A/N: This my entry for round four - the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. Go Wasps!
Loneliness, that is what you feel when you walk alone into a bar full of people. It's not like I mind too much, I never liked being in a company of too many people. I am used to loneliness, since I was a little boy. But let's not confuse being lonely with being friendless, I am only one of those. I guess that none of the people who are my friends I would define as my real friends. Sure, they are all good and nice people, but as soon as I left Hogwarts for the last time, one month ago, I knew I wouldn't see nor stay in touch with any of them. I am used to that too.
Sitting down on one of the only free stools, I order myself a Scottish Scotch. It's already the middle of the night and I know that the next place I'll visit after this will be my apartment. While I wait for the bartender to give me my drink, I'll try to find an interesting conversation to listen to in the middle of the noise. One conversation is about a girl named Abby, the other is about a sour family life and the third is about problems with parents. I listen to the third one for a moment and hear a young man complaining about his mother.
''I have told her a thousand times, but she doesn't fucking get it.'' the young voice says. The bartender gives me my drink and I take a long sip from it to prevent myself of making a disgusted face to that sentence.
Whoever that is, he can go on and be angry at his mother, he can ignore her if he bloody wants to, but the fact is she'll be there for him in his worst hours. He's just looking for someone to ignore, someone to be angry at, and his mother, who loves him deeply, is an easy catch. At least he has a mother.
With a another sip, I finish my drink. Usually, I'd order another one, but this place is boring as hell and the last thing I need right now is to hear someone complaining about his mother and saying rubbish about her. After taking money out of my wallet, I leave it on the bar, next to my empty glass, and stand up to leave. However, while I try to find a way out through the crowd, someone calls my name. ''Nott!''
At first, I expect it to be the bartender, or someone of that sort, but after he waves at me, my eyes spot Blaise. He is standing next to one of the private cabins of the bar, one hand keeps the door closed, the other motioning towards me to come. Since he isn't far away from me, I easily make my way to him. I am not sure if I should suspect his motives when it comes to me, we haven't talked or seen each other since the Battle of Hogwarts. Maybe he just wants to have a drink, or he is looking for company.
The closer I get to Zabini, the more he opens the door to the cabin, but he keeps looking around suspiciously. When I reach him, I open my mouth to say something to him, however, Blaise pushes me into the cabin and hurries to close the door behind us.
I look around the room and from the corner of my eye I see a round table with a square couch behind it. The light is more intimate and the empty room is a big change to the crowded bar. Only a few moments later, I notice the tall, blonde figure, which is sitting next to the table with a big bottle of alcohol beside it, but no glass. Malfoy.
''Want to join us?'' Blaise asks with a smirk and sits down beside Draco.
''Alright,'' I say hesitantly, yet sit down.
Blaise takes out two glasses from nowhere and turns to take the bottle from Malfoy, who, unsuccessfully, tries to stop him. ''Come one, mate,'' Blaise says as he takes the bottle, ''it's only Nott and me.''
Draco's eyes lay on me. At first, he only stares, which lets me notice that he is drunk, not as drunk as I thought, though, and that his eyes are swollen. Then, Draco smirks and asks, ''Nott, where the bloody hell have you been?''
I don't really mean to answer that question, Malfoy is drunk, so I take a sip from the strong drink, which Blaise poured me. ''Draco's right,'' Zabini says, ''We should hand out together more.''
After clearing my throat uncomfortably, I reply, ''Uh, I am sort of busy.''
''Sort of busy?'' Blaise asks with a raised eyebrow.
''No excuses, Nott.'' Draco says in a strange voice, as if he is trying to imitate someone, but then changes it back to his normal voice. ''The fact that the war is over doesn't mean that we're not friends anymore.''
That sentence makes me feel even more uncomfortable. During the war, the three of us got closer, or more correctly, I got closer to Draco and Blaise, since they have already been good mates. I guess what made me get closer to them is the fact that we had the same destiny, whether we liked it or not, which is become Death Eaters. Before the war, we had enjoyed mocking people together, which I am very certain we wouldn't do these days.
''To be honest,'' I say after considering my words, ''I think we should go back to how we were, like before the war.''
Malfoy immediately frowns, ''Do you have a problem with us?''
Zabini hurries to calm him down, before turning to me. ''What's the problem, Theo?''
''I do like being your friend,'' I say and scratch my neck, ''and I like people from your gang at school, like Daphne, and we both like Astoria, but I never liked gangs, like yours, and I think we have been through too much to be in one.''
Draco lays down the bottle, which he probably drank from while Zabini and I talked, because he looks more blurred than before, so Blaise replies me. ''I am sorry to disappoint you, Nott, but we,'' he motions between Draco and himself, ''are not in a gang anymore. We haven't talked to Crabbe and Goyle since the war and Pansy-''
''Pansy?'' Malfoy asks with a terrified look, which causes me to smirk.
''Parkinson has a boyfriend now,'' Blaise completes his sentence, ''and even though Daphne seems to be growing up from being Pansy number two, we are staying away from them. It's only Draco and me, mate.''
Even though I meant what I said, a single look at Blaise tells me that he also meant what he said. ''Whatever,'' I say approvingly with a smirk and finish me drink. I stand up to see that is Zabini is smirking back at me. I begin to head to the door, only to be stopped again.
''Theo,'' Blaise says as he approaches me quickly, ''help me get Draco out of here. The last thing he needs is to be notices like this by the wrong people.''
A week and half later, I walk into the cemetery, feeling lonely like I did back then, when I walked into that bar. Blaise and I succeeded in getting Mlafoy safely home, and though Blaise said we'll be in touch, neither of them contacted me since. I guess it's fine, my friendships or loneliness isn't something I should worry about while walking through this place, not today.
A part of me hates doing this, especially on my own, but I don't have many choices, do I? It's her birthday and with father away, I am the only one she has left and maybe the other way around.
As soon as I get to my mother's grave, tears begin to form in my eyes. I kneel down beside the tombstone and the first thing I do is use a spell to clean it from dust and dirt. Then, I gently put the flowers, which I bought on the tombstone, careful not to let the flowers hide her name. She's worth being remembered and recognized. A single drop rolls down on my cheek as I whisper, ''Happy birthday, mom.''
I sit there for about a minute before a sound of seven people's footsteps reach my ears and draws my attention. I look towards the direction of the noise, the direction which I came from, to find seven of my schoolmates walking towards me.
Astoria is the first to approach the grave. She gives me a warm grin, before putting the flowers she brought next to mine. Most of the rest of the people do the same thing. After they are done, there is a silent minute and as soon it is over, Astoria hugs me tightly, which allows me to hide the tears, and the rest use as an opportunity to talk quietly. Then, Daphne hugs me, and after she lets go I notice Malfoy standing quietly in the back of the crowd with Blaise, who leaves him to approach me.
Blaise gives me a pat on the back as we both look down on the grave. ''Draco was the one who told me it is today,'' he says and stares down, ''he told me we should do something, for you, and I came up with the plan and arranged this.''
The words 'thank you' get stuck in my throat, but by the grin that Blaise gives me, I know that he doesn't need me to say anything. I turn my head to look at the blonde and tall figure, which makes his way to us. He looks at me and gives me the same grin, which Blaise gave me. He looks better, he is sober, his eyes are clear, but he still has bags under his eyes.
So we stand there, me next to the flowers at the end of the tombstone, then Blaise and Draco on his other side. The one thought which crosses my mind is that maybe we all have certain people to decrease our loneliness.