AU! No war. Seventh year.

Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Season 10, Round 1

Kenmare Kestrels

Reserve for Chaser 3: Broken porcelain: someone being cursed

Prompts:

(action) hiding

(creature) gnome

(setting) Astronomy Tower

WC: 2858

TW/CW: Not a full blown panic attack but hint of anxiety, swearing, jumping off towers heroically, semi-drowning (not explicit), Gollum-like creatures

Theodore Nott tripped over his shoelace and swore loudly as his head wacked painfully against the edge of the stair railing leading up to the Astronomy Tower. He scrambled to his feet and scurried up the stairs, trying to take them two at a time and tempting fate to screw him over again.

He had had worse days than this. Okay, that was a huge lie. He'd never had such a terrible day before, and it was all because of that damned gnome.

The gnome had popped up out of nowhere inside the greenhouse while Theo was pruning the Mandrake leaves for his Herbology assignment. It should not have been there on Hogwarts' grounds, but for some reason, it was. And it was furious at Theo for daring to touch its nest—or so Theo believed.

A few days ago, Loony Lovegood had been heard telling Ginny Weasley about The Curse of The Gnome, which Blaise had promptly spread around the school because he was a complete gossip. According to him—or Lovegood, more likely—if a witch or wizard harmed a gnome while it was nesting, the gnome would follow its assailant and create obstacles in their path until it received a proper apology.

Theo hadn't put much stock in the rumours, considering how much Blaise liked to exaggerate, but now, Theo was genuinely worried about his well-being.

Since he had accidentally clipped the gnome's ear and made it bleed, he had fallen face-first down the stairs and added salt in his tea two times in a row. Worst of all, his homework had been ripped by Venomous Tentaculas of all things. Nevermind, choking on his soup and almost fainting. He had then actually fainted at the scent of blood in Potions class. Got drenched with Hippogriff urine in Care. Dropped his library book in the toilet bowl—which Madam Pince would never, ever forgive him for (not that Theo would ever forgive himself).

It was just too much for Theo to handle, and now, he was trying to hide away for the rest of the day so that he wouldn't suffer any more. The gnome was on the loose, following him inside the castle while shaking its tiny fist and cursing at him.

In a rare show of concern, Blaise had picked up the gnome by its ankle and tossed him out the window while Theo had escaped up to the Astronomy Tower. Theo was grateful for his best friend's help, but he knew the gnome would be back for its revenge. And it would be even more furious than before.

When Theo reached the top, his gaze scanned the empty tower before he caught sight of the parapet overlooking the tall mountains in the distance. Theo took a step forward but then hesitated.

What if the curse of the gnome was actually real? There was a huge chance Theo could fall over the parapet wall and die. What if a Hippogriff flew by and knocked him down into the Black Lake? What if his shoelaces got untied magically and he tripped and knocked his head against the wall before dying up here like only an idiot could?

Anxiety had plagued Theo since he was a child, especially when it came to acing exams, but he had always put on a brave face and dealt with life as it came. But now that he was on top of the Astronomy Tower, hiding from the furious gnome like a coward, he let his mask fall.

His shoulders trembled as he took shuddering breaths to calm down. Wiping the sweat beading on his brow with the back of his shaking hand, Theo stepped back towards the wall where it was relatively safe.

Or maybe the roof will crumble and come raining down on me…

He swallowed and clenched his eyes shut, digging his nails into his palms to remain in the present.

I'm fine, everything is fine, nothing's wrong… The wall's held up fine for centuries now; it's not going to just fall on my head and kill me.

He slowly knelt on the floor and wrapped his arms around his head. Just in case.

A few moments later, the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs echoed through the tower.

Shit. What if the gnome had found him?

Theo scurried backwards until his back hit the wall and he was hidden from view of the intruder. He held his breath and waited.

"Nott? Are you here?" Granger's voice carried through the darkness, and Theo released his breath. It was just Granger.

Theo reached out, grabbed Granger's wrist, and yanked her down beside him. He hissed, "Are you mad? Don't scream my name like that. It will hear you!"

Granger's eyes widened before she looked around and ducked her head closer to his. Her jasmine-scented perfume had been his Amortentia since his sixth year, but now that she was so close to him that her curls tickled his nose, he began choking on the overwhelming smell.

This is definitely that blasted gnome's fault, Theo thought as his eyes watered and his breath came out in loud gasps. He slipped sideways and grabbed Granger's arm, yanking her down halfway on top of him.

To her credit, she didn't blink an eye as he wheezed like an asthmatic old man. Still leaning over him, she pulled out her wand, cast Anapneo to clear his blocked airway, and stared down at him. "Are you alright?"

Theo had never been more embarrassed in his entire life. The girl he'd fancied since he was eleven was straddling his hips while he choked on air of all things. He was going to kill that gnome for cursing him and making him look this pathetic. He was supposed to be the Head Boy of Hogwarts, not a dunderhead who couldn't—

"Theodore Nott, are you listening to me? Or do you need me to clear out your ears too?" Granger demanded, pinching his chin with her thumb and forefinger. She shook her hair out of her face and scooted back to sit on his thighs before raising her hand and asking, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Oh, yes, Granger thought he was an imbecile. Wonderful. Just wonderful.

Theo grunted and sat up, forgetting about the curse for a moment. His head banged painfully against Granger's, and they both cried out in pain as they clutched their foreheads. Theo muttered, "Fuck."

"Don't swear at me, Nott," Granger snapped, scowling at him. She rubbed her temples before climbing off him. "What's got into you today? You're acting completely out of character."

Theo's face warmed at her accusation. He was glad the tower was dark and Granger couldn't see him clearly. But then she asked, "Are you blushing?" and Theo let out a loud groan and buried his face in his hands.

His ears pricked up at the scraping sound of the door inching open downstairs. And then, the unmistakable sound of gnome feet pattering echoed through the tower.

Theo whimpered and grabbed Granger's wrist, dragged her closer, and whisper-yelled, "Don't say a word. It's a matter of life and death now."

Granger remained silent. She scooted closer, snuggled against his side, and whispered, "What's going on?"

Theo's hands shook as he held them up and mimed lassoing a gnome and tossing it far away. Granger frowned and cocked her head to the side, watching his hands as he tried to explain his situation.

"Do you understand?" he mouthed.

Her soft curls brushed his nose when she shook her head. Fortunately, Theo didn't choke on the jasmine scent this time. It did tickle his nose and the urge to sneeze crept up on him, but the fear of getting caught by the monstrous beast slowly crawling up the stairs like something out of a Muggle horror moo-vie was stronger (and yes, he knew what horror moo-vies were because Muggle Studies was one of his favourite subjects because he got to learn more about Granger's ancestors).

The gnome was now on the top of the stairs. Theo peeked past the side of the railing and swallowed down the scream of terror bubbling up in his throat.

The gnome's beady little eyes glinted in the dark as it looked around for him. It was a nasty little creature, mostly harmless, but to Theo, it was now his mortal enemy.

Defensive and offensive spells raced in Theo's head while he strategised a way out of this situation. If he'd been alone, he could have tried Dark spells, but with Granger so close to him, he didn't want her getting hurt if his spells ricocheted around the tower because of the curse.

"Is that a gnome?" Granger asked incredulously. Her voice sounded like a shot in the dark, so loud as if she'd cast a Sonorus on it.

The gnome's head snapped towards them. It locked eyes with Theo. And then, it grinned.

Theo screamed and sprang up out of his hiding place, almost dropping his wand. "Stay back, evil thing!"

The gnome's teeth glinted in the dark as it hobbled closer on one leg. It was the most terrifying thing Theo had ever seen—and he had seen Draco in the morning without his hair tamed.

Granger stood up more gracefully than he ever could and walked up to him. "Nott, what are you doing?"

Theo extended his arm and pushed her behind him. He was not letting the gnome hurt her in any way. If she was injured because of him, he'd never forgive himself. He brandished his wand at the brown creature and snapped, "Stay back, I said!"

"Nott, it's just a gnome—"

"It's bloody evil, I tell you!" Theo cast a shield around them both while still walking backwards. "It's going to kill me—but I won't let it hurt you."

Granger's breath hitched audibly before she cleared her throat and said, "I'm not sure what feud you have with this poor, innocent—"

"It's not innocent, Granger; it cursed me. It made me into this." Theo waved his wand hand in his direction and his wand accidentally sent sparks at his groin. Crying out, he bent over double in pain and groaned. "See! It's all its fault."

"Gnomes can't curse you—"

"Lovegood said they can!"

"Luna says a lot of things, but you need to take it with a pinch of salt," Granger said patiently, still standing behind him. She gestured to the gnome and asked, "Why would it curse you anyway?"

"Because I accidentally poked it with my pruning shears this morning," Theo muttered. He kept his eyes on the gnome as it moved closer and closer, while Theo edged backwards towards the parapet.

Shit. The parapet. So that's its plan! The gnome intended to make him fall off the wall and into the lake below. It would look like a simple accident and no one would know any better.

Except for Granger.

Theo said, "Granger, listen to me. There's still time for you to get out. This thing will come for you next. You need to get out of here and—"

"Theodore Nott, I am not going anywhere and you can't make me," Granger snapped, stomping her foot in frustration. On any other occasion, her actions would have been cute, but Theo's heart was in his throat and he was sweating profusely. He didn't have time for cuteness.

It was time for action.

"I'm going to run at him and try to scare him," he said in a low tone. He didn't want the gnome to hear him and cut him off before he could do anything. "You run straight for the stairs on my count and—"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Theo! I'll handle this," Granger barked and stormed past him towards the dreadful creature with scary efficiency.

Theo didn't even have the opportunity to enjoy hearing her say his name.

"Granger, no!" He leapt at her just as the gnome lunged at him.

Theo knocked her to the floor, covering her body with his as the gnome bit his side. It climbed onto his back and slobbered all over his neck while he tried to shield Granger with his arms.

The pain of the sharp bite and the disgusting odour of mud and saliva clinging to the gnome was too much to bear. But Theo held strong.

He elbowed the creature's stomach to throw him off, but to no avail. The gnome had latched onto his shoulder with its sharp claws and was hissing something indecipherable in Theo's ears.

For a moment, the gnome reminded him of Gollum from The Lord of The Rings. The book had been on the Muggle Studies syllabus in his fifth year, and it had fascinated him, but now, he realised just how terrifying Gollum could have been if it was anything like the gnome chewing on his ear and filling it with his disgusting spit.

He was never going to be clean again. He was going to die here on top of the Astronomy Tower with gnome spit in his ears and Granger underneath him. Okay, dying on top of Granger wasn't as bad as it sounded, but it would surely scar the poor witch for life; Theo couldn't have that.

He knew what he had to do.

And so, with all the strength he possessed in his body, he screamed and rolled off a wheezing Granger, the gnome still stuck to his shoulder. He took one look at the red-faced witch and cried, "I love you!"

"Wh-what?" Granger shrieked, her eyes almost bulging out of her head.

Theo leapt towards the parapet and jumped into the freezing lake below.

"Theodore Nott, you idiot!" Granger yelled from the top of the tower as the waves crashed over his head.

Theo gasped and coughed, shaking the gnome off his back before swimming for shore. Behind him, the gnome choked and gurgled while flailing its tiny arms, splashing the water as hard as it could. Theo hesitated for a few seconds, glancing at the panicking gnome and then up at the tower.

Granger was gone.

She was already going to kill him for the stunt he had pulled, but she would make his death even more painful if he let the stupid creature drown.

Theo groaned but swam back towards the gnome, who snarled and snapped its sharp teeth in Theo's direction. Rolling his eyes and grumbling at the stubborn creature, Theo scooped the shivering gnome to his chest and swam single-handedly towards the shore.

By the time they got back to dry land, the gnome's lips were turning blue and Theo's weren't any better. Teeth chattering, he lay the gnome on the ground and asked, "Can you hear me?"

The gnome didn't respond.

Theo's hand shook as he cast Bluebell Flames to warm the creature up. "Merlin, Granger will kill me if you die…"

"Yes, I will," Granger snapped, appearing behind him as if out of nowhere. She stormed up to him, pulled her arm back, and let it swing at his face.

Draco was right. It did hurt like a bitch.

Granger yanked him down to her level and snarled, "What were you thinking, Theo? How could you just jump off the tower like a—like a—"

"Like a Gryffindor?" Theo asked sheepishly.

Granger's eyes darkened and she trembled with barely suppressed rage. "You are the stupidest, most—"

"Could you scold me after you check on the gnome?" Theo interrupted her. He did want her to scold him; it never failed to make his blood thrum in his veins and head straight south. "What if it dies?"

Granger's eyes widened before she shoved him backwards and stormed up to the gnome. Placing her hands on the gnome's chest, she murmured a Healing spell he hadn't had the chance to practise before.

The gnome's eyes snapped open, and it shot upright. Coughing, it spat out the water it had ingested and then looked up at Theo.

Readying himself for another fight, Theo held his wand up, but the gnome only snarled and hissed before standing up on wobbly feet and scurrying towards the trees.

"Look, you scared him, the poor thing," Granger murmured, getting to her feet.

Theo's eye twitched. "I scared him? Granger, don't be daft. Didn't you see the way it was ready to murder me?"

"Don't be silly, it was probably just playing," Granger said, but she didn't sound confident either. She glanced back towards the trees and bit her lip. "At least he's gone now."

"Thank Merlin for small mercies," Theo muttered and dropped to his knees. Tiredness replaced the adrenaline in his veins; he just wanted to take a long nap now.

"Get up, I'm taking you to Madam Pomfrey," Granger grumbled, grabbing his elbow and yanking him up. "You could have suffered a brain injury—not that I don't think you're already insane for jumping off the tower like a maniac."

Theo grinned as he let her drag him towards the castle. Granger might not return his feelings, but she did care about him. And it showed in the way she clung to his arm all the way to the infirmary.