For the most part, Theo would consider his therapy sessions bland, like a conversation you would have with an acquaintance in the halls. But, he at least wouldn't place him in the 'to avoid' section of acquaintances because those were dreadful. The ones where you would always talk about the same thing, which looks sort of like this.

'Hey.'

'Hey. How are you?'

'I'm good. Pretty tired, but gotta keep pushing, you know?' awkward laughter.

'Yeah. Totally. What class do you have now?'

'Potions. And you?'

'Defense.'

'Ah. Good luck on that one.'

Awkward laughter, 'See you,'

'Bye.'

Yeah, this was absolutely horrific, and Theo tried to stir away from them the best he could. There were numerous moments he could recall having to hide in the bathroom if he saw one of those people walking towards him from afar or having to go up to a nearby teacher to act as if he were to ask something.

Once, he remembered asking, 'What are your thoughts on the development of bunny rabbits?' Yeah, and that person was Snape, to his luck, so receiving a week's work of after-class chores shouldn't be the greatest surprise.

But anyway, the point was that his therapy partner was on the opposite side of the 'to avoid' section. He could see himself talking to him at lunch, a dinner party, or spending time with him in the luck of running into him. Theo wouldn't consider him the type where he would specifically arrange a one-on-one gathering with him or go have a drink at his house or vice versa. However, Theo didn't mean he was opposed to it. Still, he only figured that getting to that level of closeness required some type of vulnerability, and what better time was it for Theo to talk about his unresolved feelings about Potter to a stranger?

"I have a crush," Theo cut off his therapy partner in the middle of his speech.

"Oh," Harry reacted, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "Is it one-sided?'

"That's the part I'm trying to figure out," Theo sighs in frustration.

"What prevents you from doing so?" Harry became rather curious.

"Because it's not what I'm used to."

"I'm not quite sure I follow," Harry furrowed his brows, crossing his arms against his chest.

"I've always been attracted to women most of my life, but now I'm not even sure if that was the byproduct of my environment or how I was raised, but I'm starting to have serious feelings towards…a guy," it felt good but quite frightening o finally let it out there.

Harry understood him a little too well, "You don't think he likes you back?"

"I don't know. He does these things sometimes. They're very sudden, and it's always these tiny moments where all my doubts vanish, and I'm sure that he likes me back, but then he just lets go and stops everything, and I'm back to my overthinking and feel like I do the stupidest things when I'm around him so he might as well think I'm some idiot."

Harry thought about how Theo had run away from him after he had opened the door half-naked, and he hadn't thought it was weird. It was kind of funny but in a good way. A cute way…

"Maybe he doesn't think that. Maybe he likes it when you do stupid things," Harry offered.

"Sometimes he says these things, and it's so hot, and I know he wasn't trying to be, which makes it even hotter."

For instance, when he had said, 'Oh, don't flatter yourself. I have high standards,' and Harry responded, 'Good. Let's keep them that way.' That was so fucking hot Theo thought he would burst.

Harry could pinpoint exactly where Theo was being himself, but that was enough to make his words and actions extremely hot.

'Now, Potter,' the brunette Slytherin interrupted his speech, 'Don't you know the magnificence,' he pointed his index finger to the side of his head, 'of this mind?'

Harry had to admit he loved it when Theo would act cocky, even though he would never admit that to him, not wanting to be the one to further fuel his egotism.

Or Harry could never forget when they had gone to a muggle amusement park, and Theo tried to pay some guy with galleons.

'What do you mean, a joke? I am trying to pay you. Don't you want the money?' he said with eyebrows pulled together and threw a questioning glance at the seller.

'Wrong currency, my boy,' he shook his head. Harry, on the sidelines, watched as the chaos unfolded, trying to see if Nott would understand that wizard money didn't work in the muggle world.

"Why would he like it when I do stupid things?" Theo asked, a form of insecurity wavering over him. It was unfair how a guy much shorter than him could make him feel so insecure. Fuck that scarhead.

There was no way for Harry to explain why he liked it when Theo acted that way. He honestly wouldn't even consider it as stupid. It was just Theo, and he liked him that way, "Because it's you, and that should be enough."

"What are you, some kind of wholesome grandma?" Theo mused.

His comparison elicited a laugh out of him, "I've been called many things, but a wholesome grandma is definitely a first."

"So you've been called a grandma before, then?" Now, that would be exactly something Theo would say in response, Harry thought.

"No, I've never been referred to or compared to the elderly, period," Harry corrected something he knew didn't even have to be corrected.

"How tragic. You've never been properly complimented in your life, then."

"You mean insulted."

"What's so wrong about the elderly?" Theo queried.

"Nothing, but I'd rather not have joint pain or be compared to one."

"So is that what old people are to you then? People with joint pain."

"No, it's just that–" Harry honestly didn't know what to reply.

"Relax. I'm only teasing," Theo at times felt guilty about how much he teased Harry, but he now realized that his habit had branched out of their friendship onto other people. He wondered what his therapy partner thought.

Well, if you may want to know Theo, it really reminded him of you, actually. Maybe you should be more careful if you do not want to be caught because this much revelation of character leads you to play in dangerous waters where Harry might soon wake up and get the gift to listen to your unfiltered affections towards him, which is something no lover would overlook.

…

"So, how do you find the therapy sessions?" Theo asked Luna as he poured the brownie batter into a cake tin.

"I think I'm cheating on Blaise," she said nonchalantly as she helped smear the rest of the batter with her spatula. They had recently agreed to try to bake in a more muggle fashion just for the fun of it by trying to use magic as little as possible since they found that avoiding doing the less enjoyable parts of baking made them not able to have the whole experience of it. But, he knew, if it became too boring, they could just whip out their wands, but it wasn't going bad at all for their first try.

"My, we've got quite the heartbreaker over here," Theo smirked.

"I didn't mean to," Luna shrugged, grabbing a spoon and handing him one as well so they could eat the rest of the raw batter left in the bowl.

"Okay, okay. How did this affair come into play?" Theo savored his spoonful of chocolate heaven. Yes, raw batter was better, and no one could change his mind. He was seriously dead set on it and once even terminated a friendship over it back in the first year over a relentless salmonella argument.

Draco hadn't been a fan initially, but Theo had gradually won him over throughout the years of force-feeding him some anytime he baked. He even got Narcissa hooked on it. Now, every time the house elves at the Malfoy Manor baked, she would sneak into the kitchen and fill a cup's worth for her late-night indulgences. She couldn't imagine ending her night without some raw cake batter, but that was before the war, of course. Theo didn't know if she kept up with her ritual. The only reason he knew about it was because he had caught her on several occasions but never confronted her about it, unwilling to cause her any embarrassment.

"And who is this mystery man or woman?" Theo was strangely intrigued with her life. Well, it wasn't as odd anymore after realizing how much he enjoyed her company, but it still remained an idea to get used to.

"No, I don't know who it is," Luna said, tasting the batter.

"You had an affair with a student whose name you don't even know? Wow, Lovegood," Theo shook his head, laughing as he placed the cake tin in the oven.

"My therapy partner told me they loved me, and no one but my dad had told me that before," Luna said, keeping her relaxed tone as they crossed into deeper conversations. Her unreactive tonality allowed for conversation topics to refrain from correlating a shift in the air. It was truly remarkable how much power tonality held in conversations—the powerhouse of conversations.

"And that's it?" Theo remained slightly confused, wondering where the story was headed.

"Yeah."

"And, what did you tell them?"

"The truth."

"Which is?" Theo inquired.

Luna climbed on top of the table and started to spin at the speed of a tornado.

Theo watched her casually. This wasn't anything out of the ordinary for him anymore.

Then she stopped abruptly, "The air created by turning twenty times allows the camellias to stay in season for a week longer."

"And how does that trapped air in the kitchen reach camellias?" Theo pondered with an amused smile.

She points at the tiny two by two window on the other side of the kitchen, which Theo couldn't even discern with squinted eyes, "What's that?"

Luna cast a magnifying charm for him to see, "A window."

Theo scoffed and shook his head, "Okay, well, I hope it worked."

"It did. I'll pick some tomorrow and place it by my nightstand. Would you want some?"

"Sure," he replied, having a good idea of where to put them, "So what did you say to this poor therapy partner of yours?'

"That I don't love them but appreciate their existence."

"Off," Theo pursed his lips and exhaled, "That's tough. Unrequited love is the worst."

"Are you saying it because you experienced it before?" Luna questioned, picking up her spoon before finishing up the last bit of batter left before placing the bowl in the sink. Theo poured himself a warm cup of oat milk.

"Family members, yes, but with true love, I think I'm experiencing a semi-unrequited love."

"How? Harry loves you," Luna said openly, straight to the point.

Theo choked on his milk, "Who said it was about Potter."

"No one, but I just thought you meant him."

"Why would you think that?" Theo looked away, attempting to hide his embarrassment, and for once, Luna communicated everything through a look she gave him.

Theo quickly tried to change the subject, "Someone confessing their love to you doesn't mean you have an affair with them, so you're fine."

Luna tilted her head, processing her words, "That's good to hear."

In the distance, they heard a set of giggles draw closer to the kitchen. "And then," came another burst of laughter, "He picked up the broom and said 'Sublime'!" Harry and Hermione struggled to stay on their feet as they found themselves almost collapsed on the floor from laughter.

"Now, what are you two laughing about?" Theo inquired, curious about the root of their amusement. Granger and Potter whipped their heads towards the unexpected duo, exchanging confused glances.

"Theo?" Hermione questioned, "Luna? What are you guys doing?" Granger glanced at Potter, who carried an expression she couldn't quite discern.

"We're making brownies," Luna replied calmly, walking over to check on the brownies in the oven.

Hermione didn't know how to contain herself and continued laughing, still finding Harry's story hilarious. However, Harry remained completely silent, almost dull, as his eyes shifted repeatedly between Luna to Theo.

"Brownies?" Hermione managed to ask between laughing, trying to relax, while three pairs of eyes watched her, "Please, don't look at me like that," the weight of their gazes made her feel so uneasy that she walked out of the kitchen to cool down.

"Goldy, where are you going?" Theo called out, but she had already left.

"Would you care for some brownies?" Theo directed his question at Potter, who still remained like a statue, "Earth to Harry?" Harry was still nowhere to be found.

"Cat got your tongue? Was it that prehistoric cat of Granger's?" Theo teased, drawing nearer to Harry.

"Uh, what?" Harry finally snapped out of his daze, nudging his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"The cat isn't totally useless then, as it seems to serve as an antidote," Theo remarked, setting up plates and cutlery on the table for the newcomers.

"What cat?" The Gryffindor probed, looking at Theo as if he had sprouted an extra set of heads.

Theo glanced at Luna, curious about her guess, "How many grams of marijuana do you think these two might have consumed this evening?"

"What's a marijuana?" Luna asked as she placed toppings like heavy cream, powdered sugar, and peanut butter on the table.

"We didn't—"

Theo cut him off, "It is something people use to relax or laugh a little more."

"Oh, that makes sense. Hermione and Harry aren't very funny, but they're great in their own way," Theo loved this uncensored Luna.

"Thanks, Luna. Appreciate it," Harry conjured a fake smile, nodding once.

"You're welcome, Harry," Luna replied warmly.

"What about me? I am one of the funniest people you've ever met, of course…"

"No, but your humor isn't bad," maybe uncensored Luna wasn't everything. Theo watched as Harry tried to suppress his laughter.

"Potter, don't you dare," Theo cocked an eyebrow as if he were a parent warning their child.

Harry would've normally continued, but he assumed her comment had already served as an abnormally large detriment to his ego.

"What did I miss?" Hermione asked, still feeling the urge to laugh, though she kept it under control this time.

"Oh, I was giving a lecture on marijuana. Would you like to join Professor. Nott's class?" Theo quipped, removing the brownie from the oven.

"Sure," Hermione replied, taking a seat next to Harry.

"Well, there are certain requirements, of course."

"Which are?" Harry questioned, intrigued by the direction this rabbit hole of sarcasm might lead them.

"Well, first, you must keep the camellias in season for another two weeks," Luna gave Theo a gentle nudge. Hermione observed Harry and knew from where she recognized that look on his face. It was the same look he had given Cedric when he escorted Cho to the Yule Ball. He had a terrible crush on her for a year, and her rejection had deeply affected him. Hermione remembered staying up late, listening to him vent his frustrations every night, to the point where people around them thought they were dating since they would go to the Black Lake to talk about it because of Harry being paranoid about people overhearing their conversation in the common room. At the time, Ron had been so jealous, and it wasn't the best timing since he had already been jealous when Harry had entered the Triwizards Tournament underage at the beginning of the year.

All in all, she read the current look in Harry's eyes as jealousy but couldn't pinpoint regarding who it was.

"How does one come to do such a thing?" Hermione questioned as Theo cut square-sized bites of the brownie.

"You have to get on the table and spin as fast as you can twenty times," Theo explained, placing a piece on everyone's plate.

"Sure," Hermione dismissed, rolling her eyes and waiting for everyone to pick up their forks to begin.

"Wait!" Theo exclaimed mid-bite, "Who wants milk?"

Everyone shook their heads, so Theo summoned some only for himself.

"No, I'm serious, it works. So you don't want to be a part of my class?" Theo feigned hurt in his voice.

"No, I think the curriculum for this semester is enough for me," Hermione expressed, feeling secure around them since they didn't make any comments about 'the Golden Girl not wanting to learn more' or some other shit like that.

"Potter?" Theo sent puppy dog eyes his way. Harry, who was in the middle of sprinkling some powdered sugar on his brownie, met his eyes. Those eyes who had become impossible for him to resist.

"Fine, but I won't get on the table."

Theo threw his hands in the air in victory and turned to Luna, asking, "Does it work like that?"

"Yes, but he'll have to do thirty," Luna replied.

"Sure, why not? Might as well use these joints while I'm young, right?" Harry joked before spinning.

The depth of his commentary hadn't quite registered with Theo, who was too focused on the victory of getting the Harry Potter, defeater of the Dark Lord, to spin around like a toddler.

Hermione covered her mouth as she laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. Normally, Harry would never subject himself to such antics, and she tried to figure out for whom he had done it. Was it for the puppy dog eyes or to satisfy an invention Luna had clearly made up?

"Done," Harry announced, feeling dizzy as he tried to regain his balance. Luna and Theo rushed to his sides while Hermione remained seated, feeling selfish because she was indulging in the brownies instead of helping him. They were so good and tasted like they were made of Nutella.

Harry looked at both of his saviors holding his arms, "Thanks. I think I'm fine now," Harry smiled at Theo, making Hermione raise a brow.

He hadn't smiled at Luna. So, was it Theo? Or he didn't smile at her because she made him nervous. Hermione recalled him not being able to look into Ginny's eyes while he pursued her.

However, all her speculations were interrupted when Harry turned to his right and smiled at Luna as well.

Fuck.

Hermione already had millions of things going on in her life, and now another mystery had presented itself.

Not that she was complaining. She thrived in mysteries and felt like she was returning to her earlier Hogwarts days, but she didn't understand why her life had to be balanced out like this.

Her life was either everything or nothing. Or perhaps it was her own doing?

As everyone settled back and resumed eating, they heard someone else come in.

Ginevra Weasley.

Uff, this would be a tough one for Hermione to solve. A mystery at a table compromising two potential lovers and an ex.

"Hey, Gin," Hermione saluted, "Want to join?"

Ginny completely ignored the existence of Harry, "What's going on?"

Theo started prepping a plate and cutlery for her next to him, assuming that sitting next to her ex would be rather awkward, "We made brownies. Here, have a seat," Theo invited her warmly.

"Oh, no. I'm okay," Ginny rejected.

Harry didn't want to completely avoid Ginny's gaze. He still loved her, but it was just not the same type of love as before. So, by determinately looking at her, he wanted her to know how much he still cared for her.

"You should join," Harry insisted, offering a warm smile. Hermione smiled at Harry. This was good, "I can leave if you want," he suggested after Ginny's lack of response.

"Nonsense!" Theo exclaimed rather loudly, "What I mean is, I'd love for you to join us," even though I might be in love with your ex, sorry Ginevra.

Ginny felt overwhelmed by the surmount of pleading eyes, "Okay," she conceded, heading toward the seat Theo had prepared for her.

Hermione imagined how awkward the situation might be for her, so she swiftly got up and announced, "I'd like to be a part of the class as well," before commencing her spins.

"What is she doing?" Ginny asked Nott.

"I think it might be that time of the month," Nott explained, which caused him to draw a laugh from Ginny and earn a look from Potter as well as another nudge from Luna.

"I heard that!" Hermione exclaimed, still spinning, "Now take that back if you don't want a five-hour discussion of how offensive and stereotypical it is to subject a woman to crazy behavior just because she might be in her period!"

"I surrender!" Theo quickly got out of his seat and bowed twice, "I deeply apologize for my words,"Harry bit back a smile, and Ginny shook her head. Even Luna laughed this time.

Hermione made him continue bowing until she finished her thirty spins. A surge of dizziness overcame her as she finished, and Theo caught her in his arms.

She wished it had been her therapy partner instead.

It's your best friend. Harry, calm down. She was dizzy, and he helped her. Calm down. It's Hermione. If you didn't want him to catch her and watch his large frame holding her delicate one as if they were meant for each other, then why didn't you do anything about it?

Ginny observed Harry curiously, in total wonder of what was going through his mind, but then quickly pinched herself to stop because she was trying to move on.

Theo aided her to sit back in her chair, "Now the camellias should be in season all year," Hermione commented, still feeling slightly dizzy.

"I'm afraid not. They only accounted for about three weeks," Luna slashed her enthusiastic hopefulness in a flash.

"Such demanding plants they are," Hermione joked, glancing at Ginny, who mouthed "What the fuck are you talking about?"

To which Hermione mouthed back, "I'll explain later."

"Again, with the discreteness. First with Malfoy and now again," Theo scoffed, grabbing his third slice of brownie.

"Malfoy?" Ginny raised a cheeky brow, smirking.

"What? Is there something you know that Goldy hasn't told me yet?" Theo inquired.

"It's Hermi, first of all, and you must know that we've been best friends far longer than you two have been," Ginny stated matter-of-factly.

"Guys…" Hermione wasn't fond of the friendship contest.

"You hide things from me?" Theo reverted back to the puppy dog eyes.

"The eyes might work on others," she glanced over at Harry, who silently munched on his brownie, "but they won't on me, Theo."

Theo playfully displayed an expression of being crushed to his core.

"Ah," the redhead placed a comforting hand on Theo's shoulder, "If it makes you feel any better… The puppy dog eyes always work when I use them," Ginny mused.

"Not true," Hermione coughed, pouring some heavy cream on the last bite of her brownie.

Theo glanced at Hermione, then at Ginny, and smirked at her.

"You've got fans, Mione. Oh, and it's Mione, by the way," Harry commented, looking at the bickering children.

"Yes, I agree that the original suits her best," Luna remarked, reaching for another brownie slice.

Everyone's eyes were now set on Hermione to confirm, "I'm not a fan of any of them," she paused for a while, "But Mione might have grown on me over the years."

"Boring," Theo dismissed.

"Yeah, you'll appreciate my creation one day," Ginny said confidently, trying the brownie for the first time.

Even though she was sure she wouldn't, she was glad Ginny was easing into the group, even though she felt one more addition to it would make it complete.

"Same. I hope it won't be too late before you do," Theo said and watched as Hermione's features grew slightly alarmed at the notion of his death. Her death didn't mean anything to her, but it meant everything when it came to the lives of others, "Which you won't have to worry since I take perfect care of my health and will be sticking around for a while, so you can't get rid of me so easily," Theo assured.

"Yeah, by eating a village's worth of sugar every day," Harry teased, raising his brows.

"Hey, hey, hey! What's that Potter?"

Potter made a movement of sealing his lips and throwing away the imaginary key, which Luna caught and tossed back at him, "Here."

Hermione and Ginny exchanged glances before bursting into laughter. They felt kind of mean doing so until everyone except Luna joined them.

"Has my hair disappeared?" Luna suddenly questioned.

"What?" Theo continued to drown in his boisterous laughter.

"My father would make his hair disappear to make me laugh whenever I was upset as a kid," Luna explained, bringing her hands to her head, relieved with the realization of her hair still being intact.

"Oh," Hermione remarked, "That's really sweet of him."

"Yeah, I thought so too," Luna smiled as everyone's laughter slowly subsided.

"What's going on here?" Fickle's voice rang out near the kitchens.

"Fuck," Hermione and Theo exclaimed in unison. This bitch again...

"Who is it?" Ginny questioned.

"It's Fickle," Harry said. He quickly whipped his wand to vanish any trace of them being there, "Follow me!" Everyone got up in a flash and followed him as he opened a secret door hidden next to the pantry Hermione had never seen before, leading them into an unknown corridor. Harry let everyone run out first and cast a silencing charm on the door as he shut it before joining the others.

As they ran and laughed in complete hysteria, they saw a pair of prefects walking towards them. In a panic, they quickly turned a corner and sprinted in the opposite direction. However, Theo, who was in front, seemed to not notice the prefects and continued running towards them.

"Hey! Who's that?" One of the prefects drew out their wand before Harry caught up to him, grabbing his wrist and casting a silencing charm on their feet to avoid making noise and a disillusionment charm as he held his hand firmly and caught up to the others. Everything happened so quickly that Theo couldn't process anything until he felt their combined hands and looked up at Harry, whose forehead was covered in sweat, and they ran back to the dorms.

Ginny, who thought she had lost Harry, looked behind to see their interlocked hands as they laughed like careless children.