Disclaimer's in the prologue.
"Can you believe this!?" Lars exclaimed in indignation as they walked out of the Potions classroom. "It was not our bloody -" he was cut off by a baritone like voice, which is the voice of the Potions Master saying very loudly "Language Mr. Potter! Five points from Gryffindor!"
"I hate that bloody old bat." Lars grumbled when they were far enough from the Potions classroom so that the old bat wouldn't hear.
"You deserve the second five points you know." Theo said with a smirk.
Lars scoffed. "Oh, what do you know snake, as long as your with him," he looked at Harry, who remained as passive as always, "you won't be losing any bloody points."
"He's practically the greasy git's favourite student, even more than ferret face." Ron added.
Theo shrugged. "He's the Professor's assistant what do you expect."
"Oh, it's no biggie, only that he tells his bat of a Professor that the explosion is not OUR BLOODY FAULT!"
"In case you three clodpolls didn't notice, the subject of your chat is standing right here with you, beside you." Harry said lazily, looking annoyed that they were speaking about him as if he wasn't even there.
"And what good would that do?" Lars challenged. "You're not going to tell the bat that it was bloody Malfoy anyway."
Harry raised an eyebrow, eerily reminiscent of the bat. "I'll have you know that I've told him about that since the first day."
The three were surprised. "Really?" Theo said, opening the door of the Charms classroom.
"No not really Theodore that's why I wasted a few seconds of my time saying that I did." Harry said sarcastically. "I did my part so since it looks like he won't do anything about it you're just going to have to sit far from Neville, or Finnegan."
"We can't do that, not to Neville." Harry gave Lars a look clearly asking 'why not?' "Besides Hermione he doesn't have any friends here, he'll be more jumpy around Snape."
Harry rolled his eyes muttering "Overly sentimental Gryffindors." then sat at the far back as possible while Weasley, Lars and Theo sat in front but after a while when the teacher wasn't there yet he moved to the seat next to Harry.
Professor Flitwick started teaching them the tickling charm, Rictusempra,which gives you a tickling sensation that would make you buckle with laughter, when he arrived for class.
"Would anyone like to volunteer?" The charms teacher said in his squeaky voice. Most muggleborn and muggle raised half-bloods raised their hands and only a few wizards raised, including Theo. "Ah Mr. Nott and Mr. Thomas." Harry can observe Theo almost jumped with joy when the teacher called for him.
Theo and Thomas demonstrated the charm in front of the others. Theo casted the charm first on Thomas, and then Thomas to Theo. They both rolled on the floor with laughter which was a bit contagious seeing that nearly the whole class erupted with laughter also. Harry found it completely dull and useless so he yawned all throughout the laughing.
During his free time, Harry was either in his quarters or the library, and at this particular free time, he had opted to go to the library, somewhere quiet and where Theo's incessant jabber and chatter will not be tolerated, not that Theo's with him at the moment. Needless to say, he was quite surprised to see his brother in the library not surrounded by his lion fan club, and just seated quiet whilst reading a book.
"Good afternoon Lawrence." As Harry foresaw, Lars practically jumped off his skin at the surprised greeting.
"Don't do that!" Lars hissed, glowering a bit darkly at him that he instinctively apologized before taking a seat across of his brother and proceeded to read his book.
"What broom are you going to use?" Lars asked suddenly, making him look up from his book and look at his brother.
"What?"
"Broom, for the match, what are you going to use?" Harry almost forgot that he still needed a broom. He made a mental note to send a message to a friend to borrow one.
"I don't have one yet." he told his brother before asking the question that he should've asked earlier. "Did you tell them that I'm here?"
"Who? What?...Uhm... no..." Lars stammered for a bit out of evident confusion before realization dawned. "Well you did say that you don't want anyone else to know yet so..."
"I appreciate the consideration, Lawrence." Harry says cordially. "I'm sure I'll see them on the Quiditch match anyhow." His Godfather, Siriusm is a big fan of Quiditch and since Lars is going to play, most likely he will attend to watch the Gryffindor Versus Slytherin match.
"Yeah, Uncle Sirius gave me a new broom." Harry stared as his brother paused to wonder. "I could talk to him, if I say that you're here and you're also a seeker he'll also buy you one, we're both his godsons. I mean officially you are...but-"
"Absolutely not." Harry cut off his brother. "I'd rather not. I'm just going to borrow one."
"If you're sure..."
"Yes, I'm sure..." Godfather or not, he doesn't want Sirius to give him something.
Harry stayed at the library for an hour before leaving. His brother left a while before him, and heading to the common room.
"Hey!" Higgs and Theo greeted. Harry being Harry, he just gave them a nod and sat on one of the desks.
The rest of his free-time was spent on reading, doing homework, and being silent. Theo wasn't speaking, since Higgs left a while ago, and neither was he. He answers when he is asked but other than that he doesn't speak anything else.
There were only a few students in the common room, Harry and Theo who were both sitting by the table, Macnair's group, who were sitting on the couches, and two other students sitting by the fireplace.
"How can you stand this?" Theo spoke.
"Excuse me?" Harry responded without even looking at his friend.
"This...this absolute silence!" Theo close to yelled, exasperation evident in his voice. "I'm telling you mate it's unnerving."
"Unnerving for you but not for me." he retorted, his nose still buried in his book. "If you can't stand it why aren't you chatting with those others?"
"Well for one, I don't think they like me very much," Theo wasn't liked by the others mainly because he is the friend of the twin of the 'boy-who-lived' and he associates with muggleborns.
"Renz left earlier remember."
"Theodore, the only thing you and Higgs talk about is that pointless game." Harry pointed out. "Day in, Day out Quiditch is in your chat."
Theo shrugged before announcing that he's sick of the silence and wishes to play twenty questions.
Harry seemed to think for a moment before closing the book that he was reading. "Brilliant! First question. Why do you hate Quiditch so much?" Harry opened his mouth to answer but hastily added "Besides that you don't want to get injured or the like."
Harry just looked at Theo for a moment, thinking if he should answer honestly or not. He conceded to the former. It will make no harm saying the truth anyway. "I don't want to be known for something he was also good at." It wouldn't take a genius for someone to know who he was talking about, James Potter, a brilliant chaser during his tenure as a Hogwarts student.
"Alright my turn," Harry said a minute later. "How do you know all those muggle things? Knowing your family they wouldn't have let you go wandering about the muggle world."
"No they wouldn't," Theo deadpanned before grinning. "That's why they wouldn't know," Harry looked at Theo with incredulity. Jovially, Theo explained to Harry how he would sneak out sometimes and then go to a muggle village near theirs, not that his parents actually noticed that he is out of the house for a few hours.
"Well, it's more fun there," says Theo, "and the other snipes are nice they taught me those games that we don't have like scrabble, backgammon, and there were those that are like moving pictures, I don't remember what they're called."
"I see." Harry drawled. "So you don't find them uncivilized like what other purebloods say."
"Bloody hell No!" Theo exclaimed which caused the others in the common room to look at them. "They're even more advanced than us they have this quill-like thing that they used to write and they don't have to keep on dipping and dipping it on an ink, very easy to write with, I tried."
"It's called a pen." he informed the pureblood.
"A pen." Theo repeated before beaming. "Wicked! Do you have one now?" Harry indulged the enthusiastic pureblood and produced a pen from his pocket, a shiny black pen with the name 'H. Evandrus' etched on to it, consequently letting the said pureblood examine it. Theo looked at it with extreme fascination.
"This is wicked!" Theo said for what must be the umpteenth time. "Can I have something like this?"
"Sure, why not?" he replies, taking back the pen.
"Thanks! Next time you should bring me with you if you go to the muggle world." Harry doesn't find the idea all that welcome. He doesn't have anything against muggles, mind you, but he abhors being outside the house far longer than necessary.
"Tsk tsk Nott, turned into a blood-traitor by a filthy half-blood." Harry nearly jumped at what he recognized as Macnair's nasty voice. Like his brother, he hates it when people suddenly speak from behind him but he has a better way in controlling his impulses when someone does it.
"Oh please, I liked muggles even before Harry came along." Theo said, audaciously proclaiming to Macnair, whose father knows Theo's father and is in the same social circle, that he does not share their beliefs.
Harry just hoped that his pureblood acquaintance doesn't get into too much trouble with his family. He wouldn't wish it for someone who managed to tolerate his slightly cold and callous attitude.
"And you say muggles are illiterate animals compared to us wizard when you, who is a wizard, even if a bad excuse for one, are not even near the muggles when it comes to attitude." Theo said firmly, voice filed with conviction.
"That's Macnair' psyche, Theodore." Harry drawled, opting to help out in insulting Macnair. "His already empty as a hermit's address book of a mind is heavily vitiated by the fatuous tenet of his lot, so what he does is degrade muggles, muggleborns and half-bloods because his unctuous mind cannot accept that even the lowest of the low creature in the food chain's higher than him, thus making him the lowest of the low." Macnair looked a little loss at his choice of words, never the less he got the message that Harry thinks he's stupid.
"Tsk tsk Macnair, verbally bamboozled by a filthy blood-traitor, eh?" Theo said with a smirk, clearly intending on adding insult to injury. "How utterly brilliant."
Macnair drew his wand in anger and pointed it at Theo. Theo took a step back and Harry noticed immediately that Theo is nervous despite the smirk still present on his face.
"Put that away, Macnair." Harry says coolly, "Wouldn't want to poke someone's eye out with that being in your inept hands."
Macnair, naturally, turned to Harry, grabbing him by the collar. "You should learn your place here you filthy half-blood!" the older boy said angrily.
"I have already learnt it." Harry replied, nonplussed that Macnair is holding him and has a wand pointed at his face, occasionally glancing at the ticking clock. "And I've learnt that my place is way above you that you won't even reach it even if you have made an elevator to the moon or go ride a spaceship travelling in the speed of light, which moves about two hundred thousand kilometres per second, to get to where I am."
Harry was sure that nobody in the room knows what he was blabbering about but it is enough that Macnair can clearly process it in his little brain that Harry said that he, Macnair, is way below him.
The older boy was more enraged than ever that he was about to cast something, probably very nasty at Harry, who was still collared by Macnair, when his wand flew out of his hand. Their gazes followed the direction of the wand and saw that it landed on the palm of their head of house, Professor Snape, who was looking at them with fury in his soulless black eyes.
"All of you," The potions master bellowed to the other students, "into your rooms. NOW!" He yelled the last word then turned to the five of them.
"Explain, Mr. Macnair," said their head of house in a deadly low voice, "why you, had your wand drawn and pointed threateningly, and your hand gripped at the collar of a first year, no less a competent assistant of mine."
"Nothing Sir, we were just fooling around." Macnair lied nervously. It was fascinating how Professor Snape can make students, even the kids of those nasty deatheaters like Macnair Sr., nervous.
"Right Harry? We're just fooling around." Harry had the urge to punch Macnair for using his first name, though he figured that he'll just end up on his arse if he did do it, physical brawling was never really his thing. They are not friends and hopefully will never be.
"Don't you dare believe that git sir, he's a bloody f****** arsed liar!" Theo yelled.
"Mr. Nott watch your tongue and do not tell me what to do," The potions master said icily. "Now, Mr. Evandrus what happened?"
Harry told the Professor what had occurred. He told him on how Macnair got angry because a younger boy and half-blood has a wider vocabulary than him so the older boy decided to hex him.
He smirked at Macnair who gave him a look clearly saying 'this isn't over'. The Potions Master handed out a month of detention, with Professor McGonagall, to Macnair and his gorilla companions. According to rumours Professor McGonagall greatly dislikes Macnair.
"So that's why you looked at the clock." Theo said.
"What?" he asked, a bit unsure as to what Theo is referring to.
"You knew the Professor is coming to check on us because it's lights out, clever one on baiting Macnair."
"There was no way out of it after he grabbed my collar." Harry said simply. It was not like he could actually hold a fight when a hand is gripping him tightly by the collar and wand pointed exactly at his face. Fortunately he's not a muggle, or else he'll just get clobbered up by Macnair.
"So you just have to buy time until Professor Snape arrives." Theo concluded. "Brilliant!"
Harry lied down on his bed with his eyes closed for a while but even then he couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned but still he can't find it in himself to sleep so he decided that maybe a late night wandering in the castle will not be such a very bad idea.
"Where you goin'?" Theo mumbled while he was drinking a glass of water, a usual thing that he does every night.
"Out, obviously." he replied.
"It's the middle of the night, where're you goin'?."
"I don't think I need to tell you where I'm going." Harry responded as he stood in front of the mirror, which is their way out of the Slytherin dungeon.
Harry hissed in parseltongue for the mirror to open and as he went inside, Theo immediately followed. Harry just let him follow, that way if he gets in trouble he won't be the only one, he has someone with him. They exited through the transparent wall facing a staircase heading towards the towers. They stepped on the staircase leading upwards when it suddenly changed direction.
They found themselves in a room that not only looks bad but also smells bad upon entering through the door at the end of the staircase when it stopped.
"Where are we?" Theo asked, his eyes circling the whole corridor.
"Do I look like a map to you?" He replied irritably, having a bad feeling about the corridor.
"I think we're in the third-floor corridor." Theo said with a chilling voice. "We're not supposed to be here."
"We're not supposed to be traipsing around the castle near midnight either." He rebutted, regretting his rash decision to go wandering around the castle at night even when they were told not to.
"We should go back." They turned to leave only to see Mrs. Norris, meaning that Filch could be somewhere near there.
"Run," Theo said and they ran to another door, it was locked and they can hear Filch closing in. What's worse was when Harry realized that he doesn't have his wand with him and it was in his other robe, fortunately Theo did and he opened the door with the unlocking charm, Alohamora.
Harry stopped dead on his tracks as soon as he saw clearly what's inside the corridor, only Theo saying "I think he's gone." broke him out of his surprise.
"Good because we have to go like now..." As soon as Theo turned around, the pair of them yelled bloody murder before exiting through the door again and hastily went back to their room.
"Oh Merlin, oh dear..." Theo was pacing and hyperventilating as they got back inside their room. Harry handed him a candy and started to calm down.
"What was that?" Theo asked.
"Lemon drop, with a bit of calming draught." He replied and then raising an eyebrow at Theo's slightly odd look at him.
"Oh, great Merlin what on earth is a bloody Cerberus doing inside the school!" Theo suddenly exclaimed out of the blue. "It could kill someone."
"I'll kill you if you don't shut up." Harry stated, pointing out Theo's loud voice that can wake up the whole dormitory.
Harry hummed. "The Headmaster did warn us not to go there and apparently for a very good reason."
"I know that," Theo said exasperatedly. "But you do realize that it works as a reverse psychology for us right?"
"Not for me it doesn't."
"Oh come on...you mean you weren't curious on what's in there?"
"Curious, yes, but trying to enter it even when the Headmaster specifically told us not to unless we 'wish to die a most painful death', not really no. I'm not quite fond of the prospect of dying in a most painful way."
Harry was wondering if it really was that hard to follow the teacher's instructions when it's a matter of life and death. Someone told him once that you should always obey your elders when you know that it will be good for you, and following a warning about dying a most painful death is one of those times when you should obey, no questions asked.
"Did you see the trap door?" Theo asked and Harry shook his head in a negative response. That's not something he saw at the dark room. He barely even saw the dog, only seeing it when it showed its white fangs.
"I was quite busy looking at its head and its...sharpened fangs."
"I think that dog is guarding something." Theo stated. "I mean just symbolically, the Greeks said that the Cerberus guards the gates to the underworld, right?"
Harry just nodded. Guarding something, probably, if you want to hide something, Hogwarts is the safest place apart from..."Theo, do you remember that break-in at Gringotts? July 31st?"
"Yeah...great Merlin!" Theo seemed to have an epiphany. "It's here, the one that the thief tried to steal in Gringotts it's here! Whatever they are trying to hide." Theo looked overjoyed by that fact. "Wasn't it that the Cerberus sleeps when you play music, we could look bring a handy musical instrument, a flute maybe, and see what is inside the trapdoor." Sometimes Theo thinks like a Gryffindor about exciting things and it's blody annoyin.
Harry looked thoughtful. "Hmm...A few minutes before it sleeps, so how are you going to play a musical instrument without being eaten first?"
"Magic."
"And you do you know the spell how to make a musical instrument play?"
"Err...No."
"There you have it. You'll be dead before you could even reach the trap door." Harry said slipping into his bed covers. "Whatever is inside that trap door is dangerous, we're students, we don't do the protecting the teacher does that."
Theo lied down on his bed too and yawned. "For someone who doesn't have parents, no rules and regulations given by an adult, you're pretty quick in following a teacher's warning."
"I can and I will break rules or pay no attention to warnings if I want or need to or if the things doesn't make any sense, but the Headmaster's warning makes sense doesn't it? Or at least now it does seeing as we have experienced it firsthand."
Concluding, Harry said "Someone told me to just trust the adults if they warned you, whether you like it or not."
"I thought you don't trust people." Theo blurted out.
"I don't trust a lot of people." he clarified. "But even then, I'm logical enough to follow advices that I think will do me good."