N: 'Theo?
Are you there?

…

Fuck!

…

Theo please!
I need to talk to you!'

Theo's mouth went dry, as he scrambled up to look for a pen. He had been excited when he first noticed the faint glow of the notebook, knowing it had meant that he'd come back from dinner to a new message from Neville. His excitement quickly turned into a cold feeling of dread, however, when he had read the note, because the urgency that it had been written with was so obvious that it didn't leave any room for doubt: Something was seriously wrong.

Losing his patience quickly, he pulled his wand from his pocket and cast a quick Accio, causing a dark and rather gaudy looking quill to shoot out from underneath Blaise's bed and zoom towards him. He caught the stray quill with one hand, albeit a little clumsily, rushed back to his own bed where the book was still lying propped open on his pillow, and quickly wrote his response:

T: 'Hey, I'm here! What's up?'

The reply was instant, almost as if Neville had been sitting there, staring at his book and waiting for Theo to finally return.

N: 'They took Luna!'

'Luna?' …Theo stared at the three words for several long seconds, confused…until something finally clicked.

T: 'You mean Luna Lovegood?'

N: 'Yes, Luna Lovegood! Who else!'

He could almost see the angry frustration in Neville's writing; …knew that if he were here right now, he'd have raised his voice, his big, hazel eyes fierce and dark.

N: 'Ginny just got the message through
to me now.
I don't know the details.
These stupid coins won't let
you write long messages like
our notebooks!
We should have done something
different. Should have enchanted
mirrors or something. Maybe we'd be
able to see where they're keeping her.
Maybe we'd -'

T: 'Neville, focus!'

Theo interrupted. This was not the time to ramble about 'what ifs'.

T: 'What was the message?'

There was a short, torturously tense pause.

Then:

N: '"Mr Lovegood visited.
Luna's gone."
Then I wrote: "Wdym gone?"
And she replied: "Death Eaters.
Took her from train"
Theo was still trying to wrap his head around the meaning of this, when Neville's next message came through to share his own interpretation:

N: 'I think she means they abducted
her from the Hogwarts Express.
I don't know how, though.
Luna was sitting with us at first,
but you know how it is…
It's a long journey and people start
moving around after a while.
I thought she'd just gone to see
some of her friends. I didn't realise she'd…
There was a small, painful pause, then:
N: 'I was there Theo! I should have
noticed! How did I not notice she'd
disappeared? I could have stopped it!
FUCK!'

T: 'Hey…'

Theo interjected stupidly, just to stop the other wizard's spiralling thoughts for a second. He could tell that Neville was working himself into a right frenzy and that wouldn't do any of them any good right now, would it? They needed to keep a clear head.

T: 'You don't know that she was
taken from the Hogwarts Express.'

He tried, — stating the obvious — which was still a pretty sad excuse for reassurance, but what else was he to say?

T: 'It could have been after you arrived
at King's Cross!
You don't even know if it was
Death Eaters at all!'

N: 'Of course, it was fucking
Death Eaters!'

Neville wrote back, and despite it being completely silent in the dorm room, Neville's frustration in his words was so loud, that Theo could practically hear them ringing in his ears. It was lucky that there was no option to send a Howler through these notebooks, otherwise Theo might have lost half his hearing by now.

N: 'Who else would've
taken her?'

Okay, so maybe Neville had a point. Everyone knew that the Lovegoods were very outspoken about their support for Potter. That old coot never shut up about it in that ridiculous magazine of his. It had only been a matter of time until something would happen to shut him up. Abducting his daughter was a bold move, but effective.

T: 'Okay…you're right.'

He admitted, but then wasn't sure what else to say. It was horrible, but if Luna Lovegood really had been captured by Death Eaters, there was no way they'd be able to get her back. Not unless Voldemort himself gives the order to let her go. Surely Neville knew that?

He imagined writing just that. Something along the lines of "Best to stay out of it, mate. You'll get yourself into trouble if you try to save her. I'm sure they'll give her back eventually. Once her dad has stopped shouting about Potter in his magazine." …But that would be a very Slytherin thing to say. It would be how Theo would handle this situation, but he knew that it would just fall on deaf ears with Neville…. Probably make him resent Theo for it, too. He could picture his reaction so perfectly — the desperate expression on his handsome round face, the anger and worry turning his beautiful eyes dark and fierce, his gorgeous lips pulled into a furious scowl — the mere thought of it made Theo squirm uncomfortably. He couldn't do that to him. Not to Neville.

Letting out a groan of utter dismay, he cursed himself for being so stupidly love drunk for the boy. It must have idled his brain somehow — turned it into mush or something — because there was no way he'd even consider getting involved in this if it was anyone else asking. But as things were, he felt strangely compelled to offer his help.

T: 'Okay…"

He wrote, knowing he would very much regret this.

T: 'So what do you
need me to do?
How can I help?'

There was a long pause in which Theo scrunched up his face as if he was waiting for something to hit him over the head and was preparing for the impact, knowing that whatever Neville would ask of him would probably get him into a lot of trouble, and yet, he would try…wouldn't he? Because, apparently, he was that stupid.

When he felt the little book glow in his hand to announce another missive, he carefully pried an eye open and glimpsed at the dreaded words.

N: 'I don't know…
Is there anyone you could
ask for information?
Anyone in… you know…
"your circles"?'

Theo's heart sank. Or rather, it plummeted straight through the bottom of his stomach and onto the floor, where it lay twitching uselessly, as Theo stared at the words in horror.

N: 'But only if it's safe.' I don't
want you to put yourself in
danger.'

Neville's hastily scribbled afterthought appeared in the book.

Theo almost wanted to laugh at this. Asking questions in "his" circles was always dangerous. And who was he to ask anyway? His father? Yeah, that would go over well. 'Hey dad, I heard rumours that your Dark Lord ordered to abduct this girl from school. Any idea what he's planning to do with her? Not that I particularly care, but the bloke I fancy does, so would you mind telling me please?'

He let out a small snort at the ridiculous thought. But then he had an idea. What if he worded it differently? It would be incredibly dangerous, but… he could feign interest in the Dark Lord's plans under the pretence that he wanted to support them, rather than stop them.

He knew that his father had been waiting for him to get more involved in all the Death Eater business anyway. Not that Theo ever would, but maybe pretending just a little could get him the information he needed.

It was a ridiculous idea. Absolutely bonkers. It would probably get him killed… or at least tortured to insanity. …and yet...

T: 'I don't know, Nev. Maybe?
I'll try and think of something, ok?
I'll get back to you as soon
as I can.'

It took a while for Neville to reply and Theo had the distinct impression that he wanted to push the subject further, but in the end he just wrote:

N: 'Yeah, alright.
I'll try and think of something, too.
We have to get her back, Theo.
We have to!'

Theo sighed.

T: 'I know.
I'll try and help.
I promise.'

N: 'Thanks.
I really appreciate that.'

Theo's insides squirmed with guilt. He didn't really like to make promises, especially when he thought that he might have to break them at a later point, but, somehow, the empty words had seemed to calm Neville down. Maybe even, Merlin forbid, gave him a sense of hope?

T: 'It's okay.'

He wrote, mouth going dry. It really wasn't okay. None of this was… and he hated that it was happening to them. They shouldn't have to be dealing with stuff like this.

He hesitated, then added:

T: 'But can you promise me
one thing?'

The response came much faster and far less hesitant than he'd expected:

N: 'Yeah, sure.
Anything.
What is it?'

Theo bit his lip. He knew Neville wasn't going to like what he was about to say, but he had to at least try.

T: 'Please don't be a Gryffindor
about this. I know you want to
go and look for her Luna as
soon as possible, but you
have to promise me that
you'll wait until we at least have
a vague plan. It's too dangerous to
go running into this blindly.'

He hoped that Neville wouldn't take this the wrong way. He knew that the boy wasn't stupid. No, could actually be surprisingly thoughtful for a Gryffindor, but he also knew that, when it came to his friends, Neville had absolutely no sense of self-preservation.

He just hoped that in this case Neville's careful side would win over and he'd at least wait until they had a proper plan before he made any rash decisions and rushed to Luna's rescue.

The seconds ticked by as he waited for the other wizard's response, not daring to breathe and hoping against hope that he wouldn't take any offense to his warning, when the answer finally came through:

N: 'I wouldn't know where to start
anyway, so yeah, I guess I
can promise you that.'

The tension in Theo's chest instantly snapped and he was overcome with such a powerful rush of relief that it made his throat feel tight and his eyes sting with tears. He had to take several seconds to try and compose himself, so as to not let them spill over. This was ridiculous. He was feeling so irrationally emotional all of a sudden that he somehow had the urge to dissolve into heavy sobs.

He didn't tell Neville any of this though. Instead, he scrubbed his hand roughly over his face, took a couple of deep breaths and wrote a simple:

T: 'Thank you.'

And then, because he thought he should at least offer some insight to his feelings, added:

T: 'I couldn't bear it if anything happened
to you.'

N: 'Yeah…
Ditto.'

Neville replied, followed by a small, wonky love-heart that made Theo's own heart flutter erratically in his chest.

N: 'But you know I have to
go and find her, once we
know where she is, right?'
 Theo swallowed hard.

T: 'Yeah, I know.
We'll make a plan, don't
 worry. I'll get back to you
as soon as I find out anything
useful, ok?'

N: 'Yeah, ok.
Thanks!
…

And Theo?'

T: 'Hmm?'

N: 'Please be careful.
I mean it when I say I couldn't
bear it if anything happened to
you either!'

At that, Theo smiled. It was absurd really, considering he was already conjuring up plans in his head that were incredibly risky to a point where you couldn't call them anything other than 'stupid' in Theo's opinion. And yet… just the knowledge that Neville cared so much about him was somehow making this situation much less scary. Maybe his Gryffindor-ness had finally rubbed off on him, after all.

But the second that unhinged thought crossed Theo's mind, he instantly dismissed it. There was no way he'd ever act like a Gryffindor, regardless of how much time he'd spent with one. He was a Slytherin through and through. And he would handle this the Slytherin way, too.

T: 'I will. Don't worry.'

He replied, before adding with a sudden, confident smirk:

T: 'I won't take risks unless I
know that they'll work out in
my favour.

I'm a Slytherin, remember?'

N: 'Yeah, thank Merlin for small graces!'

Neville wrote back, and Theo didn't have to see him to know that his round face was sporting a wide grin at that moment.

He smiled, that small flutter in his chest growing stronger, and let out a sigh.

T: 'I'll speak to you soon, ok?'

N: 'Definitely!

Bye, Theo. xx'

T: 'Bye. xx'

ooo

The sound of Theo's footsteps echoed from the cold stone walls, as he strode down the empty Dungeon corridors. It was barely four in the afternoon, and yet, the halls of Hogwarts were completely deserted. — A perk of spending the Christmas holidays at the school that Theo normally highly appreciated, but right now he wished it wasn't quite so empty. The castle felt almost eerily quiet, — a silence that clung to you like a particularly persistent sticking charm and filled you with a sense of cold unease. Although this could also be a side effect of what Theo was about to do…

Suppressing a shudder he quickened his step, hoping that if he just walked fast enough, he would be able to leave the horrible feeling of foreboding behind.

But no such luck. It followed him all the way down into the depths of the dungeons, past the Potions classroom and to the right, before following a long corridor that led to his destination: The Headmaster's private quarters.

No one knew why Professor Snape had chosen to remain in his previous quarters when he took on the position as Headmaster. Some believed that it was because he had lived in the same rooms for so long that he simply didn't want to give them up, while others liked to speculate that it was because Dumbledore's old office had remained stubbornly closed off since his untimely death and refused to allow Professor Snape access to its adjoining chambers.

Theo himself had never joined in on the speculations, but now that he was actually heading down the dark, tunnel-like corridor, he had to believe that it was the latter of the two. Because surely, no one would live in this dismal place by choice?

Coming to a halt in front of a dark, wooden door, set in a gothic stone archway with probably the most uninviting wrought iron door knocker that a door could have, he took a brief moment to readjust his tie, making it sit perfectly in the middle of his sternum, and run a nervous hand through his curls in a last attempt to tame them, before schooling his features into a cool and composed expression.

When he raised his hand to knock, the three sharp raps echoed ghostly through the hallways.

It took several seconds — several long and torturous seconds in which Theo almost decided to turn around and bolt — before the door flew open and he suddenly found himself face to face with the headmaster.

"What in Merlin's…" The man barked, but the rage in his dark, inky eyes quickly subsided when he recognised Theo and was replaced with a wary, calculating curiosity.

"Mr Nott." He said, his voice quickly returning to his usual, prowling drawl. "To what do I owe this…pleasure?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Professor." Theo began, forcing his face into a polite expression. "Only, I was hoping I could discuss something with you… something of…" he hesitated, unsure of how to explain why in Merlin's name he was here, before finishing lamely: "a personal matter…of sorts."

For the fraction of a second — so short that it was barely noticeable even to the keenest of eyes — Snape's face displayed a look of sheer horror that could only have been caused by the terrifying prospect of having to discuss 'personal matters' with one of his students. But before Theo could do more than acknowledge a faint flutter of amusement at the sight of an obviously distressed Snape, who probably thought that he was doomed to spend his evening talking about silly little school crushes and the worry of not getting good enough grades with a teenager; the expression had disappeared and was replaced by a rather well-practiced mask of indifference.

"Very well." he drawled and then turned away and walked back into the room behind him.

Theo didn't quite know what to do next. He hadn't exactly been invited to enter, so he only took one hesitant step towards the door.

The second he neared the threshold, however, Snape rounded on him with an almost animalistic sneer.

"Not in here, you fool." He snarled, flicking his wand over his shoulder and summoning his black outer robes. "What do you think it would look like if I invited a student into my private rooms?"

'Like you're a caring teacher?' Theo thought, but didn't dare to speak.

Snape glared at him as if he had read Theo's mind and found the thought of being perceived as caring absolutely appalling.

"To my office." He instructed, and then swept past Theo like a giant, and rather grumpy looking, bat.

Arriving in the Potion Master's office, Theo stood and watched quietly, as Professor Snape cast several different silencing and locking charms onto the door, before he settled in his place behind the large oak desk and gestured towards the chair opposite him.

Theo declined his head in polite acceptance and then took a seat in the rickety chair, struggling to not let his nerves show by bouncing his knee or fidgeting too much with his hands.

"Sir…" He began, when it became clear that Snape wasn't going to initiate a conversation.

The dark eyes found him in an instant, cold and unsettlingly empty, as they glared down at him over the curve of Snape's prominent hook nose. It was the most discouraging expression Theo had ever seen his former Head of House direct at him — he normally reserved these kinds of looks for Gryffindors only — and still, Theo forced himself to soldier on.

"I would like permission to visit my father tomorrow."

A miniscule widening of Snape's eyes was the only indication that he was surprised, before his expression morphed into suspicion, his gaze turning sharp and calculating as it bored straight into Theo's eyes. It took every ounce of Theo's self-control to not flinch and look away, but he held up valiantly, even as his eyes began to water; focussing on strengthening his Occlumency walls. He barely noticed it at first when the Potion's master's magic began to enter his mind. — like small, barely-there tendrils, nudging and tugging at the edges of his thoughts, carefully trying to pry them open and slithering their way inside. But Theo wouldn't let them. Snape had no business rummaging through his brain. Using everything he'd ever learned during his rather unpleasant Occlumency lessons with his father, he focussed on the things he wanted the older wizard to see, meticulously feeding him one little lie after another — innocent motives for wanting to spend Christmas at home. Carefully he let thoughts of how much he missed his father spill over the walls he had built around his mind, paired with fond memories of Christmas at Nott Manor when he was a child and a longing to recreate them.

It was all nonsense, of course. Completely made up and fabricated on a whim, but he knew that it was exactly what the Headmaster needed to see in order to allow him his unusual request.

It felt like a bloody eternity, but eventually the older man ceased his attack on Theo's mind and dropped his gaze, his posture unnaturally stiff, as he placed his elbows onto the desk and steepled his hands, regarding Theo with sharp, almost menacing eyes, from above his pale fingertips.

"An unexpected request." He finally broke the tense silence.

Theo didn't respond, only declined his head slightly in assent.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong…" Snape continued, not sounding apologetic in the slightest. "But did your Head of House not broach this subject weeks ago? And did he not — as per my personal instructions — procure a list of all students in Slytherin House who preferred to stay at Hogwarts during the Christmas holidays? And…" He paused briefly, his voice growing dangerously low. "...would I not find your name on said list, Mr Nott? Right next to your signature? …a signature you, yourself, thought sensible to put there?"

Theo's heart sank. Snape was, of course, right. Theo had been one of the first people in his House to sign the damn thing when Slughorn had put it up on the common room notice board, because he'd had absolutely no intention to go and visit his father any more than he had to. …That was before Neville's message this afternoon, though.

"I…" he stammered, shifting nervously in his seat. "I did, but I…" he trailed off, forced himself to take a deep breath, and then tried again: "I guess I just changed my mind."

Another silence followed, then:

"Mr. Nott." Professor Snape's voice sounded dangerously strained now, a foreboding, almost warning expression in his dark eyes. "I have it under good authority that your father will be quite…occupied over the upcoming days. Surely, this has been discussed with you, which led to the decision that you will remain at Hogwarts for the holidays in the first place?"

It took everything in Theo's might not to fidget under the older wizard's harrowing gaze, but he knew he couldn't allow himself to show any sign of unease right now. Snape was too good at Legilimency. If Theo as much as bat an eyelash right now, the man would see through him straight away.

"Surely, my father can spare a little time to see his only son on Christmas day." he said, relieved to find his voice cool and even. "I'm not asking to spend the rest of the holidays there." He suppressed a shudder at the mere thought. "I was only requesting a short visit, perhaps an afternoon tea, just to spend some time with my father and exchange presents."

There was no way in hell Theo would actually waste time on getting his dad a present and the thought of receiving any gifts from him in return was almost laughable. Snape probably knew that. But he couldn't prove it. He was definitely trying to. Theo could feel his magic enter his head, could feel its tendrils nip and prod at his mental walls again, but Theo wouldn't let him in. He just stared back at Snape, feigning confidence as best as he could, and continued to feed him his lies.

"Lies!" Snape barked, as if he had read Theo's thoughts. The hissed accusation was spat out with such force, that it nearly startled Theo into dropping all his mental walls at once. "Why do you really want to visit your father?"

Shit! Shit shit shit shit… Theo thought, blood rushing through his ears, as he struggled to rebuild the barrier around his thoughts.

"N-nothing." He stammered, quickly averting his gaze.

"Did I not make myself clear…" Snape continued, and there was nothing subtle about his tone anymore. This was a warning, — maybe even a threat. "...that you would be wise to not get involved in your father's business? Did I not stress enough that it would be foolish of you to dismiss your education so close to your NEWTs?"

Now, that took Theo by surprise. He did remember a rather strange and very cryptic conversation with the headmaster at the beginning of the year where he had said something about the importance of focusing on his education and to not get distracted by other things, but…

Merlin's balls!

Theo's eyes grew wide when the realisation hit him. He was talking about the Death Eaters! …Snape thought that Theo wanted to join them. …He thought that Theo was seeking out his father to ask if he could make arrangements for him to take the Dark Mark.

He almost wanted to laugh. And he very nearly did! But he caught himself just in time and, instead, slammed his mental walls back up and met Snape's eyes with confidence.

"Let me assure you, Professor..." He said, lips pulling into an indulgent smirk. "That your advice was taken into careful consideration, and…I believe… that the grades I have received over the course of the year so far will leave you in no doubt of my decision. However, …" He leaned forward ever so slightly, his eyes now boring into Snapes in a way that, he was sure, would even make Albus Dumbledore himself proud. "...we are on winter break right now, are we not? And Christmas is a family holiday. Surely, I can spare a few hours of revision time to see the only family member I have left?"

He had him. He knew he did. If Snape refused to let Theo go now it would look nothing but cruel…and the already widely disliked Headmaster could not afford to further tarnish his reputation by refusing to let a student see his only remaining relative on Christmas day.

There was a long, and very tense silence in which both men stared at each other, either of them stubbornly refusing to break eye contact. Then, Theo watched with delight, as the Professor's jaw twitched and his frown deepened, before he finally let out a mixture between a sigh and a frustrated growl, and caved.

"Very well." He sighed, scrubbing a frustrated hand across his face in an uncharacteristically unguarded fashion. "I did my best to warn you."

Theo had a hard time restraining a triumphant grin.

"You have permission to leave the castle tomorrow morning." Snape continued, fishing an empty piece of parchment from his desk and picking up a quill. "You will use the Floo connection in my office to travel directly to your home, you will not go anywhere else, and you are to report back to me, in my office, at 5pm sharpish. Do I make myself clear?"

With a swish of his hand, the quill began to move, hastily composing a permission slip for Theo's absence, before it curled itself up into a neat little scroll and zoomed towards Theo with a soft 'whoosh'.

Theo smiled, as he caught it. He couldn't help it. He just had to.

"Very clear, Sir."

Snape regarded him with one more long and almost wistful glare, before he finally nodded and turned away. "You may go."

Theo didn't need to be told twice. He jumped up and muttered a polite "Thank you, Professor." and then rushed out of the Headmaster's office so fast, one would think he was being chased by a horde of Hippogriffs.

Theo didn't go back to the common room after his conversation with Snape. Instead, he went straight up to the Owlery, where he sent a hastily scribbled note to his dad to announce his unexpected visit the following day.

He then spent the better half of an hour sitting in his favourite spot and watching the owls swoop in and out through the large tower windows — wondering how in Merlin's name he had got himself into this messed up situation — until his fingers and toes went numb from the cold.

When the harsh winter breeze finally reached unbearable levels, he let out a deep sigh, pushed himself up off the floor, gave his stiff limbs a little shake, and then made his way back down into the castle.

When he arrived back in the Dungeons, the Slytherin Common Room was almost empty, save for a pair of anxiously whispering second years, and a rather glum looking fifth year. Theo ignored them and strode straight across the room towards the seventh year dormitories.

"Draco?" He cast a quick glance across the dorm room to find it completely empty — there was no sign of his friend anywhere — and bit his lip, as a wave of guilt flooded his chest.

Draco had been sulking for weeks, because his parents had refused to let him come home over the Christmas holidays. Theo had an inkling that this was mostly Narcissa's attempt to protect him. It was no secret that she wanted to keep her son as far away from all of the shifty business that Draco's dad (and Theo's for that matter) was involved in, as humanly possible.

From what Theo had witnessed so far, Narcissa Malfoy's loyalty lay entirely with her family. Sure, from the outside it looked like the Malfoys were some of Voldemort's closest followers, and in Lucius' case that might be true, but for Narcissa it was all about protecting her family and Theo had no doubt in his mind that she'd be the first one to turn on Voldemort, should she think that his influence was putting her son in danger.

Either way, Theo knew that Draco was worried for his parents. He knew that his friend blamed himself for the fact that his ancestral home had been turned into the headquarters for the Death Eaters. Rumours had it that even Voldemort himself was currently residing there. — If you asked Theo, that was reason enough for Draco to stay as far away from his home as possible, but he did understand that Draco's guilt caused him to feel some sort of obligation to make sure his parents were alright, and that the cryptic letters he received from them every now and again weren't enough to put his mind at ease.

Draco had been going half crazy with worry for his mother, and the news that he wasn't going to get to see her over Christmas had prompted him to go into a complete raging fit that had ended with him accidentally setting his own bed on fire by way of a burst of angry, accidental magic.

It had been a while since anyone in their circles had lost control over their magic like that. It was normally something that happened to children who hadn't learned how to channel and focus their magic properly yet. For Draco, this was highly uncharacteristic and showed how much emotional distress he was currently under. …And Theo had tried to calm him down. Had told him that at least they would be able to spend Christmas together, to… take comfort in each other's misery, just to now leave Draco here by himself, while he went to spend Christmas Day with his father of all people. It felt like betrayal of the worst kind. And Theo was not looking forward to having to explain it to Draco. Especially, because he couldn't tell him the truth about what he was really planning to do.

Feeling incredibly exhausted all of a sudden, he blew out a deep sigh and then let himself sink onto the edge of his bed, before flopping backwards onto the mattress and covering his face with both hands.

"I'm the worst friend." He muttered into his palms, thinking glumly of how he'd already failed at being Neville's friend, and now had proceeded to also let Draco — his oldest friend — down spectacularly. And to what avail? To see his deranged monster of a father? To risk his own safety and that of others?

It was pointless and he knew that, but he had to do something. …Right?

Or maybe he could just lie here for a little while and pretend that everything was fine. Maybe, if he just closed his eyes for a second, he could make himself believe that nothing had changed. That people weren't disappearing all over the country and that his father wasn't working for the darkest wizard that Britain had ever seen…

He quickly drifted into a restless sleep, and by the time he was startled awake by nightmares of faceless men trying to lure him into the darkness and threatening to take away everyone he'd ever cared about if he didn't follow their lead, the lights in the dorm room had been dimmed and he could hear soft, even breathing coming from behind Draco's bed curtains.

Deciding that he was entirely too tired to get up and get ready for bed, he just set an alarm charm for the next morning, slid under his covers and curled into a ball, willing himself to go back to sleep.

ooo

When his alarm went off the next day, Theo felt instantly wide awake, — probably due to anxiety about what was to come. It still took him an unusual amount of willpower to get up and leave the safety and comfort of his bed, though; wishing he could crawl back under his duvet and just hide from the world as soon as his socked feet touched the small rug beside his bed.

Seven AM. …He'd go before breakfast. If he was lucky, he'd be back in time for Christmas Dinner.

With that small silver lining in mind, he started getting ready for the day, taking a bit longer to get dressed than usual, as he carefully selected his finest, inky black robes and paired them with black slacks, a charcoal grey shirt and the emerald green vest with silver embroidery that made his normally cobalt blue eyes look more like the colour of the ocean, — a strange, but rather fetching mixture of blues and greens.

By the time he'd combed his ruckus curls back and had slipped on his dragonhide shoes and signet ring, he was the perfect image of a Slytherin prince. Perfect, because his father wouldn't accept anything less.

Frowning at his reflection in the mirror, he let out a deep sigh and turned away; a cold, foreboding sense of dread filling his stomach, as he walked back over to his bed, fished the little notebook out from under his pillow and began to compose a message for Neville.

T: 'Neville,
I might have a way to find out
what happened to Luna, but
in order to do that, I have to
go away for a little while.
I won't be able to bring my
notebook with me, so if you
don't hear from me today, don't
worry. I should be back at
tomorrow evening at the latest.'

He very much hoped that he wouldn't have to stay that long at Nott Manor and that it would all be sorted with a quick conversation over brunch, but didn't think it was wise to mention this to Neville. This way at least, Neville wouldn't start to worry until tomorrow. Although he thought that if he wasn't back by tonight, his friend probably had all the reason to worry.

Feeling rather sick all of a sudden, he read through his message one more time, nodded approvingly and then added:

T: 'Oh, and Merry Christmas!
I hope you'll have a wonderful
day with your family.
Drink some of your Gran's
famous hot chocolate for me, will you?'

He smiled at that, remembering Neville's rather enthusiastic description of the hot drink a little while back, and how he insisted that no one had ever been able to recreate it… how he had smiled dreamily and said "You won't understand unless you've tried it." and then added "You'll have to come and visit some time. I'll ask her to make it for us, even if it's in the middle of summer."

Oh, how Theo wished it was that easy. He'd give just about anything to be able to go and spend Christmas with Neville and his Gran today. But dreams like that were reserved for their time together in their room and had to be left there, safely tucked away within the small world they had created for themselves.

T: 'I miss you.'

He added, because it was true, then forced himself to swallow down the sudden lump in his throat, let out a heavy sigh and snapped the little book shut.

It took him several minutes to cast a number of notice-me-not charms on it, before burying it in the deepest corner of his school trunk, before he finally deemed it protected enough.

He then composed a quick note to Draco:

Draco,

I have some business to attend to at home, but I shouldn't be too long.

Save me a seat at the Christmas Feast, will you?
Merry Christmas,

Theo

And left it at Draco's bedside table.

When he finally left for Snape's office, the cold sense of dread he had felt earlier had disappeared, — locked away behind the strongest Occlumency wall he'd ever created. It had left him blissfully….empty, and with nothing but his goal in mind.