Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments)
Written for Bonus Round 3, Year 2 of The Houses Competitions
Written for the Terms of Service May 2018 Challenge
Assignment #11 - Herbology: Devil's Snare - Task 1: Write about someone struggling with a change in their life.
Bonus Theme: Achieving a goal
Bonus Prompt: Muggle high school
Terms of Service Fill: 05
Representation(s): Spiritual Healing/Protector
Bonus Challenge(s): Unwanted Advice
Moresome May: [Action] Holding hands
Shannon's Showcase - 1. Czech Republic: [Item] Backpack,[ Word] Spaghetti
Book Club - Ruby: (emotion) excitement, (word) impulse, (weather) snow
Showtime - The Bishop: (color) Silver
Ami's Audio Admirations - Survivors: (object) Cigarette
365 Challenge: 314. [Title] Blind Attraction
Insane House Challenge: 466. [Item] Notebook
Word Count: (Per Google Docs) 2,949
Beta(s): Pix, Jet
Author's Note:
o. This is written with the US high school grade names, but with the Hogwarts all years grouping just because I can.
o. I wrote "achieving a goal" in a symbolic manner to have someone achieve a goal they didn't fully realize they were working toward in small spurts throughout the story.
o. Unwanted Advice bonus is used as a means of rejecting feelings that were offering a way to heal by avoiding the person(s) giving it.
o. Interpret it how you want.
Warning: Derogatory slur, minor violence, minor swearing, underage smoking, undertones of possessiveness.
Blind Attraction
Theodore Nott hadn't needed to make any goals to help guide his path, finding that riding the wave of life was easier than planning it out. Truth be told, he stopped caring about his future after his mother passed away and his father uprooted them from his childhood home for a job across the country. He could have done without adjusting to a new school as a freshman, but he kept his head down and stayed mostly out of trouble. Not looking for any companionship helped; it was simply not worth the disappointment, regardless of the loneliness that ate away at him.
Befriending – and eventually falling for – Draco was the only decent highlight in the new chapter of of his life, and a complete accident. Theo didn't want to get attached to people again, not since his mother died and he was forced to leave everyone else he cared about behind. The pain was overwhelming, and it certainly wasn't something he was wanting to risk again. So he let the emptiness settle in and choose the solitary life. The blond git wouldn't leave him alone, though, and he was quite endearing to say the least, so Theo finally gave in. It wasn't his goal to fill the void deep in his chest, but Draco unknowingly covered part of that emptiness. Theo was grateful for it.
The latest excitement and talk since his arrival two years ago at Hogwarts High was about the new transfer student that started right after Winter Break. Usually the majority would want to welcome and befriend the new students. Not only because it was the polite thing to do, but it was also a way to quietly judge the person's character and personality to determine if they were going to be social suicide, or boost their popularity.
Theo wasn't the sort to investigate the lives of the fresh blood in school. Being a transfer student himself, he chose to remain an outsider within the straight-laced student body. He personally didn't consider himself the rebel his peers labeled him as. So what if he occasionally skipped class to smoke in the boys bathroom or snog his boyfriend under the bleachers?
Today wasn't going to to be any different for Theo. Not even the new sophmore was going to throw off his routine. He kept telling himself that he was not interested in the girl down the hall, sticking out in the crowd. Theo didn't notice that the dirty blonde hair was braided tightly over her shoulder, or the silver that sparkled in her eyes when the light caught them just right. Not even the humming – that sounded strangely like an A.F.I. song to him – she made while walking by to first period caught his attention. Even if he noticed that ever-present emptiness seeming to retreat when around her, Theo pushed it away. He already found someone he hadn't been looking for who made him happy.
What Theo did notice was that by noon that very day, this new student – Luna Lovegood – was already labeled a school freak based on her behavior alone. It hadn't even been a full day, which puzzled him because the student body had taken an entire week to decide Theo's fate. Apparently, the way she acted like she was on another planet made people uncomfortable. The color of the hair scrunchie that kept her fishbone braid tied clashed with her skirt. Her homemade jewelry of button bracelets, cork earrings, and mood rings didn't match with the school uniform, but were still allowed, and some of the things she said was just downright strange.
The grapevine wasn't the most reliable source of information, of course, but it sparked Theo's curiosity. He wondered just how quirky the girl really was, or if it was all just an act to keep people away like he had done once upon a time. None of it seemed to really bother Luna, at least from the casual observation Theo made from a distance.
He quickly turned around and opened his locker when Draco approached. Theo wasn't even sure why he bothered carrying the book he was holding around anymore, he hated history. Transplanting the history book from his backpack into the small space and retrieving a notebook for later, he busied himself, purposefully not staring in the direction of the girl. But Draco had already noticed his dark-haired companion observing Luna down the hall seconds prior.
"You certainly have a type, don't you?" he jabbed, glancing around the locker door to spot Luna. "I thought making friends 'isn't your thing.'"
Draco made quote marks with his fingers as he spoke, smirking at the agitated Theo when he slammed the locker closed. Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, Theo finally addressed his boyfriend.
"Shove off. I'm not used to seeing her around is all. I'll be over it by tomorrow."
"That's what you said about me, and now look where we are," Draco pointed out.
"I remember it differently," Theo scoffed, patting a coat pocket to check its contents. "I'm going to smoke, care to join me?"
"I'll pass," Draco declined despite picking up the undertones. "I'd rather you not, though."
"I know." Theo tilted Draco's head upwards with a hand under his chin, giving him a chaste kiss. "Have fun in Binns' class."
The two parted ways and Theo headed for the sparsely used bathroom by the teacher's lounge across the school. Slipping through the door as the final bell rang, he hopped up on the counter to get to the narrow window above and pried it open before promptly lighting up a cigarette. He only managed two long drags before a toilet flushing had him drop it like it burned him. He smashed it with a foot to put it out and jumped off the counter when the occupant emerged – it was the new girl. At first, her presence startled him, thinking he might've walked into the wrong bathroom, but the urinals were right behind her. Luna looked right at him for a long second before approaching the sink to wash.
"Ah, so it was," she chimed out, seeming to be talking to herself. "Pardon me."
"What?"
She gave him a light smile as she dried her hands, but didn't answer. Grabbing her backpack off the floor, she turned and left, leaving a very confused Theo behind. He departed about thirty-seconds later, not wanting to risk getting caught a second time.
.oOo.
"Just bloody talk to her already," Draco said in a hushed voice as he caught Theo watching Luna in line at lunch. "It's been three days and you're not over the encounter."
"Shut up, will you?" Theo hissed, placing his tray of spaghetti down at the farthest table. "I'm not going to talk to her."
Draco just shook his head and took a seat. The commotion that broke out seconds later had Theo frozen in place. Watching the drama across the cafeteria unfold, he saw a senior trip Luna as she left the line with her tray, effectively causing her to fall and drop her lunch. The roar of laughter that broke out made Theo's blood boil, and he quickly went over to help.
"You alright?" he asked, grabbing her hand to pull her off the floor.
Luna looked at the spaghetti sauce all over her school uniform. She attempted to brush off what she could with an offered napkin. "I'm okay."
Her voice was so airy, light, and calm despite the bullying she just endured. A tingle in his chest pinged at him, reminding him of that void for some reason. Theo noticed she didn't look up. Instead, Luna remained intensely focused on trying to clean off her clothes.
"Look, the freaks finally found each other," someone jeered while walking by.
Theo realized that he was still holding her hand and quickly released it. He focused on the kid who tripped her when he heard Draco exchange a couple crude words back to the other kid. He wasn't the sort that resorted to fighting, but he couldn't reason with himself right now.
"You've got nerve, McLaggen!"
Luna slipped away to the restroom while they were distracted.
"Got a problem, Nott?" Cormac challenged, using his football player build to intimidate.
"Yeah, you." Theo ignored Draco's hand that grabbed his bicep – a silent gesture to say 'back down'. "Harassing the new kid, how unoriginal. But picking on a girl? That's just pathetic."
Cormac snorted a laugh, his friends following the action. "What're you going to do about it?"
The goading was enough to have Theo clench his fists, and that was when Draco grabbed one of his hands in another attempt to subdue him. "He's not worth it."
Hazel eyes glared at the senior athlete as he debated on what to do. Though he was lankier than Cormac, he knew he still could pack a decent punch. Letting out a snarling breath, Theo turned to walk away. He really didn't need another strike on his record for fighting. Luna's dignity was already salvaged.
"Yes, listen to your little fag."
Acting on impulse, Theo turned around suddenly. The last thing he remembered was his fist connecting with Cormac's jaw.
.oOo.
Two weeks of detention and a brutal punishment he received from his father for fighting in school was worth it. Even the black eye that sealed it shut for a week he claimed came from Cormac was worth flaunting. He was sure the cheekbone was broken, but he didn't care. Luna was still being harassed, but she was able to escape when her attackers scattered at the first sight of Theo now.
Skipping history again after enduring the dreadful class the past two weeks was something he greatly looked forward to. But fate had different plans. Stepping through the threshold of the sparsely used bathroom, the sounds of crying assaulted Theo's ears.
Cautiously approaching the stall at the end, he saw Luna sitting on the floor. Her legs were pulled up to her face, arms wrapped around them while she cried into her lap. Theo was at a complete loss at what to do with a girl crying in the boy's bathroom, but that strange ping in his chest returned. A similar feeling emerged when he finally gave in to Draco, and now he found himself giving into it again with this girl.
Despite his better judgement, Theo sat down beside her and lit up a cigarette. Taking a quick drag before snuffing it out on his shoe, he delicately collected one of her hands in his. He offered a light brushing of his thumb over her knuckles as a gesture of comfort. He saw that one of the straps on her backpack was partially ripped and that she was missing two buttons on her bracelet. A large knot was in their place now where it had been mended.
"Bullies again?"
As soon as Theo asked, he already knew; this kind of sorrow was not caused from their peers' ruthless hostility. This hit far closer to home than he first anticipated, and a lump formed in his throat.
Luna's body shook from a heavy sob. Sighing out a shuttered breath, "No."
Theo dared not to pry any further, especially when he recalled how he felt when his mother died. Figuring that someone close to her had very recently passed, he quietly offered her comfort while she rode out the storm of emotions.
.oOo.
Luna sat by the window in art class, staring out into the blizzard while she idly mimicked the wispy patterns of snow blowing by on the canvas nearby. Theo watched her from across the room, only partially paying attention to whatever Draco was talking about while he battled with the lump of clay in his hands. He was subconsciously tapping a pencil on his notebook before he decided he couldn't keep up with the charade anymore. This need to talk to her outgrew his desire to stay away.
Standing abruptly, Theo left a puzzled Draco to approach Luna. The frigid air seemed to pulsate through the glass as he sat down, making him shudder involuntarily. "Do you mind if I sit with you?"
Dull silver eyes looked his way for a second. "That's fine."
He pointed to her bracelet. "May I fix that for you?"
Luna looked back at him, longer this time, before she fiddled with the buttons on her wrist. "It's okay the way it is."
"I insist." Theo pulled the two buttons that had been lost from his pocket, placing them on the table.
The corner of her mouth twitched and eyes sparkled some at the sight. She removed the bracelet and gave it to him. "You didn't have to do that, you know."
"I know."
She watched him intently as he undid the knots and threaded the buttons back on. Draco decided to make his appearance in that moment and plopped himself down next to Theo.
"About damn time, mate." He looked right at Luna and smirked. "I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Draco, and this git over here is Theo."
"Luna. Nice to meet you." She looked between the two briefly. "He has a type, doesn't he?"
Draco laughed at the same comparison he'd made before. "That's what I told him."
Theo only rolled his eyes at the comment, focusing on the bracelet. Taking his lighter, he singed the elastic material to melt the knot before checking its integrity.
"Here."
He grabbed her hand, holding it as he slipped the bracelet back over her wrist. The softness of her skin was intoxicating.
"Thank you."
Draco leaned over the table some to get a closer look at the bracelet. "Do you hand make all of your jewelry?"
"Mostly," she said, beaming at her fixed piece that looked better than new. "If you come across any soda can tabs, I am looking for green and violet colored ones."
"I'll be sure to collect any I find." Draco felt a warmth in his chest when Luna looked his way.
It was enough to ward off the frigid air that seeped through the glass. "Do you know anything about shaping clay? I'm having a hell of a time with it."
Draco gestured to the grey lump he brought with him and Luna couldn't help but giggle at whatever it was supposed to be. "It looks like a Quaffle Egg."
"A what now?" Theo chimed in, examining the thing in front of Draco. "Looks like shit, you mean?"
He was rewarded with an elbow jab to the ribs. "What's a Quaffle?"
"It's an extinct bird that laid blue-grey eggs with impressions in them that looked like this." Luna pointed at the lumpy ball that started to look more like an egg to Draco as he stared at it.
"Will it give me a decent grade?"
"Perhaps. If you give it background," Luna suggested.
Theo half-rolled his eyes, wondering why she was humoring his boyfriend's terrible attempt at art. He himself chose to doodle in the notepad, but when he noticed he had a rough sketch of the girl he now sat in front of, he promptly closed it and cleared his throat.
"What are you working on?"
.oOo.
Theo wasn't sure how he let it get so far, but he grew very attached and protective of Luna just like he was with Draco. When the snow started to melt and the earth beneath it showed its frozen face, Draco, Luna, and Theo braved the frigid outdoors to get away from judgemental stares and sick remarks.
"I always liked the overlap of winter and spring," Luna sprung on the pair to make conversation. "Everything around you yearns to leap back to life, but the chill still keeps them sedated."
Draco paused in his spiel about Theo's terrible smoking habit. "That sounds… depressing."
"It's like a limbo, really. Or being stuck in a strange dance together. Don't you think?"
"I much prefer spring, myself. The rebirth of life and all," Theo said without missing a beat. "And I hate the cold."
He flexed his hands a couple of times in an attempt to ward off the chill before a gloved hand grabbed one and gave it a squeeze. Theo smirked, but looked over at Draco instead of Luna. He reached over to pull Draco's hand from a pocket, drawing him closer to them.
"What about you, love?" Theo inquired.
Grey eyes met hazel, and then glanced at Luna.
"I rather like winter myself. Seeing everything covered in a fluffy blanket of untouched snow is a breathtaking sight." Draco looked out to the field in front of him where he saw what was described.
The trees on the outskirts fought to bring some greenery back into the scene with fresh buds of frosty flowers and leaves. Patches of barren dirt peeked out at their base where snowfall was limited.
Draco brushed a stray lock of hair that escaped Luna's ponytail and tucked it behind her ear. "Aren't we an unusual sort."
Luna's free hand reached for Draco's, connecting the energy that coursed between them.
Theo closed his eyes and let out a calming breath. The realization that the pieces he didn't know was missing in his life came from the two people he now surrounded himself with. An unknown burden was sliding off his shoulders. He didn't consider the dark cloud he kept himself under for protection had been hurting him, so he supposed being able to overcome it – with help – was a great personal achievement.
For once in a very long time, Theo finally felt whole.
"I wouldn't want it any other way."