Tee

“If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl and once like a brown owl.” Fili pushed Bilbo forward and out of the cover. While Bilbo's back was turned to you Kili took your arm and dragged you away.

“Kili and Fili Durin!” You yelled with a low voice. “You can’t just leave Bilbo like that!” Kili didn’t even flinch at your outburst. Instead he dragged you further into the woods behind a thick cluster of bushes before finally letting go of your arm. Fili had not followed you both and you had not seen where he went. 

“We are not leaving him,” he said quickly, his voice low but firm. We’re giving him a chance.” 

“A chance to get killed?” You hissed and glared at him, your feathers stood on end like a cat's raised hackles. 

“A chance to prove himself,” he corrected calmly. “He is our burglar.” You opened your mouth to argue, but closed it again. From where you both were crouched you could perfectly well see Bilbo carefully moving through the woods. Your pulse quickened as you watched him creep towards the three trolls. The trolls were arguing loudly about their dinner as they prepared the stew. The ponies were tied behind them in a makeshift pen, all frightened and restless. 

Bilbo managed to sneak past them and now tried to undo the knot that kept the ponies secured. But the rope was too thick and not easily undone by hand. You knew how this was gonna turn out but you still worried for Bilbo. Bilbo soon realised that the rope was too thick to try to pry open. Something on the trolls caught his eye and slowly he began creeping up to them. The trolls kept arguing between themselves. 

“Noo Bilbo you fool,” you mumbled worriedly. You watched as Bilbo almost succeeded in stealing the knife when the Troll reached behind and took a hold of him, using him as a living snot tissue. 

“Blimey!” The troll screamed, “Bert. Bert! Look what’s come out of me hooter. It’s got arms and legs and everything.” The other two trolls gathered around the one holding Bilbo. 

“What is it?” Said one of the other trolls. 

“I don’t know. But I don’t like the way it wriggles around.” The one holding Bilbo threw him to the ground. 

“Kili!” You shouted, “we must do something now.” You watched helplessly as the trolls began chasing Bilbo around.

“I know, I know, but we must wait.” You snapped around at this reply and was about to argue when you heard a twig snap in the woods. Around you the rest of the company had come, it seemed that Fili had gone to get help. Turning back around the Trolls had now captured Bilbo again and were holding him upside down. Kili had disappeared from your side. 

Kili rushed out from the bushes, slashing the closest troll with his sword twice, making the troll collapse to the ground and holding his foot in pain. 

“Drop him!” Kili shouted. 

“You what?” Said the one holding Bilbo. Kili swung his sword around, getting ready to fight.

“I said…drop him.” He growled. 

The troll grunted and threw the hobbit at Kili who caught him but fell to the ground from the force of the throw. Out from the woods came the company with Thorin in the lead. All rushing to fight the trolls. Chaos erupted in the troll camp but the company fought like they were born for battle. You had no weapons and felt useless on the side but your eyes fell on the panicked ponies. You dodged and ran through the chaos, stopping before the ponies. Just like Bilbo you could not get the rope loose but as you struggled Bilbo came rushing with the knife. 

“Hurry!” You shouted as Bilbo worked on the rope. Just as you were about the celebrate from the success of freeing the ponies, something caught you from behind and lifting you up. A troll had taken you in its hold and you wriggled in its grip. Your wings were held in an uncomfortable position making it painful. Beside you the other two trolls held Bilbo by his arms and legs.  

The others stopped their fighting and Kili shouted your name and Bilbo’s when he saw what was going on. He surged forward, ready to fight for both of your freedom. But Thorin held him back with one arm. 

“Lay down your arms. Or we’ll rip his off.” The leader said.

“And hers too.” Said the one holding you. “Or these interesting wings.” Thorin gave a sigh of defeat and lowered his sword. Kili looked between his uncle and the trolls, and threw his sword down in anger as Thorin laid down his. 

– ♡ – 

Half of the company was stripped to their under clothes and tied to a pole, being roasted alive over the fire. The other half plus you were tied into smelly sacks. Your wings were uncomfortably crammed into the sack, you were taller than the dwarves and so the sack did not really fit you. The trolls had compensated for the lack of sack with a harshly tied rope around your middle. Successfully keeping your wings tucked at your side. You were sandwiched between Oin and Kili who were also tied into sacks. 

Bilbo perked at something the trolls said. 

“Wait!” Bilbo shouted, “you are making a terrible mistake.” 

“You can’t reason with them. They’re half-wits!” Shouted Dori from the pole. 

“Half-wits? What does that make us?” Answered Bofur. 

“I meant with the seasoning.” Bilbo pushed up to his feet and hopped forward, closer to the firepit. 

“What about the seasoning?” Said one of them and stopped the turning of the pole and slightly crouched down to get a better look at Bilbo. 

“Well, have you smelt them? You’re gonna need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up.” The company shouted out their disapproval. Bilbo kept talking with the trolls to stall for time. Something he said made the dwarves squirm and shout loudly and you groaned out as both Ori and Kili's weight pressed into you. 

One of the trolls picked up Bombur, holding him up high getting ready to taste him. 

“No no-not that one! He’s infected!” Shouted Bilbo, panic crossed over his face. 

“You what?” 

“He’s got worms in his…tubes.” At that the troll shouted and dropped Bombur right on top of you, Oin and Kili. A pained groan went through all of you. 

“In fact, they all have. They’re infested with parasites. It’s a terrible business. I wouldn’t risk it. I really wouldn’t.” Bilbo continued. Kili and the rest burst out with disapproval. But as Thorin punched Oin and Kili they stopped and changed their tone. 

“I’ve got parasites as big as my arm.” Said Oin.

“Mine are the biggest parasites! I’ve got huge parasites!” Shouted Kili, the others agreed. 

The trolls saw through Bilbo's attempt at tricking them but as they started to turn the pole again Gandalf appeared atop a big boulder. 

“The dawn will take you all!” He shouted. 

“Who’s that?”

“No idea.”

“Can we eat him too?” 

Gandalf lifted his staff in the air and plunged it down onto the boulder, splitting it in two and letting the rising sun shine into the camp. The effect was immediate, the trolls shouted out in pain as their flesh sizzled and turned into stone. The dwarves shouted out happily as the enemy finally was defeated. 

– ♡ – 

After being released from your sack and let out from being sandwiched between two dwarves, you were quite sore. You stood alone and massaged your squished feathers. The others were rummaging through the trolls belongings. They had taken a toll from both the trolls hold on you and the rope. The bone and muscle on your back ached but nothing was broken, thankfully. You had however lost a lot of feathers, each intact feather that you could find was collected. Maybe someone could have use of them. 

Gandalf called for you and Bilbo as he came out of the troll cave. First he gave Bilbo a short sword, but a perfect size for him. Then he turned to you and handed you a sword as well, this one longer but light. 

“Here, this will work fine with your size.” 

“Thank you, but I don’t know how to use a sword.” Gandalf only winked and said nothing more. 

“Something’s coming!” Shouted Thorin, everyone ran to huddle together with weapons ready. Something moved in the woods, heading your way. Big rabbits jumped out from a bush, pulling a sleigh. A disheveled man stood atop the sleigh and came to a stop at the center of the company. 

“Radagast! Radagast the brown!” Gandalf exclaimed. 

– ♡ – 

As Gandalf walked away to talk with Radagast you tried out the feel of your new sword in your hands. You adjusted your grip on the sword, testing its weight. It was lighter than you expected but it still felt unfamiliar and wrong in your hands. You swung it gently through the air once. It felt…weird. 

“You will take your own head off if you hold it like that.” You startled slightly and turned. Kili approached from some steps away. There was a faint smudge of dirt on his cheek and his hair was slightly more disheveled than before. But otherwise he looked completely unfazed by everything that just happened. 

“I don’t know how to use it,” you lowered your sword. 

“May I?” He asked just like yesterday when he helped you with your wings. You hesitated briefly before nodding.

Kili only had the time to approach you before a distant howl was heard. 

“Was that a wolf? Are there wolves out there?” Bilbo asked with a slight panic in his voice. 

“Don’t feel like it,” you muttered quietly. He held out a hand to you and pulled you up with ease as you placed your hand in his. When on your feet your balance wavered slightly and you took a hold of his hand, to steady yourself, before he had the chance to let go. 

“Careful,” he said amused. “Wouldn’t want you to fall before the day even begins.”

“I fell out of the sky yesterday,” you said and looked him dead in the eyes. “And I promise you that I'm not usually this clumsy.” 

“Fair point,” Kili smiled at you. 

The air was crisp and the low morning sun peeked out through the leaves. Around you the company was already preparing to leave. Bedrolls were now rolled up and fastened on the back of backpacks. Breakfast was being handed out efficiently as the company was getting ready to leave. 

“Oh,” you breathed out as your gaze landed on the ponies. Kili followed your line of sight. 

“Do you know how to ride?” He asked. 

“I have ridden a horse a handful times back home,” you replied sheepishly. “But that is ponies” 

“Oh it will go well, if they can carry us dwarves then they can carry you.” He laughed. 

Before you could say anything else, he guided you toward one of the ponies and patted her neck gently. 

“So?” He looked at you with a raised brow, “up you go.” 

“Well…” You winched, “I don’t know how to get up with my wings.” Kili shook his head and made a teasing tsk sound. 

“Give me your foot and I will give you a boost up.” Taking the reins in one hand and the other hand on the front of the saddle you raised one foot for Kili to take. One three you bounced and he gave you a boost up. With a groan from you and a graceless mount, you managed to climb onto the pony. Your wings rested on the back of the pony and she stepped uneasily under you from the new feeling. 

“I don’t think she likes me very much,” you said with unease. Kili stepped closer and adjusted the way you sat.

“She will settle after some time, don’t worry.” He said before walking over to his own pony and mounted without a problem. 

– ♡ – 

The journey was bumpy with the added discomfort of your wings. You quickly learned how to ride with your wings through uneven forest terrain, there were lots of ducking, tucking and trying to stay on. On several occasions you lost your balance while trying to parry the terrain and each time Kili was there, helping you. At some point you think he got tired of hurrying up to you whenever you needed help and just stayed closer to your pony than necessary. You did not really complain. 

The forest on middle earth was breathtaking, so unlike the forests from back home. The trees felt alive, almost magical. The terrain was also lush with different types of life, plants in different colors that you have never seen before. 

“Tell me something,” he said after a while in silence, glancing up at you. “In your world, do people often fall from the sky?”

“Not usually,” you laughed. “It does happen but more like a once in a lifetime experience.” 

“My world is a lot different from here,” you said softly. He was quiet for a moment. 

“Do you miss it?” He asked. You looked ahead at the company, at the lush strange forest stretching endlessly before you, then down at him. 

“I don’t know,” Your eyes met briefly before you could look away, for a second your heart did something strange in your chest. 

– ♡ – 

By the time the sun began to set the company had left the thick forest terrain and now rode on the outskirts of the woods.

“We camp here for the night!” Called Thorin out at the front of the line as he slowed to a halt and dismounted his pony. 

“Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure to stay with them.” He quickly began calling out orders as the company gathered. The area you had stopped on was slightly rocky and a ruined farmhouse still stood as a shelter. A few had already started to unpack under the barely still there roof. 

Relief coursed through you as you dismounted your pony and you only noticed Gandalf leaving when he was already long gone. In your tired mind something clicked, your wings twitched at the realization. You tried to reel in your emotions before someone saw, but you were unlucky. 

“What is it?” Kili had seen you and asked, stepping closer. You scanned the tree line, a feeling of unease creeped up your spine. 

“I can’t say,” you said quietly. “Some things can’t be stopped or changed on this journey.” He stepped closer to take the pony from your hands. 

“Are you sure?” He asked gently, you nodded with a tight smile as an answer.

“Go do your duty.” 

– ♡ – 

Night fell quickly. You had settled close to the fire, carefully leaning against a still intact wooden pole, where Bombur was tending over the stew. The rest of the company settled with eating or resting. You had already eaten your portion of the stew that did not really raise your appetite. It was different from the food at home, another thing you had to get used to. 

Bilbo stood and looked out over the camp, keeping an eye out for Gandalf. 

“He’s been a long time,” Bilbo said and walked over to Bofur who was serving two portions of stew.

“Who?” Answered Bofur. 

“Gandalf.” Bilbo tapped his foot impatiently. 

“He’s a wizard! He does as he chooses. Here, do us a favor. Take this to the lads.” Bofur gave Bilbo the two bowls of soup and gestured with his head in the direction of Fili and Kili. 

You tensed up at the conversation, you knew what would happen next. Everything in you screamed to intervene but you also knew that you shouldn’t. 

“Bilbo, wait up!” You got up and jogged after him, your will did not win today. The hobbit was surprisingly quick on his feet and you had to run a bit to catch up to him. 

“Let me help you with that,” you said and gestured for one of the bowls. 

“I can manage perfectly well myself, thank you very much.” Was Bilbos reply.

“I insist,” you smiled gently and he handed over one of the bowls reluctantly. You walked through the camp and into the edge of the woods where the rest of the ponies were held. Bilbo walked up to Kili and Fili who were staring intently at the ponies. You stopped a step back, letting Bilbo take the lead.

“What’s the matter?” Bilbo looked between the two of them. 

“We’re supposed to be looking after the ponies,” answered Kili.

“Only we’ve encountered a slight problem,” continued Fili. 

“We had 16.”

“Now there's 14.”

Fili and Kili walked further into the woods to inspect the ponies. 

“Daisy and Bungo are missing.” Said Kili and inspected the trees. 

“Well, that’s not good.” Bilbo chuckled worriedly and walked after the brothers. You followed after them but kept quiet.

“And that is not good at all. Shouldn't we tell Thorin?” He said as he saw the fallen tree Fili and Kili were inspecting. 

“Uh no. Let's not worry him.” Fili made a strained sound. “As our official burglar, we thought you might like to look into it.” 

“Oh, well.” Bilbo stumbled on his words. “Looks…like… something big uprooted these trees.”

“That was our thinking.” Kili agreed.

“It’s something very big and possibly…quite dangerous.” Bilbo took a big shaky breath. 

A sound caught Fili’s attention. 

“Hey, there’s a light,” he said in a hushed voice and gestured over to follow him. The three of you followed him and crouched against a fallen tree. 

“What is it?” Bilbo asked as you looked into the woods and the flickering lights in the distance. 

“And this is Thorin Oakenshield and his kin, our leader,” Gandalf stopped before three tall dwarves, they were almost the same height as you. You curtsied to try to show them respect, afterall you did unintentionally crash their journey. Thorin looked at your wings with an unreadable look before passing it over the rest of you. 

“And what exactly are you?” Was Thorin's response to seeing you. Looking down at yourself you frowned. When you entered into this world something had changed more to you than just adding wings to your back. Instead of the modern pyjama set that you went to bed in you were now wearing something out of a fantasy movie. Somehow you were glad that the universe decided to change your clothes. 

“I’m just a human,” The murmurs around the camp grew, that answer did not ease any worries. 

“Humans do not have wings?” Said the blonde dwarf standing on Thorin's right side as both a statement and a question. 

“I did not have wings before this,” you gestured aimlessly, “I don’t know how but something changed me into this,” this time you gestured to the whole of you. 

“I was the first to see you, the falling star crashing into our camp,” the brown haired dwarf on Thorin’s left stepped forward, he looked at you with a curious wonder so unlike the rest of the company. The three dwarfs before you were visibly kin but the left one looked the most like a younger version of Thorin. A memory told you that the two dwarves were Fili and Kili, brothers and inseparable. 

“We can’t have a straggler on this quest. She will not join us,” you did not have the time to come up with a defence before Thorin turned his back and started to walk away. 

“Thorin Oakenshield!” Bellowed Gandalf, “there is a reason our new companion was sent here and you will hear reason.” Thorin stopped but did not turn back around. At this Gandalf gave you an encouraging nod. 

“I know this journey and its ins and outs.” You had now the attention of everyone in the camp. “I know the past and the future and with this I can help. I can help you on the quest of reclaiming your home.” You took a deep breath as you finished. Before you Thorin turned around again and took a step closer to you.

“And how exactly do you know this?” His voice was a deep rumble that made you ready to run and your wings twitched. 

“Its quite obvious that I'm not from this world,” you dared to joke lightly. “Where I'm from this whole journey is a story from three movies. Also a book but I do think this world is more similar to the movies than the book.” You rambled and Thorin’s gaze hardened at your words. 

“A story?” He repeated, “you can’t expect me to believe that our birthright is just a story for you?” He said in his low voice and took another step closer. 

Your wings shuddered and you willed yourself to not take a step back. 

“It’s not just a story anymore, I'm living in it.” You said quietly. “I can prove that I'm no liar,” you said louder for them all to hear. 

“This quest took its start in the shire not long ago now. We're a hobbit had to invite in oh so unwelcomed dwarf guests he had no idea would show up.” You looked over to the hobbit and reached out an arm to point at him. “The future is tricky, there will be lots of hardship and battles. First there will be Trolls, three of them.” A heavy silence settled over the clearing. 

Kili stepped forward with an intrigued look, “And how do we avoid these trolls.” 

“We do not,” you met his gaze. “We survive.” A thick silence fell over the camp at your words and Gandalf patted your shoulder reassuringly. Smiles broke out on Kili and Fili's faces, Thorin however did not smile. But he had not yet dismissed you. 

 “Fine,” he snapped out. “You will travel with us but one wrong move and you will take responsibility.” You nodded your head quickly and as Thorin turned away the tension in your body eased. 

– ♡ – 

The camp slowly turned back to, what you assumed, a somewhat normal after Thorin made his decision. Though the atmosphere was tense and thick, the dwarves talked lowly among themselves as they cast glances your way, both curious and wary. You shifted awkwardly where you stood, your wings twitched behind you like they had a mind of their own. 

“That went better than expected,” a voice said lightly and you turned your head towards the voice. Kili stood a few steps away with arms crossed and an amused smile on his lips. 

“Thorin does not do well with strangers. But you handled it well.” He praised. 

“I’m glad that someone thought I did well, personally it felt like I was gonna piss myself,” you huffled out and your reply earned you a quiet chuckle from him. For a moment neither of you spoke, but then his gaze drifted to your wings. 

“They’re…real?” He asked and tilted his head. 

"Unfortunately yes,” you huffled. 

“Unortunatley?” He repeated and took a step closer. “Most would consider wings a gift.” 

“They are heavy,” you sighed and dropped your shoulders forward. “I don’t even know how to use them and most of the time they act on their own.” As if on cue one of the wings twitched awkwardly and brushed against something, a pack, successfully knocking it over with a soft thud. Kili snorted at the scene. 

“Careful,” he said, stepping around you to move the pack away. “We don’t want it to look like you are trying to sabotage us” Your cheeks warmed embarrassingly at his words. 

“I’m serious,” you muttered and looked at him over your shoulder. “I really don’t know how to control them.” 

“I could help you,” There was a pause from him. “If I may?” You hesitated for a second, letting a stranger touch your wings felt wrong, but something about him touching your wing didn’t feel completely appalling. 

“You may,” you answered softly. At your consent Kili stepped closer behind you. You felt the warmth of his hand long before it touched you. His hand hovered for a second before gently brushing the base of your wing. You sucked in a sharp breath, your back tensing before relaxing. 

“Sensitive?” He asked, voice quiet and gentle. 

“A bit,” You managed to say. 

“Relax,” he murmured. “I won’t hurt you.” His hand gently adjusted your wing, guiding it inward. 

“Try to follow the movement of this wing,” He instructed. You focused on the wing that was not under his hand. Slowly and awkwardly you managed to follow his movements and the wing folded closer to your back. 

“See, you did it! Not so difficult” He said and you gave him a slight smile over your shoulder. 

“It is difficult when I don’t have someone to do it for me,” you replied. 

“Then it's fortunate that you have someone now.” His words were light, almost a whisper. 

You turned slightly to look at him better, only to find him closer than expected. And for a brief moment neither of you moved. His gaze flickered from your wings and your eyes and back again, something unreadable passed through his eyes. 

“Well,” he stepped back, “we can’t have our mysterious fallen star knocking over all our supplies, now can we.” He joked, you smiled despite yourself. 

“Kili, was it?” You asked. He gave a small bow. “At your service.” 

– ♡ – 

In a secluded clearing in the woods huddled a company of thirteen dwarves, one hobbit and one grey wizard. They had just made camp and settled in for the night when one dwarrow in the company focused his gaze on the sky. 

“Fili, do you see that strange star in the sky?” The dwarrow tapped the one beside him with his elbow and pointed to the sky. The one beside him, Fili, looked up to the sky with an exasperated sigh but quickly straightened himself. 

“I do indeed.” His gaze puzzled, “is it moving?”

The pair's conversation brought the attention of the others in the company. Their murmurs of the strange occurrence made the wizard snap his gaze towards the sky. A flurry of nasty words left the wizard’s mouth when he noticed what the commotion was about. As the alleged star made its way closer to the ground the company noticed it taking the form of white wings shielding a body. An outburst of emotions and words came from the group as they all realized what was heading their way. Someone shouted for Gandalf to do something and the wizard murmured strange words and tapped his staff against the ground. The star slowed down its deadly fall and gently landed on the grass. Its great white wings slowly unfurled, exposing a unconscious girl. 

– ♡ – 

A pained groan left you as you slowly woke up from a strange dream. You were about to roll onto your side in your bed when you noted some strange things. The bed you thought you laid in was actually something slightly wet and cold, with a slow exploration with your fingers you came to the conclusion that it was grass. The second thing was the pounding pain from your back and that your back was somehow attached to something heavy. Still with closed eyes you began breathing in a square, reeling in the oncoming panic, but then you noticed the third thing. There were quiet voices murmuring all around you, a cold feeling crept up your body from the realization. 

Carefully you opened your eyelids just enough to peep but still look like your eyes were closed. Figures hovered all around you and your eyes closed again in panic. You were undoubtedly surrounded by strangers and had no idea how you ended up in this situation. Your mind scrambled to figure out what to do when a voice broke you out of your panic. 

“We know that you are awake.” A gruff but comforting voice said, “open your eyes, we will cause you no harm.” A minute went by as you processed the words and finally you blinked open your eyes. As the world came into focus you noticed the strange men hovering over you with their hands on various looking weapons. You let out a startled shriek, curling in around yourself and pressed your eyes closed again, the weight on your back moved swiftly and the light seeping in through your eyelids dimmed. 

“Interesting,” murmured the same voice again and the sound of moving feet made you brace yourself.

“I promise you that the buffoons here will not hurt you. You have my word,” this time the voice was closer like the person it belonged to was crouched before you. Gathering yourself with slow calculated breaths you decided to open your eyes again but was greeted with the sight of white feathers. 

“Uhm…” You cleared your throat. 

“Ah yes, you need to move your wings dear,” this left you dumbfounded. Last time you checked you were definitely wingless, no human had wings as far as you knew. Carefully you reached out a hand to feel the feathers. They were beautiful in the dim light and you could only imagine what they would look like under a golden sun. Not really knowing how to control your new body parts you used both your hands to gently push away the wings to expose yourself to the world. This time a tall older man with grey robes and pointed hat sat crouched down before you, the others around you were this time unarmed but looked sceptical towards you. You held eye contact with the man while your mind caught up to you. 

“Gandalf?” You whispered unsure if your mind was playing a trick or not. 

“That’s indeed me,” Gandalf answered and shooed away the observers before extending a hand. You were glad for the help when your legs shook from the small effort of standing up. The new weight on your back had you trying to find your balance embarrassingly long and you were again grateful for using Gandalf’s arm as a stabilizer. 

“I- where am I?” You asked and looked around the area, the place you woke up in was a clearing in the woods and the company gathered here had spread out a camp for the night. 

“Where do you think you are?” Gandalf replied and stroked his beard. 

Even if you had the label as the school's sweetheart you were quite under the radar, you kept to yourself and your few selected friends. The attention was mostly on others like the slytherin boys. They were the exact opposite from you. Loud, trouble and somewhat dangerous to your quiet, calm and friendly nature. But one person in that group stuck out to you, Theodore Nott. When his friends were loud, he was quiet and observant. That quietness drew you towards him (maybe also his dashing looks). You observed him in your shared classes and quickly acquired a crush on the boy. However you never acted on your crush, it became a quiet thing that rested deep in your heart. Because why would a slytherin like a hufflepuff? Why would Theodore Nott like the school's sweetheart?

Somehow along the way you became friends with Pansy Parkinson, your personalities clashing but also fitting. She soon enough became your closest friend in the whole castle and you were also hers. For the most of the time you spent your time with Pansy in one of your respective dorms, mostly yours because you were slightly afraid to enter the slytherin common room. Pansy knew this but never commented on it, until she did.

"You should come meet the boys" Pansy said as you both were lounging on your bed doing homework together. Your quill froze in the middle of writing a sentence, the ink smudging and ruining the text. "No." you managed to get out after your brain switched on again. "What do you mean by no." Pansy threw you a look, like she was not expecting the rejection but also saw it coming. "I just...What if they don't like me? I am not really like them." Your quill and parchment was now abandoned on the bed, your attention fully on Pansy. "You are also not like me but we get along. I promise they will like you, if not I will hex them myself." You gave her a pointed look at that and Pansy just threw her hands up and rolled her eyes. "We don't have to do a big thing about it, let's just go to the common room, say hi and see where things go. And honestly they need someone like you in their life. Someone soft to care for" The room was quiet after that. The possibilities of what she said made your heart race. They need someone like you.

"Okey, let's meet the boys"

Pansy dragged you out of your dorm room right after you said yes, you had a sneaky suspicion she just wanted to go spend time with Blaise. The closer you both got to the dungeon the faster your heart started to beat. Have courage and be kind, have courage. Those thoughts went on repeat in your head in the middle of the chaos that were your thoughts. The thought of finally meeting those pretty blue eyes you have been dreaming about did nothing for the chaos in you.

All the boys sat around a couch group beside the fireplace. Mattheo and Draco in armchairs, Blaise in one of the couches, Lorenzo on the floor and Theodore on the other couch. He was all long legs sprawled out and nursing a cig. Dark eyes observing everything around him.

"Boys! Meet y/n" Pansy exclaimed as you approached them. You paled a little by her loud voice and brash introduction, a hard launch. Five pairs of eyes were now set on you. You stood frozen to the spot and managed to simply wave and smile, not daring to do anything else yet.

"It's the residential sweetheart!" Mattheo was the first one to speak. "Sit down sweetheart. We don't bite...hard." You laughed albeit a little bit awkward. The only open space was besides Theodore, on the loveseat. Pansy had claimed the other open space on the couch with Blaise. She was now nestled up in the arms of her boyfriend and whispering in his ear. You walked over to where Theodore sat and carefully sat down beside him, his gaze following your every move. Have courage and be kind. You gave him a big bright smile as you sat down, he gave you a slight nod as greeting. Almost undetectable if you had not been looking at him so intently. The chatting started up again after you sat down, the group turning back to what they been doing before your and Pansys arrival.

"So sweetheart." Mattheo once again the one to address you, "what finally brings you here. Pansys been ditching us for you a long time now" You looked at him with big eyes, not really expecting questions thrown your way. "Because of Pansy, she wanted me to meet you guys." You said and inclined your head in Pansys direction. "And I guess it was time for me to meet my friend's friends." You shrug, Mattheo nodded at that and didn't question you any further and went back to talking with Draco. You sat in that couch observing the group and occasionally pitching in with some words. During it all you felt a heavy gaze on the side of your face, you knew who it belonged to but couldn't bring yourself to meet his gaze.

room. You quickly got pulled into their orbit and truthfully you wouldn't want it any other way. All your meals were now merged with theirs and you had your unofficial-official assigned seat with the group at the slytherin table. The first time you sat down with them was the day after the first time meeting the group. You had sat down at your normal place at the hufflepuff table but before you could start eating your breakfast Pansy had come storming over and dragged you over to the slytherins. Mornings were not your time of the day so you had sat down with a quiet humph and a pout on your face. You got a chorus of "mornin sweetheart" from the group and you had only managed a grumble as an answer.

They became your protectors in some way and you brought them kindness in return. You often spent time in the kitchen baking and would always bring back lots of baked goods for the group to feast on.

You did not know when it happened but slowly you and Theodore got close. From the beginning you just thought that he hated you because of his lack of response:

"Hi Theodore!" You said happily as you sat down beside him in your shared potions class and placed down a box of cookies between the both of you. "I baked last night, feel free to eat some!" "Theo." Said Theodore, an unreadable expression on his face. "What?" You looked at him with furrowed brows. "It's Theo." He repeated. "Oh...okay." you smiled and turned towards your open notebook. The rest of the class was spent in silence.

Later that day in the slytherin common room you were cuddled up on one of the couches with a book in your lap. You were passing the time until the others arrived. You were so focused on your book that you did not notice Theo walk up to you. "Can I sit down here, bella?" you startled from his voice and let out something like a mix of a scream and a squeak. Your book fell from your grasp and down to the floor. "Fuck Theo! Don't scare a girl like that." He leaned down to pick up your book, you just looked at him with a frown. "My name is not Bella, Theo." The corners of his mouth twitched and instead of answering he just handed you your book back. You let yourself get lost in admiring him, how his soft brown hair fell over his forehead, his beautiful eyes. Then you remembered that he asked you a question. "Yes! I mean, yes you can sit down here." You snapped out of your admiration. He chuckled quietly and sat down beside you, pulling up a book of his own from his bag. "Thank you Tesoro."

It became your routine to sit together on the couch, sometimes reading, sometimes doing homework. You loved every moment of the alone time with Theo, it made your heart do weird things in your chest. You kept the moments when his shoulder brushed against yours or the one time your hands touched close to your heart. It made you dream about what could be.

You were walking alone to the slytherin common room a little later than usual today but still hoped to catch Theo alone before the others came strolling in. It's been months since you and Theo started your routine and the alone times have been the highlights of the day, you really thought that maybe the two of you had something going on.

You snapped out of your thoughts of Theo when you heard a high pitched giggle echoing through the otherwise silent corridor. The halls were completely empty except you and the sound of the distant laughter. Curiosity tugged at you, you were close to the slytherin common room and maybe it was someone you knew and decided to investigate. You slowly approached where the sound came from, your body protesting as if it already knew something your heart couldn't take.

Your breath was caught as you rounded the corner. There he was, the one you so wanted to spend more time with.

He was leaning into some girl you didn't recognize who was pressed into the castle wall by his closeness. She was playing with his green tie with a perfectly manicured hand and giggled high and shrill at something he said. The worst thing was how he was looking at her. That hooded eyes and unreadable expression, one hand braced on the wall just above her head. He was not touching but it was not needed. The closeness and the intimacy of it was enough.

It felt like you were suffocating, a pressure in your chest was building. Like someone had reached a hand into your chest and squeezed. You stood frozen, the sound of her laugh echoing in your head. Something deep inside you cracked.

You didn't wait. No you didn't want to see more. Didn't want to know if he leaned in even more or if he would smile that way you always hoped he would towards you.

You turned on your heel, fast, and walked away before your heart could break any more. The image of them haunted you as you walked away. Her hand on his chest, his gaze, now imprinted on your brain. Somehow you made it to your dorm. You don't remember the walk, just the breaking feeling in your chest. The moment the door closed behind you, it broke.

You slid down the wall, knees drawn to your chest and sobs ripping out from you before you could stop them. Seeing them hurt, more than you ever expected.

You did not go to see your friends that day. The thought of seeing Theodore and maybe even her made the feeling in your chest come back. But you couldn't ignore them forever. You see them every day so they would know something was wrong. So you gave yourself the rest of the day and the night to cry your eyes out. By the morning you walked into the great hall like nothing was wrong. You sat down in your place and greeted your friends like you normally do. Except you did not look at Theodore, you tried to act like he did not exist.

"We missed you last night girl" Pansy said and passed you your favorite breakfast items, you gave her a thankful look. "Yeah were where you sweetheart?!" Enzo said with an overly energetic voice, looking like the definition of a golden retriever. "I just had to get some studying done, don't trust myself to do that around you guys, sorry!" You could feel his heavy gaze on you. Observing every damn detail. He definitely knew that something was wrong, you never ditch them without a reason before actually doing it.

You didn't sit with Theodore in class, you chose to sit with Pansy instead. She gave you a weird look but didn't comment on it further. You were really grateful for that, she knew that if you had something you wanted to tell her that you would do it on your own time. The days went on in a blurr, you mostly spent your time dissociating.

The library was quiet, it always was this time of the day. You had also chosen your spot for its hidden and quiet place, not wanting to be seen by anyone. You sat tucked into a corner by some windows, the rain outside reflected your mood, trying to get some school work done.

You hadn't seen Theodore since that day. You had been avoiding the common room, pleading to Pansy to save a seat for you beside her so you could slip in at the last minute for class. You were not ready to face him yet. I still hurt, the image of them still fresh in your brain.

You didn't hear him approach until something blocked out the faint candle lights and you caught the familiar scent of smoke, his cologne and just the smell of him. You looked up to see him standing before you, hands in his pockets and eyes locked on you.

Your heart raced.

"You have been avoiding me." He said quietly, his Italian accent thick and his eyes scanning your face. "I have been busy." You looked down, toying with the edges of your notebook. "Busy." He scoffed. "Dolcezza we both know you haven't been busy." A lump was forming in your throat. Quietness came over the both of you but not the comfortable you used to sit in. It put a pressure on you and it slowly made you crack. "I saw you..." You managed out before you had to stop. "You saw me." He echoed, "Bella, that doesn't explain anything." He let out a frustrated laugh, dragging his hands down his face. He looked worn down, like he has not slept properly in awhile.

"I saw you with her." You spat out and something in him clicked. "Amore..." He walked around the table to crouch down beside you. "Look at me amore." You looked down at him, tears slowly starting to pool in your eyes. "Oh tesoro please don't cry." He looked at you with so much softness and it tipped you over the edge. The moment the sobs started to wreck your body Theo pulled you in his arms. "The girl was nobody, I needed a favor from her and that's it." He gently rocked you in his embrace. "Then why...why did you..." You managed to hiccup out between sobs. "You did not see or hear everything, cara mia." He gently whispered, "There's no other woman that I want when the one I love is right here in my arms." You froze from his words, the sobbing coming to a halt. You carefully lifted your face from its spot nestled in his neck.

"You...you love me?" You whispered, he softly wiped the tears from your face. You blinked at him like a deer caught in headlights. "You heard me right tesoro" "I thought you would never like someone like me, that I was too soft, too caring." You whispered softly. "You thought wrong amore, you see the better in this world and we all should learn from you. You make my days lighter, I have been in agony without you. I thought you could never love someone like me. You are a treasure, cara mia." He looked at you with the most vulnerable look you have yet to see on him. "I have liked you for a long time now, Theo. But I never dared to think you would also like me." Your lips trembled again but this time not from sadness.

"Let me make this right. All of this. I'm yours...if you still want me" Theo gently cupped your cheek with his hand and leaned in. This time you pulled him in the rest of the way by his tie.  

♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡ This was meant as a short one to kick start my writing. I kinda failed at that eeeeh. But this is the start of my Theo x hufflepuff reader stories. There will be more that follows them into their relationship! Hope you liked it!