THC August Monthly Challenge
Hufflepuff House
Prompts:
(location) The Pyramids, Egypt
(object) a plant pot
(emotion) angry
Word count: 1435 on Google Docs
Post-war AU
And welcome to the new competition! After gingerdream's very kind recommendation, I joined The Houses Competition as part of Hufflepuff! To ease into the new environment, I decided to take part in the August Monthly Challenge and write a small drabble about going back to school. Of course I would pick Theo since I'm showing my love for Theomione lately - plus, I find his take really interesting considering his family background. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.
Huge thanks to Story Please for beta-ing!
Theodore Nott would always, always hate the first day of school. It had been something he'd had to face alone ever since he could remember. His mother — the only one to ever truly care for him — had passed before his Hogwarts years had started. Nott Sr., a mean drunk, had made sure to remind him every day how relieved he'd be when Theo was shipped off to school. At first, the young boy had been sad but, the more he grew, the sadness gave way to anger.
Every first Friday of September, he would apparate with Poki, his trusted house elf, to the station. The anger towards his absentee and cruel father would overtake him and Theo would not be able to relax his jaw until he was seated in an empty compartment. Only then would he find the opportunity to relax and let the fury drain from within him. With the only remaining memory of his mum — a picture of the both of them in front of the Pyramids in Egypt when he'd been only a baby — he would let a rare smile blossom on his face. The usually reclusive Slytherin would trace the familiar nose and lips on the worn piece of paper as the train sped through the Scottish countryside, taking him away from one hell and straight to another.
Even though he'd outgrown the abuse of his now-deceased father and the bullying of his so-called "friends" by now, he still hated the day with the passion. As he stared at his son's sleeping form from the doorway, he wished he could stop time. He wished he could find a Time-Turner so that he could keep coming back to this moment, again and again.
The boy's curls were a mess on his pillow and he was snoring softly, a stuffed Venus Flytrap clutched tightly underneath his left arm. A strange sleeper like his father, he had one leg dangling off the bed while he'd stuck his hand in the frame's intricate metal rails to cool himself while he dozed. Theo could watch his son forever — it had been his favourite activity ever since the little boy had been born.
Thinking of Hermione's scolding if they happened to miss the train, he sighed to himself and straightened up. As much as the boy looked soft and peaceful in his slumber, he was not fond of early mornings and he could be a menace when woken before he was ready.
"Hey bud, it's time to get up now." he whispered softly as he shook the boy's arm. With only a groan and a frustrated kick to the air as an answer, he pressed on, knowing that, if he left the kid alone, there would be no Notts in Hogwarts this year. "Come on, Alec, you need to wake up. I let you sleep in as much as I could but the train leaves in two hours and you need to get ready."
A huff, throwing Vinnie (the Flytrap) in the corner of the room and a sleepy glare were a clear sign that Theo had gotten his son's attention. "Merlin's wrinkly bottom, Dad! You could let me have five more minutes."
As the preteen left the room to go to the toilet, Theo was hit with a wave of nostalgia. From the back, Alexander Bernard Nott looked so much like his father at that age that the thirty nine year old potioneer was transported back to his own room in Nott Manor. Darker, less lively and without a doting parent waiting for him by the foot of the bed, he could not have been prouder of how he had raised his son. Of how he had looked his father's legacy in the eyes and flipped it the finger.
Hearing the shower starting, Theo dashed downstairs to make breakfast. Hermione had left early to get a head start on her day so that she'd have time to meet them at the station. As Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, she had a hectic schedule to keep up with and needed to make such sacrifices as missing breakfast with her family in order to get even the smallest of breaks. That meant the two wizards were left to fend for themselves; something that rarely went well.
"Morning Dad, morning Joel." Alec mumbled as he headed for the window to check on his favourite plant. Much like his parents, the kid had been a loner from an early age. But, where his parents had found solitude in books — one of the things that even brought them together later in life, the youngest Nott had found his peace with the flora (much to the delight of his Uncle Neville). The Herbology professor had taught the boy a lot and Alec had in turn transformed their house into a miniature jungle. Theo was even considering finding a new place for the three of them, just so that his son could have a bigger garden to spend his time in.
Joel had been a gift from Grandma Jean; one of the few muggle plants in the house. He was a small Thai basil that had been his son's best friend for years. Alec had even decorated the plant pot bright orange to contrast with the dark purple flowers with the plant's name written right in the front. At first, Theo had laughed when the opinionated little boy had declared that "He is not just a basil, dad, his name is Joel like Mummy's music man" but, by now, he'd grown to accept the latest member of the family.
"Is Mom working again?"
Theo could hear the bitterness in his son's words. He knew Alec understood, deep down, but he also felt for the boy, having missed his own mother many a time. He'd outgrown the photo that now resided framed in his bedside table but he could still relate to his son's anger, no matter how unjust it was.
"You know she'd be here if she could. She tried to get a day off but September is always the busiest month for the Ministry. But she went in early so that she could make it for the platform, okay? Don't be mad at her, she wishes she could be here as much as you do."
"Can I be mad at Kingsley at least?" Alec asked, the few bites of egg he'd had already working to ameliorate his mood.
Theo laughed and reached out to ruffle the boy's hair as he waited for his coffee to brew. "Of course you can; just don't let your mother know unless you want to be getting Howlers all through the first week."
"Speaking of owl post, do you think you can send me Joel once I settle?" the boy asked hopefully, although they'd had that discussion many times before.
"Come on now, Alec, there'll be plenty of plants in Herbology for you. We'll take care of him just fine until you get back for Christmas. Plus, his pot could break during the flight." Theo reminded him, setting the dishes to magically wash themselves.
"He needs an upgrade anyway! I was thinking of getting him a new one and painting it with my house colours!"
"We can do that on Christmas break. We're going to the florist as soon as you get back, okay? You'll have plenty of time to paint it until we leave." Theo conceded as he checked over Alec's robes to make sure they were alright. If Hermione could see him she'd joke about him fussing like a mother hen. Truth was, he wanted to fuss and stall as much as he could. 11 years of having his son around everyday and now he was supposed to let him go just like that?
"Leave? Are we going on vacation?!" Alec asked excitedly as Theo transformed their robes into coats and the school trunk in a suitcase, so as not to disturb any Muggles.
"Don't tell your mom I let it slip again. But yes, she managed to get a week off. I was thinking we could go to the Pyramids, like I did with grandma."
As his son excitedly chattered about their upcoming vacation and his anticipation for Hogwarts, Theo took one final moment to himself. With his son safely in the car and the house wards up, he took a deep breath in. This was it. In a few hours, he'd wave goodbye to his only child, who he wouldn't see again for months. A child with his wife's curls and eyes and his own nose and lips. His late mother's nose and lips. It seemed like every first day of school would find Theodore Nott missing someone.
Oh, how he hated that day.
