Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters. If I did the pairings would be way different.

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A beam of light shot over Theodore Nott's shoulder, an unknown curse, fired from an unknown person. Running fast he turned and fired a hex at the unknown Death Eater.

Hearing a scream he started running towards the dungeons, away from the attacks.

The surprise attack didn't come as such a surprise. News of Death Eater attacks had been heard of for months now. Professor Dumbledore had directed all Heads of Houses to charm the fireplaces in each of the dormitories as escape rotes. All a person had to do was walk into the fireplace and it would take them to a safe place in the Ministry of Magic. The fireplaces was be automatically activated by Dumbledore when or if an attack on Hogwarts happened. However as time come the attack became inevitable. Hogwarts was where the last battle would take place. If Voldemort got the castle he would have eliminated his strongest threats; Dumbledore himself, and Harry Potter.

Classes have been changed to teach defence and attacks in all its forms. From potions for healing to spells in Transfiguration and Charms; anything that might be useful for the upcoming battle. Years 5 to 7 were trained. Years 1 to 4 was given the basics, but all teachers were under strict orders that when the time came to get the younger group to safety.

Harry Potter and his friends were not in classes, but could sometimes be seen having serious talks with some of the Professors. He looked a lot older then his seventeen years.

Theo felt some pity for him. He couldn't image then amount of pressure that the boy must be feeling. He had lost so many people; family and friends, and now Voldemont was threatening the rest of the people he cares about. He had to watch them train and fight and probably die helping and protecting him. Yes, Theo felt a great respect for the boy who was several months younger then he was, but also pity. If it was him he felt he wouldn't be able to live with the guilt Potter must be feeling. And this was assuming that he was the victor; the thought of what would happen should he fail was… Theo shook his head, that couldn't happen, he must win. For all their shakes.

Contrary to popular belief not all Slytherins were Death Eaters, or on the Dark Lords side. However it was always easier to group the whole house as being evil, than to actually take the time to get to know someone and find out for themselves if the person in question was an enemy.

If you were sorted into Slytherin, then based on principle, three-quarters of the school already hated you. A bit imitating for an eleven year old away from home for the first time. Then you are taken in to lower parts of a thousand year old school into a dormitory where the perfects give you a speech of you new House's history and tells of what being a Slytherin entails. And if this doesn't scar you yet the fact that your House animal is a snake, and the House ghost is called the BLOODY Baron certainly leaves an everlasting impression.

You also discover that unlike the other Houses where everybody is basically the some, in Slytherin there are very different categories of people. First there is the rich, spoil, pureblood group that believes that they are better then everybody else and that they should get everything they what. Second you have the pureblood group that, even though that are not as rich as the rich purebloods, they believe that they are better then everybody who isn't pureblood. Third, you have the big stupid oafs; these can be purebloods or half bloods, who usually tag along with important people and reap some of their rewards and glory. Fourth, you have the half bloods that condemn their muggle side as to fit in with the purebloods. And finally you and the Quiet Ones. These are the people who nobody knows the names too and are just people that you never notice and can never saw you saw. They spend their time along away from the other Slytherins and schoolmates, accept perhaps other Quiet Ones. Teachers barely know them, they never talk, and they spend their school days be themselves. These are usually the people whose blood is less then pure, people that don't come from rich families and those that don't believe entirely in what a Slytherin is supposed to believe in. Theo is one of them.

Theo was a half blood, but when he was eleven he thought he was a muggle born. He was the result of a one night stand. His mother was a muggle, but he found out after he came to Hogwarts that his father had been a muggle-born wizard who was targeted and killed in the first war with Voldemort. Theo never wanted to be a wizard; he didn't believe in magic and was convinced that the strange things that happened around him were freak accidents. When the old man with the long white hair and beard came to tell him he had been accepted into a school for magic he thought it was some kind of joke. Magic didn't exist. Finally it was his mother that made him come. It was all his anger and rage at people in general that, Theo believed, made the hat put him in Slytherin. He kept to himself and after some time figured out the House rules, and from them on his was a Quiet One, silently counting down the days until he could leave.

It wasn't that hard, with his plain features, shaggy brown hair and dull brown eyes, he was completely unremarkable. Skinny with an average height of 5'8, and average test scores in all but muggle-studies where he was top of the class since Hermione Granger dropped the class. He had nothing to make him stand out.

Now with a month left he was running for his life against people, and possible House-mates, (the long cloaks and hoods hide their faces). He looked behind him, nobody. Theo breathe a sign of relief. The must have taken off after someone else. This may have been a cruel thought, but he was still a Slytherin and was treated as one for seven long years.

The further down he went the more the castle looked like it should. Curses, hexes, and attacks had already taken quite a toll on the castle on its outer walls and the Great Hall.

Theo new he should stay and fight, but he was afraid. He didn't want to fight. It didn't concern him, but he prayed that the light side would be victorious. The people fighting against the Death Eaters were some of the best in the country. The bravest and most determined. Theo wished he could be one, but his Slytherin self wouldn't allow himself to put himself in that kind of danger.

His side started to get a stitch in it. It was becoming so cold that he could see his ragged breathing coming in blue puffs in front of him. 'Just two more turns, just two more turns,' he chanted in his mind. He turned the corner and slammed to a stop, starring in shook and horror at the scene before him.

Hermione Granger stood with binds wrapped around her with a look of pure hatred on her face as two Death Eaters floated her two feet of the ground. Theo quietly backed behind the corner and withdrew his wand. His eyes narrowed and his fingers tightened on his wand.

Although it was never revealed he had always harboured a secret crush on Hermione Granger every since first year when she entered his compartment on the train asking if anyone has seen a toad. His breath had caught in his throat. She was breathtaking. He didn't say anything, just stared. She had given him a weird looked and walked away. That was the most they had ever said to one in other, even though they had most of the same classes. He had continued to look and stare during the boat ride across the lake, the walk into the Great Hall, the sorting and afterwards. He had been hoping that he could get up the nerve to talk to her and he suddenly felt that maybe it was a good thing for him to be a wizard if he could be with her.

However that came to an end when he found out about the Gryffindor/Slytherin rivalry.

He had continued to sneak glances at her during the first three years. After that most people had forgotten about him so he was about to stare without worrying someone would find out and use it against him.

His musings were cut short as one of the Death eaters began to speak.

"Hey look who this is", the figure exclaimed as he stepped closer to Hermione.

"Look", replied the other Death Eater. "I don't really give a damn who it is, alright", Theo eyed the speaking person. The figure seemed to a nervous fellow. 'Most likely his first time out', thought Theo. "Lets just kill her and get the hell out of here. These dungeons give me the creeps." The other Death Eater snorted, "Oh yeah I forgot", he replied sarcastically, "You're a Ravenclaw." His tone clearly stating what he thought of the matter.

The second Death Eater had apparently caught the tone as he tuned to face the first. Theo saw his chance as the wand that had previously been pointed to the girl had been moved to be pointing at the first Death Eater.

"And what does that mean. Ravenclaw are the smart ones of the school. You Slytherins reply of us to figure the problems and solutions. You would be nothing without us." The nervous one snarled. His voice was filled with smugness as he spoke next. "The Dark Lord knows this, which is why he trusted his most imposing problems on people find my house."

The first one laughed, "Which is probably why we didn't know of the fireplace magic that Dumbledore had created or a way to reverse it."

Although his mask was hiding his face Theo could almost see the second Death Eater roll his eyes, "Oh and your Slytherins vast knowledge of the Dark Arts where such a help."

The two continued there pointless bickering as Theo thought of a way out of this. He was basically trapped. He couldn't go back because of the swarm of Voldemort army, and as much as he detested too admit it he was no fighter. He could never kill someone, even in self defence because would never be able to live with himself knowing he had ended the life of a fellow human being, and what was going on several stories above his head, was a kill-or-be-killed war!

He could always run back and find a place to hide but shook that thought from his head the moment it entered. Slytherin or not he wasn't that cowardly. Besides, as he looked up at Hermione face, he felt his something in his heart lurch at the thought of something bad happening to her, he couldn't just leave her to this fate.

His heart began to beat faster and he felt his wand slipping in his fingers as his palms began to sweat. Okay, he thought, I know what I want to do. I just need to free Hermione, knock out a couple of adult Death Eaters, and then escape to the Slytherin common room to freedom. Theo swallowed the ball that had formed in his throat. 'How the fucking hell am I supposed to do that?'

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I really hope that people like this. There are hardly any Theo/Hermione fics out there.

This was supposed to be a one shot but I made it to long, so I don't know how long this story will be. Please review!!!! No Flames please.