Theodore Nott
Death, so much death in such little time.
His father is dead, though he feels as though he should care more, he can't bring himself to. He didn't love his father, not after all that he had done to his own family…
Remus Lupin was dead, so was his wife, Draco Malfoy's cousin. It was odd, he would never have expected Lupin to lose his life, he had expected him to become the next Dumbledore, he had expected him to grow old and grey, he could've seen him as the caring headmaster trying to teach his pupils how to respect those who were different. But faith decided differently didn't it? Faith decided he would be taken down by the capable wand of Dolohov. Dolohov who hadn't survived either, courtesy of Flitwick.
That was the thing about the battle of Hogwarts wasn't it, there were no winners, only losers. Even he himself, who had nothing to lose, felt like he lost something that day.
He had taken part in the battle, unintentionally actually. He had been keeping an eye on a few younger Slytherins who had no affiliation with Voldemort and a couple of Ravenclaws who constantly regarded him with distrust, for some strange reason McGonagall had entrusted them to him and had asked him to get them to the Room of Requirement though he suspected Lupin had had something to do with it.
And then suddenly Greyback had popped up, Greyback who hadn't seen him, Greyback who was smiling that monstrous grin of his, Greyback who was getting to close to tiny Astoria Greengrass. He had intervened; his eyes had been glaring into the black eyes of the monster.
"Theodore," he had growled grinningly. "Little Theodore Nott."
"Leave," Theodore had uttered softly, calmly, but menacingly none the less.
"Won't you let me have some fun? Theodore?"
"Get away from us."
"Or else what?"
Slowly Theodore raised his wand. "You forget who I am Greyback. I'm not a coward who runs and hides as soon as you show those pretty little teeth of yours. I'm not afraid of you, and I've never been."
"You don't have it in you," Greyback chuckled, a chilling cheerless sound that caused the younger pupils to cower together behind Theodore: at that point in time, he was their world, the only thing standing between them and the monster, ironic no? "You're too much like that little mother of yours; she didn't have it in here either."
"Yet again you forget something Greyback, I'm only half my mother's son," Theodore said slowly emphasising each word.
Greyback's expression changed drastically: "Whose side are you on boy? Do you forget which blood runs through those tasty looking veins of yours?"
"My blood runs through my veins Greyback, my blood and my blood alone," he had stated dryly before turning his attention to the scared pupils. "Go; wait for me in the next room."
Daphne Greengrass, who by now had taken her little sister's hand nodded before hurrying the twenty-something pupils into the room.
"Sending the pups away? Scared they might see something - I don't know - bloody?" Greyback smirked devilishly stepping closer and closer to Theodore.
"You underestimate me."
"You overestimate yourself brat, you're nothing, I eat people like you for dinner on daily bases, so don't put up too much a fight will you," Greyback said stalking towards him like a wolf would to a prey. But before he could attack Theodore had already uttered the words Greyback had never expected: "Crucio".
The monster of a man was floored in an instant; he was howling out in pain, his limbs shaking as if they weren't his own, his eyes larger darker than ever were searching for Theodore though he couldn't see because of the pain that was cursing through his body. He had been Cruciated before: often laughing the spell of as pathetic. But this boy, this man, was more capable than any Death Eater; maybe he was even nearly as skilled in it as Voldemort himself. And than the shaking stopped, as sudden as it had started.
Greyback was left painting, curling into a little ball, his skin, his bones burning from the pain that still lingered inside of him: he had been weakened, so weakened.
"Leave us alone," Theodore said quietly, kneeling down next to his pathetic form, "go and fight your little battle." He shook his head, threw one last look at Greyback and left the room.
Greyback laid there for a while, wondering if anyone else knew just how strong that willowy boy was. And smart, he had weakened him, not killed, why not? So afterwards when all this was over, nobody would know what he was capable of.
Fenrir Greyback didn't find death that day, he suffers a faith worse, he'll rot away in Azkaban, were he can't track a victim, where he'll never again taste the blood of a child. Everyday he wishes that Nott boy, had just killed him that day.
Theodore shook the memory from his mind tapping his fingers on the table as he looked around; so many gloomy face, he wondered just how many people had died today. He had seen many bodies…he had recognized many Death Eaters whose names he had known ever since he was a little boy. His mother used to whisper their names to him in a cool tone he now would recognize as disgust.
He knew the Death Eaters paid the highest price; many of them were dead and gone like their master, though not nearly enough, though he took comfort in the idea that the surviving Death Eaters would rot away in Azkaban clinging to the idea that maybe just maybe mighty Voldemort survived.
He knew better though, death had been the one to roam free that day, and finally he had gotten his cold hands on Voldemort, because Tom Riddle had slipped through his fingers too many times before. And death didn't like people who think they can cheat him, that's why he goes looking for them, taking many with him on the way…
"Theodore!' Blaise his deep familiar voice called snapping him out of his musing but before he could look up he was already enveloped in a bone crushing hug courtesy of little Astoria Greengrass. 'Astoria let go of him! He doesn't like being touched!' Blaise Zabini called trying to pry her off of him with Daphne Greengrass in tow.
"What in the name of Merlin are you doing here?" Theodore questioned while Blaise finally successfully removed Astoria.
Blaise shrugged. "The little one was near hysterics and I figured since the battle was over I could bring her round. She was quite adamant on checking if Draco Malfoy was still alive, apparently she fancies him," he stated sounding fairly amused.
Astoria rosy cheeks turned a scarlet shade of red while her sister shook her head in disapproval.
"Yes I found out the hard way not too long ago," Theodore said dryly.
"Well I-," but before Blaise could even finish that sentiment he was violently pushed out of the way by Astoria, who apparently had ran out of patience.
"Is he alive? Tell me he is alive!" She said her blue eyes staring at him pleadingly as she frightfully tugged at the hem of her shirt in anguish.
"He's fine," Theodore said before yet again being pulled into a hug. "If you let go of me I'll tell you where he is at", he added dryly.
Astoria immediately let go and looked at him expectantly.
"He's over there," Theodore said pointing towards the spot where Draco and his parents were huddled up together.
It took Astoria about a millisecond to storm of, her dark curls bouncing behind her as she made her way towards the object of her affection ignoring her sister's cries of her name. Astoria virtually threw herself into a very exhausted looking Draco Malfoy's arms ignoring the curious stares of his parents.
She hugged him tightly while sobbing uncontrollably causing. Draco looked somewhat bewildered as he patted her back visibly uncomfortable by the ordeal.
"There, there Astoria, what's the matter?" Draco asked, oblivious as ever.
"I thought you were dead!" Astoria said sniffling pathetically.
"Is that it?" He said laughing joylessly. "You'd actually care if I-?"
Astoria just nodded before hugging him even tighter while Draco slowly seemed to recover from the initial shock and hugged her back.
"Affectionate little thing isn't she?" Blaise stated visibly amused by the entire ordeal.
"A Malfoy," Daphne said gnawing at her lower lip. "How am I going to explain that to mum and dad?"
"Well I for one think it's perfectly lovely," a dreamy voice stated from behind Theodore.
Theodore spun around; standing behind him was a very delicate looking girl with long fair hair and blue saucer-like eyes which seemed permanently dazed.
"They'll have the prettiest children," she added matter-of-factly causing Daphne's eyes to widen dramatically.
"C'mon Blaise, help me pry her of him, I might be able to salvage the situation!" Daphne said dragging Blaise along by an arm leaving Theodore alone with the odd blond.
"Aren't you Theodore Nott?" She questioned.
Theodore just nodded.
"I hadn't expected to see you here," she stated flopping down next to him.
"And why not?" He asked, knowing fully well what her answer would be: he was the son of a Death Eater, and thus he should be on the Death Eater side of things.
"You don't seem like the type," she said thoughtfully.
That wasn't the answer he had expected. Theodore looked at her oddly. "How so?"
"Well if you enjoyed all of – this – you would've picked a side long ago."
"Interesting theory."
"So I'm right?"
"Not by a long shot," Theodore said and he felt a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.
"Than why?" She asked her tilting her head slightly to the side as she looked at him curiously.
"I suppose I was afraid of what I might turn into," Theodore said honestly. He didn't really know why he was discussing such a personal matter with this curious stranger.
"You wouldn't have turned into him, you're very different."
Theodore frowned. "Different from whom?"
"Your father," she said serenely. "You're nothing like him inside and out."
"And how do you know?"
"I saw him in the ministry; he wasn't very nice or handsome."
"And I am?"
"Yes you're perfectly nice and very handsome," the girl said smiling at him dreamily.
Theodore nearly laughed out loud, perfectly nice? He was far from nice and even further from handsome: his eyes dark eyes were perpetually half closed, his lips too feminine to be attractive and his dark hair too unruly.
"You haven't told me your name you know," he said curious as to what this odd girl's name was.
"Luna, Luna Lovegood."
"Luna Lovegood," he repeated trying to figure out where he had heard that name before.
"But you might know me as Loony; a lot of people call me Loony," she stated simply as if she was commenting on the weather.
"Loony?" Theodore repeated frowning. "Why do they call you Loony?"
"Because apparently I'm odd silly," she answered smiling brightly.
"This is Hogwarts, everyone is a bit odd," Theodore said with a shrug now noticing the radish earrings and rather eccentric butterbeer-cork necklace.
"Do you think it will work out?"
"I beg your pardon?"
She nodded towards Malfoy and Astoria as she absently pushed a lock of light hair behind her ear. "Do you think they'll work out?"
"They might, though I think Astoria's a bit too much to handle for Malfoy, he prefers his girls a bit less impulsive."
"She's lovely though, helped me find my shoes once after they had hidden them."
"People hide your shoes?"
"Quite often actually," Luna answered. "Though it's all in good fun I suppose."
"They take your shoes, what's fun about that?"
"Well as long as they get a right laugh out of it, I don't really mind." Luna said with a shrug.
Theodore couldn't help but smile, the sensation of smiling felt foreign to him…he hadn't smiled in what seemed like ages and this girl, Luna Lovegood made him smile so effortlessly. He faintly noted that he had possibly just met the only person who he deemed capable of healing the world, his world, of the scars Voldemort had made…
- Fin –
Note: This piece of fiction is dedicated to xSugaryTearsx who inspired me to write another Luna/Theodore fic.
This was typed on a whim, it's not really thought over but I really do want to add the missing scene were Astoria 'confesses' her love for Draco to Theodore soon.
I have a part of it laying around and I find it quite funny.
But anyway tell me what you think! I haven't written Harry Potter fics in so long I'm afraid I'm a bit rusty!
Love
Fishie.
