Theodore Nott

The next morning, Su Yu woke amid warmth.

Fa-jie was pressing down on his left arm, and Ka-jie was pressing down on his right. One on each side, they were like two warm human-shaped body pillows, pinning him firmly in the middle of the bed. Fa-jie's hair lay scattered over his shoulder, black waves carrying a faint floral scent. Ka-jie's face was buried in the hollow of his neck, her pale golden hair brushing against his chin and making it itch.

Su Yu did not move.

He stared at the ceiling, recalling what had happened the night before—Ka-jie had handed him a drink, he had downed it in one gulp, and then there was nothing after that. 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 so aggressive. All they had to do was tell him, and he definitely would not have been able to hold out before agreeing. Did they really have to do it this way?

He smiled and shook his head.

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

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

The bathroom door closed. The sound of running water echoed inside.

Fa-jie opened her eyes.

Ka-jie opened hers too.

The two looked at each other for a second.

"You're awake?" Fa-jie whispered.

"So are you," Ka-jie said.

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

"He kissed me too." Ka-jie's lips curved slightly upward.

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

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

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

"Then why did he still—"

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

Fa-jie lifted her head from the pillow, her hair a complete mess, her expression caught somewhere between embarrassment and regret.

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

Ka-jie blushed. "...Habit."

Fa-jie looked at her, then suddenly burst out laughing. Ka-jie laughed too. The two of them 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, blankets wrapped around them, and who knew what they were muttering under the covers. The moment they saw Su Yu emerge, they both fell silent, smiles still lingering on their faces.

Su Yu walked over, bent down, kissed Fa-jie on the cheek, then kissed Ka-jie on the cheek too.

"Get dressed and wash up," he said.

Fa-jie and Ka-jie exchanged a glance, then threw off the blankets at the same time and grabbed their robes. They moved so fast that they were completely unlike their usual elegant, composed selves.

How should he put it? Su Yu quite 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. She held a thick copy of Beginner Potion Preparation, and a cup of hot tea sat on the coffee table before her.

When she saw Su Yu approach, Daphne shifted aside to make room for him.

Su Yu sprawled beside her, sinking into the sofa with his head resting on Daphne's shoulder. Daphne said nothing. She reached over to straighten the collar of his robe, then continued reading.

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

Su Yu swept his gaze through the common room before it landed by the window.

Theodore Nott was sitting there alone.

He faced the window, a cup of tea in hand, his eyes resting on the lake outside, though he clearly was not looking at it. His shoulders slumped slightly, and his entire person gave off an unmistakable air of Don't talk to me.

Su Yu noticed that the tea before him had gone cold without a single sip taken.

"What's been going on with Theodore lately?" Su Yu asked Daphne. "Why does he keep sitting by the window alone and staring at 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'd been dumped..."

Daphne smiled and told him quietly, "I heard it's a Ravenclaw girl, and she isn't even pure-blooded. That's probably why he's sitting there confused by himself."

Su Yu frowned.

"Is pure blood really that important?" Su Yu complained. "Every single one of you is like this. You should go take a look at East University. Which Muggle's ancestors weren't once wealthy? Whose family didn't have a pile of landlords and nobles? Otherwise, how could their line have been passed down..."

Daphne merely smiled without speaking.

In Slytherin, prejudice was not so easily broken. After all, no one in Slytherin could be like Su Yu and go out in the middle of the night to look after a little witch born to Muggles. That was Su Yu, not anyone else.

Su Yu rose from the sofa.

Daphne looked up at him. She did not ask what he was going to do, only patted smooth the sofa cushion he had wrinkled.

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

Theodore came back to himself. When he saw Su Yu, he froze briefly, then quickly set down his teacup and leaned forward slightly, his posture respectful yet natural.

"Chief, why are you here?" Theodore's voice was soft, carrying Slytherin's characteristic elegance and courtesy. "What can I do for you?"

Su Yu did not answer that question.

He looked Theodore in the eye and spoke directly.

"Do you like her?"

Theodore froze.

The image of that graceful figure appeared in his mind.

It had been one afternoon when he was practicing spells in an open area by the Black Lake. The sunlight was lovely, the lake surface shimmering. His spells had been going smoothly, red sparks shooting from the tip of his wand one after another and bursting in the air.

Then he noticed the person beneath a tree.

A girl was sitting in the shade, an easel set up before her and a paintbrush in her hand as she bent over something she was drawing. Her hair was dark brown, carrying a chestnut sheen in the sunlight as it fell over her shoulders. Her profile was serene, her lips slightly pursed, her brows faintly furrowed as if she were doing something very important with utmost concentration.

He continued practicing for a while, but his eyes kept drifting toward the tree. Every so often, the girl would look up at him, then lower her head to continue drawing. Looking at him one moment, painting the next.

Theodore could not resist.

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

"What are you drawing?" he asked.

The girl looked up at him. Her eyes were dark brown and bright, as if they contained an entire starry sky. She stared at him for two seconds, then let out a little giggle.

"Your eyes!"

She turned the drawing board around for him to see. On the paper was a sketch of a pair of blue eyes. Those eyes gazed at him from the page, carrying a tenderness he had never once seen on his own face.

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

Theodore froze.

His face felt a little hot, and a little red.

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

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

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

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

"Your ears," she said. "They're so cute."

Later, he learned that the girl's name was Olivia. She was a Ravenclaw in his year.

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

"Because your ears look especially pretty when your face turns red." Olivia's eyes curved into crescents when 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 about it.

"I can't," he said.

Su Yu looked at him and did not ask another question. Instead, he said calmly,

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

Theodore went completely still.

Su Yu stood up and patted him on the shoulder.

Then he turned and walked away.

Fa-jie and Ka-jie had already emerged from the dormitory. Fa-jie had changed into a dark robe, her hair tied in a loose low ponytail, light makeup on her face—her eyes slightly upturned at the corners, her lips painted with a muted rose lipstick. Ka-jie walked beside Fa-jie in a dark green robe, her hair loose, her gray-green eyes brightening the moment 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—Fa-jie tall and sharp, Ka-jie exquisite and cool, Daphne gentle and quiet. Su Yu stood among them, with Daphne on his left and Ka-jie on his right while Fa-jie 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 procession marched neatly through the corridor, up the stone steps, and pushed open the hidden door to the right of the Great Hall.

Quite a few people were already seated in the hall.

Su Yu sat beside the Slytherin table. Kurama jumped from Su Yu's arms onto the tabletop, crouching in her usual spot, her tail swaying elegantly behind her.

Su Yu looked around.

At the Gryffindor table, he saw Hermione.

Hermione was sitting beside Harry and Ron. The three seemed to be discussing something. Hermione gestured with her hands, while one of Harry and Ron nodded and the other 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 of them laughed at once.

At last, Hermione had found new friends.

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

Hermione was smiling very happily.

Hermione turned and saw Su Yu. Her eyes immediately lit up. She put down her fork, stood from the Gryffindor table, and nearly ran over.

"Su Yu!" Hermione ran up to the Slytherin table, panting. "Are you okay after last night? I was so excited after going back that I didn't fall asleep until midnight. How were you so amazing?"

She still spoke just as quickly, her face flushed from running too fast, several curls sticking up at her forehead.

"I'm fine," Su Yu said. "Slow down. I'm listening."

"That's good," Hermione said, and then she was off. "You know, Harry, Ron, and I ate so much in the common room last night. They're really funny. Ron got cream all over his nose while eating Pumpkin Pasties, and Harry laughed for ages—oh, right, did you eat Pumpkin Pasties?"

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 the slightest intention of leaving. She began talking about the Halloween party the night before, 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, 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."

Kurama lay on the table, her cheesecake still untouched before her. Her ears stood upright as she listened to Hermione chatter on, her tail slowly swaying across the tabletop.

Why is she starting again... Kurama thought miserably.

"—and 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 he couldn't find one—"

Kurama's tail began swaying more widely.

"—and then I said, can't you two be serious? Professor McGonagall said that if we break the rules again, we'll get detention—"

Kurama buried her face in her paws.

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

Kurama's muffled voice came from her paws. "When is she leaving?"

Su Yu ignored her.

Hermione went on for another five minutes or so. From the Gryffindor party, she moved on to the Ravenclaw decorations she had heard about, then from Ravenclaw's decorations to how she had heard that Hufflepuff had more pumpkin lanterns than Gryffindor...

Kurama lifted her head from her paws, glanced at Su Yu, then Hermione, then the cheesecake in front of her.

She made a decision.

"I want five cheesecakes!" Kurama's voice rang in Su Yu's mind.

Su Yu looked at her. "Can you finish them?"

"I don't care," Kurama continued in his mind. "I've had enough of being bombarded at least once every day! This morning, I'm having five cheesecakes. Not one less!"

Su Yu sighed. He turned and said something to Daphne.

Daphne tapped the table.

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

Kurama contentedly rested her chin on the tabletop, her tail lifting behind her.

Hermione was still talking.

She had begun talking about a book on Trolls she had borrowed from the library that morning. It said there were three types of Trolls—Mountain Trolls, Forest Trolls, and River Trolls. The one 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 strange and wanted to ask Su Yu what those flames actually were—

Kurama closed her eyes, her ears drooping.

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

The hall buzzed with voices, owls flew back and forth overhead, and sunlight poured in through the enchanted ceiling, casting a warm glow over the long tables.