𝒯𝑜 𝒩𝑒𝓌 𝐵𝑒𝑔𝒾𝓃𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈

October 28th, 1993

Iris and Theodore always left the Great Hall early when they had Charms first; after all, it was quite far, and fighting the crowd leaving the Hall all at once was a chore.

As they entered the empty halls, the duo began their walk towards the stairs.

Normally Iris would blabber on about who knows what, but that day the duo had an uncharacteristic silence in the air between them. And normally, Theodore Nott reveled in the quiet moments, not finding himself with nearly as many as he used to have.

But today was different.

Today the silence was maddening.

Theodore's hand clenched a bit tighter as the duo approached the stairs.

Normally Iris would be up for some form of excitement; she would be insistent on a race or taking a new route to class to search for secrets in the castle. And normally, Theodore would shoot her ideas down; after all, he was punctual and a perfect student.

But today was different.

Today the idea of class was suffocating.

Theodore hesitated once at the stairs.

Normally Iris would be on the prowl for trouble, her mind always thinking of ways to go against the monotony of day-to-day life. And normally Theodore—

Iris grabbed Theodore's wrist, startling the boy as she began a sprint away from the stairs, away from the responsibilities of the day.

The boy stumbled at first but, oddly, found himself quickly just going with the girl's whims.

Allowing himself one day where everything could be different.

~~~~~~

Getting outside of the castle was worryingly easy. All they had to do was rush to the courtyard and go out onto the grounds. No one stopped them. The teachers would be preparing for classes, and the dementors couldn't be everywhere. So within minutes, they were gone, hidden in the treeline of the forest.

Theodore had collapsed immediately, catching his breath. He wasn't in all that great of shape for such a skinny boy. And for someone who willingly allowed himself to be dragged out of school, he wasn't handling being a rebel all that well.

Theodore held his head in his hands, mumbling, "If my father hears about this, about me skipping class...."

Iris, who was occupied in hanging their school bags in the tree, smiled down to Theodore, "They aren't gonna call home for one absent day. And most people forget you even exist, including Malfoy."

Theodore rolled his eyes, "Oh, how comforting."

Looking off into the forest, Iris hummed, allowing the boy to finish collecting himself as she considered their next move.

A quick burst of wind rustled the forest as the green of Iris's eyes was pushed further and further to the edge by the cobalt blue fire.

"Hurry and get up, the walk is a bit far, and I would like to make it back by dinner." Iris turned her gaze back to Theodore as she playfully added, "And I will leave you to rot if you can't keep up."

And so Iris went, her long legs carrying her well out of sight within seconds, leaving her recovering companion to glare and hurriedly stand. Taking long strides, Theodore called out, "What happened to not feeling up for an adventure!"

Iris grinned, slowing her pace as the boy caught up, "Is it really an adventure if I know where our destination is?"

"Fine then, an excursion," Theodore exaggerated his words, "Is that better?"