9 September, 1996
Tracey sat with a potted plant before her, her notebook opened. She dipped her quill into the ink, holding a leaf in her hand as she began to sketch.
Theodore walked over to her quietly, careful not to make a sound. He stood over Tracey wordlessly before plucking the leaf from her hands. "It looks like a plant," Theodore said, his voice uncharacteristically loud.
Tracey looked up at him with the same look she'd give her older brother if he did that to her, sighed, and went back to her sketch.
He folded the leaf in half and held it between his teeth, watching Tracey for a few seconds. Theodore pulled up a chair next to her. "What is it?" he mumbled, the leaf still in his mouth.
She shook her head, not looking at him.
He frowned slightly at her lack of response. Oh well. It wasn't entirely unexpected. Theodore pulled the leaf out and pretended to observe it. "What is it?" He asked again, keeping his tone of voice bored.
"Nothing," she said, looking at her plant, then back at her sketchbook. "I'm working."
"You're always working."
"Maybe you should try it."
"No need for both of us to waste our time on Herbology." Theodore frowned slightly. "Tracey."
"I'm not wasting my time with Herbology," she said.
"Tracey."
"I don't want to hear it," Tracey said.
Theodore pursed his lips, a little taken aback. He fell quiet before trying again. "But you don't know what I'm going to say."
"I don't care what you're going to say," she replied.
"Why not?"
"Because I don't."
"Why not?"
Tracey put her head down on the table, avoiding putting it on her book or in her ink.
"The beached whale imitation is a bit inappropriate, given the current circumstances," Theodore said. "But I suppose it's still funny."
Tracey peered up at him and gave him a scowl.
"You should talk to me," Theodore continued, ignoring her scowl. He plucked another leaf from her plant. "Or else my boredom may drive me to completely denude this thing."
"Leave the plant out of this," she said. "And I've got nothing to say to you."
"Why not?"
Tracey just turned back to her plant, scooting it away from him.
"Tracey," he said in a low voice. He scooted the plant toward him and picked another leaf off of it. "Don't be like this."
"Don't be like what? I'm staying out of your way and minding my own business, aren't I? I know my place."
"What do you mean?" Theodore muttered, rolling his eyes. He knew perfectly why she was angry, of course.
"Forget it. Sorry for being in your way." Tracey got up, closing her book and putting the lid back on her ink, scooping up her plant.
"Stay," Theodore said, standing up and grabbing Tracey's arm. He tried to meet her eyes.
Tracey met his eyes before quickly looking away.
"Tracey," he tugged on her arm. "Just stay."
She shook her head, but made no movement to leave.
"Are you mad at me?"
Tracey gave him a look that she must have learned from Draco Malfoy.
"Are you going to answer me?" He pressed, unfazed by her look.
"What do you think?" she replied.
"I would still like a verbal answer."
Tracey sighed. Boys. Honestly. "Yes."
"Will you stay?" Theodore let go of Tracey's arm and sat down.
"Why should I?"
"Because I would like to talk to you."
"There's nothing to talk about."
"Of course there is," Theodore said. "We could talk about this plant, for example. You never answered my question--sit down-- What is it?"
"Lamb's ear," she sighed. "That's why it's fuzzy."
"It also tastes funny, not at all like veal." Theodore pressed his index finger into the folded leaf on the table. "Are you going to sit down?" he asked her, keeping his eyes on the leaf.
Tracey sat down reluctantly.
"Do you..." Theodore trailed off. "Do you..."
He sighed. "Do you want anything to eat?"
Tracey shook her head.
He nodded awkwardly. "I thought not." Theodore pressed his finger into another spot of the leaf, not looking up.
Tracey opened up her notebook, putting it back on the table.
Theodore turned his head to look at the blond girl. "Is this for homework?"
"No," she said. "Personal project."
"That's fun."
"Anything you have to say?" she asked.
'I'm sorry' would have been the smart thing to say. But Theodore wasn't one to apologise. He shrugged instead. "Nothing."
"That's what I thought," she said, turning back to her plant.
"Still mad at me?"
"You haven't given me any reason to be otherwise."
"I'm not tearing up your lamb's ear," he offered.
Tracey opened up her jar of ink. "Oh thank you," she said.
"Sure," he said, glossing over her sarcasm. "I didn't see you at dinner," Theodore said, idly picking at the smushed, and now rather pathetic-looking, leaf on the table in front of him.
Tracey shrugged. "Didn't know you were looking."
"I was." Theodore scratched the back of his neck. It was strange to have Tracey this hostile.
"Not like you would have said anything to me anyway, right?"
"I'm talking to you now, aren't I?"
"No one else is here."
"So?"
Tracey sighed. "So I'm going to go work on this in my room, if you don't have anything to say to me that you wouldn't say to me in front of other people."
Theodore sighed. "Do you want me to apologise for the train ride? Because I am. This is me apologising."
Tracey looked up at him, narrowing her eyes, scrutinizing him to see if he was being honest or just trying to get on her good side again.
"It's not what you think, anyhow," Theodore said, leaning back in his chair. "I saw you at Diagon. I hadn't seen Millicent in months,"
Tracey frowns; it's true, but it still stings.
He shrugged. "I just wanted to talk to Millicent. I didn't mean to push you out of the conversation like that, but it happened." Theodore met Tracey's eyes. "Honest."
"Still," Tracey said.
Theodore shrugged again at that.
"Still," she said again, her voice soft and low, "if you consider me to be anything resembling a friend... you shouldn't treat me like that."
"But I do." Theodore hastily added, "I do think of you as a friend."
"Then treat me like one."
He stared at her in silence. Theodore turned his head back to the leaf and smushed it into the table with his thumb. "Alright."
"All right?" she said, asking for confirmation.
"Yeah."
Tracey sighed, but not in relief. "All right."