Synopsis: She was Harry Potter’s constant—his secret keeper, his sanctuary, the girl who stitched him together when the war threatened to tear him apart. A quiet Ravenclaw who stood by him when no one else knew how, she never asked for anything… except maybe for him to see her. But as the world began to heal and the noise returned, Harry reached for the girl who burned bright in public—Ginny—and left behind the one who had carried him through the dark. Years later, when fate crosses their paths again, Harry is haunted by what he lost: the girl who loved him in silence, and who walked away with all the parts of him he never knew he gave. A story of almosts, aching regrets, and the kind of love that gets remembered in every timeline—but never chosen in the one that mattered.
They met in the library, first year, when he was looking for a book he didn’t know existed.
You were sitting in a Ravenclaw alcove, quill between your teeth, parchment already half full. You barely looked up when Harry Potter stumbled over the bench across from you.
He looked lost—his hand brushing at dusty spines, brows furrowed like the whole wizarding world sat on them. You didn’t mean to care. But there was something about the way he bit his lip, that almost-frown. You cleared your throat.
“Second shelf to the right. “Hogwarts: A History won’t help you here.”
His eyes met yours. And for a second—just a blink of time—you felt it. The thread. The pull. That thread didn’t fray for years.
You became his safe place.
When the weight of the prophecy pressed into his bones, you were the one who pulled him into empty classrooms and let him breathe. When Ron and Hermione were off saving the world with plans and arguments, you were silence. Steady. A shoulder, a heartbeat, a secret kind of peace. You became his late-night library partner. His confidante. His secret-keeper. His almost.
You fell in love somewhere between fourth and fifth year. Maybe it was the night he snuck into the Ravenclaw common room just to leave a book you’d been searching for. Or maybe it was when he sat beside you in the Astronomy Tower, his shoulder brushing yours, and whispered, “I always feel lighter with you.”
You never asked for more. He never said there “wasn’t” more. But he lingered. And you stayed.
Sixth year, things shifted. Ginny started laughing louder. Her eyes caught his across the Great Hall. She burned like a wildfire. And you? You were the quiet warmth he never noticed was holding him together. He didn’t stop coming to you. Not at first. He kept coming back. Not in grand gestures. Not in ways people would ever notice. But in moments. In late-night wanderings and half-finished essays. In library tables hidden behind shelves and lingering glances during meals. You were the quiet place Harry Potter could come undone.
You learned his silences like languages. When he tapped his quill twice, it meant he was anxious. When he sighed and looked up at the ceiling, he was remembering the war he hadn’t fought yet. When he smiled without showing teeth, he was grateful—but didn’t know how to say it.
You didn’t ask for anything. And maybe that’s what made him stay.
“I don’t know how to breathe in this place sometimes,” he said one night, lying beside you on the Astronomy Tower floor.
“Then don’t,” you murmured, tracing constellations above you. “Just be.” You watched his chest rise, slow and steady.
He turned his head toward you. “You make it feel easy.”
You smiled. “You make it feel heavy.”
And yet you never moved.
Not even when his fingers brushed yours.
Not even when he kissed you.
He kissed you like he was drowning. And you kissed back like you didn’t care if you drowned too. You didn’t define it. Neither of you dared. But you had him—in the ways no one else did.
You held him through nightmares. You bandaged his bruises after Quidditch. You passed him calming draughts under the table during class when he started trembling. You sat with him in silence for hours.
He never introduced you to anyone. He never called you his. But he always came back.
Until he didn’t.
Ginny happened like sunlight after years of grey. Bright. Loud. Familiar. People smiled when they saw them together. The Chosen One and the girl who had always loved him.
He didn’t say anything to you. Not until you saw them. Kissing. And then it all shattered
He still sat by you in the library. Still walked you back to the tower. Still held your gaze a second too long. But he started showing up less.
And when you sat beside him one evening in the courtyard, your fingers brushing his on accident, he flinched. You pulled your hand back. Pretended not to notice.
He didn’t explain. And you didn’t ask. But it kept happening.
You’d wait for him outside Potions. He’d walk past you to Ginny.
You’d save a seat for him by the lake. He’d never show.
You became a ghost in his periphery. Always there. Never enough.
It was after the Quidditch final when everything broke.
You found him outside, alone, leaning against a pillar. The castle buzzed with celebration—Gryffindor had won. But his eyes were somewhere else.
“I saw you with her,” you said quietly. He turned. “What?”
“You kissed her. In the common room.” His throat bobbed. “You were there?”
You laughed, bitter. “I don’t think it matters, Harry. Everyone was.” He looked at you then—not confused, not oblivious—but like someone who had finally been caught.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said. “But you did.” Your voice cracked.
He looked away. “Ginny... she’s—”
“She’s easier,” you said, the words sharper than you meant. “She’s the right choice, right? The one they all expect.”
“It’s not like that—”
“No?” you snapped. “Then what is it like, Harry? Tell me. Because I’ve been here. Every bloody day. Through the war. Through your breakdowns. Through every time you couldn’t breathe, I was the one who “stayed.”
Silence.
“You should’ve told me,” you whispered. “You should’ve chosen.” He stepped forward. “Don’t do this. Please.”
“Too late.” Your eyes stung. “I begged you without ever saying a word. I waited, hoping you’d notice I was breaking. You never looked close enough.” And then, the final wound.
“Do you love her?” you asked.
He hesitated.
And that silence screamed louder than a yes.
You didn’t cry until you reached your dorm. And even then, it wasn’t sobbing. It was the kind of crying that made your throat burn and your lungs ache. The kind that felt like your ribs were breaking open. You stopped going where he might be. You stopped waiting for letters. For explanations. For apologies. Because you realized—he never made you a choice. You were the soft place he fell when the world got hard. But you were never the place he planned to stay. And he never chased you.
Not really.
Not until it was too late.
---
Years passed. You graduated top of your class. Worked in magical archives. Traveled. Lived. But you never returned to Hogwarts. Never wrote him. Never answered when Hermione asked if she could pass along your new address. He married Ginny. Had children. Lived the life people dreamed he would. But every once in a while, he'd see someone with your hair in a crowd. Hear your laugh in the wrong room. Smell your perfume in a bookstore.
And he’d break all over again.
Because Ginny didn’t know how he liked his tea when he couldn’t sleep.
She didn’t know the way he breathed when he was about to cry but refused to.
She didn’t know that, once, he almost told you he loved you.
Almost.
You didn’t go to the wedding. You didn’t send letters. You disappeared from his world like a name wiped from a tombstone.
But Harry? He never stopped looking.
Every time Ginny smiled, he remembered how yours looked first.
Every time she laughed, he remembered the nights you tried to make him forget the war.
And when Ginny argued, or left the room in anger, he saw your silence.
He began writing letters he never sent.
“You made me feel whole, and I chose the girl who made me feel wanted.”
“I thought loud love was the kind that lasted. I didn’t realize soft love was the kind I needed.”
“I still think of you when I hear your favorite song. I still wait for you in empty corridors.”
“Please—just once, look back.”
---
One day, years later, he found you again.
You were walking through Diagon Alley, head down, books in hand. He said your name like a prayer. You turned. And for a moment, it was like nothing had changed. Except everything had.
“Hi,” he said, like he hadn’t destroyed you.You nodded. “Harry.”
“You look… well.”
You gave a tight smile. “I am.”
He opened his mouth. Closed it.
“I—I’ve thought about you. A lot,” he finally said.
You tilted your head. “Regret doesn’t change the past, Harry.”
“I know. I just…” He stepped closer. “You knew me. The real me. Before the rest of the world decided who I was supposed to be.”
“And you still left,” you said, voice barely above a whisper.
“I was a coward.”
You looked at him then. Really looked.
There were lines on his face that hadn’t been there before. Sadness in his eyes that hadn’t left.
“I waited for you,” you said quietly. “Even after. I thought maybe… maybe you’d realize. Maybe you’d come back.”“I should have,” he choked. “But you didn’t.”
“I married Ginny,” he said, as if confessing.
“I know.”
“It’s not what you think. I—she’s great. But she’s not—”
“Me,” you finished for him. “She’s not the girl who held you while you broke. Who kept your secrets. Who loved you in silence.”
His eyes brimmed with tears. “I never stopped loving you.”
“But you let me go,” you said. “And now I’m gone.”
“Please…” His voice cracked. “Can I… can we start again?”
You stared at him.
And then, gently, you shook your head.
“I mourned you, Harry,” you whispered. “While you were still mine.”
He reached for your hand.
You stepped back.
And that, more than anything, destroyed him.
“I chose the girl who made me feel safe,” he whispered. “But I lost the girl who made me want to live.”
“You gave him one last look. “You didn’t lose me, Harry. You let me go.”
Then you turned and walked away.
And for the rest of his life, he would remember the sound of your footsteps echoing in that alley. He would remember the look in your eyes. He would remember that he was the one who gave up the love he never thought he deserved. And he would never forgive himself. Not even when the world forgot.
Because you never came back. And he never stopped waiting.
summary: Thinking that maybe if he’d known how beautiful heartbreak could look, he’d have fallen in love with you sooner.
characters: theodore nott x ravenclaw! bsf! reader
warnings: none!
word count: 690
It started with laughter. It always did with you.
You and Theo were sitting on the courtyard steps after Charms, knees knocking, the late October wind carrying the scent of sugar and roasted nuts from the Great Hall. Someone had charmed a table full of toffee squares to keep themselves warm, and of course, you’d insisted Theo grab a few.
He’d been trying so hard not to stare- really, he had- but the way your scarf framed your face, the way you laughed with your whole body… it was unfair. You looked like sunlight bundled up in blue and bronze.
“Stop looking at me like that,” you said through a mouthful of toffee, though there was a teasing lilt in your voice.
“Like what?”
“Like you’re either in pain or about to tell me a secret.”
He smirked, breaking another piece of toffee between his fingers. “Maybe I am.”
And then, because Theo Nott had both terrible reflexes and the world’s worst luck, the piece snapped wrong- and one chunk went flying.
You froze as it landed squarely in your hair.
Theo stared in horror. “No. No, no, no, no-”
“Theo,” you said carefully, reaching up. “Did you just-”
“It slipped!” He scrambled toward you, panic in his voice. “Okay, don’t move, I can-just-”
He reached out to tug it free. The toffee only sank deeper. You winced.
“Ow! You’re making it worse!”
“I’m not! I swear I-okay maybe I am-bloody hell-why does it stick like that?”
You batted his hand away, laughing despite yourself. “You’re an absolute menace.”
He dropped his hands helplessly, shoulders slumping. “I’m so sorry. I’ll… I’ll fix it.”
You gave him that Ravenclaw look- the one that was patient and knowing all at once. “No, you won’t. You’ll make it worse. I’ll handle it.”
Theo watched you head off toward your dorm, guilt gnawing at his chest. He waited for you to come back down for dinner that night, but you didn’t.
And then came the next morning.
He was half-asleep at the Slytherin table when he noticed the ripple of whispers spreading across the Great Hall. Heads turned, hushed voices rising. When he looked up-
He forgot how to breathe.
You stood in the doorway, sunlight spilling over you from the enchanted ceiling. Your hair- once long and soft and always falling in your eyes when you leaned over parchment- was now short. Just brushing your shoulders, tousled, imperfect, and breathtaking.
The toffee incident. She cut it.
You scanned the room, spotted him instantly, and smiled- small, shy, and devastating.
Theo could only stare. His chest felt too tight, his throat dry. You walked toward the Ravenclaw table, the hem of your robes swaying, the soft light catching the uneven ends of your hair like threads of caramel.
You’d actually cut it. For real. Because of him.
He barely heard Blaise mutter, “Merlin, she looks good,” beside him. He didn’t even notice Pansy’s grin when she elbowed him and whispered, “Someone’s lovesick.”
He just sat there, heart pounding.
You turned once before sitting down, meeting his eyes from across the room- a quiet, knowing look, like you were saying, it’s just hair, Theo.
And maybe it was.
But to him, it was so much more.
It was the moment he realized that he didn’t just like you. He adored you. Completely. The kind of love that feels like it’s been living under your skin for years, waiting for a reason to say hello.
When breakfast ended, he caught up to you outside the Hall, breathless and a little lost.
“Hey,” he said softly, hands stuffed in his pockets. “You, um… you cut it.”
You tilted your head, eyes glinting. “Yeah. Had to. It was hopeless.”
He hesitated, then said, voice barely above a whisper, “It looks perfect.”
You smiled- that quiet, easy smile that always undid him. “You say that about everything I do.”
“Only when it’s true,” he murmured.
You laughed, tugging at the end of your scarf before walking ahead- and Theo followed, thinking that maybe if he’d known how beautiful heartbreak could look, he’d have fallen in love with you sooner.
The first time your cat went missing, you didn’t think entirely too much of it. You knew many of the Hogwarts cats liked to gather behind the herbology greenhouse where a particularly plentiful patch of catnip grew. However, Gladys was never one to miss meal time, and when the time came to 30 minutes after her usual feeding time, you knew something was amiss. With a sigh, you made your way out to your common room where you saw Cho sitting by the fireplace with several other of your class mates.
“Has anyone seen Gladys wandering about? She missed feeding time and I haven’t seen her much today,” you say as you approach the group.
“I haven’t, sorry y/n. We’ll keep a look out for her though,” Cho tells you.
You let out a small sigh of disappointment.
“Thanks Cho,” you say before heading out to wander the halls of the castle, hoping to find your elusive, black cat.
You start out by the greenhouse where you see a whole gaggle of cats, but none with the sleek black coat that identified your furry friend. You then walked around the grounds a bit more with no luck, before moving on to the kitchens where several of the house elves promised to keep an eye out for the small black cat. You even checked several empty class rooms before coming to a stop outside the library. It wouldn’t hurt to check. Twenty minutes later, you were still completely out of luck. Tired and frustrated, you were about to call it a night when a loud chorus of voices turn down the hall. You look to see who it was and find a hoard of Slytherin boys making their way towards you. You recognized them of course, but didn’t exactly know them. What you did know however, was the mop of black fur one of the taller boys in the back of the group was holding.
“Gladys!” You exclaim, rushing towards the group of boys.
Their eyes all turn towards you and at the sound of her name, the fiesty black cat springs from the arms of the boy and runs towards you.
With a large grin of relief, you scoop the cat up into your arms, feeling her light purr as you scratch behind her ears. Feeling several pairs of eyes on you, you look up to see the group of boys still staring at you and your cat.
“Um, thanks, for finding my cat,” you say awkwardly, squeezing the cat to your chest lightly. The tall, brunette boy who had just been holding your cat only nods silently before turning and walking off, the rest of the group following, except one.
“Hey, sorry about Theo. He means well, really. Man really likes cats, but doesn’t have one of his own, so he sometimes makes friends with cats wandering the halls. We’ve all told him that he should probably stop, ah, borrowing, people’s cats, but he can’t seem to resist. Names Enzo by the way,” the boy says with a friendly smile, extending his hand out.
You take his hand, shaking it cautiously before a smile creeps it’s way onto your face.
“Thank you, Enzo.” You say, hesitating a moment before adding, “You know, Gladys is a picky bitch. Theo must be a pretty okay person if she let him carry her around.” You tell him before disappearing with your cat.
2
The second time your cat went missing, you honestly didn't realize she was missing at all. Theo had found his way down to the kitchens about a week after the original cat incident. That's how he thought of it anyway. The kitchens were one of his favorite places to lurk as not many students knew of the secret entrance behind one particular painting of a fruit bowl. The real attraction that often drew the brunette boy to the hidden sanctuary however, was the constant stream of cats that often visited the house elves who happily offered up dishes of cream and other treats. Plopping himself down on the floor next to a particularly populated bowl of milk, Theo's eyes were immediately drawn to a familiar set of glowing yellow orbs.
"Hello there, Gladys," he said hesitantly, decently sure that was the name called out by the pretty Ravenclaw girl who had stolen the cat from him a few nights ago.
Well, stolen in this case was rather relative, as the cat was technically hers, he supposed. Hearing her name however, the little black cat pranced over, nuzzling her head affectionately against his leg with a soft purr. Picking the sweet creature up into his arms, Theo stroked her soft fur, thinking back to his encounter with her owner, a grimace reaching his face.
He had been a downright bloody idiot. That was for certain. Theo was not usually one to be rendered incompetent by the mere presence of a pretty girl. No. That was meant more for Enzo. Or even Draco sometimes. But never Theodore. In fact, Theo had quite the reputation for his tendency to sleep around which made the idea of his mind completely blanking at the sight of this cat's owner all the more embarrassing. Matteo had made fun of him ruthlessly later that night. What had he said again? Right. Absolutely nothing. Just nodded like a right dunce.
The only solace Theo had gotten from that night was when Enzo pulled him aside quietly and told him what the pretty girl from earlier had said about him. "He must be pretty okay." It was hardly a compliment, but after the fool he'd made of himself, it really was the best Theo could hope for. Shaking the thoughts from his mind, Theo once again focused on the little beast snuggling contentedly in his arms, carefully scratching behind the ears, a spot he'd found the cat quite liked.
The sound of the entrance painting swinging open startled Theo; and he honestly wasn't sure if he was elated, or absolutely mortified that the very girl who had been previously plaguing his thoughts was stepping through into the kitchens.
You honestly weren't entirely surprised to see the boy from a few nights ago sitting on the floor, cradling your cat, when you entered the kitchens. After Enzo had admitted to you that the handsome brunette had a soft spot for the castle's feline population, you figured it was only a matter of time until you bumped into him here considering it was a hot spot for the four legged beasts.
"Hello. See you've managed to find my cat again," you say, offering a small smile to the boy in front of you. After your encounter with that particular group of Slytherins, you did a bit of asking around, finding that Theodore Nott, while a bit known for his escapades with the female population, was actually one of the more talented wizards of your year. And one of the more level headed. (But in comparison to Draco and Matteo, you weren't exactly sure how much credit to give him there.)
The boy blinks up at you once before seeming to find his voice.
"She's a sweet little thing," he says finally, clearing his throat and looking anywhere but you.
You cautiously move forward, more worried about spooking the boy in front of you than the cats. Sitting down, you allow a pretty little Siamese kitten to wander into your lap. Gladys hisses with jealousy, but remains snuggled in the arms of the boy.
"She really seems to like you. Bit surprising. She's really not much of a people person," you tell him.
Theo nods at you, an action you found yourself growing familiar with.
"Enzo told me." He replies curtly.
You open your mouth to respond, but don't quite know how, so you let an awkward silence roll over the two of you.
"Well, I find that Gladys is a very good judge of character," you say finally.
Theo lets out a small smile at this, continuing to stroke your cat's soft fur. After that, the two of you fall into a comfortable silence with Theodore continuing to shower your cat with affection while you distract the many other felines, crowding the kitchen floor.
"Theo?" you wonder finally, the question burning away at you. The boy looks up, and you find yourself getting lost in the surprisingly soft brown eyes staring back at you. Breaking from the trance with a small shiver, you ask, "If you like cats so much, why don't you have one of your own?"
Theo's eyes immediately fall, and his hand freezes mid pet, much to Gladys' dismay. A pang of guilt washes through you.
"My father isn't much of an animal person," He replies stiffly.
You give him a small nod in response before rising from the floor.
"It's getting pretty late, I should get going," you say softly. "Gladys can find her way back to the tower on her own just fine," you add when you see Theo make no move to release the cat.
Without another word, you move to open the portrait door. You enter the hall with a small smile gracing your lips as you hear his voice quietly as the door closes.
"Thank you, y/n."
He knew your name.
3
The next time Theo met Gladys was much sooner than he expected. He had left the kitchens several hours ago and was now laying in bed. The clock sitting on his bed side now read 1am. The deafening silence was about to finally lull him to sleep when an insistent scratching at the door caused his eyes to fly open. Sitting up, Theo glanced at the door warily before finally deciding to cross the room to find out what was causing the noise.
As soon as the door opened, a black shadow darted through, making a beeline for his bed. How it seemed to know exactly where it was going, Theo had no clue. Making his way silently back to his bed, careful not to wake either of his roommates, Theo was finally able to make out the dark shape of an ever familiar black cat.
"Hi there, principessa," he whispered, gently stroking the cat's ears before crawling into the bed next to it. Gladys seemed to take this as an invitation to curl up in the nook of his arm, and Theo wasn't about to object. The last thought he remembered before drifting off was how nice it would be if Gladys' pretty owner was there too.
"Theo, what the fuck."
Theo woke with a start, to the loud voice of Lorenzo Berkshire ringing out above him. His eyes opened to see the other boy hovering over his bed, a look of shocked confusion apparent on his face.
"Is that y/n's cat?" he asks, leaning down as if to get a closer look at the fluff ball still snuggled in Theo's arms.
"No way," Matteo laughs from the other side of the room. "You stole her cat again? What, is this some sick and twisted new way for you to lure girls into your bed?"
Theo launches a pillow at Matteo's head. He doesn't miss.
"You better go return that thing before y/n starts to worry," Enzo advises, going back to his own side of the room. "And maybe just ask her out while you're at it hmm?" He adds, quickly ducking behind his fourposter before Theo has the chance to send another pillow flying his way.
With a heavy sigh, Theo comes to a stop outside of what he's pretty sure is the Ravenclaw common room. He's about to raise his hand to knock, when the golden eagle head mounted to the door springs to life.
"What gets broken, without being held?" The eagle asks, blinking at him slowly.
Right. Theo knew about this. The most annoying of the common room doors because instead of a password, the bloody door required you to answer a riddle. Theo was about to turn on his heel to leave when he felt a light presence behind him.
"Hello Theo. Hello Gladys." The platinum blonde haired girl said, giving the two of them an airy nod, before turning her attention to the door. "Would it perhaps be, a promise?" she asks.
The door swings open and Theo quickly hurries after the girl, making his way up the staircase. He'd never actually been inside the Ravenclaw common room, and his breath hitched when they reached the top of the stairs. The main room really was magnificent, nothing like the dark, eerie dungeons of the Slytherin common room. Theo eyed the shelves of books lining the wall longingly.
"Her room is just there, up and to the left," the blonde girl he'd followed in says, breaking him from his thoughts.
"Huh?"
"Y/n? Her room is just there," the girl repeats, gesturing to a door at the top of another small flight of stairs.
"Oh. thanks," Theo makes out, giving the girl a nod of gratitude.
"Name's Luna by the way. Luna Lovegood." She says whimsically before floating off.
With a deep inhale to calm his nerves, Theo makes his way up the stairs and knocks gently on the door. Gladys lets out a meow of protest. Absolutely nothing could have prepared Theo for what was on the other side of the door. He felt his throat go completely dry as the door swung open and you stood in front of him in what was probably the shortest, skimpiest set of clothing that could possibly be considered pajamas. Theo tried not to stare, he really did, but he was only a man. A very weak and smitten man.
"Oh! There you are Gladys. I wondered where you wandered off to last night!" you say looking at your cat and then back up at Theo, and then again at your cat before looking back up at Theo expectantly. "Um. May I have my cat back?"
Theo jolts back to life, realizing he'd been staring and looks at you sheepishly.
"Sorry, don't know how this little one found me. Snuck her way into the Slytherin common room and then into my dorm. Didn't want to leave her in the halls alone, so I let her stay the night," he tells you.
You stare at the boy in shock, realizing that was the longest string of words you'd ever heard out of him.
"Wow Theodore, I'm impressed. I think that's the most I've ever heard you talk. And here I was thinking you were secretly illiterate," you say with a playful grin.
"Please," the boy scoffs. "I'm the picture of eloquence."
Interested in where this sudden burst of confidence that you didn't normally see from him had come from, you take a step back, inviting him into your room. He hesitantly accepts your invitation, bringing Gladys along with him.
"No roommates?" he asks, perching on the edge of your bed as Gladys purrs softly on his lap. At the moment, you found nothing more attractive than this man absolutely pampering your beloved pet.
"Not many Ravenclaw girls in our year, we had the option to share, but most of us opted for solo rooms. Wanted the extra privacy, I suppose," you tell him, leaning on one of the posts at the end of your bed.
Theo nods his head at this.
"I have two roommates," he shares.
"One of them happen to be Enzo Berkshire?"
Theo nods again. "And Matteo. Riddle" he adds.
You cock your head at that with a grin.
"Interesting pairing," you comment, imagining the chaos those two must bring with them.
"It never gets boring," Theo responds.
A moment of silence passes.
"I was wondering if you wanted to study together sometime. I hear you're exceptionally talented at potions. And Charms. And everything really." Theo lets out finally.
You raise an eyebrow at the boy, internally screaming.
Trying to keep your cool, you tilt your head, "I hear you are too."
It's like a switch flips inside Theo.
"Well, we're obviously perfect for each other than," He replies easily, a cocky grin beginning to spread across his face. "Meet you in the library tomorrow at 7? And bring the cat."
You let out a laugh as Theo rises from the bed, gently placing Gladys down on the pillow, before going to make his way out of your dorm.
"You only like me for my cat," you joke, shifting to watch as he crosses the room to the door.
"Not just for your cat," he assures you, "I love the outfit, wear it for me more often, hmm?" he says slyly before the door thuds shut behind him.
You look down at your outfit, jaw dropping open and heat rushing to your cheeks.
4
Theo's head was pounding. Music pumped through the Slytherin common room and Theo could barely see through the crowds of people around him as he pushed his way to the circle of sofas occupied by his friends. Collapsing into a spot next to Matteo, the boy offered him another shot of who-knew-what which he quickly knocked back.
"When's that pretty little thing that's been occupying all your time gonna join us at one of our little gatherings?" Matteo slurs out, gesturing to the large crowd around them.
Over the past several weeks, you and Theo had grown significantly closer; your first study date quickly becoming a daily occurrence as you found that you each were able to easily keep up with one another. Something about having a partner who was actually able to challenge you was exhilarating. From there, you found yourselves often seeking each other out simply for the sake of good company, Gladys largely increasing the number of these meetings.
"Don't know that Gladys would like it. Cat's aren't supposed to ingest alcohol," Theo responded, not quite drunk enough to fall for his friend's taunting.
Enzo places another shot in his hand, and Theo raises a brow at him, before knocking that one back as well.
"Did you ever ask y/n why in Salazar's name, she choose to name her cat Gladys?" Matteo asks. "If my name were Gladys, I'd being running off constantly too."
Theo thumps Matteo on the back of the head.
"You leave our cat out of this, she ain't do nothin wrong," he says, glaring at his friend.
"So now she's our cat is she?" Enzo asks, a smirk growing on his face. "Didn't know you and y/n were so serious."
"It's our cat damnit! If marrying y/n is what it takes to finally have a cat of my own, so be it," Theo says decidedly.
Enzo snorts at his clearly, very drunk friend. "Careful, or one might think you're only into her for her cat. And not the cunty kind."
Theo scowls at this. "Y/n says that all the time, but have you seen that ass? And the way she mopped the floor with Draco in potions the other day? She's perfect."
"Yeah? Why don't you go tell her that then?" Matteo says, wanting nothing more than to see a drunk Theo try to make his way to Ravenclaw Tower.
"You know what? I will. And I'll pet Gladys too." Theo states. A look of pure, intoxicated determination set on his face.
Lorenzo eyes his friend warily. While not exactly sober himself, he didn’t particularly like the look his friend was giving them.
“Aw c’mon Enz, don’t you try and be the voice of reason now,” Matteo drawls, sensing the hesitation coming from his friend. “Don’t you want to meet the lil thing our beloved Theodore has been obsessing over for weeks now?”
“I’m not obsessing,” Theo snaps, taking a sip straight out of a random bottle he’d picked up from the table.
“Let’s go. I’m gonna steal her cat. For real this time.”
With a wide grin, Matteo jumps up, ready to follow his friend wherever the night took him. With a low groan, Enzo followed suit, knowing that his pair of roommates would need some sort of guidance to prevent them from walking themselves straight of the edge of the astronomy tower.
You didn’t have a lot of expectations for the quiet Friday night that you were spending curled up with a book and your cat. It was late, and after a long and stressful week, the time alone with Gladys was just what you needed to really recharge. You had spent most of your day lounging out on the lawn next to the Black Lake with Theodore, studying with and harassing the boy. A small smile crept onto your face, remembering the way his brown curls had floated about in the soft breeze.
You really hadn’t expected for the two of you to become so close, so quickly, but you weren’t complaining. You’d grown quite fond of the boy, especially once he started opening up a bit more. You’d initially thought that he was a man of very few words, but quickly learned he was in fact very sharp witted and even a bit snarky at times. Time spent with him had easily become your favorite part of the day and was something you were constantly looking forward to.
A sharp knock jolted you from your thoughts, causing you to jump a bit where you were sitting, Gladys letting out a yowl of protest.
You quickly cross the room and open the door to find a very miffed looking Cho, a frown imbedded on her face.
“Sorry to bother, but could you please come get your boy under control? He’s upsetting the portraits.” She says.
You blink once. Then again.
“Sorry?”
“Your Slytherin fellow? He’s out in the corridor with two of his friends harassing the door,” she explains, turning to lead you down the spiral staircase.
You’re not even halfway down when you begin to hear the voices.
“Who in the bloody hell would want to be in Ravenclaw with this blast-ended skewt ass looking-“
“Matteo you can’t curse out the door.”
“I’ll curse at the bloody door if I want to bloody curse at it.”
You grimace, looking at Cho who looks back with a similarly displeased facial expression.
“Sorry bout them. I’ll take it from here,” you tell her when you reach the bottom.
With a slight nod, she turns to retreat back up the stairs. With a sigh, you push the door open, almost taking out Matteo who had been leaning on it for support.
“Hi amore, fancy seeing you here,” Theo slurs, a grin taking over his face at the sight of you.
Enzo leans against a pillar, face in hands, looking like he wanted to disappear. You could smell the alcohol on all of them.
“Hi Theodore. Are you sober?” You ask, already knowing the answer.
“I’m moderately functional,” he replies with a lopsided smile.
“I’m taking that as a no,” you say, glancing worriedly at Matteo who was currently laying spread eagle on the floor. “Let’s get you boys back to your common room.”
“I wouldn’t. Party’s not gonna end any time soon. They’ll just get more hammered and start wandering off again,” Enzo advises, head still in hands. “Like herding hippogriffs with those two.”
“And Theo hasn’t proclaimed his undying love for y/n yet!” Matteo adds.
You feel heat rise to your cheeks and Theo glowers at his friend.
“It’s okay Theo, I know he’s drunk,” you say, not certain if you were saying it more to comfort him or yourself.
Theo ignores you however, turning his attention back to the door.
“Let us in, I just want to pet the cat,” he tells the door, swaying ever so slightly.
For Salazar’s sake. Man gets absolutely wasted and just wants to pet your cat. You go to grab onto Theo to steady him, but he has other plans. Immediately, he wraps his arms around you, nuzzling his face into your hair.
“Hi,” he mumbles, picking you up just enough that your toes barely touch the ground. “I missed you. Can we see the cat now?”
Not knowing what else to do, you glance helplessly at Enzo.
“Would you be able to get Matteo up the stairs?” You ask.
“I can try. He’s a stubborn bastard though.”
You turn back to the door, knocking once. The eagle once again moves to life, glaring at the scene in front of it.
“If the day before yesterday was the 23rd, what is the day after tomorrow?” It asks crankily.
“We’re too fucking wasted for this bloody bullshit,” Matteo moans from the floor.
You try to ignore Theo’s tight grasp on your waist and Enzo prodding at Matteo with his foot before answering. “The 27th.”
The door swings open and you try your best to haul Theo through, Enzo following closely behind with a very disgruntled Matteo. Dragging the boys up the staircase feels like the most difficult task of your life as you constantly tell Matteo to lower his voice and mind his mouth while also trying to ignore the very minimal distance between yourself and Theodore. When you finally make it to the top, you rush to herd the boys into your room before slamming the door shut behind you with relief. Theo immediately stumbles over to your bed, collapsing face first in the middle and snatching Gladys into his arms.
“No roommates?” Enzo asks, looking around the room and seeing the single empty bed that you had pushed into the corner at the beginning of the year.
“No, thank Rowena. I would not want to have to explain whatever this is.” You reply, motioning to Theo and Matteo who was now wandering about the room.
“Room’s a mess. Coulda at least cleaned up a bit,” he says, poking at the various books and blank scrolls lying about.
“Had I known I would be having guests at,” you glance at the clock, “almost 2 in the morning, I’m sure I would have.” You say dryly.
Retrieving your wand from your desk, you point it at the spare bed. “Engorgio.” The wooden frame creaks as it expands until it can comfortably fit 2 people. You look at Enzo.
“Good luck with that one,” you say, almost feeling sorry for the boy as Matteo flops onto the bed with a groan.
“Looks like you’re gonna need it more than me,” he replies, gesturing to Theo who was out cold, Gladys trapped and bug eyed in his grasp. With a sigh you and Enzo each resign yourselves to your respective charge.
“Theodore,” you whisper, giving the boy a light shove. No sign of life. You give him a slightly harder shove, allowing Gladys is wriggle out of her prison. Frowning, you sit down on the edge of the bed, using most of your body weight to shove Theo to one side of the bed before sliding under the covers. Now deeming it safe, Gladys hops back into the bed, nestling into your arms happily. You’re about to close your eyes when you feel arms snaking around your waste, pulling you into the very warm chest of Theodore Nott. You freeze, holding your breath, not sure if the boy is asleep or not.
“Goodnight mi amore,” he whispers into your neck, causing the hairs to prickle.
Definitely not asleep.
“Goodnight Theodore.”
You hadn’t had any expectations for the night really, but you definitely had not expected to have multiple overnight guests who were trying to steal your cat. And you most certainly did not expect to drift off in the arms of Theodore Nott.
5
The next morning you wake up missing the usual lump of fur weighing down on your chest. Immediately you bolt upright, eyes shooting around for any sign of your furry companion before the events of last night wash over you. Enzo and Matteo are both still out cold and when you look down, your jaw drops open. Theo is fast asleep, back facing you, Gladys snoozing contentedly while cradled in his arms. Even in his sleep this absolute tosser had managed to steal your damn cat.
Careful not to wake the boys, or Gladys, you silently sneak across the room and disappear out the door. Once you’re safely out of hearing distance, you make your way quickly down the kitchens. A little known fact about the Hogwarts house elves was that many had once served in the homes of different wizarding families at one time or another. This meant that many of the elves were all too familiar with the valuable hangover potion that you sought.
Ducking in through the portrait hole, it wasn’t difficult to persuade the elves into handing over 3 glistening blue vials. You had always been kind to them, often chatting with them during your visits with the cats.
Your task complete, you made your way back to Ravenclaw tower, taking your time as you didn’t expect the boys to be up any time soon. They really had been plastered. Not even Enzo had been completely sober you recalled.
You’re just passing the entrance to the dungeons when a voice calls out.
“Hey! You!”
You’re ready to continue on your way before noticing that there was no one else in the corridor they could be referring to. You turn to see two girls you recognized as the Greengrass sisters hurrying towards you.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” the shorter blonde girl says when they get closer. You’re pretty sure that one is Astoria. “You’re the girl Theo has been seeing right?”
You nod your head cautiously. You knew Theo had a reputation for getting around, so if that’s what this was about, things were about to become quite awkward.
“You haven’t happened to see him or Matteo or Lorenzo, have you?” The other girl, Daphne, asks.
“Draco said he saw the three of them leave the party together last night, but no one saw them come back,” Astoria explains.
You feel yourself immediately relax. Good. At least this was something you could help with.
“You two are lucky you found me then I suppose,” you tell them, gesturing for them to follow. “The three of them tried breaking into Ravenclaw tower last night, so I let them crash in my dorm.”
“Oh Salazar. Were they trying to steal your cat? I’m so sorry. When Matteo gets drunk he has a tendency to try and egg Theo on,” Astoria frets.
You give the girls a strange look. “You know about my cat?” You ask, surprised.
“Oh sure,” Daphne replies. “Whole group does really. Boys came back one night going on about how Theo was just smitten with some Ravenclaw with a cute cat. And I can see why. You’re gorgeous by the way.”
You blush at her statement, diverting the subject away.
“The boys should probably still be asleep. I just ran down to the kitchens to get these,” you tell them, brandishing the potions you had gathered. “Once they’ve downed these, they’re all yours.”
Astoria eyes the potions with jealousy and you realize the two girls were probably decently hung over as well.
“Oh you can keep Theo, we were really just looking to collect Enzo and Matt,” Daphne laughs, giving you a sly look. You open your mouth to reply, but stop realizing you had reached your common room door.
After a few attempts, you’re finally able to solve the blasted riddle and the door swings open.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had this many Slytherins in our common room before,” you joke, leading the girls up to your room.
Pushing the door open, you’re unsurprised to see the boys still passed out.
“This must be the infamous Gladys,” Daphne whispers, quietly approaching Theo who was still clutching onto Gladys as if his life depended on it. Again you’re surprised that these girls apparently even knew the name of your cat.
The two coo at the sight of your cat, coming to the conclusion that she was indeed worthy of warranting cat theft before Astoria finally decided it was time for them to get the boys out of your hair. They migrated over to the other side of the room where Enzo and Matteo were sound asleep, leaving you to deal with Theo.
You decide the easiest route, may just be to lure Gladys away, so you fetch her food dish before accio-ing her kibble container. At the sound of her food, Gladys was up and running, darting over for her morning feast. At the sudden loss of fluffy heat, Theo groaned, rolling over, face down into the pillows. After giving Gladys her food, you move back to Theo, giving him a rough shake.
“Come back to bed principessa,” he grumbles, reaching out and flailing his arm in your general direction.
“It’s time to get up Theodore. Come on, I got you three hangover potions,” you say, waving one over his head.
“Did someone say hangover potion? Give,” Matteo demands from the other side of the room. You look over to see Daphne and Astoria sitting on the side of the bed while Matteo and Enzo were groggily waking up.
Pulling out her wand, Daphne gestured for you to toss her the potions which her magic catches easily, levitating the vials over to the other two boys. Matteo snatches one out of the air, quickly downing half before offering the other half to Astoria. Enzo does the same, giving the second half to Daphne who graciously accepts. After a moment, the four of them are looking much more awake.
“Thanks for making sure these three didn’t drown themselves in the lake,” Astoria says, once the potion had really kicked. “And sorry you’re not having more luck with that one. He’s always been a late riser.”
“You’ll be lucky to get him up in the next hour,” Enzo agrees, rising from the bed. “Thanks again y/n.”
The four of them shuffle out of your dorm, a chorus is thanks and apologies strung along until they reached the door. Even Matteo gave you a nod of gratitude. Once they were all gone, you collapse once more onto your bed.
“They finally gone?” You hear Theo ask, as he rolls over to look at you. You nod, faces so close that your noses are practically touching and you can feel small puffs of air as he exhales. “Thanks for last night. I’m sorry for trying to steal your cat.”
You let out a snort at that. “Did you know when I woke up this morning, you had turned away from me completely, and stolen my cat away from me in your sleep?” You ask with a laugh.
Theo at least has the decency to look embarrassed as Gladys joins the two of you once more.
“I should do this more often,” Theo says finally, reaching out to stroke Gladys’s fur.
“What? Get downright plastered and break into my room, or steal my cat?” You scoff.
“Sleep in your bed with you.”
You freeze, looking up to see if the boy was being serious. His eyes blink back at you unwavering.
“You can come back any time,” you tell him, snuggling your way into his chest, ready to fall back asleep in the boy’s arms.
“Will Gladys be here?”
“Oh my god, yes she will be here,” you say dramatically throwing your head back.
Theo grins down at you, leaning in and pressing his lips softly against yours.
“I’m only joking amore,” he says, pressing another kiss to the top of your nose.
“Of course Gladys would be here, she adores me.”
“Get out of my bed.”
My biggest regret in life, is being highly allergic to cats </3
You had never been one to get caught up in all the school drama - okay, only on occasions did you do so. But you were smart enough not to get involved with any of it for long, that was for the mind numbingly idiots like the slytherins and gryffindors who were constantly at one another throats.
Instead you focused on your studies. Choosing to stay out of the way of all others who caused this drama, the golden trio - the slytherin thugs. Hufflepuffs weren't any better than them either, they just weren't as obnoxious as the other two. On top of that, it made your time at Hogwarts much more peaceful doing so.
Well, it was peaceful until last year when one of the most known slytherins decided to harass you on the daily.
Your eyes landed on the boy your mind thought of before he appeared, Mattheo Riddle. Merlins bloody fucking beard, how he kept finding you was beyond you. Purposely finding new spots every day just to avoid his incessant chatter.
"For fucks sake, what'd you want, riddle?" Your eyes remained on the pages of your book as you asked him. He smirked and took a seat next to you on the cobblestone floor.
"You, of course."
"Oh yes, of course!" You sarcastically shot back with a roll of your eyes. "Let me just hand myself over then. Fuck off, riddle."
His smirk only grew before he threw his arm around your shoulder. "You're so cruel to me, what have I done to deserve such treatment?"
"You've not left me alone since last year."
"Well, why would I want to?"
You stared at the book in your hands, rereading the same line over and over again. Trying to think about a witty line to throw back before sighing at the realization that you had no answer to give. "What can I do for you to leave me alone? You want me to do your homework, brew you a potion, give you the answer to some riddle?" You mockingly added the last one before making eye contact with the boy beside you.
"Come with me to Hogsmeade this weekend, get to know me. I'm not half bad if I do say so myself."
"No, thank you."
"I promise to leave you alone if you don't like me afterwards."
Pondering for a moment, you could easily just sit there and let him talk about himself then be done with it all. That's not a bad idea.
"You'll actually leave me alone after doing so?"
"I give you my word."
"Pinky promise it to me." A stupid muggle notion, but you took them very seriously. You held out your pinky for him to take, he stared at it for a moment before wrapping his own pinky with yours.
"You're paying." You added with a small smile before returning back to your book, if your mind would allow you to focus.
"My girl wouldn't ever pay for herself anyways." His arm still wrapped around your shoulder as if indicating you actually were his girl.
You rolled your eyes at the new term he gave you, merlin this boy was conceited.
IM BEGGING FOR ANOTHER CHAPTER OF Yandere! Hufflepuff! Boyfriend x Nerd! Ravenclaw! Reader
It was soo good, when I read it I jumped for joy
WOOHOO! Welcome to Part 2 of...
Our Days #2
Yandere! Hufflepuff! Boyfriend x Nerd! Ravenclaw! Reader
CW : soft fluffy young love, Hogwarts teachers gossiping, THEM BEING A POWERCOUPLE!!! Obviously not canon, and an appearance of an original fruit!
- Yan! Hufflepuff Boyfriend, who's all whipped with you. He's still nonchalant with other students or even the professors. He's polite, but he can and will take points from other houses or even from you if you're doing something reckless.
- for example, you two created a set of charmed books that acts as a modern messenger for the two of you. Write a sentence in the book, and it'll show up in the other.
- and during one of your extended study sessions after curfew and his headboy rounds, you suddenly wrote that you wanted to go to the forbidden forest to look for Bowtruckles.
"Darl', wanna go to the forbidden forest?"
"May I ask why you would propose such a dangerous activity at approximately, 1 AM in the morning...?"
"Because the whole castle is asleep now! We just need to sneak away from Filch aaand maybe Professor Snape, and we're safe!"
"You're aware that NEWTs are just a few months away, and that it's 1 AM, and if something risky happens, there's a high chance we'll end up in St. Mungo's and have to restart the year, right?"
"Ya, ya, ya! See u there, XO XO"
- You don't even have to check for his reply because he'll obviously show up. He tried to rationalize his own decisions as helping a reckless fellow student, not because he wants to spend more time with you.
- as expected, everything went smoothly. More like Yan! Boyfriend already waited for you at the entrance of the forbidden forest wearing his darkest cloak to hide himself better. You're taking your time 'sneaking' dramatically (checking the edges of the corridors, rolling over, etc).
- By the time you showed up, Yan! Boyfriend is already about to doze off. He's leaning towards a tree, his arms in front of his chest, his eyes closed with his lashes fluttering weakly, half lidded from the hours of studying, classes and maintaining peace around the dungeons, where the Hufflepuff common room is at.
- you almost felt bad and tried to cancel the whole trip, but Boyfriend woke up because of the crunch of the dry leaves beneath your shoes, and he softly perked up at the sight of you.
- You tried pulling him back to the castle, but Boyfriend insists he will accompany you, not because he's looking down at your ability to protect yourself, but because he'll be worried otherwise.
- the two of you ended up exploring the inner parts of the forbidden forest, looking and feeding bowtruckles that you know and love. You've always had a certain softness for the Mantis-adjacent beings.
- After around an hour of feeding and giggling at each of the cute and shy creatures, the two of you started your journey back to the castle.
- that's when disaster decided to strike Yan! Boyfriend's overall pleasant day. He's unfocused because he's sleepy, but also happy because you seem to enjoy yourself.
- He accidentally stumbled upon a tree's root, falling face first into a bush of red berries. You gasped loudly and immediately grabbed his hand to soften the blow, but unfortunately he's heavier than he looks.
- He fell face first with a groan, and when you successfully fetched him out, he's rubbing his face with his hands and the handkerchief you gave. When he heard a stifled giggle, he can't help but raise his eyebrow.
- Yan! Boyfriend opened his eyes and saw you stuffing your hands to cover your mouth. Your shoulders are moving, and he instantly knew something happened. He looked at the strands of his own hair...
- and it was bright pink.
- You couldn't hold back the laughter and immediately laughed. The sound bouncing back through the fog and trees, and he's sighing while pointing his wand to try and fix his hair, but it doesn't do anything.
"Five points from Ravenclaw."
"FOR WHAT??? FOR LAUGHING?"
"...for Impertinence, against a figure of authority."
- The two of you went back to your own common rooms, and Yan! Boyfriend tried to wash off the fruit's residue from his hair. But nothing can take it off. And his hair has some parts in bright pink, and some in his regular hair color.
- He went through the morning from his roommates, the corridors, and breakfast in the great hall. Everyone is obviously asking what's going on, and he only replied with, "Spell gone wrong" without elaborating any further.
- During the NEWT Potions class, Snape only took one look at him and took a deep breath before taking points from Hufflepuff.
"Ten points from Hufflepuff for sheer stupidity, Mr. Montgomery. I expected more from you, out of all people."
"...Understood."
"And that's five points from Ravenclaw, Ms. L/N. For utter disrespect towards a subordinate."
- At the end of the day, everyone knows that the cold Hufflepuff's hair will be pink for as long as it wants, until it'll fade on its own. And yan! Boyfriend became an inter-house gossip train, even to the faculty room itself.
"May I ask why young Mr. Montgomery shows up to my Transfiguration class with pink hair?" McGonagall asked while massaging her own temple.
Professor Sprouts can only try to stifle her laughters, and Snape looks like he would rather be elsewhere, not involved in this conversation about an adolescent child who looks like he didn't sleep a wink for that day, and his girlfriend who can't stop laughing and ruffling her boyfriend's hair.
A/N : woohoo, I'm back!!! Sorry for taking so long to respond to the request, anon!
song; the alchemy [taylor swift]
pairing; oliver wood x fem!ravenclaw!reader
genre; f2l, fluff, humour
word count; 2,4k
timeline; chamber of secrets
warnings;swearing, referenced masturbation, not canon compliant
summary; in orderto help oliver wood pass the time while quidditch is cancelled, you offer to help him in the dating scene
why the FUCK did this take me so long to write? omfg
masterlist
"where's the trophy? he just comes running over to me."
——————————————————
With a basilisk roaming rampant, quidditch had been cancelled until further notice. You didn't claim to understand the motivations behind such a decision: surely everybody was safer if they were all together down on the pitch for a match? But, you didn't play, so you idly moved on with your life.
Someone who had not taken the news so easily was the Gryffindor quidditch captain: Oliver Wood. Upon hearing such news, he had stormed directly to McGonagall's office and given her an earful that surely must have made her deaf. His yelling could be heard on that entire floor, and gossip could reach even further. You had chuckled at the news, but some pity for the man lingered. Quidditch was his passion to the point he ate, slept and breathed it. And, now, assuming the basilisk was taken care of by the end of the year, he only had one more year to win the cup.
You weren't close to him despite being in the same year, as you resided in Ravenclaw, but you supposed that you moved in similar social circles. And maybe that was the reason you halted in your tracks when you arrived down at the Black Lake to do some reading.
Oliver Wood was stood there at the edge of the water, skipping stones with so much force that it could hardly be called skipping. He would grunt when he threw one, causing it to do one or two pathetic skips before sinking below the surface. Clearly, he was brimming with rage, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. His anger had not remotely dissipated in the many months since the cancellation was put in place.
"Wood," you said simply, making him snap his head around. Your approach had been far from quiet, so he really must have been consumed in his thoughts for you to take him by surprise.
"L/N, what are you doing here?" he asked gruffly, scouring the grassy shore for another flat stone.
"It's my favourite reading spot," you replied, moving to sit under your preferred tree, which wasn't far from him, "I take it you're frustrated?"
He threw another stone, "How could they cancel quidditch?"
"My guess would be because there's a giant snake on the loose trying to kill students?"
"So? How does cancelling quidditch make that less likely?"
You sighed, but you couldn't disagree, "I think that parents would probably criticise if the school carried on like nothing was happening."
"If anything, everyone needs something to be happy about at the minute."
You slumped back against the tree trunk, "I agree with you, Wood, just playing devil's advocate."
He turned around to look at you properly, "You don't even play quidditch, why do you care?"
"I don't," you said honestly, "But you've got me thinking about it now."
"I'm just so angry," he seethed.
"I can tell."
Wood pulled his hands down his face and sat carelessly down on the grass in front of you, "It's all I care about."
"Sounds like someone needs a stress reliever," you couldn't help the suggestive undertone you added to your words, even though that wasn't what you meant.
"Like what?" he eyed you curiously.
You shrugged, letting the flirty smirk on your lips drop, "How would I know? I don't know what you do to relax."
"Quidditch."
Such a response made you laugh, "Anything else? At all?"
He shook his head.
"Well, you sleep, don't you? Eat? Is that not relaxing?"
Wood's expression could only be described as skeptical.
"Masturbation?"
By the way he started choking, your casual statement had caught him off guard, which made you laugh again.
"Sorry," you giggled, "Just wanted to see your reaction."
You saw him let out a slight chuckle.
"This is what I do to relax," you held up your book, "It's not my passion, per se, but I enjoy it."
"I can't sit still long enough to read."
"Well, if you're a movement kind of guy, do you work out?"
He nodded, "I just spend the entire time thinking about quidditch and get angrier, though."
You hummed, "Makes sense, you probably work out for quidditch."
Wood nodded.
"Well— sounds like you need to do something that has no connection to quidditch."
"Like what?"
"I don't know," you shrugged, "Try dating?"
He furrowed his eyebrows, "I don't have time to date."
"You do now."
"I wouldn't even know how to go about that."
You let out a laugh at his words, "Practice on me. Ask me out on a date."
He raised an eyebrow, but sighed and nodded, "Hi, you're Y/N, right?" He thickened his Scottish accent, which admittedly made your stomach flip. "Well, I think you're really pretty, and I was wondering if you'd want to go on a date with me?"
"Not bad, not bad," you chuckled, "A little cliché but could work. Who d'you have your eyes on?"
"Uh, no one?" he said slowly, "The only girls I think about are the ones on my team."
"Okay, what about one of them?"
"They're all at least two years younger."
You hummed, thinking about the girls you knew, "How about Penelope Clearwater?"
He shrugged noncommittally.
"Esmeralda Arachwood?"
"Who?"
You sighed, "Have you really never fancied anyone?"
"Other than famous quidditch players I've never met, no."
"We can work with that, then. What's your type? Hair colour? Eyes? Height?"
"I don't know."
"You're useless," you shook your head, "Okay, I'm gonna set you up with Clearwater in Hogsmeade this weekend."
"What? You can't do that," he frowned at you.
"I can and I will. Get her flowers, pay for the food, all that mushy romantic stuff."
Wood groaned.
***
You sat in the courtyard, waiting for the carriages to return from Hogsmeade with students in tow. After much persuasion, you had managed to get both Wood and Clearwater to go on this date, and were anxious to learn the results of your meddling. So, when the line of chariots approached, you stood up and witnessed passengers begin to disembark.
Only, when you caught sight of the potential couple, Clearwater was storming away from Wood after throwing the flowers on the ground. She stomped right past you, muttering, "Thanks a lot, L/N."
Shocked, you turned to Wood, who was slowly nearing you.
"What the fuck did you do?" you asked.
"Apparently I spent the entire time talking about quidditch, and didn't ask her one question."
You stared at him incredulously.
"And, then, when she pointed that out, I said quidditch came before love."
At his words, you damn near face-palmed. "Fuckin' Azkaban, Wood."
"I was nervous, okay? And when I'm nervous, I think about quidditch."
"Right, we'll try this again. Only, I'll give you some guidance and prompts this time."
"Can we please stop this? I don't think dating's for me."
"You cannot conclude that after one date."
Wood rolled his eyes, "Fine."
***
Despite your extravagant and elaborate attempts to train Oliver Wood for his date with Arachwood, he once again failed spectacularly. Surprisingly, quidditch was not the issue this time— rather the fact that he accidentally let a door swing into her face and then kept walking without realising. For ten metres.
While Esmeralda was treated in the hospital wing, you were starting to wonder if Oliver truly was a hopeless case. It did not make sense to you, though, because he was handsome and athletic, he had a charming accent, and he was kind. At the end of the day, he had only one major red flag: his insane obsession with quidditch and everything that came with it. Having spent a lot of time with him now, you could safely say that ninety percent of what came out of his mouth had something to do with the sport.
The other ten percent was him complaining about your matchmaking schemes.
However, those schemes came to a vicious halt when the basilisk was successfully taken care of, with enough time left for all teams to prepare for a final quidditch tournament. All matches were to take place over the course of a week: Ravenclaw vs Slytherin, Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff, then winners played each other, and the losers did the same.
Needless to say, Oliver was ecstatic, and as he excitedly told you all of this, the words you had planned to say to him died in your throat. It warmed your heart to see him so truly happy, but it hurt at the same time. You had come to enjoy his company and his rants, and now you were going to lose them. That, and for some reason you felt salty that he had never once been that joyous around you.
"I just— I can't believe it," he beamed, "I have to gather the team right away. We can't stop practicing."
"Have fun," you half-smiled, but it was clear that your heart wasn't in it.
Oliver frowned, "What's up, lass? Something wrong?"
You shook your head, "Nothing, don't worry. Go, practice."
He still did not look like he believed you, but he nodded and left nonetheless, and you watched him walk away with a heavy heart and even heavier hurt.
***
Oh, you loved him.
The realisation hit you like a Killing Curse, as you listened to your dorm mate talk about her boyfriend like he was the greatest thing to ever happen. As she gushed and gushed, annoying your entire dorm, it dawned on you that you thought of Wood the exact same way she thought of her boyfriend. You had to fight the urge to join her by talking about him the same way, and such a conclusion made you sick to your stomach. Both out of the ickiness of viewing a man on such a high pedestal, but also because Wood was far too obsessed with quidditch to even consider you in a romantic light. You had witnessed firsthand how little interest he had in dating.
And now? Now your blossoming friendship would likely disappear into nothing as his time was once again taken up by his one true love. Maybe it was for the best. You probably wouldn't be able to get over him if you still spent time with him.
How had you fallen for him anyway? He was handsome, and intelligent, and funny, but you had zero proof that he had been listening to you when you talked about yourself. Never once had he overly expressed interest in your life and your hobbies.
Rowena, you were so stupid. A classic lovesick fool.
***
"L/N!" that achingly attractive voice called as you left your shared lesson, the first time he had spoken to you in a few days.
Unable to ignore him, you paused and turned around.
"You didn't come."
"Didn't come where?"
He frowned, "You didn't come to my match. We beat Hufflepuff— we're playing Slytherin for the Cup tomorrow."
You hummed, "Yeah, well, I'm not a Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. Why would I go?"
Wood appeared to contemplate your words for a few moments, "Yeah, but— I was playing."
You raised an eyebrow, trying your best to maintain a cool and unbothered façade. "So?"
"We're friends, aren't we?"
Friends. That word made you want to vomit. "Yeah, I— I guess. Sorry."
"You'll come tomorrow, won't you? Please."
"If I manage to finish my—"
"Ancient runes essay, yeah, I know. Godric, you've been going on about it for weeks."
You had actually only mentioned it twice before, and the fact he remembered was the smallest glimmer of hope that he did listen to you.
"How far off are you?"
"Oh, just the conclusion," you attempted to say casually, but the became distorted in your throat.
"Perfect, please come! It won't be the same without you."
You didn't see why, but found yourself agreeing.
***
The stands of the stadium were roaring with excitement and adrenaline, shaking the wooden structures as people chanted and jumped. Almost everyone was in attendance of this match, likely rejoicing in the basilisk fiasco being over and using the tournament as a celebration. You watched Wood as he hovered by the hoops, his careful eyes never leaving the quaffle that was being passed between the chasers.
Everyone knew that when it came to Slytherin vs Gryffindor, it was really Slytherin vs everyone. Nobody wanted the green house to win except the residents themselves.
Even when Slytherin took the lead in points, the buzz and hope of the opposition did not cease, as there was still Harry Potter— the best seeker that Hogwarts had seen in years. You knew that Wood put a lot of faith in the young boy, who had unknowingly reignited the hope of winning the Cup. And as pained as you were, seeing Wood so happy and passionate warmed your heart in a way nothing else could.
The Slytherin team scored again, and the cacophony of boos easily overpowered the minority of cheers. Wood looked frustrated beyond belief, evidently cursing himself for having let another goal through. But the match was not stopping, not until the snitch was caught.
Minutes stretched into hours, with both teams racking up points.
Finally, gasps littered throughout the stadium, the unmistakeable sign that the golden snitch had been spotted and was being pursued. For once, you pulled your eyes away from Wood, watching Potter and Malfoy engage in a furious chase for the tiny ball. They flew higher and higher up, the tension growing as the end of the match seemed to be in arm's reach.
The chase stopped.
Harry Potter proudly held up the shimmering glint of gold for the entire stadium to see.
And cheers erupted everywhere.
You quickly looked back at Wood, who looked nothing short of shellshocked as he took in the information that he had finally done it. He had accomplished one of his dreams. Eventually he snapped out of his shock, but as his teammates rushed to the ground to be presented with the trophy, Wood turned his attentions elsewhere. He was scanning the crowd for something— someone.
His eyes focused in your direction, and he darted over, hovering in front of you with the biggest smile you had ever seen him wear.
And then he kissed you with a force stronger than gravity, overwhelming every single one of your senses.
"You're the one I want," he spoke breathlessly.
"You're the one I want too," you replied without thinking.
A/N: Soft hours ;-; this goes out to all my academic over achievers out there, girl me too. One beautiful anon who requested soft Matt or soft Theo got me thinking about this! Also please don’t skip meals, food is fuel <3
Also, also, I’ve heard your demands, and I have added a summary!
This has been a struggle tbh, I love it but I’m also not happy with it. Oh well, I hope you guys enjoy it <3
Summary: As Professor Flitwick assign you to tutor Theodore Nott in charms you two develop a strange friendship that brings a new set of friends into your life. Theodore helps you see that there might be more to life than just studying in the library every day.
Pairing: Theodore Nott x Ravenclaw!reader
Themes/warnings: Reader is overworking herself, skipping meals, self-doubt, sleep-troubles, cursing, fluff, found family, clichés (but oh what I love them), kissing, Italian pet names (Italians, I’ve tried to do some research, and I hope I didn’t butcher them, please let me know if I did though!), is this qualified as a slow burn?, mentions of a dead parent.
Word count: 10 000-ish
Please do not copy or translate my work!
“But Professor, please. I really need to focus on my own work.” You pleaded with your charms professor and your head of house, Professor Flitwick. He was a short, clever man. You really liked him; he was a good teacher and a good head of house. Which is why you were feeling slightly guilty for pleading with him not to assign you to be a tutor.
“I’m sorry Miss l/n, I’m afraid you’re the best one for the job. Mr. Nott really needs an outstanding in his OWL in charms. Professor Snape asked me to help make it happen, and I have no doubt you are more than capable.” Flitwick said, an encouraging smile on his face. You felt your shoulders sag in defeat.
“Are you sure you can’t ask anybody else?” You asked, your last simmer of hope to be able to study undisturbed faded as you saw your professors head shake no.
“Alright, I’ll do it.” You said in defeat. Professor Flitwick smiled up at you from his seat behind his wooden desk.
“Excellent Miss l/n!” He said as he clapped his hands together. He paused when he saw your defeated expression, “Oh, Miss l/n, please try to see this as a learning opportunity, maybe young Mr. Nott could teach you something too.” He added, a sympathetic smile on his face as he surveyed your defeated form.
“Okay, I will.” You said, trying to brighten your own voice, “I’ll see you later, Professor.” You added while giving him a small smile before turning around to leave his office. Professor Flitwick’s office led out into the charms classroom that resided on the third floor, in the charms corridor. The classroom was dimly lit, the afternoon sun casting a golden glow on the wooden floor in the middle of the classroom. The benches were empty except for one where a tall boy sat. His legs were sprawled out in front of him, effectively making the chair look small beneath him. He was fidgeting with the ring that sat on his index finger. His head shot up when he heard your footsteps echo on the wooden floorboards.
“I’ll tutor you every Tuesday and Thursday, four o’clock in the library, don’t be late.” You said after you stopped right in front of the desk he was sitting in. He was looking up at you with his steely blue eyes, a tired expression in his eyes. He gave you a short nod as he stopped fidgeting with his ring.
“Good, I’ll, uh, see you then.” You said, giving what you thought was a friendly smile. The least you could do was to at least try to be friendly, it wasn’t his fault that you were in this situation. Come to second thought, it kind of was, but you can’t blame the guy for being stupid.
“Right, see you.” He said after he cleared his throat. His voice was deep and rich. You noticed that he didn’t have a British accent like most students in the school. You couldn’t quite place your finger on what accent it was though. But it added to the smoothness of his voice making you wonder why he didn’t speak more often. You gave him another small smile before turning around to head to the library.
The library was quiet when you entered, some students were scattered around the room. The smell of old books and burning fires hit your nose as you walked towards your usual space. It was in the corner, near one of the fires making it the perfect spot for studying, away from the cold draft that usually swept through the castle regardless of season. You spent most of your free time studying, finding yourself lost in books and books about different magical topics. You did this mostly because your dream was to one day become an unspeakable. The Department of Mysteries intrigued you but the way there meant top grades and hard work. And that’s just what you did, worked hard and got top grades. But that also meant that you had to spend your free time in the library, studying.
You sat down in one of the cushioned chairs around the table, gently placing your Ravenclaw robe on the seat next to you along with your bag. You pulled out the ancient runes-book. The worn leather rough against your fingers as you placed it on the table along with your quill, inkpot and some parchment. You opened the book at the bookmark and got to work. For hours you poured over the runes, their translations and writing down their meanings. The only thing that reminded you of the time was your back being stiff and your butt numb. Taking a glance at your watch you noticed that it was almost time for curfew. With a yawn you stood up. You quickly packed your things, grabbed your robe and hurried through the castle and up to Ravenclaw tower. After you got ready for bed, you fell asleep the second your head hit your pillow, sleeping through yet another restless night.
The next day you awoke feeling tired. It was a Tuesday which meant tutoring with Theodore after your last lesson of the day. Noticing the time, and that breakfast was soon to be over, you hurriedly got ready. You added light makeup to hide the dark circles that was accumulating under your eyes from another night where it felt like you didn’t sleep. Collecting your books for the day you dashed out of your dorm and hurried to the great hall. When you entered you found your seat next to the girls you share your dorm with. They were by no means your friends, but you could eat and make small talk with them, which was good enough for you. When you had quickly eaten a piece of toast you once again dashed away towards your classes for the day. The lessons went by quickly, like usual. Before you knew it lunchtime came. You actually had time to eat your meal calmly before you headed to your last two lessons for the day. These lessons went by as quickly as the ones in the morning did. Maybe it was because you had revised the material beforehand, or maybe time just went by quicker when you learned something.
It was a quarter to four when you walked into the familiar air of old books and warm fires of the library. You took your usual seat by the fire, placed your robes and bag on the chair next to you before picking up your copy of the Standard Book of Spells, grade 5, the large book heavy in your hands as you placed it on the table with a thud. You gently flickered through it as you waited for Theodore to show up. You refreshed your memory for some of the spells as you looked through the book. After around five minutes you heard low footsteps come nearer your spot by the warm fire, away from the chilly autumn breeze that seemed to drift through the castle. Looking up you saw Theodore approaching your table. His hair was its usual floppy self. He had rid himself of his Slytherin cloak, the material hanging over his forearm. He had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt as well as loosened his tie and leaving the top button unbuttoned. You kept looking him over until he stood beside you, looking down at you.
“Hi.” You said softly as you gestured for him to sit. He gave you a nod of acknowledgement before placing his bag and cloak on a chair around the table before sitting down in the seat next to yours. You let him take his time packing up, he was early after all.
“So, is there anything in particular you want to start with?” You asked cautiously when he had placed his copy of the textbook on the table, along with a notebook, a quill and an inkpot.
“I’ve had problems with the locomotion charm.” He shrugged nonchalantly. So, he was not a talkative person, that’s fine, you thought. You were surprised by his honesty, though you by no means had an opinion on the boy beside you, you knew he was friends with a group of troublemaking boys. You had assumed he would wave it all off or say that he didn’t need your help, so when he admitted, although with some air of nonchalance, what he was struggling with it surprised you.
“Okay,” you nodded, “how about we start with that one and then revise the others?” You suggested as you flipped through the worn book to the page of the locomotion charm. You saw how Theodore nodded in agreement with your suggestion. You went over the basic theory of the charm, explaining things such as wand movement and what the spell was useful for. It took you around five minutes before you zipped closed your pencase, plopping it down before the tall, brooding boy next to you.
“Alright, enough chitchat, show me what you’ve got.” You said with what you hoped was an encouraging smile. Not that he was looking at you, he was busy sending an icy glare at your pink fuzzy pencase. He was looking like he was personally offended by its presence. You flicked your hair over your shoulder as you turned in your seat to face him.
“Okay, so what crimes has my pencase committed against you?” You asked, a playful note in your voice as you studied him. This seemed to pull him out of his staring match with the pencase as he raised an eyebrow at you in a silent question.
“Don’t look at me, it was you who was having a staring competition with an inanimate object.” You shrugged, a small giggle escaping you. You saw how he cracked the smallest of smiles at your comment. You had to admit that his smile was cute, really cute actually.
“Alright, come on, show me.” You nodded at your pencase again and his small smile fell. With a sigh he picked up his wand from the table. He cleared his throat as he pointed his wand at the fuzzy pencase in front of him.
“Locomoto pencase.” He said, his voice smoot and deep. He did the upwards motion with his wand, but nothing happened. You noticed right after he had said the incantation that he has mispronounced it. He let out a sigh of frustration as he looked away from you, embarrassed. You felt some sympathy for him as you placed a gentle hand on his arm, effectively making him look at you.
“Hey, you did good. You just didn’t pronounce the incantation correctly,” You said softly, a kind smile on your face, “it’s locomotor with an r.” You explained.
“Alright, let me try again.” He muttered, surprising you with his words. You nodded encouragingly, letting him try again. This time the pencase hovered for a while before falling down on the table in front of him with a low thud.
“See! Try concentrating more next time.” You said, excitement in your voice. Theodore flashed you that small smile again, making you feel warm inside, before trying the spell for the third time. He made the pencase move around the table for a while before it fell with a thud again.
“Good job Theodore!” You cheered him on, “how about some theory?” You suggested, to which he nodded. He placed his wand on the table, scooting back in his chair, sprawling his legs out as he picked up the leatherbound textbook in his large hands, effectively making it look weirdly small. Your eyes travelled up to his face and saw that he was already looking at you, an expectant look in his eyes. You quickly looked away from him as you cleared your throat. You felt a blush dust your cheeks when you heard a faint chuckle from the boy next to you. Straightening in your chair you started to explain some more in-depth theory. Time went on rather quickly as you quizzed Theodore on some things and asked him to explain some others back to you. He was improving quickly, making you feel somewhat proud of him. In the last moments before it was time for dinner, he practiced the charm once more on your pencase. This time the pencase zoomed up and down from the table, making it do flips and other tricks around the table before he stopped it right in front of you. The pencase fell on top of your book with a muted thud.
“Good job Theodore! Look at you!” You said, not being able to contain your enthusiasm. He let out a shy sort of chuckle at that as he averted his eyes from you.
“Thanks for helping me.” He mumbled, still looking away. His words stunned you as you turned your head to really look at him. He didn’t seem like his usual stoic, broody self. He seemed more embarrassed and defeated now, making the sympathy you had for him earlier to come back.
“Hey,” you said softy, placing your hand on his arm effectively making him look at you once again, “we all need a little bit of help from time to time, it’s nothing to worry about.” He looked at you, an unreadable look in his usually tired eyes. The background faded as your heartbeat sped up, making you feel warm inside.
“Thank you.” He mumbled, not tearing his eyes from yours. The air around you shifted as you looked into each other’s eyes, making your heartbeat race even more. The air around you became almost palpable as you sat there together.
“You’re welcome.” You breathed out. Your eye-contact broke when there was a loud thud from someone dropping a book somewhere in the library. Coming back to reality you straightened up as Theodore cleared his throat awkwardly.
“I’ll, uh, see you Thursday?” He said as he hurriedly put his things in his bag. You nodded at him.
“Yeah, see you Thursday.” You mumbled, giving him a small smile before he walked off to dinner. You slowly packed your things away in your bag before you made your way to the great hall for dinner as well. On your walk there he was on your mind. You wondered why he was so cold and quiet. Your mind drifted to his deep, smooth voice as you thought back to the tutoring session. And how he had beautiful eyes, cold, blue and tired, yet they intrigued you. Like he was pulling you into him. You were lost in thought when you arrived at the big oak doors that led to the great hall. You absentmindedly walked in and sat down at the long wooden table, next to the girls in your dormitory. You plated some beef stew and potatoes on the porcelain plate in front of you.
As you ate your eyes drifted over the great hall, scanning the groups of students who were chatting to each other excitedly. Your eyes soon drifted over the Slytherin table. The table was filled with students, some were chatting, others reading or just minding their own business. Your eyes then met the steely blue ones that belonged to Theodore. He caught you off guard, but you couldn’t seem to look away from him either. You sat there looking at each other for a moment, the background once again fading, before he looked away first, laughing at something his friends said. You turned back to your food, eating as you thought about him.
He remained in your thoughts during the next day. You found yourself thinking about him when you were eating your meals, when you were walking to classes, and you even found your thoughts drifting to him when you were studying. You were wondering things about him that you have never cared about before with others. Like where he grew up? Did he have any siblings? What was his parents like? While you found yourself thinking more about him you started to notice him more around the castle too, noticing him in classes or that your paths crossed on your way to different lessons.
The day had passed quickly, now with your thoughts occupied by both Theodore and school. You had just finished dinner and were on your way towards the library to get in some more studying before bed. When you entered the entrance hall you heard rowdy voices from a group of boys and when you lifted your gaze you saw the Slytherin quidditch team. You assumed they were heading to the quidditch pitch to practice since they were walking towards the great doors. A shiver ran down your spine at the thought of being outside right now. The rain was whipping against the windows of the castle as the winds were harsh. Your eyes fell on Theodore who were walking next to his friend, Mattheo Riddle. You never thought you would find a quidditch player attractive but by judging from the leap your heart did when you saw him in his uniform you found yourself proven wrong.
Pictures of Theodore in his emerald green quidditch robes, his broom propped up on his shoulder, flooded your brain as you walked to the library. None of the boys had noticed you when they had stridden across the entrance hall and out into the stormy weather. Opening the doors to the library you were immediately enveloped in a warm hug of burning fires and old books. You slowly made your way to your usual seat in the far back corner. The wooden chair scraped against the floor as you took your seat on the cushioned seat. You pulled out the leather-bound transfiguration book, opting to read up on the topic Professor McGonagall discussed during the transfiguration lesson you had earlier during the day. The rain was smattering against the window next to the fireplace, the sound mingling with the cracks and pops of the burning wood in the fire making you relax as you settled in your seat to study the whole evening. You worked long into the hours of the evening, your numb butt once again reminding you of curfew, making you hastily pack up your books and other materials before making your way to bed.
Thursday went by quickly, lessons flying by in a haste and before you knew it you were seated in the library, a quarter to four in the afternoon, flipping through the Standard Book of Spells, grade 5 again. It was a particularly cold day today, making you wear your Ravenclaw sweater over your button up to shield yourself from the cold mid-November air. The fire next to your table seemed to nothing to keep the chill at bay. You sent a glare at it as you shivered once more, trying to urge it to make the room hotter, or else.
“Look who’s now having a staring contest with an inanimate object.” The deep voice of Theodore pulled you out of your thoughts about threatening a fire, you really needed a good night’s sleep. You looked to the side of you and saw how Theodore plopped down in his chair, his fluffy hair flopping on his forehead in the process. He was wearing his Slytherin uniform in his usual dishevelled way, his robes draped over his arm once again.
“What did that fire do to you, huh?” He asked, a small smirk on his lips when he turned back to look at you, the Standard Book of Spells in his hands.
“It didn’t keep me warm.” You said, your teeth clattering slightly as you spoke. You were rubbing your arms with your hands, trying to warm yourself with the friction. Theodore let out a huff-like chuckle.
“Come on y/n, it’s not that cold.” He said, the smirk slightly wider now, making you smile lightly at him. It seemed like he was more comfortable around you this time, already talking more than he did the last time you met.
“It is, but that’s no- hey!” You let out when he stood up and before you knew it, he had grabbed his robes that he had hung over the back of one of the chairs around the table and draped it over your shoulders. His action stunned you as he pulled the material tighter around your shoulders, fixing it.
“Where did you put your own robes?” He muttered as he sat down in his seat again, looking at you expectantly for an answer. Coming back from your momentary chock you looked at him, sure a blush was on your cheeks.
“I forgot them in my dorm.” You mumbled, now feeling the heat of the blush on your cheeks. Your fingers moved to clutch the woolly fabric of his winter robes, subconsciously pulling it closer around you as his cologne hit your nose. It smelled fresh, like freshly laundered clothes but it had a hint of citrus and the obvious cigarette smell that lingered on the garment. The smell was surprisingly comforting as it surrounded you like a hug. Theodore let out a chuckle at your answer to his question.
“So, what are we doing today, teach?” He then asked, a tone on nonchalance in his voice as he turned back to face straight forward. The nickname made you smile, it made you grateful that he was trying to be friendly too.
“I was thinking that we really perfect the locomotion charm, you know so it really sticks.” You suggested. Theodore nodded as he picked up his wand. He was more eager today than he was last Tuesday, it made you smile as you zipped up your pencase again and plopped it on the table before him. He cleared his throat before performing the spell. You sat next to him as you looked on as he made your pencase move around on the table. It seemed like he lost concentration once because he dropped the pencase. But you encouraged him to go again, and he did. After he was done making your pencase perform circus tricks on the table he tried the charm on something heavier, your stack of schoolbooks that you had placed on the table for later. He had no problem making them move around at his will as he performed the charm.
Tutoring Theodore was easier than you thought, he seemed to have no problem learning and perfecting the spells when you were working on them together. He took his time and perfected the locomotion charm just as you had suggested, even going so far as to answer every question you asked him about it correctly. You felt proud of him when your tutoring session came to an end.
“Really good job Theodore!” You beamed at him, the feelings of happiness and pride taking over you. He smiled shyly as he thanked you, not being used to the praise that you were giving him. You might have been seeing things, but you were sure you saw a faint blush on the boy’s cheeks from your complement. As it was time for dinner he stood up and slowly packed away his things.
“Oh, right, thank you for letting me borrow your robes, Theodore.” You smiled as you started to shrug of the garment that had been keeping you warm the two hours you had been working together. He shook his head at you, making you pause.
“You can keep it for tonight if you want, I have a couple of others.” He said, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets and looked down at his feet. You felt a blush creep up on your face again.
“Are you sure? Aren’t you going to be cold?” You asked shyly making him look at you, that small smirk on his face again.
“Nah, I’m good, you look like you need it more.” He said, his tone considerably lighter than before.
“I’ll give it back to you tomorrow?” You suggested to which he shrugged his shoulders somewhat nonchalantly.
“That’s fine, honestly it’s no stress.” He said as he hoisted his bag on his shoulder.
“Thank you, Theodore.” You smiled at him gratefully as you pulled his cloak tighter around your body again.
“It’s fine, bella.” He said casually, but as he said the nickname it clicked in your head.
“You’re Italian?” You blurted out as he was about to turn around to leave. He raised an eyebrow at you, the smirk back on his face again.
“I am, why?” He asked, somewhat amused by your outburst. You started to feel stupid by your actions, letting out a nervous chuckle.
“I, uh, have been trying to figure out where your accent’s form…” You trailed off, feeling more stupid by the second. He let out a chuckle at this.
“My mum was Italian; I moved here when I was 10.” He explained but your mind got stuck on ‘was’. His mum was Italian, not is. He had lost his mum. The thought weighed on your mind as you looked up at him as he stood beside your chair. You weren’t sure on what to say to this. You saw how his smirk had dropped slightly when he had mentioned his mum as well, it was obviously a painful topic for him.
“Oh, I’m sorry Theodore.” You said softly, feeling heartbroken for him. He gave you a half-hearted smile.
“It’s okay, it was a long time ago.” He shrugged, trying to come off as nonchalant. You gave him a weak smile, still feeling very sorry for him. He gave you a half smile back before clearing his throat.
“Well, I got to go to dinner,” He said, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, “see you, bella.” He said, his small smirk back on his face again, making you smile back at him.
“See you, Theodore.” You said softly before he turned around and walked towards the exit of the library. You looked after him until he was out of your line of sight before you reluctantly turned back to your books, picking up your textbook on the goblin rebellions. You had an essay due next week and decided now would be a good time to start writing it. Once again you worked into the long hours of the evening before you decided that enough was enough and made your way to Ravenclaw tower. Theodores cloak was heavy and warm against your shoulders as you walked through the corridors and up the staircases that lead to Ravenclaw tower. When you arrived at your dorm you folded the cloak neatly before getting ready for bed.
When you awoke Friday morning you were surprised that you felt rested for the first time in a long time. You felt like your mood were better than normal, the usual stress you felt now better. You got ready, collected your books for the day and grabbed Theodores robes before you went down to breakfast, assuming you would see him there, but you were wrong. No big deal, he maybe overslept, and you were just handing him his robes back, you could do that at any time. Throughout the day you looked for Theodore in the crowds, classes and during the meals. It was now dinnertime, and you hadn’t seen him all day. As you walked towards the library after dinner, you decided to actually go to the quidditch match to give him back his robes tomorrow. It was the first game of the season, Slytherin against Hufflepuff and you knew Theodore was on the Slytherin quidditch team alongside his friends.
After another long night of studying you awoke Saturday morning, feeling tired once more. You dragged yourself out of your warm bed, feeling shivers go through your body as your feet hit the cold floor. You made your bed, making sure the royal blue cover laid neatly over your bed before you tied back the blue curtains with the bronze cords. You looked out of the window to see the weather, it looked like a crisp day, the grounds were covered in glittering white frost, but no snow to be seen and the sky was clear. If you had to guess this had to be optimal quidditch conditions. You picked out a warm, comfortable outfit, bringing a warm jacket, mittens and earmuffs to keep warm in the high quidditch stands. Topping it all off with your Ravenclaw scarf. When you arrived at breakfast most of the students had left, probably to get warmer clothes for the match. You ate a piece of toast and had a cup of warm coco before you started to make your way to the stands. You were right, it was very cold out, you were thanking yourself for brining such warm clothing as the icy winds swept through the high stands where you were standing along the rest of your house.
You were standing next to the girls with whom you shared your dorm, Theodore’s robes neatly folded in your mitten clad hands. You made small talk with them as you waited for the match to start. The spectators erupted in cheers (and boos) as the two teams made their way onto the pitch. The seventh year Slytherin captain shook hands with Hufflepuffs captain Cedric Diggory, a handsome sixth year. You saw how both teams mounted their brooms as your eyes scanned the Slytherin team for Theodore. You found him just as they kicked off, he was soaring towards the Slytherin goal posts. He was a keeper. You heard Madam Hootch’s whistle signalling that the game had begun but your eyes were on him the entire game. He was unbelievable. He caught almost every ball, only letting in one or two goals, you weren’t counting. You couldn’t help but think about how good he looked in his green quidditch robes, hair windswept and his usually tired eyes determined. The Slytherin team were making goal after goal and they were leading by so much that, after about two hours, when Cedric had caught the snitch Slytherin still won by sixty points.
You saw how the Slytherin team were cheering on Theodore and Blaise, one of the chasers that did the most goals, when you started to make your way down to the pitch along with the rest of the spectators. You slowly made your way onto the pitch, feeling out of your element and uncertain what to do you decided to stand slightly to the side to let the boys celebrate together. You were standing next to a Slytherin girl in your year, Pansy Parkinson as the two of you waited for the boys to calm down.
“Who’s your boyfriend?” She asked with the same air of nonchalance that most Slytherins seemed to have as she looked at the group. You knew who her boyfriend was, Draco Malfoy, the seeker on the team.
“Oh, I, uh, no-”
“Bella!” Theodore interrupted you as he jogged up to you a surprised but happy look on his face. You felt your face break out in a smile as you saw him running towards you. But before you could say or do anything he had reached you, thrown his arms around you and picked you up, spinning you around. You let out a squeal in surprise quickly letting one of your arms snake around the tall boy’s neck so you wouldn’t fall, you other hand holding the reason you came to the match in the first place, his cloak.
“What are you doing here?” He asked you as he put you down, a broad smile on his face as he looked down at you. You were sure you were blushing from his hug, but you decided to let it go, emotions were just running high after the match. He would have hugged anyone like that, you thought.
“I came to congratulate you on your good match,” You said, and you saw how his smile became even wider in happiness, it made you smile too, “and to give you this back, since I didn’t find you yesterday.” You said softly as you handed him the thick fabric of his cloak. He took it in one of his large hands, the other, you just noticed, was still resting on your waist. If you weren’t blushing from before you had to be now, hopefully you could blame the wind. Just as he was about to say something he was interrupted by his best friend and one of the beaters, Mattheo.
“Oi, Theo, who are you hiding there?” You could hear the teasing note in the voice. Theodore was giving you an apologetic look before he gave you a gentle squeeze on the waist before letting go just as Mattheo, Lorenzo, the other beater, and Blaise joined you. They were looking at the two of you with great interest making you chuckle in embarrassment.
“Uh, hi, I’m y/n, I tutor Theodore.” You said while giving a wave at the boys, to break the weird silence that had fallen upon the group.
“Teach?” They all exclaimed, making you smile and raise an eyebrow in a silent question at Theodore who suddenly seemed to find the sky extremely interesting.
“We call you teach because Theo refused to tell us who you were.” Lorenzo explained.
“Yeah, he thought we were going to hassle you or something.” Mattheo playfully scoffed, making you let out a giggle.
“Yeah, because that’s not something you would do.” You said, a smile on your face.
“Exactly, we would- hang on, you’re being sarcastic, aren’t you?” Mattheo said, his eyes narrowed in a joking manner. You feigned a look of innocence.
“What? No of course not, I would never.” You let out, your voice dripping with fake innocence. Lorenzo, Blaise and Theodore chuckled as you batted your eyelashes jokingly at Mattheo.
“You know what, I like you,” Mattheo turned to Theodore, “I like her, why didn’t you introduce us right away, she can obviously handle some hassling.” He said, a smirk on his face making you laugh. Theodore shook his head in feign annoyance.
“Yeah, yeah whatever Mattheo.” Theodore muttered as he rolled his eyes before turning to you, “we have to go change, maybe I’ll see you later?” He asked, completely ignoring his friends who were now dramatically reenacting people kissing and batting their eyelashes at each other. You let out a chuckle at the groups antics before looking up at Theodore.
“That’s fine, I have to go study anyways.” You said smiling up at him. You missed the flash of disappointment in his eyes.
“Good job again with the match,” You smiled softly up at him before turning to his friends who abruptly stopped their antics, “It was nice meeting you guys, great match.” You smiled as you gave a small wave before turning around to trek up to the castle again. The boys shouted their various goodbyes at you making you turn around to smile and wave again at them. It was like something had shifted between you and Theodore after the quidditch match. Theodore became friendlier with you, he would even make you walk with him and his friends to the classes you shared. Sometimes if you had time after your tutoring sessions, you would join the Slytherin table for dinner, you now had a permanent spot among the group in between Lorenzo and Theodore, across from Mattheo. You found yourself growing fond of the others too, you would bicker with Mattheo like you were siblings, tease Theodore with Blaise and gossip with Lorenzo.
You became happier, more alive as you befriended the boys. You still spent most of your free time in the library studying, but you found yourself joining them for meals more often than not. You still had problems with sleep, sometimes feeling like you haven’t slept for weeks. Days would blur and before you knew it, it was mid-December, and the grounds were covered by a thick blanket of snow. You were sitting in the library under a thick sweater to keep you warm as you waited for Theodore to show up for your session. You had propped up the Standard Book of Spells, grade 5, on your pencase as you refreshed your memory on Descendo. You felt yourself lay your head in your arms on the table. Last night had been a particularly rough night where you had been sleeping so restlessly that you felt more tired after you woke up than you did the night before. You were just going to close your eyes until Theodore came.
“Bella, wake up.” A soft voice said, though it sounded as it came through cotton.
“Please, bella, it’s time for dinner.” The voice said again, slightly less muffled this time. The voice was wrong though, it couldn’t be time for dinner now, Theodore hadn’t shown up for his session yet. You felt a warm hand on your back, shaking you gently. You slowly opened your eyes and saw none other than Theodore. You were confused at first, not knowing where you were and what time it was before it dawned on you. You were in the library; Theodore was sitting beside you saying it was time for dinner. You shot up.
“I’m so sorry Theodore!” You burst out, the feelings of guilt and anxiety washed over you like a bucket of cold water. He gave you a soft smile. It was one of those smiles you rarely got to see, but it made your day better every time you did see it.
“Shhh, it’s okay, bella, you were so tired, you needed the rest.” He said lowly making you frown slightly.
“It isn’t okay, Theodore, we were supposed to work on Descendo today.” You said, panic still evident in your voice.
“Y/n!” He cut off your spiralling, “I’ve practiced, look,” he did the charm perfectly on your pencase, “I might’ve looked at your book to see what you were reading up on. Oh! And I might have looked at your notes too.” He said sheepishly. Your face turned into an impressed expression as you looked at the boy beside you.
“Wow, Theo, you did really good.” You praised him, making him grin at you.
“Thanks.” He said softly before he started to gather his things. When he noticed that you still sat there, the tiredness washing over you in another wave, he closed your book and started to gather your things as well. You looked at him with curiosity in your tired eyes.
“Come on, bella, let’s get you dinner and then to bed.” He muttered softly as he closed your bag shut and hitched it on his shoulder before reaching out an inviting hand to you.
“I’m fine Theodore, you don’t have to take care of me.” You mumbled, the guilt making a reappearance in your chest. He smiled slightly as he grabbed your arm and, rather roughly, pulled you out of your seat, making you face him. His hand slowly travelled down from your upper arm and grasped onto your wrist, engulfing the upper part of your hand in the process. His action made your heart flutter and your breath hitch in your throat. He was looking at you with puppy dog eyes, the smile still on his face. His free hand found its place on your jaw, gently stroking your cheek.
“If I don’t do it, who will, hm?” He asked softly as his thumb continued to stroke your now hot cheek. You averted your eyes from his blue ones, suddenly finding the table beside you very interesting.
“I really need to study, Theo.” You mumbled as an answer. You felt how his hand moved from your jaw to grip your chin, tilting it upwards, making you look him in the eye again. Your heart was beating so fast now you were sure he could hear it, or at least feel it.
“How about we make a deal,” he said, a small smirk on his face now, “you come to dinner with me now, and if you feel like studying after you can come back.” He shrugged before nodding his head towards the exit. His eyes were pleading with you to go with him and before you could even think it through you felt yourself nod in his grasp. A smile broke out on his face, making you give him a tired smile back. He turned, not letting your wrist go, and started towards the exit of the library. You were still feeling very tired as the two of you strolled to the great hall for dinner. Theodore pushed the great oak doors open, leading you to your now usual place, next to him and Lorenzo. The rest noticed you as you came up to the part at the table where they were sitting. Mattheo let out a low whistle.
“Damn, y/n, you look like shit,” he smirked, making Blaise snort into his goblet of pumpkin juice, “is tutoring Teddy that bad?” You rolled your eyes as you sat down in between Theodore and Lorenzo.
“At least I have a reason for looking like shit, what’s your excuse?” You countered making Blaise snort once again and Lorenzo give you a fist bump under the table. Mattheo held up his hands in surrender, an amused smirk on his face.
“Damn, she is snappy today, what happened, library run out of books for you to read?” He asked teasingly. You felt a small smile twitch on your lips, despite your exhaustion. You heard Theodore chuckle beside you as you felt his warm hand on your back in a comforting manner.
“I’m surprised you knew we had a library, Mattheo.” You said, your lips still twitching from trying not to smile. He broke out in a grin making you mirror it as you put some food on your plate, before putting some on Theodore’s. The boy thanked you quietly making you smile softly up at him.
“Yeah, I found it the other day actually.” Mattheo said, mock pride in his voice making you chuckle.
“Good job! Just you wait until you can read, it will be like a whole new world for you.” You teased him. Mattheo was anything but stupid, he was talented in most subjects, he could easily be one of the best students in the school if he put in the effort. But it was an inside joke your group had that he was stupid, mostly due to some of the stupid things he says, he had a habit of speaking before thinking, but that definitely didn’t make him stupid. The group chuckled making you smile once more as you slowly ate your dinner.
“But seriously, why do you look like you just woke up?” Blaise asked, you could see a hint of concern in his eyes making you give him an apologetic smile.
“Because she just did.” Theodore said before you could even think of replying. You turned to Theodore to send him a pointed look, but he was looking at his friends. “I found her asleep in the library.” He added.
“And you scold me for sleeping in class, this is just as bad!” Blaise pointed an accusing finger at you making you roll your eyes in a joking manner.
“Oh, shut up Blaise.” You laughed, tiredness still clear in your voice.
“Are you okay, though?” Lorenzo asked you cautiously. You gave him an apologetic smile, feeling guilty for worrying your newfound friends.
“I am, I’m just having sleep troubles, I have been for a while.” You admitted. It surprised you how easily you admitted that to them, but they made you feel safe in a weird way. You looked around at the group and you saw various looks of sympathy in their eyes.
“Guys, please don’t worry, it’s been like this for as long as I can remember.” You tried to make the problem smaller than it was, but it had the exact opposite effect. You felt Theodore’s hand come up to your back once again, rubbing it in a comforting manner.
“Maybe you need to see Madam Pomfrey?” Mattheo suggested, now serious.
“I mean it has been better now for a while; it was just last night that was bad, I don’t think I need to see her…” You trailed off. You felt Theodore’s hand move around to your waist, giving it a gentle reassuring squeeze.
“I’ll come with you if you want me to, bella.” He said softly, making you look at him. You felt warm inside from the concern he was showing you.
“I promise, I’ll go if it gets worse again.” You said after stifling a yawn. You saw how he smiled softly at you before he let his arm rest around your waist, letting you lean into him. You let your head fall to his shoulder. You looked around the group who still looked worried.
“Guys, I’ll be fine,” You said a smile on your face, “what did you guys do today?” You asked, not lifting your head from Theodores shoulder. The others were quiet for a quick moment before they started to recount their day. How they had pulled some pranks and how they accidentally intimidated a first year. You sent them a glare at this information making them apologize quickly before Lorenzo started to recount some gossip that had made its way around the school. You felt your eyelids droop as you listened to Lorenzo explain something about someone setting off a dungbomb in Filch’s office. The others, who would never admit that they enjoyed gossiping, were listening intently and they even suggested who it could be. Your mind started to focus less on the conversation and more on the warmth that Theodore was emitting. The way he was stroking your waist was comforting as you breathed in his now familiar scent. You started to just hear isolated words from the boys as you started to slip in and out from consciousness and before you knew it you were out like a light against Theodore’s shoulder.
“Is she asleep?”
“Yeah.” The voices were quiet and muffled as you felt someone grab the back of your knees, to lift you up.
“Man try something else.” You heard someone say as a frustrated sigh was heard from above you.
“Stupid riddle, stupid knocker, stupid Ravenclaw common room.” You heard someone mutter angrily from beside you, still sounding like it came through cotton.
“Finis Coronat Opus.” You heard a voice mutter and then you heard stone slide on stone.
You woke up the next morning, utterly confused but surprisingly well rested. You looked around your unfamiliar surroundings. Your eyes scanned the dark green canopy above you before tracing the same green curtains that hung around the bed you were laying in. You saw a desk with a chair against the wall next to you as well as a dark brown dresser opposite the foot of the fourposter bed that you were laying in. The bed was unbelievably comfortable, the comforter thick and warm against the cold air in the room, the pillows were fluffy. You noticed that you were alone in the bed, but you were wearing a big t-shirt and a pair of green plaid pyjama pants. You shot up in panic. These were not your clothes. Just as panic really started to set a door opened and in walked Theodore in just a towel.
“Morning, bella.” You barley heard him over his almost naked form. Your eyes shamelessly scanned his toned torso as he walked towards you with a smirk plastered on his face, using the other towel around his neck to dry of his hair.
“Did you sleep well?” He asked, a teasing hint in his voice as he sat down on the foot of the bed to look at you. You gulped as you felt the bed dip from his weight. You cleared your throat awkwardly.
“What happened?” You settled on asking first. He let out a chuckle.
“You fell asleep by the table.” He said but chose to continue to explain when he saw your confused look. “Me and Mattheo tried to get you to Ravenclaw tower, but we couldn’t solve the riddle to get in. And I didn’t want to wake you since you were so tired earlier, so we thought of the next best thing, to, uh, bring you here.” He finished as he chuckled again. You brain was trying to piece together this information.
“Did you... did you, um, change my clothes?” You gestured to the clothes you were wearing making Theodore let out an actual laugh. You tossed a pillow on his head at this.
“What’s so funny?” You asked as he continued to chuckle, the pillow now on his lap.
“You don’t remember? You’re quite the sleepwalker.” He mused, his eyes sparkling with amusement. You felt a blush creep up on your cheeks.
“Oh, no, what did I do?” You asked as you hid your face in your hands in embarrassment. You heard how he chuckled again before you felt his warm hands around your wrists, pulling your hands away from your face.
“You were adamant that you couldn’t sleep in your normal clothes once I put you down on my bed, and, well, you started to take your clothes off. Don’t worry!” He said as he saw how your eyes widened in panic, “I tossed you some clothes before I turned around, I didn’t look, I promise. But I’m pretty sure you fell sometime while you were changing but when I turned back around you were out cold on the bed again, completely dressed in the pyjamas.” He finished explaining as you let out a groan in embarrassment. He was probably right though; you felt sore on your hip.
“I’m so sorry Teddy.” The nickname just slipped out as you apologised for your antics. You saw how he tensed for a moment before a smile spread on his lips, his hands squeezed your wrists reassuringly.
“Don’t worry bella, I found it quite funny,” he chuckled before looking at you, a mischievous glint in his eyes, “and you’re always welcome to share my bed.” He winked before standing up, walking towards his dresser. Your eyes raked over his wide shoulders and muscular back. If you said he wasn’t attractive you would be a liar. You felt the blush come back to your cheeks as he confirmed the thought that had been floating in your mind. You had shared his bed. Oh, you hoped that you didn’t do anything else embarrassing.
“You might want to get dressed, unless you want to be late.” He said as he shrugged on his pants, making the towel fall to the floor. You sprang into action, getting out of bed before getting dressed in the outfit you wore yesterday. You thanked your past self for always keeping a spare pair of underwear in your schoolbag, in case you got your period unexpectedly. As you looked at your school shirt, makeup stains on the collar, you wondered for a second if it was too much to ask to borrow one of his shirts. You turned around to face him as he tied his Slytherin tie.
“Teddy?” You said softly making his eyes snap to yours. He smiled at you as you stood there, your school skirt on along with his t-shirt. His eyes drifted to your shirt in your hands.
“Do you mind?” You asked as you gestured to the stains on the shirt.
“Here.” He said, smile still on his face as he handed you one of his school shirts. You smiled gratefully before turning around again, quickly ridding yourself of the t-shirt before slipping on the soft material of the button up shirt. It was quite big on you; you noticed as you buttoned the buttons. You tucked the fabric inside the waistband of your skirt as you surveyed yourself in his mirror by the door. Theodore was sitting on the bed, looking at you. You quickly tied your tie around the collar of the too big shirt before turning around to Theodore.
“Do I look okay?” You asked gesturing to his shirt. He smiled at you from his bed.
“You look perfect, as always, bella.” He said smoothly making you blush. He stood up from his bed, walked over to you, took your hand and led you to the other door of his room, the one he came out of when you had woken up. It was a bathroom. Damn, the Slytherins really had the superior dorms, you thought as Theodore was rummaging through his cabinet before he handed you something. A toothbrush, still in its packaging.
“Here, I thought you might want to brush your teeth.” He shrugged as he grabbed his own toothbrush.
“Thank you.” You said softly as you ripped up the packaging before letting Theodore add toothpaste on it. The scene was painfully domestic as you stood there, looking at each other in the mirror while brushing your teeth. After you were done you quickly splashed your face with water, Theodore, to your surprise, held out a small container with face cream. You smiled at him as you applied a small layer of the cream.
“I didn’t know you cared so much for your skin?” You asked as you walked through the Slytherin common room together. Your eyes wandered around the stonewalls and black leather couches. The common room had large windows that showed the bottom of the black lake. You let your eyes linger on the creatures on the other side of the window as you walked past it with Theodore by your side.
“It’s not all easy being this handsome.” He smirked making you let out a laugh. The two of you walked to breakfast together, his arm found it’s home on your shoulders as you were walking through the corridors littered with students. You noticed that people were looking at the two of you as they were whispering to their friends. Your eyes narrowed at them as you walked past groups and groups of people staring and whispering. Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion before you turned your head to look up at Theodore.
“Why are people staring at us?” You whispered up to him. He looked down at you, his eyebrows furrowed at your question.
“Hm, I don’t know, maybe because you’re beautiful?” He shrugged, sending you a wink before moving to hold open the large oak doors to the great hall. As you walked in the hall got quiet before everyone broke out into hushed whispers. You looked at Theodore with suspicion.
“That’s not it.” You said, narrowed eyes.
“I’m sorry bella, I have no clue.” He said with a chuckle as he held up his hands in mock surrender. You decided to let it go as you walked together towards your friends. Theodore’s hand on the low of your back.
“Morning, y/n.” Lorenzo said a broad smirk on his face as you sat down next to him, Theodore next to you.
“Morning, boys.” You said smile on your face as you reached for a piece of toast.
“So, did you sleep well?” Mattheo said before coughing, “with Theo.” He added between coughs. You narrowed your eyes at the boy you have come to look at like a brother. The others let out various chuckles at this. Theodore did tell you that Mattheo tried to help him get you back to your common room last night, so you assumed he filled in the others on what had happened.
“Yeah, did you use protection?” Blaise asked with a shrug making both you and Theodore choke on your tea and him his coffee. You looked at Theodore who was trying to hold in his laughter, deciding to turn the tide you turned to Blaise, a smirk on your face.
“At least there’s a reason to ask us that, when was the last time someone asked you that Blaise?” You asked innocently making Lorenzo and Mattheo laugh.
“Oi, y/n, that was foul.” Blaise said with a grin on his face making you laugh before you turned to Mattheo.
“I heard you couldn’t solve the riddle, what was it?” You asked, curious.
“Oh, I barely remember, like something lost in the day, blah blah, comes at night, what is it?” He said, his mouth full of food. You scrunched your nose at him.
“Do you mean They come out at night without being called and are lost in the day without being stolen.” You asked curiously as you looked between Theodore and Mattheo. They both nodded, making you shake your head at them.
“Yeah, that was the one.” Theodore confirmed as he took a bite out of his toast.
“Stars, you idiots. The answer is stars.” You said with a sigh making Lorenzo let out a chuckle.
“Well, how are we supposed to know that?” Mattheo protested making you chuckle and shake your head before sipping your tea.
“Oh, I don’t know, I suppose I expected more from someone with the last name Riddle.” You said pointedly making the others chuckle again. Mattheo sent you playful glare as he sipped his tea. The rest of breakfast went by quickly, so did the rest of the day and before you knew it you found yourself walking around the grounds with Theodore before dinner. Where the others had gone you had no idea. Theodore’s arm had found its way around your shoulders again, holding you close to his side. As you were walking outside in the thick layer of snow towards the green houses a blonde Hufflepuff boy bumped into your shoulder, making you stumble into Theodore’s side.
“Watch where you’re going.” The boy said, rather rudely, making you look at him stunned when you had regained your footing. You recognised him as Zacharias Smith. You frowned at him and just as you were about to tell him off Theodore had grabbed the collar of his cloak. He was snarling as he dragged the shorter Hufflepuff closer to his face. He had a dangerous look on his face while sending the boy an icy glare.
“Che cazzo stai facendo?” Theodore asked angrily.
“O-oi-” Zacharias protested, trying to get lose from Theodores grip.
“I asked you what the fuck you’re doing.” Theodore repeated, interrupting Zacharias protesting, dangerously slow this time. You saw how he gulped nervously. Coming out of your momentarily shock you jumped into action. Curling your fingers around Theodore’s bicep you successfully got his attention away from the Hufflepuff boy.
“Teddy,” You said, your voice soft, “please, I’m sure it was just an accident.” You looked with a pointed look at Zacharias who nodded fervently in agreement.
“Y-yeah, I’m s-sorry y/n.” He sputtered out. Theodore looked at him, the cold, dangerous stare back in his eyes as he reluctantly let go of Zacharias collar. The moment he was lose he scurried away like a frightened deer. Theodore turned back to you, his eyes now back to their puppy dog look that you’ve become familiar with. But this time you weren’t feeling the usual warmth in your stomach when you gazed into them. No, you were feeling the prickling feeling of annoyance bubble up in your stomach instead, along with something else.
“What did you do that for?” You asked, glaring at the boy with fluffy hair. A small frown made its way onto his lips.
“What do you mean, bella?” He asked, a hint of worry in his voice.
“Why did you have to go all ‘cave man’ on Zacharias? He only bumped into me for Merlin’s sake.” You let out in an exasperated tone, crossing your arms over your chest.
“Cave man? Bella, he hurt you and he was rude to you!” Theodore said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Sure, he was rud-”
“No one can treat you like that in front of me.” He interrupted you, his voice low. You felt the icy wind nip at your face as the warm feeling returned to the pit of your stomach.
“I- what? Why?” You stuttered, his admission catching you off guard.
“How can you be so smart and so stupid at the same time?” He muttered irritably as he took a step closer to you, snow crunching under his feet.
“I’m not stupid.” You scoffed, sending him another glare. He let out a laugh in frustration as he looked to the side before looking back at you. His hand grabbed your chin making you hold your eye contact.
“You are the smartest person I know, and yet you can’t see what’s in front of you.” He said, his face coming closer to yours. Your heart was beating fast as your eyes searched his blue ones. His eyes were raw with emotion as he was staring at your face.
“What?” You asked softly, still lost in his eyes. He let out a huff, eyes quickly darting to the side before they found yours again. His face was so close to yours that you could see the specs of green and grey in his blue irises. The cold air evaporated around you when his soft lips found yours. His hand that was gripping your chin moved to the nape of your neck to bring you closer, his other finding your hip, squeezing it gently. It took you a moment to realise what was happening. Theodore was kissing you. The boy you had been crushing on was kissing you. Before you could even think about reciprocate the kiss he pulled back. Worry was swirling in his beautiful eyes.
“Bella, I-” He started to apologise but your mind caught up with the situation. You interrupted his apology by kissing him, your hands grabbing onto the ends of his knitted Slytherin scarf, effectively dragging him down to your height. It felt like a breath of fresh air to be kissing him. Like you had been closed in a stuffy room for too long and he was the window that was cracked open. You felt how his soft lips stretched into a smile as he kissed you back in a gentle, slow kiss. The wind swirled snowflakes around the two of you as your arms found their way around his neck to get even closer to him. The two of you smiled as you kissed each other in the cold winter air. Only pulling apart by the loud cheering of three other Slytherins you have come to look at as your friends and brothers. You looked at your friends, laughter in your throat before you looked back to Theodore who was smiling down at you, adoration in his eyes.
“Should we get to dinner, amore?” He asked softly but made no move to go over to your friends.
“Amore?” You questioned, butterflied fluttering in your stomach. He nodded as he gently took on of your hands in his before placing a soft kiss on your knuckles.
“Amore mio.” He said making your heart beat considerably faster. He smiled softly at you making you stand on the tip of your toes to place another kiss on his lips. Yet another loud cheer could be heard from up the hill near the castle. You couldn’t contain your smile as you kissed him, only breaking apart because the cheers became too loud. With a laugh you and Theodore joined your friends before heading to dinner. Maybe there was more to life than studying. What neither of you saw was Professor Flitwick that had witnessed the whole ordeal, a fond smile on his face.
