01 July, 1997 (early hours of
monday morning)

Adrian's home was in the middle of Wiltshire so there were taxis everywhere. Draco lived further in the country— about a thirty minute ride from Adrian's.

It was close to two o'clock in the morning and Theo was sitting beside Scarlett in the back of a taxi.

The driver gave him an odd look when Theo helped the semi conscious girl into her seat, fastening the seat belt around her for her safety. "I promise I know her. She's my best friends little sister. I'm taking her back to her house. She drank a bit much tonight." Well technically, his best friends little cousin but did the driver really need specifics?

The information seemed to be enough for the driver so he nodded and asked for the directions. Theo gave him the address then leaned back against the seat.

Scarlett looked over at him, sobering up a little bit, "You know Theo, you're not that bad. I like you about 10% more than I did when we got there."

Theo laughed, "Only 10%?"

She smiles, "I'll like you more if you make me one of those Shirley Temples again."

"Deal."

"You staying with Draco tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll probably crash in the guest bedroom if that's alright with you. I think Draco won't be home for a while."

The driver was watching their interaction from the mirror, unable to decide if they were friends, lovers, or associates. He watched how they looked at each other when the other started to talk, the brunette boy looking at her as if she was the only girl in the world— and the blonde girl looking interested in everything he was saying.

"You know, Adrian didn't talk to me tonight." She mumbled.

"I told you he was a shit date."

She sighed, "His hair does smell like Sleakeazy. You were right."

"I told you." Theo chimed in a singsong voice.

She rolled her eyes, "All I want is for someone to be interested in me for me." Her voice was barely a whisper now.

Theo nodded, "Plenty of boys are interested in you back at school, you've just never given them the chance."

"Really? Name them? Who actually likes me for me and not just for who my family is?"

Theo blinked, "Terrence Higgs liked you, Oliver Wood liked you, Graham Montague liked you." Those were the only three he could think of.

It's quiet for a minute, "What about you?"

He furrows his eyebrow, "Huh?"

"Have you ever liked me?" She asked.

As much as the driver deeply enjoyed their conversation and was extremely interested in if the boy liked her or not, they arrived at the Manor, he put the car in park for them to get out and walk through the gate. He looked in the mirror and smiled at Theo, who was pulling out his wallet to pay.

Before Theo shut the door, the man turned, "You should tell her."

Theo looked confused, "Tell her what?"

"How you feel."

Theo laughed, "Her brother would kill me."

The man gave him a sympathetic smile, "Well it doesn't hurt to try."

Theo nodded, then he shut the door.

Scarlett was standing at the gate waiting for him, she did not hear their conversation. "How are we going to get in the house?"

He shrugged, "I locked the window when I came in through it earlier."

"There's a ladder by my balcony, we can climb up it."

"Good idea."

The two walked through the gate and to the side of the ginormous house.

"You go up first, Theo."

He shook his head, "No, you go up first that way if you fall then someone's there to catch you."

"How noble of you."

He held the ladder still so that she could climb up onto the balcony, when she finally made it, she turned and held the top of the ladder, in an attempt to steady it for him to climb up.

He made it up and climbed over her balcony, stumbling just a little bit, she reached her arm out to help steady him and when he was standing up correctly, she had a hard time letting go of him.

Why was she being like this tonight? She couldn't figure it out.

She dropped his arm and turned around, opening the door and stepping into her cool bedroom. The air felt nice compared to the hot summer air outside.

She immediately walked to her closet, pushing the doors open and stepping inside, grabbing a pair of shorts and an old Slytherin shirt.

"Well, goodnight Scarlett."

She turned around, "You can stay. Draco isn't back yet. I don't know if the guest bedroom is ready yet. Draco shouldn't be long."

He blinked at her. He didn't expect this.

She smiled at him and walked into the bathroom to change clothes and brush her teeth.

When she walked back out he was spinning in her desk chair. She climbed into her bed and sat criss crossed, facing him.

"Well I never thought I'd live to see the day that I was invited into your room."

She laughs, still drunk from the party. "Is it everything you dreamed of?"

Theo shrugged, "I expected it to be more pink. Like your diary."

She threw a pillow at him.

"Dear Diary, today my cousin's hot, older best friend brought me home from some loser's party. He also made me a really good drink. It was so good I literally danced on a table for hours. Love, Scarlett." He mocked.

She laughed, "Shh! Shut up! It's a secret."

"What is?" He asked.

"No one can know about the table."

He smiled, "It can be our little secret."

She nods, "Deal."

He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Draco walking in, "There you two are, I looked everywhere for you."

"We got a taxi."

"Why are you in her room?"

"Oh relax, Draco, you weren't back yet so I told him he could sit." She giggled.

"Are you drunk, Scarlett?"

"What's it to you?"

"Theo!"

"What?"

"She's sixteen for Merlin's sake!"

"Draco, you drank at sixteen too. It's not unusual. We're teenagers. It's okay." Theo assured him.

Draco rolled his eyes, "Come on, I'll go fix up the guest bed for you."

Theo threw her pillow back to her and walked to the door, he flipped her light switch off for her and shut the door behind him.

She laid down and attempted to go to sleep but all she could think about was him. What is going on?

-

A few hours later she woke up with a horrible headache, she debated staying in bed all day but ultimately decided she wanted breakfast.

She walked downstairs at 9 o'clock, walking into the kitchen where breakfast was being cooked by Narcissa Malfoy.

"Long night?" Narcissa asked, a glimmer in her eye that showed she knew exactly what the blonde girl had gotten up to last night.

"Drinking isn't for me, Cissy."

Narcissa laughed and walked over to a cabinet, she grabbed a potion and tossed it to the younger Malfoy girl.

"I was sitting on my balcony when you and Theo started the attempt up to yours."

"He didn't think I was capable of Flooing home."

Narcissa nodded, "Well, at least he was nice enough to bring you home. The front door was unlocked though. I got home at about one and noticed that neither of my children were in their beds, nor was Theo in the guest room. I figured you three were at the Pucey's."

"He didn't even speak to me while we were there."

Narcissa shook her head, "I'm afraid he's a bit like his father, dear."

"Have I made a mistake?" Scarlett asked, maybe it had been a mistake to ask Adrian.

Narcissa shrugged, "You might want to have a backup date planned, if he's like his father then he probably won't show. The mistake was asking him from the beginning. Theo would've been your best bet, honestly. I don't mean that in a teasing way by the way, you may not like Theo but he would've gotten you there, did your dance with you and made sure you made it back to your room when the ball was over. Adrian probably won't even take the time to learn the dance."

Scarlett sighed, "I wish I'd have known that before hand."

"I guess I should've warned you, but you were happy with your decision so I didn't want to interfere."

"When do dance lessons start?"

"I owled the Pucey's about coming over today for them but it seems they didn't respond. But your instructor is already coming over— we already paid her. You can learn your portions of the dance if you'd like and he can learn his later."

"It's just ballroom dancing right? He should already know it. He escorted Pansy to her ball last year."

Narcissa nodded, "He should. Dance lessons are at twelve. Breakfast has about twenty minutes left on it, why don't you go ahead and shower and by the time you're done you can eat."

Scarlett nodded.

She turned and exited out of the kitchen and walked up the stairs. What had she gotten herself into?

She almost walked into her room but stopped at the room right before hers. Theo's.

She hesitated for a moment and then walked in. Theo was sound asleep.

He looked peaceful. Should she bother him?

She walked over to the curtains and threw them open and then tossed a pillow onto him, "Rise and shine, Nott."

He grunted, yanking the covers over his head.

"Oh no you don't." She yanked the covers off of him, revealing his shirtless upper half.

She stared for a moment. Wait- no. Scarlett get it together.

She shook her head, clearing every thought from it.

"What?" He mumbled.

"Want to do me a favor?"

He looks up at her, sliding up in the bed so that he could sit upright.

"What is it?"

"Can you be my dance partner for today? I have a ballroom dance class and Adrian isn't coming. I need a partner."

Theo nods, "Yeah." He doesn't know why he agreed. He fucking hates ballroom dancing. He had to learn how to do it in fourth year because of that stupid Yule ball. Which he didn't even have a date for. So learning it was stupid anyways.

But he said yes. Maybe it was because he didn't want to disappoint the girl. Or maybe it was because he felt like he owed it to her. After their conversation last night it was the least he could do. He had no idea if she remembered it but after hearing how she believed that she was unlikable and how no one likes her for her- he couldn't just leave her to her lessons by herself because Pucey no showed. She needed to realize that some people do like her and that he's one of them.

But not in that way... Right? Did he like her as more than a friend? Who fucking knows at this point.

authors note:
live laugh love theo nott 🫶🏻 also
i don't know if anyone's realized
but everything in italics is either
scarlett or theo's thoughts. like
from narrators pov but it's what
they're thinking. anyways...
fuck you adrian pucey

also the trailer for this book is up on my
tiktok now @theonotts.wp :)