Duplicitous | T.N.

XLV • My father

It went radio silent.

They refused to speak for exactly one month, four days and counting. The air whenever their proximity was forced grew thick and uncomfortable, so they avoided one another all together.

Theodore kept up his sick game with Marrietta Edgecombe in that time. He did hold her bags and assist her on her way to class. She fancied him, she really fancied him...

It was unrequited.

He knew he was close, so close until he had the chance to steal the coin. He initially planned to swipe it from underneath her nose, and leave unsuspected, but unfortunately for him, she was a smart girl, cautious and protective of her property. He wasn't as daft enough to ask her about it, so he kept quiet and eyed it profusely whenever it was within his line of sight, which was unfortunately not as common as he had hoped. He needed to trick her, to steal it from the girl, unsuspected.

Marrietta Edgecombe was a bright individual, she was kind hearted, funny, a little shy and awkward, but overall a sweet soul to be savoured. Her nature was not an untrusting one, but she knew the type of person Theodore Nott was, and she wasn't willing to reveal all her cards to him just like that. She was smart, but she could be a downright idiot too. If she was purely intelligent, she'd have dropped Theodore ages ago, warned him to back off, but could you blame a girl in love?

She wanted him, and there he was, offering her his undivided attention. Well, not undivided, but she didn't know that. You can't change a tigers stripes, much like you can't change a snakes pattern, and Theodore's was set in stone. He believed he was a jerk, so he acted like one. He was using Marrietta and felt little to no remorse.

As one girl held tightly to his arm, his eyes often journeyed across the room in search for another. Marrietta did not need assistance when walking to class, that didn't stop him from carrying her bags, she thought it was sweet, he deemed it necessary.

Their arms interlocked at the elbows as he walked the blonde across the school. Her bag rested tightly over his shoulder along with his own, it didn't bother him. They chatted about the most bizarre things, whatever came to mind. Theodore believed that if he wasn't so guarded, he'd probably like her, except her was, and he didn't. So he led her on for his own benefit, answers and a nice lay.

They walked towards defence against the dark arts. He was begging to loath that class. Umbridge adored him, and at first he knew he could use a powerful teacher on his side, but she was growing annoying, especially with all of her scolding towards Aurora. Strangely enough, he felt she didn't deserve it, an alarming parallel to how he felt before, a time he found her misery amusing.

"You don't talk of your family much, what are they like?" The blonde girl beside him questioned. Not many were aware of his home situation, he hated how it was so innocent, yet so damaging. A familiar twitch of rage hit him.

"I don't do I?" He tried to calm his breathing. Anger came to easily to him those days.

"No." She giggled. "You should, I'd like to meet them." He frowned, they never established a relationship, barely even a courting, he couldn't even recall a single date. Times when she'd pry rekindled him with anger, an excuse to do this to her. That was why they walked to class early; he needed to be rid of her sooner.

Theodore was aware that his actions were wrong, in fact he'd always known. The numerous people he used and left was alarming, but not to him, he shrugged it off as self preservation. No remorse ever eloped him, Aurora the exception, of course.

Aurora. He hated her most. He commonly he found himself angry, and prepared to cause chaos, whether it be psychologically or physically, he liked the trouble, yet she was the only person he never actually harmed. He took a step back before it could escalate, that was unlike him, yet he never questioned it.