"You know what Blaise told me today in the hospital wing?" Theo said, sitting cross-legged on his bed and pulling off his shirt. "He told me he admires my composure."

Crabbe and Goyle exchanged glances, and before Daniel could help himself, so did he and Draco. The blond boy had been looking even more smug than usual, but at Theo's words his face fell a little.

"He told us he wished he had friends like us when we went in," Crabbe said, frowning fiercely and waving his wand to clear all the junk off his bed. "It sounded like he was trying to butter us up for something."

"Maybe he's just spooked," Daniel said. "After being cursed, and all. Like Draco, after Buckbeak nearly killed him."

Theo exhaled sharply, and Crabbe and Goyle glowered. Daniel grinned. "Just saying," he said innocently.

"He told me that he thinks I'll always be ahead of him socially, and he's constantly afraid I'll turn against him," Draco said, ignoring Daniel completely and sitting back against his pillow triumphantly.

"Wow," Theo said. "And I was all pleased with my little compliment."

"Must have been some curse," Goyle said, shaking his head.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Haven't you people ever heard of Denunci Adoperta Tua?"

Crabbe and Goyle shrugged at each other, and Daniel couldn't speak Latin to save his life, but Theo was looking uncomfortable.

"For goodness' sake Goyle, you've seen it cast!" Draco said in exasperation. "Remember, the spy the Crackens planted a few years ago, and how loyal they've been to us since?"

Goyle squinched up his face in thought, but shook his head.

"That's a pretty nasty curse," Theo said, hugging his pillow to his chest. "Popular with the old crowd, but there can't be any of them here."

"What is it?" Daniel asked, looking at Theo curiously.

"Oh, it's a compulsion," Draco said, waving a hand in the air vaguely. "Roughly translates to 'declare your secrets'."

"It's the countercurse that's the nasty bit," Theo said, voice choking up.

"Oh yes, you were there too, I'd forgotten," Draco said. "The inventor designed the countercurse to be even worse than the curse. Smart idea, that, since it often ends up extending the curse much longer. Nobody wants to be cured."

"Oh, I remember now," Goyle said suddenly. "He begged for us not to remove the curse." He chuckled softly. "Funny, that mustn't happen very often."

"It wasn't funny," Theo said, nostrils white. "It was horrific. I'm going to sleep." He tugged his curtains around sharply, disappearing from view.

"So highly-strung," Draco said regretfully. "He was fun when he was little, too. Such a shame."

"What's the counter?" Daniel asked, fighting back delight that Blaise was finally in real trouble. The gleeful feeling made him feel sick to his stomach.

"Oh, just ReddoCensuram," Draco said. "That part's straightforward. Ends the compulsion."

"Painfully," Goyle said. "It sounds like it rips their mind to shreds. He screamed for fully five minutes."

"It leaves trails of memory, that's the worst part," Draco said. "When they so much as think of keeping a secret, they remember the moment of the countercurse, and all the pain involved. Fades over time, but never completely. I'm surprised any students could even cast it; it's an immensely difficult spell."

"A real enemy for Blaise, then," Crabbe said.

"I'll say," Draco said emphatically. "Good thing he never let any of us really become his friends. I'll see you all in the morning, then."

With that, his curtain was closed and he was gone. Crabbe and Goyle closed up soon after, and Daniel was left sitting on his bed staring thoughtfully at Blaise's corner, trying to decide how he felt.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

At breakfast, the investigation began.

"I was thinking of getting a familiar," Daniel said to the table at large, but mostly to Draco and Theo. "But I don't really get how the whole thing works. Are they just pets, or is there some magic thing, as well?"

Theo shrugged. He'd been quiet, even for him, ever since last night's conversation. Draco didn't seem to mind taking the stage.

"It's mostly pets," he said. "Familiars have been out of fashion for at least a century. It's too much of a risk for the wizard, you see, they have to work all kinds of protective spells over it. Some people like to have an animal running around for effect, but it's a pointless tradition, really. A little demeaning." Pansy nodded wisely from her seat next to Crabbe.

"What were you thinking of getting?" Goyle asked, a little self-consciously. Daniel could count the number of times Goyle or Crabbe had addressed him directly on his fingers.

Daniel shrugged, hiding his smile. Maybe that was changing, now. "Maybe a rat," he said. "They're pretty smart, and I like Khan."

Goyle almost smiled at him. "Rats are good," he said. "They're way more friendly than cats, that's for sure."

"A friend of mine had a rat in primary school," Daniel said. Then, realising who he was talking to, he elaborated. "That's like a school for little kids, up to about twelve, where you learn reading and writing and maths and things."

"Do all Muggle children learn exactly the same things, then, all together?" Draco asked scornfully. "That seems a strange way to go about things."

The conversation was heading in completely the wrong direction, and there was only about fifteen minutes left until they had class. It would take well over ten years for Draco to ever understand anything other than an aristocratic, magical lifestyle. "Yeah," Daniel said shortly. "But that's not the point."

"What about the really stupid ones?" Pansy asked.

That was absolutely not a topic he wanted to discuss with anybody. Of all the times for Draco to take an interest in the Muggle world.

"Do you know of anyone in the school who has a true familiar?" he asked, half to Draco and half to Goyle.

"No," Draco said, just as Goyle nodded.

"Filch," he said.

"Filch?" Draco said, putting down his goblet with a thud. "He's a Squib, Goyle. Surely even you have noticed that."

Goyle shrugged. "I know," he said. "But it's obvious."

Draco stared at him for a moment, then nodded. "I suppose it is," he conceded.

"Dumbledore, too," Goyle added.

Daniel didn't even want to think about Dumbledore. "But no students," he said. "Everybody's pets are just that. Pets."

Draco looked at him oddly. "Yes," he said. "You shouldn't try getting a true familiar," he said. "No way a third-year can protect one properly."

Well, that simplified things. Weasley's rat was just a pet rat. It would be easier to get, and be pretty much useless in Black's hands. "I guess not," he said. "Is Daphne coming to class?"

"I expect so," Draco said. "She doesn't really have a proper excuse to miss it."

"What's she going to do without Blaise?" Pansy asked, face solemn.

"She'll be fine," Daniel said, annoyed. "She is her own person, you know."

"Someone's going to move in while Blaise is down, sounds like," Crabbe muttered, eyes fixed on his plate. He copped a few glares for that, but Daniel doubted very much they were all for the same reason.

"That's ridiculous," Pansy said. "Daphne has standards, after all."

"Yes, if only we could choose our housemates," Draco said mildly. "We up for Charms?"

Pansy stood quickly, and took his arm as they walked along. Crabbe and Goyle went to follow them, and Daniel could have sworn that Goyle had given him a pleasant kind of a look, of shared exasperation but also a shared understanding. Crabbe, of course, had ignored him completely.

"Let's go," Daniel said, poking Theo's shoulder. "You shouldn't dwell on the painful, you know. You hide it away, and you do fun things instead."

Theo sighed heavily and stood up. "I know," he said. "Let's go."

Maybe now, he could get away with annoying Draco to cheer Theo up. The old methods should still work, it wasn't like Draco was a whole different person. It just seemed that way because he apparently liked Daniel now. Didn't mean Daniel liked him. He could still do whatever the hell he wanted.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Variations in wand movement wasn't that bad a research project, Daniel decided as they left Charms. He could probably curve in some wandless stuff, and it might even be useful on its own merits. He could even practise it, and everything. Then, when he could do spells again, he'd take them all by surprise.

He had four hours until Defence, two of which had to be spent in the History classroom. So he spent the lunch hour in the library, looking up books on wandwork, and on living-to-living Transfiguration. At ten to midday, he hurriedly checked out Total Transformations: A Beginner's Guide to Self-Transfiguration, Fang to Feather: Living Transfigurations Made Easy and Swishes, Flicks and Curlicues: A Spellcaster's Manual, and ran to History.

He arrived a few minutes late, but Binns was only up to Seamus on the register, having apparently collected the essay beforehand. Daniel looked around to find Theo but Draco caught his eye and shook his head. Daniel frowned. It wasn't like Theo to miss a class, even History.

He ignored the seat near Draco, and sat by himself on one of the tables up the front. He didn't see why people avoided the front in History, it wasn't like Binns even noticed there were students in the room once he'd started on one of his lectures.

Daniel answered to his name when Binns called it, opened Fang to Feather, and started to read.

About two chapters in, a note flew onto his desk and sat there quivering at him, making him lose his grip on the concept of core transition, which he had just been starting to wrap his head around.

never knew you were such a swot, Draco had written. working in history? next thing you'll actually be attending defense this afternoon. I might faint from shock.

Daniel took a deep breath. He flicked his fingers up over his shoulder in a two-fingered salute, and tried to fix his mind back on the Transfiguration.

how very disrespectful of you, the next one said. I should tell binns. why are you sitting up there, anyway? Crabbe saved you a seat and everything. want to bug potter? C&G never have any good ideas.

Bug Potter, stop bugging me, Daniel scrawled on the back, and held the paper up between the same two fingers. It was promptly ripped away from him, and he returned to his book.

He probably didn't even have to learn core transition, for Animagus. The whole point was that the wizard stayed himself. It must be some kind of modified version. He'd ask Black, he supposed. He switched to Total Transformations, and managed to ignore Draco's next note for a full three minutes, at which point it started jumping around and hitting him in the face.

misery guts, it said. Daniel even turned it over, but that was all. Not even worth the trouble of sending the note.

He spent most of the rest of the lesson with his wand in one hand, and the other hand sitting splayed on the desk, trying some simple exercises he found in the back of the book. Fingernails were easy, he found. Actual fingers were less so. It took him about twenty minutes, but eventually he managed to change a finger into what looked like a wonky kind of a raptor's talon. He sat back in satisfaction and tapped it against the desk, wondering if he'd have to understand the innards of the animal he was going to change into. After a few taps the form fell away, but it had been more than he'd been expecting to be able to do.

He put his wand back in his bag, and stared at his hand thoughtfully. Fingernails were easiest. He fixed the feel of the talon in his mind, and tapped the same finger slowly against the desk, trying to connect the motion to the change. It had worked the other way, after all.

After a while he could feel something in the finger he'd changed, short sharp vibrations, but nothing looked different. He kept the hand still, and tore his mind out of the trance he had been in. That did nothing to make the finger feel any more normal.

His nail was darkening, he realised, and getting longer. And he wasn't even concentrating on it. In a sudden panic, he practically fell out of his chair to get to his bag, pull his wand out and set it back to rights. He heard some smothered laughter and muttering behind him.

Turning to see the people behind him would only make it worse. At least Binns hadn't faltered in his lecture. He got back onto his chair, flexed his left hand carefully, and put his wand on the desk where he could grab it in case of a relapse.

enjoy your fit? Draco sent, and he got a woke me up, wanker from Seamus, and a wow, something happened in history. amazing from Terry. They just made him grin, though. It was going to work. That was what mattered.

When Binns came smoothly to a halt and dismissed the class, Daniel went up to him quickly before he could glide away through the wall, and held up Snape's note for him to read.

"Yes, all right, Gladstone," he said vaguely. "I shall expect it next lesson."

"Good," Daniel said, and went back to collect his things. To his amusement, he saw Draco, Terry, Seamus and Dean waiting at his desk. Corner was waiting for Terry, and Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy were waiting for Draco, looking furious. Seamus and Dean were just standing there looking between the waiting Ravenclaw and Slytherins, grinning.

"Hello," Daniel told his posse. "Are you here to carry my stuff?"

"Nope, we have class," Dean said. "Just checking you were okay, not going all epileptic on us."

That earned him a lot of blank looks.

"Right," Seamus said. "Off we go, then." He grabbed Dean's elbow and they hurried out of the room.

"Yeah, we have Snape, Terry," Corner said, shuffling his feet. "We should go."

"Just temporary madness?" Terry said, raising his eyebrows at Daniel.

"Fell asleep," Daniel said.

"Did not," Terry said, but he turned and followed Corner out of the room, leaving Daniel with his new stalker.

Then the classroom was full of fourth-years, who categorically told them to shove off.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Where's Theo?" Daniel asked as soon as they were outside the room.

Draco shrugged. "Didn't see him at lunch," he said. "What were you doing?"

"Interpretative dance," Daniel said. "Glad you enjoyed it. You don't have to follow me around all the time, you know."

"I know," Crabbe volunteered.

"Draco, let's go outside for a while," Pansy said, grabbing at his hand.

"I need to finish the reading for Defence," Draco said, giving up his hand to her but not looking thrilled about it.

"Oh, that's easy," Pansy said. "It's only five pages, and Lupin doesn't care if you don't know answers."

"I'm going to go find Theo," Daniel said, profoundly uninterested. "Have fun." He walked off quickly, before any of them could say anything to him.

He checked the common room first, and as soon as he walked into the dorm he had an idea where he might be. He made his way up a million flights of stairs, then had to go down and around and up again when he realised the last staircase didn't lead where it had last time he'd used it. By the time he reached the hospital wing he was breathing hard.

Theo was sitting on the bed next to Blaise's reading a book, and there was some kid curled up in the one next to that. As soon as Daniel stepped into the room, Pomfrey came bustling up to him.

"No more visitors," she said. "I insist. Mr. Zabini is not up to conversation at the moment."

"I was looking for Theo," Daniel said.

"Yes, Mr. Nott, it's time for you to be leaving," Pomfrey said. "I'm sure Mr. Zabini was very grateful for your company."

Theo got up, holding the book loosely by his side. "Sure," he said. "Thanks for letting me stay." Pomfrey smiled at him as he left.

"How'd you get her to agree to that?" Daniel asked. "She's crazy-protective of her patients."

Theo shrugged. "Slytherin wiles, I guess," he said.

"Look, man, I know there's obviously some thing going on I don't understand," Daniel said, heading back down the stairs. "But if you want to talk to me about anything, that's fine. I mean, you don't have to, but if you do. You know."

"Yeah," Theo said, watching his feet move from step to step. "I know. How was History?"

"Worth skipping," Daniel said. "But I needed you there, as a buffer against Draco. I feel like I've just bought a puppy."

Theo smirked.

"What?" Daniel said. "You know something I don't?"

"Plenty," Theo said. "Have you done the reading for Defence, for example?"

"Pfff," Daniel said dismissively. "Everyone knows Lupin doesn't take points."

"It's still school," Theo said. "You're only on half Charms as it is, and no History. You'll forget how to study."

"I was studying all through History," Daniel told him. "So there."

"Yeah, Transfiguration, I'll bet," Theo said.

"Hey, unfair," Daniel said, stopping dead halfway down the stairs. "I don't just study Transfiguration, you know."

"Okay, so what were you studying, then? Shock me," Theo said from the landing.

"Fuck you," Daniel said, but his heart wasn't in it. "I'm not doing the Defence reading just to prove you wrong. Nasty Slytherin."

Theo laughed, making Daniel feel very pleased with himself. "Let's go Defence then," Theo suggested. "If you're not going to be prepared, you can at least make a good impression by being on time."

"I need to change my books," Daniel said, feeling contrary.

"You can use mine," Theo said, holding up the book he'd been reading and coming up the stairs towards him.

"I want to put away the ones I have," Daniel said, glaring fiercely at Theo.

"I'll charm your bag light," Theo said, pulling his wand out of his pocket.

"I need to brush my teeth," Daniel said, backing away.

"I have the clean-o teethorum spell right here."

"I left my wand in the History classroom."

"You can't use it anyway."

"The loo!" Daniel exclaimed triumphantly. The little kids rushing past them looked at him fearfully, and one of them almost fell down the stairs.

"Go on, then," Theo said. "If you miss the start of class, I'll just tell them you needed a while. Issues, you know."

"You're not even … you're … you're always making me do things right," Daniel said grouchily. "If I'm not careful, I'll pass the year or something, and it'll be all your fault."

Theo thrust the book at him. "Promise?"

Daniel stepped back from it. "Not so fast. I can't do it all at once."

"We'll go to class, then," Theo said triumphantly, and started back down the stairs.

"Okay, you have to help me be nice to him," Daniel said from a step behind him. "Oh, I think I should apologise. Keep the moral high ground, and stuff."

"Apologise for what?" Theo said. "All you did was defy him, swear at him and skive off his class. How can there be any doubt you keep the moral high ground?"

"I'll apologise for the swearing," Daniel said. "That's the only rule I actually broke."

"Oh, so class is optional, now, is it?"

"That was an accident," Daniel said. "Anyway, like you can talk. Remind me where you've been the past two hours?"

"An accident?" Theo said dubiously. "You tripped over and fell an hour into the future?"

"I fell asleep," Daniel said. "You filthy rotten hypocrite."

"History doesn't count, sloth," Theo said.

The Defence room was in sight. Daniel sighed, and resigned himself to an hour of tact and one very short moment of apology.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Well, that was a resounding failure," Theo said as they all walked back to the Slytherin rooms.

"I don't want him to like me, I've got more than enough people liking me as it is," Daniel said. "I think it went quite well, myself."

"Aren't you going to visit Blaise?" Daniel heard Millicent ask softly. He looked around, and Daphne shook her head.

"He's going to St Mungo's," she said softly. "I can't visit him until tomorrow."

Millicent slung an arm around her shoulders and she leaned slightly away, but didn't shrug the bigger girl off. "Shall we go for a walk?" Millicent asked. Daphne nodded, eyes blinking rapidly.

The two of them veered off. "I'm going to the library," Daniel said. "Want to come, Theo?"

Theo smiled at him. "Thinking of studying some History, are you?" he said sweetly. "Good idea. You can tell me what I missed in the lecture."

"I was going to look up some stuff for Arithmancy," Daniel said. "I can remember the assignment, I don't need to get anything."

"Are you finished with Runes, then?" Draco asked. "It's a bizarre assignment, I thought."

Daniel wanted to scream. "I am in the mood for Arithmancy," he said, surprised he didn't have a neon sign flashing LIAR over his head. "I have to concentrate really hard to get it, and I think I could do that now. I don't want to waste time. I'm going to see Snape in an hour."

"Let's do Runes in the common room," Pansy said. "We can ask Cyril, he knows everything about runes."

"Yeah, see you later," Daniel said, practically running away to the library. Once he was outside its doors he stopped, caught his breath, and waited for Theo, who had followed more slowly. "I don't think I could have managed to spend the evening with him as well," Daniel said apologetically once his friend had caught up.

"Yeah, I figured," Theo said. "I'm guessing you don't really want to do Arithmancy, though."

"Hell no," Daniel said, disgusted by the thought. "I actually have to finish Runes."

"And you need me why?"

"Uh," Daniel said. "To check my spelling?"

"I do have work of my own, you know."

"Oh, come off it," Daniel told him. "You don't take Divination or Runes, you've got loads of free time tomorrow. You could get ahead in Defence, you've got the book."

"Fine," Theo said, opening the door and waving Daniel in.

The place was full of second years, all crowded around an unusually large table. There were all leaning in so close that Daniel couldn't even see what they were looking at. There were older students sitting in corners far away from them, either ignoring the second years or glaring at them regularly.

Daniel was torn between going to look, and keeping his dignified distance.

"Oh, look," a girl with long blonde hair commented, looking around and seeing them standing there. "It's that boy who came to our class."

A few of the second years turned around, but turned back straight away, much more interested in whatever was on the table. "Uh, yeah, hey," Daniel said. "I won't be there any more."

"That's a shame," the girl said. "You're really very good at explaining things."

Daniel was sure he'd never spoken to her before in his life. She was staring at him like he was the most interesting thing in the world though, so he could hardly just walk away.

"I found your advice very useful," she continued. "Although you did speak rather as though you thought she was quite stupid for needing an explanation in the first place."

"That's a shame," Daniel said. "What are you all looking at?"

"It's a map of the goblin battles of the fourteenth century," she said. "At least, as recorded by the wizards involved. Travis Urquhart brought it, and his family is very biased when it comes to non-humans, so I expect there are several significant inaccuracies."

"Yeah, probably," Daniel said. "I have work to do, now, though, so I have to go."

"Oh, of course," she said, nodding solemnly. "It was good of you to talk to me."

"Yeah, good," he said, and headed off past several shelves, to find a secluded table.

"Who was that?" Theo asked. "She was very … forthright."

"No idea," Daniel said, dumping his bag on the table. "I guess she was listening to me helping Morris and Longbottom in Charms. They are stupid, anyway. If I write a list of words and translations, can you test me on them in a minute?"

Theo sniffed, and pulled parchment and quill from his bag. "I'll consider it," he said.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Daniel waved at Lisa and Terry as they left potions. Lisa looked at him and went slightly pink, but smiled and waved. Goldstein, looking dark with anger already, gave him a suspicious look, but Daniel just smiled at him broadly, and Terry tugged his friend away before anything could happen.

Finch-Fletchley surprised Daniel by stopping beside him. "Unless it's urgent, I wouldn't go in there," he said softly. "He's in a foul mood. And you understand, when I say that about Snape … "

"I should fear for my life?" Daniel said.

"Exactly," Finch-Fletchley said. "He was crabby already, and then Mark's potion nearly exploded, and he caught Lisa and Anthony snogging in the supplies once they'd finished their potion. I thought he was going to kill us all."

"Right, thanks, I owe you one," Daniel said, safe in the knowledge a Hufflepuff would never enforce such a casual debt.

"No problem," he said. "I'll see you later."

"See ya," Daniel said, stepping into the classroom.

Snape looked up and saw him, and if Daniel hadn't been forewarned, he might have just turned tail and run. As it was, he set himself and met the man's eyes. "Hi," he said. "I was wondering why you didn't tell me before he just came in like that."

"I don't have time to discuss this with you now," Snape said levelly. "Perhaps tomorrow."

"Perhaps we should pick a definite time, and stick to it," Daniel said. "I'd kind of like to know where I stand with you."

Snape narrowed his eyes. "I can speak to you at eight o'clock tomorrow evening," he said. "You may spend your time until then trying to acquire a set of manners."

"If I find out where they're available, I'll be sure and tell them to save one for you."

Daniel stood, every inch of him ready to run, or to fold and beg for his life if that turned out to be a better course of action.

"Make that a detention, tomorrow at eight," Snape said. "And five hundred lines due by your Thursday morning detention. 'If I cannot truly find it within myself to respect my elders, I shall at least attempt to present myself as doing so, and if that should fail, I shall accept the consequences of my rudeness with all the maturity I can muster.' I will know if you find someone to help you with magic."

Daniel opened his mouth to protest the absurd length of the sentence, but came to his senses and nodded. He was lucky to be alive, after all.

"I'll just go and get started, then," he said, backing out of the room.

As soon as he'd closed the door behind himself, he let himself grin, but muffled his laugh. Snape was feeling guilty. Snape was! Daniel almost danced down the corridor.

He'd been in a truly foul mood, interrupted without warning, confronted and insulted, but had only given out lines. A disgustingly unfair amount of lines, sure, due impossibly soon, but they were still only lines. He was feeling guilty.