apples and scented candles • h.potter ✓

• thirty-five •

No sooner had Corben stepped through the wall than the busy chatter in the air was replaced with a merry buzz. The bricks on the wall behind him shifted and relocated to their original place and he was cut off from the muggle world.

He hasn't visited Diagon Alley since the last time Theo has brought him here to look at the shops. Now, Theo was working at Twilfitt and Tatting's and he was the one visiting him.

Evening has fallen. Some of the shops already had dark windows and closed signs hanging from their doors. Not letting his mind get distracted, Corben hurried through the winding streets and hoped that Tatting's hadn't closed too. His training was getting more and more rigorous, leaving him with aching bones and a strong desire to drop to the floor and sleep. But he wanted to see Theo first.

Thankfully, the shop was still open, though barely. Through the windows, he saw there were no customers and the counter was covered with a large black fabric. A few of the workers were moving around and picking up pieces of clothing from the floor or chairs. A bell rang overhead as Corben pushed the door open.

"Sir, we are closed," said one of them men regretfully.

"I'm sorry. I've come to see Theodore Nott. Is he here?"

The man exchanged a glance with one of his coworkers and gave a slight nod before heading to the door at the back of the shop. A minute later, Theo emerged with a large cardboard box in his arms. His face lit up when his eyes landed on Corben. He placed the box in a corner and rushed toward him. Corben raised his arms for a hug but Theo merely gripped his shoulders, causing him to drop them awkwardly by his sides.

"Hey, I'm a little busy at the moment," Theo said breathlessly. "Do you mind waiting for a few minutes?"

Thus, Corben stood at the corner and watched them clean up the shop. Theo was at the room at the back from which he returned some ten minutes later. "Let's go up to my flat," he said, grinning.

"Your flat?"

Instead of answering, Theo led him into the backroom which Corben decided must be the storeroom - packed with boxes overfilling with clothes - and toward the staircase in the corner. They reached the second-floor landing on which were two doors facing each other. Theo took the door on the left.

The flat was cosy, to say the least. It was one big room with a mattress laid out on the floor in one corner and a small dining table and a kitchen counter on the other. A heavy curtain hung from the ceiling to separate the two. There was a door next to the mattress which must lead to the bathroom.

Theo lifted his arms on both sides as though he was about to perform a magic trick. "Welcome to my humble abode," he said. Then he dropped his eyes to the floor and gave an embarrassed smile. "I know. It's not much. You can gloat if you like."

"Why would I gloat?" Corben asked, frowning. He stepped toward the kitchen and sat on the counter. He shrugged off his bag and laid it beside him. "I like it. It's nice."

"You're not mad at me?" Theo hovered uncertainly under the curtain.

"Don't be silly," Corben chided. "You did what's best for you. If Blaise doesn't understand that, it's his problem."

Theo breathed a sigh of relief and his whole body relaxed; so much so that Corben was surprised at realising how stiffly he had been carrying himself all along. Theo climbed into the counter next to him. "Oh Corben, you have no idea how relieved that makes me. I was scared that you'd blame me for leaving Blaise and you wouldn't want to speak to me anymore." He wrapped his arms tightly around Corben, bringing him to laugh.