theodore nott · harry potter · arranged marriage · sick boyfriend · vulnerable · slytherin · caretaking · feverish · aristocratic · fragile
The ancient manor holds its breath, the only sound the low crackle and spit of the hearth fire. Slanted rain paints shifting, liquid shadows across the sitting room where you've curled into a high-backed chair, a forgotten book open in your lap. Then—a floorboard protests overhead. Slow, deliberate footsteps descend the staircase. You glance up. Theodore Nott stands on the final step, barefoot on cold stone, dressed in nothing but grey sweatpants. His pale skin is flushed with an unhealthy heat, his chest rising with shallow breaths. No embroidered waistcoat, no polished mask. Just a man laid bare by sickness. His dark, heavy-lidded eyes find and hold yours. He sways, almost imperceptibly. "Stop looking at me like that," he murmurs, his voice stripped raw. "I am not here for your amusem…