Summery: Theo frequented the Forbidden Forest despite the forbiddenness. He felt like he fit in until he met an unlikely friend who made him feel seen.

Genre: Friendship

Rated: T

Competition/Challenge Block
Written For: Monthly Challenges for All (Year 7); Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry 2.0 (Term 3); The Houses Competition (Year 11)

Hogwarts: TBA

Houses: Gryffindor Potions Challenge 1: [Character] Theodore Nott

MC4A: TBA

Beta: Mari_Mari

Word Count: 1,345

Warning Tag: Body Dysmorphia; Unintentional Outing; Bodily Self-Harm; Mentions Menstruation & Puberty; Mentions Character Death

Author's Note: I always liked the idea of Luna and Theodore being unlikely friends even though you never ever see them ever interact ever. That's what fanfiction is for, am I right? Anyway, have a short character study of my own design. Enjoy.

Seeing the Unseen

It was nearly impossible to find somewhere private enough for Theodore to get a proper breath of air while at school. Hogwarts Herself was accommodating enough to avoid outing him when he arrived as a First Year, but dorm life was still quite awkward and uncomfortable as the years trickled by. He had to make sure no one found him… vulnerable for his own identity's sake.

For his own sanity's sake…

The Forbidden Forest was not for the faint of heart, and even Theo would freely admit it gave him the chills, it was also the most private place on the school grounds. He was able to confidently remove his robes and take the wrappings around his chest off so his skin could breathe. It also gave him a chance to inspect the developing rashes and general redness forming from the tight restraints he endured, indicating he was binding for too long.

His father wanted an heir, his mother a daughter, and she had been thrilled when Theo was born to have won. That was where it started. It was all dresses, ribbons, and bows. Long, flowy hair done up in buns and braids. Stockings, frills, and heels on every shoe for seven long, grueling years of life. She refused to call him Theo, insisting on his given name Theodora, emphasizing it even.

So when his mother passed suddenly right before his eyes due to a faulty Portkey, he finally felt relief. His father accepted him as he was, cutting his hair short and providing him the proper clothes a true heir would wear. His name was changed, and Theo felt accepted, being allowed to be who he felt he was. That was the first time Theo felt seen. Nevermind the fact it benefited his father politically and secured his inheritance, he didn't care about any of that.

But as he examined the self-made injuries in front of the poorly transfigured mirror created from a tree, he horrifically wished he had his mother there to help him understand his body. Everyone who knew him saw him as how he wanted to be seen: Masculine. But now things were changing that he didn't know how to stop. He was afraid to ask his father or the House-Elf who raised him, knowing that he swore her to secrecy to claim he never had a daughter and that his wife was simply delusional.

Even without the desired bodily anatomy right now, he had become very experienced in hiding what he lacked. It did mean using private loo stalls and taking late night or early morning showers (thank Merlin for shower robes and towels), but it was also exhausting to tiptoe around his dormmates all the time.

Now that the flesh was starting to protrude from his chest, it was causing him to really panic. Hiding them was hurting him, making his ribs ache and his breathing short and stifling. The bandages had to be tight to keep them from being noticed through his clothes. Unfortunately that pain couldn't distract him from the searing pangs he felt in his hips.

The bleeding was even worse…

"Hello. Do you need help?"

He heard a high pitched voice from nearby, sending his blood running cold. Someone else was here with him, and he'd had no idea. Frozen from shock in being discovered, he heard a quiet thud from behind him and soft footsteps approached. She was in a tree.

"You are injured," the girl continued, pausing beside him.

He worked up the nerve to look her way, trying to cover himself with his undershirt in the process. Her blonde hair rivaled Malfoy's. Her eyes were so blue and wide they seemed to sparkle like sapphires. She held no disgust on her features, but rather concern for him being hurt instead of how he looked.

A threstral approached them during the awkward silence, making a chittering sound, and the girl made the same sound back. Theo had been able to see the creatures since his mother died, and was surprised that she could see them, too. She stroked its muzzle before pulling a sketch pad from her bag and showing him a drawing of the creature.

"You probably haven't seen them before, and it may sound peculiar, but their saliva can heal wounds," she explained, smiling when the thestral started nuzzling her bag.

"I can see them," he half-whispered, fearing the pitch of his voice would betray him further. "For a long time now, actually."

"Oh," the girl said, unbothered by the revelation. "Me too, when my mum died."

"S-same," he said, watching her carefully.

"I'm Luna," she said, holding out a hand freshly licked by the thestral. "I am sorry I startled you, but I saw you are hurting yourself with those bandages and wanted to help."

"Theo."

He accepted her hand despite the animal spit. He honestly didn't know how to react to her or the information given.

"H-ow… what do you mean? Help me how?"

"Here," she said, taking her wand from behind her ear and swishing it over his discarded wrappings.

They danced and weaved into something that looked like a vest. Luna offered it to him once the transformation was finished. He accepted it, looking it over and feeling how soft the otherwise firm fabric was.

"This will work better for you and won't hurt you," she said. "It should fit your form perfectly. Just make sure to remove it from time to time. But first…" she trailed off, pulling a reddened cloth from her bag.

The sight had Theo flinching, having him drop the vest in the process. He'd dealt with far too many red-stained rags recently that he had to look away. The smell of fresh meat wafted around him, and with a quick glance, saw it was a raw piece of beef Luna was offering to the thestral. The creature gleefully ate it, chirping and chittering in delight. It licked Luna's face before going for her hands to lap up the remaining pieces and juices left behind. Once the creature finished, she carefully held her hands up to him, silently asking to touch him.

He gave a hesitant nod, moving the shirt before she gently rubbed her hand over his sides and ribs. Theo watched as the redness disappeared almost instantly. He felt relief that the more angry marks where the bandage would dig into his skin were also healing, and once Luna finished, he wanted to hug her.

"Thank you," he muttered, grabbing the vest from the ground. "I… appreciate it."

She nodded, helping him put on the new vest and showing him how to adjust it. When he put his undershirt back on and looked at the mirror, he breathed in relief, not able to see anything protruding. He was also able to actually breath without wincing, and there was nothing digging into his skin or bunching up in areas and rubbing his skin raw.

"These will help, too," Luna said, interrupting his admiration of feeling normal again.

He looked at her and collected a handful of sanitary napkins and a couple small vials of pain potions. The confusion must have been evident on his face as to what they were for.

"I started it young," she said, gesturing to her hip area, "so if you need anything or have questions, you can always ask me," Luna said. "No one should feel uncomfortable in their own skin. You can trust me, I won't tell anyone. I have no one to tell anyway…"

Luna trailed off, looking back at the thestral who was nudging her bag again. She turned away from him and became fixated on the thestral, giving him privacy.

"Thank you… Luna," he said.

Theo redressed and suddenly felt very exhausted. It had been a long, terrifying day. A lot of unexpected things happened so quickly, but he wasn't anticipating meeting a new friend who now knew a secret he has kept from everyone his entire life, even his closest friends.

At least he had someone he can confide in now.