AN: Written for Taragh McCarthy's: Talk About Categories and Middy's The Breakup Challenge.
Italics are Nott.
Looking around the Great Hall he saw that it was the total opposite of how it had been for the Yule Ball last year. Today was October 31st. All Hallows' Eve. The Great Hall was covered in magically spelled pumpkins that could speak and float around. Fairy lights were glowing orange, while the sky above was dark and cloudy. Small round tables were covered in spider webs and the ancient walls were decorated with spiders here and there.
The dark and spooky atmosphere made some of the guests enter with trepidation, but the laughs and squeals reassured them that they were in Hogwarts. They were safe. Theodore's long pianist scarred fingers touched his black collar as he entered the Great Hall alone. He passed by some students from his year, ignoring them just as they ignored him. Theodore was dressed in black from head to toe and he wore a new scar that started next to his nose before stretching all the way to his mouth. His green eyes were the only color on him; he looked like death personified. And that was what he wanted to people to think when they saw him. Death.
After passing frilly costumes he stopped in his chosen dark corner. Zabini raised an eyebrow at him. "Dear Circe, I'm losing you," he stated. He knew something had changed over the summer – Teddy Boy had always been quiet, but lately a dark and menacing aura surrounded him and Blaise knew that something big had happened.
Nott ignored him, taking out some cigarettes and offering them to Blaise who accepted. Swiftly both began to smoke.
"What are you supposed to be? Theodore Nott?" Blaise taunted. Theodore always wore black.
Nott chuckled and said in a unemotional voice, "Death."
Blaise raised an eyebrow at his answer but shrugged. He would find out later.
Theodore looked at him and sneered, "Are you supposed to be an angel?"
Zabini scoffed, "Ignorance is man's greatest downfall."
"That's lying to oneself," Theodore interrupted, taking a drag.
Zabini breathed out some smoke. "That's what you say. I say ignorance. And I'm not an angel. I'm Eros, dimwit."
Blaise's hand, the one not holding his cigarette, pointed at himself. He was wearing a dark purple robe that went around his waist and was offset with magical cream wings. His black hair was topped with an ivy crown and his feet were clad in roman sandals.
"Don't call me dimwit," Theo sneered. He wasn't like Crabbe and Goyle.
Blaise laughed. "Alright, Teddy Boy."
Nott huffed; he hated that nickname.
A few minutes passed and Blaise patted his shoulder. "Turpin is here. See you tomorrow, Teddy Boy." He winked at his friend and walked to where the Ravenclaw was standing. Turpin wore an outfit that seemed to be some version of Muggle nurse's uniform.
Theodore rolled his eyes and finished his cigarette. Dropping it to the floor he stepped on it. He had to admit that smoking calmed him greatly. He was nervous about tonight.
Just don't talk and let me handle everything, alright, Teddy.
Nott's voice was clear in his head, reminding him that they had to do this. Both Theodore and Nott had different reasons for why the relationship with the quirky, eccentric and unique Ravenclaw had to end – tonight.
For Nott, it was simple. Luna was a distraction from the main goal. Theodore was too caught up with the strange girl. They needed to focus on being the greatest and most loyal follower of the Dark Lord, so that they could do anything they pleased without being questioned by their Lord. Not only was Lovegood a distraction, but she was also Theodore's weakness. Weakness was not allowed in the regime of the Dark Lord, nor was it allowed in a Nott. With the eccentric girl out of the picture, Nott would finally be able to control Theodore, and would be able to finally have fun. He would return to Greengrass and show Theodore the wonders of being a Death Eater without a conscience. Hurting and making people suffer without remorse. Killing without flinching. Nott would have Theodore in his control and become the most loyal, faithful, evil, feared Death Eater that the world had ever seen.
Theodore's scarred hand scratched his messy hair as he tried to scrub away the thoughts of his other personality. But with every day that passed it was becoming more difficult.
Let it be, Teddy. Just accept it fully and I will be able to make you into the greatest Death Eater.
Theodore wanted that – he had been trained since he was a small child to be the greatest Death Eater, and now finally he was. He just needed to accomplish a few things.
But, well, he really didn't want to be here tonight, to be in a position to accomplish those things. He really didn't want to break things up with his sweet nymphet. Theo had asked Nott the same question. Couldn't he keep Luna and still be the greatest Death Eater?
No.
And even though it wasn't yet time for the plan to start, Theodore literally felt that he couldn't breathe. It hurt to draw and release each breath. The calmness from the cigarette had vanished. Closing his green eyes he willed himself to stop. He needed to do this. For her. He knew he was a selfish person, like his hated father. But he needed to end things with Luna or he would hurt her until she died. Just like his mother.
His scarred pianist fingers rubbed his nose in an exaggerated manner. Turning around he faced the ancient wall and took deep breaths and counted to ten.
Calm the fuck down, Teddy. Or she won't bloody believe you!
Theodore nodded and for a few moments he was calm again. After he became the best Death Eater he would get Luna back and would never let her go or hurt her. His chest ached and his eyes burned but he didn't let himself cry. Crying was for the weak. And he, Theodore Nott, was not weak.
A manicured hand went to his hip and red lips touched the side of his neck. "I've missed you so much, Teddy." A voice full of lust entered his ear, and the darker side of him shivered in anticipation.
"Don't call me Teddy, Daphne. You know I hate it when someone calls me that stupid name," he hissed at her, his cold hand snatching hers and gripping it tightly, making her wince. His mouth was on her ear while his other hand seized her hip. "But yes I have missed you too." His mouth took her earlobe, which caused her to moan.
Daphne smiled and her hands went to his unruly hair as their lips met passionately in a kiss filled with hate, lust and abhorrence for one another. But the passion was still there, as was the desire to hurt each other. Nott wanted to control, hurt and belittle Daphne. He couldn't exactly do it to Lovegood. For some odd reason, Nott drew the line at Luna. He would not hurt her like he wanted to hurt Daphne. It was a strange and odd thing, but Theodore would not question Nott. It was for the best.
He would lose his mind if he ever laid a hand on Luna.
Separating from Greengrass, he took a breath, his mouth stained with her red lipstick. He dove back in to roughly kiss her neck. A part of him wanted to barf at the disgusting smell of her expensive perfume and from what he was doing, cheating on his lover with this horrid witch. But it had to be done for both their sakes. Another part of him – Nott – wanted this, to feel Daphne's body pressed against his, to hear her sigh and moan his name, to taste her cries when he made her bleed, to see her grey eyes fill with fear and lust at the same time. It was an toxic addiction and the power of feeling control over Daphne's life was just glorious.
Her manicured fingers pulled at his messy hair, pulling his face into her neck. His green eyes fluttered shut, his back aimed against the entrance of the Great Hall. Daphne's grey cold eyes were battling to stay open but when she caught sight of a small spacey white-blonde Ravenclaw girl she smiled.
This was her chance to defeat the eccentric girl who had taken Teddy from her. Loony had ruined her plans, had made Teddy call off the betrothal, had left her alone with no future husband. Daphne had been defeated by a filthy lunatic blood traitor. Revenge would be sweet.
Luna entered the Great Hall wearing a white strapless bohemian dress. Amethyst hydrangea flowers were entwined with her straggly hair and the radish earrings that her Slytherin lover had given her last year were on her ears. Her small alabaster hands were folded in front of her and her skin was covered in fairy dust, making her skin sparkle and glow when the small light of the Great Hall hit her pale alabaster skin.
Luna looked ethereal.
Over the summer while on an expedition with her father she had seen a wood fairy. It had been the most fascinating thing she had seen. It had fit in the palm of her hand, its huge prominent eyes blinking up at her. It had been unusual for the wood fairy to stay on her palm; they rarely trusted humans. Her father had whispered to her later that there was a reason as to why.
The wood fairy had warned her of a dark and lonely moment that would soon happen in her life.
At the time, Luna had frowned. She hadn't been lonely since Theodore had accepted fate and become hers. Well, she had known that he would take the Dark Mark, but Luna had believed that though it would be hard she would be by his side. Luna had promised Theodore when they had made love that she would always be there for him, had reassured him that she would never leave him and that she loved him.
Her huge dreamy eyes looked around the Great Hall and her breath caught when she saw Daphne Greengrass, the girl that liked to make fun of her. Daphne was always very sad and angry. But right now she wasn't sad or angry. She was kissing and pressing her curvy and well-defined body into someone Luna knew so well.
It was an out of body experience; Luna was seeing herself walk slowly to them. Her face emotionless.
Maybe it was an accident. Maybe Daphne Greengrass tripped and her lips landed on his? The rational part of Luna's mind laughed at that thought.
"I've really have missed you, Teddy," Daphne purred, kissing him passionately, causing him to groan and Luna to tremble in fear. It had been so long since Theodore had groaned like that for her. Ever since the summer, he had been nervous, fidgety, and always angry with her. Their little bubble had thinned.
She blamed the Dark Mark. It had darkened him and made him bitter and downright mean.
"Make me yours again, Theodore." Daphne's oily voice was filled with passion and sultry lust – it was nothing like Luna's innocent, dreamy and light voice. Luna was a young naïve little girl who had really believed that Theodore would forever love her – like he had so long ago when they had been together. For some bloody reason, she thought that he would push Daphne Greengrass and turn around and tell her that she was beautiful in her fairy costume.
No such thing happened.
His groan got louder and his long arms went around Daphne's body, pressing her more to him. A yes escaped his lips.
The bubble popped!
And tears, tears that rarely came from her blue dreamy eyes, fell now in that moment. Luna realized that she'd lost control of herself, her body, spirit and heart and had let him rule her until she bled for him. It was an unconscious, unselfish sacrifice when it came to loving Theodore. Her soul mate.
Her small hands covered her mouth, but the sob escaped her making Theodore freeze as if he had been hit with cold water. He wanted to explain, to comfort her, but Nott was in control and instead he sneered in disgust as his green eyes landed on Luna.
He wanted to gasp; she was his fantasy coming to life.
But the crystal tears made him shiver. He had never meant to hurt her in the process of keeping her safe from his darkness. Guess it was too late now.
Curling his lip at Luna, he anchored his arm around Daphne's waist. "Lose something, Lovegood?" Nott asked coldly.
Luna couldn't answer. It seemed that her tears were suffocating her, impeding her answer. Theo's heart broke at seeing and hearing her hurt. All because of him. And he could not comfort her.
Her eyes beseeched him. His mouth sneered, his scar twisted menacingly, his face filled with hate and disgust and his eyes were cold but enigmatic at the same time. Theodore was a beautiful cold marble sculpture. His scar wasn't even a mistake from the artist – it added to his dark beauty.
For her, actions spoke more than words.
And right now, his actions were telling her that he was not in love with her, that he preferred the beautiful Daphne Greengrass to the eccentric Luna 'Loony' Lovegood.
The misty words of the wood fairy reached her. Blonde Lovegood, your soul mate will make you feel lonely and empty. I come here to warn you that you must be strong, like always, but more so now that your life will become dark beyond recognition.
Her sobs shook her body. She had lost control and made him her ruler and now he had broken the heart that she had guarded so deeply inside her. That heart was now so difficult to repair and she feared she would never again match the small and confusing pieces. Burying her eyes in her hands, Luna backed away slowly and hit a table, almost falling, but a cold scarred hand that she knew so very well stopped her.
A moment of hope passed through her. Maybe her Theodore was still there. Hidden from her, but still there. The hope magnified when she felt a soft piece of cloth shoved into her small hand. Her blue eyes opened and she saw the silken dark handkerchief with "TAN" embroidered in black silk thread on the hem.
Glancing up at Theodore, she saw that he stood a few inches away from her, a sneer on his face. His eyes were cold. "Wipe your face, Loony."
The hope popped, just like her bubble.
Theodore leaned closer. "And listen closely, Loony." He did not even stop when he saw that her blue eyes gained more tears at hearing the awful name. "I want you far away from me. I don't want to see your face near me. I'm sick of you."
His words were like daggers, but she hoped that he was lying. He had to be lying!
Theodore lowered his mouth to her ear, causing her to shudder as memories came flooding through her. "Let's pretend this never happened between you and I. I never loved you and you never loved me. I still hate you and you still think I'm a figment of your crazy imagination."
A slap interrupted his next words and Luna pulled back her wrist, not wanting him to touch her, not wanting to feel his cold and uncaring touch. Her small hand held tightly to his handkerchief as if it was her lifeline. He was asking her to forget everything that they had lived in this life and in their other one as well. It was like disobeying fate – Theodore was laughing at fate!
He will taunt the power of the Fates, and one must never taunt fates, the wood fairy whispered to her.The Fates will bestow on him his punishment and you shall pray this: 'When all is dark and there's no light, lost in the deepest star of night, I see you.' You must say it when you feel hollow, blonde Lovegood. It will give you strength and the Fates will be kind to you.
Luna didn't say it aloud – but she repeated that sentence in her head over and over again. Her blue eyes looked at him, but her Theodore was gone and in his place was someone that looked too much like his father.
Turning around and not waiting to hear or stop to listen, she ran out of the Great Hall. Luna Lovegood kept running until she came to the clearing in the Forbidden Forest, the same clearing that she had shared with Theodore. Only when she fell on her knees did she look down at the handkerchief. The Wrackspurts were in her head making her brain so fuzzy that she didn't notice the smaller words that were embroidered there.
Theodore's green eyes looked at the retreating back of his lover. His heart broke in that moment, but he couldn't go and stop her. He needed to do this. A hand touched his cheek. Turning around he saw Daphne wearing a wicked smile before she kissed him. His hands went to her hips, holding her tightly enough to bruise. He just hoped that Luna would see the note in his handkerchief – it was all explained in there.
Theodore hoped that in trying to do something good he hadn't done something so utterly evil.
AN: Please leave a review on your thoughts and if you follow my stories this is part of my Head!Canon.