laconic • t.nott ✓

26 ➺ forgiveness

「 FORGIVENESS 」

DINNER WAS A JOYFUL EXPERIENCE. Stories of what Amycus Carrow had faced in their class spread quickly and even Draco was seen animatedly explaining the events to Astoria while Daphne glared at them with fire blazing in her eyes. Theo smiled and nudged her with his elbow.

"Chill out, Daphne," he said. "You completely killed him in class. You should be proud."

To Theo's surprise, she blushed. "I didn't do anything. It was mostly Neville and Seamus."

"Yes. Neville." Theo turned in his seat to look at her. "I've been meaning to speak to you about him, actually. What's going on between you two?"

Daphne stabbed her food with a fork causing a thud sound that drew everyone's attention toward them. Theo tried his best to pretend that he wasn't there. When the murmurs around them resumed, he looked at her, an eyebrow cocked inquisitively.

"So I'm not allowed to be friends with him now?" demanded Daphne. "We have to be - be -" She sputtered as she hunted for the right word, "- be attracted to each other? To care for one another?"

Theo held up his hands, both as a defence and as a surrender. "I'm definitely not saying that. But Seamus did mention that Neville cannot stop talking about you, and I thought -"

"You didn't tell me anything about what's going on between you and Seamus so don't expect answers for me," she snapped, brandishing her fork in front of his eyes. Theo decided to drop the subject.

He finished his dinner quietly. Daphne didn't pay him much attention afterwards, which was fine with Theo. He looked around and observed the people around him.

Once or twice, his eyes inadvertently fell on Blaise. He sat huddled at the corner, eating by himself, not talking to anyone, not looking at anything but the food in front of him. A part of Theo wished to reach out to him, to sit next to him to keep him company. He may be angry with Blaise, but it didn't erase the seven years of friendship they had shared and enjoyed.

"Have you spoken to him at all?" asked Daphne, nodding at Blaise. She must have noticed Theo staring. He wasn't particularly trying to hide it.

He shook his head, looking away. "No. Corben thinks I should though." He looked at her expectantly, hoping for a contradictory opinion.

But Daphne agreed with Corben. "I think so too." She didn't elaborate further but returned to bore holes in Malfoy's head with the sheer power of her eyes.

When dinner ended and the dishes started to vanish from the table, Theo made toward the great double doors but was stopped as someone grabbed his hand from behind. Suspecting who it was, he yanked his arm away and whirled around. "Stop doing that, Blaise!"

Blaise held up his hands. "I'm sorry."

Theo, trying to catch his breath, glared at Blaise. He looked different, somehow. More miserable. As he should be, a cruel part of Theo thought. His eyes were drawn together in a sad frown and his hands fluttered nervously by his sides. Blaise was never nervous.

"Theo, will you talk to me?" Blaise pleaded. "Please. I miss you."

Theo took a step back. He knew this was his chance to keep his promise to Corben but he couldn't. He couldn't. If he tried to talk to Blaise while he looked so vulnerable, he would end up forgiving him. Another time. Not now.

"Leave me alone," was what he said. Before he could change his mind, he stalked away.

Corben must have seen the whole interaction, Theo thought bitterly. He must think that Theo wasn't intent on keeping his promise. Theo thought that he should go back and tell him that he needed more time, that he wasn't ready to talk to Blaise yet. But his legs carried him away from the Great Hall, away from Blaise and he didn't try to stop them.