This was written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments).
Assignment #9, Arts & Crafts, Task 8 - Write about a stoic person.
Other Hogwarts prompts are listed in the author's note at the end.
the future lies in wait (keep it at bay)
There was an empty space that followed his father around—one that Theodore Nott could sense as one might sense a person's physical presence. It was a quiet absence, just as its one-time occupant had been quiet, but an empty space could not smile the way a mother could.
Theodore had always wondered if his father was happy, or if he had ever been. After Theodore's mother had died, it seemed like his father spent more time gazing at photographs of her than he had ever spent with her when she was alive. She had sought the freedom of the gardens, more often than not, as his father laboured over manuscripts, but the man must have felt warmly towards her to linger over memories like that. (No evidence of that warmth had ever surfaced where Theodore could see it, but the theory had some merit to it, if only because the memories were too shrouded to strictly refute.)
A change had taken hold just a few years ago. With sharpened eyes and a certain intensity, his father had latched onto the Dark Lord's return. As quiet whispers formed again into reality, it seemed his father was coming back to life just as much as the Dark Lord was, speaking of His rise in the way one might talk about welcoming home an old friend. Lately, even the newspapers were finally heralding their Lord's return, but his father had long since prepared for the day.
Dinner had always been a silent affair between father and son, a quiet chorus of clinking silverware and politely sipped tea, but the summer before Theodore's sixth year, that silence was broken.
"Theodore," his father began, his face barely seeming to move when he spoke.
Theodore looked up, his own face impassive. There was a severity to the cut off his father's jaw and the way his slicked, salt and pepper hair followed the shape of his skull, which only emphasised the look of perpetual impatience on his face. The two of them looked a little bit alike, if old photos were a means to judge, though his father didn't have many photographs around anymore. In truth, his father's mood did not seem as sour as it sometimes was. That was worth noting. Setting down the teacup in his hand, Theodore responded, "Yes, Father?"
"I hear Draco Malfoy is taking on new responsibilities, in light of his father's temporary imprisonment."
In his bones, Theodore could feel where the conversation was going. The Malfoys could present as a bit nouveau riche and opulent at times, as his father had remarked in the past, but at the end of the day, their influence was no small thing… They were still equals, even with their ridiculous albino peacocks. Perhaps more importantly, they were servants to the Cause, and that was 'an honour of the highest degree.' Just the other day, Blaise had told him about Draco showing off the brand on his arm, which had to be what his father was referring to. Theodore thought it a bit foolish to run headfirst into that sort of deadly commitment when you were the last of your name, just as both of them were, but the look on his father's face suggested that Theodore was alone in that view of it.
"Gregory Goyle and Victor Crabbe are making moves to support the Cause, as well," his father continued. Theodore wanted to point out that they were both morons who just did whatever Draco did, but instead he spooned a sip of soup. It wouldn't have been the correct response because the tiny muscles around his father's eyes tightened. "If it isn't obvious, when Goyle and Crabbe's boys are more ahead of the curve than you are, it's an embarrassment to us both."
Maybe holding his tongue wasn't going to be so easy. Perhaps one point… "They're just blindly following Draco because they can't put two brain cells together consistently enough to make an educated decision."
"Service to the Dark Lord is not a matter of blindness."
The tone was cold, and Theodore realised the treacherous hint to his wording. Immediately, he spoke to salvage the moment: "I did not mean to say that serving our Lord was uneducated." Simply that some among his peers were, whatever difference that made.
"Then I can expect you to do your part?" his father asked.
It was a leading question that had only one correct answer, and that answer pressed heavy on his shoulders. Maybe his hesitation was something he was meant to be ashamed of, but their bloodlines were important, too. There would be no Sacred 28 left if they all jumped into battles with only their OWL-level education. (Harry Potter and his friends might have managed it, but Potter was the king of fluke survivals, so Theodore was not convinced that ought to count.)
"I want to do my part for our name and for our place in the wizarding world," Theodore said carefully. There might have been a flicker of satisfaction behind his father's eyes, though it faltered as he continued: "Focusing on my education first will protect our line better than throwing in for immediate glory. I think Grandfather would have agreed it's something worth considering."
"You presume to know better, then?" his father asked, chilling as he held a hard stare.
"No, sir," Theodore said, fighting the urge to mumble. "I was just thinking that you are already fighting for our future and that I might be of more use keeping that future out of harm's way."
Silence fell as they held their tense stare, and Theodore wondered what his mother would have thought about all of this—wondered if she would have thought he was weak for not wanting to jump headfirst into a fight or if she would have agreed on the wait. If she had agreed, would it have swayed his father, or would it have only driven him to dig his heels in harder? Even as Theodore told himself that it didn't matter, a fresh twinge twisted in his chest.
"This discussion is not over," his father said firmly, halting the train of thought rather effectively.
Ambiguous though it was, ambiguity wasn't always bad. Theodore could not tell if the response was leaning more toward acceptance or rejection, but there was room yet to dig his own heels in.
If Theodore was going to set himself up to be branded a servant in the shadow of his father and friends, he would be making that decision himself. Such things could wait.
Additional Author's Notes
Applicable Hogwarts Prompts:
Assignment #9, Arts & Crafts, Task 8 - Write about a stoic person.
Insane House Challenge - 430. (word) Opulent
365 Day Challenge - 230. (quote) "Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die." Herbert Hoover
Marauders' Map - 163. (object) Newspaper, 237. (object) Teacup
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Will-o'-the-Wisp in the Philippines - 42. (word) Light, 69. Write about a Slytherin
Slytherin Speed Challenge (72 Hours) Buttons, Red - 15. (character) Theodore Nott
Writing Club, Character Appreciation, Bill - 20. (family) Father
Writing Club, Disney Challenge, Songs, How Far I'll Go - S1. Write about someone following their own path, regardless of others' opinions
Writing Club, Showtime, Fiddler on the Roof, If I Were a Rich Man - 3. (animal) Peacock
Writing Club, Lyric Alley, "You Don't Own Me" - 7. Don't put me on display
Writing Club, Sophie's Shelf, Guy Fawkes Night, The Gunpowder Plot, King James I - Write about someone intolerant
Writing Club, Lo's Lowdown, Character Based Prompts, Jessica Jones - C4. Write about someone who doesn't want to be a hero
Autumn Seasonal Challenges, Days of the Year, Old Farmer Day - Write about a father wanting to pass on the family business to their child
Autumn Seasonal Challenges, Audrey's Dessert Challenge, Premade Cakes, Cake 6 - Write about a dinner/supper
Autumn Seasonal Challenges, Ravenclaw Prompts - (trait) Logical
Word Count - 1,097