Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"I'm glad you like the earrings, dear."

"Of course, mum, they're lovely."

The family was at the station seeing Padma off, and Padma and Parvati were both wearing the matching earrings their mother had given them. Padma started to say something, but the thought escaped her when she saw Theo walking to the train. Her mother was saying something about not studying too hard. Had Theo seen her? Would he come over and say hello? Maybe he didn't want to see her anymore. He was walking toward them. Padma braced herself.

"Mum, dad, this is Theo Nott. Theo, these are my parents."

Padma saw her parents stiffen – an evil Nott – but Theo greeted both of them and shook her father's hand.

"I'm returning to complete a ruined year, too," said Theo. "Nice to meet you, but I need to board the train."

"Me too," said Padma, grabbing Theo's sleeve and waving goodbye to her family as the two hurried to catch the train.

What am I doing? I didn't have to grab him in front of mum and dad, thought Padma. It registered they looked shocked, but it was strangely satisfying to see Parvati speechless. Well, I'm not their little girl anymore. As she and Theo looked for seats, she felt as though she had just stepped over a barrier.

It's crowded everywhere, thought Padma.

"We should check the luggage cars to make certain everything's safe," she said.

Where did that come from? she wondered.

"Okay, I'll follow you later," said Theo.

On her way to the rear of the train, it occurred to Padma that she had not seen Theo's family at the station. Did he have a family? Was his father alive, in prison? What did Theo do over the Holidays? Preoccupied with feeling selfish for not asking – would he want her to ask – she bumped into Luna, who suggested she and Theo join her and Draco. Padma replied that she was going to check the luggage cars. Luna volunteered to join her since they might be infested with Mips who liked to scatter clothes. Padma said she would make a loud noise to scare them off and join Luna and Draco as soon as she could. In the next car, Padma saw Hermione sitting by herself. She declined Hermione's invitation by declaring she had promised Luna to scare the Mips away from the luggage before they scattered the clothes.

Stepping into the first baggage car, Padma discovered how cold it was and how dark, with illumination from a single sky light. Her Arithmancy trained mind began to estimate how many baggage cars were needed – each student's luggage taking up twice the volume of the student but packed four times as efficiently – the train towing the weight of history in its tail, but only seven years' worth, an Arithmancy process she now recognized as a truncated filter.

And where was that paragon of Arithmancy? Had Theo stopped to talk to friends, leaving her waiting, forgetting about her?

There was a shaft of light as the door opened, and she was in his arms.

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

She was holding him tight, crushing him to her. She couldn't get him close enough. He was whispering that she was lovely, beautiful. She could feel the growing bulge in his trousers. It's for me. She grabbed his hair and pulled his lips to hers. It was clumsy. She didn't care. She moved against him. Something new and strange was happening to Padma Patil.

All the little squabbles with her family over the Holidays, all those things she planned to tell Theo so that the hurt from them would go away, all those things faded into the distance. They weren't important anymore.

Gradually, her desperation subsided. She was holding him lightly. She liked looking into those intelligent eyes. Their foreheads were together. After a longer time than they realized had passed, they left the baggage car and found Draco and Luna.

"Where have you two been," asked Draco. "Don't tell me you got lost on the train."

"We told Luna we would scare the Mips away from the luggage," said Padma.

Luna looked approving. Draco looked quizzical.

"We had to make a good job of it, old chap, don't you know," said Theo.

Draco noticed a beaming Luna, decided in favor of team spirit, and said, "Good. Very good. Very dutiful."

Draco, however, may have misread things because Luna had seen the now-soft face of the former, once-feared, Ravenclaw prefect.

Biff had one more touch to add.

"I did get you something for Christmas," said Theo later that evening as the two of them were sitting in front of the fireplace.

"I brought you something, too," said Padma.

Padma opened hers. It was a silver hawk, perched on a high mountain crag.

Theo opened his. It was a turquoise hawk, soaring.

They pinned the emblems on the lapel of the other's blazer.

Where's the editor, thought Biff. It's time for her to sum up the past, foreshadow the future, and inject the missing emotion into the story with one of those spiels that are a delight to unravel.

He decided that if he were alone and abandoned in the middle of a romantic plot, there was nothing to do but to fake it. The show must go on.

He's a Ravenclaw, thought Padma.

It was Friday afternoon. Their last class of the week had been that morning, and after lunch, Theo had reviewed and modified his notes for an essay before turning to the Arithmancy problems. Padma had been ready to quit after lunch, but Theo still working had prompted her to continue. She had watched him solve two problems before he had looked around, had noticed it was teatime, and had declared he needed some air. They had walked down to the lake and back. Halfway through his first cup of tea, he had said, "Aha," and had grabbed a sheet of paper to write down the solution to another problem. She had sipped more tea while he had stared into space and munched a biscuit, probably not knowing he was eating one. She had waited patiently until inspiration had struck again and he had jotted down the final derivation.

Theo looked around, stretched, and said, "You're looking lovely today."

He really is a Ravenclaw, thought Padma, deciding once again to ignore the letters from her mother about friends of the family who had sons who were not Slytherins.

Luna appeared. "Draco finally finished his school work. Let's go dance."

It was end-of-the-week Syrtaki in the common room. The week's poisons were flushed from everyone's system. The house bonded. It was the best place in the world to be.

They were all lounging around, pleasantly tired. A number were watching Luna weave a dandelion garland for Draco. Padma coaxed Theo into a stroll, and they, somehow, ended up in the abandoned room they had found that had an old sofa. The sofa smelled moldy, but Padma didn't care as she stretched out alongside Theo. She snuggled closer and closer. He was nibbling his way down her neck, but this evening, he didn't stop. His kisses moved over her blouse. Padma, wondering if she should do this, pulled slightly away and arched her back to let his kisses flow softly over her breasts. She liked his fondling her. She watched his hands unbutton her blouse. She was breathing heavily. Her blouse was open. Her fingers were running through his hair as his lips and tongue moved over skin and then over silk. She was caressing his temples.

"Just a minute, dear," she said as, wondering if she should do this, her hands reached behind her and she unfastened her bra. For a few confused moments, his stunned look made her think she had done something wrong, but she recovered and leaned forward until her cheek was against his and she could whisper in his ear that he was her dearest Theo. She guided him to where she wanted him. Her hands stroked his hair as she arched into him. Soft little sounds were escaping her. He could go on forever. But he stopped.

He was holding her. They were slowly breathing together.

Finally, it occurred to them that they should rejoin the others. She took off her blouse, put her bra back on, and turning her back to Theo, said, "Can you fasten it, sweetheart?"

As she was putting on her blouse and buttoning it, she realized she was enjoying the companionable return to rationality and proper decorum. She wanted him to be her partner for every part of her life.

They returned to the common room to find most had gone to bed. When they entered, Padma saw Luna quickly remove her arm from around Draco.

Don't be embarrassed by it, love, thought Padma. It would be good for you.

"Oh no!"

The editor had decided to begin the morning by reading Biff's latest effort.

She ran down to his office. He wasn't in. She dashed to his flat and knocked. No answer. She banged on the door. Still no answer.

She opened the door and stuck her head in. "Biff. Biff!"

She found him in bed. "There you are."

He pulled the covers over his head. "Go away."

"Look, Biff, I know what you're going through."

"No, you don't," came the muffled reply.

"It'll be okay, love. Other adventure writers have tried their hand at romance, and they survived."

"Name two," came the muffled reply.

The editor was temporarily lost in reverie thinking about Padma. An intelligent woman had found romance and passion.

"I'll make you some chicken soup, love, and you'll be on your feet and writing an exciting tale in no time."

"I don't want to write on my feet, and what do you know?"

"Trust me. I'm your editor."