Noticed - Theodore Nott x Reader PART 4
After transfer student, Y/N L/N, has to duel against Mattheo Riddle in a Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson and notices something a tad suspicious about his magic, Mattheo’s best friend, Theodore Nott, takes no time in noticing her back.
First Part / Second Part / Third Part / Interlude
Contains: use of y/n, l/n, etc, not fully lore accurate, not proof read, harry’s MAD and sassy, a lot of dialogue, plot relevance
A/N: h-hey guys…
Its been like two months oops but anyway im finally done with this and the next chapter it comiinngg and ik ppl dont rlly care but I JUST GRADUATEDD and ive been busy w that and bc im moving yay!!!! Im happy that i got more time now tho and for all of the support ive been getting from you guys in here and on ao3!!! Hope you enjoy this :))
Word count: 6.5K
The Hogwarts Express grumbled softly against the tracks as it went forward, the students inside it swaying slightly due to the train’s movements. The usual excitement that filled the ride back to Hogwarts had been replaced by sleepy conversations made of complaints about how much food was eaten, and the occasional rant about the amount of coursework they had coming.
Y/N was sitting with Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones in one of the compartments, her head resting against the cold window as she looked outside with a slight sense of dread crawling over her body.
“I really don’t want to go to Snape’s class today.”
Bones looked at her across the compartment. “You’re just going to start a new lesson, no?”
Y/N’s eyes dragged themselves away from the view outside and over to the redhead, the movement feeling far heavier than it should have. “Godric, I wish.” She sighed. “Before we left, we already had one exam that absolutely killed me. I had my notecards and everything, but NOTHING helped.”
She quickly hid her face with her hands and her yellow and black scarf; the other two Hufflepuffs simply stared at her.
Hannah laughed to herself before speaking with an evil grin on her face. “You could always ask Wood for help.”
“Don’t.” L/N deadpanned her, before groaning and leaning her head against the back of the cushion she sat against. “He’s a Quidditch captain. What does he know about potions?”
“Dunno,” Hannah shrugged, sinking further into her seat. “Ask him. You got close enough.”
Y/N’s gaze was sharp enough that it could’ve cut through Hannah’s hair directly into a bob cut. She thought about a proper comeback– tried to before realizing that if she fought fire with fire, the whole train would burn down. She took a deep breath and accepted defeat. “How’s it going with Longbottom?”
“Alright,” responded Abbott, twirling a piece of her hair between her fingers. “We were supposed to send letters throughout break.”
Susan’s ears perked up. “What? What happened?”
Hannah gulped, embarrassed. “He sent me a seed for a type of flower, right?”
“Aw,” Y/N smiled. “That’s cute.”
“Right.” Susan cocked her brow, an already teasing smile making its way towards her lips.
The blonde cleared her throat, her eyes averted to the snowy scenery outside the train window. She sat crisscrossed. “T’was supposed to be a Hellebore plant. He wanted to teach me how to make a Draught of Peace.”
“My god,” The redhead gasped, turning all her body towards her friend as if a huge revelation had been made. “He knows about your anxiety?”
The girl simply gave them both a downward smile as she exhaled through her nose, squinting in embarrassment.
“Hannah,” Y/N smiled. “You’ve actually been talking to him.”
“Like,” the h/c girl continued, “he actually knows you.”
“Hannah!” Bones shoved her friend side to side, squealing high enough that the other two Hufflepuffs were sure the owls would be able to hear it.
“Oh my God, doesn’t matter,” Hannah pushed her friend away, her hands going to hold her cheeks as they rested on her knees. “The thing is, basically– he mixed up the seeds and sent me a Venomous Tentacula one.”
The compartment filled with laughter almost instantly. Hannah groaned into her hands as Susan practically doubled over, while Y/N had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing louder, her face turning red.
“Stop it,” Hannah complained, pointing at both of them. “It wasn't funny.”
“Don’t be so feisty about it.” Laughed Susan.
L/N thought for a moment, in comic disbelief. “Why does he even have those seeds?”
“He’s fixated on plants, okay?” Abbott defended, feeling teased from every single angle.
The two girls burst into laughter at the ridiculousness of it all, though Abbott felt dangerously close to hexing the next person who dared make fun of her love life.
“Ugh, anyway,” The blonde interrupted, cheeks as red as pepper. “The plant grew, and Chip got sick since he bit one of the leaves, somehow.”
“Noooo, Chip,” Y/N winced, her smile fading at the mention of Hannah’s beloved owl. “How’s he doing?”
"He's alright now, but nipper bit me as I tried to heal him."
“I would’ve bit you too, knowing how you are as a nurse.” Bones giggled as she recalled a memory.
Hannah gasped dramatically. “Whoa, okay. Hate me, I guess.”
The pair continued their back-and-forth as Y/N started looking for something: her lip balm. She searched in her oversized bag, her lap, her pockets– nothing. Her lips felt dry, and she hated it. She quickly passed her tongue along her pretty mouth as she thought for a second where it could be.
“Shite,” she murmured. “I left my lip balm with Cho.” The girl quickly stood up and opened the door. “I’ll be right back.”
Both Hufflepuffs nodded before Susan continued teasing Hannah Merlin knows about what.
Y/N slid the compartment door shut behind her and stepped into the corridor.
The train swayed gently beneath her feet as she walked, one hand occasionally resting against the wall to steady herself whenever it lurched unexpectedly. Outside, endless stretches of white fields and bare trees blurred together behind the windows, covered by a layer of snow that seemed to go on forever.
The corridor was busier than she expected.
Students wandered from compartment to compartment in search of friends, snacks, gossip, or simply something to do before arriving back at Hogwarts. Every few steps, she caught snippets of conversations as she passed.
Cho couldn't possibly be that far.
Y/N kept walking, peeking through the occasional compartment window in search of a familiar Ravenclaw. Unfortunately, she was paying more attention to the people inside than the doors themselves.
A compartment slid open directly in front of her, Y/N not noticing directly as she kept her gaze forward until she nearly bumped into the man in front of her.
“My god, Nott.” A smile made its way across her lips as she saw the Slytherin’s reaction– turning to face her quickly before a smirk made its way onto his lips.
Theodore's hand was still resting on the compartment handle as he closed it shut and looked down at her. Unlike most people on the train, he looked annoyingly awake.
"Most people avoid walking into doors, L/N."
She let out a small laugh. "I was trying something new."
"How'd that work out for you?" Theodore cocked one of his thick eyebrows as he spoke, his hand leaving the compartment handle and resting in one of his pants’ pockets.
She smiled despite herself as she pretended to think for a moment. "I’m still experimenting."
For a second, neither moved. Y/N took a second to look at him again– it had been a few weeks since they had last seen each other. He looked basically the same, just with his brown waves slightly longer, and he looked somehow refreshed, as if he had actually gotten a chance to rest during winter.
“How was your break?” The Hufflepuff asked, beginning to walk past him.
“T’was alright,” Theodore replied, falling into step beside her. “Rome's just England with better food this time of year.”
“Don’t be such a snob.” Y/N laughed. “You’re making your expensive vacation sound like a tragedy.”
“Piss off.” Nott rolled his eyes.
Then, he took a moment as he cleared his throat. “What’d you do?”
“Just went back home,” The girl started, her hand still resting on the wall by her side to stabilize herself. “Was mostly with family and brought them things from England.”
He side-eyed her for a moment. “Did they like the gifts?”
Y/N looked suspiciously at him. “Mhm. Why?”
He chuckled. “My nonna would've had words if I showed up with English gifts.”
Confusion washed over her face turning to face him. “Words?”
He looked back at her. “Many. Loud ones.”
That gained a laugh from Y/N as they kept walking, Y/N’s eyes finally spotting the girl she had been searching for. “Cho!”
Nott looked curious as the h/c girl skipped towards a Ravenclaw group that was sitting down comfortably on the seats, taking a few rows only for themselves. Chang quickly looked around as she heard her name and smiled when she saw who was calling for her.
“Y/N,” she tilted her head when she came over, some of the other Ravens nodding or smiling at the Badger when she stood by them. Quickly, she noticed who accompanied her– Theodore, which made one of her thin eyebrows raise. “Nott.”
The Slytherin simply nodded at her as he stood next to L/N.
“I think I left my lip balm with you before we hopped on the train.”
“Oh,” Cho interrupted, quickly shoving her hand to her pocket and taking it out, revealing a cute pink lip balm. “I completely forgot I had it.”
Y/N gave Cho a playful wink as she got the lip balm. “Thanks, hot stuff. I’ll see you later?”
The Ravenclaw rolled her eyes with a grin. “Can’t. Got a boyfriend.”
There was a moment of realization between them, until the penny finally dropped on Y/N. “Cedric asked you!?”
Cho simply shrugged with a stupid little grin on her face.
“I’ll tell you later about it, gotta update my housemates first.”
Before Y/N could protest, Cho sat back down where she was as the Ravenclaws around them talked and laughed among themselves. The Hufflepuff took a step back with a laugh, and sighed loud enough for her friend to hear. “You’re so fake, Cho.”
“There’s a lot of detail I can’t really say in here,” responded the black-haired girl as L/N’s jaw dropped to the floor.
Y/N laughed as she started turning around and taking a few steps. “I’ll ask Diggory about it.”
A small yell of ‘Don’t’ could be heard from behind the Hufflepuff as she laughed, Theodore still walking right beside her.
“Harry’s gonna be devastated.” Her tone quickly changed as she covered her mouth in realization, looking over at Nott.
“Eh.” He shoved his hands further into his pockets. “They've been attached at the hip all year. He’s surely gotten used to it.”
“Sure,” She responded, trying to find a way to put her thoughts into words. “I do think it’ll hit him when he sees them openly being all over each other though.”
He considered that for a moment, absentmindedly running a hand through his hair.
“He’ll live,” he said eventually. “Isn’t Weasley’s sister completely gone on him?”
“Ginny?” Y/N asked, picturing the pair together before giving a small shrug. “I suppose they'd make a cute couple– if Harry ever figures out how to talk to girls.”
Theodore’s mouth twitched. “That’s quite harsh.”
The Slytherin stayed silent, only reacting with a side eye. Y/N simply grinned to herself.
The next few steps came with a comfortable silence, their shoulders bumping from the small hallway space and to the soft shifting of the train.
"Where are you heading, anyway?"
His gaze went back to hers in a moment, her voice snatching him back from his thoughts. “Hm?”
“You’ve been following me for a while.”
“Oh, no–” Theodore began, a smile creeping its way onto his lips. “I’m just searching for some chocolate frogs for Blaise and I.”
“We already passed the Trolley witch, Nott.”
Y/N only nodded, an annoying sneer on her face.
“That’s funny,” she snorted.
The Slytherin rolled his eyes. “What?”
“I didn’t think you were the type to get distracted like that.”
Theodore tsked his tongue in disapproval as the girl stopped beside a compartment door, her hand resting on the polished brass handle.
"Well," she said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Good luck finding your chocolate frogs."
She cocked an eyebrow. "I hope."
Nott simply huffed and turned on his heel before disappearing back down the corridor, "See you back at Hogwarts, L/N."
She paused halfway into the compartment, glancing back over her shoulder. "See you, Nott."
He left, as Y/N watched him for only a second before slipping into the compartment.
"Finally," Susan said the moment the door shut behind her.
Y/N dropped back into her seat with a hum, absentmindedly twisting the little pink tube between her fingers. "Mhm."
Hannah looked between the corridor and Y/N, curiosity frowning her eyebrows. "...Why was Theodore Nott walking you back?"
L/N blinked, before resting her back fully against the seat next to Susan. “I guess we’re finally friends– he wasn’t that eerie today. Christmas spirit must fit him well.”
“You think so?” Susan asked, arching one of her brows. “When we boarded the train he gave one nursing student a dead stare, I swear I saw her getting shivers.”
“Figures,” replied Y/N, pressing her forehead once again against the cold window.
The first two weeks back at Hogwarts hit the Hufflepuff like a runaway carriage. Not only had the workload grown heavier with the Ministry's newly introduced material, but Riddle's investigation had to be picked up where they'd left it.
"Oh," Hermione said, her eyes scanning another page. "We covered this for our OWLs. You could use those papers as practice."
Y/N groaned before burying her head on the brunette’s pillows. “Don’t tell me that.”
Hermione smiled sympathetically and set the parchment beside her friend's head.
"They honestly weren't as dreadful as everyone makes them out to be," she said. "The questions are designed to catch you out. Especially the multiple-choice ones. Read them carefully– you need to figure out exactly what they're asking."
Hermione raised an eyebrow. “I’m trying to help you, you know”
The girl finally lifted her head from the pillows, her hair messily falling over her forehead. “Sorry. I really appreciate it, Mione.”
The apology softened Hermione's expression. "You're exhausted." she spoke softly, reaching over and gently tucking a few stray strands of hair behind Y/N's ear.
“It’s just too much.” Y/N sighed, propping her head up on one hand. "I barely have enough energy to keep up with my classes. I don't know how you juggle being top of the year, all your coursework, and SPEW on top of everything else."
Hermione shrugged, as though the answer were obvious.
"Some days I don't have the energy either,” Her eyes stared at the ceiling of her dorm. "But if I don’t do it, no one else will.”
As Y/N mulled over Hermione's words, the telephone on her bedside table began to ring.
Hermione leaned over and pulled the heavy telephone onto her lap, settling the polished wooden base between her crossed legs. She lifted the brass receiver to her ear, absentmindedly tracing a finger around the rotary dial as the coiled cord stretched.
A long, relieved groan crackled through the receiver. “Oh, Hermione,”
“Ron?” mouthed Y/N, Granger only nodding with a slightly confused look on her face.
"Can you come up to our dorm?"
"Harry's here. We need to talk."
Hermione exchanged another confused glance with the Hufflepuff. “Ron–”
She got interrupted by his line crackling, his muffled voice speaking unintelligently.
“Your line’s engaged.” Her voice came out louder, in a silly attempt to fix the issue. “Are you phoning anyone else?”
Suddenly, Harry’s voice broke through from the background. “Leave Lavender Brown alone, Ron! Just get Hermione and Y/N here.”
“Fuck you, Harry,” spat out the redhead, clearly annoyed. “It does you no harm to whomever I’m talking to.”
“Lock in, Merlin.” groaned Potter from a distance.
Hermione coughed awkwardly, eyebrows drawing together. “I’m still in line, Ron.”
He seemed startled by the realization as a small yelp came from his side. “Right.” He cleared his throat. “Just come, quick.”
Granger heard Weasley hanging up the telephone, following his steps before placing the item back on her night table. She turned around to look at Y/N. “We’re going to Ron’s dorm.”
“Are we?” Y/N blinked, as Hermione was already putting on her cardigan. “I don’t know if I trust Ron and Harry to have a clean dorm– I don’t think I want to find out.”
Surely, both girls were on their way towards the boys’ dorms, looking at each door on the hallway trying to remember which one was theirs.
“It can’t be this one.” Murmured the Hufflepuff, scanning the number screwed on the door in front of them.
Hermione frowned as well. “We surely haven’t walked past it already.”
Y/N’s response was a wary side eye. “You don’t sound so sure of yourself.”
The Gryffindor rolled her eyes before reaching for the door handle.
“Imagine opening the wrong door.”
Granger took her hand back.
Before either of them could decide, an unmistakably loud voice echoed down the corridor.
“I’m telling you, Harry–”
The girls exchanged a look. “Found it,” Said Y/N with a stupid grin on her face.
Before Hermione could even move, another voice came through loudly.
“Will you stop shouting?”
L/N laughed under her breath as she felt Granger’s cortisol around her as an aura.
They followed the voices to the next door down. Sure enough, Ron's complaining could still be heard through the wooden door. Hermione with little patience knocked twice before pushing the door open.
"--I'm telling you, he deserves a good punch to the face."
"That won't fix anything, Ron."
The girls gave each other a look as they stepped inside the room. Harry was perched on the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his knees, while Ron paced the room like a ball of kinetic energy. Rolls of parchment, books and discarded Chocolate Frog wrappers littered every available surface. Nasty.
Ron looked up first. "Finally."
Hermione shut the door behind them cautiously. “Honestly, Ronald, anyone in the tower could've found your room with that voice of yours.”
"Good," he muttered. "Maybe Malfoy would've wandered in."
Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, his glasses resting above his fingers. "Would you stop talking about punching him for five seconds?"
"I'm not saying he doesn't."
Ron threw his hands into the air. "Then what's your point?"
Harry sighed. "My point is that Malfoy's not the real problem, you arse."
Silence settled over the room.
The brunette boy sighed loudly. “Malfoy’s been telling everyone Hagrid’s half-giant.”
The two girls exchanged a bewildered look. Y/N broke the small silence between them.
“For Merlin’s sake–” grumbled the red head, beginning his steps once again.
“Don’t start, Ron.” interrupted Hermione.
“I mean, I can see it.” shrugged the Hufflepuff. “How did he find out?”
“Fucking Rita Skeeter’s article,” Potter grabbed a folded copy of the Daily Prophet from the bed behind him and held it out. Both girls stepped closer, their eyes immediately catching the headline.
‘Dumbledore’s Giant Mistake.’
Y/N frowned as her gaze skimmed down the column. Rita Skeeter wasted no time digging into Dumbledore's choice of professors, each paragraph more spiteful than the last. Her jaw tightened as she reached the section on Hagrid.
“...If his antics during Care of Magical Creatures lessons are any guide, however, Fridwulfa's son appears to have inherited her brutal nature.” She read out loud, the words feeling bitter on her tongue before Hermione snatched the whole parchment from her hands.
“What is wrong with this woman?”
"I don’t know, but Malfoy’s loving every second of it." Ron scoffed, crossing his arms.
"I'm aware," Harry replied, sounding just as irritated. "But hexing him doesn't stop half the school from reading the Prophet."
“It’d make me feel better.”
Granger shot him a look. “Ronald.”
She looked as if she would have strangled him for a second, before simply looking at the others in the room. “Harry’s right.”
“You’re taking his side now?”
Y/N, seemingly in the background of the groupal crash-out, suddenly spoke up. “Has anyone actually spoken to Hagrid?”
The three pairs of eyes turned to her. Harry exchanged a guilty look with Ron. “...No.”
“Let’s just start there.”
Within a few minutes, Potter had grabbed his invisibility cloak and the group was walking down the hallways of Hogwarts. Multiple groups of students laughing, studying, and hanging out laid all around campus at this time of the evening, making them more wary of which direction they took.
“Don’t you think we should have put it on before?” Asked Hermione.
Ron thought for a second, puckering his lips. “No, not really. Ts’ quite uncomfortable for the four of us to be under the same cloak for a whole walk.”
“I don’t know. Just seems quite suspicious with Harry just hanging with his cloak in his arm.”
Harry looked at them, cocking one eyebrow as if the answer was so obvious. “I’ll just say I get cold and carry it around. No one needs to know it’s an invisibility cloak.”
The Hufflepuff laughed at the brunette’s response, nudging his arm with her elbow as she spoke. “Helga, you’re so weird.”
Their conversation carried them around the corner before either of them realized another group was coming the other way. Y/N stopped her step a beat too late, her hands shooting out instinctively before she looked up and found Blaise's face only inches from her own. She smiled awkwardly as a response of his own.
Blaise's gaze flicked from Y/N to the three Gryffindors behind her. Theodore, Mattheo and Daphne followed suit. Y/N finally seemed to remember she wasn't alone.
"Nott. Greengrass. Riddle," she greeted with an awkward little smile, her hands settling rather aimlessly on her hips.
"L/N." Theo inclined his head before looking past her. "Granger. Weasley. Potter."
"Evening," Harry returned, a little distracted. Ron and Hermione simply nodded, quickly glancing at each other for a second.
"Hope you're well, L/N," Mattheo said as he slipped past the group. "We'll see you around."
Daphne followed after him with a polite nod, leaving Blaise and Theo lingering for a moment.
Blaise looked as though he was waiting for Theodore to move. Theodore, though, looked as though he was about to say something– until Riddle’s voice broke through from farther down the corridor.
Theodore exhaled through his nose. "...Sorry."
He stepped closer, resting his hands lightly on Y/N's shoulders before guiding her a step to the side so he could pass. His touch lingered for barely a second. Him and Zabini walked past them, the Gryffindors’ gaze following the group before beginning to move themselves. Y/N stood still for a moment.
Ron slowed to a stop, glancing over his shoulder at her. “They’re Slytherins,” he snorted.
Y/N caught up to the three of them. Harry and Hermione had stopped a few paces ahead, as he began to tap his foot as a way to relieve his impatience, before Granger nudged him as a signal to kick it off.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Hermione glanced after them, her brow furrowing for the briefest moment. Harry let out a quiet sigh. "Come on," He urged quietly. "Hagrid's waiting."
Y/N stood still, her eyes wandering at the spot where the Slytherins had just stood at just a minute ago.
Harry’s green eyes looked at her full of skepticism– a full blown frown in his face. He looked quite like a sad clown. "You're not seriously thinking of following them?"
L/N opened her mouth to answer– but nothing came out. Her mind went blank at the moment for any explanation she could’ve used to cushion Potter’s reaction to her decision making.
Potter closed his eyes for a second, his jaw clenching for a moment. “Can you just… not?”
Y/N’s fingers started twiddling with each other while she scrambled on her mind for ANYTHING to say, but her mouth maintained itself shut.
“...I just think it’s odd that they were all together.”
“It’s late. They’re sneaking around.”
“Come on,” L/N tilted her head. “You can’t deny this is something you would do.”
The Gryffindor took a step closer to her, glancing around the dark stone walls as he spoke. “In another situation, but–”
"Y/N. Hagrid's hiding in his cabin because the entire school's just found out he's half-giant." He ran a hand through his already messy hair, before pushing his crooked glasses up his nose. "Can we please deal with one mystery at a time?"
Granger took a step forward and looked between the both of them. “...Can you cover for us if Filch sees us?”
Harry shot her a look. “Hermione.”
Granger shrugged, before tying her frizzy hair up with a scrunchie. “She would follow them anyway.”
The h/c girl’s shoulders seemed to loosen up at Hermione’s comment, a small smile painting over her lips. Potter sighed, looking to the side. “...Fine.” Then, he pointed a finger at her firmly. “Half an hour.”
She leaned in her head in disagreement. “Harry–”
“Just let us know you’re alright. If not, we’re coming to find you.”
Y/N was about to oppose until Hermione signaled her to just keep quiet and follow along. She sighed and nodded. “Alright.”
Harry gave her one last pointed look before turning on his heel. "Come on," he muttered to Ron and Hermione.
Granger gave her a small nod as good luck and Ron finally came back to reality from his daydreaming as the three of them disappeared down the corridor, their footsteps fading until the castle drowned the sound entirely.
The Hufflepuff let go of a breath she didn’t know she was holding, staring at the dark hallway for a few seconds before beginning to walk towards the direction the Slytherins had disappeared into. They couldn’t have gotten that far in a few minutes, right?
The soft sound of her comfy clogs was the only thing she heard as she turned from corner to corner. Nothing. The castle’s stone walls reflected the moonlight entering from the tall windows, her shoulders shivering from the slight breeze that passed by her body. She frowned as she looked inside an old classroom and found nothing. “Merlin…”
It got to the point where Y/N swore that one of the castle’s ghosts was taunting her. Every few steps she swore she heard either murmurs or felt something creeping right behind her. As comfort, she held both of her arms across her chest and squeezed them whenever she got shivers. Yes, she had snuck around the castle deep at night before as well– but never alone. It was different whenever she was going to Hagrid’s place with Harry, Hermione and Ron or sneaking into Cho’s bedroom to get her nails done. She couldn’t compare those moments to this. Maybe Harry was right– she was doing too much and not enough at the same time.
She had just brushed under the rug helping out Hagrid, a friend, because of the stupid investigation she had started months ago and had found little to no information to guide her into an answer or even a speculation. Yes, the first week they had come back from break she had overheard Riddle in her Intro to Transfiguration class brag about his travel to the America’s and how complex the letter-delivering system was to send his owl all the way to Britain, and how his mother never missed an opportunity to write, even if days (or sometimes weeks) would pass without a single letter before another would suddenly arrive.
It had struck her as an odd thing to say. What kind of witch couldn't simply send an owl whenever she pleased? Owls didn't exactly keep office hours…
It didn’t matter. She was beginning to spiral.
She took a deep breath, and began to turn her heel and walk back to the safety of her dorm– but she heard something.
A few steps forward, she heard something else: a laugh.
She recognized Blaise’s loud laugh immediately.
Like a puppy following a scent, her feet dragged her across the hallway to where the sound seemed to be coming from. It was coming from behind a stiff, wooden door– old enough for the once golden hinges to be dusted and silver. She looked up to what the sign above it labeled: History of Magic.
The door was slightly ajar, soft candlelight spilling from the narrow gap in the doorway as Y/N carefully leaned in just enough to take a peek inside.
The view she got showed her Pansy, sitting down at a desk as she filed her nails. Next to her, sat Stella Fawcet, listening to whatever gossip Parkinson rambled about as she looked out the window. On the other side, stood Draco Malfoy next to Riddle, the latter blowing smoke rings out from his mouth as Draco pushed him to the side.
“That’s disgusting, Riddle.” Spat out the blonde, narrowing his eyes as Riddle looked at him confused.
The curly-haired cocked one of his brows. “You smoke as well,”
“Not that shitty cabbage you’re having.” He scrunched his nose. “Smells horrible.”
Riddle scoffed at his comment before taking another drag from the joint, feeling the familiar warmth hitting at the back of his throat. He exhaled a slow stream of smoke, watching it curl lazily toward the ceiling. Then, Theodore nudged his shoulder with his own, and glanced between Mattheo and the joint. Without a word, Mattheo held it out. Nott accepted it, bringing it to his lips before pausing, his nose wrinkling almost immediately and handed it straight back. “Merlin, is that Devil’s Snare?”
Mattheo looked back with a frown, keeping the joint close to his chest as if it were dear. “It’s not.”
“You almost fooled me,” responded the Italian, smirking at the way his friend reacted.
“You snob,” He scoffed, “Blaise rolled it. Go complain to him.”
Theodore turned towards the window, where Blaise stood with one shoulder against the stone wall, a folded piece of parchment spread open in his hands.
"Zabini," Theo called, handing the joint back to Mattheo. "Your rolling's getting worse. You should stick to the plonk."
Zabini didn’t even glance up, eyes stuck on the piece of parchment he held in his hands. “Mm.”
Theodore glared at him, taking a step forward. “...You’re usually more defensive.”
“Yeah,” he responded, “Because I’m reading.”
Theodore walked towards him, his eyes scanning the parchment with curiosity. Blaise was quick to fold it over. “‘Ts my mum.”
Daphne cocked her head from the conversation she was having with the Carrow twins and shifted her attention towards Blaise. “Oh?” Then she looked at both guys. “My pa also sent me a letter in the last few days. It creeped me out, I never saw him write like that before.”
Malfoy cleared his throat and took a step in front of them, waiting until everyone’s attention fell on him. “That,” he began, “is exactly why Father asked me to gather everyone.” His light eyes swept across the room. “The Ministry’s become obsessed with the World Cup attack.”
Fawcet’s eyebrows pinched together. “Of course. That’s not a mystery. We just need to stick to our family’s alliances and keep our trust between ourselves.”
Marcus Flint, who had been tearing small parts of the classroom’s old wooden desk top apart, elevated his gaze to the group. “Obviously.” He spat out, a grin starting to form in his face. “We don’t even get close to mudbloods.”
“Mudbloods are not the only enemy,” corrected the blonde, “Think about how many pureblooded families there are in the whole university, and how many of us are in this room right now.”
A small silence drowned over the room, before Parkinson spoke up. “I don’t think that’s part of our business, is it?”
Draco cocked his eyebrow at Pansy’s comment. “What do you say?”
“That’s our parents’ work.”
“Parkinson,” Chimed in Morag Magdual, finally appearing from the silence of a corner of the classroom. “We are the successors, the next generation.” She stood up and walked next to the table in which Pansy and Stella sat, placing one of her hands on the cold desk. “It’s our responsibility to continue the legacy and be aware of the connections we will hold for this to work.”
“Exactly,” Draco clasped his hands together. “This is just a reminder.”
“I still don’t understand what you want us to do.” Shot Pansy, beginning to brush her black mane with her fingers.
“Just keep things to yourself.” Shot back Magdual, her sharp gaze going through the Slytherin. “Gossip mostly with people from this blood status. We’re not the culprits of whatever is going on with the death eaters, but we’re sympathizers, which makes us just as guilty.”
“That’s what the Ministry’s looking for.” Blaise added.
Parkinson thought about how to respond, before deciding to just stay quiet and sulk into the conversation.
Flint sneered. “Might as well start with the Macmillians, no?” He continued ripping apart the small rotten wood pieces that were falling off the desk.
Morag rolled her eyes at his comment. “So much for a pureblood family.”
“They’re still purebloods.” Malfoy spoke.
“Sure,” replied Marcus, his gaze not leaving his desk. “But they’ve gotten soft.”
“It’s a whole lot of Hufflepuffs, does it surprise you?” Hestia Carrow added, her twin and Daphne looking at her.
"Oi," Mattheo interrupted with a scoff. "Careful. My mum was a Hufflepuff, and I'd hardly call her soft."
Theodore turned his head towards his friend, raising an eyebrow. “Your mum? Lestrange?”
From behind the door, Y/N turned around for a second, covering her mouth from making any squeal from excitement. Holy shit holy shit holy shit. Lestrange. L-E-S-T-R-A-N-G-E. She made a million mental notes to remember that last name. She didn’t even care about how long she had been gone, she had to keep listening to their conversation. Harry would surely understand. He should understand.
When she breathed out and finally looked back again through the small opening of the door, Draco had resumed speaking.
"Regardless," he said, folding his father's letter back into his pocket, "the point is to keep your heads down." He looked around the room, making sure everyone was paying attention.
"The Ministry's doubled security around the Tournament. Father says there'll be more officials at Hogwarts than ever before."
Marcus scoffed again. "What, because of the World Cup?"
"Exactly because of the World Cup," Draco replied. "They're terrified of another incident and that they’ll be the ones to blame."
Blaise folded his arms and rested his head against the wall. “S’pose they’ll be questioning anyone with the wrong surname.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Pansy muttered to Fawcett. The Ravenclaw only laid her head on her hand. “Is it?”
"The Ministry's desperate," Daphne answered. "They'd rather question everyone than admit they don't know who they're looking for."
Malfoy only nodded. “Don’t give them a reason to remember your name, alright?”
Flint seemed bored of the conversation, standing up getting ready to leave. “They’re chasing ghosts, mate.”
Theodore finally spoke up. “Not entirely. What happened at the World Cup was different, sure,” He paused. “But even if the attack wasn’t targeted, it’s still a reminder of the first war.”
Fawcett, standing up and pushing her chair forward, began to speak. “He’s right. Not to get too ahead of ourselves, but it’s an opening for those attacks to begin again.”
Pansy looked up at the Ravenclaw slightly confused, gaining an annoyed sigh out of her. “Imagine what happened to the Longbottoms. Or Bones’, for example.”
The conversation inside carried on, voices overlapping as another topic took over. Y/N barely registered any of it. Her thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.
She eased herself away from the door, one careful step at a time, her suddenly being able to feel her pulse ringing in her ears. She thought about Neville, Susan– she gulped. Their surnames hadn’t been spoken with sympathy, oh, no– they had been spat out like a warning.
She stopped for a moment, leveling her breathing until another surname cracked in her mind; Lestrange. She had the surname, but how could she connect it? It made no sense with what Riddle had said during their Transfiguration class.
She crossed her arms across her chest, tightening her hands on her upper arms before taking another step backwards– her back hitting the cold, unwelcoming castle wall. The excitement she had felt only a few minutes ago for finding a clue to the Riddle investigation had melted into an anxiety deep in her chest, it held a feeling of danger.
I need to get out of here.
She dragged her foot across the floor, each step feeling heavier than the last. What started as her trying to be quiet, quickly evolved into her speeding up and ignoring the sound her running made. From the distance, she heard the classroom’s door open, a loud voice following suit.
“Oi,” Marcus’ voice echoed through the hallway, “Who’s there?”
Y/N’s blood ran cold. Without thinking, she hid behind one of the old, dusty pillars. She covered her mouth, then her face, then her ears as she pleaded that the Quidditch player would just ignore whatever he had heard and left her alone. Her cold hands then rested on her shoulders, as she heard steps across the hallway.
Y/N pressed herself even more into the stone wall, willing to fully disappear into the darkness.
Then, other steps followed Flint’s loud ones.
“You always hear something.”
Y/N’s eyes snapped open. It was Theodore’s voice.
Marcus clicked his tongue. “I’m serious. I heard steps.”
The Italian sighed loud enough that even she heard it. “You should just stick to Quidditch, Flint.”
Both pairs of steps started slowing down, until they stopped. She heard a loud thud, which she assumed was Flint hitting the wall as she felt the vibrations coming through the stone. They were close.
Marcus muttered something she couldn’t quite make out, continuing his steps until Nott spoke up once again.
“‘Ts probably Peeves,” he began, following Flint’s steps. “Or any other ghosts.”
She heard a loud sigh coming from Marcus. “I could’ve sworn–”
Then, from what she could hear, Nott seemed to have patted his back. “Let’s just head back. Malfoy’s waiting for us.”
A few seconds passed, and the steps resumed, gradually fading back into the classroom, leading to the door clicking shut.
The girl stayed in silence. Five, ten– thirty seconds passed, and she stood still right where she was, until her legs started to give up on her. She slowly slipped to the floor, her knees pressed against her chest as she looked into the darkness of the hallway.
A shaky breath that she didn’t know she was holding left her lips, before closing her eyes and resting her head against the pillar. Then, the clock tower rang, loud and proud.
Harry was going to kill her– until she figured out how to explain all of this.
