Prompt 203. One Word Wednesday: Shimmer
Theodore Nott stood in a dark corner, swatting away a rogue fairy that seemed entranced with his hair. In his hand was a glass of punch, spiked with the firewhiskey Blaise had snuck in earlier in the evening. He swirled it around, not really interested in drinking it.
Surrounding him was the swell of music, a slow romantic song that had called out all the couples onto the dance floor. He watched them sullenly, wishing nothing more than to be sweeping one particular girl off her feet.
She wore a silver dress that clung to her body, shimmering in the candle light above their heads with every move she made. As her partner twirled her, the dress flared and sparkled and her hair floated around her face and he had honestly never seen anything so beautiful in his life.
He kicked himself, once again, for not asking her first. Malfoy didn't even like her. The prick just liked the prestige that comes with having a beautiful woman on your arm. Even now, Malfoy was barely even paying attention to her. Didn't he know that she deserved to be treated like a princess? A girl of her status, beauty and intelligence was a rare jewel to be treasured.
It was difficult to say when it was that Theodore Nott had fallen in love with Pansy Parkinson. Every day he watched her from the corner of his eyes and feel in love with her in so many little ways.
He fell in love with the way she smiled when something truly delighted her. He fell in love with the way she brushed the feather of her quill over her lips when she was thinking in class. He fell in love with the grace of her hands twirling her wand through the air. He fell in love with the way one side of her lip would curl up when she knew she was right about something. He fell in love with the way she flicked her hair when it fell in her eyes.
Most of all, he fell in love with the way she loved with every fibre of her being, even though, in the case of Draco Malfoy, her love was completely misplaced. Even if he had asked her to the ball, she probably would have said no.
Theo scowled down into his drink and tried to pretend he wasn't watching her.
The song finally ended and the two Slytherins made their way over to the refreshment table. Pansy chattered away, happy just being with him, and Draco looked around the Great Hall, obviously bored out of his mind. He left Pansy mid-sentence, intent on taunting the Golden Trio.
Pansy's face fell and Theo felt his heart clench, feeling her pain as if it were his own.
She put down her drink on the table and stared up at the candles, blinking back tears and fighting for composure. He could no longer stand aside, and he was beside her in an instant.
'Here,' he said quietly, offering her a handkerchief. She gave him a watery smile, and took it, turning away from the rest of the blissfully dancing couples to dab at her eyes.
After she had managed to stem her tears she turned around once more and looked over to where Draco was smirking gleefully at Hermione Granger, who was desperately trying to hold back Weasley from the blonde. She was looking around wildly for help, presumably in the form of Potter, and so was completely oblivious to the appraising look she was receiving from Draco.
'Why do I do this to myself?' Pansy says this so quietly that Theo wonders if she even expects an answer.
He wanted to say something like, 'He's not worth it. Let Granger have him. Why waste your time on someone who doesn't love you when I worship you?' It wouldn't comfort her, or change her mind, and she would probably stare at him like he was completely insane. Yet something inside of him was banging at his chest, desperately clawing its way up his throat and then bursting from his lips before he could stop it.
'I love you.'
She stared up at him with wide eyes.
'What?'
He blushed and looked away, but she grasped his chin firmly and turned his face back to hers. Her eyes, her beautiful brown eyes, were looking at him like she had never seen him before.
Theo couldn't tear his eyes away, and summoned every ounce of his courage.
'I love you,' he said, more forcefully this time, and he brought his hands up to cradle her face. 'I've always loved you.'
Before she could say a single word, even if she could think of any, he leant forward, brushed his lips tenderly against hers in an almost kiss, and then gently pulled away.
Had he ever been so scared in his life?
He glanced around, and every single face was turned towards the two of them, watching and muttering to each other in hushed voices. Malfoy, who was still standing by Granger, one hand clenched around her upper arm, was facing them also, and the look in his eyes was cold and unforgiving.
Theo turned his back to Pansy, putting himself between the two of them, and waited to see what Malfoy would do.
Mere moments later, the force of Malfoy's spell sent him flying over Pansy's head and crashing into the refreshment table. The table split with a nasty crack, and someone screamed his name, and then he blacked out.
Thankfully, Madame Pomfrey was very skilled at curing head injuries, and he was completely healed by morning. Unfortunately, he was confined to bed rest for the remainder of the holidays.
He didn't have any visitors. Most likely Malfoy had scared them all off. Theo had hoped that his confession to Pansy might have made a difference, but her absence spoke volumes.
Theodore Nott loves Pansy Parkinson loves Draco Malfoy loves no one but himself.
Maybe one day, maybe, she would leave that miserable bastard.
He could pin all his hopes on maybe, and wait for one day.
What else could he do?
A/N: Would love a bit of feedback on this one. I'm practising writing Theo for a bigger story I'm doing, so any comments are appreciated x