The Deal I Made With Theodore Nott - NL x TN

12

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I was more than tired at breakfast that morning, but I was always an early riser and my body couldn't help but wake me up at the same time I always did.

It was relatively empty in the great hall, but students were still trickling in here and there. I was pulled abruptly from whatever it was I was thinking when Blaise Zabini fell into the seat across from me with a loud thump. His hands placed on the table in the way someone would if they were interrogating someone.

"Did Theo talk to you about his parents?"

"Wha-" I said, a proper amount of food still in my mouth when I attempted to answer.

"His parents Longbottom, did you and Theo have a chat about his parents at all?" He repeated.

I swallowed my pancakes, they went down rough and I had to take a drink before answering because I practically choked at Blaise's words. I wasn't sure how much Theo shared with his mates, and I wasn't sure how much they even cared for me. This had been the first time Blaise had approached me alone in all seven years of attending Hogwarts, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't atleast a little nervous around Slytherins still.

"Well yeah, he talked about them a little." I denoted.

"Hmm." Was all he replied with, rubbing his face deep in thought as he looked towards the entrance. My heart began to drop for some reason, worry washing over me.

"Why- is he okay?" I question swiftly.

Blaise practically laughs at my frantic behavior.
"Yeah yeah, he's perfectly fine. That's what confused me so much..."

"How would that confuse you?" I questioned.

"Well." Blaise started, facing me again as he relaxed his posture.
"He's my best mate, I can always tell when something is up with him. He isn't good at sharing his feelings so I've gotten good at reading his behaviors. What I don't understand is- how you got him to speak about his parents without it flipping his life upside down. On a normal day, if he so much as gets reminded of his mum he spirals. And yet-" he looked towards me as if to say I had something to do with Theo's behavior.

"You are going out with Richard Coote on Saturday correct?"

"I-"

"Save the hysterics Longbottom, you Gryffindors have such loose tongues it was easy to connect the dots. The important thing is that Theo doesn't." The Slytherin wizard squinted his eyes at me, waiting for me to agree to him without even questioning him.

I went to speak but Blaise put a hand up to silence me.
"He's going to be against it Longbottom, you know it. and take some friendly advice from me, don't trust a single thing out of Coote's mouth."

And with that he was gone without another word.

"What was that about?" Dove asked as she slipped into the seat beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. She took the toast off my plate, eating it as if it were her own. We were always like this though so I hadn't even really noticed.

"He was just telling me something about Theo, no big deal." I replied.

"Oh- alright, well I heard you have a date this weekend. Who with?"

"Me." Richard stated abruptly as he sat where Blaise had been before. He reached across the table, grabbing my other half of toast. I wasn't sure why I took note of this, but it bothered me slightly. Though I was too flustered to care much.

"Y- yeah, Ritchie asked me." I basically stuttered out. I'd always assumed Dove knew I was gay, I never told her but it was simply an unsaid thing I thought we were comfortable not talking about. Seeing her face now though- She looked... betrayed.

"Neville.." Dove sighed out, her eyes digging into my soul.

"So I was thinking that we could-"

"Excuse me." Dove snapped, interrupting Ritchie mid sentence. The tension between the two was rough. I hadn't ever noticed any poor feelings between the two before but it was an elephant in the room now.
"I'm talking to my best mate right now, so how about you give us a minute."

Richard's mouth snapped shut, and I was left embarrassed to say the least.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked.

"Dove, now is not a good time for a conversation like this."

"Then when is?" She huffed.
I remained silent.

"Fine." She exclaimed, pushing herself up and off the bench with attitude.

I looked back towards Ritchie who looked oddly pleased with the situation, he hopped over the table and sat beside me instead of across from me.
"Not even out to your mates then?" He asked.

"No- I mean- not really. I guess some people kinda figured it out on their own. I haven't actually told anyone fully." I explained. The nerves of the situation meshed with my nervousness around my long term crush. I could feel his body heat from where he sat, his body practically pressed against my side.

"That's cool, me neither. I don't like labels, they ruin things." He explained.
Ritchie was always that way, chill. He was a go with the flow kind of person and he got along with everyone... almost everyone.

"When did those two start talking? Are they dating?"

My eyes followed his line of sight to the Slytherin tables. To my surprise Dove and Theo were sat beside each-other.
She was whispering something into his ear while he stared daggers into Richard and I.

Ritchie presses his knee into mine and I can feel myself getting flustered, unsure of how to react.
Then I feel Theo's eyes burning into us, the anger radiating off of him is palpable. I wasn't sure why Blaise warned me of Theo and his hate for Ritchie, but it was obvious he was giving quality advice.

I took a mental note to always listen to Blaise Zabini in the future.

I then watch as Theodore storms out of the great hall and I couldn't stop myself from following him. I didn't say anything to Richard as I stood up and walked away, I also didn't stop when I heard him asking where I was going.

Theo is my friend, if he is upset I need to be there for him.
At least that's what I told myself.

"Theo-" I called for him in the hallway, I wasn't expecting him to swiftly turn towards me.

"Richard Coote? Are you fucking kidding me Neville? You know I don't like him and you- you-"

"Well, you never told me why you dislike him, so I don't really have any reason to say no." I replied. This upset him more.

"What do you want me to say? He murdered a pack of unicorns or something? I thought you'd just trust my judgement." He retorted.

It was frustrating, because I did trust Theo, though I didn't trust him blindly. It was illogical to do such a thing, no matter how close I am with someone. Who would?

Right?