Repaying The Rescue ((Scott)) [PG-13]

[Theo Darke]

((Please note the content of this post may contain PG-13 material; if you are not thirteen years old or above, please refrain from reading this. The material may be offensive. Thank you.))






Theo strolled through the corridors at a leisurely pace, not sure where he was heading. He had just finished his evening meal, and from viewing outside, the air was chilly and the night drawing close. Theo was warm but not particularly tired yet from the day’s events, as it had been a normal, ordinary day, filled with the usual lessons from teachers and homework assignments piled onto the poor, long suffering fifth year students. Theo wasn’t too stressed about work though; he had already completed all his homework before his dinner, along with Lori. Normally he would be beside her, but she had gone off somewhere with Florence and the first year’s friends to do something girly. Although he was homosexual, Theo had never been particularly girly or feminine aside from his knack of being openly talkative. He had no interest in clothes or makeup, and had turned down Lori and Flo’s kind invitation to join them for a girly makeover in their dorms. Plus, the boys couldn’t access the girls’ bedrooms anyway, which Theo thought was for the best. If he and Lori ever needed to go to a dorm, they went to his readily.

Theo rounded a corner, hands stuffed into trouser pockets as he passed fellow students walking by in groups. He smiled and greeted the familiar classmates, wondering how he could spend the rest of his evening, aside from prowling around on Prefect duty, which he doubted he’d be needed for. Theo had only been made a Prefect this year, so it wasn’t as if the teachers expected him to undertake much responsibility yet. On the other hand, it was Theo’s nature to be responsible in the first place; but after almost half an hour of walking around and encountering no disturbances, he supposed he could go do what he usually did; settle down in the Common Room or his dormitory with a good book. Theo was about to head back to the Ravenclaw area, when as he lonesomely climbed a flight of stairs, heard some scuffling round the corner. Frowning, Theo quickly rounded the corridor to notice a group of very familiar people. Gary Styles and his gang of cronies. Gary, the largest of the four fifth year Slytherins, was as usual spouting off nonsense which Theo dismissed as he quickly assessed the situation. It was obvious he and his followers were crowding around someone in a threatening, dangerous way.

Theo recalled how the other day, less than a week ago, Gary had targeted him to pick on. Wrong choice, as firstly Theo was a Prefect, a goody-goody-two-shoes especially in the teachers’ eyes; Theo was also ten times a better spell caster and duellist than he, or any of the other three, were. You would assume Gary would choose not to bully Theo of all people, but then again, Theo was smaller than him by quite a bit, and what with his dainty looks and homosexuality, he probably made a fun target in their eyes. However, with the help of a fellow fifth year, Gryffindor Scott Ryder, a boy Theo hadn’t really had the chance to ever talk to and get to know well but whom Theo was sure was a decent person, Theo had managed to escape Gary and his gang unscathed. Admittedly, there had been no need for Scott to have been there at the time, but Theo was still grateful for his presence. Thankfully, the teachers hadn’t called Theo for any problems since the incident; he assumed that they either did not believe Gary, or that Gary hadn’t gone to profess the fact that Theo (and Scott) had used spells against them in the corridors, which was forbidden.

”Sometimes rules are meant to be broken.” Theo thought to himself as he quickly neared the tight circle of Slytherins near the end of the corridor. However, he would try his hardest to stick to them this time. He was just about to stop Gary and his minions bullying a poor innocent victim, when he heard a familiar voice speak within the circle. ”Scott?” Theo halted momentarily, before frowning even harder in disgust. ”Damn, they got to him!”
“We don’t like homos and we don’t like people who help them. We’re gonna teach you a lesson today that makes you never forget that you ain’t allowed to help people like Darke, ya hear me, Ryder?” Gary’s voice rung out. Theo stopped himself from furrowing a fist at these words, surprised no other students had managed to see and stop this predicament.
“Hey, Gary, get away from him.” Theo spoke strongly as he neared the bunch of boys at a slow pace. “Don’t make me dock some more house points.” Gary turned to glance at Theo in surprise, before sneering menacingly with apparent lack of fear.
“Theo Darke. I’m surprised you haven’t got suspended since Monday. You should be expelled for what you did to us. A Prefect breaking the rules!” Gary was obviously enraged about last time. Theo wasn’t surprised.
“Can it, Gary, and get the hell out of here.” Theo stated in low, firm tones, refusing to resort to using his wand. “If you don’t leave, well… I got away with it once. I can get away with it again. Who are the teachers going to side with, hm?” Theo’s threats were harmless – but they were the only thing that would stop Gary.

Gary seemed to ponder Theo’s words in his mind for a few seconds, before snarling at both him and Scott and gesturing to his gang to move. The four cleared off quickly, leaving behind sounds of unsatisfied grunts. Theo gave an open sigh of relief and looked at Scott, who he could see now. “Are you all right?” Theo asked, walking up to him and eyeing him over in concern. “I’m sorry, it’s what happened the other day between Gary and I that put you into this mess, isn’t it? I’ll make sure it never happens again. Without my wand.” Theo joked, shaking his head in disbelief at what he had just seen occur.

[Scott Ryder G7]

Turning the corner with his Quidditch gear in hand, Scott was highly startled to almost knock full force into a group of guys who hadn't been paying much attention to where they were going. Quickly, Scott recognized who they were and was about to turn when the guys recognized him as well. Two hands gripped tightly to his shoulders as Scott attempted to turn and go back to where he had come from. Who knew a harmless day of enjoying some flying and Quidditch alone on the grounds would turn into this. "What do you want, Gary?" Scott asked, his voice dull and full of disappointment at knowing what he had just walked in to. Had he been prepared, Scott might have tried an escape, but there were four of them, and with his Quidditch things in his hands, he wasn't quite quick enough to be able to put up any sort of defense. As he was spun around and slammed against the nearest wall, Scott stared into the eyes of four revenge-thirsty Slytherins. Not needing Gary's response to know his answer, Scott prepared himself for whatever physical torture that they were likely to use.

Just as Scott saw Gary prepare to bury a fist in his stomach, he heard a voice call out from down the hallway. Theo? he questioned to himself. Sure enough, the Ravenclaw prefect was approaching the group, and Scott felt the hands loosen on his shoulders. Not this again, he thought. Scott had already risked breaking the rules once after a run in with Gary's gang, and quite frankly, he had been relieved not to have gotten punished for it. Surely he and Theo wouldn't be able to resort to magic in the corridors as a means for their escape. Though, while he was thinking, Theo had apparently dissuaded Gary from whatever he had planned, and the four oafs were gone without as much as one thrown punch or defense to Theo's threat. Scott stayed standing against the wall, turning to Theo once Gary and the crew had disappeared.

"Uh, yeah" Scott said when Theo questioned if he was okay. "It's not your fault," Scott continued, smiling at Theo's attempt to lighten the mood. He was grateful that Theo had came when he did, as Scott wasn't quite in the mood to be Gary's punching bag. Had he not been the one to step in on Theo's capture just days before, he'd have felt somewhat embarrassed and indebted to Theo. Though, Scott knew that four on one was not something that an average teen could take on their own and get out of without a scratch- even if it was four goons against that one person. "Guess we're even now," Scott said quietly. He knew Theo seemed friendly, but Scott wasn't sure if Theo was quite the type that he would normally associate with. He had nothing against Theo, but they were totally different people Theo being more social and popular, while Scott was quite independent and preferred being a loner for the most part. "So you think Gary is going to be a continuous problem?" he questioned, wondering if he would have to now move warily through the corridors or at least have his wand at the ready despite his lack of wanting to have to resort to it again.

[Theo Darke]

Theo concluded that no severe damage had been done to Scott, but he did look rather dazed. “Good.” He nodded slowly. “No, I don’t think so.” He continued in reply to Scott’s question, looking down the corridor at where Gary and his gang had disappeared. “I think I’ve pretty much taken care of him, so I wouldn’t worry about it.” Theo reassured Scott with another calm smile, noticing the Gryffindor’s jumpy aura. “It’s all right.” Theo repeated, beginning to walk away. Seeing Scott rooted to the spot, he turned and flashed him another soothing look. “Come on. Let’s go.” Reaching forward, he grabbed Scott by the wrist and pulled him along, feeling no resistance, “No point standing around all day. Otherwise I’ll be forced into Prefect duty, and I’ve really had enough of that.” Glancing at Scott beside him, making sure he didn’t run away, Theo let go of his hand and surveyed his sports kit. “Quidditch practice?” He asked curiously, remembering that Scott had always been a sporty person. “They didn’t interrupt you to drag you in here, did they?” He frowned, before shaking his head. “Nah. Not possible, since they’re all brainless, and who would’ve thought of such a clever plan? They would’ve taken you head on out there in the dark.”

Theo didn’t know where his feet were taking him, but it seemed they were heading outside at the talk of Quidditch. Theo stopped at the door and turned to look at Scott questioningly. “Do you have some time? Walk with me?” Theo gave the Gryffindor a few seconds to decide, before stepping out; he didn’t bother waiting for an answer, for he knew Scott would come if he could, and he wouldn’t he if couldn’t. But Scott did follow, and Theo was grateful for it. Theo glanced up at the sky as the cold hit him, and he gave a minor shudder. “Winter’s certainly coming.” He spoke aloud to himself, wrapping his school robes around him tighter. “But it’s a clear night.” He added as he stared fondly up at the faint stars as they peaked out amidst the dark skies. Theo was currently taking Astronomy for his OWLs, which was a subject he thoroughly enjoyed. He was considering doing it for his NEWTs, in fact. He told Scott this quietly, before smiling at him; by now they were walking along the Lake’s dry banks. “I’m sorry for dragging you out into the cold like this. I just wanted to apologise and thank you properly for last time.” Theo hoped Scott would understand what he was indicating at, as it was pretty obvious. “I got you into trouble for no reason, and I really wanted to express that afterwards. I didn’t get the chance.” Theo smiled regretfully at Scott, before pointing at his broomstick.

“You want to practice? I can help you.” Theo offered kindly. He was not the most avid fan of Quidditch; although he was built for sport, he had never enjoyed it as much as his brother, sister and father. “I’m not great at Quidditch, though I’m an okay flyer.” That was a lie; Theo was gifted at the art of flying. He was graceful in the air, but it had never inspired him to play the sport. “What’s your preferred position?” Theo asked as he drew them nearer to the pitch, before glancing up at the sky. “It’s dark, but we could pass a Quaffle or something.” He suggested with a shrug. It wasn’t curfew time yet, so they wouldn’t be penalised for it. Otherwise, Theo would definitely not encourage such outdoor activities, though he supposed since it was dark, it was insensible to do so. He frowned and turned to Scott. “Is it dangerous to play Quidditch with so little light? I don’t want to get you into anymore trouble...” He trailed off, tucking his cold fingers into his pockets and bouncing on the balls of his feet a little.

((Apologies for the god-moding, I assumed you would be okay with it.))

[Scott Ryder G7]

Scott nodded with a grin when Theo questioned if he had been practicing Quidditch. Scott would spend hours flying if he could. “I guess I just stumbled onto them out of bad luck,” he explained. In a seemingly random decision, Scott watched Theo head for the door to go back outside where Scott had come from just minutes ago. Questioning if he would join him, Theo stepped out into the grounds where it had become quite dark at this point, and Scott decided to follow him. It wasn’t normal for Scott to socialise when he didn’t have to, but Theo had asked him to join him, and it would have been rude not to. Plus, Theo seemed nice enough anyways. As they stepped onto the starlit grounds of the castle, Theo mentioned Astronomy class. Scott had been taking it, but he didn’t anticipate going on to the NEWT level. It just wasn’t his most favourite class.

“Cold weather makes for the best flying if you ask me,” Scott said as he peered at the stars. “I mean, granted that it can get to the point that it might be too cold, but I love the feeling of the cold air rushing past you. It makes you feel quite alive.” His voice drifted into the night air as he looked down from the sky back to Theo. “No need to apologize. Really.” He knew Theo was just being kind, but Scott always felt a slight bit of awkwardness when people tried showering him with apologies. He knew they meant well, but Scott was never one for words. “Everything’s good now, right? No worries, eh?” He gave a subtle grin, hoping Theo might leave it at that.

“You don’t even have a broom,” Scott replied with a short laugh, smiling and yet thankful that Theo would offer to help him practice. Normally, the only chance he got to practice with someone was when he could drag Flick out to help him. “But I’m sure you are better than you might think.” Scott had to smile at Theo’s enthusiasm to help him practice. It wasn’t often that someone went out of their way to socialse with him. Most people knew he was rather independent and simply left him to his own vices. He was sure that there were plenty of people kind enough to befriend, but Scott had never made the first move in many cases. Likewise, others never seemed to make any attempts quite like Theo was at this point. “Chaser is the position I like most. How about you do the flying though, and I’ll toss the Quaffle,” he suggested. “Though, you’re probably right. It’s getting quite dark, which means we’d have to take extra caution, at least around the goal posts. They are hard enough to keep track of in the light, even if they are stationary.”

[Theo Darke]

Theo turned to look at Scott after his deep answer, and a small smile gradually developed on his face. “I see.” He merely murmured, looking up at the sky again and feeling his subconscious embrace the night air upon Scott’s words. “You really are a Quidditch player, through and through.” Theo commented in a wise tone of voice; he spoke quietly, and yet it still rung clear around the Grounds’ frosty air. Theo agreed with Scott; the cold made your perspective clearer, however chilling to the bone it could be. “You sound like my dad and my brother and sister.” Theo smiled fondly, glancing momentarily at Scott before turning to the sky once more. The sky; it fascinated Theo. It was a beautiful entity – if it could be labelled as an ‘entity’; it seemed to be never-ending, and so beautiful. Nothing was quite as intense as the expanse of sky, filled with colours; not just shades of blues, but reds and pinks, oranges and yellows. It was often complimented with clusters of clouds dusting it gently, could turn from clear as day to clear as night. The sky was a mystery, a wonder, and Theo liked the obscurity of it.

Wesley, along with Callum and Brittany, had often enthused about the feeling of air shooting past you as you flew, propelled by nature’s wind and its invisible forces. Theo thought it sounded fascinating, but had never shared the same thoughts. He had always been an indoor type of person, preferring a comfy armchair next to a roaring fire with a good, thick book in his lap. Some people thought that was boring of him, but Theo didn’t care; reading was his passion, just like, he guessed, Quidditch was one of Scott’s. From the sound of the Gryffindor, he loved Quidditch, and Theo was admiring of that fact. He grinned at Scott when he said there was no need to apologise, and nodded. “Okay. If you insist.” Theo realised he was making Scott uncomfortable, and was content to leave the issue at that.

“I could summon it.” Theo grinned in amusement, giving Scott a look which said, “What do you think I am, stupid?” Chuckling, Theo stuck his wand in the air, waved it slightly, and spoke the correct words to summon his broomstick. Although Theo was no Quidditch player, he did enjoy flying to an extent, and so he did have his own broom. ”Accio broomstick." He stated clearly, before sticking his wand back in his pocket. Theo blinked at Scott, before a small smile curled on his face, “Ah – but I’m sure you’re better.” With a modest expression, Theo smoothly caught the broomstick that whooshed up behind him. “I think I like the Keeper position, myself. I’d hate to be a Beater, but Chaser and Seeker are both fine, so tossing the Quaffle is fine by me.” Theo nodded at Scott’s words of caution with a frown, before glancing curiously around the pitch. “We could provide some light.” He suggested. Before Scott could reply, Theo cast a couple of quick-fire spells around the lampposts, beacons of pale light emanating from the points Theo had bewitched. “It’s not the strongest spell,” Theo admitted, noting how dim the light was in comparison to his hopes. “I’m working on it, though. It should make do for now. I want to make sure we’re not breaking anymore health and safety rules.”

With a wink Theo pocketed his wand again and got onto his broom carefully. “Shall we?” He teased, gesturing at Scott’s own broom and encouraging him to mount it. Waiting for his partner, Theo flew effortlessly over to the Quidditch equipment, extracting the Quaffle. He handled the large red ball in his hand, testing it with a keen eye, before gliding back to Scott with an enthusiastic grin. “Ready to start?” He questioned with a twinkle in his eye, throwing the Quaffle a metre or so into the air and catching it to warm up his cold fingers. “It’s been a while since I’ve handled any Quidditch stuff, so I’m sorry if my aim or catching isn’t up to scratch.” Watching Scott ready himself, Theo carefully aimed for Scott’s arms (and not his head), before launching it at the Gryffindor.

[Scott Ryder G7]

Scott smiled a slightly embarrassed sort of smile. He appreciated compliments, but never was keen on accepting them. He knew that they were always intended as a kind gesture though, and so when Theo commented on his being a true Quidditch player, Scott thanked him despite never really liking compliments. Most likely it was just the fact that they involved social interaction that Scott avoided them. Sometimes people would give compliments just for something to say. Scott figured this wasn't the case with Theo though, which made it easier to continue their conversation. "So your family must enjoy the sport then," Scott concluded from what Theo had said. "It's quite interesting once you really get to know all the ins and outs, though I'm sure it's not for everyone." He didn't want to offend Theo if it wasn't something he was not keen for doing, watching, or simply talking about. Yet, it was Theo who had suggested that they toss the Quaffle around in the first place, so he couldn't detest talking about the sport that much.

"Very true," Scott said with a laugh when Theo mentioned the possibility of summoning his broom. Once again, since he had grown up muggle, Scott's instincts rarely were that of magical actions. There were a few things had he learned to do magically without giving though to them, but on the other hand there were many simple magic spells that he rarely used, simply because he was not yet conditioned to having them as a first resort. Soon, Theo had summoned the broom and even attempted at adding some light to their surroundings. It was a clever idea, but the result was perhaps not quite as sufficient as Theo had hoped. "Better than nothing," Scott offered with a shrug, mounting his broom as Theo seemed ready to go.

"The worse you do, the more practice for me in catching the difficult stuff," Scott said with a smile. "Though, Cass had indicated I might be playing Seeker in the upcoming match. Still, any flying practice is better than none." He watches as Theo tossed the Quaffle and took a bit of a practice run on the broom. "Ready as I'll ever be," he said, squinting in the surrounding gray darkness as Theo hurled the Quaffle his way. Seeing where it was coming at the last second, Scott made a quick grab to catch it before it soared past him. He flew upward with it, getting warmed up himself. "This should be quite interesting," he said with a laugh as he realized that it would be even harder than he had thought. Seeing Theo flying off to the side, Scott circled around before tossing the Quaffle a bit to the left of where Theo was hovering, allowing him to be able to move toward the Quaffle instead of throwing it directly at him in case he didn't see it right away. Timing was everything in Quidditch.

As the boys tossed the Quaffle back and forth for a bit, Scott was doing fairly well, and Theo's abilities impressed him, too. He wondered why Theo didn't seem to like the sport more, as he was rather decent. Either he had practiced before, or he was just naturally adept when it came to catching and throwing. Scott really couldn't make a good judgment on his flying, as they were both being cautious in the dark, but it seemed fair enough. "So how has this year treated you," Scott asked after catching the Quaffle again. "It's almost half way over," he commented, realizing that their fifth year of school was flying by quicker than he had even realized. He was happy though to think about break. It meant seeing his parents and Evelyn. That was always something Scott looked forward to.

[Theo Darke]

Theo nodded. “My dad, my sister and my brother.” He repeated again with a warm smile. “My dad used to play for Ravenclaw back in his day as Beater. Brittany and Callum plan on following in his footsteps. They would be a great addition to the Ravenclaw team… as twins, they’d do a cooperative double act. I’ve always been less aggressive in that way, like my mum.” He explained with an offhand smile. “You have a sister in the year below, don’t you, Scott? Flick, isn’t it?” Theo returned the question in curiosity, though he already knew his answer was correct. He had spoken to Flick Ryder on several occasions; she was a nice girl, lively and friendly, and Theo had to honestly say, despite being in Scott’s year, he had spoken more to Flick than he had to her brother. Scott had always been so quiet, he made himself barely noticeable. However, Theo liked those people; tended to get along with them. Why, Theo didn’t understand either. But he liked Scott so far, and hoped they would become better friends as time progressed. “Also in Gryffindor,” Theo added before Scott could reply, “Must run in the family like Ravenclaw blood and brains run in mine.” He said jokingly with a grin.

“You’re right.” Theo nodded again in agreement. “My dad says I would make a great Quidditch player, but it’s just not for me. I think it’s an innate thing. They say that you only like something if you excel at it, but that’s not always necessarily true. There are some things we may do well at, yet still abhor.” Theo glanced back at Scott with a small smile, his eyes running over the Gryffindor’s face. Theo observed for the first time that Scott was actually quite good-looking in his own way. He had on him a mysterious aura despite how decent and open he appeared to be, and although girls wouldn’t describe Scott as the most handsomest man in their year, he had a quality about him that, when Theo looked deeper, drew you to him, an attractive eminence about his posture, his air, his way of speaking. Guiltily, but reluctantly, Theo cast his gaze away quickly, afraid Scott had caught his lingering look. The fact he was finding himself attracted now to Scott, whom Theo was one hundred percent sure was straight rather than gay, and even if he wasn’t, would never consider Theo, alarmed himself. He hadn’t liked a guy in a while… the last being a boy Theo had met during the summer before he had come out to his year. Theo had not mentioned his attractive to his friend at all, and they had parted on amicable ways; the boy was also definitely not gay.

Theo was scared. He had to admit that. He wasn’t scared of being himself anymore, he was scared of falling for someone who was not gay. At his age, there were not many boys who were gay, so the chances of Theo currently finding someone who showed similar interest in return was nearly zero; hence why he had not planned on falling for anyone anytime soon. He was also scared of boys he grew to befriend to be scared of him liking them, so Theo wanted to make sure he did not see Scott in a different light than as simply friends. He’d hate to scare Scott off. Shaking his head, Theo focused on mounting his broom, casting all thought of Scott out of his head. Quidditch was good for one thing, Theo supposed; it required so much concentration there was little room for anything else to occupy the mind.

Theo grinned wryly at Scott’s comment. “Cass being Cassandra Blackfire, the Gryffindor Captain, right?” He was asking yet another question he knew the answer too. Theo had spoken to Cassandra on few occasions, since she was in a different house and year, but since they were both prefects, they had been given a few opportunities. “Well, good luck.” Theo grinned enthusiastically. “I’m sure you’ll do fine. If she has enough faith in you to place you as Seeker, that’s got to show for something in your abilities.” A supportive smile on his face, Theo nodded at Scott’s affirmation that he was ready. The Quaffle was thrown, and before Theo knew it, as he swerved sideways it was lobbed back to him with accurate force and aim. Smiling, he caught it neatly between his warming fingers. The two boys continued the activity for a while in silence, save for the smacking of the Quaffle against skin, and the puffs of breath that increased as they continued.

Theo circled the night air, dodging to the left quickly when Scott sent it flying there. The challenging pass made Theo grin in amusement, before he lodged it back at the Gryffindor. They were toning their level of game down due to the surrounding darkness, but Theo did his best nonetheless. “It’s been okay.” Theo replied with a slight shrug as he caught the Quaffle again. He wore neither a smile nor a frown. “Time flies! It’s been stressful, because the OWLs are nearing and there’s a lot more work. I’m sure you’ve got the same. It’s also been a bit more challenging, with… you know.” Theo trailed off a little uncomfortably, before once again chiding himself for letting his pride down. He was happy as himself, and if Scott could accept his company, talking about his sexuality was not going to hurt. It would help Theo face it, and the people who refused to speak to him anymore. Breathing in deeply, Theo floated nervously on his broom. “Well, you know, the whole ‘I’m gay’ thing. Everyone knows. It’s gotten better since the beginning of the year, but I still get the same slack from some people. Gary and his goons are representative of that side of the student population.” Theo caught the Quaffle and threw it back again, his voice dull and factual. He wanted to detach himself as much as possible. “I’m used to it now, and I’ve found I don’t care, but in all honesty, that was hard to deal with at the beginning of the year, you know?” Theo smiled tightly. “But then there’s Lori, who’s my rock, so it’s been way better with her around, and people who still treat me like a human being, like you.”

Theo sighed before shaking his head with a small smile. “Sorry to be so down and pathetic about this. It still bugs me sometimes.”

[Scott Ryder G7]

"I don't think though that you'd have asked me if I wanted to toss the Quaffle with you if you absolutely hated the sport," Scott replied with a raised brow. "And as much as you may not like it, perhaps you should give the house team a try before brushing it off. You never know- you may like it." Scott stopped at that, not going to pester Theo about it. If he wanted to join, he would, and if he really was set against not going out for the Ravenclaw team then there was likely nothing that Scott could do anyways to change his mind. Scott didn't like it when people were pushy with him, and so he didn't want Theo to feel that he was being pushy with him. "Anyways..." his voice trailed off as they continued passing the Quaffle.

"I hope you're right," he said shortly after Theo mentioned Cass presumably having great faith in his abilities that she put him as Seeker for the Gryffindor team. "We'll see soon enough though." He momentarily let the thought of the upcoming match cloud his mind. In that moment, when Theo sent the Quaffle his way, Scott failed to catch it and had to fly down to the ground to retrieve it. When he flew back upward, his face was reddened with the slightest tinge of embarrassment, but he hoped that the darkness might prevent it from being obvious. "Sorry... I was lost in thought for a second there." He tossed the Quaffle back to Theo.

As they played, Scott listened to Theo's response his question. Scott nodded in agreement with the first few thoughts and then tipped his head curiously when Theo began on the topic of his sexuality. For the most part, Scott had forgotten about Theo being gay since nothing really seemed to make it obvious. Theo was the same Theo that Scott had always known. Granted, he never knew him on a personal level, but there was nothing different about him that Scott could tell. It was quite sad really, the way that some people reacted to his revealing that he was homosexual. At least Scott found it unnerving. People could really be cruel when it came to labels and such.

He smiled when Theo added the part about how Scott treated him like a human being. If there was one thing Scott could be proud of, it was his ability to accept people for who they were. As hard as some people had in accepting others, Scott found it to be rather easy- unless of course that someone was Gary or one of his cronies. Even then though, Scott accepted who they were, he just really didn't like who they were. It was different though when people showed nothing but kindness and still received the type of mistreatment like Theo. Not once had Scott known Theo to treat someone unkindly.

"Don't apologize for being who you are, Theo," Scott said. He shook his head. "There's no reason that you should have to feel sorry or upset because other people can't accept the fact that you are gay." He wasn't sure what more to say. The topic didn't necessarily make him feel uncomfortable, but just the fact that Scott wasn't the best with words or social interactions at all made him somewhat hesitant to say more. Instead, he flew a circle around Theo and knocked the Quaffle out of his hands before laughing and flying back down to the ground. Once Theo followed, Scott looked at him once again. "Look, I've gotta go. But thanks for helping me practice a bit. You coming to the match then this weekend? You could cheer for Gryffindor, seeing that Ravenclaw isn't playing." Scott gave a half smile before adding. "See you around, Theo. And remember, don't change who you are for anyone that won't first change their view of you." With that, Scott had his broom under his arm and he was on his way back to the castle to get some rest.

[Theo Darke]

Theo paused when Scott stated he didn’t hate Quidditch as much as he thought. “I don’t hate it, you’re right. I just don’t love it the way you do.” He explained with a slight frown. He had never really understood the passion some individuals held for the sport, and now that Scott mentioned it, it made Theo want to understand why they felt it was so fantastic. Theo was like that – he liked to learn what made people who they were. He wanted to understand. “I’ll consider that.” He smiled wryly to Scott about joining the Ravenclaw team. “They have a free position for Keeper at the moment or something? I could go for that, that’s my preferred position after all. If not, I could be a reserve Chaser.” He shrugged in a non-committed way. “We’ll see. I want to know what makes the sport so fun though. My family could never explain it well enough for me to be interested.” He chuckled softly, before catching the Quaffle and passing it back again. “I just don’t want to do something for the sake of being all-rounded; I’d prefer to do it for myself and because I have a passion for it. I would do it for my house though. Ravenclaw pride.” Theo grinned, knowing the hemmed colours of their robes separated them in one way; red against blue.

Theo caught the Quaffle again and chucked it strongly back at Scott, when the Gryffindor missed it and the ball fell to the ground. As Scott went to retrieve it, Theo bobbed carefully on his broom, enjoying the night air against his skin. It wasn’t too cold, thankfully, just windy enough to give a pleasurable sensation, riffling through hair and clothes. “Got it?” Theo asked as Scott returned with the Quaffle, apologising. “No problem.” Theo smiled warmly and held his arms out again to catch it from Scott. “It happens.” He felt the Quaffle thump against his chest, almost knocking the wind out of him. Half laughing from the impact, Theo sent it back. The next one he almost missed catching, but as it slipped past his fingers, he adjusted his broom backwards a bit and caught it.

Theo gave Scott a surprised look when he said not to apologise for being who he was. Perhaps Theo had been waiting for someone to say those exact words, for that sentence to come his way one day. It caught him off guard, really, because he hadn’t expected Scott to be this open. Lori had accepted him; the other day Dylan had said something along the same lines. Theo was starting to notice that there were kind people out there still. He knew this fact, but sometimes it was hard to remember it. It was hard to accept that other people could accept him one hundred percent for who and what he was. He had never asked Scott to accept him; he wanted and needed it from his family and from Lori, but… Theo was just so grateful when some stranger like Scott said it to his face so boldly. It made him feel warmer, better inside. It made Theo feel whole.

“Yeah.” Theo finally sent Scott a warm smile again, “I feel the same way. I don’t ever let it bother me anymore, because I am who I am, and nothing like this is going to change that.” He declared more to himself than for Scott’s benefit. Theo knew he was strong enough to deal with the stares, the whispers. He really didn’t care or mind anymore. What mattered was he believed in himself, that he had the support of his loved ones, and he kept going in the face of adversity. Theo was a born fighter. Before he could say anything else, Scott had come up behind him and had knocked the Quaffle from his hands. Theo had totally forgotten to guard it, that the red ball was even in his possession. He laughed in sync with Scott, and joined him on the ground, realising that it was probably time to call it a day. He was a little tired himself anyway, and a good night’s sleep sounded enticing. “No problem.” Theo smiled and nodded. “I am. We are. Lori and I. And I will be cheering for Gryffindor. Or you, anyway.” Theo chuckled, leaning on his broom. He watched as Scott began to walk away, and Theo was about to say see you later, when Scott’s last words rung in his head loud and clear. He faltered for a second, mouth open, before letting it slip into a large smile. “See you later. And good luck for the match!” He yelled.

((You know I like my characters to have closure, hence the post. )