Sweet Talk (Theodore/Astoria)
Title: Sweet Talk
Rating: PG
Pairing: Theodore/Astoria, hints at one-sided Theodore/Ginny and Astoria/Draco
Warnings: None
Word Count: 1000-ish
Summary: Despite appearances Theodore does have at least one true friend
Author's Note: Written for chimbomba's wish for a story with Theo/Astoria. Romance/Friendship that's pre-Draco/Astoria (during their years at Hogwarts). Prompt: eagle quills. Beta-ed by the one and only myownmuggle Title taken from Dear and the Headlights' song of the same name.
1. “A quill for your thoughts, second year,” Theodore said in greeting as he walked into the common room of the Slytherin dormitory and sat near the fire.
Astoria looked up at the rather tall third year and then back down at her feet.
“Fine,” Theodore sighed. “Two quills, but don’t think you’re getting anything more than that.”
“A boy told me today that our house was full of thugs and scum, and I couldn’t think of anything to say. Is that really all our house is? A group of thugs and scum”
“Of course not, that’s just the way it seems because you hang about Draco Malfoy all the time. There are, in fact, several upstanding citizens who came from Slytherin, you know. Marcus Flint, Adrian Pucey, Estelle Bulstrode, all of them model people who simply have a taste for success and know how to work things to their advantage.”
“I don’t know any of those people,” Astoria said dryly.
“Well then, I will have you know that I am neither a thug nor scum. Your sister, Daphne, doesn’t meet any of those qualifications either nor does Millicent Bulstrode or Malcolm Baddock and I am sure that there are a few others. You must understand that over this house lies a dark cloud, Astoria. Voldemort and a few of his followers came from this house and as such it is common belief that this house is simply a breeding ground for Muggle hating purebloods. That is simply not the case.”
Astoria seemed interested in what he had to say so Theodore continued.
“There is but one way we can deal with the prejudice you just mentioned.”
“How?” Astoria asked.
“By making connections with the other houses and proving them wrong on all accounts. People like Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson are loud about their ideals and their dislikes so we have to be louder. For every wrong step they take, we are forced to do twice as much correct it.”
“Why?”
“Because I refused to be lumped in with two children who resemble rodents,” Theodore said with a smirk.
2. “You know, Malfoy doesn’t really look that much like a rodent,” Astoria said as Theodore browsed Scrimshaft’s for a new quills. “He looks more like something one might find on the bottom of their shoe after walking through a field on a spring day.”
“Have a run in with him today, did we?” Theodore asked as he examined the different sets of quills. Quills were one of the few things he bought based on the expense of the item. As things tended to go with quills the most expensive was often the best quality.
“He had Crabbe steal a first year’s bag of sweets and then threw them in the trash. The sweets, not the boy,” Astoria said as she stood on her tiptoes so as to seem a bit taller. It always made Theodore smile whenever she did that because she unconsciously stretched her neck out each time she did it, making her look like a turtle straining to escape its shell. “I bought the boy a new bag of sweets and then I hexed Crabbe.”
“Excellent work, Miss Greengrass,” Theodore complimented as began to weigh two quills. The heavier, the better his father had always said. It was one of the few things they agreed on. “Go to the ball with me?” His back was to her and yet he could hear the small gasp of breath that left her mouth.
Astoria fell back on her heels in shock. “What?”
“If you’re not doing anything two months from now then go to the ball with me,” Theodore said.
“I-I’ll have to check my calendar,” Astoria said. “I may be washing my hair that night, you know.”
“Of course, the annual washing of your hair. How could I have forgotten? What if I were to sweeten the pot though?” Theodore crossed his arms and looked at her expectantly.
“And how would you do that?” Astoria asked as she looked around the store so as to avoid Theodore's steady gaze.
“Why, with a whole set of brand new Quail Quills, what else? They’re cheap and they break easily, but they make a lovely Yule Ball gift.”
“Oh don’t go to all that trouble, Theodore. Not even an eagle quill, thanks. Just being near you is gift enough.” Astoria swooned mockingly as she finished her sentence, eliciting a small smile from Theodore as he swept in to catch her.
3. “I’m sorry about your dad, Theodore,” Astoria said quietly as she sat beside him on the small couch they’d shared since her third year. It was the couch where they’d first met, first held hands and, late one night, snogged for the first time. Their break-up was four months ago and they hadn’t sat on it since, not at the same time anyways.
“Thank you, Astoria,” Theodore said. “It’s his fault really. Why couldn’t he just have kept his bigotry a secret? Most people do.”
Astoria didn’t really know what to say to that. Leaning towards him ever so slowly, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in for a slight embrace, unsure if he would push her away or not.
“It’s been a shite year at school,” Theodore said without returning the hug. “Umbridge, then our break up and now this.”
Astoria felt no need to correct him. Their break up hadn’t been one of her favorite parts of the year either. They hadn’t screamed at each other, hadn’t yelled and as far as she could tell neither thought the other was completely at fault for the end of their relationship. Still, it had hurt not being able to talk to someone with whom she’d been very good friends with without it feeling awkward. Even the slightest touch made her feel like she’d been burned. “So what will you do now?”
“Malfoy’s offered me a room in his mansion, as well as all the others whose fathers were taken last night. I expect he hopes to train us so that we can break them out of prison in some grand display. I told him I’m moving in with my aunt and uncle in Kensington. I’ve never met them before, but my father always said they were a bit weird. I suppose I’ll love them for that very reason,” Theodore said with a rueful smile as he began to relax a little in his friend’s embrace.
4. “Malfoy,” Theodore said almost accusatorily.
“Yes,” Astoria said without looking at him.
“Draco Malfoy,” Theodore repeated. “The blonde git who just mopes about the castle and acts like he’s hiding some large secret.”
“Ginny Weasley?”
Theodore’s cheeks turned red for just a split second, which went completely unseen by their other table mates at the Ravenclaw table, but not Astoria. “That is not funny, Astoria. You always bring her up when we talk about anything seriously.”
“Fine then,” Astoria sighed. “You can be such a child sometimes, Theodore.”
“Draco Malfoy?”
“Yes, Draco Malfoy. It’s horrible, it’s inconvenient and he’s an absolute prat, but he looks good in a quidditch uniform. There. I’ve said it. Are you happy now?” Astoria pushed her peas around on her plate as she awaited his answer.
“No, not really,” Theodore said before biting into a piece of roast. It had been their practice this year to sit with the other houses to meet new people and hopefully improve relations. “Any thoughts?” He asked, gesturing at Terry and Mandy.
“Yeah,” Mandy said without pausing to swallow her mouthful of turkey. “What’s the big deal about Malfoy this year? He’s just a taller version of what he was in first year. His cheeks are still pink, his eyes are almost completely crossed and he still can’t walk around the halls without giving himself some sort of pep talk. ‘I’m awesome; I’m brilliant; I’m Draco Malfoy and they’ll all know it one day.’”
“He does not,” Astoria replied.
“We’ve seen him do it twice now,” Terry said with a small smile. While he was normally the peace keeper of the group, he couldn’t help but point out Malfoy’s flaws whenever he was brought up in conversation.
“You’d be better off sticking with Nott or maybe Anthony Goldstein?,” Mandy added, making sure Anthony heard his name. “Now there’s a sexy bastard. You ever watch anthony walk down the halls? It’s like seeing the moon for the first time. Perfection and awe with each sighting.”
Astoria couldn’t help but glance over at Anthony for just a moment to see if he was blushing as badly as she thought he might be. To her surprise he was eating a sandwich and peering through an advanced charms text with no sign that he’d heard anything Mandy had said.
“Don’t worry about Anthony. You could set off a whole load of firecrackers next to his ear and he wouldn’t hear it. He’s developed a mental barrier so thick that he no longer hears Mandy mentioning his name when she’s teasing,” Terry explained.
“Well there you have it, Astoria. Your focus will need to shift either to me or to Goldstein. I can already tell you which option I’m leaning towards,” Theodore said with what he called his “humble grin”. He thought it made him look innocent. Astoria thought it made him look a Cornish pixie about to bite.
“But then who would Ginny stare at during dinner?” Astoria asked.
Theodore smiled, but didn’t give her the benefit of looking behind him to see if her claim was true or not. He knew better than that.
Rating: PG
Pairing: Theodore/Astoria, hints at one-sided Theodore/Ginny and Astoria/Draco
Warnings: None
Word Count: 1000-ish
Summary: Despite appearances Theodore does have at least one true friend
Author's Note: Written for chimbomba's wish for a story with Theo/Astoria. Romance/Friendship that's pre-Draco/Astoria (during their years at Hogwarts). Prompt: eagle quills. Beta-ed by the one and only myownmuggle Title taken from Dear and the Headlights' song of the same name.
1. “A quill for your thoughts, second year,” Theodore said in greeting as he walked into the common room of the Slytherin dormitory and sat near the fire.
Astoria looked up at the rather tall third year and then back down at her feet.
“Fine,” Theodore sighed. “Two quills, but don’t think you’re getting anything more than that.”
“A boy told me today that our house was full of thugs and scum, and I couldn’t think of anything to say. Is that really all our house is? A group of thugs and scum”
“Of course not, that’s just the way it seems because you hang about Draco Malfoy all the time. There are, in fact, several upstanding citizens who came from Slytherin, you know. Marcus Flint, Adrian Pucey, Estelle Bulstrode, all of them model people who simply have a taste for success and know how to work things to their advantage.”
“I don’t know any of those people,” Astoria said dryly.
“Well then, I will have you know that I am neither a thug nor scum. Your sister, Daphne, doesn’t meet any of those qualifications either nor does Millicent Bulstrode or Malcolm Baddock and I am sure that there are a few others. You must understand that over this house lies a dark cloud, Astoria. Voldemort and a few of his followers came from this house and as such it is common belief that this house is simply a breeding ground for Muggle hating purebloods. That is simply not the case.”
Astoria seemed interested in what he had to say so Theodore continued.
“There is but one way we can deal with the prejudice you just mentioned.”
“How?” Astoria asked.
“By making connections with the other houses and proving them wrong on all accounts. People like Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson are loud about their ideals and their dislikes so we have to be louder. For every wrong step they take, we are forced to do twice as much correct it.”
“Why?”
“Because I refused to be lumped in with two children who resemble rodents,” Theodore said with a smirk.
2. “You know, Malfoy doesn’t really look that much like a rodent,” Astoria said as Theodore browsed Scrimshaft’s for a new quills. “He looks more like something one might find on the bottom of their shoe after walking through a field on a spring day.”
“Have a run in with him today, did we?” Theodore asked as he examined the different sets of quills. Quills were one of the few things he bought based on the expense of the item. As things tended to go with quills the most expensive was often the best quality.
“He had Crabbe steal a first year’s bag of sweets and then threw them in the trash. The sweets, not the boy,” Astoria said as she stood on her tiptoes so as to seem a bit taller. It always made Theodore smile whenever she did that because she unconsciously stretched her neck out each time she did it, making her look like a turtle straining to escape its shell. “I bought the boy a new bag of sweets and then I hexed Crabbe.”
“Excellent work, Miss Greengrass,” Theodore complimented as began to weigh two quills. The heavier, the better his father had always said. It was one of the few things they agreed on. “Go to the ball with me?” His back was to her and yet he could hear the small gasp of breath that left her mouth.
Astoria fell back on her heels in shock. “What?”
“If you’re not doing anything two months from now then go to the ball with me,” Theodore said.
“I-I’ll have to check my calendar,” Astoria said. “I may be washing my hair that night, you know.”
“Of course, the annual washing of your hair. How could I have forgotten? What if I were to sweeten the pot though?” Theodore crossed his arms and looked at her expectantly.
“And how would you do that?” Astoria asked as she looked around the store so as to avoid Theodore's steady gaze.
“Why, with a whole set of brand new Quail Quills, what else? They’re cheap and they break easily, but they make a lovely Yule Ball gift.”
“Oh don’t go to all that trouble, Theodore. Not even an eagle quill, thanks. Just being near you is gift enough.” Astoria swooned mockingly as she finished her sentence, eliciting a small smile from Theodore as he swept in to catch her.
3. “I’m sorry about your dad, Theodore,” Astoria said quietly as she sat beside him on the small couch they’d shared since her third year. It was the couch where they’d first met, first held hands and, late one night, snogged for the first time. Their break-up was four months ago and they hadn’t sat on it since, not at the same time anyways.
“Thank you, Astoria,” Theodore said. “It’s his fault really. Why couldn’t he just have kept his bigotry a secret? Most people do.”
Astoria didn’t really know what to say to that. Leaning towards him ever so slowly, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in for a slight embrace, unsure if he would push her away or not.
“It’s been a shite year at school,” Theodore said without returning the hug. “Umbridge, then our break up and now this.”
Astoria felt no need to correct him. Their break up hadn’t been one of her favorite parts of the year either. They hadn’t screamed at each other, hadn’t yelled and as far as she could tell neither thought the other was completely at fault for the end of their relationship. Still, it had hurt not being able to talk to someone with whom she’d been very good friends with without it feeling awkward. Even the slightest touch made her feel like she’d been burned. “So what will you do now?”
“Malfoy’s offered me a room in his mansion, as well as all the others whose fathers were taken last night. I expect he hopes to train us so that we can break them out of prison in some grand display. I told him I’m moving in with my aunt and uncle in Kensington. I’ve never met them before, but my father always said they were a bit weird. I suppose I’ll love them for that very reason,” Theodore said with a rueful smile as he began to relax a little in his friend’s embrace.
4. “Malfoy,” Theodore said almost accusatorily.
“Yes,” Astoria said without looking at him.
“Draco Malfoy,” Theodore repeated. “The blonde git who just mopes about the castle and acts like he’s hiding some large secret.”
“Ginny Weasley?”
Theodore’s cheeks turned red for just a split second, which went completely unseen by their other table mates at the Ravenclaw table, but not Astoria. “That is not funny, Astoria. You always bring her up when we talk about anything seriously.”
“Fine then,” Astoria sighed. “You can be such a child sometimes, Theodore.”
“Draco Malfoy?”
“Yes, Draco Malfoy. It’s horrible, it’s inconvenient and he’s an absolute prat, but he looks good in a quidditch uniform. There. I’ve said it. Are you happy now?” Astoria pushed her peas around on her plate as she awaited his answer.
“No, not really,” Theodore said before biting into a piece of roast. It had been their practice this year to sit with the other houses to meet new people and hopefully improve relations. “Any thoughts?” He asked, gesturing at Terry and Mandy.
“Yeah,” Mandy said without pausing to swallow her mouthful of turkey. “What’s the big deal about Malfoy this year? He’s just a taller version of what he was in first year. His cheeks are still pink, his eyes are almost completely crossed and he still can’t walk around the halls without giving himself some sort of pep talk. ‘I’m awesome; I’m brilliant; I’m Draco Malfoy and they’ll all know it one day.’”
“He does not,” Astoria replied.
“We’ve seen him do it twice now,” Terry said with a small smile. While he was normally the peace keeper of the group, he couldn’t help but point out Malfoy’s flaws whenever he was brought up in conversation.
“You’d be better off sticking with Nott or maybe Anthony Goldstein?,” Mandy added, making sure Anthony heard his name. “Now there’s a sexy bastard. You ever watch anthony walk down the halls? It’s like seeing the moon for the first time. Perfection and awe with each sighting.”
Astoria couldn’t help but glance over at Anthony for just a moment to see if he was blushing as badly as she thought he might be. To her surprise he was eating a sandwich and peering through an advanced charms text with no sign that he’d heard anything Mandy had said.
“Don’t worry about Anthony. You could set off a whole load of firecrackers next to his ear and he wouldn’t hear it. He’s developed a mental barrier so thick that he no longer hears Mandy mentioning his name when she’s teasing,” Terry explained.
“Well there you have it, Astoria. Your focus will need to shift either to me or to Goldstein. I can already tell you which option I’m leaning towards,” Theodore said with what he called his “humble grin”. He thought it made him look innocent. Astoria thought it made him look a Cornish pixie about to bite.
“But then who would Ginny stare at during dinner?” Astoria asked.
Theodore smiled, but didn’t give her the benefit of looking behind him to see if her claim was true or not. He knew better than that.