Ever Since I Met You
Theo never expected that standing up for someone else would gain him a new best friend, or something much more than that.
Written for:
Assignment 6 - Healer Studies - Task #2: Dragon Pox: Write about someone who doesn't have many/has trouble making friends.
He doesn't hear what they say, but he recognises the cruel laughs of Draco and his friends. Theo isn't surprised, they're always mocking someone, belittling someone, because they take joy in being cruel.
It's been a hard day for him. He received a letter from his father to remind him that he 'will do better'. No threat, but Theo can read between the lines. He works hard, but it's never good enough, but maybe the frustration of not being able to face one bully is what gets him out of his chair and walking around the stack of books.
Neville Longbottom. He should have guessed that he was the victim. Timid and quiet, Neville is an easy target, and Theo feels a little sorry for him. But niceness doesn't get you far in life, and maybe Neville needs to learn that. But still, he doesn't deserve to be treated like this.
"Can't think of insults by yourself?" he says, leaning on the bookcase. "Or is it because Longbottom has gotten taller than you, so you need Crabbe and Goyle to back you up more now than you did before?"
He takes some joy in the way Draco loses his composure. "I'm shocked at you, Draco. You're so scared of Longbottom that you can't come in here without these two."
Okay, so maybe he's taking a bit of delight in the way Crabbe and Goyle are looking at Draco, as though they're wondering if this is actually true or not. Could Draco really be scared of Neville Longbottom?
"Scared of him?" Draco finally says, a cold laugh escaping his lips. His attention has turned away from Longbottom now and is solely on Theo. "Heard from your father recently, Nott?"
Nott feels the anger. Draco knows what to say to push people's buttons, but he doesn't give anything away.
"Of course, if you must know," he responds. "He wants me to try harder, because apparently I'm not good enough - but you'll know all about that. Your father is the same, though he hasn't messaged in a while. Has he finally given up and accepted that you'll never be as good as Granger?"
Draco's eyes flash in warning, and Theo smiles in return.
"This isn't over, Nott," he says, but Theo isn't scared. Crabbe and Goyle stay away from him, he thinks he unsettles them by using big words, and he challenges Draco enough to usually keep him off his back. Draco will be an arse and do something a bit mean in revenge, but Theo isn't concerned about that either.
Draco leaves, and the others are quick to follow, leaving Neville watching him, eyes wide.
The silence stretches on, and finally Neville leans down and grabs the books on the floor.
"Thank you," he mutters, a little embarrassed. "You shouldn't have, but… I appreciate it."
Theo gives a shrug. He's not really sure what to say. He doesn't really want an apology, but saying that might make him seem an arsehole. "You should stand up to them," he says instead. "What's the worst they can do?"
"Gran always says not to get in fights," Neville mutters. "Can't fight, can't duel."
Theo looks him over. He of course knows everyone in their year. He's made it his mission to learn about everyone he can, learn every secret out there. Maybe that's why Crabbe and Goyle are scared of him, because they have secrets like everyone else. He knows Neville's secret too. Well, a lot of people do, just the students. Theo has only lost his mum, he can't imagine what it'd have been like to see her how Neville's mum is. Maybe that's why he's feeling a little bit of kindness to the other teen.
"Confidence," Theo offers. "You believe you can't do it, therefore you can't. I bet if you were determined, you'd manage."
There's a hint of a smile on Neville's lips. "You'd think, wouldn't you. I guess I'm pretty useless at—"
"Shut up," Theo snaps loudly, because the word useless is one he's very familiar with from his father. Neville does, staring at him warily, and Theo awkwardly stuff his hands in his pockets.
"You're not useless," Theo mutters. "Don't say that."
"Oh." Neville pauses, and Theo can almost see the cogs turning in his head. The mention of his father, his outburst. Maybe he'll connect the dots, maybe not. Theo doesn't really care. But then there's something like understanding in his eyes. "I've been told it before too," he mutters. "Not to my face. But my family talk…" he leaves it there.
Theo nods in understanding. "Well, we'll prove them wrong, won't we?"
There's a hint of a smile again, and Theo can't help but return it. He doesn't say goodbye, he just turns and goes back to his table.
After a few minutes, Neville goes and sits at the other end, hovering for a moment before taking the seat. Theo isn't sure why - is he there so Draco will leave him alone, because of Theo's presence, or is it something else? It couldn't be that Neville wants to be friends, because he sucks at making friends. He's sure he's never had one before… but then again, Neville doesn't either.
They don't speak. Neville pulls out one of his assignments, and Theo turns back to his own, but it's nice not being at the table by himself.
"You want to be my partner?" Neville asks. "Are you sure? I'm really bad at this, I'm use…" he trails off.
Theo shrugs. "Better than the rest of them," he mutters. "Can you follow orders?"
"If it gets me a good grade, I really hope so," Neville replies.
"You better be prepared to do a lot of writing and research," Theo responds. He's secretly delighted at the level of enthusiasm Neville has. The alternatives are dismal. His father will be angry if he shares a grade with someone who isn't pure-blooded, and that's hassle he'd rather avoid. Neville sucks at potions, but he works hard, and Theo can find other uses for him. Better than one of the chatty students who will just rabbit on and bother him.
Mostly he'd rather just do this alone, but that's not an option. So he wants someone who'll do the fetching and note-taking, and will let him do the hard parts, because he knows he'll do a better job.
He sets about, telling Neville what he needs him to get, what he needs him to do, and Neville does as he's told, looking quite happy still. Theo has to fight his own smile. This doesn't mean that they are friends. It doesn't mean anything.
But Neville takes notes as Theo talks, and Theo gets the work done without having to stop and start constantly. Of course, Draco gets the praise from the lesson, because he's Snape's prize student, but Theo doesn't care. He likes to stay under the radar.
Neville asks questions as they go, and it's clear that he's trying to understand too, trying to learn. He seems more at ease asking them to Theo, rather than asking Snape, and Theo answers as best he can. It's nice to explain what he's doing and why he's doing it, and though he keeps his voice quiet, he's still wary of Snape coming and saying something.
But as it's him talking and not Neville, Snape doesn't bother with them. After all, Harry is in the class, and is partnered with Ron, which gives Snape two idiots to berate, rather than zoning in on Neville.
And Theo sneaks a few looks at his new… partner, he supposes, and there's a hint of confidence in his eyes.
The accident comes as a surprise. Thankfully it's after class hours and Professor Snape isn't there to see what's happened, but Theo is cursing himself as he looks at the mess.
"Right, so… should I note what went wrong?" Neville asks, hesitantly.
"Of course not," Theo snaps. "We don't write down the mistakes, Snape will give us a worse grade."
Neville frowns. "But don't we need to add it? You're doing a series of experiments with just one tiny change each time, so the results here are important."
"Not the ones that caused a mess in the potions room," Theo disagrees.
Neville stares at him for a long moment. "I'm still going to add it, I think it matters," he insists.
Theo frowns. "I said not to."
"Well, you do the potions and I do the writing," Neville tells him, with a hint of determination. "And we're having it in."
Theo wants to argue some more, but the look on Neville's face makes him smile, and he laughs. "Are we really arguing about this?" he checks.
Neville grins. "Yeah, seems a bit silly," he agrees. "We could leave out the explosion part, I guess."
"Good idea. I don't want Snape to come down on you again," Theo admits.
"Oh. So you're doing this for me?" Neville keeps smiling. "That's nice of you. I heard Slytherins weren't all that nice."
Theo laughs. "We get a bad rep, but I can see why," he says. "Not all of us are shits, believe me. People just think we're notorious, I assure you it's not the case."
"Yeah, I'm starting to see that," Neville admits. "You're not so bad. I'd never had thought that my first friend… I mean, you probably don't see us as friends, but…" he trails off. "I don't make friends easily."
Theo considers this for a long moment before nodding. "Friends, I'd like that," he says quietly. "Never thought I'd be friends with a Gryffindor. As for making friends… well, we're two of a kind."
Neville looks so happy at this, and Theo can't help but return the smile. "So, let's clean up and try again," Theo says, glancing around. "No magic, we don't know if it'll react badly."
Neville disappears, quickly returning with the cleaning supplies. He hands a cloth to Theo. "Better get started. Snape could come back at any time."
Theo nods. "We'll start again," he says. "Failure is not an option. Not in this."
The friendship only gets stronger from that point. He's the one that Neville goes to when Hermione Granger turns him down for the ball, and the one to suggest Neville ask someone in a lower year (because that's a more likely yes).
He's also the one to sit and talk to Neville after they find out that Moody is actually the man who tortured Alice and Frank Longbottom. He's the one to awkwardly put his arm over Neville's shoulders for the first time, not really sure how else to comfort him.
Slytherins tend to hide these sort of emotions, scared of showing each other weakness, but Neville isn't a Slytherin. He's a Gryffindor. He's a whole different person than Theo is used to, but Theo is learning.
So when Neville confides about his parents, Theo listens, nodding. He knows a lot of it already because he's seen old newspapers. But he doesn't tell Neville that. He just lets his friend say everything he's got to say, and he keeps his arm on Neville, whilst Neville rests his head against Theo's shoulder.
It's strange, but he gets used to it, and it's nice that he has a friend that can come to him like this. Neville is the sort that always needs protecting, and Theo is going to do his best.
Theo wants to approach Neville, but his father has been quite strict with his warnings. This has been the worst Summer ever, because Theo knows things. Theo can see where his own future lies and he's terrified. Terrified that his father is just as evil as Theo imagined. That his father will laugh as he recounts tales of what he did, with his friends. Stories of things that happened years ago. Stories of things that happened days ago.
The man tells the stories the same way students talk about an exciting lesson, or something amazing they saw in a shop - with a comfort to the words. His father doesn't talk in hushed whispers.
Part of Theo had hoped that his father wasn't as evil as he believed, but it's been confirmed now. What he hates even more is the way he's looking at Theo, as though he's judging if Theo is worthy to bring before his dark lord. For the first time, Theo is glad that his father finds him useless. Too useless to become a Death Eater. This time he isn't going to try to be the best, because he doesn't want his father to change his opinion. Maybe Theo will have to work harder in a few years because he wants to be a Healer, but for now, he'll slack a little and be a disappointment and escape the darkness that is almost a certainty at this point.
There's a tension among the students in his house. Draco doesn't saunter around anymore, he looks a little more somber, and the pair share an understanding look, because whilst Theo didn't see his father friends' faces, he can recognise Lucius' hair and patronising, cruel laugh.
There's a weight on Draco that Theo understands, though there's something more. Something darker, and Theo wonders if Lucius looked at Draco to assess him. Did Lucius find his son worthy?
He has his suspicions about it, and he watches Draco and the other Slytherins.
He doesn't get to hang out with Neville. He doesn't get to find him on the train to even say hello to him. He barely gets a word.
It's a couple of days before the pair can hang out together, and Neville takes a seat in the library. He's carrying a weight too. For the first time, Theo realises that they may be forced to take sides, and there's no guarantee that they'll be on the same side.
"He's back," Neville whispers quietly. Theo isn't sure if Neville is telling him or looking for confirmation. Maybe Neville is trying to find out if Theo believes or not.
Theo merely nods his head, and Neville lets out a breath. He already sounds defeated.
"What does this mean for us?"
Theo smiles slightly. "Nothing. Yet." Still, he considers the question. "I've not been asked to pick a side. Though I know your side."
"Do you have a choice?" Neville asks quietly.
Theo shakes his head. "When the day comes, I'll be told which side I'm taking," he replies. "I won't be asked, because it's not my choice. Maybe we won't reach that day."
"I hope we don't," Neville says, but they both know that day will still come. But that's their way of pretending. Just for now.
"Umbridge…" Neville says.
Theo shakes his head. "I don't know much about her," he tells Neville. He knows a few things. The moment he heard her name, he sent a letter home to find out more. His father will tell him. Maybe. His father will at least ask around.
It was an order. The first, Theo suspects, of many. Draco must have mentioned it to Lucius, because the order was to work with the Inquisitorial Squad. Of course the Death Eaters supported Umbridge, and of course they've pushed their children to fight their battles in the school.
Theo envies those that aren't involved. For the first time, he can see what the other houses see when looking towards the Slytherins. The house is full of students that will take the wrong side. The house that will become Death Eaters. Some because their parents have decided their fate already, and others because of the pressure from their house-mates, or out of fear from those they share dorms with. It's a vicious cycle - they're all trapped. He doubts more than a handful of students actually believe the ideology that he-who-must-not-be-named sprouts.
Well, Theo has only heard it repeated by his father. But he's grown up with those words repeated time after time, over the years. He could recite his father's rants word for word because they're always the same content.
There's a wall between him and Neville now. They try and meet up, to hang out, but Neville is a Gryffindor and whilst he seems to trust Theo, the rest of the house don't, and it's clear Neville faces difficulties coming to meet with him.
At the same time, Theo has the same issues. He's forced by his father to pledge loyalty to the Inquisitorial Squad, even though he honestly doesn't care if students follow the rules or not. He does the bare minimum required of him, because he suspects that his involvement is a test. If he does too well, it might show his father that he can act as required under command, but Theo isn't a follower. Theo doesn't want this life. His father can threaten him into joining, but the man can't be there to make sure Theo does a good job. Or a decent job.
He misses Neville. He doesn't want to be doing this, but there's little choice.
But the walls come down. The Room of Requirement - and Theo is hurt because Neville never mentioned the room once to him - falls to them, and he knows Draco is watching, so he has to do something, because there's making little effort, and then there's Draco reporting to his father that Theo isn't trying at all. If he can catch one person, maybe that'd be enough.
He sees the end of a robe as someone turns the corner, and Theo runs. He's fast. He spins around the corner and shoots a spell and someone falls. He's glad, smugly walking over to the incapacitated student, and then he roughly grabs the boy's shoulder and shoves him around, and realises that it's Neville.
Neville stares up at him in concern, in shock. Hurt, even.
"Fuck," Theo whispers, because Neville is his only friend, and he's involved in this and he lied when Theo asked him before.
They're not far from a tunnel. He's seen and heard the Weasley twins go into a tunnel a few times, and it's blocked off, but it's a hiding place.
He removes the curse, drags Neville to his feet, and grabs his arm.
"Run," he says, and gives quiet instructions, and Neville bolts, with Theo running after him, wanting to protect his friend. Because Neville is the sort that needs protecting.
They get behind the statue, and with a grinding noise, it moves back into place. They stay silent, and seconds pass before they hear more footsteps. Shouting, cursing.
And they stay still, cramped into that little tunnel.
"You said you weren't a part of the secret club," Theo whispers.
Neville at least has the decency to look ashamed. "I didn't want to put you in a hard place," he admits. "If you knew, and they found out that you did…" he trails off. "I was trying to protect you."
Theo nearly laughs. Of the pair of them, he's not the one that needs protecting, but it's sweet that Neville is under that impression.
"If I knew, I'd have warned you," he hisses. "You could have been caught, Neville. I don't know what the punishment is, but I've heard bad things about Umbridge."
"Harry's hand," Neville mutters. "Blood quill."
Theo grabs the front of Neville's robes. "Exactly. That could be you. That was just for talking. Imagine the punishments for a secret club?"
Neville looks determined again. "I know I'm taking a risk and that something could happen, but we need to learn. I actually did something. I managed something."
"You… you did? What did you do?" The handful of robes is flattened out, but Theo finds his hands remaining in place still. He smooths his hands over Neville's robes.
Neville's smile is beautiful, and Theo can only stare. "I'm better at magic," Neville confides. "I can stun now. Disarm. We were working on Patronuses. I don't think I have a happy enough memory though." The smile fades into something a little sadder, before widening. "But imagine if I was that good. I bet even Gran would be impressed with me."
Theo's gaze is still fixed on Neville's smile. How has he not noticed that Neville is actually kind of attractive? He gives himself a shake. "That's great, Neville," he murmurs. "I've always known you'd be able to do that sort of magic, and I believe you can do a patronus too. It might be you needing a happier memory to get your patronus though."
"Yeah. Maybe we can… we can work one out." Neville's voice is quieter now, and Theo's gaze follows Neville's lip as it makes its way between Neville's teeth uncertainly.
"Yeah," he whispers, though his mind is a little blank. He can't stop staring, and he's pretty sure Neville is staring back. It's a strange situation, the pair of them pressed up together in a dark tunnel. They've never really been this close before. Not unless you count when Theo had his arm around Neville's shoulder, and Neville leaned on him.
But that wasn't this close. This is new. This has his heart racing. They're so close that Neville could lean in and kiss him, and Theo wonders if Neville ever would.
The seconds pass, neither of them looking away and neither of them making any other move to do anything. Their eyes are locked, as though both waiting for the other to do anything. Have his eyes always been such a nice colour? It's not just brown, but almond too.
Suddenly, Neville's eyes widen and his gaze darts down as his hand moves to his pocket. "Oh," he whispers, his voice full of disappointment. "I've got to go now. Will I see you soon?"
Theo hesitates. He could tell Neville not to go and Neville would listen, but he doesn't want to keep bossing his friend around. Neville isn't that shy, weak little Gryffindor he was in first year. He's finally learning the magic he needs and he's going to do great things. Theo doesn't want Neville to have to always rely on him to take charge.
He's proud of Neville. So he doesn't tell him to stay. He merely nods his head. He can't think straight because he's suddenly very aware that he wants Neville to kiss him, and that's something he needs time and space to understand and process.
Neville hesitates, as though he's waiting for something more, but Theo is trying to understand this new revelation. There are no words right now, so he simply stays silent. He's never been interested in anyone before, so is he gay? Is it just the excitement of what has happened? He's not sure of the answer to any of those, so silence is the best option.
Neville is watching him as though he knows something is going on, but he doesn't ask questions. He knows by now that Theo will say something when he's ready to do so.
"I'm here if you need to talk. Find a way to let me know, and I'm here," Neville tells him softly. He takes a step back and Theo's hands fall away from his robes, his chest. "Thank you for looking out for me tonight."
Theo nods once more, feeling a little like a bobble-head toy. "Anytime," he manages, his voice a strained whisper.
Neville watches him for a long moment, before leaving, and Theo quickly follows out just in case there's anyone lurking nearby. He wants to make sure no one hurts Neville, because… because he might have to hurt them in return. He will destroy anyone who ever lays a finger on Neville.
It's his nightmare, Theo realises, as Neville is dragged into the room by Warrington. "I caught him trying to stop us from taking her."
Warrington points at Ginny and Theo feels a stab of jealousy. He's been processing feelings for a while, and whilst the pair have fallen back into their friendship, there's this slight vibe, as though there's something else. Theo isn't sure what, but he's sure that Neville feels it too.
He glares at Ginny Weasley, before turning to Neville, and he realises Neville is gagged, that he's got blood on his face, and suddenly the jealousy and Ginny don't matter anymore. Someone hurt Neville. Considering he's trapped in a choke-hold by Crabbe, he can guess who hurt him.
Crabbe. Hurt. Neville. He's barely containing his anger at this, and he is going to pay. Not this moment, because he knows that the rest of the Slytherins are in a better position, but he'll do something.
He's not sure what. He's never been in this position before. He struggles to keep control. He'll work out a plan.
People around him talk. Snape enters and leaves, and Hermione talks about a weapon, and Theo just waits. When Umbridge leaves with Hermione Granger and Harry Potter, Theo meets Neville's gaze again.
Crabbe and Goyle might be strong, but they've never been in a real fight. Malfoy has never even been near a fight. Theo has.
He waits. He gives the other three time to leave.
"You really think that Longbottom is a threat?" he says, with a laugh. "You're holding him pretty tightly. It looks like you really want to have your arms around him."
Of course Crabbe lets go as though Theo called him out for being gay. Neville stumbles forward before falling to the floor, his face a little purple, and Ginny continues to fight against her captor.
Neville knows how to stun. Neville's wand isn't on the table with the other wands. It's safe to assume that Neville still has his wand.
He sighs and walks towards the window. Draco and the others are too distracted by Ginny and Ron. No one is paying Luna attention. They're underestimating Neville, but Theo has faith in him.
He leans against the window frame and now he's behind everyone. His eyes fix on Crabbe, and his own wand slips from his sleeve. Neville's eyes are still on him, and he watches Neville's wrist twitch.
Neville shoots the first spell, aiming at the witch holding Ginny Weasley. Theo feels a surge of jealousy, but as Ginny dives for a wand, sending three consecutive bat bogey hexes at the Slytherins, Theo understands why he freed her first.
The chaos is beautiful, and Theo finally advances on Crabbe, a multitude of hexes and curses on his lips as he sets out to make him suffer for laying a single finger on Neville.
He doesn't stop until Neville grabs him. All the Slyherins are unconscious, and Crabbe is covered in pus-leaking boils, his eyes wide and glassy as he lets out some quiet squeals.
"Theo," Neville says quietly, and Theo stops what he's doing. "Are you okay?"
"He hurt you," Theo replies, because it's that simple in his eyes. "He needs to learn his lesson."
With those words, Neville pulls him into a hug, and Theo feels like he's crashing. He feels like a weight has been dropped on him.
"I'm fine," Neville assures him. "I'm just worried about you."
Theo's lips curve slightly. "You really need to work on your thank yous," he tells Neville, who laughs softly.
"Neville, are you friends with him? But he's one of them?" Ron asks.
"Ron, butt out," Ginny hisses. "You're interrupting this."
"We've gotta check on Harry and Hermione," Ron insists. "Neville…"
"You go and do… your hero stuff. I'll make sure they stay unconscious," Theo tells him with a smile. "Stay safe."
Neville gives him that look again, the one from the tunnels, and Theo's heart is racing. Now is not the moment, and maybe Theo feels something more than friendship, but it doesn't mean Neville feels it too.
"Go."
"I met your dad," Neville says, his voice shaking. His whole body is shaking.
"Did you?" Theo asks.
"He.. he came for me. Seemed to have it out for me. I'm a bad influence on you." Neville manages a smile. "I've never been a bad influence before, I kinda like it."
"He'd probably have heard that we're friends. Or that we spend time together," he says. "Did he hurt you, because if he did…"
"I'm fine," Neville replies. "Not perfect, but nothing that won't heal."
Theo can't help himself. He reaches out for Neville. Only hours ago, they hugged for the first time, and Theo liked it. He clings to Neville tightly, relieved that his friend. His… what even are these feelings… His most important person is fine.
It sounds like his father has been caught. He's not sure what that means for him, but he doesn't care. Neville is safe. His father is gone, in Azkaban, which means that Theo is free from him. For now, anyway.
He pulls back a little bit, and their faces are so close together.
Neville's fingers reach up, pushing some of Theo's hair from his face. "You made a comment earlier to Crabbe," he says. "Your tone…"
"I'm not homophobic," Theo offers softly.
"Good. That's… that's good," Neville whispers. "What will you do now?"
Theo shrugs. "I have family to stay with," he replies. "I might not be able to speak to you over the summer, but if you're in trouble… find me."
Neville nods his head. "Yeah. Yeah, I will." He pauses. "You're going to be forced to pick a side, even without your father around. Do you know what side you'll pick?"
Theo shrugs, because he doesn't know what the future is going to hold. What side he wants to pick might not be the side he has to pick.
"I'll heal you for now," Theo offers gently. "Let me see your arm. I'll fix that."
He carefully heals Neville's wound on his arm. He knows Pomfrey can do a better job, but he's not ready to let Neville out of his sights.
Theo's only goal is to defend Neville. He's spent the school year sneaking to meet Neville during the nights, feeding the information that he can. He helps in the Hospital wing and sneaks supplies across the castle. No one questions him, because he's a Slytherin, and they're the only ones treated like they matter at the moment.
The younger years are terrified. The younger Slytherins hide as best they can. The older ones try to keep them hidden from those who run the school, because whilst their house is treated well, that's only in comparison to the other houses.
This year hurts him because he sees Neville fight, he sees Neville get hurt. He watches the Carrow siblings throw out the Cruciatus curse like it's the easiest thing to do, and Theo wants to kill them for causing this pain to Neville.
But this isn't like fighting a bunch of Slytherins. This is much more dangerous, and a wrong move could make things worse. He gives supplies where possible. He can walk the castle more freely than the other houses. He's just biding his time, because they all know Potter is doing something. Neville has faith, so Theo needs to do so too.
He loses Neville in the war at the castle. He doesn't get to him until the Death Eaters get to the castle, and Neville is a force.
"Side?" Neville asks, but of course he doesn't raise his wand. Theo knows Neville would never raise a wand at him, except in self defence.
And Theo knows that this is it. One of them could die today. Neville is never going to make the first move, so Theo has to do it, fuck the consequences.
He strides forward. "I'm on your side," he says. "I fight for you."
And that's all that Neville needs, because he grabs Theo with a confidence gained over the last year as the leader of the DA at the castle, and he presses his lips against Theo's lips, and Theo doesn't stop him, because he's been waiting for this moment for too long.
"After this, we're going to go to Hogsmeade," Neville says.
"Maybe we should wash the blood away and clean up a bit first," Theo jokes. "My father will be gunning for us. If he sees me on the other side…" he trails off, because his father would rather see him dead than on the side of good.
Neville smiles, his lips pressing softly against Theo's again.
"He won't get near you," Neville promises. "I'll protect you this time."
And Theo believes him, because maybe Neville doesn't need his protection anymore. But they'll protect each other no matter what.
Seasonal
Days of the Year - April 7th - Making the first move day - Write about someone shy making the first move
Aquarium month - 1. Write about someone who feels trapped
World Theatre Day - 14. When the day is grey and ordinary, (name) makes the sun shine bright.
Crayon Day - 32. Almond.
Children's Book Days - 3. Action: Smiling
World Autism Day - 14. Someone who likes their personal space
Zoo Lovers Day - 6. Someone small but vicious
Spring Flowers - 5. "Failure is not an option. Not in this."
Crystals - 8. Ametrine (action) Laughing in the middle of an argument
Hufflepuff Challenge - 23. Someone with a temper, someone hot-headed.
Spring Quarterly - (emotion) insecure, (action) falling over, (word) rabbit
Would you rather - Trio Era
Dragon Breeding
Writing Club
Twisted Tropes - 1. Same attract
Record Collection - 8. Write about someone wanting something but not knowing how to get it
Written in the stars - 6. leader
Showtime 11. (trait) smart
Lizzy's Loft - 18. "You really need to work on your thank you's."
Elizabeth's Empire - 19. control
Liza's Loves - 20. Having a crush
Sophie's Serial Killers - 6. Disapproving parents
Scamander's Case - 13. Protect
Lyric Alley - 15. Speaking my lesson from the brain
TV Spree - 2. Doing the right thing
The Forecast Says - 19th kissing
EnTitled - 17. Teaming up with someone
Hobby Hole - 19. Genre: Romance
Resolution Evolution - 1. Potions accident
Funfair
Milkshake - 4. Mutual pining
Cherry Blossoms - 17. Two of a kind. (phrase)
Paint a rainbow - Grey 9. Chasing someone
Tree Planting - 3. Notorious
Birdhouse - (genre) romance
Spring Petting Zoo - ponies - intelligent
Egg hunt - Character: Theo Nott
Fortnightly - Salad - Toppings - 7. Write a character who is misunderstood by others.