The Most Important Meal Of The Day PV: Theodore Abernathy Closed

Theodore's mornings always followed a precise routine. He woke up at 6.30, put on his clothes, followed by a trip to the bathroom and from there straight to the books. Yes, he was one of those lunatics who could sit over a text on an empty stomach, cramming new information into their brains. Routine was never a problem for him; on the contrary, it was a source of peace. This morning he had read the chapter on the Gargoyles and already had the notes prepared for class. It would be foolish to risk coming to class unprepared. What if the professor strayed from the original text and overwhelmed them with information from another source? Theo would miss so much...

After his morning study session, he made his way to the Great Hall. He'd managed to memorize the route, but still... The high ceilings, the frescoes, the gargoyles, and the talking paintings never ceased to amaze him, even after spending so much time at the school. Hogwarts was the epitome of magical architecture. A few days ago, he had even noticed runes carved into the bricks. A day later, he'd gone to the place with pen and paper, traced the runes, and then gone to the library, where he'd rummaged through the books for the older students. He didn't understand everything, but he knew that the rune in question was used to strengthen the school's magical wards. Naturally, he expected many more magical runes on the walls. But he would have to find them by accident. If he were to walk around the walls with his nose almost glued to the stone, one of the students would be sure to send him straight to the Hospital Wing. And Theodore refused to act like a freak. In addition to absorbing knowledge like a sponge, his aim was to make friends at school. So his journey to the Great Hall was uneventful, and soon he was sitting in an empty seat.

There was another reason why he was an obnoxious person. He was a morning person. He sat there with contentment written all over his face, no dark circles under his eyes, his clothes without a wrinkle, and fully prepared to make the most of the new day. At home, he always took a sturdy book with him for breakfast, but he hadn't done so at school yet. Although he wasn't used to talking to anyone while eating, he hoped that someone brave would approach him. A book might scare off a potential friend. But even the absence of textbooks had not yet guaranteed him a meeting with his new friend. On the outside, no one would have guessed that he might be feeling sorry for himself. For the most part, Theodore was the epitome of calm and unconcerned. Yet something was weighing on his chest.

No one had a word with him over breakfast this morning either, but he could push the gloomy thoughts into a corner with ease. He had experience. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, he looked up as the food appeared on the table. It didn't seem out of the ordinary; normally he wouldn't have even blinked. But he noticed the girl sitting opposite him. She flinched as someone jumped out from around the corner with a loud scream. The corners of Theo's mouth twitched, and he looked elsewhere, seemingly unconcerned. It was no mockery on his part. After all, things like this often happened to him. But he couldn't feign disinterest for long. His eyes wandered back to her all by themselves. She looked like someone drowning in a sea of new things, with no idea how to stay afloat. Theodore certainly wasn't a mind reader, but it wasn't hard to empathize with her. After all, he was almost looking into a mirror. Maybe that gave him the courage to reach out to someone.
"The House Elves prepare food down in the kitchens and then magically send it up here to us. The school could have dozens of them if they can prepare such a feast three times a day," he began, raising a pair of blue eyes to her. What if she thought he was lecturing her, trying to sound like something more? "I read about it in Hogwarts, A History," he added.
And then he looked back down at the scrambled eggs on his plate. He didn't know what to say. He'd never had many on the tip of his tongue. They just kept piling up in his head, unspoken.

Theodore couldn't read minds, and he didn't recognize the girl in front of him, but it wasn't hard to see that there was an inner struggle going on. He was one of those who preferred to observe, to notice the little things. He could read others like a child's picture book. However, her words took him by surprise.

Theo had grown up in an old manor house that was full of ghosts. Every brick in Abernathy Manor bore traces of magic, just like Hogwarts. Not knowing what the house-elf was seemed inconceivable to him. He blinked at her. "They are loyal magical creatures, bound to their owners as servants for life," he babbled. Sometimes he sounded like a book he'd read himself and didn't even realize it. "We have one at home... he used to work for my grandfather and great-grandfather. Actually, I don't even know how long house elves live," he paused in his monologue, a thoughtful expression flickering across his face for a second. "His name is Mopey. He always cooks for us, puts my clean clothes in the cupboard, and polishes our cutlery. He's absolutely wonderful! With a snap of his fingers, he can conjure up a meal! Like a whole cake!" he blabbered out. It came out of him like a hurricane. His eyes lit up, as they always did when he started talking about something that fascinated him. In those days, he was more like a wide-eyed eleven-year-old boy, fascinated by the smallest things.

He finished his monologue, but there was no reply from the girl. She played with the food on her plate, took a sip of juice, and remained silent. Theo's eyes went out like two comets fading in the distance. He lowered his gaze and dug his nails into the wooden bench. His expression stayed neutral. He had always been able to control his face. The girl didn't want to talk to him. Surely he had just bored her to death. He had scared her away. Why should she be interested in his house-elf? The corners of his ears suddenly reddened. How does one make friends at all? He was really hopeless at it. There was no exact method to get someone to like him. At least none that he'd found in any of the books he'd read so far. He slowly picked up a piece of egg with his fork and ate it. Since he couldn't help himself, he lifted his eyes back to the girl.

Her hand was shaking, drops from the juice flying around. He raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side like a curious cat. "Are you okay?" he asked, even though she didn't want to be friends with him. Dad always told him to treat everyone, no matter what, with courtesy and concern.

The Great Hall was full of other students. There was a clatter of cutlery, the murmur of conversation, and the shrieking of owls delivering the mail. In this bustle, Theo's world seemed to shrink down. He only saw the girl, a potential new friend.

Theo remained silent. He didn't have any Muggle-born friends. He grew up on a lonely hill, his only companions being books, ghosts, and the ancient walls of Abernathy Manor. The most exciting adventures he had were with his cousin Henry. Henry was a Pureblood child like him. That meant there was an invisible wall dividing Theo from the unnamed girl. He couldn't imagine how she was feeling at that moment, having been surrounded by magic his whole life. Despite his inability to put himself in her shoes, he found himself caring.

He looked down at his breakfast. “You don't look stupid to me. This is a new place for you. Everything is a bit... overwhelming, right?" he mumbled under his breath, trying to be empathetic.

His mind wandered to family celebrations, where he usually sat alone, bored with the adult conversation, feeling out of place. Who could excitedly chatter about the increasing prices of Floo Powder for hours?

Anyway, he tried to comfort her by starting a conversation. It was a Herculean task for someone like Theo. He often rehearsed his words silently before speaking. His palms were sweaty, so he brushed them against his trousers. And, for Merlin's sake, where should he look? At her, at his breakfast, or somewhere behind her? How people managed to lead a conversation smoothly was beyond his understanding.

But then, a realization struck him: his words bored her. She didn't seem to want to associate herself with him. That stung a little. A small thorn pierced his heart, leaving behind an imprint of sadness. Theo stopped looking at her. It was foolish to start a conversation with new people. He wasn't Henry. His words lacked a natural flow; he must have looked stiff. He lacked the careless spark that often brought others to Henry like flies to a candle. He forced himself to eat something, but the food tasted like dry sandpaper. He merely played with his food for a while.

Then the girl spoke again, her voice shaky and weak. Theo somehow found the courage to look at her. Tears glistened in her eyes. Oh, maybe he was wrong. Maybe she wasn't bored because of him; perhaps she was fighting her own internal battle. He started fidgeting with his fingers. He should comfort her. His eyes widened. How does one comfort a complete stranger? Had he ever read a book on that topic?

He tried to smile at her, his nervousness betrayed by his tapping foot. "I suppose you must be tired," he said. "We've got so many lessons and homework. It's like the teachers think we only have their subject." He wasn't truly bothered by piles of assignments; he enjoyed them, but his peers might find it weird. Henry would call him a "swot".

Her internal battle seemed to end. Theo hadn't helped her at all; he felt useless. How could anyone ever want to become his friend?

"Nice to meet you, Elodie," he replied with a stiff smile. Then he nodded, his eyes sparkling when she mentioned Wales. He straightened his back. "Oh Merlin, I've never met anyone from Wales before! My family is only scattered around England," he exclaimed, curious about how Wales differed from England.

"I'm also a first-year," he continued. "I am from Dorset; it's in England. We have a house in that town, but my parents don't talk much with Mugg-" He stopped mid-sentence, his cheeks turning red. "With locals. It's kind of lonely there, you know. I was really excited to go to Hogwarts. To find new friends and all that stuff," he blurted out.

"Were you looking forward to Hogwarts?"