Call it what you want {Theodore Nott}

Chapter eighty-one

The week passed strangely after that. Not badly, that was almost worse. Everything felt painfully normal considering Amy had a cursed necklace hiding in her dormitory.

Lessons continued, people complained about homework, Blaise got detention twice in three days and underneath it all, Amy constantly felt aware of the wrapped package hidden beneath the false bottom of her trunk. Like she could feel it through the floor.
Although originally that's not where she hid it, she buried it underneath her clothes at the bottom of her drawer but then had to move it after Mattheo practically begged she hides its somewhere better.

The first night after Draco gave it to her she barely slept. Every tiny sound in the dorm made her jolt awake thinking Iris had somehow found it.

At one point, around two in the morning, Iris sleepily sat up in bed and asked. "Why are you awake?"

Amy nearly had a heart attack. "Couldn't sleep." She answered too quickly.

Iris frowned blearily at her from across the room. "You're staring at your  ceiling that it insulted you."

Amy forced out a weak laugh. "I'm revising"

"At two in the morning?"

"Motivation hits you when you least expect it."

Iris looked unconvinced but too tired to question it properly so just mumbled a "fair" before collapsing back onto her pillow.

She didnt fall asleep until sunrise that night.

Outside her dorm wasn't any easier. She started avoiding looking directly at people in the corridors, especially girls.

That was the worst part because Draco had made it sound so simple. "Find someone forgettable" he told her.

As though human beings came in categories, as though she could just pick one.

One afternoon walking to Charms a group of Ravenclaw girls passed her in the corridor laughing loudly at something. She immediately looked away and her stomach twisted so sharply she almost stopped walking.

Because her brain instantly asked the question now,
Could it be her?

No.
Too young.

Then another girl passed carrying books against her chest, a Hufflepuff, quiet looking. Amy's chest tightened again.

No.

Every person became a possibility, every passing face felt unbearable.

By Wednesday Theo noticed, of course he did. They were walking down from Astronomy together late in the evening, the corridors quieter than usual when he suddenly slowed beside her.

"You keep looking at people like you're apologising to them."

The words hit her so accurately she nearly flinched, she stopped walking fully and so did he, turning to her, "Ames."

She looked away immediately, that alone told him enough. His expression shifted, concern taking over the teasing calmness he usually carried around her. "You haven't picked someone yet." Not a question.

Amy swallowed hard. "No."

Theo exhaled through his nose and glanced briefly down the empty corridor before lowering his voice further. "I told you, you don't have to do this alone"

"I do, Theo." She said softly. "I volunteered to do this in the first place so you wouldn't have to."

He stared at her for a second like he didn't know what to say. "You think I'm going to let you carry this yourself?"