Black [Theodore Nott]

Chapter 55

A few days have passed and Carina and Roman's mischief's have caught the attention of the Head of House – McGonagall and Snape – and had been sent to detention multiple times, as much as McGonagall didn't want to give them detention – she believed that it was Carina's way of coping with the loss of her father. In those past few days as well, Carina had noticed Theodore's distance; she would often see him alone at the corridor out of the blue, or with Draco – whispering about things – and when in Ancient Runes, she noticed that he didn't listen to class, but rather was in thought for most of the time; he looked sickly and based from the bags under his eyes, he had not been getting enough sleep. It worried her – her and Roman – but when the two would ask him about it, Theodore would just shrug it off or change the subject.

"Are you sure that he's been sleeping?" Carina asked.

"Positive." Roman said, "He sleeps even before I go to bed."

"Maybe he's going out after curfew?" Carina suggested. "Maybe you can wait for him to sleep and see if he will sneak out of the dorm?"

"Sure." He shrugged, "But what if he is... what if Theodore is hiding something from us?"

"Then we ask him." She said as if it were the easiest thing to do.

"And if we don't like the answer?"

Carina stopped on her tracks and looked at Roman with a confused look. Roman – who also stopped – turned to Carina, he was fidgeting with the strap of his bag, there was something bothering him.

"What are you saying?" Carina asked.

Roman sighed.

"I'm just saying..." he shrugged, "what if we don't like the answer that Theodore is going to give us?"

"Who are we to judge?" Carina said, "He's our friend! Why does it feel like you're..."

Carina saw the Roman looked at her. She couldn't believe it, she shook her head and kept muttering 'No'.

"Roman, he's our friend." Carina said.

"I don't like the idea either, but he's been secretive – and – and he's been going with Malfoy – It's just a theory." Roman sighed. "I'm not judging him..."

"By just making that assumption – that theory – you already are." Carina said.

"But what if?" Roman asked.

There was silence between the two.

"Carina..."

"Then he better have a good explanation for it." Carina said, "Because I don't believe that he would even think of joining."

She brushed past Roman with her eyes on the ground.

"If there is something I learned from Sirius." Roman began. Halting Carina from her departure, "Is that we should always expect the worse... and, Carina, this is the worst."

"How about trusting your friends?" Carina turned to Roman. "Because that's what I learned from my father."

"And look what that got them..." Roman muttered.

Carina left Roman at the corridor, she heard him call after her countless times, but she chose to ignore him. She immediately entered the Ancient Runes classroom; she walked towards her usual seat and there saw Theodore. His elbows on the table and his head resting on his knuckles, he looked like he was in deep thought or resting. With a sigh, Carina walked towards Theodore and sat beside him.