Sick Little Games (Daphne) [COMPLETED]

[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

Theo sat in the courtyard strumming the newest song he'd written. He’d only written one or two songs before, but this one was by far the one he was most proud of. It took him a long time to figure out how to compose the music himself. He’d figured every possible chord combination had been written already – but he was wrong. He’d written lyrics for it, too, but Theo rarely sung. He didn’t think he had the voice for it, really, but he knew he wasn’t tone deaf. He could carry a tune, he just didn’t think he was as grand as some of the male vocalists he’d heard. But hey, practice makes perfect, right? And while he liked to believe he was perfect at everything, he knew he wasn’t, and he wouldn’t pretend like he was. He’d admit his faults, something a lot of Slytherins would refuse to do. But Theo had nothing to hide except for his past, really. Everything that had happened with his mother, and his father, and his real father. There’d been articles all about his mother’s death when it happened, but people didn’t really know the truth. The only people who did were the only people involved, and Theo didn’t like to talk about his past. It only made him angry when he thought about. Except... well there was one song.

So he sat there, strumming, becoming lost in the music as the sounds of the acoustic guitar echoed throughout the courtyard. He’d been tired of practicing up in the guys’ dorm, and it was the perfect weather to go get some fresh air. The autumn chill would be setting in soon enough, and with it would come fewer chances to enjoy the sunshine. It was warm, but breezy, so Theo sat there clad in his jeans and a v-neck white t-shirt, worn out sneakers on his feet. His mind sung out the lyrics he’d written to the song, and sure enough his voice followed. It started out as a low hum, but grew into him singing. He still kept his voice quiet, knowing he was in the courtyard, presuming the echoing acoustics would overpower his quiet singing as he got near the last chorus.

He continued strumming away, imagining what it would be like performing a song like this in front of people. He and Eli had joked many a time about starting a band, but the talks were starting to become a bit more serious, and as such Theo was finding a lot more things to write songs about. You had to have a lot material if you were going to play a concert, right? Sometimes the songs ended up being nothing but nonsense. Other times they ended up being about something, or someone, specific. Some songs were written completely intended for an audience. Others were meant only for his ears. Luckily this was a song that was meant for an audience, and as he stopped strumming he inhaled and let out a heavy sigh, shifting slightly and moving his guitar before he started to play one of his favorite covers. It was a song his mum used to sing to him when he was younger, and now that he thought back on it… it was almost like she knew, what would happen. Or maybe Rabastan knew, and this was his attempted persuasion to get her to flee, or maybe it was Rabastan's pledge to his mother. Or maybe it was just a song that his mother loved. Theo would likely never know the answer, but this was one of those songs that, no matter what kind of person it made him seem like, Theo would never be able to get enough of because it helped the hole that was left in him when his mother died. It helped with the anger, the grief, the sadness, which he learned not to think on for more than a few seconds at a time. His mother tweaked the words when she sung it, but when Theo first looked into learning it on the guitar, he learned that it was actually originally done by a male.

“I know that other guys don’t need to feel rich
But I do, but I do…
That’s why I chose to spend my life doing this
Cause I knew, Cause I knew…
We’ve got something here inside
That others just imagine they can buy

Make it a date, tell me when and I’ll say
As sure as life will end
I’ll love you ever and after
I’ll love you ever and after
Let’s both run away
Find a place to live where we’ll stay
We’ll make a better way
I’ll love you ever and after
A love can make disaster fade away…”

This was one of those songs that wasn’t really meant for other people’s ears, so what possessed him to play outside of all places, he wasn’t quite sure, but he continued strumming anyway, until he saw it out of the corner of his eye – movement. He didn’t sing anymore of the words to the song, but he hummed them, not really willing to stop playing completely despite knowing he had company. But eventually his humming stopped, though his strumming continued still.

“Alright, who’s out there?” he called out over the echoing guitar. He didn’t enjoy being spied on, though perhaps they weren’t purposefully hidden (Let’s be real, of course it was purposeful!). But he tried to give them the benefit of the doubt. He was a little embarrassed of himself, being so stupid as to play something so personal outside, and he immediately regretted his choice, unsure of what repercussions this person hearing his tune might have. It was only as he narrowed his eyes slightly that he realized who the figure was. Daphne Greengrass. He shut his eyes, allowing himself to laugh for a moment before shaking his head. The one girl he could never quite pin. The only person he was almost okay with hearing this song, though he wasn’t quite sure why. If it had been anyone else, he would’ve hexed them. Okay, not Eli, but any other girl, they’d be done. But something about the fact that it was Daphne made him not quite care so much. Maybe it was because he could turn it all into a big joke. He and Daphne were so hot and cold toward each other, they clashed all the time, and yet somehow neither one of them could really manage to avoid to stay away from the other. Whether that was coincidence or purposeful on either of their parts Theo wasn’t really sure. He didn’t question it though. He’d go with the flow with her, and whatever happened, happened. He certainly wouldn’t complain either way. She was a good, fun friend to have, even if half their friendship was spent bickering. He’d still back her in a fight every time. Unless the fight was with AJ, which case he would sit back with some snacks and watch contently.

“C’mon out, Princess. If you wanted me to serenade you all you had to do was ask,” he grinned as the song finally came to an end, and he sat up from where he’d been leaning against the pillar, placing his guitar on the ground. “To what do I owe the pleasure of being graced with your company this afternoon?”

[daphne]

The eldest Ms. Greengrass loved the outdoors. That was something that she couldn’t get away from. As much as she hated admitting that there was a similarity between her and her sister, she couldn’t deny the fact that they both felt better with the breeze ruffling their hair and the sun shining down on the tops of their heads. So it was no surprise that on a day as pretty as today was, Daphne had opted to spend it outside. The weather permitted her a chance to wear one of her favorite dresses - a short mint green sundress with a pair of flats. Nothing flashy like she normally wore...She didn’t see the need to dress up when all she was going to be doing was enjoying the weather by herself. She sat near the outskirts of the courtyard, the gentle breeze ruffling her dress.

Her eyes began to flutter closed as the breeze slowed. She could feel the grogginess starting up again (after all, she had spent the entire last night out at the Pitch quite late...not exactly practicing her chaser offense). With a muffled yawn, she let her eyes finally settle together, drifting off somewhere between peaceful slumber and intense thought.

It was then that it hit her. The music hit her by complete surprise, taking her off guard. Her eyes snapped open at the gentle strumming of a guitar, followed by the beginning of someone singing. Someone really good singing. She felt her hands immediately start twitching, her body begging her to find out who it was that had such a song-bird voice. But she couldn’t bring herself to turn around...not yet. For some reason, she didn’t want to ruin whatever this was. So she forced herself to remain rooted to the ground on which she sat, listening to every melodic word that seemed to fall out of this mysterious person’s voice.

“A love can make disaster fade away-”

She had to know then, she had to know who this was that was pouring their heart and soul out in the middle of a public place. Maybe she could use it against them later...She leaned over and peaked around the tree, her eyes scanning the courtyard until they landed on him. She felt her stomach give a slight tug, as if encouraging her to go over, but she remained rooted to the spot, her ears straining to hear what he was singing, but it seemed as if he had all but stopped. She mentally cursed herself, believing that she had alerted whoever it was to her presence. He had such a beautiful voice...if that was even possible. She had never heard him sing before, but she was beginning to think that he was the best that she’d ever heard. She wondered why he was keeping his hidden talent under wraps. And that’s when she actually recognized who it was that she was staring at. Theo Nott, sitting in the middle of the courtyard, still gently strumming away...his hands slowing down and then stopping, his eyes boring directly into hers.

She felt her heart speeding up again uncontrollably and then bit down on her lip. Slowly, she got to her feet and leaned against the tree she had been using as a backrest previously. She tried to match his gaze and was thankful when he looked away and began laughing. ’Of course he was happy to see me’, she thought with a sigh of relief. She laughed a little bit too, although hers seemed a bit more nervous, ”Don’t get you panties in a bundle. I’m the only one who’s heard your little confession of love.”

[/b] She threw him a wink, although she wasn’t quite sure that he could even see it in this lighting.

”Well well well, Prince Charming.”[/b] Daphne said as she took a couple of steps out of the shadow of the tree. She wasn’t above coming clean when she got caught doing something that she wasn’t supposed to. She could feel a smile playing at the edges of her lips, but she tried to keep in under control for appearance’s sake. She straightened the skirt of her dress and then came to a rest right in front of his, bending down so that she could pluck a few of the strings. Then her eyes flitted up to meet his, ”I thought you looked a little lonely and might like a duet companion. Although, I can’t promise that my voice will be anything close to yours...”[/b] She picked up the guitar and then sat down on Theo’s lap, ”Gonna show me how to play?”[/b] She asked with a wicked grin.[/blockquote]

[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

The first words out of Daphne’s mouth were catty, and Theo just smiled at her. It was so cute how she was always on the defensive. It was something she must have picked up over the years from all the competition with AJ. Maybe Daphne would always be in the defensive mode, or maybe it was just him. Either way, the grin never fell from his face as she stepped out from the tree’s shadow and he looked her up and down from her flats to the brown locks that hung around her shoulder. As much as hated to admit it, she was gorgeous. He shook his head at her.

“No panties in a bunch, here, darling. And if you think that’s a confession of love, you’ve heard nothing quite yet,” he said with a smirk. It was true. Despite being the type of person he was, promiscuous and adoring to all of the fan girls that tended to follow he and Elliot around, he had written love songs. Even if they were only meant to melt the hearts of all those fan girls, and get more of them in his bed. He still wrote them, and he meant them, whether he wanted to admit it to himself or not. The breeze blew as Daphne mentioned giving him a duet partner. It was an interesting thought. No one had ever heard him sing before, he was almost positive. And the thought of singing in front of someone, willingly, and with someone, willingly, intimidated him a bit. But she wouldn’t have come over if he didn’t sound decent, right? Well, she probably would have still come over, but only to tell him to stuff it. He smirked at the thought before Daphne lifted his guitar and seated himself on her lap.

He felt a warmth rush through him, but ignored him as he grinned at her, wrapping his arms around her waist so he could still hold on to the guitar, and her at the same time. “I’m sure you’ll sound great,” he said, practically whispering in her ear with a playful smile before she asked if he was going to teach her how to play.

“It might be a little out of your league, Princess. I think you’re better suited for the Quidditch pitch,” he said, ‘or the Quidditch locker room’ he finished silently to himself. “Buuut I think we can make it work,” he grinned as he used his left hand to bring her left hand to the neck of the guitar. He positioned her fingers over a few strings, making sure her thumb was in the right position in the back. He tried to ignore the tingling sensation he felt in his fingertips as hands rested on top of hers, no matter how brief the contact. It was like he knew he hands wanted more and more of her, but he pushed it to the back of his mind before he continued with the 'lesson.'

“Just hold those down, and” he gripped her right hand in his before pushing the pick he’d been using into her palm. He then demonstrated how exactly you strum with only his right thumb It may have looked all willy nilly but there was definitely a pattern. Up down, up down. “and you strum that four times, and then,” he went to adjust her fingers once more before grinning goofily at her.

“I have a better idea. Why don’t you just try to harmonize? I’ll even let you choose the song… Just tell me what you want to hear,” he grinned, moving his right arm to take out his wand and placing it near the guitar. He planned to charm the guitar to play on its own, so the other two could try singing.

Silently he hoped that Daphne was good at singing. It would’ve been a shame for such a pretty face to be accompanied by a bad voice. Especially when, on occasion, it was accompanied by such a rotten personality. That was true of himself, too, though. It was just the way these two functioned. Hot and cold, nice and mean, and somehow Theo found himself unable to get enough of her biting wit, her catty comments. They entertained him to no end. Even if Daphne couldn’t sing, though, it’d still be hilarious to hear her try. He’d never thought Daphne Greengrass was the kind of girl to sing. But, and he had a very time admitting this to himself, he thought it was wicked she was even willing to try in the first place.

[daphne]

”Well then-”

[/b] Daphne’s smile grew a little larger as she watched him sitting there in front of her. Theodore Nott. Strangely enough, he was the one person that she had always been a little wary about. She knew it was because he made her feel different than the rest of the guys in the Slytherin House, but she would never admit that. Not in a million years. She rocked backwards slightly on her feet before finishing her statement, ”I look forward to the day that you so fondly express your feelings for me, pretty boy.”[/b] She said and threw a wink in his direction. There, now she had established that she was playing with him and that would set the precedent for the rest of the afternoon, should she decided to spend it with him.

She hadn’t necessarily pegged Theo as the devoutly romantic type...and she was pretty sure that the only time that she had seen him with another girl was when they were trying to chase him and Eli down the corridor. That being said, she was sure that he had had plenty of hook-ups throughout the years...not that she payed careful attention to them...She had no reason to - after all, she had no claim over Theodore Nott...

As Daphne sat down on his lap to play guitar with him, she felt strangely comfortable. She couldn’t see his expression, but she was pretty sure that he was smiling from the way that his hands tightened around her and the guitar. Probably pretty goofily too. It was most likely the same smile that he had occasion to flash her on the Quidditch Pitch when his bludgers hit a little too close to home. She felt her own smile beginning to grow wider as he wrapped his arms around her. For just a second, she wasn’t focused on the guitar, she was memorizing the way that this felt. The weird tingling feeling she had in the pit of her stomach...the way that she could feel his breath on her neck. And then he spoke and it sent shivers all the way down to the tip of her spine.

She wasn’t surprised on how good a teach Theodore was turning out to be. Every movement of his hand caused a movement of hers and together they managed to strum four times before he stopped her, ”Right.”[/b] She said and leaned back against him, allowing her hands to fall off the guitar. Her head rested on his shoulder, ”I hope you can play with me like this, because I don’t plan on moving and-”[/b] She realized that he had pulled his wand. She raised an eyebrow, curious as to what he was going to do with that.

”We could always just finish what you’ve already started, prince charming,”[/b] Daphne smiled into the courtyard, not bothering to even look at Theo for permission. She cleared her throat for a moment and then reached out to touch the guitar, plucking one of the strings. She coughed lightly and then closed her eyes, trying her best to focus on singing and not making a complete fool of herself in front of Theo, ”And if time tries to hurt you, it just won’t get to-”[/b] She would admit that it wasn’t awful. But it certainly was no where near as pretty as Theo’s voice had been when singing the Ronnie Day song, but at least she was trying. The guitar seemed to follow her, as if it already knew the song and she fully suspected that Theo had something to do with it. He was always gifted with magic, ”I will protect you, keep you beautiful...run away come with me.”[/b] The ‘me’ hit a little flat and Daphne felt her face contort a little bit.

Daphne had to stop then, her eyes snapped open, she was afraid that she was going to die of embarrassment. She sat there for a couple of seconds as the guitar went on without her and then she laughed a little bit, ”Sorry, Theo. It was awful.”[/b] She said and turned around so that she could flash him a small grin.[/blockquote]

[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

Daphne said she hoped he could play with her still on his lap, and when she stopped mid-sentence he stifled a laugh.

“What you’re afraid of me?” he laughed a little before placing his wand down next to him, listening as she suggested they start where he left off. She… knew this song? That was odd. Then again, maybe a lot of people knew it. He just… never really talked about it, so how would he know if other people knew it? He tried to ignore the small tossing in his stomach at the thought, and Daphne began to sing without waiting for an answer. He smirked. Oh how very Daphne that was, but he couldn’t deny that he liked her that way. The words his mother had sung to him countless times over the first seven years of his life began pouring out of his mouth, and a grin broke out on his face. She wasn’t that great, but Theo didn’t care. He used his thumb to play, since Daphne had the pick, and started to play right along where she was in the song. The guitar complimented her voice well, and he followed along with every word that left her mouth. He’d played this song so many times he knew it by heart without even thinking. He could start up at any point, and probably play it backwards, though that’d likely defeat the purpose of learning it at all, he thought. Daphne only got through a few lines before she hit a flat note, and she stopped singing immediately.

Theo felt a grin cross his face. He could only imagine what the princess, who was always so perfect at everything, was feeling right now, but he didn’t care. She didn’t break any glass, and Theo wouldn’t have minded hearing her voice again, if he was really honest with himself. She turned to face him with a grin on her face, apologizing that it was awful. He continued playing, and shook his head at her. He lifted his right hand after a strum, allowing the music to echo through the courtyard as he brought a pointer finger to her lips, mouthing ‘shh’ before he brought his hand back down to the guitar and picked up right where he left off playing. His eyes met hers, and a grin found his face once more before he started singing.

“Let’s hurry off quickly,
So we’re still young
Cause we’ve got something here
That other people envy...
Other people fear…”

As the second chorus began his strumming intensified, the music the acoustic guitar emitted becoming louder, and so did his voice, as he closed his eyes and sung truly from his heart. And in that moment it was like this song, this song that meant so much to him took on an entirely different meaning, because as the chorus came to a close, and his strumming slowed to play the bridge he opened his eyes to see Daphne Greengrass sitting there, and his smile only grinned as he began to sing once more, and this time, as weird as it was, he really felt like he was singing to her, instead of for her, but he’d never admit that.

"But maybe you’re OK without a place to go.
Well, I don’t know.
I don’t need their double standards,
All I need is you, and I’ll get through,
Because sitting here,
without a cent,
I feel rich next to you…”

The song came to a close, even though there was still a repeat of the chorus, Theo didn’t have it in him to finish it. He was distracted by turning of his stomach as he stared at Daphne, hoping he hadn’t changed the tone in his voice or anything toward the end to give away whatever he was feeling on the inside. He wasn’t really sure what it was, but he was trying his best to ignore it, no matter how strangely okay he was with it all.

“You really weren’t that bad,” he said letting out a laugh, “But you could use some work.” He grinned smugly in her direction.

[daphne]

Daphne had to admit that she was surprised that he had just continued playing. She had half-expected him to burst into his loud obnoxious laughter and laugh her out of the courtyard because of how awful her singing had been. Then again, somewhere deep down, she was happy that that wasn’t the case. All he offered her was a grin and a shake of his head to keep her at bay. She raised an eyebrow at him, the smile never quite leaving her lips. Then he gave her the signal to be quiet and she felt the blush rush to her cheeks. She had to admit that she wasn’t very good at keeping quiet nor at reading the signs that people were giving her, but that one was as clear as Lumos on a dark night. What was he going to do now that she had all but butchered his secret love song? She thought as she pressed her fingertips to her lips, trying to keep her mouth from running away with questions.

She had never been serenaded, never in her life. As many times as men followed her around and asked for her Dorm number or the number to her telephone, no one had ever sung to her. She had to admit that it was rather nice: the melodic tones of Theo’s voice filled her ears and made her eyes flutter closed for just a moment. She was lost in the words, lost in the strumming of the guitar. She was...She was lost in Theodore Nott. Her eyes snapped open again, meeting his with a slightly confused glance. Was he feeling it too, or was she just imagining things?

A small break in the lyrics and then the continuation of the song felt different. It felt...more sincere. Daphne’s breath caught in her throat and she realized just how nervous she had gotten about this whole thing. Theodore Nott was twisting her stomach up into a knot and she wasn’t sure that she minded.

And then, it felt like just as soon as it started, it was all over. The song harbored off into the silence and Daphne’s breathing returned to normal. She sat there for a few moments, her eyes trained on his, looking for emotions...anything. But all she saw was the mask that he seemed to put on all the time. It was his laugh that drew her out of the trance like state she had been stuck in.

”Not all that bad?”

[/b] She managed to choke out, although her voice gave a rather embarrassing squeak. She felt her cheeks growing hot again, not sure why she was getting so worked up around Theo. Normally she was so good with controlling the way that she felt around people, but not today. Not when it felt like he had been pouring his heart and soul into that last bit of melodic heaven that he had been singing and playing for her, ”I sound like a merperson above water-”[/b] She decided that the best route to take this was to try and make jokes about it, that way she wouldn't feel so awkward...even though her head was screaming out for her to take a chance on Theo today, she wasn’t sure that she was up for it. She wasn’t sure that she would ever be up for it, ”Screechy and unbearably flat on that last note.”[/b] She looked down at the hem of her skirt, breaking eye-contact for the first time in a while.

Daphne was afraid of commitment. There was something dangerous about the word. Something that kept her from even thinking about it most days. Commitment meant that it was possible to get hurt, and she wasn’t sure that she was up for that. Daphne Greengrass was delicate somewhere underneath her hard exterior, although she would never let on that this was the case. She had feelings just like every other girl, contrary to AJ’s beliefs. But she was terrified of putting herself out there...terrified and too proud to let her reputation tarnish even a little bit. She would much rather stay in her little bubble of royalty where she could have whoever she wanted whenever she wanted and never feel bad about it. She was royalty, and that’s what royalty did.

Her blue eyes drifted upwards again, meeting his gaze and then taking in the smug smile that he was so coyly flashing her. She rolled her eyes, ”Alright, then. I need work. Got any ideas on who could be my musical tutor?”[/b] She leaned away from him so that she could playfully punch his shoulder - she was sure not to do it too hard, because he was liable to punch back and a beater with his arm? She was sure that she would have bruises for days. In fact, she had been hit by him before...resulting in a bloody nose during Quidditch try outs. She felt her smile grow a little wider as she thought about the embarrassing mishap that had happened all those years ago. It was amazing how far they had come since then, “Is that one of your favorite songs?”[/b] She asked, wondering only because of the intensity of emotion that he had put into every line. [/blockquote]

[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

When the song ended he and Daphne seemed to stare at each other for a stretch of time that was unable to be determined. Could’ve been seconds, could’ve been minutes, but Theo didn’t really care all that much how much time passed. He was too busy wondering what the silence met. Had he stunned Princess of Slytherin into silence? Had that confused look in her eyes been because she realized what had happened to him like he feared? Was she appalled by the idea? His thoughts were running at a mile a minute, but it was when she spoke again that his thoughts came to a screeching halt. Since when did he care so much about what her royal highness thought of him? He’d never given her actions this much thought before, and he wasn’t sure why he was starting now. Was it because of his mindset during the song? Was it because there was a part of him deep down somewhere that knew this song was for her now, instead of the song his mother used to sing him? It became so much more than a simple lullaby when their eyes met, and maybe she was silent because she realized it too. There was a heat in her cheeks that he didn’t miss, but wouldn’t dare bring up, but the sight of it made him smile, as he attempted to fight off the heat now running through his own body. Thankfully Daphne’s words made it easy, and he let out a laugh. It was a squeaky kind of voice that he’d scarcely heard from her… if he ever had.

“You’ve clearly never heard a merperson out of water,” he said simply, grinning. “Sure you were flat, but a merperson wouldn’t have even been able to form a coherent word.” He was trying to go along with the joke, but his train of thought continued to roll. Was she nervous? Was he nervous? Had that been why her voice squeaked, and he found it so hard for his biting wit to come out when it had always come out so easily before? She broke eye contact and he wondered what thoughts were going through her head. Were they anything like the ones going through his? Surely not, this was Daphne Greengrass, after all. She had guys falling all over her all the time. What interest would she have in him? She never had before. Hell, they were like cats and dogs most of the time. She’d say something catty and he’d bark right back without a second thought. Despite the fact that her eyes had fallen to her skirt his eyes continued to study her face, and when she lifted her blue eyes to meet his brown once more he felt his heartbeat the slightest bit faster. The feeling had a goofy smile spread across his face, and then she rolled her eyes. Surprise, surprise. That was a gesture he was very used to. And the punch in the shoulder. His goofy smile turned into a smirk as he brought his hand up to flick her in the nose.

“I haven’t a clue as to who could teach you. I mean you’re convinced you’re so awful, maybe you could go to the Black Lake and take some lessons from the merpeople?” he grinned at her. His mouth slightly agape as if he’d just had the realization of the century, and that it was a great idea. His closed his mouth at her next words. It was odd to be asked about this song, but he knew it was going to happen sometime. You couldn’t sing a song like that, especially in the presence of such a gorgeous specimen, without some sort of question being asked. He was just glad she avoided the topic they both seemed to have noticed – the change in his voice. A smile was on his face again as he nodded slowly.

“Definitely,” he said before coughing, his voice coming out a little less sure than he intended, and he laughed a little at himself before he decided to continue on his explanation. He’d never told anyone about this song, or where it came from, and he certainly didn’t sing it for or two people. So why was Daphne Greengrass suddenly being let in to all of this? “My, er, my mum used to sing it to me when I was little. Just kind’ of stuck with me I guess,” he said, shrugging slightly, knowing that it was much more than that but she likely didn’t want to get bogged down with all the details of his childhood. He didn’t like talking about it, he could only imagine other people didn’t want to hear about it, either.

“How do you know it?” he asked, wanting to get the subject as far away from himself as possible. He was strangely comfortable telling Daphne all these things, but his past was something that he’d kept hidden away for a long time, from everyone. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to talk about it with anyone.

[daphne]

”Oh no, I’ve heard a merperson out of water-”

[/b] Daphne shot back and then laughed loudly, ”I was around when Cedric Diggory decided that he wanted to open that bloody egg in the middle of the Transfiguration corridor!”[/b] She laughed loudly and then immediately her laughter die a little bit. She shouldn’t have been laughing about Cedric. It had been a couple of years since the death had happened, but it still felt fresh in her mind. Maybe it was because that was the first time that she had ever seen a dead body. It was the first time that she had ever seen the empty look in someone’s eyes that could only mean death. Or maybe it was because they had hooked up a couple of times over the years...she was only three years his junior before he got with Cho Chang. She braced herself for the feeling that was coming next, the nausea in the pit of her stomach, the rushing of her mind back to the war...but it didn’t come. It seemed as if everything that she would have normally been feeling was being held at bay by Theo’s presence. She felt herself relax slightly against him again, glad that he was there all of a sudden. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say that Theo was keeping her demons at bay.

She batted his hand away immediately as soon as he flicked her, ”You be careful with my nose.”[/b] She warned, pointing at his face, her previous thoughts falling to the wayside for the moment. Now that they had made it a game, she felt like she had to win, ”You remember what you did to it the last time you decided that you wanted to play games?”[/b] She questioned and then folded her arms across her chest, ”All over that stupid beater’s spot.”[/b] The pair of them had gotten pretty violent a couple of years back, both going out for the same spot on the Quidditch team. Daphne was assured that the spot was hers, but after she and Theo got in a row, he had broken her nose and she hadn’t even been able to try out for a spot. To this day, the very thought of it made her a little angry. She decided that it was due time she gave him a little pay-back. Nothing as violent as what he had done to her, but a little something to let him know that she was still on top, ”You see this?”[/b] She pointed to the bridge of her nose, drawing closer to him, ”It’s still a little crooked.”[/b] She leaned in even closer and then stuck out her tongue, drawing it across his cheek before he had a chance to realize what had happened. She leaned back and then grinned wickedly at him. She knew that she was being childish, but that was part of their relationship. It always had been.

She shook her head at his suggestion, ”You know what-”[/b] She grabbed her bag and feigned that she was about to get up, ”I think I will go see what those merpeople can teach me.”[/b] But she didn’t move. She just sat there with her bag in her lap, grinning goofily at him. She wasn’t sure why all of a sudden she felt so silly around Theo. But she did, she felt like she was a little girl again trying to get the attention of the boy that lived down the street. And she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it. There was a very good chance that she was constantly fearing Theo’s rejection, ”You can just teach me.”[/b] It wasn’t a question like she had intended it to be. Apparently her voice had decided that it had a new confidence about it and she felt her cheeks flush yet again. She was going to have to get in better control if this was ever going to go anywhere.

She raised an eyebrow when he answered her question about it being his favorite. She hadn’t expected his voice to come out so...squeaky? Just like hers had been a couple of minutes before. She was beginning to suspect that he was just as nervous as she was. She nodded. She could appreciate his mum singing him to sleep...although, her mother never did anything like that for her. Mrs. Greengrass was always more fond of AJ...even before she was born. Daphne was always a second thought to her mother. Maybe it was because Daphne had grown up so cold and aloof toward the woman who birthed her. Her eyes glazed over for a moment and then she blinked the thoughts away, banishing them to the far recesses of her mind where she didn’t have to think about them. She looked up at Theo and forced a smile, noting that he seemed guarded about something. She wasn’t going to push him on the subject though. She knew better than to push Theo.

”I-”[/b] Daphne bit down on her lip, ”Ilistentothemuggleradiosometimes.”[/b] She said rather quickly, hoping that he didn’t catch that. She didn’t like the idea that people knew that she liked some muggle things. But the radio was definitely up there on the list of muggle pastimes that she enjoyed. They had better music than most of the wizarding bands that were around town. [/blockquote]

[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

Daphne mentioned she’s heard a merperson out of water, mentioning that she’d been around when Cedric opened his egg in the corridor. He nodded in agreement. He’d been in the hall, too. God that was an awful noise. “I’m just glad the whole corridor didn’t go deaf,” he said laughing before Daphne leaned against him a bit more. He felt that weird turning in his stomach as his heart beat faster in his chest. At the thought of Cedric Diggory he did feel a little sad. Cedric had been a damn good Quidditch player, and all of the Quidditch players around school had been a bit saddened by his death. He was a good kid, from what Theo could tell. He was a pureblood, and he never got into much trouble with anyone. It sounded a bit boring, never getting into trouble with anything, but he was a good enough kid. Shame Voldemort had to off him, he might have been a powerful ally. Ah, but he hung out with Potter. Rubbish.

All thoughts of Cedric were dismissed as he felt his hand being hit. He grinned at her. Feisty. He rolled his eyes as she complained about the last time he decided to play games. It still wasn’t hisfault she decided to be a brat about it. She started it after all. She never should have doubted him. He grinned at the memory, but as she mentioned her nose, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he leaned forward. His confusion was only worsened as he felt something wet run up his cheek. His mouth fell open in half-disgust, half-shock as his hand flew to the side of his face, coming away wet. He wiped the side of his cheek before bringing his hand to her own cheek, and wiping her own spit down her cheek before rolling his eyes.

“Cry me a river princess. You’re not the only one who’s had their nose broken by a Nott,” he said with a laugh before pointing to his nose. The sentence left him before he realized what he’d even said. He’d never told anyone about his nose being broken, or anything about his father. What was this girl doing to him? Was she laced with aroma of veritaserum or something? Merlin’s beard. He swallowed the small lump of embarrassment in his throat before Daphne grabbed her bag as if she were really going to get up. He opened his mouth to protest before he realized she was completely joking. He smirked at his idiocy and her cleverness before rolling his eyes once more.

“Oh, please, I’m sure the merpeople will make a much better teacher than me. Let me know how it feels when they take you to their lair and eat you alive or something,” he said laughing. He wasn’t sure if merpeople ate humans or not, but he did know that they were very unhappy creatures when their territory was threatened in any way. Theo laughed again, at the imagery of Daphne attempting to communicate with the merpeople. It was absolutely ridiculous to imagine, but the imagery faded away as she said he could teach her. He smiled a little more genuinely at her before nodding. “If you really want to learn I can teach you.”

There was silence for a few minutes, and Theo just kind of sat and enjoyed what was going on, as Daphne waited to answer his question. He rather enjoyed the way Daphne felt with her back against him, sitting on his lap. It was oddly comfortable, and the thought of wanting more had his entire body tingling slightly. He tried to ignore it, but it wouldn’t exactly go away.

This went against everything he stood for! She was Slytherin Royalty and that was a huge joke! Well, he did make sure she knew he thought it was a huge joke all the time, and yet here she was. Maybe she was just trying to use him like the rest of her boy toys. That would be a laugh. She wouldn’t get very far… or, would she? He’d already given more of himself to her than any other girl he’d ever known. The thought was an overwhelming one for Theo. The weirdest part of it all was that he hadn’t even meant to reveal as much as he already had. It was all just like it was pouring out of him and he was powerless to stop it. Maybe she was wearing aroma of veritaserum. Pfft, like something like that even existed. Merlin people would be in trouble. Whoever ran The Underground would have a field day.

Daphne bit down her lip before she answered and the word ‘adorable’ flashed through Theo’s brain before she answered. At her answer, though, he narrowed his eyes. It was only brief before a smile was back on his face and he shook his head.

“Well well well, if someone isn’t a muggle sympathizer,” he said with a smirk before laughing. “Kidding. I guess if mum taught it to me than it’s fine if you know it. As long as you’re not secretly a fan of like… muggle boy bands or something. That would just be weird and immoral.” He grinned at her before moving his arms and placing the guitar down, resting it against the bench they were sitting on. He left his arms wrapped around her, resting his hands in her lap before looking around the courtyard.

“What were you doing out here anyway? Surely my dulcet tones didn’t lure you all the way from the dungeons,” he said with another cheeky grin.

[daphne]

Daphne managed a light laugh, remembering that he had been there too in the corridor hearing that awful, wretched sound of merpeople trying to voice their song above the water. Cedric had been a bloody idiot to open it in the middle of so many people, but Daphne sincerely guessed that he had been trying to seem a bit more cool than he actually was. Although Cedric had been a nice guy, he was undeniably flashy and enjoyed the attention. She knew that she could place Theo’s face in the corridor with her that day. In fact, they had most likely been there together, either studying or talking about Quidditch strategy, something of that sort. There was always something that drew them together...whether or not it was a good thing remained to be seen, but it always seemed to happen, ”Do you ever think about him?”

[/b] Daphne asked for some reason, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment as she leaned against his chest. It was a question that wasn’t supposed to come out of her mouth, and yet there she sat, waiting for an answer, ”I mean...he was a pureblood.”[/b] She shook her head a little bit and then her hands sought out his. She wrapped her fingers around his wrists, seeking out some sort of comfort. She didn’t like the idea of death...she liked talking about it even less, and yet...it seemed that since the war had started, she had been too afraid to even mention it until now and it was something that she needed to talk about. Death had happened. The world was changing. She wanted to know what all of it meant.

”What do you mean?”[/b] Daphne asked as she used the back of her hand to wipe off her cheek. She wasn’t surprised that he had retaliated, but now this just meant war. She was going to have to do something else and escalate the fight because she was most certainly not giving up just yet, ”Surely you’ve never punched yourself in the nose.”[/b] She muttered under her breath and took another wipe at her face, making sure that she cleared her cheek of all the shining saliva that he had placed there. Then it started to dawn on her. He wasn’t talking about himself...was he? She figured that there was something else going on here. Something that he wasn’t normally so comfortable with bringing up.

She leaned forward again, this time with no malicious intent in her head. She just wanted to look at his nose. She examined it and then reached out to draw her finger down the bridge. It looked as if it had never been broken before, but she supposed that healers could do magical things. She had seen it herself many times. Her finger trailed all the way down his nose and then across his cheek, down his jawline and then stopped right on top of his lips as if she was silencing him, ”Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to beat the s**t out of you, Theo?”[/b] She asked and flashed him a smile and wink. Although she tried to make her threat sound light-hearted, she actually did want to know the truth. She wanted to know who had broken his nose and why. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do once she knew, but she had to know...Curiosity had certainly seemed to be getting the best of her lately.

Daphne shivered, ”I will not be going to anyone’s lair to be eaten, thank-you-very-much.”[/b] She rolled her eyes and then leaned back again, enjoying the feeling of the light breeze through the courtyard. Yes, she was definately happy that she had decided to come outside today. Being with Theo always did her more good than bad most of the time. She was slightly surprised when he finally offered to teach her and yet at the same time, she tried to act as if she wasn’t surprised in the slightest. It was as if she didn’t want anyone to know just how much this meant to her, ”I guess I might be able to free up my schedule for some musical lessons with a certain Mr. Nott.”[/b] She said, trying to be as casual as possible. It was then that she realized that she was still holding onto his wrist as if he was her lifeline. She quickly let go and shook her head, shaking away the thoughts that this was something more than friendship along with it.

”Oh merlin no,”[/b] Daphne said, waiving her hands through the air, ”AJ’s the muggle-lover. I’m just-”[/b] She paused and then shrugged her shoulders, unsure of how to defend herself in this situation, ”I just love the music that they put on.”[/b] It was the truth. She loved how upbeat everything could be. She loved the echo of music through the radio stations. She loved how old fashioned it felt, even though everyone still used it.

”As much as I would like to say that it was your song-bird voice that called my name this afternoon, I’m afraid it was something far less interesting-”[/b] She nodded toward a nearby tree, ”Spent half the night on the pitch and needed to catch up desperately on some R and R.”[/b] She breathed and then stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. She supposed that she could have lied to him and told him that she had been snogging one of the Quidditch players, but what was the point, really? Theo knew her too well already, there was no reason to lie.[/blockquote]

[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

Daphne rested herself against him a little more, and as she spoke of Cedric her hands wrapped around his wrist. His arms tightened their grip on her and he rested his chin on her shoulder as she asked if he ever thought about Cedric. It was an odd question, really. Theo’s biggest fear was dying. Maybe it had something to do with what happened to his mother. Maybe his biggest fear wasn’t dying, maybe it was being murdered. In either case, he knew his boggart was his own coffin or grave, and the thought of it terrified him slightly. He didn’t like thinking about death because it reminded him of his mother, who he hadn’t spoken of since the night she died, not even in writing. The only thing he held close to him that had anything to do with her was that song. The rest was… gone, forgotten, angrily pushed out of his mind for fear if he thought on it too long a sea of sadness would overwhelm him. He’d rather not spend his time being sad about the things that happened to him. It wasn’t worth it.

“Sometimes. Sometimes I wonder about why he killed him… What purpose it served. I mean… I get mudbloods are filth, but he wasn’t a mudblood. He was pure,” Theo said. That had been the most confusing part of Cedric’s death for him. Why kill a pureblood? Because he associated himself on Harry? That was entirely on accident. If Potter had had any ambition he would’ve left Cedric in the maze and gone for the cup himself. And then he would’ve been greeted by Voldemort, and Voldemort would have offed him and the world would be a better bloody place. But no, Potter had to be so selfless that he and Cedric both needed to win the bloody Triwizard Tournament. He grew angry at the thought of Harry Potter, the reason they were all cooped up here in this prison for another year. Why couldn’t he have just died? His eyes narrowed slightly before Daphne’s voice brought him back to the present once more. She was staring at him as if he’d had two heads, and it was only then that he remembered his commebt about Notts breaking noses. Wonderful job, Theo he thought bitterly to himself before Daphne leaned forward toward him. Her soft fingers delicately touched the bridge of his nose, and despite knowing her finger was coming he still flinched slightly at the touch. People didn’t touch his nose. He didn’t let people close enough to let them. The only time his nose ever touched anything it was when it touched a girls nose while they were making out. No one had ever touched it… like that.

Everywhere her finger traced was on fire. He tried to ignore it, but he couldn’t. His stomach was twisting and turning as he was torn between behaving like a gentleman and giving in to his primal instincts. She looked so full of concern, though, it was easier to do the former than the latter. At her threat he smiled against her finger, bringing his lips away from her. He didn’t want to tell her. He never wanted to tell anyone. Truth be told, he never wanted to talk about that night again. He’d buried it somewhere deep inside that was harder to access now than almost everything else. It was the one thing he never thought about willingly. Well, that was a lie. It was the one thing he thought about all the time, but never, ever talked about. Why would he? Who would want to hear about that nonsense? Well, obviously Daphne Greengrass did, but she was deranged. He opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again, heaving a heavy sigh as his eyes met her. He was searching to see if she meant it, or if she was just planning on using it against him later. He wouldn’t have put it passed her to do such a thing, but as he stared into her eyes he knew that she just really wanted to know. And so he released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding before shrugging.

“It was…” and the apprehension stayed there. Did he say it? Did he really want to talk about all of this? With her? Right now? Outside? Surely not. He’d much rather have the both of them be trashed in the boys dorm, or, hell, even the Common Room. And in that thought he realized he had to tell her for no other reason except for the fact that he was okay with her knowing. That’s why she was in the scenario where he would have talked about it, too. Not even Elliot knew the story about his mother, and they’d been best friends since Eli came to school. Daphne Greengrass had to be some sort of sorceress.

“It was… my dad. Well, he’s not really my dad… Just the b****** I live with… It’s complicated,” he said, his hand finding hers, and interlacing their fingers. He was the one seeking comfort of some form now, though he wasn’t really sure why. Maybe it’s because everything about the topic made him feel uncomfortable, vulnerable, too close for comfort. But he left it at that. If she wanted to know more, and she likely would, he would tell her, but he wouldn’t volunteer any more information willingly. It astonished him endlessly how quickly his walls came down around her. They always had, but this was the first time the pair of them had really had any kind of in-depth conversation that didn’t involving hitting each other and teasing the other relentlessly. Granted, there was a ton of that going on, too. But the topics of discussion were much heavier than your average Greengrass/Nott conversation.

Daphne brought back the lightheartedness to the conversation when she mentioned the merpeople, and Theo was thankful for that, a grin returning to his face as she said she’d make time for his lessons. A few dirty quips ran through his mind, but he remained the gentleman he was trying to be (though she was making it harder and harder to do so by the second). She told him what she’d been doing, and the grin never fell from his face as he shook his head at her. He didn’t exactly like the thought of her on the pitch all night, they both knew what she’d been doing. There wasn’t a quaffle involved, he could tell you that much. Still, he couldn’t let it bother him too much. It wasn’t like Daphne belonged to him or anything.

“All those shags in the locker room just exhaust you, don’t they, Princess?” he smirked, his eyes showing only a glint of mischief.

[daphne]

Him. Daphne had almost forgotten that Theo had been on the losing side of the war and knew Him. Of course, it hadn’t been open knowledge about Theo, but she knew some little quirks about her best friend that others often didn’t - that was why their friendship...or whatever it was...worked. The Dark Lord had been such a powerful man, so full of interest to Daphne, but she had never wanted to pick sides. She was too afraid of losing and then spending her life wondering about what it would have been like if she had chosen the other side. So she stayed out of it all together, keeping her mind on climbing the social ladder instead of on the war that had been brewing around her. It had been a stupid move, really. She admitted it now...but only to herself. She should have been out there fighting to cleanse the world just like the rest of the Death Eaters. And yet...she hadn’t. She bit down on her lip as she tried to sift through her emotions. What did it all mean? What was the world going to throw at them next? Could she really trust that the war was over? ”Potter.”

[/b] She muttered under her breath, knowing that Harry had been the cause. It was all Harry’s fault really. She shook her head against his chest, ”It feels like the wrong side won-”[/b] She said, as quietly as possible. Her eyes were scanning the edges of the courtyard, looking for any sign of life, any sign that someone was listening. She was glad to find that it was as completely abandoned as she had originally thought.

She was afraid that she had hurt him. That was her initial reaction when he flinched away from her fingertip on her nose. Her eyes grew wide for just a moment, looking like they were somewhat innocent for just a moment and then, as quickly as the look had come, it faded back into the gentle smugness that she always seemed to be portraying. She drew back ever so slightly from Theo, but left the very tips of her fingers where they had been before. She wasn’t going to let him get off that easy.

”It was...my dad. Well he’s not really my dad.... Just the b******* that I live with... It’s complicated....”

It was then that Daphne realized just how little she knew about Theo. She wasn’t sure if he was actively keeping it from everyone or if he just didn’t talk about it, but she had little to no knowledge of his life. Who did he live with? Where did he spend his summer holidays? Did he have a pretty lady waiting on him back home? She scratched the last question out of her mind, figuring that out-of-sight-out-of-mind was a good way to think at this point. She was about to say something when he train of thought was caught completely off guard by him slipping his fingers in to hers. She felt her breath catch in her throat for a moment as she looked down at their interlocked hands. She bit down on her lip, slightly at a loss for words. It felt different this time. She knew that they had held hands loads of times...just joking around or parading around the Quidditch pitch during a long water break. But it hadn’t felt like this in...well it hadn’t felt like this in forever. Her eyes drifted up Theo’s arm and then rested on his face again, taking in the expression that was written all over his eyes.

”I have time for complicated.”[/b] She breathed and placed her other hand overtop of their interlocked fingers. She wasn’t sure why she was being so sentimental around Theo...normally their relationship revolved around the touch-and-go. The hot-and-cold. But now it just seemed to all be luke-warm. The kind of luke-warm that made her mind go a little fuzzy and her limbs tingle. Daphne Greengrass was feeling rather - no. It couldn’t be. She immediately pushed the thought from her mind. Anything more than mild attachment wasn’t to be trifled with at the present moment, ”What’s his name?”[/b] Her eyes locked on his, refusing to look away as she probed him for more information.

”Careful, Prince Charming-”[/b] She rolled her eyes as he used her nickname. Theo was one of the only people in the entire school who still called her Princess. Everyone else had dropped the nickname after the war because there was no time for royalty during a rebuilding period, right? Wrong. Daphne was still very much alive and kicking and refused to give up her title as long as her sister was still fighting for it as well, ”That savors strongly of jealousy.”[/b] She looked up at him and then raised both of her eyebrows. Curiosity killed the cat, she reminded herself as she stared into his eyes. She reached up and tussled that mess of hair that he had on the top of his head and then laughed, ”There’s only so much Daphne Greengrass to go around, love.”[/b] She ruffled his hair one last time before letting her hand drop back to her lap; she felt slightly empty when her hands weren’t clasped in his, but there was no way that she would make a move for him first. That would show some sort of desperation...and Daph didn’t do desperate.[/blockquote]

[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

Daphne mentioned Potter, but the disdain in her voice couldn’t be missed, and it brought a small smile to Theo’s face. So, at the very least, she disliked him as well. But her next phrase had Theo practically giddy. Feels like the wrong side had won? Theo smirked. Last time he had checked Daphne hadn’t wanted to get involved in it all. He didn’t blame her. Deep inside there was a part of Theo that sometimes wished he’d never gotten involved either. It was a lot of work with, so far, little to no reward. Perhaps he only felt that way because he had been on the losing side. If they’d won, and successfully offed Potter and the rest of the mudblood that refused to go along with their demands he was sure he’d feel differently. He nodded slowly. “That’s because the wrong side did win,” Theo replied quietly as well. He knew things that like could have you thrown in detention or expelled or thrown into Azkaban or killed or something. He wasn’t exactly sure what the punishment would be, but knowing how much work McGonagall had put into rebuilding the school, and how much work the rest of the Wizarding World was putting into rebuilding everything… well the punishment was going to have to be severe. He didn’t want to think about what it was like to be Death Eater on the run. Likely they got the Dementor’s Kiss before a trial. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration. A lot of them were being locked up in Azkaban, though, that much he did know for sure.

Daphne had pulled back when he flinched, but he said nothing. He was a little embarrassed, but the tip of her finger still rested on her nose as she said she had time for complicated. Of course she did. He sighed inwardly, knowing that this wasn’t going to lead anywhere good… but maybe it was good for him to talk about it for once. He never had, really. To anyone. He never really properly grieved over his mother. Well, he did, but he’d never gotten support over it. He wouldn’t be doing any grieving now, though. The conversation would be uncomfortable, and he’d avoid talking about his mother if he could, but that was unlikely. Even if he did have to talk about her though, he wasn’t about to cry. He hadn’t cried in… years. He couldn’t even really remember the last time he had. She asked about her father’s name and he smirked a little, his snarky remark coming out before the actual answer.

“My father or my dad?” he asked, chuckling a little. How he could find a way to laugh about this situation was beyond him, but maybe that was just what Daphne brought out in him. After all, he certainly seemed to be bringing out things in her that he’d never seen before. He was thankful that her other hand came to rest on top of their interlaced fingers. He assumed that it meant she knew he didn’t want to talk about it, but that she knew he was going to tell her anyway. Clever little witch. “The guy who broke my nose is named Theodore Nott, of course,” he said with a smirk, his eyes staying locked with hers. “He’s a conceited ass, after all.” He hated everything about that man, and he always would. He was a wretched human being who deserved to be the Cruciatus curse until he begged for death, and then he deserved the Dementor’s Kiss. “My father, though…” he paused once more, not really sure if he wanted to talk about all of this. But the conversation had already started, might as well give her one less question to ask. “is Rabastan Lestrange.”

He smirked as she said his comment savored of jealousy. Please… as if he would be jealous of any of that. Okay, well, now that he thought about it maybe he was. But it was only a minute fraction of jealousy. And even still he’d never admit it in a million years. He rolled his eyes right back at her before grinning devilishly.

“Well I hope by the time it’s my turn you’re not all worn out,” he said, preparing himself for a smack that was likely coming. “Because there’s a lot of me to go around,” he lifted his eyebrows suggestively in her direction before winking.

[daphne]

Daphne had expected his answer, fully and completely, but for some reason, when the words left Theo’s lips, she couldn’t help but feel her smile falter a little. They were both treading on dangerous territory and she was beginning to fear that someone would overhear them, ”So what?”

[/b] She asked, her voice only barely louder than a whisper. It all felt so insignificant now. They had lost the war. There were loads of people out there who felt the same way as Deo, but no one had the gall to do anything about it. They were just stuck sitting in the same place, treading water until they drown. It was pathetic, really. Daphne Greengrass was beginning to feel like they needed someone to rally them all together. Someone that would rescue the rest of the world from the Potter-fandom that had swept the nation, ”I guess we just sit around and wait for the next Dark Lord.”[/b] Her voice had returned to some of its normal state, a small grin blossoming from the edges of her lips, ”Did you ever get marked?”[/b] She asked, grabbing his arm and twisting it upwards. She didn’t look down, waiting to give him a chance to answer for himself before she stole a peek.

The laughing was unnerving, but Daphne supposed that was the way that Theo dealt with his feelings. Everyone had different ways to make themselves feel better...hers happened to be Slytherin boys. In the Quidditch Locker Rooms. She didn’t have to think when she was with them...for a moment, she was just another pretty face, not the Slytherin Princess locked in a constant power-struggle with the rest of the world. She could let go for just a moment and then - with the blink of an eye - it all came rushing back and she was consumed yet again. She shook her head at the thought, mentally caught up for a moment before focusing back on the conversation at hand.

”Lestrange?”[/b] Daphne’s curiosity was peaked immediately as soon as the words came from Theo’s lips. She hadn’t heard tell of any sons of the Lestrange line and this was certainly an interesting turn of events. She felt herself lean forward involuntarily, trying to get a read on Theo. What did it all mean? She immediately calmed her mind, trying to focus on the conversation that they were having, ”I knew there was something different about you, Theodore.”[/b] She laughed and playfully brushed her fingertip over his nose. It was her way of showing him that she understood. Without actually saying it. Daphne was good when it came to words, but throw emotions into the mix and she was a lost cause, ”You’re practically a celebrity now, Prince Charming.”[/b] Her tone was as light-hearted as she could manage, knowing that this couldn’t be easy for him to talk about it. The celebrity quip was true; she knew that if people started to hear word that he was a Lestrange descendent, he would quite possibly have even more fangirls than he did now. Then, to show him that she did actually care, she gave his hand a tight squeeze. It was just for a moment; enough to let him know that she was there, but not enough that it was overly noticeable.

Daphne’s mouth fell open in surprise. Of course, she had expected Theo to retaliate, but it always surprised her just how good he was on top of his game. The lifted eyebrows, the irresistible wink. All of it was a recipe for disaster in this moment, ”None of the other girls would want you as soon as they found out that you’d been Daphne Greengrass,’”[/b] She managed to laugh, but she felt the truth sting in her words. She had quite the reputation around school...and not a good one at that. Rumors were constantly flying about surrounding her sexual escapades. Daphne felt her heart give an involuntary tug in his direction, but she immediately slammed it still by looking off to his right. [/blockquote]

OOC;; For all intensive purposes, this thread should take place BEFORE the Vivphane fight

[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

At Daphne’s question of ‘so what’ Theo didn’t really have an answer. He knew it was a rhetorical question, so he didn’t need an answer, but what she meant by her question was loud and clear, despite her voice being less than a whisper. He shrugged lightly, his eye tracing the ground slightly as he waited for her to break the silence once more, and sure enough she did. He nodded at her words, while inwardly he was a little confused. He’d never known this side of Daphne before. The Daphne before the war was so… uninvolved. She’d wanted no part in the war, not that he blamed her completely. It had been a giant mess, but it was certainly interesting to see this kind of… intensity and commitment from the girl. She asked if he’d ever gotten marked, tugging at his arms as if not waiting for an answer. He waited to see her eyes dart down, but they never did. He smirked slightly before shaking his head.

”No. Didn’t have the time to dedicate to the cause. Only a select few got them,” he said with a nod before his own eyes fell to his arm which was blank. After the war the dark mark faded to a vicious kind of scar. He’d seen it on his father after Voldemort had perished, and inwardly he was a little glad he hadn’t gotten marked. A scar like that… that big, while it marked you for what you were, a death eater, it marred not only skin but also your reputation. Not that Theo cared much for reputation, but he did care about what he looked like, and a mark like that would have marred part of him in a way that was irreparable and unable to be hidden, really. With the amount of time he spent without a shirt on, especially long sleeved shirts, if he’d gotten marked it was likely the whole school might know if the wrong person saw. But he wasn’t marked, so he knew he had nothing to worry about. He grinned up at her.

”Disappointed?” he asked as his eyes found her, the smirk never leaving his face. He doubted that she was, especially since the conversation moved on back to his father, and the… sticky, stupid situation he’d found himself in so many years ago. He would always harbor anger towards Theodore Nott Sr. for his actions, but somehow telling Daphne about the truth made him feel the slightest bit better, like the block of past he carried on his shoulders was just the slightest bit lighter now that someone else knew about it, even if she didn’t know the whole story… yet.

He nodded as she questioned Lestrange. He’d wanted to ask if he stuttered, but he refrained. He could tell by the look on Daphne’s face that she was interested. She leaned forward toward him and for a brief moment Theo wasn’t sure what she was going to do. What was Lestrange the magic word or something? Had he won the satisfaction of kissing her? He smirked slightly at his thought as she playfully tapped his noise and called him Theodore. He shook his head with a smile before she said he was a celebrity. He wasn’t entirely sure about that, but there was something that had to do with the Lestrange name that would’ve likely attracted more attention, that was for sure. And for the first time in his entire life Theo wondered how different his life would have been if his parents had ended up together rather than tragically torn about. What if he’d grown up Theodore Lestrange? Okay, so it wasn’t the very first time he’d considered the possibilities, but there was something about this time that came with a little bit more than emotion than most other times. Usually he spent most of his time thinking about it brooding over what an ass his “father” was, but now that he was thinking on how much different his life could be he was made the slightest bit sadder than usual. Still, he refused to let that bastard get the best of him anymore and the thoughts were practically thrown from his head as Daphne squeezed his hand. His eyes found Daphne’s once more and he grinned. He wanted to thank her, but the witty side won over his sentimental side for the time being.

”You better hope that word doesn’t get out or you’ll have to battle someone besides AJ for Slytherin royal top spot, Princess,” he said with a roll of his eyes and a laugh before grinning fully in her direction. His mind wandered back to his father for a brief moment, and he wondered if he should tell Daphne about his mother, or if that was a conversation best saved for another day. Perhaps the latter was better than the former… Almost definitely. Theo had never said the words aloud, and he wondered if he’d be able to speak them at all.

Theo’s face held a satisfied smirk as Daphne’s mouth fell open in surprise and he snorted a small laugh before grinning, but her next words had him furrow his brows slightly, his eyes narrowing in doubt. He could tell by the fact that Daphne looked away from him that she believed there was truth to her words, and he shook his head before laughing a little.

”If you think they wouldn’t want me you clearly have no idea what kind of fan-base I’ve created during my time here. I’m pretty sure I could sleep with Pansy Parkinson and girls would still be falling over themselves to sleep with me,” he said as seriously as he could before letting out a laugh. He allowed only a few moments to pass before deciding to make a bold move. He brought his hand toward her chin and forced her face in his direction, his face softening.

”Besides, if I had you, and you’re as mind-blowing as people say you are… And believe me, I’ve heard all about it… Tell me, why would I bother with other girls, Princess Greengrass?”

He wasn’t sure how she’d take his question, but he was sure of how he meant it. He’d had plenty of hookups throughout his years, but there was a part of him that thought, if he were with Daphne… he really wouldn’t need those hookups anymore, whether she had a horrid reputation or not. He couldn’t care less as to what all of his fangirls thought of him, really.