TW!! - Discussion of self harm
All rights of characters and world are reserved to J.K. Rowling.
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If they are fucking in his kitchen he honestly wouldn't even be upset about it. He may even clap. That is how tired he is of seeing those two circle each other.
He wouldn't even care if they did it on the counter, as long as they did it a healthy and clean distance from the burnt chocolate. And make it a quick shag because he is needing that creamy delicious drink soon.
They have already been gone much longer than Theo knows is needed to make the drink, and from the way Ronald keeps glancing at the doorway, he isn't the only one noticing.
It looks like the bloke is about to storm out of the room at any second, and Theo has no desire to put Hermione through having Ron walk in on her and Draco shagging. That would be horrible for her stress levels for sure.
"So Ronald, Hermione has told me you are very good at chess."
Ron takes his gaze off of the door and looks in his direction, but his eyes travel right through him. Theo is used to that look. People gave him that look all the time. He was never the person someone was excited to see in a room, or the life of the party. He was the person who stood in the background and watched, or was talked to as a filler between the person someone really wanted to talk with.
"I was undefeated in our house."
Ron looks back down at the notes in front of him, and starts to correct some misspellings. It was obvious the man had worked alongside Hermione before, but it also was obvious they were on two different playing fields when it came to researching together; Ron struggled keeping up.
That wasn't a blow at the bloke. Most people would struggle keeping up with the evil witch. Even Theo found himself sometimes being lost with her fast working mind.
"Draco and I like to play as well. I have a set in the game room if you ever want to play?"
"No."
Theo rolls his eyes and shakes his head. He had been nice to the bloke ever since he came. He really tried to be, even when Ron was living up to the drunk description Hermione had given him. Because Theo feels bad for the man. He can see he isn't a bad guy, just really hurting. Unfortunately, he was choosing to throw all that hurt onto everyone around him instead of reaching out for help.
"Okay... I actually have something for the two of you to read, to help Hermione if you want."
He pulls the book he had picked up from Hermione and Draco's room this morning, and holds it out to Ron.
"Draco and I read this book when we first found Hermione, to try to help her better, and also to better understand what she is going through. Thought it might help you two as well."
The ginger looks from the book to him again before sneering and shaking his head.
"Hell no."
And why am I not surprised...
Ginevra grunts and takes the book out of his hands.
"You are such a prat Ron! You are so miserable because that is all you allow yourself to be until you get exactly what you want. Teddy is being very nice to you, the least you could do is..."
"I am not going to pretend to like him, Gin. I am not going to pretend I trust either of them."
Theo rolls his eyes as the man talks like he is not even in the room. Trust was never something that kept people from liking him. That is a new reason to add to the many he knew people used for staying away from him.
He lets out a yawn and runs his hand over his face. He is drained. The ache in his bones and head were a dead giveaway that he had topped out. He never wanted to live with this many people again in his life. Not one part of him enjoyed it. They were everywhere, always. Somehow even though the rooms outnumbered the people, they were never empty for long. He didn't even have his room to himself anymore. He wants to take back all the times he complained after gambling night that he needed a break from people. Today, in this moment, he was sure he was at his breaking point.
What excuse can I come up with to get out of these rooms with all these people?
"I need to take a trip down to the potions room to restock my healing kit, and also to get some potions I think may be helpful to have for our mission to Hogwarts."
He stands up, and watches as Ron does the same.
"I need to contact The Order and discuss logistics with Neville."
He nods his head and Ginevra follows them as they all exit the library and start down the hallway. Theo feels his anxiety spike as Ron takes the lead.
Shit... I need to warn them, just in case they are in a compromising position.
"Burnt chocolate!!"
He yells it so loud that the ginger in front of him jumps and turns to give him a bewildered look. He didn't blame him. He realized how crazy he sounded. It was quite obvious Ron had no desire to ever be friends with him, so why even try? He would rather protect the relationships he had.
"You are a weird bloke..." Ron says as he turns his head and starts walking down the hall.
"I have heard a lot worse Ronald Weasley."
"Don't listen to him Teddy, he wouldn't know what cool is if it hit him in the face."
He smiles and looks back at the ginger snap who winks at him. She is wearing some outfit she had purchased that he believes is more suited for sporting events but she seemed to like it, which is all that really mattered.
Though, he had made her responsible for cleaning up all the droppings from the 32 owls that had flown in with package after package for her over the past couple of days. She had really tried to run him dry. He didn't mind.
As no surprise to Theo, Ron turns to the kitchen where Hermione and Draco are supposed to be before heading to the floo. Theo follows, hoping he had screamed loud enough to get them to separate from each other, but as Ron pauses in the doorway looking shocked, he is convinced he had failed.
Shit... please let Hermione be on top, please let Hermione be on top. I don't think I can live if I see Draco's pale back with a crack...
He walks up and squints over Ron's shoulder to see both fully clothed and sitting on the floor.
Thank Merlin.
Theo lets out the breath he had been holding. He has no idea why the ginger was giving them such a surprised look. All the two are doing is sitting on the floor, and apparently Draco must have said something funny, because the brunette is laughing at him. Seems completely innocent in his opinion.
"Is the burnt chocolate done?"
He shoves past Ronald still standing, mouth open, in the doorway. Hermione and Draco finally notice that they are not alone, and Hermione nods her head and rises to pour him a glass.
"Yes. Sorry."
She hands him the bowl mug and he drinks over half of it, holding it out for more before she is even able to pour a mug full for the others patiently waiting. She laughs again, and fills it to the brim this time.
"'Mione, do you want to come talk to Neville with me? We can go over more of what our end of the mission is too. Get your insight."
Hermione turns and hands the others a mug and nods at Ron.
"Sure Ron. I'll be there in a few minutes."
Theo sees the ginger look from Hermione, and then back at the blonde leaning against the counter next to her, looking down at the floor.
The bastard had lied earlier. Theo knew him well enough to know that. He also knew that Draco was aware that he knew. So that meant he must plan on talking to him about whatever was happening that he was once again keeping from Hermione. This wasn't good. Situations like this never were. They always ended up with one of them getting hurt.
I am really getting fucking sick of all this...
"You look tired Theo. Do you need a solitude break like before?'
He blinks and looks up, not realizing he had been staring at a space in front of him for some time as the people around him continued to speak. He did that every now and again. Just left the room where things were happening, and went somewhere much quieter in his mind. It was one of his favorite things he found himself naturally capable of doing.
"I am actually going to run down to the potions room, and stock up on some items I think we will be needing."
Hermione moves to stand next to Draco as she takes a sip of her drink, and Ron lets out an annoyed huff as he exits the room. The man didn't smell too strongly of alcohol this morning, but Theo isn't sure if that is because he was getting used to the smell, or if Ron had cut back. Theo would wager on the first.
He looks over to see Ginevra staring down at her drink looking perplexed.
Does she not like it? If you don't like the drink, honestly it may completely change my opinion of you ginger snap.
"Do you not like it Ginevra?"
Please say you like it. Please say you like it, because if not... well that is a deal breaker for me. We won't be able to be friends.
She looks up at him, and then looks towards Hermione.
"No, it's very good, but... Burnt chocolate you say?"
"Yes Ginny. Burnt chocolate. That is what the drink is called."
The redhead just stares at her friend for a second, and once again Theo is lost.
"I'll be back in probably an hour or so."
Or longer honestly. He planned on taking his good ole' time. Maybe reacquainting himself with the complex process of expanding his house to include an extra couple of rooms. Because he truly was beginning to feel the walls closing in on him.
Draco lifts his head, and looks directly at him with an expression Theo really doesn't understand. He keeps glaring at him, then darts his eyes over to the ginger snap and then back to him.
What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean mate? I usually can follow you, but I am lost at the moment.
The man does it again, this time raising his eyebrows like a 'come on Nott' kind of meaning.
Sorry Draco, I'm lost. You'll have to tell me later. Along with whatever dark and twisty secret you are keeping from Hermione.
He shrugs at his brother who shakes his head as he takes another sip from his glass. Theo turns to leave, but he stops and watches ginger snap down her entire drink.
You want to ask her...
"Ginevra, do you want to come with me?"
Wait what? No Theo boy... Not too many people are going to want to spend hours in a muggy smelly little room while you rattle off about things only you find important. Shit, you probably made her feel obliga...
His thoughts halt as she smiles up at him and nods her head.
"Sure! Field trips seem to be our thing Teddy. Let me go grab the cloak."
He reaches out and takes her mug before she leaves. As he turns around, he is met with the smirking faces of his two best friends.
"What?"
Draco opens his mouth to say something, but the evil witch nudges him in the side hard with her elbow and he grunts.
"Nothing Theo. Here I'll take that." He hands her the mug, still careful to make sure their hands do not touch. "Don't let Ginny mix potions. She did that sometimes back at Hogwarts to see what would happen, and it landed her in the infirmary more than once."
Crazy Gryffindor's and their death wishes.
"Don't worry we will be fine. See you guys in a bit."
He accio's his healing kit, and starts to walk to the door. Ginevra meets him in the hallway as just a head, and he laughs at her as he casts the detection charm. Like usual, no one is home.
"Okay, so keep quiet until we get in the potion room. I have it warded to disappear if someone is in it, so we should be safe then."
The woman nods her head before making it disappear into the cloak. She had no idea the house of horrors she was currently in, but he had given her enough info to not make her question why he requested her silence.
He motions for the now invisible girl to follow him, and shuts the door.
Neither of them speak as they make their way down the route that usually caused him the most pain.
What a shitty ironic circle his life is.
To have the path he had to take to heal, to survive, be the one that hurt him the most.
"Mother killer."
Oh shit...
"It should have been you both. Your father should have thrown you in the pond before anyone knew of your existence."
"I still think that paternity charm could have been wrong, his father should do it again."
Theo doesn't look up at the portraits who are in their frames currently. Usually their words didn't affect him. He hadn't been lying earlier when he admitted he had been called much worse to Ronald. He was used to it. But knowing that Ginevra was hearing them, witnessing it as well, made his breaths become shallower. He needed to get to step 189 and now.
The invisible woman doesn't say anything as they make their way down the stairs. As Theo's count hits 111, he moves closer to the light steps he hears next to him.
Come on, come on. 114, 115, 116...
POP!
Oh shit! No, no, no, shit!
Theo frantically reaches out until he feels the material of the cloak, and without thinking, pushes her up against the wall and into the shadows of the hallway.
"Wha..."
He shakes his head at the space in front of him. Warning her to stop talking.
"My father."
Shit, shit, shit shit!
He pushes his body hard against hers as he tries to do the math to figure out if they could make it to the potion room before his father spots him. They had another 73 steps to go. From the floo, it would take his father approximately 82 steps to get to his office which was towards the end of the hallway. He had probably taken at least 15 steps since Theo first heard him, which would put him coming around the corner in less than 20 steps max.
They didn't have enough time.
"Theo here."
The invisible woman's hand appears through the cloak, reaches out, and touches the handle of the closest door in the hallway.
A door.
The door.
The left room door.
Fuck no stop!
Theo grabs her hand and smashes it against the wall stopping her from opening the door into the left room. The room that filled all of his worst nightmares and moments. The room that he would never go into willingly again.
"Ouch, Teddy wha..."
"Not... not that room... not the... left room... no... I, I can't..."
His breathing becomes impossible, and the dots start appearing. He couldn't do this. Not now. Not with her here in front of him. Not with her in danger.
Think Theo think! You have to keep her away from your father. You have to. You have to preserve her.
He hears footsteps.
He hears the anger in them. Theo learned a long time ago how to tell what kind of mood his father was in by the way he walked. If they were heavy and clipped, that meant a beating was coming. A bad one. A sober one. If they were slower and heavy with a slight drag, he was drunk and Theo could usually stay safe. If they were measured and steady, he could expect the left room. Because the man had a plan for him.
This time, they are hard and clipped.
Shit...
He has less than 7 more steps if he had calculated correctly, and with the state of his mind, he wouldn't wager on his accuracy. The monster was about to see him, and the only option he can think of is to...
Oh fuck it!
He lets go of Ginevra's wrist, and grabs at the invisible material in front of him trying to find the opening.
The redhead catches on to what he is trying to do and opens up the cloak, throwing it over the both of them as he presses them into the wall behind her hard.
The fear, the contact, the heat coming from her, the sound of his father's footsteps, and the memories all flood him. All consume him. All take his breath away. His vision away. His awareness away.
He pushes them harder into the wall, trying to become a part of it. Some way, somehow he needed to become a part of it. Why wasn't there magic to make him become a part of it?
He feels more than he sees Ginevra pull out her wand, and recite what sounded to him like a silencing charm around them,
right as he turns his head and sees his father come around the corner.
He can't see you. He can't see her. Theo you are fine. She is fine. Breathe in...1 Breathe out..2...
As his father moves closer and looks at an area above the two of them, Theo wraps his arm around Ginevra and pulls her into him, trying to cover her as much as he can. He was only a few inches shorter than Draco, but Ginevra was taller than Hermione. He needed her to make herself smaller to curl into him as much as she could. He needed to cover her completely.
The monster can't see her. The monster can't taint her.
"Theo, it's okay he can't see..."
He shoots his hand up between them and wraps it around her mouth, stopping her from speaking. The hand is steady. He doesn't understand how his body always became more concrete while his insides were crumbling and collapsing when these high-stressed moments happened.
The black dots become bigger, but he can see the ginger snaps eyes widen, her breath dampening his palm, her body also steady as they hide from the monster making his way closer to them.
Nothing is breaking today.
He finally hears the door of his fathers office shut, and he counts his breaths, and relaxes his arms around the redhead who continues to allow him to pull himself together. He counts each inhale and exhale, trying to get them under control, trying to get himself to be able to move again, but now that the threat isn't immediate, the shaking has begun.
"Hey Theo, Theo... I am going to touch you okay? It is me, ginger snap okay?"
He feels her hands on his shoulders, and he jerks his body away from the contact, trying to get away from the skin.
Skin touching skin. Skin touching skin!
The heavy fabric of the invisibility cloak doesn't allow him to escape the contact by much, but by enough to only feel her breath against his face. He didn't like that either. He didn't like feeling it. She shouldn't be here. She shouldn't be this close to evil.
"Bloody hell, okay Theo okay. Listen, I am going to start walking, just follow the pull of the cloak. Don't fight it, just walk with it."
His limbs are shaking uncontrollably now. He can't stop them. He can't breathe either. Weird noises are coming out of his mouth. At least he thinks he is the one making the wheezing whistle.
Breathe in... 155... Breathe out... 156... Breathe in... 157... Breathe out.
Theo feels the weight of the material pull him forward, forcing him to take one step, then another, then another. He tries to count them. She had no idea where they were going.
17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26... 70, 71, 72, 73.
"Stop, it's the door next to you."
He hears it open and the weight pulls him inside. He is already falling to the floor before he hears her shut the door.
She is fine Theo... You are fine. He can't come in here now that you are both in the room. She is safe. You are safe.
"Theo, here."
He hears a vial placed on the floor in front of him, and he reaches out blindly, grabs it, and swallows the contents immediately.
Breathe in 344... Breathe out... 345... Breathe in.. 346.. Breathe out.. Breathe in. 347. Breathe out. Breathe in 348 Breathe out.
Theo finally opens his eyes and blinks through the spots still growing and moving across his vision of a worried Ginevra staring back at him.
"What can I do Theo? What, what can I do to help you?"
Nothing, his fucked up mind thinks automatically. There was no helping him anymore. The damage was permanent. The effects were staying. This is who he was. This cowering pathetic mess of a man. She shouldn't be here.
"You shouldn't be here."
He hears her sit down next to him as he closes his eyes again.
"Yeah well, I always end up where I shouldn't. It is one of my specialties, Teddy."
His body is still shaking. He wishes he would have brought some of the potions and supplements they had made for Hermione with them. He needed a couple at the moment. Way more than the calming draught she just gave him.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
It.
It.
A two letter word to summarize his whole horrible existence. It was too broad. It wasn't a reasonable explanation or summary of what he had been through. It left him at a loss for words. Where would he even begin? Should he tell her the fork story too? That seemed to work with Hermione, but Ginevra is not Hermione. She is... she is different.
"Okay I'll start. You look nothing like your father. Thank fuck too because he is one ugly bastard."
Theo can't help the snort that escapes between his controlled breathing. He really was.
"He is definitely one of those cases where his insides match his outsides."
"Ugh the worst kinds."
He grins and looks up to see her smiling, leaning back on her hands next to him. She still looks at him like he is a person. He likes that.
"Hermione bit off part of his ear too, so now he looks even worse."
"She did what?! Merlin's tits that's badarse."
Theo nods his head, and they both enter back into that silence for a while.
He likes silence. Always has. It was a comfort. He knew some people hated it, but not him. And as he looks over to see Ginevra taking in the room around her, he thinks maybe she doesn't mind it either. She always seemed comfortable. No matter where she was. The complete opposite of him. But maybe in this one way they were similar, similar in the silence of it all. And he can admit that the quiet is even better with someone next to him, sitting with him in it.
I was right the first time when I said she shouldn't be here, but I'm glad she is.
They sit in the quiet for a while before Theo feels confident enough in himself to stand up, and stretch out his more relaxed muscles and limbs.
"Sorry. For ugh... for touching you, and for being a bit forceful. I just... I know what he is capable of, and I didn't want him seeing you in..."
"Teddy shut the hell up. What you should be saying is you're welcome. Between your entire body basically imprinting me into the fucking wall, a silencing charm, and an invisibility cloak, that man didn't stand a chance. I'm not the one with a touching rule. You are. Feel free to plaster me to a wall anytime. The more aggressive the better."
He chokes on his breath, and meets her eyes that are already wider with amusement as she winks. Merlin the woman liked to make him squirm, and she was bloody good at it.
Theo lets out a cough, pulls off his kit, and places it on the small apothecary table in the center of the room.
"Yes, well I am still sorry you had to witness and go through that just now. I shouldn't have asked you to come."
He pulls out the list of ingredients and materials he is wanting to stock. Ginevra moves next to him, and hoists herself up onto the table right beside his bag. For some reason, which confuses Theo to no end, he doesn't feel his normal emotion of agitation as she places her arse on a surface arses did not go.
That arse can go anywhere it wan...
Wait, shit, what the fuck?
Why do I sound like Draco?
It is just skin. That's all. Skin covering bones.
Nothing special.
And remember Theo, you don't like skin.
Bloody horny fucker is rubbing off on me.
"Does something like that always happen to you when he is near?"
Theo shrugs.
"To an extent. It usually isn't that bad, but I have been having episodes like that since I was 9."
He moves over to the floor to ceiling shelf, and scans for the three items on the top of his list. He had made sure to place them in order of their locations to make his search much easier.
"Have you found anything that helps you? That way if I am around again, I will know what to do."
Well that was very nice of her. Shit, maybe Gryffindor's were actually a really cool group of people.
I'll never admit it to Draco, but I kind of wish I had been sorted into their house.
"Being alone and counting."
"Well fuck, no wonder it was worse this time with me breathing down your neck. My bad Teddy. I have the tendency to make everything worse with my actions."
He is already shaking his head as he turns back to the table where she is sitting twirling one of the empty vials in her hand.
He knew that meant more than just now. He knew what blaming yourself looked like. Hating yourself. Wishing it would have been you rather than the other person. She knew too.
"That's not true Ginevra, and you didn't make things worse. You honestly made it better."
She scoffs and kicks the back of her shoe with her other foot.
"I thought you just said being alone helps?"
Theo shrugs as he places the moss into a bag and labels the front.
"It does."
"But you're not alone, I wreck that."
"You don't wreck that. You are the exception to that."
Now shit, where did I put the container for the mushroom mold? I have to use that exact container because if not, my entire house is going to smell like feet.
He ends up filling the container to the brim. Three of the potions Hermione needed had the disgusting shit in them.
"Like healing?"
He blinks and is pulled from his thoughts. They must have gone back to the silence for a while without him really realizing.
"What?"
He turns the page over, and moves to the opposite wall to grab a few already made potions like calming draught, and murtlap.
"Like you said healing is an exception?"
Theo is not following where the ginger snap is going. Seriously, what is she talking about? Maybe this was another one of those situations when his naivety is showing. It sucked that it seemed to show all the damn time around the woman. Probably making him seem like a fucking twat to her.
So like he always does in situations where he finds himself not really knowing the right response or the answer, Theo simply nods his head at the girl. He watches as something changes on her face as she looks at him across the room. There was a lot about the woman he did not understand.
"Good to know Teddy."
Oh shit fucking shit...
Why is the way she is looking at him, and the way she just said those words both terrifying him, and also making blood rush somewhere a fucking gain? Theo never had this problem. Naughty Nott always behaved. Even if the name inferred otherwise.
Lucky for him, he is currently deep into actually needing to recite potion ingredients, so the action does not seem out of place as he begins listing them outloud, while also imagining a fork.
"And going into that room... That wouldn't have been better?"
He drops the vial on the ground, and jumps at the sound of shattering glass.
Well, boner gone.
The left room.
He didn't talk about the left room.
Even Draco didn't know much about the left room.
That was his room.
His.
Well, and Hermione's actually. She was given a taste of what that room entailed. Her experience was undoubtedly different in it's own disgusting, horrible, and destructive way.
Theo squeezes his eyes shut and waves his wand to clean the mess he has made.
"No... I never plan on entering that room again."
He pulls out another vial, and begins to pour the large batch of murtlap into it.
"I, I have a room too."
He tilts the large bottle back up and sets it down. Ginevra never sounded like she had just now. He looks up at her to see the redhead staring at her shoes as she swings her legs back and forth. The girl was never afraid of eye contact unlike him. She had made him physically turn or leave a room with those beady glaring hazel eyes multiple times over the past week.
"But I'm the opposite of you. I had to be... warded out of it."
Theo is a bit lost at what Ginevra is talking about. Why would someone ward her out of a room? He had joked about doing it plenty of times to the snake crew, but never had acted on it.
"Do you know, we still have Harry's body?"
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
It took a lot to surprise Theo, but the gingersnap just did. They had Harry's body? Why? Polyjuice potion didn't need more than a hair or two. What would be the point of keeping the Chosen One's actual body? That...That is one of the most fucked up things he has ever heard.
"I... I won't let them bury him, or... or dispose of him anywhere, but next to his parents. It's what he would have wanted. I know it. And... and this fucked up world we live in took everything from him. Absolutely everything. So... I won't, I can't let them take the only thing I have left that I can give him. If Harry ever died, he would be placed next to his mum and dad. That's right. That makes sense you know? But we can't do that, because the noseless git has the place watched constantly. Thinking Harry might show up like before..."
The ginger's voice breaks, and Theo moves to stand in front of her. Trying to show her she has his full attention. He had been in one of these moments months ago with Hermione. He knew Ginevra needed one as well. He could do it. He could always offer that to someone. A listening ear. It was the one thing he could offer anyone and feel comfortable.
"They have him in this enchanted room in the safehouse, with spells covering his...body to, well, you know."
Preserve him.
Yes I definitely understand that Ginevra.
"And I... I wasn't okay for a while. A long while, and I became a bit obsessed with... with sitting next to him. Not him, I mean it. It isn't him anymore, but I couldn't stop myself. I couldn't stop looking at him."
She starts to cry. Unlike Hermione, Ginevra is a very pretty crier.
"After two months of basically living in the room, Ron, Neville, and Kingsley warded me out. They let me say goodbye first. And I would be lying if I didn't admit that I tried to break in a few dozen times after."
She stops swinging her legs in between them, and finally looks up at him.
"I'm so sorry Ginevra."
"I want to bury him when this is all over. When we win, which we fucking will. We have to, right? There... there has to be more than this right?"
Shit was she talking to the wrong person. Those thoughts, those questions... It was like the woman was reading his mind. He used to play that mantra on a loop every time Draco had to talk him out of ending everything. It had been too many times to talk about before Draco had learned to spell him against harming himself. Theo had never told anyone that some of the scars on his body were from himself and not from his father.
"I don't know Ginevra, but... but I want there to be."
She nods her head, and wipes away the tears traveling on to her little freckled nose.
"Well, I guess that has to be enough for now right? Wanting something more. Having something to fight for?"
Merlin, was she brave. That must be why people always seemed to listen to her. She demanded attention without asking. Her voice carried the promise of action that inspired. She believed in everything she said, like she is now.
"You're inspiring ginger snap."
She lets out a huff as she cleans her face, and jumps off of the apothecary table.
"And you're a good listener Teddy. Fuck, I'm sorry. You were the one having a hard moment, and here I go off about my own problems and..."
"Ginevra, shut the hell up. I like listening. I like people talking to me. So no apologizing for stupid shit like that okay?"
The redhead laughs and grabs the cloak as she lifts one hand and salutes him.
Oh for fucks sakes, don't...
"Aye, aye captain."
The evil witch must have fucking told her. There is no other explanation... Maybe I can imperius her to never say those two words again.
And see Theo boy, thoughts like that are why you were sorted into the snake pit instead of the lion's den.
The girl tosses the cloak over both of them, and Theo silently cracks the door to ensure his father is not in the hallway. It is empty.
"Okay, so we both stay under the cloak until we are safely shut behind my doors, understand?"
He looks back and watches her bob her head.
"Keep up."
They quickly move through the open doorway, the only evidence that someone was in the halls. Theo shuts it, then takes off. The ginger keeps up with him impressively well as his heart starts beating in his ears and his fear starts to take over.
186, 187, 188, 189.
They both lunge into the door, and fall onto the floor of his main entryway. Theo kicks the door shut, and lets his head fall onto the floor as he takes in deep breaths. He can hear Ginevra doing the same next to him.
"What happened?"
Theo opens his eyes to see a tall blonde staring down at him.
He sits up and runs his hand over his face.
"My fucking father flooed in on our way to the potion room. He is still here. Nothing happened though, I just wanted to get back as quickly as possible."
He shrugs off the healing kit and shoves it up at Draco.
"Got everything we will possibly need for Hogwarts and also for Hermione."
Draco looks from him, to the kit, to the open door behind him where Theo now can hear Hermione and Ron talking to Neville.
"Carrow added a stipulation to the presentation. He wants me to bring her. I just received the owl with instructions from the Dark Lord. He verified to bring her."
Well shit, that must have been the secret the prick was keeping from them earlier...
"Bloody hell Draco. Why?"
His brother grunts and leans against the wall next to him.
"He believes I am... using her like they did. He wants me to bring her because... he believes it would be a convincing incentive for the younger males to willingly join the Death Eater forces."
"What you are beating around the bush from saying is that they want you to bring your supposed sex slave with you, so those twisted blokes will join thinking they will get one as well?"
Draco nods his head at the ginger snaps anger filled words.
"Well I think we can all agree that isn't fucking happening."
The blonde smirks down at her and lowers his voice.
"That is exactly what I wanted to hear Red. I have an idea, but I will need to... borrow you for the night."
Theo feels his body getting hot as Draco is speaking. Borrow Ginevra? He didn't like the sound of that.
"You want me to impersonate her, so she doesn't have to go?"
Theo waits for the joke to drop. For the 'ha just messing with you Nott' to leave Draco's lips. Because it has to be coming. This has to be a joke. Draco was not wanting the ginger snap to pretend to be some twisted prisoner of war slag for him.
"And that is why you are my least hated Weasley."
Well Theo did not hear anything that sounded like a joke in that statement.
He looks up at his mate and sees he is serious.
"Hell no Draco. She isn't doing that."
The satisfied and confident look on Draco's face falters as he makes eye contact with him.
"It actually isn't a bad idea. Neville could go with Ron, and I could go with the ferret and you. It could work."
"Just because it could work does not mean we should do it. No Draco, think up another one of your crazy schemes, because I am not on board with this one."
Theo is done with this conversation. He stands up and leaves the room without looking at either of them. Did Draco know what risk he was putting her in? It was one thing to have her underneath the cloak looking for the sword. It was another to have her pretend to be...
"Nott what's going on?"
He hears his bedroom door shut behind him, and turns to face the tall blonde.
"Nothing."
"It looks like a whole hell of a lot of something. It is a good plan, and Red agrees so I..."
"Would you want Hermione pretending, acting like she was my fuck toy?"
Draco's confusion drops, and his lips form a thin line as he watches Theo.
Shit, he was being ridiculous wasn't he? Why was he being ridiculous?
"Or... Or Pansy? Would... would you want to put them in the position you are asking me to be okay with putting her in?"
"I actually thought about Pansy, but I know Blaise would behave exactly like you are right now."
"Then Daphne. Ask her."
Draco scoffs.
"Granger would literally kill me if she ever found out I had a girl I had sex with pretending to be my whore while we were together. I'm not doing that Nott."
"Well I'm not doing this!"
Theo shuts his mouth after he screams the words. Theo didn't scream. Ever.
Shit, what the hell is wrong with me?
Draco just stares at him as Theo calms down, trying to figure out what was going on inside of him.
He was angry. Really angry. A very foreign feeling for him. He doesn't like it. It feels too heavy.
"Okay Theo. Okay. I will find someone else. I need your help with another side project of mine as well, but we will talk about that later."
He closes his eyes and nods his head. He didn't want to talk. He wanted to be alone... He needed time to figure out what the fuck was wrong with him. Theo hears the door shut and falls back onto his bed, and presses the palms of his hands into his eyes.
What the fuck was that just now Theo boy?
He liked her. Like Hermione? Yes... no... yes.
"Argh!!"
He grabs his pillow and holds it over his face to muffle his frustration.
He definitely liked her. Theo knows that. Maybe this was all because of what he had been forced to do to Hermione? Maybe he is reacting this way because somewhere deep in him, he fears he will be forced to do it again, but to Ginevra this time. That makes sense. Yes. He didn't want to hurt or watch one of his few friends get hurt. She was his friend. He has four friends now.
She is my fourth friend. She is just my fourth friend.
But why doesn't that feel as sweet as it did before?