why am I not surprised?" Grace called, enjoying the way he spun to face her. It was rare that she ever made Theo jump.

"Looking for me, bellissima?"

"Maybe..." She shrugged, finally reaching the railing and leaning beside him, careful to leave a bit of space between them. "Haven't seen you since you stormed out of breakfast yesterday."

"I didn't storm out." He replied, though the corner of his lips had curved slightly into the start of a smirk.

"Okay, drama queen. If you're scared about the news you can just admit it, I'm sure you're hardly the only one-"

"I'm not scared." He muttered, glancing down to the blonde at his side. "You want me to put this out? I know you hate the smell."

She blinked at the change of subject, her eyes flickering down to what remained of the cigarette between his fingers over the railing.

"No, that's... I don't mind." She shook her head, not wanting to ruin his smoke break. He hadn't invited her up here, after all.

He didn't bring the cigarette back to his lips, instead tapping it twice away from them and letting the ash at the end crumble into the air before disappearing from sight.

"Is everyone alright?" She asked again at last, breaking the momentary silence as Theo turned, leaning his back against the wooden posts, eyebrows raised.

"Everyone?"

"Draco, you... I mean, Enzo looked like he was going to puke yesterday..." She leaned forward, forcing his eyes to hers. "Everyone seems really on edge."

"You read the papers, right?" He answered, his voice slow and measured, as if he was thinking out his words before speaking for once in his life.

"Yes."

"Then I think you know why everyone's on edge-"

"I'm asking about you. And Draco. Because of what Harry said in his Quibbler article... Your parents-"

"Gracie..." He muttered, his voice coming out in more of a huff as he let his head fall back onto his shoulders to face the dark sky above.

"What? That's a pretty valid question-"

"You're going to get me in trouble."

"With who."

"Your fiancé." He grumbled, still not meeting her eyes.

"So there's something he doesn't want me to know."

"I didn't say that-"

"Say there's not then." She pressed, "Say I know everything I need to know and that he's not keeping things from me-"

"How about," He cut her off, finally looking back to her, letting his hip press into the wooden railing as he took a step closer, ignoring the gap she had left between them. "You just let him worry about... whatever you think there is to worry about. And you just enjoy your summer."

He was so close now, his bright green eyes lit up in the darkness of the tower, the light summer breeze drifting easily around them. Grace watched his eyes for a moment as they scanned over her face slowly before returning to her eyes.

"His family... that's going to be... my business... one day..." She stammered, finding it a bit difficult to form a coherent sentence when he was this close, brown curls shifting in the night air, the familiar cologne surrounding them both.

"Right," He nodded, just once, the warmth leaving his eyes as he glanced down to her hand, so close to his in the confined space. "That's um... Yeah, this summer..."

"Possibly..." She nodded, her heart sinking slightly as his face fell, missing the brightness of his eyes. "We'll see."

"You nervous? To get home?"

She didn't answer at first, looking back over the railing before them, letting her gaze find the familiar constellations surrounding the moon in the dark sky before offering him a slight nod.

"You can write me." He said, his voice clear again in the empty tower. "If you need anything. You can always write me."

She felt a small smile creep along her lips as she looked to him, though his gaze was stuck to the forest in the distance, his eyes not moving.

"Thanks, Theo." She breathed, letting out a deep sigh and pushing the thoughts from her mind. The prophet, the summer, going home... Whatever was going to happen would happen, and there was no use standing around for the next 24 hours wondering.

Without warning, she felt the warmth of Theo's fingers surround hers, wrapping through her left hand and pulling it from the railing closer to his face. His eyes skated along her fingers in silence for a moment.

"Theo?"

"Just admiring the view." He muttered, nodding towards her hand just once. "Might be the last time I see you without a ring on this finger."

She forced her mouth shut, her lips pressing together into a thin line.

"Hope not..." She finally forced out, pulling her hand out of his grip as half a smile pulled to his face.

"Me too."