Making Amends [Daphne]

[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

Theo was on the field for yet another solo Quidditch practice. It seemed like he'd been on the pitch an extraordinary amount of time this week. He just needed to get out, get away. This week was exhausting. This week was stressful. This week felt like it had taken an eternity. This week felt empty. At that last thought he came to the realization that the reason this week felt empty was because he spent so much time not running into a certain Slytherin Princess that he found himself in company with so often. And at that realization he realized that that was the reason he spent so much time on the pitch. He was hoping to run into her.

He let out a heavy exhale as he slammed his beaters bat into the bludger that was fast approaching and aiming for his head. It was astonishing that he could manage to play with his head going in so many different directions. Okay, so maybe it was only going in one direction, but he was frustrated and annoyed at the entire thing, still. He'd made things alright with Vivian, and while he was glad that they were once again on alright terms, the person he really wanted to fix things with seemed like she was nowhere to be found. He'd seen her at the latest Quidditch game but that wasn't the time or place to talk about anything other than strategy and a hopeful victory. He couldn't apologize or explain, and he was pretty sure even if he had Daphne wouldn't have wanted to hear it. But here he was again, slamming the two bludgers around, trying to keep an eye on both. It was easy when you didn't have to worry about looking out for players to aim them at, you could just kind of whack at them as hard as you want and they always come back. The beauty of bludgers, really.

He smiled briefly at the thought before beginning a fast-paced lap around the pitch. He rounded the first of the two bends and glanced behind him to see the two bludgers hot on his tail. Beautiful. He smirked and leaned a bit lower on his broom, picking up just the slightest bit more speed before pulling up and flying up and around the bludgers, turning on his broom so he was prepared to hit when they followed. He smacked one and then the other as hard as he could, watching as they flew far enough to be considered out of sight. He'd decided that he was satisfied, and wanted to end on a good note, so he flew to the ground and waited for the bludgers to return to him. The first bludger flew at him hard, and he caught it in his arms, managing not to fall over as he wrestled it into its case. But with the second he wasn't so lucky. He turned around to prepare to catch it and it caught him only just off-guard as it knocked him in the stomach and flew backwards.

The wind was knocked right out of him and when he opened his eyes the sky was spiraling slightly above him, but he ignored it as his eyes found the bludger and he wrestled it toward his stomach and held it with one arm to his chest as he crawled gently back to the crate and put the damn thing back where it belonged. He was sure in the process of it he probably looked the slightest bit pathetic, but... oh well. He slammed the heavy box shut and leaned against it, looking up at the sky once more. The sky was the slightest bit gray, as if it might rain, but the clouds were light enough that there was plenty of light, and the chance of rain was probably slim. Even if it did rain, he wouldn't care. He felt like a sauna after all of that. He'd pushed himself hard, and that small, unfortunate incident at the end really didn't help.

He sighed as his eyes fell back to the pitch and he saw someone walking onto the field. He narrowed his eyes to try and get a better look at who it was, and he felt his heart begin to beat faster in his chest as he finally realized who it was. Did he say something? Did he approach her? He wanted to, but should he? Should he let her make the first move? She seemed to be pretty good at that, after all. He inwardly battled with himself and then made the executive decision to just say something, even if it was minimal. He was more than happy to finally have found her, and he silently hoped she hadn't been avoiding him. He waited until she was close enough to hear him before he finally spoke.

"Daph..." he began, a bit unsure as to what to say next, but he knew he couldn't just say her name. He'd look like a twit and he already looked like a big enough ass. "I've been looking for you..." He had been, really, especially since they'd always seemed to run into each other often, and then there was... nothing. Not that she should have been surprised, really. Why should she want anything to do with him? Even though it wasn't even his fault and the entire stupid thing was a misunderstanding!

[daphne]

One week. Was that really all that it had been since she had found out? One week of pure torture? One week since she had lost Theodore Nott without ever really having him. Daphne Greengrass sat outside the Castle grounds, her head in her hands as she thought. So much and so little had happened since everything had transpired. At first she had been angry. So angry that she had attacked Vivian. And then it had slowly shifted into something different. This deep down hurt that she couldn’t explain. That she couldn’t place. And now? Now, Daphne just felt empty. As if someone had stollen all her emotions and left her an empty shell in the middle of a busy street. Now she felt hurt again, it was like the cycle was starting anew. A new week, a new round. And right now, her emotions were the clear victor. She pushed her face down onto her knees, trying to hide some of the tears that were slipping out of the corner of her eyes, but she was sure that people would see. It would have been obvious from simply looking at her that she was crying her eyes out.

She had spent most of her time in the library lately, in the far corner, staying out of everyone’s way. She had studied her arse off for the past week and done nothing else. In fact, there had been a few nights where she fell asleep in the library, head resting on an Ancient Runes book she had all but poured her soul into during that evening. But she couldn’t help but feel like people were watching her and talking about what had happened. Wash-up. That’s what she felt like. And that’s what all the rumors were saying about her. She could hardly stand it anymore. That was why she needed to get out. Daph slowly stood up, wiping her eyes as best she could, trying not to look so pathetic. She still had some of her dignity, right? They couldn’t take it all from her...?

She held her head high and pulled her broom off of the ground before she started walking in the direction of her most beloved Quidditch Pitch. She was going to get back on the pitch and keep going. She had to. She had been skipping practice all this week and she was really beginning to get rusty. What she needed now, more than anything was to just jump back in and stop wallowing around in her pathetic sadness. She slowly sauntered down the stairs toward the pitch, hesitating before she went in. A gust of wind rushed past her, causing the loose strands of her ponytail to fly free around her face. Septemper had become her least favorite month during the year, that one was for sure. She pressed forward, moving through the entrance to the pitch and remaining near the sideline. She stood there for a long time, her eyes trained on a singular figure who was struggling to get a bludger back into a box. It took her a moment to realize who the tosseled hair belonged to. Theo.

Her heart immediately picked up pace, she could feel her palms sweating as she held the broom, and she felt like she wanted to run. She wanted to run far away where no one would ever find her. This was not what she wanted right now. This wasn’t something she wanted to deal with...well, ever.

But she felt like she couldnt let him see her weak, so she walked. She walked straight across the pitch toward him, keeping her chin as high as she could manage.

”Daph...I’ve been looking for you...”

The words hit her like a ton of bricks and she suddenly felt like she was going to vomit, but none of it showed on her face. She was stoic and level headed as she could manage, “Have you.” It wasn’t a question, mearly a restatement of fact. Interesting. She hadn’t exactly been hiding, but then again, she hadn’t exactly sought him out either. She supposed that he probably had been looking for her and she had just been extremely keen on avoiding even the sight of him. She didn’t stop walking as she approached him, but instead passed right by him, using her foot to kick open the ball-chest that was a few feet behind him. She saw the bludgers struggling to get out, but ignored them, her eyes only trained on the Quaffle that had been calling her name for the past week. She leaned down and picked it up with her free hand, tossing it lightly into the air, “I know I missed practice. You don’t have to harp-” She grimaced at her choice of words, her thought being drawn to Vivian for a split second, but luckily she was still facing away from him, “on me about that, Nott.” Her voice had returned some of its normal edge as the week progressed.

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[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

The upset, sad, tear-stained cheeks of Daphne Greengrass could not be missed by Theo, no matter how strong she looked, and he frowned slightly at the site, but Daphne wasted no time in walking right past him back toward the box of Quidditch balls he’d just wrestled back into its case. He knew she wasn’t after the bludgers, though. She was a chaser after all. The edge in her voice as she stated a simple ‘have you’ dug the wound the slightest bit, though he knew whatever wounds he was carrying for hurting her, and letting her hurt all week, hers were much bigger. Despite the fact that it was all a miserable misunderstanding. He inhaled, not bothering to say a word as she took the quaffled out of the case. She still wasn’t looking at him, but he wouldn’t blame her for that. She had… well, she didn’t really have a right to be mad, but he wouldn’t hold it against her that she was either.

She’d mentioned missing practices, and Theo nodded despite her not being able to see him. She’d missed three that week, and Theo’d begun to get the slightest bit worried. He knew it was his fault… not really. The whole team thought it was, but he didn’t care about what they thought. He wouldn’t bother explaining the truth to them. Daphne deserved to hear it first. Besides, even if he’d told Grayson and Maxwell and Eli and the rest that it wasn’t his fault she wasn’t there… would they have believed him? Probably not. Daphne mentioned that he didn’t have to harp on her and his already fallen expression only furthered into confusion.

”I hadn’t planned to, Daphne,” he spoke, not being able to ignore the slight upsetedness that grew inside him when she called him Nott instead of Theo. It wasn’t that she called him Theo or often… calling him Nott just felt so… before, especially since she was obviously angry, obviously wanting to be away from him. Calling him Nott just felt like it belonged forever in the past. Before this year, before the courtyard before their kiss. The memory of the kiss they shared made his heart beat the slightest bit faster as he rose from the place he’d been seated on the ground. Daphne tossed the quaffle into the air and he took his opportunity when he saw it. He used his height over her to knock the quaffle away from her, quickly walking around her to face her once more, standing between her and the quaffle that now lie on the ground. and His eyes and thoughts immediately went to Daphne’s tear stained cheeks and guilt spread over him. He didn’t let it show, though as his brown eyes searched her face for any other emotion than sadness. He feared he saw none, except maybe anger. This had to end. Had to stop. It was all a big misunderstanding and it wasn’t worth the stupid stress or sadness they were putting each other through.

”I’ve been looking for you because I want to talk to you,” there, he’d started the conversation. Now all he had to do was continue it. That was the part where things got tricky. How did he approach the subject… the fight… the reason for the fight. His face contorted into an expression caught between confusion and thought as his eyes found her. ”I want to talk to you about what happened.” He would leave the quaffle on her end of the pitch now. He knew she more than likely didn’t want to talk about it, but he was going to tell her, even if she didn’t want to listen.

[/blockquote]

[daphne]

His assurance that he hadn’t planned on talking to her about missing practice seemed a little half-hearted to Daphne. In fact, she was pretty sure that she was going to take anything he said as a half-hearted attempt to make her feel better. But she didn’t want his pity, she didn’t need it. Daphne Greengrass was a strong and independent woman, ”Good-” She said, a little more harshly then she had intended, ”Because I wasn’t going to listen anyway.” Intentionally angry and catty, lovely. That was Daphne Greengrass at her finest. She was lost in thought until the red ball disappeared from above her.

She felt her eyes flash before she realized what had actually happened. She dropped her broom and clenched both of her fists, feeling a fit of rage the size of Hogwarts beginning to form in the pit of her stomach. Oh yes, Daphne was on the cusp of having a royal Slytherin melt-down and Theodore Nott was going to be her target. All she could see was red anger raging through her veins. Red anger that seared through every blood vessel in her body, threatening to send her overboard and destroy her completely. Then, just as suddenly as it began, he was standing in front of her. It was disarming, seeing him again after a full week. She had fought so hard to avoid him lately that she had forgotten the effect that he could have on her. It felt raw and untamable, the energy between them, the way that there was almost an electric sizzle when they were near each other. The emotions that now surged through her body were a bit different. Of course, she felt drawn to him like she always had...she was drawn to what they could have had. What they almost did have together.

She was staring at him, trying her best to ignore the fact that his eyes were scanning her face as well and she tried to remain as impassive as possible. She reached up and ran the back of her hand under her eye, trying to wipe away some of the tear stained marks that she was sure still remained. Then she continued to stare at him, wondering which one of them would break the silence first.

”I want to talk to you about what happened.”

The sentence hit like a ton of bricks and for a moment, Daphne was convinced that she was going to throw up. Theo wanted to talk about what had had done with Vivian? Well that was fine by her...that was absolutely fine by her...She had nothing to be ashamed of, right? Wrong. She immediately felt the tears spring fresh to her eyes and she had to turn her face away from him to hide them, although she was sure by now Theo had figured out that she hadn’t exactly taken things lightly. Kissing Vivian had been a blow to her self esteem and her ego and she hadn’t gotten over it yet, obviously. She bit down on her lip as hard as she could to stop it from quivering. This was exactly the reason that she had avoided him up until now. She was afraid that this would happen and everything would spiral out of control before she could stop it. She was making a fool out of herself already and they had only been in contact for a few short minutes, ”What’s there to talk about?” Her voice was as cold as she could manage - the only hint of emotion lay in the last word, it was strained and quivered slightly. She slammed her lips back together, willing herself not to cry in front of him. ’He’s not worth it, Daph,’ She encouraged herself.

”But if you want to have casual chit-chat, I’d be more than happy to entertain you, Nott. What would you like to talk about? Quidditch? Books? The battle of good vs. evil? Girls?” Daphne’s words were clipped and in quick succession, revealing less emotion then. She leaned down and started to pick up her broom, keeping her face down so that she wouldn't have to face the embarrassment that crying often seemed to bring around.

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[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

Theo could see the way his simple sentence affected her. It was a simple statement, and a simple request, he watched as tears stung at her eyes at the very thought of what happened. He'd hurt her. Badly, and he hadn't even meant to. Damn it, Vivian. He sighed inwardly, watching as she turned away from him, to avoid him seeing her so vulnerable. He looked toward the ground, feeling awful as she questioned what there was to talk about. He rolled his eyes at her blatant denial of everything that had happened.

"Stupid was one thing I've never known you to be, Daphne. You know what I want to talk about," he said. If she could be catty he certainly could be too. He knew he deserved her being angry with him, at least the slightest bit. She didn't know the truth, how could she? And despite his attempts to try and find her he was unable. But here she was, standing before him and he wasn't here to play games anymore. He wanted the truth out in the open. She bent down to pick up her broom and turned into her usual catty self. His eyes narrowed slightly as she listed off all of the things they could talk about, using his surname rather than his first yet again. A pang of emotion ran through him as he stared at her. He inhaled through his nose and held it in for a few seconds before exhaling slowly. He brought up a hand and messed his curls slightly before his eyes found her again.

"Daphne, look at me," even he could hear the plea in his own voice. "It wasn't my fault. I told her not to and she did it anyway. I told her not to..." his frustration got the better of him and he stared at her, hoping his words were getting through somewhere. He hated seeing her tear-stained cheeks. He hated that she had to look away from him in order to cry. He hated that he was the cause for all of this. He just hoped somewhere in in her head she would be able to understand him. The day they kissed in the courtyard something changed between them. Their tension became realized, they became realized, at least in Theo's mind they had. He wasn't interested in anyone but her.

He walked up to her, standing only inches away from her. She couldn't avoid looking at him forever, he wouldn't let her. His breathing was steady, but heavy as he waited for a reply. Daphne was in particular form today so he didn't know what to expect from her. She was usually catty in a flirtatious manner, but now he knew her claws were out for blood. Her snake venom was meant for him and him alone, and he would take it, to a point. But he would try his hardest to make her hear him out. This was a huge misunderstanding. She had to understand that. She just... had to.

[daphne]

‘And backstabbing pain-in-the-arse isn’t something I’ve ever known you to be either, Theo,’ Her mind was already throwing insults faster than she could keep up with them, but she managed to keep her mouth shut, sure to avoid starting an unnecessary fight. Daphne couldn’t decide if she was angry or upset - it felt like a ping pong match inside her head. She constantly bounced back and forth between crying and wanting to strangle something. Probably not healthy. Theodore Nott was throwing her emotions all out of whack and she wasn’t sure if she liked it. If she had known that Theo was going to be out here on the pitch this afternoon, she was sure that she would have stayed clear of the pitch until she was sure that he was gone. This was already painful enough. Seeing him and talking to him seemed to make it even worse. It made the table-tennis match feel even quicker and fast-paced. Her fingertips ran over her broom, her mind seeming to calm down during the slightly silence that had settled between them. Everything was quiet for a moment; the calm before the storm, she supposed.

She looked up, momentarily taken aback by the tone of his voice. It was as if he was pleading with her. He was still a few yards away from her, but she could see the look on his face and it matched the tone of his voice. Sincerity? It had been so long since someone had been sincere with Daphne Greengrass. Most of her life was full of the faux-pas of Slytherin social climbing. Immediately, she recalled all the emotions she had felt in the courtyard the other day as she stared at him. Her eyes glanced over his messy brown curls, his unimaginably sweet brown eyes, that adorable mouth of his that always seemed to be teasing her. She stood up slowly, dragging her broom with her as she did, listening to his explanation of what had happened between him and Viv. It was short, that was for sure, but Daphne wasn’t sure that she wanted to hear any more. She wasn’t sure that she could have taken the entire full-blown story. Her heart was already beating out of her chest.

She dug the bottom of her broom into the ground as used it as a sort of prop to keep herself from falling over or attempting to hide her face from him again. She was going to face Theodore Nott with everything that she had left. She had to. She owed it to herself, ”So the rumors about the make-out session are false, then?” She sounded so immature. She could hear her own voice and she wanted to run away screaming. This was the kind of things that little children fought about. Not people who had just been through a war. But Daphne couldn’t help it. For some reason, she had become irrevocably attached to Theo, and the thought of sharing him with anyone, especially Vivian Blackwell, was enough to drive her to the point of insane adolescent, ”Or they’re true? Because I’m pretty sure that kissing is a two way street.” Her voice was dark and dangerous, opting to try the anger route for a moment.

Fight or flight had kicked in, Daphne could feel the adrenaline in her veins. She felt herself moving to turn away from him, pivoting around the center-point that she had made with her broom in the ground. But she stopped herself. She stopped and looked at Theo, finally letting confusion and hurt show through on her face. Her eyes clouded over with the memory of the courtyard. How happy she had felt when she was in his arms. The static-electricity that had passed between them when they had kissed, ”Do you know how much it sucked finding out that you kissed her-” It wasn’t a question. Daphne narrowed her eyes and pushed her broom to the ground, daring to move a little closer to Theo and staring him down as best as she could manage, ”Finding out from gossiping girls in the library that your-” What was Theo to her? She was at a loss. She knew what she wanted him to be, but she knew that they had never really made it to that point yet, ”That you and her-”

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[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

Daphne looked up at him at his plea... Well at least she wasn't totally ignoring him. That much came as a relief to him. There was doubt in her eyes, though, he could see it, and it made him feel the slightest bit sick. He fought the temptation to narrow his eyes, becoming momentarily angry with her, but it was pushed aside as a question finally left her lips. She was questioning whether what had happened was false, and Theo could hear the whine in her voice. He inhaled and glanced down and to his left. He couldn't deny that it had happened. Yes, their lips met momentarily. Yes, it happened. But Theo hadn't wanted it to, and in Theo's opinion that mattered a little more. Who knew what Daphne would think, though. He remained silent though, as she began to speak again, saying that kissing was a two-way street.

"What did you want me to do, Daphne? She grabbed me by the neck," he said somewhat angrily. He knew that details would probably make matters worse, but he wasn't going to sit idly by and let her make him seem like something he wasn't, either. He'd had his fair share of shags in the day, yes, but when it came to relationships, of which Theo had very few, he was as loyal as the day is long. He was not a cheater, and while he may have been a liar in a lot of ways, that was not one of them. Another silence befell them and this time Theo let it simmer for awhile.

And then she looked at him again, this time her face was different, softened. She looked confused, dejected... sad. He knew in that instant that she wasn't hiding behind a mask of anger. He knew she was angry, but he knew that she was more hurt than anything else. The frustration built as she spoke and eventually the sentence dropped off completely. She was falling apart right in front of him, and he was going to be there to put the pieces back together.

He closed the distance between them in an instant and and brought his arms around her. He brought one hand to the middle of her back, and the other hand rested on the back of her head as he held her close. He rubbed her back gently and knew that there was one way he could try to get through to her, and then he started to sing.

"I don't mean to hurt, just to put you first
I won't tell you lies.
I will stand accused with my hand on my heart
I'm just trying to say ... I'm sorry

It's all that I can say, you mean so much
And I've done, if I could start again..."

[daphne]

Daphne growled low in her throat, a warning to Theo not to get angry with her, ”Punch her...?” That’s what I did... He mental thoughts returned to the fight that she had gotten into with Vivian. It had been just as brutal as a girl fight as it could have gotten. She had been bloodied and bruised and mentally scarred too. The whole thing had been a disaster, one that Daphne didn’t want to talk about. But she knew that Theo would probably bring it up. She stood there for a second, just staring at him, marveling in all the things that she had missed over the past week. The way that his nose was slightly crooked from the break, the way his eyes bore into hers during the silences that progressed between them, the way that he was looking off to her side as if there was an unseen force next to her. She had missed everything about Theodore Nott, as much as she hadn’t wanted to admit it from the beginning. He had become such a huge part of her life without her even being fully aware of it.

But she didn’t miss this patronizing tone of his, that was for sure. She knew that he probably had every right to be upset with her childishness, but she wasn’t about to let him think that she would allow that. Leave it to Daphne Greengrass to be unable to give up her thoughts of Slytherin social standing and attitude. She could see why he was getting upset though, it had obviously not been what he wanted. She could see that now from the way that he was reacting about it. She was seeing something different in him right now that she hadn’t seen before. The kiss hadn’t been his fault, as much as she wanted to blame him. It had been that neck-grabbing harpie that Daphne so desperately wanted to-

No. It wasn’t worth getting upset about again. She wouldn’t allow herself to lash out at Vivian again, even though it had felt beyond good to give that girl what she deserved.

Daphne wasn’t sure what she had expected Theo to do. She could feel herself falling apart and she could stop it. Her mind had become a jumbled mess of emotions and she was convinced that she was going to start crying again, until the movement of the boy in front of her caught her eye. He crossed to her quickly, wrapping her in his strong protective arms for a hug that she felt like she needed more than anything. And then the words of a song started to encircle her as well and Daphne went weak in the knees. She felt her entire body start to collapse around Theo as she listened to him, ”Theo-” Her voice was soft and quiet and not at all herself, but it was all she could manage, ”Merlin, I missed you, Nott.” She nuzzled into his chest, burying her face in his shirt, cherish the feeling of being with him again after the longest week of her life. All the anger seemed to melt away and all that was left was a tiny, barely visible smile.

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[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

The continued to sing as he felt Daphne all but collapse into his arms, and when she began speaking his voice turned into a hum as he listened to her words. Her voice came out barely above a whisper, but the words she spoke he could not miss if he wanted to, the words made his heart sore. His arms remained wrapped around her as he closed his eyes briefly, a small smile on his face as he breathed her in. The scent that was constantly around her, that he'd grown so fond of without ever realizing it. It brought him back to Quidditch practices, the court yard, classes. It brought him everywhere he ever wanted to be. He felt like a completely different person around Daphne. A better person, a whole person.

Daphne Greengrass had become a staple in his life right before his very eyes and he'd been too busy chasing after other girls to realize it. One of his hands remained on her back as the other was removed. He stepped away from her for only a second to position himself before he pulled her legs out from underneath her, her knees resting over one of his arms, the rest of her weight being carried in his other arm. He looked at her, taking in the barely visible smile that she had on her face, grinning all the more as he moved toward the ground. He laid her down gently onto the grass, pushing her broom aside, leaving his one arm underneath her neck as a pillow. He leaned over her, his curls hanging lightly over is eyes as his eyes bore into hers. They were beautiful. She was beautiful. And she always had been.

"I missed you too, my princess," he said with a grin before he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. His heart was beating faster and slower at the same time as his blood turned to fire in his veins. They'd only shared once kiss prior to this, but Merlin had he missed the feeling of her in his arms. Hell, he missed her just being around him. It felt like they were always together, whether they wanted to be or not. And Merlin knew when they were younger they did NOT want to be near each other. I mean, he broke her nose, that kind of says stay away from me. Who would have known years later they would be here, sharing this moment together.

He pulled away from her gently with a smile before lying down beside her, and pulling her head onto his chest and wrapping arm protectively around her. He let the electric air around them spark, basking in the silence before his mind wandered to what had caused this whole mess. She'd punched Vivian, which she shouldn't have done. He'd seen Vivian directly after the fight, and she was a mess. But he hadn't seen Daphne after the fight.

"I saw what you did to Viv... I never knew you could punch, he said with a small smirk, feeling the slightest bit guilty. Vivian was his friend. He should be proud of Daphne for what she'd done, and yet the smallest part of him was. "Did she bloody you up too?"

[daphne]

Daphne was taking completely off guard when he whisked her off her feet. Then again, she felt like she should have expected it. Theodore Nott had always been her Prince Charming, despite the fact that she never wnated to openly recognize it. He had been there through thick and thin. Whenever she had needed someone, she would subconsciously turn to the boy that had broken her nose in her third year. The boy that was always chasing the other girls around like they were the next new thing. Theodore Nott was her rock, despite her previous denial of the fact. And then she did the most embarrassing thing that Daphne Greengrass could do.

She giggled. The way that he was staring at her in his arms made her giggle like an uncontrollable school girl. Something about the feeling of being carried like she was a little girl felt so...romantic? For once in her life, Daphne felt like there was something other than a one night stand here. She had known it from the start, but the feeling that she got when their skin touched reaffirmed what she already knew. As quickly as it had started, she managed to control her giggle and bring it down to a slight laugh and then she fell silent. She felt her eyes widen even more as she stared at him, but refused to acknowledge what had just happened. She knew that she shouldn’t be ashamed, but there was something morbidly horrifying to Daphne knowing that she had been reduced to a giggling schoolgirl in a matter of seconds.

All too soon, Daphne could feel him lowering her to the ground, but instead of disappearing like she thought he would - like he always had in her day dreams - he stayed, his face hovering over hers, the static pulsing through the air almost like lightening about to strike. And strike it did. He pressed her lips to hers and she felt her body react immediately. Her hands reached up and knotted themselves in his unruly hair, holding him close to her for as long as she could manage. Her head felt like it was spinning. So much had changed between them in so little time and so much had still remained the same. Theo was her rock and her everything and even though this week had torn her up, her heart had always remained true to him...secretly hoping that he would find her and tell her that the whole thing had been a sick misunderstanding. She felt her heart catch in her chest when he pulled away, but the smile that he offered her was enough to keep her at bay for the moment. She offered him one as well, as genuine and heart-felt as she could manage, hoping that it would express how truly happy she was now that they had sort of straightened everything out.

Daphne nestled herself on his chest, making herself as comfortable as possible. She knew as soon as he brought up Vivian it was going to be a long conversation. She felt herself laugh slightly, a little more menacing than she had anticipated, and immediately backed off, ”I’ve got a right hook, yeah.” Daphne didn’t want to take too much pride in what she had done, she knew that Theo had a friendship - much to her dismay - with Vivian that she couldn’t stop from being there. But she knew that she had done quite a number on the girl. Vivian had probably been quite bloody by the time things were all said and done. Then again, she had been too. She bit down on her lip slightly and then nodded. She had sustained quite a few injuries from the fight. Bloody nose, bruised ribs, bump on the back of her head. Oh yes, it had been quite the fight, ”I guess we both got in our digs.” Daphne said and then propped herself up so that she could look at his face, gauge his reaction. She wasn’t sure what he was feeling. Or what he wasn’t telling her, but there felt like there was something that he wasn’t saying, ”Pomfrey told me to avoid run-ins with the Whomping Willow.”

[/justify][/size]

[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

Daphne's giggling had Theo smirking in amusement. Normally he would have dropped her, or at least pretended to, but instead he just kept her close, held her up, not letting her down until her giglging had quieted down. He wondered what was so funny to her, but didn't question it as he placed her on the ground and kissed her. Her hands got tangled in the curls on his head and he had to resist the urge to laugh into the kiss. She released him and then they got settled on the ground. For most people the grass in the Quidditch pitch likely would be the last placed you'd think of cuddling... but for the two of them it really couldn't have been more perfect. It was where they met, where this whole giant mess of a relationship started right on the day when he broke her nose. Oh what a day that had been.

Daphe nuzzled herself into his chest and got comfortable, and it would have been a lie to say it wasn't a nice feeling. One of the best, to know that she wasn't going anywhere. Usually when he got a girl he couldn't wait for them to get out. He wanted to be rid of them as quickly as possible, but with Daphne? No, he didn't want her going anywhere. His thoughts wandered for a moment back to the day they met, and all the year since then. Certain Quidditch matches they'd won together, the egg with Cedric in the hallway, having to comfort her occasionally when AJ's threat to her throne became to great. He wouldn't actually comfort her, mind you. He would treat it like the joke he always had, but somehow it would always make her feel better... and infuriate her. Maybe it was because Theo provided her with another outlet to place her anger. She didn't want to be upset with her sister anymore, so he let her get mad at him.

Daphne laughed almost maniacally at what she'd done to Vivian, but she quickly seemed to dial it down, which Theo appreciated it. They could joke to a degree... probably only because they had the history they did. He had broken her nose once afterall. She said she had a right hook and Theo smirked, but then the silence formed between them again, and Theo wondered what would happen next. Thankfully Daphne broke the silence once more, saying that they both got their digs in. He frowned slightly. He didn't like to think of Daphne hurt. Maybe it came from what they were now, or maybe it stemmed from the fact that he was her protector on the pitch. Either way, he didn't like the thought of her hurt, especially at the hands of Vivian. He knew how cold she could be, how... well, for lack of a better word, heartless. She mentioned Pomfrey telling her to stay away from the womping willow and he winced slightly. So it had been that bad?

He stared at her for a moment, as she looked down on him. He swallowed as she looked at him expectantly. Sometimes it felt like she could see right through him.

"Vivian found me after you two went at it... The minute she told me... All I wanted to do was find you, to make sure you were okay. I'm sorry that I didn't..." he said his brows furrowed together in thought. He knew that Vivian had been wrong to kiss him, but in a way, Daphne had been wrong, too. "It's weird... That you went after her. And not me. You should have probably come after me."

It was almost like Daphne knew in a way, that it wasn't his fault, that he hadn't wanted it. And he hadn't. And the week without Daphne felt like one of torture. His days felt... empty, boring, quiet. All the things that he hated, and even a few trips to the pitch did little to ease the restlessness he felt. He'd wanted to find her and felt unable. He felt helpless and wrong, and when he saw her on the pitch, with her tear-stained cheeks, he knew that he had to make things right. He'd never meant for her to hurt the way she did. He wouldn't have wished that on her in a million years. He'd always been there to protect her, on the pitch and off. While she was out sleeping with the rest of the Quidditch team and he was off sleeping with everyone else... somehow they always went to each other for the things that mattered. He’d told Daphne Greengrass more about himself than anyone else knew, but… there was something else she didn’t know. Something that he decided now would be a good time to tell her. Why, he hadn’t a clue, but the words left his mouth and he had no care to stop them.

”I never finished telling you about my father… The elder Nott…” he spoke randomly, knowing that there was something very large he left out of that story. ”Did you know that I can see Thestrals?” The answer would likely be no, but it could have come up in conversation sometime throughout the course of Hogwarts. He’d been able to see them from the moment he started at Hogwarts. In a way it made him feel privileged. In another way it made him feel sick.

[/blockquote]

[daphne]

Daphne took his words to heart, trying to listen to what he was saying. But everytime he said Vivian’s name, Daph saw red again. She saw the way that the girl had been so passive agressive about everything that had happened. How she constantly complained about wanting to do something fun...and Daphne had just snapped on her. She figured that if she hadn’t pulled the girl’s hair in the first place, then they probably wouldn’t be in the situation that they were in right now. She bit down on her lip slightly and then looked up at Theo, almost afraid as to what emotion she would read on his face now. But he seemed as if he was deeply buried in thought yet again. She wondered what he was thinking about. Was he mad at her? Was he mad at Vivian? Was he mad at both of them? His words took her by surprise as she realized that she had been staring at him for a little too long. She blushed and looked past him, becoming absorbed with a nearby blade of grass on the pitch.

She picked the piece of grass up and neatly split it into two with her fingertips, drawing it out into different strands and then examining the insides. She knew that Theo was probably looking for some sort of answer, but Daphne wasn’t sure that she was able to give him what he wanted to hear. She wasn’t sure that she could even explain it to herself, ”It was one of those things-” She began and then slowly looked up. She felt like she was treading on thin ice, trying to strike the delicate balance of feeling sorry for what she had done and owning up to it at the same time, ”I was furious, The.” She admitted and then sat up so that she could cross her legs under her. She sat there in front of him, like a small child confessing her sins to a pastor. She wrinkled her nose slightly. The real reason that she hadn’t gone straight to Theo was because she thought that it had all been a lie. She hadn’t wanted to confront him with something stupid if it was nothing. So she had gone to the other side of the story...Vivian. And Vivian had most certainly confirmed what had happened between them. In the most annoying, angering, infuriating way she knew how. Daphne was pretty sure that Vivian knew just what to say to make her snap, ”I knew I couldn't see you because that would have made me even more of a mess. And Vivian is just so-”

She wasn’t sure how to explain Vivian, but she was sure that Theo would understand where she was coming from. Vivian was definitely a different kind of girl. One that caused Daphne a lot of strife, not just because of this situation. She was always getting on her nerves and pushing her buttons. It was as if they both had a personal, unspoken vendetta against each other, ”She irks me.” That was all that Daphne could manage to say. She knew that it wasn’t an excuse for what she had done, nor did it make it right by any means, but it helped explain why she had gone after the harpie instead of coming directly to Theo.

She felt herself relax a little after she confessed up, her shoulders sagged slightly, her face fell to the grass in front of her again as she contemplated what she had done. She had been wrong and she knew it. But she also knew that Vivian had been wrong too. The girl had probably gone and told Theo all the nasty things that she could conjure up to make Nott feel bad for her. That’s what Veelas did...they manipulated men until they were wrapped around their fingers like a tight rope. It was pathetic really. Her fingertips trailed through the grass and then touched Theo’s own fingertips. She immediately felt a zap of electricity surge through her as she realized just how much she loved that feeling. She smiled to herself and entwined her fingers with his, cherishing the moment of silence that had settled between them.

She was drawn out of her day-dream by Theo’s soft voice, telling her about his father again. She immediately drew closer to him, still sitting in front of him, a captive audience, ”No, I didn’t know that.” Her voice was slightly confused as she thought about it. Never one very good with Care of Magical Creatures, Daphne couldn’t remember off hand what Thestrals were. Were they the ones that you had to bow to? No no, that couldn't be it. The spiders...? Also, no. The -- She felt her smile fall off her face more quickly than anything before as it dawned on her. The animals that could only be seen by those who had truly experienced death. Daphne’s eyes immediately went to Theo’s face, searching for something, looking for any sign that he was upset about it. She wasn’t sure what she saw written in his emotions; she felt like she couldn’t get a good read on him right now, ”You mean you saw him...die...?” He voice was soft, almost cooing, very un-Daphne like. She tightened her hand around his, urging him to continue, but somehow terrified of what he was going to say next.

[/justify][/size]

[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

Theo waited patiently to see what Daphne would say about Vivian. It was clear that the girl brought Daphne a bunch of frustration, not that Theo could blame her, of course. Vivian could be a very frustrating person. She didn't really understand boundaries, and she went around doing whatever she wanted, like kissing Theo, without a care in the world. He could see blatantly how that would drive a girl like Daphne up the wall. Daphn was a girl who was all about being on top, being the best, but even she understood boundaries and the difference between right and wrong... to a degree. But Vivian probably got under Daphne's skin in a way unlike any other girl could. Still, Vivian had had a rough time of it, and Theo knew why she was the way she was, and even though he didn't always agree with the way she handled herself, what happened to her opened his eyes to an entirely different side of her that he knew no one knew; she didn't let people get the chance.

Daphne seemed sorry enough for her actions as she began explaining that it was 'one of those things.' Oh, you mean one of those women are insane things? Because that's certainly the conclusion he'd come to during the past week between the two girls. Not that he hadn't known that before, what with the girls that followed him around like lost dogs. He knew they were crazy... but this week? This week had introduced him into an entirely new generation of 'crazy' when it came to women, but he couldn't say that he minded very much. Despite everything, look at the situation he was in.

And then she sat up and he furrowed his brow as she began playing with the grass. He he bored her? Really? He smirked at the thought, but then her finger tips touched his and he felt a slight jolt of sparks fly between them. No matter how minor the touch they always seemed to have that kind of effect on one another. They were like thunder and lightning, and whenever they were together they started a rainstorm that refused to stop.

At the mention of his father again, Daphne seemed to lend all of her attention to him, and for that he was thankful. She knew that he didn't talk about his father, about anything having to do with his past, really. But he'd told her about how his father broke his nose, but he never told her why. He never told her about the owl, about what had happened. He inhaled as he propped himself up on his elbows as she said she didn't know he could see thestrals. Not many people did know. He watched Daphne carefully, as she seemed to be lost in thought. Probably trying to figure out what a thestral was because the smile that had been on her face just moments ago fell clear off.

So she knew the severity of what he was about to say, but the question that left her lips next had him letting out a laugh. He smirked at her and shook his head. "If only I'd been so lucky," he said with a small smirk before inhaling and exhaling slowly.

"It was my mum," he began simply. He wasn't sure he could get past any further than that, but his eyes found hers, and he knew he could not stop there. She would ask more questions, and he knew he would have to answer them whether he liked it or not.

"That's why... that's why he broke my nose. I'd tried to owl Rabastan," the story seemed to be coming out in disjointed thoughts, disjointed sentences that he'd buried deep in his mind, refusing to allow the thoughts to ever enter his brain. He feared the waves of emotion and pain that would crash over him if he ever let them in.

"Nott, he found out about my mum and LeStrange. I was... I was seven. And they'd been fighting all the time. My mum would always tell me 'It's all okay, Rory. I'll love you ever and after,' It always made me feel better. But then... one day, during dinner... he slipped veritaserum in her soup..." he closed his eyes, inhaling, wiling away the emotions he knew were coming. He'd never spoken about the event to anyone. Ever. And after eleven years of ignoring and burying, the beating in his chest and the heat that came with the sadness that now filled him felt like it might swallow him whole.

He swallowed hard before opening his eyes again to see her. "He asked her about Rabastan... if he was my father. Both my parents were blonde, and he just... lost it. 'Is that why you call him Rory!?' he screamed 'because he reminds you of your precious Rabastan?'' And he pulled out his wand and he just..." he stopped, unable to bring himself to speak the words. He'd killed her. Without a second thought. Without even the slightest hint of regret. And Theo closed his eyes as he was filled with rage and sadness unlike anything he'd ever known. He could feel the tears threatening to come at the memories, but he refused to allow them to fall. He couldn't fall apart. He was supposed to be the rock not the river.

[/blockquote]

[daphne]

Daphne hadn’t expected him to laugh...so when he did, she found that she momentarily drew back. She bit down on her lip, confused by the whole thing until he offered her an explanation. His mother. The one that had taught him that beautiful song that he had been singing in the courtyard the other day. His mother who obviously meant so much to him. Daphne felt fingertips reach up and brush his cheek. It was meant to be a calming gesture, but Daphne wasn’t sure what came over her. Did all of this afford her the right to touch Theo in that way? She still wasn’t exactly sure where they stood. She figured there would be time for them to say yeah or neigh later on. But for right now, he just needed someone to be there for him and she was going to be that person. Their eyes locked and she opened her mouth to ask something else, but found that she closed it without a second thought. This was Theo’s story and he would open up in his own time. It was wrong of Daphne to try and push him any faster than he was willing to go. If he was going to open up to her - which she sincerely hope that he would - he would let her in in time.

And time came sooner than she thought. She could see the gears turning in his head as they stared into each other’s eyes. As if he knew that she wanted to ask him, right on cue, he continued his story. Or at least what she assumed was his story. His first sentence wasn’t connected to anything. Daph sat there for a moment in silence, soaking it in as best she could, until he started speaking again.

And everything came flowing out of his mouth like hot lava. It seared every part of Daphne’s mind, causing her to feel his pain, the torture that he had been bottling up for so long. She watched him carefully, observing when he closed his eyes tightly, trying to rid himself of the thoughts that he had so desperately fought to keep under control. ’Oh Theo,’ She thought as she stared at him. She clasp his hand in hers and laid her other hand overtop of his. Then she gave him another reassuring squeeze. She had never seen Theo like this; he was normally so cool and collected, so in control of the emotions in his life. It was certainly a strange sight for her to see. But it was also humbling: Daph realized that no one was strong all the time...everyone had pains. Everyone had different struggles in their lives. Theo’s probably hurt worse than any pain that she had ever known and yet he tried to stay strong for everyone else.

His story cut off and Daphne immediately felt alarmed. He closed his eyes again and Daphne did the only thing that made sense to her in that moment. She slowly inched forward and wrapped her arms around Theo, nestling her head into the crook in his neck. Pressing her body to his as tightly as possible and closing her arms full-circle around his back, ”Shhhh-” She breathed as quietly as possible, not wanting to pull him from whatever internal battle he was having. He didn’t need to say it. He didn’t need to tell her the reason that he could see the Threstles. She could figure it out based on everything that he had already told her and it made her sick to her stomach. His father had killed his mother. In cold blood...all because of Rabastan Lestrange. In her own way, Daphne didn’t want him to say it. She knew it had already happened, but the words would make it final for him/her. Daphne had never been one that was very good with words or emotions, but right now, all she wanted to do was comfort Theo and make him better or at least feel okay. She felt like her main purpose in this moment was to help him through this. He had taken a leap of faith with her and she wasn’t about to let him think that he was alone, ”She-” It was cheesy, Daphne knew she was about to be cliche, but she couldn’t think of anything else to do to calm Theo.

She touched the base of his throat where his vocal cords were then slowly, her fingertips traced up his neck and to his nose where she gently ran her fingertip over the bridge where it had been broken all those years ago. Finally, her fingertips moved across his cheek and played with a strand of his curly hair, ”She would be so proud of you, Theo.” She said even more quietly than before. As much as this was a traumatizing experience, Daphne was afraid that Theo would think she had gone soft and lost her touch and she didn’t want that. She wanted them to stay like they were forever and a day.

[/justify]

ooc;; erggg...not my best sorry love![/size]

[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

Theo felt Daphne's hand clasping and entwining with his own, and in that moment he was more thankful for her presence and her comfort than she'd likely ever know. And when her hands moved from his hands and to his neck, he felt his own hands wrap around her back the best he could. She 'shh'd him much like he had only a little while earlier, and it was so strange how effective the small gesture was. He rested in the comfort of her arms, allowing his hands to find the back of her head, his fingers getting entwined in her long brown hair. She nuzzled herself into his neck, and he felt a small smile come to his face, despite all that had just flowed forth from him. She would be there for him, her actions proved that.

She began speaking and he listened intently, wondering what words she might be able to offer him. He didn't know if Daphne had ever dealt with death, or comfort, really. He could tell by her pause that she was probably wondering what to say. What could you say? Nothing, there was nothing to say anymore. If he were in her position he wouldn't know what to say either. But then the words that left her lip took him by surprise. It wasn't the usual 'i'm sorry for your loss.' It was something completely and totally different, and it had the gears turning in his head. He closed his eyes for a moment, his thoughts on his mother. Would she be proud of him? Would she really? Sometimes he wondered. Sometimes he thought not. But... another part of him hoped that he was. He tried to be a decent person, even if he wasn't in some ways. He knew he could be manipulative if he tried, and he was as stubborn as the day was long, but overall, was he a bad person?

He was sure being death eater affiliated undoubtedly made him so, but... his mother had loved a death eater and married another. Surely that meant she supported the cause, she supported what they were doing... she would have loved him no matter what his choices were. She had been nothing but kind and beautiful when he knew her, and there were days, like her birthday or the anniversary of the day she died, that he would give just anything in this world to have her back again. Just once more, for a day, to have one more conversation. She was taken so quickly. There had been no time for proper goodbye. She was ripped away from him. She'd been so strong and so brave, to stay in a house with his monster of a father. To put up with being married to someone she didn't love. There was so much Theo admired about her still, even after she'd been gone so long.

He'd thought maybe after a little while the pain would dull, it would go away. Eventually those same anniversaries and birthdays would roll around and he would forget. He wouldn't hurt anymore. But he never forgot, and it never stopped hurting. And all of this came crashing down on him like a rock, crushing him. His heart beat faster in his chest and for the first time since his mother's death he cried. It wasn't hysterical sobbing, but the utter heartache he'd been keeping locked up inside since he was younger came pouring out in tears that trickled slowly down his face, getting caught in his beard.

He swallowed hard, inhaling a singular shaking breath, and giving Daphne a tight hug before pulling away from her slightly. He took his hand and wiped away the few tears that he had allowed to fall, and then he stared at her, his eyes only slightly red, and his cheeks barely tear-stained. It was quiet for what felt like a long time, and Theo just stared at her. He felt so... vulnerable, which was not a feeling that Theo Nott experienced. Ever.

"Thank you..." he said gently, offering her a small smile. He pulled her into another hug and just held her there for a few minutes, savoring of feeling of having her in his arms. He kissed the top of her forehead gently before looking at her, a smile on his face. "You know you're the first person I've ever told any of that to?" he paused, grinning at her. "You're also the first person to ever say you've seen the infamous Theodore Nott cry, and you're the first person I've ever broken something of... Actually, you might be the only person I've ever broken something of.... but your nose healed quite nicely if I do say so myself," he said, smirking at her. But there was a point to all of this, and he'd be getting to it right about now.

"I can't deny it, all those years hating you and your royal bull and mocking you shamelessly... it turns out it's quite an addicting habit. One that I'm not quite ready to break. So, what do you say? Can I officially call you mine? Mine and mine alone to mock and kiss and hug and break and... well, you know that other thing you're so good at," he grinned devilishly, winking in her direction before continuing. "I'm pretty selfish, and the idea of sharing you isn't very appealing, to be honest," the words brought a goofy kind of smile to his face, the same kind of smile he threw her every once in awhile on the Quidditch pitch, or in the halls.