In The Next Life - Theodore Nott Fanfic

Chapter 10

"Florence! Time to wake up my sleeping beauty," I heard someone yelling, as they came up the stairs. I began to slowly open my eyes, noticing that I was still cuddled into Theo. "Flor- Well, what do we have here?" Pansy snickered. 

I quickly threw his arm off of me, and rose from the bed. "It's nothing like that. Trust me," I said, rolling my eyes. "Oh, I'm sure it isn't," she teased.

"What time is it?" I asked, as I began to stretch. 

"Just around 9," she responded. Nodding my head, I walked towards the bathroom to freshen up and to start getting ready for the day. "Pansy, would you be a dear and wake Theo for me?"

"Sure," she said, as she grabbed a pillow and hit him in the head with it. "WAKE UP!"

"What the fuck, Pansy?" he groaned, as he rolled over to look at her, and I just laughed behind the closed door of the bathroom. "Florence, I'll see you in the dining hall, okay?" I heard him call out.

"Okay!" 

Once I was freshened up, and looked a bit more presentable, I headed out of the bathroom to put on an outfit. "So, how did you sleep?" Pansy asked, as I began to put my clothes on. 

"I slept good, other than Theo snoring in my ear at times," I laughed.

"You two are pretty close, huh?" she asked, and I quickly nodded my head. "We grew up together. Our moms were best friends; they did everything together so, naturally we did too. Theo is the one person who I've always felt safe and comfortable to be around. There's no one like him," I explained.

"Well, he sure does love you," she put forth and I couldn't help but smile. "And I love him," I added. I decided to throw on a basic blue t-shirt, and some light wash jeans. 

It was the Saturday before school started, and I wanted to dress casual before I was stuck wearing uniforms all week. "Ready to go?" I asked. 

"Ugh, yes finally. I'm starving," she whined.

"You know? You could have left without me," I said, as we made our way out of the common room. "And what fun would that have been?" she smiled, as she interlocked her arm with mine.

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As we made our way into the dining hall, I could just feel their eyes on me. Other students from their table began to whisper and turn my way, some laughing while others gave me what seemed like dirty looks. 

"What the fuck are you looking at?" Pansy hissed towards the Gryffindor table, as she guided me down the aisle to a spot up front.

"Well, that was weird," I pointed out, as I sat down beside her. "Yeah, I forgot to tell you. Some stupid third years heard your argument last night, and decided it would be funny to tell everyone," she explained.

"That's just great," I sighed, while putting my head on the table. "Morning ladies," Blaise offered, as he approached the table. I simply just waved without lifting my head as I continued to mope. 

"So, I'm assuming your first night here was great, Florence?" he asked, sarcasm hinting in his voice. 

"It was fine," I responded, as I lifted my head from the table. "Here you are, Flo," Theo interrupted, as he set a cup of coffee in front of me. "You truely are my best friend," I smiled, as I began to indulge into the coffee. 

For the rest of the time, I tried to engage into their conversations, but I wasn't in the mood for talking. "I think I'm going to go for a walk," I suggested, as I began to get up. "I have to owl my mum and dad anyway."

"Would you like me to come with?" Theo offered, but I kindly shook my head no. "I'll see you guys later." Seeing them off, I made my way to find the owlery.

It was such a beautiful day. The air was nice and crisp, causing me to shiver once the wind blew; I should have worn a jacket. "Florence!" I heard someone yell, interrupting my peaceful walk. Turning back, I noticed Cedric running to catch up to me. 

"Hi, Ced," I exclaimed, once he caught up to me. 

"Where you running off to?" he asked. "Just the owlery," I responded. "Care to join?" With a smile in agreement, him and I continued to the tower. 

"So, are you excited for the tournament?" he questioned, breaking the silence.

"Um, sure. I mean, I'm not a huge fan of the idea of vicious acts to come, but I'm sure it's exciting to watch," I confessed.

"It most definitely is, from what I've heard. I'm thinking about joining myself," he exclaimed.

"Wait, what?" I asked, stopping in my tracks. "Well, I mean, I meet all of the requirements. Why not join?" he tried. 

"Because it's crazy dangerous!" I shouted. I didn't want one of friends getting injured, or worse, end up dead. 

"I'll be fine, Flo. Plus, I'm not one hundred percent certain I'm joining," he reassured. Nodding my head, we started up the tower to the owlery.

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Cedric and I hung out for the rest of the day. He showed me around a bit, from the library to even his common room, which was even more lovely than ours. He was a really sweet guy and he always made me smile and laugh; it felt as if we have known each other forever.

Towards the end, he brought me to the astronomy tower to watch the sunset. We just sat on the ground in peace, watching the sky turn all colors of orange and pink. "You know Florence, I think I see us becoming great friends," he broke the silence. Turning towards him, I just offered him a smile. 

"Well, wouldn't that be interesting. A Hufflepuff and a Slytherin becoming best friends," I laughed out. "Interesting indeed," he laughed back. "Although, you're not like them at all."

Instantly, my smile faded. "Yeah, that's what I keep hearing" I sighed, as I stood up from the ground. 

"Oh, I didn't mean anything disrespectful Flo," he started. "It's okay. It's just, Harry and the others seem to disagree with the sorting ceremony. We're not really on great terms right now," I explained.

"Well, they are definitely in the wrong. You belong wherever the hat puts you, no matter who you seem to be," he explained. 

"Thanks, Cedric," I sighed. I couldn't help but feel a shiver run through my body. The night had grown colder, especially in this high tower. 

"Oh, here. Take my jacket," he blurted, as he began to take it off quickly.

"Oh, that's okay. I'll be fine," I offered, but he had already wrapped the jacket around me. Sliding into it, I instantly felt better. "Looks better on you anyway," he smiled, as he moved a piece of hair behind my ear. 

My cheeks immediately began to feel flushed, and I quickly turned back towards the sky. Laughing, he kindly asked if I wanted to go back to my room. Nodding my head, we started down the tower and through the numerous corridors. As we gathered closer to the common room, I offered him and thanful hug and wished him a goodnight.

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The rest of the night went by quick. The others and I sat around the fire, discussing the classes we had, as well as what we did for the remainder of the day. Once we had all grown tired, we all went to our rooms.

I couldn't believe I was actually attending my first day of classes at Hogwarts in a few days. I was ecstatic, but also nervous. All I knew, is that I needed to stay focused on my homework and exams. I didn't need to become distracted from all of this drama, but I couldn't help but wonder about Harry and them. I just wish we could have all been friends.

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