The Internal Devices

Chapter 10

There was nothing special about this old classroom, Theo supposed. It was actually quite small compared to typical rooms used for lessons; if you looked very closely at the ceiling you would find a thin strip of mold creeping through the stone. The window was nothing spectacular, only allowing a meter of light through. It was shockingly chilled, even in warmer months; the only adornments offered was a subtle layer of dust breaking only where Theo's footprints pressed into the floor. The silence was weighty, as this wing of the castle was all but abandoned. In short, Theodore loved it.

He appreciated a deserted, bare, thing. It was honest. The abandoned classroom did not try to hide its flaws with pretty colors or lush carpets. It could not help but be exactly what it was: a desolate, cold, forgotten space; Theo knew the feeling.

He found this classroom accidentally during his second year. Really, he had been searching for the rumored "Come and Go Room". Whispers of a place where you could not be found had intrigued him. His entire life, Theo had wished for a place to disappear. Disappear from his horrible father, from the expectations of pureblood society, and for a moment, even to disappear from his illness. Perhaps it would be a room without mirrors, so he could avoid the bruised evidence of his father's fury. Perhaps it would be a room full of fire whiskey, so he could forget everything for a while. Perhaps it would be a room that would finally take him out of his misery. Whatever it would be, Theo couldn't help but go looking. He tucked his violin under his elbow (it was really the only possession he cared for), and searched for hours. Finally, the consistent walking showed its effect on his frail frame, and he had collapsed outside a closed door, far from prying eyes. He had clutched his beloved instrument to his chest and cursed his incessant curiosity, praying that Draco would find him here and help him back to the common room.

While waiting, Theo had gone to lean against the door frame. To his surprise, it jostled open, spilling him onto the floor; it took a full minute for him to struggle to his elbows and look around. His first impression was that it was a horrid place, much too cold for someone like him. He waited, staring at the walls in frustration. By this point, his coughing made it impossible for him to stand. Laying back on the putrid floor, he pulled out his beautiful violin. It was his mother's. Before her death, Theo had no interest in learning the instrument. Pureblooded men were not supposed to have callused fingers, and the young Theodore had scoffed at his mother's hobby. After she passed, the violin was all he had left of her. Learning music began as an obsession. He memorized all of her favorite ballads in desperation, but after a while, that desperation became something wholly different. By the age of seven, Theo realized why this instrument had captivated his mother. It was lovely–this music had the ability to transform even the ugliest of circumstances into something more. And he needed something more. Something more than being the victim of his father's hatred. Something more than the reality of death, constantly hovering over his shoulder. Something more than magic, even.

This idea of something more rushed over Theo as he lay on the dank stone flooring for the first time, and he began to play. He realized just as music had transformed his own life into something so much more than he ever expected it to be, his music could transform this ridiculous classroom into something more. He played for hours, never moving off of the floor. The position was awkward, his chin pointed at a laughable angle, but the young Slytherin couldn't bring himself to care. He smiled, for the first time in what felt like years, and assaulted the abandoned hallway with his mother's favorite melodies. That was how Draco had found him that first time, and after that day the boys frequented the old classroom every few days. Sometimes Theodore would go alone, but more often the two of them sat quietly away from all expectations and prejudices and listened to Theo's music. It was peaceful. It was enough.