Growing up, there were certain rules that Theodore ( Theo ) Nott had understood the importance of at an unfortunate age. He understood that making noise when silence was to be the normal was unacceptable, he had learned that rule the hard way the moment his father backhanded him for laughing at a pup when he was five. He understood that he was the heir of his family, and being the heir came with important responsibilities such as pretending to enjoy dinners with pureblood families that all have their nose high in the air, that you must always put your best face forward and be fake at every scene. He understood that he can not disappoint his father, nor anyone in the little pureblood circle for that fact. It would cost him greatly if he did, and he already saw what would happen if he did disappoint.
He had been having nightmares ever since he was five years old because of his very first disappointment.
It was one of the many reasons he tried not to get involved in many things during his time at Hogwarts, it wasn't for his own safety of course, it was always for others. Theo couldn't afford distractions, or anything messy that would make his father displeased.
And yet, ever since he was six years old and had seen the spiteful, puffy face of Winifred Bulstrode, she has been nothing but a distraction.
Theo had done well over the years of avoiding her, even if that meant having to lock down every single emotion he ever had of her. He was happier that way, or at least that's what he told himself. Really, it was safer for her that way. He would watch from afar instead, watching her read all these years in the library by herself, watch the way her eyebrows would crease, or she would laugh with her hand covering her lips in case anyone would hear her. Her emotions were always so on display, ever since she was little with mismatched teeth that he had found quite endearing, even at their young age.
It was as if she had casted a spell over him, for suddenly everything else in the world didn't matter unless she was there. She was like the sun, feeling and brightening everything while he moved through the night with dull eyes and numbness to his heart.
The problem was, he knew what happened to lovers who fell for each other when the world disapproved, and he knew his father would disapprove more than anyone else. Theo could handle everyone else, everyone else was as irrelevant as an ant, but his father, his father, was the one factor that he could not ignore. He had seen firsthand what his father would, and could easily do the people he loved, so he shielded himself shut and pretended that she was dirt he walked upon.
He was quite okay with doing that, no matter how much he felt like dying every time her lips would frown or glower in that disapproving way of hers, with her eyes sparking with hurt every time he opened his mouth. He was okay with doing it because at least she was safe and alive.
But then fifth year struck and suddenly a book he had kept shut for many years in his mind had snapped open the moment she had burned her handprint into the stone of Hogwarts. With her fingers shaking and eyes running ramped and furious, he had seen the signs before, and suddenly, everything he was okay with before disappeared.
She could die either way, and all he could find himself thinking and yearning was the need to help her.
Helping her came with a price, and price that had fallen upon him the moment he returned home from school during Yule break. His hands had been tied and the only way to break free was to admit to the affections he kept trapped for so many years, with his fathers smirking features in front of him, his lips had swollen shut and mouth had washed dry with a thousand columns of cotton swabs.
He would marry, but it would not be to her.
So he returned to Hogwarts, feeling nothing but a dull ringing in his ears with every intent to tell her about it, even if she would find it strange that he would even tell her. He swore to himself that no matter what he would tell, but then she hugged him that first day on the train, terrified and weeping with so much pouring from her he found himself speechless again.
He may not have held her ability to soak up the emotions from others like Winnie did, but the sadness that seeped from her was so brutal and real, he could do nothing but try to fix it. Theo told himself he would fix it and then tell her, so he did fix it. Made his stubborn best friend and even more stubborn of a girl to fight it out beneath the walls of a locked classroom with the help of a lightning scar faced male that would surely make him knee deep in disappointment if his father ever found out.
Winnie and Cordelia had made up, and it was like watching a sunrise wash over the brunette's face. For the guilt that was terrorizing her hazel gaze was vanished, and even Theo Nott understood anything that day, it was that Winnie Bulstrode loved Cordelia Flint more than anything, perhaps even more than living itself.
The days turned into weeks after that, and he had tried to tell her a thousand times after that, but the happiness that lasted in her gaze turned brutal, terrorizing with an uncontrollably wave of agony. Winnie may not tell him everything, but he was better at reading her emotions than perhaps most were, and suddenly all he could do was watch and fear for the worse as her lift scrambled downwards, his hand reaching out to help her stay afloat as she burned.
And then she kissed him, and suddenly the idea of her not caring whether or not he marries another made less sense than Draco Malfoy ever admitting he has a problem. For he opened himself up to her, and her gaze had burned such severe holes into him that his heart had broken open. He remembered the softness of her gaze for days after that, everytime he blinked he saw her with him, her own eyes revealing her own emotions before she could even understand them himself.
Telling the truth became harder as the days wore on, and suddenly guilt was eating away at him so severely that he could no longer sleep throughout the night. Thoughts betraying him at every chance they got, he was running an exhausted hand through his hair even now as he walked down the halls of Hogwarts. Completely content on returning to his common room and hiding away with self pity when he entered a scene that left all thoughts disappearing into thin air.
Theo's Nott's eyes had done a run over two times of the situation, Millicent Bulstrode sprawled out on the ground, with smoke filtering from her chest, a chest that moved up and down slowly, she was hurt, but alive. Her sister kneeling next to her, body slightly rocking as if she was trying to comfort herself but failing terribly with tears coating her cheeks. It was the blood smeared on her face and hands that made his heart stop beating for a moment, his feet frozen and eyes staring paraylyzed.
It wasn't until the distant sounds of Draco Malfpy and Marcus Flint reached his ears that he swore, moving quickly as he scooped up Winnie's wand, tucking it in his pocket before kneeling down in front of Winnie. Her hazel eyes staring at her sister with an unseeing gaze, he spoke her name softly, but he knew it went unknown to the girl for she continued looking right through him, as if he wasn't there at all.
"Shite," he muttered, hearing his housemates approach them quickly, the brunet male ran a hand down his face, wondering how he even got involved in this. ( He knew perfectly well how, just never had the balls to admit so. ) His arms moved, swiping the girl up in his arms, silently grateful that she didn't snap out of whatever shock she was in, her head onl;y lodging against his chest as he tucked his arm in under the crook of her knees. Eyes flickered hurriedly around the smaller corridor, floating lamp lights glistening over the scene like halos as he spotted a small, wooden door near the corner.
Footsteps hurried behind him the same moment his feet carried them quickly over towards the door, shoving it open with his shoulder before they entered the tiny, broom closet full of broken brooms and medical supplies that made his nostrils burn slightly. Blinking through the darkness, he laid Winnie down on the floor near the stack of brooms, his chest sinking as she simply sat without moving whatsoever. The only sign of life from the brunette girl was the quiet murmurs of her breathing,
"Your sister stole Potter from me, I'm the one who caught him but she appeared out of nowhere and snagged him before I could," Draco's familiar, irritating drawl trailed around Theo's ear as his eyes narrowed slightly, he crouched down in the darkness, hand wrapping around his wand that had been tucked securely in his pocket alongside Winnie's. Green eyes flickered to the girl for a moment, pausing as if he believed the sound of Draco's voice would snap her out of whatever trance she was in.
Winnie simply blinked in the darkness, staring at his shoulder with a dull nothingless in her eyes. It was almost frightening for the boy, after seeing her have so many emotions strung upon her sleeves for years, seeing nothing but glass made him shift on his feet. Eyes closing shut tightly for a moment as he breathed in deeply, forcing his emotions to stay shield shut behind his library of forgotten memories, locking them in pages of books.
"It'll do you well not to talk poorly about my sister around me, Malfoy," Marcus warned slowly, his tone dark and severe as Theo opened his eyes, straining his ears to hear his fellow housemates' conversation.
"Oi! What in Circ happened here?" Theo's shoulders tenses at the sound of Draco's voice, their footsteps halting out in the corridor as Theo flickered his gaze to Winnie, who sat unaware of the situation, he almost preferred it that way. "Looks like she's been knocked out, and ... burned," Malfoy observed. It was quiet then, all besides for the quiet shufflings of feet, he suspected they were picking her up from the floor. Theo's lips pressed into a line, he had more frequently been dealing with Millie more lately, a thought that sent his stomach flying to the floor beneath him as his eyes glanced over nervously at the brunette in front of him.
"I'd say one of them caught them," Marcus spoke after a minute, a grunt leaving his lips and floating through the door.
"Think they're still here?" Draco questioned as Theo stared coldly at the wooden door in front of them, yellow light seeping in from the slight crack in the bottom of the door. It'd be wise if they weren't caught, in fact preferably. Making up lies on the spot was never the boy's best state of action, acting coldly and unbothered, yes, but lying on the spot when there was a girl covered in her own blood next to him? No. Not his best look, even he could admit that.
"That'd be stupid, come on. Let's bring her to the Hospital Wing," the brunet let out a breath of relief, shoulders relaxing as he listened to the sound of their retreating footsteps, leaving them in silence once again. Theo ran a hand down his face, breathing out a quiet sigh before he muttered Lumos into the darkness, basking them in a soft hue of white. The male trained his wand between them, feeling his fingers tighten around his wand tighter as his eyes casted over her face.
Her pupils were blown wide, making the softer caramel tint of her eyes appear more charcoal, with tiny rings of colour turning around it. Honey blonde stuck to her cheeks and face, a blue ribbon that he recognized as the one he gave to her days prior was hanging loosely around her hair. Crimson shined underneath his light, surrounding the pink of her mouth and sticking to her lips like honey. Her left cheek was smeared with it, and his eyes flickered down to her shaking hands, he found her fingers to be spotted with the blood that was on her face.
She was no longer crying, though he couldn't really tell if that was a good thing or not.
Sighing, the male laid his wand down on the floor between them, making the light now shine upwards as he reached out carefully and slowly. Pads of his finger touching the bitter coldness of her skin, making his lips suck in a sharp breath at the tingles running through his spine, pressing his lips into a line, Theo forced down every bidding feeling that threatened to push through the barrier.
The need to take her into his arms and protect her from everything she strikes upon herself was stronger than the will to breathe, and he swallowed it down with a strangled breath.
His fingers moved up around her cheeks, cradling the side of her face so softly that it was almost as if he was never touching her at all. He directed her face towards him softly, her eyes meeting him in a completely unseeing matter, making his lips pull into a line.
"Winnie, I need you to come back to me, okay?" He spoke gently, tilting his head as he stared into her eyes, hands pressed to her face, sucking in the coldness that seeped from her skin as she stared at him wordlessly. "Come on, love, I need you back here." He added, whispering as he rubbed his thumb over her left cheek, not caring about the blood that surely stained his fingers, only about the unmoving gaze he held her in.
She blinked, seeing nothing which only caused him to sigh softy. Vision trickled over her chin and mouth before he took one hand off her face, his fingers touching his wand on the floor, while he couldn't get her to verbally be here yet, he could at least clean up the blood on her skin. DIrecting his wand to her fingers, he murmured Scourgify softly, watching as blue light trickled out of his wand, removing the blood on her fingers. Theo moved upwards, training the wand on her face, about to train her face upwards, only for her to snap her head away, surprising him so furiously that he dropped his wand completely.
"No! You aren't here, I - I," her words spluttered out of her lips in a scrambled, complicated mess, falling over her tongue and tripping off her lips as her eyes blinked furiously. Just as wide as before but exploding with emotions as her eyes burned amber, fear trapped beneath her lashes as Theo quickly lifted his hands up. Putting them in front of him as she clambered away from him, his heart bumped blood furiously in his ears as he swallowed thickly.
"Hey, hey. Winnie's it's me," he spoke calmly, slowly despite the petrified way she looked upon him, as if he would strike her dead in the next second. He tried not to think too hard on who she was seeing instead of him, but the gnawing feeling in his gut told him who anyway. "It's Theo, I'm not going to hurt you," I would never hurt you.
Her body seemed to turn to stone for a minute, as if the sound of his name was slowly bringing her back to reality. Theo watched, frozen, still crouched on the floor in front of her with his hands up in the air, palms spread open towards her. It was like being underwater for too long, your heart hammering and lungs burning as fresh oxygen returned to its home, your body numb and slowed with tension. Only slowly coming back to yourself in sprouts.
That's what it was like to watch Winnie Bulstrode have her mind return to her, no longer staring at him like he was the villain, instead her eyes narrowed slightly, no anger evident in her gaze, only fresh confusion.
"Theo, I - what happened? Why are we in a ... where are we?" She questioned, perplexed as he watched her blink through the darkness. His hand moved to his wand, murmuring quietly as light blossomed from the tip of his wand, bathing her in white light. Winnie flinched slightly, the brunet grimacing as he directed the light away from her eyes. "A broom closet? What the bloody hell happened I-" she paused again, this time her eyes expanding twice it's size as he watched her press a hand to her mouth, her body sitting up as she shook her head. "Millie! Is she okay? Oh my Cicr, I-I burned her! I didn't mean to Theo, I-I," Theo lunged forward, wrapping his arms around her petite frame as she began to shake again, deep breaths being sucked in from between her lips as she clenched her fingers tightly into the fabric of the grey cotton sweater he wore.
"Shh," he whispered into her hair, a strong smell that idly reminded him of strawberries reaching his nostrils. His fingers moved down her hair, untangling the blue ribbon as he tucked it around his fingers before continuing to run his fingers comfortably through her hair. A wetness grew upon his shoulder, though he paid little mind to it. "Love, it's okay. I know you didn't mean to, I believe you," he reassured, listening to small sniffles drawn from the girl in his arms. Sighing, the male shifted, making her face be placed in front of his own, hands tucked around her face as she blinked with trembling lips. A storm raged on in the apples of her amber eyes, and he was standing directly in the middle of the hurricane.
"Is she okay?" Winnie whispered heartbrokenly, her eyes trained on him as he watched her take measured breaths in, trying to control what was sure a war happening inside of her. Theo's lips pulled into a line, his thumbs wiping away tears that pooled in the corner of her eyes.
"Malfoy and Marcus found her just moments before," her eyes widened at the information, her body tensing like a string that was pulled too far as he shook his head, silencing her words. "It's okay, they took her to the Hospital Wing, she's going to be just fine." His words tumbled out of his mouth in a soothing tone, one that often reminded him of his mother when he was younger and had nightmares plague his sleep. While the thought made his insides cringe with grief, Winnie seemed to soak up the words like he just saved her entire universe.
"Okay, okay," she mumbled, glancing down and leaning slightly into his touch, her eyes closing as she took in deep breaths. He watched as she fought with herself, sucking in her bottom lip to stop it from trembling as her hands came up to wrap around his wrist, holding his hands to her face as if she thought he would pull away. Yet, the heir of the Nott house stayed in that position for as long as she needed, enduring the ache that jolted up his ankles and knees from crouching for so long. Green eyes stayed trained on her until her breaths became even and she no longer had to squeeze her eyes shut in order to keep herself from crying. "I'm sorry, for dragging you into this I-"
"Stop," he cut her off, thumps rubbing her cheeks once more though only a damp wetness now coated the pads of his thumbs. Hazel's eyes looked up at him, narrowed slightly as she pinched her eyebrows down around her forehead. The male allowed himself to grin then, one of his hands coming off the apples of her cheeks and instead smoothing out the curved lines of her brows. "Don't frown love, you'll get wrinkles," he teased halfheartedly, only for a full smile to blow across his face as Winnie snorted, a small chuckle leaving her blood stained lips as she grinned eyes twinkling with past sadness and a new tranquility that made his heart grow two sizes too big.
"I believe that's my line, Nott," she spoke softly, voice hoarse but clear as she sniffed, letting a deep sigh trickle up her throat and surround the air around them. Theo, who had now completely taken his hands off her face, picked up his wand again, not missing the slight tremor of her body as she eyed his wand.
"I'm just gonna clean the dried blood off your face, that's all," and though Theo felt no harsh emotions towards the fact, he watched as her cheeks flushed a bright pink, eyes widening like boulders as Winnie pressed her hands to her mouth.
"Oh, I forgot about that," she started, her words falling shut as she glanced away. Theo never questioned much about the blood until this moment, too concerned with getting the blonde back to reality, but now as she averted her gaze to the floor, it hit him like a brick. The male tightened his fingers around the wood of his wand, teeth gritting slightly in his mouth, he knew what the blood around her lips meant now, and he almost kicked himself for not realizing earlier. Theo raised his wand to her face, murmuring quietly as his wand trickled blue, cleaning the bottom of her lip and the skin around it before he finished. Her eyes still not trained on him while he couldn't look anywhere else but her.
"Come on, let's go," he sighed finally, standing up and ignoring the creak in his knees and ankles, Winnie's eyes finally looking towards him as she pinched her eyebrows together. "You need water, and possibly food, let's go." He ordered, directing his head towards the door, turning his back away from her before she could even start arguing with him, which is for sure what she would've done if he stayed. Considering he still had her wand in his pocket, she had no choice but to follow him.
They were quiet all the way to the kitchens, Theo leading the way with Winnie a few steps behind him. The male, who's shoulders felt like every muscle was tied into knots, kept his lips twisted into a line. He has seen this before, only in blocked memories from the earliest of his childhood, when his mother would sit in a haze for hours, where her limbs would tremble every time his father would return, she would tremble until the moment she coughed so brutally it scared him into wits. The crimson always stained her hangershief afterwards, and though she always thought he wouldn't see, he always did of course.
Theo entered first, shrugging off his leather bag and laying it upon the long wooden table that sat beneath the Hufflepuff table in the Great Hall. Her quiet footsteps reached his ears from behind him, listening to her make her way around the table to sit in front of him. The screech of a stool reached his ears as she plopped down, the silence stinged his ears as it buzzed around them. Theo kept standing, staring at the wooden table like it was some rune problem he had to solve.
"This is ridiculous Theo, give me my wand, I'm fine-"
"Don't say you're fine because we both know that cleaning up blood across your face isn't anything but fine, Bulstrode," the harshness of his voice even surprised himself, as his green eyes locked up with her own. Watching as she sat up straighter, chin raising and amber eyes sparking like fire as she trained them squarely on his face. The male sucked in a deep breath, containing his breaths as he tried to control his emotions, thinking of rainy days and his mothers hugs that warmed him to the bone.
"I got overwhelmed, it's only the second-"
"The second? You're telling me this happened before?" He snapped, eyes wide as all control vanished from his grips as Winnie sighed, pressing the heels of her hands into his eyes.
"Shite, I shouldn't have said that," she muttered, causing the male to scuff and run a hand through his hair, shaking his head as he looked away from her. "Look, Theo. I'm reading your mother's journal, though no offence, it's not much of a help. Which now as I say that, it sounds bloody horrid and I'm truly sorry," he opened his mouth to cut her off, eyes narrowed like slits as she raised her hand, silencing him. "Just listen okay? Look, all I know is that she speaks of some calmness, that when she feels calm nothing terrible happens, but that's all! The rest of the time she talks about you or Charlotte and I-"
"Charlotte?" Theo's body froze to a halt at the name that flew from her mouth, shoulders tensing as he watched her lips pull into a frown.
"Yeah, your father's sister," she started, hazel eyes narrowing as she raised an eyebrow. "Why? Do you know her?" She added, questioning softly as the male scuffed, pulling a stool and sitting down in it, running a frustrated hand down his face. His aunt, who he spent more than half of his life listening to his father complain and mope like a kicked puppy over.
"I don't remember meeting her, she died when I was just a baby, but my father always talks about her when he's a little too far gone in the kicker," Theo admits, watching as Winnie leans closer, licking up every ounce of his words. "Why? How often is she mentioned?"
"A lot, I mean your mother seemed to live by her word, why? Did she never speak about her?" Winnie questioned, eyebrows drawn together as the male shook his head, as a kid, anytime his aunt was mentioned his mother would tense, her eyes flashing with a terrifying storm. The male never understood it until he listened to his father babble on and on about his aunt, the fear always made sense after that. What perplexed him was Winnie's words now, the way her eyes burst with fresh wonder and confusion.
"My mother was terrified of her," Theo spoke, watching as Winnie's nose wrinkled in the way he used to watch her do while she read something that always confused her. Even now, it made his heart sting painfully. "I can see why too, she worked for You-Know-Who, perhaps closer to him than Bellatrix Lestrange," Theo added, instantly watching the information soak up into her skin, eyes widening half a fraction before narrowing as she shook her head.
"No, but that," she paused, frowning as she stared down at her chipped nail polish, Theo watched as her thumb smoothed over the silver of her ring. "That can't be right."
"Oh but it is," Theo snorted, shaking his head with a bitter laugh. "Father always talks about how she was bloody brutal, about how Tom - You-Know-Who - seemed to adore her, though I suppose adore isn't the right word. He talks about how easily it was for her to get him under her thumb, until she died of course. I suppose that's what one gets for trusting the devil," Theo shrugged, watching as Winnie's face paled, her throat swallowing harshly as she stared at her fingers. He couldn't imagine what his mother made his aunt out to be, but the denial that flashed across the brunette's face almost made him feel guilty. Almost. Theo had long ago come to accept his family as nothing but disappointments and manipulative snakes. "Look, believe me, she was the worst. The things I've heard my father talk about, it's not someone to idolize."
He watched as the blonde pinched her eyebrows together even further, eyes narrowed into slits before she nodded, thumb rubbing against her ring. Theo had the feeling forgetting would be the last thing she did, making his body tense slightly, she was playing a dangerous game, and he wondered just how far he would follow her before they boh burned.
"I'm sorry my mothers' journal wasn't much help, I'll see if I can find something else, just," he paused, licking his lips as she frowned, shaking her head. "Focus on that calmness, maybe it's like an anchor, something that will ground you when the world feels like it's a little much." He offered, watching as her eyes ran over his face, hazel darkening like burning embers, making him miss the softer caramel her eyes often glowed.
"I'll try that, don't apologize, you've done more than enough," she sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear, reminding him of the ribbon that he had tucked into his pocket. The male reached into his trousers pocket, taking both her blue ribbon and wand out before laying them on the table beside her. Winnie's face broke out into a cloud of relief, her fingers sweeping up her wand like it was a shield, bones turning white from the urgency she held it in. "Thank you," she smiled slightly, before tucking her wand into the pocket of her robe.
"So, are you gonna tell me what happened?" Theo questioned finally, elbows resting against the table. Winnie's face melted into a frown almost instantly, her fingers twisting the blue ribbon around her middle and pointer finger.
"I can't really tell you," she started, glancing up at him through her eyelashes as Theo felt his own face melt into a frown. "Well, not everything. I literally can't tell you," she paused, laughing softly, as Theo's eyes hardened in confusion. Head tilting as she continued speaking, "I'm afraid if I tell you I'll grow horns or something horrid but I was trying to protect myself, a bunch of us were... And I believe we all got caught somehow, while I was trying to get away Millie ran into me, you know the rest," her eyebrows pinched together to her forehead as she pursed her lips.
"That's ... incredibly confusing I hope you know that," Theo drawled, running a hand through his hair, hearing her snort from across him. The male glowered over at her, only to receive a small grin lacing her features as she looked over at him.
"Yeah well, that's my life," she smiled looking down at the blue ribbon as Theo chewed on the inside of his cheek, the silence coating them once again. Leaving him with the paralyzing reminder that he needed to tell her something, his back straightening and eyes avoiding her every chance he got. "Why do I get the feeling you just had a sudden heart attack or something?" She questioned suddenly, causing Theo to widen his eyes over at her, watching as she snorted. "Don't worry, Nott, I can't feel a single emotion coming from you, nothing but dead white silence. But your shoulders just grew rigid, and now you won't even look at me. So what's going on?" She questioned, eyes narrowing slightly as she raised an eyebrow.
The male sighed, wishing he could slam his head into the wooden table. Usually he was quite good at telling the truth, or at least some version of it. He had suffered for so long by avoiding having to speak at all, Theo had made himself invisible to many so no one would bother to ask him about his opinions or life, and yet here she was, staring at him like she knew every tick and every flaw about him.
He knew now that he could not lie, not even if he wanted to.
"I'm getting married." Silence awaited him as he stared down at his hands, hearing nothing but a ticking clock as he sat as rigid as a block of ice. Until laughter sprouted from the female across from him, making him grimace as he looked up. Winnie was shaking her head, elbows on the table as a hand covered her mouth.
"You can't be serious! You're joking!" She snorted, laughing as she looked over at him, eyes wide as he stared back at her. His lips pulled into a line, counting the seconds down in his mind as he watched the realization slowly melt its way into her. Her eyes widening half a fraction before her smile fell from her features, making his heart burn as she appeared hollow and numb. Winnie's elbows slipped from the table, as she stared at him with a slight frown on her face. "You're serious, aren't you?" She questioned so quietly he almost didn't hear it at all.
"I'm afraid so," he admitted, watching as she turned her gaze away, lips pulling into a frown as he traced the lines against the side of her face. Her chest breathing heavily as if she had to control her own self, Theo's fingers ached to reach out and touch her. To tell her that it would be okay, that despite them being only sixteen, that none of it would matter. But he couldn't, instead he sat frozen as she processed his words on her own.
"How long have you known?" She asked after a moment, face still turned to the side as brown hair stroked her cheeks. Theo breathed in deeply, locking away everything until he felt like he was floating on a sea full of nothing.
"Since Yule," and though he knew her reaction would be harsh, his whole body flinched as she snapped her gaze towards him. Eyes narrowed and body moved up from her chair faster than he could blink.
"Since Yule?" She snapped, eyes ablaze. "You've known that you are tied to another since bloody Yule and you kissed me anyway?"
"Technically you kissed me but-" The male regretted the words the instance they left his mouth, for suddenly a bag was sailing through the air towards him, hitting him square in the chest as she pointed a finger at him.
"Don't you dare pin this on me Theo Nott! How dare you make a fool out of whoever in Merlin you're betrothed to!" Theo almost found it ironic how little Winnie Bulstrode followed Pureblood customs, and yet disloyalty and honour sent her flying through the roof with outrage. A small, perhaps selfish part of him wanted to scream back at her, tell her she was being dramatic over nothing. But the much more prominent part of him understood her, for he had already laid awake at night with guilt eating away at his chest.
Theo Nott may not love, or even like his betrothed but he understood the humility that comes upon the wife of a pureblood male that was seen kissing or taking up a mistress. As disgusting as it is, a male will never feel the blackash of society as a female would, even if they are the ones in the wrong.
"I don't regret it," he started, watching as swiped up an apple from the fruit bowl, sending the eversmith fruit flying towards his head, luckily this time he ducked in time. "Oi! Stop throwing things at me, you bloody heathen and listen to me for one second!" Theo argued as he stood up, watching as she now held a banana, eyes narrowed as she raised her chin, giving him leave to speak. "Thank you, now as I was saying, I don't regret kissing you, hey!" He paused, eyes narrowing as he watched her raise her arm back, the banana in hand. "Would you just listen? I don't regret that part, I regret how it happened and the timing."
"Why did you let me do it? You should've stopped me," she snapped, arm falling down as she kept a hold on the banana, Theo's lips opening as he let out a frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I couldn't," he admitted quietly, listening to the silence for a moment, his eyes glancing up at her. Winnie's lips pressed into a line, and he knew instantly that she remembered the way his feelings had burst towards her that day. How everything he spent forever concealing opened, and suddenly the anger that burned in her eyes melted away to agony instead, her eyes a bright caramel, making his heart whine in his chest.
"Oh Theo," she sighed, shaking her head as she laid down the fruit in her hand. Footsteps carrying her towards him quickly, Theo only had a second to open his arms before she came colliding into them. Arms wrapped around his back as she held him close, warmth bubbling around him as he wrapped his arms around the back of her neck. Eyes squeezing shut as he pressed his cheek onto the top of her hair. They stood, collected in silence, simply holding onto each other. "Don't think this doesn't mean I'm not still angry with you," her voice vibrated against his chest, making a chuckle rise from his throat as he tightened his arms around her.
"I wouldn't dream of it, love," he grinned, cheek resting on top of her hair before she pulled away. Lips pulled into a frown as he stared down at her, his hand coming up to stroke her cheek as she leaned into his touch, the action killing him deep inside.
"Who is it?" She questioned quietly, once again making his body stiffen as he sighed. He knew this question was coming, only he thought it would happen later, where there was more space between them and preferably no fruits to throw around them.
"Your sister," and then suddenly, the banana was thrown across the room faster than he could blink. Shite.