Theo had grown accustomed to the constant reprimands and criticism throughout the week, but he knew that today would be even worse. It was the first time since the Unseelie agreed to their peace pact that the Order held a full meeting, and tensions were sure to be running high. As he walked towards the Burrow, his nerves twitched and clenched in anticipation of what was to come. The atmosphere crackled with an electric energy, as all members of the Order gathered to discuss the delicate alliance they had formed.
The group had congregated at the burrow, huddled under tents and surrounded by warming charms. The backyard was filled with laughter and chatter as they all gathered together, a rare occurrence due to their fear of being discovered by dark forces. Mad-Eye's paranoia had instilled in them the need to only meet randomly every few months, for their own safety. But now, as they sat together in the cozy shelter, they couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth and comfort in each other's company. Even if there was a lingering sense of secrecy and urgency hanging in the air, they tried to forget the looming war even if only for a couple of moments.
The 'reject Slytherins', as Blaise had taken to calling them, were gathered in their own corner of the backyard. Still not fully trusted by the other Order members, but still too useful to kill or abandon to the Dark Lord. As Dark Families continued to be slaughtered for nothing more than the Dark Lord's ire, their group grew larger. The survivors sought refuge with a side that would at least keep them alive even if they differed in their politics.
What had started as just Blaise, Theo, and the Greengrass sisters in their fifth year had grown to also include Draco, Marcus Flint, Cassius Warrington, Gemma Farley, Adrian Pucey, Terence Higgs, Felix Rosier, and Tracey Davis. Not to forget Snape or Kingsley, but they rarely interacted with their little group of rejects. Although Draco was spending more and more time with the Granger girl and her circle of Gryffindor idiots than with them these days. Figures.
The Order had grown quite large as the war continued and the Ministry continued to prove either useless or, as of late, already under the Dark Lord's thumb. Theo's eyes swept through the other Order members, seeing if anyone had either gone missing, presumably dead or had become a turncoat. They had several in the last year that decided the Order wasn't doing enough and took their chances with the Ministry or the Death Eaters. Funnily enough, none of them were Slytherins, yet they were still the distrusted ones.
Then Dumbledore arrived in a plume of flames thanks to his pet phoenix. Always one for a dramatic entrance or exit.
"Everyone please, come take a seat. We have much to go over and little time to do so." Dumbledore called over the din of noise. No one got quieter, but everyone did make their way to tables set up in a great hall-like fashion since there were so many of them. The Slytherins being relegated to their own table on the far right. The 'generals' of this war sat at the tables in front of the others. Albus Dumbledore was at the center in his bright eye-blinding neon blue robes, Mad-Eye Moody and Kingsley Shaklebolt sat on his right, and Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall sat on his left.
The meeting started as it always did with the 'generals' going over reports of what was happening out in the world. Who had died, who had been captured but not yet confirmed dead, and what the state of the school and ministry was. Then everyone who had been on missions in the last four months since they last met started to give their reports. The school was still theirs, for now, but the Dark Lord was recruiting heavily and trying to infiltrate the school. How many students were working for the Dark Lord was currently unknown. The werewolves still refused to be recruited, same with the giants, no surprise there. But it was announced that they had successfully recruited the Unseelie Fae.
"Thanks to a rather Gryffindor decision from young Mr. Nott, the Unseelie Fae have signed a peace pact with us to not join the Dark Lord's forces. In the coming weeks, there will be negotiations as to whether they will aid us with fighting or providing shelter to the targeted and misplaced." Dumbledore reported jovially, causing most of the Order to look at Theo in either disappointment or approval. Theo didn't care what they thought of him, but a certain Fae's green eyes had haunted him all week providing plenty of distraction from the fickle Order members.
"Now, an update on the search for Harry Potter-" Dumbledore continued and Theo planned on tuning him out again. They had been searching for the boy-who-lived for years. At first, it was believed that Neville Longbottom was the true prophecy child when Harry had originally gone missing, but after Longbottom was killed in his first year when the Dark Lord made his return, the search for the Potter child ramped up. They had been searching for him for eleven years. Three years ago it was discovered that the original prophecy made for Harry Potter and the Dark Lord had crumbled into ash. The Slytherins made bets on if he was dead or not. The Weasleys had called them callous for even entertaining such bets.
Everyone was pulled out of their stupor with Dumbledore's next words. "We believe we might have identified and located Harry Potter."
Gasps and cries of disbelief rang across the backyard, Dumbledore silencing everyone's questions when he held up his hand. "Kingsley Shaklebolt provided me a very helpful memory of the meeting with the Unseelie Fae last week when he, along with Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, met to make the peace pact."
Theo and Blaise looked at each other in confusion. What did their meeting with the Fae have to do with Potter?
"We believe that one of the Fae in the meeting was once Harry Potter. Our theory is that the Fae were the ones to take Harry as a child. I will be confirming whether or not this Fae is indeed our lost savior or not in the upcoming meeting tomorrow. Remus was also going to be joining us, but as tomorrow is the night of the full moon, Severus Snape, Theodore Nott, and Ron Weasley will be joining me in the meeting with the Fae tomorrow. We will make plans and hold another Order meeting after confirming Mr. Potter's identity. Now I am sure Molly cooked enough for everyone so you are all dismissed for now."
Everyone sat stunned for a few moments before breaking out into loud chatter. The boy who lived was alive! The boy who lived was possibly stolen by the Fae.
Theo's mind was struggling to catch up to the information that Dumbledore had dumped on them. His only thought was if Potter was Fae now, and he had been spirited away as a child, it was going to hurt the peace pact they had just made with them. The promise that he made with Oleander now felt like a noose tightening around his throat. This was possibly very, very bad. And now he was going to have to face them again tomorrow with Dumbledore and the Weasley loudmouth, both of whom were going to possibly insult the Fae and ruin all possible relations with them in the future. Maybe Snape would show mercy on Theo on their way to the Fae realm and just kill him. He was sure that would be less painful.
Maybe joining the 'light' side would be his doom.
The trip through the forest and the faerie circle seemed to fly by this time. Oh, Theo was sure it probably took the same amount of time, especially with the way Weasley kept tripping over every root and stick in the damn forest, but it felt like he blinked and they were stepping into the Faerie circle and through to the Fae realm.
Burnet wasn't waiting for them this time, instead, it was Cinna. She seemed to greet them more warmly than she had previously. She even greeted Theo first before even acknowledging Dumbledore, which was a shock on its own. They were led back to the meadow and the table they sat at before was still there, Ron only complained a little and Theo was the only one to bow to the Fae before they were seated in front of Cinna, Burnet, Mint, and Oleander. It was Oleander that the headmaster couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from.
Oleander seemed to care little about the headmaster or his pointed stares when the piercing green Fae's gaze attached to Theo instead. "Welcome back Aspen. I enjoy seeing your face again. Please introduce your new companions since they did not come to the first meeting." Oleander made that last part sound like a reprimand that had Theo wincing internally. Things were already going poorly.
"I am pleased to be welcomed back Oleander. Going from left to right my companions are Ginger, Chess Master, and Aconite. They have come to work out the peace pact's details." Theo informed the Fae with a straight back, he refused to be cowed by the buffons sitting next to him.
"Are you not helping with the peace pact as well, dear Aspen?" Oleander asked head tilted in a way that Theo's brain could only produce the word adorable.
"Young Aspen is here as the promise holder and nothing more." Dumbledore butted in, clearly having had enough of being ignored. Theo's eyes lowered to the table. He was here as a lackey, but it still made his teeth grind to be dismissed so easily.
Oleander's eyes roved over the headmaster, not hiding the disgust on his face at all. "Did I speak to you yet mortal?" Oleander drawled in a tone that would have impressed Draco.
Dumbledore went to speak but found himself silenced. A light shade of red anger began to dust the man's face. Weasley opened his mouth, probably to say something stupid but he too was silenced. Thank the gods.
"Now, I believe I was speaking to Aspen. Do continue young wizard." Oleander demanded, eyes back on Theo.
Theo's eyes flicked to Dumbledore briefly before looking back at Oleander. "I am only here as the promise holder between us. Chess Master is in charge of everything in the Order. I am just a lackey." Theo smiled in a self-deprecating way that made Oleander frown.
"I don't believe so. You are important to this meeting because I say you are. I will work with you and only you. You are my promise holder. I do not care what this mortal's position is outside of the Fae realm." Oleander announced making Theo blush to the tips of his ears. He could have sworn he heard Cinna coo at him across the table.
"Ah okay… but I am unsure what it is that Chess Master wanted to work out with you fully." Theo hesitated a moment before deciding that keeping Oleander's trust was more important than not pissing off Dumbledore. "I do know he is going to ask questions that will possibly make you angry…"
Snape eyed Theo like he was an idiot but the Headmaster and Weasley's faces were red with anger that didn't seem to phase Oleander or the other Fae in the least.
"Is that so? Thank you, dear Aspen, for warning me. I will not hold his behavior against you." Oleander gave Theo a beautiful smile for a few seconds before his face went blank and he was staring at the Headmaster. "What do you want Chess Master?"
Dumbledore cleared his throat before speaking, and before he opened his mouth Theo already knew what he was going to say was going to be rude. Maybe Remus should have given Dumbledore lessons on the Fae? "Now listen here young man, I am the head of the Order of the Phoenix. While I am sure young Aspen here has been quite helpful as the promise holder, I am the one to make the decisions and provide your people help if need be. I also hold the information for the Dark Lord's weaknesses that you will need."
Oleander looked like he could have cared less, waving a hand as if to dismiss Dumbledore entirely. "Either ask your questions or leave Chess Master."
Dumbledore huffed in irritation but straightened his spine. "Were you once a wizarding child? A child that ended up being spirited away by the Fae in 1988?"
All the Fae at the table looked offended now. Cinna and Mint bared their teeth in a silent hiss of protest, but Oleander looked amused. "I do not believe that is your business, Chess Master."
Snape laid a hand on the headmaster's arm, trying to put a stop to whatever the headmaster might say, but Dumbledore just shook him off. "I know your real name."
Telling a Fae you knew their real name was like going up to the Queen and spitting in her face. It was suicide. Theo closed his eyes in regret for how this was going to turn out. He had to try to stop this.
"Sir, I think we should leave. We need to cool everyone's temperaments before we ruin the chance at this peace pact-" Theo tried but then Dumbledore cut him off and offered Theo up to the Fae on a silver platter in one sentence.
"We will do no such thing, Theodore Nott."
All four Fae suddenly held bloodthirsty grins on their faces and Theo felt his soul go cold. Dumbledore just sacrificed Theo's name and soul to the Fae.