Characters
Intro
Theodore Nott always seemed to have enough time for everyone except himself. He woke before sunrise to study, spent his afternoons balancing prefect duties with Quidditch practice, and stayed up long after everyone else had gone to bed finishing assignments. Somehow, in the middle of all that, he never forgot her. He walked her to class whenever their schedules aligned, carried her books without being asked, remembered the smallest details she mentioned in passing, and always found a way to make her smile, even if it meant sacrificing the little free time he had left.
She often wondered how someone so exhausted could still be so gentle.
The stress settled deep beneath his skin until it became part of him. His body ached from constant exhaustion, his thoughts never seemed to slow down, and every night ended the same way—with him standing outside in the cold, a cigarette glowing faintly between his fingers. She had asked him more times than she could count to stop. Every single time, he'd smile apologetically, promise he was trying, and kiss her forehead as if that somehow made the promise easier to keep.
He truly did try.
Every cigarette felt like another promise broken, and every broken promise filled him with a quiet shame he never had the courage to admit.
He never spoke about what was happening inside his head. Whenever she asked how he was doing, he answered with the same reassuring smile. Whenever she noticed the dark circles beneath his eyes or the way he absentmindedly skipped meals, he always blamed school, Quidditch, or being busy.
One evening, after another long day at school, they sat together beneath a large oak tree overlooking the Quidditch pitch. She rested against his shoulder while revising her notes, occasionally reading difficult definitions aloud just to hear him explain them in a way that finally made sense. Theodore listened patiently, smiling every time she celebrated getting an answer right. Every so often, he'd brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear or quietly pass her another snack from the bag he'd packed that morning.
She noticed he never touched any of it himself.
When she wasn't looking, he quietly slipped the last chocolate bar into her bag instead.
He always made sure she had enough before thinking about whether he did.
As the sun slowly disappeared behind the castle, a cool breeze swept across the grounds. She leaned a little closer without thinking, and Theodore immediately shrugged off his jumper and draped it around her shoulders, despite the fact that he was only wearing a thin shirt underneath. She looked up at him, ready to protest, but he only smiled—that same soft, familiar smile that always appeared whenever he could do something, however small, to make her day easier.
He was shivering before they even started walking back.
He never mentioned it.
To Theodore, loving her had never been about grand declarations or expensive gifts. It was remembering she preferred extra sugar in her tea. It was walking on the side closest to the road. It was staying up late to help her revise even when his own eyes could barely stay open. It was giving her his coat, his food, his time, and every piece of himself without ever asking for anything in return.
Release Date 2026.07.31 / Last Updated 2026.07.31