"IS SHE OKAY?" KATERINA HEARD IN the distance.

"i dont know, somebody get madam pomfrey!"

"back up, students!"

"im so sorry, it was an accident i-"

"dont touch her, git!"

"potter, hands off nott!"

"boys, stop fighting and help me take her to the hospital wing."

"yes, madam pomfrey," they spoke in unison, as kat's consciousness slowly faded away.

***

KAT OPENED HER EYES AND SAW nothing but a white curtain. it surrounded a white bed she was lying in, with two brown oak stools on her right, and a cushioned rocking chair to her left.

asleep on the rocking chair was none other than theodore nott.

she slowly sat up, letting out a groan and feeling a horrible pain hit her head, causing her to lie back down.

theo shook himself awake after hearing commotion, "oh, youre up."

kat lifted her hand to her head, "up is an overstatement. i feel like shit."

"look like it, too."

she glared at him, causing him to smirk before standing up. the double doors opened abruptly, revealing madam pomfrey and the girl's friends.

"katerina!" hermione exclaimed, running to her bed and inspecting her face, "you look horrid! what has she given you?"

"thanks."

ron laughed and pulled hermione back so madam pomfrey could bring a syringe to kat, while harry and capri stood to the side and eyed the other guy.

"what are you doing here?" harry spat, as the blonde girl looked him up and down in disgust.

theodore put his hands up defensively, "just came to apologize," he turned to katerina, who was looking away from whatever the nurse was injecting into her arm, "flint threatened to kick me off the team, so are we alright here?"

"you almost tore her legs from her body!" ron yelled, gripping his wand.

"thats an exaggeration," kat laughed before looking at everyone and seeing their straight faces, "it was an exaggeration, right?"

"yes, miss hart," madam pomfrey mumbled before giving everyone else a look.

katerina cleared her throat, "you can leave, nott."

he scratched the back of his neck, "can i tell marcus you accepted my apology?"

"you didnt even apologize- you know what, just get out."

"harry, be nice!" capri exclaimed, slapping his shoulder. "ouch!"

"would you two please stop bickering, i have a migraine," katerina groaned, placing a hand on her forehead and throwing it back against her pillow.

***

KATERINA WASNT ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE east wing. did that stop her from sneaking out in the middle of the night? nope.

she creaked the tall doors open, trying to make
no noise, then looked left and right for prefects. believe it or not, hogwarts looked very different at night than the day. the clock tower seems louder, and you actually have to think about where you want to step.

as she wandered around, a thought came to her. did gryffindor even win? did she take the fall for no reason. its a stupid thought, i know. she just got knocked unconscious for godric knows how long, and shes still worried about quidditch. typical, as theodore nott would say.

the large hands on the clock pointed to the number two. so it was two o clock in the morning. kat decided to stop at the astronomy tower, capri told her great things about the view from the top.

she listened to the clanging sound that her feet made, heading up the spiral staircase. and boy, capri wasn't wrong. because the view that katerina had was like no other.

nott, himself, sat on the ledge of the tower, with smoke leaving his mouth.

its not like she could have left, the floors of the tower were not exactly quiet. he turned his head to her direction, then turned it right back to the starry night.

kat stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do or where to move.

"you don't need my permission to sit."

his voice was raspy, his hair a mess. his eyes were exhausted, like he hasn't slept in days. he wore a dark green jumper, as he sat comfortably and dozed off.

she cleared her throat and mutter, "right."

the girl sat on the opposite side of the ledge, because why would she want to be near him?

(A/N : i would.)

other than the uncomfortable silence, the air was calm. she watched the wind flow through the array of greens and blacks. the constellations becoming brighter and easier to spot after time passed. kat lied her aching head against the cold wall next to her.

theodore pulled the cigarette from his mouth, sitting silently for a moment. his eyes flickered between the indigo sky and the girl.

breaking the silence, he offered, "y' want one?"

she glanced over tiredly, shaking her head, "i don't smoke."

"why not?"

"i don't want to die at the age of thirty," she sassed, furrowing her eyebrows as the smokey aroma nears her.

theo scoffed, his usual smirk taking over, "it'll calm your nerves."

"what nerves?"

"the nerves that are making your hands shake," he raised his eyebrows matter-of-factly, nodding toward her hand that held her from lying down on the cold metal.

katerina looked down, finally acknowledging the rattling of her hand.

"oh."

he pulled out a fresh cigar and, once again, moved it toward her, "one wont hurt."

"i dont even know how-"

"i can teach you," he replied, not letting her finish.

kat let out a heartfelt laugh, "you think this'll make up for the bludger to my head, pun unintended."

"no," he shrugged, "but it might help."

she sat for a moment, processing what was going on. after thinking really hard, she locked their eyes once more, "one wont hurt."

his smirk took over once more, handing the small but deadly item to her, "so you put part of it in your mouth, then light it," he muttered, scrambling to find his lighter, and mumbling the occasional 'fanculo', then handing that to her as well, "and just inhale."

(A/N : 'fanculo' translates to 'fuck')

the girl stared at him, her dark green eyes glowing in the moonlight the shone in front of them, slowly but surely following his instructions.

theo watched the lighter flicker on and off, the amber tint revealing features he's never really noticed before.

she had finally managed to create a glow at the end of the cigarette, when she looked up to find his eyes looking her over in admiration.

"what?" she smiled, holding the cigarette in between her pointer finger and middle finger, like she'd seen in countless of tv shows at home.

he shook his head, "nothing, just inhale. and try not to—"

before he could finish, she began choking rapidly, smoke shooting out of her throat in almost chunks.

"—choke."

rora's notes 📝

wrd count - 1148

!!NOT PROOFREAD!!

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