Smoke and Stars - A Theo Nott Story

The Echoes Within The Walls

Weeks had passed since Aria and Theo's date at Hogsmeade. Blissful, wonderful weeks. Now, it was mid-October. The Great Hall was filled with pumpkins at the ceiling and Hogsmeade was beginning to experience its first bouts of snow, turning the cottages into a picturesque view right out of a postcard. 

Through these several weeks, Aria and Theo had only grown closer. Whether it was hidden rendezvous in broom closets between classes or Wednesday nights in the Astronomy Tower, their bond had only strengthened. They were practically inseparable outside of their classes, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Mattheo, who was still "sleuthing" to figure out Theo's secret girlfriend. 

But the biggest change was the nights. The nights—once so lonely and cold, where the darkness reminded her of the loneliness of the Berkshire estate—were now blissfully filled with Theo. Apparently, Astoria had tipped off Theo one day about a vacancy in Aria's dormitory. He appeared at her door within five minutes, kissing her as soon as the lock clicked shut. No explanation to calm her confusion, just his soft lips against her own. When she finally tore away to ask him why he was there so late, he grumbled against her mouth, "Astoria's spending the night at D—"

"Daphne's?" Aria asked. Theo just kissed her again. She didn't complain. That night, his body wrapped around hers in a protective embrace, shielding her from the darkness that had once terrorized her. It was the first night in weeks that Aria didn't dream of the locked door of her childhood chambers. It was the first night she hadn't nary a nightmare of Manon Berkshire. No, all she could think about was the warmth of Theo's body on hers.

It was wonderful.

He must have felt the same way because he gladly showed up every night since then. Their positions changed—sometimes she rested on his chest, sometimes he swallowed her body in a spooning embrace—but the feelings remained the same. Theo made her feel safe, protected, and valued. His arms around her only proved that.

Plus, he was rather nice to cuddle.

Aria sniggered to herself when she thought about Theo as a cuddler. No one at Hogwarts would believe her if she said that. Despite the tenderness he showed her, Theo was apparently quite terrifying to the others. He made first years scatter in his wake, threatened fifth years who attempted to cross him, and even had Mattheo Riddle—son of Voldemort and brother of the infamous Tom Riddle—in line. People only dared to come up to him to buy things—alcohol and smoking items, she was gathering, though he never admitted to her what it was—and even then, they looked bloody terrified. Perhaps it was his great size, perhaps it was the dark glint in his eyes accompanied by an equally dark past, or perhaps it was the way that people just knew Theo was brutal enough to make good on his threats. Whatever it was, she was glad that she didn't have to see that side of him. The side of Theo she saw was nothing but caring and gentle. 

Most of the school, including her brother, was at a Quidditch match. While Enzo wasn't playing, he was watching the Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff game to "scout out the competition." Maybe a part of that held some truth to it—as autumn ran deeper, Enzo only became more insufferable when it came to Quidditch—but Aria knew that he was only actually there to spend time with a certain curly-haired blonde Hufflepuff. She rolled her eyes. Enzo was whipped by a girl he wasn't even dating.

Not that she could talk. Theo was currently smoking with Mattheo down by the Black Lake—"If I don't show up to our hangout, he'll follow me, cara mia. I'll make it up to you tonight," he had said—and yet he was taking up all of her thoughts, even as she attempted to do her potions assignment. Theo might have been able to talk her out of one but he couldn't talk her out of them all. Though, she had to (begrudgingly) admit, ever since he started tutoring her, her grade had astronomically improved. Theo was smart when he wanted to be.