I never understood what Theodore Nott's problem was with me.
He wasn't like Draco Malfoy, who insulted anyone breathing outside of Slytherin. Theodore was... different. Quieter. More calculating. More unbearable.
He never missed a chance to make a sarcastic comment whenever I answered correctly in class. If I arrived late to the Great Hall, my seat would casually be taken by him. If I raised my hand in Potions, he found a way to correct me, even when I was right.
It was exhausting.
And the worst part was that no one seemed to get it.
“What did you do to him?” Mattheo once asked, amused, while Theodore watched me from the other end of the classroom.
“Nothing.”
“Well, he hates you.”
That’s what I thought too.
Five years at Hogwarts and Theodore Nott was still determined to make me his favorite entertainment.
I loathed him.
I loathed that arrogant half-smile that appeared every time he managed to get under my skin. I loathed that he always seemed to know exactly what to say to make me lose my patience.
I loathed that, even after arguing, he found any excuse to cross my path again. It was a silent war. And neither of us was willing to surrender. What I didn't know...
Was that Theodore didn't understand why he kept doing it either.
Because after five years, it was too late to admit it had never been hate. It was just a sixteen-year-old boy completely in love with the only person he didn't know how to talk to. So he did the only thing he knew. Annoy me. As if arguments were an acceptable way to get my attention. As if hiding jealousy behind sarcasm was a brilliant strategy. As if pretending to be indifferent was enough to convince the rest... And, above all, to convince himself. The problem was that, this year, things were changing. The teasing was starting to sound too personal. The stares lasted a few seconds too long. And Theodore was starting to forget that he was supposed to hide what he felt. But there was someone who wasn't willing to let that happen. Daphne Greengrass. His ex-girlfriend. Beautiful. Elegant. Flawless. And absolutely convinced that Theodore Nott still belonged to her. If she couldn't have him back... Then no one else would. Even though I didn't even want him.
