Ch. 14 Rules

Parvati

Parvati's guard had already been up since Slughorn had left her alone with Theo, but his words - stupid bitch - and the anger with which he'd voiced them had put her completely on the defensive. After a few moments of futilely banging and yelling, Theo's shoulders slumped in apparent resignation. Still facing the door, with his back to Parvati, he appeared to take a few deeps breaths, composing himself, before turning around.

Right in to the tip of her wand.

The room was so small that even though she was standing against the opposite wall to Theo, when her arm was outstretched her wand tip was only inches from his chest. Theo looked nonchalantly at Parvati's face, down to her wand, then back up again. Then, unexpectedly, his mouth broke out into a wry grin. Parvati took the opportunity of his apparent casualness to cast.

"Expelliarmis!" She cried at the same time as Theo shouted:

"Protego!"

He had been surprising quick with his protective charm and his wand stayed firmly in his hand, which he kept outstretched, pointing at her. They now both stood, barely two metres from each other, each of their wand tips inches from the others torso.

"Expelliarmus?" Theo questioned scathingly. "Out of all the spells? You bloody Potter groupies."

Parvati felt a rush of anger at his words and her grip tightened round her wand. Theo must have noticed because his smile faded, although his face remained indifferent.

"What nifflers got into your knickers? Why the defensive spells?"

Parvati raised her eyebrows incredulously. Did he really need that spelling out?

"I'm a Gryffindor and Harry Potter groupie, as you put it, locked in a confined space with a snake that has a Death Eater for a father!"

Something flickered momentarily in Theo's eyes, so quickly that Parvati couldn't read it. She wondered then, not for the first time that evening, whether he had followed his father's path and was in fact a Death Eater himself. Her eyes darted down to his left forearm, wondering if, were he were to roll up his shirt, she would see a mark of a skull with a snake curling from its mouth. She looked back up at Theo and saw that he'd seen where her gaze had drifted, and she had the uncanny knowledge that he knew what she'd been thinking.

"Okay. Look,"' he said, as if he was placating an over-excited child, which just riled Parvati even more. "As much as you may not think it, it really doesn't suit me right now to be found in here in an hour and a half's time with one or both of us dead or maimed and the potions stock destroyed. It'll really be more hassle than it's worth. But that will probably happen if you attempt to put into practice those spells you've been learning in that Harry Potter fan club you guys have going on."

Paravti's eyes narrowed at his mention of D.A. How much did he know? How much did they know?

"So. I suggest we both discard our wands and try and pass the time civilly?" Theo continued as he slowly raised both his arms to head height, in a sign of surrender.

"Civilly?" Parvati scoffed.

"Yes."

Parvati wasn't quite sure why she trusted him then. Maybe it was the fact that he could have cast any spell except a shield charm - he could have disarmed her, immobilised her, stunned her - but he'd chosen to only protect himself. Maybe it was that his reasoning made sense - she didn't know much about Theo Nott, but she knew he excelled in most subjects, including DADA. If they duelled in this confined space, they were both likely to end up seriously hurt or worse. What choice did she have but to trust him? So she raised her arms, mirroring his gesture.

"On the count of three we drop our wands and don't pick them up again until that door opens." Theo said.

Parvati hesitated for a moment.

"Deal," she conceded.

"One…two…three."

They both opened their wand hands and the two pieces of magical wood clattered to the floor at the same time. There was a tense moment when it seemed they were both waiting to see what the other would do. Then Theo lowered his arms, relaxed his shoulders and turned away from her. He proceeded to idly pick up random bottles from the shelves and put them down again. He seemed restless, twitchy, but to have dismissed her presence completely.

Parvati stood in one corner, leaning against a shelf, trying to ignore him, which was impossible of course, she was in a tiny fucking cupboard with the guy. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, concentrating hard, thinking of Padma, but her twin's mind was still lost to unconsciousness across the castle in her hospital bed.

Theo turned, went to lean down and Parvati instantly tensed. She was still aware of where her wand was and how long it would take her to get to it.

"Relax," Theo said, an amused smile playing at his lips. "I'm just sitting down. May as well get settled. We're in here for the long haul. No thanks to you."' And he sat down, his back leaning against one of the shelves, his legs stretched out in front of him.

Parvati didn't say anything. It had probably been her fault. As the first one in the cupboard she should have put an unclosing charm on the door. But she did that kind of thing all the time - she knew she wasn't good with small details, forgot them, got distracted easily - flighty her Dad said- although he managed to say it so affectionately it sounded like a rare talent. She'd stopped beating herself up about it years ago.

She looked down at Theo on the floor. It did look more comfortable than awkwardly leaning against the shelves so she slid herself down to the floor too, mirroring his position. They were now sat diagonally from each other. The room was so small it was literally only big enough for them to both sit with their legs outstretched. Or even barely that, Parvati realised, as she had to make a special effort to make sure her legs didn't brush against him. Parvati noted again where both their wands were and was comforted a little by the fact she could probably get to hers quicker than he could get to his.

They sat not speaking and not making eye contact for a few minutes. Theo broke the silence.

"You know, you need to not look down at your wand."

She looked at him and was unexpectedly caught off guard by the intensity of his gaze - piercing blue eyes that met hers uncompromisingly.

"What?" she snapped. She hadn't been looking at her wand.

"Just before you cast a spell," he continued in that detached way he had of speaking. "You do this thing where you glance down at your wand for a split second, like you're checking it's still there or something. But it's enough. It's enough for the enemy to know you're about to cast. And it slows you down."

Parvati initially felt indignant. She hadn't asked for him to give her casting techniques - how bloody patronising. But then she thought more about what he'd said.

"That's how you cast that shield charm so quickly?"

"Yep."

"Right. Thanks for the tip," she said, not sure herself is she was being sarcastic or sincere.

He shrugged, looking away from her as if he couldn't care less about her wand technique. But why had he bought it up then? Merlin, he was irritating.

After a few more minutes of strained silence, Theo inexplicably started humming and singing quietly to himself. Parvati recognised a Seven Sirens song that happened to be one of her favourites. He actually had rather a lovely voice, but Parvati was finding herself getting even more irritated.

"Could you maybe not do that?" she snapped. "There's no way I'm going to be subjected to that for the next two hours or however long we're in here for."

Theo stopped singing but looked totally unabashed.

"Just trying to break the tension," he said casually. Merlin, didn't anything bother him? But then Parvati remembered the anger that had burst from him when the door had locked in to place and she thought, yes, some things definitely did bother him. "So. If I can't entertain myself by singing, how're we gonna spend this time Patil?" He was looking at her again, with those amazingly bright blue eyes, a mocking smile hinting at his lips.

But his insults were still ringing in her ears.

"Maybe with you not speaking to me that would be a good start."

"Come on Patil." He seemed totally unperturbed by her acerbic tone. "I know you can't sit in here in silence for two hours, you'll go mad with boredom" - he was probably right but how did he know that? - "You got us into this mess, you suggest the entertainment. What d'you lions do in the Gryffindor common room to pass the time?"

She shrugged.

"The usual. Wizard's chess. Exploding snap," she thought of what was probably happening in the common room now, fuelled by the butterbeer that Seamus had sneaked in. "Truth or dare."

"Truth or dare? Okay, let's do it."

She looked at him, incredulous.

"You're not serious."

He sat up straighter and started scrabbling about on one of the lower shelves.

"This should make it more interesting...I'm sure I saw some earlier...yes!" He said and turned to Parvati, triumphantly brandishing a bottle with a clear, colourless liquid inside.

"Veritaserum?" she asked, bemused.

"Yep. We each take a few drops. Shouldn't make us go too crazy. Don't want you totally spilling your guts to me."

Truth or dare with Veritaserum wasn't new to Parvati. She had played many a game of it in the Gryffindor common room and also with the Bauxbatton students during the summers she spent in France. After a while, she'd got to learn certain techniques for being more in control of it and she could actually handle the game quite well.

"How exactly are we going to do the dare bit?" she asked.

Theo paused, apparently thinking.

"We have to do the dare when we're out of here, within a certain time frame. We promise to do it."

"Ha! Like I'd believe that!"

"I keep my oaths Patil." He said more quietly. Serious, piercing eyes continuing to bore in to her.

Parvati turned the suggestion around in her mind. Annoyingly, he was right - she may well go mad with boredom without something to occupy her. Although it was risky…but she was a Gryffindor through and through and nothing appealed if not a little risk taking. What harm could a game of truth or dare do? And her thoughts responded with some concerning answers.

"Okay. Okay. But! We promise not to ask questions or propose dares where the answer or deed would endanger ourselves, our family or our friends."

Theo nodded.

"Knowledge is power. Makes sense. Any other rules?" - mocking tone again - "I thought you Gryffs were meant to be fun..."

Parvati thought again. I vision came to her of the Slytherin common room and of Pansy and Daphne's wide eager eyes as Theo spilled everything she'd said to them.

"We don't tell anyone what we say, no matter what it is."

Theo's lips formed into a wry smile.

"What happens in the potions storeroom stays in the potions storeroom?"

"Yes," she said firmly, although she wondered again why on earth she should necessarily trust him. "We should shake on it." It was something she'd learnt from Dean.

"Isn't that what Muggles do?" Theo said in a disgusted tone, looking distastefully at her outstretched hand.

"Yes." Parvati said, unperturbed.

Theo let out an inpatient sigh and raised his arm to shake her hand. When his larger hand closed around Parvati's smaller one, his skin rough against hers, she startled at the odd tingling sensation she felt, a feeling that instantly rippled through her, causing her breath to catch in her throat. She pulled her hand away quickly, as if burnt, trying not to let her reaction show on her face.

"Okay, who starts?" Parvati said once they had both took a mouthful or so of Veritiserum, each looking closely at the other to check they had swallowed the same amount.

"Ladies first."

Parvati rolled his eyes at his apparent chivalry. What, she thought, was she doing, locked in a tiny room with a snake-son-of-a-Death-Eater playing this bloody game? But anyway.

"Truth or dare?" She began, trying to swallow the remains of the truth potion that lingered on her tongue.