Theodore Nott

Theodore Nott is a minor character from the Harry Potter series. He is a Slytherin in Harry's year at Hogwarts.
Nott is only mentioned a handful of times in the novels and never has a speaking role. He nonetheless enjoys a small fan following, helped by additional background information about the character provided by J.K. Rowling on her official site in 2004. Some renewed interest in Nott emerged after he played a small role in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
==Canon & Fan Response==
Very little was known about Nott in early fandom. The surname "Nott" was mentioned at the Sorting Ceremony in the first book, but his given name, gender, and Hogwarts house were all unknown until Order of the Phoenix in 2003. However, Goblet of Fire introduced an adult Death Eater by the name of Nott, leading fans to connect the names and predict that the Death Eater was the father or another relative of Nott the student, and therefore that the student was possibly a Slytherin. The 2001 Comic Relief book Quidditch Through the Ages references a "T. Nott" as having checked out the Hogwarts library book, leading to a slew of Theresa, Timothy, and—yes—Theodore Notts appearing as characters in fanworks.For example, Clarimonde wrote on FictionAlley Park in early 2003: "In my fic [Nott]'s 'Thelma Nott' but I've also seen 'Theresa' and I believe, Timothy and Theodore. The sky's the limit." (Post #471726 in Favourite Slythrin *student* ships?, posted 01 February 2003.) It was theorized that Nott might be female and part of Pansy Parkinson's "gang of Slytherin girls" (as at the time the only canonical female Slytherins in the year were Pansy and Millicent Bulstrode), though others preferred a male Nott. However, fan attention and speculation about the minor Slytherin characters focused primarily on Blaise Zabini, who was similarly mysterious but at least had a first name.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Nott's full name is revealedHermione has to tell Harry who Nott is, which is one piece of evidence fans use to support the theory/fanwank about Harry being completely oblivious, as Harry presumably would have had five years' of classes with Nott at this point and should have known his name. and it is confirmed that the Death Eater Nott is Theodore's father: Theodore is shown whispering with Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle after Harry publicly names each of their fathers as Death Eaters. Furthermore, a scene in OotP describes a Slytherin student who can see Thestrals, and although that student is not named, fans connected the description of "weedy-looking" Theodore Nott with that "stringy" Slytherin. Rowling confirmed in response to An Open Letter to J.K. Rowling from Mugglenet and The Harry Potter Lexicon in 2004 that it was indeed Nott who could see the Thestrals.Section: F.A.Q. at J.K.Rowling Official Site, Is Theodore Nott the "stringy" Slytherin mentioned in the Thestral class scene? If he isn't, who is that boy? [Mugglenet/Lexicon question]. First archived by the Wayback Machine on 14 December 2004.
Most significant in stirring up interest in the character was information posted on J.K. Rowling's official site in 2004. Rowling described a scene cut twice from the books involving Nott and Draco Malfoy and wrote that she "know[s] much more about Theodore Nott than has ever appeared in the books", describing him as a "clever loner" whose father is an elderly widower.Section: Extra Stuff at J.K.Rowling Official Site, Malfoy & Nott (Chamber of Secrets/Goblet of Fire). First archived by the Wayback Machine on 03 August 2004.
Many fans expected big things from Nott. Some predicted that he would be the "good Slytherin", a point of redemption for the house. However, Nott only appears once more in the series, laughing with Draco Malfoy over what is probably an anti-Muggle-born joke at Hermione's expense in Half-Blood Prince.
==Meta, Discussion, & Speculation==
* Comparison of Theodore Nott and Draco Malfoy by fiera_316 (Jun 2004), character analysis essay at hp_essays
* Why Nott the Better Choice? by reddiej (Oct 2004), Theodore/Pansy essay at ship_manifesto
* We’re Nott in love by magic_at_mungos (May 2006), Theodore/Hermione essay at minor_pairings
* S.N.E.A.K.: Society of Nott Extremists Activating Knowledge at FictionAlley Park (Jun 2003 - Jun 2011)
* Theodore Nott at CoSForums (Jun 2003 - Jan 2005)
* Theodore Nott at the Harry Potter Lexicon Forum (Oct 2004 - Aug 2006)
==Fanon==
==Example Fanworks==
===Fanfiction===
* I Alone, Slytherin Pride, & Midnight Watch, the "Theresa Nott" series by Lisse (2001-2002), gen
* Remedial History by After the Rain (2004-2005), gen
* "Distractions" series by Elsha (2004-2006), Theodore/OFC
===Fanart===
* HP Cards - Theodore Nott by lizard-spots, created for HP Art Deck (Aug 2004)
* Theodore Nott by blue-periwinkle (Oct 2006)
* Theodore by upthehillart (Apr 2016)
* Untitled by LittleChmura (Apr 2016)
==Nott-centric Sites & Communities==
* nottermore at DeviantART
* On LiveJournal:
** perhaps_nott
** do_me_theodore
** theo_centric
** nott_in_parks (Theo/Pansy)
** in_teh_shadows (Theo/Blaise)
==Other Links & Resources==
Fanworks:
* Theodore Nott tag at Archive of Our Own
* Theodore N. character filter at FanFiction.Net
* The Lead: Theodore Nott, fic listing at FictionAlley Park
* Special Edition: Theodore Nott at daily_snitch (Nov 2009)
General:
* theodore-nott and theo-nott tags at Tumblr
* Theodore Nott at the Harry Potter Lexicon
* Theodore Nott at the Harry Potter Wiki
* Extra Stuff: Malfoy & Nott (Chamber of Secrets/Goblet of Fire) at J.K.Rowling Official Site (archived link)
==References==
Category: Harry Potter Characters