Pulling Strings - Theodore Nott

14. Happy birthday

"Fine"

That word haunted Ophelia on the daily. She knew that she had done the right thing, after all, it's not everyday that Theodore Nott asked for a favour. But still, there was a voice in the back of her mind reminding her that he was not worthy of her pity or her favours. He had never done anything for her but now he needed her to pretend not to despise him in front of his grandfather...for what?

He had taken her by surprise, that was it. She had been ambushed—by his sad eyes, by the desperation in his voice, by the way his fingers had closed around her own in a silent plea. A most unwelcome touch, she thought. She should have said no. She should have walked away. And it certainly didn't make it any easier that after all that, he had the audacity to ignore her for days. Every time she attempted to speak to him, to establish the barest semblance of civility before the holidays, he would vanish. Always an essay to write. Always somewhere else to be. Always an excuse.

Those were the moments when she wished she had told him to bugger off when she had the chance. Stupid Ophelia and her stupid empathy. But this ended today, she was not about to be played for a fool no more.

She was watching him from the other side of the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, studying his movements but trying not to look that obvious. After all, today was a Friday and as such, it meant that almost all the students of Slytherin in her year were having breakfast at the same time because they had Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons later. Meaning, Nott had no excuse to avoid speaking with her.

"You're going to get cross-eyed if you keep staring at him." The teasing whisper came from her right, startling her. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she turned sharply to find Annalise smirking at her.

"I'm not staring." she replied, in another whisper. The last thing she needed was for anyone else to hear her.

"Right," Anna gave her a knowing smile. "And I'm not drinking tea."

Ophelia rolled her eyes. "Bugger off." She turned around to her previous position and heard her friend chuckling but she tried not to pay it any attention.

Anna simply didn't understand. Ophelia had yet to mention to her that she was going to be forced to spend the winter break with him and worst of all, act like she could stand him on the daily. She wouldn't think the scenario to be so gloomy if only Annalise's family would spend Christmas with the Nott's but she knew for a fact that they didn't. Lord Nott had made his disapproval of Anna's father's political leanings abundantly clear, and he had apparently deemed her mother "too liberal" for his liking. Plus, she knew that the Fawley's always spent Christmas in France, with her mother's family.

"I'm just messing with you," Anna said, nudging her arm lightly. "But if he's done something again, he will be hearing from me. I don't care that it's his birthday, he can't–"

"Wait–Today's his birthday?" Ophelia cut in, a confused frown in her face.

"Yes, second of December," Anna confirmed. "And that's today, isn't it?"

"It is." Ophelia didn't add anything more. Her eyes found Nott again and focused on him once more, studying him. He looked as his usual self; bored, brooding and like he was going to bark at you if you dared to speak to him. He didn't look excited or happy, she furrowed her brows, deep in thought.

She had been so focused on him that when he shifted and turned his gaze on her, she had been caught completely out of balance. She didn't look away instantly, though. Something in his eyes was different today, she noticed. Even though they looked as dead as ever, there was something she couldn't quite place that bothered her. Then, just as quickly as it had happened, he looked away.