CONTROL| THEO NOTT

FOUR

[𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐘 — 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟓]

THEODORE HAD ALWAYS SMELLED LIKE teakwood and citrus with slight notes of cedar.

Chest heaving, brows furrowed and eyes flickering between the hazel ones staring down at her, Cassie feels as though she can't move. Can't breathe. Can't even decipher reality from the deepest desires of her heart—which have always been to reunite with Theodore, to go back in time to find him again, to disappear from the surface of the Earth to meet him in another life.

His scent wavers in the air, her mind getting clouded whilst buried memories try to crawl their way back up to the surface.

The weather shifts drastically—the once blue sky turns to grey, dark clouds drifting hastily above their heads. It's as if the weather had decided to match Cassie's mood as everything starts to get dark.

Her blue eyes turn into a lethal glare, a flicker of undeniable chagrin synchronising with the distant rumbles of thunder in between the cataclysmal clouds.

"How—" Theodore manages to utter a single word, pure confusion brimming his eyes.

Cassie takes a step back at the sound of his voice resonating, and she finally realises she has never stopped breathing.

She doesn't understand why he is here. How he is alive and standing and staring so intensely into her eyes.

Evident shock is drawn on his face, his lips slightly parting. His chest distinctly heaves but he can't move. It's as though he is stuck to the ground, his world falling apart and shattering into pieces around him.

Theodore blinks. Once. Twice. Multiple times as though he is trying to get his vision adjusted—as though Cassie standing before him is simply an illusion. A trick of his own imagination.

The door to the Manor opens and Draco steps out. He halts in his motion, blinking at the sight before him. "Well, would you look at that," he chuckles nervously, scratching the back of his head.

Both Cassiopeia and Theodore dart their gazes to look at Draco. The blond holds his hands up in surrender, stepping in between his cousin and his friend.

"Before one of you kills me—"

"I'll make your death so slow and painful, Draco," Cassie seethes, stepping towards him, which only results in Draco putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her from moving.

"Stop being so overdramatic," Draco huffs. "Let's all go inside and—"

"You knew?" Theodore asks in a voice so quiet that Cassie thinks he isn't real. But the instant the volume of his deep, husky voice increases, chills arise on her spine, and she knows he isn't a dream. "You fucking knew about your sister being alive?"

Draco locks his eyes with Theo, his chest rising as he takes a sharp breath in. He raises his brows, "Do you think I would have hidden this from you?"

Theo lifts his shoulders in a shrug, and that's when Cassie notices he is wearing the exact same outfit as Draco: a scarlet uniform because he is an Auror as well.

"How is it even possible?" Evident puzzlement is laced to the brunet's voice as he keeps his eyes locked to Draco's.

Cassie seems to be unable to detach her gaze from the man she thought buried six feet under. She can't understand how all of this is happening.

"I don't know, Theo," Draco answers harshly. "I also have a lot of questions to ask, so if you two would please come inside so we can have a nice cup of tea and a pleasant chat—"