all too well - Theodore Nott

chapter 10

"Oh my," Selene reached down and rubbed her foot. She was currently walking back to her dorm room in heels. A dorm room that was at the top of a tower. She looked at the dimly lit corridor and realized she was completely alone. She groaned and made her way to a small alcove.

She leaned against the wall and reached down to unclip her shoe strap and pull it off. She sighed, enjoying the relief of her feet not being pinched. She started unclipping the other when she felt a shadow fall over her.

Looking up, she was greeted with the face of Theodore Notts. She jerked up, pushing her hair out of her face.

"You dropped this." He held out her bracelet, which was resting in his hand.

"Oh," She reached out and grabbed it from his fingers swiftly. "Thank you."

She studied the bracelet for a second. The bird glinted under the candlelight. She slipped it into the pocket of her dress instead of her wrist and looked back up at Nott, who was still standing there.

"I didn't mean to spill that tea on you. I didn't know it caused you to stay overnight in the hospital wing."

"Oh, no. I was sick yesterday. The burns healed pretty quickly."

"You're feeling better?" He asked, his eyes searching my face.

This was all very confusing to Selene. She never had these types of conversations with Nott. They were usually just hurling insults at each other. Suddenly, there was a rustling sound above them. They looked up in unison to see mistletoe slowly growing, seemingly out of nowhere.

"That should probably be my sign to leave," he whispered.

"Yeah," Selene whispered back, not being able to keep her eyes from flicking down to his lips.

But he didn't move away. No, he moved closer. Slowly, not making any sudden movements as if that would somehow break the electricity in the air.

"Did you have a good time tonight?"

"Yeah." Selene took a short, shallow breath and held it. "Did you have a good time with Daphne?"

"No," he whispered. He was close now, less than a foot away.

Selene took her own step forward. This whole time, it had been him moving toward her. Now, it seemed like that was the sign she needed to get closer.

"If you don't want to do this," He started to say, but Selene reached out her hand, wrapping it around the back of his neck and pulling his head closer until their lips collided.

Theodore wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her against him, deepening the kiss. He laid his other hand on her neck, using his thumb to slowly trace her jaw. He kissed her like he was dying and she was the cure. He kissed her with desperation.

Selene finally understood. He had grown up with a father who was a death eater and without a mother. He had never had or felt something real. And that made Selene kiss him harder.

He walked forward, causing Selene to walk backward and fall back against the wall. He pressed his body against hers. Her hand traveled up the back of his head and into his hair, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. He ran a hand through her hair, his finger catching on a small knot. She felt him smile against her lips. Her skin was on fire, and her head was foggy. She was not able to think straight with him so close. She smiled back.

Then, they heard people coming down the hall, and he jumped back. He stared at her in the dark, his eyes wide and shining. The voices got louder.

"I have got to." He didn't wait to finish the sentence before he stumbled out quicker than Selene thought was humanly possible.

She leaned back against the wall, her head still reeling. She slowly sank to the floor, breathing hard. She sat there for a while until the full gravity of the situation sank in.

"Oh my.." She trailed off, touching her lips. "Merlin."

She jumped to her feet, running out of the alcove. She left her shoes behind and picked up her skirt as she ran down the corridor in the opposite direction of her dorm. She ran down too many flights of stairs to count, past the kitchens, and to the stack of barrels. She glanced around and saw Cho Chang and Cedric Diggory huddled in a corner, talking and laughing, their heads close together.

She ran over and said, "Please let me in." She begged him.

"I can't. You're not a Hufflepuff." He stuttered out, startled.

She felt a single tear stream down her cheek. "Please, Cedric. It's an emergency."

"Cedric," Cho whispered, elbowing him, "do it."

He nodded, went over, and knocked a certain combination into the barrel that she did not pay attention to. It opened, and Selene scrambled through it, her dress billowing around her. She ran through the common room, down a short, mossy flight of stairs, weaving through round, burrow-like hallways, and slammed her fist on a dorm door.

It swung open. "El?" Annie asked as she peered out at her, "What's wrong?"

That's when all the tears finally broke: "I'm so stupid."