Moon Dust | Mattheo Riddle

Chapter 27: Fiery disposition

Nova had always loved her care of magical creatures' class, mostly because they got to go outside most lessons. She adored being in the fresh air, close enough to the forest to catch the lingering scent of oak and dew, especially after it had rained.

Today's lesson was all about bowtruckles, where they hid, how to find them, how to care for them. Fred and George were already causing havoc down in the mud, covering each other in dirt as they searched for the critters. Nova smiled at them hastily then side stepped a little, moving closer to Theodore Nott, who was busy feeding a leaf to a baby bowtruckle in the palm of his hand.

"He's cute, they're usually so shy, but he seems to like you a lot," she beamed, crouching down a little to look at the critter. She smiled, reaching out cautiously to pet it as it shuffled back a few paces in his hand. Nova tilted her head to the side, pulling her hand back and instead waving at it softly as Theodore watched her with an uncomfortable confusion.

The Slytherin glanced around awkwardly, as if trying to work out who she was talking to before the brunette peered up at him, grinning gently.

"How'd you get him to sit there like that?"

Theodore arched a brow, lifting his hand toward the nearest tree branch to let the bowtruckle hop off before he brushed his palms together and shrugged, simply turning away from her and walking in the opposite direction.

Nova frowned, scrunching her lip up before skipping after him, ignoring his silent sigh as she landed in tandem beside him. "My dad took me to an exhibition once for that book. Magical creatures and where to find them? The nice man, the one that wrote the book, he brought a few of the creatures with him, including a little bowtruckle that sat in his pocket. Since then, I've always wanted to hold one, but like I said, they're pretty shy, I don't want to spook one by picking it up."

Theodore stopped walking, turning to face her with a studious expression as she smiled sweetly in return and swayed back and forth on her heel. The Italian boy huffed under his breath, clicking his tongue to the side before reaching into his pocket, pulling out a handful of spinach.

He gave Nova a pointed look, motioning to a different stick insect up in a tree, and then placed a leaf a few paces back from it, waiting a second as it crept closer.

"He is very cute—"

"Shh, they're very alert to sound, best to be quiet," he said quickly, cutting her off. Nova nodded, tugging her lips to the side as she placed a finger over her mouth, signalling she'd be quiet. He perked a hopeful eyebrow at her, then glanced back at the tree, waiting for the bowtruckle to approach the leaf before pulling out another one and sticking in the middle of his outstretched palm. It carefully stepped toward him, looking up cautiously before stepping onto his hand and taking a bite out of the leaf.

The brown-haired boy turned slightly, pulling another spinach leaf from his pocket and handing it to Nova, motioning for her to offer it out. She grinned at him and held out on her palm towards the bowstruckle, chuckling as it looked up and shuffled over, ticking at her skin.

Theodore watched for a second, wordlessly as Nova giggled at the creature, then he turned and walked away again once it was secure in her palm.

Nova let out a muffled noise, glancing up at his sudden movements. "Hey, Nott wait—I wanted to ask you something if you don't mind," she said quickly, using her forefinger to stroke over the bowtruckle's back as it chewed on its leaf comfortably, sitting down in her palm.

He turned around slowly, letting out a tantalised breath before hesitantly walking back toward her and waiting for her to speak with an impatient expression.