Nott Your Boyfriend | A Slytherin/Hufflepuff Romance

Chapter 15: People Will Always Judge Kids Like Us

Susan Bones was sitting at the Hufflepuff table, chatting with Hannah Abbott and enjoying her lunch, when Buttons came flying towards them. The gray-brown owl dropped a red envelope on the table. Susan paled at the sight of it and Hannah held her mouth open, her fork in midair as if she was frozen on the spot.

Susan had expected her parents to be angry upon reading her letter about Theodore, but she hadn't expected this. The Howler already started sissing and Hannah grabbed it.

"You'd better open it immediately," her friend said, sounding alarmed. She hadn't told Hannah what she had written in her last letter, so her friend didn't have a clue why she had received this Howler.

Susan ripped the envelope open. The letter floated in front of her face and started shouting.

"Susan Eleanor Bones," the letter started in her mother's voice. "How dare you insult our family like this! Dating a Nott? This must be some kind of sick joke!"

The letter was screaming so loudly that the entire Great Hall could hear it. Susan saw Theodore at the Slytherin table shrink in his chair at the mention of his name.

"Have you forgotten everything our family has been through at the hands of Death Eaters? Your aunt Amelia would turn in her grave if she heard this! And you have the audacity to ask us to invite him over for the Holidays? Have you lost your mind? Are you under the Imperius curse? I don't even want you over for Christmas right now!"

The letter stuck its tongue out to her and then went up in flames. Susan just sat there staring at the ashes.

"Well, that was intense," Hannah gulped.

Tears were already streaming down Susan's cheeks. She had a lump in her throat that was so big she wasn't able to speak at all.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up, straight into Theodore's sad brown eyes.

"Suzy?" His voice was barely more than a whisper and the muscles in his jaw were tensing.

Without saying a word, Susan stood up and left the Great Hall with Theodore. In the corridor she wrapped her arms around his middle and laid her cheek on his chest. Within seconds his gray sweater was wet with tears.

"It's okay," Theodore spoke while stroking her head. "I'm sure your mom will turn around and that you will still get to visit them during the Winter break and I'll just stay here."

"But it's not fair!" Susan whimpered. "They shouldn't judge you like that!"

"I don't blame them," Theodore replied. He was now stroking her back. "Not with what they went through. Besides, not everyone can be as amazing and forgiving as you are."

"There was nothing to forgive you for. You haven't done anything wrong!"

"But I also didn't do anything to make the things my father has done right."

Susan looked up at her Theodore. He lifted his hands to her cheeks to wipe the tears from her face.

"I just hope," he said and he kissed her left cheek. "That you'll stay with me." He pressed his lips to her right cheek. "Even though my family sucks." He kissed the tip of her nose.

"Of course," Susan replied without hesitation. "I'll always stay by your side, no matter what."

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When Susan left for her Defense Against the Dark Arts class Theodore Nott snuck away to the tapestry on the ground floor behind which a staircase to the second floor was hidden. Even though this shortcut was common knowledge, Theodore still used the place as one of his hiding spots if he wanted to be alone.