fall into me | t. scamander

fluttering

"They're not going to include everything in the midterm, surely?" Kevin asked one evening as the trio sat by the Slytherin fire, a splatter of books along the table as they studied the jight away.

"It is our seventh year, after all," Raina replied, "I believe they'd like to test us."

"Ugh, I'm going to fail Potions," Kevin groaned then, head plonking against his open book, "I can't do this anymore. i don't even know why I'm in Slytherin. i'm not even a good liar and I'd rather be caught dead than cheating."

"Oh because that's a requirement? To know how to cheat?" Mei asked with a chuckle, eyes not leaving her notes.

"Ha ha, very funny." The dark-haired young man flicked his finger at her before he let out a wistful sigh, "I can't wait to go back home for Christmas."

"I am not," Raina replied, "my cousin's getting married and it's meant to be this huge thing. I'll have to play good daughter and kiss every single cheek available."

"Well I'm sure it will be better than whatever's happening in the next two weeks," Mei answered grimly, "I, for one, can't wait to be done here."

It was on the eve of the mid-terms that Mei bumped into Theseus on her way back to her dormitory. Her head had been filled with so many Ancient Rune incantations that she'd barely noticed him hanging outside her until she almost bumped into him.

"Oh—sorry," she looked up, blinked at the familiar face before her, "what are you doing here?"

"Waiting for my favorite Slytherin, what else?" Theseus leaned against the corridor wall with a slight smile, though that did nothing to hide the blue aprons under his eyes or the gauntness of his face. His skin looked pale, as though he hadn't stepped out into the sunlight for quite a while and concern filled Mei's chest.

The young man continued, unaware of her mental debate, "ready for mid-terms?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"You're right. You don't," he grinned then, as if pleased, and before Mei was about to retort back a reply, quickly produced a small vial by dangling it before her face.

Mei frowned, eyes flitting from the bottle to his face, "what is that?"

"It's a calming potion, made with lilac tea leaves and mint," he somehow looked as though he was embarrassed to be here, not meeting her gaze as he continued, "thought you might need the sleep."

"Oh," Mei blinked, "that's... surprisingly kind of you."

"Like I said, I do have the ability to be—" he paused for added effect, "—kind."

"Arse."

Theseus chuckled, grabbed onto her wrist before she could say anything before dropping the vial into her palm, "put two to three drops on your pillow, always works wonders for me. But not too much, or you might just sleep through tomorrow entirely."

"Did you make it?"

"Obviously not," he scoffed, "I'm kind. Not that kind."

Still, it was nice of him, a gesture that Mei hadn't expected, and as she went to sleep that night, there was a definite smile curling at the edges of her lips as the smell of lavender washed through her and brought her home to darkness.

———

Midterm season was chaotic.

The morning of the first mid-term started out horrifying for Mei, who forgot to turn her alarm on and was by default fifteen minutes late for breakfast. She'd barely managed to scrape her hair together and get a bunch of mismatched socks into her shoes as she'd hurried down the marble steps, practically shoving herself into someone else in the process.