The four friends looked at each other as Dumbledore ordered everyone back to their dorms. “Sooo...do we still care that Hermione's in the girl's bathroom?” Blaise asked.

Ron shook his head as Harry said, “never mind that. Let's go.”

Using the Hufflepuffs, who were headed in the right direction, for cover, the four Slythindors slipped from the room in the direction of the girls' bathroom. As they ran down the corridor, however, they heard quick footsteps coming up behind them.

“That's Snape!” Warned Harry, pulling Theo behind a statue. The others followed, peering out as Snape crossed the corridor and disappeared. Creeping along the corridor, Harry wondered briefly what the man was doing heading in the opposite direction from the other teachers. He didn't have much time to think it over, however, before they smelled something awful.

“Shit.” Blaise said fervently.

Blaise rarely cursed. “Blaise?”

“The troll's here, not in the dungeons.”

“You can tell that by smell?” Ron asked incredulously.

Harry heard a thump and a shuffle as the troll came around the corner and Blaise said slowly, “or you could just look.”

“Wha-oh. Ohhhh.” Finally Ron and Theo looked up at the troll shuffling down the corridor towards them as they crouched in a corner against the wall. It came just close enough to make Harry really nervous before turning into a doorway further up the corridor.

“Just our luck, don't you think?” Theo commented blithely, though his face was white, “that that's the girls' bathroom?”

“How do you-” A high scream cut Blaise off and the four boys looked at each other in horror. Without another thought they ran for the bathroom and threw open the door. Hermione was there, on the other side of the bathroom, with the troll in between busily smashing sinks as it approached her.

Why do I always have to get involved? Harry wondered as he picked up a piece of the sink and threw it at the monster's head. Why is it always me? The chunk of ceramic glanced off the creature's ear, ripping it up as it went by, and the troll turned. As it headed for Harry, Theo threw another bit of sink, distracting it again and giving Harry the chance to dart around it towards Hermione. As he hauled on her arm, trying to break her out of her terrified stupor, he watched the troll go for Theo, raising its club.

Shit shit shit shit shit. Ron was throwing chunks of sink, now, but the biggest pieces near the door were used up, and it didn't seem to even notice the little ones Ron had as it continued to head towards Theo and Blaise. “Hermione come on!” He shouted, wanting to get back to where Theo and Blaise were standing. He looked up towards them just in time to see Blaise lift his wand.

“SECTUM SEMPRA!” Shouted the other boy, and the troll roared and lost all interest in the two boys. As it turned, Harry saw the huge gashes Blaise had cut into its abdomen. He swallowed as he realized that the enormous, reddish rope the stupid creature was holding was in fact a section of its own intestines. It looked confused as it studied them, even poking them with a finger, before finally falling with a crash, bleeding out on the floor as the five students looked on.

Suddenly the door slammed open and three Professors rushed in. The first was McGonagall and the second, Snape. Quirrell brought up the rear, but Harry quickly ignored him in favor of looking at the other two adults. McGonagall looked...furious, but Harry ignored her, too, when he looked at Snape. The man's lips were white, and he had the same tightness in his face that Harry remembered from Snape's memories when Harry was in the infirmary. This time, though, Harry knew what it was. Fear. He held still as the man walked over to him and spoke harshly.

“You are uninjured?”

“Yes sir.”

“You are certain?” His voice, too, was tight with stress, and Harry suddenly felt something he rarely felt around Snape. Guilt. He throttled it down. I never asked him to like me.

“Yes, sir, I'm fine. Blaise killed the troll before it could do anything.” Snape's eyes flicked briefly to the troll, and to Blaise, before settling back on Harry and filling with a slow fury.

“What. Where. You. Thinking?”

For once, Harry was not frightened by the man's anger, or rather, not frightened that the man would hit him. He just felt small, and somehow even more guilty than before. “Hermione w-wasn't at the feast. W-we had to find her.” He answered.

“You. Had. To find her. On your own. With a troll in the castle.” Snape's fury seemed unabated, though a note of incredulity had entered his voice.

Put that way, it does sound kind of dumb. Harry realized. Then Hermione spoke up. “P-please, Professor. It's not his fault. The troll was already here when he found me. If he'd've gone to get an adult I'd be dead.”

Snape whipped his head around to glare at Hermione, making her cringe. “And if he had sent an adult to find you in the first place, Ms. Granger? Any adult in this school with the exception of caretaker Filch would have been better off against a troll than the five of you!”

Hermione looked terrified, but she kept speaking anyway. “Harry doesn't like adults, sir.”

Snape seemed to calm some, for the moment. “I am well aware of that, Ms. Granger, however-” at this he looked back to Harry, the anger still clear in his gaze though his voice was calmer, “he could have managed, don't you think?”

Hermione gave Harry a look and a slight shrug that seemed to say, I tried. He gave her a tiny smile. It bothered him some that she brought up his...issues...but she was trying to defend him.

A sound made Harry look up, and he watched Blaise bend over to throw up in the corner.

“He killed the troll, you said?” Snape asked, momentarily distracted. Harry nodded.

“He cast something I'd never heard before. Sempt- Sec-”

“Sectum Sempra?” Snape demanded.

“Yeah, that's it. Nasty spell. The thing's intestines were all over the place.” Thinking about it made Harry turn a little green, too. It really had been awful to look at.

“Ten points to Slytherin, Mr. Zabini, for appropriate use of a violent spell in a situation that demanded it.” Blaise barely nodded, still looking really green.

“And ten points FROM each of you for this- fiasco.” McGonagall put in, “that is, I believe, twenty points from Gryffindor and thirty from Slytherin. Any of you could have had the idea to come and find an adult instead of handling this yourself.”

“Not Hermione's fault,” Ron commented, looking as sick and scared as Harry felt. “The troll came to her.”

“Very well, Mr. Weasley, ten back to Gryffindor. And you will come to speak to me in my office when this is over.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Ron said. “Sorry ma'am.”

Harry, Blaise, and Theo all looked up at Snape, waiting for his verdict. He looked at the three of them, gaze lingering longest on Harry. “Misters Zabini and Nott, I will be finding each of you this evening for conversations with your guardians,” he finally said. Blaise just nodded slightly, seeming unperturbed, but Theo bore a look of horror that slowly morphed into a dismayed acceptance. Harry knew that Nott Senior's approval was terribly important to Theo, and spared a moment of sympathy for him before being broken from his thoughts. “Mr. Potter, you will be coming with me to my office. Now.”

“What. Were you. Thinking?!” Snape asked vehemently as soon as he was settled leaning on his desk facing Harry, “I had thought you more intelligent than this!”

“I guess you were wrong,” Harry answered, unable to think of anything else to say. It really had been dumb.

“That is not my point, Mr. Potter, as you well know. Answer the question.”

“I don't know, okay? Hermione was missing, she's our friend, we all went to find her. The troll was supposed to be in the dungeons!”

“And you were supposed to go to your dorms!”

“What about Hermione?!”

“You would have been counted, Potter! You think we would be so careless as to miss her absence?”

“I didn't know!”

“You didn't ask! You were too busy running off to a fight with a troll! What were you thinking?”

“Look I know it wasn't the brightest move, what do you want me to say?”

Snape shook his head, and when he looked up his face had returned to its usual calm mask. “You're right, of course. You did something stupid. It is idiotic of me to expect you to care about anything else.”

Harry was confused. “What-what else should I care about? It was dumb. I don't like being dumb but it happens.”

A little of the tension came back to Snape's face. “What do you think I expected, coming into that room, Harry? Do you think I was picturing the five of you standing triumphantly around the huge form of a dead mountain troll?”

Suddenly Harry once again remembered Snape's face entering the room. I scared him again. The guilt came back with a vengeance, and Harry found he couldn't meet Snape's eye. Damnit. It's not my fault he decided to get involved! I told him not to!

When Harry didn't say anything, Snape continued softly. “And the fact that I expected the house-elves to be cleaning your brains off of the tile floor, Harry? Have you nothing to say to that?”

Harry paused for a second, really unsure what to say. “I don't get it,” he finally confessed.

“Don't 'get' what?”

“You hated me at the beginning of the year. I never changed. I'm still obnoxious; I still make you mad all the time. Only now you don't hate me anymore. All 'cause you found out about stuff I didn't even want you to know. I don't get it.”

“That is not why.”

“Well why then?” Harry met Snape's gaze again, trying to understand. It was just too confusing. “I never gave you any reason to like me.”

Snape spoke quietly. “Not on purpose, certainly. I have nevertheless gotten to know you better since the beginning of the term.”

“And discovered I'm still an obnoxious little- rat. That still doesn't make any sense.”

“You really think that there is nothing likeable about you?”

“Not for you.”

Snape frowned at that. “How not for me?”

“Well you don't ever use me, do you? I still don't get what you're getting out of this.”

“What should I be getting out of it?”

Harry gave Snape a quick glare and spoke with aggressive bluntness. “I'm good at cooking, and with plants. I can clean almost anything. I can work with a broken arm.”

“You're smart, resourceful, brave, and tough. You don't put up with people's crap. You don't care what others say about you, but you will fly to the defense of a friend. You are loyal and stubborn and practical. You are creative and can make a joke out of anything, if you want to. You make me laugh.”

Snape said all of this bluntly, and with an entirely serious mien, and Harry could only stare at him. Finally, Snape continued. “Surely that is worth something?”

Harry continued to just stare at him. He really does like me. I guess I didn't believe it, before. Harry was having more and more trouble ignoring the guilt he felt for putting that look on Snape's face.

“You scared the hell out of me, Harry,” Snape finally said.

Finally Harry spoke, throat dry. “I know.” He paused for a moment, then continued. “I warned you that I wasn't worth it, sir.”

“I never said that. You are worth it. This does not make experiences like today any more pleasant.”

Harry looked down. “What're you gonna do?”

“What do you mean?”

Harry swallowed and looked up again. “I mean, you said you'd hit me if I put myself in danger.” Harry held his ground, but he could feel his heartbeat speed up. What would he do if after all this time Snape hit him? Would he let him? Why would I even consider that?

“I think...that was a bad idea from the start, with you,” Snape replied.

“You- you're not gonna hit me?”

Snape sighed. “No. I'm not. Not now or ever.”

Harry heaved an inner sigh of relief, then had a thought. “Wh-what are you gonna do then?”

“Well you are grounded, that's for certain.”

Harry didn't bother to protest. “For how long?”

“A week.”

Harry bit his lip to try and hide his dismay, then asked, “Quiddich?”

Snape gave him a look. “What do you think?”

I'll have no time to practice before the match. Harry hung his head, miserable, but didn't argue. Snape wouldn't change his mind, not when Harry had scared him so badly. Jerkoff. He couldn't really summon the vitriol he wanted, though, not with Snape still there looking stressed out. “I didn't mean to get in trouble.”

“I know you didn't. But you didn't try hard enough to stay out of it, either. It would not have been that difficult to find an adult.”

“I know, but I wasn't thinking about that! I was thinking about Hermione!”

“Well next time perhaps you will consider other things as well. You never rush in without a workable plan, Harry. You didn't know the troll was anywhere near Hermione, which means that there was no reason for you to rush off like that. If you had known, it would have been even more important that you think things through before running off to get yourself killed. You are not stupid, Harry!”

“Could've fooled me,” Harry said resentfully.

“You acted foolishly, that is true,” Snape said, “but you are perfectly capable of thinking these things through if you take the time. Which is why it is my job to see that you take the time.”

“By making me lose my first Quiddich match,” Harry said. He found his voice caught on the words. What the hell?! I am so not going to cry over this!

“You have been practicing all semester,” Snape said, “you'll be fine.”

“No,” Harry said, “I missed two weeks 'cause of the first time you grounded me, and a week 'cause I lost to Flint.”

“I would hardly call that a fight, Harry, and it was not your fault.”

“I prefer 'fight' to 'massacre', and yes it was.”

“Why do you consider it your fault? You hardly walked up to Flint and asked him to box your kidneys.”

“I knew he was dangerous from the beginning. I should've been more careful.”

“No, you should have come to me.”

Harry looked up at him. “Maybe,” he conceded. “Anyway it doesn't matter. I'm gonna lose. Can't I be grounded after the match, or something?”

Snape's face hardened. “No.”

“But-”

“End of story.” His tone was harsh, and Harry winced, feeling tears prick his eyes again.

Severus watched as Harry lifted his chin and faced him impassively. To anybody else, the posture was defiant, but he had learned to see better. He sighed, and spoke more softly. “I will not lose you, Harry, do you understand? I might end up making you hate me, but I will not lose you.”

Somehow that made it even harder for Harry to hold back his tears. He'd thought that the punishment would make him angry enough to deal with his guilt, but he'd barely get angry before Snape would say something like that. Why on Earth should him thinking I was gonna die make me guilty? That just doesn't make any sense. And yet it made him feel awful, and if he wasn't careful he would cry in front of Snape. He had to do something.

“I'm sorry,” he said quietly.

“You're sorry.” Snape repeated blankly.

“Yeah, I'm sorry. I just wanted to go find Hermione 'cause she was upset and we needed to go to the dorms. It wasn't supposed to happen the way it did and I didn't mean to make you-” he cut off- “so I'm sorry,” he finished lamely.

Snape looked at him for a second before taking a small step forward and reaching out a hand. Harry held still as Snape hesitated, then lay the hand on his head. Harry stiffened, then relaxed some as Snape just ran the hand over his hair a couple of times before withdrawing it. Somehow the touch made Harry feel infinitely better and infinitely worse at the same time, and he had even more trouble holding back tears. “Thank you,” Snape said simply.

Back in the Slytherin dorm, the festivities were still going on, but though Blaise and Theo seemed to be attempting to enjoy it, Harry knew he couldn't. He went right upstairs to his dorm, figuring to do homework. He was no sooner alone, though, then the tears he'd held back started falling. He didn't bother to open his bookbag, and instead just got on his bed and closed the curtains. It was only 6:30 in the evening, but he wanted to be alone. He could have dealt with the scare from the troll, or with the new revelations about Snape, or with being grounded just when he needed to start practicing for his match, but the three at once were just too much. He curled up on his bed alone and sobbed.

“Mr. Nott.”

Theodore looked up apprehensively. He'd been dreading the summons all evening, and here it was. “Yes, sir?”

“Come with me, please.”

Theo followed his head-of-house to his office, hating the silence that let him think of little but the upcoming confrontation with his Da. He's gonna be so mad, he thought nervously. He hates it when I get in danger.

When they arrived at Snape's office, the Professor let Theo inside and followed behind, before approaching the floo and taking up powder. “Nott manor!” He announced, throwing the powder onto the coals. Theo watched him stick his head through and ask the house-elf on the other side for Gregory Nott. The knot in his stomach tightened as he waited for his Da to appear. When he finally did, he greeted the professor with a slightly stiff, “Severus.”

“Gregory. Would you come through, please? I have your son here.”

“Certainly.”

Theo watched as Snape backed up and his Da came through, and gulped as he met his father's inquiring gaze. “What seems to be the problem?”

“Perhaps I should allow young Theodore to tell you.”

Theo looked at the floor as his father turned towards him expectantly. “Well, Theo? Is there a problem?”

“I- I umm...well there was a troll in the castle, see, and we were supposed to go back to our dorms but – well – Hermione wasn't in the Great Hall and she wouldn't know and so we- umm-” he pursed his lips tightly and finished in a whisper, “we went to go find her.”

There was a brief pause before his Da spoke again. “Look at me, Theodore.”

Theo winced - my long name already – and looked up to meet his father's serious gaze.

“Is that the end of the story? You went and found your friend and you all returned safely to the dorm?”

Theo looked back down and stayed silent, knowing that if he answered things would get even worse.

“Theodore Gregory Nott, I asked you a question.”

Theo shook his head and answered hurriedly, “no, sir. That's not all.”

“Look at me.” He sounded impatient, and Theodore looked up anxiously. “If that is not the end of the story, then perhaps you would consider finishing it?” he finished mildly.

Theo bit his lip, knowing he was in for it and had no way to avoid telling. “The- the troll. It wasn't in the dungeons, sir, like it was supposed to be. It w-was near the girls' bathroom where we went to find Hermione.” Theodore watched as his father's face tightened. Oh, Merlin am I in trouble.

“Go on.”

“W-we were gonna go away when we saw it, I swear! It's just it went in the bathroom and Hermione was in there and- well- we couldn't just let her die!”

His Da didn't say anything, so Theo continued miserably, “so we followed the troll in to get it away from Hermione, and Blaise killed it with a spell.”

His Da still didn't say anything, and Theo waited miserably for him to say something before whispering, “I'm sorry.”

“Let me get this straight,” his Da started slowly, “you were at the feast. You heard that there was a dangerous creature in the castle and were instructed to return to the safety of your dorms. Instead of obeying this sensible instruction and leaving adults to find your friend, you rushed off to where you were not supposed to be, thereby encountering the previously mentioned dangerous creature. You then once again, instead of getting an adult, ran into the bathroom and attacked the troll, barely escaping with your life. Does that sound about right?”

“I had to help Hermione,” Theo answered. It was really his only excuse, he knew. He also knew it wasn't going to be enough.

“I don't care about Hermione!” His Da yelled angrily, “I care about you! How many times have I talked about you running ahead into danger, Theodore? How many times have you disobeyed me and gotten hurt?! This time you could have been killed!”

Theo spoke miserably, “I'm sorry, Daddy.”

“Do you have any idea how important you are to me, Theo? Do you have any idea what it would do to me if I were to lose you?”

Theo started to sniff. “I know! I'm sorry!”

“Sorry doesn't keep you alive, Theo! Sorry doesn't help me if you die! Do you have the slightest instinct for self preservation? What could you possibly have been thinking? Why didn't you go find an adult?”

“I know it was stupid,” Theo said miserably, tears falling down his face. “I'm sorry. I just didn't think of it. Blaise said we had to find Hermione, and I went.”

“You do everything Blaise tells you to do? Is that is supposed to excuse your actions?”

“It's not that! I just- I didn't think! I'm sorry!”

“You had damned well better be!”

Finally Theo couldn't protest anymore. He just stood, and looked at his Daddy, and cried. I'm sorry. Please don't yell at me.

Finally the elder Nott's face softened, and he opened his arms. Theo buried himself in the embrace and started to sob in earnest, purging his fear and guilt onto his father's strong shoulder. “ 'm sorry,” Theo said again when he could talk, feeling a hand on the back of his head, holding and soothing him. “I didn't mean to be stupid.”

He felt his father sigh. “You're not stupid. It was simply foolish.” His voice held an edge when he continued. “If you were stupid, you wouldn't learn. And I am determined that this will not happen again.”

“Won't,” Theo said quietly. “I was scared.”

“I'm sure you were,” his Da said. There was little sympathy in his tone, but his grip tightened comfortingly.

“'m I still in trouble?” Theo asked, burying his head further into his father's chest.

“We have not yet discussed your punishment.”

Theo didn't say anything, resigned. I don't wanna be punished.

“Since I will not be here, and Professor Snape will have to oversee your punishment...Severus. What would you suggest?”

Theo turned his face away from the professor, embarrassed to realize that he'd been in the room the entire time.

Snape looked up from his papers. “My own ward is grounded for a week. It would be simple for me to supervise the two of them, if that is your wish.”

“What does your grounding entail?”

Snape sounded on edge as well. “He would be required to spend all his free time in the dormitory, including lunch and dinner. He would be able to get permission to go to the library on occasion if needed, but that is all. That said, he is friends with my ward and so would have some company.”

“That will do, thank you, Severus. Are you finished with my son, then?”

“Yes.”

“Very well. I need to speak to your Professor, Theo. If you could excuse us, I'll see you at Christmas if not before.”

“Yes sir.” Theo disentangled himself from his father regretfully. “Goodbye sir. Goodnight, Professor.”

“Goodnight, Mr. Nott.”

“Goodbye, son.”

When the door closed behind Theodore, Severus spoke. “You wished to speak with me.”

“I did. My son has been rather less than judicious in his letters to me...”

“He is eleven years old. Surely you don't expect him to have learned discretion so young?”

“Yes, he is eleven years old, and it is rather useful at times. But allow me to get to the point. While I do not wish to be the cause of your death, others will not be so circumspect. You would do well to be cautious.”

“I take it, from your warning, that you believe me to be in some sort of danger?”

Gregory scoffed slightly. “Oh, please, Severus. I know that you are not stupid. Surely you realize that your relationship with the Potter boy will not go unnoticed?”

“The Headmaster has asked me to look out for him. It is imperative that I keep my position close to him.”

“Yes, but then that does not require you to be kind to the boy, does it? And surely spending days at his side in the infirmary was, shall we say, a bit more than mere duty called for?”

“Your point?”

“My point is that you care for the boy. Anybody with half a brain can see it. Since I know you could hide it better if you wished to, I must assume that you have given up on your ties to the Dark Lord in the interest of caring for this boy?”

“If you say so,” Severus said contemptuously.

Gregory just smiled. “Excellent. In that case I have a proposition for you.”

“I'm listening.”

“I am sure you have realized that the Potter boy is a target, and a vulnerable one at that. You have probably also realized that there is little in this world more important to me than my son. He is my weakness, and as such is particularly difficult to protect. I wish him to live his life happy, healthy, and well away from the Death Eater ranks. I believe that his relationship with your ward is quite healthy, in that respect, and I do not wish to discourage it. In short, Severus, I want to present you with the following offer: protect my son, and I will do what I can to protect your ward.”

“You are a trusting man, Gregory,” Severus said admonishingly.

“No. I simply trust you. You have always protected your students, Severus, and, as far as I can tell, you have always ignored their allegiances in doing so. Your attachment to this boy, however – I do not think that you will be joining the side that is going to want to kill him. The fact that you allowed this attachment – you cannot have truly followed the Dark Lord in the first place. And so I put my cards on the table. I do not wish to see my son follow me into the Death Eater ranks, and I do not wish to see the side that he does follow lose. I have my own reasons, therefore, for wanting your ward alive, just as for your ward's sake you ought to see the motivation to protect my son. Take my offer, Severus. I can be a valuable ally.”

“I will...consider it,” Severus said. He already knows, or thinks he does. Either way, telling him would reveal little. He had the feeling that, if he allowed it, Gregory Nott could prove a very valuable ally, indeed. And a good friend, Severus thought before quashing that. Think rationally, Severus. What do you have to lose? Not much, that he could think of. The man's arguments made sense; he had every motivation to ally with Snape, exactly as he was doing, and every motivation to stay true to that alliance. And his protection would not go amiss.

“Very well,” Gregory said, his smile slightly mocking. “Think it over. When you are finished, you know where to find me.”

“Of course.”

“By the way, Severus,” Gregory said lightly as he turned towards the floo, “Is there a reason you are dressed as a Gryffindor?”

“I- what?!” He looked down at his chest for the first time that day and saw that, indeed, he was wearing a griffon, and not a snake. That little brat! He thought. Knowing Harry, he'd been dressed as a Gryffindor all day. I wondered why Minerva was looking so amused! He'd assumed, too, that his students had tittered because it was Halloween, but this was probably the real explanation. But Gregory was still waiting for an answer.

“One of my students,” he said slowly, “is quite good at transfigurations, and quite fond of pranks.”

“So I hear,” Gregory said, barely bothering to hide his grin, “is it true he filled your office with farm animals?”

Severus closed his eyes. Of course Theo would report that, too. “Yes.”

Gregory shook his head. “And he is still alive, and yet you claim he means nothing to you. Truly, Severus, I am not that stupid. Think over my proposition, and watch your back.”

“Thank you, Gregory,” Snape said, feeling grumpy.

Finally, the man left.

“Zabini. My office. Now.”

Blaise got up slowly and approached the professor, meeting his gaze before he turned to lead the way. Refusing to be cowed, Blaise hurried to walk side-by-side with Snape. He watched as Snape threw powder in the floo to summon his guardians, and stood impassively as they both came through.

“Well? What's going on, then?” Maxwell wanted to know.

“Mr. Luxanus, I do apologize for the inconvenience, but your charge got into a rather serious situation this evening, and I thought I ought to keep the two of you informed.”

“Very well, what was this 'situation' then?” The man sounded annoyed, but then Maxwell hated to be bothered. He was probably just annoyed to have his evening interrupted.

“Mr. Zabini?” Snape prompted.

Blaise sighed. He really does think I'm going to be in trouble for this. Merlin is he in for a surprise. “I got in a fight with a troll.”

“Oh really?” His aunt wanted to know. “Well you appear unscathed. What happened?”

Blaise shrugged, pushing the images of the fight out of his mind. “I won.”

“On your own?” Maxwell asked.

“Well, yes and no. Some of my friends were distracting it, but I cast the only spell.”

“What spell?”

Blaise held back a shiver, but spoke with pride. “Sectum Sempra.”

“And you killed it?!” His aunt sounded excited, and Blaise smiled despite the nausea he'd felt at the time.

“Yes.”

“Finally!” Said Maxwell, “How long've we been trying to get you to kill something?! Turns out you just needed the proper motivation!”

“Yes, sir. I threw up afterward, though,” he admitted.

“You don't have to like it, dear,” his aunt said with some sympathy, “you just have to be capable of it. There is no point in staying clean in an ugly world.”

“Yes, Aunt.”

“But Sectum Sempra! That is not an easy spell! Well done, son, well done!”

“Thank you, sir.”

Finally Snape spoke up. “I should point out that Mr. Zabini would have had no cause to use the spell had he obeyed directions and stayed out of danger.”

“Quite true,” said his aunt, “do remember that the Dark Lord cannot use a dead soldier, Blaise. Fighting for his glory and yours is one thing, dying for it before he has even returned is quite another. Do be careful.”

“Yes, Aunt.” Blaise said.

“Is that all, Mr. Snape?”

Snape's face was utterly blank. “Yes, Madam, I believe it is.”

“Very well, goodbye then, Blaise! See you at Christmas!”

“Goodbye Aunt, Maxwell.”

“Goodbye son.”

They left, and Snape met Blaise's eyes. “No wonder you seemed so relaxed about this meeting.”

Blaise's heart sank. Snape's tone was relaxed, but Blaise could tell he was not happy. “Yes sir.”

“It might interest you to know, Blaise, that Theo in speaking to his father said that – and I quote - 'Blaise said we had to find Hermione, and I went.'”

“I never said that.”

“He got the impression that it was your idea, somehow.”

“I just asked if we should go find her, is all!” He briefly considered mentioning that it was Harry who had made the final decision to go, and decided to stay quiet. Harry was no doubt in enough trouble already.

“Nevertheless I highly doubt that he would have gotten into that situation without your and perhaps Harry's input. Neither, probably, would have Ron.”

“Sir- sir you cannot be blaming me for all of this. They can think for themselves.”

“Mr. Zabini while I do believe that you, Harry, and possibly Ms. Granger can think for yourselves, I am much less confident about Theodore. Surely you realize that the group as a whole follows you and Harry?”

Blaise wanted to yell, but throttled the impulse down, instead speaking slowly and a trifle coldly. “I never asked them to, sir.”

“I never said you did, but they do nevertheless. You are a leader, Mr. Zabini, whether you will it or no, and as such you have a responsibility to those who follow you. Do you understand what I am saying?”

Blaise took a deep breath. “Yes, sir.”

“What do you understand?”

“The others listen to me, that is true. You think this makes me responsible for what they do.” His anger showed through a bit, at that.

“I don't think, Mr. Zabini, I know. Theodore would never have gotten into that situation without you and Harry.”

Maybe, Blaise allowed, I still never asked them to follow me, though.

“Whether you believe me or not, Mr. Zabini, and despite what your guardians may think, your actions were foolish and dangerous, and it is my job to keep you and your housemates safe.” His voice was clipped, and Blaise winced.

“Yes, sir.”

“As such you are grounded for the next week. You will not leave your dorm except to go to breakfast, and to your classes. If you wish to go elsewhere, even to the library, you will ask permission.”

Blaise's heart sank further. “Yes, sir.”

“You are dismissed.”

Blaise finally looked down, hiding the tell-tale pricking in his eyes as he responded, “yes, sir.” At once relieved and hurt to be dismissed so quickly- it sucked to leave when the man was still angry at him- he started to leave before turning slightly and saying, “I apologize, sir.”

Snape took a deep breath before nodding to Blaise. “Apology accepted, Mr. Zabini. Don't let it happen again.”

“Yes, sir.” And finally Blaise left for his dorm.

Harry looked up when Blaise got back to the dorm, gave him a small wave, and motioned to the neatly-packed bookbag beside him. The feast had ended, and so Theo and Harry had brought their and Blaise's books down to the common room to study.

“Hi, Blaise,” Theo said, sounding subdued. He'd barely said a word since he'd come back teary-eyed from the talk with his father, and Harry had congratulated himself on not caring for adults before remembering his own reaction to Snape. Damnit I thought I had learned this lesson. Nothing good can come of caring for an adult. NOTHING. Snap out of it! He still felt shitty, and from the look of him Blaise wasn't feeling so hot, either. Ron and Hermione were no doubt in their own dorm, under McGonagall's watchful eye. Knowing her, she wouldn't let them out of her sight for the next couple of days. Aren't we a fun group, all of a sudden?

“What happened?” Harry asked Blaise, “were your guardians really angry or what?”

“No, my guardians were thrilled with the spell I cast. Snape tore strips out of me, though.”

“Yeah, me too,” Harry admitted. When Blaise looked inquiringly at Theo, he shrugged and whispered. “I haven't asked.”

“It was bad,” Theo said.

There were a couple seconds of silence before Blaise spoke up. “I'm sorry, Theo,” he said, “We really should have found an adult.”

“Not your fault,” Theo answered miserably. “I could've talked to somebody, too.”

“And it was as much my idea to go as yours, Blaise,” Harry added.

“Tell Snape that,” Blaise said bitterly, before continuing, “actually, don't. Really don't. It won't help me, and you don't look like you got off easy, either.”

“Yeah, I thought he was gonna kill me.” And instead he went and told me that he cared about me and didn't want me to die. Death might have been preferable. Suddenly he didn't want to talk anymore. “Whatever. Let's just do our work so we can go to bed, okay?”

The and Blaise both nodded and bent their heads to their work, seemingly as happy as Harry to let the subject go. Not long afterward, they all gave up and went to bed. It had been a long, long, day.