summary: the christmas holidays have just begun, but still a threatening atmosphere lies in the air and suddenly, you find yourself at a crime scene
warnings: extremely big trigger warning for the whole series, in this chapter: mentions of blood, a corpse, (small) jump-scare
note: hello guys, welcome to the first episode of no body, no crime!! i’m so excited for this series and hope you enjoy it as much as i do!! the next episode is coming out next monday!! let me know what you think in the comments <333
the soft tunes of christmas music filled the air around you. the great hall was less filled than normal, most of the students deciding to go home for the holidays.
"can you pass me the potatoes, please?" ron's red hair was illuminated by the soft glow of the fairylights behind him. the auburn sweater he was wearing was highlighting the contrast even more.
"here" hermione said, holding the bowl across the table, as ron eagerly grabbed it.
"where's ginny?" harry muttered. he had his nose buried in a book about quidditch techniques you had bought in hogsmeade. he had been busy studying it all night, but apparently not busy enough to not notice ginny's absence.
"she's sitting with luna" you pointed out, as your eyes glided along the slytherin table. ginny and her had grown closer since the beginning of the year and you had to admit that you had quickly taken a liking to the blonde girl. she was a bit strange, admittedly, but lovely none the less.
"she's been busy all year" ron muttered, mouth filled to the brim. "seems like we've gotten too boring for her"
"allow your sister to have her own friends" hermione shoke her head. "and for gods sake, please close your mouth, ronald."
despite the approaching festivity, the atmosphere in the hall was eerie. maybe because only a few people were sitting at eachs house table, making the hall seem weirdly out of place.
the slytherin table was by far the emptiest. probably because most purblooded and traditional wizard families made a hail mary out of everything that would allow a party, showing off their wealth and status.
the only thing that contradicted this assumption was that several children from the most influential pureblood families had chosen to stay. your gaze swept across the table, taking in each one in turn.
draco malfoy, displaying a usual attitude of displeasurement. you guessed that the malfoys weren't the people to listen to christmas music around the holidays.
next to him, blaise zabini, who was munching on a mouth full portion of potatoes just like ron was.
across from them and her back facing the rest of the hall, including your line of sight, pansy parkinson. her perfect cut bob of black hair moving slightly everytime she turned her head to the side, as she attentively listened to what draco was telling her.
a few feet away, mattheo riddle and lorenzo berkshire were quietly discussing something. it looked somewhat urgent, as both of them leaned over the table top, and not even mattheo, whose face you could see, wore his usual smirk.
just before you were able to wonder about his absence, you noticed theo nott walk into the hall. he looked just like always, messy curls falling onto his forehead, dark circles under his eyes and that face, that made every thought in your head disappear.
not that you liked any of them, but theo had always been your favorite. he was a true slytherin. cunning, loyal and determined. even though he had reason enough, there was no arrogant bone in his body.
you had liked him from the first time you had talked to him last year, when snape had coupled you up for a potions project. he had not even been as pretentious as you had thought he was, considering he was always hanging around malfoy.
but theo was nice, actually nice.
"hello?" ron's voice was so sudden, you knocked over the cup of pumpkin juice beside you.
hermione cleaned the juice off of the table with a simple flick of her wand, as she rolled her eyes at your distractedness.
"what?" you wondered.
"the cookies, please?" ron smiled and your expression turned sour when you noticed the pieces of potatoe stuck between his teeth.
you nodded nonetheless and grabbed the plate of decorated christmas cookies. you took one for yourself, a delicious looking christmas tree, before you planted the whole plate in front of ron, knowing that he was gonna take one cookie after the other anyway.
"i think we're good company" harry said, and while you weren't exactly sure what he was talking about, you nodded.
"obviously we are"
"i mean, she could've brought luna along, right?" he closed the quidditch book with a thud and crossed his arms.
"ehh" you muttered. you were saved by the loud sound of the door, that flew open and revealed professor burbage. she walked up to the teachers table in a hurry, quickly excusing her late arrival, before she sat down next to dumbledore.
you noticed the look of worry on her face and wondered what she was thinking about.
“what’s gotten into her?” hermione asked and you were glad someone else had noticed the professor’s strange behaviour.
“everyone is stressed around christmas, right?” ron muttered without an ounce of interest.
“i’m sure that’s it” harry nodded, glad that he could now shift the conversation back to it’s initial topic. “so, about ginny—“
“you’re mentioning her an awful lot, harry” you joked, enjoying how your brother’s face lost all it’s colour and his eyes darted between ron and you quickly. ron hadn’t even noticed the implication, if he had even listened to you in the first place.
you could read the boredom from the redheads face as he rearranged the cookie plate, until it showed a little scene with a christmas tree, huge presents and two happy gingerbread men.
you tuned the conversation out too, as harry continued to speak. you decided that it was hermiones turn to listen now.
you rather turned your head to look at theo once more, who looked up at the very same time, probably feeling eyes on him. but he didn’t look in your direction, but to the teachers table. you furrowed your brows, before you followed his line of sight, your eyes ultimately landing on professor burbage. she looked just as worried as before, as she hectically looked between theo and something clutched in her hand.
you looked back to theo, who simply rolled his eyes, averting his gaze from the teacher and focusing back on the untouched food beside him. draco muttered something in theo’s direction and the latter barely reacted, managing only a weak smile, before his focus was gone again.
you sighed, deciding you had spent enough time with your friends to leave without feeling bad. “i think i’m gonna head to bed” you smiled, standing up.
“oh” hermione simply noted. “should i accompany you?”
you shook your head, “i’ll be fine”. her offer was nice, but you wanted to be alone for some time. it was especially during times like these, that you most missed what other people had: a real family. you still had harry and your friends, but it was different from what you sometimes wished for.
“i’ll see you guys tomorrow” you waved. ron, mouth filled to the brim, only waved back to your relief and harry nodded, muttering something about a game of chess ginny had promised.
you headed out of the hall just a mere second later, pulling your sweater over your head, that you had taken off in the hall, because of the brizzling warmth of the fireplace at your back. you took the usual route to the tower. it was the place you often spend time at whenever you wanted to be alone.
the stairs creaked loudly beneath each step you took, indicating how old the whole structure was. you walked across the wooden beams, leaning your body over the railing as you breathed in the cold of the air and your eyes wandered across the snow beneath you.
it was so calm up here, so silent.. until. the wood creaked loudly, indicating steps coming up towards you. your heart began beating faster, debating who could be coming up here. you had never ran across someone else at the tower.
maybe it was harry? you stepped closer to the stairs, expecting your brothers dark and messy hair to peak from the entrance, but it wasn’t harry who then stepped onto the plattform across from you.
“hey” theo nott muttered, hands pushed into the pockets of his pants while he looked at you with an unreadable expression on his face.
“hey” you said, just as neutral. you tried to act casual, as he walked closer and you followed him back to the middle of the plattform, awkwardly standing next to each other.
theo fished out a cigarette from his pocket. “is this okay?” he asked, pointing between the two of you.
you furrowed your brows, confused what he was talking about, before you realized that he was probably asking about your permission to keep you company. “sure” you nodded and the lightened his cigarette.
“you smoke?” he asked, holding the burning cigarette in your direction as if to offer you a blow.
you shoke your head, although you had to admit that it was intruiging to take a drag when a boy with such blue eyes was the one offering it.
“do you come here often?” you asked softly, deciding it was more awkward to just stare at him in silence.
“sometimes” theo shrugged. “they get exhausting, my friends i mean”
“yeah, mine too” you nodded.
“wouldn’t have held you for a person that particuarly likes to be alone” theo muttered, before he turned his head, blowing the smoke out from his lips, without it hitting you. you appreciated the gesture.
“it gets too much, sometimes” you shrugged. “i don’t mind to be alone”
“then you probably mind my company, huh?” he smirked, looking into your eyes with a deep kind of sincerity.
“not at all” you shook your head, mirroring the smirk on his lips. “although i would prefer malfoy”
“oh shut up” theo laughed, his eyes glistening, almost surprised at the sudden joke. you felt proud that you had made him laugh, even if you had to mention malfoy.
“i’m so sincere right now” you giggled, both of you not believing a word you were saying.
theo threw down his cigarette, stomping on it, before he let it disappear with a flick of his wand. he looked up at you and opened his mouth, about to return a witty remark, when a loud bang rang out.
you both froze at the sound, the laughter abruptly cut off as the echo of the bang bounced off the stone walls. the great hall felt miles away in that moment, and the air thickened with tension. theo’s playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a look of concern.
“what was that?” you whispered, instinctively taking a step closer to him. the sudden shift from light-hearted banter to fear sent a shiver down your spine.
“the door” theo muttered in recognition. the tower was right on top of the entryway to the castle. now that you thought about it, the bang did sound awfully like a heavy door falling close.
“who would even go out there now?” you wondered, your heart still beating fast as the shock settled into your features.
“i don’t know” theo stepped away and closer to the staircase. “are you coming or what?”
you quickly nodded, as you followed him back down and through the corridor, before you froze in front of the door.
“maybe it was the wind” you suggested, though the tremor in your voice betrayed your uncertainty.
theo raised an eyebrow, a hint of skepticism dancing in his gaze. “you really believe that?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest, his posture relaxed but his expression alert.
“well, it’s possible,” you replied, though you didn’t sound convinced. the notion felt flimsy in the wake of the unsettling noise, and the creeping feeling of dread wasn’t fading.
“possible, sure,” he replied, “but it sounded too loud for the wind. we need to check it out. it could be something... important.”
your heart raced again, this time from a mix of fear and curiosity. “important? like what?” you asked, biting your lip.
“i don’t know,” he admitted, glancing back at the heavy wooden door. “but don’t you think we should at least look? it might be someone in trouble.”
you hesitated, looking back down the corridor where you could see flickers of light from the torches along the walls. “but what if it’s something dangerous?” you countered, feeling a rush of apprehension.
“better to know than to wonder,” he said, his tone serious yet gentle. there was a spark of determination in his eyes, and you found yourself drawn to his confidence. despite the risk, the thought of turning back felt more frightening than facing whatever lay beyond the door.
theo looked back at you once more, before he sighed and nodded, pushing the heavy door open. what revealed itself was the dark of the night, as snow fell into the entrance you were standing in, quickly cooling your face.
“it’s too dark” theo noted. both of you took out your wands, using lumos to light the way. theo urged you to follow him. the snowfall was so heavy, that even the light of your wands did almost nothing.
theo was just a few steps beside you, when you felt it. “theo” you whispered, as your body and heart froze simultaneously. “theo” you repeated, a bit louder. you could see the light of theo’s wand come closer again. he had heard you.
“are you alright?”
you shook your head, what he probably couldn’t see. you could only make out his body. “there is something there”
“what do you mean?”
“i’m feeling it against my foot” you muttered. “there is something on the ground. i’ll have to come closer to make out what it is”
“be careful” theo held you hand to stabilize your body, as you kneeled down, moving the light of your wand across the object on the ground in front of you. it was dark, black robes, hiding something beneath them. but you just couldn’t make out what it was.
then suddenly, you gasped in shock. your light glided over a face, mouth, nose dripping blood. wide eyes, opened in terror as they stared at you unmoving. you screamed, falling back into the snow, as theo surged forward, trying to catch you.
“y/n!” he called, panic rising in his voice as you struggled to breathe, your heart racing wildly “what’s wrong? what is it?”
“professor burbage” you muttered, over and over again.
“what?” theo leaned in closer, still holding onto you, his face drained of color.
“she’s dead!” you choked out, voice trembling, eyes fixed on the professor’s face, still staring up at you, frozen in her final moment of horror.
you heard theo gasp, his own breath faltering for a moment as he processed what lay before you both. without another word, he pulled you to your feet, wrapping an arm around you to support your shaking body. “we have to go,” he muttered, his voice tight with fear. with one hand, he held his wand forward, the dim light flickering in the swirling snow, while the other held onto you as you stumbled back toward the door.
the last thing you saw as the heavy door closed behind you was professor burbage’s body, half-buried in the snow, her lifeless eyes still staring, as if warning you of something far worse to come.
summary: you and theo begin to investigate the murder, while trying to keep the operation under wraps and each other save from the killer
warnings: extremely big trigger warning for the whole series, in this chapter: mentions of blood, a corpse, murder
note: hello guys, welcome back to the second episode of nbnc!! i hope you like it so far! if you have any theories, do not be shy and share them in the comments!!!
you were staring at the wall across from you. dumbledores office was different than you would have imagined. you could hear the teachers voice, but it didn’t really reach your eyes, your mind wandering back and forth between what had happened prior.
professor burbages face was such a clear image in your mind. way too clear, way too disturbing. you could feel her eyes linger on you, feel the pain that had etched itself onto her features and the wetness of the blood on your fingers, that you had picked up as you had fallen back into the snow.
you felt theo’s arms around you, as he pulled you into the castle. you had felt his quick heartbeat against your ear, his shaky breath had been louder than yours and you hadn’t been able to stand on your own.
“it’s okay” he had muttered, pressing you to his chest, as if to shield you from every bad thing in the world. “you’re okay” his voice was muffled as he spoke into your hair, hiding his own face as if to gain some sort of comfort from the close proximity.
“did you see anyone?” mcgonagalls voice reached your ears and your mind broke free off the memory.
you shook your head, not having the ability to speak. theo send a worried glance in your direction. you were fiddeling with your hands in your lap, the look of terror still on your face.
“there was no one there” theo said. “we didn’t hear or see anything apart from what we told you” his voice had grown aggravated through all the questions you had had to answer. “can we please continue this another time?”
“just a few more questions, mr. nott” dumbledore said softly, holding a bowl filled with lemon drops towards you. both theo and you shook your head.
theo sighed, but nodded at the professor’s request. then, all of a sudden, he reached over and took your hand in his, so you could hold onto something and knew that he was there.
you looked up and theo send you a reassuring smile.
you ended up at the common room at half past three. the questioning had continued all throughout the night, with the teachers grappling to find answers. you were sure that they knew more than you, as they exchanged mysterious glances at everything theo and you told them.
you couldn’t stop thinking about it and you were so incredibly scared. you wished theo was there, he was the only one that understood what you were going through.
you climbed the stairs to your dorm, deciding that it was to no use to sit around the common room all alone. hermione was fast asleep when you opened the door. the teachers had probably informed them that you were being held back, but probably without disclosing the real reason.
you got rid of your uniform and changed into your pyjama. you took another glance at hermione, before you quietly walked to her bed and crawled under the blanket. she stirred a bit in her sleep, but didn’t wake up, as you pushed your face into the pillow next to her.
you needed some sort of comfort and just knowing she was there was enough to send you to sleep, the exhaustion taking over before your mind could wander back to the nights events again.
the next morning, the castle felt strangely quiet. you awoke after hermione, who had probably already left for breakfast or something else. for a moment, you simply lay there, staring at the ceiling, letting the stillness linger. but the memories crept back in as they always did—professor burbage’s face, the coldness of the snow, and the horror that gripped you when you realized something was terribly wrong.
you slipped out of hermione’s bed, there was no point in staying any longer, pretending that a few more hours of sleep could wash away what had happened. your limbs felt heavy as you dressed, your mind replaying the details over and over. every time you closed your eyes, it was there again—her face, twisted with fear, and the blood, so much of it, on your hands.
downstairs, the common room was empty, except for theo, who was waiting for you. his back was turned, his posture rigid as he stared into the fireplace.
“theo” you said in surprise. he turned around and send you a soft smile.
“i couldn’t sleep much” he muttered, “thought you might want some company”
“but the password?”
“it was way too easy to find out” he shook his head, laughing softly. “you guys should better change it” he added, a bit more worried, realizing the danger a security breach like that held.
you quickly nodded, your eyes wandering over his features that softened when he noticed the tears brimming in your eyes.
he stepped closer, pausing for a second, before he finally opened his arms, so you could cry against his chest.
“i’m sorry” you muttered, ruffling your nose. “i’m sorry”
“what for?” theo asked, voice calm and warm like he could send all your fears to sleep with a simple word. “you saw something terrible and rightfully it messed you up, it messed me up too”
“i’m glad you’re here” you whispered and you could feel him nod his head. “you’re the only one who understands”
“just like you” he smiled as you stepped back. “but i’m also here because of something else” he waited for your permission to explain.
“go on” you urged, cleaning the left over tears from your face with the back of your hand.
his hand went into the pocket of his trousers and he took out a folded piece of paper that he then held in your direction. you took it and opened it up. “professor burbage had that with her. outside”
your eyes studied the symbol on the paper. it looked familiar, but you couldn’t quite place it. the lines were sharp, forming an intricate design that seemed purposeful, almost like a rune. your heart started to race as you stared at the symbol, trying to pull the memory from the back of your mind.
“i’ve seen this before” you whispered, but your voice was uncertain. “i don’t know where, but i’ve definitely seen it”
theo leaned closer, his eyes scanning the paper along with you. “i thought the same thing when i found it. it was clenched in her hand. almost like… like she was trying to hold on to it.”
“did dumbledore see this?” you asked alarmed. “why did you take it?”
“i didn’t think properly before i did, it was the first thing that i saw, i realized only later that she had probably held it in her hand. otherwise it would’ve been wet”
“this is evidence, theo” you shook your head, brushing back your hair with the piece of paper still in your hand. “you can’t just take evidence from a crime scene!” you scolded.
“well, i didn’t know it was a crime scene when i took it” he excused. “apart from that, maybe the rune entails a secret message or something? something the killer could’ve used to get burbage outside”
your eyes widened, before you quickly nodded. “okay” you pushed the paper back into his hand. “what do we do now? go to dumbledore and tell him?”
“because that worked so great before” theo said softly, but you could hear the annoyance in his voice.
“he just said that we can’t be sure it’s a murder”
“well it looked like a bloody murder, didn’t it?” he grimaced, “all the blood”
“yeah” you agreed. “it definitely did. but what do you suggest we do if we won’t tell dumbledore? who could we tell then?”
“no one” theo shrugged. “we keep it between us, until we find out more”
“find out more?” you asked surprised. “do i look like sherlock holmes to you?”
“no, but you come close to doctor watson”
“ha ha” you shook your head and crossed your arms, before you thought for a second. “alright” you finally said “let’s get some breakfast, i might know someone who can help with that after”
he nodded, ready to leave the common room, but you held him back by his arm. “but not together, no one should know what we’re trying to find out. and no word about professor burbage, we don’t even know if it’s public knowledge yet”
“okay” theo muttered. “for someone who claims to have no idea about this, it comes to you pretty naturally”
“i’ve read a lot” you shrugged, but couldn’t bite back the smile that crept onto your face. “come on”
theo and you split up. you sat down at the gryffindor table next to ron and across from harry, while theo wandered off to the slytherin table to join his own friends.
“morning” harry greeted. “where have you been so long?” he wondered, before he raised his brows and touched your cheek. “have you been crying?”
you shook your head, quickly wiping over your cheeks to get rid of the remaining wetness. “no” you muttered. you couldn’t even trust your own voice. theo and you had sworn not to tell anyone what you knew and that probably included your brother. he would find out soon enough anyway.
“good morning” dumbledores voice rang out loud and clear throughout the hall, before harry had the chance to question you further. “something terrible happened yesterday” he paused for a second, before he added. “professor burbage has been found dead”
waves of shock went through the hall, as gazes were exchanged and heavy whisper broke through.
you looked at theo across from you. neither of you had thought that the teachers would share the news so fast.
“we can’t be sure what happened yet, but professor slughorn is currently trying to inform the aurors in the hope that we will soon have an answer to every question you might have” he smiled softly. “for now, please remain calm and—“
the door to the great hall flew open, revealing professor slughorn, who quickly hurried inside. “albus!” he called loudly, not caring who was listening “the castle—, it’s been” he shook his head, as if to try and rearrange his thoughts. “a terrible snowstorm has cut every tie to the outside world” he finished, having reached the teachers table, face reddened and trying to catch his breath.
no one in the hall dared to matter a word, not even ron, as the three of you stared up at the teachers table where dumbledore and slughorn were hurriedly whispering with each other.
“alright, alright” dumbledore nodded finally, as slughorn sank down in his seat. mcgonagall slightly tapped his shoulder in comfort, but slughorn looked like he was about to faint as he wept a hand through his thinning hair.
“it seems like another problem just introduced itself” dumbledore’s smile was unwavering, but you noticed a hint of discomfort on his face. the same discomfort he had worn the day before, when you had told him about professor burbage. “it’s seems that a magically forged storm has reached the hogwarts grounds. there is no need to worry, as this will be taken care of. as stated before, please remain calm, make sure to stay together and continue on with your day”
“magically forged?” harry muttered. “and what about professor burbage? what does she have to do with everything?”
“i don’t know” you replied warily, locking eyes with theo across the hall, before you nodded to the door. “i have to go” you told harry and ron, before you got up to leave.
“what? where?” harry tried to reach for your hand, but you drew it back quickly. “you’re acting strange, y/n. what’s going on?”
“nothing” you shook your head, quickly searching for an answer that would leave him satisfied. “well, i have this uh— girl problem that i need to talk to hermione about” you eventually replied, acting as if you were embarassed.
“oh” harry muttered, while ron’s cheeeks quickly grew rosy, as he averted his eyes. “okay, then go on” harry encouraged uncomfortably. “but, let me know if you need, uh, any help, yeah?”
you nodded and finally left the hall with a last wave to your friends. “bye” they answered your greeting, before they quickly turned their heads, falling into conversation with neville and ginny.
theo, who had caught your hint, met you in the corridor outside the great hall. “did you know they would tell everyone?” you blurted out as soon as he arrived.
“what? no!” he shook his head. “what’s even worse is the storm. do you think there’s a connection?”
“maybe the killer is not finished” you muttered, finger pressed to your chin, thinking.
theo kept silent, watching you with wide eyes, as he thought about what you said. “that means—“
“yeah” you nodded “he’s still here and his next victim is too”
“shit” theo shook his head, his hair moving and a few curls falling into his eyes. he tried to push them back, but it was to no use. his hair perfectly displayed how he was feeling on the inside. he sighed. “you might be right, but we have a chance to stop him, before anyone else gets hurt, so what do we do? you said you knew someone who could help with the rune?”
“hermione” you simply answered.
“of course” theo smirked. “who else?”
as you had expected, hermione hadn’t been at breakfast, not so late in the morning at least. not even the approaching christmas feist was an excuse for her to rest.
you found her in the library, sitting at a table, accompanied by various stacks of books. she was concentrating on a piece of parchment, as her finger expertelly swerved over the book in front of her.
“wait” theo said, holding your arm, before you could walk around the shelf you were standing behind.
“what?”
“maybe i should wait here” theo shrugged. “we agreed to tell no one that we are trying to find out more, remember?”
“yeah, uh, of course” you nodded, outstretching your hand to take the piece of paper with the rune on it into your own hand.
“i’ll wait here” theo promised and you smiled at his assurence.
hermione didn’t even look up when you called her name. she blessed you with ignorance, as she turned the page of her book.
“oh, y/n” she finally said, when you repeated the calling. she pushed one of the stacks of books to the side, so she could have a proper look at you. “are you alright?” she asked, brows furrowed as she stared at you in deep concentration.
you answered her question with a stunned expression to which she sighed, concluding she had to explain herself. “well, you slept in my bed last night, which you only do if you’re feeling unwell or scared” she paused and took another look at you “and you’re in the library before eleven”
“maybe i just wanted to sleep next to someone?” you muttered, cheeks turning red as you thought about theo hearing that you had been so scared the night before you had to sleep in someone elses bed.
hermione shot you a look that clearly said, don’t be ridiculous.
“okay, fine” you nodded. “professor burbage was found dead. i found her”
“i know” hermione said as if you were talking about the weather.
“how?” you asked confused. “dumbledore only announced it before i came here”
“you speak in your sleep” hermione informed. “i went here as soon as i finished eating. i’m trying to find out something about the magically forged snow storm outside”
“how did you—“
“my parent’s letter arrives every tuesday, eight a.m. sharp. this morning it didn’t” she shrugged. “that could only have two reasons: first, my parents forgot to send it, which they never did in six years and let’s be honest, they’re dentists”
you nodded, as if you understood the correlation between the punctuality of letters and dentists.
“or” she went on “somehow the owls had a problem coming through, which they never had before, not in a thousand years” she pointed to the edition of a history of magic in front of you. “then i took a look outside and there it was: snowstorm”
“yeah, okay” you nodded, impressed that she had found out all of that on her own.
“sorry” you winced, before you held the piece of paper in her direction. “professor burbage held this in her hand when i found her”
“this is evi—“
“it’s just a copy” you quickly lied, not willing to risk her going to dumbledore about this. she was your best friend, but she was still hermione.
hermione inspected the paper, before she sighed once more. “would you please tell nott to stop hiding behind the shelf? his eagerness is distracting me”
you didn’t even question how she knew about that, as theo stepped around the shelf and into the open. “hey, granger”
“hello” hermione didn’t even aknowledge the boy, instead she kept staring at the rune. “so you were there too, huh?” she finally said, as she gave the paper back to you.
“huh?” theo muttered, taken aback by her question.
“how did she look?” hermione continued without being fazed by theo’s lack of an answer. it seemed that she had already made up her mind about his involvement. “was there blood?”
“a lot” you nodded.
“well, it was obviously murder” hermione concluded. “but not by magic as it seems.”
“so you don’t know what this is?” you asked. she had not mentioned anything about the rune. “i think i have seen it before, it seems familiar”
“of course i know what it is” hermione replied almost offended. “and you recognize it, because you have seen it before. it was the coat of arms for an old underground organization at hogwarts— the nocturne society”
“of course” theo smiled in recognition. “it apparently got forbidden a few years ago”
“and rightfully so” hermione nodded, as she pushed one of the opened book into yours and theo’s direction. “here. they had connections to the dark arts, sometimes that ended in some real trouble”
you overflew the passages, which talked about various situations where the doing of the organization had led to injuries or other incidents in the school and grounds around it.
“well, why would someone draw this coat of arms on a piece of paper and give that to professor burbage?” you wondered.
“maybe to threaten her?” theo shrugged.
“actually” hermione interrupted, her voice cutting through the room as she glanced between you and theo. “it’s a warning. there have been rumors that the organization had returned, with new members of course, but this was always their way of warning those who came too close to their business”
“so professor burbage might have found out about something she shouldn’t” you concluded. “but would one of them go as far as murder? i mean if it’s someone from the nocturne society it has to be a student, right?”
hermione nodded. “a student with a broken moral compass and no respect for rules”
“i think rules are the least of their worries, granger” theo laughed.
hermione crossed her arms, unimpressed. “well, i wouldn’t know about any of those delinquents” she looked between the two of you, before she added “but i hear your friend riddle has a special appreciation for the dark arts—and certainly no less for forbidden underground organizations.”
you and theo exchanged a glance, before you nodded. “thank you hermione, you’ve been of great help”
“of course” hermione smiled and you and theo got up to leave, but she held you back. “be careful with him” she send a pointed look against theo’s back. “someone who’s so close to people who practice the dark arts might not be far from practicing it himself. he could be dangerous, y/n”
“i’ll be careful” you promised, intentionally ignoring everything else she said. “don’t mention it to harry”
“i won’t” hermione assured. “as long as you get out alive”
you caught up with theo, before he had even noticed you were missing. hermione continued her research on the magically forged snowstorm as the both of you left the library and her behind.
you found mattheo in the corridor to the slytherin corridor. he wasn’t alone, but heavily making out with a girl, which turned out to be millicent bulstrode. they didn’t notice either theo or you as you approached and theo had to physically tear them apart, after repeatedly calling mattheo’s name didn’t work.
“nott” mattheo groaned loudly, millicent still in his arms. she didn’t even acknowledge you.
mattheo furrowed his brows, as he noticed you behind theo. “potter” he exclaimed surprised. “came for a kiss, i suppose?” he kissed the air in front of him.
“hey!” millicent muttered, slapping a hand against mattheo’s chest, but making no move to leave.
“we need to talk to you” theo said coldly, not impressed by mattheo’s attempt to flirt with you.
“we?” mattheo laughed. “who’s we? you and potter dating now or what?”
“no” theo muttered between clenched teeth and even though you didn’t knew him well, you could tell that he was beginning to get angry. “we need to talk” he repeated.
“well, you can talk to me later” mattheo smirked unimpressed. “i have other things to do” he took a look at millicent, before he returned his eyes to theo and you. “everyone has to wait their turn.”
“you disgust me, mattheo” theo spit, before he took your arm to lead you out of the dungeon. “come on, we’ll come back later”
you nodded, quickly tearing your eyes away from millicent and mattheo, who had already begun kissing again. “is he always like that?” you asked and theo sighed, before he nodded.
“usually he is a bit more likeable”
“i hardly believe that” you laughed and theo smiled at you. “but maybe we can use the spare time to look for more clues in professor burbages office”
“you think that is a good idea?” theo quirked a brow, clearly challenging you.
“well, you thought investigating a murder was a good idea, so i won’t take any judgement from you”
theo laughed and you thought it was the most beautiful sound in the world. you found it almost unbelievable how close the two of you had grown over the span of hours. theo had been practically a stranger all those years you had spent in the same school, but now he felt like he was the closest friend you had. trauma was a really bonding experience it seemed.
professor burbages office was right behind her classroom. a small staircase led up to the door, that held all the clues you were searching for.
“it’s locked” theo concluded when he tried opening the door.
“did you bring your wand?” you asked, but theo shook his head and you had to do the same, after he returned the question.
“well” you smiled, kneeling down in front of the keyhole. “then we need to do it the muggle way” you grabbed one of the bobbypins out of your hair and pushed it open, leaving a long and thing metal stem. you picked the lock expertly and the door sprung open in a matter of seconds.
“where did you learn that?” theo asked, surprised by your unusual skill.
“my aunt loved to lock the kitchen when harry and i were children” you shrugged. “sometimes we were so hungry, there was no other way”
theo nodded and you missed the look of compassion on his face, when you walked into the office before him.
once in the office, you split up, each of you searching a different half of the room.
you sorted through a stack of paper in the cabinet that stood at the back of the room, when you heard theo sigh loudly.
“this is just a bunch of school stuff” he muttered. “i had hoped for something clearer”
“like what?” you laughed.
“i don’t know” he shrugged, as he opened another drawer. “maybe a death threat?”
“i think the killer might be a bit smarter than that” you exclaimed, right as your eyes fell on an opened bottle on the dresser next to you. you raised your brows, before you took the bottle into your hand.
to burbage—
for when the pressure gets too much. consider this a parting gift.
you frowned, rereading the cryptic message. "parting gift?" you glanced at the wine again, and suspicion clawed at your thoughts.
suddenly, a sickening realization dawned on you. the note wasn't a friendly gesture—it was ominous, almost mocking. as you examined the bottle closer, a faint but unmistakable scent lingered in the air—bitter almonds.
poison.
“theo,” you called, your voice tight as you held up the bottle. “come look at this—”
but before you could finish, a loud noise echoed from outside the office. both of you froze. heavy footsteps approached. they weren’t casual, nor hesitant. they were deliberate.
theo shot you a sharp look, his hand instinctively moving toward professor burbage’s wand that was still laying on top of her desk. you quickly placed the bottle back on the dresser, your heart pounding in your chest.
the footsteps grew louder, closer. someone was coming. someone who might have known exactly what you were about to find.
theo moved to the door, his face tense as he mouthed. “what now?”
before you could answer, the handle to the office door rattled.
EPISODE 05: i think he did it but i just can’t prove it
pairing: theo nott x potter!reader
summary: you and theo go to the ball of the nocturne society and find out more about the dark magical artifact
warnings: extremely big trigger warning for the whole series, in this chapter: mentions of murder, illegal activities, underage drinking and smoking of weed, mentions of intoxication, mentions of stabbing
note: welcome back to the fifth episode of nbnc! i’m so excited to have you all back!! sorry it arrived a bit later than promised, didn't have the time to finish it sooner, but i hope a little sooner than usual is still good. check beneath the tags for a little surprise!!
please let me hear what you think in the comments!!
“okay” you muttered, still staring at the place malfoy had last stood. “what do we do now?”
theo sighed, glancing at the paper in his hand. “we still have that invitation” he shrugged.
“you seriously wanna go in there?” you asked baffled “after everything malfoy just told us?”
“well, if they’re onto us, we better try to find out more” theo noted. “i’d rather know who i’m facing than sit around and wait for them to get me first”
“good point” you finally agreed after a few beats of silence. you adjusted your mask.
theo looked at you, waiting. “ready?”
“ready” you nodded.
theo spoke the latin code word from the paper. aetema iuventa. eternal youth. the portrait swung open, revealing a hallway filled with green lanternts that hung above your heads. the entry to the party was closed by another door that flew open when theo’s hand touched it.
you weren’t ready for what you saw. everyone was dressed in similar festive clothing, just like theo and you. but the ball was everything else but that.
the location was beautiful. a big dance floor, surrounded by tables with food and drinks, a big chandelier hanging from the ceiling that rattled to the beat of the music. you bet those diamonds were real.
though the location fit the theme of a ball perfectly, the behaviour of the guests did not.
a couple was making out against the wall next to you, a few people were licking salt from each others bodies, while a few were snorting something that looked an awful lot like cocaine at the very end of the room.
“i thought most of the slytherins had gone home” you noted, swerving to the side, right before a drunk and masked man got to take you down with him.
“it might’ve looked like that” theo agreed. “but many stay for the holidays and let the houseelves bring them dinner”
“that’s possible?”
“only if your parents are heavy financers of the school, i guess”
“hm” you nodded, following him to a table filled with drinks. “well, it’s a bit more scandalous than i would’ve thought” you muttered, watching people run to the dance floor when the first few notes of ‘you know you like it’ broke through the boxes.
the music was electrifying and drowned out every bit of fear in your body.
“good evening” a voice broke your gaze away from the dancing people. theo looked up too.
a girl was standing in front of you. she was wearing a black dress with dark green details along her chest. it almost looked like a wedding dress photographed with a black and white filter. her black hair was styled in a beautiful updo, definitely with magic. you were sure not even a hairdresser could style their own hair so beautifully.
the girls mask was in the same colour as her dress — a mix between black and green — as her dark brown eys studied both theo and you “hello pansy” you greeted.
her eyes widened, as suprised flooded them. “and you are?” pansy parkinson asked with a hint of distrust in her voice at the sudden exposure.
“y/n and theo” theo intervened quickly, not liking the edge in the way she was talking to you.
“potter, huh?” pansy crossed her arms, the fabric of her dress flowing around her elbows, as she quirked a brow at your greeting. “you’re smarter than you look, love”
you ignored her, as your eyes wandered behind the girl, staying on mattheo, who was wearing a mask too, but his smug smile was the biggest giveaway in the world. “what did i tell you, pansy?” he said “she lives up to her boyfriend’s expectations, right theo?”
“um” you muttered, knowing fully well, that theo and you had not discussed anything related to your relationship status.
theo was more relaxed than you, answering before you could make a fool out of yourself. “of course”
both mattheo and pansy smiled in satisfaction, while your cheeks turned rosy.
“would you like a drink, y/n?” pansy asked with a sudden kindness “i’m allowed to call you y/n, yeah?”
“sure” you shrugged, not feeling like you had any right to forbid her whatsoever. “can i have one glass of this?” you pointed at a green colored bowle that honestly looked like it was the least alcoholic thing from the table.
pansy complied, putting down the drink she had poured for herself and filled a little glass with the green liquid.
behind your back, mattheo and theo were eagerly discussing something that didn’t reach your ears, due to the loud music — right now, the bridge of ‘you don’t own me’ was jumpin through the room, rattling the chandelier — but theo’s hand was gripping your waste, unconsciously assuring his presence.
“here you go” pansy held the drink in your direction, you welcomed the glass, drinking a sip and scrunching your face at the horrible taste.
“is this your first slytherin party?” pansy asked as she giggled at your expression of disgust.
“it’s my first cult party, if you mean that”
pansy rolled her eyes. “the nocturne society is not a cult”
“no, you’re right” you nodded sarcastically “it’s just a very tight knit group of friends, how did i miss that before?”
“okay” pansy breathed. “some of the members might confuse it with one” she nodded to the a group of three people, who were eagerly trying to hex tattoos of the nocturne society’s coat of armour onto their hands.
“cults are dangerous, even if not everyone believe it is one”
“cults are dangerous, murder is bad, i know” pansy muttered, before she downed the rest of her drink “we’re no saints, but we ain’t killers either”
“maybe you aren’t”
“yeah, maybe” pansy nodded, deep in thought, her eyes wandering along the people around you. “just be careful, theo he—“ she paused, unsure if she should really finish the sentence, before she finally sighed, a soft smile on her lips, “he really likes you”
“i really like him too”
pansy squeezed your hand in a reassuring manner, sending you a look that told you again to be cautious, before she held up her arm, waving for mattheo to follow her.
mattheo quickly excused himself from his discussion with theo, following pansy through a crowd of people, your eyes quickly losing them.
“what was that all about?” theo asked as soon as they had disappeared.
“i could ask you the same” you smiled michievously, taking another sip from your drink, before you finally decided it was too strong and put it down again.
“i don’t trust them” theo shook his head, worry wandering over his face.
“i thought mattheo was your friend?”
“it’s not just him, it’s this whole society. how are they involved? mattheo and i always got along, yes, but i’ve always managed to stay out of his dubious plans”
“did he tell you anything useful?” you asked, not trying to discuss the future of mattheo and theo’s friendship here and now. “did he find out anything about the artifact”
“actually, yes” theo nodded, his gaze wandering into the crowd of people behind your back.
“what is it?” you wondered, turning around and searching the people for a familiar person.
“come on” theo motioned for you to follow him. “i think i just found someone who could help us”
he took your hand in his, dragging you a through a crowd of people. in the middle of the dancefloor, the music was somehow louder, wrapping you in a thick bubble, where the only thing you were feeling was theo’s touch. you grabbed his hand tightly, scared to lose him between this many people.
you feared that once you would lose him, you were caught. you were sure that this whole party was magically manipulated, as to make it harder to leave. you noticed the mission theo and you had set, slipping to the back of your mind anytime the beat hit and the chandelier above you rattled.
theo stopped when you reached a corner across the room from the table with the drinks. a guy in a suit was busy rolling himself a cigarette. his suit looked like it was made out of couch cushions, the soft material crunching at any move he made. you noticed it was dark green, but so dark that it almost looked black.
his hair was slightly curled, dark brown and messily decorated his head. he looked up at the sound of your approaching footsteps.
“enzo?” theo asked.
you only recognized the boy now. he looked a lot more comfortable and relaxed when he was hiding behind a mask.
it seemed that your company only confused enzo or you were sure he had recognized his friend sooner. “theo?” he finally asked, after he had searched the masked face in front of him. “and?”
“y/n” you quickly answered, smiling at his expression, when he sighed in relief.
“what are you doing here?” even though it was not far to assume, enzo sounded nothing but nice as he send you a smile, surprised at your unexpected presence at this party.
“theo brought me along” you said simply, not feeling in the mood to explain the real reason why you had come, so you put it simpler: “we wanted to ask you something, about the artifact”
“oh” enzo pushed the finished cigarette into the pocket of his trousers. “the artifact?” he questioned, his voice losing a bit of it’s confidence.
“do you know anything about it?” theo asked
“well, it’s not been dealt like a secret, not as much as it should've been at least” he shrugged, before he looked around, checking for any unwanted listeners. “blaise, he’s in the room behind this door” he nodded at the wall behind you, “he knows more about it”
“thank you” you smiled honestly, trying to calm the worry on his face.
“but please don’t get careless” enzo pleaded. “i heard it’s pretty dangerous and i’ve kept out of it for the most part. but a few people were absolutely obsessed with it. too obsessed to still care about anything else”
“we know it can be dangerous” theo muttered, not impressed by the warning.
“you don’t understand, theo” enzo shook his head, more urgency in his tone now. “it’s soul shattering. you lose a part of yourself with it. it makes you become something you wouldn’t have imagined in your worst nightmare. it could even get you to hurt a person you loved” his eyes wandered between theo and you. “love. it’s like a trigger”
“we’ll be careful, i promise” you put a hand on enzo’s shoulder, assuring your promise.
theo and you excused yourselves, walking in the direction of the door. enzo watched after you, taking out th cigarette from his pocket. “they should’ve never brought it here” he muttered, but you were too far away to still hear him.
the door enzo had guided you to was surprisingly easy to open. you had thought the room behind it was special, granting it a higher security than the party itself.
the opposite was the case. the room was full of smoke, to the brim. theo and you inhaled a large amount when it wandered in your direction.
“woah” a voice called and with a move of a wand, most of the smoke was gone. blaise zabini was laying on a red velvet couch, a blunt in his hand and surrounded by various people. he was bare chested and only still wearing the trousers of his suit. his shoes and socks were gone too.
there was a thin layer of sweat on his dark skin and his eyes and lips were redder than normal.
“theodore nott” he recognized immediately. “where have you been all this time?”
it slowly became clear that theo really was an outsider in his friendgroup, considering all of them seemed to be regular members of those secret parties.
“and accompanied by y/n potter, if my eyes don’t trick me?” blaise now asked, sitting up and waving you both inside. “get lost” he told the others. the room quickly cleared out and theo closed the door, ensuring that your conversation was kept private.
“does this even lead to something?” you asked, pointing a hand in blaise’s direction. “i mean he’s higher than a kite”
"and yet sharp as a blade" theo replied with a smirk, glancing back at blaise "don’t let his state fool you”
blaise rolled his eyes, leaning back casually “higher than a kite, maybe, but i’m still seeing straight enough to know when i've got a legend in my midst. hey ace!”
“ace?” you repeated confused.
“you don’t get to be the reason for blaise zabini making it through divination class without earning yourself a praising nickname” theo shrugged. “he’s been calling you that ever since”
“you copied my answers?” you asked, a bit of surprise stinging in your voice.
“pretty obvious question, huh?” blaise shrugged. he made a motion for both theo and you to sit down on the couch next to him. “so tell me, what can old blaise do for someone like ace potter, hm?”
“this is weird” you muttered, but followed his request, before theo and you explained what you were searching for and why.
while you were talking, blaise nodded along, expertly rolling another blunt, before he lit it up, unintentionally breathing the smoke in your direction.
your nose was fillled with the smell of weed and there was no escape in the small room.
“i’m sorry” blaise said when theo asked him to put out the blunt. “i need this or i won’t be able to think straight”
“okay” you nodded, putting a calming hand on theo’s knee, who you felt was ready to discuss the matter. “then let’s not waste any time. what can you tell us about the artifact?”
“it didn’t work” blaise shrugged, “it was useless basically. just a dust catcher if you ask me”
“we heard different things from enzo”
“well, i’m sure it’s pretty dangerous once you find out how it’s activated” blaise muttered. “but we didn’t. no one could use it, it was impossible to crack. nothing we tried worked”
“what did you do with it?”
“nothing”
“what do you mean ‘nothing’?” you almost laughed, his answer confusing you.
“we kept it in the hope that we would find out what we could use it for. it’s in the cushion behind you.”
theo quickly sat up straight, not wanting to disturb or destroy the artifact by leaning against it.
“professor burbage suspected that i had stolen it. she confronted me before she died. but it was weird, really” blaise’s mind wandered off, as he let the rest of the sentence hang in the air unfinished.
“what? why?”
“well, for starters: she didn’t even want to have it back” blaise shrugged. “she was acting strange altogether. she made me promise to be careful, but i think she wanted me to keep it and try to use it further”
“why would a teacher want a student to keep a dangerous dark magical object? that doesn’t make any sense if you ask me” theo mumbled.
“well it doesn’t, unless she—“ you paused, thinking for a second before you finally finished the sentence. “unless she didn’t know how to use it herself”
“you could be right” theo nodded, his eyes widened. “we never found out how burbage got it into her hands in the first place. maybe you weren’t the first person to steal it, blaise”
“just for the protocol; i was not the only one involved in the um, disappearance of the artifact”
“no one here is writing a protocol, blaise” you assured with a tap to his arm.
“you never know who listens” blaise mumbled, the paranoia of the weed clearly setting in.
“has someone shown any particular interest in the object or tried to take it?”
blaise shook his head. “no, not that i noticed”
“great” you smiled. “please be sure to hide it better, we don’t want anyone getting stupid ideas and going to dumbledore could lead to you leaving the school, so just keep it on the down low, yeah?”
“don’t worry, ace” blaise nodded with such a confidence you almost had to laugh. “it’s like fort knox in here.”
“sure, okay” theo nodded, standing up, but wobbling a bit.
“are you alright?” you questioned, copying his movement, but finding yourself to be unable to stand straight.
“it’s the weed, i think” theo mumbled and you nodded. “maybe it’s just a short effect”
the effect was anything but short. as soon as theo and you walked, or more wobbled back onto the dancefloor, it seemed to only highten the feelings you were experiencing.
everything he said was so so funny. the music was like a drug, you couldn’t walk away from and theo’s two heads were definitely a sight to see.
“what was the plan?” you screamed into theo’s ear. the loudness of the music made you feel like it was coming from right next to you.
“what?” theo called back, before he finally understood your words. “what plan?”
“uh- i forgot” you answered before you broke into a loud giggle.
“let’s dance” theo encouraged, taking your hand in his and bringing your bodies closer together.
you recognized the song that was playing as ‘meddle about’ and theo smiled, because he recognized it too.
the dancefloor was quickly filled with even more people that had the sudden need to dance to the intoxicating music. the chandelier glistened in an intense green and if you weren’t mistaken, it flashed a lighter tone with each beat. someone had hexed it to fit the music playing perfectly.
theo and you moved effortlessly. it felt like you had no real control over your body, as you lost yourself in a haze of sweaty and hot bodies. the light made the scenery feel ethereal.
theo’s chest was warm as your hands pressed against him. he held you close by your waste, the fabric of your dress not able to lighten the heat of his touch.
he smirked down at you, when you threw your head back, your hair falling out of the clip you had secured it with. theo caught it effortlessly, clasping it around his belt.
his hand didn’t go back to it’s original position on your waste, but wandered to your neck, lifting your head up, so that your eyes met his. his face looked heavenly in the green light illuminating it. his skin looked like porcellain and the usual blue of his eyes was a mirror to everything playing out before you, you even noticed your own face in them.
“that’s me—“ you pointed to his left eye as theo brought you close in the same second, connecting your mouths and interrupting the rest of your sentence.
his lips were soft and just as hot as the bodies surrounding you. he tasted of nicotine and —if you weren’t mistaken—, a hint of blaise’s weed you both had inhaled, but maybe that was only due to your own state of intoxication.
theo’s hands wandered through your hair, tilting your head to bring you even closer to him. you found help in his tie, your hand clasping around it like a lifeline as your knees got weak at the way he was kissing you.
you felt yourself fall deeper and deeper into the haze as theo’s lips intoxicated your body even further, but you were interrupted by a loud snapping sound.
you broke the kiss. “what was that?” you muttered against his mouth. it looked like no one around you had heard what you had, maybe they were even further gone than you.
“i don’t care” theo mumbled, pushing his mouth to yours again.
“no” you said when he began kissing you neck. there was the sound again. “theo, we have to stop”
“no, why—“
“we’re falling for it” you said, holding his face in your hands. you quickly noticed the redness in his eyes. “it’s not real, theo, we have to wake up”
theo ignored what you were saying and tried to kiss you again, but you quickly swerved to the side. that seemed to have been enough for him to fall out of his own trance. “what—where?”
“yeah, i know, we—“ the snapping sound repeated for a third time. now louder, more urgent. you searched the room for a hint where it was coming from, when your eyes finally wandered to the ceiling above you.
your eyes widened. three of the five strings that were holding the chandelier had snapped. it was hanging dangerously to the side, only waiting for the other two strings to break.
“the chandelier” you said and theo understood immediately, helping you to push the people away.
you had reacted at the right time. just a second after you had pushed the last guy away, the fourth and fifth string snapped at the same time, sending the chandelier flying down.
theo and you, having been the last people in the middle, dashed to the side. he pressed you body to his chest, as you watched the chandelier fall apart right in front of your feet.
a few seconds went by without anything happening.
1, 2, 3. when finally loud screaming broke out and everyone fell into a similar panic. the people began running to every side, while theo and you stood in the middle of the room, watching the chaos around you unfold.
people were screaming all sorts of things. from ‘oh my god, so close!’ to ‘someone just tried murdering me’
you continued standing still, quickly realizing that it was to no use to throw yourself into the panicking crowd. bodies hit you as they ran through the room without care and theo and you could only wait and hold each other until the panic had calmed down.
a body collided with yours, almost pulling your hand along as they ran around you. theo caught you, pulling you back. you watched after the figure in confusion.
“what is it?” theo muttered, noticing the room had calmed down as the guests were pouring out of it. he walked you both to the wall, away from the leaving crowd.
you held up your hand between his and your body, revealing the content inside. it was a crumpled up piece of paper the unfamiliar person had given you admist the chaos.
theo furrowed his brows, taking the paper from you and folding it open, reading the words written inside of it: “humpty dumpty sat on a wall, humpty dumpty had a great fall. all the king’s horses and all the king’s men”
you looked at him, waiting for him to finish. nothing happened. “couldn’t put humpty together again?”
“yeah” theo nodded, “but it doesn’t say that” he held the paper in your direction, showing you how the rhyme ended in the middle of the last verse.
“what does that even mean?”
“i have no idea” theo pushed the paper into the pocket of his trousers, “but i say we get out of here. we cannot be sure the noise hasn’t triggered a teachers attention”
“yeah” you nodded. you looked behind you at the door that was hiding both blaise and probably the most dangerous artifact in the whole castle, debating if you should warn him. the door flew open, revealing blaise leaning in the doorway.
he waved at you, clearly less intoxicated, and watched as theo walked you out of the room.
“despite how the night ended it was pretty successful, right?”
“you think so?” theo asked surprised. “i wouldn’t say we found out a lot”
“well, i’m pretty sure that we can rule out the artifact as a motive. i mean she didn’t even want it back, it would’ve been easy enough to steal it from the professor, but blaise is basically no threat if the killer was really trying to get to the artifact”
“yeah, you’re right” theo nodded. “if the artifact was the motive, there would've been no murder, so it’s basically a false lead”
“maybe an intentional false lead” you thought aloud. “remember who first mentioned it?”
“mattheo” theo muttered, realizing it had been his friend who had first brought up the existence of a dangerous dark magical artifact.
“but mattheo isn’t the killer” you quickly assured.
“how can you be so sure?” he challenged, skepticism dancing in his eyes.
“well, first of all: it’s mattheo we’re talking about” you replied, shaking your head. “he isn’t stupid, and he doesn’t even have a motive. why would he risk an unnecessary murder when he gets absolutely nothing from it? no, the killer had a reason. a good reason.”
“something that warrants a murder?”
“no” you shook your head. “something that requires a murder”
“a point of no return?”
“exactly” you nodded.
the both of you were walking down the corridor to the gryffindor common room, theo not leaving you alone until he was sure you were safe. you had made a stop at the room of requirement, switching back into your normal clothes, as to not reveal where you had been the whole evening.
“i know it’s not really the right time, but i just wanted to tell you that i had a great time, apart from all the drug intoxication and us nearly being killed by the chandelier, thanks for saving me by the way”
you smiled at him, stopping in the middle of the hallway as you looked at each other. “i couldn’t have imagined better company than you, theo nott”
“don’t flatter me, sparrow. you’re the most—“
the portrait to the common room flew open, revealing an angry harry potter. he was red in the face as he walked in your direction with an urgency you had never seen before.
hermione almost fell as she tumbled out of the portrait behind him. she looked even worse. the buttons on her cardigan were only halfway done, missing out one completely as it hung to the side. her face was as red as harry’s but not from anger. the reason for it were the tears on her face, sobs shaking her whole body as she tried reaching for harry’s arm.
“i couldn’t stop him” she sobbed, trying her best to hold him back from theo and you. “i’m sorry”
“what?” you muttered confused “what happened?”
theo was less relaxed than you, quickly interpreting the scene, knowing clearly well hermione would’ve never revealed your secret. “what did you do to her potter?” he stepped in front of you protectively, softly pushing hermione behind him at the same time.
“what have i done to her?” harry huffed unbelieving. “what have you done to my sister?”
“harry, please i can—“
“no, you can’t” harry shook his head. “i have been worried sick. there’s been a murder and you’re nowhere to be found, running around with him. he is part of the people we once stayed clear of, remember?”
“harry, please don’t—i mean burbage, she—“
harry shook his head and you had to look around theo’s body to make out his expression, the surprise in his eyes making your eyes widen, while hermione was hanging on your arm like it was a lifeline.
“i’m not talking about burbage”
“what?” you muttered in shock, stepping around theo to fully look at your brother, hermione right by your side. “where is ron?”
you could feel hermione shake her head.
“it’s not ron” harry declared and your breath calmed down for just a second, before he added “it’s neville.”
hermione sobbed again. tears shimmered in your eyes, while you grabbed theo’s arm as not fall to the ground. you felt like you couldn’t breathe, the air being sucked from your lungs completely.
“longbottom?” theo almost whispered. even he was shocked at the revelation. none of you could even think about what would qualify neville as a murder victim. he was never involved in anything remotely bad. he always stayed clear of danger or forbidden stuff. how could someone even so much as think about—
“hermione found him in the library” harry’s voice was a lot calmer now, realizing your obvious shock to the situation and deciding there was no use in screaming at you now. you outstretched your arm, pulling hermione close. she hid her face in your shoulder, as both of you cried together. “this was in his hand. she thought you might want to see it, so she made a copy” he held a little piece of paper in theo’s direction, who quickly took it.
“how?” you whispered, while theo was staring at the writing.
“stabbed” harry’s voice broke, as he looked to the ground. he cleared his throat, taking hermione from your arms and walking her back to the portrait. “please come inside now” he demanded, but his voice was only so much as a whisper, defeat swinging along in his tone.
you nodded quickly, ready to follow behind them, when theo held you back. “wait”
and with that he held the paper in your direction, the one neville had held in his hand when he died. you looked at him, silently asking if that was really important now, when he nodded down at it.
your eyes fell on theo’s hand, the veins popping out through the hard grasp he had on the paper. his hand was shaking, nerves playing out as he recited the earlier message you had received in the ballroom: “humpty dumpty sat on a wall, humpty dumpty had a great fall. all the king’s horses and all the king’s men..”
your gaze froze on the words, reading what was written on neville’s paper.
EPISODE 03: i ain't letting up, until the day i die
pairing: theo nott x potter!reader
summary: you find out more about the nocturne society, chemistry between theo and you grows, while other problems arise.
warnings: extremely big trigger warning for the whole series, in this chapter: mentions of murder, illegal activities
note: welcome back to the third episode of nbnc! i’m so excited to have you all back and to hear your opinions on this weeks episode!!
you reacted first. before the door flew open, you had reached for theo’s arm, dragging him into the wardrobe behind you. you were standing pressed close to each other and listened to the voices coming into the office.
you sighed internally when dumbledore’s calm voice reached your ears. he was talking to snape, who muttered uninterested replies, whenever dumbledore asked him something.
you and theo stayed in the wardrobe. you were glad that it wasn’t the killer, who had come back to get rid of whatever proof he had left behind, but that also meant that the teachers were in the posession of your best clue now.
at least you had been able to have a look at it before snape and dumbledore had entered the office. they were quicker than theo and you, just overlooking everything before they left, locking the door behind them.
theo and you started breathing normal again.
“that was close” theo muttered, pressing a hand to his chest. you nodded, not able to form coherent sentences.
“they took the wine” you finally said.
“at least we saw it before they did” theo nudged your arm, trying to lighten the mood.
“you're right”, you sighed, before you smiled again “we know the murder weapon now, that's pretty good”
“the killer has to have some knowledge of poison to have pulled this off” theo concluded. “i mean getting a teacher to drink that… impressive”
“yeah, right” you nodded, deep in thought.
“now let's leave before someone else gets here or they decide to come back” theo nodded to the door. you followed behind him, but your eyes caught on an envelope peeking out from beneath the stack of papers on professor burbage's desk. you were about to look away, but something familiar tugged at your attention.
it was the way the "t" was written on the envelope, sharp yet elegant, almost calligraphic—the same way someone you knew always wrote their name. the memory flashed in your mind.
“let me,” theo had said, gently taking the parchment from your hands. “you wrote everything else, your hand must be sore.”
you watched as he carefully wrote both your name and his, the sweeping lines of the "t" so distinct it looked like art.
“if i had known your handwriting was this pretty, i’d have made you write the entire project,” you’d joked, grinning.
now, the realization hit you like a cold gust of wind. you knew this handwriting. you knew exactly who had written that letter. you used the time you had while theo already up to the door, testing the handle, and slipped the envelope into your pocket. you would ask him about that later. maybe it was nothing important.
“can you open it again?” theo smirked, turning around at you, while you quickly distanced yourself from the desk.
he quirked a brow at your weird behaviour, but didn’t question it as he watched you bend down in front of the keyhole and pick the lock.
you walked down the stairs, through the classroom and slipped silently into the dark corridor, heart pounding but steps measured. theo followed closely behind, but you could feel his eyes on you, watching how you moved quickly, quietly—like you’d done this a thousand times.
when you reached the end of the hall, far enough away from the office, so no one would suspect anything, theo exhaled softly, clearly impressed. “you’re quiet for someone who’s always in the thick of things” he muttered, a smirk playing on his lips. “like a little sparrow, flitting through danger.”
you raised an eyebrow. “sparrow?”
he shrugged. “small, quick, and always finding a way out. suits you”
you smiled at the nickname before you nodded. “yeah, i guess”
“you look worried” theo searched your face for answers, he was used to you laughing at the things he said.
“it’s just— that was really close” you said softly, before you stopped in the middle of the corridor, a heavy sigh escaping your lips.
theo waited for you to continue, but you didn’t. “it’s something else, isn’t it?” he asked softly, the worry on his face almost matching yours.
“i just don’t know why someone would do that to her” you finally admitted. “this whole day i have been focusing on finding out what happened. so much even, that i forgot that an actual person died, someone i knew and liked. professor burbage was a great woman, she didn’t deserve what happened to her”
“you don’t know that”
“what? theo, she was a human being—“
“all i’m saying is that you didn’t really know her” he interrupted. “you knew the person she wanted you to see and after all we found out today, she wasn’t who you thought. i mean if she was really involved in that club..” he let the rest of the sentence hang in the air, not bothering to finish it as you stared at him in disbelief.
“do you really think that?” you whispered. tears spilt from your eyes at the realization that you were the only one of you two, who was actually sad about professor burbage’s death.
“no, i don’t know what i think, okay?” he muttered, feeling bad as he saw the effect his words had on you. he took your hand in his. “don’t worry, we will find out who did it” he promised, brushing a hand through your hair.
as you looked up at him, his blue eyes glistening back, you understood how much his promise meant to you. you trusted him, more than you probably should. but spending time with theo felt like spending time with someone you had known for all your life. maybe that was because he felt like a mirror of your soul.
both of you were the black sheep of your respective friend groups, never quite fitting in, yet never feeling different enough to leave. you both wore the same mask: tough, independent, and unbothered. but underneath, there was something raw, something lonely.
there were moments—like now—where you felt your walls crumble around him, just as his seemed to crack before your eyes. you recognized the same unspoken sadness and shared isolation that neither of you ever voiced aloud. it was this unspoken bond, that drew you to him more than anything else.
“okay” you nodded, believing him.
theo smiled at that. “now come on, let us find mattheo”
the way through the castle took way shorter than you remembered, maybe because theo didn’t let go of your hand for the whole way. the temperature dropped quickly when you walked down the stairs to the dungeon.
mattheo was still leaning against the wall of the corridor, green light illuminating his face. his lips were swollen, puffy and red and he looked like he had just smoked something, head hanging back against the wall.
“riddle” you called, waking him from his slumber.
“potter” mattheo greeted, eyes snapping open quickly as he heard your soft voice speak his name. he was no fan of your brother, but he had to admit that there had always been something about you that intrigued him. “made it official, huh?” his brow lifted as his gaze dropped to your hand, still intertwined with theo’s. you both quickly let go, putting a careful distance between yourselves.
“we still need to ask you something” theo finally announced after half a minute of silence had passed.
“i remember that, yeah” mattheo nodded. “i will help you with whatever, as soon as i get a kiss from potter over here” he puckered his lips.
your eyes narrowed in disbelief as you uncrossed your arms, stepping forward. you opened your mouth, but before you could say something, theo had stepped in front of you protectively.
“not happening” he muttered, voice cold and sharper than you had ever heard him talk before. “and if you don’t stop playing, i will make sure you will never even look in her direction again”
mattheo huffed. “who’s friend are you, nott?” he asked, rolling his eyes, before he sighed. “fine, i’ll help, but you owe me one” he pointed a finger in theo’s direction. “empty room whenever i need it”
“sure” theo shrugged, relaxing and making room for you to speak to mattheo.
“do you know anything about the nocturne society?”
mattheo’s eyes grew dark. “how do you know about that?” he asked, stepping forward threatingly.
theo interjected, before mattheo could come close to you. “professor burbage had that in her hand” he took out the rune and held it in mattheo’s direction, who studied it in deep concentration.
“i have never seen this before” he finally said. even you could tell that was a lie.
“please, mattheo” you pleaded and he looked surprised at the mention of his first name. “we just want to find out what happened. nothing will happen to the society, but someone who is a member might be the killer”
mattheo’s gaze grew soft as his eyes fell on you. you had never thought that mattheo riddle of all people would look at you like that. “there’s a party. every wednesday night. that’s where you’ll find your answers”
“a party?” theo drawled unbelieving. “is this a trap, mattheo?”
“no” mattheo sighed and his voice sounded honest. “the society has been dangerous before it got forbidden, but it’s nothing like that now. it’s just for fun. go to the party and see for yourself. the society has nothing to do with what happened.” he paused, before he added. “but a few members have mentioned burbage and an old dark magical object they were trying to steal from her, maybe that’s what you’re searching for”
“not dangerous, huh?” theo huffed in disbelief and you could hear the anger bubbling in his voice. “we talked about this, mattheo” he muttered, trying to be quiet enough for you to not understand, but failing in the process. “there’s already enough trouble surrounding your name, don’t make it worse”
“it’s not like that, theodore” mattheo replied sharply.
“okay” you interrupted the staring between the boys. “when does this party begin? and where is it?”
mattheo threw one last look at theo, before he took out a piece of paper and pushed it into you hand, not missing the way theo grabbed your arm in protection. “i won’t cut her hand off, nott” mattheo muttered with a roll of his eyes. “quit the ridiculous behaviour”
“sounds rich coming from you” theo replied, but still dropped his hand.
“just open it at nine o’clock tomorrow night and it will guide you” mattheo told you. “make sure to wear the right attire. it’s a masquerade ball”
“thank you” you smiled, touching mattheo’s arm in a friendly manner, before you turned to leave. you walked up a few steps, until you stopped next to a portrait, waiting for theo, who was still talking to mattheo. you felt like it was the right thing to give them some room.
theo waited until you were out of earshot, his expression hardening as he turned back to mattheo. “if this is a trap and anything happens to her, riddle, i swear—”
“relax, nott” mattheo interrupted, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. “i’m not your enemy here. you should be more worried about who’s actually behind all of this. and trust me, it’s not me.”
theo’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing in warning. “it better not be. she’s trusting you, and if you screw this up—”
tattheo raised his hands defensively, chuckling darkly. “i get it. you’re protective. but maybe you should tell her the truth, loverboy, instead of trying to scare me off. we both know that you weren’t at the astronomy tower out of pure coincidence”
theo’s fists clenched, but he said nothing. instead, he turned away abruptly, leaving mattheo standing there, still smirking as if he had won something.
as theo caught up with you, he saw you waiting a few steps ahead, your eyes scanning the corridor, lost in thought. he walked beside you, shoulders tense. “you okay?” he asked, his voice softer now that mattheo was out of sight.
you nodded, offering him a small, reassuring smile. “yeah. i just… didn’t expect him to be that helpful. i thought it’d take more convincing.”
“me too” theo muttered, glancing back briefly before looking at you again. “we just have to be careful. that party... i don’t trust any of them.”
“we have each other” you smiled softly, “so i’m not scared”
theo grinned at you, a soft blush flushing his features. “me neither” he took a look at the clock that adorned his waiste, before he sighed. “i better walk you back to your common room, it’s getting late and we need to be well rested if we want to catch a killer”
“high standards” you laughed, before you nodded. “sounds like a plan”
it was silent as you walked through the corridors in the direction of the gryffindor common room, before theo finally broke the silence.
“can i ask you something?” he said softly. “not about all of this, but.. something about you?”
“of course” you nodded, intrigued to hear what he wanted to know.
“how do you do all that? stick up to what people expect from you? fill the role of the perfect sister of the chosen one? it sounds stressful”
“it is” you shrugged. “but it’s always been like that, so i got used to it i guess. i’ve been harry’s sister all my life and even before hogwarts people had expectations of how i had to be. the strategy is to just be what they want you to be. it saves you a lot of headaches”
“but why? why don’t they just get used to who you really are?”
“well, it’s always been easier that way” you shrugged. “and i guess no one was ever interested in that to be honest”
theo turned his head to look at you with an intensity that made your pulse quicken. “i am” he said, his voice low but filled with so much sincerity that it almost overwhelmed you.
both of you stopped walking, turning to look at each other instead.
theo’s blue eyes seemed to pierce right through you, their sincerity hitting you harder than you’d expected. there was no teasing in his tone, just theo—raw and honest.
your breath hitched in your throat, your heart doing backflips at his words. you couldn’t help but smile, warmth spreading through your chest like wildfire. for a moment, it was as if the world had gone quiet, leaving just the two of you standing there, connected by something unspoken but powerful.
“theo...” you whispered, not knowing what else to say, but somehow feeling like he already understood.
the tension between you crackled in the air, electric and intoxicating. you could feel the heat radiating from theo as he drew closer, his eyes flickering between yours. the world around you faded away, leaving just the two of you in that moment. you could see it in his gaze—a mix of longing and uncertainty—and you knew you were close to something beautiful.
just as you leaned in, your breath mingling with his, the faint sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor, shattering the intimacy of the moment.
“do you hear that?” theo murmured, suddenly alert, his brow furrowing as he glanced down the hallway.
you quickly pulled back, heart racing from both the near kiss and the unexpected interruption. the footsteps grew louder, the rhythmic sound drawing closer with every passing second.
your heart beat even faster, as you felt uneasy about someone coming. it was close to nighttime. and usually, no one who had good intentions would be running around then. your eyes fell onto the broom closet behind theo’s back. “there, go!” you quickly muttered, pushing him to the door.
you weren’t sure who was approaching or if they even posed a threat to you, but you were rather safe than sorry.
you closed the door, just as the footsteps grew so loud that the person had to be close.
the closet was small, too small even for one person. the cramped space was dark and filled with the faint scent of wood polish and broom bristles. your chest pressed against theo’s as your back touched the wood of the door. you could feel the warmth radiating from his body, his breathing steady despite the tension in the air.
“this is the second time in a day we’re hiding in a closet” theo said lowly, his voice nothing more than a rasp. your head felt empty as a goosebumps wandered over your body and you forgot all about the possible danger in front of the door.
your breath hitched as you took in the way his gaze flickered from your eyes to your lips, a silent question hanging in the air. the tension built between you, electric and undeniable, drawing you closer together. it was as if an invisible force compelled you to close the gap, and you leaned in instinctively, the weight of everything else falling away.
you nodded softly and in one fluid motion, theo tilted his head slightly, and you felt the soft brush of his lips against yours. it was hesitant at first, a gentle exploration that quickly deepened as you both melted into the kiss. his hands found their way to your waist, pulling you closer, while yours curled around the back of his neck, fingers tangling in his hair.
you titled your head, allowing him to come closer, as you softly gripped his hair. you felt the beat of his heart as the kiss deepened, each movement becoming more urgent, as if your bodies were trying to communicate what your hearts had been saying all along. the broom closet felt like it was shrinking around you, yet somehow, the confined space made the moment even more intimate.
his lips were soft and warm, igniting a fire within you that spread through your veins. the kiss was intoxicating, like tasting something you had longed for without even realizing it. the world outside faded completely; the footsteps, the threat of discovery, all vanished in the heat of this shared moment.
you broke the kiss softly, leaning your forehead against his chest, not ready to face his gaze.
“look at me, sparrow” theo whispered. you could hear from his voice that he was just as breathless as you.
you looked up to meet his eyes, your cheeks crimson red as you stared at his swollen lips and remembered that you were the reason for it.
“what was that?” he asked, his usual smirk threading through his words, but his gaze was serious. “did you mean it?”
your heart raced as you processed the question. “mean what?” you replied, though you knew exactly what he was getting at.
his fingers brushed your cheek, lingering just above your skin. “this,” he murmured, his voice dropping to a husky whisper. “us. whatever this is. did you really want to kiss me, or was it just the moment?”
“i wanted to” you admitted, feeling a rush of shame. “i didn’t know it would feel like that, though. i thought i’d be more scared”
theo chuckled softly, the sound warm and inviting. “you never have to be scared of me.” he said “probably everyone in this school would hate us being together, but there’s something about you, something that makes me want to take that risk” his sincerity wrapped around you like a warm blanket, and you couldn’t help but smile.
“really?” you asked, searching his eyes for the truth. “you want to take a risk for me?”
“yeah” he replied, his thumb grazing your jawline as he held your gaze. “you’re more than what you show everyone else. i see that. and i want to know everything about you.”
the way he looked at you made your heart flutter. “okay” you breathed.
the rest of the way to the gryffindor common room felt like walking on clouds. theo kept holding your hand, this time intentionally, after you had walked out of the closet, making sure that whoever had been in the corridor was gone.
you said goodnight to theo, before you said the password and watched the portrait open. you made theo promise to be careful on the way back, before you stepped inside.
it took about thirty seconds for you to remember the letter you had taken from professor burbage’s office. the one with theo’s handwriting, you had planned to ask him about.
he was already gone when you opened the door to the corridor, so you decided to speak to him tomorrow. you got ready for bed, changing into your pyjama and brushing your teeth.
hermione was already fast asleep when you slipped into your bed. you tried shutting your eyes, but there was no way you were going to sleep anytime soon. the events of the day kept your mind occupied as you stared into the air.
you lightly illuminated the room with the light of your wand, before you grabbed theo’s letter from your bedside table.
you longed to be close to him again and maybe, if you just read a few lines of the letter, you could finally go to sleep without thinking over it again and again. you opened the envelope, that has definitely been read before, your eyes flying over the written words on the paper.
the smile on your face died fast, as you sat up, to grip the letter with both hands.
‘your presence here is unwelcome, and you are playing a foolish game that will have consequences.’ you read. you could almost hear how theo spit these words at your beloved teacher— the one he didn’t even feel sorry for getting murdered. ‘this evening, i expect you to be at the entrance of the astronomy tower.’
your breath hitched. the astronomy tower. burbage had died right beneath it.
you couldn’t believe what you were reading. maybe it was just a coincidence, a bad, bad coincidence. surely, you couldn’t have been mistaken about him. theo, with his quiet demeanor and his moments of kindness, couldn’t have been capable of something like this. he couldn’t.
you clung to that hope, until your eyes fell on the last line.
‘make no mistake, burbage. make the right choice before it’s too late. consider this your final warning’
your heart dropped. you had been so wrong about him. the words stared back at you, cold and unforgiving. the weight of their meaning crushed the air from your lungs.
maybe, you thought, theo had killed professor burbage.
summary: bonding with hermione, theo tells you the truth and new theories come up..
warnings: extremely big trigger warning for the whole series, in this chapter: mentions of murder, illegal activities, grooming
note: welcome back to the fourth episode of nbnc! i’m so excited to have you all back and to hear your opinions on this weeks episode!!
and because i’m not a monster and know that you guys are patiently waiting for the ball chapter, the next episode will be out either thursday or friday, depending on when i get to finish it!!
you had fallen asleep around 4 am, repeated thoughts about burbages murder and theo’s letter plaguing your mind. the night had been awful, sleep only ever granting you a few minutes of calmness, until you shot up, another thought in your head.
you still felt uneasy when you got dressed before sunrise. hermione was still asleep when you got up, which honestly said a lot.
you didn’t want to risk, running into theo during breakfast, so you walked to the great hall as soon as it opened, ready for students to eat. you couldn’t concentrate. the loneliness of the morning only fueling your thoughts.
some part of you just couldn’t believe theo really was the type of person to do something like that. he was so different from every slytherin you had ever met and him being the killer seemed so unlikely.
at the same time many things made sense now. you thought about monday evening. theo had been late to dinner, just like professor burbage. they had strolled in only minutes apart. and while theo barely looked at her, professor burbage hadn’t been able to stop glancing at him. she had been nervous and scared. maybe theo had been the reason for that.
he had been at the astronomy tower just minutes before you had found the womans body. he never offered a real explanation for his presence, only saying he hadn’t meant to disturb you. but what was the truth? could all of this really be coincidences? how many could there be before they stopped feeling like chance?
had you been so wrong about him? so terribly wrong?
when you left the great hall, you almost ran into hermione, who silently commented your strange behaviour with a quirk of her brow.
“i’m going to the library” you quickly muttered, not allowing her to say anything before you continued your fast pace.
hermione stared after you in disbelief, before she abandoned her original plan for breakfast (which was nothing like her, because she was a great believer in breakfast being the most important meal of the day) and followed you.
to both of your surprise you really ended up in the library. you had walked inside the room by accident, but quickly decided to do some research if you were there already. you had often enough watched hermione do it, it couldn’t be that hard.
you only noticed her presence when you were in the third row. “hermione” you gasped, pressing a hand to your chest as you tried to calm the beat of your heart.
hermione was not even fazed by your reaction. “you’re acting strange” she noted, a look of disbelief flying over you, as your hand wandered along the row of books in the shelf. “i have never seen you pick up a book from here that wasn’t fiction”
“i—“ you tried answering something but were at a loss for words.
“what’s going on?” hermione crossed her arms, sending you one of her typical strict looks. “the truth, please”
you sighed, knowing it was to no use to lie to her. “it’s theo” you said finally.
hermione searched your face for a hint of emotion, for something to tell her what was bothering you about the boy. your expression remained stoic and unreadable, even for her.
you sighed, before you sat down at the desk in the middle of the two shelves. hermione followed your movement and sat down next to you. you turned your head to look at her. and then you told her absolutely everything. from what you had found out in burbages office (which hermione interrupted, lecturing you) to the kiss and finally the letter theo had send burbage.
when you had finished, you were keeping your eyes on your fidgeting hands, ashamed and afraid of hermione’s reaction. there were a few seconds of silence, which you spend wondering how fast she would get up and tell your brother everything you had just admitted to her.
instead, she grabbed your hands with her own, making you look up in surprise.
“it’s going to be okay” she assured with a calm voice. she smiled at you softly. “you’re not alone”
“but theo—” you muttered “what if he really..?” you couldn’t even say it.
hermione shook her head. “he didn’t”
“what?” you asked, confused, unsure if you had heard her right. “how can you be so sure?”
“well” hermione smiled mysteriously. she stood up and studied the shelf for a few seconds, before she grabbed a thick book, throwing it down between you. she began turning pages, while she explained. “the smell of the poison you described, you said it was a mix of burnt herbs and something metallic”
she skipped the pages, past liquid luck and into the more advanced section. “i only ever encountered one potion that was described to smell like that. theo is absolutely smart enough to brew that, that’s for sure” your hope sank. “but” she noted, pressing her finger down on the page, seemingly having found what she was looking for. “mors fumes is a binding potion” she looked at you with a smile.
“which means..?” you drawled, unsure what she was telling you.
“it means that the potion binds itself to the person” she explained. “that timeframe has to be atleast six hours before the person drinks it to have any effect. it matters when she drank it, because she must’ve received the bottle atleast six hours before that. the poison works fast. burbage died around ten, right?”
you nodded and hermione’s smile grew even bigger.
“that means she drank the wine at around half past ten.” she calculated in her head, before she continued. “so she received the bottle between three and half past four.”
“but couldn’t she have received it a day before or something? wouldn’t that work too? more than six hours?”
“no” hermione shook her head, before she aggressively pointed down on the page again. “mors fumes is shortlived. it can only survive in it’s measured timeframe. it could’ve been brewed whenever and over weeks or days, dependent on the wizards time to brew. but as soon as it’s hexed, the six hour timer starts. after that you only have four hours to use it until it’s worthless, so considering it still worked, it could’ve only been given to burbage during that timeframe”
“wow hermione” you almost couldn’t comprehend how your best friends mind worked so effortlessly and precisely. “that’s honestly amazing, but sadly i have no idea where theo was between three and half past four that day, so it changes nothing” you sank you head into your hands, frustration taking over.
“of course you don’t” hermione muttered, rolling her eyes. “but i do”
“you do?” you were ready to jump out of your seat and plaster her face with kisses. “how?”
“how often did i tell you to visit the library?” hermione asked, raising her brows.
“so theo was in the library? the whole time?” you asked hopefully. “and he didn’t leave for some time?”
“he was here the entire time i was” hermione nodded. “from two until half past five. he didn’t leave. he sat two seats from me, i would’ve noticed.”
“not even to, you know, go to the bathroom?”
“no” she shook her head. “he definetly drinks way too little, you should tell him that by the way”
“oh, hermione” you almost cried, as you leaped over the table, throwing your arms around her body and messing up her curls. “you’re amazing, seriously”
“i can’t let you run around suspecting the wrong people” she muttered into your hair. “and i can’t let you run around suspecting theo. he might be a slytherin, but he’s better than all of them”
“i know” you nodded, sitting back down and quickly freeing your face from a few stray tears. “but i’m still angry with him”
“of course” hermione nodded. “he should’ve told you about the letter and his whole relationship to burbage, considering his weird remarks. you definitely should ask him about that. just because he didn’t kill her doesn't mean he didn’t do anything wrong”
“yeah, i will” you nodded. she was right with everything she had said. you just didn’t know why theo felt the need to lie to you, if he hadn’t killed the professor. you had sworn to work together, that would only work as long as you could trust each other.
“and all of this..” you muttered, pointing in the air between you.
“stays between us” hermione assured. “no word to the boys, just like i promised, as long as you stay safe”
“thank you” you smiled, thanking her for nothing defined and everything all at once.
“always” hermione promised, before she got up, excusing herself to go to breakfast. despite having just eaten yourself, you decided to accompany her. confronting theo could wait a bit longer and hermione was glad about the company, was she always lonely breakfasting so early during the holidays.
it was actually quite wholesome for hermione and you to get some time alone. you had the chance to catch up and discuss topics you normally wouldn’t when harry and ron were sitting with you.
hermione was not in a rush like she usually was, enjoying your time together, and you felt a bit bad, that you had focused so much on theo and only relied on her when things got difficult. hermione assured you that you didn’t have to worry about it considering she was working most of the time and also most efficiently when she did it alone.
still, she was there whenever you needed her and you promised the same.
after an hour, you were joined by harry and Ron, who strolled into the hall behind neville and ginny, who were in deep conversation. you could see that harry was trying to catch what they were talking about, while ron talked your brother's ear off at the same time.
theo came to breakfast at nine and made obvious gestures for you to follow him outside around ten. you quickly excused yourself from the table and followed the boy. harry and ron reacted confused at your sudden urge to leave, while neville and ginny both waved at you and hermione send a smile.
ron quickly concentrated on his food again, but harry kept an eye on the entry of the hall, peeking around hermione, and saw you drag theodore nott down the hallway behind you.
“she’s not honestly—“ he muttered, while he made a move to get up and follow you. hermione stopped him before he could do so.
“calm down, harry” she said. “she has to ask him something about their final project, she couldn’t sleep last night, wondering if she had forgotten something important.” hermione effortlessly lied.
“hermione” harry muttered sternly. “there’s just been a murder and the slytherins—“
“—are just as suspicious as anybody else” hermione finished. “don’t get your knickers in a twist. she has her wand, she’s fine”
“she could’ve at least discuss whatever she had to in here. nott was sitting at his table the entire time”
“discuss a mistake in a potions project next to draco malfoy, really harry?”
harry muttered something neither ron nor hermione could understand, before he picked up his toast and bit into the strawberry jam atop it.
you had gripped theo’s arm, before he had been able to say something, dragging him down the hall behind you, until you reached an empty classroom. you let go of his arm, like it was on fire.
“ow” theo muttered, rubbing his skin. “you have a hard grip, sparrow”
“no, don’t call me that” you crossed your arms, leaning your back against the wall. “not after you did nothing but lie to me”
“lie to you?” theo repeated confused. “i never—“
“sure you didn’t” you spat, throwing the letter, you had kept in your pocket, at him.
all colour drained from theo’s face in a second. he didn’t even have to look at the paper, he knew what it was immediately, which did not help his case.
“i swear this isn’t what it looks like” he muttered, picking it up and scanning the lines of his own writing.
“i bet it isn’t” you nodded sarcastically. “for a few hours i really thought you were the killer”
“i? i would never—“
“you can be glad hermione cleared that up or this conversation would be a lot more physical”
theo seemed like he had temporarily forgotten the topic of said conversation as he looked at you, a dirty smile on his face.
you send him a deadpan look and he quickly remembered the severity of the situation. “oh” he muttered “you mean..”
“yeah” you nodded. “i would’ve bashed your head in”
theo’s eyes quickly fell on the paper again, not daring you to make your statement reality.
“i’m ready for a good explanation” you encouraged, as he continued to stay quiet.
“it’s not as easy” theo muttered, averting his eyes and trying to find a spot in the room he could focus on.
“theo” you muttered, a bit softer now. “you threatened a teacher and told her to meet you on the evening of her murder, i don’t have to tell you how it looks”
“yeah, i’m sorry.” theo whispered and if you weren’t mistaken, you noticed tears in his eyes. “i never meant to drag you into this”
“drag me into what?” you stepped closer, forcing him to look at you, tears now clearly rolling over his cheeks. “you’re scaring me, theo”
maybe there really was a good explanation for all of this, but right now you just hoped theo hadn’t murder-in-the-orient-express-ed professor burbage.
“okay” he finally said. “i’ll tell you, everything, but you have to listen until the end”
you nodded, waiting for him to begin his story.
“it all began two years ago. that’s when i had to take muggle studies, because i had too few subjects. professor burbage was amazing. she was attentive to all of her students and over all a great teacher” he smiled upon the memory, before it quickly evolved into a frown. “but then she asked me to stay back one day after class. she made a few comments i found unsettling, but decided to forget about. maybe i had understood her wrong, she surely hadn’t meant it like that.”
you looked to the ground, not liking in which direction his story went. you felt sorry for the way you had treated him. for how you had spoken about burbage like she had been a saint, how judgemental you had been when theo had disagreed.
“she passed me notes during class when no one was looking. she asked me to stay back more often. she made obvious advances. and she continued and didn’t stop until i couldn’t excuse it anymore. until i reached a point where i understood that i hadn’t been the one who had gotten the wrong idea, she was. she read into the things i did, not the other way around”
tears spilled over his cheeks quicker than before, but he did not falter, as he continued to speak, his voice trembling through both of your crying.
“then, one day after class, she tried to kiss me”
your breath hitched, waiting for him to continue.
he shook his head. “i stopped her and rushed out of the room. i was too scared to tell on her, but i went to dumbledore and requested to drop the course because of personal reasons. i had enough luck never to be caught with her alone again for the rest of the year”
you thought about everything he had just told you. how someone you had respected was so different to the person she had shown everyone around her. you thought about theo, the fourteen year old version of him, who’s trust got betrayed so badly. fourteen year old theo, who had no one to tell about a teachers wrongdoing. fourteen year old theo, who had probably felt so alone.
you stepped across the room and hugged him. the way he had calmed you, you were now trying to calm him. “you’re safe” you whispered softly. “you did nothing wrong, you didn’t deserve it”
you could feel him nod, as he buried his face in your hair. his body still spread warmth, it felt the same like yesterday in the closet, when your lips had connected.
“i never told anyone” theo admitted. “you’re the first person”
“i’m sorry” you muttered, breaking the hug to look at him. “i shouldn't have made you”
“no” he shook his head. “i should’ve been honest from the beginning. i didn’t want anyone to know, i didn’t want you to know. i thought you might think i’m weak or less of a man”
“i would never think that, theo” you shook your head. “you’re not the person this information should damage. she was in the wrong, not you, you’re right the way that you are. i doesn’t matter what she did to you, it doesn’t change anything about you, you’re still the same to me”
theo nodded. “i wrote the letter out of frustration, not because i intended to kill her” he continued. “a few months ago dumbledore gave me something i had to deliver to burbage. when i came into her office, she was busy writing a note. i was able to read what she had written before she saw me”
“what was it?” you asked carefully.
theo sighed, before he recalled the words from the top of his head. “your insights in class are so refreshing; i truly appreciate how you see things differently. can you stay behind after class today? i’d love to discuss some of your ideas further—just between us, of course. it’s important to me that this stays our little secret.”
“wow” you huffed disgusted. “what happened then?”
“i told her she should not be doing that” theo mumbled. “she agreed and i believed her. she had lied, i should’ve been more persistent”
“you’re not responsible for her actions, theo”
“of course i am” he shook his head, fidgeting with your hand, he held in his own. “she tried the same with me, she was just able to do it again, because i never reported her, because i was too scared to admit what she had done to me” he breathed, his voice steady again. “and then after all, i just believed her, because it was easier than to admit that i had a responsibility for this child”
“it’s not your fault” you assured. he continued to shake his head. “it’s not your fault!” you repeated, louder, more firmly.
“i only found out a few weeks ago that she hadn’t stopped like she had told me she would” theo said softly. “i don’t know who her victim was and it honestly didn’t matter, because then i wrote the letter. but the one you read wasn’t the first i sent. in the first i threatened to report her if she would not immediately resign and leave her position as a teacher, nothing happened so i send a second one, the letter you found. i gave her a last chance to do what i had told her, to resign and leave the castle as well as the poor kid she had used all this time. i didn’t want this to have any effect on them, so i only threatened to report and tell dumbledore about my own experience. i asked her to meet me so she could tell me about her decision"
“and?” you asked, interested to hear how the conversation had went.
“she told me that she had resigned, like i had asked her” theo explained. “she asked me not to tell anyone about this and i agreed, because i honestly was not ready to tell someone myself. but i told her i would if i should find out about any of this happening again or if she would resume to a teaching position at a different school. she promised she wasn’t planning on doing that. and that was it. we split up and went to dinner”
“okay, but that would explain the note on the wine bottle burbage received: ‘consider this a parting gift’. that’s why she wasn’t suspicious before drinking it. it made perfect sense in the context of her resignation”
“yeah” theo nodded “i know that my involvement seems to make sense, y/n. i had reason enough to kill burbage, but i didn’t, please believe me, i’m not a bad person”
“you’re quite the opposite of a bad person, theodore nott” you shook your head, proudness flushing your whole body as you looked up at the brunette boy in front of you. “you did everything to make sure burbage could never hurt someone again. you had absolutely zero reason to kill her, considering she did everything you had asked her to and also, you possibly couldn’t have done it”
“i know, but how do you know that?”
theo listened attentively as you told him everything hermione had told you.
“that's incredible. and it reveals a time frame we can follow” he nodded.
“exactly" you smiled, before your expression turned serious again "thank you for telling me all of this. i’m sorry for all of it, but i’m still glad you had a good reason to send such a letter”
“yeah, it probably looked pretty bad without context, now that i think about it” theo admitted.
“but i do still have one question: was it really coincidence that you were at the astronomy tower too, right before burbage’s death?”
“yes and no” theo nodded. “it was a coincidence that i was there when she died, but i followed you on purpose”
“you followed me on purpose?” you repeated confused “but why?”
“because i wanted to talk to you” theo admitted, his voice steady yet vulnerable “i’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while now”
you raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued “really? about what?”
he hesitated for a moment, searching your eyes as if weighing his words. “i’ve fancied you for a long time, you know?”
your heart skipped a beat, surprise flooding through you. “you fancied me? me?”
theo laughed, the sheer disbelief on your face amusing him. “how couldn’t i?” he replied with a playful grin, his eyes sparkling “you’re smart, you’re fierce, and you don’t take any nonsense from anyone. plus, the way you stand up for your friends? it’s impossible not to notice. it’s honestly quite entertaining to watch draco and you fight”
you grinned, somewhat proud someone had taken an interest in your debates with malfoy. you always made sure to be ready to break him. “who do you think wins?” you asked, a brow quirked.
“you, of course” theo smirked. “draco is not half as good. it’s honestly amazing how good you are at telling him off”
“you’re making me blush” you smiled, as you stared up at him. “i always liked you most, you know? out of all of them. you were so nice every time i encountered you and i think i really took a liking to you during our project”
now it was theo’s turn to smile proudly. “so, are we good again?” he asked softly, waiting for you to make a decision.
you nodded, mirroring his expression. “we are” you assured, before you reached for his neck, connecting you lips with his for a short peck.
when you pulled back, theo grinned at you with a lopsided grin, his worries fading away as his eyes wandered over your face.
the next thing to do, you had decided, was to wait for mattheo’s invitation to reveal the infos you needed to find the masquerade ball of the nocturne society. someone there would probably know more.
that led to your next problem: the right clothing. theo suggested to make a trip to hogsmeade, which you quickly noticed to be impossible because of the storm. that’s when you remembered the convenience of the room of requirement. you had always used it the year before, so it had become manageable for you to find.
theo walked next to you through the halls cluelessly, ready to follow your lead.
“so, motives” you muttered, looking at him. “who would’ve had an interest in killing burbage?”
“someone who was after the artifact?” theo suggested.
“not impossible” you shrugged. “maybe that was the only way to steal it. maybe she had hexed it and there was no other way than to kill her.”
“but that would mean that whoever was trying to get access to the artifact also knew about burbage’s resignation” theo noted, he thought for a few seconds, before he added. “so far, the only people who know about it are you and me and of course dumbledore and maybe also mcgonagall.”
“i don’t think that will lead us far, theo” you remarked softly. “we don’t know who burbage might’ve told. she was thinking about if for some time. i mean, remember your first letter? that was months ago. she could’ve told people as far as we know”
“you’re right” theo nodded. “so back to the beginning, if we exclude the artifact for now, what else could’ve been a reason to kill her?”
silence errupted between you as both of you thought about the question.
your breath hitched. “what if it’s unrelated? what if someone found out?”
“about?” theo quirked a brow, not able to follow your stream of thoughts.
“her inappropriate relation to a student” you explained. “i mean think about it. you found out, how unlikely is it that someone else did?”
“not unlikely at all” theo nodded. “it wasn’t even hard to uncover. i mean, if someone was just a student in her class, they could’ve easily picked up something”
“i’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, so tell me if we should stop talking about it, but—“
“it’s fine, sparrow” theo said honestly. “i can take it”
“okay” you nodded, before you continued. “if we assume that she had a preferred age, fourteen, like you were, then maybe the killer is not an unrelated student, maybe it’s someone who didn’t witness the relationship first hand during class, but someone who knew her victim” you explained. “someone, who would go to lengths to protect that kid, someone who wanted to take revenge”
“a sibling” theo breathed.
“exactly” you nodded. “i would kill for my brother, no questions asked. we just have to find someone who would do the same”
you both dwelled on the thought as you walked around a corner, the doors of the room of requirement welcoming you as if they had waited ages for your arrival.
“what about this?” you held a blue dress against your body, twirling from side to side for theo to inspect it.
“beautiful” theo complimented, before he scrunched his nose. “but too blue. most members of the society will be slytherins, remember?”
“how can you be so sure about that?” you questioned, putting the dress to the side and picking up a dark green, almost black mask and holding it in front of your eyes.
“well, it’s illegal and dangerous and—“ theo grinned “—have i already said illegal?”
you shook your head, throwing a similiar mask like yours in his direction. theo caught the thing with ease, wiggling his eyesbrows as he held it in front of his eyes.
“you recognize me, sparrow?”
“your smile is uncanny” you giggled, holding a hand up to hide his mouth. “maybe you should just wear a whole bag”
“well, your options don’t seem the most practical to guarantee a fast escape. i mean can you even run in these shoes?”
“i’m not running” you crossed your arms, raising your nose. “i’m a lady, theo”
“of course” theo shook his head, before his gaze dropped to a beautiful emerald green ballgown underneath part of his tuxedo. “wait” he muttered, holding the dress up against your body. “this is the one”
your smile grew bigger as you took in the gorgeous dress. it was made up of a thin lace fabric, adorned with highlights of shimmering ivy. as you put it on, it was clothing your body beautifully, fitting like it had been made for you (that were the perks regarding magical clothing; they fully took on the form of the person wearing them, clinging to every curve of your body).
“wow” theo muttered when you stepped around the shelf you had changed behind.
your cheeks grew rosy, glancing up and down his body, admiring how well the tuxedo fit him. “you look very much wow yourself, mr nott”
he laughed, shaking his head like he wasn’t believing one word of what you were saying. “it’s time” he grabbed both of your masks and the note mattheo had given you, that was now slowly revealing letters. one after the other until more and more words were forming.
moonlit atrium, it read, portrait of the lonely witches daughter, in the dungeon
luckily, theo read the words with a hint of recognition in his eyes. you would’ve been completely lost without him, probably strolling through the halls, desperately searching for a portrait admist thousands. you would’ve never made it in time.
“come on, my lady” he watched you fasten your mask around your head, looking into the corridor to check for people, before he took your hand in his, leading you to the nereast stairs down to the dungeon.
the air grew cold around you as you walked down, the chilly setting of the hogwarts dungeon making it's presence known and casting your body in goosebumps. theo didn’t let go of your hand for one second, squeezing it to reassure you anytime you would cross a dark hallway that send shivers down your spine.
finally, theo started walking slower in a particularly dark corridor. his eyes wandered along the walls, searching for the familiar portrait, before his gaze locked onto the artwork.
you were searching the wall opposite from theo, when a hand reached out and touched your arm. “did you—ahh!” you screeched, jumping back when the person the hand belonged to was not theo, but someone else.
the unknown person was a man, well, more a boy, blonde hair peeking out behind his mask. he wore an even darker tuxedo than theo, the black on his body almost making him invisble against the dark of the corridor.
theo behind you, spun around, ready to meet your attackers face with his fist. before he hit him, you stopped the movement, pulling the dark haired boy back by the arm. “malfoy” you said simply, sharing the gathered piece of information with theo, who relaxed immediately.
“potter” draco malfoy greeted almost bored. he moved the mask from his face, revealing his ice blue eyes staring at you and theo in displasure. “theodore”
“draco” theo breathed. “i almost killed you”
“sure” malfoy rolled his eyes, not believing it for a second. “luckily potter here kept you from murdering any more people”
“haha” theo nodded. “very funny”
malfoy shrugged, not caring one bit about his unsolicited joke against theo. rather than on his friend, malfoys gaze was fixated on you. you lifted your mask too, deeming it weird to act like your identities hadn’t been revealed.
“i should’ve known you were involved in this club” theo crossed his arms, making not even the slightest move to take off his mask too.
“well, theodore, i’d say it is in my blood” malfoy took his eyes from you for a mere second, before his unnerving gaze returned. “unlike you, halfblood”
“careful” theo warned, voice filled with a sharp edge.
malfoy’s gaze flicked back to him, eyes narrowing with an unspoken challenge. he tilted his head slightly, the question clear in his expression, almost daring theo: have you forgotten where you belong?
“it’s alright” you mumbled, not even moved by the blonde boy’s words. he had insulted you and your friends too often for you to still care about it, unlike harry, who almost enjoyed throwing a tantrum. maybe that was the reason malfoy hated you a little less than your brother. you knew how to behave and that was something he respected. “what do you want?”
“i didn’t come to murder you, if that’s what you’re thinking” malfoy replied, his tone almost playful as he hinted at your reaction of panic at his sudden presence “nor to give you more proof. that’s not why i’m here.”
“then what?” theo snapped impatiently, eyes still on malfoy. “what’s so important that you had to deliver it in person?”
draco paused, his gaze darkening as his playful demeanor faded. his next words were spoken softly, almost ominously. “a warning.”
the air in the corridor grew thick, the weight of his words pressing down on you. theo stiffened beside you, his guard going back up as malfoy’s expression turned deadly serious.
“a warning about what?” you asked, your heart pounding now, knowing that this wasn’t just another one of malfoy’s games.
malfoy stepped closer, his voice barely above a whisper. “someone’s watching you. and it’s not just the castle’s usual suspects.” he hesitated for a moment, his eyes locking with yours, as if deciding whether to reveal more. then, quietly, he added, “you're not safe. neither of you.”
before you could question him further, malfoy backed into the shadows, disappearing as quickly as he had come.
“malfoy!” theo called after him, but it was too late—he was gone.
the tension in the air remained, your heart still racing. you exchanged a glance with theo, both of you realizing that whatever danger was lurking, it wasn’t just in the form of cryptic messages or secret clubs. it was something much darker.
