Visiting Anthony had become a weekly habit. An addition to her flawless routine. Every Sunday morning would go as follows; Wake up, refreshments, readying for the day and then breakfast With Anthony at the Three Broomsticks. Her routines comforted her, it reminded her of the control she could still hang on to regardless how chaotic or difficult her life had become.
Conversation with Anthony typically lightened her mood also, his wise and friendly demeanour was one she envied and had always attempted to replicate, but for all she knew he had secrets too.
"Anthony?" A voice came from behind her.
She and the muggle boy had been conversing about the chocolate croissants they were eating. They had chosen their typical window seat they had agreed portrayed the best view the bar had to offer.
Aurora loved her planned mornings, so did Anthony, they were in for a shock, when the voice from behind them came from Colin Creevey, Anthony's younger brother.
"Colin? Oh hello." Anthony spoke with his mouth half stuffed, a speck of chocolate smudged on the corner of his bottom lip. Colin, surrounded by his friends, cringed at his brother.
Aurora hadn't seen much of Colin that year, when she did it was mostly in the DA meetings, he was surrounded with his buddies those days. Rory hadn't failed to notice the slight change in his own personality. It was rare to catch a glimpse of the enthusiastic boy he once was. She still deemed him a sweet kid.
"What? What are you doing here?" Colin's eyes shot to his fellow Gryffindor peers who surround him, arms crossed, all wearing matching goofy grins.
"Breakfast?" Anthony grinned.
Aurora noticed the slight tension that took place between the muggle and the fourteen year old wizard, she was confused by that. She had thought Anthony had come to stay at Hogsmeade to visit his brother.
Then she realised, if Colin noticed it was Rory eating with his brother he would surely mention her. Anthony still didn't know how old she really was and she intended to keep it that way. She lowered her head and mumbled to Anthony about going off the the bathroom. She made sure to cover the side view of her face with her hair. A substitute curtain per say.
Her heart was thumping profusely in her tightening chest. Either Colin hadn't noticed her, or he was currently asking his brother what Anthony was doing with a sixteen year old. She had hoped the latter wasn't the current case.
She sort of hung around in the bathroom for five minutes, not actually needing to use the loo. She had figured that it was finally the perfect time to leave, for if she had chosen to stay for longer than that, he might've thought she had stomach issues.
Peaking through the crack in the slowly opening door, she spotted Anthony devouring this breakfast alone. Sighing, she bottled up the courage to approach him. Before she could make it two steps out of the toilets she was stopped by a body.
Colin, a few inches shorter than her, crossed his arms. "What are you doing with my brother?" He didn't seem to be judging but rather curious, she just had to hope he wasn't curious enough to ask this to Anthony.
"Breakfast?" She repeated Anthony's previous statement.
"He's twenty three." Colin frowned.
"And I'm not mature enough to make acquaintances with adults?" She gave him a small smile to assure she was okay. He smiled back before walking off to his large group of friends. She released a shaky breath before continuing her way back to Anthony and her breakfast.
She trudged back towards Anthony with an unsure expression. She had prayed he hadn't just learnt of her true age and would hate her for it, lying to him had been a trick of her drunken tongue and revealing the truth was too difficult for Rory to do.
She was relieved when she noticed he wore an unbothered expression. Casually chewing on his meal, he grinned when she sat down. "I know why you left." He spoke. Her insides stopped working as she felt her stomach drop down to her toes. Had she been outed, caught? Why was he so calm? She began to panic. "The tension between Colin and myself is too much isn't it?"
Her shoulders hunched in relief. She soon frowned when she had processed his words. He spoke before she had an opportunity to. "He's fourteen, too 'cool' for an older brother now." He grinned as he shook his head. "He'll grow out of it, I went through the same phase." He chuckled.
"Are you staying at Hogsmeade to convince him how awesome you are?" Rory joked, Anthony smiled at her successful attempt to lighten the mood.
"Unfortunately that's a phase he'll just have to grow out of." His face turned sombre. "I happen to have another brother. Denise is twelve" he raised a brow as he cut at his eggs. "I have two years tops until he's fourteen and moody himself." Taking his egg he placed it in his mouth, smiling as he chewed.
"My brothers don't talk to me either." She smiled sombrely, reminiscing on Malachi and Sebastian and how they had refrained from talking to her since their mum died. They always said she was her mothers doppelgänger. "Too cool for me." She brushed it off as a joke before engulfing her bacon in one, ungraceful bite.
Anthony, who was aware of her mothers recent passing noticed the spite that reflected through her hues, made a suggestion. "Perhaps you should try and contact them." He offered her a comforting glance.
She merely shrugged, elbows on the table as she curled into herself. Gripping her neck she turned her head to look outside. Rory's eyes doubled in size when she saw Daphne and her group walking about. She turned back in an attempt to go unnoticed, as much as she loved Daphne, she wasn't at all close with Daphnes chosen friends. The Slytherins often looked down on 'blood traitors' like Aurora.
To her avail, Daphne had spotted her. Smiling brightly, the blonde dressed in designer coats and expensive jewels, entered the three Broomsticks. Pansy from outside had seem to spot a store she wanted to go into and gripped her other friends by their biceps and dragged them along with her.
Internally relived that Daphnes group wouldn't be joining the bubbly Slytherin, Rory smiled at her as she made her way in. Her smile stiffened at the sight of a brunet boy following behind her. Theodore briskly made his way behind the blonde.
Aurora had never really grasped on how tiny Daphne was. The Greengrass witch was a few inches shorter than Aurora, but neither had never really noticed that. Next to Theodore, Daphne resembled a cute... dwarf.
Theodore griped onto Daphne by her shoulders as she led him through the three broomsticks. He resembled a kindergartener forming a human train in the playground at school. His lips were pursed and his hair was a mess on his head, resting just above his eyebrows. He, himself also wore designer coats and shoes, they looked expensive.
"Rory." Daphne sung, as she skipped over. Theodore released Daphne as she pranced. He swiftly glided behind her pushing his hands into his jean pockets.
"Hey Daph." Aurora grinned up at the blonde. Daphne who beamed back down at her spoke again.
"You and me are hanging out later today." She began to lightly run on the spot. "A seventh year asked me out" pausing for a moment she continued "Lorenzo Berkshire." She lowly squealed. "I have to tell you all about it."
Holding onto Rory's hand she gave it a light kiss. Theodore had come to stand behind her, his mouth forming a line. "Rory." He acknowledged.
Huh. Improvement. She thought sarcastically.
"You know em?" Anthony asked lowly, placing his cutlery down on his empty plate, right before stealing a strawberry from Aurora. She slapped his hand in retaliation.
"Oh, who's this." Daphne grinned wickedly, quickly her smile faded. "Sorry, are we interrupting?"
"No." Aurora assured. "No, it's okay. Daphne, Theodore, this is Anthony." She smiled at him before speaking again. "Anthony, these two are Daphne and Theodore." She awkwardly smiled.
Anthony's eyes shot up in an amusing fashion, as though he knew something the rest of them didn't. Attempting to withhold his grin he grabbed his glass of water gulping it down.
Theodore stood in the same frame as Anthony and the similarities were alarming. Daphne clearly spotted this also. "Wait a minute." She frowned.
She yanked Theodore by his sides and pushed him next to Anthony. Stepping back, she stood next to Rory. Her eyes doubled. "Are you seeing this Aurora?" She exaggeratedly portrayed a look of pure shock.
"Yep." She popped the 'p' before engulfing down her own glass of water.
"What?" Theodore spoke for the second time that day.
"You look identical." Daphne drawled, nodding her head along with each of her words.
Aurora had noticed that the first time she saw Anthony, the way his hair flopped on his forehead, how his droopy eyes fashioned his defined, handsome features, how his complexion was a beautiful tanned shade. It was all just like Theodore.
Theodore frowned, he wore a moody expression. He clearly wasn't pleased to be there. None of them knew Theo had actually seen Anthony before, through the window by Aurora. For reasons unbeknownst to him, he didn't like his muggle doppelgänger much. He wasn't glad to be marked identical to the man.
"Hey." Daphne spoke. "So what exactly are you two doing here." She shot the both of them a suggestive glance, wiggling her eyebrows teasingly.
"Breakfast?" They spoke in sync. Both of their tones shared the questioning effect.
"No. What are you doing together." She grinned.
"Breakfast." They said together again, a statement rather than question.
Theodore, sick of the back and forth going on between the three of them interrupted. "She means are you seeing each other or not." His bluntness always surprised her.
She answered immediately. "No."
"Ouch." Anthony chuckled.
"No." She spoke again. "I didn't mean to say that so quickly. What I mean is, we're just two friends having breakfast." Anthony nodded along with her.
"Yes." He clarified.
The three watched as Daphnes expression dropped in dissatisfaction, before she shrugged. "Okay, well, Theo and I better leave you two." She smiled at the two of them. "See you Rory, Anthony." Then she made her way off.
Theodore following off with nothing more than a grimace and a nod, an odd pairing but what he chose.
Anthony erupted into a fit of snickers the moment he had heard the bell ring, signifying their departure from the Three Broomsticks.
"What?" Rory sighed, rolling her eyes, not at all eager to listen to another one of Anthony's theories.
"So that was the Theodore Nott, huh?" He grinned. "You're right, he's an asshole."
She smiled at that. "Yep, the enthusiasm is out of this world isn't it?" The two laughed quietly as to not draw attention to themselves.
"And you like him." Her lighthearted expression dropped as it turned stone cold.
"What!" She near yelled. He shrugged in reply. Within half a second she was a blubbering mess her head shaking profusely. "No." She repeated the word multiple times to prove her point. "No."
"No?" He asked teasingly.
"No." Her eyes widened at her plate. "Definitely not. He's an asshole. I'm not even attracted to him." She spat it out as though disgusted by the idea.
"Yeah, and you're not attracted to me?" She frowned in confusion. "You, yourself, agreed that we look alike."
"And?" She sassed.
"You slept with me." He stated as though it was obvious.
Her eyes shot around the room, looking for anyone who may've head his crude words. Once finding no evidence of anyone overhearing, she looked back at him. "That's besides the point. Like you said. He's horrid." Her eyes were practically popping from their sockets.
"Fine." He hunched his shoulders. She quietened in belief she had won and he would drop the subject. She was only met with surprise when he spoke again. "Then he likes you." He broke into laughter as she lightly hit him with an open palm.
"When will you get it through your thick skull." She chanted as she whacked the side of his head from over the table, his laughter failing to disperse. "He and I. No." She laughed with him. "It's just silly." She genuinely meant it.
Theodore Nott did give off asshole like first impressions, but not only that, he was an asshole as a person. He believed he was better, he judged and bullied and punched and shoved. He was plain trouble. She didn't need that.
Literally a few days beforehand they had made an agreement to be on fair grounds with one another. They barely respect each other, or appreciated each other and for Aurora that was enough.
She didn't need to associate with somebody who held such power over her. He knew her biggest secret, her insecurities, her true personality. Even if he wasn't threatening her anymore with it, he still held the opportunity to, she couldn't risk mixing with him.
Besides, she genuinely believed although Theodore admitted he didn't hate her anymore, she certainly believed he did not stop disliking her over night. He was a snake, a liar, a manipulator, worst of all he knew she could be too.
Anthony, remained lighthearted about the topic because he didn't know how awful Theodore really was, Anthony didn't know about the hold the Nott boy had on her. Theo figuratively had her gripped by the throat and with a simple twist could have her mangled corpse laid before his feet.
Theodore was bad news, he had proved so on multiple occasions. He overall wasn't good, despite his knowledge. She needed to keep her distance.
Curling back into her torso she shrugged into herself and looked back out the window. It was snowing outside, the streets were half crowded yet her eyes drew right back to the group of Slytherins who had recently reunited.
Her gaze glued to the boy in question. She didn't recognise his laughing expression, the one he wore when Blaise Zabini spoke some joke. It was different, handsome sure, but different. She had memorised his face to the stone cold one he always wore when in her presence. Him actually, genuinely grinning was a foreign sight.
Watching, as he gripped his friend by his head and shook it lightly, how the dark wizard nudged his mate and shook him back, how Theodore must've felt eyes on him and how his own gaze turned to loom back at her.
She remained wearing a frown as his smile dwindled. Their expressions were soft, not endearing but no hatred or malice was evident either. It was share of mutual respect. Directing her eye down to the pavement before him, she turned back to Anthony.
Theodore Nott playing in her mind and confusing her mental. At least a small part of him would always hate her, just as she would him. Right?
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AN
Finally finished this chapter, it's just as long as the others but it feels as though I've been writing forever.
Hope you liked this one
-Sofia