A/N: Luna opened a magical creature reserve called The Paddock after the war, and Theo went to work with her. Ginny and Theo are secretly soul-bonded. They are all secretly a bit in love with each other, but bad at communicating. There is no infidelity, but I just wanted to clarify that here because sometimes fanfiction won't allow me to do triad tags.
Dialogue Prompts: "You're an imbecile." / "I don't even know what that means." - "This isn't what it looks like."
The box of doughnuts rattled on the passenger seat. Ginny glanced over as she took a corner at questionable speed, steering Bill's beloved Mini Cooper down a winding country lane. The seatbelt kept the flimsy, frosting-pink box from flying out and embedding itself in the windshield; through the little plastic window on the top, she could see six sugared doughnuts quaking in terror.
The Paddock flew into view; Ginny flew right past it and had to reverse, parking under an immense oak tree. She popped her sunglasses down over her nose and climbed out, crinkling her nose at the faintly disturbing scent of meat and manure. It lingered under grassy scents and sweet-smelling flowers, but it lingered in a purposeful, unavoidable sort of way. Thankfully, it dulled the longer she walked under the clear blue skies, tipping her head back to feel the sun on her face, the box of doughnuts tucked under her arm.
She cut across an empty field and ducked through an open gate. It felt dangerous to have a gate hanging open like that, but Thestrals weren't exactly known for doing as they were told. If they wanted to leave, a wooden gate and a rusty padlock wouldn't stop them.
Whistling, she made her way to the middle of The Paddock. Technically, there was no true middle, seeing as The Paddock came into being when Luna bought over ten fields in an undisclosed part of the Cornish countryside and started bringing in all sorts of animals. Namely Thestrals, who seemed to find her a trustworthy companion. Flocks grazed in the fields all around; Ginny peered through her sunglasses at the specks of charcoal grey, watching as they spread their wings and cantered across the grass towards each other, or lounging in their herds. There was no true middle, but there was a cluster of sheds and storage units and sick bays somewhere in the spread of fields, and that was where she could usually find Luna.
She turned the last corner, stepping onto the straw-laden path that led to the tea-shed, and came to an abrupt stop. She no longer felt like whistling. The clear blue skies seemed mocking, somehow; it should be overcast, surely, or deeply in the middle of a storm.
Theo Nott was leaning against the thick wooden fence that ringed the stables, sprinkling food pellets into the trough on the other side. Summer looked good on him. He wore cargo shorts and a dark grey t-shirt, and his hair was tussled, no longer slicked or brushed to perfection. The sun hadn't touched his skin, despite the August heat, but the back of his neck was a little pink. Something flipped in her stomach just from looking at him, and she cursed internally. It was unacceptable. Completely unacceptable.
He hadn't seen her yet. She could always sprint back across the fields and clamber into her car. Or Apparate away. Or climb a tree and hope he found something else to do before she got tired or bored.
The box of doughnuts weighed a little heavier at the thought.
"Great," Ginny muttered, steeling herself. "Just bloody great."
She'd never run from anything before. She wasn't about to start now. Ginny marched forward, holding her head up high, and struck up a new, slightly more grating tune.
Theo glanced up at the sound of her loud, forceful whistling. He stood straight up immediately, and then relaxed on purpose, dropping back down into a casual pose. His face did something complicated as he looked at her, taking in her tank top and battered denim shorts, lingering on the dark swathe of freckles along her cheeks, and tracing all the way down to her trailing laces. By the time she was close enough for him to see her own complicated expression, his face resembled Switzerland, a seemingly unaffected neutral zone.
"Nice spectacles," Theo said, dropping the bucket of feed and stripping off his gloves. He tucked them into his pockets and cocked his head in a remarkably Luna-like fashion. "They suit you."
They were heart-shaped, and bright canary yellow. Knowing what she did about Theo, she very much doubted it was meant to be a compliment.
"They're sunglasses," Ginny said, tilting them down to fix him with the full force of her glare. "Luna got them for me. Muggles wear them."
Sure, she added a little too much emphasis on 'Muggles' for it to be an innocent comment, and sure, maybe she'd done it with the hope of garnering a disgusted reaction, something she could use against him in the future. But did he really have to just stand there and look at her vaguely, as though everything she said went in one ear and out the other? Couldn't he have the decency to react like a real boy?
"Is that who you're here to see?" he asked, tucking one hand in his back pocket.
"Well, I'm hardly here to see you, am I?"
Theo made a muted noise, almost like he wanted to laugh. "Of course not. Why would I think that? We only have a soul-deep connection, after all."
The reminder sent a flare of white-hot anger fizzling through her. They'd agreed not to talk about it. Or rather, Ginny declared a state of secrecy and silence, and Theo rather mockingly obliged, miming the zipping of his lips. That was how it was supposed to stay. There was a snowball's chance in hell of anything good coming out of their soul-bond, and it wasn't worth thinking about it. But it still incensed her, hearing the words fall so easily from his mouth.
"Is there a problem?" Theo said pleasantly. "Oh, of course. I'd almost forgotten. There's no connection at all, is there? Denial is an extremely powerful thing in the hands of someone so incredibly naive."
"You're an imbecile," Ginny snapped.
Theo affected a blank, slightly wide-eyed look. "I don't even know what that means." He dropped the act almost immediately, and turned away with a mocking eye-roll. "Luna's in the tea-shed, if you want to bring her those abominations you call desserts."
Ginny made a throttling motion at Theo's disinterested back and stomped around the stable. She let out a piercing whistle, viciously satisfied when Theo flinched in the corner of her eye.
"Must you do that?" he muttered.
"I must." She grinned at him, shark-like, as she dropped the box of doughnuts safely on a hay bale. The word naive still rattled around in her skull. She'd heard it thrown around too much in the wake of her disastrous first year, and she had no intentions of ever feeling that small and stupid and weak ever again.
"There's no guarantee they'll want to see you," Theo said.
Two baby Thestrals came stumbling out of the stables not a moment later, following her call. Ginny shot him a victorious look, though it wilted when he stared back, apathetic to a fault. She hated that blandness. It was the opposite of everything she felt. She turned away from his dead eyes and leaned over the fence, putting her knees up on the bottom rung to properly see them.
The Thestrals were new, still no bigger than a Yorkshire Terrier each. Their bony wings were too thin and flimsy to hold them up, but they stretched with an awkward grace towards the sky as they hobbled towards her. She fished a doughnut out of the box and ripped it in half, plopping it into their waiting, hungry mouths. She could feel Theo's eyes on her, but he said nothing. Eventually, she got tired of waiting and turned to look at him, still half-hanging over the fence.
"You're not going to ask about the doughnuts? I could be poisoning your baby Thestrals."
One of the Thestrals cooed, and cantered towards the other side of the stable. Theo quirked an eyebrow. He didn't seem all that interested in what she was doing, or what she had to say, and that pissed her off.
"Is that the only thing you know how to do?" Ginny gestured to Theo's eyebrows, unimpressed, and hiked up one of her own pointedly. "There are other ways to communicate, you know. You could write something down, or sign it, or even open your damn mouth and flap it around a bit."
"You're a fine one to talk about communicating."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know what it means," Theo said coolly. "I had hoped that something might have changed, but I see that was a foolish idea. Unless you're ready to talk about our soul-bond?"
"There's nothing to talk about," Ginny insisted.
"I don't agree." Theo's cool demeanour changed, shifting into something softer. "Luna wouldn't agree either."
"Luna is my best friend," Ginny said, with a fragile amount of patience, staring purposefully at the Thestrals. She felt liable to crack at any moment. "I won't hurt her."
"I'm not asking you to hurt her," Theo snapped, gripping the fence tightly. "Believe what you like about me, but that's the last thing I want. I'm asking you to talk to her. She's much cleverer and braver than most people know. She sees more than we ever could."
"You don't need to tell me that. You think I don't know that?"
Theo rolled his eyes skyward. "Goodness, it's like arguing with a forest fire." When his gaze came back down, it pinned Ginny in place, intense and serious. "You're her best friend. You know her better than anybody, I'd wager. But you can't know everything important, especially if you refuse to communicate." His face changed again, not soft or hard or cool, but something that almost looked impossibly fond. "I always knew it wouldn't be easy, whoever I was landed with. But unfortunately for you, freckles, I quite like a challenge. And you forget, you also got stuck with me."
Ginny surged forward to stab him in the chest with her finger, mouth open to rant to high heaven, but before she could do any of those things, the world shifted. Her foot caught on her trailing laces, and she went tumbling forward, too surprised to catch herself.
Theo caught her in his arms, but he didn't do much to catch himself. Nothing could slow their descent.
They went sprawling in the dirt and loose straw, a tangle of limbs and hair. Ginny's sunglasses skittered across the ground. Theo groaned at the impact. Ginny hissed, her nose throbbing where she bashed it against his ridiculously sharp collarbone. She levered herself up on her hands, planted either side of Theo's head, and opened her mouth to continue her rant, only to fall silent when she met Theo's gaze.
His eyes were usually indifferent, fixed on her but never quite looking. She never liked it, the way he seemed to look through everything, judging it unimportant, but now she wished he would go back to it, because he was looking now, and it made her breath catch something in her throat, lost for good.
"Ginny," Theo murmured, low and close, and she closed her eyes, something unspooling inside her.
She hated this. She hated that stupid tug in her chest, that unwavering connection between them that bloomed on close contact. She despised the colours that danced along her skin. She didn't like that gleam in Theo's eyes, the glitter that said he knew exactly how she felt. It wasn't his fault, this stupid soul connection, but it wasn't hers either, and there wasn't anyone else to blame. It wasn't anything she could stop, but that didn't mean she had to lean into it.
Not when there was someone else in the picture. Someone she cared for very much.
"Ginny," Theo said again, urgently. After a moment of hesitation, a moment which seemed to last forever, he raised a hand to touch her cheek. "Please."
She opened her eyes again, and met his grey gaze. The blue sky was reflected in his eyes, as was the turmoil she felt.
"Hello."
A shadow fell over them. Both tilted their heads to look, and found Luna standing a foot away, a basket tucked over her slim wrist. Her pale yellow trousers billowed in the breeze, specked with embroidered daisies. Her crochet top had been knitted with rainbow yawn, it seemed. A pair of planets revolved slowly at the end of each earlobe. She looked like a lovely mess. Ginny's heart clenched at the sight of her, and Theo, though frozen beneath her, hitched his breath audibly.
"You look cosy," Luna said.
It kicked them both into gear. Theo let his hand drop to the ground, and Ginny untangled their legs at high speeds.
"This isn't what it looks like," Ginny said hastily, scrambling away. "It was an accident."
Theo remained where he was, lying flat on his back on the floor, staring up at the bright sky. Unhelpful as ever, he said nothing to soothe the situation. Luna traced the colours swirling on their forearms, head cocked adorably to the side, and hummed.
"It looks like you tripped over your shoelaces and landed on Theo," Luna said. "Is that not what it is?"
Ginny opened and closed her mouth. Theo snorted. Ginny resisted the urge to give him a kick. Instead she brushed off her knees and snatched up her sunglasses, plonking them down on top of her head. Then she picked up the box of doughnuts, holding them out like a peace offering. Luna brightened, her face lighting up as she peered inside.
"Doughnuts?" she asked.
"For the Thestrals," Ginny admitted. "I thought you might prefer them over something you can eat, since you're so nice like that. Hi, Luna."
"Hello, Ginny," Luna said, smiling sweetly. "That was very thoughtful of you. We can go and put them in the tea-shed together, if you like. That seems like something friends do, doesn't it?" She leaned around Ginny ever so slightly, and aimed her smile at Theo's prone form. "Hi, Theo. You're welcome to join us."
"I shouldn't," he said, but he said it warmly, looking at Luna with such affection that Ginny felt like an interloper, even though they weren't together.
Theo and Luna were not together, but they could be. She could see it happening. She could see Luna's hand tucked into his elbow, and Theo's fingers gracing her cheekbones, tracing the shape of them like he had with Ginny. She knew, from a few chats, that Luna liked Theo. And for someone so determined not to care about anything in the whole wide world, it was obvious that Theo adored Luna.
Ginny refused to get in the way of that just because of some stupid soul-bond.
"We'll be in the tea-shed, if you change your mind," Luna said. She linked their arms together, drawing Ginny away from her miserable thoughts, and led her gently towards the right path.
They left Theo lying on the floor, with a baby Thestral mewing at him through the fence, and Ginny vowed not to think about him at all for the rest of the day. She was successful for about three minutes, until Luna left the door ajar in the tea-shed, and she wondered if it was for Theo, if he might join them. She only barely managed not to hit her head on the cupboard out of sheer frustration. Even Luna would notice if she brained herself out of nowhere, although she might chalk it up to some invisible creature's doing, if Ginny was lucky.
Luna was gentle and steady as she maneuvered through the tea-shed without pause, brushing her hands over potted plants, swaying from teacup tower to teacup tree, selecting only the silliest-patterned china for their entertainment. Ginny sat on a stool and put her feet up on a crate. The sight of her beat-up sneakers and trailing laces made her blush, remembering the solid feel of Theo underneath her. She hastily did them up, tying the knots extra tightly.
"You look very dishevelled," Luna said, handing her a piping hot cup of tea. "I like it. Was it from the fall?"
"Yeah." Ginny blushed even harder, blowing on her tea. "Tripped over my shoelaces."
"You're usually much more graceful than that. Is it because Theo is very attractive?"
Ginny found herself feeling grateful that she hadn't taken a sip, or she would have spat it back out. Instead she stared at Luna blankly, horror rising in her chest. Luna settled herself on the opposite stool, holding her pinky out as she sipped from her own tea. It was strong, so strong that it was purple, and Ginny was glad, through her haze of horror, that she'd thought to put her own tea-bags in the cupboard a few weeks ago.
"I didn't notice," Ginny said, looking away.
"You didn't? That's strange. I find it quite obvious, really. He's especially handsome when he helps with the Thestrals. The baby ones quite like him, you know. And the other day, he brought me sunflowers."
"That's really great, Luna," Ginny said quietly, gripping the teacup tightly. "I'm happy for you both."
A creak from the opposite stool might have drawn her eye, if she weren't so busy trying to avert them, trying to find anything to look at to hide her unhappiness. But when her teacup floated away, and Luna's hands came up to cup her face, Ginny had no choice but to look her straight in the eye.
"Would you mind very much if I kissed you?" Luna asked. "I think it might clear things up quicker than a chat. It's up to you, though."
Ginny gaped at her. The palms against her skin felt so soft, so unintrusive, and she wanted to lean into the touch. But she couldn't. Not quite yet. She also couldn't say no, for reasons she hadn't realised existed. When she nodded once, twice, three times, Luna stopped the fourth by leaning in and pressing her plush lips against Ginny's chapped mouth, kissing her sweetly but firmly, as though she was trying to press a secret there.
"I might still need the chat," Ginny said, somewhat dazed, when they parted.
"Lo and behold," came Theo's voice, from somewhere behind her. "The forest fire learns to talk back. I never thought I'd see the day that you value communication, freckles."
That was not a nickname Ginny was keen on keeping. She jerked back on the stool, whirling around to scowl at Theo's impassive face. His eyebrow was quirked again, but it was clear from the pink in his cheeks that he wasn't as unaffected as he'd made out to be.
"Be nice, you two," Luna said, before Ginny could respond. "There's a spare stool under that blanket, Theo."
Theo came into the tea-shed and sat on the stool, shifting the blanket onto his lap despite the heat.
"What is this?" Ginny said, pointing rapidly between them all. "I mean, you kissed me, Luna. How long have you been wanting to do that? Do you… know?"
"About your soul-bond?" Luna asked.
Ginny turned her accusing look at Theo. She felt gratified when he winced, but not by much; she was too busy filling up with hurt and anger and embarrassment. Did they talk about it together, the two of them, discussing how awkward it was while Theo brought Luna sunflowers?
The thought left her as soon as it came. She wouldn't have loved Luna half as much as she did if she was capable of such cruelty. And she didn't think that badly of Theo either. But she still looked to him for answers.
"It was an accident," Theo said, straightening up. "I never meant… as much as I wanted you to talk about it, especially with Luna, I never would have shared it on purpose. Not without your permission, not without you there. There was a little accident with one of the other magical creatures, and I spent an entire hour spitting the truth at anyone who was there to listen. It slipped out."
"Several times," Luna added, smiling in her strange, dreamy way, though her eyes were full of amusement, and very much present. "And I'm sorry it did, but I'm very glad that it did too."
"You're glad?" Ginny asked, feeling strangely breathless.
"If you are," Luna said. "You have always been very good to me. You're quite easy to love, Ginny Weasley. I never said anything while you were with Harry because it didn't seem right. And I assume you never said anything about Theo for the same reason. But there's a much simpler option than all of us being alone."
She swung her feet gently, still smiling. The teacups floated back to their respective owners. Theo got off his stool to make himself a cup of coffee, and Ginny weakly held out a hand to take it from him once it was done. He sighed heavily, but allowed it. When she was halfway through with it, she pushed the cup towards him in the air, and it floated into his willing hands.
"So," she said, smacking her lips. "Dating. Is that what we're doing? All three of us?"
"We should start slow," Theo interrupted. "Getting to know each other in a different way might be preferable to jumping in feet-first."
"That's the only way I know how to do things, Nott," Ginny said, narrowing her eyes with a pleasant grin. "And isn't that what dates are for? Getting to know each other?"
"You may have a point, freckles, but I do not appreciate the tone."
"You'll get over it, I'm sure." Ginny tossed one of her braids over her shoulders, snorting. "This is going to be a nightmare, isn't it? We couldn't be more different."
"They do say that opposites attract," Luna pointed out, lifting her teacup to her mouth to hide her grin. "I'm sure it won't be that bad. Theo can draw up a schedule, Ginny can make fun of it, and I'll watch you both kiss and make up."
"Luna!" Ginny said, scandalised into laughter.
Theo chuckled, ducking his face to hide it. The soul-bond tugged at her chest again, but in the face of Luna's mischievous smile, and Theo's fond exasperation, she couldn't help but find it unimportant. Maybe it wouldn't work, but whether or not it did, she liked to think she would have ended up here anyway, soul-bond or not.
It occurred to her, then, that maybe she didn't have to hate this. She didn't have to lean away from it; she could lean in, instead. The mere thought filled her with such relief that she went dizzy. She wanted that. She wanted to love this, rather than hate it. She wanted to let herself love Theo, and Luna too. She had a feeling she was already there.
"Okay," Ginny declared, flicking her sunglasses into position and meeting their hopeful gazes head on. "I've never backed down from a challenge, and I'm not about to start now. Let's do this thing."
Through the bright yellow hearts, she saw the way they looked at each other, and the way they looked at her, and something in her soared so high that she knew she would never regret taking this chance, no matter the outcome.
[Word Count: 3,877]