Well, I feel I owe a MASSIVE apology to my readers who DO like my story and DO leave nice comments and ARE intelligent. It's amazing how even one person saying something mean and derogatory to you makes you forget the many people who say nice and pleasant things to you. It took only one person to put me in a bad mood and I went to the reviews and found I couldn't delete their comment, which irked me more. Then, as I am glaring at their comment, I look down at the others who have said nice things and, abruptly, all that anger just vanished and I realized I could write some more!
So I wanted to thank you: ellainaparker, wujinfen, Phoenix Tears Of A Riddle, Uzu kitsune, anyeshabaner, angelsarah22, NATWEST, Angel-Miyu, Redfox, twilightserius, Zakyla, and everyone else who has added this story to their favorites or followed it or added me to their favorites or followed me. (I also apologize to those who didn't want their name listed. If you don't PM me and I'll remove it. And I apologize to anyone who should have been on this list, but wasn't because I can be a bit spacey and I may have overlooked you.) You remind me that the world is not full of cruel, nasty, inconsiderate, selfish, unintelligent, and inarticulate little bubbles. :D As for everyone else who has been rude, you remind me why I don't want to have children, because I can't imagine having to put up with ungrateful morons (I know most children aren't, but...and I also know that there are adults on here...though some of their comments leave you wondering if they're lying about their age) for eighteen years.
That all said, thanks to these people, I feel I can continue writing once more. :)
Harry had never studied a book like he did the Prince's copy of Advanced Potion-Making. He read it every night and had even begun practicing some of the spells, though soon realized he should have probably practiced when he wasn't lying in bed with sleeping roommates all around him.
There was a shout and Harry realized with horror that his nonverbal Levicorpus spell had snagged Malfoy's ankle and dragged him up in the air. Everyone was awake now and turning to see what was going on. Harry, trying his hardest not to laugh and look genuinely apologetic, he hunted for the counter-jinx and cast it. Malfoy fell with a thump back into his bed and laughter shot around the room.
Though it was clear Malfoy was angry, he tried to brush it off as a joke and, with everyone now wide awake, broke out a large stash of candy to commend Harry for his "ingenuity." They sat around, snacking and chatting quietly about jinxes and hexes. Goyle claimed he'd used a spell that sent an updraft of air around some of girls and he got to see their panties. Aside from Theo and Harry, the other boys all asked how to learn this spell and Goyle, blushing profusely, had told them. This brought them to the subject of dating, in which Crabbe admitted he was still going out with Millicent Bulstrode, making him (to everyone's horror), the only one in the room to have such a long relationship.
"Weren't you with Parkinson, though, Malfoy?" Harry asked, reaching his hand into a box of Every Flavor Beans and rifling through them for a decent flavor. "You and her went to the Yule Ball together."
"We weren't going out then." Malfoy told him. "To be honest, we didn't actually start dating until the last couple of months last year."
"What about you, Theo, Harry?" Blaise inquired with a raised brow. "I thought you two had been going out sometime after the Ball?"
"No." They said in unison, but Theo elaborated, "Are really not suited to each other."
"That's odd." Zabini, along with the other Slytherins, was giving them a skeptical look. "You two never hang around anyone else and you're both the smartest in most of our classes if you don't count that Mudblood Granger."
"Wouldn't count a Mudblood, no matter how intelligent." Theo scoffed.
"Oh, we're all saying 'Mudblood' in front of Potter now?" Malfoy asked, eyes showing vague interest. "Even though his mother was a filthy little dirt-veined Muggle-born?"
Harry knew instantly that Malfoy had said this sentence simply to check for boundaries. Part of Harry (the raging lion side) wanted to defend his mother instantly, but the other part (a more calculating side) won and he answered coolly, "The term doesn't bother me. I use it myself actually."
Draco sputtered. "You use 'Mudblood'? I bet that old coot of a headmaster doesn't care much for that, does he?"
"I'm not fool enough to say it in front of any teachers." Harry gave Draco a tiny glare. "Anyways, what does it matter to you? Aren't you mad at me?"
"Of course, I am." Draco scowled. "But we're Slytherins...and we have to stick together."
"Unless it's a life or death situation, in which case we save our own hides." Blaise put in and everyone laughed.
"Where'd you learn that spell, anyways?" Draco asked of Harry.
"My dad used to use it." Harry answered and then lied when Theo raised an eyebrow to this. "Sirius told me once."
Draco made a face at the name of Sirius and Harry knew why: Draco and Sirius were related and he saw the man as only a Blood Traitor.
"My father knows a similar spell." Draco spoke coolly. "Much stronger though."
"I saw." Harry replied in a similarily cold voice. "At the World Cup."
Silence fell around them as they all stared down at the candy between them. While the four Slytherins whose fathers were currently in Azkaban had never admitted these were the same Death Eaters to give a show of Muggle torture at the World Cup, everyone had assumed this to be the case, but Blaise was smart enough not to mention it. Harry on the other hand had been hoping to get a rise from Draco in defense of his father.
He instead saw Draco's right hand flinch as if to move and touch something near his left arm, but he clenched his fist to keep it from moving.
"Is there something you'd like to say about that, Potter?" Malfoy snarled and Blaise grew very still.
"No." Harry answered in the calm tone he was learning to use. "I already said it. I saw your father use a stronger levitating spell at the World Cup."
"If you're expecting a confession..." Draco gnashed, but Harry interrupted him.
"I'm not." Harry's voice wasn't wavering and he realized he wasn't scared nor intimidated. "We all know it was him. There isn't any need for a confession. I was simply pointing out that I had seen him use it...by chance, you don't happen to know that incantation yourself, do you?"
Draco, taken momentarily by surprised, didn't answer instantly as he was clearly trying to work out his emotions. "Uh...well, n-no. He never bothered to teach me spells as he believed we were getting a thorough enough education for the time being here at Hogwarts."
"Ah, pity." Harry gave Theodore a wry smile. "We'll just have to make do with this one."
"How do you mean?" Crabbe, who normally remained silent, asked, confused.
"Oh..." Harry gave a slight shrug, but his eyes showed the malcontent that was beginning to rage there. "I'm just getting tired of Weasley making crude comments about Professor Snape. I don't dare risk getting in trouble, but I'm sure a couple of you wouldn't mind seeing him dangling for a few good laughs."
The glee that spread around the dormitory was even seen in Theo's eyes, who leaned over to whisper in Harry's ear, "We'll make a Slytherin of you yet."
"I am a Slytherin." Harry argued, giving him a glare as everyone else laughed.
Theodore smiled and leaned in close again. "Only think you are, but we're working on you."
"I already am one." Harry wrinkled up his nose and turned away. "Bloody idiots..."
Of course, he was really feeling like he could touch the sky. Though this was mostly because it appeared Theo was talking to him again and had, only moments before, been incredibly close to Harry, it was also because Stage One of learning what Draco was up to had just begun and, though spur of the moment, it seemed like it was working well.
Harry received another note informing him of his next meeting with Dumbledore on the day of their first Hogsmeade trip. He went with Theodore, who took a lot of convincing to pry away from his homework, and they found themselves soon dashing from shop to shop instead of trying to endure the outside's moody weather.
"Is ridiculous." Theo muttered as they slipped into Honeyduke's. "Should have stayed in the Common Room where the fires are and...finished my homework."
They surveyed some toffees, each contemplating whether or not Snape would give them detention for bringing him back some, and then meandered over to a corner of unusual sweets that most people wouldn't bother with as some were honestly quite disgusting. They mostly surveyed it to see if there was anything new to comment about.
"Go out with me." Harry stated as they inspected a jar full of what looked like eyeballs, but claimed it was a special kind of slurpable candy jello.
"No." Theodore rejected without hesitation.
"I wasn't actually asking." Harry pointed out.
"The answer is still 'no'." Theo didn't miss a beat.
"Than kiss me."
"No." Theodore made a face at what looked like giant wriggling worms in another jar. "I won't go out with someone I'm not dating."
"Than date me."
"No."
"You know, it'd be much easier for me to handle the rejection if you actually gave me a reason behind it."
Theodore picked up a bag of something, but quickly dropped it back into its bin. When Harry investigated it, he realized it was full of spiders the size of quarters crawling all over one another. He tossed it in with the others and followed Theodore onto another isle.
"We don't really fit." Theodore answered.
"If we can remain best friends somehow amidst this madness, I'm sure we can manage a little bit more. What's the real difference anyways? Snogging?"
Theo's smile was casual. "I guess, that would be the real difference. Can hardly even stay friends though."
"We are friends." Harry rolled his eyes. "I know, you keep asking to be reminded, but that's just...that's just you. Everyone else sees we're friends. Most even assume we're together."
The taller Slytherin said nothing as he continued to inspect the strange candy.
"I want that to stop being a rumor." Harry told him, his cheeks reddening as he confessed once more.
Theodore stopped walking, now standing in a corner, and faced Harry. "Would be nice."
"Than stop being so difficult." Harry stepped closer, trapping Theodore where he stood. "We both agree it'd be nice to date each other."
A nervous hand shot through Theo's hair and Harry's eyes followed it, catching something he didn't expect to see.
It all happened in a blur. Harry reached up and snagged Theodore's hand, bringing it down for inspection, and Theodore wrenched his arm away as if he'd been burned by Harry's touch. He gave a foul look and stepped around Harry, who was too stunned to move. Though the shop was filled with the ruckus of all the students bustling about it, Harry heard nothing. He saw nothing. All he felt was ice shooting down into his gut. The tears were in his eye before he could stop them and he had no idea what emotion backed their arrival. Confusion, anger, hurt, sorrow...all these emotions mingled into a lump in his throat and an ache in his chest.
It took him several minutes to compose himself and leave the shop, his mind so lost through his thoughts he didn't see the world around him. All he could think about was the blood-stained bandage wrapped around Theodore's wrist.
And now things are getting serious. For those who don't like this turn of events, my apologies.