iris-qt

[iris-qt]

Petty Prank

-> in which you ignore Theo as part prank/part retaliation

Theodore Nott is confused.

Which is already a rare occurrence, but today? Today he’s very confused.

Because for the past three days, you’ve been ignoring him. Not in a dramatic, hex-your-name-out-of-the-sky kind of way. Not even in a loud, door-slamming kind of way.

No. This is some other level ignoring. Cold. Calculated. Surgical.

You still sit near him in class. Still pass the Potions ingredients without a word. Still write shared Arithmancy answers in the margins of his textbook when he forgets his own. But you don’t look at him. You don’t speak to him. And when he says “good morning,” you blink like he’s background noise.

It’s horrifying. And it’s working.

He’s unraveling.

It started at that dumb party Saturday night. There was music and butterbeer and dim lighting. You were five minutes late because your friend needed to change outfits three times. When you arrived, there was a girl. Talking to him. Laughing at his joke.

And he let her.

You saw it. Saw her touch his arm. Saw him not actively burst into flames at the contact. And sure, he looked vaguely panicked the whole time, but did he move? Did he say, “Sorry, I have someone far superior to talk to right now”?

He did not.

So now he’s being punished. Deservedly.

You’re on Day 3 of your prank: the silent treatment. Your longest relationship to date is with the idea of winning, and this is no exception. Unfortunately, Theodore Nott is stubborn. And smart. And annoyingly handsome when he’s distressed.

So he escalates.

It begins with a note. Passed across the breakfast table like a spy in enemy territory.

“If this is about the party, I didn’t like her. I like you. Please talk to me. Also, you left your favorite quill at my dorm. It’s safe. Unlike my sanity.”

You ignore the note. Fold it into a paper crane and send it fluttering into the mass of owls overhead.

He retaliates at lunch.

“Hi,” he says pointedly, sliding into the seat across from you in the library. “Lovely weather we’re having. You look nice. Your silence is deafening. I respect it, but I am slowly dying.”

You keep annotating your Herbology chart.

“I’m hallucinating your voice in my dreams now,” he adds helpfully. “Last night, you told me to eat more broccoli.”

You underline the word fungus with extra emphasis.

He slouches down in his seat. “Okay. This is fair. I deserve this. She cornered me, you know. I was being polite. Or cowardly. Same thing, really.”

You tap your quill rhythmically. Your lip twitches. Dangerous territory.

He leans forward, lowering his voice. “Did I mention I like you? Like, like like you. Like, want-to-hold-your-hand-even-when-you're-mean like you.”

You blink.

Then, traitorously smile. Just barely.

He notices.

“Gotcha,” he breathes, grinning like a man who’s just survived a war or found a chocolate frog in his coat pocket.

You look up at him finally. Arch one brow. “You let her touch your arm.”

“I didn’t let her. I froze. I panicked. I thought about saying I had leprosy.”

“You smiled.”

“I was scared.”

You sigh. But your voice is warm again. “You’re a very bad flirt.”

“Only with people I don't like,” he says. Then, after a pause: “Do you forgive me?”

You hum thoughtfully. “Only if you keep hallucinating me in your dreams. I have more dietary recommendations.”

“Done.”

He leans forward, cautiously, like you might vanish if he gets too close.

You don’t.

And when his hand brushes yours under the table, you let it stay there.

i have returned

[iris-qt]

Can we get a continuation of the boy who’s stares and babbles?? I loved it, it conveys all emotions, it made me giggle more than once

ooo perhaps…may just have to make a part III who knows 👀

[iris-qt]

how’s my fav snake boys writer doing </3

I am alive and well 🙂‍↕️

THANK YOU FOR ASKING ANON 💗💗

more works coming, everyone aaaa I miss writing

[iris-qt]

hey love!! your writing's so cute i literally squealed the whole time i read the boy who stares 😭 i hope to read more & more of your works! 🤍

this absolutely makes my day AAA so sweet, the boy who stares is definitely one of my fav works I’m so happy you loved it 💕

[iris-qt]

You're an entj, no wonder your writing is outstanding✋️💗

entj!! gotta represent ;) THANK YOU

[iris-qt]

hiiii i have another request! it’s for tom riddle this time. i was hoping u could make a fanfic about tom showing y/n all of his snakes and just geeking out about them and she’s just listening to him and interacting with his snakes even though she’s very terrified of them

Don't Hiss & Tell

-> A/N: ily @kiaxika for this perfect request, i'd kiss your creative brain. MWAH

You would like the record to show:

You are not afraid of snakes.

Well. Not that afraid.

Okay, moderately afraid. The slithering. The scales. The tiny forked tongues flicking out like they’re plotting your doom. It’s all… a lot. But you are in love with Tom Riddle. Which is how you find yourself here: sitting cross-legged on the floor of the Slytherin common room at nearly midnight, while Tom gently lifts the lid off a large, suspiciously ventilated frosted glass crate.

“Ready?” he murmurs, voice low and crisp.

“Mm-hm,” you squeak.

He glances over, brows knitting slightly. “You’re… shaking.”

“I’m vibrating with enthusiasm,” you say. “Completely different.”

Tom pauses. His eyes, dark blue, intense, endlessly clever, scan your face, as though recalibrating every word he’s about to say. Then he lifts the lid the rest of the way. And out spills a tangle of scales and glittering eyes and delicate little flickering tongues. There must be at least half a dozen snakes in there. Some are coiled. One is bright green and eyeing you suspiciously. One loops gently around Tom’s wrist like a living bracelet.

“This is Aracelis,” Tom says, in a voice you’ve only ever heard him use when he tries to make you feel safe after a long day of exams. “She’s a tree viper from Costa Rica. Very sweet.”

Aracelis is not sweet. Aracelis is terrifying.

You force a polite smile. “So cute.”

Tom peers closer. “She’s actually quite affectionate, once she knows you. Watch.”

And before you can protest, he lifts the snake and gently drapes her across your shoulders.

Your entire soul leaves your body.

“Tom—Tom—Tom—”

“It’s fine,” he says calmly, fingertips brushing your collarbone as he adjusts the viper’s position. “She’s affectionate. And she likes warmth.”

“Tom, I am also affectionate and like warmth. That doesn’t mean people should hang me around their necks.”

He huffs a soft laugh, eyes uncharacteristically glittering. “You’re being dramatic.”

The viper flicks her tongue against your jaw. You nearly black out onto the stone floor.

“She likes you,” Tom murmurs, sounding pleased.

“Super,” you choke out. “Love that journey for us.”

Tom leans in slightly, close enough that you can smell the faint hint of ink and old books clinging to his robes. His voice drops lower, conspiratorial:

“You know, they’re highly intelligent creatures. They remember faces. They can feel your mood.”

“I’m pretty sure mine’s terror right now.”

He smirks. “Yes. And yet you’re still here. That’s… admirable.”

Your eyes flick to his. Despite the snake currently coiling a little tighter around your neck, you find yourself softening.

“Why do you like them so much?” you ask quietly.

Tom goes still. His lashes lower a fraction, and for a heartbeat, he looks almost shy.

“They’re misunderstood,” he murmurs. “Everyone thinks they’re cold. Dangerous. But they’re… elegant. Precise. They’re quiet. They don’t waste energy on things that don’t matter. They know how to wait.”

You blink.

It’s the most words he’s spoken about anything personal in… ever.

“You know,” you say softly, “if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were describing yourself.”

Tom blinks. Once. Twice. Then he clears his throat and gently removes Aracelis from your shoulders, placing her back into the crate.

“Nonsense,” he says briskly, but his ears have gone a suspicious shade of red.

Before you can tease him further, a low, musical hissing fills the room. You freeze. Tom glances back at the crate and responds in a language that makes your skin prickle. Long, sliding syllables, quiet and smooth as silk. Parseltongue.

The snakes go still, all eyes fixed on him like he’s royalty.

“Are you… talking to them?” you whisper.

He looks over at you, a tiny, smug smile curving his lips. “Of course. They’re rather curious about you.”

“Oh, wonderful. What are they saying? That I look delicious?”

“Actually, Aracelis said you smell like vanilla.”

You gape. “Is… is that good?”

Tom tilts his head, eyes glinting. “She likes vanilla.”

You’re about to scream when he gently lifts another snake out of the crate, a pale golden one with a delicate diamond pattern along its spine.

“This is Callidora,” he murmurs, stroking the serpent’s back with feather-light fingers. “She’s a corn snake. She’s quite gentle.”

Callidora blinks slowly at you, tongue flicking out.

Tom tilts her toward your face. “She wants to say hello.”

“Oh God.”

Tom hisses softly again, a few quiet syllables that send the scales rippling along Callidora’s body. The snake slithers closer and gently bumps her nose against your cheek. You squeal. Tom laughs under his breath, a rare, genuine sound that makes your chest feel full and impossibly fragile.

“You’re so brave,” he murmurs, his hand coming up to tuck a stray piece of hair behind your ear.

“Don’t patronize me, Riddle.”

He grins. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

He carefully returns Callidora to the crate, then looks at you, quieter. “Thank you,” he says. “For… indulging me.”

You smile, heart pounding. “Next time, can we indulge me instead? Like, I dunno… kittens?”

Tom tilts his head, considering. “I suppose kittens would be… tolerable.”

And even though your knees are still trembling, and you can practically feel phantom scales brushing your skin, you lean forward and press a quick kiss to his cheek.

“You’re tolerable too,” you whisper.

Tom’s lips curve into the faintest, rarest smile.

“Don’t tell anyone.”

You grin. “Your secret’s safe with me. And Aracelis.”

Somewhere in the crate, a snake flicks its tongue.

[iris-qt]

party prince

You didn’t hate parties. You just… didn’t thrive in them.

Too much noise. Too many people. Too many boys with collars popped like they invented being insufferable. And somewhere inside, probably holding court in the center of it all, was Mattheo Riddle, smirking, tipsy, radiant in that disheveled, reckless way that only he could pull off.

You lasted twenty-three minutes.

And then you slipped out the back, heels clacking softly against old stone as you made your way to the tiny balcony off the third-floor hallway. The night air was cool and quiet and still. It smelled faintly of your expensive perfume and a little like freedom.

You leaned against the railing, exhaled, and let the music dull behind you.

And then, almost immediately...

The door creaked open.

“Should’ve known,” came a familiar voice. “You’d be out here while the rest of us rot in eternal social hell.”

You turned.

Mattheo Riddle stood in the doorway, a little flushed, curls slightly messier than usual. His tie was loosened. His shirt had one too many buttons undone, his cheeks held a tinge of red.

He looked like trouble, personified.

“You’re drunk,” you said lightly.

He blinked, clearly weighing that. “Not drunk. Just… vibing.”

You raised a brow, mouth twitching into a faint smile at the muggle vocab he had undoubtedly caught from you. “Vibing?”

“Is that not the youth term?” he asked, stepping closer, boots thudding softly against the floor.

You shrugged, trying to look casual even as your heart pulled a little tight. “Wasn’t expecting you to leave your kingdom in there.”

He came to stand beside you, leaning on the balcony railing, gaze sweeping across the moonlit courtyard like he was sober enough to remember any of it the next day.

Then, softer than before:

“Wasn’t fun without you.”

You turned your head. He was already watching you.

“What, no fan club to entertain you?” you teased. “No admirers to fawn over your curls and devastating charm?”

He huffed a laugh. “There were. One of them spilled wine on my shoes. I considered faking my own death to escape them.”

You snorted.

He tilted his head, still watching you. “You’re a hard girl to impress.”

“That’s because you usually open with insults and chaos.”

Mattheo smirked. “It’s part of my appeal.”

You rolled your eyes, but your voice was gentler now, serious. “You didn’t have to follow me out here.”

“I know,” he said, eyes flicking to your face. “I just… wanted to.”

You blinked. There was something about the way he said it, no bravado, no smirk. Just quiet honesty, tinged with firewhiskey and warmth.

He nudged your arm. “Besides. If you’re not having fun, I’m not having fun.”

Your heart did a very dumb thing.

You tried to deflect. “You’re really bad at pretending you don’t like me.”

“Mm,” he hummed, still smiling. “I was worse at pretending you weren’t the only person I wanted to talk to tonight.”

You looked away. Not because you didn’t believe him, but because you did, and that was somehow worse. Mattheo stepped closer, just slightly, shoulder brushing yours. “So. If I’m out here, and you’re out here… this is the party now, yeah?”

You bit your lip to keep from smiling too wide. “Guess so.”

“Brilliant,” he said, pulling a tiny flask out of his jacket like he’d planned this all along. “Because I brought provisions.”

You laughed. “Is that your secret to surviving social events? Bribery and liquor?”

“Only when the person I actually want to spend time with escapes to the balcony like a mysterious, radiant little stormcloud.”

You rolled your eyes, but your heart was already fluttering like a moth to a very unpredictable flame.

And when he offered you the flask with a lopsided grin and his fingertips brushed yours just a second too long, you knew This wasn’t just about escaping the party.

This was about finding each other in the quiet that came after.

[iris-qt]

you write yearning theo like no one else 🧎🏼‍♀️

crying happy tears this is so sweet

yearning men are the best men

[iris-qt]

hmm at a crossroads

[iris-qt]

fake it ‘til you make it

Theodore Nott is struggling in Charms. Allegedly.

You don’t believe it for a second. This is a boy who can perform a non-verbal hex with a single flick of his wrist and the vague expression of someone trying to remember if they locked the door or not. The same boy who corrected Professor Flitwick, politely, of course, on wand movement theory last week. And yet.

Today, he’s holding his wand like it’s a fish he’s not quite sure is dead.

You stare. “What… are you doing?”

He looks at you, wide-eyed, all innocent confusion. “Trying to Levitate the damn thing. Obviously.”

You glance down at the textbook page, then back at the feather on his desk, which remains very much not levitated. It’s just sitting there. Mocking him. Like the rest of the class who already moved on to Step 2.

You raise a brow. “Did you… forget how to do literally the first charm we ever learned?”

Theo shrugs, twirling the wand between his fingers like a baton. “Maybe my grip’s off.”

He says it like he didn’t spend all of last year showing off by doing entire spell sequences one-handed. Backwards. Blindfolded. Probably while reciting Latin poetry.

You narrow your eyes. “You’re not serious.”

“I’m very serious,” he says. “Gravely. Vastly, even.” He holds out his wand. “Fix me.”

You blink. “Excuse me?”

“Fix. My. Grip,” he repeats, looking entirely too pleased with himself for someone claiming to be magically impaired. “You’re good at this. Better than me.”

You squint suspiciously. “You just want me to touch your hand.”

“Touch is a strong word.” He grins. “I prefer ‘guide with academic intent.’”

Still, you sigh and take his hand. Mostly for science. His palm is warm and annoyingly large, and for someone faking helplessness, he definitely flexes his fingers just a little when yours brush against them.

You adjust the angle of his wrist. “You’re holding it like it’s a soup spoon.”

“Maybe I like soup.”

“You don’t stir the feather into the air, you pretentious gremlin. You lift it.”

Theo leans in slightly, voice low and dramatic. “Only you could insult me like that and still make me feel like I’m being serenaded.”

You roll your eyes, cheeks warm. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I prefer ‘charmingly persistent.’”

“You prefer making my life difficult.”

He tilts his head, all slow mischief. “Is it working?”

You look down. His wand is now perfectly positioned. His grip? Flawless. Your hands are still kind of touching.

You drop them like they’re on fire.

Theo smiles, slow and lazy, like a cat who just knocked a glass off the table for sport.

“Feather’s still not floating, though.”

You glare. “I will hex you.”

[iris-qt]

He’s Never Like This

drunk theo, soft chaos, and a lot of feelings he normally pretends he doesn’t have

You tell yourself it’s nothing.

Just concern. Basic human decency. Something any reasonable person would do when their best friend shows up at a party with shadows under his eyes from the stress of finals week and a drink in his hand he doesn’t seem to remember picking up.

You tell yourself that even as you cut through the haze of perfume and smoke and too-loud laughter in the common room, scanning for him. Even as your heartbeat quickens, like it always does when he’s near.

You find him on the floor.

Well. Slouched on the floor. One leg stretched out, the other bent just enough to rest his elbow on it. His tie’s been loosened and forgotten, his shirt’s half-untucked, and someone has drawn a tiny star in blue ink on the back of his hand. You can tell from the way he’s swaying slightly that he’s had far more than usual. Theodore Nott doesn’t get drunk. Not like this.

“Hey,” you murmur, crouching beside him.

He looks up slowly, eyes unfocused but still undeniably, devastatingly him.

“You came,” he says, a little too loudly, with a dopey smile that doesn’t belong on his face. “I was thinking about you, and then... you’re here. That’s magic.”

You glance around. No one's paying attention. Somehow, that makes it worse.

“You okay?” you ask, soft, careful. “You drank a lot.”

He nods sagely. “I did. I deserve a medal. Or a nap.”

“You hate parties.”

“I do hate parties,” he agrees, swaying slightly. “But I like you.”

You blink. “Theo—”

“And you weren’t gonna come,” he adds, pouty now. “You said, ‘Too much homework,’ and I thought, ‘That’s fine. I’ll just drown myself in alcohol and existential dread.’ Very poetic.”

You exhale slowly. “Alright. Let’s get you out of here.”

You help him up. He’s heavier than he looks, and he clings to you like you’re both drowning and you’re the only piece of driftwood in the sea.

He leans close as you start leading him toward the boys’ dorm.

“You smell like vanilla,” he whispers.

You try to keep your expression neutral. “You smell like firewhiskey and poor decisions.”

“That’s my new cologne,” he says solemnly. “Limited edition.”

You get him to sit on his bed, and he flops backwards dramatically, limbs everywhere, eyes fluttering shut.

“I should kiss you,” he says to the ceiling.

You freeze.

“What?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” he mutters. “Too dizzy. Might miss.”

You sit on the edge of the bed, pulling off his shoes with practiced motions. “You’re gonna be so embarrassed tomorrow.”

He hums. “Not if you never tell me what I said.”

You smile. “Oh, I’m writing everything down.”

He groans, turning his face into the pillow. “You’re evil. Beautiful and evil. That’s a dangerous combo.”

You adjust the blanket over him, brush a bit of his hair off his forehead.

“Sleep, Theo.”

But as you turn to go, his fingers catch your wrist. His eyes are half-lidded, voice quiet now, barely a whisper.

“Stay?” he asks. “Just ‘til I fall asleep.”

You pause. Swallow.

Then nod.

You sit back down. He closes his eyes, hand still loosely wrapped around your wrist.

And just as sleep starts to pull him under, he murmurs,

“I don’t like anyone else like this. Only you.”

[iris-qt]

🧹 Eyes on the Quaffle, Riddle

“Formations!” you yell, blowing your whistle. “Get in position, you too, Riddle!”

Mattheo, who is currently doing absolutely nothing helpful except leaning on his broom and watching you like you personally invented oxygen, blinks innocently.

“I am in position,” he says, fluttering his lashes. “Emotionally. Spiritually. Mentally.”

“You’re standing on the grass.”

He checks. “So I am.”

You narrow your eyes. “Fly. Now.”

He finally mounts his broom and kicks off, but not before flying close enough to whisper, “Yes, ma'am.”

You clench your jaw so hard your teeth protest. Dating Mattheo Riddle, as it turns out, is a full-time job. Especially when you’re also his Quidditch captain, and he thinks professional boundaries are just suggestions with optional side quests.

“Alright, we’re running the Porskoff Ploy,” you call out. “Riddle, take left flank—"

“I’ll take your left hand in marriage if we win this game.”

“—and shut up,” you finish, pointing your gloved finger at him.

He salutes with a wicked grin, then actually does what he’s told, which is suspicious and terrifying. For a solid twenty minutes, he flies like a model teammate. Executes every play. Doesn’t flirt once.

Naturally, you're worried.

You blow your whistle. “Alright, bring it in.”

They circle back. Mattheo’s sweaty, flushed, grinning like he knows exactly what he’s doing to your blood pressure. You’re holding the clipboard when he lands beside you, peeling off his gloves.

“Proud of me?” he asks casually.

“You actually followed directions,” you mutter, flipping the page, eyes glued to your clipboard. “Should I be concerned?”

He leans in. “I just wanted to see what it takes to get Captain Bossy Boots to kiss me in public.”

You elbow him in the ribs. “Don’t test me.”

“I love testing you,” he says. “You love my tests. You crave the exams I bring into your life.”

“Okay, now you're just saying words.”

“I was being a good boy,” he murmurs. “Didn’t I earn a reward?”

You don’t look up from the clipboard. “You earned laps. For the first thirty minutes when you were being a menace.”

Mattheo groans loudly. “This is workplace harassment.”

“You don’t work here.”

He leans in again, voice dropping. “Then kiss me and I’ll consider it volunteer service.”

You glance around. The team is distracted, some stretching, some rehydrating. You shift your clipboard to block your face and peck him quickly.

He freezes.

“Wait—did you just—”

“One more word,” you warn, eyes still on your notes, “and I’m making you wear the spare practice kit.”

His face drops. “The one that says ‘Kiss the Keeper’ on the back?”

“Exactly.”

He groans again but doesn't push his luck. You smirk to yourself and whistle. “Alright, back in the air! Riddle, keep your hands to yourself this time.”

Mattheo flies off, but not before yelling, “No promises, sweetheart!”

You’re going to murder him.

Or marry him.

Maybe both.

[iris-qt]

between the lines

a very inconvenient discovery

You don’t realize what you’ve done until you’re halfway through your second class of the day and open your notebook to find...

Not your handwriting.

Not your diagrams. Not your very specific color-coding system. And certainly not your very dramatic drawing of Professor Binns mid-lecture, labeled “Sir Snooze-a-Lot.”

You stare at the page. Then flip. And flip again.

Oh no.

You’ve taken someone else’s notebook.

You never make mistakes like this. Your entire personality is built around being the girl who does not make mistakes like this. The girl who labels her tab dividers and rewrites her notes in neat, margin-aligned bullet points.

And now you’ve accidentally stolen someone’s entire academic life.

You're about to panic when a small ink blot in the corner of a page catches your eye.

It’s not a blot. It’s… a doodle?

Of a plant. One you recognize from Herbology drawn with an almost obsessive attention to detail, like someone who secretly loves the subject but doesn’t want anyone to know. Cute. Kind of nerdy.

You flip again.

Another page. Another harmless doodle.

You squint. There’s writing next to it, a scrawled little annotation that reads: cold in the library again. she never brings a jumper.

Your stomach does something weird.

You turn the page one more time.

It’s a sketch of… you.

It’s not a masterpiece or anything, but you recognize yourself immediately: the curve of your cheek, the way your quill rests against your lower lip when you’re thinking. There’s a tiny label under it, scribbled like an afterthought:

"Library girl."

You slam the notebook shut, face hot.

Okay. So.

You’ve just accidentally discovered that someone, an anonymous, emotionally repressed someone, has not only been sketching you in their notes… they’ve noticed things. Like the fact that you’re always cold in the library. Like the way you sit. The way you—

Oh Merlin.

Who does this belong to??

You think back to that morning. The rush of class. The pile of identical-looking notebooks on the desk in the library.

There’s only one other person who sits near you there. Always. Like clockwork. Never speaks. Just reads quietly in his perfect posture and his perfect jumper and his perfect bloody bone structure.

Theodore Nott.

You nearly fall off your chair.

Because if this notebook is his...

You look down at the cover. Nothing. Not a single identifying mark.

Of course. He would be mysterious about it.

You spend the next three hours spiraling.

Maybe, hopefully, it wasn't Theodore Nott’s? What if it is his and he finds out you saw and... Oh no.

He’s going to hex you.

You clutch the notebook like it’s about to self-destruct. You need to return it. Quietly. Discreetly. With as little eye contact as possible. Preferably while pretending you’ve seen nothing at all. Unfortunately, fate (and Theo Nott) are not that kind.

Later that evening. The library.

You slip into your usual spot and there he is.

Seated across from you like always, looking calm and composed and terrifyingly unreadable. His hair is a little messy, like he’s been running a hand through it, and his tie is slightly askew in a way that shouldn’t be attractive but absolutely is.

Your eyes meet.

Something flickers in his.

He looks down at the desk in front of him… where he has your notebook. Oh no. He knows.

You hold his notebook out toward him like a peace offering, trying not to die on the spot. “I, um— We switched. Earlier. I think.”

He doesn’t say anything right away. Just takes the notebook from your hands and flips it open. Your face burns in mounting horror as you take your own notebook back and see that he dog-eared a page where your very detailed to-do list included:

Finish Transfig essay

Ask Theo Nott what his problem is

(or if he just hates me personally???)

(he’s hot tho. unfortunately.)

“You read it,” he says, voice low and maddeningly calm, snapping you back from your brief paralyzation of horror.

“Did not,” you lie immediately.

One of his brows lifts.

Your face burns. “Okay, maybe a little. But like... casually.”

He leans back in his chair, studying you. “You read this casually? Was it a casual read for you?”

You fidget. “I didn’t mean to.”

There’s a long, awful pause. Then, softly and unexpectedly, he says, “I thought you’d be mad.”

You blink.

“What?”

“I thought… you’d be freaked out.” He taps a finger lightly against the edge of the notebook. “That I drew you. That I notice things.”

You stare at him.

“Theo,” you say, voice too high. “You drew me like a Victorian botanist in love. I’m not freaked out. I’m flattered.”

He gives a quiet huff of laughter, then looks down, shy, almost. It's disarming. You reach for your own notebook again, flipping it open and finding a new note on the inside cover. In that familiar sharp script:

“You looked cold. I’ll bring a jumper next time.”

You glance up.

He’s already pulling off his jumper and sliding it across the table to you.

[iris-qt]

What I Cannot Say

knight!theo | medieval au ⚔︎

The castle slumbers.

Rain patters softly against the high, stained-glass windows, and the candle at your desk burns low, its golden flame dancing across your ink-stained fingers. You shouldn’t still be here. The other court scribes have long since vanished, and even the guards are trading shifts beneath their breath.

But the scrolls before you whisper like old friends, records of ancient treaties, old languages curling across parchment like spells.

You don’t notice the door open.

Not until the floorboard creaks... the one you keep meaning to fix.

Your quill stills.

You look up, heart skipping.

He stands there, silent in the threshold, half-draped in shadow. Rain beads across the black leather of his shoulder guards, his hair damp, curling at the edges. A dark cloak slung across one shoulder. A blade at his hip.

Ser Theodore Nott.

He shouldn't be here. Not at this hour. Not in the library. Not with you.

“My lord,” you say softly, standing too quickly. You nearly knock over the candle.

He doesn’t blink. His gaze, sharp and unreadable, scans the room before returning to you.

“I was told you kept the original texts from the House of Gwael,” he says, voice quiet. Clipped. As if it costs him something to ask. “I need to read them.”

You swallow. “Of course.”

You bend to retrieve the scrolls, your fingers trembling. Not because you’re frightened. You’re not. It’s just—

He’s taller than you remembered. And even in the flickering candlelight, he’s beautiful in the way statues are beautiful: cold and eternal and utterly untouchable.

You hand him the scroll.

His fingers brush yours.

A mistake, probably. He’s wearing gloves, and yet the contact makes your breath catch anyway.

Theo notices. You can feel it... not in any expression (his face stays unreadable as ever), but in the slow, precise way he unrolls the scroll, eyes flickering toward you only once.

“I didn’t think knights cared for language,” you murmur, half to yourself.

He glances up. His voice is low and sure.

“I care for many things people assume I don’t.”

You don’t know how to respond to that, so you return to your seat, unsure whether to keep reading or flee to your chambers and scream into your pillow. The candle gutters. He stays.

Minutes pass. The only sounds are rain, your turning pages, and the soft scratch of his gauntlet against parchment. Then, quietly:

“Why do you work so late?”

You look up.

Theodore’s gaze is trained on the page, but his question lingers in the air, warm and unexpected.

You blink. “No one notices me here.”

At that, his eyes lift. Hold yours.

“I do.”

Your heart thuds. Loud enough that surely even a knight can hear it.

“I’ve noticed,” he says, more gently now. “You’re always the last to leave. Even in the cold. Even when your hands shake.”

You flush, throat tight.

“I like the quiet.”

He hums. “So do I.”

A long pause. A soft flicker of lightning. His hand drifts, without thinking, to the hilt of his sword, the motion absentminded, protective.

You wonder if he’s always like this, or just with you.

Theo rolls the scroll back up and sets it down but doesn’t leave. Not yet.

Instead, he says softly, “You read poetry, don’t you?”

You nod, uncertain.

“I remembered a line, once,” he says, still not looking at you. “When I was bleeding. I thought I would die. But it came back to me anyway. Something about stars. And the way some people carry light inside them.”

You stare.

He finally meets your gaze.

“I thought of you.”

And just like that, the room feels smaller. Warmer. Brighter.

Like a candle that refuses to go out.

...

The next time you find it, it’s tucked between the pages of your copy of Herbal Magicks of the Olden Kingdoms.

A shard of dragon glass. Real. Cool to the touch, with a small crest engraved at its center: not from your kingdom. Foreign. Ancient. Pinned beside it: a note. Neatly folded.

Your name is written in an impossibly tidy hand. You open it.

For the scholar who outshines the sun with her questions. This was taken from the ruins of Aelwyn, where the old queens studied spellfire and starlore. I thought of you when I saw it. —T.N.

Your breath catches.

He thinks of you. In battle. In ruins. In other kingdoms.

You clutch the note to your chest and spend a full five minutes pacing the length of the library trying not to combust.

You don’t get the chance to thank him. Not yet.

Because the court session that day is… a mess.

You’re summoned to bring the translated treaty notes, normal work, but the nobles are restless. They gossip, drunk on mead and power, casting eyes at the quiet scribe who dares sit in council.

And then Lord Durran (slimy, bored, and old) speaks up.

"Tell me, girl," he sneers, loud enough to echo. “When did scribes begin thinking themselves courtiers? Or are you simply warming Lord Nott’s lap in exchange for coin?”

The hall freezes. You do, too. Until the scrape of a chair. A deliberate step.

Theodore Nott doesn’t raise his voice. He doesn’t need to. But when he moves, the entire chamber listens.

“I suggest,” he says coldly, “you keep my name off your tongue unless you’re prepared to swallow your teeth.”

Gasps ripple. Durran flushes, paling. No one challenges Ser Theodore. Not even fools.

He doesn’t look at the others. Only at you.

And then, in the shadows of the halls outside the courtroom, he walks over and places another small item in your palm.

It’s a pendant this time. Worn. Engraved with a script only three historians in the realm could read.

“I thought you might translate it,” he murmurs, quiet enough just for you.

And with that, he turns. Walks away. Cloak swirling. Sword gleaming. You remain frozen, your heart racing. It says something that you don’t even open the pendant until much later. You just stand there, cheeks burning, wondering how it’s possible for someone so silent to make this much noise inside your chest.

...

It takes you three days to crack it.

Not because you’re slow, gods no. You’re the only person in the castle who can read High Eltheric, a long-dead language that looks like poetry and spells had a lovechild.

But you hesitate.

You hold the pendant beneath your pillow, beneath your breath, fingers tracing the etched lines like they’ll whisper something before your mind dares translate it. Every time you try to begin, you think of Theo’s eyes on you. The way he placed it in your hand. Like it meant something. Like you mean something.

Finally, on the third night, rain against your windows, firelight low, you set the pendant beside your ink pot, take a steadying breath, and begin.

Word by word, the meaning unravels:

To the one whose mind is a thousand burning stars I offer what little heart I have. If you ever wish to claim it.

Your quill drops.

Your breath hitches.

You read it again. And again. And again.

It doesn’t change.

He gave you a coded love confession. In a dead language. That only you could read.

What kind of maddening, infuriating, devastatingly romantic knight—

You sit back in your chair, staring at the pendant like it might burst into flames. Because now you know. Now you see it. The pattern of his gifts. The books. The relics. The looks that lingered too long and the way he always stood between you and danger, like a silent shadow forged of steel and longing.

You bite your lip.

And you smile.

Because you realize: he thinks you haven’t noticed.

A/N: obsessed with this au | ty to @kiaxika and tagging @ladyblablabla

[iris-qt]

hiii i was wondering if u could make a theodore nott fanfic but like medieval au. if ur interested i can give u more details abt it!! thank you!

WAIT.

You just sparked my brain oh my god wait let me write a summary of my ideas in a brain dump.

In a kingdom of steel and secrets, where scholars toil in shadows and knights do not weep, there blooms a most unlikely tale.

You are but a quiet scribe, known for ink-stained fingers. He is Sir Theodore Nott, the brooding blade of court, sworn to silence and blood, feared by all… save one.

When strange and precious gifts begin appearing by moonlight you begin to suspect that someone is watching. Someone who listens, though he never speaks.

What begins as mystery may unravel into devotion.

But his love is written in cipher and only the brightest minds may read it.

Knight!Theo x Scribe!Reader

I am so inspired THANK YOU

[iris-qt]

For You, Only

You find it on an ordinary Tuesday.

A flower — but not one from any Hogwarts greenhouse you recognize. Its petals shimmer faintly under the torchlight, an impossible color somewhere between pearl and starlight, perched neatly atop your Charms textbook like it had simply grown there.

You glance around the common room.

No one looks your way. No snickering pranksters. No dreamy admirers writing sonnets in the corner.

Just…stillness. Homework. Whispered conversations. The crackle of the fire.

You touch the stem carefully. The bloom doesn't wilt under your fingers. If anything, it leans toward you.

There’s no note. No explanation. Just the flower: strange and perfect and left for you.

You glance around again, slower this time. Watching.

The prefect flips a page in his book. A few younger students argue over wizard chess.

No one watching. No one smiling. No one suspicious.

You tuck the flower carefully into your satchel, pretending you aren’t blushing like a fool.

You tell yourself it’s probably some Herbology project gone wrong. A mistake. A coincidence.

But later that night, as you fall asleep with the flower resting in a jar by your bedside, you can’t shake the feeling that someone had meant for you to find it. Someone who was watching.

And somewhere, deep inside Hogwarts’ winding halls, someone is.

And he is smiling.

...

The flower doesn’t wilt.

Days later, it sits proudly on your bedside table still glowing faintly, still leaning ever so slightly toward you whenever you look its way. You've poked it with your wand, whispered spells at it, even tried to press it between the pages of your Charms textbook, but it refuses to die, or even droop.

By Friday, you’ve convinced yourself it must be magical. And whoever gave it to you… well, they knew what they were doing.

You tell yourself you aren’t waiting for something else. You tell yourself you aren’t looking around every corner. (You are. You absolutely are.)

So when you find the book, you nearly trip over your own shoes.

It’s sitting right on your usual library chair: old, leather-bound, the title too faded to read. A piece of parchment sticks out from the top like a crude bookmark.

You glance around wildly. Madam Pince is hunched over the circulation desk, scribbling furiously. A few students mutter in the back, heads together over a shared essay. No one’s looking at you. No one seems to care.

Heart hammering, you slip into the chair and pull the parchment free.

It’s not a love note. It’s not even a full sentence.

Just two words, written in an elegant, slanted hand:

"For you."

You stare at it. Then the book.

Slowly, you crack the cover open. It smells like old paper and wild places, filled with poetry, the kind that sinks into your ribs and stays there.

You clamp a hand over your mouth to stifle a ridiculous little squeal. Someone left this. Someone knew.

You immediately whip around in your seat, heart racing. Your eyes catch on Eddie Clearwater from Herbology leaning against a shelf across the library. He’s not looking at you. He’s arguing with someone over a potions chart. But still. He is sort of nice. Sort of...awkward.

You eye him suspiciously. Maybe it’s Eddie.

He did let you borrow his notes once. And he wears shoes that squeak. You did hear squeaking earlier.

You huff a laugh into your sleeve, cheeks burning. It’s definitely Eddie.

You don’t see the real culprit, the boy lingering in the deep shadows between the Divination and Dark Arts sections, arms folded, an unreadable expression on his sharp, beautiful face.

Tom Riddle watches you tuck the book into your bag. He watches you smile to yourself.

And though he feels a sharp, unfamiliar twist of irritation at your spectacularly wrong guess, a part of him, dark and greedy and pleased, already wonders:

What will I leave her next?

...

You make a point to smile at Eddie Clearwater in the corridor the next morning.

It’s not even a romantic smile. More of a polite, thank-you-for-the-poetry-book smile. But Eddie looks so bewildered that he crashes straight into a suit of armor, sending a clattering echo through the hall.

You wince. Maybe not Eddie, then.

Still, you’re sure the gift-leaver is someone sweet and bashful. Someone harmless. Someone ordinary. That certainty lasts exactly twenty-four hours. Because the next night, tucked neatly into your bag between your Arithmancy notes, you find it:

A pendant. No — not just a pendant.

It hums faintly in your hand, cool and heavy, the chain finer than spider silk. In the low candlelight, the stone at its center gleams dark red, almost alive. You don’t need a textbook to know it’s enchanted, powerful, old.

Tied to the chain is a tiny scrap of parchment, the same slanted hand as before:

"To keep you safe."

Your stomach flips.

This isn’t something a clumsy boy from Herbology would have access to. This isn’t even something a professor would hand over casually. You glance around the common room, heart rattling against your ribs. No one’s paying you any attention except, for the briefest second, a pair of dark eyes across the room.

Tom Riddle sits by the fireplace, alone as usual, a book balanced on one knee. His expression, as he flips a page, is unreadable. You tear your gaze away, feeling suddenly foolish.

Tom Riddle doesn’t notice girls. Everyone knows that.

(But you also can’t help remembering how the pendant's stone glinted ... the exact color of his eyes when they catch the firelight.)

You clutch the pendant tighter, heart hammering. The pieces aren’t fitting together, not yet.

But you have a sinking feeling they will. Soon.

...

You hatch the plan over pumpkin juice and poor life choices.

It’s simple. Elegant. Foolproof, really. You’ll pick a spot, somewhere quiet but public enough to not seem suspicious. You’ll leave your books unattended, just so, like bait in a snare. Then you’ll wait, hidden, to catch whoever it is, and you can put this ridiculous mystery to rest.

Easy.

So you choose the far alcove in the library, the one with the broken sconce and the creaky chair. You pile your books just messily enough to seem believable. You arrange yourself behind a nearby shelf, heart thudding like a war drum.

And then... you wait.

Five minutes.

Ten.

You fiddle with the hem of your robes, nerves sparking. Maybe this was a terrible idea. Maybe you should—

A faint sound breaks the silence. Soft footsteps, so quiet you barely catch them.

You press yourself against the bookshelf, breath held tight in your chest. Someone rounds the corner. Not Eddie. Not some shy sixth-year with ink-stained hands.

Tom Riddle.

Tall. Composed. Unreachable, like some terrible and beautiful thing from another world.

He moves toward your abandoned books without hesitation, as if this was always the plan. You peek, just barely, between the shelves.

He glances once over his shoulder (you almost faint on the spot), then slips something between the pages of your topmost book. Something small. Another note?

Your heart skitters. You’re so distracted you almost don’t notice—

For the briefest second, after leaving the gift, he pauses. Looks at the flower, still alive, tucked carefully in your bag. Looks toward where you’re hiding.

His lips curve in the slightest, most devastating smirk.

He knows.

You slap a hand over your mouth to stifle a tiny, horrified squeak. And then, like a dream dissipating, he’s gone. You stumble out from behind the shelves, heart a frantic, tangled mess. The flower glows softly. The poetry book hums faintly in your bag. And tucked between your Charms notes, on fresh parchment, another line of that beautiful, slanted handwriting:

"You're cleverer than the rest. I hoped you would be."

You press the note against your chest, dizzy. This isn’t some bumbling, blushing schoolboy. This is Tom Riddle.

And he's been watching you.

...

A/N: what a man

...

[iris-qt]

Okay okay I keep thinking about oblivious reader who doesn’t think Theo is flirting with her because ~clearly~ he doesn’t even know her name. Meanwhile, Theo is confused because usually girls swoon when he calls them “Bella/Cara/Amore”

careful, cara

the way i immediately started writing when I saw this request...ily.

You’re rounding the corner outside the library with three books, an inky quill stuck behind your ear, and a half-eaten biscuit in your mouth when you slam directly into a wall.

Except it’s not a wall.

It’s a very tall, very warm, very alive boy who smells faintly of old parchment and something expensive and intoxicating, like stormy weather. Your biscuit goes flying. Your books scatter. You just about lose your dignity.

“Oh my—sorry!” you gasp, already dropping to the floor to collect your books and the crumbly remains of your breakfast.

A hand reaches out to help you. Long fingers. Calloused knuckles. You follow the trail of his arm up to a loosened tie, an open collar, and the annoyingly perfect smirk of Theodore Nott.

“Easy there, Amore,” he says, voice like velvet and mock concern. “You alright?”

You blink up at him. He’s doing that thing. That leaning thing. The one girls whisper about in Potions.

“Oh, uh, thanks. I didn’t see you.”

You give him a polite smile and reach for your last book, brushing his hand in the process. You barely notice.

He does.

“Careful,” he murmurs, helping you up. “Wouldn’t want Hogwarts losing its brightest star.”

You snort before you can stop yourself. “Pretty sure Hogwarts would survive.”

He laughs soft and surprised, then, with a practiced sort of charm, he tucks a strand of hair behind your ear. You freeze. He smiles. Like a boy who knows exactly what he’s doing.

You… do not.

Because, obviously, he’s just being polite. Or flirty. Or… whatever he usually is. He calls everyone Amore, doesn’t he? Or Bella. Or Cara. It’s practically punctuation with him. It’s probably because he doesn’t know anyone’s actual name. Especially not yours.

You smile back, half apologetic, half amused. “Thanks again. See you.”

And just like that, you walk off. With jam on your sleeve. And crumbs in your hair. And not a single thought in your head that Theodore Nott was very much genuinely flirting with you.

Behind you, Theo watches you go, something almost betrayed flickering across his face.

He mutters under his breath, half to himself, "Merlin, what do I have to do, serenade her under her window?"

Then he smirks, slow and dangerous.

Maybe he will.

.ೃ࿐

You slip into your usual seat for Charms, dropping your bag with a soft thud. You’re mid-rummage for a quill when you realize: There’s someone sliding into the seat beside you. Someone tall. Smirking. Smelling again unfairly good. You glance up.

Theodore Nott.

Again.

He drapes himself lazily across the chair, like he owns both it and the air you’re currently breathing.

"Morning, Amore," he says, low and easy.

You blink as he offers you a polite, confused smile. He must think you’re someone else. Maybe Isabella Hampton, she’s much prettier and sits somewhere nearby, right?

"Hi," you say awkwardly. "Did you need something?"

Theo leans in just slightly, a casual tilt of his shoulder, a lazy curve of his mouth. You could swear the entire room tilts with him.

"Only your company," he says, sounding devastatingly sincere.

You laugh, a little panicked. "Ha — that's funny."

You busy yourself yanking out your textbook and drop a quill in the process. It rolls dramatically across the floor. Before you can even react, Theo is already crouching down, retrieving it with a little flourish like a knight presenting a sword.

"Your weapon, mia cara," he says, handing it back.

You snort, which is not the sound you meant to make. Merlin, this poor boy is so theatrical. He must flirt like this with everyone.

"Thanks," you say, cheeks warm again.

Theo watches you for a second longer than necessary, something fond, almost wonderstruck, lighting up behind his eyes. Then he slouches back in his chair, spinning his wand between his fingers as if nothing unusual just happened.

You face forward, heart thudding, willing yourself to focus on Professor Flitwick's lecture.

You do not notice the way Theo leans slightly closer whenever you scribble a note. You do not notice the way he half-smiles every time you chew the end of your quill. You definitely do not notice the faint, hopeful look he sends you when Flitwick assigns paired spell practice for homework.

But you do notice, vaguely, that Theodore Nott is oddly...friendly. You chalk it up to him just being charming. Behind you, Pansy Parkinson drops her quill in shock, nudges Daphne Greengrass, and hisses, "Did Theo Nott just choose a partner?? Voluntarily???"

The Slytherin girls watch the scene unfold like it’s the third act of a very dramatic opera. Theo doesn't even notice.

He’s too busy smiling, a real, soft, slightly crooked smile, as you mumble, "Alright, I guess we’re partners, then?"

Like you’ve just handed him the bloody moon.

.ೃ࿐

You and Theo spend the next hour practicing Arresto Momentum for Flitwick's assignment.

Well... you practiced.

Theo mostly watches you with a look of soft, patient amusement, correcting your wand angles only when absolutely necessary.

(And each time he does, his fingers brush yours a little longer than they need to.)

You try not to think about it. You try very hard.

Finally, when you manage a perfect, object-slowing Arresto Momentum, you grin triumphantly. Theo grins too, wide and gorgeous, like you’ve just invented magic itself.

"You're brilliant," he says, voice low, warm.

You tilt your head, embarrassed. "I'm sure you say that to all your partners."

"I don't," he says simply.

You laugh it off again, assuming he's just being polite. Sweet, sure. But probably just friendly. Right?

(You are so stupidly, gloriously wrong.)

Class ends, and you're packing your things when it happens. You're struggling to jam your stupidly fat Charms book into your bag when Theo leans in, close enough that you catch that parchment-and-coffee smell again, and says:

"See you tomorrow, Y/N."

You freeze.

The book slips from your hands and thuds to the floor.

Theo straightens up, amused but obviously trying very hard to hide it, like he knows exactly what he just did.

You stare at him, heart thumping.

He knows your name. He knew your name. The whole time.

"You—" you start, stupidly.

He arches a brow, smirking, all lazy confidence. "What, Amore?"

You flush so hard you’re surprised you don’t combust on the spot.

"I—I thought you didn’t—"

"Didn’t what?" he says, looking genuinely entertained now.

You open your mouth, realize you have absolutely no idea what you’re trying to say, and shut it again.

Theo’s smile softens.

"I've always known your name, you know," he says quietly, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

Before you can even begin to untangle that emotional catastrophe, he reaches down, picks up your fallen book and tucks it carefully into your bag for you.

Then, with another soft, almost secret smile, he brushes a hand against yours and strolls out of the classroom leaving you standing there, red-faced and stunned, clutching your bag like a lifeline.

You still haven't moved.