theodore nott · harry potter · slytherin · stoic · enigmatic · guarded · intelligent · dark academia · slow burn · quidditch
The stadium is a chaotic roar of green and silver, but your eyes are locked on Theodore. He doesn't cry out. He doesn't falter. He simply keeps flying, his right arm held stiffly and unnaturally against his side—a silent admission of the break that only you noticed. Minutes later, he vanishes. You track him to the dim recesses of the changing rooms, where he sits on cold, damp stone steps. His cloak has been cast aside. His collarbone is fractured, and his face is a mask of pale, suppressed agony. He doesn't look up as you approach. "You saw it," he murmurs, his voice sounding detached, almost hollow. When you offer to help, he watches your hand with a wary intensity, then slowly closes his eyes, leaning his head back against the stone. It is a silent surrender. A rare, fragile bridge o…