Gift for Cyn from Sarah!
To: Cyn/cyn_ful
From: Sarah/katshakespeare
Title: Watching Her
Summary: For Cyn / cyn_ful
Characters/Pairings: Susan Bones & Theodore Nott
Genre: Gen, Romance-ish
Rating/Warnings: PG, none
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 1,025
From his usual seat at the Slytherin table on the far side of the Great Hall, Theodore Nott has a perfect view of part of the Hufflepuff table. In particular, a perfect view of one person at the Hufflepuff table.
Her hair, while not Weasley red (thank Merlin), is burnt amber, standing out amid the black, brown, and yellow. Today she sits with her back to him, so he doesn't have a view of her face, but he knows by heart what it looks like. Pale skin, plump, rosy cheeks, a mouth curved up in the corners with a nearly ever-present smile. Her eyes are dark. Theodore wishes he knew the exact color, but he's never been close enough to her to see. He knows she has a freckle on the right side of her chin and a scar just under her left ear. He knows the scar's there because he sat behind her in Charms class for two whole years and stared at it.
When she turns to talk to her friend, whose name Theodore doesn't know and doesn't care to know, he sees her profile, brightened by the candles above her, lighting the Great Hall. Her skin glows alongside her smile as she talks. It takes everything in his power not to sigh and keep staring, but what good would that do in the end?
Beside him, Blaise says his name and he moves his gaze and attention off of Susan Bones and to his fellow Slytherin.
"What are you staring at the Hufflepuffs for?" Blaise says with a scoff. He shovels a fork full of roasted carrots into his mouth and chews loudly.
Theodore bets that Susan Bones doesn't chew her food loudly or talks with food in her mouth. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees her throw her head back to laugh. He hates that he can't zero in on the sound amid all the other noise in the large room. "Nothing," he says quickly, his cheeks growing hot. Then he amends himself. "Just the size of that pimple on Eloise Midgen's face." Another Hufflepuff whose name he knows, and not because she's pretty but rather somewhat of the opposite. "Think she's going to try to blast that one off too?"
"I'd like to say she learned her lesson the first time," Blaise laughs and reaches across Theodore's plate for a roll. "But she's a Hufflepuff, so that's impossible."
Theodore says nothing. He looks down at his plate then back over at Susan, but she's gone.
**
"He's watching you again," Sally-Anne Perks says to Susan Bones as they finish their pudding, which is cinnamon streusel that night for supper.
Susan looks at her with a confused expression. "Who? What are you talking about?"
"That Slytherin boy," Sally-Anne says. She gives a quick glance past Susan's shoulder but shakes her head and says not to look in a tight voice. "The one with the brown hair that's too long."
Susan wants to turn around and look because she can't quite picture who her friend is talking about. She thinks she knows, and she scrunches her nose up in thought for a moment before shaking her head. "How do you know he's looking at me?" she asks.
"It's pretty obvious," Sally-Anne says, her gaze jerking off past Susan's shoulder again. "Nott!" she exclaims a moment later. "That's his name."
Susan's face fills with heat. Yes, that's right. Theodore Nott. She remembers now that she's caught him watching her before. Even now, she can feel his eyes on her even from across the room. His gaze is hot, and she feels a flutter in her stomach. She stands up so quickly that he head goes light and she steadies herself by the edge of the table. "Are you ready to go? I want to get the cushions in front of the fireplace before anyone else does."
Sally-Anne is clearly not finished with her pudding, but she puts her spoon down slowly and nods. A moment later, a smile crosses her face. "Of course. Let's go."
Together, the two Hufflepuff girls hurry out of the Great Hall and back to their common room.
**
Somehow, Susan knows that she'll find Theodore Nott at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, past Hagrid's hut, where the thestrals live and graze. She can't see the skeletal horses, though she's studied them enough to know what they are supposed to look like. Naturally, Susan's glad she can't see the thestrals because of what it would mean if she could.
He's standing several feet away from the wooden fence Hagrid erected for the creatures. She stops walking and just watches him for a moment, her head cocked to the side. She doesn't think she's ever said more than a word or two to him during their entire time at Hogwarts together.
Theodore knows he's being watched. He assumes it's Hagrid, probably concerned for the safety of the school thestrals or something else ridiculous. But when he turns and sees Susan Bones, just a few feet away, his chest tightens and his hand slips away from its perch on the fence pole. He wishes the sun were shining instead of the chill in the air that crystallizes his breath as he breathes out. He wants to see the light on her hair.
Susan walks toward him, the folds of her skirt hitting the sides of her knees. Her robes look warm, and her hands are hidden inside them. His blood pounds in his ears as he watches her getting closer and closer to him. What is she going to do? Is she upset with him? Has she noticed he's been staring at her? He can't see her wand and swallows.
"Hi Theodore," Susan says brightly as she gets within reach of him.
A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Hi Susan," he says back.
She steps up alongside him near the fence. Theodore sets his hand back on the fence post and watches two thestrals walk steadily out of the trees. Out of the corner of his eye, he thinks he sees Susan Bones staring at him.
Sarah//Gryffindor//34
From: Sarah/katshakespeare
Title: Watching Her
Summary: For Cyn / cyn_ful
Characters/Pairings: Susan Bones & Theodore Nott
Genre: Gen, Romance-ish
Rating/Warnings: PG, none
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 1,025
From his usual seat at the Slytherin table on the far side of the Great Hall, Theodore Nott has a perfect view of part of the Hufflepuff table. In particular, a perfect view of one person at the Hufflepuff table.
Her hair, while not Weasley red (thank Merlin), is burnt amber, standing out amid the black, brown, and yellow. Today she sits with her back to him, so he doesn't have a view of her face, but he knows by heart what it looks like. Pale skin, plump, rosy cheeks, a mouth curved up in the corners with a nearly ever-present smile. Her eyes are dark. Theodore wishes he knew the exact color, but he's never been close enough to her to see. He knows she has a freckle on the right side of her chin and a scar just under her left ear. He knows the scar's there because he sat behind her in Charms class for two whole years and stared at it.
When she turns to talk to her friend, whose name Theodore doesn't know and doesn't care to know, he sees her profile, brightened by the candles above her, lighting the Great Hall. Her skin glows alongside her smile as she talks. It takes everything in his power not to sigh and keep staring, but what good would that do in the end?
Beside him, Blaise says his name and he moves his gaze and attention off of Susan Bones and to his fellow Slytherin.
"What are you staring at the Hufflepuffs for?" Blaise says with a scoff. He shovels a fork full of roasted carrots into his mouth and chews loudly.
Theodore bets that Susan Bones doesn't chew her food loudly or talks with food in her mouth. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees her throw her head back to laugh. He hates that he can't zero in on the sound amid all the other noise in the large room. "Nothing," he says quickly, his cheeks growing hot. Then he amends himself. "Just the size of that pimple on Eloise Midgen's face." Another Hufflepuff whose name he knows, and not because she's pretty but rather somewhat of the opposite. "Think she's going to try to blast that one off too?"
"I'd like to say she learned her lesson the first time," Blaise laughs and reaches across Theodore's plate for a roll. "But she's a Hufflepuff, so that's impossible."
Theodore says nothing. He looks down at his plate then back over at Susan, but she's gone.
**
"He's watching you again," Sally-Anne Perks says to Susan Bones as they finish their pudding, which is cinnamon streusel that night for supper.
Susan looks at her with a confused expression. "Who? What are you talking about?"
"That Slytherin boy," Sally-Anne says. She gives a quick glance past Susan's shoulder but shakes her head and says not to look in a tight voice. "The one with the brown hair that's too long."
Susan wants to turn around and look because she can't quite picture who her friend is talking about. She thinks she knows, and she scrunches her nose up in thought for a moment before shaking her head. "How do you know he's looking at me?" she asks.
"It's pretty obvious," Sally-Anne says, her gaze jerking off past Susan's shoulder again. "Nott!" she exclaims a moment later. "That's his name."
Susan's face fills with heat. Yes, that's right. Theodore Nott. She remembers now that she's caught him watching her before. Even now, she can feel his eyes on her even from across the room. His gaze is hot, and she feels a flutter in her stomach. She stands up so quickly that he head goes light and she steadies herself by the edge of the table. "Are you ready to go? I want to get the cushions in front of the fireplace before anyone else does."
Sally-Anne is clearly not finished with her pudding, but she puts her spoon down slowly and nods. A moment later, a smile crosses her face. "Of course. Let's go."
Together, the two Hufflepuff girls hurry out of the Great Hall and back to their common room.
**
Somehow, Susan knows that she'll find Theodore Nott at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, past Hagrid's hut, where the thestrals live and graze. She can't see the skeletal horses, though she's studied them enough to know what they are supposed to look like. Naturally, Susan's glad she can't see the thestrals because of what it would mean if she could.
He's standing several feet away from the wooden fence Hagrid erected for the creatures. She stops walking and just watches him for a moment, her head cocked to the side. She doesn't think she's ever said more than a word or two to him during their entire time at Hogwarts together.
Theodore knows he's being watched. He assumes it's Hagrid, probably concerned for the safety of the school thestrals or something else ridiculous. But when he turns and sees Susan Bones, just a few feet away, his chest tightens and his hand slips away from its perch on the fence pole. He wishes the sun were shining instead of the chill in the air that crystallizes his breath as he breathes out. He wants to see the light on her hair.
Susan walks toward him, the folds of her skirt hitting the sides of her knees. Her robes look warm, and her hands are hidden inside them. His blood pounds in his ears as he watches her getting closer and closer to him. What is she going to do? Is she upset with him? Has she noticed he's been staring at her? He can't see her wand and swallows.
"Hi Theodore," Susan says brightly as she gets within reach of him.
A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Hi Susan," he says back.
She steps up alongside him near the fence. Theodore sets his hand back on the fence post and watches two thestrals walk steadily out of the trees. Out of the corner of his eye, he thinks he sees Susan Bones staring at him.
Sarah//Gryffindor//34