Medicine - T. Nott

twelve

Note: This is Alex's dress - https://pin.it/7okV4Xp

- - - - -

December 24th, 1997

There's a faint sound of apparition and I'm running down the stairs, my heels clicking on the hardwood, just as the doorbell rings.

"I've got it," I call. Matthew comes into the foyer from the living room and stands against the wall with a smug look on his face. I flip him off then readjust my hair before going to open the door.

Theo is standing there with a few snowflakes collecting in his brown hair. He's wearing a black button-up shirt and black pants, and he's holding an overnight bag.

"Hey, Alex," Theo says with a smile. He looks me up and down. "You look beautiful.

"Hi, thank you-, come in," I reply, stepping out of the doorway for him to brush past me.

"What no 'babe' or 'darling'?" Matthew teases from a few feet away.

I glare at him but get sidetracked as Theo leans down to kiss me. It's a quick kiss, soft and gentle, and then he's pulling away.

"Hi, Matt," Theo says to my brother.

There's an echo of heels on the floor, and my mother comes into the foyer. She spots Theo and smiles. "Ah, Theodore!" She says.

I stifle a laugh at the use of Theo's full name.

"It's so good to have you," My mother continues. "Dinner should be ready shortly, so you have time to get settled first."

Theo smiles politely, "Thanks, Miss Travers."

"Of course, it's no problem, dear."

I grab Theo's hand and start pulling him towards the staircase. Theo follows me up to my room, and I don't say anything else until we're both in my bedroom with the door closed.

"Okay, my mum is probably going to grill you at dinner, so I need you to really pretend like you're head over heels for me and want to marry me and have kids with me," I explain quickly.

Theo smirks, "Hi, nice to see you too, Alex."

I drop my shoulders, releasing some of the tension. "Sorry, I'm just stressing out about this," I say. "It is good to see you."

"I am a brilliant actor," Theo jokes. "It's all going to be fine. Plus we're going to have to do the same thing tomorrow with my dad."

"Right," I affirm.

Theo nods, "And it will all be fine."

I nod and give Theo a small smile. He smiles back then looks around my bedroom. Theo and I have been friends since we were 11, so we've been to each other's houses and in each other's rooms countless times.

He points at the duvet on my bed. "That's new," He says.

"Yeah, I got it a few days before the term started," I tell him.

Theo sets his bag down in the corner of my room and then goes to sit down on the edge of my bed. "I like it," He says.

I go and sit next to him on my bed. I smooth out my dark green dress and cross my ankles. We always dress nicer for Christmas Eve dinner, and Theo's family must do this too based on what he's wearing. He looks good.

"My mum would get suspicious if you stayed in a separate room, so you're stuck with me for the night," I say, glancing over at Theo. "But you can always sleep in the room across the hall if you want."

Theo shakes his head. "No, it's okay with me as long as it's okay with you," He says.

"It's okay with me," I assure him, a smile tugging at my lips.

Theo gives me a smile back.

"Are you ready to go brave dinner with my mother?" I joke, getting up from bed.

Theo laughs, "As ready as I'll ever be."

He gets off my bed and intertwines our hands together as we go back downstairs.

- - - - -

"So, Theo," My mom starts. I resist the urge to roll my eyes and start rethinking whether pretending to date Theo was such a good idea or not. "Do you have any plans for after Hogwarts?" She asks.

"I'd like to get a job at the ministry," Theo replies without any hesitation. "Preferably in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Well, I think that's wonderful," My mother replies, looking very pleased with his answer. She nods and gives him a small smile before taking a bite of her food.

I make eye contact with Matthew from across the table and he cannot keep a straight face. He looks like he's trying to not laugh.

Matt's gaze flicks between Theo and I, and he sits up a little straighter in his chair before clearing his throat. All of us look at him.

"So, Theodore," Matt says. "Can I call you Theodore?"

Theo grins, trying not to laugh. "Sure, if you would like," He says.

"What exactly are your intentions with my sister?" Matthew asks.

I kick him under the table, hard enough to make him yelp. Our mum notices it and sends a glare our way that says 'behave, we have a guest'.

"For now I just want to make her happy and take care of her. If Alex lets me, I'd like to marry her one day," Theo says. He sounds so honest as he speaks, but I'm the only one who knows that everything coming out of his mouth is a lie. "She's my best friend, and I always want to have her in my life," Theo adds.

He looks at me and smiles.

My mother is smiling at Theo and I and I can tell by the look on her face that she absolutely loves Theo. Even when everything between us is said and done, she will never stop asking me about him.

"Hmm," Matt replies. "I guess those are pretty decent intentions."

"Matthew," My mother says sternly.

Matt throws his hands up in defense. "I'm just teasing, I like Theo, we all like Theo," He explains. My mum just shakes her head and tries to keep a straight face.

The four of us go back to eating dinner, and I steal an occasional glance over towards Theo. I feel bad that my mum is asking him all of these questions even though he didn't seem to mind. He really is a good actor I guess.

When the dinner plates are cleared away and we're in the middle of eating dessert my mother starts asking questions again.

"Alexandria, have you given any thought to what you're doing after Hogwarts?" My mother asks.

No one calls me by my full name except for my mother and my professors.

I set my fork back on my plate. "I'm going to apply for the training program to become a Healer. I mentioned it before the term started."

"I know, but you were still on the fence," My mum replies. "I just wanted to see if anything had changed."

"It hasn't," I confirm.

She smiles, "Good, I think you'll make a wonderful Healer."

"Me too," Theo adds, bumping his knee against mine underneath the table.

We finish eating dessert and the plates are cleared away. Since our family always eats dinner later, it's getting late by the time that we're done with our meal. My mother says goodnight to all of us and heads upstairs, Matthew goes to his room to write to Sawyer, and Theo and I head upstairs to my bedroom.