Summer Nights (Theodore Nott)

Now That I Found You

Theo's P.O.V

I was sat on a little bench, looking out over the ocean as the sun was setting, when I saw her.

She was walking along the promenade, dressed in a white sundress and yellow flip flops. Her blonde hair was braided, and hung low down her back, almost reaching her hips. She was sun-kissed, a lovely tanned colour, and I could see from where I was sitting that she had a smile only an angel could ever have created. 

She had a small brown dog on a lead, and she was giggling happily at its antics, and something possessed me to approach her. She was drawing me in, in ways that no human being ever could have done in years gone by. 

But there was something about the sound of the ocean ahead of me, the warm breeze blowing through my hair, the serenity of the scenery. I truly couldn't have stopped my feet from carrying me if I wanted to. 

"Hello," Was all I could bring myself to say to her, and she stopped in her tracks as she looked up at me, her green eyes staring at me, wide and curious. The smile began to falter slightly, startled by my sudden appearance before her. 

"Oh, erm..." She stuttered, looking between me and the small dog. And I thought I had blown it, I really did, I was ready to walk on by and never think about the girl again. But then, she smiled, "hello,"

"I just saw your dog, and I wanted to meet her," I had to hand it to myself, it was quick thinking. And a complete lie, the dog was nothing compared to her. I had no real affection for dogs, I had never owned one, never even really known one. It was all her, but I couldn't have said that to her without sounding completely insane. 

"Oh, it's a he, actually," She grinned down at the dog, who had chosen to ignore my presence, sniffing instead at the ground. "Well, not it, he. He's a he. I'm sorry, you startled me,"

"I didn't mean to! I was worried I might have, though," I couldn't take my eyes off her, she was completely breathtaking. I had never felt this way about anybody, not ever. She had my heart racing, I was so completely taken by her. 

"Is it normal, to just approach strange girls, for you?" She was bold, and I found that even more intoxicating. I felt like a lovesick, obsessed puppy. I think if she had asked me to jump into the ocean and swim to gain her affections, I wouldn't have thought for a single second about doing exactly that. 

"No!" I spoke, far too quickly. "This is the first,"

"I am flattered," She smirked, and I swear my knees buckled. "Anyway, this is Horatio. Or Ratty, he usually gets called Ratty. You should know, he really does hate men,"

She was warning me not to go near him, and frankly, I didn't want to. However, given that I had lied through my teeth about her dog being the reason I approached her, I figured I had to look interested. The only issue was, my lack of experience with canines left me looking incredibly awkward as I reached towards him. 

"I thought you said you liked dogs?" I could see she was biting back laughter, and I blushed slightly.

"I do!" I insisted.

"It's just, you don't seem to know what you're doing," She grinned, and I shook my head in embarrassment, knowing I had been caught out. 

"I'm worried that he's going to bite me," It was refreshing, being able to say how I felt without fear of judgement. Had any of my fellow Slytherin's heard me saying I was afraid of a dog, they'd never have let me live it down. 

"He might, he only likes my Pa, and my brothers," She shrugged. "But if you're feeling brave, stick your hand out for him, see if he fancies a bite,"

My eagerness to impress made me feel that I simply had no other option, and I placed my hand out for the dog. Horatio, or Ratty, stared at the hand in wonder for a moment, and I braced myself for impact, wondering how on Earth Muggle's stopped profuse bleeding. But, to my surprise, and also to the girls, he leaned forward and sniffed. His short tail began to wag timidly, and I felt myself relax slightly. 

"Wow! He's never done that before," Her green eyes were wide, and I found myself smiling. 

"He must like me," I laughed, and she nodded.

"So, listen," She began, and I retracted my hand, staring up at her, probably looking entirely pathetic. "It's quite obvious you didn't come up to me for Ratty. Why did you?" 

"I think you're really, very pretty," I confessed, wondering where this confidence was coming from. "And I wanted to ask if you fancied going for some dinner, tomorrow?" 

"You're very courageous, aren't you?" She smirked once again, sending the butterflies in my stomach wild.

"Only today, only for you," I could have sworn she blushed slightly at this, but the smirk on her face did not falter, not for a second. 

"Courageous, and charming. I like it. I'll meet you here, tomorrow, six o'clock, mystery boy," She walked past me then, leaving me craving more, which I'm certain was her intention. 

"Theo! My name is Theo," I called after her, but she didn't so much as look back, although the little brown dog did, and I grinned at him, thanking him silently for being my window into her life.