Happy Families ((Oscar))

[Theo Darke]

"It should be the right place." A light frown flitted across Theo's brow, creasing wrinkles in pale skin that never burned or tanned. Eyes curved anxiously, shielded in shadow by a hand to avoid the direct glare of the summer sunshine as Theo stared upon a house nestled comfortably in the middle of a street of buildings. It was completely different than his own home, but Theo had expected as much. After all, he was a pureblood wizard brought up in a pureblood world; Oscar was exactly the opposite, born muggle, knowing nothing of magic until he was eleven years old. Observing the house dubiously, Theo reached forward, hesitating as his hand reached an electronic device he knew muggles called doorbells. His finger paused, shaking in front of the innocent button, and the frown on Theo's forehead deepened. He was nervous, he knew that much; however, he didn't know why, and that just made his nerves even worse. Theo was very atuned to his emotions, so when they decided to work out of whack like this, it perturbed him more than a little. Oscar wasn't the only case Theo had been experiencing conflicting emotions with; it had all begun with Lori and Scott. Theo didn't blame them, no... He couldn't bring himself to put all the blame on them. He blamed himself, but it didn't stop the anger and resentment. Gently grinding his teeth in exasperation, Theo glanced down at the piece of paper in his hands, creased at the edges from having been manhandled several times. Reading his own spidery, neat handwriting worriedly for the hundredth time that day, Theo looked up at the door before him, then gazed down the street again, seeing the sign that was no doubt the name of the road Oscar had supplied him with in his letter a few days ago. "No doubt about it really," Theo's mind muttered unconvincingly.

Self-doubt; it was not a feeling familiar to Theo. He was the kind of boy who knew when he was right and when he was wrong, and would readily accept it if it was the latter. Theo was humble in victory and gracious in defeat, and he never bothered to defend something he knew was not worth defending. However, recently he had been pummelled by thoughts questioning everything he was, from his beliefs to his emotions, from his thinking to his motives. Theo just didn't trust himself any more, and it frightened him. Scott and Lori were one issue; again, Oscar was the other. Whereas Theo was at least sure what he was feeling towards his best friends were envy and resentment, and anger and disgust aimed at himself, he just didn't know what he felt for Oscar. The Gryffindor had shared the same year group with him at Hogwarts for five years; had probably shared multiple classes and professors, done the same homework assignments and learnt the same spells. Theo didn't understand how one random meeting one day in Diagon Alley whilst on a trip to track down a new broomstick would change everything. Oscar and him had been acquainted before, and Theo wasn't surprised he and the Gryffindor were closer now from the experience. However, they weren't just closer; Theo couldn't put his finger on it (well, probably could if he wanted to, but he can't admit it after all, but it's not his pride, it's fear, fear, undiluted fear and disbelief). Theo hated doubting himself, and he wanted it to stop. Now.

With this steeled mindset, Theo finally closed the centimetre distance between his forefinger and doorbell button, hearing a tinny ring on the other side of the not-so-soundproof front door. Letting his hand drop defeatedly by his waist and stuffing the note with his other arm in his jean pocket, Theo readied himself for meeting Oscar again, for smiling a polite hello to his parents, and of course, meeting the special Thandi Flynn (he assumed she would take the family surname). He managed to straighten his jacket, brush a small smile onto his face, and make sure the gift he had purchased for the little African girl was still safely in his pocket, before the door flung open and there stood Oscar, grinning like he always did, friendly and welcoming, and Theo felt his heart thump harder in his chest. "Hi," Theo greeted the Gryffindor, feeling awkward but smiling easily. "Am I too early? I don't want to intrude too soon. Wouldn't want to steal your time away from the princess." Joking, Theo nodded as Oscar welcomed him inside the house. Passing Oscar, Theo felt their sides touch - just barely, a feather of a contact, but enough for Theo to almost freeze and a breath to catch in his throat. However, Theo was still master of control, and forced his exaggerated emotions down his throat as he stepped the entire way into the house, Oscar closing the door behind them. Theo ignored the episode and chose to look around his novel surroundings in curiosity. Theo was a Ravenclaw at heart; he loved learning new things, and muggles had always fascinated him, especially their lifestyle. He wondered how different their lives were; how much differed between him and Oscar.

Oscar motioned for Theo to follow him to meet his parents and Thandi, but before they went far Theo coughed nervously, reaching out on reflex to tap at Oscar's shoulder, his hand shooting back again as though burned. "Oscar?" he tried to catch his friend's attention. "Um, well, I didn't know what to bring, since you and your parents invited me here, and I thought chocolates would be rather typical, and I have no idea if you're allergic to chocolate--" Rambling now, but Theo did not mention why he hadn't chosen to bring flowers - that he didn't want to look like he was giving the flowers to Oscar, he didn't want to be misinterpreted that way, was terrified of it happening, didn't want to push Oscar away - and he eventually trailed off uncharacteristically as he reached into his pocket and retrieved a small, shining red box, tied with a gold ribbon. "Um, well. This is for Thandi. Because she's the star of today, is she not? I hope she likes it. Um, will you take it now?" Totally aware he was stumbling over his words in a way that alarmed himself, Theo pushed the box into Oscar's hands, ignoring the brush of contact between their fingers, before standing back and staring in mock concentration at the carpet, his cheeks having flared red a little from embarrassment at his behaviour. Feeling the need to explain the present, Theo added, "It's a bracelet. I didn't want to buy a necklace, since I'd hate to think I choked your sister to death. I didn't buy earrings for obvious reasons, and rings are inconvenient for a baby, that's obvious too." Theo recalled buying the jewellery in Diagon Alley, taking his time poring over all the available choices. Eventually he had chosen this particular one; small and thin and made of gold, it bore a heart-shaped pendant with the name 'Thandi' enscribed on it. It hadn't been overly expensive, and it wasn't as though Theo was short on gold. He had enjoyed choosing and purchasing it, but when he came to giving it, he had clammed up. Damned nerves.

[Oscar Flynn G7]

She sat before him now. Every little bit of her. Two arms, two big brown eyes, two legs, one nose, those tiny little finger-nails that she bites when she gets nervous, her longer-than-long eyelashes, one belly-button (an outy!), eight fingers and two thumbs, ten toes, a headful of soft brown curls and a mass of her deep brown skin. All of this sat before him, slender legs crossed beneath her in their new Gap jeans. She was leaning slightly forward with her hands on her knees. Her neck was elongated and she was facing Oscar, her brown eyes narrowed and her teeth biting the corner of her bottom lip gently. She did that when she was angry or concentrating really hard, Oscar had noticed. Her hair was tucked behind her ears, reaching just beneath her shoulders. As Oscar watched, a curling ringlet came loose from the rest of her hair and sprang forwards. It rested in the centre of her adorable face. It shivered there slightly and in that instance her concentration broke. She erupted in a fit of giggles, tucking the pesky lock of hair away so that it couldn’t tickle her nose again. Oscar joined in her laughter, his eyes lighting up as he heard the sound. Her laugh was so bright, so innocent. It was as though nothing bad in the world had ever touched it, as if nothing ever could. When he heard it he felt safer, although how could this little four year old possibly protect him from anything in the world? She’d seen so much in her short few years on this earth and yet she was still so happy and joyful. His new sister, Thandiwe Flynn. Possibly the cutest and smartest little four year old kid Oscar knew.

“Nooo that doesn’t count!” Thandi was squealing. For the ringlet had broken her concentration, causing her to blink, and thus resulting in her loosing the staring game they had been playing. Oscar found it odd that she loved this game so much. Before she had arrived, he and his parents had gone out and bought every possible toy they thought she might like for her. She had every best board game and a million cuddly toys as well as a number of tiny cars and bikes and scooters. And yet, despite all of these things, she loved to play the staring game best. It had started yesterday, her obsession with the game. She had arrived just several days ago and already she’d decided on how her life would be with the Flynn family. They already knew her favourite foods, colours, animals, people, smells, everything like that. The first day she’d spent in her room. Oscar had painted it just two day before in a beautiful soft yellow and so the smell of paint was still lingering slightly in the air when she had arrived. Everyone had been introduced, a few checks of the house had been made, a couple of papers signed, and there she was. Oscar’s knew sister. In her new room that he had painted for her. In the evening of that first day Thandi had come downstairs for breakfast and immediately trotted up to her new brother with wide eyes. ‘Thank you for painting the room. Yellow is my favourite colour!’ And before he knew, the tiny kid had wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. The embrace had only lasted a few seconds and she was gone, sitting quietly in the chair Isaac offered to her while Heather Flynn threw Oscar a curious glance from the stove.

Since that first day, she’d opened up perfectly. She was bold, despite the silent shy air she had exuded when she had arrived. She had marvelled at Heather’s clothes in the large wardrobe where she kept her newest line, touching the different fabrics with her fingertips as if they were made of magic. Thandi’s English was not perfect, but Oscar was surprised at how good it actually was; he had expected her not to speak any of their language at all. She instantly became attached to Oscar and wanted to share every moment with him that she could. He supposed her love for the staring contest games suited her. For she didn’t miss a thing. Although she often seemed wrapped up in her own business Oscar had often caught her watching his every move, studying every tiny thing he did. She didn’t do it obviously so it didn’t get annoying, and he knew she was only trying to get used to her new surroundings in her own way. As well as this, he sensed it was her manner of trying to trust her new brother.

They still had so much to learn about each other and Oscar was ready to know everything. He wanted to share her past with her and couldn’t wait to tell her about Hogwarts and his wizarding skills. However his parents had thought it best that he wait until after he came back from Llanrhystud to explain all of that to her. Until Llanrhystud it seemed that she was determined to fill up his time with staring contests and baking; she loved to cook, something that had surprised him. However since she was only four and didn’t know the first thing about cooking, this love for it often resulted in burnt sponge cakes and raw cookie dough everywhere. Today was different; she had come downstairs that morning feeling more at ease, although she certainly hadn’t been awkward or uncomfortable at home. She’d kissed them all on the cheek before breakfast and then insisted that Oscar play another game of staring contest with her.
And that was what they were doing now.

“Ooh it does count! Face it Thandi, I won for once and there’s nothing you can do about it.” He teased, eyes twinkling. She was very much like him; she hated to loose. And for a four year old, she rarely did.
“Nooo! Re-match! Re-match!” Her voice tugged on his heart as her lips formed a grumpy pout. He knew she was only joking but it worked; he nodded.
“Alright. But remember my friend, Theo?” She nodded, eyes wide. “He’s coming over in a short while.”
“Why?” Theo would be the first person outside the Flynn family to meet Thandi and the thought seemed odd to her. He worried for a moment; would this be seen as a breach of security to her? But his insecurities were dispelled as she smiled. “It will be fun though. Maybe he is better at not blinking than you!” She laughed again and he felt a surge of love for her. She was so like him and yet they shared no blood; he couldn’t have asked for more.

They continued with the game for a while more, but it wasn’t long before Oscar lost for a reason other than he was terrible at trying not to blink; the doorbell was ringing. “Oh, that will be Theo…” He hesitated. Now Theo was just outside the front door. Their last- and, admittedly, first- proper meeting when they had gone for pizza had been great and Oscar had really enjoyed himself. But he had had thoughts and feelings that were just so unfamiliar and strange to him. He hated not knowing himself and those feelings had made him unsure of himself more than ever before. Two days ago, thinking about the whole situation, Oscar had made a decision. He would not let it affect him. Any intruding thought would be attacked and sent home; that was that. The notion that he could… that he did… that he thought about Theo in any way other than the normal, orthodox friend-to-a-friend manner was ridiculous and he wouldn’t waste time thinking about it. This visit would be for Thandi and to catch up and get to know each other more; in the usual mode. It would be nothing else.

Oscar reached the front door, leaving Thandi wide-eyed but grinning, in a matter of seconds. He tugged it open and before he knew it was looking down at the familiar face of Theo Darke. As he had suspected, thoughts and notions filled his mind. He ignored them. Every last one was scattered from his head. He didn’t let it affect the Oscar on the outside or the inside; that was how this would be- with Oscar in control.

“Theo! Yes, you’re early. Wait outside for ten minutes then try again.” He laughed lightly, his brown eyes laughing with him. “Of course not. The Princess can’t wait to meet you though, so come in, come in.” He ushered his friend inside, smile right there, tugging at his lips. Their sides… at first, Oscar noticed the touch like a passing breeze and his mind screamed at him to listen. He didn’t hesitate however. Oscar was in control. Forgetting that Theo probably hadn’t been in a muggle house before he started to walk on. Before they reached the kitchen however, Theo stopped him and showed him the gift he’d brought for Thandi. A bracelet. Oscar accepted it with a smile, not speaking for a moment. It was so… nice of Theo to bring Thandi a gift. He hadn’t expected it at all and before he could stop them a bunch of thoughts broke through the walls of his mind. He frowned momentarily and while he did so he failed to pick up on Theo’s hesitancy and the slightly awkward tone he spoke in. Oscar looked up at Theo with a smile. “Thank you. I know she’ll love it.” He paused once more before letting out a loud call without warning. “Thandi! Guess who’s here!”

Within moments a dark face appeared around the door leading into the main hall. Thandi’s lips were pulled into an uncertain straight line as she trotted to the two boys. She looked older than her four years as she stood beside Oscar, slipping a tiny hand into his as she studied this new boy. It took a few seconds of silence which were only marginally awkward before she reacted. She gave her sweet approval by smiling at Theo, clearly meaning that she liked him in this one expression.
“Look baby, Theo brought you something.” Oscar grinned at his friend before crouching down beside his sister. He passed her the box with twinkling eyes. She had it open in seconds and was soon staring down at a slender gold bracelet with her name scrawled in elegant cursive on the back of a gold heart. She was speechless for the first time in the last couple of days and Oscar took this as a sign of deep approval. He rose and rested a hand on one of her tiny shoulders. “Thank you.” He said to Theo and his words were soon echoed very gently and carefully by the tiny creature beside him.
Just minutes later they were all seated around the large oak table in the Flynn kitchen. Isaac was at work, Oscar informed Theo, but Heather could be seen as they entered the room perched on the counter beside a large oven, from which a delicious smell wafted. Oscar’s mum had greeted Theo with welcoming eyes that told Oscar straight away that she liked him. She’d apologised beforehand if the cake she was baking tasted horrible and was soon sitting on the counter beside the oven again, her hands wrapped in bright orange oven-mitts.
“It won’t taste bad, trust me. Mam’s a brilliant cook. Just like this little one.” He ruffled the hair of Thandi with a chuckle.
Thandi was still looking at Theo with growing adoration in her big eyes. Oscar could tell she was bursting with question and before long, it was clear she wasn’t able to hold them in any longer.
“How do you know my brother? Where do you live? Is it near here or did you have to come a long way to visit us? Oh, and how much did this cost you? Thank you so much for it, I think it is beautiful. Everyone has been so nice to me and I not expect you to give me a present. Are you sleeping over? Or do you have to go after playtime? What have you been doing before you came here? When are y-”
“Thandi, Thandi! Let the poor boy speak.” Heather called from the opposite end of the room, laughing despite herself. Oscar nodded in agreement as he grinned at Thandi. He was so pleased she liked the Ravenclaw so much; anymore and he might have competition for her heart. “Alright, ten minutes and the cake is ready. Prepare to be disgusted!” Oscar’s mum gave a false grimace as she spoke, her eyes bright. She, too, was pleased her daughter liked Oscar’s friend so much.

[Theo Darke]

Theo's face broke into a smile as an adorable little creature popped its head around the corner of a door. Thandi, he assumed, all adorable and innocent, joined them, taking Oscar's hand and looking up at him in all seriousness. If Theo hadn't such an imposing gaze set on him he would've laughed out loud, because Thandi looked so much more mature than her apparent four years. Before Theo could say something, though, Thandi smiled, and he smiled back in return. "Hi, Thandi. I'm Theo." He stretched out a hand to her, but hesitated and glanced up at Oscar. Did Thandi know what handshakes were? Theo was treating her like an adult. He scolded himself for his compulsive polite manners. "You're welcome," Theo chuckled softly, glad to see Thandi staring at his gift in awe. A rush of pride coursed through his chest and he felt pleased with his choice. Giving it to Oscar had been awkward, but seeing Thandi's reaction had been worthwhile.

"Good afternoon, Mrs Flynn," Theo immediately spoke politely as they entered the kitchen, not moving forward to shake Oscar's mum's hand after reminding himself that there probably wasn't such a need to be formal with Oscar's family, and Mrs Flynn was busy with the cooking anyway. "It's nice to meet you," he followed up with an open smile. "I see," Theo nodded when Oscar explained his father was at work. "I hope to meet him some other day." Theo grinned when Mrs Flynn apologised for her cooking and Oscar protested in his mum's defence. "I'm sure your cooking is better than mine, Mrs Flynn. I can't say I was born with baking or sewing fingers. Though I'm not so bad at gardening." Theo had been tempted to say "I trust you" to Oscar about his mother's cooking, but shut his mouth in time, thinking it a rather inappropriate and unnecessary thing to say. He turned to Thandi and smiled kindly. "I'm sure Thandi is much better than I am too," he joked. Theo wasn't lying when he claimed to be a bad cook. He wasn't atrocious, but he didn't enjoy standing in the kitchen for long periods of time. At least wizards had magic to help them do the tedious jobs like peeling and washing, but muggles had to do everything themselves. Cooking was one thing Theo didn't have the patience for.

The three of them sat in comfortable silence whilst Mrs Flynn continued to cook. Oscar was watching Thandi, Thandi was watching Theo, and Theo... was watching Oscar. The way his eyes crinkled at the edges in love and adoration, twinkling with the fondness of a brother; the way his lips curled upwards in a small smile that was bursting to be more, because Thandi was everything and more. For a moment, Theo felt envious of the little girl; she had Oscar's avid attention without even trying. But he quickly shook it off, turning to smile at Thandi widely. She really was a pretty, cute child, and Theo had no doubt she would grow up to be a beautiful, intelligent young woman. And then the barrage of questions came, surprising Theo as Thandi rattled off more inquiries he'd ever been shot with. Before he could get a word in side ways, Mrs Flynn cut her new daughter off with a laugh. "No, it's OK," Theo protested amidst chuckles. "It's expected, since she's in a completely new environment. She's bound to be curious. Oscar, I think your sister would be in my house if she ever went to our school," Theo smiled, not mentioning magic or the like, because he didn't know if Thandi had been briefed on the issue. "Anyway, I've never felt so popular in my entire life. No one's ever wanted to know more about me." Leaning across the table to smile at Thandi, Theo began again. "Well, where to start?" Mrs Flynn declared the cake would be ready in ten minutes, and Theo nodded to her and smiled, before turning his attention back to Thandi.

"Oscar and I go to the same school, that's why we know each other," he started with her first question, smiling softly as he answered her in calm, slow tones so he didn't sound rushed and she understood every word. "I live in a place called Essex, which is quite a way away from here. I did have to come a long way, but it was worth coming to meet you." Theo winked at Thandi playfully. "I can't reveal how much your present cost, it's a secret. And again, you're welcome, I'm really glad you like it. No, I don't think I am sleeping over," Theo's eyes flitted to catch Oscar's attention for a moment, before sliding back to Thandi's intrigued visage, "and if I am, I certainly haven't been informed, and I haven't brought anything with me either." He laughed jokily. "Before I came here I woke up, got dressed, had my breakfast, played the piano for a bit, had lunch, and then I came here to meet you!" Theo smiled wryly but in amusement. "I don't have a very interesting lifestyle, I'm afraid, Thandi. Are you enjoying your time here? Do you like it?" Theo's caught Oscar's gaze and smiled fully again. He would mouth to him that his sister was adorable, but he was sure Thandi would catch it, being the smart, observant child she was, and then he'd have some explaining to do!

[Oscar Flynn G7]

Oscar guessed that Theo’s home life was a little different from his own quite soon, as the Ravenclaw spoke to Heather so abruptly and in such a polite tone. No-one in the Flynn family was ever impolite, but they had a tendency to be very casual with one another. It almost felt strange to hear Theo’s formal tone in their homely kitchen but it still brought a small smile to both Heather and Oscar’s faces. The smiles grew when Theo commented on his desire to meet Oscar’s father and an amused, knowing glance passed between mother and son.
“Well, dad’s a teacher so technically he’s on holidays too. But there’s one kid in his A level class who’s had some problems recently and apparently it concerns dad. Something to do with drugs-” Oscar hesitated, realising that he may have just suggested that his own father was involved in such things. He laughed lightly before re-phrasing. “I mean, dad’s really good with his pupils and for some reason they think he’s alright too. So he’s often helpful in situations like this when they need someone they look up to, to talk to.” Heather listened with a small smile. On the outside, she knew Isaac wasn’t really what Oscar and probably Theo, too, would think of as ‘cool’. He wore old-fashioned clothing despite being middle-aged and no matter how hard Heather pleaded, he wouldn’t try on any newer, nicer clothes- even from her own lines. Secretly, Heather loved the way her husband dressed as it was something different to come home to after a day of fitting perfect models in beautiful, brand-new clothes that could be seen in every fashion magazine.
“Please Theo, call me Heather.” Oscar’s mother smiled softly. “Oscar enjoys a bit of gardening, don’t you honey.” She teased her son with a tinkling laugh.
In response, Oscar frowned before explaining to Theo. “We’ve got a huge garden, I’ll show you later. Goes right to the small woods at the back. She-” Here Oscar threw a playful glare at his mother, “-makes me mow the lawn every week. Takes about three hours…” He gave an exaggerated sigh as if the task was a massive weight on his shoulders each week. In truth he didn’t mind it that much. He quite enjoyed manual labour and as the weather was improving a little he’d even caught the sun, sending a very light smattering of freckles across his arms- courtesy of his Irish blood. Thandi had taken to attempting to count his freckles recently, although as of yet she didn’t have enough fingers or toes to get past the first twenty.

Taking his mind away from this thought Oscar tuned back into the kitchen, and Thandi’s bright voice reached his ears. She’d clearly loved Theo’s comment about her cooking and was now insisting that she bake him something. “Oscar made banana bread with me yesterday, it was really good! Only Oscar is really clumsy and he tipped the-”
“Err- we can tell that story another day, Thandi.” Oscar interrupted his sister swiftly. Thankfully, she laughed at his hastiness and stopped talking just as swiftly, before she could tell Theo the story that certainly would have embarrassed her old brother.

Moments later after Thandi bombarded Theo with questions she was awarded with his smile, soon followed by words of encouragement. Slightly surprised, the four year old turned to Heather with a laugh and stuck out her tongue teasingly- for Theo was obviously on her side, something she immediately loved. In return Heather stuck out her own tongue as far as it would go, squeezing her eyes shut as if she were really concentrating on the task. Meanwhile, Oscar listened to Theo’s comment on Thandi being a Ravenclaw with a grin. It was probably true. When Theo said it Oscar had momentarily frozen; worried the other boy would say something about magic and ignite curiosity in his new sister. But thankfully Theo kept the remark small and Oscar had nothing to worry about.
The swiftness of Theo’s replies to Thandi made the Gryffindor boy lean back in his chair, letting the two converse without interruption. He listened to and watched Theo with a tiny hint of a smile. He loved how easily Thandi took to his friend, and it made him even more certain that Theo was a good person and a great friend to have. It might have sounded strange, a sixteen year old boy taking a four year old girl’s thoughts into such serious consideration. But Thandi had spent those four years being wary of many people and Oscar knew she was a good judge of other people. Her age merely made it easier to see when she liked someone.
Contrary to Oscar’s small smile, Thandiwe’s was an ear-to-ear beam. She too adored Theo’s attention. The wink made her giggle and the comment after it about the price of the bracelet on her slender wrist made her lips pout only a little before she spoke. “Oooh please Oscar, can Theo sleep over?” She pleaded with her brother. In return, Oscar struggled slightly to hide the emotions that attempted to control his expression. There was something about the idea of Theo sleeping over that made him a little uncomfortable. Until now, he had managed to avoid any hint of unfamiliar thought in his mind thanks to Thandi’s excitement in Theo and the comfortable shelter of his kitchen in which they were seated in. But Theo sleep over? Oscar didn’t let his head think much about it, and on the outside he spoke confidently. The only hint of his hesitance of the subject was the minor pause before he replied. “Maybe another time. I’m sure Theo has things to do at home anyway, Thandi.”

“Oh no!” A cry interrupted the conversation. It came from Heather, beside the oven. She was peering into the dark shadows inside the oven doors, her massive oven-mitt hands at either side of her face. “I’ve had it on too high! Oh I am hopeless.” Her tone was slightly exasperated and yet she couldn’t keep the slight giggle from it either. “Wait… I think I can fix this!” She seemed to be speaking to herself, and yet Oscar both listened and watched her for a moment with amused expressions. In a hasty blur, Heather had sprinkled something unusual over her creation, poked a few things into the sponge, turned a few knobs on the oven, and shut the doors again. “Right. That means it will be another ten minutes, sorry!” Her eyes were laughing as she apologised. Oscar grinned at her. Meanwhile on his table, Thandi and Theo were still talking. Thandi had excitedly told Theo about the piano in the Flynn house, insisting that he play it for her later on. To Theo’s question about her life so far with Oscar, Heather and Isaac, she nodded so hard Oscar thought her head might come off. Laughing, Oscar spoke to Theo.

”Want to see the garden then? I’ll show you the tree house I built two years ago, it’s surprisingly stable. Hope you’re not afraid of heights.” He smiled. Thandi listened to this and Oscar knew in an instant she wanted to come. Of course he didn’t mind- but Thandi wasn’t allowed in the tree-house just yet, and he did want some time with Theo alone for a while. “Thandi honey! I’ve forgotten how to make icing, silly me. Do you remember? Can you do it for me please?” Heather’s voice called from the kitchen, always timed perfectly.

It wasn’t long before Oscar was leading Theo through the rest of the house towards the conservatory and back door. “I’ll give you a proper tour later. It’s a nice house, we moved here just four years ago with the big opening of ‘Heather Flynn’ in magazines. The tree-house is in the woods.” He smiled lightly. “Dad and a muggle friend of mine from nearby helped me with it, although Hannah is terrible at climbing trees.” Oscar chuckled fondly at memory of his friend. “I wonder what she’s been up to lately… haven’t seen her in about a year.” He said the last bit absent-mindedly, a smile creeping upon his lips in memory of Hannah. In front of them now lay Oscar’s large garden, dotted with big apple or plum trees. The patio they would cross first was home to a very large red barbeque and an assortment of unmatched tables and wooden chairs. Behind the fence at the back of the garden you could just about make out a small wooden door leading to the small woods beyond the grass.

[Theo Darke]

"A-Levels... They're the, um, equivalent to, um..." Theo glanced briefly at Thandi. "You know. Those, lizard newt things...?" He hoped Oscar would catch his drift. He'd heard of A-Levels, but he had little knowledge of them. Evidently magic was not a common household word in the Flynn family, and Theo felt obliged to keep with the trend. "Uhuh," he then nodded with interest, covering up his minute stumble that hopefully Thandi wouldn't detect. Theo smiled awkwardly when Oscar's mother told him to call her Heather. "Yes, of course." He noticed that Oscar's family weren't uptight at all or desired him to be extremely polite, but Theo had been bred amongst some snotty purebloods who demanded he was outwardly civil and respectful. He would never have thought to call any of some of his parents' acquaintances (not friends, god forbid!) by their first names; it just was not heard of or tolerated. Wesley and Yvonne didn't mind at all, and in this way they were similar to the Flynns and different to the other purebloods that surrounded them. The Leighs, too, despite claiming heritage of the highest calibre, were open and friendly and not at all informal with friends. It was a trait both families shared that cemented their deep-rooted, almost historical friendship. Theo hoped Oscar and his mother wouldn't get the impression he was an uptight sort of boy, or that his family was as demanding as that. It was the part of Theo that automatically dealt with strangers of society, not friends, and he felt apologetic towards Heather.

"Really?" Theo turned an amused eye on Oscar when Heather mentioned he enjoyed a bit of gardening. "I wouldn't have imagined it." He laughed when Oscar made a show over the mowing. "I'd love to see it. I prefer spending time outdoors in the sun rather than staying in. People wonder why I'm still so pale though." He chuckled, waving a light-skinned arm in the air as evidence. "We have a huge garden as well in Essex, which we've opened up to join with Lori's next door, so it's even bigger than before. We share the garden now, have been doing for years. I never did tell you that Lori and I also live side by side. Our parents were best friends, got married on the same day, so it made sense to buy houses next to each other," Theo explained with a bright smile. He loved sharing with the Leighs, it was like one big, happy family. Their houses were separate, but it was easy to move from one to the other through the garden. Theo treated Lori's house like his own and vice versa.

Theo chuckled under his breath when Thandi almost gave away Oscar's fatal cooking skills. He stopped her in time and Theo stifled his amusement behind a sleeve, but couldn't help but catch Oscar's eye, his own twinkling in hilarity as though he and Thandi shared some sort of special secret over Oscar. "Now I know your weakness, I'll be sure to exploit it," Theo declared with as straight and sombre a face as possible, before he looked to Thandi and gave a sidelong conspiratorial wink, like partners in crime. When Oscar suggested in reply to Thandi's request for Theo to stay the night that Theo was probably busy, the boy in question smiled and nodded, barely minding being rejected in an indirect way, for he hadn't prepared himself to have to sleepover with Oscar, whom he was not even that close to yet, and he hated to intrude on a family probably desperate to have its own personal space with their new addition. That and Theo did feel somewhat uncomfortable, not just in the Flynn family's presence but especially in Oscar's, if he had to stay. "Oscar's right. I do have quite a lot to do," Theo gave Thandi a soft, apologetic smile. "Maybe another time," he echoed Oscar, then smiled at the Gryffindor to show he didn't mind at all.

Theo spun around worriedly when Heather gave a shriek of distress, only to find her fussing over her cake and muttering something about ruining it. When she had calmed down and apparently saved the dire situation from the very brink of collapse, Theo gave a reassuring smile. "I'm sure the cake will taste really good, Heather. I look forward to eating it." Theo turned back to Oscar suggesting they look at the tree house and he nodded keenly. "I'd love to. Not afraid of heights. In fact, I like high places." The two boys started out of the kitchen with Thandi following, and Theo wondered if the adorable girl would be tailing him and Oscar the entire time he was here (he didn't dislike it, she was wonderful company, but Theo had been looking forward to a bit of time alone with his friend), but it seemed Oscar and Heather had alternative plans, and with a little quick thinking Heather had Thandi back in the kitchen with her making icing for the cake. "That was close," Theo joked as they stepped across the garden. "Yeah, you do have a really nice place," he commented as he gazed around at the expansive house. "Must be convenient to have woods at the back. And I'm not exactly great at climbing trees either... You're probably going to have to carry me up there!" he bluffed. Theo wasn't terrible at tree-climbing, but he hadn't done a lot of it in his childhood like a lot of boys. He had been and was best friends with Miss Lori Lexi Leigh, for goodness sake. To be frank, no wonder he had turned out to be gay! Theo wasn't exactly the manliest man on earth.

Anyway, Theo wanted to make Oscar aware he was no physical exertionist. He liked and excelled at sports, but when it came to real physical activity Theo was probably a bit too fragile. Well, fragile was not a word suited to Theo, but he wasn't tough enough for the job, for sure. The most extreme physical thing Theo had ever done was a bit of mountain-hiking, followed by camping, and he'd been pretty beat by the end of the trip with his dad and Freddy, Lori's father (Callum had been too young at the time to accompany them, and the girls typically had refused outright to go). Theo listened to Oscar talking about his muggle friend, Hannah, before saying, "I suppose it's because she doesn't come to Hogwarts with you. We spend almost all the year there, it's always going to be hard keeping contact with anyone outside of school besides your family." Theo sent Oscar a sympathetic look, but he couldn't claim to understand the same feelings as Oscar harboured. After all, Theo had barely any muggle friends outside of Hogwarts. He didn't have the chance to meet any because he didn't live near any muggle neighbours, his home being in the centre of a wizard community. This only made his interest and curiosity in muggles increase. The tree house Oscar was taking him to see, for example, despite being a familiar object to a wizard child, wasn't as popular in comparison to in muggle children's culture. Wizard children did not grow up lolloping around the countryside or the streets with ball games and other such activities, so this was a bit of a whole new world for Theo.

The garden was truly very beautiful. Theo admired it as they stepped out onto the grass, breathing in the smell of fresh air appreciatively. "Oh, the great outdoors," he grinned to himself, almost forgetting Oscar was right next to him. "This is a great place for Thandi to play in the summer. It's so big and open, plenty of room for a growing four-year-old. Anyway, onward?" Smiling, Theo let Oscar lead the way to the tree house, passing through the well-cut lawn ("nicely done, Oscar, nicely done," he commented teasingly) and into the woods. The shade hit his back as they became hidden under several large, towering trees, expanding across dry patches of grass with various flowers peeking beside their stumps. Theo nodded his approval as he caught Oscar's eye and continued to follow the other boy unquestioningly. They walked in comfortable silence, Theo with his hands in his pockets, admiring his surroundings. His mind was concentrating more on the nature by his side rather than on Oscar, but he didn't think the Gryffindor would mind. Anyway, Theo was hoping he would stop thinking about Oscar so much. He seemed to be doing a lot of that recently, and it was starting to worry him.

[Oscar Flynn G7]

The hesitance in Theo’s voice when he attempted to describe in the most subtle way the wizarding exams to Oscar made him chuckle before nodding casually. He noticed Thandi’s curious wide eyes out of the corner of his own but she said nothing, disregarding the topic as something not important to her despite her curious nature. The fact that she had no idea about his wizarding blood made Oscar a little uneasy in his head. He’d already thought about the whole situation and certainly agreed with his mother with the wait-until-Llanrhystud idea. But it still made him so nervous. He knew of people who told their partners about magic, or perhaps when their families found out, and it ruined relationships. Oscar guessed it was because the muggles were uneasy about the new, unfamiliar world. It was in the similar manner Oscar dispelled unfamiliar thoughts from his mind; some people just didn’t like change and he couldn’t even begin to imagine what a change it would be for Thandi when she found out about Hogwarts and magic. He just hoped with all his heart the little four-year-old would understand how much it was a part of him.

“I agree, outside is always so much better. Although I’m not pale, I don’t tan much as you might be able to see. But thanks to my parents I get covered almost everywhere in freckles each summer.” At this, Heather looked fondly at her son with a small smile. “That’s a great idea, Theo.” Heather then spoke, commenting on the join gardens. “It would be great if Oscar knew a few more people around here, he spends a fortune travelling to London everyday to see his friends.” Oscar’s mother was also careful not to mention anything odd before her new daughter.
On the topic of the joint gardens Oscar nodded while his mother said it was a nice idea, noticing Theo’s obviously happy smile. How great it would be to have such a good friend… Oscar himself didn’t really have a best friend like Lori for Theo. The two had momentarily passed over the topic during their last meeting, although because of Oscar’s hesitance to approach the subject Theo had tactfully changed topic.

Thandi was once again grinning when Theo threw her another wink. She laughed, her bright innocent giggles filling the kitchen. When she looked at Oscar it was with the same twinkle that he had seen in Theo’s eyes only seconds before. It made Oscar curious as to how Theo had affected his little sister so easily. He hadn’t even walked into the house long ago, and yet already Oscar recognised adoration and respect in Thandi’s eyes when she looked at Theo. There was something so trusting about him. Oscar felt it too; as if you could tell him anything and it would be OK. As if he would turn any bad situation around and make it somehow acceptable. When with him, Oscar realised, despite the Ravenclaw’s smaller size and perhaps slightly less… manliness about him, Oscar felt safe emotionally. This was a strange thought to him as he pondered over the madness of his mind recently, the strange thoughts triggered by his last meeting with Theo. And yet somehow he had an unusual yearning to like Theo and be liked in return, to stay with this safe feeling.
As the two escaped the kitchen and the females inside it, walking towards the garden, Oscar nodded again to Theo’s comments. “Thanks. And it’s really helpful. Although my parents don’t ever argue about anything serious and our house is basically the epitome of happiness, the woods always seems like the sort of place that you could escape to for an hour or so just to relax and sit back in. Plus,” He turned a pointed at an area behind the house where the horizon could be clearly seen after a few flat fields. “you get a great view of the sunset from some places. One of which is my tree-house.” Oscar smiled at the thought as they walked. He’d spent many evenings with his muggle friend Hannah in the tree-house, watching the sunset despite the fact it was past their ‘curfew’. “Oh you won’t have to climb; we’ve got this ancient, completely unsafe and life-threatening rope ladder leading to the house decks…” Oscar teased with a laugh. “Nah, it’s safe enough. As for climbing, I have to boast a bit here. I was sitting on the highest tree branches I could find by the time I was six so I’ve had many years of practise. As long as the tree was high, I’d be trying to climb it.

Theo’s comment on Hannah brought about another nod from Oscar, now nearly as common as his smiles. “It’s just a shame that our contact just stopped in seconds. It’s the same way I feel about my cousins not being able to have the chance to go to Hogwarts. I couldn’t tell Hannah about magic of course, but all her questions about the boarding school she thought I was attending grew more and more persistent when I did come home, and I hate lying. Honesty is the most important thing in a relationship.” Here Oscar looked Theo in the eye seriously. Oscar lived honesty. He hated lying and if he ever did something wrong he would admit to it in a matter of seconds. The thought of one person putting the blame onto another person for something they themselves had done made him feel almost physically repulsed, because it was such a cruel and foreign concept to Oscar. His parents had brought him up without holding anything back and the Flynn family had been honest from the day it could be called a family. He knew from a young age about his mother’s stillborn baby and they shared everything else with him that they possibly could. He in turn told them everything. If he ever had a crush on someone, they knew about it. When he had his first kiss, it wasn’t long before they found out. Although Oscar knew many of his friends would hate such a close relationship to their parents, he adored it. He knew it didn’t make him any less ‘cool’ or more of what some people could call a ‘sissy’. To Oscar, having respect and love to the people that put you into the world was a wonderful ability and he was proud to be able to say he had that love and admiration for Heather and Isaac.

Theo’s obvious appreciation of the outside world made Oscar laugh, his eyes lighting up. “The great outdoors indeed. And I agree, she loves it a lot too. It’s hard to get her inside sometimes.” Although Thandi had only been part of Oscar’s family for a short while, her characteristics already shone through as bright as the sun above Oscar’s head as he led Theo to the woods. The Ravenclaw’s comment ‘nicely done’ brought a further laugh to Oscar’s lips and made him more aware of Theo’s good sense of humour; another thing he admired. A comfortable silence held for a while as the two continued through the small woods, the trees getting denser around them as they walked. Above them the sun flickered through the branches like Morse code and the only sounds were that of nature; birds chirruping and tweeting, the occasional rustle of a woodland animal, the incessant song of grasshoppers.
Soon, they approached a very large tree which cast shade all around due to its vast branches, shaped in a strange hand-like manner. Oscar halted before the trees and cast a sideways grin at Theo. Then he looked up. He was looking now at his tree-house . It was roughly octagonal with enough space for quite a few people, who would be sheltered by the small but thick roof above. The tree-house was very high up. The trunk of the tree had several ‘baby trunks’ which conjoined to make the main, larger base. Oscar walked towards one of the smaller, separate trunks and put his hand behind it. Within moments his hand appeared again holding the last few rungs of a rope ladder. Next Oscar stepped back and pulled on the ladder. This resulted in the whole length of the ladder appearing from behind and inside the tree, following all the way up to the platform of the tree house itself.

“Not too high for you, I hope?” Oscar smiled lightly at Theo. It would take them a few moments to get to the small hut on the tree and despite the weather-worn appearance of the rope on the ladder, it held confidently as Oscar placed his right foot on the first rung. Then he began to move up the ladder in a very self-assured manner, halting first to watch Theo follow his lead. Before long they had reached the platform and Oscar was hoisting his body through the small square hole in the hut, where the rope ladder was attached. He held out a hand to help Theo through as knew for the first time it could be hard to find the right hand-placement to help you climb through the hole. As their hands touched Oscar frowned as another new feeling came to him. It was the same feeling he had felt when their fingertips had brushed in the pizza place, the same feeling he’d received when they’d touched ever so slightly in the hall earlier that day. It was stronger now and Oscar couldn’t help hesitating, his hand still clutching Theo’s and his eyes looking into the Ravenclaw’s, an expression of bewilderment clear.
The expression disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and Oscar pulled Theo through the square with ease. Then he walked without a word to the back of the tree-house where a small ‘balcony’ could be found with a tiny fence around it to make sure you couldn’t fall off. This unsheltered platform was where Oscar sat, leaning against the wood beside him. The platform he was no sitting on was small and he hadn’t thought about the space; when Theo joined him their thighs would touch… it was inevitable. Oscar dispelled the thought from his mind- what was happening to his head! He didn’t think these thoughts. He didn’t feel these feelings. He didn’t, and he wouldn’t. With a scowl he fought harder to ignore the thoughts. Soon, he realised that Theo had joined him and indeed they were now so close it was hard not to have their thighs and shoulders touching, almost pressing against eachother.

In a few moments Oscar managed to throw the reminder of how close they were from his head, and looked straight forwards before him. The sight was fabulous. Due to the height of the tree-house and the tree, they were now situated quite high above most of the other trees in the wood. There were of course some that stretched even further into the sky, but for the most part their view was clear. It was stunning. “I love this.” Oscar murmured, his voice barely audible. “It makes you feel so free. So… in touch with the woods and the world.” A breeze ran past the two boys where they sat and a bird cooed softly from nearby. The sky was bright and yet the placement of the clouds around the sun created beautiful shadows and lit up the lining of the clouds so they looked almost golden. Oscar didn’t speak much, merely admired this purely brilliant sight.

[Theo Darke]

Theo breathed a sigh of relief when Oscar explained he didn't have to physically do any tree-climbing. "That's good," he chuckled contentedly. "I'm sure climbing a 'completely unsafe and life-threatening' ladder would ensure my safety better than my own four limbs. No, I'd definitely have a higher chance of dying by my own hands." Laughing with Oscar, Theo smiled when his companion related his childhood hobby of climbing trees. "That's not a bad thing. It's a great thing. It means you got enough exercise. I was always more homey than outey." He paused and chuckled. "No, they're not words. I mean that I spent more time indoors than outdoors. That was probably one of the reasons why I didn't cherish Quidditch as quickly as I did. I preferred to play the piano and violin with Lori... Indoor activities." Theo sent Oscar a quick, reassuring smile though. "It doesn't mean I'm against outdoor activity. I'm glad you're 'opening my eyes'. I like new and wider horizons." Grinning, Theo nodded in approval when Oscar said honesty was the most important thing. "Yeah. If you can't be honest with someone, your relationship breaks down from the lying and, you know," he tried to sound light-hearted, "you wouldn't want that. If you can get by, you should never lie." Falling into wondering silence, Theo's thoughts became trapped in a web of guilt and shame. He was no liar, but he felt like a liar with Lori and Scott. Whenever he was in their presence it was as though he was lying through his smile rather than the usual phrasing of through his teeth. Theo always appeared - or at least tried to - at ease when the couple were around him, but the truth was Theo felt extremely uncomfortable and couldn't wait to get away from their oppressive presence.

“I suppose those sorts of lies,” Theo continued as he tried to wipe away any affected emotion in his visage, “are rather inevitable. There are some things we can’t tell people because they shouldn’t be allowed to know, or because we’ve already promised someone we can’t say. It puts us in a less than desirable position, but that’s life. It’s not always fair.” Smiling wistfully, Theo gave a casual, careless shrug. “I hope you’ll be able to tell her one day. Or make it up to her. I’m sure she would understand.” Theo was about to couple a reassuring grin with a friendly pat on Oscar’s back, but hesitated as his hand twitched by his side, fuelled with concern and reluctance for such an intimate action. He and Oscar had acted as normal friends and had physically touched each other several times before, but all of a sudden Theo felt extremely aware of his actions around Oscar, and he didn’t want the Gryffindor to, well… get the wrong impression or something. Certainly not. Keeping his arm steadily by his side, Theo tried to forget doing anything particularly suspicious, but failed to realise that in not doing anything at all he made himself look more suspicious and abnormal than vice versa. Theo was rarely hesitant, and giving the deer caught in headlights expression was hardly what he wanted to portray to Oscar. It really gave him away, and if Oscar had known Theo better, he would have noticed how obvious his discomfort around him was. Only no one but Lori and his family really understood Theo’s nature, because he was always so smooth and calm, so no one ever detected him being roused and alarmed.

“That… is pretty high,” Theo answered Oscar’s question as he stared up in awe at the tree house, before tilting his head towards his friend and sending a confident smile. “But not tall enough to deter me. Thankfully I’m not afraid of heights. I’ll assume you’re not either, Oscar.” Chuckling, Theo unhesitantly followed the Gryffindor up the rope, feeling at first grasp that although old and used, the ladder was still sturdy and strong and holding his and Oscar’s weight more than steadily. Making quick progress up the ladder, Theo watched as Oscar hoisted himself onto the platform first, then turned around to give him a literal helping hand. He couldn’t help but pause again in wariness, his eyes staring at the other boy’s hand in what he could only describe his own feelings as uncertainty, before making a swift decision that if he did not take it, it would just cite Oscar’s confusion in his behaviour. Theo wasn’t one to resist help, he wasn’t the proud or the cold type. Giving a grateful yet nervous smile, Theo grasped Oscar’s outstretched hand and let the Gryffindor pull him into the small space that was the inner tree house. He noted a look of bewilderment on Oscar’s face, but it disappeared as quickly as Theo looked away. Throughout Oscar’s helping him, Theo was all too aware of his friend’s warm touch against his own, the way it made his heart beat faster and made his eyes immediately divert from making contact with Oscar’s out of embarrassment and self-consciousness. He was glad when he could let go, despite secretly missing the warmth and comfort and security the one touch could give.

Oscar moved away to a balcony on the other side of the tree house, opening up to a view of the woods, as Theo brushed himself down and steadied his balance. Peering around curiously at the self-constructed tree house, Theo marvelled at its craftsmanship, and proceeded to smilingly admire Oscar’s handiwork. “It’s really amazing,” he spoke honestly, making his way towards where Oscar now sat, overlooking the scenery. “This tree house, I mean. I can’t believe you built it. And without magic too. As someone born and raised a wizard, I just can’t understand how muggles do it. I think they’re pretty amazing.” Still grinning broadly, Theo seated himself carefully beside Oscar, but not before gazing down at his friend hesitantly, glad the Gryffindor couldn’t see his expression because his back was turned to him. Again convincing himself he had no other choice but to act as normal and in control as possible, Theo wriggled his way into the much-too-tiny space, sending Oscar a very apologetic, lopsided smile as his elbow nudged into the Gryffindor’s ribs. “Sorry,” he said quickly, all too aware of the short, if nonexistent distance between his and Oscar’s bodies. Heart beating faster again, Theo cursed his lack of inner control and tried to maintain a strong hold over his emotions. He had to act the part. Sometimes, as he had said to Oscar, lying was integral. Necessary. Right now, it was definitely necessary. No way was Theo exposing his true feelings to his friend risk their budding friendship.

“Yeah,” Theo nodded in agreement as Oscar made a quiet comment after a long, peaceful silence that he couldn’t distinguish whether or not was comfortable or uneasy. “It’s beautiful.” His voice was just as subdued and quiet as he let his eyes roam the fantastic nature of the woods. Theo’s body was just relaxing to having Oscar so close, when he couldn’t help but shift and felt their arms touch. Resisting the urge to shrink back, Theo had to consciously make himself physically comfortable again. He didn’t wish to speak, and evidently Oscar felt the same. It was as though a single word would shatter the beautiful yet fragile make up of this natural environment. Breathing in deeply, Theo enjoyed the fresh air he so little got to frolic in as a child. He could see why Oscar loved the outdoors when he was younger; Theo knew he would’ve too with this environment. It took quite a while for him to feel up to speaking again, and when he did, he turned his head towards Oscar, about to open his mouth and speak, when he was struck how very close he and the other boy were indeed. Forgetting the words on his lips, Theo stared in caught surprise at his companion, his mouth slightly parted in mid-speech. He watched the curve of Oscar’s lips, his eyes, the way his brown hair dappled at his shoulders, and felt his breath catch. Shocked with himself, but unable to stop himself, Theo stared, openly and without caution. He felt a blush crawling up his cheeks, settling itself across his face, and couldn’t control it. It was as though something had trapped Theo, and there was no way out. And it seemed like that person was Oscar.

For the first time in a long, long time, Theo swore. Very loudly. In his head.

[Oscar Flynn G7]

‘Homey’ and ‘Outey’… Nope, they were definitely not words to Oscar’s knowledge. He chuckled along with Theo before smiling at the mention of his piano and violin abilities. “Don’t forget you owe Thandi a few tunes on our piano later. Of course, she won’t let you forget it anyway.” He smiled. If there was one thing that Thandi was, it was persistent. Oscar’s brain sought for activities that he liked to do inside… it was actually hard to think of one, however. He enjoyed art, he’s recently realised. But he hadn’t really done enough of it to call himself an artist, or say art was a hobby of his. And surely, his style of art was safer and less messy outside anyway. He frowned as no other activity came to him. “Theo, you’re going to have to show me some sort of enjoyable thing or activity that we can do inside together. Even if being ‘Outey’” He grinned teasingly, “is a good thing, there’s nothing that I do inside.” The thought was odd to him. Theo continued in reply to Oscar’s comments on honesty, and the reply made Oscar smile inwardly. He was glad his friend was so down-to-earth and of the same opinion as the Gryffindor. When two friends thought differently on such topics as honesty, there was something very wrong with their friendship.

“Yes… that’s t rue. If we can’t tell the truth because we’ve promised someone else we wouldn’t, then it makes sense not to go against your first truth with the second, even if it’s to your advantage.” Oscar spoke slowly, wondering if he sounded like a total idiot again. The words made sense in his head at least. Life isn’t always fair… that too was very true. Oscar knew that his life was very fair compared to the lives of others. In a sense, he had everything. But you know what wasn’t fair? Oscar’s own mind seemed to question him before replying angrily. These odd feelings and thoughts he’d been having lately. They simply weren’t Oscar, and it was unfair to have something un-Oscar with Oscar. Yet again, the tall boy felt that if he’d have said these words aloud to someone he would have sounded like a complete idiot. To Theo’s words about telling Thandi about magic, he didn’t reply. There was just a feeling deep inside him; like it would not go how he wanted it. Thandi was so innocent, so fragile in her own confident ways. He would hate himself if he were the one to break her.

At the tree, after confirming that no – he adored heights for the ‘daredevil’ thrill they often gave- Oscar didn’t fail to notice the second’s hesitation that Theo gave when accepting his hand to help. It passed so fast he almost thought he had imagined it, and yet the knowledge that Theo had paused was still there. It made Oscar curious above most things. Theo… he was different. Not just because he was gay, but because his nature wasn’t just straight-forward, simple. Oscar felt that to many people he seemed to be that- what you see is what you get, in a manner of speaking. But he knew that he wasn’t. Although perhaps not the most eloquent speaker, and maybe not the boy filled with the common-sense, Oscar had a lot inside him that no-one knew about. His fears, mostly. What he didn’t want people to know. What he did want people to know, but the process of actually telling them was too hard… so many things that just would never come out of the Gryffindor’s head or heart, just because he was scared. Scared- a Gryffindor? The notion was almost oxymoronic and that alone worried Oscar for a moment.

When on the balcony Theo’s voice came to him and he half-turned. A small smile was set on his face. “You think? For a tree-house it’s not the best. But… I do love it. When we were building it you couldn’t imagine all of the spells that pushed their way into my head. Just simple things- to fetch the nails we’d accidentally left on the ground below. But I’m glad it’s handmade. It gives it more character, more reason to love it.” He returned Theo’s grin as the boy sat down. It was gone when Theo muttered an apology. “No, don’t say sorry. We should have made the balcony larger.” Usually this would be spoken by Oscar in a light tone, with one of his usual smiles. But no smile appeared on his face, and his voice was quiet and held more sincerity than it had before that day. It wasn’t cold or remotely unfriendly; just slightly emotionless, for Oscar was trying his best to keep true emotion out of it just in case the wrong emotions were put on show.

He was half-turning back to the scenery before them when he felt the Ravenclaw move a little beside him. His head snapped back to face Theo. Their arms were now pushing against each other. It was hard not to ignore it as the pressure was somehow more insistent than it should have been, and ever-present. Why was the connection so strong? Oscar fought with his thoughts as he tried to find an answer. Before he had ignored all of these feelings, but now he wanted so badly to put an end to the unfamiliarity of the whole situation he knew he had to think about it a little more. They were so close now, Oscar noticed as he glanced at the Ravenclaw. Theo was breathing in deeply, obviously taking in the breathtaking view before his eyes. As was Oscar. No- wait- what?! That thought was certainly not Oscar’s thought! Who let that into his confused head? This was ridiculous. It was all ridiculous. Facing the situation head-on was the only way he was going to sort it all out, he knew now. His lips parted for a moment as he got ready to speak and slice the tranquil mood of the environment. But no words came from his lips; for now Theo had turned, about to speak too. Oscar looked at his eyes with shock. He hadn’t noticed the twinkle that seemed to be forever switched on in the blue eyes until now. Hadn’t noticed the way the corners of Theo’s mouth curved up ever so slightly in a permanent half-smile. It was endearing. Being so close was endearing. Theo was endearing.

WHAT? You absolute moron, stop staring before he thinks something completely diverse from the truth. You're STRAIGHT, goddamnit!! Look away, Oscar, Look away- now! Finally, he did so. But not before his whole body seemed to sway for a moment towards Theo, so that it could have been possible to feel Theo’s breath, so that it would have been possible to ki-

“Er, right well. We should go- mum’s cake. Ready. Now. I mean, mum’s take will be ready about now… it should be great…” Oscar’s hasty words erupted from his lips finally as he wrenched his gaze from Theo’s face. Ignoring the fact that he bit his tongue trying to force the words out, he went to stand, hitting his head hard on the wooden panels holding the roof together. He ignored the numbing pain that spread through his head as well as the coppery taste of blood in his mouth. Standing properly, stepped back inside the shelter of the tree-house. “Um. Ready?” He spoke quietly and in an oddly gentle tone. In a moment they could head back down the ladder, back across the garden, back into the house and eat his mother’s cake and be merry, forgetting the tense, frustrating feelings and emotions that had been blowing about like a gale around the two not seconds before. If only it was all that simple.

[Theo Darke]

"Sure I'll play," Theo said peaceably when Oscar reminded him of his promise to Thandi. "I haven't forgotten. And I'm sure if I do she won't let me forget it." He chuckled and shook his head. "I can try, but I can't promise anything. I'm no miracle worker," he teased Oscar lightly about teaching him the insides of being inside. "In return, you'll have to help me explore this outside world more. I said I love the outdoors, but I'm more used to being indoors, like I also said." Theo gave a short but wistful laugh at Oscar's next comment. "Yeah, exactly. It's so complicated, huh? There's no 'right' way... but it doesn't stop me from trying to find one." He smiled evenly before changing the subject with casual grace; it was too much of a difficult topic for such a carefree atmosphere.

"No, I think it's great," Theo answered earnestly, but then gave an embarrassed cough. "Then again, I don't exactly have the best knowledge or expertise on tree houses. Anyway, as a novice, I think it's wonderful. It receives my highest commendations." He nodded encouragingly. "As long as you love it, then that's all that matters. Apart from it being too rickety and falling down, of course. We wouldn't want that." A smile crept onto Theo's face when Oscar said he was glad he had handmade the tree house. "I think it gives it more authenticity," he commented honestly, still peering with interest and curiosity at the planks of wood hammered into place, sturdy and strong.

With Theo facing Oscar, still as a statue and blushing soft pink, he was well aware that at some point the Gryffindor would turn his head too, and their eyes would meet, and Oscar would see his stunned expression, his obvious flush that had certainly not arisen from overexertion. Of course, before Theo could pull himself properly together and turn away to hide his distressed state, Oscar finally looked at him, and to Theo's surprise he bore an expression of bewilderment and astonishment not dissimilar to his own. There was something hidden in those stormy eyes, something expressive, wishing to be allowed true form but failing to make the cut. There were emotions existent that Theo was desperate to comprehend, to search out and piece together, but Oscar was much too far away, too out of reach, even if he was sitting right next to him, arm to arm, shoulder to shoulder, face to face.

Like Theo, Oscar looked like he wanted to speak, and yet the words lurking in his eyes and his expression failed to surface properly, and Theo was left disappointed as silence continued to stretch between them, awkward and uncomfortable and buzzing with something more, more in a way Theo could not possibly put his finger on because it was so new to him. He could tell Oscar couldn't understand it either. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, but it wasn't horrible either, that was the contradiction and misunderstanding in it. Theo felt very torn and confused and he couldn't search for an action to pull himself out of the odd, very odd, situation. But still, Theo couldn't help but let his wide eyes continue to stare longingly at Oscar's face, how strands of brown glinted in the sun, barely visible if not for the lack of distance between them allowing Theo a close-up view. He stared and he admired and he blushed, and it was altogether the worst and best few seconds of Theo's life.

The part that Theo almost thought he would die heart failure, when he thought it would cease throbbing in his chest from absolute shock, was when Oscar’s face swayed towards him, his lips so close he could feel the other boy’s breath against the corner of his mouth. It almost caused Theo to faint, but no, he continued to stare in disbelief as the moment drew itself out in an attempt for them to successfully bump into one another. Only Oscar drew back at the last moment, just before their lips touched, and Theo forced himself to calm as the Gryffindor withdrew, resisting the urge to put a finger to his lips and let out a long breath of… relief? Disappointment? Shock? Theo wasn’t sure any more.

The moment, uncomfortable and adrenaline inducing, passed, or rather, was shattered by Oscar's shaky words. Theo managed to nod dumbly at first in return before finding his voice and tremblingly saying a simple "yeah, yeah, of course..." Both Theo and Oscar began to attempt to stand up, constantly knocking against one another as they struggled in desperation for some balance. Their continuous contact made their mission even more difficult, and Oscar even managed to hit his head on the roof beam due to his height, causing Theo to reel towards him in alarm. “Oh damn, are you OK?” He started at the other boy in more concern than he had ever harboured or shown; he was genuinely distressed to see a flash of pain across Oscar’s face. Reaching up to Oscar’s head, Theo’s hand landed on his cheek, drawing his eye to his own and forcing him to look straight at him. “Are you OK?” he repeated forcibly before realising how close they were again, the intimate contact of his fingers fondling his cheek, and with a surprised start withdrew his arm, letting it dangle uselessly and shamefully beside him. “No blood. That’s good.” His voice was defeated and subdued, almost whispered in its quietness, and he stared avidly at the floor wishing it would suck him up.

“Um, yeah.” Theo nodded curtly and continued to avoid eye contact with severe determination, following Oscar towards the rope ladder. Oscar didn’t sound mad or scared or annoyed; he just seemed so distant and calm, it frightened Theo. “How is he going to think of me now?” Bearing a mixture of chaotic emotions he followed his companion wordlessly down the ladder, making sure he didn’t tread of Oscar’s fingers or scale the rope too quickly and bump into the Gryffindor. Everything Theo did and said (which was little) he thought out with perfect precision, and when they trekked back to Oscar’s house the two boys barely conversed. In fact, not a single word passed between them. Only a wall of silence and doubt had built up and Theo found the situation increasingly uncomfortable. He was already planning his escape as soon as their feet hit the grass of the Flynn family’s garden; how to avoid Heather’s cheerful questions of their short trip, Thandi begging him to stay longer and play the piano. “I’ll keep that promise, but another time,” Theo convinced himself fervently. Right now, all he wanted was to not be around Oscar, because the only thing he knew of his own feelings was that whenever he was with this boy he couldn’t seem to feel anything any more… And that frightened him.

Theo’s eyes flickered flinchingly to Oscar’s just as they entered the house. “I don’t know what you’re doing to me, Oscar Flynn.”

[Oscar Flynn G7]

“Well, of course! That’s only fair.” With a smile Oscar replied to Theo’s comment on exploring the ‘outey’ world. “There’s so many things to do outside though. Especially with a place like this on your doorstep… it’s brilliant. I truly cannot think of so many activities that you could do inside… watch television? Although that’s a muggle thing. Err…board games?” The Gryffindor let out a laugh. Wizarding chess was certainly not his strong point, anyway. His knowledge of keeping yourself busy inside really was limited. “Although I guess it’s a lot easier to find things to do inside with two people.” He added. It pleased him that they were speaking so naturally. That was something he knew he liked in Theo, amongst everything else; you could easily fit around him in any conversation and be quite comfortable about it. Oscar felt as though any mistake he could make now wouldn’t matter to Theo for some reason.

He listened with a further smile as Theo spoke again on the tree house. The way Theo talked was also quite different from how Oscar and his family spoke. Once again it was a slightly reminder of the Ravenclaw’s initial formal attitude to things. There was nothing wrong with this of course- if anything it was oddly appealing. “Thank you.” Oscar accepted the compliment softly. He appreciated that Theo acknowledged that despite any negatives with the tree-house, he did indeed love it very much. It was like a haven to Oscar. Sharing this haven with Theo now seemed right, as if it should have happened. Oscar nearly failed to suppress an almost giggle-like chuckle as he watched Theo lean slightly closer to the woodwork of his tree-house in an amusingly analysing manner. Again this was something that Oscar liked about Theo’s personality; when he was interested in something he didn’t try to hide it. Equally when he wasn’t he didn’t try to make it out as though he was.

What is it about Theo that is so different? All of these little aspects of his personality were certainly interesting, but Oscar knew people that had similar traits also. There was just something, something so tiny he couldn’t trace it, about Theo that made Oscar prioritise him above most of his friends. They’d hardly even known each other long and the thought made Oscar’s head even more jumbled and confused, to the point where he wanted to shake it in frustration. Going back down the rope-ladder now, Oscar’s foot almost missed the next rung dangerously as the memory of only a few moments ago came back into his head. Theo’s head so close to his own. Slightly pinker than normal, Oscar recalled. But why? This was all so messed up. So confusing, so… so wrong! Yes, that was it. It was wrong. They were friends and all of these weird feelings were completely misplaced. It was… it was a combination of Oscar’s recent inactivity in err… relationship areas. And Theo- he didn’t know what was causing the feelings from Theo. Maybe he’d had an argument with someone and needed some sort of escapism? Was he intending Oscar to be that very thing? This thought made Theo appear almost scheming in Oscar’s head and it took him a moment to dispel it from his mind. For he knew that he was just making ridiculous excuses now. He knew that something had happened, something different. But he was still certain; whatever it was, it was wrong.

And Theo’s touch… Oscar had not responded to it at the time. He’d merely spoken a few more mixed-up muddled words and walked away. He’d replied to Theo’s questions of ‘are you okay’ with a simple nod. But the hand that then reached out had been different. That simple touch… It had taken all of Oscar’s power to pull away and force his feet to move, force his lips to mutter. He hated this. He hated all of it. It was something he didn’t understand- how could a touch trigger such emotion? One simple touch. But it wasn’t just the touch, was it? It was the half-second glance that Oscar had thrown at Theo’s face, taking in his features before turning away. All of it combined had created a mass of uncertainty and confused in Oscar’s brain. He didn’t need this at all- this time should be for Thandi. For welcoming her, making her feel at home. Bonding time, that sort of thing. But right now Oscar’s head was full of weird, unfamiliar thoughts. And Theo had caused it. Theo had caused this disruption in his mind and there was nothing Oscar could do about it.

These thoughts haunted him as he continued down the rope ladder and as he jumped the short gap from the last rung to the ground, something shook in his head. A thought jarred along with his feet and it was as though that sharp, sudden movement changed something in his way of thinking about the situation with Theo. It took him a moment to straighten up and make room for Theo to get down, before they set off for the short walk back home. The silence was a little unnerving but, unusually for such a talker like Oscar, it didn’t bother him that much. For his mind was filled with questions and for once, he was getting answers. He ignored the fact that his old temper was inevitably about to shine through once more and break through his innocent exterior. Oscar’s anger issues had been a bit of a problem in the past, but in the last couple of years he’d learnt to control and reign his feeling in with more ease. But the heat that was rising through him now dispelled all memory of such control.

They reached the patio before long and Oscar stretched out an arm to open the conservatory door. But he halted, hand mid-air. “I don’t know…”Oscar’s voice came out as a croak. With a frown, he cleared his throat and spoke boldly. His voice seemed to slice through the silence from before aggressively and he knew that he sounded like a completely different Oscar from the one that Theo knew. But that Oscar had messed up too much and someone had to take hold on this situation before it got really out of hand. “I don’t know what you’re doing. I don’t know about any of this. And I… I hate it, Theo. I hate it so much.” The words were spat out in a crueller tone than Oscar planned for. But they were out now. And he wasn’t about to take them back. Standing in front of the door which would let them back into the house now, he continued. “It’s wrong, it’s weird, and I despise what’s happening to me. I don’t know what it is and I don’t know who I am. But one thing I do know, for sure,” Oscar took a breath and looked Theo in the eye. “Is that I am not like you.” The meaning here was clear. The last three words were spoken slowly and carefully, with emphasis on each syllable. Another deep breathe was pulled through his lips. “What are you doing, Theo? You know who I am… you know what I like. Is this some sort of game to you?! You had some sort of argument with your father or Lori or Scott or someone and now you want to use me to take your mind off it?! Well, what is it?! Because it’s wrong, Theo. It’s weird.” These words came from nowhere. They were now erupting in a harsh tone from Oscar lips and he was unable to hold them back. He was close to Theo and the tense feeling was back in the air. His angry voice had an undertone of clear confusion that he was ignoring in his rant. Feeling enclosed and trapped, his voice rose as he went on. “Just stop it. It isn’t fair and it isn’t normal and it’s so unfamiliar… and I’m not like you.”

[Theo Darke]

They were so close. So close to entering the house again, for the tense, awkward atmosphere to be dispelled by Thandi and Heather’s additional presences. But they never made it, and afterwards Theo really wished they had. He looked at Oscar in confusion, his eyes twisting into a frown as the Gryffindor began to talk… no, shout, even. Rather shocked and even more baffled, it took a long time for Theo to regain his composure, and when he had Oscar was truly into the swing of arguing, heatedly blaming Theo for things he had no idea of. The Gryffindor was going crazy, Theo was sure. Oscar had never acted like this, and it was worrying and perplexing. “Oscar, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Theo tried to stem his companion’s rapid talking, his frown deepening. “What do you hate?” He drew his hands into his pockets, standing in front of the much taller Oscar with not a defiant expression, but a concerned, questioning one. He didn’t know what had brought on Oscar’s sudden change of behaviour, but he supposed he wasn’t completely surprised; not after the last few minutes they had shared in each other’s presence.

But when Oscar said it… said it, Theo knew. He knew, and his heart began to hurt. He ignored it though as his eyes narrowed into slits of cool blue, the stormiest probably anyone had ever seen of Theo Darke. “I know you’re not like me, Oscar,” Theo pointed out through gritted teeth and forced calm composure, though even he could detect his frustration beginning to build. “I never, ever though you were anything like me.” Theo stared Oscar without hesitation or fear in the eye, even though beneath it all his feelings throbbed painfully and he wished he and Oscar weren’t on such sudden hostile terms. But it wasn’t his fault; it was Oscar’s. It wasn’t him who had brought this up, Oscar had! Theo couldn’t help but feel annoyed and angry. What was Oscar thinking? Theo had meant nothing, had not tried to imply anything, around the Gryffindor. “What makes you think that I think you’re the same as me anyway?” Theo challenged, slowly beginning to fold his arms across his chest in a protective manner, as though such a small action would save his heart. “We’re different, you knew that when you first talked to me, didn’t you? Having second thoughts now, are we?” Bitter. Theo sounded bitter. Why did he sound bitter? Theo was never bitter!

“So what if I’m different to you? Is there something wrong with me being what I am? Because if you have a problem with it, I really don’t know why we’re even having this conversation.” Theo shook his head, fighting to remain collected and keep his voice low and steady. He would not yell. He would not shout. That wasn’t Theo’s style, and Oscar… Oscar wasn’t worth it. “Do you think I’m ‘wrong’? ‘Weird’?” Theo felt his fists grit in his palms under his crossed arms. “I’ve heard that from a lot of people, Oscar, and it usually doesn’t affect me any more. I’m over it if people want to be prejudiced. But I expected more from you. I thought we were friends.” OK, so he sounded hurt. That was because Theo did feel hurt. He thought… he believed Oscar was someone he could become close to. A good friend, a close friend. Someone not Lori, not Scott… But no, Oscar had let him down too, and Theo couldn’t even begin to form his disappointment into words.

“I’m not doing anything!” he finally raised his voice, taking a step forward and staring defiantly up at Oscar’s similarly angry face. “I never tried to do anything! You’re just being oversensitive.” Theo shook his head in pure disbelief at Oscar’s next accusation. “Of course I know ‘what you are’. You’re Oscar Flynn, Gryffindor, sixth year, a friend of mine, and straight. You don’t need to advertise yourself to me, I’m not stupid. I am well aware of who you are and who I am and I never tried to make anything else of it.” Theo’s voice wasn’t lowering; if anything it was gaining in volume and pitch. “Game? What game? I don’t play games with people! Don’t you know me--” Theo halted and then gave a hollow laugh. “Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot – you obviously don’t know me at all.” It was probably the coldest sentence Theo had ever spoken in his life, and right now he felt an interesting but painful mixture of scalding and freezing.

“I don’t argue with my dad. And don’t bring Scott into this, Scott has nothing to do with this.” Theo sounded much too forced and aggressive but he didn’t even notice. “And I don’t argue with Lori and Scott either. In fact, I never argue. You’re the first person I have argued with… in years. Maybe all my life.” Fatigue was beginning to creep into Theo’s voice along with the disbelief and anger and distance. But Oscar wasn’t done yelling yet, and Theo felt his blood rush once more when he continued to accuse him. “I wouldn’t just use you to take my mind off things,” he protested furiously, still shaking his head because he couldn’t believe his ears. How could Oscar say such things? “You really don’t know me at all, do you?” he stated softly. “You really have no idea who I am, do you?” Now louder, angrier, more pained. “I should have guessed you were just like everyone else. Everyone else who pointed and oohed and aahed and just assumed my sexuality defined me, made me who I am. Well, that’s only the case because you people make it so. You use my sexuality and make me who I am in your head, and that’s all you think about, isn’t it?” Theo’s hands almost made it to his head of blonde in frustration, his feet taking a few steps back and his eyes searching the beautiful garden contrasting against the mood of his and Oscar’s conversation.

“Unlike you,” Theo tried to sound cold and distant again when he turned back, his expression and gait set in stone. “I don’t see people as objects or tools. I don’t label them, I don’t judge. Just because you can’t accept me for who I am, you want to take your anger out on me. Well, I’ve really had enough. ‘Wrong’, ‘weird’; what else are you going to come out with, huh, Oscar? I may not be friends with you, I can see that much, but I don’t think even my enemies have been quite so cutting, save one.” Gary. Well, he was the last thing on Theo’s mind at the moment. All he saw was Oscar and Oscar and Oscar, and lots of lots of red. Theo’s life had been swam in beautiful blues, but now everything had gone up in smoke and anger engulfed him, and amidst that rage Theo was sure his pain, dulled and aching, throbbed. It spurred him on as he continued to unleash himself on Oscar just as the Gryffindor was doing to him. “I already said, I’m not doing anything!” The arms flew into the air too this time, until Theo retracted them and using as much control as possible, pushed them into his pockets, stubbornly forcing them to stay there despite them shaking. “Of course it’s not fair! We’re not five years old any more, Oscar, we’re sixteen, and we know life isn’t fair. But I’m not even doing anything to you, so everything you’re accusing me of doing, that is what is unfair. You have no proof, no evidence. You’re just paranoid and…”

Theo trailed off, faltering for a moment, before saying, “…you’re not the friend I imagined you to be.” He finished in a quiet, subdued voice, as though his calm was wrapping itself around his shattered body and was comforting him, stilling his rage. “No, you’re not like me, Oscar. You’re not like me at all.” Miserable; the way Theo looked, standing in front of Oscar, head tilted to stare at the floor, eyes narrowed, pained. He re-constructed himself and began again in clipped tones after a long, awkward silence. “I’m sorry for intruding on you and your family with my evidently unwanted presence. I’m sorry for giving you the wrong impression – indeed, if I attempted to give any, which I didn’t. I’m sorry for losing my temper, I should have known better. But most of all I’m sorry I ever thought we could be friends.” Theo managed a bitter smile as he looked up at Oscar, straight and unhesitant and bold and honest. “I don’t like you, Oscar. Not in that way, anyway. And it’s not my problem if you can’t accept yourself.” Turning around, Theo began towards the exit of the garden into the main street again. When he was about two metres apart from Oscar he spun around again and gave his usual polite smile, as though he hadn’t spent the last fifteen minutes shouting and ranting and in pain. “Please give Heather my apologies and tell her I’m sure her cake is delicious. And tell Thandi that… I’m sorry.”

With that, Theo walked swiftly out of the Flynn garden, not once turning back, not once faltering or tripping. He stalked straight outside, head high, eyes stinging, and heart clenched in pain.