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#TheCauldron:
I feel for that bowstring, you're probably going to have a heart failure by the end of this cahppie :P
#pheonix-rob:
What is going on with Christian? Hmm, you'll just have to read on unfortunately ;)
#Onyx Thanatos Theordore Lerins:
Hmm, I kind of love naive Harry... Something about it x
#AlwaysAnAussie:
You will have your Snape, believe me, you will... But just not yet. Yes, Christian is intriguing... Is it too cliched what I'm about to do? Who knows, read on :)
#AnimeMandi22:
And as always, I love your feedback :) I hope this chappie doesn't disappoint x
#tay:
I wanted to add him in there, but I feel he's just a passing character. Who knows... You want some more Draco?
#SeverusSnapeLover1390:
Honestly, I had writers block haha. I hope this chapter is better for you :)
As always my lovelies, enjoy.
xxx
The following day, Harry saw that Christian's bed was empty and he frowned at it before he got ready for the day. He had too much else to worry about without being too concerned about his friend who was probably already up in the library studying so he was going to follow suit and seek him out. He had decided in the middle of the night when he woke to write to his friends back at Hogwarts, he hadn't heard from them in a while and he was curious to know how they were getting along though admittedly he didn't really have much he wanted to say. Actually, now that he thought about it they hadn't returned his letter from weeks ago.
Shuffling around in his trunk for some spare parchment he stumbled across his wand holster. Hagrid had given this to him for his birthday and he hadn't even thought of wearing it, this could have been really useful, he sighed to himself before pulling it out and putting it on top of his bed, he was going to strap it on today and silently vowed he wouldn't take it off. He was successful in finding a piece of parchment and stood to grab his bag and holster, before making his way towards the Grand Hall for breakfast.
He was surprised to see that Christian wasn't there but he sat down and pulled out a quill so he could jot down a note to his Hogwarts friends as he chewed away on a piece of toast. He tried to block everything else out as he wrote, there was a dim chatter around that after a few minutes escalated and he realized his group of followers had joined him. He quickly put his letter away, he didn't want the others to see what he was writing, it wasn't anything too private but he just didn't trust them if he was honest.
"Potter! You want to come out for some Quidditch?" One of the sandy haired boys called from down the table and it made him look up.
"Uh, thanks but not today. Have to study for these exams." He replied automatically and he heard the rest of the group hum in agreement.
Soon he was being followed by a large group of boys to the library, some yelling that they would catch up because their gear was back in the dorms. He sighed as he made his way in front of the others towards the library, he had hoped for it just to be he and Christian who would be studying together and not half of the school just because they wanted to look good in front of someone who could essentially physically destroy them.
It was all right at first and Harry managed to focus on his Charms and Transfiguration homework before he was going to start on the actual studying for his exams. He was a little gutted that his friend wasn't in the library, he was actually at a lose as to where the mysterious boy was because he had now been missing in action for a good twelve hours by this stage without any hint that he was okay. He looked up and around the library thinking that he may have snuck in but Harry couldn't see him and made eye contact with one of the other boys who smiled and then asked him a question.
"Hey, do you know about these?" He asked, pushing his Potions book towards Harry and pointing out an ingredient.
Of course he knew about this plant, it created relaxing properties if brewed right but if it was boiled too much, gave off a toxic odor and would eventually poison the person ingesting or applying it to the skin. He told the boy this and he looked over the moon before thanking him and turning back to his work. It felt strange for Harry to be in such a civil manner seeing as most of these boys in the start had ridiculed him. He was still wary around them but over the past week or so they hadn't really done anything for him to be afraid of, though now he sat there with two other boys shoving books under his nose asking for help.
So much for a quiet study session, he thought getting irritated but he answered their simple questions anyway and went back to his own work. He now fully believed he knew how Hermione had felt when both he and Ron asked her questions in exam time, how she hadn't gone ballistic at them he didn't know because all he wanted right now was a quiet place to study. Perhaps I should take Viktor's offer up, he wondered as he was nudged in the elbow by one of the boys sitting next to him.
"… So, how would you start it?" He asked and Harry had to roll his eyes.
"Look, with all due respect, it's not my homework so can you not work it out for yourself? It's actually a rather simple task that you're asking for help on." The ex-Gryffindor replied stiffly and set about putting his things away.
"Potter, I'm sorry I-I didn't mean to – "
"Save it." Harry said interrupting him and turning sharply on his heel to make his way out of the library.
He was going to see his Professor out.
When he arrived at the man's office, he realized that the man, seeing as it was the weekend, probably wasn't going to be there but he knocked anyway, standing patiently with his bag thrown over his shoulder. He didn't have to wait long and the door was wrenched open, a snarling man that was Professor Viktor standing there with a powerful aura. However once he set eyes upon the scrawny teen his features somewhat softened, though Harry would rather claim that he was seeing things and that this man, much like the Hogwarts Potion's Professor, didn't possess any true feelings during the day.
"My apologies, sir. I-I thought that maybe I could take you up on that – Agh." Harry was pulled through the door and he had to work on not losing his balance and toppling to the floor.
"Your ability to dawdle and dribble about unintelligible nonsense astounds me. You may use that desk there." He barked and it was there that Harry saw Christian sitting at a long table that had enough room for two.
When their eyes met, Christian looked hurt and skeptical at his presence, which the teen found odd. This is where he has been? Suddenly feeling slightly uncomfortable in this environment he took a seat beside the boy anyway and gave him a sideways look.
"Have you been here this whole time?" Harry whispered but heard a clearing of a throat and met the eye of his Professor who was sitting behind his desk.
"Zip it or get out." The man said gruffly and Harry nodded before turning back to his work.
He started out with his Potion's theory but soon grew restless, the subtle looks he was getting from both the other occupants in the room was starting to get to him and he could tell from his own glances at Christian that his cheeks would flush every now and then. It was making Harry's stomach knot unsteadily as the tension in the room escalated. He sighed, it was time to finish off his letter to his friends, he was sure Christian wouldn't go snooping on his writing so he pulled out the piece of parchment and continued to write.
Hermione, Ron,
It's been too long since I've written. I don't actually know what to say to really but I want to know what life is like back home. I miss you both greatly but I know, Hermione, you'll be happy to note my studying patterns match yours over the years. It's hard when you start to know more than everyone around you… I guess I should apologise for hounding you all these years (I'll also apologise on Ron's behalf).
The student population has figured out my cat form too, it was an interesting development because now they all treat me as some God. I'm not the biggest fan of all this attention, I know that Malfoy and Goyle aren't happy over this and they have voiced this over the last couple of weeks. I'm okay though, I just wish I was back at Hogwarts.
Please write back soon, I would understand if you don't reply.
Yours,
Harry
He finished off the letter and rolled it up before putting it back in his bag. There really wasn't much to report on and he knew that Hermione wouldn't have much time like himself with all the studying that would be going on. Oh how he truly did miss them, but it was only his friends, there was absolutely no one else that he missed, no one. It was of course a lie, one person kept springing to his mind on occasion and he hated himself for it, it was his fault, his, that Harry was now in this position. Or so he still told himself.
"I'll see you later, Harry." He heard Christian saying from beside him and he nodded before frowning at his friends' aura.
"You okay?" Harry asked but he was given a small smile, the gaze flicking from Harry to Viktor and back to Harry again.
"Of course, I need to go find Professor Daskalov." He replied absent-mindedly before he turned and excused himself from the room.
Once the door was shut, Harry felt the room temperature change dramatically and the energy escalated. He turned and locked eyes with his Professor, the man was looking at him with an odd expression, making Harry look away, a familiar feeling pooling in his stomach and he looked down at his work wide eyed. You're imagining it, Harry told himself and found his heart beat erratically skipping every four or so pumps.
He swallowed and moved so he could bend down and get the wand holster from his bag. He was getting the feeling that it would be very beneficial to start wearing it, he didn't know what was giving him this feeling but it was there and he wanted it gone. I wish Christian was still here, he thought as he pulled out the leather strapping and placed it on the desk. His Professor had moved on from staring at him and was now shuffling through some papers on his desk which made Harry feel a little better about the situation.
It was short lived however when he had rolled his sleeve up and was having issues fastening the holster, the buckles were hard to secure when you were doing it to yourself so he was struggling a little. That's when he looked up and saw Viktor moving across the room towards him, the man's eyes shining with something amusing and Harry suspected that he was being laughed it.
"Potter, you are a disgrace." He snarled before sitting at the chair Christian had vacated previously.
"Y-You don't have to, sir, I can do this later." Harry tried and pulled his arm away only to find a clammy hand gripping his wrist tightly, not allowing him to get away.
"I would hate for you to get this tangled. I know how clumsy and weak you can be." Viktor teased and Harry could feel his anger bubbling away.
How dare he, I know he's not a nice person but this is just ridiculous, he thought as he watched the bulky fingers working away at the buckles and testing the tightness of it once he was done. Harry went to pull his arm away and started to thank the man before the grip was tightened and he met his Professor's eye. Unfortunately he felt his face starting to blush as he noted how close they were and he was not surprised to see a sneering smirk plastered on the man's face in front of him.
"Thank you, sir." Harry finally managed to spit out and went to turn his body away so he could go back to studying.
He heard a huff from beside him before the man stood and made his way back over to his own desk, the mood in the room lifting tenfold and Harry let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding during this whole process. As bizarre as the whole thing had just been, once the man was back over at his desk Harry had to scoff at himself, there was no way this sort of thing would happen to him twice in two different schools. There was just no way. No way at all…
He let his head drop on the table before he fumbled around to adjust his sleeves to cover the holster, he had work to do and it wasn't going to finish by itself. He was going to utilize this quiet time he had before the chaos of going into classes over the next few weeks before their study leave.
By dinnertime that night, Harry found Christian sitting alone in a corner of the Grand Hall, his plate empty and his posture slouched. He walked over to the boy and sat down, he perked up a little but there was something on the teens' mind, something Harry was determined to figure out so he could have his mysterious friend back.
"Hey, where did you go this morning and why weren't you in the dorm last night?" Harry decided direct was best.
"Oh, you know… Just had loads to do."
"That's all right, I'll come with you though next time yeah? Those boys over there are extremely distracting." He whined and Christian nodded before glancing to the front of the room.
"What's with Professor Viktor?" Harry blurted out suddenly and grey eyes whipped round to lock onto jaded green ones, "Just wondering." He added when he saw the wary look.
"I was in detention. He caught me out of bed last night." Was the reply and the ex-Gryffindor narrowed his eyes at the boy, it sounded like something he would have done back at Hogwarts.
"Why did you leave the dorm? I've never really noticed you leaving before now, do you do it often?" Harry asked as he put a little bit of food on his plate, suddenly not very hungry.
"I like to walk around. By myself." Was the reply and Harry nodded, he knew he wasn't going to get anything else out of him so he decided to distract him.
"I, uh, need to practice my Dark spells that we'll be tested on. Want to practice with me?" Christian nodded hesitantly but turned towards him and smiled weakly.
Odd, Harry thought but returned the smile as he stabbed a potato with his fork.
The conversation was basically over between them after this and it got Harry thinking, the boy had been so eager to help him learn Dark magic when they first started talking but now it was almost as if he was being avoided. Why would he avoid me? He doesn't look his normal self, though I'm not sure what his normal self would be like… He looks sad. His internal monologue went unnoticed by the one sitting next to him but when his gaze landed on the surly man at the front of the room he was sure it had been noted.
"I'm going to get a head start unless you want to join me?" Harry asked and the teen nodded as they both stood, leaving the Grand Hall together.
"So what did you want to do first?" Christian asked and Harry had an idea.
"Actually…" He paused and this caught the attention of his friend, "I was thinking that we could work on some of my Dark spells?" He continued and he saw the steely eyes sparkle just a little though his face said otherwise.
"Oh." Was the reply before Harry clarified what he had meant.
"There's this one I've been working on, it slices the skin across the arms and chest but I don't think I've got the right elements. I was hoping that I could teach it to you?" Harry spoke quietly as they found an empty classroom close to the dorms.
"Oh, then sure. Why didn't you say so?" Christian replied enthusiastically and it made Harry smile, he had found what the boy was interested in and with the promise of teaching the spell to him it seemed he was opening up.
They spend the next couple of hours working on the new spell as well as their Dark Arts class work for the exam when the clock chimed to remind them that it was curfew. Harry was sweaty from the workout as was his friend so they walked back to the dorms where they snagged a quick shower before tucking down into bed. Harry hesitated as he settled under the sheets, he was interested to see if the teen was going to duck out of the dorms again like he had the night before but he was too tired to try and stay awake. He was just going to have to deal with it in the morning if he wasn't there, after all it was Saturday night so it wasn't too much of an issue if he didn't see the teen at all the next day.
Harry woke a couple of hours later, his sleeping patterns still not having improved as the littlest sound would catch him and he'd wake up. When he moved his head he saw a figure walking towards the door and he squinted his eyes, making out the distinctive form of his friend. As tired as he was from the studying and spell practicing he wanted to see where the boy was going, no one else ever left the dorm at night, only Christian, so once the door was closed he ripped the covers off and changed into his Animagus form once he'd opened the door a little, he was going to follow him tonight.
Once outside he turned his little grey head this way and that to catch the sound of someone walking down the corridor. His ears picked up a sound to his right, so staying as close to the wall as he possibly could, he quickly and quietly sprinted down the hall to catch sight of the boy walking up some stairs. He inwardly groaned to himself, he hated the stairs when he was in his form, they always were so complicated to work out when you had four tiny legs to coordinate and Harry Potter was not a particularly coordinated person even on the best of days.
Once he made it up the stairs, he glued his body up against the wall when he heard another set of footsteps coming from behind him. He looked on in almost disbelief when he saw who it was and he turned his head back to see that Christian had turned around as well and was looking at the approaching Professor.
"Mr. O'Haragh." The voice echoed off the walls but the boy didn't look worried at all, he was actually smiling.
"Sir, looks like I've been caught out after curfew again." The teen's voice was uncharacteristically low and if Harry was honest, a little smug.
"That you have been. Come." Professor Viktor snapped before turning around and walking back where he came from, Christian following closely behind.
Harry couldn't really understand what he'd seen, why was his friend so happy to be caught out of – He wouldn't! Harry's thoughts brought his reality crashing down around him and he let a mewling gasp escape before he realized that the other two occupants in the corridor had disappeared around a corner. His Gryffindor traits kicked into hyper drive with this information and he sprinted off after them, he had to find out what was going on.
The group came to a familiar corridor, even from Harry's height, as he recognized it as the Dark Arts and Defense Against wing of the school. Though Christian and their Professor didn't go into the classroom, nor the man's office, they continued down the corridor to a part of the castle Harry recognized at the one he had a mental break down in. No wonder Viktor found me, he must have heard me crying, he thought as he watched them stop by a door and it opened. He was in two minds about whether he wanted to know what they were going to do, but he crept up towards the door trying to look inconspicuous even though Christian would have recognized him anyway if he were to turn around at this moment.
"Get in." Viktor hissed at the grey eyed boy and shoved him through the door before glancing down the corridor.
Unfortunately, as he did he set his beady eyes upon Harry and the jaded eyes widened slightly before he stuck his nose to the floor in a desperate attempt to act naturally as a cat would do in this situation. He didn't dare look up as he heard the door close and went to the other side of the wall, pretending to sniff along the edges before he moved his head upwards and towards the door. He wanted to know why his friend was in the man's living quarters, well he didn't know for sure that they were his personal quarters but when Harry but two and two together it almost made sense.
I wonder if that's what he meant by detention… Harry stared at the door for a long time before he decided to wander back towards the dorm. His curiosity had been sated but now he had more questions than answers for his friend, he tried to deny what he truly thought was happening, there wasn't two people in this Wizarding Community that were in a relationship with their Professors… What are the odds? He asked himself as he turned a corner away from that corridor.
