Eden had been dodging Theo for the last week. He still sat by her in all of their shared classes, but she often made Daphne or Justin sit next to her on the other side as a distraction. Sensing the issue, Daphne didn't press her, but reminded her that sometimes talking about a problem can make it better. "Don't fall into the Slytherin trap of avoiding your shit, because it always bites us in the ass at some point. Give Theo a chance to explain himself." His recent run in with the youngest Weasley and Dean Thomas had really thrown her for a loop. She thought that she had known him better than that. She hoped that all of the trash talking Harry did about Slytherins wouldn't be founded and especially in Theo, but it turns out it was. Even after all of his talk about hiding so much from his parents, he still looked down on the people who were born into that life and she couldn't handle that. Theo was a hypocrite and the worst kind.
Although she was blatantly avoiding him this didn't deter Theo from trying to talk to her. His thoughts of her ran through his mind ceaselessly knowing that she was upset with him and not knowing exactly what he did wrong although looking back he thinks he has an idea. He would often find reasons to talk to her throughout classes because there she couldn't really avoid him. Still he didn't want to force her. He would ask for a pencil and try and throw in a compliment to watch the red blush run up her neck. He was happy to see that she still reacted to him at least physically. There was still hope if he could just figure out how to make it up to her but he knew he needed to really talk to her and apologize.
Draco, Theo, and Pansy were walking into the Great Hall for lunch when Theo's eyes immediately began to scan for the raven haired girl with bright green eyes who was cosily sitting at the Gryffindor table again between Dean Thomas and Harry Potter. Draco saw Theo's apprehension and let out an aggravated huff. "Honestly, mate, get over her. She has obviously moved on from you. Why are you lowering yourself to seeking her out every chance you get? She is a half blood and an American. It is starting to look pathetic." Theo was taken aback as he settled into his seat with his back to the Gryffindor table. "I'm not being pathetic, Draco, I'm just confused," Theo sneered in return. Pansy began picking at her food that she haphazardly clumped onto her plate, "She's just an American, Theo. You know she was never one of us. She has consistently turned her nose up at Slytherin tradition. You can do much better than that blood traitor." At the sound of the harsh slur being turned towards Eden, Theo had felt an angry chill run through him. He glared across the table at Pansy, "Don't you dare call her that. She is a better person than you've ever been." As the angry heat bubbling in his chest began to cool and Pansy retreated back into moving her food around her plate and fawning over Draco, Theo began to see the slur differently. On paper, yes Eden could have been categorized as a blood traitor. She fraternized with other known blood traitors, she also was a half blood, but Theo also saw a different side of her. The soft side that cared about people and him when he was lucky enough to be in her good graces. She was fiercely loyal and smart. Right then he decided he would go down fighting if anyone called her that again. Even if she still refused to talk to him. With a new resolve, he began eating his food and decided he had to try and talk to her again.
She was walking down the hall with Daphne from her Arithmancy lesson when she heard her name being called from behind her. Turning to look behind her and seeing Theo hustling to catch her, made her unlatch from Daphne's arm and dive into a tapestry covered alcove. Eden reprimanded herself for her cowardice, but she would just do it the next time she saw him she decided. She waited quietly until she believed he would have walked by and let out a sigh that was accompanied by the ruffling of the tapestry and Theo appeared before her. "Not exactly the circumstances I would have liked to get you in one of these alcoves, but I think it is a good time to talk." Theo gave a small uncomfortable laugh and grabbed her hand and tugged her towards him. "I'm sorry. For what I did. I'm sorry." His thumb was tracing small circles on the palm of her hand. "Do you know exactly what it is that you should be sorry for?" Eden sighed, irritatingly.
The circles he was drawing on her hand were insanely distracting. Looking him in the eye and finding her American courage, she ripped her hand from his and started in on him, "What you said to the Weasleys and Dean. What the hell was that? You are really that guy who makes fun of people for blood? And don't get me started on how you talked to the Weasleys. You ass! What gives you the divine right to talk to anyone like that? If that would have been me back at Ilvermorny, Gina and I would have cursed you into next year. My dad is a muggle, do you have a problem with that because it seems like you have a problem with Dean and we have the exact same situation. Both living in nomaj homes. What is the difference between us? I just can't believe you are that guy! Malfoy, yes, I get that. He is literally a prejudiced douche bag and he will get what is coming to him eventually and I wait and pray that I am there to see it, if I'm honest. He is just a bigoted little shit and you followed right along with him. For what? Be your own fucking person, Theodore Nott, and that's the day I will forgive you!" Throughout her speech, her voice began to reach new decibels and when she pulled the pointed finger away from Theo's face that she just realized she was raising at him, ripped back the tapestry to leave.
She stopped dead in her tracks as she stared at the small group of slack jawed students all standing there staring at the alcove she just walked out of, some being Ginny Weasley and Justin. Justin began a slow clap with a look of utter triumph on his face and slung an arm around Eden when she walked towards him with an uncomfortable grimace on her face. Ginny then walked up on her other side and wrapped an arm around Eden's waist with a bright smile on her face, "Let's go, friend. Thanks, by the way." They strolled down the rest of the corridor, linked together, two Gryffindors and a Slytherin leaving Theo staring after them while he thought to himself that did not go as planned. He let the guilt wash over him as he trudged to his next class.
The week before Christmas felt like a long and tedious one when all of Eden's housemates were fussing over the Yule Ball, which Eden had no intention of going to other than to snap some pictures and go back to her dorm room. While walking with Ginny and Daphne after the last final before winter break, Daphne piped up, "So what is everyone's plans after the ball this year? I'm going home on the 26th. I'm pretty excited to see my sisters." Daphne smiled at the two girls she walked with. "Yeah, the boys and I are heading home too. My mum would have lost it if we hadn't gone home at all for break. They are just pushing our family Christmas back a couple of days so we can all be there. Mum goes all out so I will come back 5 kgs heavier." Eden laughed as they continued on their trek to the Great Hall, "Yeah, I will be staying here. Going all the way home would be too much work and Justin is staying too so we will have our own American Christmas here. Slightly depressing, but I miss hanging out with him. It used to be every day back home with us and Gina, but here we have both been so busy lately with either school work, ambassador stuff, or just new friends."
"Sometimes that happens. Tracy and I used to be around each other constantly but different classes kind of pulled us a part this year. Not that I'm mad, my new friends are pretty great." Daphne smirked at the two girls and bumped into them.
Ginny and Daphne had become closer over the past month because Eden had worked so hard to avoid Theo that she usually enlisted both of their help together throughout the day. Daphne was adamant on Eden talking to Theo before things became unbearable, but Eden was just fine avoiding him because she didn't know if she would have the willpower to walk away from him again. Although their relationship was short, she felt they grew close in that amount of time. Each time she saw him, her heart gave a little thud of sadness at what kind of guy she thought he was rather than the guy he showed himself to be. Eden was used to people disappointing her though so she did the avoidance dance until it became second nature.
The days leading up to Christmas were filled with ambassador duties and spending time with all of the people she grew closest to during her time at Hogwarts. Justin and Eden were spending a lot of their time writing articles for Ilvermorny and taking pictures of the students during the Christmas Holiday. Hogwarts had a whole different cozy feel during these days and she thought this camaraderie shared amongst the different schools would be just the ticket for ensuring Ilvermorny's participation in the American Triwizard Tournament next year. It was also this cozy feeling that gave Eden the sense of home, finally.
Christmas Eve, Eden found herself with Daphne, Ginny, John, a Durmstrang student about their age, Justin, and Harry in the Slytherin common room surrounding the grand fire that licked the top of the mantle as they made themselves comfortable. Hermione and Ron were insistent on working on some project for next semester together, but Eden and everyone else knew Hermione was just trying to help Ron not fail his classes miserably. Setting up her cd player while Daphne passed out firewhisky that John had brought from the Durmstrang boat, she put on the Green Day album Insomniac that Gina's mom had sent her for Christmas. Hitting play, Harry smirked over at her. "You are really going hard with American muggle tonight." Grabbing a cup of firewhisky, she sat down between John and Daphne.
"It is an education, Potter. I couldn't imagine leaving you all at the end of the year, knowing that you didn't gain an appreciation for Green Day and Nirvana. You're welcome," she said cheekily. "I like it, back home we don't have much music like this." John smiled at her in her defense and already began refilling his cup. "Don't get me wrong, I agree. It is just funny that none of us have really heard much about the American school before this year and now we are getting a full muggle American education from them."
"Potter, you should have known who you were dealing with. Ede takes her music and her nomajs very seriously." Justin said and started to laugh as he threw an arm around Ginny, warmly. Daphne's back became rigid as she watched this and Eden seemed to be the only one who noticed. Right at that moment, Draco flanked by Pansy and Theo walked into the common room. "I thought I smelt something bad. Not only Potter but also a whole clan of Gryffindors." John immediately stood up, waiting for a fight to break out looking between Harry and Draco. John was around 6 feet tall and had the build of a dragon tamer although he was only 16. Draco sneered at all in attendance and let his eyes land on John. "Malfoy, doesn't it get tiring being an insufferable little shit every second of the day. Go hide out in your dorm room with your cronies." Eden stared directly at Theo as he quickly looked down at his feet. Pulling at Draco's arm, he said, "Let's go, Draco. They aren't bothering anyone." Draco looked down at Theo with a sneer on his face, "Godric, you are just as bad as them. She hasn't even talked to you in weeks and you still insist on being her little puppy." With that, Draco and Pansy walked back out of the passage and Theo turned and looked at Eden then walked towards his dorm alone.
Eden, Ginny, and Daphne exchanged looks once Theo was out of sight, John took his seat back down next to Eden, and the boys began a discussion on Quidditch. "Have you really not talked to him in weeks?" Ginny started in on Eden who looked surprised by this. "No, I haven't really talked to him since our big blow up that you saw and I can live without being around a blood supremacist like him if that is who he wants to be." Ginny straightened her back, exchanged a look with Daphne, and then stared back at Eden, "You don't know do you?" Eden looked back confused now, "You know he found both Dean and I after that and profusely apologized. He told us he realized how dumb it was and how that truly wasn't how he felt. We both accepted his apology and acknowledged that he wasn't the only one who said something wrong during that argument. You should probably talk to him. One because we can all tell you miss him and two because he seems really sorry. I've never been apologized to by a Slytherin, that should count for something." Ginny shrugged her shoulders as Eden let this turn in her mind. What is there to do now? she thought to herself as the rest of their group began a game of exploding snap.
The night ticked by as all of the friends became more tipsy by the second and the arrangement around the fire also began to change. John and Ginny were now sitting together with his arm around her. They would sneak looks at each other and then snuggle closer together, while Daphne bantered with Justin across the coffee table. Harry and Eden were sitting together just talking about growing up with nomajs and how different their experiences were. She felt comfortable around him and their friendship became very easy. While they talked they saw from the corner of their eye, Ginny throw her arms around John and flop her legs over his lap as she did so. Unleashing him, she smiled at him, "I would love to." Everyone now had their eyes trained on the couple. John looked over sheepishly at them, "We are going to the ball together." Ginny smiled broadly at them all. After giving them their congratulations everyone began to vanish away their mess and say their goodbyes to go to sleep. Maybe she would end up going to the dance if she had these guys to hang out with she thought as she headed back to her dorm room with Daphne excited for whatever Christmas might bring.