Miracles don't exist || Theodore Nott

Chapter 18: I'm on her side

You and the others of the DA walk out of the Great Hall, painfully clutching your hand. The words 'I must obey the rules' are crudely carved into your flesh with your own handwriting.

You hurry towards the dungeons, to clean up your hand and cry in silence. When you walk into the common room everybody's eyes are on you. Nobody knows exactly what you did, but they know it had something to do with Harry Potter and his Gryffindor friends, and that's reason enough.

Draco's gaze is cold when you two finally lock eyes. He gives you nothing but a harsh expression.

You exhale harshly through your nose and turn around to your, hopefully empty, dorm. When you close the door behind you and there is nobody else in the room, you finally allow yourself to take your hand off the wound.

Your hand is throbbing and the words are still steadily bleeding. There is a knock on the door before it opens and Theo's head pops in. There is a sad and guilty look in his eyes.

"No... Theo... It's not your fault." You walk over to the dark-haired boy and grab his hand with your good one.

A humourlessly chuckles leaves his lips. "I should be the one to comfort you, not the other way around." He produces two vials out of his pockets. "It won't stop the scarring, but it'll help with the pain."

You take the bottles of Wiggenweld Potion with a grateful smile. "Thank you. I appreciate it, Theo." Popping the lid off one of the vials, you gulp the potion in one go. "It tastes horrible", you grimace.

Theo laughs and takes your injured hand. He carefully rubs around the irritated area. The pain grows less severe with the second, but the words have not disappeared completely.

"Better?', he asks and you nod. Theo wraps his arms around you and hugs you tightly.

"I'm fine." Your words are muffled against his shoulder.

Theo tightens his hold on you, one of his arms around your middle and the other around your shoulders, his hand laced in your hair. "I don't care. You need a good hug."

The two of you stay like this for a while until your neck is starting to hurt. You take a step back, rolling down your sleeve so the words are concealed. "What's the general mood of our fellow Slytherins?"

"Nobody exactly knows what you've done. But they know it has something to do with Potter."

With a groan, you let yourself fall on the bed, patting the space next to you. The smiles and goes to lay next to you with slightly more grace.

"In how much trouble do you think I am in when we go back home?" You turn your head to the side and study the boy's profile. The freckles on his cheeks, the curls in the nape of his neck, the way his nose doesn't have a single bump.

Theo licks his lips, eyes trained on the canopy above your bed while his finger drums on his stomach. "Somebody will snitch to their parents. But it is the question if the parents will tell. They want to stay in good graces with your father and tell him his daughter was caught with his enemy... It won't end well. Not for them, not for you."

You gulp, imagining what he will do. The Cruciatus curse will be the least of your concerns.

Theo's head snaps towards you and grabs your hand that rests next to your body. "Don't worry. I'll be there if something happens." He squeezes your hand, and you give a small smile in return.

"Or...", he begins unsurely but seems to swallow his words. You shuffle closer to him and nudge him to continue.

"What if... you stay with me during the summer? I-I could write to him to ask for permission. Put in some crap like getting you acquainted with being the lady of the house- or whatever."