The Hollow Beneath Hogwarts

83. I'm With You

The castle hadn't seen this many secrets being kept at once in years.

After the meeting finally broke up the previous evening, nobody had gone straight to bed. That would have been impossible. Everyone had been far too excited.

The boys had disappeared into Draco's dormitory shortly after midnight. According to Blaise, it was a "stag do." According to Harry, it was four idiots sitting around talking. According to Draco, it was an opportunity to make sure Theo didn't accidentally have a nervous breakdown before his wedding. According to Theo, it was one of the best nights he'd had in years.

Blaise had somehow managed to obtain a bottle of Firewhiskey. Nobody asked how. Nobody wanted to know.

Experience had taught them that any question beginning with "Where did Blaise get..." usually ended with trouble.

The bottle had been passed around as the four boys sat cross-legged on Draco's bedroom floor. Theo spent most of the evening smiling. Just smiling.

Every few minutes one of them would catch him doing it.

Then he'd be teased mercilessly.

"You're doing it again," Draco said at one point.

Theo blinked. "What?"

"Smiling."

Theo frowned. "I'm not."

"You are."

"No I'm not."

"You absolutely are."

Harry laughed. "He's been doing it all night."

Theo threw a cushion at him.

It hit Harry square in the face.

Blaise nearly fell over laughing.

"You look sick."

"I do not."

"You look happy."

Theo immediately looked offended. "Those aren't the same thing."

"Close enough."

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the castle, Sloane had organised her own gathering.

One that had somehow become equally chaotic. She had marched Theo directly to the Slytherin dormitory. Ordered him to fetch Daphne. Then promptly thrown him back out again.

"No boys allowed."

"That's discrimination."

"Goodnight, Theo."

The door had slammed in his face. The girls had laughed for five solid minutes afterward. Daphne had arrived completely clueless. Luna knew. Hermione knew. Ginny knew. Sloane knew.

Only Daphne remained in the dark.

Which made every conversation infinitely more entertaining. The girls had spent hours together. Face masks. Chocolate. Sweets. Nail polish. Blankets. Gossip.

At one point Luna had somehow convinced all of them that nargles preferred wedding ceremonies to birthday parties.

Hermione had argued.

Luna had produced three entirely fabricated examples.

Ginny had nearly choked laughing.

Daphne had laughed so hard tears had formed in her eyes.

And Sloane...

Sloane had simply sat there watching. Smiling. Because for the first time since she'd met Daphne, she looked genuinely happy. Relaxed. Accepted. Safe.