Friday, July 28th, 1995

Harry, lying on his bed, was bouncing the football over and over. He had two hours before the practice, but he didn't feel like getting up. The day before, Tobias had called him downstairs. He announced that he had decided to visit his girlfriend, Sheryl, after all. Harry didn't really understand what the man saw in her, much less what she saw in him, but the teen was okay with it. He prefers the man went to her place, not the other way around. He was glad to stay home alone. At least for the week, the boy wouldn't have to put up with his father's mood swings.

As Harry's birthday was during the man's planned absence,  Tobias not only surprised him by taking him out for pizza and billiards but also gave him thirty pounds as a gift. The man also said that if Harry promises that the house won't be destroyed and there won't be any drugs or alcohol, he might invite some friends to not spend the day alone.

Harry couldn't believe his luck. He has never had his own birthday party. The teen knew it was impossible to invite Ron, Hermione, the twins, Sirius, and Remus, but asking his friends from Cokeworth seemed an equally exciting prospect.

Harry smiled. He finally decided to get out of bed, before the practice, to go get Oasis and tell him about his birthday plans.

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As they walked through the park, Harry told his friend about Tobias' departure and his offer. Oasis picked up the idea at once, but his enthusiasm dimmed a little when he heard the conditions.

"Plus, I have to report to your father every two days."

"Too bad. But the important thing is that you have the place to yourself. We can just order a pizza. Roo will bring the console, and we will chill. Look!" Oasis pointed at the park. "Your polished mate. Come on, let's ask what's up. We'll see if Dredd managed to get him again or something.”

"No, better to leave him alone," Harry said, trying to keep his promise to avoid the Slytherins.

"Come on, we should talk to him. Oh, I know! We will invite him to your birthday."

"Are you crazy? Maybe you haven't noticed yet, but we don't really get along."

"Oh, be nice. After all, the guy lives with your brother. He's probably going crazy with no other company. Not that I have anything against your brother," Oasis looked at him searchingly. "What's the harm in asking him? Let's do something good for the lonely guy."

"Since when do you care about the well-being of strangers?" Harry asked doubtfully. "And why the sudden urge to do some good deed, anyway?"

"Nah, I'm not interested in their well-being."

"But?"

"Mary called me a hooligan without conscience, and I have to show her my good side. I must sacrifice myself for love."

"I think you rather want to sacrifice me for your love," Harry muttered.

"Same thing. Come on, Shortie, say yes."

Harry sighed with resignation, 'Whatever, he can let Oasis invite him. Nott will just say no.'

"Okay, if you really care, then you have my permission."

They approached the teenager sitting on the bench.

"Hi, mate. "

Nott looked suspiciously at the tattooed boy.

"What's up? Last time I didn't have time to introduce myself. I'm Oasis."

At that moment, Mary approached them.

 "Hi, Fester. Boys," she nodded at Harry and Nott.

"Hello, Beautiful." Oasis smiled at her. "Are you seeing this?' She is really into me," he whispered conspiratorially to Harry and Nott. "We just talked about our dear Harry's birthday party. You should come. And take your friend too," he finished in a normal voice.

"Well, that works out perfectly," she smiled. "Do you know the new guy?" She pointed at Nott.

Oasis nodded.

"Then if he comes, we'll come too." She raised her eyebrow. "Chloe would like to meet you, but she is too shy to approach you," she said, this time addressing Nott, who blushed.

Harry looked at the girl sitting on the bench nearby, immensely interested in her nails.

"Of course, our dear friend..." Oasis looked at Nott. "What's your name?"

Harry laughed and replied for the Slytherin:

"Nott."

"…Nott would not miss such an amazing event. He's a born partygoer. King of the dance floor and so on, and so on."

"I'm sorry. I think I have to say no", said Nott, not looking sorry at all.

"Well, then, I'm sorry, Fester," said Mary, crossing her arms over her chest. "We won't be there either." Harry didn't understand why Oasis was so crazy about her. The girl behaves quite rudely.

"Hey, wait! Babes, come on. The new guy will show up. I will have it covered."

Harry rolled his eyes as he heard the boy grovel in front of her.

"We will think about it." After a moment's thought she added, "Or we'll come, but if the new guy isn't there, we'll just leave," saying this, he went back to her friend.

"Hey, you, mate. Nott. You have to come. My future depends on it. Don't be a skunk."

"Sorry, I can't."

"Have you seen that, Chloe? She's pretty cool."

"Maybe for you. She is not really my type." The Slytherin shrugged, but Harry knew he was lying. He saw a few times that Slytherin watched the girl with fascination.

"Come on, man, listen, it works like this. You hang out in our park. You help us; we help you. Monday at eight. 76 Spinner's End."

Nott shrugged.

"I will think about it, but I promise nothing." He looked at his watch. "I have to go. See you."

"I don't know what's wrong with these people," said Oasis. "No folks, party, alcohol, and chicks...what more could you want?"

"Shall I remind you that this was not supposed to be a party? We were just supposed to order a pizza."

"If you want pizza, we can order it today," he grinned at Harry. "You don't want to miss this kind of opportunity, do you?"

"Tobias will kill me if he finds out."

"Tobias left, and you said yourself that you need to report to my old man. And since he's an irresponsible moron, I'm going to take care of you instead of him, and I find you too stressed. You can't live like this. Entertainment is needed for your mental health. And I will take care of it. We're gonna throw the party of the year."

"Merlin, shut up." Oasis looked at him in surprise, and Harry cursed himself for using the wizard's name. "There is no logic whatsoever in what you're saying. And you know it," he said, although he felt more and more excited about the party. He wondered. Actually, why would he disagree? He was fifteen. It was the summer holidays and everyone his age was having a good time. Why would he deny himself the same? Anyway, with Voldemort wanting him dead, Harry didn't know how long he would live.

"I'm serious. We just have to tell the guys, rustle up some beer, crisps and music."

"And what if neighbours tell on me? Harry asked, even though he was already convinced.

"It's a ruin to the right of your house; nobody lives there. And old Brown is deaf as a box of rocks."

"Dumb as a box of rocks."

"Doesn't matter. The thing is, the man hardly hears anything."

"Okay, let's have fun, Harry grinned. "But if anything happens, I'll blame it all on you. That you had made me do it."

"At your service. I'll take the blame. Come on, let's hurry up, 'coz we're gonna be late, and the coach will give us extra laps.

HPHPHPHPHP

In the locker room, Harry watched the boys as he changed his clothes. Most of them were nicely built. At first glance, he could see that they exercised a lot. Harry paid particular attention to tattoos. It's not just Oasis who had them. Harry had to admit he liked the way they contrasted with the skin. Maybe he should consider getting himself one.

Putting on his shirt, he turned to Oasis.

"How do you get a tattoo?"

"You go to a guy who makes them, and he uses needles to stick the ink under your skin to shape graphics."

 "Needles?" he wondered.

"Yeah, it hurts a little, but it's not that bad," Oasis shrugged.

"Ooh, Dolly wants to become more masculine," laughed Dredd, who was standing right next to them.

"Fuck off," Harry growled, not in the mood to argue now. He shouldn't have started this conversation in front of everyone.

"Are you chickening because of a few stings?"

"I'm not scared, but I wasn't saying I wanted a tattoo. I was just wondering about it."

"Yeah, sure. I saw you looking at the guys with envy."

"Leave him alone, Dredd," Oasis said.

"You're nothing but a coward."

Harry clenched his hands. How did that pampered boy who had no problems, hadn't fought a dragon or a basilisk, or Voldemort had the nerve to call him that?

"I'm not. I'm not afraid of stupid needles. You don't even know how wrong you are. Besides, I really don't care what you think of me."

"Sure," he laughed. "You are all mouth. Nothing more."

"I'm not."

 "So, prove it," the teen laughed again

"How, the hell do you want me to prove it?" He asked, aware that he was getting in this unnecessary exchange like the last idiot.

"Tattoo."

"Why would I do something I don't want to."

"Because everyone here thinks of you as some missy who is afraid of everything." A few of the guys laughed. "Be a man." Seeing Harry's furious expression, he continued with a mocking smile on his lips. "I bet you're too scared to get a tattoo."

"Don't let him provoke you," Pele said to Harry, who looked around at the other players. Some of them had a mocking expression on their faces, and some looked at him with pity.

Harry hesitated for a moment.

"And what will I get out of it?"

"Tattoo," when Harry raised one eyebrow challenging, Dredd added: "If you get a tattoo within two weeks, I'll take back what I said. But if you don't do it, you will admit publicly that you broke down and started crying at the sight of the needle because you are just so lame."

"It's a deal," Harry said after a moment's thought.

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"You really let him egg you on. I thought you were one of those goody-two-shoes and sensible ones," Oasis snorted as they walked home after the practice.

"Yeah, I know," Harry said, wincing at the memory of a duel with Malfoy in the first year that hadn't even happened. "Tobias gave me some money as a birthday present to buy something for myself. So, at least I have money for the tattoo. Do you know where I could do it?"

"What?"

"Tattoo."

"I know, I got it. But, you know it's a fucking big decision. Do you really want to ink yourself?"

"Now, I have no choice. Do you know where the place I can do that is?

"Sure, I know. But seriously, you should think about it for at least six months, whether you really want to. Take the advice of a more experienced friend. Look at me. Overall, my tattoos are fucking awesome. But look here. He pointed to a small tattoo on his calf. "Can you see this moggie here?" When Harry nodded, he continued: "I had a babe once. And it was all in all cool. Well, and she loved bloody cats. And we had a lot of fun, so I thought, shit, I'll tattoo a fucking cat on my calf to show her that I'm a romantic."

"And?"

"And? She cheated on me a month later, and I'll stay with the fuckin' furry moggie for the rest of my life.”

"I feel for you," said Harry, trying to sound solemn. "But seriously, I have to do this. Will you help me?"

"No tattoo parlour will ink you without the consent of the guardian."

"Did you have permission?" Really, Harry was slowly getting irritated by his friend.

"I have a buddy who is a tattoo artist."

"How much does he take?"

"Depends on how big the tattoo is to be. But around forty."

"Will you get me in contact with him?"

"But you just know, he doesn't want any trouble. And when your old man finds out that you get yourself tattooed, and you tell who did it, then it could be quite a mess."

"First, it's not his freaking business if I have a tattoo or not. Secondly, I'm not going to show it to him. And finally, I'm not some rat, and I would never tell on my buddy," Harry drawled, gritting his teeth.

"Okay, mate.  Take it easy." Oasis held up his hands defensively. "Just think about it a little longer. If you think about it, I'll set you up with him."

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Sunday, July 29th, 1995.

"Shortie, What are you doing here so early? It's eight in the morning. I should just roll over," Oasis said, rubbing his sleepy eyes." He was wearing only shorts, no shirt.

The previous evening, Tobias had informed Harry that he would not be back until the following Sunday and travelled to London. Harry liked the idea of a tattoo more and more. Excited both by the fact that Tobias was absent and about having a real birthday party, he woke up at dawn, looking forward to an hour that would be appropriate enough to get someone out of bed. Unable to sit still, he paced the room back and forth.

He had been thinking about the tattoo all evening. He even tried to draw some pictures of it on parchments, but not only did he have no art skills, but his hand trembled from time to time as if it was catching a cramp. He was definitely not for something as precise as drawing. The effect was tragic. He slowly began to doubt that he would be able to come up with something quickly because he had neither a design nor even the idea for one. He considered both the lion and the gryphon too clichéd. He knew the old wizarding families had their coats of arms. He could have tattooed something like that, but he didn't understand what Potter's coat of arms was, and at the moment, he didn't even feel like one of them much. Not to mention anything related to the name of Snape. He shivered at that horrible thought. At one point, even a snake came to mind. He could communicate with these reptiles, and if they weren't inherently associated with Slytherins, he would even like them.

He banged his head on the desk and groaned. Why was it so hard for him to think of something? His eyes fell on the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, his handbook for Care of Magical Creatures. He opened it, and Acromantula appeared first. He shuddered at the thought of Aragog. That definitely won't be his new tattoo, and Ron probably would never come near him again. He started flipping through the pages, but nothing felt right. Harry stopped for a moment on the phoenix. The animal was majestic. It represented rebirth. Its quill was the core of Harry's wand, but… well… Even though he liked Fawkes, it made him remember the headmaster too much. And Harry was really angry with the man at the moment. And with that secret society that the teen shouldn't even be officially aware of. He flipped through another few pages. He smiled. He was also not very interested in putting an image of Flobberworm on his body. Suddenly, he saw what he had been looking for all evening. A dragon. And it was the one he fought against. A Hungarian Horn-tail. Perfect.

"I decided to get a tattoo. Will you give me this friend's address?"

"Man, you're more hot-tempered than I am. But seriously, why don't you wait a few more days?

"No. I have already decided." He smiled. "Tell me. After all, I'm risking Tobias getting furious at me if he finds out about the party just so you can seduce a girl." Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Shortie, when you sometimes say something, it's so funny! Seduce?" Oasis began to laugh. I can understand to pull a babe, blag, pick a chick up, or even fall in love. Don't tell me you will start to talk Shakespeare now or other shit like that, like woo the woman of your dreams or make advances to a petticoat's heart.”

"And how do you know such sayings?" Harry snorted.

My Ma watches Brazilian soap operas all day long.

"Nice," Harry grinned. "So can you tell me where I can find him or not?"

"Okay, okay, get in. I'll dress myself and go there with you."

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Monday, July 31st, 1995

Harry woke up in the morning in a great mood. He was always excited on his birthday, even though there was some disaster almost every year. Starting with the unfortunate incident with the white bear, through Dobby's visit, to the arrival of Aunt Marge. His eleventh birthday, despite a later row with his uncle, was the best of his life. But he really hoped nothing wrong would happen this time.

Looking out the window, he noticed three owls with packages tied to their legs. He guessed they were birthday presents. He jumped out of bed as if it was burning and lunged towards the boxes. He missed his friends so much. The boy hadn't heard from them in a month. He also hoped that one of the owls belonged to Sirius. Harry couldn't hide his disappointment. Although Sirius had promised him he would visit him again soon, in three weeks, the man hadn't even sent him a short letter. Besides, Harry was really starting to worry about his godfather. He hoped that he was okay. It was only the fact that the news did not mention anything about the man, the teen wasn't too worried. Harry was sure that it would be on Muggle TV if they caught him or something worse happened. After all, his godfather was considered a serial killer.

Harry stopped himself from scratching the place where his tattoo was, even though it was very itchy. He should change the dressing right away, which was not accessible due to the tattoo location. Anyway, he thought the effect was worth all the inconvenience.

He hastily unburdened the owls from the packages and opened the first letter to which a rather large box was attached.

Hey partner!

Happy birthday! What’s up? Everything alright? We're locked in a place that we cannot leave or even mention. But at least we have a relatively large room at our disposal, and we are constantly working on new products. Quite a lot of people hang out here, so we have many objects to test our products. Some people appreciate them more (read Snuffles), and some have no taste or sense of humour (read Overgrown Bat). In the box, there is a Skiving Snackbox (with instructions) and fake wands. Check it out, haha. As for the communication parchments, something went wrong with those we sent you. Every time we want to write to you, our parchment first flashes red and then spits ink at us (which is hard to clean). Maybe you should try to write something on yours? In any case, we still have to work on it because we don't know what went wrong.

Write what's going on with you, buddy.

Happy birthday again!

Gred and Forge

Harry smiled as he unwrapped the sweets but wasn't stupid enough to try them. He opened another letter.

Dear Harry!

Happy 15th birthday!

How are you? Ron and I are anxious about you. How are you holding up with these Muggles? We've asked Dumbledore to let you join us (I arrived here last week to spend the rest of my holidays with the Weasleys). Unfortunately, Dumbledore forbid us from contacting you for security reasons or even telling you where we are. We begged him to let you visit at least, but he is adamant. Sirius is furious about it and has argued with the headmaster several times. Even so, most of the time, he stays in the attic and talks with Buckbeak.

There is a vast library in this place! So much information that I did not have access to at home! This allows me to complete my essays. I wrote an extra 24 inches on the unicorn constellation for Astronomy. I really don't know how Professor Sinistra expects that two rolls of parchment are enough for us. And you, Harry? I would like to remind you that half of the holidays are over—yes, I know you enough to guess that you haven't even started yet—but please do not leave everything until the last minute, so that you will not stress unnecessarily later...

At this point, the handwriting changed. It wasn't so neat anymore.

I yanked the parchment out of her hand. Really, what's wrong with her? How can she nag you about homework on your birthday? Happy birthday, mate! I wish you were here; I can barely stand her just by myself, and this is…ugh, she hit me on the head with a book. Wish me luck to somehow stay alive by the end of the summer. Okay, she made me write that I am kidding (not kidding at all). Okay, now I'm really joking. We'll continue to ask Dumbledore to let you come; maybe he'll agree for just a few days.

All in all, it's not so great in here. It's rather boring, and the adults force us to clean every room and then do our homework—in short, I really think they're abusing us! I'd rather sit in the Burrow; at least I could fly on a broomstick there. Write what's up with you.

See you as soon as possible,

Ron and Hermione

In the package, he found a guide: Not Only the Wronski Feint: The Boldest Quidditch Tricks – Only for the Brave Ones and Everyday Spells – Don't Waste Your Time on Mundane Activities.

Harry's hands started to tremble when he was opening the last letter.

Dear Harry,

Have a great birthday! This is your fifteenth birthday today, and unfortunately, I only had the opportunity to celebrate one of them with you. I apologize for that. I'm a useless godfather, and I am so sorry. I should do my duty better. I hope that everything is alright with you. I'm sorry I didn't write, but somehow I didn't have much opportunity. I miss you, kid.

Dumbledore doesn't give in. He doesn't want you to come here.

I'm sending you a book, it's not new, but the explanations of the spells are really nicely done. I have marked for you the spells and curses that you should pay attention to in the first place. But it's just a substitute gift. I don't know if you are aware, but I'm a fan of motorbikes. As soon as I succeed, I will buy you a motorcycle – the fastest on the market. One for me as well. I've had one before. I promise that next vacation I'll take you on a few days Muggle trip, you know... motorbikes, tents, campfires. We'll go crazy.

All the best again,

Snuffles

The spirit in which the letter was held was quite different than he expected. The last time he had seen Sirius, the man seemed so… happy. He also didn't write anything about the time they would meet or the reason why he didn't show up at Spinner's End again as he had promised. Harry sighed. He felt a little disappointed. And suddenly, the teen felt guilty. He was so selfish. He should be glad that at least Sirius was safe.

He went to the bathroom, took the fastest shower he could, then took off the old dressing. He screwed himself a little to see his tattoo in the mirror. He was delighted with the effect. On his shoulder blade was the graphic of a Hungarian Horn-tail. Unfortunately, the skin around it was still swollen and red. While tattooing, he felt pretty intense pain. Jared, the tattoo artist, said it was because he was so bony. He smeared the tattoo with the ointment the man had given him and, flexing his arms in a way he didn't even know he could, tried to put the bandage back on.

Then he decided to write thank you notes for the letters and gifts. Harry had to somehow reassure Sirius that he didn't hold anything against him, that he was glad that everything was fine with the man and that he was looking forward to the promised trip. The idea of the motorbike trip sounded very exciting.

As for the problem with connection parchments from the twins, he knew right away that it had something to do with the protection spells Dumbledore had placed on the area around the house. Of course, he wasn't going to mention what kind of spell Dumbledore put. In case the letter was intercepted. He should also reassure Hermione that although he hasn't started writing those stupid essays yet (who even came up with a homework assignment for the summer holidays?), he is going to get on with it as soon as possible.

After writing his replies, he sat down on the bed and pulled the covers over himself because he suddenly felt cold and tired. He decided to read one of the books from Ron. It contained tons of tricks that he would love to test at once. Unfortunately, it will have to wait until the school year begins.

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Severus was sitting in his favourite armchair by the fireplace, holding the latest issue of the monthly Potions for the Masters. Still, he couldn't really concentrate on it. His thoughts were on the bloody Boy-Who-Lived. At the moment, he was a mystery that the Potions Master couldn't figure out. The kid was full of contradictions. None of his recent actions made sense. As if the boy had a split personality.

He knew the whelp had been spoilt by his family. Everyone, adults as well as children, admired him. Everyone wanted to be friends with him. Most of them were even excited to get a ‘hello’ the Golden Boy graciously tossed their way. The boy was the most privileged student at school. Both the teachers and the headmaster indulged him, connived his antics, and sometimes even rewarded the boy for them. The boy strutted and pranced as if the whole school was his property.

And yet, without the slightest protest, he agreed to live with Tobias in, there's no denying about it, horrible conditions. Twenty years ago, it was dingily there. He honestly doubted that Tobias had done any renovation since then, and Potter had, without any whining, agreed to live there—a place that was completely opposite to the luxury the boy was used to.

Perhaps he had an argument with his uncle and made the stupid, impulsive, teenage decision to move out. But…the brat should start to regret his decision by now. Was he really so damn proud and stupid that, despite the literal dire consequences, he couldn't admit his mistake and apologize to his family?

Severus was no idiot; he was sure Potter was getting it from Tobias. The bruises on his face or the huge fingers imprinted on the neck and hands were proof. He saw the boy shifting restlessly on the hard stool the last time he was at his place. However, the kid continued to stubbornly defend Tobias and refused to admit anything. Until that changed, there was nothing Severus could do. Although he didn't even know if he would have any room to manoeuvre if the whelp did admit it. After all, physical violence and abuse, called nicely corporal punishment, are legal. And authorities usually give connivance to them, until it was already too late.

Besides, the boy didn't look healthy. Severus feared that the man was spending almost everything he had on alcohol, and Potter was really short of food. Which was confirmed by the incident in the store. The kid looked like a starved rat. And Severus was trying to force himself into believing that it was only because of a goddamn prophecy that he would try to endure the kid's company more often and start feeding him. Somehow. Yes, it would be inconvenient for both him and Theodore. He was sure his Slytherin hated the Golden Boy too. It was understandable, of course, after all the years of pranks, jibes, and maliciousness the Gryffindor directed at his Slytherins. Unfortunately, fate meant that Potter was destined to defeat the Dark Lord, and he surely would not be able to do it if he starved to death in the meantime.

But he saw no chance of Potter coming here of his own free will. The kid hated him too much. He realized that it was partly his fault because he was the one who antagonized the boy; however, someone had to teach him humility. Because everyone else spoiled him, the teen didn't feel the slightest remorse for his bad behaviour. 'At least, spoiled until now.' It irritated Severus because the boy was less afraid of Tobias, the man who was beating him, than the Potion Master, who had never raised a hand on him. And even more, a few times, he’d saved the boy's life. Not that Potter knew about it.

The Potions Master heard about what happened in the cemetery when the boy came face to face with Voldemort. The Death Eaters indirectly made it clear that the kid stood up to Voldemort without any fear. And he felt kind of guilty that the boy was behaving like he was scared of him more than of Voldemort or Tobias. Snape had seen the teen go to great lengths to hide the fear from his teacher, but Severus had caught him sometimes shaking like an aspen leaf in front of him. Just like Longbottom. Severus would have been lying if he had said that he had never found any sort of satisfaction. Still, now it was not only starting to annoy him but also becoming inconvenient.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps caught his attention. He looked in that direction and saw Theodore appearing in the doorway of the living room.

"Aren't you dressed yet?"

"Professor, I wanted to ask for something."

"We have a deal."

"Yes, I know, but..."

"We've been through this a few times already, Mr. Nott," Severus interrupted, “I won't have you stay inside this house for two months. Two hours a day of fresh air is not that much."

"That's two hours too much," he muttered.

"Theo, that's not up for discussion."

"Yes, I know, I'm sorry, but that's not the point anyway".

"So, what do you want to talk to me about?"

The boy hesitated for a moment.

"No, nothing, it's stupid, sorry," the boy turned to leave.

"This talk we've done already as well. If you have any problem, please let me know. No matter how irrelevant you think it is."

"Yes, but...it's not that kind of problem," he hesitated for a moment. "The point is, Potter's birthday is today."

"Yes?" Snape raised an eyebrow. "Please do continue."

"He invited me. And I wanted to ask if…I could go."

Snape drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair.

"Why?" he asked, surprised.

The boy shrugged.

"I don't know. I wanted to see...not for long.

"Will there be any adults?" Snape asked, even though he was sure, that Tobias wouldn't let Potter throw a party if he was present

"Honestly, I don't know. I don't think so."

Severus had not expected this. Not only had Potter reached out to the Slytherin (although the Potions Master didn't know how much he should believe in the sincerity of the Gryffindor's intentions), but also Theodore was somewhat antisocial and extremely rarely showed any kind of willingness to have extra interaction with others. Yes, the boy did get along with the rest of the Slytherins, especially Miss Bulstrode, but he was definitely withdrawn. And right now, he came to his teacher asking for permission to attend Harry Potter's birthday party. Under other circumstances, he would have forbidden him and probably would have immediately forbidden any other Slytherin. Still, Severus knew it would do Nott good to be around his peers. He hoped the boy would open up somehow and stop being so damn conciliatory and docile. Of course, he hated ill-behaved, demanding, absorbing brats, but he was pretty sure that Theodore's behaviour was the opposite to the extreme. And that wasn't healthy.

The fact that it was Potter's party, celebrating his birthday with a bunch of Muggle whelps, did not comfort him at all. Not only the boy was prone to getting into trouble, but also the unsupervised teen party didn't bode well. On the other hand, he knew Albus had used the best security he could to keep Potter from getting hurt by Voldemort. The man trusted the headmaster in this regard, at least. Snape had also promised himself that he would have an eye on that stupid kid. If Severus agrees to let Theodore go, he will find out at least from him if Potter was alright and that the party hadn't gotten out of hand. Theodore was really responsible.

Plus, while he has a hard time admitting it, Potter had a significant impact on the school. If by some miracle the Golden Boy accepts Nott, maybe slowly, he will also accept the other Slytherins. It was possible then that the rest of the school would follow him, which could have been beneficial on some of his house's inhabitants, at least those whose loyalty did not belong to the Dark Lord yet. At least they would have a choice.

"Okay, go. I just don't want you going back through the park alone at night. I'll come to get you at midnight."

"You will?" The teen looked aghast. "But… I'm fifteen. I can handle it." He hesitated. "There really is no need for you to bother," he added hesitantly.

Severus looked at the boy, whose cheeks were flushed. He knew that the guardian picking up the ward from the teenagers' party could seem like a source of embarrassment. It was evident that the kid definitely didn't want Severus to come for him, but he didn't feel confident enough to say it outright. Theodore was like Potter. Not in politeness, of course, but in showing every emotion on his face.

 However, the Gryffindor had the advantage that on his swarthy, tanned skin, the red blush of embarrassment was not as visible as on Nott's pale skin.

Severus sighed. He knew that his appearance at the party would not give Nott confidence in dealing with his peers. Besides, the Potions Master himself had a doubtful desire to visit the hated house.

"It's the condition."

"Yeah, alright," The teen agreed, sighing dramatically. "But couldn't we meet halfway? He added, summing up his courage.

"All right, Mr. Nott. I'll be waiting for you at midnight at the edge of the park. Do we have a deal?"

"Great. Thank you." Nott gave Snape a hesitant smile and then asked if he could go uptown to buy Potter something, as it was not polite to go to a birthday party without a present.

HPHPHPHPHP

After football practice, which completely wiped him out, Harry had only a moment to shower before the first guests arrived. Most of the guys on the team came along with their friends, Chloe and Mary among them. They did not leave as they said before but stayed, helping themselves to drinks. Most of the arrivals had brought him something.

In fact, Oasis organized everything—he took care of alcohol, both high and low proof, and he invited people (Harry didn't think there would be that many). The party was fun. At the table, a group played cards, another one played a bottle on the floor, and somewhere in the corner, a couple was kissing.

"Hey, what's up? You've been drinking the beer for an hour now." Oasis' voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Somehow, I don't feel like drinking."

"Are you kidding me? Chill out. This is your party. Are you afraid they'll tear your house down? Well, then don't. It's quiet now. Nobody's even boozed it up yet."

"No, of course not. Anyway, there's nothing to destroy in here," Harry sniggered. "It looks like this house has been through worse."

"Ooh, you don't want to know it," Oasis laughed. "It's fine now anyway, but for a long time after Severus moved out and your mother died, it was one big den. I saw it myself. Unfortunately." He grimaced and looked at Harry. "Is everything alright?"

"Hmm? Err…yeah, sure. I'm just a little cold; I'll get my sweatshirt in a moment. Do you know Snape? I mean Severus?"

"Kind of. Let's say he healed me a couple of times. He's done some medical course or something. Well, I guess you know that, since he's your brother," Oasis hesitated. "Anyway, do you have any contact with him? Because he doesn't seem to be talking to your old man."

"It's complicated, but, to put it mildly, we don't like each other. So, you say Snape healed you?"

"I don't remember exactly; I was a kid. I fell ill. Badly. We only have one doctor here at Spinner's End, but he's useless. My mother took me to him, he gave me some medication, and it only got worse. The old man was in jail, so my mother went to your father for help. And old Snape went to your brother, who took care of it. In two days, I was as good as new."

"So, they talked to each other then?"

"It was the one time I saw them together. The next time I was sick, my mother went straight to Severus. She was afraid of that doctor. You know, they assigned the worst idiot to the poorest neighbourhood."

Harry could only nod. It was bizarre. Snape helping some sick kid—and on top of that, a Muggle. He would never suspect the teacher of doing this kind of thing and expecting nothing in return.

Then the doorbell rang, and Harry rushed to open it. To his surprise, Nott was standing on the doorstep.

"Nott? Er…" he hesitated, “I didn't think you'd show up."

Harry could see that the other teen looked uncertain but shrugged, obviously trying to appear nonchalant.

"Me neither. I won't stay long. This is for you." He handed him a wrapped gift. Picking it up, Harry suddenly got momentary flashback to the Triwizard Tournament cup. It crossed his mind that he wasn't even carrying his wand. However, nothing happened. He opened the gift and inside he found a book titled Oliver Twist. "I think you'll like it," Nott added.

"Thanks," Harry looked at him, slightly surprised. "Come on in." He let him pass and closed the door.

As soon as Oasis saw the new arrival, he dragged Nott to the table with alcohol and began to talk to him. Then Oasis handed the Slytherin a drink and, after only a moment's hesitation, emptied it at once. After that, they poured themselves more and headed towards Mary and Chloe.

Harry shook his head, amused. 'A Slytherin at Harry Potter's birthday party talking to Muggles.' He went upstairs to get a sweatshirt and joined the card game. Maybe he wasn't the best at it, but Tobias taught him a few tricks. Sometime later, a few people seemed to be well drunk, and some boy, whose name Harry didn't even know, fell asleep on the ground against the wall.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nott, barely standing upright, finishing off another Oasis' mixture. To his surprise, the boy put his arm around Chloe, who was obviously helping him keep his balance, and was laughing out loud at something. It was an unusual sight. Thinking about it, Harry couldn't remember seeing the Slytherin smiling, let alone laughing out loud. Besides, the boy was hugging a Muggle girl and didn't look disgusted at all. Although Harry knew that it was the alcohol that partly influenced Nott's behaviour, the Slytherin definitely gained in his eyes.

Harry hoped, however, that he was in control enough not to betray anything about magic. He decided to approach them.

"Shortie!" Oasis exclaimed in an even better mood than usual.

"Harry Potter!" Nott exclaimed. "Can you believe that!?" He turned to the Muggle crowd. "I'm at a Harry Potter's birthday party. The famous Harry Potter invited me to his birthday!"

"I see, Shortie, you're one of the popular ones at your school?"

"Yeah. Something like that," Harry said, trying to hide his grimace.

"If the other Slytherins found out..." The boy laughed, swaying.

"But they won't find out, Nott, remember? We have an agreement."

"I remember, but can you imagine," he hiccupped, "the look on Malfoy's face? He would go crazy with..." At this point, the boy swayed even more and only thanks to the fact that he was leaning against Chloe, he managed to stand on his feet.

"Nott, you're going back to Snape, aren't you?" The boy's face instantly fell, and he looked at Harry.

"Seve'us… Snapey, Snape will… will snap at me and kill me if he sees me like this."

Harry thought that the man would rather kill him, blaming him for Nott's state. Maybe if Nott took a nap, he'd be a little better off.

"Nott, why don't you want to get some sleep in my room, er, before you go back to Snape?"

"Come on, Teddy, I'll take you there," Chloe said and looked at Harry.

"Upstairs, first door on the right."

"Nice dude, but one of those goody-goody ones," commented Oasis. "Why don't you two get along? You are kind of similar in this matter."

Harry looked at him. Why wasn't he getting along with Nott? In fact, it was hard to call it not getting along because, in four years of living in the same castle, Harry didn't seem to have exchanged a single sentence with him. He had to admit that it was Malfoy who was absorbing most of Harry's attention. In fact, he didn't know much about the boy, except that his father was a Death Eater.

"Dude?"

"We have kind of different beliefs about some things." He remembered the boy's behaviour today. "I think."

"You think?"

"I mean, I know that people he sticks with and his father have different views."

"Yeah, I get it. Well, it is a kind of reason. But all in all, the guy seems to be alright."

"Yeah, he does."

At that moment, the bell rang.

Before Harry could get to the door, it swung open, and the teen saw the Potions Master standing at the door.