Please be aware that this chapter has spoilers for Seventh Year of Green Eyed Monster.
September 26, 1997
Theodore had always loved Quidditch. He had grown flying on toy brooms and waiting for the day that he would finally get to buy a real broom and fly as fast as he could. As a child, it had been a dream of his not just to play Quidditch, but to be a speed-flyer. His mother had always feared when he would push the limits of his toy brooms, thinking that he was going too quickly and would hurt himself. His father would laugh and tell her that "it's just boys being boys" and tell her that she was being too uptight.
It was this love that had been the first of his sad realizations when he returned to Hogwarts for his final year. Quidditch no longer existed here, so he would not be able to play Keeper for the Slytherin team. While he no longer had the ambition to be a famed flyer, he had still loved the rush that being on the Quidditch Pitch had given him. It had always been so surreal, sitting above the crowd with his only responsibility being that he was the last line of defence for the Slytherins…now he felt like he was the last line of defence against the Death Eater regime.
As much as people assumed that the Slytherins were benefiting from Death Eaters taking over the school, he would have been the first to disagree – everything was limited now. Not just for the Muggleborns, not just for the other houses, but for everyone. Slytherins were still punished when they refused to agree with the school's authority. The Slytherin families left at home were often punished when the students they had sent stepped out of line. There was no such thing as competition here because there was no opportunity for them to win. And while Theodore had not ever considered himself an aggressive person compared to his friends, it had been the idea of competition that had always driven him to strive for more.
Now he just felt scared…and lazy.
"Shh! Wave it about a little more, why don't you? How are you such a knob?" Theodore frowned as he sat down at the Slytherin table for breakfast. It had been a boring weekend, one where most of them had taken the time to simply reset and recover from the week of classes prior, while also planning on how to best stay safe for the week ahead. He had sat himself down to the latest cause of concern for their group: Tracey Davis.
He tried to turn his eyes away from the dark purple bruises that had blossomed over her face, but the sight of them still made something feel like it was caught in his throat. He recognized the feeling to be guilt. While he wished that he could just defend her, speak up and stop the violence that had been demonstrated on his Halfblooded friend, he knew it was a lost cause. She may have been a Halfblood, but half the time she brought the anger on herself…a good example being now, as she whispered to Lillian over a copy of the Daily Prophet that she had torn away from Blaise's prying eyes.
This, he knew, was only a cover for the fact she was reading The Quibbler. While the writing was horrible and disjointed, it was the only current intel on what was happening outside the Death Eater's had been banned within the school, but this did not stop people from reading it. It just taught them to be creative.
"I was being subtle," Blaise grumbled tightly. He was always defensive nowadays. "Now give it back."
"No. It's mine," she hissed, ripping the pages from his hands once again.
If Blaise and Tracey had ever liked it each other, it was now impossible to tell. Theodore didn't need to question whether Blaise was one of the people who had caused this round of bruises all over Tracey's skin. Tracey was constantly being thrown into detention and as one of the disciplinarian Prefects in Slytherin house, Blaise was often the one who helped carry detentions out. It was common knowledge that detention with the Carrows translated to torture – and Blaise Zabini never hesitated to do what he was told. The Carrows were not fond of the Halfblood within the group of Pureblood Slytherins, particularly someone who happened to proudly state she supported Audrey Potter.
Audrey's name had become a sort of curse for the Slytherins. She was not to be spoken of and if you were caught by someone – either the Carrows or someone who would report it to the Carrows – then you would end up in with a series of detentions. Then behind closed doors, her name was not to be spoken just for the sake of Draco's sanity.
Speaking of Draco, the taller boy sat down beside Theodore without a word. His jaw was tight, his movements limited – he had been a proctor of the Carrow's detention last night as well. It weighed heavily on him, Theodore could see it, and unlike Blaise, it would take days before Draco was himself again…which would be right around the time it would be his turn to dole out the punishment once more. Theodore was sure that the Carrows had done this on purpose, just to try to desensitize them to the violence.
Tracey had gone back to reading through "the Prophet" and whispering with Lillian on her other side, their heads close together as they hid behind the wall of writing. Draco perked immediately.
"What about her?"
Theodore hadn't heard whatever it was that Draco had, but there was only one name that would make him become alert like that. Theodore's awareness picked up as well while the two girls peeked overtop of the Prophet they held. Tracey looked from side to side to see who might be listening.
"They can't find any trace of her," Lillian's voice was quiet, her eyes wide and passionate. "It's like she's just vanished – what if she's been caught?"
"Not a chance," Tracey whispered back. "They'd announce it to the entire world, wizarding and muggle alike, if they would have caught one of the Po—"
"Shh!" Daphne interrupted while she came and sat on the other side of Theodore. She ripped the paper away from them before she crumpled it up and threw the ball across the table into Tracey's lap. It was hardly a minute before Alecto Carrow began inspecting their aisle, waiting to overhear any of the conversations for information she found important.
The Slytherins all sat silently, playing with their food until she passed by. Theodore did not miss the subtle nod that she sent over to Blaise and how Blaise tightly returned it. Once Carrow was far enough away that she was out of earshot, Draco was quick to speak up.
"I hate that," he growled, his eyes sharp against Blaise. "You act like you're their damned puppy."
"I do not," Blaise quipped immediately. "I'm no one's puppy."
"Of course you aren't," Tracey agreed. Theodore was about to voice his shock that she cared to be civil with the man who had been her greatest tormentor for the month before she continued. "You can't be considered their puppy when you're clearly their bitch."
No one spoke. No one had to. Blaise's shock was enough to cause everyone else to fight between smiling and nausea – Theodore was of course overcome by the latter. Tracey was constantly getting into enough trouble without that mouth of hers coming into play. Being a Halfblood meant a lot of talk about her heritage and for some reason, she refused to play along and act like she was ashamed of it. While Draco continued to call her reckless, Theodore had to argue – he thought it was quite noble.
"When are you going to learn, Davis?" Blaise hissed. "It's kill or be killed here…stop fighting it."
"Why?" She asked, making a face. "So that I can be the one killed?"
"No," he rolled his eyes. "If you'd just stop fighting then—"
"Then what? Is big strong Blaise going to be my knight in shining armour?" She laughed a dark laugh, moving her hair away from her face to draw attention to her newest bruise, even if she tried to make it seem subtle for anyone not in the conversation. "I'd say you've done enough."
Blaise's eyes searched around the table for support, but Theodore quickly cast his eyes back down to his plate. He had no plan to agree or side with Blaise at all – he had purposefully acted against one of their own and that was not something he stood for. By the sound of it, and by the fact no one was speaking in his defence, it seemed Theo wasn't the only one to think so.
"Fine," Blaise slammed his hands against the table so that he could forcefully stand. "We'll see who's right in the end, won't we?"
Blaise stomped out of the Great Hall, making a scene while everyone turned to watch him. No one spoke while they waited to see if any of the Professors or the new 'protection' placed around the students would move. Luckily none of the Death Eaters seemed to care about the tiff – they had other things on their plate for the day, it seemed – so Daphne let out a deep breath beside him.
"He'll be horrible to you in class today for that," she whispered to Tracey.
"Who are you kidding?" Tracey muttered, stabbing forcefully into her eggs. "Nothing I say will help or hinder his actions. He's fully on the Dark Side now."
"We shouldn't let him keep getting away with his," Theodore muttered, looking over at Draco for support. The blonde would not meet his eyes. "One of us has to act out, let him know that he can't act against us as he does."
"And who's going to do that?" Daphne asked him with a deep frown. "None of us would dare."
"The only one who would isn't here anymore," Draco mumbled darkly. Silence fell around the table again, each person taking in his words. Each person knew exactly who he was referring to and each person knew as well as the next that he was right.
It was funny how the very thing Theodore hated most about the smallest Slytherin – namely Potter's incessant need to force her opinions and morals onto others – was exactly the thing they now needed the most.
It was on his way back from Transfiguration that Theodore was stopped in the corridor. He had been holding Daphne's hand before he noticed Montague loitering in front of them – he was glad he already had a hold of her because Daphne balked at the sight of him. She always did. She could never get over that night, so many years ago, when he had cornered her in one of the darkest parts of the castle; Theodore couldn't forget it either. Her hand gripped Theodore's all the more tightly as they moved to pass by him, only for Theodore to stop short when he felt Montague's hand grip his shoulder. Daphne nearly squeaked when they came to a halt.
Theodore turned, trying to keep his eyes from blazing.
"What?"
"Now, now, Nott," Montague tutted, his face pulling into a devious grin. "That's no way to speak to your superiors."
"He'll remember that when he sees one," Daphne's voice was not as strong as she had likely planned for it to be, but Theodore was proud of her for speaking up at all. He knew that she had been working diligently to push against the status quo when she disagreed with it. "Is there a reason you stopped us?"
"I'd actually quite like to watch you go, Greengrass," Montague raised an eyebrow. "But I have a feeling Nott likes keeping a firm grasp on you. I'd quite like it if you had a firm grasp on me, of course—"
"We asked you what you wanted," Theodore reminded lowly, interrupting his thoughts before they became to lecherous. "I'd get to it before we have to leave for class."
"Alright, don't get your knickers in a twist—" he paused, sending a wink to Daphne. "I mean, you can if you want, Greengrass, but this isn't about you."
"And?" Theodore prompted.
Montague seemed to enjoy Nott's sour expression. "The Headmaster wants to see you."
"And what does Snape want?" Theodore asked, gritting his teeth over how difficult Montague was being.
"The Headmaster," Montague corrected with a sharp emphasis. "Didn't elaborate. But he said that you should get there straight away."
"But we have Dark Arts—"
Montague shrugged. "He said 'straight away', Nott. Unlike some, I don't question my commands."
Daphne looked up at Theodore and he saw a plethora of emotions cross her face. He could tell that she didn't want him to leave – that she thought it was dangerous, but he couldn't tell who she was most concerned for. They both knew that if he were to leave now, he would be leaving her with Montague – and considering his comments, that was not an option he wanted to consider. But if he neglected to go to Snape, who knew how that would affect them later?
"Alright," Theodore said slowly while his mind whirled. "I'll walk Daphne to Dark Arts so we can get a seat, then I'll go meet—"
"What don't you understand about the words 'straight away', Nott?" Montague crossed his arms over his chest while he glared. "Or would you like another detention?"
Of course not. It was the greatest threat that anyone could receive now – a blatant threat of torture. Theo looked to Daphne who, with wide eyes, indicated with a tilt of her head that he should go.
"I'll be fine," she whispered.
"Yes, you are," Montague winked. Both of the students sneered at him.
"Well, let's go then," Theodore said with a clenched jaw. When Montague seemed to want to argue, he continued. "If you don't escort me, I might have to forget to mention you fulfilled your purpose, Adam."
"If you go there, he'll know I did."
"Not if I go for other reasons," he pointed out. "I have a lot of questions to bring to Snape. Who knows if I might forget to mention that I'd been reminded to go. And personally, I'd want my dues. I'm surprised you wouldn't."
Montague's eyes narrowed dramatically. He took one last look at Daphne before stepping back, as if indicating that he was stepping back from the argument. He made a sweeping gesture, moving his arm to usher Theodore toward the Headmaster's office. "After you."
"Thanks," Theodore responded pointedly. He gave Daphne's hand one last squeeze before turning in the direction that Montague had been indicating so they could leave toward Snape's office.
"Catch you later, Greengrass."
Daphne threw one last meaningful look towards Theodore before she dashed away to the relative safety of the Dark Arts classroom. When Theodore was sure that the older boy was following him and not his girlfriend, he felt himself relax slightly. Sure, he had to fight against the urge to pull out his wand and hex Montague, but at least the threat was with him and not Daphne.
The walk was silent as they moved to the Headmasters office. Neither Montague nor Nott thought it was necessary to try and start up any form of small talk or catch up on what had happened since the last time Montague had tormented them. Theodore constantly kept one hand on the hilt of his wand, just in case this was all a pretense for something more sinister than a conversation with Snape. He wouldn't put it past the graduated delinquent.
Then again, he knew what this meeting would be about. Snape had been dropping hints to specific upper year Slytherins for the past few weeks that the Dark Lord was waiting for more followers and that doesn't include all of the conversations he'd tried to avoid over the summer. He knew it was only time before there would be another direct conversation with him, particularly the closer Christmas Holidays were looming on the horizon.
When they got to the statue protecting the stairs, Theodore was surprised to see that it had already turned and allowed them access to the Headmasters quarters. Wasn't there usually a password required?
"He keeps it open when he expects us," Montague responded as if he knew the question. "Death Eaters trust other Death Eaters, Nott. It's something you should learn."
"Are you considered a Death Eater now? I thought you were just a lackey." There was a moment where Montague looked like he was going to argue, but a voice cut in front of any thoughts he may have voiced.
"Thank you for bringing Mr. Nott to my office, Mr. Montague. That will be all." It was so final that every man there knew Adam was not only being dismissed, but the future fight had been noted for another time. Not willing to anger The Dark Lord's right-hand man any more than he already had, Montague nodded his head and sulked down the corridor the opposite way he had come.
Theodore was just glad to see that he wasn't headed back to the Dark Arts room to harass his girlfriend.
"Mr. Nott," Snape's voice broke him out of his glare on Montague's back. Without a word, the old Potion's Master turned to move up the stairs and Theodore followed him in past the heavy wood door at the top. Once inside the office, the door swung closed on its own and Theodore followed Snape to the chair across the large desk where Snape indicated he should sit. When Theodore did as instructed, Snape sat down across from him in Dumbledore's old chair. In fact, everything here was Dumbledore's.
It was strange seeing the office exactly as it had been before. Theodore had not been here often, but he knew enough to tell that nothing had been moved, nothing had been altered – all but the new portrait that hung on the wall. Beneath it was a small, bronze plaque which read 'Albus Dumbledore'. The portrait, oddly, was blank.
Theodore turned his gaze back to the Headmaster and held his stomach as it flipped. There was a lot of tension in the air and it reminded him horribly of the last time he had been here. The last time, notably when he had been informed of his father's murder. Being here – with everything being the exact same – made all of the pain seem fresh, particularly as he considered what he was about to be asked – no, forced – to do.
"I'd imagine you know why I've called you here," Snape began slowly.
"It's not hard to guess," Theodore said simply. Snape nodded to himself, leaning back in his plush chair. He looked strained in a way that Theodore had never seen him. He'd never been a big fan of Snape – not like Audrey had once been – but he could tell that his new position was not suiting him well.
It must be hard, leading a new generation into an old, prejudiced regime.
"The Dark Lord is looking for more suitable candidates to bring into the inner circle, Mr. Nott. Your father was a very loyal subject to our cause – The New Order, as he calls it—"
"New Order?" Theodore couldn't help but blurt out. "That sounds suspiciously similar to the name used by the resistance against him."
"Nomenclature, I'm sure," Snape said flippantly. "The Dark Lord wants loyal followers, Theodore. He knows, of course, that you have shown many signs of loyalty in the past…his worry lies in where those loyalties have been placed."
"I'm sorry," Theodore shook his head, letting out a humourless laugh. "Are you referring to my friendship with Audrey Potter?"
The muscle in Snape's jaw jumped as he leaned forward across the desk, giving the boy a harsh glare. When he didn't speak, Theodore continued on.
"And does the Dark Lord understand that Audrey Potter killed my father, so our relationship isn't quite what it used to be?" And he doubted it ever would be…however, to say that he did not consider her a friend would not be true. Now that he knew everything, now that he had seen her memory of what happened that night, he knew that it was not as simple as 'she killed him' or even 'Bellatrix Lestrange killed him'. It was something much more complicated and something that Theodore felt torn over blaming her for.
"He believes that because Audrey Potter killed your father you would be looking for some kind of vengeance," Snape nodded slowly. "What I am asking you, Mr. Nott is whether or not that's the case."
Snape's eyes were dark and meaningful as he looked over his desk to Theodore. It didn't take a lot to know that Snape was not necessarily in line when it came to Audrey Potter – very few of the Slytherins were. Slytherins were known for protecting their own and it felt so damaging that they were being so traitorous when it came to trying to find – and likely kill – Audrey. The whole house was divided over it…with a majority voting to give her up to the Dark Lord. Most of those people, of course, were people that she had wronged.
If you would have asked Theodore last year at this time, he wouldn't have hesitated to say that they should hand her in to avoid any consequences that might follow. He would have pointed out that Audrey was a liability and not someone worth protecting…but now…
The heavy look in Severus Snape's eyes let Theodore know that he was just as conflicted.
They could not let Audrey Potter get caught.
"He wants me to be a Death Eater because of what Audrey did," Theodore said slowly. "I don't understand what I could do for him though. I'm of no benefit to him – we aren't friends anymore, we aren't—"
"Draco Malfoy refuses to talk of his time with Audrey Potter," Snape stood up from his desk, placing his hands behind his back so that he could walk to the window of the office and look out of it. Theodore wondered, briefly, what he might be watching. "Mr. Malfoy says that it's clear, that he cannot help foresee what her actions might be – considering how often the couple broke up and got back together, as well as her actions against the Slytherins in the past. He claims to have no idea behind her motives for breaking into the Ministry or starting a radio broadcast, for example…"
Theodore was aware of all these feats. At first, it had seemed like a lie, he was sure of it – as much as Audrey craved attention, she wasn't one to go seeking it out when the consequences would be so severe. She would have been the one to stay out of sight, to stay secret and hide to remain safe…but now he was wondering what other motives would have led her to do it. Because he was sure she would not have done these things without another motive. She was trying to distract from something else that was happening, he just didn't know what…
He wasn't about to tell them his worries, though.
"Draco is by far the best access to Audrey's mind," Theodore said slowly. While he didn't want to put Draco any more in the limelight than he already was, he wasn't about to offer himself up to the Dark Lord's questioning. "I still don't see why I'm necessary."
"He believes since Draco does not know the motives behind Audrey Potter's mind, that you may," Snape turned to look over his shoulder. "You were friends with her for five years, Mr. Nott. I'm sure it doesn't surprise you that the Dark Lord is aware of this."
"Of course not," it's not like they had kept it a secret. The world knew of their friendship, particularly after the Triwizard Tournament when he had been the one she needed to save from the Black Lake. "But that doesn't mean I know what she's thinking. She's an enigma – Audrey does whatever she wants."
"And what she wants is Draco," Snape let out a long sigh, admitting the truth that they both knew aloud.
"Exactly. So…what does that mean for me?"
"On Christmas holidays, you will be heading to Malfoy Manor for your stay," Snape explained to him, sounding like he did not like the information he was offering. "The Dark Lord would like to begin training immediately."
"And if I say no?" Theodore swallowed thickly. Snape fully turned around now, eyes narrowed.
"If you plan on being in a state fit for school after the break is done, I would expect 'no' is not an option."
Theodore nodded his head minutely, taking in the weight of what was being said. He had always known this day was coming, but he wasn't ready for this to be official. He was not ready to have that damned Mark carved into his forearm. But still he knew, they had all known that Theodore Nott was destined to become a Death Eater.
When he was able to quell all the emotions bubbling up from his stomach, he cleared his throat of them. "May I go then?"
"That is all." Snape turned around to stare out the window again. Above him, the portrait of Albus Dumbledore was still barren.
Theodore went to leave the room, his thoughts tumbling around in his mind as he panicked. This was everything he had fought against for so long – everything he had tried so hard to avoid – and now, he had no choice but to get off that train and be branded like cattle.
"And Theodore?" Theodore stopped at the door but did not turn around. "Please send Mr. Malfoy to my office when you get to Dark Arts. He can no longer avoid this conversation."
Theodore turned around, his eyes wide as the guilt began to eat away at his composure. "Is…is this because of something I said? Because I'm sorry Professor, but Draco—"
"It is time Draco have a new part to play," Snape's voice was thick. "He chose to keep her alive last year, Theodore. The Dark Lord has always known why."
With that, it appeared their conversation was over because Snape went to his desk and began to write on whatever document he must have been working on before Theodore had entered. Theodore was quick to head down the stairs and rush to the Dark Arts classroom – perhaps if he got there early enough, Draco would have some time to compose himself or prepare for whatever was coming. And who knew what Daphne would think of all of this…she had tried to shelter him from this for so long by allowing him to live at the Greengrass residence, away from the Death Eater culture. She had worked so hard keeping him in her home, separating him from the life he was being pushed toward as long as she possibly could. But they both knew that the shadows were beginning to grow longer, reaching for him with every passing day…
Dark Arts was chaos. As he opened the door to the classroom, the sound that met his ears stopped him in his tracks. Screaming, a lot of screaming…it appeared they were practicing the Cruciatus Curse again. Why they'd had to practice for two full weeks, he wasn't sure. Perhaps because not everyone would participate – perhaps because many could not master it. With normal classes, there was a schedule to be held with a set time for each bit of magic…but not in Dark Arts. This class had no other function but punishment. Evidently
Evidently, this week had seen more people in detention than last, because they were practicing the curse five people at a time. A line of people waiting for their turn was wedged on the side of the classroom, wincing away from the people before them. It was as if they thought being small would spare them from their turn.
"Ah, Nott! Nice t' see yuh," 'Professor' Amycus Carrow cackled. "Come join this group 'ere – I know you'd wanna be with y' friends."
So, the Carrows were being nice to him – at least now he didn't have to question why.
Theodore moved over towards Draco, who was thankfully in the group he had been told to join. The group was made of six people – Malfoy, Zabini, Crabbe, Daphne, Moon, and Rivers. Over the course of the past few weeks, Blaise and Alya Rivers had actually been growing quite close. Now that they had the same motives to try and survive class, Blaise was slowly being pushed away from the group of them and towards those who had hated Potter most.
Alya Rivers was quite near the top of that list.
As Theodore settled himself within the group, he tried to take stock of what he was seeing. Blaise, Crabbe, and Rivers were to the side whispering amongst themselves while Daphne and Lillian hugged each other for some form of emotional support. Draco stood behind them, watching catatonically as the various students at the front writhed and sobbed.
Lillian looked almost as if she was one of those people. She was losing herself to the scene in front of her, tears streaming down her face as she watched her best friend be tortured. Tracey Davis was the only Slytherin up at the front of the room in any of the groups to be practiced on…and she was the one who seemed to be up there the most often. Theodore had watched how this had eaten away at Lillian's sense of self. They had always been together and had always been close, but now the passion and sorrow behind Lillian's eyes made her look nearly mad with a vicious sense of justice.
"Draco," Theodore whispered, his voice tight as his eyes flickered between the three blondes. Draco's eyes met him slowly – they looked hollow. Theodore didn't have it in him to try and help him feel human again; in fact, perhaps he shouldn't before whatever Draco was about to experience with the Headmaster.
"What did Snape want?" Draco asked blandly.
"You know what he wanted," Theodore muttered lowly. He cleared his throat; the guilt having dried it out. Was what he said the reason that he had to send Draco there now? Had he accidentally gotten him into more trouble with his words to protect himself? "Now he wants to see you."
Draco's gaze seemed to sober, life seemed to come back into them as rage filled the gaping hole in his personality and fierceness had seemed to have left behind. "Well, I'm not going."
"Draco—"
"Next group!" Carrow's voice interrupted the explanation that Theodore was about to provide. He didn't really have a choice on whether Draco could get out of going…Malfoy had to know that. Still, their group stepped up to the front of the horde in the silence. The only sound was the gasping for air that each of the participants was given during the break in curses. "Aw, look at you little Miss Moon…y'ur squeamish, aye?"
Lillian threw the professor a venomous glare.
"Line 'em up! Line 'em up!" A new group was being brought in and Theodore was surprised to see that Tracey was not moved out of line.
"Professor, Davis has—"
"Davis has some making up to do," he walked up to Tracey and kicked her shoe to see if she would move. She didn't. She stayed face down on the ground, heaving breaths of air that she hadn't been able to grasp while she screamed. "Don't y' Davis?"
Tracey did not move until the Professor used his foot to move her head to the side. Lillian nearly leapt out of the hold Daphne had on her to attack the Professor himself – Draco caught her arm as it reached for her wand.
"Stop," he warned her. "Or it'll be you."
"Listen to him, Lillian," Blaise agreed. "I don't want you up there."
"How am I any different than Tracey?" Lillian asked, angry tears blinding her. "You've known us this whole time, Blaise! We aren't any different than last year—"
"I beg to differ," he glared at her. There was something there that Theodore didn't understand, but he was torn from his thoughts as Tracey let out a violent cough. It made Carrow smile.
"Do you 'ave anything to say to me, Davis?"
She took a few more breaths but Theodore saw her eyes darken. Oh god, she couldn't take much more and yet he knew she was about to have to.
"If you want me—" she huffed out her words, "—to stop calling you the scum of the earth, perhaps you should shower so you don't smell like it…"
"KEEP HER IN LINE!" Carrow raged, his eye twitching as he rushed across the room to usher in the next row of 'deserving' detentioners. After everyone was in their place, he moved up to Theodore's group of Slytherins and sneered at them. "Go, now! The Cruciatus Curse!"
Lillian crossed her arms, refusing outright.
Carrow's anger grew. He grabbed the silvery-haired Slytherin from the group and ripped her from the line, pushing her forward so that she stood right in the no-mans land between the cursers and the cursed. "I said, now."
"I won't—"
"You won't?" Carrow asked. "Right, then? Who will?"
Rivers was pretty much bouncing to be the first to cast, Crabbe the second. There was only a moment of hesitation before Blaise picked up the slack of the rest of the group. Lillian stood there, in the center of the area, watching as those in front of her were being cursed and those behind her whizzed spells over her shoulder. Still, she held her ground. She held her ground and forced Theodore – and all the group – to watch worriedly while she nearly got hit and the other students writhed…
"Do it! Do it!" Carrow was nearly insane with excitement. "Raise your wands and curse her!"
Daphne was sobbing. Draco had gone back to looking still as a statue – not watching the scene, but glaring at the Professor. Theodore actively shook his head.
"Do it, now! Or you'll all get cursed!" When no one moved he went back to grab Lillian, still standing in the middle of the classroom with her wand in her pocket. He moved so that she was in front of him, her wand held harshly against her throat. "I said, now."
Theodore lifted his wand, aiming it at the Professor's face – it was all he wanted to do right now, punish this professor. He shouldn't have been cursing students, he shouldn't have been cursing his friends, he shouldn't have been taking hostages…but still, Lillian was at risk.
So Theodore turned and like all those before him, he cursed those in line. He avoided Tracey as best he could, it was the least he could do for all the pain that she had already gone through. Fawcett – a Ravenclaw – would be enough to appease those who were watching, he hoped.
Theodore looked over as he cursed, watching the wand that was still pointed to Lillian's throat.
All he could think about was how Snape was right…there really was no other option, at all.
I hope you liked this chapter. Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers: xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, Marta, Alisha, Littlecosma001, theeejupiter, Ella710, and Jhenifer. I hope you liked this newest chapter! Thank you so much for your reviews and I hope you all have a Happy New Year!