Written for the Star Wars Event at The Golden Snitch Forum. Hans Solo prompt: Write about a lone or quiet character joining a group.

I've been shipping Theo/Susan lately, so this seemed like a good chance. ;) I hope everyone enjoys and please review if you like it.

"I want to join."

Susan Bones looked up, then left and right, passing over her quiet companion and looking behind her. Someone had said somethin-...

"Oi. Right here." Ah, now it was annoyed.

She settled her gaze on her quiet companion that never really ever spoke to her other than a good afternoon before sitting down studying beside her in the library. Sometimes she would find her way to him just because Susan didn't like people talking when she was studying and he didn't. Hence the library location as well. They never talked. In fact, she had almost gotten to the point in which she didn't think he could say anything other than the polite greeting.

"Nott?"

"Bones." He returned evenly. His dark eyes were staring at her as he repeated himself. "I want to join."

Susan shifted in her chair. It's not like he could know about DA, could he? What else could he be talking about?

"I don't really understand..." Her voice trailed off.

Theoredore Nott rolled his eyes, "Well, excuse me... What secret codes does Potter and his gang have set up for you to use, huh? 'Allow me secret passage?' or 'Pretty please'?"

Susan shook her head. "I don't know what you are talking about." Her eyes traveled onto his robes and down. She hadn't heard if Nott had join that silly Slytherin squad or not and he didn't have the badge. But he was...no.

It didn't matter, Hufflepuffs don't judge based on the House they came from.

Though, it was hard when all she could hear was the whispers of her classmates in her head, Slytherin House, cold, bad, quiet, they are planning something, bad...

Sadly, her gaze didn't turn away as she was thinking these thoughts and Nott's snide voice still came through.

"I know I am good looking, Bones, but honestly, not in the library, please. Madame Pince is watching and I don't think she wants to see you jump and ravish me."

Her face flushed, "I wasn't thinking that." Well, not at this particular moment, but she wasn't going to say that.

"Of course you weren't." His lips twitched. "So, am I in?"

"No." Susan replied shortly.

"Why?"

"Because... you're a Slytherin!"

"And you are a Hufflepuff, but I didn't say anything when you sat down."

Susan gave him a dry look which he returned.

"Why?"

"While most Hufflepuff's are generally nutters, I thought I would move away from soci-"

Susan held up her hand to stop him, ignoring the jab to her House, "No. Not that. I meant, why do you want to join?"

"To learn."

"You can learn in Umbridge's classroom like everyone else."

He scoffed, "Nobody learns anything in that class."

That was true. Susan bit her lip and looked back down to her textbook, looking for a distraction. Technically she had already confirmed that a club existed by denying him. She couldn't backtrack from that. She decided to ask something else, "Do you believe Potter? That...He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back?"

Nott leaned back in his seat with a blank face, "It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does." She whispered.

"It doesn't. I'm neutral to the matter."

Susan shook her head, "You can't just be neutral to this problem! No one is. You say you are, but you aren't! People think they don't have to pick sides to a problem and they will be fine, but they all get dragged into the problem whether they like it or not."

Now he was amused, "Is that concern you're showing for me?"

"If it comes out that you joined Potter, neither sides are going to be nice."

"They won't find out."

Susan sighed, "You don't get it."

"Maybe I don't, but the question is still stands. How do I join?"

bad, evil, dark wizard...

"You don't."

His dark eyes flashed with frustration, "Why not?"

"Because I'm not sure why you want to join. You say you are neutral and then, you want to join... our club."

"Is it so hard to understand the need to learn?"

Susan didn't know why she decided to use his first name when she spoke next, but it came out regardless, "Theo, if you would go so far just for the sake of knowledge then you would've been Sorted into Ravenclaw."

He stayed silent.

She heard him stand up and start packing away his textbooks and notes into his schoolbag. It was guilt that struck her in the heart at his parting words.

"Funny, that. I thought the Hufflepuffs were the kindest House around here."

Hufflepuffs don't judge.

Two weeks later Theodore Nott walked into DADA class with a shiny Inquisition Squad badge on his robes and there was a beaming Umbridge awarding ten points to Slytherin because some people were making the right choice.

Susan was soberly packing her schoolbag at the end of the class, if she could even call it a class, when a shadow fell over her desk.

"So you joined them, huh?" Susan asked and looked up at him.

"Yes, you see, neutral or not. I would like to survive the problem that's arising." He paused. " It seems... nobody else gave me another option."

"...Oh."

"See you in the library later, hmm?"

Susan could only nod slowly as he left. It was good. They would still study together which was good. Hannah had sat with her last night and she was the biggest chatterbox ever, Susan barely got through half of her Potions essay without tearing out her hair.

Why did she feel guilty?

She was a Hufflepuff, working alongside the Gyffindors, siding the good side and he was with the... Slytherin side. In their own snake group.

bad, evil, dark wizard...

But... had she been given a chance to change that?

Why did she feel like something could've changed and she had failed?

Why...