Smoke and Stars - A Theo Nott Story

The Roommate

The next time Theo woke up, he was alone, surrounded by the beautiful scent of lavender and vanilla that he recognized as Aria's.

With a tired groan, he leaned over on the bed and saw that it was empty. He surprised himself by being disappointed. You've woken up alone every day of your life. You're always alone. What's the difference? But it was a stupid question because he knew the difference. The difference was and always would be her. 

There was a little piece of parchment rolled up on the pillow. He stretched out lazily and grabbed it, reading: 

My dearest Theo,

I'm sorry to leave you like this but you look rather cute when you're asleep so I didn't want to wake you. I regrettably had to go to the library to work on a potions assignment for Slughorn. I suspect I'll be there all day. I'm bloody terrible at potions. 

Yours,

Aria x

He couldn't help the lazy smile that spread across his face, especially at the sign-off. Mine, he thought with glee. He raised his two fingers to his nose and inhaled deeply, moaning at the lingering smell of Aria's juices on him. This morning, before they collapsed asleep from pure exhaustion, was amazing. He didn't even care that he hadn't received. At that moment, all he wanted to do was take her higher, higher than she had ever been. He wanted to show her how much he adored her—Theo wasn't a words guy, he would never be a words guy—so he showed her the only way he knew how: with his actions. And now that he had a taste, he couldn't get enough.

Theo jumped out of bed and hastily got dressed, finding the t-shirt Aria wore to bed on the floor next to his jeans. He was about to leave the room when he realized that he probably should make the bed. Merlin. This woman has me doing fucking chores. But he didn't care. After the amazing night (and morning) he had with her, he would do anything, including chores.

But as he was making the bed, he heard footsteps. Theo grabbed his wand and pointed it at the door. He wasn't really sure who it would be or what his plan was; all he knew was that he was prepared to protect his girlfriend's dorm with his life. Wait... was she his—

The younger Greengrass burst into the door. It was clear that through her panic, she had no idea he was even there. She ran to the closet and began to pull out clothes, clothes that were much more acceptable than the white button-down shirt he recognized.

"Fun night with Malfoy?" he asked as he tucked his wand into the pocket of his jeans.

Astoria jumped about ten feet in the air before putting a palm on her chest. She took a long time to recover her breath—longer than most, which was slightly worrying—before saying, "Merlin, Theo! Don't scare me like that... wait. What are you doing here?"

"You can avoid my question if I can avoid yours."

She glared, which was a comical sight for someone as ladylike as Astoria. Ever since he met her as a young child, Astoria had always prided herself on being the perfect pureblood lady. Her hair was always kept, her makeup done pristinely, and she was the pinnacle of etiquette and manners. Perhaps that was what made the fact that she was wearing Draco's shirt, her hair and makeup a complete mess after what was most likely an eventful night, and stumbling into her bedroom so comical. 

"Is there something you wish to tell me, Astoria?" he asked, giving her a pointed look.

She huffed and smoothed down her shirt to the best of her ability before fixing her hair and wiping the mascara off from under her eyes. There. That's the Astoria I know, he thought with a chuckle. "No," she said but her voice shook.

"Astoria—I happen to know quite a lot about secret relationships," he said, which earned a small smile from the girl. "You can tell me anything you want to know."

Astoria shook her head and looked down at the ground. "Daph can't know. If she knew I spent the night with her fiance... she'd be crushed." Theo happened to know for a fact that Daphne wouldn't be that crushed—sleeping with someone could teach you a lot about them—but it wasn't his place to tell Astoria that. "Please. Don't tell anyone."

Theo shook his head. "I won't. As long as you keep Aria's secret, I'll keep yours."

She smiled. "Thank you. For all of it."

"All of it?" he questioned with a quirked eyebrow. 

Astoria smiled softly. At that moment, he understood why Malfoy liked her. She was soft and sweet whereas he was sharp and crude. Perhaps they were perfect together. "For everything. Keeping Draco and I's secret. Taking care of Aria last night. Making her so happy."

He felt his cheeks get a little warm. "I... it's nothing." 

She giggled. "I like you, Theo. I never realized that before. You're always so quiet." Until Aria. Until he found a reason to finally speak, to finally leave the shadows. Then, Astoria said something as he left the room, something that would continue to linger with him for the rest of the day. "As long as you keep making her happy, I'll keep liking you."

The words made his stomach sink. Keep making her happy? Well, of course, he would like to do so. He would do anything to make her happy. But to keep doing it? At some point, the secret relationship would end. He just didn't know what part.

The secret or the relationship.

Short chapter --- sorry!! But I liked where this one ended and felt like it was a good glimpse into Theo and Astoria, even if it was short.

Also, this chapter made me so excited for Astoria and Draco's story. Should that one be next? As a reminder, I have stories planned for Theo, Draco, Mattheo, Enzo, and Tom. :)