Well, you know how it is: one thing after another. My puppy Asura ate through my internet cord and I had to go buy another one. *sigh* she's too cute to be mad at though. :D
Harry knew the excitement over Black's break-in would last for weeks. In the meantime, he was more anxious than he had every been in all three years at Hogwarts. Neville was in utter disgrace and Hermione was so busy with school that neither of them were able to help him with his newest dilemma: Theodore was not talking to him.
After Harry had woken from his nap, he'd gone straight to the dungeons and then to the library in search of the other boy, but he had only found Snape walking down the corridor as Harry made his way towards the Great Hall.
"Sir?" Harry was surprised at his own change of attitude towards his originally least favorite teacher. "Have you seen Theodore?"
Snape stopped and looked down at Harry, ears halfway to being pinned back. "He didn't come to get you?"
"Was he supposed to?" Harry asked, suddenly worried.
"He said he was going to come get you." Snape's ears were now lying flat on his head. "Perhaps, he is waiting for you at Gryffindor Tower."
Harry thanked the man and then started off in the direction of his common room, but Theodore wasn't there. Anxiously, he wondered if they were passing each other up, missing each other by minutes or corridors...
Nervous, but worried about waiting much longer, he focused his thoughts on Theodore and whispered, "Come here."
In only a few minutes, Theodore had arrived, out of breath and looking worried as a parent who'd lost their child at a busy park. This worry dropped from his face nearly instantly at the sight of Harry perfectly all right, if a bit scared and anxious.
"You called me?" Theodore's eyes had a darkness in him and flickers of rage. "You dared to call me for no reason?"
"I thought we were missing each other." Harry told him, now shaking. "I mean, Sn...Professor Snape said you were coming to get me and I had been looking for you..."
"And so you thought you had the right to just call me?" Theodore spat his fury, ears back and hair rising. "You are an idiot."
"I..."
Harry was at a loss for words. He had no idea why Theodore was so angry and, yet, he had a feeling he was supposed to know something about what was going on. If only he'd started reading up on this over winter break. He watched Theodore straighten and then turn to walk away.
"Wait!" Harry called after him, but Theodore didn't even turn around, didn't even flinch, and Harry knew...he just knew...the boy was going to take a long time to get back.
Two days later found Harry in Hagrid's hut beside Ronald, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there with Harry. Harry felt a bit the same. Hagrid lectured them, though mostly Ron, about Hermione since she felt bad about Scabbers and wanted the two boys to make up and be friends again and since she had gotten herself into too many classes and was also helping Hagrid with Buckbeak's case, which the boys should have been doing as well. Harry felt bad, he really did, but Ronald didn't look the least bit unsettled by all of this.
Returned to Gryffindor Tower, Harry noticed there was another Hogsmeade visit coming up the next weekend and, since he had no one there to advise him otherwise, thought he'd go and see if he could talk to Theodore.
The whole week, Theodore skipped out on the study group and he made sure to plant himself on the far side of each class they shared. The only time Harry got a chance to be near him was Friday during Potions when Harry noticed that Theodore hadn't paired yet with Goyle and he slipped in beside him. Goyle, noticing this, stepped in beside Neville, who looked absolutely terrified by this turn of events.
"Go away..." Theodore growled at him from under his breath.
"No." Harry responded without hesitation as he pulled out his books.
"Leave..."
"Quiet." Snape ordered, glaring their direction and the Slytherin shut his mouth audibly.
A moment later, Theodore's hand shot into the air and Snape nodded to him.
"Sir, I don't feel good." He stated.
"You look fine." Snape said, much to the entire class's awe. "Unless you start vomiting, I'm sure you can handle this class."
Theodore seemed incensed by the rejection and started working on his potion furiously.
"I didn't know." Harry whispered to him. "I didn't know it wasn't all right to call..."
"Then maybe you should learn to read." Theodore interrupted with a hiss, dumping an entire vial-ful of armadillo bile into his cauldron, which let out an irritated gurgle.
"I can't find any books..."
"Why not have that Mudblood help you?"
Harry knew the Slytherin had said the term intentionally and he felt his tail begin thrashing angrily. "Don't call her that."
"Mudblood." Theodore's eyes were sparkling with malice and his face was set with an evil grin. "Your mother was one, wasn't she, Potter? A Mudblood. Some filthy-blooded whore born of Muggles...dirt."
"Stop it." Harry whispered, his hands shaking. "Stop..."
"Why?" Theodore asked, eyes flashing fiery fury, and then suddenly he was yelling, causing even Snape to jump, startled. "Why stop? So you like me? I've never wanted you to like me, Potter! All I've done is to get you away! You want to know the truth? You want to know what I really think of you? I see a pathetic unintelligent whimpering little boy who'll never lose his ears because he's too much a baby to ever grow up!"
"Nott!" Snape was stalking towards them, but Theodore wasn't stopping.
"I see an idiot! A complete moron who can't pick up a book to save his life! I see a foolish Gryffindor sporting typical Gryffindor pride! You're a hopeless case! You can't understand even the simplest things! You're tactless! You're arrogant! You think you're the best thing to come to Hogwarts simply because you're good at Quidditch and Harry bloody Potter!"
"Enough!" Snape interrupted, voice rising to a shout that few had ever heard before. "You will quiet, Nott, before I give you detention!"
Theodore didn't listen. "Worse! I get stuck with you! And everyone expects me to be excited because it's Potter! I'm supposed to be happy just because I landed famous little Potter! Well, screw you all!"
"Nott!"
"How am I supposed to be excited about getting the biggest nimrod who's only real boast is having the most inflated head in the castle?"
"Detention, Nott!" Snape bellowed.
"And you don't even realize it!" Theodore continued, grabbing porcupine quills from his table. "All you can do is whine and complain and cling like a little three-year-old girl who wants her daddy to make the whole world better for her!"
"SILENCE!" Snape thundered, but Theodore plowed on.
"Well, the world isn't going to get any better than this, Potter!" Theodore roared as he tossed the quills into his cauldron. "EVER!"
Harry opened his eyes to stare at a ceiling high above him and he wondered where he was for a long time. Then he sat bolt upright and stared around the infirmary, fear like hot spikes shooting through him.
"Easy, Potter." Snape's hand pushed him back down on his bed and he stared at the Professor with awe in his eyes. "Your wounds are still healing."
"Nott?" Harry asked in a plea.
"He'll be fine." Snape informed him, but there was a nervousness in the twitch of is tail. "He...he has been taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. While Pomfrey was confident she could heal him just fine, I believed it best if the two of you were...separated."
"Separated?" Harry sat up again, but the man pushed him back down. "Sir!"
"I need to speak with you." Snape's dark tone made Harry fall quiet for a moment while the man pulled the curtains around them. The secrecy of it all made Harry even more anxious.
"What happened?" Harry asked in confusion. "What happened in the classroom?"
Snape told him after a moment of hesitation. "It appears he intentionally made his potion explode. He wanted to get away from you bad enough to risk both of your lives in the process. This is, obviously, a huge concern."
"He's manipulative." Harry said worriedly. "I know that. He's done a lot to get what he wants...I don't even know what direction he's aiming to put me, but he's trying his hardest to push us both that way."
"It doesn't matter what direction he's trying to get you to go." Snape's eyes were softer than Harry had ever seen them. "It is vital that you ensure your connection is established."
"How long does that take?"
"It depends on how often you spend time with him and how long this time is when you spend it." Snape informed him. "Also, each person is different, so it varies regardless. For example, Zabini and Malfoy are already established, but Goyle and Davis are the furthest thing from it. It can take anywhere between a month and two years."
"Two years?" Harry croaked, starting to rise again, but Snape shoved him down once more.
"Nott knows this." Snape's ears were drooping, giving him an almost sad look. "He needs you to keep persisting. If you two can spend more time together, the connection will be established regardless of his emotions towards it."
"But I thought soul rifts..."
"Soul rifts can form from spending time apart, yes." Snape nodded. "But emotional separation is worse. You experienced one because of a huge disappointment. Nott has experienced several since the beginning."
"When?" Harry asked, surprised and horrified.
"From the moment you ran from the Great Hall after everyone learned you'd been paired with a Slytherin." Snape's tone showed his unforgiving vehemence for what Harry had done. "The first impression is incredibly important."
"I didn't know." Harry mumbled, feeling suddenly sheepish.
"Granger didn't tell you everything about it?" Snape asked with a dubious look.
"No." Harry shook his head. "I didn't know anything about the connection really until this year and...well, Theodore kept telling me to look it up, but I don't know what book to read."
"There are several important ones." Snape stated with a sigh before grumbling, "We really should have a class about this...you'll want to look up 'Forming the Connection' by Adonis Animus, 'What's in a Name?' by Byron Nonames, and 'Boundaries' by Eros Particeo."
"'Boundaries?'" Harry repeated as his own name, Boundless, ran through his mind.
"It is the best of the three, but I recommend reading it last." Snape relaxed a little in his chair, tail swishing across the floor. "After you read these, you should have a better understanding of Animusparticeps and will be able to establish the bond with or without Nott's participation."
"But..." Harry frowned. "Sir...between the study groups and Quidditch and school...I don't really have any time."
"What's more important to you then?" Snape snarled with incredible dislike. "Nott isn't even going to this study group, is he? And Quidditch? School, there is no getting around it, but if you're thinking Quidditch of all things is more important than your particep..."
"If I don't go to practice," Harry mused aloud, feeling guiltier by the second. "All of Gryffindor will be furious at me."
"Your House then is more important to you than your particep?" Snape's eyes showed his rising anger.
"No." Harry shook his head. "But...I mean...I already lost Ron..."
Snape's features softened a little. "This was inevitable. Before we passed the knowledge of your particep to you, Professor McGonagall, myself, and the Headmaster sat down together and talked about this...happening."
"You did?" Harry asked, alarmed.
"Yes..." Snape looked away, ears back, but not angry. "Professor McGonagall thought it'd be best to tell you that your particep was dead."
"What?" Harry gasped in disbelief.
"If a particep dies within four years of the bond revealing itself, it is possible for the bond to still form, but said person will have died and the particep will be unavailable. In these instances the connection is seen as severed from the start, so it is easy to differentiate those whose particeps are dead. Claiming such would ensure you were safe from the humiliation that comes with breaking such a cycle."
"Humiliation..." Harry mumbled, recalling Theodore's own use of the word. "Sir..."
"Dumbledore was strictly against it." Snape stated sternly. "He believed you had every right to form the connection if you wanted and the two of you could choose to establish it or not. He didn't think it was right for you to be denied it from the start."
"And you, sir?" Harry asked in a whisper.
"As a Blank, I have always thought it rather unfair for people to disconnect." Snape's look told Harry he wasn't permitted to tell anyone else about what he'd just admitted. "If given a particep, a person should seize the moment and go with it regardless of what Fate has handed to them."
"Sir?" Harry murmured and watched Snape's ears twitch in preparation for an insult. "Um...this might be a bit off-topic, but Black...he mentioned Lupin being 'his'...and I was wondering if you knew...that they might be particeps?"
"They are." Snape nodded slowly. "Though, from my understanding, twelve years in Azkaban has weakened and perhaps even broken their connection. While it is possible to create a bond that does not break due to neglect, severe neglect, especially coupled with dementors, can destroy a bond. More importantly, if a person begins seeking the...a connection with someone else...th-this may sever any remaining connections."
"Lupin is looking for someone else to replace his particep?" Harry's ears had perked forward.
"This is natural." Snape gave a feeble shrug. "Animusparticeps are not accustomed to being alone, especially those who have already established a tight bond. If the bond is gone for a long period of time, they will begin looking for a connection amongst others."
"But I thought a person could only connect with someone who shares their name?"
"With a Blank, it is possible to create a new bond, disintegrating the old one." Snape seemed suddenly nervous. "At any rate, the three of us were all still concerned about how your friends would handle the knowledge. While we were fairly certain Granger would continue to be your friend, we knew she had a tight schedule and would not be available all of the time. Professor McGonagall also pointed out that it wasn't fair for a boy not to have a friend of the same gender. We had hoped, while looking over everyone else's names, that Longbottom would fill in if Weasley chose to bow out and it was good to see that things did happen this way. What we didn't expect was for Professor McGonagall to assign a special study group forcing you to interact with Nott."
"It wasn't a good idea." Harry mumbled.
"No..." Snape stared at him and Harry noticed the worry. "No...it really wasn't."
Madam Pomfrey suddenly appeared through the curtains. "Sorry...but Nott has returned. As I suspected, it didn't take them long to get him well. If you would like to see him, Severus..."
"One moment." Snape nodded to her and she quickly left. He returned his gaze to Harry. "I have very little influence over Nott. His father looks down on me and while I am on good footing with the Malfoys, their influence does not spread to the Nott family. While Nott understands the code of a Slytherin, he knows the loopholes and he is a very selfish individual. If you want to get close to him, you're going to have to be as manipulative and deceptive and cunning and self-centered as he is."
"I'm not like that at all!" Harry protested, ears back.
"Where there is a will," Snape stood. "There is a way."
With that, he slipped through the curtains, leaving Harry alone to his thoughts.
Hope you're enjoying this. I really like this scene. I hope you do too!