look who's found a new pair to play with!

.: you above all :.

For seven years he's sat at the Slytherin table, across from her place at Ravenclaw. For two years he's watched her during the time in the Great Hall, always chatting amicably with her friends, looking happy.

For one year he watches her scanning the papers, frowning and never smiling. And he's convinced that he maybepossiblymight be sortakinda in love with her.

.-.-.-.

He takes transfiguration with her. And it's really distracting and no wonder his grades keep dropping, because every class without fail, Blaise waves a hand in front of his face, always asking for Salazar's sake what is he staring at?

And because he asks what, Theodore lies and claims that the window is far more exciting that the class and Blaise snorts turning back to the work at hand.

And him? He switches his gaze to the board, thinking of dark hair and chocolates eyes.

(and the thought never seems to go away)

.-.-.-.

He's in the corridor one night (because he's a prefect and it's his job) when he spots someone scurrying down the hall. He shoots a jinx and they fall heavily to the floor, books scattering around them.

When he gets there he sees dark hair and chocolate eyes and his heart simply stops.

"Shit." He's surprised at this little outburst because he's watched her for years now and swearing doesn't seem like something she does.

(But he seems to keep forgetting that this isn't like other years)

She picks up her books, stuffing them into her bag before he can see and simply stands there, staring at him.

"Well?" she prompts.

"I- what?"

"What? What he asks? Are you going to write me up? Send me to the Carrows? Or perhaps you prefer to take care of things yourself? A little practice for Dark Arts, yes?"

He's a bit shell-shocked because this is the most she's said to him since first year and because well, it's not exactly kind words now is it?

"No.." he says slowly, eyeing her defiant face, "Just, get back to you House."

And now she's just as surprised as him, because he's a Slytherin and Slytherins aren't known for kindness and liency.

Right?

.-.-.-.

He sits tight in Hog's Head, heart pounding away, almost ashamedto be seen here and not there, at the castle, fighting. Other Slytherins appear as nervous as him, some plain ol' frightened, like Daphne who has her nails dug so hard into his skin she's broken it and a thin trail of blood has trickled it's way down his hand.

His leg is shaking uncontrollable and his mind is wandering (again) to dark hair and chocolate eyes and all he can is beg and hope and pray that somewhere, somehow, she's alive.

After all, she's a brilliant little Ravenclaw and shouldn't she know how to survive?

.-.-.-.

She hates him. Strongly passionately, and so much more than she's ever liked him when he shows up in the doorway of her room at St. Mungo's.

"Get out."

Her voice is a weak hiss and it kills him to see her lying there, battered and bruised and he curses himself for not actually fighting.

"I said get out," She repeats in the same hissing voice, filled with so much disgust it's hard for Theodore to process it. Which is probably why he asks a question he doesn't want to know the answer to.

"Why? Salazar, Patil, what did I do? I was just seeing if you were alright."

"What did you do, you pathetic little serpent? Aside from sitting pretty and safe in Hogsmede that night?" Theodore gulps slightly, sensing that what was to come was much worse than being a coward.

"While you were sitting safe, guess what I was doing? Who me and my sister were fighting with? Take a fucking guess why don't you?"

He really regrets coming / opening his mouth / everything now because something he's noted after seven years is that when she talks to him this much it's never good. He doesn't guess.

"Your damn father, Nott! Your fucking death eater father! And guess again, guess who isn't here right now," tears are streaming down her face in a torrent and he thinks he's going to be sick.

"Get out," she sobs one last time and this time he does. Daphne is waiting for him and wraps an arm around him when he leans down to bury his face in the crook of her neck.

Because the Gryffindor, Parvati? Parvati is not next to her sister.

.-.-.-.

Seven years he's gone to school with her, for two years he's paid attention to her and for one year he thinks he may have loved her.

And in one minute it all comes crashing down around him with a "guess who?".