FIC: Walk Into My Parlour (Theodore Nott/Rose Weasley)
Title: Walk Into My Parlour
Author: nightfalltwen
Characters: Theodore Nott/Rose Weasley
Prompt number: 61
Word Count: 5,050
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Teeters on the edge of underage, with the fic starting when Rose is younger, but nothing truly explicit until she's over the age of consent.
Summary: Rose is captivated by the new Arithmancy professor, Theodore Nott. So much so that all warnings of Slytherins disappear on the wind.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction set in the Harry Potter universe - all recognisable characters and settings are the property of J. K. Rowling and her associates. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is made from this work. Please observe your local laws with regards to the age-limit and content of this work.
Author’s Notes: I had lots of fun with this prompt. It brought out a naughty side of me that I didn't really think I had. Normally I'm not one for cross gen, but I couldn't help but be intrigued by the possibility of this ship. I hope I've done the prompt proud. The title is from The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt.
Walk Into My Parlour
Before Third Year
"What's all this?"
Rose looked up from the book in her hands and smiled at her father. He held out the third year course registration with his eyebrows raised. At the beginning of the summer, her mother had passed over the registration sheet and said that Rose was old enough to decide for herself what classes she wanted to take. The only caveat had been to not overload herself because time-turners and classwork were just too stressful.
"My classes, Daddy," Rose said, placing a bookmark in the novel and closing it.
"Arithmancy?" The bed sagged under his weight as he took a seat beside her. "I thought you were interested in magical creatures."
"That was last year. I like numbers and since Professor Vector retired... it's not going to be as awful as Victoire made it out to be; she was always in detention for something."
"That's because Victoire couldn't stop herself writing letters to Teddy so she could post them between classes instead of paying attention to her teacher. I'm glad you have the good sense to take after your mother and focus on your studies." Ron asked, finally passing the approved registration to her. "Have they announced the new professor?"
"No, it wasn't listed. And Victoire wasn't the only one who complained about Vector. Roxanne said she was a beast too. I'm really excited because Uncle Percy says that after fourth year I might be able to do a summer internship at the Ministry, but he'll only push through my application if I do really well in Arithmancy, Charms and Ancient Runes and Mum said that she really liked the class even if she was taking too many at the time, but I love school and I want to learn all about the origins of magical spells and I really want you to be happy about it, Daddy."
Rose sucked in a breath, having begun speaking in anaconda sentences with not enough full stops. She shifted on the bed and hugged her knees to her chest. Sometimes she felt like her father was so baffled by her. With three Gryffindors in her immediate family and countless more in the extended, Rose felt like the fact that she was a Ravenclaw stuck out like a sore, black, thumb. Her mother seemed to understand wanting to learn, but sometimes had trouble with Rose's refusal to learn ahead. She learned what she was supposed to, in order, and studying spells out of order was an unfathomable concept to Rose.
Ron smiled and leaned over, pressing a kiss to Rose's forehead. "I'm always happy with everything that you do, Rosie. Though your mum is going to be the one to write home and ask questions when you get stuck on a lesson. Never could suss out the Arithmancy thing. We'll go down to Diagon and get your textbooks this weekend."
With a shriek of joy, Rose flung her arms around her father's neck and kissed his cheek. This was going to be her favourite class. She just knew it.
*****
Third Year Welcoming Feast
With first years sorted and the feast about to begin, Rose flipped through one of her textbooks open on her lap. Someone nudged her from the side just as the hall grew quiet and Headmistress McGonagall walked to the podium. Rose noticed that the older headmistress was using a cane this year and remembered that her mother had said something about McGonagall being more aged than she recalled Dumbledore ever being. Across the room at the Gryffindor table, Hugo was telling some kind of joke to his friends that involved a lot of arm waving, but went as still as a statue when the headmistress lifted a hand.
"Welcome students, before we begin our feast, it does me great pleasure to make a few announcements..."
She went on to talk about renovations, parts of the school that were off limits, code of conduct for students and upcoming events for the school year. It was similar to the speech given last year and Rose started to tune her out, having a peek at her book once more. There was something about the feel of new spell books that always captivated her and she itched to read the introductory chapter more than anything.
"Finally, second years and higher will remember that our dear Professor Vector retired at the end of the last school year," McGonagall spoke above the whispers and a few 'good riddance' that seemed to come from the back. "Hogwarts is pleased to welcome her replacement, Professor Theodore Nott."
Rose looked up at the name and froze. The book slipped from her lap, between her knees and thumped onto the floor at her feet. Countless eyes turned on her for a brief moment, but didn't remain long because attention had gone back to the man who'd risen from his chair at the head table. A flurry of whispers erupted from around the great hall.
Do you think it's too late to change classes?
That one might make me want to love numbers...
Think he's single?
You can't flirt with him, he's a teacher!
Just you watch me.
Flames still seemed to be crawling up her neck and they only seemed to get worse.
She'd never in her thirteen years, seen a man who was as handsome as Professor Nott. Over the summer, she'd gone with one of the Muggle neighbours on a trip into London and they'd decided for a fun little stop at Harrods. Rose had gotten turned around briefly and ended up in the Men's department where handsome men had stared back at her in ads for Armani and Gucci. Professor Nott looked like he ought to be displayed in one of those ads, all jawline and cheekbones and eyes that bore right through you.
He was beautiful.
An unusual sensation pooled in her stomach and fluttered a bit lower.
"Rose!"
A hand waved in front of her face and she blinked, the spell broken, pushing away Scorpius Malfoy's hand with a frown. He pointed at the bowl of buttered peas beside her elbow. She'd been so distracted she hadn't even noticed the food arriving. With a mumbled apology, she passed the bowl over, pointedly staring at her plate and not at the teacher's table.
He was just a teacher. What mattered was the class, not the person teaching it, she told herself. The class and nothing more.
*****
Seventh Year
"You really shouldn't be taking on so much after school work."
Rose moved her books as Scorpius Malfoy draped himself elegantly on the opposite side of the sofa from her. As Ravenclaw as she was, he still had the air of an elite pureblood and that shone through whenever he seated himself or entered a room. In another world, she might have developed feelings for him; Scorpius was handsome. But she'd known him when he wasn't handsome. She'd known him when he'd gone through his gangly, squeaky-voiced, spotty phase. He was her best friend. It might have worked for her parents, though sometimes she wondered about their relationship and its stability, but Rose simply couldn't see herself dating someone she'd known since she was eleven.
Scorpius reached over and swatted at her leg. "I mean it. You keep doing all these extra projects and you're going to give yourself a coronary."
She shook her head and returned to the scroll of calculations in front of her. "Snubbing extra credit work? That's not very Ravenclaw of you, Scorpius."
"You've just got so much on your plate and you're doing extra Arithmancy? No fellowship is worth that much." He kicked out a foot and tapped his toe against the side of her shoe until she looked at him.
Rose sighed and snapped her book closed. "New maps of the ley lines in England are always important. Uncle Percy says it doesn't matter how small the project, all of them are important and if I want to get in to the right research department, I have to do well on all my school work."
Scorpius quirked an eyebrow and it reminded her of the times she'd seen his father bid him goodbye on the platform. "So all this extra Arithmancy work isn't because of the person teaching it? I'm not deaf; I hear all the girls talking about him."
She stared at him, a frown on her face. "That's just ridiculous. He's a teacher and a good one at that. I enjoy the class because I enjoy the subject and Professor Nott has been nothing but.."
"Rose, I've known Nott all my life. He's my dad's best friend. I've seen how he is and, out of the two of us, I think I'm more the expert of Slytherins."
She felt him shift on the sofa and reach toward her. Rose imagined it was to be a comforting gesture, but she quickly got to her feet and adjusted her seventh-year prefect badge, tugging her jumper a little and tucking in a stray tail of her shirt. She bent over and put away her papers and books, sliding all of them into a rucksack she'd had her mother bewitch to be lighter than it was. Slinging it over her shoulder, she stomped to the exit.
"C'mon Rose, don't be like that," Scorpius also started to get to his feet.
"I have rounds to make and then I need to work on this project," she huffed, pushing her way past a few second years and out into the corridor.
Irritated, Rose marched through the school, shooing away the stragglers, reminding them that if they didn't have Head of House permission, they couldn't loiter after curfew. Most scattered easily enough by the time they registered the Hermione Granger frown that Rose had long since perfected. If she stopped to really think about it, she wasn't angry at the students in the halls. Nor was she really angry at Scorpius. How could she really be that angry when he was absolutely right about her and her motivations behind the extra work she did for a class that no one really enjoyed all that much?
It wasn't just the class or the grades or the fellowship at the Ministry.
It hadn't been for some time.
*****
Fifth Year - Christmas
Staying behind at Hogwarts was a hard decision and everyone in the family had tried convincing her otherwise, but Rose had been steadfast. OWLs would be overtaking her life before she knew it and getting this extra time in with no one around would be more than helpful. Her mum understood and Rose appreciated the support when she'd written about staying at school. Granny and Gramps would have more than enough noisy grandchildren at the Burrow to make up for one small absence.
Curling her fingers around a small jar of blue flames, Rose looked at the equation on the board. On one side of her desk, she had her Arithmancy book open and on the other, an old Muggle algebra text that her mum had sent up. She studied both for a moment and then moved toward the board, adding a curve and a quadratic equation below it. A smile appeared on her face. Muggles didn't realise just how close they were when it came to their math versus the mathematics of numerology. Rose backed up to look at the equation as a whole, stopping with a jump when she collided with something, someone rather, warm and solid.
"I'm surprised to find you here, Miss Weasley," Professor Nott said. "Didn't your family just depart for London this morning?"
"I'm staying behind for the holidays, Professor," she answered, desperately wishing that her cheeks would stop burning.
Rose took a step toward her books, wanting to gather them and flee the classroom, but stopped when his hand rested on her shoulder. She glanced up at Professor Nott, who wasn't looking at her, but at the board. Rose wanted to sink into a hole, embarrassed that he'd seen her work. Her experiments were just that, experiments. She was no true Arithmancer.
"I didn't think you'd mind me using the classroom for study, sir," she whispered.
"I don't." Professor Nott kept his hand on her shoulder. "Tell me about your theory. You've added in mathematics that I haven't been teaching."
Rose sucked in a breath and hurriedly explained what she had been doing, how she'd attended a talk during her internship at the Ministry about ley lines and math and predictive magic. Her voice shook a little during her explanation and she tried not to blame it on his proximity. Having a pash on your teacher was one thing. Letting him know about it was another thing entirely.
Finally he released her, walking over to the board. He picked up a piece of chalk and brought it back to her, sitting on the edge of his desk. "Don't let me stop you. I'm interested."
Rose reached out and took the chalk. Their fingertips brushed against one another, his gaze meeting hers. A sly smile ticked at the corner of his mouth.
She was hopelessly lost.
*****
Seventh Year
They'd not done anything wrong. That was the only thing that had saved her. When she was fifteen she had been enamoured with Professor Nott's attention. The silky way he talked to her warmed every inch of her skin to the point that she couldn't sit still, but at no time did either of them act on whatever might have been developing at that point. Instead, he listened to every theory, every project, every paper she wrote. He let her do extra work in his classroom without question and it had all remained innocent. Yet it was also not innocent. She knew that his presence in the room while she worked was on purpose. As was the way he looked at her, the occasional brush of fingertips against sleeve or wrist. As was the gentle sweep across her neck as he moved her hair aside to see the theory on which she was currently working. The thrilling part of it all was that a man as handsome as Professor Nott had his sights set on her.
And at now that she was eighteen, on the verge of leaving school, Rose happily allowed it.
The classroom, when she arrived, was empty for the most part. A team of enchanted cloths were wiping down one of the boards. The gentle swish of fabric against board was calming and Rose walked to the front of the room, setting down her books on the desk she normally used. Before she got immersed into the ley line formulas, a square of crisp parchment in the middle of the front desk caught her eye. A key sat on the desk beside it. Abandoning her books, she went over and retrieved the note.
Her heart thumped.
Rose,
When you are done with your work, please lock the room and bring the key to my quarters. Do not concern yourself if the hour is late; I don't retire until well past midnight.
-Theodore
It was the first time he'd ever used her given name and she didn't quite know what to make of it only that it was half-past ten and suddenly her project seemed to matter very little. It took a few moments before she decided and once the decision was made, it took mere seconds to gather all her texts and shove them into her sack. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, Rose took the key and left the room, locking the door behind her.
She'd only ever been to the teachers' wing once before to discuss NEWT level classes with professor Flitwick. However, like any prefect as well, Rose knew the layout of the school well. Well enough that she was able to avoid any other patrols doing a final sweep of the castle before turning in for the night.
The door to Professor Nott's chambers opened at the first knock. Suddenly Rose was overcome with nerves. What was she doing? What was she thinking? The key shook on its ring as she held it out to him, words trapped somewhere in her throat. He let go of the door and gestured for her to enter, walking back to the large armchair beside the fire. Rose was left standing in the open door, key held out, with little choice but to step inside. She placed the key in a dish by the door.
"You are going into your NEWTs with the highest mark in my class," he said, leaning over the chair to rifle through his files. "I suspect with your ley line prediction algorithm, you will have your pick of fellowships at the Ministry."
"Oh.." Rose couldn't stop the disappointment from leaking into that tiny syllable.
"Oh? Doesn't this make you happy?"
"Yes, sir. Yes it does," she said quickly, a sinking feeling of horror pulling at her insides. "I was just... I thought... n-nevermind."
He stood straight and looked at her, blue eyes boring through her in a way that made her weak in the knees and frightfully embarrassed. His eyebrows lifted. "You thought something else caused me to ask you here? " A smile appeared on his face. Not unlike the ones she occasionally saw on Scorpius when they played chess and he knew that he had trapped her in a foolish misstep. "Did you think that after all these years I might have asked you here for something other than Arithmancy? A kiss perhaps? Something more?"
Rose backed up, but her shoulders hit the door and felt around for the doorknob, wanting to frantically sink into the floor or just vanish altogether. His hands flattened against the door on either side of her head, causing her to freeze. She was unable to stop the shudder that ran through her body when he leaned close, his cheek next to hers and his lips a hair's breadth from her ear.
"You've been thinking about me, Rose. All these years you've been thinking about what it would be like to have me touch you. Haven't you?" He spoke low, breath hot against her neck. "But you never acted on it. You never needed it for the marks; your marks were superb on their own." A soft whimper tumbled from her mouth. She didn't dare reach for him. But his words. His words were slowly unraveling any sort of resolve she might have had.
"I shouldn't," he continued, this time his lips catching against her earlobe as he spoke. Rose felt her knees start to buckle. "I shouldn't kiss you like this." His mouth pressed firmly to the slope of her neck. "I shouldn't touch you like this." She hadn't noticed that his hand had moved to her hip until it started to tug the hem of her skirt up, fingers moving until they were lightly squeezing the flesh of her thigh. He kissed his way back to her ear. "And I really, really shouldn't fuck you until you scream."
Rose's breath hitched and her eyes widened. When he lifted his head, she couldn't stop herself, leaning forward and fitting her mouth against his. The kiss was soft, almost sweet, his lips barely moving against hers and letting her take the lead. When it was over, she swallowed. "Professor..."
"Theo, Rose. I think we can dispense with the title of Professor. You may call me Theo."
"Theo. If I don't mind all these things you... shouldn't be doing... would that be alright?"
He didn't answer her. Instead she caught sight of that sly smile a scant moment before his mouth slammed against hers. This time the kiss was fire and possession. Rose threw her arms around Theo's neck, falling desperately into the sensation of his mouth slanting against hers. Vaguely she felt his hands curl under her bum and if she hadn't been so distracted by the feeling of his teeth nipping at her lip, she would have noticed him lifting her up or that her legs went automatically around his hips as he carried her to the bed.
Rose didn't know that she could make some of the noises that were quite obviously coming from her throat. The sighs and the groans were illogically amplified by the small space of his room and the thick canopy overhead. Theo's lips moved from hers and pressed along her throat, following a line down to the V of her jumper. Rose let out a frustrated noise when his warm lips stopped touching her skin and moved down over her jumper-clad torso. She heard Theo's throaty chuckle and reached blindly for his shoulder, grasping his shirt and tugging, wanting him closer, wanting him to kiss her again. He lightly nudged her hand away.
"Patience..." he said.
But she wasn't patient. She was terribly impatient. She wanted him to kiss her mouth. She didn't want him to just let her lie on the bed and kiss her jumper. Rose lifted herself up on her elbows to tell him as much. He'd slid from the bed, kneeling on the floor and all at once she felt herself falling backwards as he tugged her forward, hands slipping under her bum to grasp the waistband of her knickers and tug them down and off.
Suddenly shy at the exposure, Rose pressed her knees together, her hands bunching in the sides of her skirt to hold it tight across her legs.
"Close your eyes," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her knee.
She did and felt his hand creep up under her skirt, fingers combing through the damp curls at the juncture of her thighs. Rose opened her mouth to say something but all thought melted away when his thumb slipped down between the slick flesh brushing softly against her clit. Her own fingers relaxed and she let go of her skirt, burying them in the folds of his bedspread. It felt completely and utterly different from all the times that she'd done the exact same thing on her own and when his thumb flicked with a little more force, Rose's back arched.
"Oh god," she whispered.
"Not quite," Theo answered. He took the moment of distraction to push her skirt up over her hips and nudge her thighs to part which she gladly did.
Rose felt his breath first. Warmer than her skin, if that was possible and she almost protested because there was a small part of her that had the idea that what he planned to do was a bit dirty. But all those ideas and notions vanished at the press of his mouth against her flesh. His tongue slipped across every inch, tracing her from bottom to top before closing his lips around her clit, worrying the little nub in such a way that her body started to almost ache with need.
Her knees tried to clamp back together but Theo held them down, barely allowing her to move and only allowing her to feel and when the orgasm hit, Rose clapped a hand over her mouth to hold back the scream, shudders rocking through her.
Boneless and shaking, she lay on his bed, lolling her head to the side. She watched Theo stand and sucked in a breath as he removed his clothes. When he was done, he reached for her and helped her to undress. Rose was touched by the tender way his hands moved over her body, gently taking each piece of clothing, folding it and putting it on a stool beside the bed. In a fit of boldness, she reached out a hand and dragged her fingers over his chest, down his abdomen, tracing circles in the soft line of hair trailing down his lower abdomen.
Theo watched her with a steady gaze, muscles jumping under his skin at each touch and she could feel a smile pull at the corners of her mouth when he inhaled sharply the moment her thumb circled around the tip of his cock.
She could do it, she thought. She'd read about it and it wasn't like such a subject was never talked about among her older cousins. James had such a big mouth and a loud voice when it came to discussing sexual exploits. Rose slid her hand along the length of Theo's cock and leaned forward, her lips brushing across it. He made no move to touch her and also gave her no direction. The only indication that it was affecting him was the rapid breathing. It wasn't difficult. Her mouth slid easily over the warm skin, tongue brushing the underside.
When she scraped her teeth gently over the hard flesh, he hissed and nudged her away.
Rose felt herself be turned around, elbows and forearms against the bed, knees at the very edge. A moan caught in her throat as Theo's fingertips dipped into her, slicking her thighs with her own wetness and she reared back against them, wanting him to thrust deeper. He bent over her and pressed a kiss to her bare back, fitting her bum against him. She could feel everything. The light dusting of hair pressing against her back as he hovered over her, abdomen flush with her back. The hardness of his cock as it settled against her. The nuzzle of his nose against her shoulder.
Then the slow, thick pressure as he slid into her. Any pain she had been expecting was nonexistent.
Amused, she couldn't help but think that this was nothing like the romance novels she'd read.
The thrusts began, slow at first. Theo slid his hands over her torso, pulling her back gently with each movement, then moved around her ribs to cup her breasts, plucking gently at her nipples. A keening moan fell from her lips and her thigh muscles quivered a little. It was all about the sensation at this point, the deep thrusts hitting spots inside her that she hadn't known were there. Bracing herself with one arm, she reached back and covered one of the hands squeezing her breasts, pushing it down toward her pelvis.
She wanted more. She wanted him to touch her.
He pulled his hand away and leaned close, pushing his hips tight against hers and eliciting a groan that felt like it came from her very toes.
"Take matters into your own hands, Rose," he said, kissing her neck and then giving the juncture between her neck and shoulder a soft bite.
Inhibitions seemed to have faded. In another world Rose would have balked at the idea of touching herself in front of another person. Her cheeks would have flamed and she would have fled the room at the thought. But at this point, in this very moment, she was too caught up in the fire that roiled in her belly to mind and her hand wandered down to the sensitive, slippery flesh. It didn't take long for her fingers to fall into a rhythm with his maddeningly slow thrusts. Pressure started to coil inside of her, threatening to snap at any moment.
"Please." She meant to whisper it. But it dragged out in a whine. "I want... I want.."
"Say it, Rose." Theo's hands gripped her hips and pulled her against him. "I want to hear you say it."
She'd never been one for vulgar language. She'd never had cause for it. Quidditch had never been something she'd been interested in and while she did cheer on the house team while she was at school, it was never with swearing. But Theo's command sent a shiver up her back and something inside of her went sideways. She ached for more. The words came bubbling up into her chest before she could think to stop them.
"Fuck me," she pleaded. "I want you to fuck me."
"There you go," he said, pulling from her and turning her onto her back. "That wasn't so difficult."
In a swift movement, he pushed back into her. Rose moaned at the change. She lifted her legs to curl around his hips but was surprised when he pressed her knees back to the bed. His thrusts changed in speed, pushing rapidly against her hips until their bodies were almost crashing together. It was all she could do but grab at his arms and hold on, her breasts bouncing with each impact. Pinching her eyes shut, she bit her lip to keep from crying out, but the sensations rippled across her whole body as if a stone had been thrown into the very center of her, disturbing all calm that had once been on the surface.
When the orgasm hit, she didn't even try covering her mouth, the squeal bursting out as her whole body shuddered against him. He thrust twice more before groaning, coming in hot spurts inside of her.
Theo slid his hand under her neck and pulled her up, kissing her deeply as their bodies shuddered with every little aftershock.
When he rolled off of her, Rose sat up, the enormity of what she'd just consented to, hitting her full-fledged. She'd shagged a teacher. She'd shagged a teacher most thoroughly. Her first time had been with a teacher who was as old as her father. Oh god. Covering her face with her hand, she drew in a deep breath trying not to panic about all of this, but certain that she would do just that once she'd left the room. Dimly she realised that he was tracing small circles over her bare skin and she dropped her hand, pushing back her unruly, sweat-dampened, hair.
"I should go," she said quietly.
"There's that." His fingers stopped tracing over her skin and slipped between her legs, gently pushing inside of her. Rose's eyes drifted shut, her mouth opening. She could hear the smile in his voice. "Or we can see just how quickly you learn without the benefit of a textbook in hand."
Rose nodded, knowing that she was in deep enough to not have an idea of how to get out.
And in the present moment... she didn't rightly care.
They'd told her to be wary of Slytherins all her life and she was quickly learning why. Though it wasn't exactly as bad as she'd thought it would be.
Author: nightfalltwen
Characters: Theodore Nott/Rose Weasley
Prompt number: 61
Word Count: 5,050
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Teeters on the edge of underage, with the fic starting when Rose is younger, but nothing truly explicit until she's over the age of consent.
Summary: Rose is captivated by the new Arithmancy professor, Theodore Nott. So much so that all warnings of Slytherins disappear on the wind.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction set in the Harry Potter universe - all recognisable characters and settings are the property of J. K. Rowling and her associates. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is made from this work. Please observe your local laws with regards to the age-limit and content of this work.
Author’s Notes: I had lots of fun with this prompt. It brought out a naughty side of me that I didn't really think I had. Normally I'm not one for cross gen, but I couldn't help but be intrigued by the possibility of this ship. I hope I've done the prompt proud. The title is from The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt.
Walk Into My Parlour
Before Third Year
"What's all this?"
Rose looked up from the book in her hands and smiled at her father. He held out the third year course registration with his eyebrows raised. At the beginning of the summer, her mother had passed over the registration sheet and said that Rose was old enough to decide for herself what classes she wanted to take. The only caveat had been to not overload herself because time-turners and classwork were just too stressful.
"My classes, Daddy," Rose said, placing a bookmark in the novel and closing it.
"Arithmancy?" The bed sagged under his weight as he took a seat beside her. "I thought you were interested in magical creatures."
"That was last year. I like numbers and since Professor Vector retired... it's not going to be as awful as Victoire made it out to be; she was always in detention for something."
"That's because Victoire couldn't stop herself writing letters to Teddy so she could post them between classes instead of paying attention to her teacher. I'm glad you have the good sense to take after your mother and focus on your studies." Ron asked, finally passing the approved registration to her. "Have they announced the new professor?"
"No, it wasn't listed. And Victoire wasn't the only one who complained about Vector. Roxanne said she was a beast too. I'm really excited because Uncle Percy says that after fourth year I might be able to do a summer internship at the Ministry, but he'll only push through my application if I do really well in Arithmancy, Charms and Ancient Runes and Mum said that she really liked the class even if she was taking too many at the time, but I love school and I want to learn all about the origins of magical spells and I really want you to be happy about it, Daddy."
Rose sucked in a breath, having begun speaking in anaconda sentences with not enough full stops. She shifted on the bed and hugged her knees to her chest. Sometimes she felt like her father was so baffled by her. With three Gryffindors in her immediate family and countless more in the extended, Rose felt like the fact that she was a Ravenclaw stuck out like a sore, black, thumb. Her mother seemed to understand wanting to learn, but sometimes had trouble with Rose's refusal to learn ahead. She learned what she was supposed to, in order, and studying spells out of order was an unfathomable concept to Rose.
Ron smiled and leaned over, pressing a kiss to Rose's forehead. "I'm always happy with everything that you do, Rosie. Though your mum is going to be the one to write home and ask questions when you get stuck on a lesson. Never could suss out the Arithmancy thing. We'll go down to Diagon and get your textbooks this weekend."
With a shriek of joy, Rose flung her arms around her father's neck and kissed his cheek. This was going to be her favourite class. She just knew it.
*****
Third Year Welcoming Feast
With first years sorted and the feast about to begin, Rose flipped through one of her textbooks open on her lap. Someone nudged her from the side just as the hall grew quiet and Headmistress McGonagall walked to the podium. Rose noticed that the older headmistress was using a cane this year and remembered that her mother had said something about McGonagall being more aged than she recalled Dumbledore ever being. Across the room at the Gryffindor table, Hugo was telling some kind of joke to his friends that involved a lot of arm waving, but went as still as a statue when the headmistress lifted a hand.
"Welcome students, before we begin our feast, it does me great pleasure to make a few announcements..."
She went on to talk about renovations, parts of the school that were off limits, code of conduct for students and upcoming events for the school year. It was similar to the speech given last year and Rose started to tune her out, having a peek at her book once more. There was something about the feel of new spell books that always captivated her and she itched to read the introductory chapter more than anything.
"Finally, second years and higher will remember that our dear Professor Vector retired at the end of the last school year," McGonagall spoke above the whispers and a few 'good riddance' that seemed to come from the back. "Hogwarts is pleased to welcome her replacement, Professor Theodore Nott."
Rose looked up at the name and froze. The book slipped from her lap, between her knees and thumped onto the floor at her feet. Countless eyes turned on her for a brief moment, but didn't remain long because attention had gone back to the man who'd risen from his chair at the head table. A flurry of whispers erupted from around the great hall.
Do you think it's too late to change classes?
That one might make me want to love numbers...
Think he's single?
You can't flirt with him, he's a teacher!
Just you watch me.
Flames still seemed to be crawling up her neck and they only seemed to get worse.
She'd never in her thirteen years, seen a man who was as handsome as Professor Nott. Over the summer, she'd gone with one of the Muggle neighbours on a trip into London and they'd decided for a fun little stop at Harrods. Rose had gotten turned around briefly and ended up in the Men's department where handsome men had stared back at her in ads for Armani and Gucci. Professor Nott looked like he ought to be displayed in one of those ads, all jawline and cheekbones and eyes that bore right through you.
He was beautiful.
An unusual sensation pooled in her stomach and fluttered a bit lower.
"Rose!"
A hand waved in front of her face and she blinked, the spell broken, pushing away Scorpius Malfoy's hand with a frown. He pointed at the bowl of buttered peas beside her elbow. She'd been so distracted she hadn't even noticed the food arriving. With a mumbled apology, she passed the bowl over, pointedly staring at her plate and not at the teacher's table.
He was just a teacher. What mattered was the class, not the person teaching it, she told herself. The class and nothing more.
*****
Seventh Year
"You really shouldn't be taking on so much after school work."
Rose moved her books as Scorpius Malfoy draped himself elegantly on the opposite side of the sofa from her. As Ravenclaw as she was, he still had the air of an elite pureblood and that shone through whenever he seated himself or entered a room. In another world, she might have developed feelings for him; Scorpius was handsome. But she'd known him when he wasn't handsome. She'd known him when he'd gone through his gangly, squeaky-voiced, spotty phase. He was her best friend. It might have worked for her parents, though sometimes she wondered about their relationship and its stability, but Rose simply couldn't see herself dating someone she'd known since she was eleven.
Scorpius reached over and swatted at her leg. "I mean it. You keep doing all these extra projects and you're going to give yourself a coronary."
She shook her head and returned to the scroll of calculations in front of her. "Snubbing extra credit work? That's not very Ravenclaw of you, Scorpius."
"You've just got so much on your plate and you're doing extra Arithmancy? No fellowship is worth that much." He kicked out a foot and tapped his toe against the side of her shoe until she looked at him.
Rose sighed and snapped her book closed. "New maps of the ley lines in England are always important. Uncle Percy says it doesn't matter how small the project, all of them are important and if I want to get in to the right research department, I have to do well on all my school work."
Scorpius quirked an eyebrow and it reminded her of the times she'd seen his father bid him goodbye on the platform. "So all this extra Arithmancy work isn't because of the person teaching it? I'm not deaf; I hear all the girls talking about him."
She stared at him, a frown on her face. "That's just ridiculous. He's a teacher and a good one at that. I enjoy the class because I enjoy the subject and Professor Nott has been nothing but.."
"Rose, I've known Nott all my life. He's my dad's best friend. I've seen how he is and, out of the two of us, I think I'm more the expert of Slytherins."
She felt him shift on the sofa and reach toward her. Rose imagined it was to be a comforting gesture, but she quickly got to her feet and adjusted her seventh-year prefect badge, tugging her jumper a little and tucking in a stray tail of her shirt. She bent over and put away her papers and books, sliding all of them into a rucksack she'd had her mother bewitch to be lighter than it was. Slinging it over her shoulder, she stomped to the exit.
"C'mon Rose, don't be like that," Scorpius also started to get to his feet.
"I have rounds to make and then I need to work on this project," she huffed, pushing her way past a few second years and out into the corridor.
Irritated, Rose marched through the school, shooing away the stragglers, reminding them that if they didn't have Head of House permission, they couldn't loiter after curfew. Most scattered easily enough by the time they registered the Hermione Granger frown that Rose had long since perfected. If she stopped to really think about it, she wasn't angry at the students in the halls. Nor was she really angry at Scorpius. How could she really be that angry when he was absolutely right about her and her motivations behind the extra work she did for a class that no one really enjoyed all that much?
It wasn't just the class or the grades or the fellowship at the Ministry.
It hadn't been for some time.
*****
Fifth Year - Christmas
Staying behind at Hogwarts was a hard decision and everyone in the family had tried convincing her otherwise, but Rose had been steadfast. OWLs would be overtaking her life before she knew it and getting this extra time in with no one around would be more than helpful. Her mum understood and Rose appreciated the support when she'd written about staying at school. Granny and Gramps would have more than enough noisy grandchildren at the Burrow to make up for one small absence.
Curling her fingers around a small jar of blue flames, Rose looked at the equation on the board. On one side of her desk, she had her Arithmancy book open and on the other, an old Muggle algebra text that her mum had sent up. She studied both for a moment and then moved toward the board, adding a curve and a quadratic equation below it. A smile appeared on her face. Muggles didn't realise just how close they were when it came to their math versus the mathematics of numerology. Rose backed up to look at the equation as a whole, stopping with a jump when she collided with something, someone rather, warm and solid.
"I'm surprised to find you here, Miss Weasley," Professor Nott said. "Didn't your family just depart for London this morning?"
"I'm staying behind for the holidays, Professor," she answered, desperately wishing that her cheeks would stop burning.
Rose took a step toward her books, wanting to gather them and flee the classroom, but stopped when his hand rested on her shoulder. She glanced up at Professor Nott, who wasn't looking at her, but at the board. Rose wanted to sink into a hole, embarrassed that he'd seen her work. Her experiments were just that, experiments. She was no true Arithmancer.
"I didn't think you'd mind me using the classroom for study, sir," she whispered.
"I don't." Professor Nott kept his hand on her shoulder. "Tell me about your theory. You've added in mathematics that I haven't been teaching."
Rose sucked in a breath and hurriedly explained what she had been doing, how she'd attended a talk during her internship at the Ministry about ley lines and math and predictive magic. Her voice shook a little during her explanation and she tried not to blame it on his proximity. Having a pash on your teacher was one thing. Letting him know about it was another thing entirely.
Finally he released her, walking over to the board. He picked up a piece of chalk and brought it back to her, sitting on the edge of his desk. "Don't let me stop you. I'm interested."
Rose reached out and took the chalk. Their fingertips brushed against one another, his gaze meeting hers. A sly smile ticked at the corner of his mouth.
She was hopelessly lost.
*****
Seventh Year
They'd not done anything wrong. That was the only thing that had saved her. When she was fifteen she had been enamoured with Professor Nott's attention. The silky way he talked to her warmed every inch of her skin to the point that she couldn't sit still, but at no time did either of them act on whatever might have been developing at that point. Instead, he listened to every theory, every project, every paper she wrote. He let her do extra work in his classroom without question and it had all remained innocent. Yet it was also not innocent. She knew that his presence in the room while she worked was on purpose. As was the way he looked at her, the occasional brush of fingertips against sleeve or wrist. As was the gentle sweep across her neck as he moved her hair aside to see the theory on which she was currently working. The thrilling part of it all was that a man as handsome as Professor Nott had his sights set on her.
And at now that she was eighteen, on the verge of leaving school, Rose happily allowed it.
The classroom, when she arrived, was empty for the most part. A team of enchanted cloths were wiping down one of the boards. The gentle swish of fabric against board was calming and Rose walked to the front of the room, setting down her books on the desk she normally used. Before she got immersed into the ley line formulas, a square of crisp parchment in the middle of the front desk caught her eye. A key sat on the desk beside it. Abandoning her books, she went over and retrieved the note.
Her heart thumped.
Rose,
When you are done with your work, please lock the room and bring the key to my quarters. Do not concern yourself if the hour is late; I don't retire until well past midnight.
-Theodore
It was the first time he'd ever used her given name and she didn't quite know what to make of it only that it was half-past ten and suddenly her project seemed to matter very little. It took a few moments before she decided and once the decision was made, it took mere seconds to gather all her texts and shove them into her sack. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, Rose took the key and left the room, locking the door behind her.
She'd only ever been to the teachers' wing once before to discuss NEWT level classes with professor Flitwick. However, like any prefect as well, Rose knew the layout of the school well. Well enough that she was able to avoid any other patrols doing a final sweep of the castle before turning in for the night.
The door to Professor Nott's chambers opened at the first knock. Suddenly Rose was overcome with nerves. What was she doing? What was she thinking? The key shook on its ring as she held it out to him, words trapped somewhere in her throat. He let go of the door and gestured for her to enter, walking back to the large armchair beside the fire. Rose was left standing in the open door, key held out, with little choice but to step inside. She placed the key in a dish by the door.
"You are going into your NEWTs with the highest mark in my class," he said, leaning over the chair to rifle through his files. "I suspect with your ley line prediction algorithm, you will have your pick of fellowships at the Ministry."
"Oh.." Rose couldn't stop the disappointment from leaking into that tiny syllable.
"Oh? Doesn't this make you happy?"
"Yes, sir. Yes it does," she said quickly, a sinking feeling of horror pulling at her insides. "I was just... I thought... n-nevermind."
He stood straight and looked at her, blue eyes boring through her in a way that made her weak in the knees and frightfully embarrassed. His eyebrows lifted. "You thought something else caused me to ask you here? " A smile appeared on his face. Not unlike the ones she occasionally saw on Scorpius when they played chess and he knew that he had trapped her in a foolish misstep. "Did you think that after all these years I might have asked you here for something other than Arithmancy? A kiss perhaps? Something more?"
Rose backed up, but her shoulders hit the door and felt around for the doorknob, wanting to frantically sink into the floor or just vanish altogether. His hands flattened against the door on either side of her head, causing her to freeze. She was unable to stop the shudder that ran through her body when he leaned close, his cheek next to hers and his lips a hair's breadth from her ear.
"You've been thinking about me, Rose. All these years you've been thinking about what it would be like to have me touch you. Haven't you?" He spoke low, breath hot against her neck. "But you never acted on it. You never needed it for the marks; your marks were superb on their own." A soft whimper tumbled from her mouth. She didn't dare reach for him. But his words. His words were slowly unraveling any sort of resolve she might have had.
"I shouldn't," he continued, this time his lips catching against her earlobe as he spoke. Rose felt her knees start to buckle. "I shouldn't kiss you like this." His mouth pressed firmly to the slope of her neck. "I shouldn't touch you like this." She hadn't noticed that his hand had moved to her hip until it started to tug the hem of her skirt up, fingers moving until they were lightly squeezing the flesh of her thigh. He kissed his way back to her ear. "And I really, really shouldn't fuck you until you scream."
Rose's breath hitched and her eyes widened. When he lifted his head, she couldn't stop herself, leaning forward and fitting her mouth against his. The kiss was soft, almost sweet, his lips barely moving against hers and letting her take the lead. When it was over, she swallowed. "Professor..."
"Theo, Rose. I think we can dispense with the title of Professor. You may call me Theo."
"Theo. If I don't mind all these things you... shouldn't be doing... would that be alright?"
He didn't answer her. Instead she caught sight of that sly smile a scant moment before his mouth slammed against hers. This time the kiss was fire and possession. Rose threw her arms around Theo's neck, falling desperately into the sensation of his mouth slanting against hers. Vaguely she felt his hands curl under her bum and if she hadn't been so distracted by the feeling of his teeth nipping at her lip, she would have noticed him lifting her up or that her legs went automatically around his hips as he carried her to the bed.
Rose didn't know that she could make some of the noises that were quite obviously coming from her throat. The sighs and the groans were illogically amplified by the small space of his room and the thick canopy overhead. Theo's lips moved from hers and pressed along her throat, following a line down to the V of her jumper. Rose let out a frustrated noise when his warm lips stopped touching her skin and moved down over her jumper-clad torso. She heard Theo's throaty chuckle and reached blindly for his shoulder, grasping his shirt and tugging, wanting him closer, wanting him to kiss her again. He lightly nudged her hand away.
"Patience..." he said.
But she wasn't patient. She was terribly impatient. She wanted him to kiss her mouth. She didn't want him to just let her lie on the bed and kiss her jumper. Rose lifted herself up on her elbows to tell him as much. He'd slid from the bed, kneeling on the floor and all at once she felt herself falling backwards as he tugged her forward, hands slipping under her bum to grasp the waistband of her knickers and tug them down and off.
Suddenly shy at the exposure, Rose pressed her knees together, her hands bunching in the sides of her skirt to hold it tight across her legs.
"Close your eyes," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her knee.
She did and felt his hand creep up under her skirt, fingers combing through the damp curls at the juncture of her thighs. Rose opened her mouth to say something but all thought melted away when his thumb slipped down between the slick flesh brushing softly against her clit. Her own fingers relaxed and she let go of her skirt, burying them in the folds of his bedspread. It felt completely and utterly different from all the times that she'd done the exact same thing on her own and when his thumb flicked with a little more force, Rose's back arched.
"Oh god," she whispered.
"Not quite," Theo answered. He took the moment of distraction to push her skirt up over her hips and nudge her thighs to part which she gladly did.
Rose felt his breath first. Warmer than her skin, if that was possible and she almost protested because there was a small part of her that had the idea that what he planned to do was a bit dirty. But all those ideas and notions vanished at the press of his mouth against her flesh. His tongue slipped across every inch, tracing her from bottom to top before closing his lips around her clit, worrying the little nub in such a way that her body started to almost ache with need.
Her knees tried to clamp back together but Theo held them down, barely allowing her to move and only allowing her to feel and when the orgasm hit, Rose clapped a hand over her mouth to hold back the scream, shudders rocking through her.
Boneless and shaking, she lay on his bed, lolling her head to the side. She watched Theo stand and sucked in a breath as he removed his clothes. When he was done, he reached for her and helped her to undress. Rose was touched by the tender way his hands moved over her body, gently taking each piece of clothing, folding it and putting it on a stool beside the bed. In a fit of boldness, she reached out a hand and dragged her fingers over his chest, down his abdomen, tracing circles in the soft line of hair trailing down his lower abdomen.
Theo watched her with a steady gaze, muscles jumping under his skin at each touch and she could feel a smile pull at the corners of her mouth when he inhaled sharply the moment her thumb circled around the tip of his cock.
She could do it, she thought. She'd read about it and it wasn't like such a subject was never talked about among her older cousins. James had such a big mouth and a loud voice when it came to discussing sexual exploits. Rose slid her hand along the length of Theo's cock and leaned forward, her lips brushing across it. He made no move to touch her and also gave her no direction. The only indication that it was affecting him was the rapid breathing. It wasn't difficult. Her mouth slid easily over the warm skin, tongue brushing the underside.
When she scraped her teeth gently over the hard flesh, he hissed and nudged her away.
Rose felt herself be turned around, elbows and forearms against the bed, knees at the very edge. A moan caught in her throat as Theo's fingertips dipped into her, slicking her thighs with her own wetness and she reared back against them, wanting him to thrust deeper. He bent over her and pressed a kiss to her bare back, fitting her bum against him. She could feel everything. The light dusting of hair pressing against her back as he hovered over her, abdomen flush with her back. The hardness of his cock as it settled against her. The nuzzle of his nose against her shoulder.
Then the slow, thick pressure as he slid into her. Any pain she had been expecting was nonexistent.
Amused, she couldn't help but think that this was nothing like the romance novels she'd read.
The thrusts began, slow at first. Theo slid his hands over her torso, pulling her back gently with each movement, then moved around her ribs to cup her breasts, plucking gently at her nipples. A keening moan fell from her lips and her thigh muscles quivered a little. It was all about the sensation at this point, the deep thrusts hitting spots inside her that she hadn't known were there. Bracing herself with one arm, she reached back and covered one of the hands squeezing her breasts, pushing it down toward her pelvis.
She wanted more. She wanted him to touch her.
He pulled his hand away and leaned close, pushing his hips tight against hers and eliciting a groan that felt like it came from her very toes.
"Take matters into your own hands, Rose," he said, kissing her neck and then giving the juncture between her neck and shoulder a soft bite.
Inhibitions seemed to have faded. In another world Rose would have balked at the idea of touching herself in front of another person. Her cheeks would have flamed and she would have fled the room at the thought. But at this point, in this very moment, she was too caught up in the fire that roiled in her belly to mind and her hand wandered down to the sensitive, slippery flesh. It didn't take long for her fingers to fall into a rhythm with his maddeningly slow thrusts. Pressure started to coil inside of her, threatening to snap at any moment.
"Please." She meant to whisper it. But it dragged out in a whine. "I want... I want.."
"Say it, Rose." Theo's hands gripped her hips and pulled her against him. "I want to hear you say it."
She'd never been one for vulgar language. She'd never had cause for it. Quidditch had never been something she'd been interested in and while she did cheer on the house team while she was at school, it was never with swearing. But Theo's command sent a shiver up her back and something inside of her went sideways. She ached for more. The words came bubbling up into her chest before she could think to stop them.
"Fuck me," she pleaded. "I want you to fuck me."
"There you go," he said, pulling from her and turning her onto her back. "That wasn't so difficult."
In a swift movement, he pushed back into her. Rose moaned at the change. She lifted her legs to curl around his hips but was surprised when he pressed her knees back to the bed. His thrusts changed in speed, pushing rapidly against her hips until their bodies were almost crashing together. It was all she could do but grab at his arms and hold on, her breasts bouncing with each impact. Pinching her eyes shut, she bit her lip to keep from crying out, but the sensations rippled across her whole body as if a stone had been thrown into the very center of her, disturbing all calm that had once been on the surface.
When the orgasm hit, she didn't even try covering her mouth, the squeal bursting out as her whole body shuddered against him. He thrust twice more before groaning, coming in hot spurts inside of her.
Theo slid his hand under her neck and pulled her up, kissing her deeply as their bodies shuddered with every little aftershock.
When he rolled off of her, Rose sat up, the enormity of what she'd just consented to, hitting her full-fledged. She'd shagged a teacher. She'd shagged a teacher most thoroughly. Her first time had been with a teacher who was as old as her father. Oh god. Covering her face with her hand, she drew in a deep breath trying not to panic about all of this, but certain that she would do just that once she'd left the room. Dimly she realised that he was tracing small circles over her bare skin and she dropped her hand, pushing back her unruly, sweat-dampened, hair.
"I should go," she said quietly.
"There's that." His fingers stopped tracing over her skin and slipped between her legs, gently pushing inside of her. Rose's eyes drifted shut, her mouth opening. She could hear the smile in his voice. "Or we can see just how quickly you learn without the benefit of a textbook in hand."
Rose nodded, knowing that she was in deep enough to not have an idea of how to get out.
And in the present moment... she didn't rightly care.
They'd told her to be wary of Slytherins all her life and she was quickly learning why. Though it wasn't exactly as bad as she'd thought it would be.