After the Willow Tree | Theo Nott

CHAPTER SEVEN

(the train ride)

"Oh, for heaven's sake, hurry up, Theodore!" Pansy said, dragging the boy along the platform by his upper arm. "The train is going to leave without us at this rate!"

Theo flashed her an exhausted smile and let himself be dragged along by her. He stumbled a couple of times from how quickly she was ducking and weaving around parents, but she didn't slow down at all.

Almost no other students were still out on the platform, and one of Pansy's worst fears was being left behind at platform nine and three-quarters. What was she supposed to do then? Just keel over and die?

It may have sounded dramatic, but Pansy genuinely didn't know how she'd survive without Hogwarts, even if it was a nasty, hazardous place at times. It was still like a second home for her, full of many of her closest friends. She couldn't lose that.

Pansy was so focused and a little bit stressed about the torrent of chaos roiling inside her that she didn't realize the goofy smile Theo was wearing or the way he'd been watching her for the last two minutes, uninterrupted.

Glancing back at him quickly, her heart stuttered in her chest to see that easy smile on his face again. It had been a while since his face looked that open. Pansy swallowed hard and looked away, now chuckling under her breath at herself.

Maybe she was being a little overdramatic, but could you blame her?

Stopping to catch their breath just inside the doors to the train, Pansy pushed a finger into Theo's chest. "Are you mad? Why did you get here so late? I had to search everywhere for you."

"Maybe I was hoping they'd leave me behind this year," he joked and turned on his heel to head for the Slytherin compartments.

Pansy stood there for a moment, dumbfounded.

"I was only teasing you, Pansy," he called over his shoulder. "Come on."

By the time Pansy caught up to his long-legged strides, they were already at the compartment where the rest of their friends were waiting. Theo huffed and lifted his trunk up to the storage shelf above their heads. He silently assessed the two available seats, both beside Daphne Greengrass and across from Draco, Lorelei, and Luna Lovegood.

Pansy pulled the door shut behind her as she settled in to give them a bit of privacy, and she too took in the rest of the group.

As always, Draco was sitting beside the window on one of the benches with Lorelei pulled in close to his side. Her head was resting on his shoulder today, and from the slow rise and fall of her breaths, it seemed like she had drifted off to sleep while they waited for everyone to board the train. Draco's long arm was draped over her shoulders, holding her steady as she slept.

On Lorelei's other side was Luna. Today, she was wearing a hot pink pair of spectrespecs over her eyes while a strange, gaudy stone necklace hung around her neck. This new necklace shimmered iridescent whenever it caught the light.

Daphne sat across from the three of them. She silently flipped through a wizarding world newspaper with all the poise and elegance of the Greengrass family (one of the few pureblood Slytherin families whose name was not tarnished by the war in any way). She caught Pansy's eye then and smiled brilliantly. "Come sit."

Lorelei woke with a gasp, clutching at Draco's shirt, and all movement in the compartment came to a complete standstill as everyone waited for her to relax again. An unspoken understanding passed between the compartment's other five occupants.

"Sorry, sorry," she rushed out while separating herself from a Draco who looked very pained to see her pull away.

"It's okay," he said, "no need to apologize."