bright enough to burn my eyes

[Deleted]

One day, and Astoria had high hopes that day would come soon, her head would explode from the pressure of all she was trying to cram into it. Instead of brain matter and blood her cranium would blast out bits of arithmancy and potions recipes. She couldn’t actually figure out if she struggled more over charms or potions, though it was safe to say that neither of them were her best subjects. She had a tutor for potions at least, though she couldn’t find one she liked well enough for charms. The last one had been a stuck-up Ravenclaw who sneered at her when she got things wrong and was constantly pushing his glasses up on his nose. Honestly, if she thought that any being of higher power (or if you went by Greek mythology, higher sexual potency and desire) was listening, she might have prayed for them to take away some of her looks and replace them with an equal amount of smarts. If she were feeling particularly nasty from a couple hours of nonstop studying, she might wish her sister had been a fetal twin which Astoria absorbed, therefore gaining the brains of two individuals instead of one. That probably wasn’t how it worked. Anyhow, the point was that Astoria spent way too much of her free time trying to impress her parents while she didn’t even know what sort of job she wanted when she graduated. Therefore, she was determined to take a break of at least a few hours. She had heard a rumor about some Ministry officials visiting the school and she thought she might go down and see if she recognized any. Quite a few visited her home over the years, showing up at various holiday and social functions that her mother liked to plan, and she had been to a few of their homes as well while growing up. In particular, she was curious to see if Théodore Rochfort was in the party. Most of the men of power in the wizarding government that she knew of were either old or very snobbish and thought a girl of her age had no business with them other to speak when asked a question and to look very pretty and laugh at their jokes. Théodore was a bit different. He was young, close to her own age, and very handsome. He sometimes spoke to her when they met and asked her of her own opinions, which was a nice change at that sort of event. Usually when asked what she thought, what the inquirer meant was that she should repeat their own opinion back to them but phrased a bit differently. She always had the feeling that Théodore listened to her and that he would be quite aware of it if she only repeated his own words back to him. She wasn’t sure if he cared, but he gave the impression of it and it was something she could at least appreciate. She was in luck, it seemed, as she spotted him when she peered over the balustrade before taking the huge staircase down to the ground floor. She didn’t know if she was interrupting anything, maybe he had important business at Hogwarts and wouldn’t appreciate it when she pushed her way into the conversation. Well, it was too late, she had been spotted already by some of the others, so she took a deep breath and called out his name.

Theo | 576 | why is it that titles are hard to think up LOL

[Deleted]

Hogwarts was, by far, the last place that Théodore had expected to land. He had spent a great deal of time avoiding his alma mater, if only for the fact that stepping through those great wooden doors felt nearly sacrilegious with the dark mark branded harshly on the skin of his forearm, concealed now by a great amount of muggle cosmetics and the half-rolled sleeve of his finely made, pressed white button down. Summer was coming and the heat was building, but the seemingly ever-present sprinkle of rain was enough to keep the sweat from his skin. That, at least, was a mild relief. After the devastation at Hogsmeade, the Ministry had been pulling employees at random to go down to help with the relief effort. At least, they said it was random – truthfully Théo had his doubts. That said, a job is a job, and someone had to do it. With his orders plain and clear as day, he had jetted off to the little village that he’d spent so many weekends in as a student at the great, towering castle that loomed in the horizon. It had stung him, to a degree, to see the wreckage that had been made of the place of refuge for the students by the werewolves and the very order he found himself obeying blindly. He hadn’t been there the night that it had happened – he had been working late at the ministry, filing papers and, as always, shaking hands. The life of a Ministry worker never fell stagnant. Dull, perhaps, but it never slowed. The entry hall of the school looked the same as it had throughout his entire Hogwarts career, and looking around the old stone building he found himself grinning, much like the schoolboy he used to be. Hogwarts had been home for quite some time, and though he’d found solace in other places since, it was nice to be back. It would be a pleasure to see his younger siblings as well. He hadn’t seen them since Christmas holidays, and if nothing else that would be pleasant at best. Théodore held his family high above all else, and his younger siblings were among his favorite people. It seemed to grow more and more difficult to look after them nowadays though, and that was yet another of his growing stresses and concerns. The others around him chattered about something or another – he had stopped listening once the topic changed to something regarding muggle items and enchantments. He could hear their voices, dulled by his own thoughts as they continued onward in their small hoard. The cry of his name in a familiar voice caught his attention and made him jerk his head up. The others had stopped talking and had trained their eyes on him as he sought out the female who had called out for him. His eyes fell on Astoria and he grinned, eyebrows rising as he opened his arms in a gesture of fond acknowledgement. His smile only widened as he started towards the young lady he knew well. “Astoria!” His tone was friendly as he advanced until he was able to wrap her in a one armed hug, pulling her firmly against his side and squeezing her once. She was yet another face that he hadn’t seen in a few months now. His history with Astoria went back fairly far; their families had been rather close at one point or another. Now she had grown from the playful young girl he had known into a beautiful and enchanting young lady with a reputation for being more than a little distracted when it came to her classes. Still, she was someone worth listening to when she began to talk, and Théodore counted her as one of his few friends. “It’s been a while since.” A smile, warm and flirty, was sent her way. “You certainly look as if you’re doing well.” His eyes trailed her body unabashedly, smile widening further. He excused himself, leading her away from the small crowd, he sent little more than a glance over his shoulder before turning his attention back to the younger female, letting his arm slip down, hand resting gently against the small of her back. “Thank you for getting me away from those old bats. I was getting tired of listening to them go on and on about things I don’t care about.” He gave a short laugh as he shook his head. “How have you been, dollface? Classes going any better this semester? Hopefully you’re paying more attention to your lessons than you are the handsome boys this go around.” He shot her a wink. “Have you found a new tutor?”

astoria | 787 | im sorry if this blows

[Deleted]

“Oh, you’re here!” The girl exclaimed and returned his hug with a very firm squeeze. She didn’t care if the other men stared at them, they could be old and fussy and boring all they wanted to as long as it didn’t change the fact that Theo walked over and hugged her right in front of them. If she wasn’t so intent on acting like a respectable adult, one whom her friend would be happy to be seen with, she might have turned to them and stuck her tongue out. For all they knew, the two of them could have been related and greeting one another. “I thought you might be. I’m not sure why I got that impression, though here you are even so!” To a young woman of her age, going two months without seeing someone you liked and enjoyed being around felt like ages and she could appreciate his words and maybe hope that it felt like a long time to him as well. She felt her face and the back of her neck heat up as she watched him look her over, bold enough in his actions that he didn’t attempt to hide what he was doing and she felt flattered and suddenly a little shy. Astoria couldn’t remember the last time she’d caught someone looking at her in that manner, and she certainly couldn’t remember the last person being Theo. “It has been a while,” she agreed with a hesitant smile lighting up her face. Now that she was glowing in the feeling of his appraisal, she felt self-conscious. What if she should smile and show her teeth, only look somewhat pained or have it be a crooked smile? “You’re looking quite good yourself,” she retorted and reached out to straighten his shirt collar. “Though you’re always very well dressed whenever I see you, and here I am in my school robes.” She swore she could feel the heat from his hand down to her very bones and Astoria was afraid the intimate gesture might cause her knees to knock together, though she managed to walk with him quite normally, even with the butterflies soaring around in her stomach. She thought the feeling was right on the line between queasiness and pleasure so she couldn’t understand why something such as a butterfly would be associated with it. “If you’re so bored,” she retorted, “then maybe you should have taken a more interesting job. Like hunting dragons or fighting werewolves and vampires. Or maybe you should be a writer. I think your books would be very interesting.” Despite her best efforts, her cheeks reddened at the nickname. It wasn’t something he had called her in front of her parents. It was daring, and she liked it. She wasn’t sure if she had the audacity to call him something similar and she was afraid her tongue would twist over the word she meant to say and she’d sound like a fool. “I’ve been mostly paying attention,” she crossed her arms over her chest and attempted to look peeved. “And it’s been a lot easier, since the handsome boy left school when I was in second year.” The compliment slipped out easily and she was proud of herself for it. “I’ve found a tutor for potions, but that’s about it. Honestly, I’m surprised he’s stuck around to help me out.”

Theo | 562 | INTENSE STARE

[Deleted]

Astoria’s attempts at flirting were admirable, and gutsy. It was clear though, that she was more than capable of returning his own playful throws, and that brought a grin to his lips. The majority of their meetings had been at highly public and their opportunities for such outward exchanges were few and far between. Their previous attempts at flirting had been coy at best, batting eyes and the gentle lean towards one another when conversation struck their interests. Body language had been their best chance at courting one another – not that Théodore would truly call this courting. His habits of seduction tended to be erratic at best, with no real intention of anything coming out of his well-thought out words and charming smiles. When she tugged gently to straighten out his collar, he tipped his chin upwards to give her a bit more space, laying it back to its normal position once she was done. He flashed her yet another award-winning grin, eyes twinkling in amusement and delight at her obvious self-consciousness. “Your school robes are more than fitting, Astoria, considering the setting.” Théodore laughed and shook his head, lips pursing for a moment as they continued to wander through the hall. “Besides, they suit you well. Green especially.” The longer that Théodore looked at her, the more he thought that he could see her shaking and shivering under the warm touch of his hand against her back. He let out another soft laugh, the chuckle nearly inaudible over the soft, soothing din that seemed to fill every corner of the castle at any given time of day, save the wee hours of the morning when most everyone was curled in their beds and dozing comfortably within the safety of the supposedly impenetrable castle walls. Her jabs about his career made him shake his head, head bowing as his muffled chuckle fell forth. “I think you’re the only one who thinks so. Not many people seem to find my words all that interesting. But you always did listen to what I had to say. I do appreciate that.” He lifted his hand to ruffle her hair gently, the chestnut tresses soft beneath his fingers. Petting them back into place, he let the humble act drop for a moment as her cheeks flourished in shades of bold pink and bright reds that were far more adorable than they had any right to be. Astoria’s words caught him somewhat off-guard and Théodore stopped, standing till and looking down at her with a raised brow. “Miss Greengrass,” He chided playfully, running a hand through his hair as the other tucked into his pocket. “Correct me if I’m wrong but I do believe you’re flirting with me.” He grinned, the smile splitting his face from ear to ear. “I didn’t think you missed me that much, but I’m flattered you think that I was the last distraction-worthy boy in this school. You don’t do so bad yourself, you know.” The words were truthful, and her obviously flustered state was enough to make him keep flirting – if this is how she looked after a few small compliments and a sweet nickname, he couldn’t help but wonder how she’d react if he kept on with it. “With those pretty eyes and the gorgeous smile… not to mention the shade of pink your face turns every time you look at me.”

astoria | 563 | im sorry if this blows

[Deleted]

“Ah, yes. Green is your color, isn’t it?” Astoria teased. He was very much a Slytherin, in her mind. Not in the way that other houses viewed Slytherins. She saw his as very talented and driven, ambitious. He was goal-oriented and did whatever it took to get him where he wanted to be. He always pushed himself far more than those around him and she admired him for it. If he wanted to, she felt he could make the push for the top in the wizarding world. Of course, others saw Slytherins as nasty, rude, grasping, and as people who used others as a ladder. There were those like that, of course, such as Malfoy. Any chance he got, he’d bring out his father to get him out of trouble or to get him a favor. He had been such a nice child, too. It was surprising to her that he was so open. She had always known him to be friendly to her, though a bit closed. Astoria had never been in a situation where they were able to talk alone however, so that could explain things. When she was younger, she had always been a bit overwhelmed by him. He was intelligent and gorgeous, he had the ambition to take him wherever he wanted to go. She felt as though if she got in his way, she might burn up like dust in the atmosphere of a star. Right now, the full front of that star was turned her way and she found the heat wasn’t entirely uncomfortable. “Words are very interesting,” she made a face and reached up to check her hair. She hoped none of it was sticking up. It didn’t feel like he’d left anything out of place. “Anyway, a person’s word choice can tell you a lot about them and so listening to someone speak is like getting a little glimpse of their soul. Well, that sounds awfully silly now that I’ve said it out loud.” When he spoke next, Astoria nearly pouted. She was sixteen and fully capable of flirting, but he had been doing it for far longer than she had and had obtained more experience in deflecting comments or reacting the way he wanted to. Or at least she assumed he had. Though that smile he gave her was disarming and brightened his face more than she thought was possible and she thought maybe if she leaned forward and kissed him, she’d know what sunshine tasted like. But she only rocked on the balls of her feet. “If you’re unsure, Mister Rochfort, then I must not be doing a very good job of it.” She turned her head away when her blush darkened and she prayed to whatever deity that her ears weren’t red as well, but that wonderful, almost painful feeling had spread from her stomach to her heart until she wasn’t even sure it would be safe to look at him. “It’s not every time I look at you,” she countered weakly.

Theo | 505 | game of aaron

[Deleted]

This entire exchange was more fun than it had any right to be, and perhaps Théodore should have felt bad for tugging on the heartstrings of someone do young and innocent. He didn’t, if only for the fact that it really was rather cute to see her blush. Their age difference was considerable, a good four years or so, but that was hardly anything to fret over. It was flirting, after all, not marriage. That aside, Théodore had been with people at least ten years older than him. An age gap was hardly taboo in today’s day and age. It wasn’t as if he’d gone to school with her father or anything so scandalous like that. Astoria was floundering now, grasping at words in a righteous attempt at something congruent to the conversation while remaining interesting and intellectual all the same. Théo beamed at her, shaking his head once again. “Not silly. I completely understand what you’re trying to say. It’s… how should I put this? It’s enlightening to listen to others and to learn what you would otherwise remain ignorant to, had they remained silent.” Though there were times that Théodore sorely wished that people would put a sock in it, talking was more of an asset than most realized. People, when comfortable in their company, had a tendency to let their tongues loose from the strict hold they tried so desperately to keep on them. When that happened, secrets slipped, promises were broken, and sometimes vital or intriguing information was obtained. Théo had taught himself to look for such slip-ups long before his graduation from Hogwarts. You’d be surprised at how many teachers forgot themselves when they thought students weren’t listening. Théodore watched the sixteen year old rocking on the balls of her feet as she tried to build up the nerve to speak again. He comment was as bold as the first had been, and he shoved his hands down into the pockets of his slacks, thumbs hanging casually and confidently over the top of them. “You’re doing a wonderful job,” He crooned, voice dropping half an octave and slowing down considerably, drawing out each syllable into something a bit more sensuous. Turning his head, Théo peeked over his shoulder to be sure that the remainder of his colleagues were not within eye-shot, which much to his luck, they weren’t. He was hardly ashamed of flirting with a student like this, but he hardly wanted to deal with the mocking they’d no doubt throw at him if they caught wind. For old men, they could be terribly immature when the time came for it, and despite the fact that he was hardly in any sort of incriminating position here, he didn’t want to have to ward off a dozen kissy faces and the playful jeers they would no doubt supply. “Perhaps not every time,” He teased lightly, winking at her. “Simply the vast majority. Besides, it’s not as if I’m complaining. It’s cute. You’re cute.” It didn’t seem to take much more than that to make this little one swoon. As quickly as his flirting had started, the subject was changed. He was walking again, shooting her a sideways glance and a smirk. Théo would be lying if he said that he didn’t enjoy seeing her swoon. “How has your family been. I haven’t seen much of your father recently, has he been working?” There was a part of Théodore that wondered if Astoria knew of her father’s involvement with the Death Eaters, but Hogwarts was hardly the place to ask. Instead, he kept the conversation on a much more (seemingly) neutral note. If she knew anything, he had a feeling she’d be wise enough not to say it outright. The more he thought, the more he considered Astoria. She was sixteen now, two years from graduation and only one from having the trace lifted from her. The allowance to start practicing magic out of school would come soon enough, and when it did, Théodore wondered if she would pick a side, or if she would remain neutral. He could guess well enough what her father would want for her, and he found himself questioning whether or not Mr. Greengrass had begun planting those seeds. If he hadn’t, someone else surely would. And who better than Théodore himself to do so?

astoria | 724 | show me the booty

[Deleted]

Astoria felt a little more comfortable when they started to walk once more. While she knew how to flirt with boys her age, she was quickly realizing that it was quite different to have that sort of thing turned on you by an adult. Well, that wasn’t entirely honest. While moving in her father’s social circles, it was impossible to get away from the attention of older men and some of them would attempt to flirt. Ever since she hit the age of fifteen, in fact, and none of them had ever been as suave, courteous, or well-spoken as Theo. Navigating the adult world was rather easier than she expected it to be, she had thought, until she found someone flirting with her that she actually liked and was close to. It was very different with Theo than it was with guys her age. Their egos could be easily stroked and once they sunk their teeth in a target, they didn’t usually want to let go. Not to mention hormones and bragging rights and other silly things.The point was, hardly any maturity level there. “It’s very true,” she agreed carefully. “And the things that you learn around parties at my age and with my gender... Well, I think I’m old enough to form intelligent opinions about some of the things I hear.” In fact, most of her opinions revolved around the phrase “don’t acknowledge it”. She didn’t want to get involved in some of the things she found her father’s friends speaking of, and the best way to do that involved pretending she hadn’t understood or heard anything at all even, sometimes, if that meant lying to herself. She was certain if she let one word slip about some of the things she’d found out over the holidays, her father would have her in an unbreakable vow before she could even blink. Either that, or he would have her kneeling and swearing and choosing a side, something she didn’t have any interest in doing. There was no getting around it: Astoria was quite dazzled by her older friend. She had thought the secretive flirting during gatherings was wonderful, the slow smiles and what felt like secret promises unspoken between them. It was thrilling under the very noses of her parents, and something she could secretly lord over her bully of a sister whenever the older girl tried to make her feel terrible about herself. It was different, however, to hear him put things to words to her and the naive sixteen-year-old felt as though she were floating on a cloud. He couldn’t possibly think she was doing a good job, she was floundering terrible compared to him but she didn’t particularly care when his tone changed and she heard all sorts of promises in that voice. The compliments made her heart thump hard against her ribcage and she wondered if he could hear it and if it amused him, what he was doing to her. She didn’t blame him for it; if she could have this effect on someone she might play with it as well. It was another sort of power and she knew the thrill of being above someone in something herself. As a Greengrass and a pureblood and a Slytherin, being powerful was something she was taught to expect and want and grasp as tightly as she could. “He has been extremely busy,” Astoria wasn’t sure she liked the change to this particular subject. Her father was the head of household and while he was rather pleasant to his daughters, he seemed omnipotent to her at times. “He’s barely had time to write to me. I suppose I should be thankful for that, as it means I don’t have a list of instructions on what I should do to make him proud of me academically.” She wondered if he would be proud of her if she managed to snag a person like Theo. If maybe he would leave her alone about her grades because she was dating a wonderful and mature male who seemed to know exactly where he was going in the world. Or if maybe he would be upset with her for it. She shouldn’t be thinking about something like that when all they’d done was flirt.

Theo | 715 | do he got the booty

[Deleted]

If Astoria’s father was too busy to write, it surely meant that big things were coming. Things that perhaps even Théodore didn’t know about. Though he didn’t have much idea what Richard Greengrass did for a living, he had a feeling that it hardly took up so much time that he was incapable of writing his daughter – especially one as lovely as Astoria seemed to be. Daphne, well, she was everything people thought Slytherins ought to be, and if Théo was being honest, he could completely understand forgetting to send her an owl or two from time to time. That said, Théodore did have a taste for the more pleasant members of his former house as opposed to the ones who only helped to propagate the ill-received stereotype about them. Astoria had grown quiet, presumably with thought. Shifting on his feet, Théo took it upon himself to wander over to the nearby stairway and take a seat. He watched her, curious to know what was passing through her mind – she seemed lost to whatever it was that had claimed her. He’d always had a fascination with people and their minds. What would he give to just be a fly on the wall, even for a few short moments? He was good at learning secrets, sure, but getting underneath all the layers and intricacies of a mind? No. That was something his younger sister Sego could do – not him. Deciding to draw her from her thoughts after the long, passing silence, Théodore clapped his hands down against his thighs, rubbing up and down them a moment as he hummed a dull note. “You shouldn’t be so upset over his wanting to keep track of your academics. Your O.W.L.s are coming up. Surely you’re concerned over that. You ought to start studying now – hell, you should’ve started studying a year ago. Those are big tests, and you need to do well, Astoria.” Now he was starting to preach, which he certainly didn’t want to do. It wasn’t his job to see to it that the other students did as well as he had, and his siblings had before him. Patting the cool stone of the stair beside him, he beckoned her over to sit. Truthfully it was just an excuse to get a close proximity between the pair, because seeing her blush had been the highlight of his week. He paused a moment, mulling over that assertion. It was dangerous for him to take his own thoughts out of context, so he quickly categorized that as a part of his superiority complex and not as a hint towards actual feelings. Though, feigning feelings… that could certainly work in his favor. It wasn’t as if he detested the girl; she was good company, she could hold her own in conversation, and she certainly wasn’t bad to look at. All three were the things he looked for most often when picking his temporary matches. “I could help you, if you’d like.” Théo’s tone had returned to the sultry one he’d tried on for size earlier as he let his eyes trail her body once more, utterly unashamed of his actions. “I achieved top marks in quite a few of my N.E.W.Ts and O.W.Ls.” That much was likely common knowledge. Most people he talked to learned of his scholastic ability at some point or another. “Besides,” He grinned, leaning back against the stairs casually and propping himself up on his elbows. “It’ll be a good chance to spend some more time with the prettiest girl Slytherin has to offer.”

astoria | 594 | he dooooo

[Deleted]

“Of course I’ve started studying!” Astoria retorted, feeling somewhat chastised. She settled on the stair beside him and smoothed her skirt underneath herself so it wouldn’t wrinkle, crushed against the stone step. The reason her father kept up with her studies was mostly because he knew if she slipped just a little she might end up failing and how terrible that would look for her family name. Sometimes she wished someone would acknowledge just how hard she worked and how much she gave up to be a good little Greengrass girl. She had wanted to play Quidditch on the Slytherin team but she hadn’t even gone to try-outs because she was afraid it might be too much of a strain on her time. She wasn’t angry at him or anything, it was something she heard from her family all the time and so it was a continuation of everything that had been drilled into her head over and over. “I’m actually really concerned about my O.W.L.s,” she admitted. “I’m supposed to study for them and all, but how am I supposed to cram that in along with all the studying I’m already doing? If I didn’t have eardrums, I wouldn’t be surprised if everything I’ve learned so far just started drifting out from my head. Or maybe if some fluff popped out, like what they stuff teddy bears with.” She spared a glance at him and smiled. “Anyway, it’s easy for you to say, isn’t it? You’re absolutely perfect. You don’t know how jealous I am, Théo.” Astoria paused for a moment. She wasn’t sure if the had ever heard anyone call him anything but Théodore. “It’s alright if I call you that, isn’t it? You can call me Ria, if you’d like.” She didn’t like very many of the nicknames one could pull from her name but she thought maybe she wouldn’t mind so much if he called her one of them. From childhood, she had always thought her name was pretty and that shortening it was one of the worst things someone could do to it. Something told her she wouldn’t mind hearing her nickname said in his voice, though. Astoria turned to him immediately, stunned. “You’d really help me?” She asked. Then his tone and his compliment sunk in and she could feel her cheeks burning once again. He was flattering her and flirting, but she liked it and she couldn’t find it in herself to be wary of it. “I’d like that a lot,” she admitted shyly and smiled. It would be absolutely wonderful to be able to see him more often. She liked being near him, he made her feel warm and comfortable and fuzzy and the prospect of him leaving and not seeing him for another few months made her more upset than she had any right to be.

Theo | 478 | he doth have possession of the booty

[Deleted]

Astoria’s concern over her OWLs and the way she described her current stress levels were laughable in the best of ways, and they brought yet another grin to his face. He debated allowing that particular expression to take up a slightly more permanent residence on his face, since she seemed to bring it out more often than not. He shook his head and flashed a gentle look in her direction, sympathy written across his features. “You shouldn’t stress so much. I promise you that it isn’t as difficult as you think it is. You’ll get through them and you’ll pass with flying colors.” Théodore was slightly taken aback by the sudden nickname. He always hate nicknames, and most of them were cause for a hex or twelve. The only people he had ever allowed to call him anything other than his full name were his immediate family members, and even they knew better than to abuse the privilege. Nicknames were childish things, better suited for youngsters than for grown men with high profile jobs. With the way that Astoria was looking at him, though, he figured he could let it slide just one. Again he reached out to ruffle her hair playfully. “I suppose so; just don’t make a habit of it.” Though he was somewhat serious, his tone did nothing to give that away. His grin remained wide as she continued to speak. “Ria. I like it. It’s pretty, and it suits you.” He had to laugh, once more, at her sudden bout of disbelief. Théo’s grin could only widen from here. “Why do you sound so shocked?” He teased. “Perfect people hang around with other perfect people. It’s the natural order of things, surely you know that.” Perfect. That was something he couldn’t recall being called – at least in a while. It had been said in passing a thousand times over, sure, but never quite so directly. It was certainly an ego boost; not that he needed one at all. He was still slightly confused about just what she had to be jealous of, however. She had it all going for her, save a few high marks on her test scores. She was gorgeous, wealthy, a Slytherin, and above all else, a pureblood. Others were supposed to be jealous of her, not vice versa. The beauty next to him was bright red all the way to her ears and down her neck, flushed and as adorable as ever. Reaching out, he tucked a finger beneath her chin, inclining his head towards her as he tipped her face to look directly at him. Their eyes locked. “You’ll be seeing plenty of me, Astoria. You haven’t got a thing to worry about. We’ll work together and be sure that you’re in the clear with your grades. I’ll be here a while, anyway. There’ll be no getting rid of me, and then you’ll be pulling your hair out and trying to chase me off.” He chuckled. “You seem the type who plays hard to get like that.”

astoria | 506 | come at me bro

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“I hope those colors are the ones that tell you you’ve succeeded, and not the ones that say you’ve barely gotten yourself a passing grade,” she laughed and tucked her hair behind her ears. She was very thankful she’d taken a shower just that morning, so that was one less thing she had to worry about. Otherwise she might have sat there wondering if her hair was gross or something and hoping he didn’t notice, not to mention berating herself for being an idiot in a couple more words than that. Astoria wondered why her nickname had ever bugged her when he said it like that. She’d never been complimented so much in one sitting and she might as well have been sitting on cloud nine instead of the stony old staircase at school. The flattery, she had to say, was working its magic. She wasn’t the type of girl who usually fawned over someone, but Théodore was someone she respected and someone she had looked up to when she was a young girl. Being complimented by him made her feel important and it made her feel as though she had attained at least a few of her goals in the long run. “Well, I don’t know,” she admitted, a little confused, though she enjoyed the sound of his laugh immensely and she was pleased he seemed to be enjoying himself in her company. “I think there are two types of perfect, really. There’s the type where they have imperfections but those imperfections are what make them beautiful and perfect to someone else, and then there are those that are just... mechanical in their way of thinking and doing and not a single flaw in how they look or act. I think that what makes someone perfect is the way their beliefs and their thoughts shape their face and their smiles and... Oh, I’m talking too much, aren’t I? I’ve gotten completely off the subject.” The young woman trailed off when he tilted her chin up and their eyes met. For the second time that day, she had the urge to lean up and kiss him and learn just how it felt to have him wrap his arms around her and pull her close, though she resisted it and prayed he hadn’t noticed the struggle. “And who says I’ll want to get rid of you?” She replied, striking her last thought out of her head. “Maybe I won’t mind your company so much.” Astoria paused and tried to figure out what he meant. “Hard to get? It’s not as though you’re trying to catch me, is it?” She was sixteen and in school still, and she couldn’t imagine someone like Théodore actively trying to court her when he had access to a slew of coworkers and old school mates and such that were probably much prettier, wittier, and more charming than she was. Flirting with her might be fun or a little exciting, but she couldn’t see much resulting from it once he left and she was out of his mind.

Theo | 513 | only if it's with his booty

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Truthfully, Théodore wasn’t sure that he’d ever seen Astoria get this flustered, and he immediately found himself wondering why he hadn’t been so forward with her earlier. It’s not as if he’d lacked for opportunities, not by a long shot. He had, unfortunately, been attempting to be respectful to her parents, which always paid off in the long run but did make for some dreadfully long parties when she was one of the prettiest girls in the room and he couldn’t even make a move to enjoy himself. Now, though, Hogwarts was a haven in more ways than one and he fully intended to utilize it. “Off subject maybe, but you’re certainly not talking too much. Everything you’re saying makes perfect sense.” He inched a bit closer, truncating the gap between them until his thigh was knocking against hers, pressed close enough that he could feel the warmth radiating from her skin through the expensive fabric of his trousers. “I could listen to you talk for hours, Astoria.” He was beginning to sound about as cheesy as one of the muggle films that Aimee blabbered about so often – not that he had ever seen any of them, of course, but he certainly had a very good idea of what went on. “You’ve always got something to say that's worth listening to.” Finally the brunette beside him seemed to catch on to what he was saying and he smirked, a bit, giving an over-pronounced shrug. “Who knows. I might be,” He teased lightly, leaving a bit of mystery behind his words. Keep her guessing, that was always the key to getting the girl. It wasn’t as if Théo was any stranger to that particular subject, anyway. His mattress was rather well acquainted with the backs of a dozen different men and women he’d brought home on any of his many nights out. He was, at best, a charmer and at worst, a bit of player. Théodore kept his reputation clean and free of any of his late night rendezvous – he would allow nothing to tarnish the perfect picture so many held of him. The last thing he wanted or needed was for people to have his name on their lips for all the wrong reasons. “Would you be opposed to falling if I were there to catch you?” He asked, fingers still lingering beneath her chin. He let his eyes flicker over her face, taking in every delicate feature before they fell to her lips, lingering for a bit longer than they ought to have. He licked his own, consciously throwing out all the body language that would let her know he was interested in one way or another. Experience certainly pays off, he decided as he watched her skin flush even darker of its own accord, likely thanks to the proximity. He could feel the heat of it beneath his touch as he slid over closer, eyes flickering back to her own pair to gauge her reactions to every touch, look, and breath passed between them.

astoria | 506 | but of course

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Alright, it was obvious even to her that he was flirting, and she had been able to explain away most of his previous forays into it as being bored or just making conversation but he’d intentionally moved closer until her bare thigh pressed against his and she wished briefly that she’d had the foresight to order longer uniform skirts, but how could she have possibly predicted this occurring? Astoria tried very hard not to laugh, but it was hard not to when he was nearing on phrases the men in her sister’s romance novels would spout to the woman they loved. It was endearing, though, and the way he said it made it feel as though he actually meant it and the fluttering her heart did made her forget that it was even remotely cheesy. He certainly had a talent in this line of work, that was for sure. She shouldn’t have been surprised, he was good at practically everything else so why shouldn’t flirting and courting be one of those things? “I thank you,” she replied with a grin, “though you haven’t been alone with me long enough to be able to say that truthfully. In fact, I think you may just be flattering me. I won’t lie and say I don’t like it.” She thought he was probably teasing her again when he told her he might be interested, her smile turned to a wry one. “Théodore, while I can appreciate that other girls might find it interesting if you keep yourself from giving answers, I’m a Slytherin and I like to be certain about things. It’s much better than wallowing around in the dark like a big fool.” Her gaze dropped to his lips when he slid his tongue across them and for a moment her mouth felt very dry. She had to scramble for her last train of thought because all she could think about was how his eyes were on her mouth and how much she wanted to kiss him and hope that maybe he would let her do it again and again instead of just once. Some silly part of her said that it might be worth it to have one kiss from him as long as she could get it now but the sensible part of her reminded her that she was selfish and a bit greedy and she’d want the right to keep doing it whenever she wanted to. “I wouldn’t be opposed,” she admitted breathlessly because there was nothing she could do but tell him the truth. It wasn’t as though her eyes weren’t telling him the same thing. “I’d very much like it if you were there to catch me, can I trust you with that?”

Theo | 458 | ugh cuties stop

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This little teasing game they had was like cat and mouse. One would strike, the other would scurry and then the tables would turn. He was enjoying it more than he normally did – when girls tried to play this way with him he often found himself bored rather quickly. For the moment it appeared he was more patient today, likely because Astoria’s intrusion into the phenomenally boring conversation he’d been forced to listen in on had taken him away from something he despised for more than playful turns of phrase. There was only so much one could say about muggle toys after all, and it was all things he had hurt a dozen times before. Besides that, it appeared that every time anything muggle became involved, so did the name Arthur Weasley. It almost made him scoff to think of such a thing, because it would make sense for the no-good blood traitor to have such a damn interest in rubber ducks, toasters, or whatever it was he was trying to understand this week. Had he been alone, Théodore would have rolled his eyes. Astoria, it seemed, was playing humble today. He couldn’t recall if she had ever done anything else, but then they hadn’t spent an obscene amount of time alone in one another’s company. She had every right to boast, however, but it was somewhat refreshing to see that she did not feel the same way; or at the very least that she did not feel the need to. It always was reassuring to know that there were slytherins like that and like himself, ones that transcended that self-absorbed and utterly stereotypical ego. He, of course, ignored the fact that in thinking such a thing he was really, by all accounts, doing nothing less than fluffing his own already inflated egocentric self. “My apologies, Miss,” Théodore chided, brows rising once in a clearly playful yet still challenging display. “I was under the assumption that women liked a good bit of mystery in their men. It’s refreshing to know that I was wrong.” And yet he continued on without giving her an answer, perhaps testing to see just how far he could push before she would demand a straight response. He was trying to find and press every button she had until he stumbled accidentally on the big red one. That one was always the most fun to press over and over. The conversation rolled right along however, most buttons unpressed as it seemed that all the air in Astoria’s body left her in one heavy rush. Her words were airy and light, and they sounded like they had been forced from a throat that had fallen shut due to utter shock at his words. It was yet another expression that surpassed proper explanation. However breathless, her voice sounded so hopeful, laced with an edge of excitement and he couldn’t quite find it in himself to tear her down. Besides that, he truly did have high hopes that he could swing her to the proper side. Hopefully she would end up marked and that would be yet another gold star on his permanent record. Surely there was a reward system for successfully recruiting new members, wasn’t there? The smile he’d been wearing since she’d first called his name softened and widened all at once. He nodded gently before verbally affirming her. “Of course. Why would I offer the safety of my arms if I didn’t intend to give them to you without question?” It was then that Théodore saw his chance and took it, glancing around the area to be sure that there was no one who might possibly see. He took half a second to listen for the footsteps that echoed without fail each and every time someone strolled down one of the endless corridors within the castle and, finding nothing, he pressed his lips to hers, kissing the lower lip, and then the upper one before letting himself linger at the corner of her mouth for a long moment. The kisses were chaste and gentle but spoke volumes of convincing promises that he didn’t really mean but would give her anyway. Pulling back just enough to observe her face, Théo smiled warmly, blue eyes bright and half-lidded as he looked through his lashes at her. “Do you trust me now?”

astoria | 723 | BAM

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“I think women who like that are rather foolish,” Astoria smiled in return. “Women who like mystery in a bloke are often the ones who find themselves heartbroken, aren’t they? They focus more on how mysterious and cool he is rather than trying to build a relationship on trust and knowledge. Do you know that probably half the female population here probably think they’ve been duped by some guy and heartbroken by no fault of their own? It’s ridiculous!” The only reason she’d been able to observe and learn from this phenomena happened to stem from the fact that she was too busy trying to please her parents to participate in the dating rituals around the school. Her friends liked to joke that if she wasn’t so terrible at school work, she would have been placed in Ravenclaw for the tenacity with which she attacked it. It wasn’t as though Astoria didn’t want to go on dates and hold someone’s hand in the hallways, hidden from the eyes of professors by the folds of their robes. It wasn’t as though the thought of having someone to visit over the summer and to write to and to smile at and be held by was a concept that disgusted her. She was a young woman and she had dreams as well, albeit these ones were rather girlish. How did she have time, though? She didn’t even know what she wanted to do with her life and she had to find out before choosing her classes for sixth year because those were what determined her future, as annoying as that was. That being said, she didn’t have time for a guy who was always pulling her away from her studies or distracting her from her work to do things like cuddle and kiss and talk about their feelings. In fact, she hoped she never found a guy who willingly wanted to sit there and drone on about the things that he was feeling at any given moment in time. She wanted someone who was intuitive and knew her well enough to know, most of the time, what she was feeling without asking and she wanted to be the same type of person for someone, to know when to reach out and comfort them without having to waste time asking about it, to know when to put down her quill and kiss them. Her friends usually laughed at her because, according to them, there was no guy at the age of fifteen or sixteen who would be experienced enough to be like that. Well, then maybe she wouldn’t date until she was out of school. She thought about what he said and went to reply, though before she could, he’d kissed her and it felt more magical than anything she could coax her wand into doing. Instinctively, mostly because she didn’t know where else to put her hands while he was stealing away (and quite pleasantly, she might add) her first three kisses, she placed one hand on his cheek and rested the other on his shoulder, curling her fingers into his very nice shirt. “Oh,” was her first reaction when he pulled away, leaving her smiling and blushing and her pulse racing under her skin. She tried to pull herself together enough to speak again, a little overwhelmed by what was happening. “In your opinion, does this mean I should trust you more or less than I already do?”

Theo | 578 | jfc