The Deal I Made With Theodore Nott - NL x TN

The Deal

——————✧◦ ★ ◦✧——————

After collecting my books, I'm excited to finally be done with lessons. This week had felt abnormally long and I was honestly itching to get back to my common room.

"Longbottom!"

My one exit path is blocked by Theodore Nott Jr himself. He has each of his hands on either side of the doorway as he faces me with that charming confident smile. His teeth are almost white enough to blind me, though they are charismatically crooked in just the right way.

"I'm so glad I ran into you." He says, as if we weren't just sitting in an hour long lesson together just a moment ago.

"She's not interested Nott, just as I told you a million times before." I huffed, rolling my eyes and tapping my foot.

He doesn't look disappointed in my reply, if anything he looks more intrigued than ever.
It pisses me off.

"Well, maybe she changed her mind since the last time I asked." Nott replied with a close mouthed smile, his head tilted the way a dog does when it's interested in your reaction. My brain can't help but wonder what dog he'd be, most likely a golden retriever.

I shake the thoughts from my head.
"I'm in a hurry Nott." I say as I attempt to push passed him.

"No you aren't." Theo replies with a deep tone.

Not a golden retriever, He's just a rat.

"Coming Neville?"

The voice makes me immediately relax. It seems to have the opposite effect on Theo, as he visibly stiffened.

"Yeah, let's go." I reply as I step away from Theo and towards Dove. She smiles down at me with a comforting grin that I will never grow tired of, her eyes never even giving Theo the time of day.

As we walk away towards the Gryffindor commons I let my brain wander again. Theodore Nott had been asking me about my best mate Dove Rosier all year. It wasn't a surprise, many wizards had asked me about her.

"Is she single?"
"Are you two dating?"
"What kind of guy is she interested in?"

Dove Rosier has been my best mate since we were in diapers. She was sorted into Ravenclaw and I was sorted into Gryffindor, she was tall and I was short, she was smart and I was dumb, she was pretty and I was ugly. I wasn't quite sure why she stayed my friend but I appreciated her with everything that I am.

I'm not sure when it started, but at some point in our friendship people started assuming things. I was so embarrassed when the first person asked if we were dating, it felt almost offensive to presume someone like me could ever date someone like her. Dove didn't mind, after years of hearing it we both became unsurprised by the notion.
This most likely caused more talk.

"What did Nott want? He wasn't bothering you was he?" Dove asked, her hand making a fist like she would turn around and beat him to a pulp if I said the word.

"No! He- he was just asking for notes is all." I quickly lied as I threw my hands up in defense. She wasn't fully convinced but she shrugged it off regardless.

Dove was protective of me just as I was of her. Though she seemed gentle and well mannered, she was a die hard friend. She once broke Draco's nose for calling her cousin Luna 'loony.'
Malfoy lied and told everyone he broke it playing quidditch.

Theodore Nott Jr was mates with a few of my personal bullies but he'd never done anything to me. He never stopped anything either. I wasn't sure if he was nice to me just to get to Dove or perhaps he was actually a decent human being.
I hoped for the latter.