Unreal

Chp 80 How to Brew a Bad Idea: Theft Optional (But Encouraged)

We stopped just around the corner from Snape's storeroom.

I was practically vibrating with nerves, shifting my weight from one foot to the other like I was waiting for the floor to open up and swallow me whole. "Okay," I whispered, "so the plan is... we wait until there's no one nearby—then I sneak in, grab the stuff, and get out. Quiet. Quick. Hopefully not arrested."

Theo looked completely unbothered, arms crossed, head tilted like this was the most amusing detour of his day. "Brilliant plan," he said, grinning. "Terribly illegal. But brilliant."

I smacked his arm. "Pay attention! This is serious."

He laughed again—low and warm, and completely wrong for the situation. "You look like you're about to faint."

I shot him a glare, but it probably wasn't very effective considering I was also visibly panicking. "I am not—" I started, then stopped. My voice caught in my throat. I felt it again—tightness in my chest. The fear. The pressure. The fact that if this didn't work, I was going into that task to drown.

Theo must've noticed the shift in me, because his expression softened.

Then he said it.

"I'll do it."

I blinked at him. "Wait—what?"

"You stay here," he said calmly, like this was no big deal. His hand came up to rest lightly on my shoulder. "Catch your breath. Stop shaking. I've got it."

My brain completely short-circuited.

"Are you mad? You'll get caught."

He just smiled. "Probably. But I'm charming. I'll figure it out."

"Theo—" I started, but he cut me off with an expectant look.

"The list?"

I hesitated, eyes flicking between him and the storeroom. But he just stood there, waiting—calm and reckless and infuriatingly sure of himself.

With a sigh, I reached into my bag and handed it over.

He took it with a smirk, then turned and walked off without another word.

And I just stood there. Mouth slightly open. Heart somewhere near my knees. Wondering how, exactly, I ended up in the middle of a heist with him.

••••

I paced in place, one hand clutching the strap of my bag, the other fidgeting uselessly by my side.

Theo had disappeared behind the door.

And I was useless.

Each second felt like a full minute ticking down to my public execution. My heart was pounding so hard it echoed in my ears. I was supposed to be preparing for the second task—not preparing to spend the rest of my life banned from Hogwarts, locked in Azkaban, or worse... scolded by McGonagall in front of the whole school.

I chewed the inside of my cheek, eyes darting to the hallway again.

Still clear.

Just a little longer, and he'd be out. Just a little lo—

Footsteps.

Heavy. Measured. Familiar.

My blood ran cold.

No.
No no no no no.

I peeked around the corner, and that's when I saw him.

Snape.

Storming down the hallway, black robes billowing behind him like he was gliding instead of walking. His face, all sharp angles and eternal disapproval, was locked in that expression of utter disdain. A predator. Heading straight for the storeroom.