Chapter Five of 'Imago'- Neville Longbottom Is a Possibility

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Chapter Five—Neville Longbottom Is a Possibility

Theo starts the quest for an answer to Harry’s heartbroken confession a day later. He waits by the entrance to the Great Hall, and he can be very still when he wants to. He evaluates the Gryffindors going by. There are few Slytherins who would be a candidate for Harry’s friendship, and most of them are in younger years. Theo doesn’t know if Harry would want to spend a lot of time with a first-year or the like.

He dismisses Finnigan out of hand, although he lingers for a moment over Dean Thomas. Yes, the boy is a Muggleborn, but he seems quieter than Finnigan and less prone to believe whatever rumor comes along.

Perhaps, Theo decides, and turns his eyes away from Thomas just in time to see his first pick come down the stairs.

Neville Longbottom is chubby, although not so much as he was a few years ago, and he stumbles over things and apologizes too much and runs late. But Theo doesn’t think he’s stupid, the way Draco always seems to (Longbottom is his favorite target after Harry, Weasley, and Granger). No one who handles plants with his assured touch could possibly be. He just doesn’t want to express that confidence for some reason.

“Longbottom,” Theo calls softly.

Longbottom twitches and turns around with his hand on his wand. He doesn’t look reassured when Theo steps away from the wall, but his eyes are on the serpentine crest on Theo’s robe, not his face, which comforts Theo that it might just be a House issue. “Y-yeah?” he asks.

“I’m Theo Nott,” Theo begins.

“I know who you are.” Longbottom’s voice is a little deeper now, and although most people wouldn’t notice the way his eyes flick to Theo’s left forearm, Theo isn’t most people.

Theo smiles while his stomach squirms with delight. Longbottom is observant, then. And he doesn’t hate Slytherins so much as to start hurling insults or run away screaming. Already he’s more promising material for Theo to work with than Weasley was.

“As a general person, sure. But did you know that I’m Harry’s boyfriend?”

Longbottom coughs and almost drops his wand. “Y-you’re what?”

“Harry’s boyfriend. Of course, not many people know that yet, but I thought his friends should.”

Longbottom swallows and squints at him. “Ron and Hermione haven’t said anything.”

“They’ve decided that it’s more important for Harry to accept Weasley’s nonexistent apologies and forgive him for everything he did in relation to the Goblet and believing Harry put his name in it. You must have noticed that they’re spending time apart now.”

The subliminal flattery gets to Longbottom. He stands up a little straighter and lowers his wand. “Yeah, but so what? That doesn’t mean Harry would date a Slytherin.”

Theo laughs a little, because he can see Harry dashing down the staircase right now, leaping steps two at a time, on his way to breakfast. “Why don’t you ask him? Here he comes now.”

Longbottom eyes him as if he thinks Theo will stab him when his back is turned, but he does call out, “Harry! Is it true that you’re dating Nott?”

Harry’s eyes dart over the situation, and Theo wonders how anyone can claim that Harry is stupid and doesn’t understand what he’s seeing. He looks a silent question in Theo’s direction, and Theo answers it with a tilt of his head. He doesn’t mind Longbottom knowing this.

“Yeah, I am,” Harry says, and leaps down the last two stairs and comes up to Theo at an easy jog. “Morning, gorgeous.” His eyes glint as he hooks his hand behind Theo’s head and drags him forwards, kissing him hard enough to make Theo’s head spin.

He’s aware that they have an audience, of course he is, but he can’t help digging his fingers into Harry’s shoulders and leaning closer for more. Harry draws back with a half-laugh and licks his lips., then glances at Longbottom. “If you’re going to bring up the same problems with it as Ron—”

“I did believe that you didn’t put your name in the Goblet.” Longbottom sounds miserable. “I just didn’t want to—to s-say it and make the others angry at me.”

Theo eyes him. That’s enough of a bravery problem that he wonders how Longbottom ever got into Gryffindor.

Harry, the prat, is too forgiving and accepts it instantly, something wistful passing through his eyes and then gone. “I get it, Neville. I haven’t always been as brave as I should be, either.”

“When?” Theo snaps before he can stop himself.

Harry glances at him, and Theo has the sense of scales tipping in Harry’s mind before he answers, “The kids that my cousin beat up. I didn’t try to help them if Dudley wasn’t going after me. Sometimes I felt as if they deserved it, because they should have tried to help me when Dudley and his gang were chasing me.”

They absolutely did deserve it, in Theo’s opinion, but Longbottom is talking again. “S-so, you really aren’t friends with Ron and Hermione anymore?”

Harry tenses, but that’s the only sign of what he told Theo, that he’s afraid without Weasley and Granger he won’t have any friends. Part of Theo relaxes, to know that he’s still the most trusted confidant Harry has. “I don’t know what’s going on. Hermione said Ron wanted to apologize, but he wouldn’t come and do it himself, and she sort of expects me to—I don’t know, just accept that’s the way he is or something.”

“Don’t do that.” Longbottom has a firm voice when he wants to. “You deserve to be the way you are, too, and if that means not listening unless he apologizes in person, then that should be fine.”

Theo tilts his head. Longbottom is a more than tolerable friend, if he can say things like that to Harry. Theo wishes Harry had found him first on the train and decided that Longbottom was his friend no matter what, rather than Weasley.

“I think we should get along to breakfast,” Harry says suddenly. “It’s almost eight-thirty, isn’t it?”

Longbottom gasps. “I need to eat, or I’ll never keep anything down when we’re in Potions!”

As he hurries away, Harry does say, “Nev? Thanks.”

Longbottom gives Harry a flustered smile before he darts off. Theo nods. Longbottom doesn’t have a bravery problem, then, just a confidence problem. It’s one that Theo will be more than willing to work on with him, because he does want Harry to have a close Gryffindor friend. Just one who’s tolerable to Theo, too.

“You didn’t need to do that.”

“Do what?”

“Don’t give me that innocent look, Nott. I know that you think I need friends other than Ron and Hermione. But you didn’t need to reach out to Neville. I could do that myself. I could—you don’t need to coddle me.”

Theo might have taken offense, but he can see the heaviness in Harry’s eyes, how he probably doesn’t even notice his arms are curving around his stomach as if to shield it from a blow. Harry doesn’t want anyone to be friends with him, or boyfriends, out of obligation. He desperately wants to be liked and protected for himself, not the Boy-Who-Lived.

“I didn’t do it because of that.”

“Why, then?”

“You do need friends.” Theo reaches out and steers a piece of Harry’s wild hair back behind his ear. “And I know that you’ll never leave Weasley and Granger in the dust if you don’t have someone else. So, see, it’s for me, too. I find Weasley and Granger very annoying. The sooner they leave you alone, the better.”

Harry stares at him, and then laughs. Theo smiles. It’s all right. They both know something significant happened here, and if Harry wants to downplay it for right now or pretend it didn’t happen, all right, they can do that. Theo still knows the truth.

And he knows that right now, as Harry hauls him towards a cupboard tucked away in a corner near the staircase, snogging is more important than breakfast.

*

“Granger!”

Granger turns around and clutches her books to her chest. “What do you want, Nott?”

“Just this.” Theo comes to a halt a few feet away from her, so she won’t feel cornered. Not that she should when the open doors of the library are behind her, but Gryffindors take offense to the strangest things. “You ought to think about whether being attracted to someone else makes them right.”

Granger’s cheeks flare with a fiery cascade of pink. “I am not attracted to Ron!”

“Yes, you are.”

“I’m not going to the Yule Ball with him—”

“That means nothing. Just listen to what I’m saying. Think about it. If Weasley has the right to be accepted for himself and his mistakes treated as just part of his personality, then doesn’t Harry, too?” That’s a good enough line that Theo is going to steal it, no matter that Longbottom is the one who came up with it.

Granger turns a different kind of red. “It’s just—Ron won’t apologize, so Harry has to accept that he’s sorry, or it’s the end!”

Theo folds his arms and studies Granger until she’s squirming in place. “Why can’t Weasley say it?”

“He just can’t! He doesn’t want to!”

“Then I suppose he values his pride more highly than he values his friendship with Harry.”

“Don’t say that!”

“Look, Granger, you’re smart. You know the problem is with Weasley, not Harry. So you can either make him see that and the three of you can go back to being friends, or you can pander to his stupid pride and lose Harry in the process!”

“Why is Harry being so stubborn?” Granger demands in a shrill voice. “Why can’t—it’s you, isn’t it? He would have accepted Ron’s apology by now if not for you!”

Theo rakes her with an amused glance. “You’re making excuses for Weasley, accusing Harry of being weak-minded enough to obey me like a dog, and acting like there’s nothing anyone can do in this situation except for Harry to give up his very reasonable demands. I think it’s easy to see whom you value more.”

“I don’t! I value them both!”

“But you want to drag Weasley into a broom cupboard, so you’re letting your libido make the decisions,” Theo says, and enjoys the absolutely new shade of red Granger cycles into. “Look, I’d like Harry to be happy. That means—”

“Then you should go away and tell him to accept Ron’s apologies!”

“Rather difficult to do that when I’ve gone away, isn’t it?”

Granger gives a scream of frustration and fumbles for her wand. Theo shakes his head and Disarms her with an easy twitch of his own. “I’m not going to let you actually curse me.”

She stares at him, trembling on what he thinks is the brink of throwing herself at him and hitting him the way she hit Draco that once. “Why?” she whispers. “What in the world can you possibly gain from interfering? Why did you have to come out of nowhere and step into the middle of our friendship?”

Theo can only blink at her for a second. He doesn’t play Quidditch, but he thinks he knows what someone feels like when they’ve been hit by a Bludger. “Wow,” he says softly. “You actually can’t see Harry as anyone of value in and of himself, can you? You want everything to go back to the way it was, which was Harry giving up what he wants to appease you and Weasley getting what he wants because he’s the one you’re obsessed with.”

“I am not—I’m not—”

Granger looks like she might cry. Theo shakes his head in contempt and tosses her wand back to land near her feet. She snatches it up and stares at him with wide, sullen eyes, in silence.

“Listen to me, Granger. Harry does value you and want you back. I have no idea why, but I don’t have to know. Stop acting as though Weasley is incapable of speaking some simple words. Stop acting as though you have to keep Harry safe from the big, bad, evil Slytherin. Respect his bloody decisions. And maybe then you’ll be able to come to terms with the new status quo.”

She doesn’t say anything. Theo turns around and walks back towards the end of the corridor, his back prickling with the knowledge that she can curse him if she wants, but she doesn’t do anything, either

Theo sighs. On the one hand, he knows Harry will be lonely if Granger doesn’t remove her head from her arse. On the other hand, it really will be a boon to Theo personally if she doesn’t, and Longbottom looks to be coming along nicely, if the way he sat with Harry in Potions today is any indication.

So maybe he’s done all he has to do, and it doesn’t matter what Granger says or does now. It will be a relief to Theo to stop caring about her.

*

“Mr. Nott, a word.”

Harry freezes at the back of the Potions classroom. Theo can feel it without even looking in his direction. He just nods to Professor Snape, says, “Of course, sir,” and sticks his hand behind his back to mime a shaking head in Harry’s direction.

Harry boils with frustration, at least to Theo’s senses, but he also turns and heads out of the classroom, which is the only thing that he can do at the moment.

“That which I warned you of has come to pass,” Professor Snape says when they’re alone. He heaves a hard sigh. “Professor Dumbledore wants to see you. I’m to take you to his office.”

Theo just nods. He didn’t particularly expect this, but he’s also not panicking. He’s chosen his side—Harry’s—and Dumbledore isn’t going to drive him away from that. If he wants to somehow ensure Theo’s loyalty, he won’t have to.

He and Professor Snape walk up the stairs in silence. Now and then, Theo thinks he hears a quick whisper from behind them, but when he subtly casts a charm that turns his palm to glass and holds it so he can see behind him, there’s never anyone there.

Professor Snape almost spits the password at the gargoyle, evidently finding the sweet names as silly as Theo would in his position. They ride up the moving staircase in the same silence they’ve used so far, and step into a room that is filled with too many silver instruments for a space that small. Theo disapproves. You could hardly duel in here without breaking something.

There is also a phoenix sitting on a perch next to the Headmaster’s desk. Theo nods quickly to it in respect and turns to face Professor Dumbledore, half-bowing his head in feigned respect. “Headmaster. You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Yes, yes, I did, Mr. Nott. Please sit down.”

Theo does it, while wondering idly how differently Dumbledore treats Harry. It’s not something they’ve discussed. Harry doesn’t seem to want to, or maybe he doesn’t know how, and Theo already knows that he won’t let Dumbledore drive him away from Harry, so nothing else really matters.

“Lemon drop, my boy?”

Theo simply gives a faint smile and shakes his head. “No, thank you, sir.”

“Now. Professor Snape tells me that you’ve been spending a lot of time with young Mr. Potter.”

“Harry. Yes, sir.”

“Why?”

“I like him.”

There’s a heavy silence. Theo keeps his gaze fixed on a point near Dumbledore’s hands, which are folded and lying there. He won’t get anything from them, he knows, no hint of Dumbledore’s real mood, but it’s better than looking Dumbledore in the eyes, which would be a mistake. Theo doesn’t know for sure that Dumbledore is a Legilimens, but some of the rumors that swirl around him would make a lot more sense if he was.

“Given who your father is, Mr. Nott,” Dumbledore says at last, “you must forgive me for not believing that that is your sole or primary reason.”

“My father didn’t assign me to get close to Harry and seduce him to the Dark side, if that’s what you’re wondering, sir.”

Professor Snape stiffens. Theo sits there and lets the silence wash over him. He can do this all day. He has played more uncomfortable games with his father since he could walk.

“I would never accuse a student of such a thing,” Dumbledore says when he seems to have assumed that Theo won’t crack under the pressure.

“Oh, all right, sir,” Theo says, and sits there radiating innocence and doubt.

“But—you perhaps understand that Harry’s position in the school is more precarious than many others?”

“Oh, you mean, since a bunch of idiots believe he put his name in the Goblet of Fire? Yes, sir, I understand. I’m doing my best to make sure that Harry has a place with me where he can relax and doesn’t have to think about that.”

“I understand that you are also making efforts to separate him from his best friends, Mr. Ron Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger.”

Theo wants to laugh, but he holds it in and gives Dumbledore’s hands an earnest look. “Honestly, sir, they’ve mostly been doing it themselves. Weasley keeps fighting with Harry, and then he sent Granger to make an announcement that Harry just has to accept his non-apologies. And Granger won’t say or do anything concrete because she fancies Weasley and wants everyone to pander to him.”

“The Weasley boy is an idiot,” Professor Snape says, seemingly involuntarily.

“Yes, sir,” Theo agrees, perfectly bland.

“I do not think you will make strides with Harry by denigrating his best friend, my boy.”

“You want me to lie, sir?”

More silence while Dumbledore peers at him, seeming honestly not sure what to make of him. Theo smiles and sits, and sits and smiles, until the Headmaster finally heaves a long sigh and waves one hand.

“You may go, Mr. Nott.”

Theo rises and half-bows his head again. “Thank you, sir.” He thinks he sees the phoenix watching him as they leave, but he doesn’t know what it’s thinking, and he wouldn’t presume to fathom the thoughts of such an ancient creature.

Professor Snape says nothing on the ride down the moving staircase, but gives Theo a look of profound disquiet before he turns in the direction of the Great Hall. Theo turns his palm to glass again and sees the subtle flickers of movement behind him. He waits until he’s around a corner, and then reaches out and grabs what seems to be—

It is an Invisibility Cloak. And it slides right off Harry when he pulls. Harry is staring at him with huge eyes, and doesn’t even give Theo a chance to ask questions before he blurts, “I followed you up the stairs, but I couldn’t get in the door and I couldn’t hear anything,” and flings his arms around Theo for a bone-shattering hug.

Theo grunts and staggers, then grabs him back, holding him close. Harry is babbling in his ear about how worried he was and asking how it went with Dumbledore and saying that he’d better be okay or there will be words, and Theo manages to whisper that he is all right, all the while with his mind spinning dizzily.

No one else would have followed him to the Headmaster’s office to try to find out what’s going on and if he’s okay. Not even Theo’s father would risk confronting Dumbledore like that.

It doesn’t matter what his father thinks, or Professor Snape thinks, or Dumbledore, or Weasley, or Granger. Theo is never going to let Harry go.