𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑

the one with the prefect's bathroom

“The books that we call the immoral
ones are those that show the
world in it's real shame.”

•

THEODORE NOTT HAD detention and I couldn't believe him. It had been two days into the class—Gryffindors had Defense Against the Dark Arts on Monday and Slytherins had it on Tuesday. So, on Tuesday when I made my way to the library to meet with my Slytherin friends to do my Potions essay on properties of moonstone, I saw Theo sulking slightly.

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly as I sat down. No one else was here yet. "Where's—"

"Blaise forgot his Charms book so he went back to get it. Draco and Pansy are meeting Snape for something—prefect work," he grunted.

"And what's wrong with you?" I asked, leaning down to pull out my Potions book and parchment. "Why are you sulking?"

"Eh."

I clicked my ballpen and raised an eyebrow at him. "Eh?"

Theo shrugged, leaning back on the chair, loosening his green tie. Unlike most Slytherins, Theo didn't care about being dressed properly. Whereas Draco was perfectly ironed shirt, buttoned till he was choking, sleek emerald tie and cloak till the perfect length, Theo looked like he hadn't even laundered his clothes since first year. His shirt had ink stains and the sleeves were rolled up; he top two buttons of his shirt were either open or he had put the buttons in the wrong holes altogether; and his tie always looked like he didn't know how to tie a tie. I rolled my eyes.

"Tell me," I said, clicking my ballpen a few more times.

"Can you stop doing that? It's irritating," he snapped.

"What? This?" I said, putting my ballpen close to his face and clicking it a few more times until he swatted my hand away like it was a mildly annoying fly. I grinned. "What is wrong with you? Why aren't you trying to hex me today?"

Theo let out a very dramatic sigh and took off his tie altogether. He twiddled it between his fingers and for some strange reason tied the ends together. "I got detention."

My heart sank as I stopped clicking my pen. I kept it down and looked at him. "Please tell me it's not—"

"Umbridge? That's the one."

"Shit! Why Theo!"

"He told her off about not using magic," Blaise said, appearing from nowhere, dropping a large amount of Charms books on my right. I nearly jumped out of my skin. "It was quite a scene."

"Theo," I rubbed my temples. Sure I had linked myself to Harry to save him all that pain. But could I do that to Theo too? Could I take two people's Black Quill detentions?

"Well, she was saying that we won't be using magic at all until the exam," Theo scoffed. "And that we'd only be using them in the exam and I'd we studied hard enough we'd be able to do the practicals without any practice—"

"She told us that too—"

"—and it was all too dumb and bizarre so I asked what we were supposed to do if we were attacked," Theo continued and I had this flashback of Harry having the same argument with the pink toad. "And she said why we'd be attacked in Hogwarts and I said maybe not in Hogwarts, but outside of it. And she said why'd we be outside of Hogwarts. And it was so stupid—she spoke as if we'd never leave Hogwarts!"

"And he said that eventually we would," Blaise said calmly. "And what if we're unprepared in the face of adversities—"

"You should have stayed quiet!" I hissed. "She's from the Ministry—"