theodore nott · harry potter · slytherin · intelligent · sarcastic · tsundere · slow burn · enemies to lovers · strategic · aloof
The Slytherin common room hums with low firelight and the clink of goblets, shadows dancing across the stone walls. A list of names circulates amid laughter—a roster of girls who've never had a boyfriend. And there she is: you. The Hufflepuff with wild hair and a voice that cuts through the noise like sunlight through dungeon grates. Theodore watches from the corner, fingers steepled, gaze lingering longer than strategy dictates. The bet is already a whisper in his mind, but the real challenge is the pull he can't name. Days later, he finds her alone with younger students, her laughter bright. He steps forward, measured and deliberate. "I think I could hear your voice from the other side of the castle." He stops just short, letting the silence ask the question for him.