The Devil in Me

You've Got Something I Need

The chapter title is from the song:

Something I Need by Ben Haenow (which is a great song, and a very Harry/Theo song, I feel. Give it a listen if you feel like it !)

~ WARNINGS ~

Explicit F/M smut scene between Harry x Lily

Knock. Knock.

Harry glanced at the time and called, "Come in!"

The door to his dorm room opened, and Theo stepped in, "Morning."

"Good morning," Harry said, pulling on his shirt with a grin, "What brings you to my humble domain?"

"A question about-" he cut himself off when he saw the state of Harry's chest, "What happened to your shoulder?"

Harry glanced at the handprint and laughed, "A feisty little Ravenclaw, I was doing a bit of late-night recruiting."

Theo raised an eyebrow at him, "Is that what you called it?"

Harry chuckled, "She didn't need much convincing, mind you. Anyway, you had a question?"

"Yeah," Theo said distractedly, his eyes on Harry's marked chest.

"Like what you see, Nott?" Harry teased as he began to button his shirt.

Theo looked up and saw the amused smirk on Harry's face, "I think you have a pain fetish."

Harry snorted in amusement, "Do you know what? I think you might be onto something with that. But I doubt that was your question?"

"No," Theo admitted, "I wanted to ask you if you could teach me how to cast a Patronus Charm."

"If you have a happy memory to work with then, of course, I can," Harry said, grabbing his green and silver tie and putting it around his neck.

"I think I do," Theo said, "I mean, I've not had the happiest childhood, that much is true. It's just been my father and me, pretty much my whole life but that's not to say it was unhappy."

"The memory has to be pure," Harry said, "Not tainted by anything, a moment of genuine happiness."

"Is yours really to do with the Malfoys?" Theo asked curiously.

"Kind of, it's more to do with Draco's mother, but I wasn't going to say that in class," Harry said with an amused smile, "She was my first contact with this world, and since then, all she has done is look out for me."

Theo leant against the closed door and said, "Mine is of my mother; it's my last memory of her. I was only two when she died, and sometimes I don't even know if it's a dream or a memory."

Harry smiled slightly, "Is it happy?"

Theo smiled too, his mind far away, "The happiest I can ever remember being."

"Then it should work," Harry said, feeling a sense of déjà vu, "And I need your help with something too, so let's make it a mutually beneficial deal?"

Theo looked at Harry's outstretched hand and shook it, "Deal. What do you need my help with?"

Harry took a few steps closer to Theo and stopped an inch away from him, he put his hand on the door handle – the door that Theo was leaning against, and he looked into the other boys curious, brown eyes.

"I need your sharp mind," Harry said.

Theo swallowed, "For?"

"A task that the Dark Lord has given me," Harry answered, "When he calls me, I am to bring the most intelligent Death Eater I know, which is you."

"You want me?" Theo asked, and Harry sensed the double meaning, "Not Draco?"

Harry laughed and bit back a smirk when he noticed Theo try to suppress a shiver.

"Why would I want Draco?" Harry asked, a double meaning in his own words, "I want someone who knows their own mind and who isn't afraid to speak up when they need to. I think that's you, not Draco."

Theo swallowed again, "Why do I get the impression that we aren't just talking about who you need for the Dark Lords task?"

Harry smirked and stepped forward, closing the gap between them entirely, "Because you're as perceptive as you are smart," he pulled the door handle down and forced Theo to duck out of the way so that he could pull the door open. He hissed to Artemis to stay in the room, making Theo shiver for a different reason.

In the corridor outside, Draco was waiting.

"Really?" The blonde boy asked, raising an eyebrow at Harry, "How many people are you sleeping with now?"

"Just the one," Harry said, falling into step with Draco, "And it isn't your boyfriend, don't worry."

"I have never been his or anyone's boyfriend," Theo said, opening the door of a dorm room and calling, "Trace, get your lazy arse out here," he turned back to Harry and Draco, "And frankly, I'm hurt that you would leap to such an inelegant conclusion."

Harry snorted in amusement, "Yeah Theo, you look heart-broken."

Tracey stepped out of the girls' dorm, still tying her hair up into a bun, "Whose heart is broken?"

"Theo's, at being referred to as Draco's boyfriend," Harry replied calmly.

As a group, they set off through the common room for the great hall, and Tracey sniggered, "The day Theo dates anyone, I'll ask Hermione Granger out."

Draco looked at her distastefully, "I can forgive you being a half-blood and I don't care that you're into girls but that statement? Frankly, it should get you kicked out of Slytherin house."

Harry chuckled, "Ah, she has her appeal, I suppose. I never bought into it myself but hey."

"Kind of surprising," Theo pointed out, "Your type seems to be good girl Ravenclaws."

Harry shot Theo a grin, "Are we talking about the same Reyna Rookwood?"

"Good girl isn't a term I'd attribute Reyna with," Draco agreed in amusement.

"Hot, though," Tracey mused.

"Oh, if you'd only been at Harry's birthday party," Draco said, nudging his friend in the ribs.

Harry snorted and kept a comment about what Draco had been doing at his birthday party to himself. Instead, he decided to change the direction of the conversation a little, "Anyway Tracey, fancy joining us?"

Tracey raised an eyebrow, "What do you want with a mediocre half-blood, exactly?"

"Everyone has their strengths, worst case scenario you can bulk up the numbers," Harry teased.

"Huh," Tracey mused, "What's in it for me?"

"We can give you whatever you want," Harry said with a grin.

"We can't give her whatever she wants," Draco muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, you don't know Tracey, she's going to come out with the most outlandish thing she can think of," Theo agreed with an amused smile.

Harry smirked at Tracey, "Name your terms."

Tracey's grin was as mischievous as it was genuine, "I want a unicorn."

Harry shot her a sideways look as they stepped out of the common room, "Be fucking realistic, Tracey."

Theo shook his head in amusement, clearly seeing where this was going.

"Then I want Hermione Granger," Tracey deadpanned.

Harry and Draco met each other's eyes, both looking as exasperated as the other. In unison, they asked, "What colour do you want your unicorn to be?"

Tracey laughed and said seriously, "I'm on your side, I'll stand by you and help you out with anything that you need, but I won't become a Death Eater, you don't need me anyway."

"She's right, you know?" Draco pointed out, "Her older brothers, Icarus and Daedalus are Death Eaters."

Harry looked at Tracey in disbelief, "Icarus, Daedalus and Tracey? Are you adopted?"

"We have different mothers. Their mother was an Avery, but she died young, just after they were born. Then my father married my mother, who is a muggle-born if you must know. By the way, if you weren't the Dark Lords secret son, I'd punch you for that," Tracey pointed out.

"Okay A. He's not the Dark Lords secret son and B. You could still punch him; he'd probably enjoy it," Theo said, grinning at Harry and mouthing, 'pain fetish'.

Harry tried to keep a straight face, "You had better watch your mouth if you want me to teach you how to cast a Patronus, Nott."

They had just stepped into the hall, which was probably why Theo grinned and replied, "Sorry, sir," followed by a wink.

Before Harry could retaliate, the other boy headed towards the Slytherin table at a jog.

Draco scoffed, "Why are you letting him get away with that?"

Harry shot Draco a sideways look, "Cause I kinda like him."

"Yeah," Draco said, his eyes following Theo, "Everyone does."

Harry spent the entire day catching Lily's eye across various classrooms, despite trying his best not to draw attention to what had happened between them the previous night. Lily seemed to get a great deal of amusement out of this.

He grabbed her in-between Potions and lunch, and pulled her into a secret alcove he had discovered behind a magical two-way mirror. His lips were on hers the moment her back hit the wall.

Lily kissed him back, murmuring against his lips, "I'm surprised you're still interested, what with you flirting with Theodore Nott."

Harry smirked, his grip on her wrists tightening, "Jealous, Moon?"

"You wish, Potter," Lily said, her playful gaze meeting his.

Harry had only pulled her in there to make out with her, and that was her own fault after the looks she had been giving him all morning. But if she carried on like that, he wouldn't be able to resist taking it further.

He bent his head low and kissed her again, the same way he always seemed to kiss her. It was hard, and it was lustful, it was a battle for control. He would nip her lower lip, and she would open her mouth just enough to give him access then it was a battle of tongues, a clash of teeth. She kissed like she fought, messy and rough. She was a fighter, just like him – they had both had to fight, tooth and nail, their whole lives to get to where they were now.

Harry let out a pained gasp when Lily's finger trailed down his side, surely leaving a faint burn mark in its wake.

They were as messed up as each other, him and Lillian Moon, which was why she understood him in the way that she did and by Merlin, it made the sex good.

"Stop being such a tease Lillian," Harry said with a strangled groan.

Lily looked up at him with a smirk, "I have no idea what you could possibly mean Harry."

She slid her hand down his boxers, "And," she said softly.

Harry's eyes fell on her lips, "Uh-huh?"

Lily smirked and grasped his cock, using her unique brand of magic to heat her hand just enough to make it slightly painful, "Don't call me Lillian," she said.

Harry groaned again, "Ok, understood, totally understood."

The petite Ravenclaw looked rather pleased with herself as she got to her knees, removing Harry's cock from his trousers as she did so and proceeding to give it one long, slow lick from the base to the tip before enveloping as much of it as she could handle in her hot, wet mouth.

Harry held himself up against the cold stones as he tried not to let on how hot it was to see her on her knees, in a Ravenclaw school uniform. He guessed he did have a bit of a thing about Ravenclaws, come to think about it.

The bell that signalled the start of lunch rang and Harry pulled Lily to her feet, slipping his hands under her skirt, cupping her arse and lifting her against the opposite wall, kissing her hard once more as he did.

"Didn't think you were getting all the power, did you?" Harry grinned at her as she panted slightly.

Lily was just about to reply with a typically scathing comment when Harry moved her panties to one side and slid a finger into her already wet pussy causing her to moan for the first time and lose her train of thought.

Harry gave her an infuriatingly smug look then removed his finger, slowly replacing it with his cock and filling Lily up. She groaned and gripped his shoulders, throwing her head back to rest it against the cold, stone wall.

Harry wasted no time undoing the first couple of buttons on her shirt, he pulled her bra down roughly then leant down, swirling one of her hard nipples with his tongue then sucking it.

Lily had to bite down on his shoulder to stop herself moaning too loudly. The last thing they wanted was for Filch to find them in here, they were the Head Boy and Girl, after all.

This wasn't the time or the place for a drawn-out affair, so Harry quickly built up to a fast rhythm pounding into Lily as hard and fast as he could. She seemed to have no complaints and shifted back against him as much as she could given their position in the narrow space.

It didn't take Lily long to reach a toe-curling orgasm. She would never admit it to Harry, but she was a bit of an exhibitionist. The thought of Filch catching them turned her on as much as it terrified her, typical Ravenclaw, trying so hard to be good against her every instinct.

To avoid crying out through the waves of pleasure, Lily bit down on Harry's shoulder again, which drove Harry to the edge too.

Lily pulled back slightly and gave him a gentle nudge. Harry took the hint and pulled out of her. She dropped to her knees again and took his cock in her mouth, and Harry had to brace himself against the wall as he unloaded into Lily's mouth.

A final wave of pleasure coursed through him when he felt her swallow around his cock.

Lily cleared her throat and got to her feet, muttering a general cleaning spell to freshen herself up and ignoring the satisfied look on Harry's face.

Harry watched her straighten her tie and fix her skirt in amusement. He raised an eyebrow at her, "You done?"

"If you think I'm going to let anyone work out why we're both late for lunch, you have another thing coming," Lily said, giving herself a final once over to check that she was suitably put together.

Harry smirked triumphantly.

"And if you so much as think about bragging to all of your new friends about this, I will curse you, I don't care whose bitch you are," Lily warned him.

"Whose bitch I am?" Harry asked, a playful grin on his lips, "Hey, I have the Dark Lords respect, and I definitely don't do that with him, so actually, I think it's you whose-"

Lily pressed a burning finger against Harry's chest, "Finish that sentence, I dare you."

Harry hissed, it felt like a cigarette had just been put out on his skin (and yes, he knew how that felt thanks to Dudley and the foul habit he had picked up in the summer after Harry's 5th year).

Now it was Lily who was smirking, "Hm, cat got your tongue, Potter?"

Harry leant back against the wall, and Lily blew the smoke away from her finger.

"Fuck me; you are hot."

With a grin, Lily said, "I know," then she disappeared through the mirror without another word.

When Harry sat down at the Slytherin table and poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice, he was instantly given a scrutinising look by Draco.

"What?" He asked innocently.

"Who have you been sleeping with?" Draco asked.

"The same feisty little Ravenclaw who kept him up last night, I expect," Theo drawled, giving Harry an amused look.

"A feisty little Ravenclaw who wears red lipstick," Draco remarked, his eyes on a spot on Harry's neck.

Harry cleaned it off with a flick of his wrist and put his hand on the top of Theo's head as his friend turned around to survey the Ravenclaw table for girls wearing red lipstick. He turned Theo's head back towards their fellow Slytherins and tutted, "Modesty, Theo, modesty."

"Yes, he has none," Daphne remarked, her icy gaze on Harry, "It's nice to see that you finally noticed."

Harry grabbed himself something to eat with an amused snort, and the others promptly dropped the issue. Lily continued to give Harry amused side-long glances as the day went on, but nobody figured out that she was the feisty little Ravenclaw in question until later that day.

It was at the end of Defensive Magic, when Harry grabbed Theo and murmured, "I think the Dark Lord is going to call me tonight, so stay close, okay? Don't leave the Slytherin common room after dinner."

Theo nodded and opened his mouth to try and prod Harry for clues about what the Dark Lord wanted, but he didn't get a chance. At that point, Lily walked past on her way to the door and pressed her hand against Harry's shoulder, exactly where the handprint burn was.

Harry flinched at the initial twinge of pain and Lily smirked.

Theo looked at Harry in disbelief.

Harry smirked right back at her, "Who said you could touch, Moon?"

With an amused look, Lily replied, "See you later, Potter."

She slipped out of the classroom, and Theo looked at Harry, "She's the feisty little Ravenclaw?"

Harry grinned, "Yep."

"Wow," Theo said, an amused smile on his lips as he shook his head, "It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?"

"Apparently so," Harry said, grinning at Theo.

"And she's with us?" Theo asked with interest.

"She will be as of the full moon," Harry replied, "I've convinced the Dark Lord to take on some more female followers, and his first two will be her and Reyna."

Theo snorted, "The girl you shagged up against a tree and the one you're currently shagging? Isn't that going to be awkward?"

"I doubt it since Reyna was, and still is, with Fawley," Harry answered, "I was just a bit of fun to her, and it's not like Lily is my girlfriend."

"Does she know that?" Theo asked.

"I'm pretty sure nobody can misunderstand the sentence 'that was fun, and we should do it again, but no strings', don't you?'"

"Yeah, fair point," Theo said, they walked into the great hall which was loud and bustling, enabling Theo to lower his voice and say, "Because I know what else happened the night you slept with Reyna, even if Draco was the one who saw you."

Harry shot Theo a smirk, "Who says Draco was the one I was watching?" he asked.

Before Theo could formulate a reply, Harry dropped down into a seat in-between Tracey and Sophie, "Ladies – how do we feel about starting a feminist Death Eater club? Do you think it's fair that the Dark Lord mainly recruits males? You could campaign together, Sophie – I think you would make a great treasurer and Tracey, you have a pretty face. I think you would do well in marketing."

"I think you're a condescending git," Tracey said, throwing a sausage at him.

Harry just grinned in response.

Harry had just stepped out of the shower when a knock sounded on his dorm room door. He couldn't tell if it had come from the Head Common Room side or the Slytherin Common Room side, but he called, "Come in," regardless.

"Are you decent?" A familiar voice called.

Harry chuckled to himself, "Not morally, but I'm wearing pants if that's what you mean?"

The door from the Head Common Room clicked open, and Lily raised an eyebrow, "You were saying?"

Harry grinned, "I have boxers on, the last time I checked we were British and called them pants."

Lily shook her head and threw a pair of jeans at him, "Well, how about you put these trousers on then?"

Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the bed, "What's the point? You've seen it all."

Lily straddled him, for once her hands not burning holes into him while she did so, "This isn't a relationship thing, is it?"

"No, it's not," Harry answered, running his hands under her shirt and up her back, "It's a 'you're hot as hell, and with the things I do for the Dark Lord, I frequently need to let off steam' thing. I'm sure that suits you more than a relationship anyway because you have an inherent distrust of men, particularly when they are authority figures. Still, you also have major Daddy issues and are attracted to such men. My power and standing with the Dark Lord puts me into that category, making me your type and in true keeping with your type, I'll happily use you for my own physical needs without burdening you with my feelings."

Lily narrowed her eyes at him, "Are you inside my head?" she asked, pressing her wand against the soft skin at his side.

"No, I don't need to be, you're ridiculously easy to read," Harry replied, a smirk coming to his lips, "What do you plan on doing with that wand?"

"Oh, so many things," Lily replied softly, "I could force your entrails to expel from your mouth, that could be interesting to watch. I could find out what happens when the force of a bolt of lightning hits you at close range. I wonder, how much you can survive, boy-who-lived."

"Most of what you can throw at me, little girl," Harry said, smirking and grabbing the back of her neck to pull her into a kiss. He flipped them around and pinned her to the bed, then he murmured, "Incarcerous," and magical bonds bound her hands to two of the bedposts.

"You think you can keep me down that easily?" Lily asked, her hands already beginning to burn and turn amber.

"Ah, ah, ah," Harry said, waggling a finger at her, "No burning hands, it's too easy for you to have control that way and I've let that illusion go on long enough."

"You can't stop uncontrollable magic," Lily said, a triumphant smirk on her lips.

Can't I?" Harry asked. He had already picked his wand up from the bedside table, and with a twirl, a flick and a complex incantation, two invisible bubbles encircled Lily's hands.

"What did you just do?" Lily asked, looking up at Harry in disbelief.

Harry, who was now hovering over her, moved his lips down her body, starting at her neck and chuckling as she stiffened up and tried not to show her arousal.

"Magic incapacitation charm," Harry answered, looking up at her, "Used by Grindelwald to transport his prisoners around safely. I wouldn't try fighting it; there's no way you're using magic until I end the spell."

Lily looked torn between glaring at him and moaning as Harry's lips reached her breasts.

"I hate you."

"Uh-huh," Harry said calmly, doing something with his tongue that made her moan loudly, "Do you really, though?"

Shortly after curfew that evening, Harry's left forearm burned. He was sitting next to Theo on one of the sofas with Artemis draped around his neck; Lily having disappeared off to the Head Common Room with a book about dark curses. Harry supposed he should be concerned about that, but for some reason, he wasn't.

Theo was reading a book too, and his feet were casually resting on Harry's lap. Draco sat opposite Harry, the two of them locked in an intensive chess battle.

Despite having a high pain threshold, the initial flash of pain made Harry grimace and flinch unsettling the juvenile basilisk, much to her displeasure judging from the disgruntled, "Ssssstupid pillow masssster," comment she garbled at him.

Harry's hand balled into a fist, and Theo looked up, sensing the movement.

Draco looked up sharply too, wondering why he hadn't felt the burn.

"Is it time?" Theo asked.

Harry sighed, "Yeah, it's time."

I am in a hurry. Do not be late.

Harry rolled his eyes, "And I get the feeling he's impatient," he added, swinging his legs around, "Checkmate, by the way."

"What?" Draco barked, looking down.

Daphne looked over from her spot next to Draco and smirked, "He's right; your king has nowhere to go."

Draco kicked the table irritably, knocking his king over in the process.

Harry held his hand out to Theo and pulled the other boy up from the sofa.

Draco looked between them, "Where are you two going?"

"Hell most likely," Harry replied calmly.

Theo snorted, "That's no way to talk about his family home."

At this, Draco's eyes widened, "Why has the Dark Lord called you two, but not me?"

"Or me, thank you for entirely forgetting about my existence," Blaise's voice said from somewhere.

"Technically he's only called me, but he asked me to bring someone with me, and I need Theo," Harry said. He opened the door to his dorm and hissed at Artemis, "Stop complaining, go to bed."

"You are not the boss of me," the snake hissed in response.

"I swear sometimes it's like having a child," Harry muttered, "See you later, Draco. Come on, Theo."

Draco raised his hand in a wave, "By the way, I really don't want to know what you need Theo for but not in my family home, please."

A chuckle that sounded like it belonged to Daphne sounded behind them, but Harry didn't have time to stand and chat – he knew what mood Voldemort got in when people were late. As such, he and Theo left and made their way out of the school in a hurry, apparating to Malfoy Manor the moment they were clear of the gates.

"You were almost late."

Harry could have rolled his eyes, but he didn't, "I came as quickly as I could, my lord."

Voldemort looked up, his eyes looking over Theo with interest.

Theo immediately averted his gaze, but Voldemort smiled slightly and reached down to stroke Nagini, "You left Artemis?"

"Yes, no offence but-" he switched to parseltongue, "She is not your biggest fan, Nagini."

Theo looked up at Harry in surprise; he hadn't heard him switch to parseltongue that flawlessly before.

Nagini raised her head and hissed, "She is small and feeble now, but she will be big soon. She will be larger than me. Snakes kill the young of their enemies for this reason."

"Yes, but you are not just a snake – you have a human brain, so you know that Artemis is not a danger to you. She will be left in the Chamber of Secrets once she is fully mature. Besides, I will not let her hurt you."

Nagini's eyes stayed on Harry's as she hissed, "You owe me nothing."

"No, but I owe your master a hell of a lot, and I know how much he cares for you. I will never hurt you, and because Artemis is under my command, she will not either."

Voldemort smiled slightly and looked at Theo, "How rude of them, Theodore. You will presume that they were talking about you, but they are merely debating the hierarchy between Nagini and Artemis."

Theo was slightly surprised to be addressed directly by Voldemort, and that sentence was also one of the strangest he had ever heard so rather than responding with something stupid, he just nodded.

"She's very petty," Harry said in English, motioning to Nagini, "She would get on with Draco," he added, shooting Theo a side-long grin.

Theo bit back an amused smile but said nothing.

"You can talk in the Dark Lords presence, you know," Harry said, throwing himself into a chair in the small lounge they were currently occupying, " He doesn't bite."

Theo opened his mouth, and Harry added, "Much."

Voldemort gave Harry a long-suffering look, "If you have nothing valuable to say, Harry, then I suggest that you keep your mouth shut."

Harry snorted and looked up at Theo.

"Do you speak, Theodore?" Voldemort asked.

Theo gave a small nod and looked directly at Voldemort, "I have nothing of value to say at present, my lord."

"Well then you are a sensible boy indeed," Voldemort mused, "Why waste words when you have nothing to say? Perhaps you should spend some more time with Harry and teach him that skill."

Harry grinned at Voldemort, "Oh, you love our heart to hearts really."

With an exasperated sigh, Voldemort threw something at Harry. Despite not being ready, Harry caught it with relative ease thanks to his old seeker's instincts.

"What's this?"

"It is what I require you to find," Voldemort said.

Harry looked at the small crown in his hands, "Okay?"

"It is Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem," Voldemort explained, "And it is in a room known as the Room of Hidden Things. To access it you must walk past a tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy three times and think 'I need a place to hide something'. If you do it correctly, a door will appear."

"Yes, I am aware of it," Harry said, "Although I know it as the Room of Requirement, not the Room of Hidden Things."

"I've heard of a room in the same area called the Come and Go Room," Theo chipped in.

"Yes, it goes by many names," Voldemort said, "But in this case, it must become the Room of Hidden Things. Once you are inside, you will find yourself in a labyrinth of items hidden and lost by students over the centuries of Hogwarts existence. I cannot write down instructions to guide you to the location of the diadem, the nature of the room requires utmost secrecy so I can only pass on the directions orally."

Theo smiled and looked over at Harry, "I have a photographic memory."

Harry grinned, "You are wasted in Slytherin."

Theo smiled slightly, "As I said, I was a hat stall for Ravenclaw."

Voldemort looked at Harry, "I presume you will zone out while I relay the instructions to Theodore?"

"As I don't have a good memory, let alone a photographic one, I'm going to say yes," Harry replied matter of factly.

"Very well, but I shall make this part clear now – when you find the diadem, your role in this task ends, Theodore."

Theo nodded, "Yes, my lord."

"And then I bring it back to you?" Harry asked, looking Voldemort in the eye.

"Directly and promptly," Voldemort finished.

Harry gave him a nod, "Yes, my lord."

Harry and Theo didn't talk again until their feet hit the darkened path in Hogwarts' grounds. They walked towards the castle – lit up like a beacon in the distance.

"So, when are we going to do this?"

"No time like the present," Harry shrugged.

"You mean, right now?"

Harry looked sideways at him, "That is the definition of the present, Theodore."

"Don't call me that," Theo muttered, "Only the Dark Lord calls me that, and my father if I've really fucked up."

Harry didn't say anything, and a few minutes later, Theo said, "I'm probably going to regret asking this, but you know how you and the Dark Lord spoke in parseltongue just before we left?"

"Uh-huh?"

"What were you saying?" Theo asked curiously.

"Oh, he was just telling me off," Harry admitted.

"Seriously? Are you actually his kid?"

"Not exactly," Harry replied cryptically.

Theo frowned as he processed that information, "What was he telling you off for?"

"Being a show-off," Harry said, shooting Theo a grin, "He thought I was overly sassy because I was trying to impress you, but I'm pretty sassy at the best of times so I'm surprised he could tell the difference."

Theo's frown deepened, "So you were trying to impress me?"

Harry responded with a cheeky grin and jogged ahead, forcing Theo to do the same to keep up with him. His fellow Slytherin rolled his eyes but followed him anyway. They wove through secret passageway after secret passageway until they reached the seventh-floor corridor.

Harry did the ritual – walking by the tapestry three times, thinking about the Room of Hidden things – and sure enough, a door appeared before them.

Theo looked at it warily, which surprised Harry a little.

"You haven't been here before?"

Theo shook his head.

"Not when the Inquisitorial Squad busted my secret army in fifth year?"

Theo shook his head again, "I wasn't a part of that, I didn't see the point. I just kept my head down."

"Not with Draco last year when he was fixing the vanishing cabinet in there?" Harry asked.

Once more, Theo shook his head, "No, Crabbe and Goyle were the only ones who were in on that."

Harry raised an eyebrow and pulled the door open, "Were you and Draco 'involved' then?"

"Not really, we've been friends for years," Theo said with a shrug, "But this summer something changed, he was stressed out, I guess."

"He was using you," Harry said while Theo looked around the room, "You know that, right?"

"Of course I do," Theo replied, "And I was using him too. He pretended not to notice me stealing paperwork from Malfoy Manor to give to my father. He wanted to know the Malfoys secret to success in politics."

Harry nodded thoughtfully.

"And I know that Draco just needs me for stress relief, but I don't care," Theo said with a shrug, "I'm pretty sure he's gay and that he'll only marry for an heir, but a lot of people thought that about Lucius and look at him and Narcissa."

"Sickeningly in love," Harry said with a fond smile.

"Either way," Theo said, "It wasn't a relationship, it wasn't loving, we both knew that. But why do you care anyway? We're all just pawns in your game, aren't we?"

Harry shrugged, "Not exactly, but I'm a pawn in all of yours, and I'm smart enough to know when I'm being used. Everyone wants something from me – Draco wants to get his family back in the Dark Lords good books, you want to rise in the ranks, and even Lily…she wants protection or status, I guess."

"So it's no different to being the golden boy for the light, then?" Theo mused.

"On the contrary, it's completely different," Harry said, following Theo's lead through the piles of clothes, ties, desks and other junk, "When I was the lights golden boy, I had no idea that everyone was using me. They were all playing me for a fool but now? I know that everyone wants something, and I know what everyone wants. I can give the people I like what they want and deny those who I don't. I have the power now."

"So where do I fit into this?" Theo asked, pausing at a cross-section, "Am I on the nice list?"

Harry grinned at him, "If you get us to that diadem, then you are at the top of the nice list, Theo."

Theo chuckled and led the way through an alleyway of bookshelves, filled with lost and hidden books like the Half-Blood Princes. Harry cast his gaze around for the bust that Voldemort had told them to find the diadem on.

He and Theo saw it at the same time, but Harry sensed that something was off faster than Theo did.

"Theo, wait!" Harry began to yell, but before the warning could reach Theo, he had stepped over an invisible curse line.

The cry of pain that filled the air knocked the breath from Harry's lungs for a moment. Theo fell to the ground, clearly in agony.

Harry scanned the curse line, which was no longer invisible but instead a line of purple fire.

"Harry!" Theo choked out.

Curse-breaking hadn't been Harry's expertise, he had listened and taken in what Fawley had said, but he hadn't found him as good a teacher as the likes of Gus and Antonin. As such, it wasn't instantly clear what the curse that had hit Theo was.

"Just take a deep breath or something," Harry said, trying to concentrate through Theo's yells or pain.

"TAKE A DEEP BREATH?" Theo yelled through the pain. He sucked in a shuddering breath, "It feels like my insides are being RIPPED OUT!"

Those words made it click – an entrail expelling curse, but an incredibly slow-acting and therefore excruciatingly painful one. All the same, knowing what it was made it easier to break.

Harry raised his wand, moved it in a figure of eight and spoke the counter-curse. That temporarily ended Theo's suffering, but Harry then had to follow it up with a powerful, "Finite Incantatem!" to break the curse-line.

When the purple flames disappeared, Harry knelt and gripped Theo's arm, "Are you okay?"

Theo looked up at him through heavily lidded eyes, "I think my heart just tried to burst out of my chest so no, I'm not fucking okay."

Harry cast a diagnostic charm on Theo and grimaced, reaching out to touch his face, "There's blood coming out of your eyes, so I'm pretty sure you're bleeding internally."

"Fantastic," Theo murmured sarcastically.

Harry pocketed the diadem and helped Theo to his feet, "We'll get you to Narcissa, and you'll be fine," he promised.

"Are you doing that thing where people say 'you're going to be fine' when they actually mean 'you're going to die'?"

Harry hooked his arm under Theo to support his weight and answered, "No, Theo. If you were dying, I would tell you that you were dying."

"Yeah, you're kind of a psychopath, so that makes sense," Theo said breathily.

"You might want to save your energy for getting to the hospital wing, not for talking shit," Harry pointed out.

"Talking makes me feel less like I'm dying," Theo said, his breath catching again, "Sorry for calling you a psychopath."

"You should be, I'm far more of a sociopath," Harry said, pausing at a cross-junction, "Which way?"

"Straight ahead," Theo gasped, "Fuck, your memory is bad. It's a good thing you've got looks on your side."

Harry chuckled, "You can chat me up when you aren't trying your best to bleed out of your every orifice, Theo."

Theo laughed weakly but fell silent – his breathing was a little shallower than before, which worried Harry. They reached a curve and Theo said, "Round the corner – door, straight ahead."

Harry helped Theo limp to the door, and the moment they were out of the room, he transfigured a stretcher for Theo and levitated him to the hospital wing in a bid to get him there as fast as possible.

As it was, Theo had passed out by the time they reached Narcissa's domain.

"Narcissa!" Harry called urgently.

A door opened, and Narcissa rushed out, "Harry! What has happened?"

"A curse," Harry said, laying the stretcher onto a bed, "He has internal bleeding, I was trying to keep him talking, but he passed out about five minutes ago."

Narcissa cast a diagnostic charm then pushed Harry to the side so that she could work on saving Theo's life. Harry could have left, but instead, he sat down against one of the cold, stone walls and screwed his eyes shut tightly.

Did you know?

He wasn't sure if the thought would reach Voldemort through his own disjointed, chaotic thoughts. But maybe Voldemort was expecting it, or perhaps he was already inside his head because his reply came much quicker than Harry had expected.

Of course, I did.

Harry scoffed, So it was a test? You put Theo's life at risk just to make sure I paid attention in summer school?

I tested you to see if you could concentrate for long enough, without being distracted by your latest pretty face. It seems that you can.

Harry would have rolled his eyes if they were open. You don't know that. Theo's in bad shape.

You underestimate Narcissa's skill as a Healer, Harry and that I actually care about young Theodore's health.

You underestimate how pissed off I am, Harry thought back irritably.

I should not need to remind you who you are talking to, Voldemort's voice in Harry's head was cold and shrill. A dull ache began in his scar and Harry groaned, "Oh, no…no, no," he muttered to himself.

I should not need to remind you why you are at Hogwarts, Harry, the aching pain became a throbbing pain, and Harry screwed his eyes more tightly shut, You are not there to play with mudbloods or whoever else takes your fancy, the first sharp pain shot through his scar and he grimaced.

You are not there to flirt with the sons of my most loyal Death Eaters, white stars popped up in his vision as the pain in his scar worsened even more, he bit back the cry of pain that wanted to escape from his lips because he was determined not to give Voldemort the satisfaction. Still, he could feel the sweat on his brow now, and he knew he would pass out if Voldemort kept this up.

You are there to recruit followers. You are there to keep the other adolescents under control, and you do not have the right to strut around the school as if you own it. I made you Head Boy and can just as quickly take that privilege from you and give it to someone else who will focus on the tasks that they are given.

As Voldemort's angry grew, Harry tried to hold onto his consciousness, but with Voldemort's final, seething thought, Harry's world went black.

Remember your place, Harry Potter.

When Harry woke up, he groaned and slapped his hand against his head as blinding pain coursed through him, "Fuck," he murmured. Another shot of pain made him whine, pretty pathetically, "Fucking bastard," he muttered to himself.

A soft snort of amusement sounded nearby, and Harry's eyes shot open. He instantly regretted that because the light of the hospital wing almost blinded him with pain.

"Isn't the person who brings the patient into the hospital meant to go home or cry in a waiting room?"

Harry blinked through the pain and turned his head to the side to look at Theo, "You're alive then."

Theo looked chipper enough, but it was apparent he wasn't well from his pale pallor and the dark marks under his eyes, "Thanks to you."

Harry would have nodded if it weren't for the fact he knew it would be agonisingly painful, "You're welcome."

"So why are you here? Narcissa won't tell me, she's very cryptic," Theo said, giving Harry an easy smile, "She's protective over you, I can see why she's your happy memory."

Harry looked across the room at the blonde woman and smiled slightly, the fondness he felt for her was almost enough to counteract the sharp pain in his forehead.

"Let's just say I have a killer migraine," Harry said, his eyes still on Narcissa.

"So you were calling your own head a bastard then?" Theo commented.

"Yeah, let's go with that," Harry said, refusing to look at Theo, "I get stress headaches."

Theo snorted, "Wow, did you think I would fall for that? I thought you wanted me because I was smart?"

Harry turned to the side to look at Theo, "What's your take then?"

Theo pushed himself up a little in his bed, "Your scar hurts, and it has something to do with the Dark Lord. Draco told me that he could put you in pain worse than the cruciatus curse, you told Draco that he was lucky because he would never have to endure it, implying it is a pain unique to you. The Dark Lord had us retrieve a diadem, a highly powerful magical item hidden behind a curse-line. Items like that are traditionally used as vessels. Then there is the fact you can talk to snakes even though you are a descendant of Gryffindor, not Slytherin. The conversations you and the Dark Lord seem to have without words was how I put it together. When I asked if you were his kid and you said 'not exactly', that makes sense now. You're not his heir. You're a part of him."

Harry sighed and got to his feet. He crossed the short space between their beds and sat down on the edge of Theo's, "Yeah."

Theo looked him in the eye, "I'm right?"

"You're right," Harry said, his eyes on Theo's as he focused with all his might on locking Voldemort out of his mind, "But you need to stop right now because if you go any deeper down that rabbit hole, it doesn't matter how smart you are, or how much use you will be to us in the future, you'll be dead."

Theo swallowed.

"And it won't be me who does it," Harry said, his voice even lower than it had been when he first sat on Theo's bed.

Theo gave a small nod.

"You know what I am, and that's fine as long as you know how to keep your mouth shut," Harry finished, his eyes scanning Theo's, "Because I actually quite like you, and I don't want to see your body burning atop a bonfire just because you were too damn smart for your own good."

"Got it," Theo said quietly, "Consider it forgotten and don't worry, I'm good enough with occlumency to divert him if he tries to search my mind."

"Good," Harry said, grimacing as he got to his feet. Any form of movement caused pain to radiate through his scar.

Theo reached out and grabbed his wrist, "Harry? Don't take the diadem to him just yet. Go about your day as normal and do it tonight, give him time to calm down."

Harry smiled a little, "Theodore Nott – are you concerned for my welfare?" he asked, a hint of a flirt in his tone.

Theo smiled right back at him, "You saved my life, you bastard, I'm allowed to be concerned for your welfare."

Harry chuckled and backed out of the room, "Told you that you wouldn't die, didn't I?"

"Harry Potter, where do you think you are going?" Narcissa's high, stern voice asked.

"I'm fine, Narcissa," Harry called before she could stop him, "Just a migraine!"

"That boy," He heard Narcissa tut as Harry dashed out of the hospital wing, "I have no idea how Poppy endured six years at this school with him to care for."

When Harry sat down in Potions, Draco whispered, "You didn't come back last night, and Theo isn't in class today."

"That's because he's in the hospital wing," Harry replied, flipping open his textbook.

"What? Why?" Draco asked sharply, "Is he okay?"

"He nearly bled out through his eyeballs last night but thanks to your mother's fantastic healing skills, he's fine," Harry replied.

"What the hell were you two doing?"

"I can't tell you; the Dark Lord has forbidden us to speak about it. Theo walked over a curse line like an idiot. It's a good thing I was there really," Harry whispered, "I'm surprised by your genuine concern though, considering the fact you're using him and all."

Draco gave Harry a knowing look, "He knows I'm using him, and he must think I'm an idiot if he doesn't think I've noticed him stealing paperwork from my house."

Harry smiled in amusement but said nothing.

"Since when do you give a shit about Theo's welfare, anyway?" Draco asked curiously.

"Since he started giving a shit about mine," Harry replied.

Draco made a noise of amusement, "You know that he's only flirting with you because he wants status, right?"

"I know he wants status," Harry agreed thoughtfully.

"He ought to learn his place," Draco said in a whisper, "He's a Nott, throughout history, they have been the Malfoy's right-hand men."

"In more ways than one," Harry muttered under his breath.

Draco shot him a long-suffering look, "The point is that his family will never be anything more than they are right now unless he crawls up your arse to gain political favour."

Harry shot Draco an amused look, "That's why you're pissy? Because you think if I sleep with Theo, I'll give him all of your family's power?"

Draco raised an eyebrow, "Am I wrong?"

"Of course you're wrong," Harry retorted calmly, "And arrogance has always been the Malfoys problem, by the way, I reckon it will be the death of you one day."

Draco raised an eyebrow, "And being trusting has always been the Potters downfall. Be careful not to put your faith in the wrong people, Harry."

Harry smiled slightly, "That didn't work on me when we were 11, Draco and it won't work on me now either. I'm an outstanding judge of character."

Slughorn walked past them, so they fell silent for a few minutes until the coast was clear again.

"I may well grant the Notts a little more power," Harry continued, "But your family are my family too. I owe your mother everything, and as much as I hate to admit it, I'm pretty fond of your father too. You're like a brother to me, and it doesn't matter who else I get on our side, or who I grant power to. You won't lose anything, I promise."

Draco gave a small nod, "I appreciate that."

"Good, because I'm not going to stroke your ego every time you get a bit jealous," Harry said, grimacing and pressing a finger against his scar.

Draco noticed, "Did you get hurt too?"

Harry pressed his entire hand against his scar, "The Dark Lord punished me for stepping out of line, again," he explained.

Draco pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and murmured a charm then pressed it into Harry's hand, it felt like a block of ice.

"Cursed scar or not, it will numb the pain," Draco said.

Harry pressed it against his scar and let out a soft sigh of relief, "Thank you."

Draco moved a little closer to him and asked in a whisper, "What do you mean, you stepped out of line?"

Harry was a little more open now with the cold compress soothing his aching scar, "The Dark Lord knew that Theo would get cursed, but he didn't tell us. It was a test; he wanted to test my concentration because he thinks I'm weak; he thinks I get distracted easily."

"He thought that about me too," Draco said quietly, "And he was right."

Harry opened his eyes and removed the ice cloth from his face, "I lost my temper with him, and he reminded me that my place was at his feet, regardless of what I thought."

Draco caught his eye, "He's right – it is your place, and mine, all of ours. None of us are equal to him."

"Not yet, anyway," Harry said, his eyes glinting with ambition, "But one day, I will be."

Draco sighed and shook his head, "You're going to get yourself killed, Harry."

"Boys," Slughorn said, his usual jovial air dropped, "Less chatter and more work."

"Yes, sir," Draco said, turning away from Harry.

"Sorry, Professor Slughorn," Harry agreed as silence fell between himself and Draco once more.

* TBC *