Denial
The Great Hall had seen many things in its day.
It had seen students being Sorted into life-changing houses. It had seen students dancing happily during a chaotic ball (or two). It had been the home to thousands of meals, hundred of arguments, far too many tears. It had sat Slytherins, Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs. It had listened to professors, Headmasters (and Headmistresses), ghosts of all kinds, and the occasional special Minister guest.
Currently though, it was rather unusually empty - although, of course, this might have something to do with the fact that it was five forty-seven in the morning. On a Sunday.
"Why, Draco," said Theodore Nott, dragging himself slowly behind the blonde man leading the way. "It's fucking Sunday. Sundays are meant for sleeping in. Not… this."
"Yes, you've made that perfectly clear in the ten minute walk it took us to get down here," said Draco, a flash of irritation crossing his face. "And have I mentioned how much I hate living in the eighth year common room? Everything is so far away."
"More of a reason to sleep in," muttered Theo.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Your incoherence is grating, Nott. Since when are you not a morning person? You've always been a morning person."
"My morning usually constitutes eight or nine o'clock," said the other boy with a dark look. "Not - this."
They had reached their destination - the eighth year circular table at the back of the room - and now Draco huffed and pointedly walked around the table until he was facing the entrance of the Great Hall, pausing only a moment before he dropped into one of the seats. There was a pause as he stared at the plates and then said, "What's happening?"
"What do you mean?" asked Theo, who had been fallen a couple steps behind and was just now reaching the table at a slow stroll. He trailed over to Draco's side of the table and then stared down at the sparkling clean plates for long moment before looking around at the rest of the empty Great Hall. "Draco," he said slowly. "Where is the food?"
"Hmm," muttered Draco, pulling out his wand and poking one of the plates. "Odd… Must not serve this early in the morning."
"For fuck's sake," cried out Theo, and he threw his hands up to the barely-gray sky, dramatically throwing his head back. "WHY AM I FRIENDS WITH A FUCKING LOON -"
"Shut up," said Draco crossly, glaring at the other boy's dramatics. "Someone'll hear you." ("Who?" demanded Theo, glowering. "All the invisible people that are so interested in knowing your sanity level?" He was conveniently ignored.) "Besides, it'll probably all appear at six so we just have to wait -" Draco checked his watch, "Another ten minutes. Approximately."
"When are you just going to admit it, Malfoy?" said Theo in a testy voice as he dropped down next to Draco. "Everyone else knows already, there's nothing to be ashamed of -"
"I have nothing to admit," hissed Draco and they glared at each other for a long moment before Theo crossed his arms and Draco checked his watch again. "Eight minutes," he grumbled.
Theo gave a loud, pointed sigh. "I just don't understand why I have to be here - or, hell, why you need to eat breakfast at all. Just skip it if you're so damn chicken -"
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, Nott," said Draco in what Theo had termed his 'My Shit Tastes Better Than Yours' voice.
"Right," said Theo dryly and there was a pause and then his eyes flashed amusement and he felt a broad smirk appear on his face. "Say - you wouldn't want to get up and eat breakfast at such a ridiculously early time because of that, would you?"
He heard Draco's breath catch beside him and knew that they were both watching the same thing - a dark-haired figure wearing jogging shorts and absolutely no shirt go jogging past the open doors, completely intent on his run. The sound of footsteps hitting the stone echoed back to them and then when they finally trailed off, Theo turned to Draco with an expectant look.
The other boy was flushed pink and pressing his lips together in a determined fashion.
"Well?" prompted Theo when Draco refused to speak or, in fact, move at all.
"Well what?"
"Still going to deny it?"
"Deny what?"
"Deny that you fucking love Harry Potter," said Theo with a smug voice and then he made a delighted noise as food abruptly appeared in front of them. "Oh - look, kippers - and bacon, mmm, maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all."
"I don't love Harry Potter," protested Draco, but it was a moment too late for anyone, particularly Theo, to take into account. "I just - that was - a coincidence! I'm hungry, that's all. And I didn't want to eat with a crowd."
"There's never a crowd on Sundays," pointed out Theo. "Everyone likes to sleep in. Except, apparently, one bloke you like to call Scarhead… and his madly obsessed lover and his madly nice mate who gets dragged along for everything."
Draco sputtered. "That proves nothing! Coincidence! I'm not insane!"
"Whatever," said Theo, still wearing that ridiculously smug smirk. "You might as well eat something, now that we're up. Unless…" He glanced at Draco slyly.
"What?" asked Draco suspiciously, eyes narrowed. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Unless you want to wait for Potter to get back so that you can lick him clean -"
"That's it, I'm leaving," said the blond in a furious voice, standing up and not hesitating a moment as he stalked away.
"Wait! Maple syrup!" called Theo, lifting up a jug of said condiment and waving it in Draco's direction. "We can drizzle on his naked chest!"
"Fuck you!" came the distant, angry reply as Draco reached the Great Hall doors.
"But don't you want to wait for when he comes back?" called Theo desperately - desperately trying not to laugh, that is. This was just too easy sometimes.
Silence.
Laughing to himself, he started eating his large portion of bacon and happily scooped a spoonful of eggs onto his plate as well. "This isn't half-bad," he said aloud to himself, grinning happily. "Breakfast by myself, Draco finally admitting he somewhat likes Potter - and now I can finally tell something to Potter to get him off my back about this every day. Not bad."
Not bad at all.
a/n: we have reached day seven! And this one goes to ultimaterockgoddess, whose review inspired me to write another one shot with Theo in it. Ah, gotta love Theo - and Draco staring after a shirtless Harry Potter.
review if you want Theo Nott drizzling maple syrup on you and licking it off!
