Noticed - Theodore Nott x Reader PART 2
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, Mattheoâs best friend, Theodore Nott, takes no time in noticing her back.
Contains: still VERY SLOW, Hufflepuff reader, Hogwarts uni AU, GOF events, Pansy gossip session UGH love her, alcohol usage, pretty much everyone being shitfaced, possibly OOC Cedric and other characters I wrote more than half of this in one day loolololololol
A/N: you might hate me either by how long i took to write this or by how i ended this part oops (also not proof read)
Every day after the interaction Y/N had with Nott, her eyes searched for him in every room she entered. Her ears perked up, searching for the noise of his accent, even the call of his name.
It was becoming a problem.
Her curiosity towards Riddle hadnât faded. If anything, it had worsened, clawing at the back of her mind like an itch she couldnât reach. The duel replayed itself constantly; the sparks crawling back to him, the strange heaviness in the air, the smell of gunpowder. Even how proficient he was at his classes. She needed to get answers.
âYouâre befriending Nott?â
Ron sounded genuinely horrified.
Y/N barely looked up from the book she had open in front of her in the library. Her head rested lazily on her hand as she turned a page she hadnât actually read, her mind preoccupied.
âHeâs actually very pleasant,â she replied. âCharismatic, even.â
Her nails tapped idly against the table. Hermione finally looked up from her own stack of books, lips puckered thoughtfully.
âDonât be so judgemental, Ron,â the Gryffindor said calmly. âItâs a good path to take if we want more information on Riddle.â
The redhead only raised his eyebrows in surrender, lips forming into a thin line as his eyes went back to the bookshelf he had been searching. Y/N stared blankly at the page, uninterested in its contents. She was supposed to be memorizing some Potions formulas for her upcoming exam this week, one that Snape had programmed almost a month prior, but the long wave of procrastination that had drowned over Y/N just left a few hours prior at the realization that her grade could not get any lower. She didnât understand how an elective class could be this demanding.
As the Hufflepuff forced her eyes into every single letter of the page, the sudden echo of heavy steps coming closer to the group snatched her focus once again. When the three heads turned upwards to see whose they were, they were all taken aback by the look Harry Potter held. His sable hair was pointing in all directions, his light eyes were tired with visible bags under them, and his tie hung loosely around his collar, as if he had tried to fix it with no real effort.
âHullo,â he muttered, collapsing on the chair next to Ron.
L/N and Granger looked at each other, reacting to their friendâs state. They debated internally whether they should ask him about his current situation or not. Weasley got ahead of them, obviously.
âAlright, mate. Whatâs the next task?â
Harry blinked slowly at Ron before giving him a flat look. âI just walked in.â
âBlimey, you donât know?â The redhead was oblivious to the stress that was eating his best friend alive, his big mouth only adding fuel to the fire burning behind those green eyes. Hermione nudged Ron with her shoulder with a bit too much force.Â
âHarry,â She started, brushing a piece of her wavy hair behind her ear. âNo one has told you anything?â Hermione almost regretted opening her mouth as soon as she did, as Harryâs discontent was made very apparent by the look on his face.Â
Ron nudged Hermione back with his elbow.Â
âNo one tells the champions anything.â He groaned.
Y/N looked up from her book, using this conversation as an excuse to get away from her studying. âAsk Cedric,â she suggested, âI bet he already knows.â
Potter took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. âYou ask him.â
âWhat? Why me?â Y/n scoffed.
âBecause heâs your Hufflepuff Golden boy.âÂ
âHeâs not my Golden boy. Heâs Choâs.â Her brows furrowed before the penny dropped. Oh, so this is what it is about.
âYouâre jealous she chose Diggory?â
Weasley bit his index finger in an attempt to silence the loud snort that came out from him, obviously to no avail. Harry stayed still for a moment, eyes closed, with his hands still rubbing them as his mind worked to find any reasonable excuse for his salty behaviour. âYeah, well. Itâs just annoying. Iâm not even supposed to be competing.âÂ
Granger sighed before her hand made its way towards his forearm, comforting him gently. âYou still have over a month left. Iâm sure thereâs something weâre missing about the golden egg.â
As the Gryffindors kept talking about the tournament and Harryâs inability to talk to women, Y/N directed her eyes to the book in front of her once again. Word by word, she copied it down onto a small flashcard she took from her binder to help her memorize. Her head started to make sense of the formulasâ well, kind of in the same way in which dreams make sense, but it was a start. Suddenly, she closed her book shut, gaining a gaze from Ron. âYou finished?â
âWith antitodes, yes. Iâm missing cognitive and emotional potions now.â She stood up, her robe flowing gently with her movement. âIâll be back.â
As Y/N made her way through the dark maze of bookshelves that was the library, she looked deeply into each book title she found. It was a colourful stack that the library had, going from deep reds to bright greensâ each depending on the bookâs contents. Y/N kept on looking, her golden and black robes shining under the low candlelight. âHerbology, celestial arts, creature-derived potionsâŚâ She continued to scan the shelves for the book she needed, but her steps slowed when a certain title caught her eye.
Notable Wizarding Families of Britain.
A smile was painted onto her lips.
Her feet were on tiptoes as she reached her arm upwards, trying to get a hold of the book. As her body shifted from side to side from a loss of balance, one of her fingers touched a nearby floating candle, its hot wax stinging her finger. âShite.â
Y/N felt someoneâs pace stop right behind her. âCareful.â
Y/N turned around, only to find Pansy Parkinson standing behind her. Y/N held her finger strongly in her other hand, adding pressure to the blackened spot in it. âHi,â
âMerlin,â Pansy eyed her before stepping forward.
The Slytherinâs steps got closer to L/N, stopping right next to her and reaching her hand up towards the book. Pansy shifted her weight onto one leg, hand settling on her hip as she examined the bookâs title. Both girls looked at each other.Â
âThanks, Parkinson.â Y/N smiled, her reaching for the book before Pansy took her hand, looking at it thoroughly. Y/N was dumbfounded, not only because of the random encounter, but because Parkinson seemed a bit too friendly. Itâs not as if she disliked her, far from that, she just didnât take her as the type to be worried for someone with whom she wasnât really close, for someone with whom she mostly gossiped and drank tea with.
The Hufflepuffâs breath hitched as Pansyâs finger brushed by her small burn.
âYou can take Riddle in a duel, but candle wax is your downfall?â The black-haired girl snickered.
Y/N rolled her eyes with no real bite into it, pulling her hand back. âIt caught me off guard,â
âClearly,â Pansy pronounced, before leaning on the bookshelf. She took a good look at L/N, her engines working for a conversation. âYou didnât lose, though. If anything, you rather embarrassed him.â
Y/N arched one of her brows at her comment. âWhat do you mean?â She was now leaning on the bookshelf as she held onto her book.
The Slytherin fixed her robes quietly before opening her mouth, the candlelight adding to the atmosphere. âHis attitude.â She began, âI know that maniac well enough to know when someoneâs gotten under his skin. Youâre persistent, L/N.â She was smiling, amused by the sight of Y/N, as if each word she spoke were moulding the girl before her.
âOh, you,â L/N grinned from ear to ear in embarrassment, waving her hand dismissively at Pansy. She laughed at the view of the sheepish Hufflepuff in front of her, watching the scene unfold beautifully.Â
âY/N,â Her sly voice started, âArenât you friends with Nott? He mustâve told you about it.âÂ
The H/C girl looked astounded at the question. âFriendsâ was definitely generous, but she wouldnât close the door to the opportunity. âI wouldnât go that far yetâ heâs quite pleasant, really,â Y/N tilted her head with a rueful smile. âWhat did he tell you?â
âOh, Salazar,â Her hand made her way to her temple. âYou shouldâve seen when Draco said heâd caught you talking to Nott, it caused quite a scene.â Pansy cackled at her own words as she must have relived the blondeâs stunned look on his face. âWhen he told us and questioned Nott, he said you were âenjoyable enoughâ, which is surprising coming from him.â
Y/N only blinked as she listened to Parkinson. Confused. Her nails started tapping on the bookshelf she was resting against, fidgeting as she processed the new information. Theodoreâs reaction was still quite âehâ, but it wasnât indifference. That was a win on her bookâ baby steps, people!
The girl with the emerald-green uniform continued, her eyes looking around for any visual stimulant. âMattheo looked rather irritated, actually. Tried to brush it off, of course, but he did say he agreed with Draco that Nott couldnât be caught talking to a blood traitor.â
âIs he still stuck on that?â Y/N sighed, flabbergasted at the immaturity. Ever since her first few days she had transferred to Hogwarts, Malfoy had been an absolute jerk towards Y/N due to her âstainingâ her pureblooded status and last name with her muggleborn alliances and friends. Merlin, donât even start about the talk about her house. Comments after comments about such a privileged âpurebloodâ ruining her status so stupidly never stopped leaving his thin lips, whether Y/N could hear them or not. It had been months.
Pansy shrugged. âHeâs an arse to everyone. Heâs still got the same beef with Potter ever since they were boys.â
Before Y/N could respond, her mouth was left agape as there was a call for Pansy. Both girls turned their headsâ speak of the devil.Â
Between the bookshelves stood Draco Malfoyâ straight back and killing gaze. His eyes darted from his comadre to the girl beside her, without taking a single step forward. âParkinson, L/N.â He greeted, nodding at the first before throwing a nasty look at the latter. Rude.Â
âAstoriaâs in the common room looking for you. Preâs started.â
Pansy smirked. âI wonât be late to the match, Draco. Leave me alone for a moment.â
The Slytherin prince rolled his eyes before drifting away, seemingly preoccupied. âSee? Absolute arse, even with me. I gave him a peck once at the club, and now heâs going about like heâs my father.â
Y/Nâs eyebrow lifted. âYou do tend to lead him on, to be fair,â
Pansyâs hand made its way to her dark hair as she brushed it with her slender fingers, chuckling to herself. âJust testing,â Then, she stood from the bookshelf she was leaning against and made her way out of the corridor, before turning her head around. âIâll see you at the match, Y/N?â
L/N smiled at the girl, holding onto her book. âSee you then, Pansy.â
â------------------------
Loud chants and colourful fumes filled the pitchâs air as it overflowed with students from all houses. Bright yellow and green clouds filled the sky, symbolizing the support for both teams as they shot up from multiple wands at once. Y/N had been sitting on one of the Hufflepuff towers, her scarf tightly wrapped around her neck (Merlin forbid she got ill during this season) with matching yellow and black strokes on her cheeks. Hannah sat beside her, her hair in a tight ponytail, as she had a Hufflepuff Jersey on. Around them, multiple housemates satâ going from shy Susan Bones advocating to her house with a small Badger flag, to loud Justin Finch-Fletchley, who had half of his face painted yellow and chanted loudly alongside his friends. A few Gryffindors and Ravenclaws sat by them, either to show their support or simply to sit beside friends.
In between chatter, Y/Nâs eyes shifted from Hannah, who was ranting about a Ravenclaw girl, to a sudden disturbance a few rows below.
A small group of Slytherins had appeared at the edge of the tower, clearly struggling to find some seats. In front of them was Theodore Nott.
Behind him, Pansy was laughing loudly with Astoria Greengrass, possibly tormenting her about some silly moment they had in the pre-game, and Zabini followed by scanning his surroundings, the yellow scarves and banners as if he were in a foreign country. Justin took no time to notice them as well, nudging Ernie Macmillan multiple times with his shoulder for his attention. âHelga, weâre being invaded.â Joked the latter, bending forward to let the girls hear him as well. The four Slytherins took a seat, unbothered by the looks they got from the other houses.
Hannah stopped mid-rant as she saw Y/N standing up. âWhere are you going?â
The girl was already shuffling her way between students, trying not to cause more disturbance than there already was. âIâll be back!âÂ
Hannah let out a sharp exhale before turning around to Justin to continue her rant.
She stopped right behind Theodore, before stepping forward and plopping into the free seat next to him. Due to the overflowing amount of people in the pitch, Y/N almost stumbled as she went down the row next to Nott, but she tried to make it casual by clearing her throat twice as soon as she sat down. Yeah, of course he wouldnât notice.
Nott looked over, mildly surprised.
âHello,â The girl looked over to him.
âDidnât know you would be supporting Hufflepuff today.â Y/N snickered. Theodore glanced around the stands before looking at her again. âHardly,â he scoffed, âYou might call it charity.â
âRight.â L/N tossed her head to the side. âYouâre lucky you even got a seat here. Pitchâs full tonight.â
Nott spoke up. âMalfoyâll be surprised to see us sitting here.â Y/N laughed softly to herself as she imagined the blondeâs reaction while on his broom. She enjoyed the thought for a moment, letting it stir in her mind.
âMight as well have fun with it,â Y/N giggled, her eyes leaving his and looking at the clouds that covered the beautiful mix of orange and blue in the sky. As Y/N thought about what to say next, she got interrupted by someone calling out for her.
âMerlin, Y/N! Hellooooooo,â Pansy was basically earraping Nott as she turned towards their direction to greet her friend, waving her hand excitedly as if she was missing the Hufflepuffâs attention.
The h/c girl passed her hair to the right side of her neck before leaning in towards Pansy. Both girls were practically over Theodore, as he seemed to be the wall separating them. Parkinson excitedly took L/Nâs hand as she yelled about being excited for the game and something about Draco, but Y/N could only focus on the way she smelled like something other than her perfume; firewhiskey. Ah, that explains a lot.
A smile appeared over her face as she looked over at Nott, searching for any kind of reaction to a tipsy Pansy. The only one she got was a big eye roll from his part, as a smirk followed. âThe gameâs already starting, Pans. Calm down.â
Pansy made a fake annoyed face before turning towards Astoria, the latter whispering something in the black-hairedâs ear, making both of them smirk. Y/N noticed, looking at them curiously, before her gaze went over to Theodoreâs, only to see him looking back at her. His blue gaze quickly went to the pitch, playing it off by watching the smoke bombs that were being thrown by the crowd. Silence settled between them, broken only by the loud chatter and laughter of the crowd around them as the players started entering the pitch, though it did little to distract her from what was on her mind: get closer to Theodore Nott.
âI thought you were a Quidditch type of guy,â She began, using her words to break the ice. His eyes didnât leave the pitch for a second, his pupils moving around as he watched the game.
âUsed to. Lost interest after a while. Felt a bit tedious, honestly.â His voice came out unbothered, even if his head was moving side to side to have a better view of the players. Her small smile became a grin listening to his denial.Â
âYou still seem pretty interested.â
Nottâs eyes finally left the pitch and side-eyed her, jokingly giving her a judging look. âYou do enjoy making assumptions, donât you, L/N?â
This response made the Hufflepuff laugh before shrugging. âIâm quite observant, Nott.â
He gave her what almost was a smile(?, before turning his attention once again to the game, letting a loud groan out with half of the crowd as the other half cheered, with Slytherin almost making a point, but Herbert Fleet, Hufflepuffâs seeker, sending the bludger elsewhere. Y/N turned around to look at her friends, cheering with them as they celebrated. When she turned back to look at the pitch, she heard Nott talking loudly with his friends about how close Riddle was to scoring the point. She nudged the Slytherin with her elbow. âHe sure was close, hm?â
Before he could respond, Zabiniâs voice retounded between the group. âOi, youâre lucky Fleet actually got some practice this season, if not we would be owning the bludger at this point.â He crossed his arms across his chest as he spoke, a hint of friendly arrogance in his voice. The girl scoffed. âRight, as if Diggory didnât get us the win last game with you by catching the snitch.â
âPure luck, I say,â Interrupted the Italian, his accent coming thicker than before. Both Pansy and Astoria laughed as Blaise gave the Hufflepuff a sly look. Y/N shook her head in fake disbelief, her short-lived laugh betraying her image.
The game continued with Cedric Diggory being on top of the game, the tension between him and Draco Malfoy to catch the snitch being thick enough that someone couldâve cut through it with a knife. The feeling drowned the audience as both players flew rapidly around the pitch, both trying to one-up each other as both houses were tied in points. Then, a sudden roar erupted from the crowd, as Y/N suddenly felt some hands holding onto both of her shoulders from behindâ it was Hannah.
âThere!â The blonde yelled, shaking L/N back and forth as the poor girl held onto her scarf in anticipation. Everyoneâs gaze seemed to fall under a flash of gold that darted near the Hufflepuff goalposts. The snitch, followed by both seekers, shooting forward instantly. Cedric leaned low over his broom, gaining speed quickly as Draco tailed after him, green robes whipping violently in the wind. The distance between them shortened by the second.
âShite,â Nott murmured. Behind her, she heard Finch-Fletchley and Hannah murmuring quite loudly, âHeâs got it,â until they gasped loudly by Malfoy swerving sharply, his broom cutting directly across the Hufflepuffâs path. Diggory jerked sideways to avoid crashing into him, his shoulder slamming harshly against the handle of his broom, causing him to lose his balance. Multiple people across the stands stood up, either outraged with yelling or jumping in anticipation. Screams of foul play and calling the Slytherin out were heard across, but neither affected either of the seekersâ actions. Either way, Draco had already dropped into a steep dive. A flash of his silver and green robe shot downwardâ
Then his fist closed around gold, followed by the whistle shrieking through the stadium. For one second, the silence in the stands was exchanged for loud cheering and green smoke bursting violently in the air. Y/N looked astonished as Nott stood up and celebrated along with the other Slytherins in the stand.
âNo congratulations?â He asked, looking down at L/N with an arrogant smile and one of his thick brows arched. She groaned. âHeâs a bastard. You know it.â Theodore sat next to the girl again as his gaze followed hers, looking directly at the Slytherin Prince holding the snitch above his head, a smug grin visible even from across the pitch. He shrugged. âEven Lee Jordan congratulated us on the game.â
âCongrats. Be proud of the foul play, Nott. Iâll go and check on Diggory.â Y/N stood up from the stand and carefully passed through the overcrowded space, ignoring the loud protests and cheers colliding around her. Green smoke still floated above the pitch while the Slytherin section erupted in celebration, chants echoing through the cold evening air.
As she stepped down the last few stairs of the tower, her eyes drifted briefly toward the pitch once again. Cedric had finally landed, clearly tired as he was surrounded by a few angry Hufflepuffs and a smug-looking Draco Malfoy, who still held the snitch high like a trophy.
Behind her, Theodore watched her figure disappear through the crowd, one of his eyebrows lifting slightly before Blaiseâs voice pulled his attention away. âTold you theyâd take that personally.â
Theo only huffed a quiet laugh, leaning back against the stand as his eyes wandered toward the pitch once more.
âYeah,â he muttered absent-mindedly, âI noticed.â
âWe were close to winning, still. Not Diggoryâs fault Malfoyâs such a dick.â
Y/N nodded to Hannahâs comment as she padded on her blush, residue of the pink powder floating gently in the air between her and the vanity mirror. âLiterally. At least partyâs gonna be good, though.âÂ
The blonde took her eyes off her own reflection on the vanity mirror as she straightened her hair and looked at Y/Nâsâ she noticed the odd smile she held tugged on her lips as she continued her make-up. âYouâre talking to Nott at the party?â
Hannah held a mischievous look, her eyes closing slightly due to her grin. âYou spent half the match talking to Nottâ you even ditched me to go sit with him.â
An airy laugh escaped Y/N as she searched for something in her makeup bag.
âHalf is generous. Heâs really into Quidditch, even if he wonât admit it.â
She got the setting spray. âOh my god, Hannah.â An actual laugh escaped her lips before spraying her face, quickly waving her hands at it for it to dry.Â
As the girls got into the party, the atmosphere was built quickly. Loud music drowned the space as well as the smoky air that came either from machines or cigarettes, as the smell of tobacco was present as well. Abbott and L/N made their way across the overcrowded room, every two steps greeting different people and complimenting their outfits until they made their way to the drinks table.
âIt isnât that bad,â The blonde replied, fixing one of her black topâs spaghetti strips as she grabbed a cup for each of them.Â
âI mean, yeah, we just drank a lot of it at the pre, though. Was hoping for some Vodka at least.â
The girls began drinking as they moved around the place, dancing around and talking to any group of people they encountered.Â
âY/N, Hannah, Ginnyâ I need you guys to drink these with me, please,â Begged Cho, as she held four shots and her lip gloss in her hands.
They continued laughing, Cho speaking loosely about whatever was going on between her and Cedric and mentioning something about Harry, but L/Nâs gaze was looking at who was behind the Ravenclaw.
She saw Mattheo Riddle, one of the matchâs champions, with Malfoy and Summerby, one of Hufflepuffâs chasers, taking shot after shot with each other. Mattheo finished first, clapping his hands as Nott patted his back. Summerby finished second, with Harry cheering for him as Malfoy finished last, his lips forming into an awkward shape as the flavour of the alcohol washed over him.Â
âIâll be back,â L/N told her friends as she made her way towards the guys. Nott must be drunk; he might spill something now. Cho tilted her head at her friend, leaving so suddenly, until Hannah pulled her closer and started murmuring something to her, making both of them laugh.
L/N stumbled into Harry, âcasuallyâ, of course. She had to be smooth with it. âMerlin, Harryâ hi!â
Potter nearly spilled whatever was in his cup before looking at her. âBlimey, Y/N.â
âSorry,â she laughed. âWhereâre Ron and Hermione?â
Harry snorted softly, already seeming tired at the mere mention of them. âSomewhere around here. Ron disappeared after losing to Ginny at cards, and Hermioneâs been telling people not to let him near the drinks table.â
âHe tried to bet his shoe.â He scoffed.
Y/N burst into laughter, shaking her head. âSounds about right.â
The brunette took a sip from his drink before his eyes drifted toward the group behind her; Riddle was loudly arguing with Summerby about the match while Malfoy looked too wankered as he spoke to Pansy with a silly look on his face. Beside them, Theodore leaned lazily against the wall, drink in hand, as Blaise spoke into his ear.
Harry looked back at her knowingly.
âI saw you talking to Nott during the match.â
Y/N tried to look nonchalant. âAnd?â
âAnd dâyou know anything new?â
She glanced over her shoulder briefly before leaning slightly closer to him.
âNot yet,â she admitted quietly, eyes flicking toward Theodore again. âBut if Nottâs ever going to start oversharing, itâll probably be tonight.â
Harry gave her a look somewhere between concern and amusement. âBe subtle about it, yeah?â
She grinned. âWhen have I ever not been subtle?â
Harry immediately deadpanned, peering at her over the rim of his glasses.
âYou walked into me on purpose five seconds ago.â
She simply shrugged before walking past him and patting him on the arm.
âNott, hi,â she greeted, placing a piece of her hair behind her ear as she looked at Theodore first, before looking at the other Slytherin next to him. âHi, Zabini.â
âBadger,â greeted Blaise as he nodded at the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder as he spoke. âStill offended about the match?âÂ
âOnly every time I look at Malfoy. He needs to calm down, seriously, man.â
Zabini laughed as he crossed his arms across his chest, taking one look at his blue-eyed friend. âGâluck with that. Malfoyâs been talking about the match like he personally won the World Cup.â
Y/N snorted softly at the image.
âTell me about it,â Blaise sighed dramatically before downing the rest of his drink. His dark eyes flicked between Theodore and Y/N for a brief second, something sly passing through his expression.
âWell,â he dragged out, already stepping backwards into the crowd, âIâm off before Parkinson and Draco get too close again. Canât let Daphne see it happening this time.â Nott gave him a look as he took out a cigarette, his friend only smiling at him before leaving.
For a few seconds, neither spoke.
The bass of the music echoed through the common room while laughter and loud chatter drowned the air around them. Theodore leaned back against the stone wall lazily, placing the cigarette between his lips as he lit it on. âYouâve got that look again.â
Y/N blinked. âWhat look?â
âThe one where youâre about to ask me something.â
A smile pulled at her lips despite herself. She took a step closer to him, getting slightly closer to the height of his face due to her kitten heels. âI donât know, maybe?â
Nott looked at her through his eyelashes as he let the smooth smoke out of his mouth. âIâm sâpposed to answer?â
âUh-huh.â She laughed, stepping to lie on the wall next to him.Â
Theodore only shook his head slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching upward as he brought the cigarette back to his lips. For a few seconds, silence settled comfortably between them, both simply watching the crowded common room unfold before them. The music thumped through the stone walls while drunken students stumbled around laughing far too loudly.
Y/N followed Theodoreâs gaze absent-mindedly until she noticed what had caught his attention: Mattheo Riddle was making his way through the crowd with none other than Daphne Greengrass hanging onto his arm, her glossy lips moving quickly as she laughed at something he had said. Riddle looked mildly amused, one hand loosely holding his drink while the other rested against the girlâs waist as they headed toward the staircase leading to the dormitories.
Theodore let out a low whistle.
Mattheo immediately turned his head toward him, brows furrowing before flipping him off without hesitation. Y/N only watched as she laughed at the view.
âOh, Merlin,â she grinned, watching the pair disappear upstairs. âSo the rumours are actually true.â
Theo glanced at her lazily. âWhich ones?â
âThat half the girls in Hogwarts have snogged Riddle.â
A quiet scoff escaped him. âBit dramatic.â
âPlease,â she nudged his arm lightly with her elbow. âI already know tomorrowâs breakfast is going to sound like the Daily Prophet.â
He thought for a moment. âDonât be a fool, itâs common knowledge.â
Y/N laughed again, shaking her head. âYou lot are all the same.â
That earned her a side-eye from the Slytherin. âWe are not.â
âOh, come off it,â she smiled into her drink. âMalfoy flirts with anything that breathes, Zabini thinks heâs Merlin reincarnated, and Riddleâs apparently collecting women like Chocolate Frog cards.â Despite wanting to defend the name of his friends, he couldnât help the loud snort that left him.
Y/N pretended to think deeply, eyes narrowing as she looked him up and down. She noticed how his white linen shirt didnât have a single crease in it, the way the first few buttons were undone and how it fit perfectly into his body as if it was meant for him. Yeah, he definitely was the same as his friends.Â
âYou brood in corners and judge people.â
Theodore acted offended, a fake mini gasp coming out with a faint smell of tobacco. âI do not brood.âÂ
âYou absolutely brood.â
A small smile tugged at his lips before he looked away toward the crowd again. âPublicly, maybe. Itâs part of the⌠how do you call?â He thought. âAura.â
The laugh that escaped her this time was softer. She looked at him for another second before speaking again, curiosity slipping naturally back into her voice. âSo, how did you even meet them?â
His eyes watched her curiously. âThem?â
âYour little cult.â Y/N motioned vaguely toward the room with her cup. âRiddle, Zabini, Malfoy.â
Theo huffed quietly through his nose. âI moved here when I was fourteen.â He spoke simply, eyes still lazily scanning the crowd. âDidnât know anyone.â
âYouâre not from here?â
âMostly grew up in Italy.â He shrugged lightly. âMy dadâs British.â
Oooh, that explained it. Sometimes, certain words slipped differently from his mouth, softer around the edges. Y/N had noticed it before, but never fully placed her finger on it.
âTâwas weird,â Theodore admitted. âEveryone already knew each other.â
She nodded slightly, understanding the feeling more than she cared to admit. âI get it. Same feeling when I transferred, people here know each other since infancy.â Theodore only nodded, taking another hit from the cigarette as he leaned into the sound of the music around them.
âSo Riddle adopted you?â
Her question gained an unimpressed look from Nott. âHardly.â
Y/N grinned into her drink, ears perked up to his response.
âHe was one of the first people I met, though,â Theodore continued. âSecondary school. He got into a fight with someone during the first week.â
Her eyebrows lifted instantly. âOf course he did.â
âThat somehow makes it worse.â Figures. He was also a creepy child.
A quiet laugh escaped him.âAfter that, people mostly left him alone.â Nottâs eyes lowered briefly toward the smoke curling from his hand. âWe just ended up around each other.â
Theodore rolled his eyes so hard he swore they might get stuck at the back of his head. âHe inserted himself, obviouslyâ since Zabini and Riddle were sticking with me. Also helps that our parents love each other.â
She giggled at his response, twirling a piece of her hair in between her fingers.âThat sounds accurate.â
Theodore looked at her then, properly this time, amusement lingering behind his tired eyes. The loud bass of the music echoed around them while students stumbled past laughing, yet the space around them felt oddly detached from the rest of the party. âSo,â he started, âyou've always been this curious about people?â
Before Theodore could respond, another voice cut through the conversation.
âThere you are, Y/N.â
Y/N turned her head at the familiar voice just as Cedric Diggory appeared beside her, one hand holding a drink while the other settled naturally on her upper back to steady himself through the crowded room. His shirt had the first few buttons open and sleeves messily rolled up, as his eyes were glossy in a way only a certain amount of vodka shots could develop. It looked as if he had long given up on looking put together for the night.
âNott,â Cedric greeted with an easy nod.
The girl peeked behind Cedric. âWhereâs Cho?â
âSheâs looking for you, actuallyâ, Cedric replied, laughter already hiding behind his words. âShe swears Fred and George have rigged the cards somehow.â
Y/N snorted, taking a sip of her drink. âThey probably have.â
âThatâs what I said,â Cedric pointed at her with his cup. âBut apparently Iâm âenabling their behaviour.ââ
âMaybe you are.â Her eyebrows went up as she said this, looking at her friend with a knowing look. Suddenly, a loud echo of men could be heard coming from deeper in the common room, followed by a cheer for Zabini. The three of them turned their attention to the direction where the sound was coming from, Diggory laughing as he looked over someoneâs shoulder. âSummerby just lost an arm wrestling match to Zabini.â
âMerlin,â Nott added, putting out his cigarette with the sole of his shoe. âHeâs going all out tonight.â
The girl cackled at his comment. âI left for like 10 minutes and missed all this.â
âYou vanish into Slytherin corners for 10 minutes,â Cedric corrected teasingly, looking back at Y/N.
Theodoreâs eyebrow lifted slightly at that.
Y/N scoffed. âPlease. Nott was just telling me how deeply antisocial he is.â
âAh,â Cedric nodded thoughtfully, glancing toward Theodore. âSo this is socialising for him.â
âPainfully so,â The brunette replied dryly. That earned a laugh out of both Hufflepuffs.
A group of students stumbled past them loudly, forcing Cedric to step closer so they wouldnât get shoved aside. His hand instinctively slipped lower, settling briefly against Y/Nâs waist as he steadied both of them through the crowd. A small âsorryâ could be heard from his part as the crowd passed. Theodoreâs gaze dropped to the movement automatically, only for a secondâ something neither of the Hufflepuffs noticed.
âYou should come save Cho before she starts accusing people of cheating again,â Cedric told Y/N with amusement. âGeorge has been provoking her quite a lot.â
Y/N rolled her eyes, not taking the guy seriously. âDonât tell me she threatened to throw a drink at him. She did that last time with Terry Boot and ruined his khakisâ
Cedric laughed, his hand having a firmer hold on her. âThatâs fair, honestly. He tends to shove his head up his arse when he has a bit too much to drink.â
âOi,â Theodore spoke up dryly beside them, flicking the ash from his cigarette somewhere onto the stone floor. âThatâs rich coming from Hufflepuffs.â
Cedric grinned, his attention jumping over to Nott. âYour house is by far the worst drunk.â
âAbsolutely not.â He stood straight now, a cocky smile on his face as he looked up at the Quidditch player.
âYou started singing the Hogwarts hymn after Fallâs match.â
Theodore scoffed. âThat was Zabini.â
âOh, I remember who I saw, Nott.â
A quiet scorn escaped Theodoreâs lips, though a smirk still lingered there. He pushed himself off the wall slowly, fixing the sleeve of his shirt before glancing toward the crowd. âIâm getting another drink before I have to hear Diggory philosophise about alcohol consumption.â
Y/N smiled despite herself, putting all her weight on one leg. âScared youâll lose the argument?â
Cedric chuckled softly as Theodore gave them both one last lazy look before disappearing into the crowd, his shoulders brushing against passing students as green light flashed across the room.
For a second, Y/Nâs eyes followed him absent-mindedly.
âCâmon,â Cedric nudged her lightly.
The Hufflepuff laughed before letting Cedric guide her through the packed common room. The atmosphere only seemed louder the deeper they walked into itâ music vibrating through the floor, smoke lingering near the ceiling, people dancing terribly in cramped circles. This made her almost miss the space she had shared with the Slytherin just a few moments prior.
When they finally reached the group by the drinks table, Hannah immediately gasped dramatically, holding her arms open for L/N. âOh my god, there she is.â
âY/N!â Ginny pointed at her accusingly, spilling a bit of her drink. âYou vanished.â
Cho narrowed her eyes suspiciously. âWere you avoiding me?â
Hufflepuffâs golden boy cleared his throat. âShe was in a Slytherin corner,â
The group erupted instantly.
Abbottâs mouth dropped open. âNO way.â
âOh, shut up,â Y/N laughed as she reached over for a drink on the table.
âI bet she was with Theodore Nott,â Hannah continued smugly. âTheyâve been besties lately.â
Ginny immediately turned around to scan the room before tilting her head in confusion. âUm, no? Heâs literally over there with his friends.â Sure enough, across the common room stood Theodore beside Zabini and Riddle, the green lighting catching against the sharp angles of his face as Blaise spoke animatedly beside him.
Hannah scoffed loudly before leaning towards the redheadâs ear to fake-whisper at her. âHe hasnât been there all night, Gin.â
Y/N nearly choked on her drink. âMerlin, you people are unbearable. I hope youâre not saying all of this when you probably sneaked out to get off with Longbottom.â
âMineâs common knowledge,â the blonde declared, both hands up as if surrender.
Cho laughed, before checking quickly if Diggory was still on the radar. He had left with Fred and George, and at last the three of them shared a beer as they spoke. âTâleast you guys are snogging whoever you want. I donât know what Iâll do with Diggory.â
The girls started talking to the Ravenclaw through it, insisting that alcohol and dancing were the best solution, though her gaze subconsciously drifted back across the room, finding Nott in an instant.
And right as if sensing it, Theodore looked over too.
Then Zabini said something in his ear, making him look away with a small shake of his head and a loud laugh she could make out by the movement of his mouth.
The party lights and the music were still on, but most people were absolutely gone. The whole Slytherin Quidditch team lay on the common roomâs couches, talking about other outings they had planned and whatnot, as Marcus Flint stood animatedly in front of the guys, laughing loudly.
Her heels clicked softly against the stone as she wandered a bit further down the corridor, absent-mindedly fixing one of her rings as she went towards the exit, slightly wobbling with each step. She was ready to leave, quite frankly. Hannah had told her to wait for her at the entrance of the dungeon so they could leave together, but it seemed a certain Gryffindor mightâve taken her out first, as she was nowhere to be seen.
She stretched her arms above her head as she kept walking, not thinking much about the couple snogging or the people throwing up until she saw a familiar silhouette smoking a cigarette.Â
Theodore stood in front of Astoria Greengrass, who had her back against the wall. Her silver jewellery was caught under the dim torchlight that came from above as they spoke to each other, low enough that whatever Astoria was saying had him leaning down slightly to hear her better over the distant music echoing from the common room.
L/N saw and slowed her steps without meaning to. She took a good look at the Italian.
Nott looked oddly relaxed like this; one hand shoved deep into his pocket while the other lazily held his cigarette between his fingers, as he brought his hand up to take another hit. His mousy hair was messy and shuffled all around, as his eyes had the same glimmer of intoxication shine in them as Astoriaâs.
Y/N only thought as she passed by them, eyes looking forward, as she did not want to interrupt whatever moment the two of them were having.Â
Theodoreâs eyes lifted as he smelled the familiar perfume; his gaze fell onto the Hufflepuffâs figure down the corridor almost automatically as his head turned slightly.Â
Greengrass seemed to notice; her hands stopped playing with her blonde mane as they went to slide up to grab Nottâs jaw, pulling his attention back toward her. Her deep eyes looked into his baby blue ones, and, without second thought, she pulled him in and closed the gap between them. The brunette kissed her back just as naturally, one of his hands moving to Astoriaâs waist as if by instinct.
The movement happened quickly enough that Y/N almost felt stupid for still looking, clearing her throat and looking ahead once again to ignore the awkward weird moment the three of them had back there. She even fastened her speed a little, making her trip over her own heel for a second before she silently laughed at herself.
Smooth, L/N, so smooth. Had she always been this good in situations? She would have liked to believe yes, but the morning after, she knew she would rethink all of her word choices and actions while chugging a whole jar of electrolytes and know there would be some room for improvement, especially with Nott. Was she too obvious with her questions? Didnât he ever wonder why one random Tuesday, a Hufflepuff girl would try to befriend him so obviously?
Why did she keep staring at him during the kiss?
The thought alone made her cringe at herself as she shook her head quickly, convincing herself the warmth on her cheeks came from the alcohol and absolutely nothing else.