Medicine - T. Nott

twenty eight

March 13th, 1998

Today is my eighteenth birthday. I'm in a particularly good mood today, all things considered.

Things are still off with Theo but he keeps making an effort. At first, it was annoying because I didn't really want to talk to him and he would sit by me at every meal and start talking. But it's been slowly wearing down on me.

Maybe I should give him another chance. Maybe.

It's a Friday, which means that I only have three classes today and I'll be done a bit after lunch. All of my friends collectively decided that they were throwing a party for me tonight, and then didn't tell me until this morning.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," I mutter. "Who's even coming?"

"Everyone," Daphne says.

I shake my head and go to start eating my breakfast when Theo comes walking into the Great Hall. He sits down right beside me and grins.

"Happy birthday, Alex," He says.

"Thanks, Theo," I reply.

Theo pours some tea into a mug and starts piling food on his plate. "Do you want your present now or later?" He asks, not even glancing at me.

"Why would you get me a present?" I ask.

"Because I wanted to. And, I get you one every year so I'm not about to stop now," Theo answers.

I tilt my head. "Theo-" Before I can protest all of the owls come flying into the Great Hall. Their screeching echoes off of the walls as they fly low to the tables and start dropping letters, packages, and newspapers. A dark gray owl flies too low and just barely skims the top of Theo's head. He ducks his head and grumbles something while the owl drops a bundle of things in front of me, just barely missing my plate full of food.

"Bloody hell, who's all that from?" Draco asks.

I thumb through the bundle. "It must be from my mum," I say. I flip to the last envelope which is sealed with the St. Mungo's emblem. "And-, and something from St. Mungo's," I add, my voice filling with excitement.

"Open it," Pansy says, leaning over to read over my shoulder.

"Oh, that's about the Healer program then, isn't it?" Blaise asks.

I peel open the envelope. "Yup," I answer, "But if it's bad news then no one's allowed to say anything about it. I'll deal with it later." I pause before pulling out the piece of parchment that will determine my future. "Actually, I don't want to read it. Someone else take it."

Without saying anything, Theo grabs the envelope out of my hands and starts reading. "Dear Miss Rosier," He reads aloud, "We are writing to inform you of your acceptance into our program to train as a Healer. Alex, you got in!"

Theo wraps his arms around me and hugs me. All of my friends are saying congratulations but all I can focus on right now is Theo's arms around me. I hug Theo back and we stay like that for a moment before he's pulling back and smiling at me.

"Congrats, Alex," He says.

I don't know what possesses me to do so, maybe I'm a weak, pathetic person, but I grab Theo's face and kiss him. He's quick to kiss me back, but when his hand comes up to cup my cheek I regain all of my senses and pull away from him.

"Sorry-," I say, my face turning red, "I don't know why I did that."

"I'm glad you did," Theo says.

He stares at me so I look away and go back to eating my breakfast. I look at Pansy and Daphne, who are giving each other a look before looking at me and trying to keep a straight face.

- - - - -

I decide not to open the rest of my mail just yet. I go to Dark Arts and can feel Theo staring at the back of my head the whole class. I spend my free period in the library working on homework so that I don't have to do it this weekend. After that, I go to Transfiguration where I sit next to Theo. Our knees kept bumping the entire class and Pansy and Daphne were watching from the row behind us and trying not to laugh. I gave them the finger.

By the time lunch rolls around, I'm counting the minutes until my last class ends. Theo and I go to Charms and he flirts with me the whole class and I don't even pretend to be annoyed with him. Whatever he's doing is working.

We both have a free period, and Charms was our last class of the day, so I go back to the Slytherin common room and Theo follows. We haven't been alone together since we 'broke up', and I was planning to keep it that way just by the time I realize we'll be alone it's too late to make up an excuse and leave.

I sit down on one of the couches and Theo sits down beside me. He stretches his arms out on the back of the couch and his hand is brushing against my hair.

"Are you ever going to open what your mum sent you?" Theo asks impatiently.

I grab the envelopes and package from my bag that was only able to hold them because of an extension charm. "Yes, actually I was just about to," I say. There are a few other people in the common room but they're all scattered enough that no one can hear us.

I open the envelope from my mum.

Happy 18th birthday, darling! I hope you're having a great day. I sent along your birthday gift from me but I also sent you something from your dad. He didn't want you to have it until you were 18, but now it's all yours.

Give Matthew a hug for me, and tell Theo that I say hi. I'll see you soon!

Mum

Theo watches me as I start to open the package. "What'd she say?" He asks.

"Happy birthday, she said to tell you hi, and she said that she sent along something from my dad," I say.

"Huh, interesting," Theo says.

My mum sent me a new pair of boots that I've been wanting for a while. I'll probably wear them tonight. I grab the other envelope that's addressed to me. Now that I'm actually taking the time to look at it, I can see that the handwriting is identical to the one that covers pages and pages of my dad's journals.

There's a short note.

Happy birthday, Alex! I legally could've given you this when you came of age at 17, but I wanted to wait another year. Being eighteen is much better than being 17, well at least that's what most being who had normal teenage years say.

Anyways, I've sent along the deed to a townhouse in Paris, France. It was mine but now it's yours. I bought it a few months before you were born and wanted to move all of us there so you could grow up away from all of this. But, life had other plans so London it is.

I love you, kid.

Behind the letter is indeed a deed to a townhouse. It's been put in my name, and there's a list of details about it, including the address.

"My dad gave me a house?" I tell Theo.

"What? Where?" He asks, looking over my shoulder.

I show him the paper. "Paris," I say.

Theo grins, "No way. What's in the other box?"

I reach for the other box which I had momentarily forgotten about. It's a small jewelry box that houses a ring. It's a small silver ring with the Rosier crest.

I slide the ring onto my ring finger and smile.

Theo puts his hand next to mine. "Now we're sort of matching," He says. I tap his ring and then brush my finger over the faint scar on his hand from our detention with Carrow. My hand looks the same. The scar is unreadable now, but there's still a faint scar that matches Theo's.