Edmund turned around only to met with a fist to his face. He fell to the floor and floor and someone climbed on top of him and delivered punch after punch. I couldn't tell who it was but once I saw the blood on Edmunds face I snapped back to reality. I stood up and ran over and yanked the mystery person off. Then he fell to the side and I saw him.
"Theo?"
He looked furious as he stood up. Edmund was on the floor groaning in pain. Theo stood over him seething. "If you tell anyone about this, we'll see how Professor Lupin handles students who abuse his daughter!" he spat. Edmund just nodded and got up and left. I stood there in shock and Theo turned to me. He was talking but all I could focus on were his bloody, swollen knuckles. "Belle- are you listening?" he asked. I looked at him and there was a splatter of blood on his cheek. "Are you alright?" he asked. I just nodded. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up." he said. I was quiet as I let him lead me to the abandoned girls bathroom. He grabbed a wet towel and held it to my cheek. "Do you believe me now?" he asked. I nodded and he wiped my tears away. "Belle, can you say something?" he asked. I looked around me and saw he still had blood on his cheek. "You have blood on your cheek." I said. He smiled. "Oh." he said. I took the cloth from his hand and wiped it away. Everything played in my mind and I realized who I was with.
"I have to go." I said. "What? Where?" he asked. "I have to get back to my dorm." I said. He ran in front of the door to stop me. "Belle, we need to go tell your dad about what happened!" he said. I shook my head. "No. and I told you not to call me that." I said. "He hit you." Theo exclaimed. "You hit him too." I replied. "He deserved it." Theo said. "He didn't mean to. He-" I started. "Love you? He cares about you? Was it just a mistake? He won't do it again? He will. I know it and you should too." he said. "You don't know anything." I said. "Really? Tell me this, when he wants something, does he tell you that you owe it to him or that you should want to make him happy?" he asked. "I- He-" I started. "Does he ask you if you love him or that you should show him that you love him?" he said. My heart started to race again. "Stop it. Just stop it." I said. "He's manipulating you and you are falling for it." he said. His voice raised. "Just shut up! You don't know anything. He loves me." I said. He shook his head and forced a laugh. "No, he doesn't." he said. "Why are you doing this? I don't know you and you don't know me." I asked. "I told you-" he started. "No you didn't. You gave me an irritatingly vague statement. I want to know the real reason. Tell me that and I'll listen. Prove to me this isn't just some joke or prank Malfoy set up." I said. He sighed. "Why can't you just believe I'm trying to help?" he asked. "Because Theo, you have tormented me for years. Why now?" I asked. "I never did anything to you." he said. "Yes, you-" I started. "No, I didn't. Malfoy, yes. Blaise, yes. Pansy, yes. But can you think of one time where I have said something directly to you?" he asked. I thought about it and technically he was right. "No, but you let your friends say stuff which is equally as bad." I said.
"Either you tell your dad or I will." he said. "You're bluffing." I said. "You really think so?" he asked. I nodded. "Well then I guess you're right, you don't know me very well." he said. He opened the door and walked out. I began to follow him and he was heading for my dad's classroom. "Theo, don't!" I said. He got to the door and looked at me. "I really am sorry Belle." he said. Then he opened the door and walked in. I followed after him and shut the door.
"Mr. Nott, what can I do for you?" my dad asked. "It's about Belle- I mean- Annabelle." he said. I ran over. "Theo, please" I said under my breath. "What's going on?" he asked. "Sir, I'm sorry to tell you this but Edmund does not treat Annabelle properly." Theo said. I stared at the floor. "Meaning?" my dad asked. "Well, I've witnessed him try to manipulate her into doing things she isn't comfortable with. Then today, he hit her." Theo said. My fathers face dropped. "He did what?!" he exclaimed. "I should have told you sooner Sir. I'm telling you now because she won't listen to me." Theo said. "Annabelle, is that true?" my dad asked. I kept my eyes down and stayed quiet. "Annabelle, answer me." he said. I just nodded. "Where is he?" he asked. "I kinda put him in the infirmary when I saw him hit Belle." Theo said. My dad inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Thank you Theo. 50 points will be awarded to Slytherin. You can go now." he said. Theo nodded and turned to leave. I started to walk out too. "Not you, young lady." my dad said. I sighed and turned back around. "Listen dad, I'm sorry I didn't tell you but-" I started. "What? What could make you think what that boy was doing was ok?" he asked. My eyes watered again. "I'm sorry dad, I- I just- He said he loved me." I said. I collapsed on a chair and buried my face in my palms. I felt the tension in the air and I could tell he was upset. But he walked over and knelt in front of me. He lifted my chin and I looked at him. "That's not love." he said. I hugged him and cried in his arms. "It's ok now kiddo. He can't hurt you." he whispered. I nodded.
A while later, I was walking back to my dorm. I convinced my dad not to tell Dumbledore. I told dad I would break up with Edmund and it wouldn't be a problem. I was going to do it. I was.
But only after the first task. I don't want Harry worrying about me right now. He needs to focus on battling a dragon, not my boy troubles. I walked into the common room and Harry was sitting on the couch. "Hey Anna, I got it!" he said. I walked over and sat down. "Got what?" I asked. "Moody and I figured out how I'm gonna survive the first task." he said. "That's fantastic! How?" I asked. "I can fly. I'm gonna summon my broom." he said. I sighed with relief. "That's brilliant Harry, really." I said. He nodded. Then he moved the hair from my face. "What happened?" he asked. "What?" I asked. "Your cheek, it's like red. Did you get hurt?" he asked. I forced a smile. "Oh yeah, you know me. I walked into a door." I said. He laughed. "You never were the most graceful." he said. I laughed. "I'm off to bed but I'll see you tomorrow." I said. He nodded.
TIME JUMP: 1 WEEK
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It's the day of the first task and I'm probably almost as nervous as Harry. Lessons were canceled for the day so I spent it with Harry. We sat near the lake and just talked. "I wonder if they let you keep the dragon after you beat it," I said. He laughed. "I doubt it but maybe." he said. "What would you name it?" I asked. "Hedwig Jr." he said. Now I laughed. "What would you name yours?" he asked. "Bex Jr." I said. He smiled. "Is everything ok with you and Edmund? I haven't seen you talk to him in a week." he said. "Yeah, we just got in a fight and I'm giving him some space." I lied. He nodded. "What about the-" he started. "Hey Belle, can we talk?" Theo said.
I've been actively ignoring Theo since he told my dad about Edmund. Now I don't really have a choice because otherwise I'll have to explain it to Harry. "I'll be back Harry, he probably just has a question about potions." I said. Harry nodded and I got up and walked away. Theo and I walked into an empty classroom and he shut the door. This should be interesting...
