Theodore Nott

Early the next morning, Su Yu woke amid warmth.

His left arm was pinned beneath Sister Fa, his right beneath Sister Ka. One on each side, they were like two warm human-shaped body pillows, holding him firmly in the middle of the bed. Sister Fa's hair spilled across his shoulder, black waves carrying a faint floral scent. Sister Ka's face was buried in the hollow of his neck, her pale golden strands brushing against his chin and making it itch.

Su Yu did not move.

He stared at the ceiling, recalling what had happened last night—Sister Ka had handed him a drink, he had downed it in one gulp, and then there was no then. He could not even remember how he had gotten back to the dormitory.

He shook his head helplessly.

He knew what they were thinking. There was no need to be this aggressive. If they had just told him, he definitely would not have been able to hold out and would have agreed. Did they really need to do it this way?

He smiled and shook his head.

Then he lowered his head and gently kissed Sister Fa on the forehead. Her eyelashes trembled, but she did not open her eyes. He turned and kissed Sister Ka on the forehead as well. Sister Ka's breathing stopped for an instant before she continued pretending to sleep.

Su Yu carefully pulled his arms free from beneath them and got up to wash.

The washroom door closed. Water began to rush loudly inside.

Sister Fa opened her eyes.

Sister Ka opened hers too.

The two looked at each other for a second.

"You're awake?" Sister Fa said softly.

"So are you," Sister Ka said.

"He kissed me." As Sister Fa said it, her fingers unconsciously touched her forehead.

"He kissed me too." Sister Ka's lips curved slightly.

They looked at each other for another second, then both looked away. Sister Fa turned over and buried her face in the pillow. Sister Ka sat up, hugged her knees, rested her chin on them, and watched the waters of the Black Lake slowly ripple in the morning light outside.

"He knows," Sister Fa's muffled voice came from the pillow.

"He's known for a long time," Sister Ka said.

"Then why did he still—"

"That's just the kind of person he is." Sister Ka's lips curled up. "If you don't take the initiative, he'll pretend not to know."

Sister Fa lifted her head from the pillow, her hair a complete mess and her expression caught somewhere between shyness and annoyance.

"Then why did you turn off the lights last night?" Sister Fa asked.

Sister Ka blushed. "...Habit."

Sister Fa looked at her, then suddenly burst out laughing. Sister Ka laughed too. The two dissolved into giggles, then covered their mouths in fear that Su Yu would hear them, their shoulders shaking.

When Su Yu came out after washing up, the two were still whispering in bed. Their hair was a mess, the blankets wrapped around them, and who knew what they were muttering about beneath the covers. The moment they saw Su Yu emerge, they both fell silent, their faces still carrying traces of laughter.

Su Yu walked over, bent down, and kissed Sister Fa on the cheek, then kissed Sister Ka on the cheek.

"Get dressed and go wash up," he said.

Sister Fa and Sister Ka exchanged a look, then simultaneously threw back the blankets and grabbed their robes to put on. They moved so quickly that they seemed like entirely different people from their usual graceful, composed selves.

How should he put it? Su Yu rather enjoyed this kind of life too.

When Su Yu arrived at the Slytherin common room, Daphne was still reading on the sofa. She wore a pale blue morning robe, her hair draped over her shoulders, and held a thick copy of Introduction to Potion Brewing. A cup of hot tea sat on the coffee table before her.

When she saw Su Yu approach, Daphne shifted to the side and made room for him.

Su Yu flopped down beside her, sinking into the sofa with his head resting against Daphne's shoulder. Daphne said nothing. She reached out to straighten his robe collar, then continued reading.

There were not many people in the common room. A few older students were talking quietly in the corner, while some had not yet gotten up. The fire in the fireplace burned brightly, and the waters of the Black Lake outside the windows glimmered green in the morning light.

Su Yu's gaze swept around the common room before settling by the window.

Theodore Nott sat there alone.

He faced the window, holding a cup of tea, his eyes fixed on the lake outside, though he clearly was not looking at it. His shoulders slumped slightly, and his whole body radiated an unmistakable "don't bother me" aura.

Su Yu noticed that the tea in front of him had gone cold, untouched.

"What's been going on with Theodore lately?" Su Yu asked Daphne. "Why is he always sitting alone by the window watching the scenery? I saw him drinking tea by himself at the party last night too."

Daphne put down her book, glanced toward Theodore, then looked away and lowered her voice. "Because he's in love."

Su Yu froze for a moment.

"In love? Who falls in love and ends up looking like that? Anyone who didn't know better would think he got dumped..."

Daphne smiled and quietly told him, "I heard she's from Ravenclaw, and she isn't even pure-blood. That's probably why he's sitting there alone, feeling conflicted."

Su Yu frowned.

"Is pure-blood status really that important?" Su Yu complained. "Every one of you is like this. You should all go take a look at Eastern University. Which Muggle doesn't have ancestors who were once wealthy? Whose family didn't have a whole pile of landlords and nobles? Otherwise, how would their lineage have lasted..."

Daphne only smiled without saying anything.

In Slytherin, prejudice was not so easily shattered. After all, no one in Slytherin could be like Su Yu and go take care of a Muggle-born young witch in the middle of the night. That was Su Yu, not anyone else.

Su Yu rose from the sofa.

Daphne looked up at him without asking what he planned to do. She merely patted the sofa cushion he had wrinkled.

Su Yu walked to the window and sat down across from Theodore.

Theodore came back to himself. When he saw Su Yu, he paused, then quickly set down his tea and leaned forward slightly, his manner respectful and natural.

"Chief, what brings you here?" Theodore's voice was soft, carrying the elegance and politeness unique to Slytherin. "What can I do for you?"

Su Yu did not answer him.

He looked Theodore in the eyes and spoke directly.

"Do you like her?"

Theodore froze.

The image of that lovely figure surfaced in his mind.

It had been one afternoon. He had been practicing spells in an open patch of ground beside the Black Lake. The sunlight was beautiful, the lake glittered, and his spells had gone smoothly. One red spark after another erupted from the tip of his wand and burst in the air.

Then he noticed the person beneath the tree.

A girl sat in the shade, an easel set before her and a brush in her hand as she lowered her head to paint something. Her hair was dark brown, gleaming chestnut in the sunlight as it fell over her shoulders. Her profile was peaceful, her lips slightly pursed, her brows lightly furrowed, as if she were doing something very important with complete concentration.

He continued practicing spells for a while, but his gaze kept drifting toward that tree. The girl would occasionally look up at him before lowering her head to paint again. She watched him for a while, then painted for a while.

Theodore could not resist.

He put away his wand, walked beneath the tree, and stopped before the girl.

"What are you painting?" he asked.

The girl looked up at him. Her eyes were dark brown and bright, as though they held an entire starry sky. She watched him for two seconds, then gave a little giggle.

"Your eyes!"

She turned the drawing board around for him. On the paper was a sketch of a pair of blue eyes. The eyes on the page looked at him with a tenderness he had never once seen on his own face.

The girl looked at him with a smile, as if waiting for his praise.

Theodore froze.

His face grew warm and flushed.

The girl tilted her head at him, the smile on her face turning to concern.

"Your face is so red," she said. "Are you sick?"

She reached out and touched Theodore's face with her small hand, trying to cool him down.

Her hand was cold. Theodore's face turned even redder.

"Your ears," she said, "are so cute."

Later, he learned the girl's name—Olivia. She was in Ravenclaw, in the same year as him.

But the girl did not call him Theodore, nor did she call him Nott. She called him—Little Theo.

"Because when your face turns red, your ears look especially nice." Olivia's eyes curved into crescents as she said it.

Theodore came back to himself.

He looked at Su Yu, his lips moving slightly.

"I do," he said. His voice was quiet, but certain.

Su Yu asked again, "Can you forget her?"

Theodore thought for a moment.

"I can't," he said.

Su Yu looked at him and did not ask anything else. Instead, he said calmly,

"But I haven't told you who she is yet."

Theodore went completely still.

Su Yu stood and patted him on the shoulder.

Then he turned and left.

Sister Fa and Sister Ka had already emerged from the dormitory. Sister Fa had changed into a dark robe, her hair tied in a loose low ponytail, and wore light makeup—her eyes tilted slightly upward at the corners, and her lips were painted a muted rose color. Sister Ka walked beside Sister Fa in a dark green robe, her hair loose. Her gray-green eyes brightened the instant she saw Su Yu.

Daphne stood from the sofa, tucked her book beneath her arm, and walked over to Su Yu.

The three girls stood together—Sister Fa was tall and sharp, Sister Ka exquisite and cool, Daphne gentle and quiet. Su Yu stood among them, Daphne to his left and Sister Ka to his right, while Sister Fa walked ahead. The four left the common room together.

Several dozen Slytherin students had already formed a loose line in the corridor. When they saw Su Yu emerge, they automatically made way for him.

No one spoke. No one fell behind. The nearly hundred-person group moved neatly through the corridor, climbed the stone steps, and pushed open the hidden door on the right side of the Great Hall.

Quite a few people were already seated in the hall.

Su Yu sat down at the Slytherin table. Nine-Tailed Fox leaped from Su Yu's arms onto the tabletop and crouched in her usual spot, her tail swaying elegantly behind her.

Su Yu looked around.

At the Gryffindor table, he saw Hermione.

Hermione sat beside Harry and Ron. The three seemed to be talking about something. Hermione gestured with her hands, while Harry nodded and Ron shook his head. Ron had a piece of fried egg stuffed in his mouth and mumbled something. Hermione glared at him, and then all three burst out laughing together.

At last, Hermione had found new friends.

Honestly, if they had once fought side by side against a twelve-foot mountain-like troll, how could they possibly forget so easily the deep bond forged through shared hardship, let alone fail to cherish it?

Hermione smiled brightly.

Hermione turned around and spotted Su Yu. Her eyes immediately lit up. She set down her fork, rose from the Gryffindor table, and nearly ran over.

"Su Yu!" Hermione panted as she reached the Slytherin table. "Were you all right last night? I was so excited after going back that I didn't fall asleep until the middle of the night. How were you so amazing?"

She still spoke as quickly as ever. Her face was rosy from running over too fast, and several curls stuck up across her forehead.

"I'm fine," Su Yu said. "Take your time. I'm listening."

"That's good," Hermione said, and then the floodgates opened. "Did you know? Last night, Harry, Ron, and I ate so much in the common room. They're really funny. Ron got cream on his nose while eating pumpkin pie, and Harry laughed for ages—oh, right, did you eat pumpkin pie?"

Su Yu's mouth twitched.

"I had a little..." he said.

"Oh, right, I forgot you don't like pumpkin." Hermione nodded.

Daphne had already taken two cheeseburgers from the table and placed them before Su Yu. He picked one up and took a bite.

Hermione stood beside him without any intention of leaving. She began talking about last night's Halloween party, about how many pumpkin lanterns hung in the Gryffindor common room, about Percy lecturing for ten minutes because a first-year had stepped on his foot, and about Ron getting his teeth stuck together while eating a toffee apple.

Su Yu listened while eating his burger, occasionally nodding or giving a quiet "Mm."

Nine-Tailed Fox lay on the table, her cheesecake still untouched before her. Her ears stood straight as she listened to Hermione chattering away, her tail slowly swishing across the tabletop.

Why is she starting again... Nine-Tailed Fox thought miserably.

"—Then Ron said he'd rather fight a troll again than listen to Percy nag, and Harry said, then go find a troll. Ron said the troll had already been chopped in half by Su Yu, so there was no way to find it—"

Nine-Tailed Fox's tail began swishing more widely.

"—Then I told them, could you two be serious for once? Professor McGonagall said we'd get detention if we broke the rules again—"

Nine-Tailed Fox buried her face in her paws.

"—Ron said detention was still better than listening to Percy nag—"

Nine-Tailed Fox's muffled voice came from beneath her paws. "When is she leaving?"

Su Yu ignored her.

Hermione continued for another five minutes or so. She went from the Gryffindor party to the Ravenclaw decorations she had heard about, then from Ravenclaw's decorations to hearing that Hufflepuff had even more pumpkin lanterns than Gryffindor...

Nine-Tailed Fox lifted her head from her paws, looked at Su Yu, then Hermione, then the cheesecake in front of her.

She made her decision.

"I want five cheesecakes!" Nine-Tailed Fox's voice rang out in Su Yu's mind.

Su Yu glanced at her. "Can you even eat that much?"

"I don't care," Nine-Tailed Fox continued in his mind. "I've had enough of being bombarded like this at least once every day! This morning, I'm eating five cheesecakes. Not one less!"

Su Yu sighed. He turned and told Daphne.

Daphne tapped the table.

"Five cheesecakes," Daphne said. "Right away."

Nine-Tailed Fox contentedly rested her chin on the table, her tail lifting behind her.

Hermione was still talking.

She had begun telling them about borrowing a book about trolls from the library that morning. The book said there were three kinds of trolls—mountain trolls, forest trolls, and water trolls. The one from last night should have been a mountain troll, but she had never seen a mountain troll covered in flames in any book. She found it very strange and wanted to ask Su Yu what those flames actually were—

Nine-Tailed Fox closed her eyes, her ears drooping.

Su Yu dipped a fry in ketchup and took a bite as he listened to Hermione talk. Daphne sat beside him, quietly drinking tea. Sister Fa and Sister Ka spoke softly across from them, occasionally looking up at Su Yu.

The hall buzzed with voices. Owls flew overhead, and sunlight filtered in through the enchanted ceiling, casting a warm glow across the long tables.