#theodore nott

[itstheonott1]

are you a he/him butch dyke top masc lesbian that likes men?

How would I be a masc lesbian and like men?

[scentsofher]

daycare slytherin blurbs 1 (based on my headcanons)

featuring: pansy parkinson, draco malfoy, mattheo riddle, enzo berkshire, theodore nott, blaise zabini, lucian bole, terence higgs, daphne greengrass, adrian pucey, you

warnings: not proofread.

slight pairing: theodore nott x reader

# of blurbs: 3

1. Draco regrets his life’s decisions

“All I'm saying is Sally’s mother needs to let her kid explore her imagination m—” Draco spoke before being cut off by a rampant child yanking aggressively at his head. Lorenzo stifled a laugh at the scene in front of him.

“Draco!!” the kid attacking him yelled, giggling as the boy desperately tried to push her off without hurting her.

“Yes. Yes. I hear and see you Needy. Now, can you please let go.” Draco spoke in a distressed manner, closing his eyes as a way to stay calm and reminding himself that he chose this job. He was almost met with peace when another kid sprung themselves at him, attempting to yank at him too.

“Alright kids that's enough,” you sternly said, picking Daniel off of Draco. “Remember Needy what we talked about? When someone says to please let go, you listen. Can you say sorry? ” you reminded the little girl, though you were only referring to Draco when using “someone” as this was a common occurrence with him.

The girl sighed before muttering an apology and hugging Draco as a way to make amends. Lorenzo frowned, he heavily enjoyed watching Draco suffer.

2. Ice cream

Mattheo was wiping down the tables and seats of a mysterious sticky substance when Amara, one of the older kids at the daycare, came up, holding her hands behind her back. She rocked side to side, and tapped his leg, casting his attention. Giving the widest puppy dog eyes she could, “Matty, Can you please buy us ice cream?”

He squinted, getting a feeling this was planned. “And why exactly do you guys deserve ice cream?”

“We've been super good this week and you love us and you are our favorite person in the whole wide world.” She exaggerated, gesturing her arm to be extended in a way of describing how big the world was.

He smirked, putting his hands on his hips, “Oh really, I'm your favorite person?” She nodded her head rapidly. “Yeah right, nice try kid.You said Theo was your favorite last week. Maybe next time.”

“But—“

“No buts. Now go back to playing, okay?”

“Enzo, can you pretty please buy us ice cream? We promise we’ll be good.” Stevie asked with a pout on his face, standing next to Katie who nodded her head next to him. She was originally supposed to be the one asking but became too shy when she found out she had to ask Lorenzo. She nervously stared at her velcro strawberry shortcake sneakers.

Lorenzo, who was cradling a younger kid in his arms, took a second to think. “I'm sorry kids, getting you guys ice cream is quite a big reward. How about this? I'll get you ice cream if you can be good for a whole month.” He suggested knowing they wouldn’t be able to achieve that.

“Pansy, can you get us ice cream?” Jacob was a handful, and still hadn't learned his manners completely yet.

Pansy raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “No, not this week. Especially not after you hit Carrie with a bat.”

“I said sorry.” He spoke in a whiny tone.

She crouched down to be on his level. “Sometimes sorry isn't enough J. You need to learn from your mistakes and I can't just give you guys whatever you ask for.”

“Okay” He said defeatedly.

“Can you please buy us ice cream?” different children tried with the different workers.

Diego asked Theo.

“I'm sorry kid, I can't."

“Aren't you rich?”

Theo's jaw dropped in shock, not expecting it to come from one of the kid’s mouths.

Valentine asked Draco.

“No.”

“You suck.”

“Valentine!”

Justin asked Blaise. He was always attached to his hip.

“Not today, I don’t get my pay check till the end of the week.”

“But I'm your favorite.”

“Let's keep that between us.”

Judy asked Terence.

“Trust me. You don't want ice cream.”

“Why not.”

“Because it has crushed bugs in it.”

“Eww!!”

Manny asked Daphne.

“ No, but I'll let you watch a movie after I finish what I'm working on, okay?”

“Yayy.”

Katrina asked Lucian.

“ Kat, y'know I don't have money like the others.”

“Just get more money.”

“I wish it were that easy.”

Hana asked you.

“ Hana, that's a lot of ice cream to buy.”

“So? Theo buys you things all the time that look really fancy.”

“That’s different.”

“Is it?”

Finally Carter asked Adrian.

“Sure, I don't see why not.”

“Thank you thank you thank you.” The kid jumped into his arms giving him a big hug. He laughed, wrapping one of his arms around the kid while the other placed a block on a small tower as he was playing with one of the younger ones.

“No problem kid, I'll just have to ask the others if it's okay.” The young boy's face dropped.

3. Blaise the uncle

Justin had been attached to Blaise’s hip since his first day at daycare. Somehow it got in his head that Blaise was his uncle. He spent the entire first week sitting with Blaise, playing, coloring, learning. Often wrapping his arms around the man’s leg.

At first all the workers, including Blaise, thought he just really liked Blaise. Or maybe he had some strange aura that would make kids gravitate towards him either way they found it quite odd considering most kids would expand who they hung out with. Hanging around other kids.

It was the end of the first week and many kids were being picked up. Justin hugged Blaise's lower half before being picked up and being put in his car seat. A minute later the car window was rolled down and a squeaky voice was heard as the little kid waved. “Bye Uncle Blaise!”

Blaise waved back, not fully processing what the kid had said until he turned around. “ Wait, did Justin just call me Uncle?” he asked you confused.

You nodded a yes, with crinkled eyes as you chuckled behind your hand. Pansy came up from behind him, patting him on the shoulder.

a/n: this is based on some of my headcanons for my slytherin daycare au. i wanted to do little blurbs for them so maybe expect more for them. sorry if they arent great. i wanted to right something light

[itstheonott1]

Pulling an all nighter rn because Mattheo is snoring the loudest out of all these idiots

[nonbeliever1]

pwease someone send me rafe / tom riddle / theodore nott requests 🥹🥹 im uninspired and bored

[luvrsk3sz]

Smoking Cigarettes On The Roof

Pairing: Theodore Nott x slytherin reader

Summary: You decided to take up a new hobby and start selling your own cigarettes except you could've never imagined that you'd end up smoking them with the guy everybody seemed to want at Hogwarts.

Warnings: Smoking, mentions of addiction, reader is a female. Also strongly inspired by Remus' storyline in atyd.

wc: 3.2k

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The whole Hogwarts believed Slytherins to be the most arrogant students among all, filled with superiority complexes and hatred. Not to mention their obsession with blood status, and the Slytherin boys somehow managed to uphold that belief. Especially the famous Draco Malfoy, who had made the life of the Gryffindors a living hell. Everybody at Hogwarts knew Draco's friend group and made sure to stay away not only from them but from every Slytherin there was.

But what nobody talked about was a different side of the house. Yeah, most of the Slytherins might have disliked Gryffindors or Muggle-borns and even bullied them for that, but there were also people who couldn't have bothered caring about others' blood statuses, including you.

You had never ever felt like you were above anyone else, and in fact, that was the least important thing to you. But despite that others still made sure to stay away from you as well, considering you were a Slytherin yourself, and your distant personality wasn't helping your case either. What's more, your housemates barely noticed you. You were like a ghost who enjoyed peace and quiet, but that didn't mean you didn't have friends. You were pretty close with the sweet, blonde girl from Ravenclaw named Luna Lovegood, who very much loved to talk about different magical creatures. And you loved to listen, so it was a perfect match.

You two would often find yourselves sitting under the whomping willow and chatting about the books, teachers and sometimes even about the people you found attractive at school. But when Luna was busy with her studies and you had some free time for yourself you would hang out alone. However, that wasn't as bad as it sounded, since you had many hobbies. You enjoyed reading or simply listening to music and daydreaming. But what you loved the most was observing people, especially at nights when your insomnia would kick in and you noticed that sleep didn't seem to want you. That's why you knew almost everyone at Hogwarts, even though they had never heard of you. You knew that Harry and Ron loved sneaking out of the castle at nights. And even though Hermione scolded them for it, she always ended up going with them. You knew that Lorenzo Berkshire had his eyes on some Hufflepuff girl, and you also knew that Theodore Nott always aced all of his exams, even though he would never admit it.

But one day, you realized that you were getting bored with doing the same every day so you came up with an idea. You started making your own cigarettes and selling them through Hogwarts. At first, nobody seemed to want them but soon enough they became quite popular within the sixth and seventh year old students.

Despite the fame your cigarettes received, you made sure to stay anonymous and deal with anyone who tried to sell them to the first or second year olds. Then more people started buying and reselling them, and in no time, the business was flowing.

Mattheo Riddle, who was literally a smoke addict himself, was no exception when it came to your cigarettes. And the first time he told his best friend Theo how much better they tasted compared to the crap they used to smoke, Theodore was a little bit hesitant and loyal to the ones he had loved so much for the past three years. But in the end, he started using your cigars like everybody else at Hogwarts.

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The business was going very good and nobody seemed to catch you either. Mostly it was because they couldn't have cared less for who made the stuff they used to smoke, rather than the difficulty of figuring out the one behind them.

But either way, you enjoyed making them, and they enjoyed using them, so it was a win-win situation. Not to mention the money you made from the business.

Everything was going perfectly well and smoothly until one day you found yourself staying up late to study for the upcoming exams in an almost empty library. You hadn't paid any attention to anything other than your notes, but Theodore Nott was as observant person as you were.

Many people thought that he was as proud and cunning as any of his friends because he mostly hung out with them, but that simply wasn't true. Theodore Nott was more of a quiet type. And that was what scared others the most. He despised getting into meaningless fights and kept himself from doing so unless it truly mattered. Unless somebody really touched a nerve, and he had to protect himself or any of the people he cared about. And when he did fight, he made sure to make the other person regret they even opened their mouth. What's more, Theodore was a smart guy. Probably one of the smartest students at Hogwarts, but he somehow managed to keep it quiet.

Theodore himself had decided to stay up late that day. And now, sitting in a library lit by the yellow light coming from the lamps above, he noticed a long-haired girl sleeping peacefully at the table not far from his with the long forgotten potions book lying in front of her. Theodore wasn't the one to fall for a girl easily, but something about you caught his attention.

Any other day, Theodore would've looked away and gone back to doing what he had been doing before. But today was different. Something in him told him to get up and go over to you.

But as soon as he approached your table, he stopped his movements. Why was he even there? What was he doing? Should he have woken you up? But before his thoughts could turn into an endless loop, you stirred awake.

The first thing you saw was a tall brunette hovering over you. You immediately recognised the famous Theodore Nott, but he, himself, failed to remember knowing you. Despite his observant personality, you somehow had managed to escape his attention. And now standing in front of you, he couldn't figure out what to say.

"Hi?" You said awkwardly.

"Do you need help with potions?" Why was the guy who had never let fear show on his face panicking in front of a simple girl like you? Theodore couldn't really figure out that either. All you could think about, on the other hand, was how visible his Italian accent was.

"Kind of?...maybe...Yeah, I do," you finally managed to utter, "but if you promise not to laugh at my stupidity."

"Deal," he said, sitting down next to you.

And just like that, Theodore Nott spent the past couple of hours explaining one of his favourite subjects to the girl he had just met.

He liked your company. At first, you seemed to be very quiet, but as the time passed and the topics didn't seem to end any time soon, you started warming up to him and even let your real personality slip. And just like that, you had managed to make Theo mentally laugh at your stupid jokes and almost smile at every stupid answer you gave him. But he would never admit that, though.

"Slughorn totally hates me, no matter how well I study, he'll never give me a high mark anyway," you complained, "And that is if I manage to remember all of the topics, which I highly doubt."

"You'll remember everything, don't worry," Theo said casually, "And if he dares to give you a low mark, I'll deal with him."

At that, you chuckled, "Well, I doubt I'll be able to ace it, but at least I'll pass, right?"

"You shouldn't be doubting yourself." After a couple of minutes, Theo noticed his gaze on you, "What?"

"I like your Italian accent," you admitted.

"Thank you," Theo nodded. "I kind of get that a lot."

"Oh I'm sure you do."

At that, Theo furrowed his brows, and you explained, "It's one of the reasons you seem so attractive to most of the girls."

"Oh, so you think I'm attractive?" Theo asked sarcastically.

"What? Of course not, wait, I don't mean that rudely. You know what? I'm pretty tired, and that's my tired self talking," you tried explaining yourself and earned a chuckle from Theo.

"Oh, here you are," you heard a female voice, only to see the famous Pansy Parkinson in a distance. Obviously, the 'no yelling' rule had missed her eyes because she was screaming across the library.

"Since when do you hang out in the library, huh?" Theodore asked her sarcastically.

Were they together? You hoped not because you had just been 'flirting' with Theodore a minute earlier, and you would be too ashamed if it turned out he had a girlfriend. But Pansy was too pretty not to be his girlfriend. She had those beautiful green eyes and one of the prettiest face shapes. Before you could stop yourself, you asked, "Are you dating?"

At that Pansy laughed, "What? Us dating? Why would I date this idiot? I'm for the girls."

Oh, you had completely misread the situation. How had you missed that? It looked too obvious now.

"In fact," Pansy continued, turning to Theo, "The reason I'm here, as you were asking my dearest friend, is because I'm meeting a girl."

"I'm finding it hard to believe that a girl who goes to the library would be interested in you," Theodore replied, smirking.

"Here she is, gotta go, bye lovebirds or whatever you are." And just like that, Pansy was gone.

"She's going out with Hermione?" You asked, shocked as you watched her sit down next to the curly-haired girl who had just entered.

"Pansy's been crushing on her for a while now," Theodore admitted, shrugging, "Looks like she finally got the courage to ask her out."

"That's cute," you told him, smiling.

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Thanks to Theo, not only did you manage to pass the Potions' exam, but even got one of the highest scores. Even Slughorn himself couldn't believe his eyes.

"Well done," was the first thing Theo told you when you met him. You were really in a good mood and needed to take a smoke, so the Astronomy tower seemed like a perfect place for it. You didn't expect to run into Theodore Nott there.

So now, standing next to the taller guy, he decided to break the silence, "Do you often come here? Because I've never seen you here before."

"Not really, I usually hang out in my room, but I've been here a couple of times," you said, exhaling the smoke.

"Really nice cigarettes, huh?" He asked, taking a smoke himself.

"Yeah, they're good," you replied, trying not to sound obvious.

"Half the Hogwarts' using them now," he stated it as a fact, "wonder who made them."

"Yeah, me too," you said, exhaling, "By the way, Draco was looking for you. Said they were going to deal with some guy, um, what was his name? I don't remember?"

"Whatever, Draco can go fuck himself." He replied simply, earning a laugh from you.

"Yeah, he can."

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You two started becoming closer, but none of you seemed to notice. A few accidental meetings turned into spending the evenings and sometimes sleepless nights together at the Astronomy tower. It became a habit to just stand there and smoke together. Sometimes you didn't even talk and just enjoyed each other's company. Theodore hadn't told his friends about a certain wide-eyed girl he enjoyed spending time with. In fact, nobody knew since you two always made sure to keep it between you. None of you seemed to like the unwanted attention from the unwanted people.

Tonight was like any other nights. Sleep had denied both of you, so you sneaked away to the Astronomy tower. At first, both of you relished the silence, but like always, Theodore was the first to break it.

"You're good at it," was the first thing he said, and you furrowed your brows.

"Good at what?"

"At making those," he said, gesturing towards his cigarette, and your eyes widened, "and at hiding it," he finished.

"How do you know?" Was the only question you asked, and so Theodore explained.

He had decided to sneak into your dorm the other day. Of course, at first you scolded him, but minutes later you were sitting on your bed laughing with him as he read some stupid book to you. The two of you even bet on whether the characters would get together in the end or not, but the book was so cringe that you didn't manage to finish it.

When you decided to go to the bathroom, Theo was left alone, so he just kept looking around, trying to pass the time. That's when his gaze landed on a sketch book on the nightstand, and before his curiosity could get even worse, he picked it up and started going through your sketches. They even had dates on them, and that's when he came across a familiar drawing. At first, he couldn't remember where he had seen it, but after a few minutes of thinking, he took the cigarette box out of his pocket and compared the little sketch of a swan to the one drawn on the box. The details were too accurate for it to be drawn by another person, not to mention the date in the sketch book proved that it had been drawn months before your cigarettes came out.

When you decided to go to the bathroom, Theo was left alone, so he just kept looking around, trying to pass the time. That's when his gaze landed on a sketch book on the nightstand, and before his curiosity could get even worse, he picked it up and started going through your sketches. They even had dates on them, and that's when he came across a familiar drawing. At first, he couldn't remember where he had seen it, but after a few minutes of thinking, he took the cigarette box out of his pocket and compared the little sketch of a swan to the one drawn on the box. The details were too accurate for it to be drawn by another person, not to mention the date in the sketch book proved that it had been drawn months before your cigarettes came out.

Of course, he wouldn't have relied on the sketch alone, so countless newly-made similar cigarette boxes that were waiting to be used in your drawer proved his suspicions.

"You know, if anybody were to figure it out, I was sure it would be you," you said, smiling as you stood next to him on the astronomy tower.

"Oh, really?" He asked, smirking.

"You're just too smart, I don't know how you do it," you said, trying to sound sarcastic, but it was true, he was one of the smartest guys you knew.

"Really? Because I think you're pretty smart yourself, too." It was obvious when Theodore was flirting, and that was one of the moments as well.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you managed to score almost the highest mark after just two hours of studying. Do you really think everybody would manage to do that?"

"Careful, Nott, you might make me think you like me," you joked, but Nott went quiet.

"So Yule Ball's coming up," you said, trying to ease the awkwardness, "got a date already?" You had been meaning to ask him that for a long time, and now, when you did, you were too scared to hear the answer.

"Yes," he replied, refusing to make eye contact. Fuck it, you thought. Was this guy stupid? Had he not noticed how you looked at him?

"Well, that's good," you smiled awkwardly.

"What about you?" Theo asked.

"Not yet," you replied, "you know what, I'm getting sleepy, so I'll head inside. Goodnight, Theo."

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You hadn't talked to Theodore after that. For some reason, staying away from him looked easier than seeing him while knowing he was going to the Ball with another girl.

You went to the Yule Ball alone because no guy had asked you to go with them. It's not like you would've said yes anyway, but somehow you still felt bad. Nobody wanted to go with you, so why would Theodore Nott do? You didn't even want to go at first, but after hours of Luna listing countless reasons why you should, you gave in.

Now, standing in your emerald green dress, you felt very out of place. The couples were dancing, laughing, having fun, and you were just there. Luna had left to get you guys some drinks, and you remained seated on the sofa just observing, like always.

That's when you felt a familiar pair of eyes on you. When you looked up, you locked eyes with Theo. You wanted to look away, but suddenly you realised he was standing alone. Had his date ditched him? Nah, that was impossible. Who would ditch a guy like him? Maybe she was also getting drinks. Before you could keep up with your mind, you were standing up and walking towards him. There was no going back now.

"Why are you alone?" Was the first question you asked.

"So no hi? How are you?" Theodore smirked, raising his brow.

"Hi, how are you? Why are you alone?"

At that, he chuckled, shaking his head, "She ditched me. Now, why are you alone?"

You were too embarrassed to admit the real reason so you just replied "felt like it."

"You look really pretty in that dress," he admitted.

"Just in that dress?" You asked challenging.

"No, you look really pretty in your teddy bear pajamas as well," Theo joked.

"Oh, so we're joking now?" You said rolling your eyes.

"I'm kidding, you look pretty in anything. You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen," he said, leaning in, but soon enough realized he had made the situation awkward and yelled again through the music, "So, um, wanna dance?"

"I don't know how to dance," you yelled back.

"Good then, I'll teach you," and just like that, he was grabbing your hand and dragging you towards the crowd. His hair swayed with his every move, and his fingers danced over yours. He guided your steps, and in no time, you two were dancing like a couple made in heaven. The music was slow, giving the students who were dancing like crazy earlier a chance to relax with their partners. Theodore wasn't exactly your 'partner' partner, though you wished he was, but somehow you had never felt calmer than dancing with him between countless of people.

"This is so much fun," you whispered into his ear as he held your back.

"I never had a date," was the only thing he whispered back. After a minute of inner debate, Theodore decided this was the perfect moment to tell you.

"What?" You asked, moving your head to meet his eyes.

"I never asked anyone out," he replied when you stopped dancing.

"Why?"

"Because I'm a coward. I thought that the only girl I wanted to ask out would say no."

"What? That's nonsense. Who would say no to you, you're like perfect. You're attractive, smar-"

"It's you," Theo interrupted before you could go any further, "the girl I wanted to ask out, it's you. I like you. I like you very damn much."

You didn't know what to say. Or do. It's not like you didn't like Theo back you just didn't know what people did in those types of situations.

"Please, if you don't like me, just tell me to fuck off and I will, but if y-"

Now you were the one to interrupt him. But if that was how you did it, he wouldn't mind getting interrupted every day because your lips captured his into a warm kiss none of you wanted to pull away from. But after some time, you needed to catch your breath.

"I like you too, Theodore Nott."

"Fuck it," and just like that, Theodore pulled you into another kiss.

"And by the way, I may or may haven't threatened a couple of guys that wanted to ask you to the Yule Ball," he admitted after the kiss, and your eyes immediately widened.

"Fuck you then," you said, kicking his shoe.

"Oh, please do," he replied, "But come on, princess, didn't you find it odd that nobody asked a beautiful girl like you out?"

"Right, because guys ask me out every day," you replied sarcastically.

"So you finally told her?" Mattheo asked, approaching you two, "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't think we've ever talked before. I'm Mattheo Riddle." He stuck his hand out for you, and you shook it, smiling.

"Oh, cut it, Mat, almost everybody here knows who you are," Draco said, rolling his eyes at his friend.

"Don't listen to them, they're both idiots," Theo said, annoyed.

"Yeah? Want me to tell her how you were ready to sing to her in front of the whole school when you were drunk the other day?" Mattheo humbled his best friend.

"Shut up you fucker," Theo hissed at Mat, "Come on, tesoro, they're all dickheads anyway, don't listen to them."

"What? No, I'm enjoying this conversation," you said, laughing.

"See Nott? Your girlfriend likes our company, too."

"I'm not his-" but before you could finish your sentence, Lorenzo interrupted.

"Come on, guys, leave them alone and come drink with me."

And just like that, they were gone, leaving you with your 'boyfriend'.

"I'm not your girlfriend, right?"

"Right, you're not...yet. But who says you won't be tomorrow? Or even an hour later? Hm?" He teased.

"Oh, you've got a big ego, Mr. Nott."

"I get that a lot, bella ragazza."

[sunkissedscribbles]

Fallingforyou

The Only Exception — Mattheo Riddle X OC — Part 5

GENRE: fluff GENERAL TW FOR THIS SERIES: swearing, explicit but non-graphic references to sexual acts, minors smoking, underage drinking WORD COUNT: 1.5k SONGS: Fallingforyou by The 1975

☆  MASTERLIST  TAG LIST

<PREVIOUS CHAPTER NEXT CHAPTER>

“Stop eating the icing, it won’t be enough to cover the cake,” I took the bowl from Kiara, who still had the spatula in her hand, licking the frosting off of it.

“I bet this is what Snape tastes like,” she exclaimed.

I felt like throwing up, “You know what, eat it. I don’t want to put this on the cake anymore,” I flinched. “You’re gross.”

“And you’re prude,” she grinned.

“No, you’re too explicit for your own good,” I shook my head, concentrating on the cake I was cutting in half with the intention of the halves being approximately the same thickness. “Pass me the strawberries, please.”

She did, then went back to sit on the counter next to the cake while I was working on it for Theo’s upcoming birthday. “So are we gonna talk about it?”

“You’ll have to be more specific.”

“You. Mattheo. Whatever’s between the two of you.”

I stopped for the time my heart skipped a beat, but only looked at her from the corner of my eye. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Yes, there is!”

“No, there is not because there’s nothing going on between us.”

The door opened then, and Mattheo stepped inside, “Ki, I can’t keep your boyfriend away from the kitchen. You’re babysitting from now.”

Ki grinned, then, after she hopped off the counter and fixed her skirt, hugged me and said, “Alright, we’ll talk when you’re ready. You’ll come around,” and walked out.

So there I was now, alone with Mattheo in the kitchen. “What was that about?” He asked, walking up to me and the cake. “How can I help with that?”

“Just Kiara being herself,” I sighed. I loved my best friend, but I was also a firm believer that there wouldn’t be anything to talk about. Because it was just a harmless crush that’d eventually fade. “And… I don’t know. I barely know what I’m doing, even.”

“But your mother’s a chef.”

“Yes.”

“And you bake killer brownies.”

"I meant my brain's a mess today.”

“What’s bothering you, Princess?”

You.

And that damn nickname again.

Fuck.

His eyes were searching me. It was a genuine question.

I sighed, “Too much to study lately, and I just can’t turn my brain off, especially with the upcoming game against Ravenclaw,” I told him while placing the top layer onto the previous one.

He watched me for a second longer than I was comfortable with.

“You’re lying.”

My head snapped up. “Excuse me?”

“You're stressed,” he corrected, reaching for the bowl of icing. “Just not about Ravenclaw.”

I opened my mouth to argue before closing it again.

He wasn't wrong.

He dipped the spatula into the frosting and held it up awkwardly. “Now... tell me where this goes before I ruin Theo's birthday.”

A laugh escaped me despite myself. “There,” I pointed to the centre of the cake. “Not too much.”

“You're talking to the man who once burnt toast.”

“We don't even use toasters.”

“Exactly.”

I snorted, shaking my head.

“You're impossible.”

“So I've been told.”

He spread the icing with surprising concentration, tongue poking slightly against the inside of his cheek.

“You know,” I said after a while, “for someone who claims not to know what he's doing after Hogwarts, you're oddly patient.”

He shrugged without looking up.

“Theo's mum used to bake with us.”

The room fell quiet.

He'd never mentioned her before. Of course, I knew about his childhood; after his father disappeared trying to kill Harry, Mattheo was taken in by the Notts. Elena had raised both boys until she died when they were eight. After that, Tiberius Nott had done everything to make them unlearn the good qualities they had learnt from Mrs Nott.

“Elena let us decorate the cakes,” he continued, smoothing another layer of frosting. “Theo would eat more icing than he put on.”

“That explains a lot.”

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, “It does.”

I looked down at the strawberries in my hands.

“I wish I'd met her.”

“So do I.”

It wasn't dramatic or tearful, just nostalgic. It was like peeling back layers nobody else had seen before.

For a while, the only sounds were the scrape of the spatula against the cake and the rain tapping softly against the kitchen windows.

Then, without looking at me, he spoke again.

“You're going to play well against Ravenclaw.”

“You don't know that.”

“I do.”

“How?”

“Because when your head's a mess”—he finally looked over, offering me the spatula—“you fly like you're trying to outrun it.”

“Happy birthday, mate,” Enzo said, clapping Theo on the shoulder the next afternoon. Kiara had spent her entire morning decorating the common room so it would look more like an actual living room in a nice cottage rather than the dungeons beneath the school. Fairy lights were everywhere, the cake already waiting for Theo on the coffe table, candles lit and reading 71 instead of 17. Could you tell who was behind that…

Theo laughed upon seeing it, and pulled his girlfriend closer into his side.

“How does pushing thirty feel?” Blaise teased before giving his friend’s shoulder a squeeze.

“You’re ancient,” Mattheo grinned.

“You’re literally a month younger than me.”

“And yet somehow wiser.”

“That’s not how age works.”

After singing Theo happy birthday in Italian (which turned him into a total sap, just like intended), and him opening his presents, the cake got cut while glasses clinked together. I was still sitting above my slice when everyone else was already talking over each other, or dancing.

Everyone but Theo.

He had been staring at the remnants of a slice of cake on his paper plate, half-eaten, half smashed.

“Hey, birthday boy,” I nudged his knee. “A shot?”

He nodded and drank it immediately after I poured him some fire whiskey.

He stayed silent for a beat before asking, “You made it? The cake.”

I nodded, “Ki said you liked this kind so I tried. Was it that bad?”

He shook his head immediately, “No, not at all. It just reminds me of my mum. Father’s always hated birthdays, said it only made people weak and vulnerable. But Mum baked cakes for us every year. This is my first since she…” he cleared his throat before continuing, "I never know whether I'm supposed to miss her more on her birthday or mine.”

My heart broke at his words. I knew he was grateful, obviously. But losing a parent and then facing something that reminded you of them is harder than words could ever describe.

We both fell silent as we got lost in our own thoughts, but then he broke the silence. “Thank you for the cake. And the notebook, it’s beautiful.”

“I thought it’d come in handy if you really took that trip around Europe.”

“Thanks, really.”

“Just don’t break her heart,” I looked over at my best friend who was drinking and talking to Pansy and Enzo. She looked so free — I’d never seen her so happy before.

“I won’t,” a beat of silence, then, “Don’t break his, either,” my eyes wandered to Mattheo on their own for a millisecond before I looked back at Theo with a frown.

He snorted, “Don’t give me that look. You two are so obvious — you’ve been orbiting around each other for weeks— dare I say months. You already know when he needs silence and when he needs words.”

He stopped for a second.

“You don't even realise you're doing it. You are already acting like a healthy couple, why wait any longer?”

“He’s my friend,” I protested.

He nodded, “Exactly.”

I frowned, at which his grin widened, “That’s the problem.”

A quiet laugh escaped him, “He’d kill me if he knew I told you all this.”

I frowned, “Then why are you?”

He looked over at the boy in question, “Because he never will.”

I sighed and looked over to where Mattheo was talking to my cousin before I could stop myself. He was defensive; arms crossed, lips pressed together tight — and I hated how well I was able to read his body.

“Cass,” Theo’s voice pulled me back into reality. “I’ve known Mattheo my entire life. He doesn’t let people in.”

He paused for a beat before hitting me with, “Do you think this is how he treats everyone?”

I didn’t say anything because I knew he was right.

Then he continued.

"He notices when you skip meals. He knows where to find you. He keeps giving you pieces of himself and pretending they're nothing. The hoodie. The sweets. His sketchbooks. His nightmares. Do you know how many people he's told about them?"

"...None?" I whispered, which earned a sad smile.

"Exactly."

Now I had no defense. I ran out of excuses and could only give him whatever was left untouched from the reality behind my words. "What if I'm wrong?"

"You're many things, Cassie, but blind isn’t one of them.”

tag list: @inksoakedparchment @mattiesgf @girllblogging777 @myysunshine @yelanare @s00ty-feet@malfoylover4l @potterxz @hagridshaircare @itsravenclaw379 @madsclarkey

[shelovesmewhynott]

Lunar Sanctum

🌕 Chapter 27 — “Nerby”

The earring becomes a pendant.

Once, Theo was the one holding something that belonged to Luna.

Now, Luna places it around his neck.

The object stops being just an object.

It becomes a bond.

And this is where something inside Theo finally begins to crack.

💬 “You’re ruining my plans”

What he really means is:

I don’t know what to do with you anymore.

Or perhaps even:

I don’t know how to handle what you do to me.

Then comes another confession:

💬 “I don’t even know how to breathe when you’re not here.”

This is no longer about control.

It’s Theo beginning to admit his own dependence.

And finally:

💬 “Then they don’t have to see what you really are. Because if they did… they wouldn’t be able to choose anyone else.”

By Theo’s standards… that’s a love confession.

Even if he’d never call it one.

🎨: antonia_sansi

✨ Read on AO3

[illbegottenfaith]

just skin and bones (a Skin & Bones. by Raye inspired fic)

You deem your on-again, off-again ex-boyfriend insane for thinking he can make love without having to love you (ex!theo nott x reader)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

a/n - all he wants is that skin and bone and lungs and a heart two eyes and a liver and a nose and no brain he's INSANE cuz he thinks he can MAKE LOVE without having to LOVE me. that is all. stream THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.

tropes/warnings - fighting (verbally), name-calling, bickering but a tad hateful, slightly comedic?

word count - 2.1k

taglist - @kandralice @justme989898 @iamheretoread1234 @allie-sturns @hzdhrtss @friedfreyfries @bushnellswife @rose-of-the-grave @thaliashifts @pariahsparadise @babene-e @fratbrochrisgf @user089167 @lillytrannn

Theo, shameless vagrant that he was, wasted no time following up on that favour you owed him. It was why you were stuck at home one Friday night, distastefully eyeing him digging into your fresh, hot, buttery popcorn, freeloader that he was.

Time did funny things to that thing inside your chest. Being back in your childhood home with Theo beside you as the sights and sounds of Wall-E washed over you, reminded you of simpler times. You hardly remembered watching it as a child, and you hadn't had eyes for its beauty until you were a teenager. Sitting here, chin propped on a knee, took you back to a time when you felt so individualistic, so autonomous, so free. Back when you felt you had your whole life ahead of you.

As much as you wished otherwise, you didn't have the stamina to glower at Theo for the whole 98-minute runtime. Scene by scene, your stiff body language softened. Your position shifted away from the edge of the couch, towards the popcorn bowl, towards Theo. It was fortunate the movie enthralled you so - it was the only way you could stomach the way your fingers would accidentally brush against Theo's, still as ice-cold as you remembered.

As the credits rolled, you watched what you could see of Theo's face, disappearing then reappearing in the flickering light of the screen. Eventually, the screen went blank, and so did his silhouette. You felt rather than saw his gaze tilt towards you. You dusted the salt off your fingertips.

"There," you said. "You've had my popcorn. Now get out before my mom asks you if you want to stay over."

Theo leaned back, his long legs unfolding as he stretched. He yawned, scratching at his jaw.

"Actually, that's not a half-bad idea."

You scowled.

"Don't tempt me. I will haul your sleeping bag into oncoming traffic if I get the chance."

"Who said anything about a sleeping bag?"

It was dark, but clearly not dark enough to disguise the shit-eating grin you could hear in his voice.

"You're hilarious," you deadpanned. "I can't imagine why things never worked out between us."

"Certainly not for a lack of your charming disposition."

"Or your chivalrous tendencies."

Theo sucked in a breath between his teeth. You suppressed a smirk.

"It was one time. You know you only have yourself to blame for walking into that door." He dropped his voice. "I can't be your eyes and your keeper, sweetheart."

You snorted as you blindly reached into the dark to push his magnetic heat away. Your hand settled on his chest. For a moment, you forgot where you were, or what you were fighting about; there was only Theo and his warmth and the insidious, no-good dark pressing in on both of you.

"Okay, but seriously, leave. My mom will be insufferable if she finds out you're here."

"Promise?"

You shoved him.

You walked Theo to the front door. You told yourself it was only because you couldn't wait to get rid of him. As he reached for the doorknob, you instinctively picked his jacket off the coat stand, as if from muscle memory. For a second, your wilful, nostalgia-addled brain drifted back to the many nights that drew to a close on this very porch. Nights that ended with, er, warm goodbyes. Goodbyes that ended with Theo staggering home a good fifteen minutes later.

Oh, of course, you'd never do it today, but it was the sort of thing you'd indulge in as a teen. Theo would bid you good night, and you would sigh, or pout, or whatever it took to hold Theo back just a minute more. He had this way of holding you close, watching you with a reverence that bordered on devotional as he listened to you yammer about whatever was ailing you, fictional or otherwise. The way he'd peer down at you through his eyelashes, the way he'd lower his voice for just you to hear, the way his nose nudged yours, so unbearably soft - it was enough to make you feel like the only girl in the world.

No. Snap out of it.

Your gaze fixed on Theo once again. He was watching you with an expression that was too knowing for your liking. His hand was resting on the doorknob, but it was as though something were holding him back from turning it.

"Well. Good night, Y/N."

"Night, Teddy," you rasped out. Even as the words left your lips, you knew you'd pay dearly for letting that term of endearment slip.

You took a step closer to the door. Theo didn't move. You squinted up at him questioningly, half-suspicious. You didn't know what he was doing, still standing here, but you weren't sure if you wanted him to leave either. He was so close to you. Closer than he had been at the diner, or all evening. Close enough to be breathing the same air as you.

Your lips parted, poised to shape words to a question along the lines of are you having a stroke, Nott? That is, until you realised you had no voice for it. From the corner of your eye, you noticed Theo drop his head as he leaned towards you. His breath ghosted your lips.

You were doused by a sudden bout of reality. You flinched, badly, knocking into Theo's mouth. His head snapped back as he poorly stifled a pained groan, his hand flying up to his face. Your heart was racing as you tried to piece together what your body had reflexively picked up on.

"Did you just - ?"

"No," came the muffled reply. But his answer was too fast, too automatic, too ready at his lips.

"Oh, my God," you continued, not paying any mind to the drivel coming out of that uncouth mouth, "you just tried to kiss me." He did. He did just try to kiss you. Brainless. "Are you insane?"

Theo dabbed at his face gingerly, checking for blood on his fingertips. "Look, I don't know, or care, about what you thought I was doing, but I -"

You groaned. Always with the excuses and the lies - ugh, you did not miss this, good riddance.

"Don't even - " You scoffed, more at yourself than him. Of course he'd make a pass at you. It was so typical of him. The Theodore Nott you knew didn't know how to keep his hands, or his mouth, apparently, to himself. You crossed your arms.

"You're sick, Nott. Really. This is a new low, even for you. Trying to get me in bed when you don't even love me."

"I wasn't trying to -"

"Sure, you weren't." You rolled your eyes. "What kind of idiot do you take me for? Of all the people you know, do you really think I'm going to buy this innocent little Boy Scout who would never hurt a fly act?"

"I wasn't - "

"Oh, please. Like I don't know what you look like when you want to kiss me!"

"Fine," Theo snapped. He dropped his hand, apparently having deemed himself sufficiently unwounded. "I was going to kiss you. Happy?"

He raised his arms, outraged.

"How the fuck else have we ever said good night?"

You hesitated.

"That was...different. We were dating - delusional, but dating. How could you think this was in any way justified or appropriate?" You fixed him a derisive look. "I have a boyfriend, for Merlin's sake."

The corner of Theo's mouth twitched.

"Boyfriend," he repeated, in a patronising tone. "Don't make me laugh."

You ignored the jab.

"I don't know why I expected anything different from you," you went on, as though he hadn't spoken a word. "It's so like you to think we'll just pick up where we left off. This might be hard for your tiny little brain to comprehend, but I had my own life in Paris."

A poor, lackluster life, admittedly - not that Theo needed to know.

"And it was great. It was..." Er, maybe you were exaggerating a little. "...spectacular."

A little fib never hurt anyone.

"I have never been happier!"

Okay, now you were just straight up lying. A bit hard to stop once you've got started.

You stopped short when you picked up on the subtle shake to Theo's shoulders.

"What's so funny?" you demanded, waspishly.

Theo stifled a snort. He leaned down again, putting his face in yours, though you suspected he had no kissing-centric intentions this time.

"You know," he said softly, "for someone so thrilled with their life, you look pretty fucking miserable."

Your face burned hot. Oh, he was going to pay for that. You wanted to throttle him. You wanted to crawl into a hole and die. What the - who the fuck did he think he was, sauntering into your house, eating your popcorn, making comments about a relationship he knew nothing about?

"Save it, Theodore," you said in a clipped tone. "I know who to call the next time I want to hear someone talking out of their ass."

Theo let out a sharp bark of laughter.

"This - this is your problem," he crowed. "You love the sound of your own voice too much to listen to anything anyone else has to say. Why should you, when you're always right, huh?"

You sneered at him.

"Oh, yeah. Sure. I don't know about always, but this time I'm..." your eyes flitted around the doorway. "...not wrong."

"That's just another way to say you're right!"

You threw your hands up.

"You know what? You're right. This is my fault. It's my fault for thinking you've changed. That you've grown up. Merlin forbid I think we're just having a nice time together. Kept your mouth shut for a couple of hours, so now you get to cop a feel? What, did you think I'd be easy enough, begging for you after all those years away?"

As you spoke, Theo's jaw set. Good. It was about time something ruffled his devil-may-care feathers.

"Now you're just putting words in my mouth. I never s - I never thought - "

"Face it, Nott. You're just too proud to admit you wanted to kiss me."

"And you're too proud to admit you wanted me to kiss you!"

Your face blanched. The shock quelled your rage momentarily. Shame masked any vindication you might have felt over Theo's lack of denial.

"Doesn't fit your sweet, innocent little image, does it?" Theo continued smugly, revelling in the quiet that followed. "Cheating? With an ex-boyfriend you're still hung up on?"

Anger flared in your chest once again. How dare he insinuate that you were pathetic enough to still have feelings for him after all this time, after all he's done?

"Get out. Out!"

You hooked Theo by the elbow as you yanked the door open, sending him stumbling down the front steps. A good and proper row, oddly reminiscent of the 'off-again' parts of your old relationship, appropriately theatrical and heavily dosed with low blows.

"Get out of my house," you hissed at him. "I never want to see you again. Take your filthy jacket with you."

You balled up his jacket and hurled it at him, which he caught at his stomach. He didn't stumble, didn't even flinch. Why should he, when he was just as seasoned as you were in navigating your aggressive spats? If you had to (grudgingly) admit to one redeeming quality of Theo's, it was that he gave as good as he got.

"Uh-huh. Yeah, sure. Today the jacket's filthy, but when I went to Europe - "

"You shut your mouth, you lying bastard."

Theo gave a sardonic whoop as he walked backwards down the path, towards the pavement.

"Oh yeah, that's good. Merlin forbid I don't take your abuse lying down. I'm the worst! I'm despicable. What else?"

You wished you had more of his possessions to pelt at his head. Your bicep was itching to heave something, preferably heavy enough to inflict considerable injury, at that ratty face of his.

"You narcissist, you egomaniac - "

"Oh, yeah! Can't forget about my head, it's the size of Manhattan."

You raised your voice, uncaring about the scene you were making, or what the neighbours did or didn't hear.

"Merlin help you if I catch your lying ass skulking around here, day or night."

"Oh, believe me, I'll be staying far, far away. You bet I thank my lucky stars every night I don't have to deal with this FRIGID. BITCH."

"MAN-WHORE!"

You flipped him off. He responded in equal measure.

Glaring, you watched him throw his jacket into his car and climb behind the wheel. He looked up as he yanked at his seatbelt, meeting your gaze. His lips were pressed into a thin line. A muscle in your jaw twitched. You refused to look away.

Lunatic.