Friday, September 1, 1995

Although the past summer had not been entirely carefree, Theo had never had better summer holidays. He had learned about Muggles and their culture, watched television, listened to Muggle music, read books, and fell in love for the first time. Unfortunately, Chloe was a Muggle, so he didn't know if their relationship would last. Still, they planned to write to each other when he would be away. And even though the odds were slim, Theo hoped to return to Cokeworth next year. He felt good living with Severus, especially appreciating those quiet, lazy evenings when Harry stayed there overnight, and the three of them played Muggle games or watched TV.

In those moments, Theo felt as if they were a small family. He often entertained himself with that thought, even though it was so different from reality. First of all, it was Harry and Severus who were related, and even if at the moment Theo had a better relationship with them than they had with each other, he knew that would soon change. He was going to help them himself. They both needed it. Secondly, he doubted he'd be lucky enough to get Cantankerous let him come here next summer as well. Not to mention that first, Severus would have to invite him back. Besides, it takes more than a month to form real family ties.

And Theo didn't need any Muggle psychoanalyst to tell him that this was a pathetic attempt at self-deception, out of a desperate desire to have loved ones who genuinely cared about him. It was just an innocent fantasy, and it didn't hurt anyone.

However, the best summer of his life could not have ended worse.

On his way to Spinner's End to tell Harry about plans for the last evening of summer vacation the day before, he met Pele. To Theo's dismay, the Muggle boy informed him that Oasis had just driven Harry to London. Harry would buy textbooks there, stay overnight and go straight to his boarding school the next day.

Theo had been cursing silently the Gryffindor all afternoon. He couldn't understand what had possessed him to go alone to Magical London. Plus, Theo was the one who had to inform Severus about it. And the boy could already see in his mind how angry Snape would be and what a scene he would make. Anyway, Potter would be sorry. Very, very sorry.

And would Theo feel sorry for him? He certainly wouldn't want to be in Harry’s place. However, he already knew that Harry had it coming for a long time now. Or maybe it would finally make him think before he acted? After all, it wasn't the first time Gryffindor had done such an irresponsible thing. With the Dark Lord reborn and his Death Eaters more and more active, Harry must have realised how dangerous it was for him to go to Diagon Alley on his own.

When his teacher returned and Theo told him everything, Snape panicked. It wasn't just the usual anger at the Gryffindor he'd expected. It was the real fear Theo understood when, several hours later, the man reappeared in the house and briefed him about the attack on Diagon Alley, the giants, the Death Eaters and the fact that Potter was missing. Theo had never seen him so scared and furious at the same time. Severus told him to go to sleep and left again, saying he'd be back as soon as they found Potter.

The last few hours had been torture. Theo had never feared for anyone as much as he had for Harry. And even though he had lost loved ones in traumatic circumstances, he had been too young to understand what death was. This time the fear was conscious, and the feeling of helplessness made that night the worst in many, many years. He feared for Severus every time the man attended the Death Eater meetings, but Theo knew that, unlike the Gryffindor, the Potions Master was prepared for anything. His teacher could Apparate, had an emergency Portkey, and was a powerful, well-trained wizard. On the other hand, Potter was still just a teenager—if he was caught by the Dark Lord, he would have no way of getting out of the Dark Manor. Perhaps he was now being tortured and then later he would most likely be killed.

It might seem strange that he was so concerned about someone he had only gotten to know better less than a month earlier. However, there was something about the Gryffindor; once the distrust Harry was hiding behind was overcome, it was easy to like him.

Theo treasured their newfound friendship. He appreciated Harry's sarcastic sense of humour, and even though the boy didn't have a very rich vocabulary, he was smart, had interesting perspectives, and made good arguments. Discussions with him were never dull. The boy opened up, especially when Professor Snape was not around. The Potions Master's presence still made the boy a little nervous (although Theo decided to continue working on an improvement in the Potter-Snape relationship). Most of all, Theo appreciated Harry's fierce loyalty and that he didn't have to pretend to be someone he wasn't around him. He didn't have to weigh every word around the Gryffindor or be careful not to accidentally reveal his real views. He could just be himself.

Theo didn't get a wink of sleep. He was adjuring everything to Harry to be back safe and sound. He knew it would be primarily his father's fault if anything happened to the boy.

When the Slytherin heard about the giants, he immediately guessed who was behind them. And Theo wasn't thinking about Voldemort. He was sure Cantankerous had participated in the attack, perhaps even planned it. While Theo was still at Nott Manor early in the summer, he overheard his father's conversation with another Death Eater. They were going to North America to persuade some colonies living there to serve Voldemort's agenda. It had surprised him then why they were talking about people from so far away. Now he knew that these were giant colonies which meant that his father was responsible for the brutality of yesterday's attack.

The irony of the situation did not escape him either. The attack on Diagon Alley was the price for the happiest, most peaceful holidays ever. If his father hadn't gone to America to convince giants, Slytherin wouldn't have been able to stay with Snape. And no, Theo didn't blame himself for the attack. Absolutely not. But when night falls, strange thoughts come to mind. He wondered what he would do if someone gave him the choice he hadn’t had: holidays at the Nott Manor or the attack on Diagon Alley. And here, his Hufflepuff tendencies showed up. He would stay at home—with his father.

Around ten in the morning, Snape finally returned. Theo hurried downstairs when he heard the man Apparate in the living room. The boy needed to find out about Harry as soon as possible. He jumped at the sound of breaking glass. He found the Potions Master pacing nervously back and forth with his hands clenched into fists in the living room. There was liquid dripping down the wall and broken glass underneath. When Snape noticed him, he drew his wand, whispered an incantation and the trace of him throwing the potion vial against the wall disappeared in a second. Theo stepped back, gathered his courage and asked about the Gryffindor. Snape snarled that the mindless whelp had boarded the train at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters a few minutes ago. And he couldn't even make sure the boy was fine because he didn't have a damned train ticket.

"I'll kill him; that irresponsible little whelp has no self-preservation instinct whatsoever. Does what I say get through to him at all!? How can he be such an idiot! And Tobias? Another brainless one. A fucking alcoholic! He can't even watch a child!”

Theo didn't understand Snape's behaviour but didn't dare ask why the man was so furious when he should be glad that Harry was apparently safe. He took another step back and his back touched the wall.

His teacher was the best Head of House in Hogwarts. He was a good man, he’d helped Theo and dozens of others, but he was far from perfect. The man couldn't control his anger, and he couldn't deal with tension in a healthy way. Theo could feel his magic, the way it vibrated in the air. At this point, if the Potions Master were on the battlefield, hardly anyone could defeat him.

Theo was sure he wouldn't physically take it out on any of his students. Or rather, almost sure. Therefore, his self-preservation instinct won, and he decided to leave Severus' sight until the man calmed down.

Snape looked at him more soberly as the boy began to back away. His eyes widened as if he only now realised what he was saying and to whom.

"I'm sorry, Theo. I shouldn't… You shouldn't hear that," he said, trying hard to sound calm. "Have you packed?" Theo just nodded. He wasn't afraid of him. He had no reason to be. "Go get your things. I'll take you to the station."

TNTNTNTNTNTN

Theo looked at his teacher's tired face.

Last night had clearly taken its toll on him. The man seemed to be functioning only thanks to his potions. His normally sallow complexion now looked even greyer than ever, and his wrinkles more prominent. Dark circles under his eyes framed black, bloodshot eyes that looked both angry and tired at the same time.

"Look for that moron as soon as you get on the train," Theo winced at the amount of venom in the man's voice. "And let me know if he's not there. And if you see him barely alive or if there’s anything wrong, use the Portkey and transport him immediately to my chambers at Hogwarts." Theo nodded. "I'll see you tonight, Theo."

"Thank you." Theo didn't have to say why.

They both knew.

In response, the man put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it lightly.

"Go."

Theo turned and walked through the enchanted wall separating the magical platform from the Muggle ones, thanking Merlin that his Head of House, without the ticket, had been unable to board the train and confront Harry himself. There were a lot of people on the platform. Nothing unusual. Only twenty minutes left. Without stopping to say hello to anyone, he started toward the train. He had to find Harry and see for himself that he was okay.

He looked around and groaned. Of course. The first person he met on the train was Draco.

"Draco. Nice to see you."

"Hi, how's your holiday?" Draco asked in perhaps the most bored tone he could muster. He didn't look at him, just scouted around, not even trying to appear interested in the answer. The blond's face was a bit less perfect than usual, and Theo saw traces of a sleepless night also under his eyes.

"Excellent, thank you. Yours?"

"Great. Have you seen Potter?" Only now did Draco grace him with a glance.

"No, I just got here. Why are you asking?" Theo raised his eyebrows. Draco usually waited with that question, at least until the train left.

A malicious smirk appeared on the blonde's face.

"I'm just wondering if we're still going to have to see his ugly face after what happened yesterday or if someone finally did the world a favour and got rid of that dimwit."

Theo tried to pretend that Draco's words hadn't upset him.

"Yes, it would be nice if we had something to celebrate today." Without waiting for an answer, he added: "I'm going to look for Millie."

Theo turned around and walked towards the end of the train, peering into each compartment. Most of them were empty. As he walked down the corridor, one of the Gryffindors bumped into him roughly with his shoulder as he passed, but Theo didn't even react. The curtain in the window of the last compartment was drawn. Without hesitating, he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Harry!"

"Theo, hello." The Gryffindor clearly tried to smile but failed miserably.

Even though Severus had told Theo that Harry was on the train, it wasn't until he saw him with his own eyes that he felt relieved. And then he did something unexpected. He walked over to him and hugged him quickly.

"Merlin, I'm glad you're okay. You look terrible." Harry was indeed pale and looked like he hadn't slept in a week. And there was also something strange about the expression on his face. Did he watch Theo with concern? Compassion?

"I'm so sorry," he said with a pain in his voice that Theo had never heard from him before.

The Slytherin just raised an eyebrow.

"How could you be such a moron?"

"What?"

"Why did you go to Diagon Alley on your own? How could you be so stupid?"

Harry looked as if he had only just realised what Theo was talking about.

"Er... I..." Harry's eyes turned towards the exit, widened slightly, and then looked back at the Slytherin. "You will not threaten me, Nott."

Theo immediately realised that someone had appeared at the compartment door. And he was grateful that he didn't have to explain to Harry that they should pretend to the others that nothing had changed between them over the summer.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he hissed, trying to sound as hateful as possible. "Because of yesterday's actions, there will be hell to pay in the dungeons, so I advise you to keep your head low for a while, or you'll end up being fed to the biggest snake." The colour drained from Harry's face, and he groaned involuntarily. If he still had any hope that Snape hadn't found out about his trip to Diagon Alley, it was now completely gone. He had read the message Theo wanted to convey to him flawlessly. Snape was furious, and Harry should avoid him until that fury was gone, or at least significantly diminished.

Theo tried to comfort him somehow, but Harry wasn't looking at him anymore.

"Oh, hi, Neville," the Gryffindor turned towards the door. It seemed that Longbottom was behind him.

"Leave Harry alone, Nott," Neville said shakily. "Or... or you'll have to deal with me."

"Don't make me laugh, Longbottom," Theo snorted. The Slytherin turned around and headed for the exit. He was afraid that if he stayed in the compartment any longer, he would give himself away. As he was leaving, he heard Longbottom say:

"Harry, I'm so glad you're okay. Grandma Apparated us home just before it all started. We were lucky. Can I sit in your compartment?"

At that moment, Malfoy appeared in the doorway, clearly unwilling to let go of his annual quest to search the train for the Golden Boy.

"I'm sorry, Draco, Potter got lucky again, and he's fine. And I was really hoping we'd have a reason to celebrate today."

Draco sneered.

"Maybe next time. We'll have to endure his company for a little longer."

Theo nodded and looked at Draco momentarily, wondering if the blond believed what he was saying. But he couldn't read anything from his face.

Draco peered into the compartment and looked the Gryffindor up and down. He seemed like he wanted to make a comment but held it back.

"Come on, Nott, let's leave those losers alone. Pansy found a compartment for us. Millicent is there too.”

Theo turned back to Harry, wanting to apologise for his words but knowing he couldn't.

"Get out of here, Nott. You're not welcome here," Neville said, a little bolder than last time.

And Theo left, thinking about the extremely brief interaction between Draco and Harry, or rather the lack thereof.

TNTNTNTNTNTN

The Great Hall wasn't bustling as usual. The prevailing mood was the result of yesterday's attack. Theo looked around. There were many empty seats; he did not know how many students had died, how many were injured, and how many were mourning for their loved ones and would arrive later. It was Friday, so classes wouldn't start for another two days.

He glanced at the Gryffindor table and looked for Harry. The Golden Trio sat together as usual, halfway down the table, between Nearly Headless Nick, Gryffindor's resident ghost, and Longbottom, Brown, and Patil. Harry didn't look well. He was fiddling with his silverware, playing with his food. Granger was babbling something to them, then Weasley spoke up, and Harry snorted with laughter. As if sensing that they were being watched, he glanced towards the Slytherin table, and as soon as he caught Theo's gaze, he quickly turned around and went back to fiddling with his silverware. Theo raised his eyebrows. It wasn't normal, even for Potter.

Looking at the teacher's table, the most noticeable was the absence of Hagrid. Grubbly-Plank took his place. This meant that Care of Magical Creatures would be a bit duller, perhaps, but definitely safer. A chubby woman in a nasty pink sweater sat right next to her. Probably the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. The Slytherin glanced at his head of the house. Judging by the expression on his face, his anger hadn't lessened at all.

When everyone finished eating, like every year, Dumbledore got up to say a few words. He began with regret for all those killed in Diagon Alley the day before and declared a minute of silence. A second-year Hufflepuff and a sixth-year Gryffindor have been murdered, and several other students have lost their loved ones. Strangely, the Headmaster did not mention that the Dark Lord was behind the attack. The man then moved on to the annual warnings about the Forbidden Forest, reminding the students that no magic was allowed in the corridors between classes and that a complete list of prohibited items was hanging on the door to Filch's office. In the end, he announced changes to the staff.

He introduced the woman in the nasty pink sweater. Theo was right. She was indeed the new DADA teacher. Just then, Umbridge stood up and did something no one had ever dared to do—interrupt Dumbledore's welcome speech. She began to speak in an extremely sweet voice while the Headmaster sat surprised.

Just then, Theo realised that Harry had told him about her. She had been at his hearing for using accidental magic to defend himself from his uncle, a muggle. She was the one who strongly argued for Harry to be expelled from school.

“Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness,”  the fake smile did not disappear from her face even for a moment, “effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited.

Her presence here and the gist of a lengthy speech did not bode well. Judging by the expressions of his fellow Slytherins, they weren't thrilled by her presence either. Including Draco, even though Fudge was practically in Lucius's pocket.

At the Gryffindor table, Granger was evidently explaining to Harry and Weasley what Umbridge's speech meant. Theo smiled to himself. At least some things never change.

TNTNTNTNTNTN

Monday, September 4, 1995

"Blahh, so salty!" Greg choked. "What in Merlin's name is this!?"

"Damn Weasleys," Pansy made a disgusted face after tasting the tea. She shot an angry glance at the Gryffindor table. The twins were eating breakfast, clearly pleased with themselves. One of them winked at her.

"I've had enough of this," the girl growled. "They'll pay for it."

"Calm down, Pansy. The teachers are watching,” Millicent whispered in her ear.

"Besides, this time, it's nothing personal," Zabini interjected, glaring in disgust at the third-year Hufflepuff spitting scrambled eggs. "The Weasley twins didn't just swap the salt and sugar just at our table.”

"So what? Am I supposed to be grateful for that?"

Blaise shrugged.

Since returning to school, tension had increased between Slytherin and other houses. The difference might not have been that obvious because the animosity towards the Slytherins had always existed. Still, this weekend there were more incidents than usual. Nothing serious happened to anyone, and if a teacher noticed something, they considered it just banter between children. However, several first-year Slytherins returned to the common room crying after being taunted for their Sorting, and most of the kids decided, despite the beautiful weather, that they would rather stay in the dungeons than go out to play by the lake.

Even Draco, whose ego had never suffered the slightest bit from the behaviour of students from other houses, became more subdued. Maybe the atmosphere and passive-aggressive behaviour finally started to weigh on him too. Until now, he had always pretended not to notice anything, walking with his head held high as if Lucius were the school's Headmaster. He never missed an opportunity to accost the Golden Trio. But the day before, when Greg, seeing Potter heading towards Hagrid's hut, had suggested that they bug him a bit, Draco had refused, to everyone's surprise. He told the others to leave Potter alone for the first time since they started Hogwarts. Well, the second time, counting his strange behaviour on the train.

Thursday's attack seemed to be the obvious cause of all this. Many students blamed the residents of the Slytherin House, believing them to be juvenile Death Eaters and blaming their parents as the perpetrators of the attacks. They weren't wrong about his father, Draco's or Goyle's, but many families in Slytherin House were neutral. Besides, no one under the age of sixteen had taken the Dark Mark, and such behaviour towards them was not encouraging at all to join the light side. It actually had the opposite effect. The other students didn't even consider the possibility that Death Eaters were from all houses, even Hufflepuff. And Theo knew it would be even worse when the students whose family members had died in the attack returned.

Vincent's chair was also empty. His father died on Thursday, gruesomely decapitated. Everyone knew Vin loved him very much, so he was probably in unimaginable pain right now and had every right to grieve. Still, Theo doubted that the people in the other houses would respect that or show him any sympathy. His father was the aggressor, and maybe he’d killed a few innocent people; therefore, he deserved what happened to him.

Theo looked towards the Gryffindor table. He realised it had become his routine. He felt better knowing that Potter was safe in the Great Hall and not getting into who knows what again. Granger was arguing with Weasley about something. Harry sat poking at his plate with his fork, as little interested in eating as listening to his friends argue—nothing new there.

The Gryffindor had been ignoring Theo since the conversation on the train. Perhaps he was offended by what Theo had said then because he was clearly avoiding him. Something has changed in their relationship. The day before, he had seen Harry in the library's Theory of Magic section. It was odd since classes hadn't started yet, and the library was a place where Harry didn't appear unless he was dragged there by Granger. Apart from the two of them, there was no one else there. The weather was beautiful, and most of the students wanted to spend their last moments of freedom on the school grounds before the teachers started giving homework. Apparently, even Granger had given up studying because she wasn't around either.

The Slytherin walked over to Harry, whose eyes widened when he saw him. The boy gave a quick "hey," brushed past him and left the library before Theo could start any conversation.

He wasn't quite sure what the Gryffindor's deal was. Maybe he cared about what the other students were saying about him—that he lied about Diggory and the Dark Lord? Theo had to admit that Harry hadn't had it easy the last few days, either. Despite recent events in Diagon Alley, much of the wizarding community still believed what the Prophet had written about him. They didn't want to think that the Dark Lord had returned. Theo had no idea how anyone could be so simpleminded. People saw what happened last year at the Quidditch World Cup, they heard the Potter story, and last week's attack should be the ultimate proof. However, they still believed the Ministry's assurances that it was only a group of Death Eaters who wanted to relive the good old days and that everything was under control.  

Maybe Harry was ignoring him because, like the other students, he blamed the Slytherins for the attack? Or was he afraid that even more hatred would fall upon him if anyone saw him associating with any of the inhabitants of the snake's house? Theo wasn't convinced, but he didn't know the boy all that well. Anyone could bend under pressure.

Theo looked at the staff table. Snape, Sinistra, McGonagall, and Flitwick returned from their weekend absence. They probably helped families in Diagon Alley or those students who had lost loved ones. One look at the Potions Master, and Theo knew he was still in a foul mood. Now he glared furiously at Umbridge, whom Theo had yet to see wearing anything other than pink.

Slytherin glanced at his schedule. First, they had Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, then Potions, Arithmancy, and Defense with the Gryffindors.

It was going to be an interesting day.

TNTNTNTNTN

Herbology passed peacefully, but that didn't surprise Theo. The other lessons were the problematic ones, and the worst one was starting now: the first Potions class with Snape, Harry, and the Gryffindors. He had been dreading this moment for a few days now. As usual, he sat down in the front row with Millie and began to unpack his books. Greg sat behind him with Pansy and Draco with Blaise next to them. Of course, they were all a few minutes early. No Slytherin would risk being late to their first Head of House class.

After a while, the Gryffindors began to enter. Granger and Weasley could be heard in the distance. They were arguing about Quidditch and the Tutshill Tornados, which was unusual because he was convinced that the girl didn't like the sport. Harry followed them, completely lost in thought. Apparently, he was so used to their bickering that he didn't pay much attention to it anymore. The three of them sat in the last row, as far away from Snape as possible, which wasn’t strange considering how Potions Master treated them.

"Silence." Severus greeted students as he entered the classroom. The man's face made it clear that this lesson would not end well.

Theo sighed.

First, Snape reminded them of the OWLs coming up in June and warned them that they must at least get an Acceptable if they didn't want to suffer his wrath. As he spoke, he looked straight at Longbottom, who swallowed hard. He also said that he was looking forward to finally being able to stop teaching the stupidest ones and regretted that he still had a whole year with all of them. For now, to Theo's relief, Severus was ignoring Harry.

That day they were to brew a Draught of Peace. Quite a simple mixture, but one had to concentrate and prepare the ingredients with great precision. Theo had brewed thirty of these cauldrons this summer and could do it easily. He looked around the room. Longbottom looked horrified, Weasley and Harry looked as if they had already resigned themselves to their fate, and Granger was reading with a concentration on her face the list of ingredients Snape had conjured up on the chalkboard.

"Silver steam should be rising from your potion by now," Snape announced when they had ten minutes left of their lesson.

Of course, Theo's potion was perfect. Draco's and Granger's—almost as good. He guessed that both of them had powdered the salamander's claws a bit too finely, but that couldn't be considered a mistake. The potion would just be slightly less effective. Theo gasped as he saw the contents of Harry's cauldron. Puffs of dark grey steam were coming out of it. He must have forgotten to add hellebore syrup, which stabilised the potion. In two or three minutes, the mixture would explode in his face. Theo was about to get up to do something, but Snape noticed it too and, ignoring the work of the others, headed straight towards the boy.

"Potter, can you tell me what it is?"

"A Draught of Peace," said Harry nervously.

"And tell me, Potter," Snape drawled. "Can you read?"

Severus, please, not like this, Theo was repeating silently.

Pansy giggled, looking knowingly at Draco, who gave a loud laugh. A bit too theatrical, Theo noted. Especially since the blond didn't seem particularly amused.

"Yes, I can," said Harry, his fingers tightening on his wand.

"Then read the third line of the instruction."

Harry squinted at the blackboard, struggling to read the letters.

"Add powdered moonstone, stir counterclockwise three times, boil for seven minutes, then add two drops of black hellebore syrup."

"Did you do everything in the third step of the instructions?"

"No," said Harry very quietly.

"Care to repeat that louder?"

"No, I forgot about the hellebore..."

"I know you've forgotten, Potter, which means what you've brewed here is of no value whatsoever." Evanesco. You get zero for today's work. Anyone who HAS managed to read the instructions," Snape stated emphatically, "will now fill…

Harry stared at the teacher with such disbelief and excruciating pain that Theo knew something inside him had just snapped. Over the summer, Severus completely changed his attitude towards him. And even Theo promised Harry that the man cared about him and that he would definitely treat him differently in his lessons this school year. But Snape was destroying everything. It was a fact that he had to empty Harry's cauldron because the potion was indeed dangerous. However, to Harry, Longbottom's content of the cauldron, which had the consistency of freshly mixed cement, or Weasley's, which now emitted a strong odour of rotten eggs, looked worse. These potions, too, were useless but not dangerous. Only Harry didn't know that. And from his perspective, Snape had chosen him again to humiliate and take it on him unjustifiably. Just like in all previous lessons, it was as if those two summer months had never happened.

"Why did you do that? It's not fair," Harry asked quietly. The whole class froze. Nobody dared to speak.

"Because, Potter, you're an idiot and ignore the simplest of instructions," Harry pursed his lips.

"Stop it. I'm not an idiot," Harry said with a pleading note in his voice. As if he still hoped that the man would come to his senses, that what happened during the holidays was real.

"You don't listen to anyone, you don't care about anything, and you do what you want. You are a little, irresponsible…" Suddenly he was interrupted by the explosion of a cauldron. The man turned around and shouted: "Longbo..." But Neville's cauldron was intact. "Mr. Nott, what is the meaning of it?"

"I knew this would happen," Harry whispered, and they all looked back at him. "I hate you." He said, looking at Snape, his voice full of emotion, and his eyes looked more like two Killing Curses than ever. "You're worse than Vernon and Tobias," he added, breathing heavily. He hastily grabbed his things and left the classroom, slamming the door.

Snape clenched his fists.

"Put the vials of your potions on my desk and get out," he growled. "Now! What are you waiting for?!” He added, snapping the students out of their stupor. "And you, Mr. Nott, stay behind."

TNTNTNTNTNTN

"Theo, what was that supposed to mean? How could you have put lavender in your Draught of Peace? You've done it dozens of times. "

"Did I have any other choice?"

"Excuse me?" Severus hissed. "Are you telling me you did this on purpose?"

Theo knew he was stepping on thin ice but didn't care. He wanted to shake the man somehow. Snape had to come to his senses before he ruined everything with his nasty temper. He’d had three days to calm down and figure out how to talk to the Gryffindor about his trip to Diagon Alley. And yet, the man had acted in the worst possible way, attacking Harry in front of everyone in Potions. Sure, Theo also thought Harry deserved a scolding, even detention. But not like this.

"Of course," he said. He was aware that he was acting like an idiot Gryffindor. "But it was a bit too late. You'd already taken it out on Harry. How could you be so ruthless and stupid as to spoil everything?"

The Potions Master looked at him in disbelief. Theo himself was surprised that these words passed his throat.

"You just earned yourself a week of detention with Filch. "

"You don't understand, sir. How could you treat him like that! Just like in any other Potions class, insulting and humiliating him in front of the whole class when you spent a month trying to prove to him that you'd changed! "

"Get out, Theo. It's none of your business. I'm warning you." The man clenched his fists, but Theo couldn't let go.

"I don't care if I clean the cauldrons, if I have a month's detention with Filch, or even if you put me with stupid Longbottom for the rest of the year. It's about something more. Harry finally trusted an adult. You. And you will destroy it all."

"Don't meddle in things you don't understand."

"I do understand it perfectly. I have to intervene, or you will break him completely, if you haven't already. How can you do this to your own brother! I would do anything to have my brother alive. You have a chance for a relationship that I can only dream of, and you want to destroy it all!" Theodore stared at him, not believing anyone could be so stubborn.

"Theodore, calm down."

"Please, do something! We both know Harry can't count on anyone but you. And if you don't somehow fix it now, he won't come to you when he really needs it. He won't come to anyone." Theo tried to explain, but it was like he was talking to the brick wall. The man did not realise that he was making a mistake again, and the repercussions of it could be tragic.

"Report to Filch at five o'clock," snapped Snape, completely ignoring what Theo was saying to him.

"Sure, but if Harry dies because he's afraid to ask you for help, we both know who we should blame," Theo said, then stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

Theo knew he had done the right thing, and if he could go back in time, he would have done precisely the same. He hoped Potions Master would consider his words, although he had serious doubts. The man was stubborn, and little could make him change his mind.   

Now Theo would have to face the consequences of his own behaviour. He had fallen out with the Head of his House, and the chances of returning to Cokeworth for the next holiday were slim to none. He doubted Severus would want to take him in again, not after his complete lack of respect and gratitude. Theo sighed. What a terrible day, and it wasn't even noon yet.