sugar & spice

chapter twelve

"Unfortunately," Theo said upon her arrival in Ancient Runes the next week, "I won't be able to meet tonight, or the rest of the week, actually."

She spun on her stool, turning to look at him more fully. His face was drawn, tired in a way that spoke to a long day, not a night without sleep. There was tension around his mouth and between his brows, tension Theo didn't usually carry. She shot Malfoy a worried look over her shoulder, only he was glowering at the desk. "What's wrong?"

Theo looked at her from the corner of his eyes and bit out from behind clenched teeth, "Detention."

Seriously? "For what?"

Theo blew out a breath, his cheeks puffing. "There was a bit of an...incident."

Draco grumbled something beneath his breath that she couldn't quite catch, but part of it sounded awfully vulgar.

She narrowed her eyes. Theo's vague response-whereas he was usually the one to avoid beating around the bush- made her wary. "What sort of incident?"

Theo shifted uneasily on his stool. "A fifth year was acting out of line. I merely nudged him, well, back into line."

Oh, that sounded decidedly not good. "What did you do, Theo?"

Draco practically growled, his grip on his quill so tight it might snap it he didn't watch it. "Nothing I wouldn't have done. I'd have done worse, honestly."

"You couldn't have done anything, Draco," Theo hissed. "Not unless you wanted to violate your parole and wind up totally fucked. They'll throw you in Azkaban in a heartbeat if you even step one toe out of line and you know it. Which is why I handled it."

"You think I don't know that?" Draco threw his quill down. It skittered against the table and landed on the floor. "Of course I know that and it's great feeling, let me tell you, feeling like an impotent fuck-up."

"Stop!" she shouted. Several students in the row in front of them turned, eyes curious. They quickly spun around when she glared. She dropped her voice. "Will one of you please tell me what happened?"

Theo sighed, shifting slightly to face her. He licked his lips. "A fifth year waste of breath in your house was making some rather...untoward comments about you in the courtyard. I told him if he didn't stop talking shite, I'd see to it that would be all he could do. I gave him fair warning and yet chose to stay the course."

She could feel the blood drain from her face. "So you...?"

Theo smiled sardonically. "Little twist on the good ol' slugulus eructo. He'll be perfectly fine after a dose of prune juice. Administered rectally, of course, seeing as his mouth is rather occupied. That should work the curse right out of his system, otherwise it wears off in two hours"

"Theodore," she hissed. The boy would be vomiting...good grief. That was, well, inspired, really. But wrong, not to mention disgusting. "I'm not going to bother asking what you were thinking, because you clearly weren't. Good grief, you could've gotten yourself expelled."

"Well I didn't. Though I likely have the Headmistress to thank for that. She's the one that...intervened. Overheard most of what happened, too."

Draco cracked the knuckles of his left hand and huffed. "McGonagall should've awarded you points for not permanently maiming the gormless twat."

While she hadn't heard anything outright, there were some students who clearly disagreed with her choice of companionship if the glares they shot her meant anything. She'd brushed it off, but apparently whatever this particular housemate of hers had said had sent Theo over the edge. "What did he say?"