ʀ.ɪ.ᴘ. ᴛᴏ ᴍʏ ʏᴏᴜᴛʜ - - -

Rabastan smirked, giving Nott a quick but firm smack upside the head ‘lovingly.’ The comment made him more uncomfortable than he let on, but he simply brushed it off. 

“ Agh get bent.” He chuckled. “Tosser.” 

“You just here jerking off or do you actually have something to do? Pub?” He asked eagerly. He barred his teeth and raised his brows, hoping Nott would give him the answer he obviously wanted. 

The amount of pressure Theo applies when grinding his teeth would be enough to break bone. Jaw taunt and brows furrowed, Theodore met the man’s eyes with a forced smile. He didn’t have the luxury of drawing attention to himself, not at this moment, but how he wished he could return the favor. His fingers twitch on the wand he still held in his fingers. “Hard of hearing, Lestrange?” 

Painted lips, curled ever so slightly into a smile. “Are you trying to mock me Nott?” There was no offense t be fund there, just a teasing edge. It had never been her intention to become close to the Nott son, and she couldn’t quite put her finger on when exactly they began to converse with more ease. But they had && the witch T R U S T E D him enough, to ask these dumb questions, to showcase such an embarrassing weakness. Edging her finger closer, the blonde looked both ways for any onlookers before crouching down beside him, moving to stroke the creatures ears, somewhat cautiously, clearly still unsure. “Like this?” A nervous wonder graced over often overly perceptive eyes. 

“I would never mock you, dear.” Except that he was and is, though there is no malice behind it like it might have been, had it been anyone else. Secrets and knowledge, he always thought, were far more powerful than any blood or spell. Blackmail was surprisingly easy to come by. But he wouldn’t do that to her, even if he felt like it. She had done nothing to him, and despite everything, she was a person to respect. 

Andromeda always held on to the little things in people. The little glimpses of something better than what they showed the world, the hope that what was underneath the surface would bubble up someday. Theodore was one of those people that she held onto. Someone who, even though she turned her back on ‘that side’, she could never turn her back on him. Nothing was ever so black and white, and watching him begrudgingly give his muffin to a cat made her smile warmly. “Moments like these, I wish I had a camera. Where’s Skeeter when you need her?” Finally making her presence known by speaking, she momentarily leaned over to give the cat a quick scratch behind its ears. “Think it’s a stray?”

He hadn’t expected to see her — really, to see or speak with her again. Theodore had no ill will toward Andromeda. She was her own woman and knew she wanted. He had nothing against her other than petty jealousy. She made it seem like it was so easy to forsake everything she cared about for a greater purpose. He didn’t know what it felt like. Theodore would refuse to consider himself a coward, but then... wasn’t he? 

Being fully aware that Theodore was a code 1 didn’t stop Gideon from crouching and passing a hand over the cat’s fur—besides, it was ridiculous how often someone would let something slip when their guard was down, and Gideon’s classification hadn’t yet risen to the point of no return. He could still plausibly deny his affiliation. “She’s only spoiled because people like you keep feeding her,” they pointed out evenly. A slight smirk tugged at their lip, but they kept it from spreading fully across their features, instead maintaining a neutral expression.

He always preferred cats over people. Their quiet and independent nature was easy to be around as opposed to the drama people could create over simple matters. Gideon’s sudden appearance was unexpected. Theodore hadn’t thought anyone was around to witness him giving in to the beast’s quiet demands, therefore his unfamiliar gentle expression seemed to disappear within a matter of seconds. “Hm.” He stood back up, shoving his hands into his pockets without bothering to rid himself of the crumbs. “Clearly you are unfamiliar with these creatures. Deny it and it’ll follow you until you die of old age.”

Yes seeing the little thing, now mewing in Theo’s arms, the blonde couldn’t help but wonder why she had been so afraid for so many years. A serge of curiosity overrode any past fears for the creatures, && the women took a couple of steps closer.  “I’m not sure.” She admitted, she hated this, she hated showing such weakness, such uncertainly over a creature so small… Yet she was somewhat assured that she could trust Nott, He wasn’t one to gossip, not really. But still she felt more akin to a child in this moment, another thing she hated. “Will it bite me?”

“No,” he sighed, “not unless you want it to, of course.” His answering grin is devilish but not mocking. Most wouldn’t notice Narcissa’s apprehension; she was the type of woman who hated the idea of having your heart out on your sleeve for all to see. Theodore, however, was observant. “Kneazles are smart, Narcissa. They appreciate respect just as much as you do, I’m sure.”

Brows knitted together at the sight. It wasn’t that he was surprised to see the Nott fellow feeding the stray. because really even with all the rumours that Reginald would hear, it wasn’t an oddity to him, to see these glimpses of kindness in others. What truly confused him was that the cat was even interested in the muffin. “Isn’t that bad for him?” He couldn’t help the comment, even if he knew he’d be better served by keeping his mouth firmly shut. 

She had always been unnerved b animals, the thought of their unpredictability always caused an uneasiness to swell, blinding her to any possible curiosity.  Yet this cat didn’t seem so bad, Narcissa wanted to tame this fear, she wanted to prove to herself that her fears were nothing when going head to head with her own will. “It’s rather small to be called a beast..”

The familiar presence at his side makes it easier to ramble and it takes a moment for him to stop. Then Rabastan’s fingers join Theodore’s on their own and play their familiar dance on the counter, as always playing thousands of tunes in the span of a few moves. “It’s not nonsensical it’s just that I can’t deal anymore with ungraceful gits who-” He starts to explain but looks up intently at his dear friend’s question.

Squinting his eyes, he tries to see if he’s being mocked or not, since Theodore has a way to say the things that irk him the most. “You’ve seen me dance an incalculable amount of times Theodore, you know perfectly well that I’m better than anyone standing in this tent.” Finally leaning closer too, he raises his eyebrows with wonder. “Are you drunk off your mind?”

Once Rabastan’s fingers join his on the table, Theo’s smile grows a little more. It’s not as noticeable to those who didn’t know them, but it was real and it meant something. “Then why don’t you do your best to prove to these ungainly gits just how it’s done?” He waves his hand toward the dance floor, a mirthful glint in his eyes.