Nott a Thief

It was on a Wednesday. Crabbe, Goyle, and more interestingly Theodore Nott all sat in the Quidditch pitch bleachers. Harry had observed them all shuffling into the stands and taking a seat in the Hufflepuff section. George Weasley came up on his left and Fred upon his right. They pointed to the three boys and asked; "What are those three doing here?"

Angelina called the three of them to attention. "It doesn't matter. We are here to practice. Get on your brooms boys."

It was never as if The Gryffindor team had any spectacular secrets to work on. Angelina was all about the power and brevity of the matches. Harry mounted his broom and shrugged off the three onlookers. The practice went as per usual. When they left Harry looked back into the stands and saw that all three of them were gone. The next week it happened again. All three of the boys watched and left before they were through. Perhaps they did not have Draco Malfoy telling them what to do for that small portion of the week.

Harry expected to look up on the fourth week of practice and notice a group of boys, but instead all he saw was the one; Theodore Nott. The boy had never been much of a hindrance to him. There was one time in third year where he palled about with Draco Malfoy, but that was before Buckbeak cut Malfoy's arm and the boy turned into a sniveling brat. Nott remained in the bleachers all through the practice and when Harry was leaving he noticed him still seated on the top row.

"That Nott kid is a little creep," stated Alicia Spinnet.

Harry glanced sidewise at her and she shrugged before walking off the field with Katie Bell. Angelina approached Harry from behind and stated, "Don't let him intimidate you Harry."

Before Harry could utter anything, everyone had left the field. Harry turned back to the stands and saw that Nott was getting to his feet and dusting off his pants. The boy picked up a bag and carried it down with him to the towers. Harry watched to see where the boy would pop out, but he never did. He must have left. Harry left likewise.

The next practice Harry and team were on the field. Harry's initial reaction was to stare up into the bleachers to catch a glimpse of the potential spectator(s). Nott was by himself, but he had moved across the stands and into the Ravenclaw section. Harry mounted his broom and zoomed around the pitch a few times before he began searching for the snitch. All the others were at the ends of the field.

While Harry was drifting about the center George slowly glided his way with a bat in hand. "That Nott boy's still coming out here." Harry declared that it was hard to not notice. "I think he likes you."

Harry's face suddenly went pale. "What?"

George snickered. "He just sits there all practice and watches you."

"He could be watching anyone of us. He could be watching Angelina. She's kinda pretty," Harry stated roughly.

The Weasley twin grinned. "No, I don't think so."

For the longest time they both sat on their brooms and watched Nott. He had a book in his lap this practice. It must have been boring to come out every week and watch people do the same thing. He eventually glanced up at them and when he did George began to wave. Harry wanted to punch him, but since they floated lazily while high in the air he did not. Theodore's head immediately dropped back on his text. George laughed.

They finished up and cleared the field. Harry was the last to go and once again it was just him and Nott. When Harry turned to leave a voice called out, "Potter!" Harry froze and flinched. The boy disappeared into the tower and then rushed onto the field. Harry stood in confusion with his broom in hand. The lanky boy was even more disconcerting up close. He was weedy-looking and had awkwardly long legs. Harry knew that Ron was quite tall, but this boy was taller. His scrawny arms hung limply at his sides. In his hand was the book he was reading. The boy thrust it forward at Harry. "Here," Nott said.

Harry was very confused until he realized it was his book. It was a weathered copy of Quidditch through the ages. Harry frowned. "Where'd you get this?" The boy chewed apprehensively on his lip. "Did you go through my stuff?"

Nott shook his head. "No, I found it out on the grounds."

There was no way that Nott just so happened upon the book. Harry kept it stored in his bag. The only way he could have gotten ahold of it was if he had filched it while Harry was practicing. Harry snatched it out of the gangly boy's boney fingers. They were just as long and boney as Snape's. This made Harry even more agitated. "Don't touch my things."

The boy stood there with a dumbfounded expression. There was nothing else he could do but watch Harry Potter race across the field and into the locker room. From there Harry returned to the common room where he found Hermione and Ron seated on a sofa with their fingers interlaced. Harry raised his eyebrow and the two separated hands.

"Hey Harry," Hermione said.

"Hullo, Mate," Ron said.

Harry sat on the nearest chair and propped his feet on the small table. "You two can keep doing whatever you do. I'm too tired to notice anyway." He closed his eyes and placed his Quidditch book open and over his face. Then it dawned on him to tell his friends about the odd situation. For the last few weeks he'd gone to practice and said nothing off his spectators. It had not seemed like much of a problem, but after finding the boy had gone through his bags—Harry was more than willing to get his friends involved.

"Hey guys," he stated from under his book.

Hermione rolled her eyes and got up taking the book from his face. "Really, Harry, if you're going to talk to us take that book off your face."

Harry sighed and started over again, "Alright. So, for the last month or so this guy… Theodore Nott has been sitting in on practice."

"Isn't he a Slytherin?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded and continued, "The first two practices he came with Crabbe and Goyle." Harry shrugged at the question as to why they came. "Then he just started showing up on his own." Harry took his book from the table, as Hermione had laid it down. "Today, when I was leaving he called my name and then handed me my book."

"That was nice of him," Hermione stated slowly.

Harry shook his head. "No, the only way he could have gotten it was if he went through my bag. I dunno what he thought he was doing by going through my things and giving them back."

The two on the couch glanced at one another. Maybe the boy had stolen it from Harry. Then again, why would he return it? They all sat silently for a time and decided that there was not enough mystery or support for any of the boy's actions. Eventually the set up the stairs toward bedtime. Harry began going through his bag to place his things for the proceeding day inside. He realized that his quill and ink were also missing. Harry bitterly stated, "If he stole that too I'll hex him."

"Wow, Mate, what did this bloke do to you that makes you so angry?"

Harry pointed to his bag that was missing a handful of its original contents. "My ink and quill are gone."

Neville was sitting on his bed with his knees up to his chest and a fearful look on his face. It wasn't often that Harry was angry. The boy meekly replied, "No Harry. They are on the floor by your bed."

Ron walked around the side of Harry's bed and picked up the missing supplies. Harry emptied the contents of his bag on his bed and when they were all removed he caught a light from the corner. He placed his hand inside and felt around until he felt his hand poke through a large hole. In the back of his bag was a significant rip large enough for the slender book Quidditch through the Ages to slip through along with the smaller items like ink and quill.

"Oh no," Harry stated. "I need to apologize to him…"

"To who?" Neville asked.

Ron and Harry both looked at the other boy. They did not reply. Harry mended his bag with a quick spell and climbed into bed feeling like a jerk. For the first time in his Hogwarts career, a Slytherin had done something nice for him and he snapped at him before running off while accusing him of stealing. Harry fell asleep and in his dreams Nott cornered him in the Quidditch Pitch before beating the snot out of him

After Harry woke up and dressed he went down to breakfast with Ron and Hermione. It was Thursday. They had double potions with Slytherin. Harry decided that right after class he could try to apologize to Nott about his hasty accusations. He asked his friends what they thought. Hermione and Ron both appeared uncertain. "Maybe you could just let it go. He probably will never talk to you again," Run suggested. Hermione said it was a good idea to apologize, but asked if they could accompany him when he did it. "Just in case."

Harry had until the end of class to decide.

The three of them shuffled into the back of the Potions classroom. Prof. Snape was in the front of the room mixing a hilariously small cauldron upon his desk. Ron and Harry snickered at it, but Hermione did not see any humor in it at all. The potions professor dropped a pinch of something or other into the mix and a violet smoke puffed up and out into the air. It left the room smelling nice.

"You students will be leaving school in a few years," the Potions master stated.

Several students cheered up until they were given a very grim glare from the man.

"You can brew a potion to see if someone is compatible for a magic bond. It's like Muggle marriage but it's reinforced by magic. You drop in the last ingredient from between your fingers while thinking of the person. If it turns a lavender than it is compatible. If it turns green than it is a lost cause. Your magic would not settle with the other person. Sometimes it helps young wizards find their soul-mate. If you so choose to believe that such a title exists." Those who had come in, in time came to the realization that Prof. Snape's potion had changed violet. Whoever he had through about would be able to magically bond with him.

Ron made this snide examination to Harry who chuckled. The others in the room, those who had not seen did not understand what was so hilarious. Hermione snapped at them under her breath, "Really you two, that doesn't mean he's going to marry them. You can be magically compatible with five different people and not marry a one of them."

"But one of them would have to be your soul mate."

The two boys went flush and turned away.

Each student was given a separate cauldron. If they wished to proclaim who they wanted to test the bond with than that was up to themselves, even when Snape declared that he would rather not hear. Ron and Hermione smiled at one another as their potions began to simmer down and rest easily enough for them to apply the sage. Sage had been that last ingredient. Harry frowned as he picked up his sage and eyed the calm liquid inside the tiny cauldron.

At the front of the room the Slytherins sat together and dropped their sage in. Most of them burst out in a pale green. They seemed accepting of their answers, but Harry surveyed Theodore Nott. The boy was hanging over his cauldron with perspiration running down his long nose. He must have really liked the person he was thinking about, because the fear of being incompatible appeared to be slowly killing him. In his other hand was a glass vial from one of the other ingredients. Finally, he opened his long fingers and the sage fell in. Immediately the potion glowed a violent purple and blew up all around his face. Nott began swatting and coughing. The room smelt tremendously better afterwards, but Nott squeezed the vial with such force it snapped in his palm.

Prof. Snape rushed over to him and cocked his brow in bemusement. "Let me see your hand," the teacher stated. Nott raised his hand and showed off the glistening glass mixed with blood. "Go to the infirmary, Mr. Nott."

Harry glanced over at Hermione asked, "Is that what happens if the person is your soul mate?"

Hermione shrugged. "Maybe he just did it wrong."

For the first time, in a long time, Harry wished that Hermione knew everything. Then as the boy left the room with his palm up and a pout on his lips, Harry groaned audibly because he was now going to have to track down Nott at some other point to apologize. He dropped his sage dejectedly on the table and they were dismissed before he had time to check any sort of magic bonds.

They headed up to Lunch and when they finished it was time to head over for Transfigurations with Ravenclaw House. On their way down they passed the lanky figure rushing along with bandages wrapped over his narrow hand. He slammed his shoulder into Harry on their way up and his way down. Harry staggered over toward the other side of the step and luckily wasn't pushed down them. He turned and followed the boys figure until he was out of view.

"I think he has hard feelings already," Harry stated. "I was the prat this time."

"Don't beat yourself up over it Harry," Ron said, "The blokes strange."

Harry nodded. "Yeah."