A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry for the lateness...and the shortness...and the overall suckiness. To those of you who don't know: college applications are murder. Murder, I tell you! Anyway, uh, have fun.

Well. That was awkward. "Um, sorry," Harry mumbled, pulling away. Wow, I'm a mess. First Snape, now Nott? Am I the designated Slytherin charity case, or what? "I got your handkerchief wet, I think."

"No kidding." Fortunately, the other boy didn't sound upset. When Harry looked up at him, there was a small, understanding smile on Nott's face. "I mean, that is kind of the point. You're supposed to get them wet. Besides, you needed it." That was even more embarrassing - random Slytherins weren't supposed to just know what he needed! Even if I am more Slytherin than Gryffindor, he thought gloomily, surprising himself. Was that why no one in his House had noticed? Food for thought, at least.

"Er, right," he mumbled, flushing a bit. Eloquent, his mind supplied sarcastically, sounding disturbingly like Snape. They were silent for a few moments before Nott spoke again.

"I guess you probably have a lot of questions," he said, sitting up straighter. "First of all, I've given my word to Professor Snape that I won't talk about all of this with anyone, upon threat of eternal detention." His voice was light, and a bit of the tension in Harry's muscles melted away. "Not that I would have said anything even without the threats, of course." He sounded a bit less sure of himself now, and pulled away slightly. "Slytherins take care of their own, including their privacy."

"But I'm not-"

"You became an honorary Slytherin the moment Professor Snape found out about this," Nott corrected gently. "The rest of the House doesn't know it yet - and they won't find out unless you want them to - but you're one of us now." He smirked good-naturedly, amusement sparkling in his eyes at Harry's shock. "Close your mouth, Potter, unless you have something to say."

Harry's mouth snapped shut instantly - he hadn't noticed it was still open, and he didn't want to look like an imbecile - and he nodded slowly, unable to deny that the idea was at least more appealing than he would have thought before. But he still had to ask -

"Why you?"

"What do you mean?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Well, why would you want to help me? Why would Snape ask you? Why-"

Nott laughed, holding up his hands. "Slow down, I can only answer one at a time." He looks nicer when he smiles, Harry thought idly. Their entire House always seems so closed off. Who knew they could actually show emotion?

"Well, first off, get one thing straight: I'm helping you because you deserve it and because you're one of us." He fixed Harry with a piercing glance, obviously daring him to contradict. Harry didn't bother.

"Second, normally I wouldn't have been chosen. Professor Snape usually gets an older student to help out if he isn't likely to be able to do much, but..." Nott's voice trailed off, and he smiled sadly. "You and I make up the two worst cases currently at Hogwarts, so he decided I was the best person to help you."

For a moment, Harry didn't understand. Then:

"Wait. You were..."

Nott nodded. "Yes. I was abused at home." He sighed when Harry flinched. "It's just a word, Pot- Harry. I hated it at first, too, but you're going to have to accept what they did to you at some point."

"I'm not- I wasn't-" He broke off, scowling.

"Sure you weren't." Harry's scowl deepened, and Nott sighed. "Listen, Harry, I'm sure that in your self-sacrificing Gryffindor mind, it wasn't that bad. But you can't just ignore this. You need to talk about it. Come to terms with it." He put a hand on Harry's shoulder as he continued. "Besides, if you don't tell us what actually happened, it'll be a lot harder to get you somewhere else to stay."

Harry groaned. "I already told Snape that I have to stay there, so-"

Nott just laughed. "You don't know Professor Snape. I guarantee that he's already making arrangements for you, Harry. Just wait and see."

At that exact moment, Severus was doing exactly that. Well, sort of. Making arrangements for Harry was part of his motivation, but he couldn't deny that chewing out the Headmaster felt really, really good.

"...and thanks to you, Albus Dumbledore, he's convinced himself that he has to return there and suffer at their hands! He sleeps in a cupboard, Albus, and that's just what he's been able to tell me without breaking down! You assured me that he was happy, pampered even, with his grandparents! I absolutely refuse to believe that they would hurt a child, so obviously-" here his magic began swirling dangerously around him - "you've been lying to me all along!"

"Severus-"

"No, Albus! I'm not going to listen to excuses. What were you trying to do? I can't even fathom what possessed you to keep him in a house like that. You must have had some inkling of what was going on!" His voice shook, and his anger started to drain away, to be replaced with weariness and pain. "Why, Albus? Why didn't you trust me enough to tell me the truth?" He sat down heavily, his shoulders slumped. "If I had known, I could have caught this earlier..."

Severus looked up, meeting eyes that seemed as dark as his own. It felt wrong seeing Albus's eyes look like that. They were always twinkling with delight, or flashing with anger, or glinting in determination; Severus had never seen those blue eyes look dull, or empty, but that was the only way to describe them now.

"Severus, I fear that I have made a grave error in judgement."

Part of Severus wanted to snark back at him, but he held his tongue, waiting for an explanation from his longtime mentor and friend.

"I believed that Petunia could grow to love her sister's child." Dumbledore sighed softly. "I knew that she had been jealous of Lily once, but I truly thought that she would take Harry in and love him as family."

"You- wait- Petunia? You sent him to that horse-faced harpy? Albus, I could have told you that she would never accept a wizard in her home! Anyone who knew Lily well knew how much her sister hated magic! Lily used to come to me, crying, because of the letters she sent that never got a reply, or the names her sister had called her before term started! She- why didn't you put him with his grandparents? They would have raised him properly! Anyone would have done a better job than Petunia!"

"They died, Severus."

"I can't believe you-" Suddenly he stopped, the Headmaster's words catching up to him. "They...they what?"

"They died." His voice was firm, though sympathetic. "Just before Christmas in your seventh year."

After Lily and I stopped talking. An immense wave of guilt washed over him. "That long?" A hint of betrayal seeped into his tone. "Albus, how could you not tell me? They were practically family!" He stood up again, clutching the desk desperately. "They were my parents in everything but blood! I- I thought Lily had told them that I joined the Dark Lord, and they didn't want to see me again! They've been dead, all this time? I- I've never even visited their graves! I-" He cut himself off, trying to rein in his rising hysteria. When he spoke again, his voice was calmer, but still strained. "Albus, you will tell me where they are buried, but we've strayed from the subject. Harry will not be returning there next summer. He will not be returning there as long as he lives if I can help it." Severus turned around and headed for the door, only just restraining his anger.

If he had stopped to think about it, he would have realized that Dumbledore had never truly answered any of his questions.

And if he had looked back as he left, he would have seen a scowl to rival his best on the genial old Headmaster's face.

"So, it's like a Pensieve, but on a flat surface?"

Harry stared blankly. "A what?"

Nott ("Call me Theo!") just groaned. "How do you not know about- well- anything?"

"I just don't! How do you not know what a television is?" He rolled his eyes. "If it's weird for me not to know wizard culture, it's just as weird for you not to know anything about muggles."

"But you're a wizard! I'm not a muggle!"

"That's not the point!"

They sat in silence for a few moments, just looking at each other, before Nott started snickering.

"How did we even get on this subject?"

Harry opened his mouth, then closed it again. "You know, I actually have no idea." They both laughed, but Harry winced, pressing one hand against his side, which effectively raised the tensions in the room again. Theo turned to look worriedly at the smaller boy, not noticing the Infirmary door quietly open and then close again.

"Are you okay? Should I ask Madame Pomfrey for a pain potion?"

"No, I'll be fine. It's not bad, just twinges a bit when I laugh."

"Normally," a new voice said, sounding faintly amused, "I would recommend avoiding things that cause pain, but you do seem in better spirits."

Both boys jumped. "Professor Snape!"

He smirked slightly at them, and Theo mirrored it. Harry looked back and forth between them for a moment, trying to decipher the silent conversation they seemed to be having, then gave up. Slytherins.

Suddenly, Theo and Snape turned to face him as one, and any amusement on their faces disappeared. Uh-oh. What did I do..?

"Are you feeling alright, Harry? Oh, no. No, we are not doing this right now. No way. Nope. Not bloody happe-

"I believe," Snape said slowly, "we have a discussion to finish, now that you no longer appear to be on the verge of a panic attack."

Bollocks.

"Um. Do we have to?"

Snape just quirked an eyebrow, but Theo looked sympathetic. "You'll have to do it eventually," he pointed out with a bit of a grimace. "Best to just get it over with. Besides, you'll feel better once it's all off your chest."

Unfortunately, that was a logical response, one that Harry couldn't honestly refute.

"Alright," he said reluctantly, glancing between them warily. "How are we going to do this?"

"For now, we just need you to answer our questions." Okay. I can do that. I think. Relax, relax...I don't think this is working...

"Okay," he said, his voice a bit more high-pitched than normal.

Theo cast him a pitying glance as the torture - er, therapy? -began.

A/N2: The plot thickens! I think. Maybe. Oh, I don't know; I just let the characters decide for me. I guess this time we get a rather manipulative Dumbles. Yay?

Next time: Explanations?

EDIT 10/23/14: Okay, okay. I know it's been forever. I swear I'm working on a new chapter, but senior year is a nightmare. AP classes, college applications, fucking culminating projects, theater rehearsals, choir rehearsals, PLUS trying to get my band to get an original song out...it's insanity. Then, of course, every time I sit down to write, I have to beat off plot bunnies with a stick. Bottom line, please bear with me while I sloooooowly get new chapters out! If the story goes officially on hold at any point in the near future, it'll be because I finally gave in to a particularly persistent bunny, but I don't plan on letting that happen. Wow, I'm rambling now. Well, ciao for now! Hope to have a new chapter soon(ish)!