Strongest Memory

As Theodore Nott walked up to the execution block, he thought back on his life. Tracey Davies. She was still his strongest memory, even after all this time.

He was in third year, and walking to his first ever Arithmancy class, when he saw her. She was with her friend Daphne Greengrass, her black hair flying about as the wind caught it as she tossed her head back with out of control laughter. She looked so different to the Tracey shown to the rest of the world, the other Tracey would never have even smiled, let alone full-blown laughed. He longed to see more of her, as herself, but he was 'invisible' Nott. He had to stay in the shadows

He was a fourth year now, and he had yet to see the 'real' Tracey Davies again. He hadn't been 'stalking' her, just keeping an eye on her. She had seemed more subdued this year, he only found out the reason for it in April, apparently her brother had snapped, gone into a school and shot an entire class before killing himself. This wasn't common knowledge; he'd just overheard Tracey telling Daphne Greengrass in the library – the place to go if you want to overhear things in Hogwarts. He wanted to say something about it to her, but he didn't know what to say, so he just smiled at her in the hallways. He only smiled at her, no-one else.

In fifth year, he saw her in the common room, always working, always stressed. Mind you, everyone was stressed, it was OWL year after all. One day he saw her struggling on a particularly difficult essay for Ancient Runes, he asked her if she wanted any help, she agreed, and watching some of the stress fall from her face was one of the highlights of his life. He helped her with Ancient Runes for the rest of the year, but she didn't even acknowledge him outside the Slytherin common room. He still kept smiling at her in the hallways though. He would always smile at her.

In his sixth year, he watched another person apart from Tracey, Draco Malfoy. He was clearly up to something, and being an 'invisible' person, he was able to follow Malfoy to the Vanishing Cabinet. He was able to figure out what Malfoy was up to long before it did, although Professor Snape killing Professor Dumbledore was a bit of a shock. He didn't know why, but Professor Snape felt like he was faking all the hate against Professor Snape. Tracey this year was very different. She was permanently worried-looking, and was hardly ever seen in the company of others, in fact, she was hardly ever seen at all. He saw her only occasionally, but when he did, he smiled his biggest smile at her – every time – and sometimes, sometimes she smiled back. The first genuine smile since that day in third year on the way to Arithmancey.

His seventh year was all a big mess. The Dark Lord was back, Potter and his little gang were missing, Professor Snape was Headmaster, and he had to take the Dark Mark. How he hated that little mark on his left forearm. He'd tried to cut it out, a lot of times, but it just came back, with the white scars outlining it in all its' horrific glory. He liked the feel of cutting it out though, so he did it most weeks, even though he knew it wouldn't work. He saw Tracey more this year, even spoke to her a few times. She was the only one who had seen the scars around his Mark, but he had obliviated her afterwards, you couldn't trust anyone. He regretted it, but that was the way of the Slytherin world. When Potter and all that came back, he convinced her to get out of Hogwarts, he sent her to one of his many houses, where no-one would be, and she would be safe. He stayed, but only hit at people who he genuinely didn't like, and he didn't ever curse to kill. He shot a couple of 'crucio's at his father and his fathers' friends, but they were the only Unforgivables he had ever used. After the battle was all over, he went to where Tracey was, and told her to go home, that the war was over, that Harry Potter had defeated Lord Voldemort. He gave her the memory of his Dark Mark scars back as she was Apparating away, then Apparated away himself, so she couldn't come back and judge him.

And now here he was, the last Death Eater to be beheaded today. They were all being killed. If you had a Dark Mark, then you died, you were the lowest of the low, thrown in a communal grave with all the others who had done wrong, regardless of whether you actually wanted the Dark Mark, regardless of whether you ever believed in all the 'pure-blood supremacy' rubbish. The Wizengamot didn't care. No-one did.

It was then, as he was ascending the steps to the guillotine, that he realised it. He loved Tracey Davies. When the executioner asked for his final words on this fine world, he spoke quietly, but it carried over the watching crowds.

'I love you Tracey Davies. You are still my strongest memory.'