word count: 3.5k
tags/warnings: fourth year, hufflepuff reader, hufflepuff/slytherin house relations, female reader-insert, draco malfoy is terrible at feelings
summary: In your fourth year at Hogwarts the Yule Ball is announced, and Draco Malfoy is dying from the terrifying reality of having a crush on a Hufflepuff. || ao3
Draco Malfoy was pretty sure he was going to die.
There was simply no other explanation for this terrible, horrible feeling.
His heart was racing out of his chest. His stomach felt like it was going to unload itself all over the pale green walls of his dorm room. He was nearly sweating blood from the immense stress he was under. He couldn’t eat. He couldn’t sleep. All he could think about was you.
And it’s not like you were something worth thinking about, either. No, you weren’t some brilliant pureblood witch, nor did you believe in such philosophies. You were in Hufflepuff, for crying out loud. But you were quiet, almost as if you weren’t even present, and yet so effervescent and noticeable all the same. It was quizzical. It was maddening. Draco simply couldn’t figure you out, and he hated feeling like an idiot.
It’d been this way for a while now. Of course, he’d met you on the train on the way to your first year of Hogwarts, each of you reaching gingerly for another chocolate frog off the trolley. Your hands had touched, and he’d felt a spark unlike anything he’d ever felt. It was terrifying. He’d watched you walk away with a foreign sense of yearning, wishing he was brave enough to follow you. But Slytherins, in all their glory, are known not for bravery but for cunning – and Draco Malfoy was destined to be a Slytherin. So he watched in agonizing silence, turning to his friends who brought him little joy but much appreciation. His thoughts remained on you until the sorting ceremony, where you joyfully skipped to the Hufflepuff table upon the raggedy hat’s decision. His spiteful words to that boy in Madam Malkin’s shop rang through his head, then: ”imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?” – and alas, the first person to ever pique his interest was designated to be a blasted Hufflepuff. He cursed the damned hat and sat with a forced smirk as he heard it bellow his future within seconds.
That was years ago, though. Surely he would have forgotten about you by his fourth year, right? He was almost certain that would be the case when he heard the dreadful news of your placement, but his boyish heart was disappointed time and time again. As the years went on, it seems you were proving to be wise beyond your years. The two of you shared many classes because of it, forcing him into your close proximity more often than necessary. It was terrible for his health, truly.
He absolutely loathed the thought of it – of liking you. Of desiring you. Surely he had to be dying, because there was no way he would admit to having a juvenile crush on the Hufflepuff he met in his first year. It was a waste of time, a blemish on his otherwise spotless marks. Really – he was top of his class (though probably second to Hermione), son to two of the most powerful names in wizardkind, Slytherin’s seeker, Potter’s number one bully, and a general heartthrob. He was well aware of the way the girls in his common room would eye him – once or twice he tried to indulge, to distract himself, and yet his mind kept coming to you. To the way your eyes sparkled in herbology, or the tender face of concentration displayed in potions. It was in these moments you were quietest, and likely also when he noticed you best. But he liked to observe you during your loud moments, too. Sometimes he’d hover near your group of friends on a Hogsmeade weekend, acting as though he was in need of Honeydukes sugar when, in reality, he desired to hear your bittersweet laugh as another told you some dumb joke. Oftentimes he’d watch you in the Great Hall, absorbed in the way you would knock your head back in fits of laughter and fill the air with words when you were too afraid to stomach the quiet. He was a people watcher in nature, which is what he would say to justify his staring when prompted by Crabbe and Goyle’s incessant nosiness. He was simply scanning for blackmail, as a wise businessman always does.
Really, he just thought you were pretty.
He thought you were especially pretty in the candlelight of the Great Hall as the Triwizard Tournament was announced. He was intrigued, yes, but not so much by the idea of other schools joining the chaos of Hogwarts. No, he was curious to see why you were so excited, especially considering only six- and seventh-year students could participate.
Luckily for him, he soon learned of the source of your great fervor and zeal. There was to be a dance.
Alas, as news of the Yule Ball fluttered through every one of Hogwarts’ vast hallways, Draco Malfoy suffered a miniscule heart attack at the thought of another man taking you.
Beautiful you, in your Hufflepuff yellow and shimmering skin.
It was foolish to dream of taking a Hufflepuff to the Yule Ball as a Malfoy. He was, of course, expected to make an appearance which clarified the place of pureblood wizards in society. He was to arrive in elegance and fashion with a brilliant, wealthy Slytherin witch clinging to his arm as if he was her prized trophy. He was to smile only when absolutely necessary, and never by choice. He was to make his date shimmer and bring his family name honor. That alone was his role in the whole affair – the family “breadwinner,” so to speak. The beloved Malfoy heir, following in his father’s distinguished footsteps.
And yet, he found himself picturing you in stunning shades of pink which he’d never seen, hair falling gently against thin shoulders and bangs perfectly framing your face. He shivered at the thought of those bright eyes of yours shimmering beneath the candlelight for another beholder.
It was simply too much. Draco, in his infinite wisdom, felt that he had two options: somehow find a way to justify taking a half-blooded Hufflepuff with no inherent wealth or name to the Yule Ball (a once-in-a-lifetime event and a great opportunity for marketing), or simply pass away. Somehow Draco found himself leaning towards the latter option.
The fact of the matter was that it was damn near impossible to make it work. On the most rudimentary level of inappropriateness, you were a Hufflepuff. That alone should have been a done deal for the Malfoy heir. To make matters worse, though, which you seemed to be incredibly efficient at doing, you were a half-blooded nobody in the wizarding world – possibly lower than the Weasleys, though he didn’t speak to you enough to know exactly where your family stood economically. Then there was the bain of his existence: you certainly were nothing short of beautiful. Your splendor was enough to lure him, Draco Malfoy, in with one small interaction over a trolley cart years ago. Surely, then, he was completely at odds with taking you to the Yule Ball. It was only a matter of time until one of your dearest Gryffindor friends plucked up their famed courage and asked the most vibrant, ebullient witch he had ever encountered to the ball in his stead (albeit unknowingly).
And yet he wanted you so tangibly. His feelings were so irritatingly real, so persistent and unbending. It was the most foolish vestige he’d ever embarked on, this unspoken journey of wanting you on a level so unnecessarily profound that it physically hurt. He had never been one for affection, and yet he yearned for your touch as if he were an addict starved. It was a dangerous game, the thought of fueling the fire of his aching desire. He knew if he didn’t act soon his juvenile crush would turn into an all-consuming obsession, and he’d hate to ruin what little opportunity he had with you by being a borderline creep. After all, he already had so few friends.
A month passed before Draco found an opening to speaking to you about the Yule Ball. Of course, it wasn’t an ideal opening – he had been paired with you during potions and he had to force himself not to blow his potion up in his own face with how terribly in love he was – but a desperate man was not one to turn down an offer. He feigned an air of nonchalance as he plopped down beside you, praying to whoever would listen first that you didn’t notice the red tint of his ears (and even if you did, really, he’d just say it’s rosacea, because how would you know any better?).
Professor Snape had given each student a random partner, but the Slytherin was convinced that his guiding professor may have still been holding a vendetta against him for some dumb comment he must have made at some dumb point in the middle of his very dumb class. It was all rather… cretinous. Treacherous, too, that Snape would force him to endure such torture when he was meant to be his mentor. If only it weren’t a matter of Draco’s heart – otherwise, his father would certainly be hearing about this. Paired with a Hufflepuff. A Hufflepuff with pretty eyes, and a laugh like falling rain…
You looked at him with a quaint smile, moving your materials to make room for his egotistical presence. “Hello, Draco. It’s nice to see you.”
He wanted to do a bunch of really stupid things then, like kiss you or scream or run away. He settled for an uncharacteristically soft, “Good morning,” and focused further on Professor Snape’s dreadful monologue. They were to brew a simple Wiggenweld Potion, he said. As he droned on about the beauty of a simmering pot, Draco felt his body tense at the feeling of warm eyes drifting along his torso. He glanced over at you, sending your eyes fleeting and filling your cheeks with a lovely shade of red.
It was then that the Malfoy heir, in his extensive wit and endless wisdom, realized that the challenge of the day would not be completing the potion, or even discussing the Yule Ball and learning of your many possible suitors – no, the most difficult thing he would do today would be surviving this class with the girl he’s been pining after like an idiot for four terribly long years. Didn’t fate have a funny way of working like that? You were all he wanted, and yet he didn’t think he could survive being near you without accidentally confessing or telling you he hated you (a foul, dirty lie).
You worked quietly beside him, preparing ingredients as necessary. Draco was grateful for the bone you seemed to have tossed, thankful for the quiet opportunity to bathe in your presence and gather his thoughts. In the most miniscule of ways, it thrilled him to see the way the two of you worked perfectly in tandem, as if you were merely one lowly, dedicated being. It was a unity outside of his realm of understanding, and he marveled at the feeling it provided.
Of course, he should have remembered that the object of his adoration had a terribly difficult time staying quiet for long. Just as Draco had begun a mental catalogue of the feeling of your air in his presence, you opened your mouth to lead him astray. “So, Draco,” you started, addressing him as if he hadn’t always clung to your every word, “do you have any plans for the Yule Ball yet?”
The boy found his wisdom falling short. He simply didn’t know how to respond – tell you he planned on dying because he simply can’t bear the thought of you with another? No, that’d be far too cliche. Be caught speaking with a Hufflepuff on terms out of the realm of decidedly necessary? Why, his father would have a fit! But to ignore you would be simply horrible, even for someone of his descendance. Any Hufflepuff could be deemed easily ignorable by a Malfoy (especially one below pure-blood status), but you captivated him in a way which was wholly incomprehensible and excruciatingly aggravating and exactly what he needed to wreck his plans. Before he could stop himself (and, more accurately, before he could scare you off), he found himself answering in earnest: “I haven’t a partner yet, no. I’m not sure it’ll be much of a good time. And you?”
Your eyes sparkled, likely due to the shock of his response, and he found himself biting his lip until he tasted blood to hold back from smiling. He turned his attention back to the textbook but listened intently. “Not yet, no,” you sighed. “I was asked twice, but I declined.”
Really?
“Really? Whatever for? Certainly it’s much better to attend the ball with a partner than alone.”
“Well, yes,” you sighed, “but I’m waiting for a particular person to ask me. I doubt he ever will though. I’d rather go alone than have to pretend my heart is truly in it.”
The Slytherin’s heart sank, but his face remained unshaken. It was foolish to have hoped for anything more, of course. Draco knew this would occur – you were simply too bright to waste your time with someone as dull as himself. Your radiance would be drained by his shadows, and you deserved someone who added fire to the flame rather than taming it. Letting you go would be the selfless thing to do.
Draco Malfoy was a selfish man.
He never spoke to you again – not unless strictly necessary, of course – but the gray in his eyes still tracked you in passing, filing each stolen glance into the mental notebook he dedicated to dreaming of you. Every moment his friends spent discussing their current fascinations he spent longing to be rid of the horrid feelings he harbored for you and you alone. Four years of being surrounded by intelligent Slytherin witches with money and values, ladies his mother would approve of, and all he could be bothered to think of was you. You were a disease, and he simply loved being ill. It was almost poetic, in a twisted way.
The Yule Ball came around as he knew it would, and Draco Malfoy found himself with a date. He was to attend the ball with Pansy Parkinson out of sheer convenience. Pansy, a dear friend of his since childhood, may have been infatuated with him. If she was, he was terribly uninterested. However, he knew she was simple, pleasing in his mother’s eyes, and easy to lose in a crowd. It was the convenient choice, if not the most merciful. There was no one he had wanted less than Pansy Parkinson, yet the one he wanted was likely already betrothed or signed away. Quite frankly, it wouldn’t have been a horrid idea for the Malfoy’s son to end up with Pansy if one disregarded his strong distaste for the girl’s entire existence. If she stood at least ten feet away and kept her mouth shut, however, she was awfully good company – at least, that’s how Draco saw it.
Though he dreaded the Yule Ball, a quiet, more desperate part of his soul ached to see if your ensemble matched what he had pictured countless times. Surely enough, he watched you enter the Great Hall on the arm of a man he had never seen – certainly a gentleman from Durmstrang – dressed in silks which reflected the gentle blush on your face. Though your body was attached to him, your eyes found Draco’s in an instant. A soft, almost melancholy smile appeared on your face, disappearing just as fast. Draco felt heavy bile rise in his throat as he watched the man place his hands on your waist, pulling you into a waltz.
All nonchalance fled from the sick man’s body at the terrible sight, leaving him nearly fuming. By this point he had already slipped away from Pansy and had nothing to remind him to cling to what he knew. Years of training, of reprimands, of hazy introductions fled as Draco forced himself to take three deep breaths.
He had two options: one, walk across the cavernous Great Hall and ask you, a lowly Hufflepuff with the most beautiful eyes and glimmering skin, to dance; or, two, die on the spot and pray he makes it to Heaven afterall. There no longer was an option to sit back and watch. After three more deep breaths, the pride and joy of the Malfoy name made his descent into disappointment. His steps felt heavy, each breath feeling more labored than the last. He had no idea what he was doing – he hadn’t even rehearsed! And yet, his body moved on its own to where you stood, dress hugging your frame just enough to tease and face lifting in confusion at the sight of the blonde Slytherin’s panicked concentration.
Your smile was calculated, questioning. “Hi, Draco,” you began, but your words were cut off by a cold, palmy hand grabbing yours.
“Forgive my lack of manners,” he stumbled, “but I don’t know what I’m doing. Will you spare me a dance?”
He looks at you, eyes pleading with a taste of reckless abandon. He is a sight one can only dream of seeing – eyes wide, the sincere gray covered by blown-out pupils; face flushed, hands clammy in hesitation. He knew he likely looked like a madman, and promised himself he would find the time later in the evening to critique his every poor decision which led him to choose the senseless road on his split pathway (which, he was quickly learning he had a penchant for doing). For now, though, he focused on the widening of your focused pupils as they traveled across his warm body. “Of course,” you finally answered, albeit a bit breathless.
Despite knowing the two of you had dates to attend to, his hand found your waist as he had dreamt of doing all too frequently and his other joined yours in the air. As the music began, you stepped together immediately despite his fumbled brain and your lack of air. His eyes met yours in a gaze dripping in intensity and poorly concealed desire. “I–” he started, stumbling like a fool. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
The confession was shocking and rather unwarranted. “You seem to be a great dancer to me,” you offered calmly. Which, of course you did – it’s just who you are.
“No, no,” he sighed in frustration. “I just– I have a date. I’m expected to dance with a Slytherin. I just… something just came over me, seeing you with him. And I know it’s unbecoming of me to come in here and ruin your night–”
“You aren’t ruining anything–”
“– and garnish my family’s hard-earned reputation, but I can’t stop thinking of you! I haven’t for years.”
Your movements slowed, eyes a dull sparkle. Draco felt as though he had been punched in the gut. “What?” you asked, sounding small.
Another sigh escaped his lips as a desperate attempt to get the earth to swallow him whole. His father had always taught him, though, to finish a fight he started. In order to keep any remaining respect he still had – after all, he was incredibly aware of the whispers around them which were cast at his back like daggers – he finished his mournful confession. “I don’t understand it. It isn’t me, to care like this. You’re nothing like me and you hold none of the same standards as I am expected to. And yet, something about you fascinates me. I just can’t figure it out, and it drives me mad. And seeing him here, holding you, looking into your eyes which I know so well, it… it was maddening, too. My father would never approve of this. But…”
Your eyes met again, though this time they appeared brighter. You pulled yourself closer into his embrace and danced despite yourself. “It doesn’t have to make sense, Malfoy. Just dance with me.”
He knew when his father heard about this, he would receive living hell. He knew, also in his infinite wisdom, that he may never see a chance such as this again. So, Draco Malfoy, juvenile and (maybe) dying, danced. And when you took him by the hand to sit beneath the stars, he allowed himself to follow blindly. He listened eagerly like a thirsty dog, licking at every bit of information you would provide on your life to add to his catalogue. When you stole a tender kiss, he pretended not to like it (and he most certainly didn’t enjoy the second one he stole in tandem).
Draco Malfoy was not dying, nor was he all that sick. He especially wasn’t a dancer. He was, however, a selfish and juvenile man, and you were a beautiful witch with a heart brighter than the sun and, for once, he found himself enjoying the sweet taste of indulgence.
I think he realized it on a normal evening, you were sitting in Gryffindor common room with twins; you on the couch, Fred on the armchair of course, and George sitting on a carpet in front of you. They were talking about their new invention; Fred mostly talked about the outcome of said thing and how testing was going, meanwhile, George was talking about how he came up with the idea. It wasn't much known in the Hogwart, but George was better at potions; better at making them and changing proportions to make something new.
you, of course, knew that, but you couldn't help but see that sometimes George was a little bit shy about his knowledge, as if it would make him a not good enough Weasley twin or something. Honestly, you couldn't know.
but, u didn't want him to feel any less because of this, so, you were listening intently to the origin story of making up this new thing, and when he ended you complimented him:
“Honestly, it’s all in the potion proportions!” George declared, his eyes lighting up as he spoke. You leaned closer, captivated, sensing the flicker of uncertainty in his voice. He always seemed to second-guess his brilliance, as if it might be too much for the room. “That’s so cool, George! You really know your stuff,” you said, breaking in as Fred rambled on about the grand plans for their next prank. “What if you added more of the—what was it—Gillyweed? Would it be more dangerous, or would it just go kaboom?” George blinked, taken aback by your enthusiasm, a shy smile creeping onto his face. His cheeks flushed a soft pink, and he rubbed the back of his neck, clearly not expecting your genuine interest. “Maybe both!” he replied, a hint of excitement in his voice. It was a quick reaction, and to mask the sudden warmth in his cheeks, he slid back into his usual, mischievous teasing self. “Ohh, should I expect you to get a crush on me now, for my incredible potion skills?” You rolled your eyes, laughter bubbling up. “Shut up, George!” you shot back, a playful smile on your lips. With a grin, you turned to Fred. “Now we know who the smarter twin is~” George’s laughter mingled with yours, as Fred pouted. As 'smarter' twin met your gaze and saw your smile, something shifted in him—a spark of something deeper, something new, and he wasn't just sure if he liked it or not
CRUSHING ON YOU:
he gives you sweet but joking-sounding compliments, wanting to make you smile/blush but not being obvious with it
started seeking your presence in every room; the great hall, classes, outside, or quidditch playground. He just wanted to see you, hoped to see you, and was over the moon when he actually saw you
after that one time you complimented his potion skills; every time twins show you their new invention he unconsciously seeks your compliment. He may not know this himself, but you realized it, after one time you didn't say anything about his role in the thing, and he looked like a pouting, sad puppy...
him actually beaming after you compliment him
sometimes, his eyes subconsciously drop to your lips when talking to you
George would start helping you carry your books to classes. He would reason it, that he's doing it for something else you did (u never have idea what he's talking about), but he just doesn't want to admit it yet.
his heartbeat faster every time you suddenly touch him or show him any affection. Of course, he hides it with his usual playful expression, but he leans in your touch, and just hopes you're obvious to that
when it's crowded in the hall, he likes to put his hand on the small of your back to make sure you don’t get separated. First time he did it, you were flustered as crazy, and he didn't even realize what he did until you were already in the class! When he realized, he just joked that it's because you're getting lost too easily, but do you really believe in that...?
Him getting flustered yet excited to see you cheering over him (and Fred) during Quidditch matches. When it's a hot moment you even call his twins names, and it helps his determination (he has to win for you)
teacher catching him gazing lovingly at you. Sometimes they just let it slide because *young love*, but sometimes they ask him what he's doing and he comes up with an excuse or just shrugs
He’d find himself staring at you even in the Great Hall, as everyone is eating, and isn't it quite something for one of the Gryffindors to stare lovingly at Hufflepuff table?
unconsciously starts talking and thinking more about you when you aren't around. Like, the classes you don't share together, and something happens and he's like "Y/N would scrunch her nose and giggle at that, I can just see it" or while you eat at your house table, and George casually starts talking about you to Fred and Jordan "Isn't she clumsy, lately? Nearly fall on her face while going today to the library!" not realizing his obvious puppy eyes.
George, being the more emotional twin, enjoys just being his calm, sometimes worried or serious self with you. He's happy that you don't only like him (and Fred) for being funny guys, but also like him when he's too tired or too worried of being a fun guy. He likes having emotional and serious conversations with you.
CONFESSING TO YOU
He didn't want to confess to you for the longest time, not because he's shy, but because he's insecure. He loves Fred more than anything, but he can't help but sometimes feel that people prefer him. And so, he was bloody terrified, that you would be just another person who would prefer his twin. And he couldn't hear you say it, because it would break him, he knew that.
so it wasn't until Fred finally decided to speak with him about matter. Encourage him, tell him that Geroge is your favourite twin and it's obvious to everyone. And after a few days of that, he finally confessed to you.
people would assume that being Weasley twin, George would be confident and confess with a boom, but no. At said time he felt like nervous wreck, feeling his palms sweating, and his tongue-tied as if hexed. Nonetheless, one evening, as you two were strolling through the school grounds, he finally confessed with a nervous smile.
And you? Well... You couldn't be happier.
YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM
simp, soft bf, pouting when you're annoyed at him
loves you to the moon and back
compliments you everyday, from general to very specific things
"You're the most beautiful person in the Great Hall.""That mole you have on [place] suits you well. I love it. Can I kiss it?"
after you two started dating, he started doing unconscious things, like fixing your clothes after hugging you or having out session, and also fixing your hair when the wind makes it all in your face. It's like breathing for him
Forehead kisses. holding hands always. back hugs at random times.
You were already comfortable with him as friend, but now, as you are with him, you feel that you can turn off your brain, and be hundred percent sure that he will make sure you will not get hurt.
he’ll never ever cross your boundaries (unless you want him too?)
he’s in touch with his emotions, so you’ve probably seen him cry and be furious a few times.
somehow you made a habit of napping on each other's shoulders. Sometimes even on each other's thighs...
he always lean into your touch, even when he's with his brother or friends. he would never be embarrassed of loving you
normally isn't easy to be flustered, but when it comes to you... well, let me tell you, that you have your ways of making his cheeks pink
as your bf he will sometimes do silly, gentleman things like; holding an open door for you, trying to stall stairs for you so u can make it on time, or leave some cute paper charms on your table.
will treat you like royalty you are
when you're too tired to get back to your own common room, he would give you a piggy back ride
pretty sure, he would give you massages when you're tired (in exchange for a kiss ;))
he wants to know even more about you
wanting to - somehow - be part of your hobby. For example; if u like reading, he would ask you to read out loud for him, or ask to borrow your fav book, so you would have a new share topic to talk about. And if you like make-up, he will gladly let you use himself as your model (and will be pretty serious if you ask him which look you did, he prefers!). And if you like sports/quidditch, he will train with you or be your biggest cheerleader. He just wants to support you.
so he may, or may not, make this invention especially for you (not for the prank, but to brighten your day and make you smile)
tickle fights
you wearing his jumpers, obv
holds your hand when anxious
now that you're together, he doesn't only stare lovingly at you at classes, but also holds your hand under the desk
cheering for him in every Quidditch game and even wearing his shirt to show your support (unless it's against Hufflepuff... then you're supporting both teams)
him showing off on his broom, making sure you're looking at him
him flying straight to you, after the end of the game (includes sweaty kisses)
your outside make-out sessions are often interrupted by curious animals coming closer to you (he's used to it, he knows that animals just like you, but can't they be curious when he doesn't have his tongue in your mouth??)
you stealing some food from Kitchens and bring it to your bf, when you know he's working on their new intention (he often forgets about eating)
him being surprised seeing you as if it was the first time, but tiredly grinning at you, giving you a quick kiss, and a strong hug, to keep himself going through the night
him grinning at you lovingly, as he's observing you naming the plant he gave you
if u have an allergy to something or just don't like specific food, he makes sure Molly knows it before he invites you to burrow. He may be a tricker but he knows when to hold himself, because he never wants to seriously hurt you or upset you
as his partner, you're making it to the stadium of Molly's favourite in-laws, placing you next to Harry & Hermione
overall, he loves you like crazy, you understand each other and support each other, love full of cuddles and emotional support
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
If you would like to read again how you met twins and how friendship with them looked like: [Click]
If you decided to change the twin: [Fred Weasley route]
note : english isn’t my first language, sorry for the mistakes. this is a part two of this fic! Hope y’all enjoy 🤍
word count : too lazy to count hehehe
1994 - The Yule Ball 25th of December
Days passed after you and Theo shared that kiss and it was finally the day, the Yule Ball. The sky outside the tall windows had already darkened to a deep winter blue, and snow drifted lazily across the grounds, settling on turrets and towers like powdered sugar.
Inside the castle, the Hufflepuff common room was alive, filled with excitement and nervous energy filling the room. Mirrors were crowded with girls tilting their heads, adjusting straps, and asking the same question over and over again—Does this look all right?
You drifted down the staircase of the common room letting the fabric trail behind you, it was sent from the Noble House of Yaxley, or in other words sent from your parents. It was a gorgeous dress nonetheless, probably picked out by Mrs Malfoy, Draco’s mother, and Mrs. Yaxley, your mother, both had quite the shopping addiction.
Quiet murmurs followed, warm and kind, compliments flew around you. As you walked through, reaching for the door out, a hand brushed your shoulder. You turned, and there he was the one and only Cedric Diggory, smiling warmly at you.
A warm smile curved across your lips as you looked at him. “Hey, you look great!”, he says as he looked at your dress, then back at you, a hint of colour touching his cheeks. “Thank you! You look amazing yourself”, you responded and giggled a bit.
“So who’d you decide to go with?” “Oh—about that I’m going with uhm Theodore.” For a moment, he looked stunned. Then he steadied himself, his expression softening. “Right, of course you would.” “I’m truly sorry, Cedric. This doesn’t mean you don’t have a date, right?”, you looked at him with concern. You hoped he had asked someone since you didn’t really give him an answer for almost two weeks.
“It’s quite alright, I’m going with Cho.” You had a warm smile on your face, a bit in relief as it wasn’t going to be as awkward as you thought. “That’s wonderful! She’s a real beauty and brains, I hear.”, you joke around to lighten the mood and he gives a soft chuckle. “Yeah, it’s nice— she’s nice!”
“Well I better go, Theo’s waiting for me.” you give a quick wave and goodbye, he had a bit of a disappointed look but quickly gave you a quick nod and wave with a thin smile as you turned your back and walked out the door.
𓆙𓂃✍︎
The Great Hall
The Great Hall shimmered with ice and candlelight, enchanted icicles glittering overhead as soft music filled the air. Laughter mixed with nerves, dresses swayed, and awkward smiles were shared beneath the stars of the enchanted ceiling.
Together, you entered the Great Hall, Theodore’s arm close to yours as the room shimmered around you. Music filled your ears from the orchestra, it felt like the rest of the world fell away. Theo kept his eys on you, a smile warm plastered on his face, and in that moment, the Yule Ball became less about the crowd and more about the two of you.
“Is there something on my face? Why are you staring?”, you asked, a bit embarrassed.“You’re absolutely beautiful, anima mia.” That caught you off-guard for a bit before a soft giggle comes out of your lips,”Such a charmer you are.” “Only for you.” You felt the heat rising to your cheeks turning a soft pink.
Your steps were careful at first, but Theo guided you easily, adjusting to your pace without a word. The soft sweep of your dress brushed against his robes with each turn, and the warmth of his hand was a quiet reassurance. He glanced down at you now and then, calm and attentive, making sure you were comfortable. Surrounded by music, laughter, and candlelight, dancing with Theodore felt natural, like it was always meant to be just the two of you together like this… and maybe it really was meant to be this way.
The music from the orchestra faded, and for a brief moment, the Great Hall held its breath. Then a sharp, pulsing beat cut through the air. Cheers erupted as the Weird Sisters took the stage, guitars slung low, drums pounding like a second heartbeat. The atmosphere shifted instantly and you quickly adapted to the beat. Laughter spilling through out the night, jumping, spinning, and singing along to the beat. Theo stayed close, one hand occasionally finding yours as you danced together, surrounded by familiar faces and shared excitement.
𓆙𓂃✍︎
After the Yule Ball, the castle slowly dies down. You walked with Theo and your friends through the halls. The group moved together, laughing and talking as the night wound down.
With the warmth spread through your veins, you got a bit tired. “You alright there princess?”, Enzo asked. You nodded. “Just a bit sleepy ‘is all,” you murmured. Theo glared at Enzo, clearly unimpressed by the pet name.
“Better watch it, Enzo”, Mattheo said with a grin, clearly teasing both him and Theo, the others gave a laugh. Theo wrapped an arm around you, pulling you a little closer. “We all know Nott here doesn’t like sharing anything.” Pansy remarked as she looks down on the arm around you. Theo scoffs and keeps his hand where it is and continues to walk with them, following the same pace, not affected by their words because he knows they’re right. As much as he knows Y/n is close with their friends but he just has this possessive nature, he can’t control. The others silently agree and let the conversation flow from one topic to a completely different one.
As the night grows darker, the clock struck midnight. “We should get back to our common rooms,” Astoria said, glancing around the group. With quiet agreement, they made their way down the stairs.
When you reached the basement, you said your goodbyes. You and Theo split from the group, heading toward the kitchens.
Both of you reached the enterance of the Hufflepuff Common Room. “Thank you for walking me to the common room, Theo,’ you said, glancing up at him, a smile spread across your face. Theo drew you closer, his voice gentle. “Of course, tesoro. Anything for you.”
You felt yourself blush at his words. Without hesitation, he leaned in and kissed you, slow and tender. Pulling back just enough, you saw his eyes and the way it looked so soft and gentle.
“Something the matter?”, he chuckles softly, feeling your stare. “I love you Teddy”, were the words that come out of your mouth oh so suddenly.
Theo froze for a heartbeat, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. Then, almost as if finding his courage, he smiled softly and whispered, “I love you too. I think…” he paused for a moment and your breath hitched for a second as you hear his words, feeling like the world was spinning. “I think I’d love you forever, you’re everything to me, my one and only amore.”
The world stopped spinning as he finishes the sentence. You stepped back, and his hands slipped from your waist. Almost immediately, as if by reflex, Theo reached out, trying to catch you, in a desperate attempt to hold on. “Bloody hell Theodore!! I thought for a second there that you were having second thoughts!”, you shrieked as you hit him playfully, now full of laughter. “Never do that again, you prat!”
Theo laughed softly, the sound warm and teasing, and reached for your waist again. “I’m sorry,” he said, eyes sparkling as he tried to steady you. “,didn’t mean to mess with you. I do love you.” “Really?” you hummed. “Very much so.” he replied with no hesitation, as it was a clear fact and didn’t need any thought to it.
“Well I really appreciate it, Mr.Nott.”, you say as you giggled and wrapped your hands around his neck. Rising onto your tiptoes, you closed the distance again, pressing your lips to his. He immediately melted into the kiss, his warmth pressing against you, hands resting at your waist as if you were the only person in the world.
He pulls back for a bit, resting his forehead on yours, meeting your eyes with his,“I just realized we have never made it official yet.”, he lets out a small chuckle. “I guess we haven’t, what are you going to do ‘bout that Teddy?” you quickly remarked teasingly.
“Well let it be official,hm? You want that pretty girl?” He lifted your chin so he can get a better view of your face. You quickly responded by giving him another kiss, one that was deep and passionate.
“Stop snogging, will ‘ya?” A voice cut through the air. You both pulled back instinctively, heart still racing, you blinked, cheeks warm, while Theo’s expression shifted from lingering softness to alert curiosity.
Draco, Draco Malfoy
Theo groaned, rolling his eyes with exaggerated exasperation. “What is it, Deaco?” he asked, his voice half-annoyed, half-amused, clearly not in the mood for interruptions.
“Lighten up, Nott. I’m here for the princess.” He said with a teasing grin. “My princess.” Theo mutters under his breath as he wraps an arm around your shoulders.
“Be grateful I’m giving you my blessings to be with my little sister!”he spat out, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. “She’s not even your little sister!?” he huffs out but then feel you slipping away from his touch.
“We basically are! How dare you say otherwise!”, you shifted to Draco’s side and cross your arms, having a playful pout on your lips. He knew you were both teasing but also telling the truth, you both grew up together, always on each other’s sides. Theo sighs and raises his hands, a sign of giving up playfully. “Yeah yeah get it over with.”
Both you and Draco stuck your tongue out at him,” Another victorious win from the Malfoys and Yaxleys!”, you announced and both giggled as Theo huffs “I can see the resemblance now.” You both ignore him.
“Anyways what’s up, Malfoy?”, you ask him in a curious tone. “Our parents want you home this year, mum says it’s important.”, he says, knew you enjoyed it more being in Hogwarts than at home.
You frowned, it was Christmas and you wanted to spend it here, at Hogwarts. Especially now you were officially together with Theodore. You also knew Theodore rarely goes back home during breaks, you look at him before looking back at Draco,”Do I really have to?”, you whined, puppy eyed, making your way to hug Theo, a sign you didn’t want to leave him.
“Not my orders. We leave tomorrow morning princess, get your bags packed and have enough sleep, goodnight.”, he sighs and turns back, making his way back to the dungeons.
Your frown deepened, eyes looking up at Theo now. He pulled you gently into his arms, holding you close. His touch was steady and comforting, and with a soft smile, “You really don’t wanna go huh?”
“I wanna stay with youuu!”, you whined, going deeper onto the hug. You rested your head against his shoulder, letting it tilt slightly so it brushed against his neck. The warmth of him seeped through, steady and comforting. “Want it to be like this forever.” He mumbles. You nod gently, he still felt it since you were so close.
“Alright now, dolcezza. Have a good night rest, okay?” He says, eyes fixed on your face, completely mesmerized. You nod gently and he kisses your forehead,”Goodnight Theo.” “Goodnight amore.”
You turn your back around him as you tap on the barrels in a nook. Theo’s gaze never leaves until the entrance closes. He makes his way to the dungeons, back to the Slytherin Common Room.
𓆙𓂃✍︎
1995 - Back at Hogwarts
It was now January 1995, you spent almost two weeks back with your family. It was super boring being there, a big mansion with no one to talk to, just elves working around the place since you did not have any siblings. You spent most of the days with your mother, Narcissa and Draco. You also kept writing letters to Theo and he of course responded to every single one, giving you details of what he was doing everyday at Hogwarts.
The cool air breezed through, brushing against your skin as you stepped out of the carriages. You felt free and alive, finally back where you belong. You belonged to be at Hogwarts, in his arms, oh how you couldn’t wait to be in his embrace.
Draco stepped right out after you did. “Back in this rubbish establishment.”, he sighed. “Oh stop complaining ‘ya big baby.” he scoffed and looks you up and down. “‘Am not a big baby, I’m just tellin’ the truth! You’re just happy to finally see your little knight in shining armor, princess!”
“Well you aren’t wrong.”, you unconsciously smile and Draco rolls his eyes as you both walk towards the dungeons. The conversation switches to another topic before you guys finally reached the Slytherin Common Room entrance.
“Pure-blood.” Draco spoke the password in a firm tone and the heavy, carved stone door swings open. You both head inside the room, passing through the mermaid statues out front and making your way down the staircase.
The Slytherin Common Room was made with walls of cold stone and greenish torches, the room felt slightly chilly but in a comforting way. Filled with big, tall, arched windows that showed murky depths of the Black Lake, it was also filled with statues and tapestries of the Slytherin heroes. The room was sleek and elegant, marbling all over.
You immediately spotted your friends on the biggest and comfiest sofas in the room, the flames from the fireplace burning low and slow. There was an unspoken rule for the Slytherins that the more famous pure-blood families had the spot reserved, it’s been that way for generations and you of course had no complaints whatsoever since you had the privilege of being there even if you weren’t a Slytherin you said in your head. (You felt kinda bad but it didn’t hurt anyone so you learned to ignore that feeling)
Once Theo’s eyes met yours, he stood up straight away. Without thinking, you ran into Theo’s arms, letting yourself melt against him. His arms wrapped around you automatically, steady and warm.
“Get a room,” Enzo called from across the common room, smirking.
Theo groaned, rolling his eyes, but the corner of his mouth betrayed a small, amused grin. You couldn’t help but laugh, your cheeks still warm from being in his arms. “Not my fault you’re jealous, Enzo,” you said, teasing, and Theo laughed, resting his chin gently on your head.
Enzo made an exaggerated barfing gesture, rolling his eyes dramatically. “Ugh, you two are disgusting,” Mattheo chimed in. You stuck your tongue out at the both of them, “Well you two should settle for one girl and stop snogging one girl to another.”, Blaise says with a cool expression, sitting beside Pansy as she nods.
“I agree, you both are insufferable.” Astoria mentions, her face filled with annoyance as she makes her way to Draco and gives him a kiss on the cheek.
Meanwhile, you and Theo take a seat on the large sofa. Theo sat between you and Mattheo who had disbelief all over his face as the group all turned against him and Enzo. “This isn’t fair, you guys are ganging up on us!” he exclaims.
“We really aren’t.” you say calmly. “Just the facts” Pansy adds. “They’re not wrong, you both are absolutely mental.”, Draco says as he sits down.
You all laughed as Enzo and Mattheo tried—and failed—to defend themselves, waving their hands and protesting dramatically. The teasing quickly faded into easy chatter, and soon the conversation flowed naturally.
𓆙𓂃✍︎
??? 1995 - Goodnight
The night fell softly around the castle. The world outside grew quiet, and the only sounds were the soft crackle of the fire. It would be a scandal if any prefect or worse teachers found you here.
In Theo’s dorm, you rested in his arms, the world outside forgotten, fingers tangled in his hair as he held you close.
You nestled in his arms, your fingers threading gently through his hair as you traced soothing patterns. The warmth pressed against you, steady and reassuring, and you could feel the quiet rhythm of his heartbeat.
There were times like this, when you two just spent the night together in his dorm, not every night, just most nights when he couldn’t sleep. You didn’t mind, obviously you didn’t! He was your sweet boyfriend, maybe future husband who knowssss.
What you did know was you by all means love him with your whole heart. He definitely did too, he would be constantly around you. Everyday, any day, always. He saves you a seat in classes you have together, in the library, in the common room, pretty much everywhere you both went. He hates when you’re far away.
He’s not very good with words but Merlin’s beard he loves touching you so much. Whether it be a hand on your waist, thighs, hips, shoulders, his hand is always around you. Holding you close enough to make sure you can’t get away, you weren’t planning to, but he was just taking precautions and if you did he could grab you right away. You couldn’t even ever be sick of him.
He was really warm and comfortable around you but you still felt a bit breezy since you were just wearing a tank top. When you tried to move, but his arms tightened around you. “What are you doing, dolcezza?” he lifts his head up from the pillow and raises his eyebrows in confusion, voice laced with sleepiness and laziness.
“Was j’st cold, baby.” you responded. He gave a small pout and took a hoodie on his beside table, a little crumpled, a sign it had been used but not too much to the point you feel like it should be ironed. You pulled the hoodie over your head and slipped into it. It was a dark blue plain hoodie, was way too big on you and smelled just like him, a super basic men’s cologne, fire whiskey and a faint smell of cigarettes.
He rose up from the bed and leaned over you. His hand cups your cheek as he presses a soft kiss to your lips. “You should wear this more often, vita. Suits you more than it suits me.” he snickers after he pulls back from the kiss , his face split into a grin. “Oh shut—“ he cuts you off with another kiss, pinning you down onto the bed and into a cuddle.
You both laugh as you draw back from the kiss. Back into the comforting presence of his strong arms. You felt tired and yawned. “Sleepy already?” he asks, eyes on you, as it is all the times.
Theo has a staring problem. Is what you thought when you first met him. His eyes are constantly around you since the first time you got here next to Draco, the time you got sorted into Hufflepuff and he still kept his eyes on you when you first talked to a 3rd year on your first day, Cedric, being the gentleman he was, as years pass he still had eyes on you everywhere. Nevertheless, you did have feelings for the boy and now here you are.
Nodding your head, you felt his hands brush through your hair, an attempt to soothe you ‘til you fall asleep in his arms. “Love you.” he whispers in your ear, not wanting to bother your process into sleeping (is that even a thing?y’all get it right?😭). “Love you Teddy.” were the words that left your mouth before drifting to sleep.
𓆙𓂃✍︎
24 February 1995 - The Lake
As the sun rises, the birds fill the air with their songs. The sound muffled absorbed by the Lake and the stone walls. An unusual feeling washed over him but he shrugged it off as he got ready for the second challenge of the Triwizard Tournament.
At breakfast, he scans the entire room for you but he couldn’t find you. Odd. He thought. “Have you seen, Y/n?” was all he asked throughout the entire time. All of their friends responded with no and after about 30 minutes, he stood up and approached some of your friends, they all said they haven’t seen you since last night.
Theodore got worried, like super worried, he had one last person to ask. Cedric Diggory. The one who had asked you to the Yule Ball, the one who’s fancied you for years on end now and he knows it.
“Diggory.” he calls out in a firm tone. Cedric looks up and smiles to be polite, “Something the matter, Nott?”
Theo clenches his jaw but lets out a quick, “Have you seen Y/n today? You’re a prefect aren’t ’cha?” he says almost sarcastically but fixes his tone. He needs to find you, that’s all that matters right now.
“What? No? Is she okay?” he paused, “Did you guys have a fight?” he was kind of hopeful on the last one but more stuffed with concern and panic.
“I’m sure she’s fine, she can take care of herself.” he grits his teeth. Calm down. He thinks to himself. “No, we didn’t fight. I just haven’t seen her today.” is all he lets out before walking away, not wanting to talk to him any longer.
𓆙𓂃✍︎
After breakfast ends, the group went down to the Black Lake to see the Triwizard Tournament. Theo following along in the back since they reassured him that you were fine and probably already down by the Great Lake. The walk down was dreadful, he couldn’t stop thinking, worrying about you.
When they reached the three towers, his eyes searched everywhere for you and he still couldn’t see you nor hear you. He had a really really bad feeling and he wanted to crush everything near and find you as quickly as possible. He couldn’t and wouldn’t focus on the tournament, his focus was solely on finding you, where you could’ve been. God forbids anything happens to you.
Time went by very slow or very fast, he couldn’t understand, lost in thought before people started shouting in accomplishment or in disappointment. Then he saw it, he saw you emerge from the waters, held by Cedric Diggory, helping you get to one of the three towers.
He was furious, all of his friends instantly turn their heads towards Theo and instantly halting him from hexing Cedric. “He saved her!” “He didn’t know.” “Stop Theo!” spread through their friends mouths. Theo only stopped once your face was searching his and when you finally found him, you gave him a thumbs up and mouthed, “I’m okay.” He sighed in relief and kept looking at you, checking to see if you were safe or not.
“The winner is Mr. Diggory!” Dumbledore exclaims using magic for his voice to be spread around the three towers. Cedric was patted in the back and cheered for as you stood beside him, towel wrapped around you and photos get taken by some people of you and Cedric side by side.
Theo and the others were already on the small boats, heading back to Hogwarts when they heard Harry Potter got second place. You arrive about 6 minutes after they do and Theo instantly helps you off the boat, wrapping you in a tight but warm hug. “Theo! I’m soaked, you’re going to get your clothes all wet too.” you shrieked in surprise.
He pulls away, both hands on each of your shoulders. “That is none of my worries right now! Don’t you understand. Never do that again! Cazzo I was so worried.” he pulls you back into the hug.
You laugh and hug him back, “How was I supposed to know? Isn’t really a free will thing, Teddy. I’m sorry you got so stressed because of me.”
“Bloody hell Y/n! You got that man searching everywhere for you.” Mattheo smirks.
Your friends all agree. “Mental, he was.” Blaise comments. Theo didn’t stop hugging you. “You can let me go now.”, you cackled. “No.” “Theo.” “Fine.” He finally lets you get out of his hug but still wraps an arm around you. He takes his coat off and pushes his coat onto you.
You giggle and give him a sweet smile, “I’m okay Theo, I’m here now.” comforting him, he loosens up by your words. You all make your way toward the castle, the morning light spilling over its towers.
Do you remember when I said Theo was always with you? Today he was ALWAYS with you, he couldn’t bear not being beside you. If anyone even steps too close, he already has arms around you, wands at ready to hex whoever that was whether it was a student nor a teacher.
He stays by your side from morning until nightfall, he even waited for you outside the girls loo. “I should get back to my dorm.”, you kissed his cheek. Before you could even take a step, he’s already grabbing your wrists and spinning you around. “No.” “Theo.” “Not going anywhere.” “Seriously?” “I said no…..please.”, he says in a concerned soft voice, pleading puppy eyes. The man towering over you looked cute in this state, a weird thing to visualize but you didn’t care.
In his bed, this felt different than usual, he was more protective and possessive. “Not goin’ anywhere.” “I know” “Then why are you holding onto me so tightly!”, you squeal and try to squirm out of his grasp.
“Scared.” and you softened up with one word. He was scared. Scared to lose you, scared you’d be gone, scared anything will happen to you. “Don’t worry, Teddy. Right here.” you kiss him, soft and delicate. He kissed back right away the same way. You both pulled back and he places his head on your shoulder, his breath hot on your neck, tries to slumber with you close.
You like to remember all the times you’ve spent with Theodore. From the moment you introduced yourself to Draco’s friends at your first year in Hogwarts, he was there staring right at you and chirp out a small “Theodore Nott.” as all the others have introduced themselves.
The way he’d follow the group, his presence was comforting to you but terrifying to others. He wasn’t a man with much words but the when he does and the way he walks screams trouble. Theo was exceptionally great at hexing people and a big fan of smoking and weed. The group discovered their love for that in the first semester of third year. Although, he is taking a break or trying to smoke less for you. You were just making small talk, saying it wasn’t great for his health and still had a long way ahead of y’all’s life.
The two of you had doubts in your relationships and that was normal, but you knew that the love you shared was going to help you get through everything in the past, present and future.
note : this was so ass, I’m sorry 😭. I speed ran this cuz I have school tmrw and I’ll be busy the whole week and probably have no motivation whatsoever. Started this on 10th of January, finished on the 11th. Thank you for reading up to this point! Any requests for new or further part fics are always welcome. Tips are also useful to me as I am fairly new to writing on tumblr also feel free to like, comment and reblog!! love y’all🤍
Summary: After a rough night, you sneak into Gryffindor Tower to bug your sleepy boyfriend.
Content: Fluff, mild angst, mild cursing, and Umbridge hate
Cross-posted on Ao3
"Bloody hell- what in Merlin's name-"
You quickly covered his mouth with your hand, grinning lopsidedly.
"Shhh, Freddie," You hush with a small giggle, "You'll wake the others."
You'd ensured the crimson curtains were drawn tight around Fred's fourposter, but there was only so much privacy fabric could provide.
Fred grabbed hold of your wrist and effortlessly pulled it away from his mouth. He pressed a quick kiss to your knuckles before giving you an incredulous look.
"What time is it, love?" He grumbled.
"Oh, not long after one o'clock," You replied casually.
"And you're in Gryffindor Tower."
You nodded, looking quite pleased with yourself, "Yes."
"...But you're Hufflepuff."
"And?"
"You shouldn't be here."
You raised a single eyebrow which probably couldn't be seen well in the gloom. "Are you, Fred Weasley, complaining about me breaking school rules?"
He huffed and shifted his weight, so he's sitting up just a little on the headboard while you straddled lap. His hands rested casually on your hips, thumbs mindlessly stroking the curve of the bone and your own arms slung across his shoulders.
"No, not at all, love, it's just-" He sighed, "With that foul Umbridge woman running amok, consequences are a lot more... permanent."
Even in the low light of his dorm room, you could see the worry that shone in his eyes. Fred was always one for mischief, but he was hesitant to string you along in it. He had no issue whatsoever with throwing himself headfirst into danger, him and George, because they'd be the only ones to suffer the consequences. With you involved? ...He never wanted you hurt. He had this intense urge to keep you protected at all times. So, while he certainly enjoyed the fact that you were willing to bend the rules to be with him and get yourself in trouble just to cause mischief with him, he always found himself personally responsible whenever you got hurt.
Your expression darkened slightly at the mention of the Professor. Your hands tightened behind his head, and the scars you'd kept hidden there burning like they had when they'd been freshly etched onto your skin.
"Believe me, Freddie, I'm intimately acquainted with Umbridge's definition of consequences," You muttered, turning your face away slightly.
Fred tensed beneath you, sitting up a little straighter. "What haven't you told me?" He demanded quietly but firmly.
You shook your head. "It's nothing important-"
He cut you off and grabbed your chin to force you to look at him. "Bullshit," he said with careful calm. "Don't tell me what I do and don't find important."
The callouses of his hands scraped gently against the skin of your chin, and though his grip was firm, he's always made sure to be gentle. He'd never admit it to your face, but he treated you like the most precious, fragile thing. He'd probably die from the sheer guilt alone if he ever hurt you.
You swallowed and, staring into his warm brown eyes which reflected the moonlight like stars across his pupils, found yourself unable to lie to him further.
"...I had detention with her today..." You admitted quietly, looking down.
Fred let out a stream of colorful, and arguably creative, curses, dropping your chin and returning his hand to your hip. "When?" He asked stiffly, the muscles in his jaw working
"I got off and came straight here."
He cursed again. "She kept you there until one in the morning?!"
You shrugged. "I suppose I have thicker skin than she anticipated," you mumbled with forced casualty.
"I'm going to kill that woman." A shiver passed up your spine at the sheer conviction with which he spoke. "What was the reason for it?"
"She caught me consoling a second-year student about his own detention. I was trying to use magic to take away the pain. And, as you well know, all magic is now banned in the halls."
Fred looked downright outraged. "She threw you in detention for comforting a child?"
Another shrug. "You know Umbridge," You muttered, though it was of little comfort. "I wonder if she's somehow part dementor. She sucks the soul out of everything."
Fred scoffed lightly. Then, he lifted one of his large hands and set it gently on your arm. "Let me see," He asked softly.
You knew exactly what he was referring to, and withdrew your hand from behind his neck, angling it so the fresh, angry scars caught in the moonlight. They read I must not set a bad example.
Fred gently rubbed his thumb across the words, a few locks of his ginger hair falling in front of his eyes. Despite the situation, you smiled, loving the sight. With your spare hand, you gently brushed his hair off his forehead, and he glanced at you, his gaze briefly softening.
"...This is some bloody bullshit," He muttered finally, intertwining your fingers.
You chuckled softly. You knew he was upset and angry on your behalf, but you couldn't help but find his inability to adequately express it endearing.
"It's alright, love," you murmured, running your fingers through his hair, "I'm alright."
He looked at you like he seriously doubted this but chose not to say anything.
There're a few moments of comfortable silence, before you take a breath. "...Can I stay?" You asked hesitantly.
He once again looked as if he was about to say something then decided against it. He sighed, "You want to?"
You nodded.
"Alright. You can stay. But I'm not covering your ass if Professor Sprout gets mad at you for breaking curfew." Despite his words, you knew deep down that he would, in fact, try to cover your ass if it came to it.
You smiled gleefully and quickly shucked off your robe and pulled off your yellow and black tie, tossing them to the ground. You both knew George and Lee wouldn't say anything if they saw your clothes on the ground. They'd probably choose to actively avoid the topic.
Fred reached over to his dresser and grabbed a spare jumper, handing it to you. It was so oversized that, if you stood, it'd reach to your knees. The extra room in the jumper allowed you to unbutton and slide off your school shirt without ever having to be actually shirtless.
After the white fabric joined the pile on the floor, you leaned forward and settled against Fred's chest as he, too, laid back down, one arm behind his head, and the other wrapped securely around your waist. You lifted your face to smile at him and found him already grinning down at you. Propping yourself up slightly by your forearms, you planted a gentle kiss to his lips, one he happily returned.
"Goodnight, Freddie," You whispered as you laid your head back down, closing your eyes and listening to his heartbeat.
"Goodnight, love," He murmured back softly.
He rubbed his thumb back and forth soothingly against the small of your back, just to let you know that he was still there, still with you. You knew the moment he started losing consciousness, because it was the same moment the reassuring motion ceased.
It didn't matter much, however, because it wasn't long after that the sound of his soft breathing, and the quiet, comforting strength of his arm around you sent you into a blissful sleep.
IN WHICH… Theodore Nott can’t stand the idea of actually falling in love but he finds himself questioning his choices after a series of rather comforting conversation with a Hufflepuff.
“Do you hate me so much that you can’t stand having one coffee with me?”
Warnings: Smoking, mentioning of throwing up, mentioning of weed, swearing here and there, mentioning of hooking (pretty tame for a Theodore Nott fic tbh)
—
“One coffee. Black. No milk or sugar. Make it hotter than usual.” Theodore Nott wasted no time in repeating his order to the worker behind the counter. A new coffee shop had opened inside of Hogsmeade and in the Slytherin’s opinion, their drinks were better than any muggle one.
He tossed a few golden coins onto the table before walking away and taking a seat in a deserted corner. He liked to be away from people because despite being part of a popular Slytherin group and partying often, he wasn’t a social person.
The quiet lulling of muggle songs played around in the cafe, bouncing off the walls. Theodore pulled his turtle neck up higher, covering his bare skin from the cold air. It nipped at his slim fingers and he wished he had taken a pair of Draco’s Dior gloves now.
The rusted bell attached to the door dully rang as someone else entered. The cafe wasn’t too crowded. There were a few other students scattered here and there but not many people were willing to freeze just to grab a coffee.
Melted snow dripped off Theodore’s boots as his observant eyes followed the actions of the newcomer. He couldn’t tell what house she was in because she was wearing all white, but she definitely wasn’t a Slytherin. The girls clad in green and silver had a certain aura; an unfriendly, poisonous, and addictive one.
This girl radiated off sunshine and daffodils and basking in the warmth of a crackling fire. Theodore guessed she was in Hufflepuff because she had a certain charm to her bright smile.
“One cinnamon chai latte.” She ordered, kindly handing the cashier a few coins. She was practically the opposite of Theodore.
“Name?” The cashier asked, much comfortable in her presence as opposed to the Slytherin who sat a few feet away.
“Y/N.”
Her name jogged Theodore’s memory. She was the girl Lorenzo had been paired with in herbology. It was quite a long and dragged out assignment so whenever Lorenzo wasn’t hanging out with his friends, he was with her.
Theodore subconsciously sat up straighter and leaned forward to get a better look at Y/N. Lorenzo described her as a pretty and bright girl with a warm perspective on life. Instead of saying “what’s the worst that could happen?” She always said “what’s the best that could happen?”
Theodore was somewhat impressed by how positive a person could be.
He didn’t notice he had been staring until Y/N turned her head, innocent E/C eyes burning holes into his. Theodore almost jumped. He quickly adverted his gaze, clenching his jaw.
Out of the corner of his vision, he could see Y/N sit at the table beside him. She sat with her legs oddly crossed and her body was turned so she could look at him.
“Theodore Nott, right? Enzo’s friend?” Her voice was gentle, like a meadow full of daisies and glittering ponds of water.
Theodore thickly swallowed before he nodded. “Yeah. Lo’s talked about you. You were his partner for potions.” The brunette had never heard anybody call Lorenzo by Y/N’s nickname, but maybe that was because he didn’t allow anybody to call him that. Unless it was Y/N, of course.
The poor boy was smitten with her during fifth year but he shyly backed off when he realised he had too much competition. To this day, Draco was still trying to convince him to man up.
“He talked about me?”
“Only once or twice.” Theodore lied through his teeth. He may be a tease, but he refused to out his friend.
“The assignment we did was so annoying. I’m glad I had him as my partner. If it was anybody else, I would’ve gone mad.” Y/N signed and a small laugh slipped past her pink-tinted lips.
“You practically saved his herbology grades. Lo is smart but his plant knowledge is in the negatives.” Theodore huffed in amusement, his mouth curving into a sly smirk.
“He’s good with everything else, though.” Y/N uttered. Out of the whole Slytherin group, Lorenzo, Draco, and Pansy had the highest grades. Blaise couldn’t care less; he still scored pretty high but grades weren’t his whole life. And Matteo and Theodore, the players they were, didn’t even bother studying for exams.
“Black coffee.” The barista suddenly called out, making Theodore realise he had never given the worker his name.
“That must be your’s.” Y/N said, nodding over at the steaming drink. She smiled, which almost set Theodore’s heart alight. It was already drowning in gasoline and her damn grin may as well be the flaming match. “Theo?” She waved a hand in front of his face as he spaced out.
“Huh?” Finally, his blank eyes shifted to stare at her.
“Your coffee.” Y/N reminded him.
“Oh. Right. I’ll see you later.” Theodore was quick to stand up and grab his drink, the paper cup burning the palm of his hand.
“See you later, Theo!” Y/N called out, not seeming to notice his uneasy mood.
Theodore sped walked out of the coffee shop, holding a hand to his chest. His stomach sank as dread overwhelmed him.
Him and Matteo were like two peas on a pod. They shared the same habits too, like drinking their sorrows away and smoking until their lungs burned. And let’s not forget their infamous reputations as playboys. Theodore Nott didn’t do relationships so he refused to let a soft Hufflepuff change his mind.
Despite shoving down whatever warm feeling he felt when he was next to Y/N, Theodore couldn’t help but crane his head in search for a certain flash of H/C hair.
“Black coffee. Extra hot.” He muttered absentmindedly to the same cashier who had served him a week before.
“Name?” She asked, bored eyes gazing up at him.
“Theo.” He quickly replied, turning his head again when he thought he saw Y/N. He felt disappointed when it wasn’t her. The worker seemed to notice.
“Are you looking for that Hufflepuff you were talking to last time?” She questioned, arching a thin brown eyebrow. Theodore glanced down at her name tag that read Eulia.
“No.” He quickly denied her inquiry, wrapping his long Slytherin scarf tighter around his bare neck.
“She comes in every week around this time. She’ll be here soon.” Eulia said, glancing over Theodore’s shoulder to take in the growing line. She cleared her throat, reminding Theodore of where he was.
As usual, he threw some coins onto the countertop and walked away to the same table he sat at before. His head perked up when he heard the sound of familiar laughter.
Y/N walked in, waving good-bye to her Ravenclaw friend. “The usual, Y/N?” Eulia asked, already typing her order into the monitor.
Y/N practically bounced over to Theodore, taking a seat in front of him. “Hey, long time no see. I thought I’d see you at school but I guess not.”
“I was busy.” Theodore lied. In truth, he had been hauled up in his dorm and listening to Draco rant about Pansy.
“Doing what?” Y/N innocently tilted her head to the side, genuinely curious.
Theodore, as blunt and brainless as ever, blurted out the first thing he could think of. “Weed, drugs, and smoking.” He wanted to bash his head into the table. What kind of response was that?
Yes, he used to do all those things but he had toned it down. The only addiction he had was smoking now.
“I don’t know why I said that. It was the first thing that popped up in the mind.” He admitted, scratching the back of his head.
“I’m not judging you, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Y/N laughed, “By the way, your cigarettes are about to fall.” She pointed to the packet that was lazily shoved into Theodore’s pocket. He quickly caught it.
“I don’t do weed or drugs anymore.” He uttered, “Just so you know.”
From the coffee machines, Eulia rolled her eyes. “Coffee for Theo. Cinnamon chai latte for Y/N.” She called out, placing the drinks down.
Theodore quickly stood up. “I’ll get them.” He offered, not waiting for a response.
“Smooth.” Eulia said as he grabbed the drinks.
“Cut me some slack. I’m used to hooking up with toxic girls, not chatting over coffee with a sweet Hufflepuff.” Theodore lightly scoffed.
“So, Theo, what do you want to do when you graduate?” Y/N asked as soon as he sat back down again.
He shrugged. “I don’t know.” In all his years of Hogwarts, he had never thought about it. “What about you?”
“I want to open a bakery.” Y/N said like she had been waiting the question to come up.
Theodore raised his eyebrows. “You like baking?”
“Yup! I’ll bake you something next week. Do you like chocolate?”
“Who doesn’t?” Theodore only knew one person who didn’t like chocolate, and that was Pansy. But to be fair, she had gotten food poisoning from spiked chocolate in third year.
It was safe to say that she spent most of that day hunched over the toilet while Matteo held back her hair and Lorenzo gently got her to drink water, which she threw up too but it’s the thought that counts.
“Great! I have to go now. I’m meeting up with another friend. See you at school, Theo!” Y/N effortlessly chugged her scorching hot drink. She slammed the cup against the table, grinning.
“What the…” Theodore was still trying to process what had just happened as he watched Y/N run out of the cafe and into the arms of her friend
The next week, Y/N arrived earlier than Theodore. He had been held up by Blaise, who was curious as to why he was visiting the same coffee shop three times in a row.
Theodore entered the store after managing to shake Blaise off. He shoved his hands into his pockets, shivering despite the atmosphere being warm.
Eulia, who seemed to be on duty every day, had already made his drink and placed it in front of Y/N. She was too busy doodling on his cup with a permanent marker to notice his sudden appearance.
“Cute outfit.” He said as he sat down, the legs of his chair scraping against the tilted floor. Y/N’s face visibly lit up at his small compliment. Theodore observed her pink sweater with little bows sewn on it and her short white skirt with fleece leggings lining her legs.
“As promised, your cookie.” Y/N slid the box over to Theodore, smiling. “I would recommend heating it up. A warm cookie is better than a cold and hard one.”
“Do you bake often?” Theodore asked, taking the box and letting it rest on his lap.
“I try to bake as much as I can. I like helping the house elves too.” Y/N began to fondly talk about her love for baking and as much as Theodore tried to focus on her words, his gaze wandered to a suspicious group huddled in the opposite corner.
Once Theodore looked past their dark sunglasses and large coats, he recognised them as his friends. He saw Draco shove past Pansy and he surely pointed at Y/N then at Theodore before slapped his hands together.
Theodore stared at him, puzzled. And it showed as he furrowed his eyebrows and frowned. Y/N didn’t seem to notice his wavering attention, much to his relief.
“Do you want to bake together sometime, Theo?” Y/N asked, bringing him back to their conversation. He felt a little guilty because he hadn’t heard another word of what she had said.
“Sure. Though, I don’t think I’d be much help. Matt and I tried making edibles once and we messed that shit up.”
From behind Draco, Matteo glared at Theodore. It was your fault, he mouthed. He wasn’t lying, Theodore had gotten just about every ingredient in the recipe wrong.
“Edibles?” Y/N tilted her head to the side.
“Weed brownies.” Theodore elaborated, “But that was last year. I don’t do that anymore, remember? I only party and smoke.”
“I know. You told me.” Her eyes crinkled when she smiled. Y/N’s gaze flickered to his packed of cigarettes that always looked like it was about to fall out.
“Would you like to come to a party with me?” Theodore asked, leaning forward. There was one in the Slytherin common room next week. Normally, people from other houses weren’t invited but if you had the right connections, you’d be let in.
“Parties aren’t my thing. I… don’t like the vibe. You know?”
“That’s fine. You ever tried smoking?”
“No. Cedric offered to teach me but I declined.” Y/N frowned at the lost opportunity.
“I’ll teach you.” Theodore said a little too quickly. He cleared his throat. “I mean, you keeping me company wouldn’t be so bad.” He grabbed his packet, sliding it across the table. “These are my good ones. Keep ‘em and whenever you’re having a bad day or just wanna have a smoke, find me. I’ll light one for you.”
From across the room, Matteo lightly gasped. Theodore never ever shared his good cigarettes with anyone, not even him.
“Really?” Y/N picked up the worn-out box, staring at it.
“Yeah. I gotta get going. My friends are probably wondering where I am.” Theodore, once again, lied through his teeth. He knew his friends had questions and he didn’t want to keep them waiting. He stood up, feeling Pansy’s gaze burn a hole through him.
“Enjoy the cookie!” Y/N exclaimed, grinning and waving him off.
Theodore smiled. “I’m sure I will, love.” He walked out of the cafe, his friends following close behind and bombarding him just like he had predicted.
“You clearly have some sort of feelings towards her.” Panay said as she poked the brunette beside him. All throughout breakfast, Panay had been trying to get Theodore to admit his growing affection for Y/N. He denied it every time.
“I don’t.” He said for the third time, leaning down to stuff some bacon into his mouth. As he quickly chewed, his gaze flickered to Y/N.
“You’re looking at her again!” Pansy exclaimed, huffing. “It’s so obvious you like her!”
“Where’s Lo and Draco?” Theodore changed the subject, realising the two boys were missing.
“You can’t change the topic. You like her and you know it.” Unfortunately for Theodore, Pansy was persistent. Maybe a little too much.
“Theo likes who?” Lorenzo tilted his head to the side in curiosity. The whole group, even Blaise who laughed at awkward situations, froze.
Nobody responded for a moment before Blaise put down his fork. “Y/N. He likes Y/N L/N.” Theodore glared at the boy, wondering why on hell he’d even tell Lorenzo the truth.
“… Oh.” Lorenzo didn’t say much as he sat down, glancing over at Y/N. “You’re not going to break her heart, right?”
“I don’t like her. End of conversation.” Theodore groaned, taking a huge gulp from his goblet.
“I don’t believe you.” Lorenzo uttered, pointing his fork at Theodore’s eyes, “Your eyes say it all. You keep looking at her every minute and when you do, your eyes soften.”
Pansy snickered, nudging Theodore. “Told you.”
“If you don’t like her, then you wouldn’t mind if someone else asked her out, would you?” Matteo piped up.
“You aren’t her type.” Theodore immediately replied, scoffing.
“We’re practically the same, Theo. If I’m not her type then you aren’t. She’s pretty and all but I don’t date. That guy, on the other hand, seems like he does.” Matteo pointed over to a Ravenclaw boy approaching Y/N. The whole Slytherin group watched as he nervously asked her something and when she slowly nodded, his face lit up.
Theodore clenched his hands into fists. “Did he just ask her out?” He seethed, clenching his jaw.
“You don’t like her, remember? You shouldn’t care.” As usual, Matteo had that same infuriating smirk on his face. “Anyway, what are we doing for the party tonight?”
Theodore had forgotten all about it. He faintly remembered Y/N saying parties weren’t her thing. Did she like guys who didn’t party? That Ravenclaw boy looked like he didn’t. Is that why she said yes?
“I’m not doing. Not really my thing.” He uttered, shrugging. His friends looked at him in disbelief.
“Not your thing?” Matteo stammered, “Mate, the only thing you do is party! What’s gotten into you?!”
“He’s trying to turn into Y/N’s ideal type.” Pansy snickered, “He knows he isn’t the blueprint and he can’t see her with anyone else so he’s improving himself.”
“Respect, bro. But what about Izzi?” Matteo motioned to the Slytherin girl down a few rows who was Theodore’s favourite hookup.
“I don’t care about her.”
“What about the drinks?”
“I need to cut my alcohol intake.”
“Smoking? You can’t give up smoking! You’re addicted!”
“Y/N has my cigs. When she wants to learn, I’ll teach her.”
“And if she never wants to learn?”
“Then I won’t pester her. Not smoking for a while might do me some good.” Theodore on the brink of giving up smoking for some girl was a huge deal.
Matteo leaned over to Draco, “Is he sick?”
Pansy lightly snorted and she teasingly grinned, “If you mean lovesick, then yeah.”
To be honest, Theodore didn’t even know what he was doing. His head tried to convince him to return to the common room and drink like he usually did, but his heart said no.
That’s how he ended up in the courtyard, enjoying the fresh breeze.
“Theo?” An all too familiar voice called out. He practically spun around, facing Y/N. “I thought you’d be at your party.” She stared at him, confused.
“I’m taking a break from all that.” He said. Y/N silently sat beside him on the stone bench.
“I still have your cigarettes if you want them.” Y/N said, handing the packet over. “I thought about it and I don’t think I want to smoke just yet.”
“Thanks, love.” Theodore took the box, shoving it into his pocket without hesitation. Normally, he’d take one out and light it up but tonight was different.
“So, that Ravenclaw boy.” Theodore drawled. “He asked you out, huh?”
“Hm? Oh, Rowan? Yeah. I only said yes to be nice though because he helped me with some work last year.”
“You’re too kind, love. You need to know your boundaries.”
Y/N’s cheeks heated up at the sound of his endearing nickname. “I can’t say no now. It’ll just be one date then I’ll say it didn’t work out.”
“What if he wants a second date? What will you do?” Theodore moved closer to Y/N so he could feel the warmth radiating off her body. His heart jumped at their close proximity.
“Then I’ll tell him I don’t want one.” Y/N whispered, staring up at Theodore with those gentle eyes he liked so much.
“I liked your cookie, by the way.” Theodore slowly smiled, “It was good.”
“I’ll bake you a few more next time.” Y/N beamed. “I’m trying a new recipe for a brownie so I’ll give you one too!” Theodore smiled as she jumped into another rant about baking. This time, he could actually listen without being pestered by his friends.
Theodore, as usual, walked into the cafe around the same time he usually did. Eulia spotted him and subtly waved. “Has Y/N come in yet?” He asked.
Eulia hesitated before she pointed over at Y/N and Rowan. Theodore visibly deflated. He knew Y/N was only being nice to the Ravenclaw but he still felt a twinge of sadness.
“I’m sorry, Theo. If it makes you feel better, she hasn’t looked like she’s enjoyed the date. She looks much happier talking to you.” Eulia handed him his coffee.
“Right.” He sat down at a nearby table, glancing over at Y/N every so often. The slight pang in his heart reminded him of why he never dated in the first place. He quietly cleared his throat, deciding that whatever butterflies he felt for Y/N had to be drowned.
He stood up and Y/N immediately caught his gaze. She smiled and waved when Rowan wasn’t looking, but Theodore ignored her. Slowly, she lowered her hand.
As Rowan ranted on about how Ravenclaw was the best house, Y/N couldn’t help but think of what she had done to possibly anger Theodore. So much that he ignored her when he usually enjoyed her small smiles and secretive waves. She blocked out Rowan’s voice, frowning. He couldn’t grab her attention like Theodore could.
If only she knew that Theodore was simply trying not to fall in love.
Theodore avoided her for the rest of the week. Whenever she tried to approach him, he’d walk away. Even his friends were puzzled. After another failed attempt of trying to talk to Theodore, Pansy placed a hand on her shoulder.
“We’ll talk to him.” She said.
“I don’t know what I did wrong. He’s been acting so moody all of a sudden.” Y/N sighed and pouted.
“Maybe he’s on his period.” Matteo snickered at his own joke but immediately stopped when nobody else laughed with him. “I mean, Theo hasn’t had a good drink, fuck, or smoke since Monday. And all he did on that day was smoke for five minutes before he got caught.”
“I thought he liked doing all those things. Why’d he stop if it’s just going to make him grumpy?” Y/N murmured, playing with the hem of her blouse. Matteo and Pansy exchanged a glance, knowing they shouldn’t expose Theodore so early.
“He’s just being unreasonable. Don’t worry, we’ll get through to him.” Matteo grinned, his eyes flickered to the box in Y/N’s hands. “More cookies for him?”
She nodded. “Could you give this to him? It might make him feel better.” Matteo lowly hummed, taking the box. He and Pansy walked off after Theodore, muttering to each other about what could possibly be wrong with their friend.
“Theo.” Matteo called out as they entered the Slytherin Chamber. They found him sprawled out on the couch, a burning cigarette in his mouth. “Y/N made you cookies.”
Theodore looked at the box in Matteo’s outstretched arms. “I don’t want ‘em.” He said with a lazy flick of his hands.
“But you said you love her cookies. Jeez, dude, what’s gotten into you?” Matteo scoffed as he grabbed one, shoving it into his mouth. “If a girl made me cookies like these, I’d fall in love.”
“That’s the problem!” Theodore exclaimed loudly. “I’m Theodore Nott, Hogwarts resident fuck boy. I don’t do relationships! But Y/N- Y/N is making me feel things I shouldn’t!” He groaned, pulling at the ends of his hair.
“That’s the problem?” Pansy huffed, taking a seat beside him. “Theo, look at yourself. You haven’t partied in ages, you haven’t drank, you haven’t had sex with any other girl since last month. And you haven’t been smoking up until now! If you’re willing to stop all that shit for Y/N then you obviously like her!”
“What if I’m just concealing it, huh? What if I haven’t changed and if I date Y/N, then I hurt her? I don’t care about any other girl’s feelings but Y/N, fuck. I don’t want to hurt her.”
“Figure your feelings out then decide what you want to do. Easy peasy.” Matteo shrugged, eating another cookie. Theodore clicked his tongue, snatching the box out of his hands.
“It better be easy or I’m going to smoke all your favourite cigs, Matt.”
Matteo was lying. It was not easy to figure out how he felt towards Y/N. Every time he got close to her, he changed his mind last minute and rushed off. It earned him some weird looks but he couldn’t care less.
“Have you even slept lately?” Matteo questioned, slamming a cup of coffee in front of Theodore. He groaned.
“Do I look like I’ve slept?” He muttered, glowing at Matteo.
“Like a baby.” His friend teased, cruelly laughing. Lorenzo glanced over Theodore’s shoulder, clearing his throat.
“Y/N’s coming this way.” He whispered, kicking Theodore.
“What?” He looked around, panicked. Y/N was indeed walking towards him. He grabbed his coffee, splashing it onto Matteo’s wrinkled blouse.
“Yo! What the fuck, dude? That’s hot!” Matteo seethed, resisting the urge to peel his wet shirt off. Some girls hoped he would.
“Sorry, Matt. It was an accident. I’ll help you clean up.” Theodore tried to play his stunt off as an accident while practically dragging Matteo out of the hall.
“Okay, seriously, what was that all about?”
“I needed an excuse to get away.”
“So you spilled hot coffee on me?!”
“I would’ve let you do the same.” Theodore glared at his friend as he sat down and slumped. “She’s everywhere. How is she so social? I can’t get away from her.” He ran a hand through his messy hair.
“Have you been running away from Y/N this whole time?” Matteo questioned, arching an eyebrow. “It’s hilarious to imagine you running away from a girl.”
“Just talk to her, Theo.” Matteo lightly nudged his leg, “What else can you lose? You’ve already lost your dignity.”
It had been a few weeks since Theodore had returned to the coffee shop. But finally, he strutted through the doorway with his usual uncaring demeanour.
Someone else entered as Theodore stood in the middle of the room, taking in everything he had missed about this cafe.
“Theo?” Y/N asked, peering over his shoulder. “I haven’t seen you in a while.” He stiffened and slowly turned around. “Are you having a coffee?”
“I’ve already had one, actually. I was just seeing if this place had changed.” Theodore wanted to walk away but he couldn’t tear his gaze away from Y/N’s eyes.
“Well, there’s no harm in having another one, right? It’s on me.” Y/N smiled at Eulia, “One cinnamon chai latte and…” She thought for a moment, glancing over at Theodore, “You’ve already had a coffee so one cream latte as well!”
“I’m not kissing her.” Theodore replied back in a hushed whisper.
“Theo, you coming?” Y/N called out, looking over her shoulder.
There was barely anybody in the cafe and even if there was, Eulia would’ve ignored their drinks to make Y/N and Theodore’s.
Theodore reached out to grab his but Y/N was quicker. She grasped both drinks, smiling at him. “We don’t have to be back at school for a while so let’s sit here.”
Theodore nervously followed behind Y/N to their usual table. He sat down, rigid and stiff. He saw his cup and glared at Eulia, who laughed. She had written a message on the cardboard, kiss her, and Theodore was quick to cover it.
He looked out the window, almost jumping with joy when he saw Matteo. “Oh! Matt! I need to talk to him! Sorry, Y/N. I’ll see you later!” He ran out of the cafe, crashing into his friend.
“Matteo! Quick! Do something!” Theodore shook his friend, urging him to create a distraction.
“Is this about Y/N?” He asked.
“She’s in the coffee shop- don’t look!” Theodore shoved his friend.
“And you need me to something stupid?”
Theodore eagerly nodded but was unprepared when Matteo pushed him forward and down a snowy hill. “Theo! Sorry! My hand slipped! I’m coming!” Matteo yelled out in a fake worried voice as Theodore rolled and got a mouthful of snow.
Y/N watched their strange interaction as she sipped on her drink. “… He didn’t call me love like he usually does.”
Y/N hummed to herself as she slipped on a pair of mittens and took out a tray of cookies. She placed the hot metal tray on the counter, the smell of baked goods wafting through the air.
She poured herself a cup of light coffee and sat down, swinging her legs. She lifted her head when she heard the sound of quiet swearing and smelled the scent of cigarettes and cologne.
“Theo?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. It was silent for a moment before the boy sheepishly pushed the kitchen doors open.
“I was looking for a snack for Pansy. She’s not feeling well.” He looked around, staring at everything but Y/N.
“I would offer her a cookie but she doesn’t really like chocolate, does she?” Y/N circled her finger around the rim of her cup, “Would you like some coffee? I made it myself.”
Theodore found himself sitting across from her against his will. He watched as she poured him a cup, softly smiling.
“Thanks.” He stammered, grabbing the white mug and gulping it down.
Y/N’s eyes widened. “Careful! Isn’t it hot?”
Theodore slammed the cup down, ignoring the burning sensation on his tongue. “No.” He wheezed, his vocal cords threatening to give up on him, “I’m fine. Tastes great.”
“You’ve spilled some.” Y/N said. She leaned forward, pointing at his collar. His top two buttons were undone and hot coffee trickled down his skin. “That must hurt. Here, let me help.”
Y/N dabbed a tissue against Theodore’s collar and he flinched as her fingers came in contact with his exposed skin. She noticed, peeking up at him through her lashes.
“Do you hate me so much that you can’t stand having one coffee with me?” She asked, taking a small step back.
“What?” Theodore choked. He didn’t hate her, quite the opposite to be honest.
“You keep running away from me. And you left me in the cafe the other day. And you didn’t wave back. Do you hate me?”
Theodore hated how he could see her E/C eyes glass over. He fiddled with his mug, tapping his nails against the porcelain.
“I… have to go. Pansy needs me.” He stood up, leaving without another word. He was doing what he did best; running away from his problems.
With Theodore out of the picture, Y/N felt lonely. She dug around in her pocket, confused when she fished out a cigarette. “Oh… it must’ve fallen out.” She murmured.
She was on her way to the cafe, but not to meet up with Theodore. The day after he had walked out on her, again, a Gryffindor had approached her and asked her out. She said yes in hopes this date would be better than her date with Rowan.
Spoiler alert, it wasn’t. In fact, she felt like it was worse. Y/N stared at her cup as the boy beside her talked on and on about his love for quidditch.
“What’s your hobby?” He suddenly asked.
“Baking.” Y/N answered absentmindedly.
“Oh, that’s kind of boring. Quidditch is better, don’t you think?”
Y/N resisted the urge to sigh. Theodore never insulted her love for baking.
“Do you do anything else?” The boy questioned.
“I study.”
“Jeez, you really are boring. You wanna come to a party with me? I know a guy who’ll hook us up with some coke.”
“No thanks.” Y/N rested her cheek in the palm of her hand, watching the clock closely so she could dart away as soon as the date was over.
Someone suddenly pulled up a chair in front of Y/N. “Coke is boring.” Theodore uttered, “Baking is better.”
Y/N tried to conceal her smile since she was still upset with him, but when he winked at her, she couldn’t help it.
“What are you doing here, Nott?” The Gryffindor sneered.
“I’m here to thank you for keeping my girl company.” Theodore grinned, showing off his pearly white teeth. “Now, if you’ll excuse us.” He grabbed Y/N by the wrist, tugging her out of the cafe.
“Why do you choose the shittiest guys to go out with?” Theodore asked.
Y/N lightly huffed. “It’s not like I mean to. At least they don’t walk away from me when I’m trying to talk, though.”
“You still upset with me, love?”
“You hurt my feelings, Nott.” Y/N pulled out the lone cigarette, shoving it into Theodore’s hand, before hurrying off.
He quickly placed it between his lips and lit it. “Let me explain, love!” He exclaimed, chasing after her. He breathed out a mouthful of smoke.
“Okay. Then explain.” Y/N folded her arms over her chest.
“What? Here? Now?” When Theodore saw the unamused look on Y/N’s face, he sighed. “Fine, but this is going to sound stupid.” He took another hit from his cigarette, needing all the courage he could get.
He took a deep breath. “I think you’re wonderful person and I didn’t want to risk hurting you so I tried to distance myself but that backfired and I was trying to process my feelings because I’m Theodore Nott. I don’t do relationships. But you made me want to give it a go so I got scared and that made me do stupid shit like spilling coffee on Matt or running away or allowing Matt to push me down a hill.”
Y/N furrowed her brows. “What are you trying to say?”
“I like you, Y/N! I like the way you smile and the way your eyes light up and I like how you look and me and how fond you are of baking! I like how you take the time to make me cookies because it makes me feel special! You treat me so differently from other girls and that’s how I know you aren’t just around for a hook up! I like your perfume and your hair and your outfits and the way you skip when you’re happy and how you read classic Muggle books because you want a cute teen romance!”
“You noticed all of that… about me?”
“How could I not? You have such a charming aura and I can’t stand it because no matter how much I try to deny it, I like you.”
“You really like me?” Y/N knew about Theodore’s reputation and she’d be lying if she didn’t feel the same way. But what if he was just toying with her?
“I do.”
“Okay then. Hug me!” Y/N exclaimed, confident he was joking. Theodore shrugged before embracing her tightly. “Uh… hold my hand!” He intertwined their fingers without hesitation. “Kiss me!” Y/N was sure he wouldn’t do it but when he leaned down and pecked her lips, she froze.
“Are you done? There’s a lot more things I’d do for you, Y/N.”
“Are you sure you like me? Like, really? Because what if we get married and you decide you don’t like me but we already have two kids and a cat together? Who will keep the cat? Or will we have shared custody over it?” Y/N spoke so fast Theodore could hardly understand her.
“What about the children?” He asked, tilting his head to the side.
“What about the cat, Theo?”
“I really do like you, Y/N. Believe it or not. I’m willing to give dating a try… if it makes I can date you.”
“Please don’t break my heart, Theo.”
“I won’t.”
“Can we finally drink coffee together without you running off?” Y/N questioned, which earned her a small chuckle from Theodore.
Images ltr: Pinterest by esterians here, mine, Pinterest by katerusso6 here | Title from the song Nothing New by The Strike | Divider by @saradika-graphics here
Blaise Zabini x Reader
Word count: 6.1k+
Summary: Detention sounds dreadful. Detention spent cleaning out a closet for Professor Snape sounds even worse. Maybe Blaise Zabini can make things more interesting.
Warnings/be aware: Hufflepuff!reader, reader is shorter than Blaise (he's like 6'4" here so reader isn't necessarily short), slight mention of bullying, one mention of drinking alcohol, nicknames, kissing, no use of Y/N
The warm afternoon air and April sun that ordinarily made your face light up with joy now seemed as though it only existed to spite you as you reluctantly returned to the castle alone after Care of Magical Creatures. Ordinarily, on a Friday afternoon like this, you would be one of the first students to recline beside the lake after classes were concluded. You knew your friends were already on their way there. However, that day, you’d been forced to linger behind, abandoning the warmth of the sun for the drafty castle. Because this was a day that seemed to completely and totally detest you, you were on your way to detention.
Your skin prickled resentfully at the unfairness of the situation. Just because Zacharias Smith had been copying off your exam in Potions didn’t mean you had asked him to do so. Professor Snape hadn’t bought that, though, convinced that the two of you had organized the whole thing beforehand. As if. Sure, both of you were Hufflepuffs, and bound by house loyalty and all, but there was no way you would let someone copy off your exam – especially someone like Smith, who spent half of his classes sleeping.
To be fair, Smith had gotten the worse punishment by a good deal. Professor Snape was holding him back from the Hogsmeade trip the next day to serve his detention, and who knew what sort of dreadful tasks he would have to spend his day completing. However, you couldn’t help but feel terribly annoyed as you said goodbye to the fresh air and stepped back through the castle entryway, shuffling reluctantly towards the dungeon as you prepared yourself for a few hours of misery.
When you entered the classroom, you were struck by the silence – complete except for the soft bubbling of some sort of potion in Snape’s office next door. Inside the room, shadows danced in the afternoon light, the slightest hint of illumination squeezing its way through the Black Lake and in past the narrow classroom windows. It was so dim that you had to blink in an attempt to force your eyes to adjust. A draft slipped through the entryway, and you wondered how the air remained so tepid in the dungeons no matter the time of year.
At the front of the classroom stood Professor Snape, an irritated frown on his face as if he wasn’t the one who had instructed you to come to detention in the first place. A single other student sat in the classroom. His silhouette occupied the righthand corner of the room near the front, where the Slytherins usually sat during NEWT Potions, and his long fingers tapped restlessly against the desk as he waited. As a ray of sunlight glinted off his silver rings, you realized with surprise that the figure was Blaise Zabini.
Your eyes widened, but you did your best to conceal your surprise as you sat down. What could Zabini have done to get himself a detention? Snape’s preference for Slytherin students was an open not-so-secret, and besides, Zabini had seemed perfectly fine during the exam that morning.
An uncomfortable screech echoed through the room when you pulled your chair out to sit down, and you couldn’t help but wince. Both Snape and Zabini turned to face you. In your attempt to avoid Snape’s disapproving glare, your eyes connected with Blaise’s. His dark eyes took in your form as a little half-smirk appeared on his lips. You swallowed nervously.
“How generous of you to grace us with your presence.” Professor Snape’s drawl snapped you out of your thoughts, as resonant as ever in the nearly-empty classroom. He narrowed his eyes briefly in your direction before turning back towards the rest of the room. “As you both know, you are here to serve detention. This classroom has several storage closets, which hold a variety of brewing equipment. You will be working together to organize the cupboard at the back of the room until it is clean. Use of magic will not be permitted. Before you may leave, you must have my approval. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir,” you and Zabini murmured in unison.
Your stomach dropped as you nodded. You’d really been hoping that Snape would just give the both of you lines and let you sit in silence for a few hours. The Slytherins had always sort of intimidated you, and Blaise was no exception. Thinking about spending hours cleaning out a cupboard with him made your stomach turn anxiously.
“I do hope that this serves as a reminder to avoid further indiscretions. Rest assured, your next punishment will not be so pleasant.” Snape glowered as you suppressed a shudder. You were glad that you weren’t in Smith’s shoes – he’d already had detention with Snape twice that year.
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed you and Zabini to the closet with dusting cloths, ensuring that the two of you left your wands behind. Then, he swept away to his office. You kept your eyes determinedly forward, trying to avoid awkward eye contact with the Slytherin boy you’d gone to school with for years but barely knew. The two of you were just about as different as two Hogwarts students could be. While you mostly kept to your small group of close friends, he was handsome, popular, and confident. You would see him around at parties sometimes, but he was always surrounded by his huge group of friends – and pretty girls. He was the type of guy who you could appreciate from a distance but generally tried to avoid, figuring he was more likely to laugh at you than take any sort of interest in you.
You could feel his shadow looming behind you as you gripped the doorknob. Since when had he been so tall? He had to be at least 6’4”, which was honestly unfair. Who needed that much height? Praying that the cupboard would be small and minimally messy so that you could get out of there as quickly as possible, you turned the knob and opened the door.
“Yikes!”
The embarrassingly high-pitched exclamation slipped from your mouth as you threw up your hands, jumping back from the loud clatter of cauldrons, scales, and other equipment spilling out of the cupboard and onto the floor. Thankfully, you managed to avoid most of the mess, though a small pewter bowl bounced out of the closet and smacked you on the knee.
“Alright there?”
Turning, you saw Blaise looking at you. Infuriatingly, you felt your cheeks growing hot under his gaze. His obsidian eyes crinkled at the corners, reflecting something like amusement as he watched you. You forced yourself to release the breath that had been trapped in your lungs.
“I’ll live.” You’d intended to sound confident, but the waver in your voice betrayed you. Internally shaking yourself, you turned back towards the now open closet door and tried to pull yourself together. You concentrated on forcing yourself to make conversation like a normal person. “This sure is something, huh?”
A little chuckle escaped his lips. “I’ll say.” He pushed a scale and a small brass cauldron aside, stepping into the closet.
As you followed him, you saw that most of the equipment had been piled up near the door, with only a fraction of the items remaining haphazardly arranged on the shelves of the closet. They ran floor-to-ceiling on the three inside walls and were covered in a thick layer of dust. A small lamp illuminated the space, adding a slight amount of extra light beyond what was coming in through the doorway. “I wonder how it got like this,” you murmured, struggling to banish the awkward silence.
For a moment, you wondered if he would just ignore you. You didn’t think the Slytherin boys liked Hufflepuffs too much – Malfoy and Riddle had certainly thrown their fair share of jibes in your direction during first and second year. Though the immature jokes had died, it wasn’t like any of them had ever made an effort to speak to you. You were surprised when you heard his voice echoing back through the cupboard.
“This is the storage for Remedial Potions.” His voice was resigned, a sigh behind his words. “I’ve been having them clean up their own supplies after class, I had no idea this was what they were doing.”
“Oh, you tutor them?” The question slipped out before you could really think about it, and you hoped he wouldn’t find your conversation annoying.
“Malfoy and I switch off,” he replied simply. He stepped over a stack of three stirring spoons that were all stuck together with some sort of purple goop to reach the back of the closet. “I have them every other week.”
You nodded as you struggled through the pile of stray supplies, supporting yourself on a shelf until you finally reached an area of empty floor. “What’s that like?”
“It’s…” He trailed off for a moment, lips pressing together. Finally, he let out a little laugh, shaking his head. “They’re hopeless, I can’t even lie. It’s a disaster.”
You were surprised to find yourself giggling, lifting a hand to cover your mouth as you grinned. “Sounds like it, if they can’t even keep the closet clean.”
“You have no idea.” He gave you a wry smile, and for a few seconds you couldn’t pull your gaze away from his handsome face. “Malfoy and I need Firewhiskey when we come back to the common room after. Half of them scored a T on the last practice final, Snape is going to kill me.”
His grin was shockingly contagious, and you couldn’t resist the giggles that were escaping your lips at the mental image of him trying to control a room full of rowdy second-years. “Well if he couldn’t teach them on his own, I’m sure he doesn’t expect you to transform them into scholars.” As your eye skimmed the messy floor again, you remembered that the two of you actually had a task to do. “Um…do you want to start by dusting the shelves, and then we can put things back up after?”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
The two of you fell into silence as you began to clean, all of your efforts going towards sorting out the disastrous closet. It was difficult to navigate the tight space awash in shadows, and you kept bumping into each other as you worked. Cheeks ablaze with embarrassment, you stuttered what felt like your hundredth apology, rubbing your bicep where it had collided with his elbow. You heard a breathy chuckle escape from his lips in response.
“Don’t hurt yourself, angel.”
You hoped he didn’t notice your sharp inhale as he worked. “I – I won’t.”
After what felt like an eternity and much sneezing, the two of you finally managed to clear the shelves of their thick layer of dust. You shook the remainder from your clothes, brushing yourself off. Stepping back, you squinted at the shelves, trying to figure out how they could possibly be organized.
“We, um, we should probably organize everything that’s already on the shelves before we clean off the floor. I think the cauldrons probably go there.” You pointed towards the bottom shelf, attracting Blaise’s attention. “Then the scales, mortars and pestles go up there.” Nodding, you gestured toward the middle shelf. “Along with…what is that?”
You stepped forward and pulled a long instrument off the middle shelf. Holding it up to the light, you saw that it resembled a trident, but with corkscrew-shaped prongs and two handles, almost like a pair of scissors. Brow furrowing, you stared at it with a baffled expression.
“I…have no idea.” He raised his eyebrows. “Maybe if you really need something dead?”
You laughed loudly at that, shaking your head. “Could be. Or to, like…extract venom from something?”
He shrugged, a half-smile tugging at his lips. “I just hope to Salazar that none of the Remedial students ever find it. They’ll be launching it across the classroom at each other.”
To your surprise, the conversation began to flow easily between you and Blaise as you organized the shelves. He was much more approachable and funny than you’d ever realized, and the two of you had several interests in common – he’d actually heard of a few Muggle bands unlike most Hogwarts students, and you both pulled for the Arrows when you watched professional Quidditch.
“Puddlemere would be a huge threat if they just knew who to select from tryouts.” You shook your head as you worked, polishing a glass vial before handing it to him to place on the top shelf. It was a system that worked well, considering there really wasn’t much space in the cupboard for movement. “I can’t believe they never gave Wood a fair shake. The Catapults are going to be in the championships next year with him at Keeper, mark my words.”
“I was always surprised Folger didn’t make it with them,” he remarked. “I would’ve killed to have him Seeking once Thornton left the Arrows.”
“I know!” You threw your head back dramatically, taking your attention away from a strange flask full of a brownish, fuzzy substance that you’d just pulled from the bottom shelf. “I always wondered why they didn’t trade for him – I’m sure he was dying to leave Puddlemere, the way he was treated there.”
“Right.” There was a funny little lilt in his voice, and you turned to see him chuckling at you as he polished a copper spoon.
“What?” A slight grin tugged at your lips as his gaze met yours in the shadows.
His eyes flicked back towards the spoon. “Nothing. You’re funny.”
You crinkled your nose, wondering what exactly he meant by that. “Oh.” Was he laughing at you? It wouldn’t be the first time that someone had thought your enthusiasm was ridiculous.
“Not like that.” His voice was even and assuring. “It’s cute.”
“I –” Your breath caught in your throat as you realized what he’d said. A warmth spread across your cheeks, and you were glad that the dim light of the closet could conceal your surprised expression. Your brain felt like it was short-circuiting. “Um, this.” Extending the vial in your hands suddenly, you thrust it in his direction. “What is it?”
“Hmm.” He frowned at the substance, studying it. “Gurdyroot shavings?”
“Color’s off, though.”
“Maybe it’s old.” He squinted at the vial, holding it up to the light. For a moment, he was silent. “Ah.”
You accepted the vial back from him as he nodded. “Well? What is it?”
“Acromantula hair.”
“What?” You barely resisted the urge to throw the glass container across the cupboard. Instead you pushed it back into his hands as he laughed, accepting the container and setting it on the top shelf. “Ew. This closet is so creepy.”
“Not a fan of spiders, then?” His dark eyes glittered with amusement.
“Not a fan of dark cupboards with weird medieval torture device-looking instruments and containers of giant arachnid hair hiding on the shelves.” You shuddered, shaking your head ardently.
A grin spread across his face. “Well, don’t worry. Once we get these shelves sorted, we’ll be out of here.” His eyes surveyed the space for a moment. “These look pretty well organized, I think we can start putting these up.” He gestured toward several cauldrons sitting on the ground next to the shelves. You realized with surprise that he was right – the task had passed quickly while the two of you had been talking. Nodding, you picked up a cauldron.
Soon, sections of floor were actually visible in the closet again. The two of you drifted into conversation about concerts, and you were shocked to learn that the previous year, he, Nott, and Riddle had used some Vanishing cabinets and a Portkey to sneak out of the castle and go see a Weird Sisters concert in Glasgow.
“Are you serious?” Your jaw was practically on the floor. “How did you not get caught?”
“Slytherin cunning, et cetera.” He grinned at the memory. “It was a close call, though. We nearly missed the show too. Nott’s awful Portkey set us down two miles west of the venue.”
“Merlin.” A little giggle slipped from your lips. “I’ve never tried to sneak out, I’d be so scared.”
“Not even to Hogsmeade?” He raised his eyebrows at you and you shook your head. Turning back to the cauldron he was polishing, he chuckled. “How’d a little angel like you end up in detention anyway?”
You gave a little huff, though you felt your cheeks heating up at his words. “Smith was looking off my exam today and Snape thought I’d let him do it.”
He looked at you incredulously for a moment, then laughed. “Of course it was something like that.” Pausing for a moment, he shook his head at you as his mirth faded to something more sympathetic. “That’s mad, though. You must’ve been furious.”
You shrugged as you set a cauldron back on its shelf. Strangely, your anger at the situation had faded away. “At least I don’t have Saturday detention like he does.” There was a moment of silence while you picked up a stray measuring instrument from the floor. “What did you do to end up in detention?”
His lips twitched with amusement in the dim light. “Oh, McLaggen was giving mini Greengrass a hard time in the Potions corridor after lunch.” You supposed he must be talking about Astoria, Daphne’s little sister. “I hexed his mouth shut.”
Clapping a hand over your mouth, you let out a little gasp of disbelief. “No way.”
“Yeah, unfortunately Snape and Burbage both saw.” He winced. “Couldn’t get away with that one.”
You squinted at the measuring instrument in your hands – three small spoons fused together at the handle, each a different shape and size. It was much smaller than the scales and bowls you’d been placing on the middle shelf, so you stood on your tiptoes, attempting to reach the top shelf. Bouncing on your toes, you stretched as far as you could, but the lip of the shelf still evaded you.
“Ugh.” A little huff of frustration fell from your lips as you strained for an extra inch of height.
Suddenly, you felt a hand come to rest on your side. You looked up to see Blaise sitting it on the shelf with ease. Your breath caught in your throat, your back resting against his chest. For a moment, it felt as though you were completely wrapped up in him.
“That all you need?” He smirked down at you.
“You don’t have to look so smug about it.” You crinkled your nose at him playfully, hoping to conceal the fact that you were struggling to remember how to speak.
He laughed the sound echoing through the tight space around you. His obsidian eyes sparkled in the dim light as he looked back at you. “Just trying to help.”
A little smile tugged at your lips, though you shot him a teasing glare. You turned back towards the shelves, your head feeling fuzzy and your cheeks growing warm.
It wasn’t long before you took a glance around the closet and realized with surprise that there was only a single corner still occupied by stray Potions equipment. The rest of the closet was clean and would be sparkling after the two of you gave it a final dust. “Hey, looks like we’re almost done.”
“Thank Salazar, I’m exhausted.”
As you picked up another cauldron, you nodded in agreement. It had been a long day, and you couldn’t wait to return to the Hufflepuff common room and crawl into bed after dinner. However, you were bewildered when you realized that you felt a pang of disappointment as well. You’d probably never have a reason to talk to Blaise again. Though he was interesting and funny and nothing like you’d expected, the two of you ran in different circles, and you couldn’t imagine that he’d want to keep hanging out with the random Hufflepuff he’d met in detention during his spare time. The thought made your chest feel strangely hollow. You pushed the sensation away as you bent down to polish the lip of the cauldron in front of you.
“Why don’t you bring those in here?” you suggested, pointing to a stray cauldron and bowl that were still laying across the threshold of the cupboard. Wordlessly, he followed your gesture, moving them out of the way and letting the door close behind him.
Slam.
Click.
The dim lamp above you fizzled out in a flash. You froze. From the absence of footsteps in the darkness, you could tell that he had too.
“Blaise.” Your words were strained with worry. “Tell me that you did not just –”
You were interrupted by movement in the dim closet, now illuminated only by a slight ray of light coming in from under the doorway. You felt your heartbeat speeding up in the darkness. There was a sound of jostling as Blaise began to wrestle with the doorknob, and it gave several noisy thunks as it refused to yield to him.
“Are you serious?” Blaise’s annoyed voice echoed through the tight space.
“Here, here, let me try.” The confines of the closet were even tighter now that the door was closed, and you found yourself pressed up against his chest once you made your way to the door. You couldn’t afford to think about that at the moment, though – you had bigger concerns. Jostling the doorknob, you discovered that it was indeed unyielding, even when you used all of your force. Swallowing your nerves, you pounded your fists against the thick oak door. “Help! Help! Professor Snape! Someone, please help us!”
You were ready to slam on the barrier until your knuckles bled, but you paused as you felt two larger hands close over yours. The silver of Blaise’s rings slipped across your skin as he gave your hands a gentle squeeze before releasing them. “He’s not going to hear us. He’s in his office.”
“That’s…” Your heart was pounding traitorously – whether it was from anxiety or your proximity to the boy next to you, you weren’t certain. “That’s not good.” You let out a heavy breath.
His hand came up to rest on your shoulder, sending a tingle across your skin. “Scared of the dark, angel?”
Your breath hitched in your throat at the low tone of his voice. Since when had it been so attractive? “N-no.”
“Don’t worry.” His arm came to wrap around your shoulders and a warm feeling blossomed in your chest as you relaxed into his. “I won’t let anything getcha.”
“You’d better not.” The shakiness of your voice stole the playful bite your words would have otherwise had. “You did this, after all.”
“You know, on second thought, maybe I’ll just leave you to the spiders.” His teasing voice echoed through the closet as he stepped back from you. Turning, you narrowed your eyes at him, though you could barely see his face in the shadows.
“That’s mean.” You shot him a dramatic pout, crossing your arms.
With a chuckle, he sat down against the shelves at the back of the closet. “C’mere.” He patted the floor next to him and almost unconsciously, you were crossing the floor and sitting down beside him. Your legs crossed in front of you, their shadowy outlines looking pitifully short next to his ridiculously long ones.
“See, that’s just unfair. No one needs to be that tall.” You gestured towards his feet.
He smirked. “Aww, is someone jealous?”
Crinkling your nose, you frowned at him. “Definitely not. I like going about my day without hitting my head on doorframes, thank you very much.”
“Yeah?” he teased. “Don’t call me next time you can’t reach something.”
Your soft giggles were abruptly interrupted by a loud creak from somewhere inside the closet. You flinched, your muscles tensing as you shied away from the noise. “What was that?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Blaise’s voice was certain and reassuring. “You’re fine.” You felt a touch on your shoulder and realized that he was wrapping his arm around you. Gratefully, you leaned back into his chest. His arms twined around you with ease and your heart fluttered, the feeling of his fingers against your skin and the smell of his cologne making your head spin. “I gotcha.”
There was a moment of silence, his thumb gently stroking your shoulder as you listened to the drum of his heartbeat in his chest. The strangeness of the moment wasn’t lost on you. You and Blaise had known each other since you were eleven, and yet, you’d never really known him. If not for the events of the day, you would’ve never held a conversation with him – but here in the darkness, he felt like an old friend. Maybe more.
“I can hear you thinking.” Blaise’s teasing words tickled your ear and you felt your cheeks heat up. “Don’t worry your pretty head, alright? Snape’s not gonna forget about us.”
“I’m just tired.” Your voice was hushed, slipping through the air like a creak of the floorboards.
“Do you want to play a game or something? Y’know, do something to pass the time?”
You glanced up at him, letting out a little breath of laughter. “What are we going to play?”
You felt him shrug against you. “Truth or Dare?”
“What are the dares? We’re locked in a closet.”
He paused for a moment. “Fine, just Truth then.”
A small breath slipped past your lips. The two of you were toeing some sort of line, you could feel it. Yet, you couldn’t bring yourself to resist the pull of him. Beyond these walls, all of this would probably mean nothing, but at least you could indulge the moment while it lasted. “Alright. Truth.”
“Hmm.” You could feel him looking down at you, fingers running gently through the ends of your hair. “Would you ever sneak out?”
You thought for a moment. “With the right person, yeah.”
“Who’s the right person?” Glancing up, you saw him smirking at you. You narrowed your eyes at him, giving him a gentle shove.
“You already used your question!” He laughed, and your protests died as he pulled you back into him. Biting down on your bottom lip, you thought for a moment about what your own question should be. “What’s your biggest red flag?”
“Short little Hufflepuffs who like Cage the Elephant.” His eyes sparkled teasingly as you groaned, flicking him in the head. Grinning, he pushed your hand away from his temple. “No, no. For real? Probably someone who, like, doesn’t want to know about the world at all. If you don’t want to try anything new – food, music, art, whatever – you scare me.”
“Merllin, you would be a total food snob, wouldn’t you?” You giggled. “You would have, like, a secret restaurant critique column in the Prophet or something.”
“I’m sworn to secrecy when it comes to my food reviews.” His voice lilted playfully. “My turn.”
“Fire away.”
He clicked his tongue softly, thinking. “Worst snog you’ve had?”
“Oh, boy.” You let out a breath of laughter. “Fourth year, Michael Corner. We were at Three Broomsticks, he kept staring at Ginny Weasley the whole time and then planted one on me while she was watching.”
His lip curled in distaste. “What a git,” he murmured, almost to himself. “Couldn’t even see what he was missing.”
You lowered your eyes bashfully, feeling your face heat up. Grateful for the cover of the darkness, you caught your breath. “Yeah.” Clearing your throat, you scrambled for a question. “Um…most accurate Slytherin stereotype?”
A breathy laugh slipped past his lips. “Hmm. Probably the whole ends-justify-the-means thing. As long as your plan works out, no one really judges how you got there. That, or we’re all rich.” You grinned at that, shaking your head lightly. “Most accurate Hufflepuff stereotype?”
“Loyalty.” You barely even had to think about it. “I’ve known a couple mean Hufflepuffs, but we all respect that we’re tied to each other. It’s like how even when your family drives you crazy, they’re still your family, y’know?”
He let out a little scoff. “Guys like Smith are your family?”
You shrugged. “A bit. We’ve known each other since we were kids, lived in the same space for years. Sure, he can act like a jerk, but we’re all on our own growth journey.”
Shaking his head, he gave a wry smile. “You’re nicer than I am.”
“I mean, tell me you don’t feel the same about Malfoy.”
You felt him tense beside you, and for a moment, you worried that you’d overstepped. But after a few seconds he let out a breath. “It’s sort of the same thing, I suppose.” He paused, pressing his lips together slightly. “For all his flaws, he’s the closest thing I have to a brother.”
“That makes sense. You two grew up together.”
You could feel him nod. “Even before Hogwarts. Our mums have been friends for ages.”
“Aww, I can see it now!” A wide grin split your face. “Tiny Blaise and Draco, getting into trouble together.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, yeah,” he teased. “Whose turn is it?”
Your breath hitched in your throat as his fingers began to wander down your arm, tracing patterns that left tingles on your skin. “You can go,” you said quickly, trying to conceal the sound.
“What’s your type?”
The question made you forget how to breathe altogether.
You knew the truth, but speaking it aloud would be akin to a confession. Blaise was your type, and you were growing more attracted to him every moment you remained wrapped around him in the dark closet, the tension growing thicker in the air. “I don’t know that I have one.”
He didn’t miss the way your voice wavered, smirking down at you. “Liar.”
“Shut up.” A bashful grin tugged at your lips, your stomach fluttering. You lowered your eyes, unable to hold his gaze as your cheeks burned. That stupid smirk of his made him look even hotter, and you could barely even concentrate while his fingers brushed your skin. “Fine. Um…dark hair, usually. Knows how to dress. Athlete.”
“Yeah?” The taunting lilt in his voice made a heat pool in your stomach. You finally glanced back up at him, only to see him looking down at you with darkening eyes.
“Tall.” The word slipped from your lips almost involuntarily – you’d forgotten how to think under the heat of his gaze. His smug grin widened as he raised an eyebrow.
“Interesting.” The fingers of his free hand slipped around your knee, pulling you towards him and across his lap. “C’mere, beautiful.” One knee came to rest on either side of his hips, and your fingers fell across his chest as if he were magnetic, pulling you in. “What else do you like, hmm?”
“Sometimes they wear silver rings,” you murmured, taking his hand in yours and twisting the jewelry on his thumb. “Lock me in closets by accident.”
“Really?” His languid voice told you he was enjoying every minute of this, a fact that made your heart beat even faster. He took ahold of your hips, pulling you even closer. Your noses were nearly touching, and you could feel your legs growing weak with need. “What would you want this guy to do if he were here right now?”
You couldn’t have held back the words if you’d tried, though your voice trembled as you spoke them. “Kiss me.”
The kiss started slow – gentle, hesitant, his lips parting into a grin as he heard the obvious desire in your voice. It was perfectly soft and reverent, like the word angel slipping from his lips when he looked into your eyes. As you began to kiss him back, though, your fingers grasping the fabric of his button-down, a soft whimper slipped from the back of your throat.
He groaned. “You kill me, beautiful.” His words tickled the edge of your lips as one hand traveled down your body, fingers gripping the flesh of your thigh with an intensity that made all your thoughts disappear. The other twined in your hair, pulling you ever closer. Now, his lips were insistent, desperate and hungry for you. You matched his fervor, fingers tightening around his shirt collar.
“Blaise…” His name was a gentle gasp from your throat, drawn out as his lips moved to your jaw and then your neck, devouring your skin. You trembled needily under his fingers and you could feel him grinning against you at the sensation, his hand moving up to your back to hold you. It was delicious, something you’d always softly longed for but never known you could have. He was on and all around you, making your head spin as you lost track of yourself entirely.
Thud.
Every muscle in your body tensed at once.
You heard it again – footsteps, quiet but growing louder. Your gaze snapped to Blaise and your eyes both widened as you remembered where you were. Scrambling off his lap, you quickly smoothed your sweater and your hair, trying to look as put-together as you could manage. Your knees were so weak that you had to steady yourself on the shelves as you stood. Beside you, Blaise pulled himself off the floor as well, looking infuriatingly composed compared to your state.
Before you could even shout to the approaching figure for help, you heard a loud click. Suddenly, the door was thrust open, sending a flood of light rushing inside and making you wince as you blinked.
“Zab? What in Salazar’s name are you doing in here?”
Squinting, you saw that the figure standing in the doorway was none other than Draco Malfoy. He was eyeing the two of you with a narrowed gaze, lips pursed in bewilderment. In his hands were several vials of orange liquid.
“We, um, we had detention.” You smoothed your hair one final time, looking back at Malfoy.
He raised his eyebrows, his focus past you, fixed on Blaise. “Right.” Stepping into the closet, he turned towards the shelves on your left, setting the vials down. “We’ll need these for Remedial lessons on Monday. Whenever you’re…done, get back to the common room. Half of those kids bombed their last practice exam, we’ve got to figure out what we’re going to do with them.”
“I saw.” Next to you, Blaise’s voice was low and just the slightest bit shaky, and you couldn’t help the warmth that enveloped your face at the sound of it. The flush only grew stronger when his hand came to rest on the small of your back in plain view of his best friend.
Malfoy’s blue eyes flicked downward, observing the gesture. The corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly with amusement. “I’m sure.” His gaze moved to you as he turned to leave the cupboard and he gave a little nod. “Good to see you.”
“Um, good to see you too, Malfoy.” You blinked in bewilderment at his retreating back, giving your head a little shake. Once he was gone, you turned back to Blaise. He was looking down at you with soft eyes, an unreadable expression on his face. “I guess we’d better have Snape look over this, huh?”
“Yeah, it’s getting late.” As the two of you stepped out of the cupboard and back into the classroom, he gave your shoulder a little squeeze. You smiled softly at him, but he’d already looked away.
Snape, as irritable as ever, approved your job with an unimpressed nod and waved the two of you off to bed. Hoping that one of your friends had saved you some dinner, you took back your wand and pulled your school bag onto your shoulder. Your mind was still swirling when you turned to leave, struggling to comprehend the events of the last few hours. You wondered if you should say goodbye to Blaise, your mouth going dry as you struggled for words.
“I’ll – see you around,” you finally managed, kicking yourself for how utterly awkward you sounded.
“Yeah.” He glanced up from his school bag to look at you, a little grin appearing on his lips. “Um – I’ll be in Honeydukes tomorrow afternoon, if you’d like to join me.”
You couldn’t resist the wide smile that spread across your face when you looked back at him. Your heart pounded in your chest at the hopeful look in his eyes.
