Rediscovering Reality

Dress Robes

The room was dark and gloomy when Theo woke up the next day.

He lay there looking at the sliver of light that had cracked through his heavy curtains and debated wether or not he wanted to open them. If he opened them the sunlight would get in. And he would have to get up. And then he would have to make himself eat something. But if he stayed in bed and stared at the dust that was floating through the air and catching the one stream of light that was gracing the darkness of the room.

Theo's POV

It's not really a matter of getting up. Its what happens after I get up that is just... something I don't want to deal with. The ball was a few days away and I'd grown an inch or two and had put on some muscle since the last time I'd had to put on my nicest dress robes. And honestly I needed to get measured for new ones. But I didn't really want to. That's the trouble about raisin yourself. It gets harder and harder to make yourself do things you don't want to do.

But you also know you need to get up and do them.

And it's a perpetual cycle.

The clock in the corner of the room chimed again. I ignored it.

And then again later tolling like a reminder that my laziness was wasting away precious hours.

And then once more. And now I really needed to get up. I really needed to get up and be an adult and go do the things that needed to get done.

By the number of tolls it was already three o'clock.

Dragging myself out of bed I walked blankly to the bathroom, yanking the curtians open as I walked by. I took a shower hot enough to turn my skin red tinged. After getting semi-presentable. I left the silence of my home for the bustling center of Diagon Alley.

With a crack I appear in a designated apparation point and pulled my robes tighter around me. It was cool for a summer day. But England had a way of choosing to ignore whatever season was current in favor of the properties "cold" and "wet".

Monsieur Bisset greeted me with a pleasant smile as I swooped into his store. I busied myself with looking at the fabric wall as he finished a transaction at the register with a sharp looking woman and her two boys both standing straight backed, not a hair out of place on their heads.

"Mr.Nott!" Monsieur Bisset said with a flourish of his arms.

"I'm in need of a new pair of dress robes." I said as pleasently as I could muster...glancing around the room filled with materials of every kind.....when was the last time I had been here? My father had brought me the first time but every time after that he sent me alone.just before the yule ball? No it had been after that....just before it all went to hell. That was it yes. Just as I'd been thrust into adulthood and a world where pain seemed the only option. I'd grown. And I couldn't go in front of the dark lord looking as I had. So a new set of dress robes. Black....and a few color accents used for when I was required to meet the girls at their coming of age balls.

But they were a few inches too short now and too tight around the wrists.

"...and perhaps....well I think I might be in need for a new set of business robes as well." I sealed my fate. No use in ignoring it now.

Soon I would be leading board meetings and continuing on the things I had been doing for the past five years. It was hard to keep from feeling pessimistic. But I knew what this company required. I would have no time to find a girl and settle down. No time to try and convince people that I wasn't as evil as they thought I was. But some part of me didn't care. Some part of me accepted my fate as it was. It didn't matter what people thought of me.
Because I didn't mind. I did what I did because my family was in danger. Sure my family looked a little different than say Blaises. But....my family was my dad...and Blaise...and Draco....and a few other scared teenagers who were lost and confused with no direction and no idea on how to get out of this cage they found themselves in.

I regretted it....Merlin I regretted it so much. But people where going to think what they were going to think. And.......I had my reasons....and maybe someday they'd give me a moment to explain. But as of right now ....I'd just keep my head down and do my job. And for that I needed another set of pinstriped business robes.

"Pin striped if you have the material Monsieur Bisset." He nodded and motioned for me to step up on the platform. Then he began hastely swishing his wand as measuring tapes flew across the room and began measuring my inseam. And chest to toe.

"Arms out please Monsieur Nott." He said without turning around from the fabric bolts he was pulling from the wall.

He was placing a trial robe over my shoulders a few minutes later and quietly humming to himself when he finally asked... Just as I knew he would.

"Dress robes hmm? I guess it is that time of year isn't it. Coming of age balls yes? And finding a lucky girl?"

"Oh it's just a friends ball. That's all." He nodded not believing me at all.

"But there is a girl coming with you- correct?"   Bisset continued.

"Oh no I'm just going to support him." He looked sceptically but, he'd been working in the service industry long enough to know that it was probably better to just move on.

"Well these should fit, I'll line the cloak with black silk, and about these buisness robes- big interview coming up?" Yet another question of small talk.

"No I'm just going to ......start working in the family buisness." Truly there was no need for  me to lie, but at this point I didn't want to deal with the repercussions of the truth. The awkward small talk the pity filled glances. And I knew no matter how much I avoided the truth, Bisset would only press so far before giving up.

So he measured me, drew up my bill, and told my the robes would be in by Wednesday night.

I dreaded this ball but the idea that maybe I could be there for Blaise and for Her-  for Mari.
Maybe if I could just be there. We could pretend for one night that we were just kids again.
I could tell Blaise that he should've asked out Luna Lovegood when he had the chance. We could sneak off to do shots of fireball out of a flask in the garden. Astoria could scold us and tell us that she was too tired to be angry. Who knows maybe Pansy was invited. Maybe she would come out and tell us that people were noticing and we had to get back. Draco could tell us that if we weren't careful Blaise's mom would have our heads. Before taking a rather large shot and shuffling us all back inside.

Maybe we could be kids for a night.

But something in the pit of his stomach worried that even on this night. Something would take them back into adulthood. Away from childlike rebellion.

He headed to Zabini Manor. He needed to talk to Blaise.