mahogany ; d.m

57 - theodore

November

Athena was glad by the time the colder months approached. The summer had simply exhausted itself. There had been nothing left of it to enjoy. Not that there was anything to enjoy in the first place.

The cold didn't make her feel as guilty for confining herself to her room whilst everyone else dived at the opportunity to breathe in the fresh air out on the grounds. Not that she gave much of a bother.

She preferred to be outside once the sun had swapped for the moon and the blanket of heavy darkness settled overhead. It brought a sort of tranquillity. Some peace and quiet in the constant tumult of her mind.

But the silence was temporary. So was the night.

After many nights that had passed since the end of September, she spent them rather differently in comparison to all those restless inconveniences. They were still restless, but less lonely.

On this night in particular, she found herself wading down the corridor of the Slytherin boys dormitories, heading in the direction of Theodore Nott's room.

This was not a new occurrence. There was nothing unfamiliar or frankly strange about it.

Over the months, the two of them had formed a sort of friendship. Purely platonic, dysfunctional to say the least—actually, it may have not even been friendship at all.

One night back in October, Maeve had urged Athena to go and spend time with them in the Astronomy Tower, "for old times sake," she'd said, encouragingly. Athena had been reluctant to the idea for weeks prior, but eventually she'd agreed and gave in.

They had to be more cautious of the noise they were making due to the Carrows, who always wandered the corridors of Hogwarts at night. It definitely complicated matters, but didn't stop the mass group of friends from having a good time.

Pansy had claimed the empty place in the group. Filled the void where the ghost of its last owner had seemed to linger.

They did as they always had done before the summer. Talked, drank, laughed (but less), smoked, sometimes danced depending on the mood of the group. It was fun, but only to an extent—for everyone.

There seemed to be this unspoken tension between each of them. Athena had a feeling she could pinpoint what it was. Her.

It was as if they picked and chose what to say, careful not to let the wrong thing slip out of their mouths. So much left in the unsaid that she probably needed to hear, but no one had dared to.

And the most frustrating part of it—the way they looked at her. This sickening sympathy that made her want to curl up and diminish into nothing. Always reminded her that she had something to feel sad about. That she couldn't turn off that part of her mind. Feeling.

It wasn't just them. It was everyone. Having the knowledge of what she went through before the summer meant treading lightly. Treating her in a different way. Everyone was considerate—overly cautious.

Except Theodore.

Unlike the others, he treated her like a person. Not this broken mess that could shatter at any moment. There was no obvious look of sympathy upon his countenance, no expression that made her feel alienated from normality. She could breathe around him, because he didn't care. He just let her be, and she could breathe.

Something had changed in Theo over the summer. It was difficult to miss when knowing how he had been. His usual cockiness was ever-present, but he was less outspoken. Less of a dick. And he was easy to be around.

He never asked her about Draco, never spoke to her about the things she didn't want to recollect. Never brought up the pain that she was drowning in.