in the blood.

Chapter 5: All I have is my honor, a tolerance for pain

November 2017

"What are you doing here?"

Theo snapped one of her shin guards into place before smirking up at Philip. "Last I checked, I'm still Head Girl."

Philip heaved out an exasperated sigh. He had hoped to hole himself up in the Heads Common Room for the morning. The first Quidditch match of the year was scheduled for later that day, so he planned on doing some homework before watching the game.

Traditionally, Gryffindor and Slytherin kicked off the Inter-House Quidditch Cup. By a literal stroke of bad luck, several members of the Gryffindor team came down with the Black Cat Flu. After a meeting among the Captains, Ravenclaw conceded to advancing their game against Slytherin. Philip owled the team a box of pastries as a small thank-you.

"I just thought you'd already be out there flying laps," said Philip. Pre-game, Philip and Theo often traded jeers while warming up. A part of him was a bit bummed he wasn't about to experience it that day.

"Saving my energy," Theo said. "Don't worry. I'll be out of your hair in a bit."

"You don't have to," Philip faltered. Theo was giving him an odd look. "This is a shared Common Room. You can stay as long as you want."

She nodded and went back to adjusting her safety equipment. There was a ghost of a smile on her face, as if she had a wisecrack that she decided against at the last moment.

Their working relationship improved after the Hogsmeade trip. The changes were not ground-breaking, by any means. It was merely a little more civility during one-on-one interactions, a little less tongue in cheek during Prefect meetings. Still, there was a long school year ahead of them.

Philip knew better than to call a win before halftime.

He sat at a coffee table near the window overlooking the Quidditch Pitch. Dark, ominous clouds loomed outside as drops of water pelted the glass. It was a drizzle for now but Philip knew it was likely to worsen before letting up.

"It's not looking good out there," he said to Theo. "What's your game plan?"

She stood from the sofa and looked towards the window. There wasn't a trace of apprehension in her expression.

"I guess I'm finally going to have to listen to you," she answered, deadpan.

To Philip's displeasure, Theo didn't elaborate. She patted down her uniform and headed for the door. "Wait," Philip called out.

He wanted to ask what she meant. The rain was picking up outside. No, what he really wanted to say was 'be safe,' he thought.

Theo had paused in her stride to hear him out.

"Make it a good game," he said instead.

She rolled her eyes. "Always."

Once she was gone, Philip turned to his Herbology homework. Neville Longbottom was asking for a 20-inch essay on dittany and its uses. It was a fairly easy assignment since dittany was known for its restorative purposes, but Philip found that he couldn't get past two paragraphs. He spent half the morning attempting to make sense of Theo's words.

By the time he was supposed to meet up with his friends, he had only written a quarter of what he had hoped to accomplish. He left his schoolwork on the table and figured he'd pick back up on the essay in the evening.

Hercules and Nathaniel were waiting for him at their House table. "Am I a terrible person if I'm grateful we're not the ones out there today?" Nathaniel was saying as Philip walked up to them.