great unfinished symphony

The slytherin said a quick goodbye to Isobel. Tried to. A deep kiss turned into two or three that left Theo with a once again untied tie and a whispered promise of that they’d investigate for a rosewater tap the next time. Soon enough, Theo was left alone still looking quite unkempt. He took a moment to tuck in his shirt and continue fiddling with his tie before noticing movement further down the hallway. “I’ve heard a picture’s worth more words than staring. More words? A lot of words? Do you need something?”

“At living as a Muggle?” Justin asked, seeking clarification as his brow furrowed a bit. Imagining Theo without magic was a bit like imagining a duck without feathrs- it was doable, but uncomfortable to picture. He watched as the other boy moved to take a seat, leaving Justin still standing as he considered his question. “I think that you would be fine enough at it. It’s not all bad, especially when you don’t know any different. Going back now is harder.” He explained.

Only once the heat had begun to fade from his cheeks did Justin move to take a seat as well, not really embodying the idea of personal space as he plopped down next to Theo, pressed close to him from ankle to hip. “You’re not a prat, there’s no doubt in my mind that you look amazing in them.” Justin said with complete honesty. There was little that Theo could do in his mind that would make him look anything less than amazing. “Uh, yeah,” He added, a bit sheepishly as his rather colorful tastes were addressed. “I have a maroon, a plum, an emerald…” Justin explained.

At the mention of collecting muggle papers, Justin shook his head. “You can definitely pass on doing that.” He told the Slytherin, feigning firmness with his words. He knew that any picture of him in a Muggle newspaper would be plastered with headlines about his father’s campaign and Justin’s apparent future in Muggle politics. “But I will definitely be looking for you in the Prophet.” He added, teasing gently though he knew that there was one headline Theo was under. He had gotten the Prophet all summer to stay in the loop about the Wizarding World.

Somehow, even with the small compartment train seats, Justin wasn’t close enough. Theo, as casually as he could, placed his arm behind Justin. He admired the shorter boy’s hair from afar and much more obviously from close proximity. “Really?” Theo asked, running his hand through the infamous locks. “I’ve never cooked. I’ll starve. Could I bring Dandy with me? How would I use the...the trains underground?” He struggled to remember the name of many of the muggle things Justin had told except the microwave.

“I’m a bit of a prat. Everyone is. Well, maybe not you.” In Theo’s opinion, Justin was a source of warmth and kindness. He would probably think so even if Justin did start acting like a prat. His biased couldn’t seem to be turned off. “Did you bring them with you? I want to see you in emerald.” Seeing the current object of his affections in his own house color was too much of an intriguing thought. There had to be at least one ball would give Justin an excuse to dress up.

“So I’ll never get to see you in all your glory?” Theo pouted, exaggerating how upset the thought truly made him. “I’m not going to be able to go on without more details. Is that what you want?” He sighed, leaning his head onto Justin’s shoulder. It was easier to talk when he could avoid Justin’s eyes and amuse himself with the other’s long hair. “Have you been reading the prophet?”

“The kind where you’re new and not all that ripe.” It was truly an unnecessary reply, seeing as Theo wasn’t really asking – he wasn’t dumb, contrary to what he sometimes tried to pass for. “If someone cares, they’ll go look for him. If not, he’ll learn the hard way you can’t survive without friends.” Even Blaise had integrated the statement eventually. He righted his friend’s position by wrapping an arm around Theo’s shoulders when they bumped into each other. “Are you okay there?” he asked quietly, hardly finishing his sentence as Theo was speaking up again. His suggestion earned him another snort followed by a chuckle, Blaise shaking his head minutely. “I’ve got better things to do than play good Samaritan to the mudbloods. No, it’s more personal than that. Nothing that big, either. There was just something that had been bugging me about him for a while now, and I’ll finally get to act on my deepest, noble instincts tomorrow.” Not to mention, even if he did go up to some of those people with a kind word, they’re sooner think he was playing tricks on them than accept his offered hand.

“Now I’m ripe? You really know how to charm me, mate.” Familiar pet names that usually came out of his mouth were more to the tune of babe, love, sometimes even angel if Blaise was being particularly difficult. Mate was a fun one to throw around when he felt like playing lower class. “Me? I’m fine. Why?” The quiet question gave Theo pause. His emotional state had been fluctuating between anger and absolutely nothing all day. His friends, and Justin, were the only ones that had been able to slightly induce a state of relaxation in him and even those were fickle. “...Is someone poisoning him tomorrow?”

Millicent frowned. She hadn’t wasted even a second mulling over it. The idea of marrying a stranger picked by her mother was simply too absurd to even consider. “Of course not. Could you imagine, me married to a Beauxbatons prat? Maybe living somewhere like Paris or Avignon.” It was unlikely that she would ever move to another country. If, once out of Hogwarts, she managed to get a job as a Magizoologist and move out of her parent’s house, she would be able to travel, but ultimately she wouldn’t leave her homeland. There was just something about it, she couldn’t picture herself leaving it permanently. “I’m afraid your are stuck with me for life, Nott.” She closed her eyes and kept them close even as Theo ‘proposed’. She chuckled. “On this decaying train? No, thank you.”

“I can imagine you nice and comfy eating bon bons somewhere if that’s what you mean.” He couldn’t. In his educated opinion, Millie need room to run, explore, learn and the more he thought on that the more he realized his best friend sounded like a horse than a person. Maybe not the best thing to tell her. “I’m trying to be stuck with you for life but you don’t want to marry me on a decaying train. Astronomy tower then? Great Hall? We could have it in the common room when we get back.”

“Not that kind of freshness, Theo,” Blaise rolled his eyes even though he knew his best friend was pulling his leg. He grabbed onto Theo’s arm to make sure that, if the prefect actually tried to go and help the kid again, he’d be able to stop him. “Who cares, Theo? He’ll learn his route the hard way, like we did. It’s his fault for being careless.” The question thrown at him next was nothing Blaise had expected. He frowned at his friend, utterly confused for a second. “No I’m not, why in M— oh.” He remembered then his surprise visit at the Hufflepuff table, and let out a snort, something he would never do around anyone who wasn’t Theodore or Millicent. “That? No. I just have business with that one in particular.”

“What kind of freshness?” Theo grinned widely, enjoying any opportunity to ruffle Blaise’s feathers. He allowed himself to be mostly pulled along, only hesitating for a moment in thought of the poor younger student. “Someone must care! What if he doesn’t have an overbearing roommate to guide him? He’ll sleep in all the corridors!” Theo slipped out of Blaise’s grip to walk in step with his roommate. He found himself knocking into Blaise with laughter soon after though. Merlin, that snort made him grin. It might be one of his favorite things about Blaise’s secret behavior. As interesting and intimidating his best friend’s public persona was, there was nothing that could beat his unguarded characteristics. “Really? You’re not heading their Mudblood Bridging the Gap mixer or whatever their new passion project is? Ushering in a new era of equality and acceptance?” It was easy to mock the new public campaign for equality, especially when Theo had seen how those badger identified students had looked at Blaise when he approached their table.

“It does,” Justin confirmed, a bit distracted by Theo’s hands on his waist though he tried his best to focus on what the other boy was saying. The memory of summers without magic wasn’t exactly something he liked to ruminate on. “I can’t imagine living my life without it after Hogwarts. Brings about a lot of choices.” He said with a small smile.

His dark eyes roved over Theo’s face, taking in each and every detail that he could. This close Justin could take note of the varying shades in his eyes, the quirk of his mouth, and the warmth of his form. “All of that and more,” Justin said, laughing lightly as he did so. It was nice having people to talk to that understood the pure tedious nature of such events. Perhaps that was why he enjoyed talking to not just Theo, but Blaise as well. That and the fact they were both truly interesting people. “Though I do prefer my suits to dress robes. I always feel like a prat in dress robes.” He added, almost teasing Theo as he knew the poor boy was subjected to the outfit regularly. 

The compliment that fell from Theo’s lips was unexpected and Justin felt the heat of a blush rising under his tawny skin. “I did wear a suit, multiple suits. Only one was black though. I like to be adventurous where I can.” Justin explained, willing the blush on his cheeks to fade. “I’m sure there’s a Muggle paper with pictures out there somewhere.” He added with a slightly shy shrug.

“Neither can I.” Theo smirked. He’d never voluntarily give up magic. Never even consider it but it was silly to joke about. “Do you think I’d be any good at it?” He patted Justin on the back before disentangling himself from the shorter seventh year and lounging on the compartment seat. Was this how things were always going to be with Justin? Dangerously content?

Leaning back in his seat, Theo let his eyes roam over Justin. The rosiness of his face was adorable. He couldn’t seem to look away or stop the widening smile on his face. Maybe dangerously content wasn’t so bad. “If you’re calling me a prat, you’re right. I look like a total arse in them. Colored suits? Multiple color suits? I get right on collecting all the muggle papers I can. I don’t know if I’m in the Prophet. You could check.” He was, both in the lifestyle section due to the ministry socials he was dragged along to and this morning’s article on ‘Escaped Death Eater Relatives!’. 

Someone had once asked Blaise how he felt about not being made prefect. It had been during one of his mother’s parties during winter break, his fifth year. He had only managed to scoff, and that in itself had been a good enough reply. Why would he want to be responsible for these idiots? Even the kind Theo didn’t particularly like it, it seemed. Then again, what kind of student ate so much they couldn’t move? Ridiculous. “I’d like to see them try,” he huffed, only to grin at Theo. “I believe even the first years should be quick to learn the do’s and don’t’s around here. Besides, if they’re too fresh to know their place, they’re also too fresh to land a hex on me.”

“Am I too fresh to land a hex on you? I thought your freshness was the whole reason you were being hexed.” Theo knocked Blaise with his shoulder, continuing his way to the dungeons with his eyes out for another sleeping student. “Do you think he knows the way back? He couldn’t have been more than a second year. He’ll probably get turned around on the staircases.” Theo had half a mind to turn around but he was tired and there were others on rounds. “You sleeping in the barrels with the badgers tonight?”

Sometimes it worried Justin how easy it was to get lost in Theo when he was as close as he was. It was like the other boy could simply touch him and Justin’s awareness of his surroundings went out the window with the rest of his mind. Frankly, it was good that Theo seemed to have some sense in his head though that was also equally concerning. Justin was so captivated by the Slytherin and he was more than aware that the feeling was less than mutual. 

‘Casual,’ he told himself as Theo’s lips touched his once more and he felt his heart flutter in his chest. That fluttering simply grew as Theo pulled back and caressed his cheek, the action simple and sweet which of course pulled a smile onto Justin’s lips though this one was softer than usual.

“More than ready,” Justin replied immediately, the words said with an absoluteness. “I love my mum and father, but after having magic… going back to life without it leaves me feeling kind of… empty.” He explained, struggling to do so as he knew it wasn’t exactly a feeling that Theo would be able to relate to. The other boy came from magic, from old magic, and that was just not a luxury Justin had. His father hated his magic, hated that it stopped Justin from living out the dreams he had for him, but Justin wasn’t sure magic was what stopped that. “That and I’m so tired of bloody politics and black tie parties.” He added a lighter note, chuckling as he shook his head.

Theo found himself keeping Justin close, his hand rubbing the small of Justin’s back while the other moved down to the boy’s hip. He stared at the other’s hair, wondering how it had been months since he’d seen or touched it. The comfort Theo found himself falling into was worrying. “Does it?” He could push away to worrying to question Justin. Anything to hear about muggle life sans magic. 

From earlier conversations, he had to gather that Justin’s father’s events were much like the ones his own aunt and uncle had him attend. “You don’t like the conversations about your future? Or is it the dressing up? I’ll trade you my dress robes. They’re terrible.” Theo would gladly live in his sweatshirts but he knew they weren’t becoming. His dress robes were too tightly fitted. Black. Dull. More for Blaise in his opinion. “I’m sure you look good in a black tie. You’ll have to show me pictures. Do you wear a suit?” He vaguely remembered the idea of a muggle suit being compared to a penguin though he didn’t know if he was correct.

“Oh yeah, him too.” Justin corrected, remembering that thanking Merlin tended to be the way those brought up in the Wizarding world operated. Just like Theo and others sometimes missed the finer nuances of the Muggle world, Justin had his own missteps when it came to the world of magic. Not that he was an incapable student or anything, but the culture escaped him at times no matter how hard he tried to keep up. He felt by that point at Hogwarts, however, he was doing way better than he once had.

“Calling this hideaway a gift then?” Justin asked, teasing the other male more than actually trying to be taken seriously. The only thing that sobered up his silly nature was the soft press of Theo’s lips against his own. The Slytherin seemed hesitant over that action, unsure if it was still allowed, and that simply endeared him to Justin that much more. With a blinding smile, Justin hooked an arm around Theo’s waist, one hand raising to rest along his neck as he looked at him. “Glad I didn’t leave you to search alone now, are ya?” He teased before moving to indulge in another, longer, kiss.

Justin hadn’t expected to see Theo either. He hadn’t expected to even catch more than a glimpse of the other young man until classes began or until one of them finally had the time to seek out the other. Last year they had begun to do so more frequently, but Justin was holding on to the notion of them being causal the best that he could which meant not hunting down the guy you were so obviously pining after. “I’m glad our paths crossed though. I hated not being able to answer your letters but the real thing is definitely better.”

The returned kiss was something Theo was eager to indulge in. His friends could look for him forever if this was the result. He, in turn, wrapped his arms around Justin’s waist before remembering sitting down and kissing was a more comfortable option. Theo pulled away to rest his forehead against Justin’s. “I agree. The real thing is much better. Unless you’d rather I keep writing to you?” He smirked at the idea of writing Justin’s letters from across the Great Hall. It’d be entirely too risky, almost as dumb as this compartment idea was. Anyone could have seen them. Anyone could barge in. He had barged in on others all day. With that thought in mind, Theo reached around Justin to lock the compartment door before turning his attention back to Justin’s lips.

What had that earlier thought been? Sitting down? It seemed silly when he could pull Justin as close to him as possible. Perhaps the Hufflepuff hadn’t suggested getting away somewhere private to be felt up in a compartment but to talk. He slowly separated his face from Justin’s, rubbing the other’s cheek fondly. He didn’t see any hesitance on the other’s face or at least any he could tell.

“Are you ready to go back?” Theo asked. As though he could help if Justin said no. They were already on the train. It was the start of another year whether they liked it or not. Theo for one couldn’t decide if this was a blessing or a curse to not be home.

“ Do you plan on sleeping here, in the middle of the corridor, or is there hope yet that you will wake up and get a move on ?”

Not the nicest words to throw at some random soul, but Blaise was tired and so decided to throw politeness out the proverbial window. Some people got impossibly sluggish once they had their stomach full – which was why he always made sure to leave the table only mainly satiated – and seeing how dreadful the general population already was, right after meals Blaise could have tested out his ability to use Unforgivables on the lot of them, he was that frustrated.

Theo tapped Blaise on the side before brushing past his best friend to crouch down next to leisurely student. A few minutes of talking led Theo to figure out the kid had just stuffed himself instead of fainting or being stunned. He reprimanded the younger kid, turning back to Blaise to roll his eyes, before sending the sleepy student on his way. Theo stood up, unsure as to why he had continued to be a prefect. It was more trouble than it was worth. “You can’t just snap at students because your tired, Zabini.” Theo said teasingly, standing up from his crouching position. “Someone’s gonna hex you one day.”

The wavering nature of the question that Theo asked had Justin looking over at the boy, smiling fondly before nodding his head with an absoluteness. There was no room for second-guessing or misstepping when it came to getting a few precious moments with the Slytherin, at least not in Justin’s mind. “Yeah, of course I do.” He told the other boy, but Theo had already taken action and knocked on a nearby door.

His show of eagerness had Justin suppressing the goofy grin that threatened to take over his lips.

“Perfect!” Justin exclaimed, moving to duck around Theo into the compartment and leaving little time for the other to second guess as he wrapped long tawny fingers around his wrist, aiming to tug him into the compartment behind him and slide the door shut. “I think God was on our side today with this. I haven’t seen an empty compartment all day.” He commented, turning to the other boy and closing a bit of the space between them now. He always aimed to make sure that Theo was as comfortable as possible, so he left room between them in case the other boy still was uncomfortable with an affectionate display.

Theo allowed himself to be pulled into the compartment, taking a second to glance up and down the corridor to see if anyone would notice their sudden disappearance. The beauty of the overcrowded train was it was difficult for any students grouped together to seem out of the ordinary. 

Before he realized it, however, Theo was alone with Justin. The chatter of the other students now dull due to the closed compartment door. He took a deep breath, allowing his shoulder to fall from their tense position as he got used to the quieter surroundings. “More like Merlin. I think he owes me today.” Theo would have been insufferable if nothing went his way today and spending time alone with Justin, when he should have been doing rounds or finding his friends, was an unexpected delight.

Closing the remaining space between them, Theo placed a gentle and quick kiss on Justin’s lips. There was always some confusion when it came to a returning school year. You would think after two years of hooking up with the Hufflepuff, Theo wouldn’t have an hesitance on how to interact with him. “I didn’t expect to see you so soon. It’s nice.”

Millicent raised an eyebrow. “Many detailed accounts? A ledger?” She scoffed. “Doesn’t matter, actually. I aready know you are the best cushion of the castle.” She laughed, resting her head on his shoulder. She wasn’t surprised that Theo had almost guessed. Nowadays her mother approached her only those times she remembered she had an unmarried daughter. “No, but wanted to let me know that she knows someone who knows someone whose son goes to Beauxbatons. She also made sure to repeat plenty of times that, whoever this twit is, he is single and tha arranging a marriage would be quite easy.” She ended the sentence rolling her eyes. Undoubtedly, her mother was just interested in the connections and the possible trips to France that the marriage would bring. “Oh, please. We will be the last two single people on the planet.” 

Theo grinned, liking the phrase ‘best cushion of the castle’. It was just the kind of thing he needed to hear from Millie on a day like today. He busied himself running a hand over her hair as she leaned closer. Snuggled close to Millicent, he could stare out the window of their compartment and pretend it was just another year back. If Blaise was here drawling on about some annoyance, it’d be almost perfect. “A french boy?” He raised his eyebrows. “Are you even going to consider it? You’d move to France and I’d never see you again but I’d get to vacation there, right?” Theo’s Aunt and Uncle hadn’t even mentioned marriage to him though he knew with the political climate he’d be hearing sooner rather than later. “...Do you wanna get married?”

“Is that so, Nott?” Millicent snickered. She was no good at speaking in a posh voice, but she could lift her chin up slightly and imitate the expression she had seen many times on her mother’s face. “And who would these reviews be from? There are very few people whose opinion I trust.” She sighed, not surprised that he had seen through her little lie. “Alright, fine. I wasn’t insufferable. I did miss you guys, though.” Pansy was a good roommate and nice enough to spend time with. While she had vented to the other Slytherin girl about expectations and growing up as Pureblood girl a few times, it  wasn’t Pansy who she would prefer to spend the majority of her summer with. “Oh,” she said after a pause, “I didn’t tell you what my mother said this morning, did I?” With the news that had been spread that morning and the chaos of the train ride, she had almost forgotten about the whole thing.

“Start naming people and I see if I have one in my files. My many, detailed, uh, accounts? Ledger?” Theo laughed, happy to revert back to their more relaxed nature. Well, until Millie’s mother was brought up. He had a hatred for that woman close to his heart for at least six years. He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear anything her mother had to say but if it was important for Millicent to tell him he’d listen. “You didn’t.” Theo tugged light on a lock of her hair before brushing it back behind her ear. “Are you getting married too? Am I going to be the last single person on the planet?” 

Seamus’ ears perked up as he heard Theo’s voice float into his compartment. “Ah, no, I’m completely aware of how to treat burns, Nott, don’t you worry.” He winked, turning his full attention to the Slytherin. “What brings you to my compartment? Looking for a pick-me-up?” He wasn’t sure if the other would interpret that as alcohol or sex which Seamus was more than prepared to offer. It was just fun to him to tease like that.

Theo shook his head, the smile not leaving his lips for a frown at the thought of leaving Seamus in this state. “Not entirely though I’d love to know what you consider an appropriate pick-me-up on the train. It’s rounds. They force us to check that you haven’t managed to inflict bodily harm on yourself but I see you’ve already managed that. Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I bounced from my home to an event to another event then home again, and repeat,” Justin explained. “And that pattern continued for the majority of the summer, apart from the time I actually was able to get away, but then I was out of London with a friend. Father’s conditions on the matter was to be out of the city.” The re-vote was a politically dividing moment for the nation, and for the city that Justin’s father represented. Nothing worried him more than the thought of his only son getting hurt by someone trying to scare him off from running or to send a message to the nation.

The term of endearment that Justin had used made him smile when Theo echoed it back. Honestly, the word had slipped from his lips against his will and even though the other boy used it seemingly to make a point more than anything else, Justin wasn’t bothered. “No exotic trips like you, unfortunately. It seemed that you all had a great time.”

When Theo stopped, Justin did too though he just looked at the other young man expectantly rather than sighing. “Hide and seek? Yell Marco and see if you get a response.” Justin suggested, laughing softly at the notion of Blaise or Millicent responding to such a thing. “We can just grab a compartment you know. If they need you, they’ll find you.” He reasoned, shrugging his shoulders.

“Hide and seek and Marco. Right.” He laughed along with Justin awkwardly, only slightly understanding the joke. Who was Marco again? His knowledge of muggle things was much more advanced than it had been, thanks to the Hufflepuff, but it was still nothing to gawk at. “Do you want to?” Theo’s hesitance came out a bit in his question, though a contradictory smile played on his lips. The space between them, three months, had made Theo unsure of what was expected procedure. He had always been very clear at drawing lines with Justin, or so he thought he had. His emotions were twisted around today. Perhaps he good blame it on his ever changing mood.

Without waiting for an answer, Theo knocked on the compartment closest to them. After hearing no answer, he opened the door and was slightly shocked to see no one had occupied it. It seemed maybe, finally, his luck was turning around. He had seen compartments packed full all day, it made no sense that they’d stumble upon an empty one but Theo wasn’t about too look a gift hippogriff in the mouth. “I mean, if you want to there’s one right here?”

If the girl’s tense posture did not do enough to convey her offense at Theo making a big deal over her change in wardrobe, the way her eyes narrowed at him in a glare probably would.  She was still the same person, simply stuffed into clothing that accentuated her long legs and slender figure; she hated the attention the outside of her drew that her own personality had always failed to.  “My grandparents, if you must know.  They didn’t want me embarrassing your precious best friend.”  She took a moment to really look at him, and the way her dark eyes settled on his, one got the distinct feeling that she was seeing deeper than they wanted her to.

“To find my friend.  Justin Finch-Fletchley.  I’m sure you’ve had a few classes with him over the years.”  His question about sitting with he and his friends had Ami choking on a snort, her hand rising quickly in an attempt to smother the indelicate sound.  “Not if it were the last damn seat on the train,” she replied bluntly, before turning back to glance at him.  “No offense.  We just…we weren’t friends before, and I don’t know why my engagement to Zabini would change that.  We’re not actually to be wed until after my graduation, after all.”

Theo stared a moment, struck by Amity’s eyes. It wasn’t as though he wasn’t able to look away, he felt as though he wasn’t supposed to. After a few seconds of unabashed and slightly confused staring, Theo drew his gaze away. Preferring to glance down the corridor of the train than stare down his best friend’s fiancé anymore. “They did a wonderful job. You must send them my compliments.”

Theo was about to answer her when he was surprised by her quite indelicate snort. “It was just a suggestion.” He shrugged, trying to not seem put off by her response. Wasn’t it weird to wait until the end of the school to get to know or try to get to know someone you were going to share your life with? It’s not as though he was going to be seeing a lot of her in the future. “Good luck with your finding Finch-Fletchley then. I hope it’s less interesting than it has been.”