The Yule ball. Every four years. With every Triwizard tournament. Designed for every student to attend twice in their Hogwarts career.
This is his second time. And the first time he actually took someone. The previous was just messing around with Mattheo. But now both of them have something more serious to do.
Take their girlfriends.
They got ready together. The girls. As well as the boys. And now they're standing at the front of the stairs. Waiting for them. Mattheo is basically jumping around. His way of being nervous is getting way and way too much. It's like a child who ate too much sugar.
Meanwhile Theodore is just fidgeting with his invention. He made a little flower that turns into a butterfly when someone's heart beats quicker. It's dumb. Really dumb. But he wanted her to have something special. That represents it all.
His heart, the butterflies she gives him. The flowers she smells like. Okay it's corny! But she might find it cute. He hopes. God he really hopes.
But as Mattheo suddenly falls silent. Only his soft breaths being heard. Theodore's heart skips a beat as he knows what's happening. And he slowly looks up.