FORBIDDEN SOULS.

AFTER HOURS.

where are you now
when i need you most?

Green.

Why was there so much green?

Hold on, why was a Slytherin questioning why their surroundings were green?

Theodore Nott's thought process was nothing to be envied that morning. Laid in front of the fireplace, his gaze slowly sharpened as he took in his surroundings, standing up as carefully as he could.

His legs were numb underneath him, barely keeping him upright; Theo vaguely remembered the sensation as a common Muggle ailment called 'pins and needles'.

Another term for it could be 'In need of 5 shots of firewhiskey," Theo had thought to himself ruefully.

He yawned, stretching his limbs, unaware of anyone else in the room until Draco Malfoy made himself known, Blaise Zabini strolling after him like it was just another regular morning.

"Morning," Draco greeted, lifting a glass filled with amber liquid to Theo, "How'd you sleep?"

"Like shit."

"Why didn't you come to the dorm then?" Blaise asked, refusing Draco's offer to pour him anything.

"I...can't remember." Theo was momentarily sidetracked by his lack of knowledge towards the last day or so. "I woke up here. How the fuck did you get a bed, and I got the rug? Do you know how many girls Malfoy has shagged on there?" Theo hissed, gesturing in the direction of the, albeit comfortable, tainted rug.

"I take offence to that." Draco interjected, although the lazy grin slipping onto his face told Theo that he didn't care that much.

"Good. If I wanted to share a dorm with a rabbit, I would've gone to live in the Forbidden Forest."

"Just say the word, and we can get you back to your home, Nott. Such a shame you've been separated from animals like yourself for so long."

"Prick."

"Asshole."

"Ferret."

"We promised we would never bring that up!" Draco seethed.

Blaise sighed, clearing his throat to grab the attention of his friends, who were minutes away from jumping down each other's throats. "If you two don't mind," His tone was calm, eerily polite, forever the voice of reason, "Can we discuss the girl that was laying on the floor of our room?"

"Pansy? Just pour cold water on her."

"It's not Pansy, idiot."

"Oh?"

"Merlin, Malfoy, while we were in the room?" Theo scoffed in partial disgust, partial wonder.

"You weren't even here, Nott!"

"Enough. Who is she, Malfoy?" Blaise asked, taking a seat on a nearby armchair, refusing Draco's offer of alcohol with a shake of his head.

"No idea. Maybe one of the girls got lost?" Draco offered.

"How did we even get back here? I don't remember last night. I don't remember...much, actually." Theo was unpleasantly surprised by the discovery that his last memory was his eighteenth birthday. "What day is it?"

"Not sure, mate."

"Maybe we passed out after pre-celebrating? It's not everyday Nott turns eighteen, and Potter defeats a tyrant." Draco suggested, already pouring himself another glass of firewhiskey.

"No, it was more like every year." Theo was wracking his brain for any information on their supposed wild night. "The last thing I can remember is the battle. The night before, we had that dinner party, no?"