Theodore Nott was not one to be disturbed.
He was flipping through his History of Magic notes when suddenly his compartment door was thrown open.
"Nott. May I have a word?" said the intruder.
Theodore looked up. It was Malfoy. Surprisingly, he was alone. Malfoy strolled in and stood in front of him. Theodore remained silent.
"Seeing as we are fastly approaching our OWLs, which will be our first step towards greater things after school - "
Theodore did not know what Malfoy was blathering about. His affairs were in perfect order and he had no need for a career due to the large sum of money in his vault. There was little he could do, so he continued listening.
" – I felt that I needed to consult you about such matters. I have noticed that you have consistently declined my invitations for outings with myself and Zabini. However, I feel that with the upcoming year and our common interests in certain affairs- "
Theodore did not have the time for such nonsense.
"- that I should extend my offer again. Would you care to join us in my compartment?"
Theodore thought. He could sit alone, reading his textbooks or his Rune dictionary. Or he could move and sit in Malfoy's compartment. Watching Parkinsons fawn over the boy, watching Davis and Greengrass giggle amongst themselves, and listen to Malfoy's endless tales all involving how wonderful he was. Theodore made a decision.
"I decline."
Those small words, spoken in Theodore's usual tone of cold apathy hit Malfoy surprisingly hard. For a split second a look of disappointment danced flickered across Malfoy's face. He composed himself.
"Well then. If you ever change your mind you know where we are. I shall go, but you should remember where your loyalties should lie."
Malfoy turned and walked out, quietly shutting the compartment door.
Theodore continued reading.
Author's Note: I have always found the character of Theodore Nott interesting. Mainly what little has been said of him. While he has the smallest appearance, he is quite fascinating. The neutral Slytherin. He is clearly smart enough to make it to NEWT potions in Harry's 6th year, and he is the son of a Death Eater. He has seen thestrals – possibly his mother died? Rowling said he feels no need to join any gang – including Malfoy's – and Draco has a respect for him because he is just as pureblooded and somewhat cleverer. How interesting can he be? Due to the lack of anything about Theodore beyond a few canon-conflicting stories and some one-shots, I feel the need to write a story about Theodore Nott. I will do my best to put everyone in character and for this to be fully canon-compatible. If his deleted scene with Malfoy is ever published (I hope it is – I'd imagine JK would put it in the encyclopedia she has planned.) I will alter this to make it canon compatible. That is all.