laconic • t.nott ✓

15 ➺ just a few weeks

「 JUST A FEW WEEKS 」

WHATEVER HE HAD SAID TO Blaise, Theo was quite disheartened that he would have to spend the Christmas holiday at Hogwarts on his own. He wasn't particularly keen about Christmas itself, for his father had never celebrated it and he wasn't very eager to go home and meet him either. He had simply wanted to get out of the castle.

He found a slight disappointment building inside him due to the fact that Blaise hadn't offered to stay back in the castle to accompany him, but he quickly shot it down. He couldn't really blame Blaise for not wanting to stay.

On the day the Hogwarts Express was to leave for King's Cross Station, Theo woke up early. He had, once again, spent the night in the common room, huddled over a sofa near the fire, although he hadn't slept very well. Shifting around, pacing across the carpeted floor, and staring endlessly at the fire were just some of the activities he had opted to take part in throughout the night. He had wished longingly to climb up the stairs to the boys' dormitory and wake Blaise up, perhaps ask him to stay awake with him and talk. He was sure Blaise wouldn't mind.

But he hadn't.

And thus, when his eyes fluttered open the next morning, he was exhausted and wishing for death. His dread grew with each passing second - most of Slytherin house would be boarding the Hogwarts Express in a few hours, including all of his dorm mates. He would be the only member of the Inquisitorial Squad left at the castle, and the Carrows would not only give him duties to perform but also, he was sure, shower the brunt of their anger upon him. 

He was beginning to regret dismissing Blaise's offer to spend the holiday at his place.

Theo rubbed his eyes vigorously with his knuckles. He couldn't tell what time it was, for the Slytherin common room was always bathed in a greenish glow owing to the depths of the Black Lake outside the windows. He dragged himself into the dormitory - his dorm mates were fast asleep - and checked his watch. Just a few minutes past five. Curfew hasn't been lifted yet. But he doubted the Carrows would be patrolling the castle at this hour.

Once again, he fought the urge to wake up Blaise. He freshened up, changed into more formal attire, and exited the dorms hastily. The dungeons were dark, for the torches hanging on the walls haven't been lit yet. Lumos, he whispered, causing a faint glow to light up at the tip of his wand. It wasn't much help - the darkness seemed to press in on him even more - but at least he could see where his feet touched the floor.

Even after he came out of the dungeons, Theo felt utterly creeped out. He had been out at night before, but dawn brought on a completely different aura to the castle. There was no sign of the sun or the moon, but pale light shone upon the walls and cast long eerie shadows on the stone before him.

Part of him urged him to return to the dorms and hide underneath the comfort of the sheets. But something had descended upon Theo. He wished to walk through the long corridors of the Hogwarts castle even if the shadows made him flinch and any sound made him whip his head around. He felt a strong surge of emotion rolling inside him that drove him forward, that made him stumble blindly through the narrow corridors, away from the safety of the Slytherin dungeons. It didn't take him long to realise what the emotion was. It was anger. He was angry with his father, with the Carrows, even with Blaise. He wished to hide somewhere in the castle and only come out after Blaise had left and gone halfway to his home.

He walked aimlessly through the castle, descending the stairs here, climbing through holes in the walls there; he even pushed past tapestries to see if they concealed any secret tunnels. So far, he had failed to find any.

His stomach rumbled. All the walking around was making him hungry. But it was still long before the sun would rise and by that time, Theo thought he would explore nearly half the castle.