Grumble...grumble...I still can't get into my files because my computer is being stupid...this sucks. :( It reminds me why I like to write with pen and paper. *sigh*...

"You should probably go see him." Neville advised with nervous twitching ears.

Harry was in the Great Hall with Hermione and Neville some time after breakfast had been cleared away. Other than a couple first years at Ravenclaw table most everyone else was somewhere in the castle going about their Saturday either doing homework or entertaining themselves. He had yet to see Theodore, but he was fine with that.

"I don't want to see him." Harry muttered, his own ears pinned back. He'd just finished telling the two all that Theodore had said last night. "I want him to go away forever. He's manipulative and deceptive. Who would want to be around him?"

"But that's the thing that bothers me." Hermione suddenly interrupted. "He is manipulative and deceptive, but why would he tell you he's been manipulating you and deceiving you...unless he wanted you to give him distance."

"What?" He stared at her, stunned.

"He wants you to give up on him." Hermione told him. "He's just manipulated you again. If you choose to give up on him then he can pin the blame of your disconnection on you. Don't you see? He wants you to stop trying to associate with him!"

"I get it." Neville agreed, ears now perked. "If you don't go see him, Harry, you'll be playing right into his hands!"

"You mean..." Harry gave a massive exasperated sigh as his tail lashed fiercely. "For the love of Merlin! Does he know how to have normal human interactions or not?"

"This is normal for him, Harry." Hermione tried to get him to understand. "What he's putting you through is normal for him."

Harry frowned and stared at his hands folded on the table. He wanted to say a whole load of things about how this was unfair and how Theodore was really irritating him. He didn't like it when people weren't direct. He didn't understand manipulation and deception like how the Slytherins did. He wanted things to be easy and simple. This dancing around the truth and playing with people's emotions wasn't his idea of a good relationship with a particep.

"I hate this." He mumbled and then stood. "Fine. He told me I should meet him somewhere at noon, but this was on Monday. I'll check there first since it's almost that time and then I'll go to the library."

"You want us to come?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"No." He shook his head. "He might think you're ganging up on him."

"Right..." She whispered, ears lowering and tail falling limp.

"See you." He waved and started making his way to the seventh floor.

The whole while, he was lost in thought. Theodore was exactly as Harry had imagined Slytherins, but he honestly hadn't expected him to be so smart about it. He knew they were good at twisting things to their benefit, that they were sly and cunning, but he hadn't expected Theodore to be so incredibly intelligent. He understood how people's minds and emotions worked. He knew how to play them and get them to do what he wanted. For all Harry knew, going now to find Theodore was actually doing exactly what Theodore wanted. He had no idea if he was defying the Slytherin or doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing according to Theodore's plan. He hoped it was the former because the idea of making Theodore happy made Harry feel sick right now.

Theodore, of course, was not on the seventh floor and so Harry wandered back down to the library where he found him, tucked into his corner of the library, but he wasn't alone. Goyle and Higgs were there, much to Harry's surprise.

"I heard a rumor." Terence was saying as he flipped through a book, his ears backwards.

"Rumors are not always founded in truth." Theodore told him without hesitation.

"I thought there was no truth?" Terence asked in a snarl that brought Theodore's gaze up. "Only perspective? Isn't that what you're always saying?"

"What's this rumor you've heard?" Theodore quickly moved on to the topic.

"I heard you and Harry called off the connection." Terence's eyes had narrowed and Goyle gave a small gasp as his gaze flashed between the two Slytherins. "Some of the Gryffindors were complaining about it. One even tried to get me to find you and give you a beating. They're pretty upset by it."

Theodore returned his eyes to the book. "It was a waste of effort."

"What was?"

"Trying to get Potter to see things from my perspective." Theodore replied with a small smile, but his eyes looked sad. "He is too far a Gryffindor. He refuses to see things from my point of view. He doesn't understand my efforts. He is an idiot."

"You're no better." Terence shot, hair rising in his irritation. "You don't try to see things from his perspective either."

"With a brain like his?" Theodore gave a snort of disgust. "He doesn't have a perspective."

"Stop." Harry was surprised to see it was Goyle who had spoken. "Stop calling 'im stupid."

Theo's eyes flashed with anger. "Why not?"

"I don' like it." Goyle muttered, glaring with his ears flat on his head. "An' I don' like 'ow you treat 'im either."

"What?"

"'e's your particep..." Goyle's cheeks had turned a brilliant shade of red. "You shouldn' be treatin' 'im like that."

"Like what?" Theodore asked in his wry voice.

"Like 'e's the rest of us." Goyle stated, staring down Theo suddenly. "Like 'e's not any more or less special than one of us."

"He's not." Theodore told him, his fury rising. "He's less than us."

"'e's not." Goyle stood, towering over the other two boys like a great hulking bear. All of his hair was standing up and his ears were back while his tail thrashed violently, knocking books from shelves. "'e's special...'e should be to you!"

"He's not!" Theodore also jumped to his feet, eyes radiating his rage. It was amazing to see that Theodore was only an inch shorter than Goyle, but a third his weight. "He's not special to me! He never will be! A foolish Gryffindor and Harry bloody Potter? Do you know what..."

He stopped, breathing heavy, and eyes still on fire with his fury.

"You see what you want to see." Terence said in a wise tone. "You have to set your prejudices aside and look for the good qualities that are there. I'm sure you've seen them."

Theodore gave a mirthless laugh. "Good qualities? The whole world is rotten and deserves to burn. No one is good. They don't even come close. The 'good people' in this world are the one's pointing out the bad in everyone else without even thinking to look at their own ugly reflections. They do kind things for hope it will make them look better and people will be fooled into thinking they're seeing a light in the darkness. We're all moths and 'good people' hold out flames for us to fly to only to then watch us burn. It'd be best if they caught themselves on fire. It'd be best if the world was empty of people."

"You're such a pessimist." Terence sighed hopelessly. "And a bit of a dramatic. Ever thought of maybe just accepting that this is how life is and try to find a ray of light somewhere that doesn't hurt as much as the rest?"

"I'm going." Theodore reached for his bag, but Goyle got to it first. "Hey!"

"You should listen to us." Goyle swallowed at the glare he was receiving. "We're your friends. We want to help you."

"I don't have any friends." Theodore snarled back. "Give me my bag."

"You're lonely." Goyle mumbled, looking concerned. "I don' think it's good for you to be lonely, Theo."

"Don't try to play smart, Greg." The thin Slytherin boy seethed. "It will always make you look like a fool."

"I wish I had what you 'ave." Goyle suddenly spewed. "I wish Tracey wanted to be around me like Potter wants to be around you. Crabbe has Bulstrode an' Malfoy has Zabini an' I'm all alone. You don' want to be alone, Theo. You just think you do. You just think you should, but you don'. You want to be around people. You laugh when you're around them. It's not always a true laugh, but it's there. You always look sad when you're alone. I've seen it! You sit 'ere in the library all alone an' 'ope someone comes over an' sits with you. You sit there an' tell them to go away, but you don' mean it. You don' at all. You want them to stay. You're lonely, but you're too used to it. You think you're supposed to be alone an' so you push everyone away. It's not right! You don' want this! Who would? It's sad to be alone! I know! With everyone else 'aving someone else, I am alone all the time...because Tracey doesn' want a big idiot like me."

Harry was sure he'd never in all two and a half years of knowing Goyle seen him talk so much all at once. Even all the rare things he'd said in the past couldn't even add up to this much. However, more importantly, it seemed his words finally hit home because Theodore took his seat.

"You can come out now, Potter."

Harry couldn't believe where he was right at that moment.

For nearly three hours he and Goyle and Terence and Theodore had been wandering the castle and enjoying each other's company. Goyle had introduced himself to Harry again, this time as Gregory with permission to be called Greg, and Theodore had laughed at one of Terence's jokes (Harry nearly melted at sight of that smile, not quite real, but still there). They had explored more of the castle then Harry had ever dared to before. Terence had showed them how to get into the kitchens and where the paths were to get to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw ("You have to answer a question to get into Ravenclaw Tower, but don't try to get into Hufflepuff because it has a defense mechanism..." He had explained."). They had found the Room of Requirement where Theodore said he'd intended to train Harry how to use a Patronus, but they'd have to do this tomorrow instead. Eventually, they'd run into Stephen and Terence had ditched them for the 'better company.' Then they'd...well, Harry couldn't believe it. He was sure that, if Snape came in at this moment, he'd be murdered.

They were in the Slytherin common room playing exploding snap with Malfoy and Zabini, both of whom were being civil. According to Gregory, Malfoy was the closest candidate for being Theodore's best friend, which Harry figured was probably still far off, though he could see it. Theodore and Malfoy had a lot of secrets together, shared many an inside joke that confused those around them, and sometimes made motions with their hands in a sign language that only Goyle seemed to know bits of.

"We were schooled together." Gregory explained to Zabini and Harry, both looking worried, when Malfoy and Theodore jetted upstairs to get some snacks. "The three of us. Theo was always the smartest though...an' I was always the dumbest."

"I don't think you're dumb." Harry told him with a small smile. "I mean, I used to, but not anymore."

"That's nice of you." Zabini snorted, ears flat and tail twitching. "You know, I think it was a pretty stupid move of you and Nott to let the little blood traitor in."

"Blood traitor?" Harry shot him a dark look.

"Yeah." Zabini's eyes held a threat. "What of it?"

"Leave 'im alone!" Gregory glared at Zabini and the much smaller boy immediately looked away.

"Thanks..." Harry tried a nervous smile at the oaf beside him.

"What's the shouting about?" Malfoy asked when he returned, looking blandly between the irritated Zabini, the blank-expression of Gregory, and Harry's weak smile. "Uh..."

"Don't expect an intelligent answer." Theodore muttered as he took a seat beside Harry. "So, Greg, what's with you and Tracey anyways? She doesn't like you? She isn't trying to disconnect, is she?"

"She visits once a week." Gregory sighed, his shoulders slumping and his big ears pinning back. "Just enough to keep the con-con...bond...she says."

"That's stupid." Malfoy passed around some of his sweets, not handing any to Theodore, who apparently honestly didn't like candy. "You should tell her you want a real connection."

"No..." Gregory mumbled, tail swishing nervously. "She 'ates me."

"Well, I don't think she ate you..." Malfoy's comment received an elbow in the side from Theodore. "Ow..."

"Just be persistent." Theodore instructed then glanced at Harry as he added with annoyance. "That tends to work."

Harry grinned back. "It's working?"

"You wish."

"What's this?"

The new voice brought everyone's head up to stare, much to Harry's pure terror, right at the cold black eyes of Snape. His expression was unreadable and his body was rigid as he gazed down at them, his ears twitching between forward and back and his tail flicking with agitation. Harry was sure they could hear his knees smacking together from his abrupt fear. Snape never scared him, but at this moment when he was exactly where he wasn't supposed to be, Harry was terrified.

The Slytherins didn't seem the least bit bothered.

"Candy." Malfoy replied as Theodore said dully, "Exploding snap."

"That's not what I mean and you know it." Snape spat, his irritation finally showing on his face. "What is Potter doing here?"

"Eating candy." Malfoy answered as Theodore added in the same dull tone, "Playing exploding snap."

Snape's brow raised. "And why is he in the Slytherin common room when he is a Gryffindor and strictly forbidden here?"

"Strictly forbidden, huh?" Zabini repeated with boredom. "Well, that's a real shame."

"What a pity." Malfoy sighed exaggeratedly.

"Sorry, Potter, but I guess, we'll just have to kill you and feed you to the giant squid." Theodore put in calmly.

They all nodded and Harry stared at each of them in bewilderment.

"Caramel?" Malfoy held up a candy towards his Head of House who took it without hesitation.

"If you want me to overlook this, you'll have to do better than caramel." Snape put in silkily and Harry's mouth dropped.

Malfoy opened up his bag of sweets. "Let's see...I have lots of chocolates, a package of bubblegum, some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, but I can't guarantee any of the flavors...and a sugar quill. Take your pick."

"Two bars of chocolate and the sugar quill." Snape replied and Harry's mouth fell open further. "Close your mouth, Potter, before you inhale a fly and choke."

Harry did as he was told and watched the exchange of sweets.

"Make sure no one from the other Houses sees him leave." Snape instructed. "And, Potter, don't you dare tell any of your little friends, nor are you permitted to bring them here, nor are you permitted to come here alone. Understood?"

All Harry could do was nod vigorously as he watched the man take his leave.

"I can't believe..."

"He's my godfather." Malfoy explained before Harry could finish his sentence. "And it wouldn't matter anyways. He's nice to Slytherins because none of the other teachers are."

"That's...so weird." Harry mumbled, still in shock.

"Hang around us more." Malfoy grinned mischievously. "Because you haven't seen weird yet, Potter."

Hope you enjoyed!