CHAPTER TWENTY SIX:

APRIL THE SECOND

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      If Nova had thought Fred and George's departure meant the last of seeing any of their joke products, she was happily mistaken.

      First, there was all the talk about the twins' leaving. Nova couldn't turn a corridor without finding at least three students talking about the wonderful and monumental occasion. Nova knew that it would be the type of story to carry over through Hogwarts through generations. Hell, Fred and George's grandkids would probably hear about their grandfathers' epic departure fro, Hogwarts when the time came for them to attend. Even her fellow Slytherins, who hated Fred and George even more now that students wanted to follow in their footsteps, were discussing the twins. Malfoy continued to pout and act as if the twins had done him a personal disservice.

      Secondly, since Fred and George had left, it seemed as if everyone at Hogwarts was testing out their statuses as Hogwarts' troublemakers. Dungbombs were set off nearly every time lessons ended, and they became so frequent that Nova made sure to always perform the Bubble-Head Charm on herself before leaving any classroom. It made her look like a startled goldfish, but it gave her enough clean air to last the walk to wherever she needed to go next. She tried to remind Ron to perform the same charm every time he left his lessons, but her boyfriend was probably the most forgetful person she'd ever met. More often than not he'd arrive to lessons with his nose twitching and eyes watering from the stench. 

      Thirdly, and probably the most prominent of the reasons why no one would forget the names Fred and George Weasley... the swamp on the fifth floor still hadn't been cleared. And though Nova was fairly certain McGonagall or even Snape could get rid of the swamp with the wave of a wand, they seemed to enjoy watching Umbridge scramble around to try and find a solution. Eventually, the corridor was roped off and Filch was given the task of escorting students across it whenever they needed to get to their classrooms. 

      Among these three main reasons, there were also the cases of Skiving Snackboxes, of which students used even before Umbridge walked into class to start her lessons. Nova herself had inhaled a Puking Pastille (and tried not to let anyone see the proud tears that swelled in her eyes when she remembered she was the first official tester for the final product) the second Umbridge had walked into the classroom, and Blaise had tried to hide his snickers when Nova leaned over the side of her desk and vomited straight to the floor. When Umbridge had tried to accuse her of taking one, she simply rolled her eyes. "You think a Slytherin would willingly ingest something the Weasley twins made? I'm truly sick, Professor Umbridge." But she knew there was a gleam in her eyes that told Umbridge she was lying straight through her teeth. Still, Umbridge had no choice but to send her to the Hospital Wing - which naturally meant Nova simply exited the classroom and bit off the other end of the treat before stowing away in the Slytherin common room until her next class started. 

      And then there was Peeves. Peeves, who seemed to be taking Fred and George's demands to heart. She'd never seen Peeves work so hard to cause so much destruction and mayhem. One day, Nova saw him trying to take a burning torch offering light from the top of the corridor and watched him struggle for a moment before she spelled it to levitate out of its constraints. Peeves gave her a large grin before he was off, ready to create more mayhem once again.

      Still, even with everyone seemingly honoring Fred and George's last wishes, it didn't make trips to the kitchens knowing they wouldn't be there any easier.

      Ron had brought Hermione and Harry along to try and fill the void, but Harry was oblivious to what was making Nova upset and Hermione complained the entire time about how she shouldn't be out past curfew, even if she was a prefect. Ron hadn't brought them back since. 

      "Harry apparently gave Fred and George the money to start up their joke shop," Ron mentioned one night in the kitchens. Nova was dejectedly looking at her chocolate ice cream but swiveled her head to stare at Ron when he started to speak. "He gave them his winnings from the Triwizard Tournament."

      "That was nice of him," Nova mentioned, moving to sit directly next to Ron. She held her hand out expectantly and smiled slightly when he immediately slotted their fingers together. "You're getting better at that," she mentioned, watching his cheeks go pink. 

      "It's their birthday today. April first. Fitting, isn't it?" Ron asked, snorting. Nova's eyes widened a little bit. She had, of course, known the twins' birthday was April first, but in her previous years of schooling, that hadn't mattered to her. Now, it did. Not just because they were her friends and she should have gotten them something... but because her own birthday was just the next day. Theo's birthday.

      "Really?" she questioned, trying to keep her voice from sounding too interested. For the first time in the past week, however, her mind wasn't on Fred and George. It was on her brother, who she'd tried to avoid thinking about for the past month. "I wonder if they opened their shop today, then. For good luck and all."

      "Probably. Wouldn't put it past them." He seemed to realize she wasn't with him anymore and gave her fingers a squeeze. "Nova? What're you thinking?"

      She didn't want to tell him. He'd get so guilty about not knowing and she didn't want him to feel that way. So, she simply smiled sneakily. "Just about how you don't know how to snog properly." He turned to glare at her with red cheeks and she let out a small laugh. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, really. Don't feel bad at all."

      "Sod off," he said with a pout and Nova couldn't control her laughter. "I know how to snog!"

      "Really? Have you ever snogged anyone before?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. It was a low blow, considering she didn't think he ever had, but she was trying to prove a point.

      "That doesn't matter." Understanding seemed to bloom in his eyes and he stared at her. "Did you snog Malfoy?" Nova wanted to laugh at the look on his face. 

      "Well, we were dating. Dating includes snogging." Ron's face went red, but not in embarrassment. He was actually jealous. Nova tried to bite her lips to control her laughter as she placed a hand on his chest. "You don't need to be jealous of Malfoy, Ron. For one, it's Malfoy," she said, rolling her eyes, "and secondly, I like you, okay? I fancy you. I never felt that way for Malfoy. Dating him was, I think, just a way to keep my father happy. Once I stopped trying to do things that would please my father, I knew that I had to break things off with Malfoy. It just wasn't right. For either of us."

      "He still fancies you, you know? I see it in the way he looks at you. Hermione can tell, too. She heard him talking about you to Zabini once when he thought she wasn't listening." 

      "Ron," she said slowly, as if she was talking to a two-year-old. "I fancy you."

      While he was still staring at her, she took his face into her hands and pressed a gentle kiss to his mouth. As if he had something to prove, he automatically encircled his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, holding her so tightly that she wondered if his knuckles had gone white. Her own hands reached up and ran through his hair, tousling the ginger strands between her fingers as his mouth moved against hers with a fervor he'd never kissed her with before. And even though he still grimaced when she playfully bit his bottom lip lightly in her teeth, she realized that he had this weird power over her. This sort of possession in which she would have been completely happy there in his arms for the rest of her life.

      His hands were sliding up her back and on her neck, entangling in her hair and her fingers were shaking against his skin as her mouth parted against his, making sure to take his mouth through the same action. His breathing hit her cheeks in hot flashes of air and Nova could feel her heart beating erratically in her chest. 

      Did he know what the bloody hell he was doing to her? Her heart felt like it was swelling, growing three sizes too big for her chest. Her breath was thinning, and not just because he wasn't allowing her to come up for air. It was because he had gotten into her lungs and all she could breathe in was him. 

      Her mind relaxed, less focused on teaching him to snog now that she was actually kissing him and caught up in the moment. It was why she was so surprised when he pinched her arm and she made to pull away and start shouting at him, but he quickly took her open mouth as an invitation to add his tongue to the kiss. Nova couldn't help the laugh that bubbled in her throat and she pulled away. "Very sneaky, Weasley," said breathlessly. "Someone obviously eavesdropped on Fred and George when they were discussing how to snog someone."

      "I don't need to eavesdrop," he replied bemusedly, that angry crease between his eyebrows making an appearance once more. Nova was surprised to find how much she liked it. She reached up with her finger and tried to smooth it out. It was unrelenting. 

      "Ron," she said, giving him a look, "you attacked my mouth. Snogging doesn't have to be a fight, you know. You can ease right into it." To prove her words, Nova gently wrapped her hands around the nape of his neck and leaned forwards once more. This time, she gently parted his mouth and slipped her tongue between his lips. Unlike Ron, she didn't try to rush. She could sense he was getting used to the unfamiliar sensation, but soon enough he was kissing her back slowly and sweetly like he knew how to snog all along. His hands, less gripping now, moved up and down her arms in an attempt to find somewhere to hold. He didn't seem to find any place, but it didn't stop him from going hot underneath her fingertips. Her thumb moved back and forth across his jawline as she moved her lips from his and pressed a small kiss on his chin, then his jaw, ghosting over where her fingers had just been. He shuddered like he had gone cold. Nova grinned, happy that she had regained power over her thoughts and emotions once again. "See?" she asked. "That's a proper snog."

      He seemed to deflate at her words. "Was that all this was? Just a snogging lesson? Don't I affect you at all?" he asked.

      "Ron," Nova replied, shaking her head. "How can you even say that?" She leaned her forehead against his, content to stay there for the rest of her life. Frozen in that moment forever and forever. "You don't even know how much I fancy you. Don't ever think I don't."

      They stayed there, stuck in that moment in time until they wanted to leave. Nova could hear nothing but the sound of silence and the sound of her own heart thumping in her ears.

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      Blaise Zabini could not sing Happy Birthday well. Nova had discovered this little tidbit about her friend when he had barreled down the stairs to his dorm with a grin on his face and a song on his lips. Even though Nova had smiled throughout the awful rendition, her thoughts were far from Blaise and on Theo, who she hadn't seen all morning. 

      "Was Theo in the dorm when you woke up this morning?" Nova asked as they sat at breakfast, eating the special pancakes Blaise had requested the elves make for Nova's birthday. Overall, it was an incredibly sweet gesture. But all Nova could think about was that it wasn't really her birthday if she didn't have Theo by her side. They'd spent their birthday together everyday for the previous sixteen years and sitting there without him felt like the most wrong thing she'd ever done in her life.

      An odd look crossed Blaise's face, but he shook his head. "He went out to sit by the lake. He hasn't got a class until later."

      Nova nodded her understanding. When Blaise and the others headed to class, Nova made her way to the kitchens and gave Dobby the house elf a big smile. "Hey, Dobby. How are you today?"

      His eyes widened, like he was surprised she was talking to him. "Dobby is happy, Miss Nott! What can Dobby do for Miss Nott? What food does Miss Nott want?"

      "I'll just take a slice of chocolate cake and a slice of vanilla cake, please. It's my birthday today, so I'm celebrating," Nova said with a wink, knowing that Dobby would use this information to spruce up the slice with candles and sprinkles. 

      "Dobby wishes Miss Nott had a very happy birthday! Dobby will get the cake now." Dobby was gone in a flash, and back seconds later with two big plates, both decorated with pre-lit candles and sprinkles. "Here Miss Nott goes!"

      "Thanks, Dobby. I appreciate it." Nova took the slices of cake and made her way out of the castle. The sun was shining brightly, a beautiful April day looming over her head. But even the sun couldn't stop the drumming of her heart. She realized with a start that she was nervous to see her brother, and she'd never felt that way before. She was actually nervous to talk to her twin. The thought was both sad and shaming. She shouldn't have to feel nervous to talk to him. This was a decision he had made for himself. 

      Still, when she saw him sitting at the lake's edge, she knew those shaming feelings evaporated in her chest, like they did every time she was reminded how much she loved him.

      "Hey," she said, and she hated that his back stiffened at the sound of her voice. She gently sat down on the grass next to him and handed him the vanilla slice of cake, knowing it was the flavor he had preferred. When they were younger, Rinks the house elf had used to make both vanilla and chocolate cakes because Theo couldn't stand the taste of chocolate and Nova would rather die than eat vanilla. It was nice knowing that of everything that had changed, this wasn't one of them. "Happy birthday," she said softly. He accepted the plate in his hands and gave her a small smile. She set her own cake on the ground next to her.

      "Happy birthday," he echoed, staring at the cake in his hands. "I wasn't able to get you anything this year. I've been..." he trailed off, as if knowing his words would only hurt her.

      "That's alright. I didn't get you anything either."

      It was silent between the two for a moment before she heard Theo sniffle. When she looked over at him once more, he was wiping underneath his eye and trying to get rid of a tear that had shed. He suddenly set the plate on the ground and took Nova in his arms, hugging her tightly to his chest. Nova felt the own tears well in her eyes at the familiar embrace. She tried to control her sobs as she sat there for what felt like hours, hugging her brother, but she couldn't. She was shaking. Theo was too. 

      "I'm sorry," he whispered as he held her. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you. I just wanted acceptance, and I knew that if I did this, if I did what I did, Father finally would accept me. I knew I had acceptance from you, but... it just wasn't the same. And I hate that. I hate that it wasn't enough, but it wasn't."

      "I know it wasn't enough. I want acceptance from Father too, Theo. I've just given up on getting it. I should have been there for you. I should have told you, everyday, how much I love you and how much you mean to me. I shouldn't have pushed you away, especially not then. I've been asking Blaise about you, asking how you are for the past month. I was going crazy," Nova said, letting out a laugh that sounded insane as she pulled away from Theo's hug. He reached up to his face to wipe some more tears away, and Nova did the same. "Look at us, sitting here crying like kids. We're sixteen now, we're almost of age. We need to pull ourselves together."

      "You're joking," he said in wonder, letting out a small laugh. "You look so much happier. I thought it was because I wasn't around anymore. And I told myself if you were that happy without me, then I would stay away. I just want that for you."

      "Theo, I was miserable without you around. That's the one thing that made me unhappy. You could never make me unhappy. I was disappointed that day, when you told me, but I should have sat down and talked it out. I acted irrationally. I know you did what you thought you had to do. I'm just so terrified for you."

      "I know, I'm terrified too." He held out his hand and she happily squeezed his fingers, giving him a watery smile. "There's something I have to tell you. I'm not sure how you'll take it. But I can't keep any more secrets from you. I think I'll explode."

      "I have a something to tell you, too. You first," she said, nodding her head to encourage him to continue.

      Theo nodded and took a deep breath. When the words left his mouth, it was like he was nervous. "I assume Blaise told you about what happened last week. No, I know Blaise told you because when I saw him, his knuckles were bandaged and it screamed Nova." She nodded in a way to get him to continue. "The next morning I got up early and found him when he was jogging around the Quidditch Pitch. I told him I was in love with Daphne and that I was sorry I couldn't return his affections."

      As she could see it hurt him to say it, she reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Oh, Theo, I know that must have been hard. But you did the right thing. Not leading him on. Blaise is strong. He'll get over it."

      "No, that's not the end of the story, Nova," Theo said miserably, shaking his head. "I... I kissed him. I kissed him as an apology at first, as a way to say sorry that I didn't love him back, to say sorry that he had to deal with these feelings and know that I had them for someone else. But Nova..."

      "You felt something when you kissed him," Nova concluded, understanding the look her brother sent her with the skill only a twin could have. "Do you like Blaise? Fancy him, I mean?"

      "I thought I didn't. I was determined I didn't. This is going to sound so stupid Nova, because I know people like me don't deserve happiness, but I felt something in that kiss that I've never felt with Daphne. At all. It was terrifying. I've been avoiding him all week to try and sort through my feelings and make sure that I don't hurt him. I don't want to hurt him." He let out a small, broken sound that made Nova's eyes well with tears. "Nova, I think I do fancy him. But I can't, not when Father is the way he is. You know what he'll do to me. He'd kill me if he wanted to."

      "Blaise will understand that," Nova assured him, pulling him closer. He rested his head on hr shoulder. "Theo, Blaise understands more than we give him credit for. He's been an incredible friend these past couple of months. But Blaise can't understand this if you don't let him know. You have to tell him what you're feeling, okay? He'll understand, I promise."

      Theo nodded hopelessly against her shoulder as the two of them stared out into the expansive Black Lake in silence. Nova felt the cool slapping feeling of relief. She was with Theo again. She and Theo were okay. They were both hurting, but together they were a little bit stronger. 

      "What did you have to tell me?" he asked, sniffling still. 

      She opened her mouth to do it. She was going to tell him about why she had been happier the past couple of weeks, about why she was floating on cloud nine even when Theo wasn't around. She was going to tell him about how she could feel something for someone and that she had been wrong and he had been right, like he normally always was. She was going to tell him how special and treasured Ron Weasley actually made her feel and how he was the reason she had the strength to keep fighting for him.

      But then her eyes fell to his left sleeve, where she knew the Dark Mark rested underneath his shirt.

       Tears came to her eyes when she realized she might never be able to tell Theo about Ron. Because no matter how much she loved her brother, he belonged to the Dark Lord now. The Weasley family would always be the blood traitors that her Father had claimed they were, and Theo would believe it. This moment, their moment, sitting at the lake, would be ruined if she told him. 

      She couldn't let things between them be ruined again.

      "I taught myself how to produce a Patronus," she said after a few moments of silence, the lie coming to her lips easily. "I've been practicing a lot this school year and I finally got it. My Patronus is a robin."

      "Robins are supposed to bring a fresh new perspective to situations that are unclear." Nova turned to look at her brother in surprise. "I read that somewhere. It suits you. I always call on you when I'm confused. You're insightful." Nova smiled at the compliment. "Do you think you could teach me to produce one? Just in case."

      "It's hard, Theo. It'll take months of practice. And you have to think of a strong happy memory. I went through about a thousand of them and none of them were strong enough before I finally found one that worked. You can't get upset if a particular memory doesn't work."

      "It'll be easy. My happiest memories have always been with you."

      She was sure he didn't know how much his statement meant to her, but it did. It felt like the air had left her lungs and if possible, she was the happiest she'd ever been. She had Ron. She had Theo back. Theo and Blaise were maybe going to work something out, and even if they didn't, at least Blaise wouldn't be led on. He could focus on moving on from Theo, focus on himself. Everything was falling into place and Nova wanted to keep this moment alive forever. 

      "I love you, Theo," she whispered, as if speaking loudly would shatter their little moment. She desperately didn't want it to crack.

      "I love you too, Nova. I'm glad we got to share another birthday together."

      Nova knew that for the rest of her life, even when she was gray and old, she would remember this particular birthday for a lifetime.

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SO HERE'S SOME OF THEO'S INSIGHT ON THAISE AND ALSO SOME ROVA SNOGGING FOR YOU GUYS BC YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING. I'm so so sorry for not updating over the weekend, but I had a full eight hour shift on Saturday and last night I had to close, so I dropped dead the second I got home. I hope this chapter makes up for it. Also, a lot of you liked seeing Blaise's point of view last chapter, is that something you'd like to see again? Let me know!