Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
── .✦ THE GREAT HALL was bustling with the usual noise of students chatting over breakfast. the air smelled of freshly brewed coffee and buttered toast, and you sat at the long slytherin table with your friends. the usual crowd was present - draco, pansy, blaise, and, of course, theodore, who sat close to you, his shoulder brushing against yours as he reached for his goblet.
"you know, love, one of these days you're going to run out of snide remarks, and i'll finally get a moment of peace." theodore said, his voice low and teasing as he leaned in, his lips dangerously close to your ear.
you felt a shiver run down your spine at his proximity, but you quickly composed yourself. "please, nott, you'd be bored out of your mind without me." you shot back, your lips curling into a smirk as you nudged him playfully. your fingers brushed briefly against his under the table, a touch so subtle yet enough to send a spark of electricity up your arm.
blaise, sitting across from you, rolled his eyes. "merlin's sake, the two of you are insufferable. just get together already." draco, next to blaise, chuckled. "agreed. you two are practically a couple, minus the snowing." you felt your cheeks warm, but you quickly deflected. "you're all delusional. we're just friends."
theodore grinned, leaning back slightly but still keeping close enough that his knee brushed yours. "exactly. besides, if we were more than friends, she wouldn't stand a chance. i'm far too charming." you gave him a playful shove, laughing. "charming? is that what we're calling it now?" "jealousy is an ugly look on you." theodore said with mock seriousness, leaning forward and resting his chin in his hand as he stared at you, his eyes sparkling with amusement. you held his gaze, a challenge in your eyes. "you wish."
the teasing between you and theodore had been a constant since first year. what had once been playful bickering had gradually evolved into something more subtle, laced with flirtation that neither of you acknowledged but both of you felt. the way he looked at you sometimes, his blue eyes lingering just a moment too long, or how his hand would find yours under the table for no apparent reason - it was enough to make your heart race. but you had become an expert at brushing it off, at pretending it was all in good fun.
"honestly, it's painful to watch." pansy said with an exasperated sigh. "i've seen people actually dating who are less touchy than you two." "well, i can't help it if she insists on sitting this close to me." theodore quipped, casually throwing his arm across the back of your seat. he didn't touch you, not quite, but the presence of his arm was enough to make your skin tingle.
"i sit close because you steal all the best food if i'm not here to stop you." you said, smirking as you reached for a piece of toast. "you caught me." theodore leaned even closer, his breath ghosting over your ear. "i do it just to watch you scowl. it's adorable." you swatted him away, but there was no denying the way your stomach fluttered at his words. "i'm not adorable, nott." "yeah? could've fooled me." he replied, smirking as he turned back to his food, but not before his hand brushed yours one more time under the table. it was brief, but deliberate.
