"What are you doing here?!" Harry yelled in a low tone. He had startled when the Slytherin boy had apparated right next to him where he was picking the lock to the local electronics store. Theo was propped up on the wall, one booted foot pressed against the plaster. In between deft fingers was a cigarette glowing orange in the weak light.
"A better question is… what the hell are you doing?" He pursed his lips and took a long drag as he waited for Harry to answer.
"I need a part for the MP3," Harry explained struggling with a bobby pin and transfigured bit of silver. Theo stared at him until he eventually signed and gently pushed Harry aside. He stood in front of the door and took out a black knife that absorbed the light. Then he pushed it against the keyhole. The door clicked open.
"Woah," Harry breathed," Family heirloom or a Slytherin thing?" Harry questioned. Theo shrugged, holding the door open for Harry to step into the building. Harry did and quickly looked for the USB cord and wireless charger he needed. He had some money changed to muggle pounds which he originally intended to use for clothes when he found the time but would use for this endeavor instead.
"Both. Slytherins are often given a family heirloom on their eleventh birthday to aid in their time at Hogwarts. It's also a subtle way for Pureblood to pressure their children into doing what they want," Theo whispered, staying close to his back. He examined the bits and bobs in boxes along the walls from over Harry's shoulder.
"Pompous prats," Harry muttered.
"Hey," Theo chuckled his breath tickling Harry's hair," I'm one of those 'Pompous prats'," Theo pointed out with a silly grin. Theo in many ways was beautiful. He was beautiful in his frozen fury, his cruel amusement, his vicious delight but he was most picturesque just like thin. Loose, happy without the shadow of his father looming over his elegant figure.
"Well, as long as you know," Harry smirked. Theo huffed and turned away from his to grin at the display of laptops and music players. Harry saw him finger a deep blue MP3 player which wasn't much different than Harry's. Of course, anything Dudley had must have been the most recent model.
"bring it here," Harry said plucking a few cheaper MP3 players from the stands ad getting the USB and portable charger as well. He took out his muggle pounds and set the right amount on the counter.
"Hurry up then, I'll buy it," Harry was starting to get a bit antsy. He wanted to be out of here before any late-night cleaners came in. Theo walked towards him and helped throw all of the stuff in a storage bag. He was quiet, oddly quiet especially for a Slytherin-Ravenclaw who was secretly fascinated by muggle electronics. Even when Theo Nott was having one of his quiet days, he hummed or made little sounds to show engagement and interest. Harry suspected that Theo had none of these tics at school, they were too open to fit in with the ruthless House of Snakes, but only did it so that Harry wouldn't get insecure and falter under the weight of the entire conversation.
"Why don't we talk about it?" Theo asked.
"About what?"
"About them," Theo said them like Harry said Voldemort.
"Because there's nothing to talk about," Harry told him flippantly.
"They hurt you,"
"Yes,"
"Why?"
"Because they hate me, Theo. Because they hate magic,"
"Why don't you run away?"
"Because I'll be taken back," Harry said shortly. He snatched up the bag and walked out of the store closely followed by Theo.
"Have you told Weasly and Granger? About them?"
"No and I never will," Harry looked at him sharply," And neither will you." Theo simply nodded at the not-so-subtle command and threat. His magic was a living thing with gaping jaws and warmth but Theos was a tangible thing with hands that soothed his wounded soul.
"But me? Could you tell me?"
"You never talk about your father," Harry countered.
"I want him dead," Theo hissed. Harry allowed himself a few seconds to properly absorb that statement.
"Oh." Yeah, folks, this was the extent of Harry Potters's magnificent intellect.
"Yeah." Theo snorted, "The last person to call me Theodore was my mum. I don't like when people call me that anymore," He went on to share. So, that's what they were doing.
"I still have nightmares about first year. I dream that every time I touch someone, they turn to ash," Harry confessed quietly. With the wet rodes and the wide puddles, the damp air, and the cool wind everything was just so reflective. So perfect for self-reflection.
"My favorite color is Burgandy," Harry snickered.
"My favorite color is green," Theo huffed.
"I hate my father. He loves me but I hate him," Theo murmured.
"I don't think I'll live past twenty," Harry whispered. Theo looked at him sharply and grabbed his wrist tightly. He didn't pull Harry and it didn't hurt but it still felt restrictive to Harry after feeling his uncle drag him into so many dangerous places but again Theos magic calmed him skimming over his arms and warming his cold cheeks.
"Why?" Theo demanded.
"Because I don't wanna live past twenty," His eyes were glassy. Theo was quiet next to him taking long drags from a never-shortening cigarette. Distantly he asked what kind of charms it took to make it. Presently he didn't really care but the scent of cigarettes reminded him of his godfather.
"I didn't recognize you when I first saw you walking," Harry continued. Theo still looked pensive.
"You didn't? I thought you were being decent," Theo mused with a dark chuckle.
"No. I didn't remember until after we argued," Harry confirmed.
"I had an older brother,"
"I- I had a friend. His name was Ari," Harrys voice broke down the middle of the name. Theo looked at him then with dark eyes like Harry had never seen before. Deep and blue as the night sky but churning always glinting like the abyss.
"Do you still think about him?" That was what he asked. Harry laughed brokenly.
"Just all the fucking time," It was his turn to look away from Theo's fluttering eyelashes and fitted black button-up.
"My father killed my brother. I don't remember his name," Theo said these horrid things like facts. Hard and true with none of those bullshit feelings. Harry admired him and hated him then. Theo Nott felt hurt with none of the pain, who learned lessons with none of the scars.
"I like your hair. A lot," That shocked Theo into laughing. He was grinning with his forearm pressed to his mouth. His nose crinkled and his dimples winked joyfully.
"Yours is nice too, Harry," He pulled on a curly red lock of hair and watched it bounce and curl again.
"I had multiple exorcisms as a child," Harry watched their shoes. Harrys filthy trainers with an indistinguishable color and Theos designer boots with ribbons instead of laces.
"What… happens in an exorcism?" Theo asked without any intonation in his voice. Utterly blank and all the more comforting for it.
"The priest kind of… tie you down and burn you with things. Sometimes they drown you," Harry swallowed thickly.
"Merlin," Theo breathed. He looked far ahead of them and Harry knew without a doubt that he was thinking bad things. Most certainly about killing the Dursleys. Harry knew that Theo didn't have the same moral system as Harry. He spoke about his friends like they were chess pieces. He wanted to kill his father more than Harry wanted to kill Voldemort. His emotions were deep and rich but difficult to get to though he could certainly fake it if he wanted. He was Slytherin like that.
"Yeah, it sucked," Harry tried to laugh, tried to be more like Theo but it didn't quite come across as nonchalant. Instead, it came across as emotionally stunted and traumatized. Which, fair.
"Father killed Mother," Theo whispered darkly. It was as if his voice belonged to hundreds all hungry for vengeance. Harry nudged Theos hand with his own.
"You saw it," It was Harrys turn to be factual.
"Yes, Theo confirmed quietly. A few moments passed and they stayed quiet with the back of their hands pressed together. Harry sometimes wondered what it was he was doing forming such attachments to a kid who might be more mentally fucked than he was. Then he remembered that all of his lasting relationships were made through traumatic conditioning and mentally snorted.
"I'm sorry Theo," Harry hooked their pinkies together.
"I'm sorry too," Theo intertwined their hands.
Uncle Vernon had a tight grip on his shoulder. His sweaty beefy hand twisted Harrys arm as the ring came into view. Harry had to be a different person now, a different Harry. He had to be a Harry who could deal with this shit. Everyone in the crowd had mean faces, weak jaws, and scrawny frames. These were mortgage managers who liked the thrill. Sick fuckos with wives and kids all pushed together like fish in a can to watch him fight another man, most likely a big man, a strong man. These men didn't have faces to Harry. They all looked like Uncle Vernon in his mind.
"Listen, boy," Uncle Vernon's saliva splattered on the side of his face. Disgusting," You go in, you win, you eat. Got it?" Vernon snarled. He didn't wait for an answer as he hobbled through the crowd who yelled and jeered at Harry. He felt their gaze on his bare legs covered in nothing but tight grey boxer shorts and over his uncovered arms and torso, scrawny but muscular. Scared but coltish. Not as pretty as they would have liked but there was something to that too. Warm bodies were warm bodies. Harry chose fighting over being a warm body any day.
"Here he is!" Uncle Vernon announced. A big guy, strapped with muscle looked him over.
"This one? You sure?" He asked unsurely. Harry heard his handler tell him to shut up.
"Yeah, this is the one," Vernon boasted. Harry said nothing.
"How old is he?" The man asked. He had a rather plain face. Square jaw, a bit of stubble, brown eyes, and spiky brown hair. He eyed Harrys face, his thin figure, his frighteningly intense eyes.
"Does it matter?" Vernon laughed but Harry heard him tense up," You some kind of copper?"
"Nah," he denied easily," Just didn't know that that's what you all do here. Beat up, kids. Where did you even get him? Off the street?" The man scoffed.
"This is my nephew. He's a troublemaker, might as well get some money off him. The government stingy," He laughed loudly. Many around them did too.
"What's on his face?" One asked.
"A muzzle. Can't have him biting!" Harry forced his body into a casual unconcerned pose even if he wanted to run away from all the leers and jeers that followed Vernon's suggestive statement.
"You a poof?" His opponent snickered at Vernon who was starting to turn purple.
"No!" Vernon denied. Harry inwardly snickered. This was funny but Harry still had to fight someone tonight or he wasn't going to eat.
"Look, are you fighting or not?" His handler asked him. The man looked at him. Harry met his eyes fearlessly and raised an eyebrow. The man just scoffed at his bravado and nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fighting. But only till takedown," He insisted," Three counts he's out." His handler shrugged and nodded.
"Whatever, yeah, we can do that," He rubbed his hands together and turned towards the 'referee' or more accurately a failed medical student that was supposed to stop one of them if they looked too close to death. Or take their organs and sell them if they did die in the ring.
"Alright, here we go. In the ring!" The announcer (The house owner) bellowed. Harry was pushed into the cage which was about fifteen feet across and wide. The man took one side Harry took the other.
Merlin, he wanted Theo right now. He wanted Theo to teach him how to properly hold a knife and he wanted Theo to stand behind him with a carefree grin correcting his stance and insulting his posture.
'You fight like a ruffian' Theo had said after getting an elbow to the face.
'You fight like a silver spoon' Harry had teased helping the tall sprawling boy up.
Harry missed him.
"Gentleman, gentlemen!" There were no ladies in the crowd. Most of these men were 'Alpha Males' and believed that women were just too nurturing for 'Real Sports'," Here we have Maddox from Leeds!" The crowd crowed out praise for the man who nodded to them with a dangerous glint in his eye.
"And in this corner- THE FREAK!" His 'Stage Name' was announced. Harry sleeked away from his corner and started to examine the stranger. He was heavy so he wouldn't be as fast as Harry but he also had better reach. He had a stab wound in his left shoulder so favored his right for hooks. He pitied Harry. All things Harry could use.
"HEY! HEY! WHAT KIND OF NAME IS THAT?" The man yelled at the announcer.
"Hey, kid? What's your name?" He asked Harry. It was the first time he had verbally addressed him. He hesitated briefly but then thought, it really didn't matter.
"Harry," He introduced.
"Alright, Harry," The man whisper yelled in his ear. His voice was a bit muffled from his fancy mouth guard. It made him spittle a bit," Got any ideas for a name?" He asked.
Harry thought for a bit and nodded, telling him.
"THERE WE HAVE IT! ROMA FROM SURREY!" The crowd roared. The fighters went to their separate ends of the cage again. Harry made sure to slouch his posture.
"HERE WE GO! READY? SET? FIGHT!" The man swung towards him but Harry ducked around his arm and struck his side. Because of his magic, he had a more solid punch than a fourteen-year-old malnourished kid would have. It made him falter a bit but he recuperated quickly. Harry refused to let him guard up again and so kept hiding his sides and stomach until he had to back away to avoid the man's deadly accurate swings. Harry got cuffed hard in the ear before he managed to duck away.
Harry danced away from the remaining swings, ducked, and jumped up to hook the man the dead center of the face satisfied when he heard the wet crack of his nose. The man tried to retreat to a corner but Harry advanced and stook him in the throat and jaw putting extra power in what he knew could be winning shots because those goddamn hurt.
Harry reached up and pulled the man's hair all the down until it reached his knee which was sharp and boney and definitely knocked a tooth or two out. The man fell onto the floor. Harry realized that the man truly wasn't trying all that hard to win when he weakly tried to get off the floor. The count started.
"ONE!" The crowd challenged.
"TWO!" The crowd encouraged.
"THREE!" The crowd roared. Harry waited a few moments and reached out a hand to help the man up.
"Haha! Thanks, kid!" The man said when he was on his feet. Uncle Vernon pulled him away and walked him out he already had the money channeled to him by digital means. Harr hardly remembered much of the ride except the feeling of Uncle Vernon's beefy hand on his neck. and his body being thrown in his room with some rations.
Merlin, he missed Theo.