A/N: So, that wasn't quite the speedy update that I was hoping for. Sorry!

Thank you to all those who have supported this story.

Third Year - Part Three

Theo didn't know what Tam Davies expected of him. So he finds out that muggles and mudbloods aren't quite what he thought they were and, what, he's supposed to declare his new perspective in the Great Hall at dinner time and skip over to Granger and ask if she wants to be his friend? It was crazy.

After that conversation in the Common Room, Theo had tried to push Tam's words from his mind but Granger was much harder to ignore - all of a sudden she was everywhere he looked: breakfast, lunch, dinner, Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and, of course, Ballet. It was incredibly distracting and he knew she was aware that he kept glancing in her direction, which was distinctly embarrassing. However, it wasn't until he saw those ruby droplets of blood by her cauldron that he realised he couldn't put it off any longer: he had to know the truth.

However, not prepared to stray too far from his comfort area he decided to raise the subject with Blaise first. "You know," he began tentatively, looking over at his friend as they sat next to each other at lunch. "Granger's blood wasn't brown when she cut herself in potions today."

Blaise barely reacted. "So?" he said lazily, his tone of voice contrasting with the rapid thudding of Theo's heart. "She's still a filthy mudblood whatever colour her insides are," he declared, revulsion on his normally suave face.

"Right, yeah," Theo replied quickly but his insides were squirming.

"The name comes from the fact that she's been born from lesser stock, Theo - muggles are as disgusting as the beasts that wallow in the dirt," Blaise told him. "They're vermin. My mother won't even be in the same room as one. If only we had the same opportunity here..."

Theo understood Blaise's line of thinking because he'd heard it all many times before, but his father had always insisted that although mudbloods might look like witches and wizards on the outside, it was in their blood that their inferiority would show. After all, blood was all that mattered to the old Pureblood families. How carefully those bloodlines had been preserved to ensure that they were kept untainted by muggles to produce witches and wizards of superior quality…

But, as far as he could tell, Granger's muggle blood wasn't any different from his own noble and dynastic blood. And if Theo's father had lied to him or, indeed, been misled about that himself, then what else was Theo ignorant about?

It took him a few more days to gather up the courage to approach her. Thankfully, she took his request seriously and disappeared into the shelves for a minute, leaving him standing a little bit anxiously by her worktable before she returned with two medium sized tomes in her grasp. He took them from her wordlessly and stuffed them deep into his bag and found a deserted section of the library to read them without anyone seeing.

He didn't quite know what to make of what he found within. He'd never considered that what he read in an information book might not be factual, but what Granger had picked out for him was very different than the books his own father had given him on muggles. Was one set truthful and the other lies, or were they both biased in their own way. What the hell was he supposed to believe?

About a week later, Signor asked him to stay behind at the end of the lesson. Theo paused, alarm pulsing through his body as he waited for the other students to clear the room, some throwing curious glances over their shoulders at him as they left. Signor poured out some water and handed it to Theo who took it and sipped nervously. What did the ballet master want to talk to him about? Had he done something wrong?

"Something is troubling you," Signor stated. "You have not performed at your best lately. What is on your mind, Theodore?"

"Nothing, Signor," Theo lied quickly, his fingers grasped tightly around the glass of water. "I'm sorry that I haven't been meeting your expectations; I'll try harder next time."

Signor frowned at him. "Of course I respect your right to keep your matters to yourself but I would appreciate it if you did not lie to me." Theo felt a great weight drop into his stomach at his disappointed tone. Signor seemed to notice his quiet despair because his body language softened. "I remember what it was like at your age, trying to find who I was, where I fit in. I was fortunate enough to come from a loving, open family and my schooling was quite different to what you have here, I think. My wife was a Slytherin, you know, and I understand that those in your house form alliances rather than true friendships. And while I respect Severus Snape as an accomplished Potions Master, he does not come across as a Head of House that students would choose to confide in." If he wasn't so on edge because of the conversation, Theo probably would have laughed at the prospect of talking to Snape about his confused thoughts and feelings.

Signor put a hand on Theo's shoulder. "So, what I'm trying to say is that I am here if there's something you would like to talk about - I consider it my duty to look after the state of mind of my pupils as well as their posture." He smiled at Theo who could only stare back. Signor patted his shoulder and then turned away to prepare for the next class, leaving Theo to contemplate his words.

Slytherins didn't confide in each other - confessing any thoughts that were deeper than the norm left you extremely vulnerable to your ambitious housemates. Besides, with the exception of Tam Davies, Theo was pretty sure he knew that all other Slytherins viewed muggles and muggleborns as inferior, so what would be the point in discussing it with them? Signor was right about not feeling comfortable talking to his Head of House even though he wasn't sure where Snape stood on the issue. He didn't like Granger, that was obvious, but he'd never made any criticism of her blood status and Theo doubted that the muggle-loving Headmaster would employ someone who thought a minority of the students were disgusting. There were, in theory, other members of staff that Theo could turn to but he didn't trust or know them well enough to open up about his struggles. Not only that but he suspected that he already knew that their answers would be biased towards muggles - how could he trust that what they were telling him was true? The same would be true of any other students that he approached - not that many would stick around long enough if a Slytherin approached them for anything.

But what about signor Vittozzi? His wife had made it very clear that she wasn't impressed by muggleborns and if she really had been a Slytherin then Theo knew that extended beyond their supposed inability to dance magically. Signor, however, treated Granger the same as any other student. Would he have the balanced, unbiased opinion that Theo needed to hear? The ballet teacher had just intimated that he wanted Theo to trust him, hadn't he? And Theo was desperate for answers so he could find some sort of inner peace and stop being so damn distracted.

"Are muggleborns inferior to purebloods?" Theo asked suddenly, his heart pounding even harder than before.

Signor paused in his scrutiny of a piece of parchment and lowered it to look at Theo's rigid frame. "Does it matter?" he asked. "Whether muggleborns be inferior or equal: does it matter to you?"

"Well, yes," Theo replied instantly, surprised by the dance teacher's response.

"Why?"

"Why?" Theo repeated in surprised. "Shouldn't I want to know the truth?"

"You are in a privileged position due to your family name; choosing to believe one point of view is to your advantage, is it not?" Signor pointed out.

"I just want to know the truth," Theo insisted.

"And what will you do with the truth when you hear it?" he questioned.

"Do? Why would I have to do anything: isn't just knowing it enough?" Theo asked, beginning to sound desperate.

Signor Vittozzi studied him closely again. "It's not as simple as that for some, Theodore, and I think you understand that. You have seen for your own eyes that muggleborn witches and wizards can be more capable that their pureblooded counterparts when performing magic and it is not," he added quickly, "because of some silly story about them stealing magic from others. Do you not think that others would have figured out how to steal magic to make themselves more powerful if that was the case? No. They were born with magic just like you were and it is as much theirs as anyone else's. Many blood supremacists know that this is true and so they still seek to put themselves above muggleborns by claiming that muggles themselves are lesser creatures. Have you ever stepped into the muggle world before, Theodore?"

Theo shook his head mutely.

Signor smiled with a look of understanding. "I am fortunate enough to have travelled the world in my career with the company. I saw so many beautiful and incredible things and what I saw in the muggle world was just as impressive as anything magical - maybe even more so considering that we are advantaged by our abilities. Muggles can create buildings that reach as high as the clouds, they have built transport that lets you soar across the skies with the birds, they have sent muggles into the heavens to walk on the moon, they can swap your heart for a healthy one if it is failing and they understand how everything on earth is composed of materials that are smaller than we can see with our eyes. The muggle arts are just as sophisticated as ours and they are constantly pushing the boundaries of what art can be. I could tell you so much more but the only way you can comprehend muggles - and I know that it is not likely to be possible at present - is to see for yourself, Theodore. Muggles should be admired for what they can achieve without magic," he said earnestly but his expression became more serious and he held up a warning, "though, of course, with everything good there is the bad. Muggles are capable of terrible things, as are users of magic. All those capable of intelligent and independent thought can make good or bad choices. We both suffer under the curse of humanity."

Theo was focused so hard on what signor Vittozzi was saying that it left him little chance to reflect on how he felt.

"And so we shall come back to your original question: are muggleborns inferior to purebloods? Objectively, the evidence would say not, but that hasn't prevented the continuation of the belief amongst many pureblood families, has it? For some, they believe it and therefore it is true that they are superior to those associated with muggles and no evidence will convince them otherwise. For others, they will continue to believe it to be true until it no longer benefits them..."

It took Theo a few moments to realise that Signor was once again silently scrutinising him, possibly waiting for some sort of response. "I… I see," he murmured hesitantly, his head still trying to absorb all that Signor had told him.

The dance teacher's expression softened with a look of understanding and he laid a hand on Theo's shoulder. "You are growing up, Theodore," he stated kindly, his Italian accent sounding surprisingly thicker at the soft words. "Blind faith is for children. It is by questioning your beliefs, confirming the values important to you, finding your view of the world, that you become a man."

Theo couldn't repress a shiver despite the warmth of the studio and he looked at signor Vittozzi with a mild sense of despair. "But… but I don't know what I believe anymore; I don't know what to do!"

"Do? Why do you have to do anything?" Signor replied, echoing Theo's words back to him with the smallest hint of amusement. However, he quickly saw that the humour wasn't appreciated and squeezed Theo's shoulder with a more sympathetic expression on his face. "You cannot force an epiphany on your attitudes and beliefs, Theodore. It will take time to process your thoughts to a point where you are comfortable with what you believe. Any self-revelation that you do make need not require you to act like a completely different person. If you come to the conclusion that the differences in magical heritage don't matter to you, it doesn't require you to shout it aloud for everyone to hear - particularly given that you are a Slytherin. I would suggest that you follow the lead of Mister Davies: I believe you are aware of his views on blood."

Theo felt his cheeks flush and he briefly wondered what Tam Davies and Signor had said to each other about him. He nodded. "Davies told me," Theo admitted quietly.

"And you had no idea before he spoke to you?"

"No, I just assumed he believed the same as the rest of our house," Theo replied.

"Assumptions can be both a blessing and a curse," Signor said, "but I suggest you use them to your advantage just like Mister Davies does. I also advise you to speak to him: he will understand what you are thinking more than I."

That significant conversation with Signor had taken place a week ago and Theo had yet to pluck up the courage to speak to Tam Davies.

It had taken a few days for Theo to mull over everything that he'd found out from the different sources, but he surprised himself with how quickly he accepted that not only was his previous understanding of Pureblood supremacy embarrassingly naïve, but also that he felt more and more certain that he was prepared to reject the notion altogether. Either it was true or it wasn't; he couldn't tolerate the idea of believing muggleborns to be inferior just because it suited him. He still needed to find out more about muggles, of course, to have a more informed opinion on them (though when he'd get the time to do so, he didn't know) but his gut told him that they weren't the disgusting, primitive vermin he'd been brought up to believe they were.

Signor may have stated that Theo need not do anything in regards to his newfound beliefs but Theo felt like Davies expected something of him whenever their eyes met in the Common Room, in the dance corridor or at the Slytherin table during mealtimes. Theo was careful to keep his gaze neutral whenever this happened so as not to give anything away to the older student. Theo may have found out the truth about blood supremacy but he didn't appreciate the way Davies had just bombarded him with it. If Tam really wanted to know what Theo was thinking, he'd just have to bloody well ask him.

Two days later, that was exactly what Davies did.

There was a strange sense of events repeating themselves as Tam took a seat at the same table Theo had been working at during their last conversation, causing Theo to look up from his potions essay.

"You asked Granger for a book about muggles," Davies stated curiously in place of a more traditional greeting.

Theo glanced around the Common Room but, just like last time, no one appeared to be paying them the slightest bit of attention. "What of it?" Theo muttered quietly, returning his attention to his essay.

The quill was suddenly plucked out of his hands as Davies muttered exasperatedly, "Don't be a little shit, Nott. This isn't a game."

Theo glared at him - the shock and awe from their last conversation having very much worn off. "You think I don't know that?" he snapped. "I'm the one that had my world wrenched out from underneath my feet."

Davies' face softened. "So, you've realised the truth, have you?" he mused, appraising Theo once again. He sighed when he saw the truth in Theo's taut expression, and he looked a little abashed. "Look, I didn't mean…" he began, running a hand through his hair as Theo waited for him to spit out whatever it was he wanted to say. "I didn't know how you'd react; what conclusion you'd reach…" he said and Theo realised that despite his previous protestations, Tam had been worried that Theo would make things difficult for him. "I came at you too strong - both last time and tonight," Davies continued. "It was pretty tactless and impulsive of me. Merlin, I've practically been a Gryffindor about all of this," he muttered and then did something else very un-Slytherin, "I apologise, Nott."

Theo held his gaze. He was still somewhat irritated with the way Davies had come in and shoved his nose into Theo's values but he recognised the gesture Tam was making with what appeared to be a sincere apology. Theo had always been a solitary figure but the last few days had left him feeling completely isolated from his Slytherin peers, knowing that they no longer shared a core belief. Given Davies' popularity and the career he was likely to have, it made sense for Theo to try and find an ally in him even without their shared views on blood. Theo wasn't sure it would ever come up but he even suspected that Davies would be happy to discuss his thoughts on blood and muggles with Theo - another un-Slytherin trait.

He held his hand out to Davies and said, "Theo," to imply that the apology had been accepted and it was beneficial to them both to start their acquaintance again.

Davies looked at his hand for a couple of seconds and then returned Theo's gaze with understanding in his eyes and a smirk that was an expression much more befitting to a Slytherin. "Tam," he said, shaking Theo's hand firmly.

When their hands broke away, Tam gave him a nod and then stood to leave. "See you around, Theo," he said, beginning to turn away but then he paused and looked back. "I'm having another rehearsal with Granger tomorrow evening. You should come - I'm far too tall to partner her in the paired dances. I could give you some tips if you want - I'd like to see you do well in your exam. Six-thirty in Room Three."

Tam then nonchalantly walked off without a backwards glance and Theo strongly suspected that he did so intentionally. In fact, Theo wondered whether Tam's whole reason for initiating the conversation had been to invite Theo to the practice. Thinking about Tam's motives proved suitably distracting from what he'd actually proposed but when Theo allowed himself to think about it, his stomach wavered nervously.

Dancing with Hermione Granger.

Surely, it was out of the question. It wasn't that he found her particularly disgusting anymore (though it wasn't a feeling that he could instantly overturn) but he was wary about getting to know her better. It was one thing for Theo to align himself with the most popular student in the school, but he had no desire to get better acquainted with Granger. His nerves quivered at that thought because he knew that wasn't entirely true: he'd become distinctly drawn to her since the beginning of term because she'd contradicted everything he'd been taught about mudbloods, and apparently he had a perverse inclination to find out about something his father had warned him to keep away from. With his father's reasoning now null and void, the main reason to avoid Hermione Granger was his fear of his house ostracising him if they ever found out. This wasn't an inconsequential worry. Tam might claim to be unconcerned (even though Theo suspected a lot of that was bravado) but Davies was the most popular member of Slytherin. Theo held no such sway over the rest of his house and if they found out that he'd willingly spent time dancing with Granger (let alone that he thought Pureblood supremacy was crap) they'd make him regret it for years. Slytherins weren't known for possessing a forgiving nature… Not only that but the girl in question seemed in the habit of attracting trouble. Tam might argue that it only made her more interesting but Theo quite liked his life to be drama-free.

But… he couldn't deny that he was intrigued by the notion. It was only one rehearsal session after all. More than likely, they would find that they were too different and practising together was utterly unproductive. At least if he went he wouldn't lose his new alliance with Tam.

Theo worried over his decision all night and into the next day. As six-thirty came closer, his already diminished levels of concentration declined even further. He retreated to his dormitory as the rest of the third-year Slytherins went to dinner and stared at his neatly folded dancewear. Before he could change his mind, he took off his school robes and pulled on his dance clothes and hurried up to the dance corridor, his heart pounding.

Tam and Granger were just about to enter the rehearsal room as he arrived, and he quickly tried to wipe away any evidence of his exertion and schooled his face into a casual expression before they noticed him. His footsteps gave away his presence and Tam looked over his shoulder at the noise, his face breaking into a genuine smile, which took Theo a little by surprise. Unsurprisingly, Granger's expression was much more guarded. She chewed on her lip as he approached before moving into the room and out of sight without a word.

Theo paused at her actions and looked uncertainly at Tam, who shrugged. "She's not sold on the notion of you being a decent human being yet," he explained with a small smirk. "Just give her time to get used to you."

He motioned for Theo to enter the room and he did so, feeling far more nervous than he'd anticipated: this felt like just as big a moment for him as it probably did for her, perhaps even more so. She'd already danced with Tam but this was brand new territory for him.

Granger avoided his eye as they warmed up, which was fine by him as it was the first time Theo had danced in front of Tam and he wanted to impress the older student with his technique. It was actually quite calming to go over the exercises that he was so familiar with and he was buoyed by Tam's appreciative comments and minimal critiques.

"Signor was right about you," Tam said to Theo as they removed the balancing charm after their final barre exercise. "You are good - at barre, at least. Let's try some of the paired dances; see how you two get on together."

Theo and Granger locked gazes for the first time in the lesson and the significance of what he was there to do quickly rushed back at him. Her big brown eyes felt like they were piercing into his very soul, trying to find his worth.

"How about we start with the first minuet?" Tam suggested evenly, obviously sensing the tension in the room. The first minuet was the dance they had been taught at the very start of the year because it was easiest and didn't require other pairs to be performed.

Granger had continued to pin Theo down with her intense gaze but she broke it after a deep breath and turned to Tam with a nod. "Alright," she agreed, the first words Theo had heard her say all evening.

Davies went to sort out the music and Granger turned back to Theo. She still looked a little apprehensive but there was also a hint of a challenge in the upwards tilt of her chin, just like when he'd walked in on her the last time - as though she was daring him to prove that he wasn't like all the other Slytherins; daring him to touch her.

Theo held her gaze as he forced himself to take a step towards her, and then another, until he was alongside her. They both glanced down at their hands; so close but not quite touching, Theo's heart was pounding so hard that he could hear the thudding echoing in his brain. The hand position in the minuet required the woman's to rest lightly on the man's as he delicately held her fingers at chest height slightly in front of them. It was considered impolite for the man to just grab the fingers of the lady he was dancing with so Theo raised his hand into position and waited for her to place hers on top, his other hand slotting into place on the juncture of his hip. Theo attempted to look straight ahead of him but he was extremely aware of Granger standing so close to him that he could hear her breathing, and his waiting hand was still in his eyeline. He sensed and then saw her fingers appear above his hand. She hesitated for a moment and then lowered her hand onto his.

He turned his head sharply at the contact and she stiffened next to him as he stared at their hands.

"Surprised that my touch isn't as disgusting as you thought?" she asked him sharply and he looked up to see her eyes narrowed at him, her jaw tight.

"They're warm," he told her, a hint of surprise in his tone as he closed his fingers around hers more securely. "Daphne's are always cold." He had no real complaints about Daphne Greengrass being his usual partner for she was an intelligent and competent dancer. He was so used to the coolness of her fingers that he never even noticed it when they danced anymore, but the contrast with Granger's had taken him by surprise. He was relieved to find that nothing about her touch repulsed him because although he'd told himself that he no longer believed muggleborns to be lesser than him, he'd been worried that an unconscious part of him still thought it was true. She was much warmer than Daphne and her skin wasn't quite as soft, but apart from that it felt no different.

Granger briefly glanced away, her cheeks turning pink and she seemed a little abashed. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, still not meeting his eye. "I shouldn't presume to know you like that. After all, I never would have guessed you'd ask me for that book or want to rehearse with me... I'm sorry for judging you, Nott."

The music of the minuet started before Theo had the chance to respond and he turned his attention to performing the steps correctly, starting with the opening bow and curtsey sequence. He released Granger's fingers and bent forwards into the required elaborate bow as she dipped into a deep curtsey but they had only just regained their starting positions when Tam stopped the music.

Theo looked over at him in surprise. "I don't think I've ever seen a pair of such stiff dancers - you both look terrified of each other," Tam said with a frown. He walked over to them both. "Look, I get it," he said softly, laying a reassuring hand on their outer shoulders. "I know exactly who you both are and so the significance of this rehearsal isn't lost on me. There's going to be mistrust but I'm pretty confident in saying that everyone who's in this room is here because they want to be, right?" Theo and Granger looked at each other and then back to Tam and nodded. "Good. Let's try the opening again and maybe this time you could make it more obvious through your faces and bodies that you actually like to dance."

They made it all the way through the minuet that time but Theo could tell without having to hear it from Tam that they were still too stiff and disjointed in their movements. Tam suggested that the first minuet was too easy which gave them time to think of the situation rather than the steps, and so he moved them onto the polka next.

The polka was a completely different type of dance both in terms of tempo and hold. He'd merely been alongside Granger in the minuet and they broke contact through most of the dance, but the polka required them to face each other and he had to put his hand on her back. It was awkward to be so close to her and he found it more comfortable to look over her shoulder than at her face. However, Tam's plan of getting them to lose their awkwardness via the polka worked very quickly because the dance was so quick and technical with the footwork that Theo soon forgot who he was dancing with and treated Granger the same way he did Daphne.

They took a quick break after successfully performing the polka through three times without any mistakes and Theo found himself lamenting the fact that the rehearsal would soon be over. Tam was a good instructor and Hermione was a perfectly adequate dancer, much better than he was expecting if he were honest, but the reason Theo was enjoying the dance session so much was because after weeks of uncertainty, he finally felt that he could relax and be himself: he was doing something that he loved with people who knew about his newfound understanding of blood.

He felt free.

A/N Let me know what you think!

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