Of Constellations → 𝘥. 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘧𝘰𝘺

v. theodore nott pt. ii

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chapter five

theodore nott part two

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There seemed to be danger in the air the next day. October slipped into a cool, drafty November, accompanied by whispers in the corridors and shifty-eyed students. The heir of Slytherin, whoever they were, was lurking unseen. The fear was that they would strike again.

Fortunately (or, unfortunately, depending on who you asked), Mrs. Norris was not actually dead. Instead, she had been petrified. It would take time, but she would be fine.

The library was busier than a typical Sunday, so I brought all of my boring homework, hoping the noise would keep me awake. I hadn't managed to finish my Muggle work yesterday, and I knew I'd be getting a strongly-worded letter from our family owl, Martha, if I didn't send it to Mum today, as it was the first of the month.

Only a page into my history assignment, I was about to give up. My brain was refusing to retain any information about the Roman Republic. Just before I put the papers away and got out a book to read instead, I lifted my head to see the familiar curly hair and sideways smile of Theodore Nott as he walked over to me.

"Hey, Fossen."

It had been quite a while since I'd rescued him from Filch's wrath, but, sometimes Theodore went to the Astronomy Tower at night. He'd often get there just as I was leaving and he'd say 'Hey, Fossen' the same way every time, and give me a smile as we walked by each other.

I grinned. "Hey, Nott."

"I was going to work on a Defense essay, mind if I join you?" he asked.

I had expected Theodore to dislike me. By now, he surely knew who I was. Even many non-Death Eater families tended to recognize the name Fossen, considering my family's storied history when it concerned Durmstrang. And, I knew for certain that the children on my Do-Not-Befriend list came from families who hated my father just as much as he hated them, if not more. They'd most likely been primed to hate me too.

Obviously, Theo did not. But, it still surprised me when he asked to sit with me. The son of a Death Eater being polite to me? Feasible. But choosing to spend time with me? I found it difficult to believe.

"I don't mind," I said, gesturing to the empty seat across from me. He gave a toothy grin and swung his bag onto the table. He got out a textbook and some papers and I watched him spot my history book. His eyes grew confused.

"What is that?" he asked.

I considered my options. Admitting that I was still taking Muggle classes to the son of Silas Nott might not be a particularly smart move. But, then again, I was beginning to wonder if Theodore was not as blood prejudiced as his father, considering he was treating me nicely, a girl whose mother was a Muggle. I figured it could be a good test, seeing his reaction.

"History," I said. "World history."

"Did you get special permission to skip ahead to Muggle Studies or something?" he asked, reaching for the textbook and turning it to himself so he could read.

"Muggle Studies?" I asked. "That's a class here?"

He nodded, meeting my eyes briefly. "You learn about Muggles and how they manage to live without magic. It's an elective, don't worry," he said and then squinted at the book, lowering his head slightly closer to the pages."It was then, on the Ides of March, that Julius Caesar was assassinated, stabbed to death at a meeting of the Senate. Wow. Who's that and what did he do?"