You'll be the Death of Me

Chapter 16

This is a small chapter, but I really hope you all enjoy it. I think it gives some more insight to Thomas' character.

~Timeline! ~

1st week of September

Chapter one- When Neville was just curious about Graces.

3rd week of September

Chapter two, three, and four.

Chapter three was Neville and Graces encounter in the Greenhouse.

4th week of September

Chapter five, six, seven, and eight.

5th week of September

Chapter nine and ten and eleven 12 13

1st week of October

Chapter 14, 15,16,

Please keep in mind how fast all of this is going. It really has only been like barely two weeks since they have slept together, so it's normal for them to still be up in the air. I promise I will have them more stable, but they still have some things to work out.

Chapter 16

Thomas was very aware of everything that went on around him. Not because of any particular interest in everyone's life, but because he had to be. His family had chosen to keep out of the war, but that didn't mean that they were closing their eyes to everything that was going on with it. Luckily for his family, Thomas saw and heard more than most. People tended to ignore younger years. Especially ones like him who were so quiet. He was so quiet that often he was missed entering a room or listening closely at a nearby table, but he was there and he noticed and heard everything. He noticed that the Malfoys seemed more on edge, as though they both were constantly expecting an attack. He noticed the way Nott watched Graces like lion stalking a deer. And he noticed that Neville Longbottom seemed to have an interest in Graces as well.

He had originally thought that Longbottom was just pining hopelessly after a girl far out of his league, in stature and beauty, but after the display today he wasn't sure what was going on. He did know one thing, though; Graces read those muggle books and Longbottom knew. He saw the way she had reacted when he had said, "Don't read Shakespeare, huh?" No one else heard in the hall, but he did. And he knew who Shakespeare was after Pansy came in still raving about how far the Longbottom family has fallen when their heir read Shakespeare. Graces at the time had laughed along with her and made the usual snide comments about Longbottom, but her reaction in the hall had given her away. Now that he thought about it though, Graces was always reading some book or other in a corner along the grounds, but never in the main room with everyone else.

He recalled that once in the common room Pansy had asked what she was reading, but Graces had just laughed and insisted it was nothing good. She then had proceeded to flatter Pansy on her new earrings. Gushing over how she was so lucky to pull off yellow goblin gold, and that she wished her skin wasn't so pasty. He now saw it all for what it was, a distraction. Graces read muggle books, and Longbottom knew.

He was aware that he should feel differently now for the girl. That he should consider her a blood traitor now. That she threatened his culture and should be exposed, but he just couldn't get his heart to feel that way. Even when he was in the hall, and had just realized what Graces had done, he couldn't bear the thought of her being cast out and ruined in their society, forever to be thought of as a blood traitor. How could he want that for the girl that had been his salvation? He remembered how nervous he had been as a first year. He knew that people were going to make fun of him. He knew that he was going to embarrass his family when he opened his mouth, revealing their deep, dark secret: that their son was incapable of normal speech. He had even thought he was prepared for it. But when the sorting feast was over and he entered the Slytherin dorm for the first time with all his new housemates, he realized how so unprepared he was.