Friendships
The next day, Theo woke up completely groggy, mouth dry. He was alone in the dormitory and the sunlight was already bathing the room. Golden rays were dancing on the canopy bed. Something had happened last night, but he couldn’t remember what. Hell, he didn’t even recall how he had gotten into his bed. His last conscious memory was being at the Library, extremely tired.
Coughing a little, he tried to get up from his bed, his limbs heavy and numb. Theo noticed he was still wearing his uniform, wrinkled by the sleep. Hmm, weird. The young man would never have gone to bed without changing beforehand, no matter how exhausted. An old habit from his days with his father’s severe etiquette.
Scraping his skull, Theo finally managed to get out of bed. Unsteady, he headed towards the bathroom on autopilot, eyes closed to protect himself against the brightness of the day. When he glanced at his disheveled figure in the mirror, Theo couldn't suppress the scoff. Apparently, his hair had decided to have a will of their own, sticking in every possible direction like they wanted to escape. He wondered where they got that from, huh.
He was silently washing his face when a sudden plop sound boomed behind him. Startled by the crack, he almost fell on his side. What the fuck?
“Messir Nott! You’re awake!”
The shrill voice of the house-elf was so piercing, it drilled a hole in Theo’s poor brain. Gasping, he tried to calm his frantic heartbeat. Well, now he was definitely awake.
“Hum, yes, yes I am. Can I ask you your name and maybe the reason for your presence?”
The house-elf, a female he noted now that he was alert, bounced on the ground and abruptly took his hand. She pulled him by the arm out of the bathroom, all the while blabbing about some grand duty. Honestly, Theo was too puzzled to protest and wow she had quite a firm grip. He was only beginning his day and still wanted to be in one piece by the end of it, thank you very much.
“Here, messir Nott!”
Oh. There was a table full of food in the middle of the dormitory. What the actual fuck? No, Theo, be polite. What the hell?
“I did it myself, messir Nott!” The tiny house-elf proudly proclaimed with what was surely considered as a smile.
“Thank you, miss…?”
“Winky!”
“Well, thank you Winky. It was very nice - and strange - of you.”
Theo sat down at the table (he was not going to refuse a meal so freely offered, was he?). The tablecloth shimmered at the Slytherin’s colors. There was everything he could have possibly wanted to eat. It was marvelous. Pouring himself a cup of tea, he noticed a plate full of delicious looking grilled cheese sandwiches. As he was stretching his hand in its direction, Winky cried out joyously:
“Winky hopes it will satisfy messir Nott! Winky is honored to do this duty! - she saw him bite into the sandwich - Oh, he said it was your favorite! He was right! Winky is so pleased!”
Wait, what?
“Winky, what do you - the tiny elf disappeared - mean…”
So, someone asked her to prepare his breakfast and bring it here. Who could it be? It probably was the same person who helped go to bed last night. Which meant an eighth year student. And a boy, if you could trust Winky’s words. Draco? It was the logical answer, but Theo knew the blond would have never asked a Hogswart’s house-elf. One of his own, sure, but going himself to the kitchens? Theo snorted to himself, no that was never going to happen. So who?
Damn his rubbish memory!
Theo hoped it would return to him, he hated not knowing. After that, he quickly finished his meal and changed into new clothes. The table and the food magically vanished, except for another grilled cheese sandwich safely wrapped and put on his bedside. House-elf magic was wondrous! They really ought to study it more.
Fully prepared, the wizard casted a rapid Tempus, because he was still unaware of the hour. Rays of sunshine were stunning, but not that helpful. Almost three pm. Merlin, he hadn’t slept, he had hibernated!
Theo exited the dormitory, searching his surroundings for a familiar face. He ultimately found one, hunched on one window’s ledge, lost in thoughts.
“Tell me you didn’t spend the whole day here.” He sighed, jokingly overexaggerating his disappointment.
Draco jolted and scowled at him. “I could have slipped, idiot!”
“But you didn’t, unluckily might I add.”
“Jerk!”
“Love you too, Drac’.”
They burst out laughing together, Theo settling in next to his friend. The view was hard to look away from. The Forbidden Forest was towering in front of them, dark and soundless. It seemed that even the sun couldn’t penetrate its invincible wall. In its contact, the air solidified, the temperatures cooled down. An impenetrable and elusive force.
“You look better, I’m glad you finally got some sleep. We were a bit worried here, you know.”
“We who ?”
Draco grinned. “The whole gang. Hermione was ready to ban you from the Library, and she has the power to actually do it, being Head Girl.”
“A tad ironic, if you think about it.” His friend agreed with a tilt of the chin. “So, we, proud Slytherins, are now fraternizing with the enemy. How do you feel about that?”
“The biggest prank in the universe.” Draco stated, fully smiling now. He didn’t seem to regret their new acquaintances. “What would our fathers think about us?”
Theo frowned, distaste taking over his handsome traits. “Don’t care. And I really should have made friends with the Gryffindors a long time ago. It would have given him a good heart attack. Maybe he would have died. That would have been awesome!”
The blond chuckled, squeezing his friend’s arm comfortingly. “Well, they would have died together then. Perhaps we could have buried them next to each other.”
“Yeah, the two biggest jerks together for eternity. What a grand event it would have been! Pity it didn’t happen. I almost feel bad now.”
“The key word being almost, huh.”
“You know me too well.” Theo sneered. “But more seriously - he turned his head towards his friend - who brought me back here last night?”
Draco’s eyebrows immediately shot up. “ You don’t remember?” He asked hesitantly.
He didn’t know what protocol he should follow in that situation. Theo was and had always been an oblivious fool in the matter of love. Plus, Blaise had made sure in the past to move aside any potential threats, including possible boyfriends. It wasn’t hard to fall for the ebony-haired boy, pretty and adorable as he was. But an overprotective best friend made it a lot harder to actually act on it. Guess the role was now passed down to Draco.
“No. I wouldn’t ask you if it were the case.” Theo retorted sarcastically.
Draco made a weird face, scrunching up his nose. His eyes seemed strangely lost. What was going on? It wasn’t a difficult question, was it?
“Hum. Well, I believe it’s Harry who brought you back.” Draco had decided on the truth, he wasn’t going to create unnecessary problems.”I was asleep by that time, so I’m not sure. You should ask him yourself, if you want certainty.”
“Huh” Was all Theo said. He appeared to be pensive, a reflective frown on his face.
Internally, he wasn’t meditative at all. Oh god, now he remembered! Did he really tell Harry he smelled nice? Fuck (he really smelled nice, but Theo didn’t have to tell him that!). It was a bloody disaster. Why did he always behave like a drunk when he was on the edge of brutal exhaustion?
“Do you want to go see the Thestrals? I think one of them gave birth to a baby this morning.”
“Sure.”
Theo answered, yet he wasn’t really there. He just kept replying last night moments in his mind, chastising himself for his stupidity. How was he going to face Harry now?
Later that day, at dinner, Theo kept glancing over and over again at the red and gold table, checking to see if Harry was there. Anxiety overwhelming him as always, he was fiddling with his fingers, under his own table. He didn’t see one bit of the wizard all afternoon, and even if he had, what could he possibly have said to him? Sorry for being the weirdo that he was? You don’t actually smell good?
When the Golden Trio finally entered the Great Hall, Theo exhaled a long quivering sigh. Good, that was good. Everything was great. Across from the boy, Draco chortled under his breath. The brunet glared at him.
“Don’t mock me.”
“Sorry, couldn’t help it. It’s just… Theo, you’ve been torturing yourself all afternoon over a sentence. Sentence that is normally perceived as a compliment by people. I’m not saying that your nervousness isn’t valid, but putting yourself through that much overthinking is becoming quite concerning.”
“I’ve always been concerning.” He grunted, attacking his food with his fork.
“Not something you should be proud of.” Draco commented unfazed. ”Ah, the owls are coming in.”
Theo sharply jerked his head up, trying to find the ash-gray feathers of Zeus, Draco’s owl. When he did, he couldn’t avert his gaze away from it. He morosely followed its journey to the Gryffindors’ table, face half-hidden in his hands. The owl stopped and slowly, too slowly descended. The majestic bird landed just next to Harry’s left hand, busy reaching for potatoes. The young wizard, confused, halted in his movement and instead approached tentatively his fingers to caress the scintillating feathers.
Harry instantly recognised Draco’s owl. It wasn’t hard, nobody else owned such a dignified animal. Such master, such pet. But why was it here? The answer came fast, as the owl graciously dropped a folded note. Curious, Harry opened it hastily. Elegant curves adorned the paper. He knew this handwriting, for he had stared at it a lot more than what was considered conventional. It was Theo’s.
Was he okay? Did something happen? Instead of reading the note, Harry scanned the students to find his favorite mop of hair, somewhere along the Slytherin table. However, he could only catch Draco's amused expression and a slumped figure next to him, probably Theo. A menacing cloud emanated from him.
Huh, something definitely happened. Harry hoped the poor boy had at least enjoyed his sleep and late breakfast. He may have threatened the other guys to not enter their dorm in order to let Theo peacefully rest. Well, his roommate didn’t need to know.
Harry carefully read the note, eyebrows furrowing. He ignored Ron’s groans and Hermione’s exclamations, resonating somewhere in the background. Well, that was unexpected : Theo was apologizing (for what, he didn’t know) and thanking him. Even through the scribbled words, he could distinguish Theo’s anxiety. That boy was really an adorable mess.
He sighed and raised his head once again in the direction of the two Slytherins. He motioned Draco to nudge his neighbor, which he did enthusiastically. Theo lifted himself up, back upright and tensed. They exchanged unclear words, then the nervous boy peeked in Harry’s direction. The latter waved eagerly at him, a wide smile spreaded all over his face.
Theo could discern the warmth of Harry’s expression, even from this distance. He could make out the shining green-eyes, the wrinkled cheeks and the lopsided grin. He didn’t need to look, he already knew.
Relief swelled in his chest. He could hear his heart beating in his ears. Everything was good, everything was alright.
So why couldn’t he calm down ?
A few days later, during a Wednesday afternoon surprisingly classfree, Hermione, Draco and Theo were huddled in the common room, each attending to their own business. The tranquil quietness was shortly broken when two boisterous voices walked in.
“Guys, could you please tone it down!” Hermione demanded from her crowded desk. Theo made a small noise of agreement, the silent boy stretched out on one couch.
“Sorry!” Harry sheepishly apologized, shoving his elbow in Ron’s ribs to shut him up. The duo stopped in front of the couches, where Draco and Theo were grouped. The former raised one eyebrow, inquisitive.
“Do you want to go flying with us ?” Ron asked them bluntly, straight to the point. At his side, Harry groaned : he would have gone in with a little bit more subtlety. However, if Draco was shocked by the sudden invitation, none of his collected demeanor showed it. Instead, he lightly poked Theo’s arm, waking him from his rather intense reading.
“What?” The boy grumbled, upset to be disturbed.
Draco pointed with his delicate fingers to the duo awkwardly standing there, right in front of them. “They invited us to go flying with them.”
Theo turned his pissed off stare towards them. His blue eyes had gone black, blazing and sharpened. A little afraid, Ron raised his arms in protection, while Harry stepped back, rubbing his neck bashfully.
“Sorry, he can be quite barbaric when he’s bothered.” Draco chuckled. “I guess you can take that as a no.” And he returned to his drawings. Ron frowned.
“And you?”
“What?” The blond snapped his head up in surprise, bewilderment shining through voice.
“Well, if I recall correctly, you're very talented on a broom, aren't you? But I haven't seen you once on the Quidditch grounds since the beginning of the year.” Harry pondered.
“You must miss it. Come with us.” The redhead added, almost ordering him to do so.
“You should go,” Theo’s voice chipped in. He was still focused on his book, but a small part of him paid attention nonetheless. “You’re not very good at hiding your frustration, Drac’.”
“Well, it’s settled then. Go change, we’re waiting for you here.”
However, Draco was pulled from his seat and pushed in the boys’ dorm by a forceful Ron, too agape to object.
“Thank you for doing that.”
Harry glanced at Theo (for once he wasn’t looking at him) who was softly smiling at him, gratefulness filling his beautiful face. He should smile like that all the time, Harry concluded, nodding. If he didn’t stop staring at him dumbly, the Slytherin was going to take him for a nitwit. Well, perhaps they had already passed this point… Oh fuck off, if he wanted to stare in amazement, he was going to stare amazed!
He could feel Hermione’s smirk all across from where he was standing. Shit, where was Ron when he bloody needed him?
“You’re alright, Harry?” Hermione’s smug tone clanged to his ears.
I hate you, traitor . “Perfectly fine, thank you.” He cleared his throat, stiff and intently looking at the room's door. Hurry up, please! Save me, Ron!
“Really? You don’t look fine.” She insisted, abandoning all pretenses to study, rather entertained by the scene. The witch leaned her chin on her hand and carried on, wickedly. “Hey Theo, don’t you think he looks agitated. Almost… flustered?”
The quiet boy looked away from his book to access Harry’s state, a concerned gaze taking over. “She’s right Harry. You’re very pale and tense. Are you certain you’re not sick? Maybe you shouldn’t go outside in this state.”
As Theo was stirring from the couch, probably to check on Harry more thoroughly, the dormitory’s door suddenly opened in a loud crash. Ron was coming out of it, still dragging Draco by the arm, and explaining some obscure Quidditch’s techniques he had lately invented. The blond was also still baffled, but appeared pretty invested in his classmate’s words and gestures.
Harry’s shoulders sagged in relief. He quickly nodded goodbye at Theo’s attention, shot a vicious glare at Hermione, grabbed the two other boys and fled the common room.
“Well that was fast.” Theo commented, sitting down again.
“That’s Harry for you.” The delighted girl snorted. She fell on the couch next to him. “I must confess, I’m quite tired of my essay.”
“Oh my, Hermione Granger is fed up with an assignment! It’s unprecedented.”
“Shut it, it’s History of Magic. You’d be bored too!”
“Clearly. It is the most boring subject at Hogwarts. But you’ve always seemed so passionate in classes, constantly taking notes.” Theo mused, questioningly.
Hermione sighed, leaning on the cushy back of the couch. “Who’s going to do it otherwise? I’m not going to let these two dumbasses fail their finals.”
“That’s courageous of you. Guess I know why you’re in Gryffindor, now.”
“Because it wasn’t already clear?”
“Sorry if that sounds offensive, but I’ve always pictured you more in Ravenclaw instead.” Theo explained.
The witch grinned. “Yeah, me too honestly.”
They stayed like that, content and meditative, for a few more minutes, before Theo noticed a strange device in his friend’s hand. It was rectangular with something like a string at one end, linking the object to an oddly shaped pair of earmuffs.
“What is that?” He asked, captivated.
“What? Ah, that’s a Walkman. It’s a Muggle invention. I can’t really explain the operation, but in brief, it’s used to listen to music.” Hermione tried to clarify, tugging at her stereo. It was a gift from her parents, the last one, before everything. It was a precious treasure, something she had hard time letting go of.
“Wow, so cool!” The childish wonder in Theo’s sapphire eyes made her chuckle with glee. “What are you listening to, then?”
“Piano pieces, usually. I learnt to play when I was little. Been addicted to the sound ever since.”
Oh. Theo’s shoulders slouched and his bright expression dropped. It was often the case when something evoking his mother came up in conversation. She was a sensitive subject he never thought of voluntarily, let alone talk about it. She had always loved piano and played skillfully. An overwhelming surge of sorrow engulfed the young man.
Cautiously, warm fingers began to stroke his cheek tenderly.
“You can talk to me about whatever is bothering you, if you want. I can listen or we can just stay here in quiet.”
Theo tried to verbalize words, articulate sounds, in vain. His throat was dry and sealed. Tears never came, they had already fallen a long time ago. He had none left.
“My mom.” He finally managed to say, hugging his knees close to his chest. “She was passionate about piano. It’s one of the only good memories I have of her. Sometimes, at night, I can still hear her play.”
“Oh Theo!” Hermione fully embraced him, holding tightly against her. “You know, this Walkman, it’s… it’s the last gift from my parents.” She whispered, wobbling. The boy hugged her even more tightly, unintelligible understanding passing through his clutch.
“I could play for you, if you’d like.” She whispered in his ears, her hair brushing his nose.
“Yes, I’d like that.” He simply whispered back, a small smile blossoming.
Nodding, she broke away from the hug and handed him the Walman.
“In the meantime.”
Theo would have protested, if it weren’t for the resolute gaze she held. It would have been futile to argue anyway. So, he accepted the device, grateful, and put the weird earmuffs on his head. Soon, an enthralling melody filled his brain with harmonious notes. He closed his eyes and let himself drift, at last in peace.
The next day, Theo was still listening to the Walkman, with Hermione’s assent of course. It was truly a wondrous invention. When he put the headphones on (he fully maintained it was a curiously funny word), nothing else mattered. It was just him and the music. Even his nagging thoughts couldn’t spiral anymore, carried away by the swelling melody.
That’s why he wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings, searching for his Astronomy textbook around his bed. A sudden pat on his right arm made him jump out of his skin. Merlin, he was gonna have a heart attack ! It had been supposed to be his father’s fate in their little silly scenario, not him.
“Alright mate?” It was only Ron, a worried expression arching his eyebrow. “I see you discovered Mione’s famous Stalkman. Cool thing, but I still prefer magic. It’s handier.”
“Walkman, Ron.” Theo chuckled, removing the device completely. “What can I do for you?”
The tip of the redhead’s ears flushed furiously. Oh, it was something important. Interesting. Theo kept staring unwaveringly at his roommate, while he was trying to formulate some articulate sounds. Not easy, apparently. Theo thought he looked like a particularly rosy fish, with his mouth hanging wide open like that.
“What’re you doing?” He finally managed to mutter. Huh. Theo wasn’t sure it was what Ron initially wanted to ask, but he could humor him.
“I’m searching for my Astronomy textbook. I believe I lost it, but I’m trying to find it anyway. Maybe it’ll give me an excuse to skip class.” Theo shrugged, half-focused on his wardrobe. Astronomy clearly wasn’t one of his favorite subjects. It was quite… soporific. Especially when the classes occurred at nighttime. Maybe he should use it to cure his insomnia.
“Let me help you.” Ron offered, wanting to do something, rather than standing like an idiot in the middle of their dorm. Now, Theo was very curious to know.
They hunted the manual, rummaging through the studious boy’s furnitures. He didn’t possess a lot. When he had had the chance, Theo had burnt everything his father had bought him and purchased with his own money the Hogwarts required items. The feeling of enraged satisfaction had filled him as he had watched the flames devour the tainted effects. He had always supposed his father had known about it, but assumed he had become too powerful for him to make Theo pay. How pathetic. Anyway, he certainly wasn’t going to ask the hateful man now.
“Here!” Ron’s booming exclamation distracted him from his vengeful thoughts. That’s why he listened to the Walkman in the first place. The redhead handed him the fateful object.
“Where the hell was this thing?”
“Under the bed.” He answered, laughing. It seemed that Ron was a lot more relaxed now. Maybe he was going to ask that question after all.
“How did it… You know what, never mind. Anyway, thanks Ron. You unfortunately saved me from skipping Astronomy tonight.” Theo grimaced, taking the book and shoving it in his bag.
“Too bad, mate. I know it’s not showing, but I am in fact a Prefect. So not gonna let it slide, mister Nott. It would be a severe violation of Hogwarts highest rules!”
“Not like you violate them yourself.”
“Irrelevant.” Ron dismissed with his hand, a false austerity painting his face. Great impersonation of Snape.
“So, what did you want to ask me?” Theo attempted, curiosity manifesting into his analytical assessment. Luckily, his roommate replied this time.
“Well… hum… it’s kind of embarrassing, really.”
“I am an embarrassing person by nature. I’m quite sure you’ll be okay, Ron.”
The redhead snorted and sat down on the bed. “Iwantyoutotutorme.” He spurted, looking at his feet.
It was the first time Theo was seeing the Gryffindor this… shy? The Weasleys had always been known to be outspoken and exuberant people. Facing a timid one was unexpected. How was he going to deal with that?
“Perhaps you can repeat that for me. I didn’t quite catch all of it.” None of it actually.
“I want you to tutor me.” Ron enunciated, this time more slowly and clear.
Wow, that was new!
“Don’t you want Hermione’s help instead?” Theo speculated, mixed between quizzical and dumbfounded.
The redhead sighed deeply. “Not really.” At the brunet’s shocked face, he quickly carried on. “It’s nothing against her! She’s amazing and a greater student I’ll ever be. It’s just that I want to take this year seriously. I want to pass my exams with the feeling of succeeding thanks to my own knowledge. And for that, I need to study, not merely rewrite what Mione composes.”
“So you want me to tutor you.”
“Yes. In Charms and Transfiguration. If you can, of course.”
Theo reflected a minute, examining every possible angle to the situation. To be honest, he didn’t have anything else to do, so a few hours of tutoring a week shouldn’t represent a problem. It could be a way to learn as well. Why not?
“I’m in. The weekends would be more suitable for both of us, don’t you think?”
“Yes!” Ron shouted, jumping on his feet. In the blink of an eye, he was strongly side-hugging Theo. It was a tad uncomfortable as the redhead was a lot taller than him and burlier too. Theo felt like a child’s doll, with his slender limbs and short stature.
Ron released him from his grip, thanking the quiet boy profusely, excitation bumbling all over. Merlin, you could forget the shyness, it’s like it never happened. Theo could only nod along the flow of words flooding out of his mouth, not understanding one syllable.
They exited the dorm with a distressed Theo, wondering why he had agreed, and an overjoyed Ron, already making plans. Merlin, help them (Theo in particular)!
Meanwhile, at the other end of the castle, another brunet was rushing along the corridors, cursing his familiar tardiness. Harry had a meeting with McGonagall this morning and really didn’t want to be late. One of his shoes was only half tied, testifying of his urgency.
He was turning around a corner, when he heard it.
“You don’t even deserve to be here! You should have died last summer!”
“Traitor! Scumbag!”
“Filthy Slytherin!”
Oh shit! In front of him were three Gryffondors, probably fourth year, surrounding Draco who was backed up against the wall. Even though he was looking at them, his eyes were inexpressive, his face blank. Harry felt a maddening fury boiling in him. Why the fuck were they tormenting Draco?!
“What is going on here?” Harry demanded, his voice low and threatening. He walked up to them slowly, almost predatorily. Vanished was the facetious boy. Now, there was a menacing man, jaw squared, fists clenched. Anger thundered on his somber face.
The three boys had the decency of looking abashed for getting caught. Embarrassment turned quickly into fear.
“We-we were j-just-t…” One of them stammered, moving away from Draco, who was staring at Harry’s furious figure, emotionless.
“You were just what?” He snapped back, his tone cold and unsettling. He was now only a few centimeters away from the miserable bullies, towering them, growling. The smaller one actually yelped, tears forming in his eyes.
“If I ever see one of you in Draco’s presence, if you ever insult him, or even think about him again, you’ll see how much you will suffer. I will take my sweet time making you scream and cry, like the pathetic shits that you are. What Voldemort experienced will be a lovely fucking dream compared to it. Understood?”
They nodded frantically, aghast, trembling against each other.
“Get out!”
They didn’t need to be told twice, as the three dickheads scrambled on their feets and ran for their life, far far away from Harry Potter's wrath. The fuming wizard turned around, approaching Draco gradually, like he was a spooked animal.
“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” He asked gently, laying a careful hand on the blond’s shoulder. The latter just closed his eyes and let out a quivering breath. His emotions seemed to finally get to him.
“Yeah, yes. I am. I’m okay.” Draco eventually whispered back.
“You’re okay. You’re safe.” Harry reaffirmed.
They slid along the wall, collapsing on the grounds.
“You didn’t… you didn’t have to do that, you know?” He hesitated, a bit in disbelief. “I could have handled it. I had worse.”
“That’s the fucking problem Draco!” Harry took offense, his flash of anger reviving suddenly. “You shouldn’t have to endure that! Why didn’t you ask for help? Why didn’t you come to me, McGonagall or even one of us? You stubborn moron! If I had known it was that bad, I would have…”
He didn’t end his sentence, sighing defeated.
“You would have what? Carried out your threats?” The graceful boy derided with a scoff. Sarcasm was his shield against reality.
“Maybe.” Harry grumbled, crossing his arms. Honestly he might have done it, if he wasn’t so afraid of Hermione’s scolding afterwards. He sincerely hated bullies, wherever the hell these cowards came from.
“I have to say, it was pretty impressive. You actually were scary.” Draco snickered. Colors complemented the pale skin, rosy cheeks and sly smile.
“Nobody hurts my friends.” Harry downright asserted, like it was the simplest fact in the world. Disdain had curled his mouth. Draco didn’t say anything, but his smile did it for him. It was nice to have friends indeed.
Then, the brunet swiftly got up, offering his hand to his friend. He ruffled his dark locks while Draco was dusting his precious uniform down. Scrunching up his nose, Harry looked around, examining where they were.
“I think I’m lost.” He stated. “And late, very late.”
Draco snorted. “Where do you need to go ?”
“McGonagall’s new office.”
“Then, let me show you the way.”
Theo was rushing downhill, almost tripping on the stony stairs of the Astronomy tower. He actually did go to his class, unfortunately for his sanity. At least, he had done some sort of physical activity with all these steps.
As he was going down, he caught a brief glimpse of Hogwarts’ exterior. The sky had already been painted by the evening, reflections of stars on the clouded lake. Theo noticed the silhouette of a guy, a student from his clothes, standing still near the water. Oh, he could have recognised this messy head everywhere (and he was not going to wonder why).
Out of the blue, the urge of joining the figure enticed him. Maybe it was because the quiet boy was himself in a contemplative mood, after all that stargazing. So, he complied with his desire and exited the castle in the direction of the lake. It was like fulfilling a quest, determination and excitement heating his blood and skin.
“Are you ever cold?” Theo introduced himself, planting his slender legs next to Harry.
“Not anymore, no.”
“Curious answer.”
“Well, I am a curious boy.” Harry countered, turning to the newcomer.
Oh shit, he was smiling again. Why was he always smiling (and why did Theo seem so troubled by that)? The puzzled boy didn’t say anything, only held his gaze. A starry gleam was flickering in his green orbs, making them even more dazzling.
“I went here to be alone for a minute and just breathe a little. Sometimes, everything gets too much, you know.” Harry carried on.
“Yeah, I do know.” Theo sighed. That was a feeling he understood all too well. “Do you want me to leave?” He did say he wanted to be alone after all.
“No, that’s alright. I don’t mind you being here. I was just… thinking about my parents. Reminiscing, if you want.”
“Ah. It’s something I usually avoid doing, to be honest.”
“Really?” Harry asked. He appeared to be pretty invested in what Theo was saying. It was that glint of deep interest that pushed the Slytherin to continue.
“Hmm. My mother died when I was younger. I don’t even remember her face, nor her voice. But sometimes I can still feel her, like she’s there, advising me or comforting me. I don’t know if that makes sense.” He lightly chuckled, a bit surprised to reveal something this intimate.
Theo wasn’t used to being vulnerable with people. Thanks to his dear genitor, it had always been perceived as a weakness, something to get rid of.
“I think it does.” Harry reassured him. “And your dad?”
“Not much to say. Him being a Death Eater is probably his best quality compared to the rest.”
“Seems like a good bloke.” His classmate commented sarcastically. “We do share some similarities in terms of fucked up family.”
That made Theo snort. No wonder why he could talk to Harry about that subject without freezing. Messed up people recognized each other.
“Well, I hope you have better memories about your parents than I do.”
“Nothing much apart from what I was told after coming to the Wizarding World.”
“Oh.” That was sad. The dejected expression on Harry’s face crushed something in Theo’s heart. A part of him wanted to pull the boy into a tight hug and never let go. But he didn’t do it. It wasn’t his place (or perhaps he was afraid of the meaning of such action).
“I was thinking about them because of Halloween.” He picked up again. “Their death’s anniversary. I don’t know what I should do: celebrate or grieve?”
“Why not do both?” Theo pondered, after a beat of silence. It was a bit shocking Harry would talk about that with him in particular, but the saying was true, conversation with strangers helped. Yet, was he really a stranger?
“How does that work?” His classmate questioned, puzzled.
“Did you know that in Mexican culture, Halloween is called El Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. - Harry tilted his head forward, curious - They have this tradition where they believe the border between the spirit world and the real world dissolves. During this period, the souls of the dead awaken and return to the living world to feast, drink, dance and play music with their loved ones.”
“So, you’re essentially saying I should celebrate Halloween as a way to grieve my parent’s death?”
“Ten points for Gryffindor!” Theo joked, but he nodded to Harry’s sentence. “I think it would be a great way to grieve for them. And from what I’ve heard about your father, I believe he would have loved it.”
Harry laughed, his head thrown back. “ Yes, I’m sure of that!” He tried to regain some sort of composure, but his lopsided grin wouldn’t disappear. Theo was oddly glad that the previous sadness had vanished (and maybe proud he was the reason for it). “Anyway, thanks Theo. You give pretty good advice.”
He couldn’t control his cheeky reply : “Surprised?”
Harry’s expression suddenly changed. His mouth slowly curled into a wolfish smile. His eyes got this strange intensity back, like in their spare Potions classroom. But this time Theo couldn’t escape, neither his feelings or that stare.
“No. Not at all.” The raven-haired man murmured, taking a step closer.
Oh no! No, they weren’t going to do that again. Theo wanted to step back, move, do something for god sake, but his entire body was paralyzed. He could only follow with his eyes the young man getting closer and closer, until there were just mere inches between them. He could almost feel Harry's breath on his face, lingering on his forehead because of the height’s difference. Please, just…
“H-hi.” Theo stuttered, to fill the stifling silence. Merlin, did this boy never learn about proper physical distancing?
“Hi.” The smile grew wider.
It was getting harder to inhale apparently, and his body still didn’t want to move. Was he having a stroke? And why was it suddenly so hot outside?
Then, out of the blue, an unexpected thought crossed Theo’s brain (so the traitor still worked, it would seem).
“The sandwich!” He blurted out. That appeared to stop Harry’s progression in whatever he was going to do. The Gryffindor looked at him agape, completely taken aback.
“The sandwich?” He echoed hesitantly, not understanding at all Theo’s words.
“You were the one to bring me back to the dorm that night. And you asked Winky to prepare me breakfast in the morning.” The flustered boy explained with a new liveliness.
“Yes?”
“You asked to prepare grilled cheese sandwiches for me!” Theo almost accused him (he would have pointed his finger at him for more effect, but his body wasn’t cooperating).
“I… know.” Harry was beginning to question his friend’s sanity. Was he having a stroke?
“But I don’t understand! How? How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“The sandwich, Harry! Follow a little!” Theo shouted
“The sandwich.” At this point, he was just parroting, entirely lost on what was going on in the boy’s brain.
“Yes. How did you know it was my favorite kind of sandwich?” Theo interrogated him, inflamed. He was like a detective searching for the final clue to his mystery, cheeks burning and eyes blazing. Such a captivating view.
“Hum. I just… knew.” Was the only reply Harry found.
“But how?” Theo insisted. That thought hadn’t left his brain for quite some time now. He needed to know, to understand.
“Well, I noticed it was the food you ate the most, so I deduced it was likely your favorite. Is it not?”
This information instantly quieted down the inquisitive boy. He was looking at him like he was a ghost, his face pale and aghast.
“But why?” Theo whispered, his voice so shy you wouldn’t have believed his previous outburst.
It was Harry’s turn to flush. A tad embarrassing, really. Now, was he going to tell the truth or lie to the guy he was falling in love with?
“I… I simply noted it. It’s what friends do. We take care of each other.”
So, not the truth, but not a complete lie either. Just a fact that could apply to the situation, even if Harry knew damn well it was deeper than friendship. However, Theo didn’t need to be aware of that right away. He was only beginning to accept the idea of bond between them. It was too soon. Harry could wait.
“We-we are friends?” Theo repeated, incredulity and interrogation wavering in his voice.
“Yes, we are. You, Theodore Nott, are friends with me, Harry Potter. I didn’t want to assume, but I think most eighth years share that same statement. Is that okay with you?”
“Yeah, it’s… good.” He said, averting his eyes. A warm sensation flooded his chest. Friends. He had a whole group of friends.
“Now that we covered this subject, let’s go back to serious matters : I’m famished. Want to eat with us?”
Theo snorted, the timidness melting away gradually. “ You sound like Ron.”
Harry smirked. “See, already part of the group.” He casually clasped the Slytherin’s shoulders, directing them towards Hogwarts doors.
“We’ll have to pick up Draco, though.”
“Pretty sure he’s already there.”