「 SPIDERS, GIANTS, AND DEATH EATERS」

THEO WATCHED IN HORROR THE Death Eaters destroy the defences they have just put up. Hundreds of flashes of light shot out of their wands and hit the protective dome, creating cracks and fissures over its surface. Standing at the Ravenclaw tower - one of the tallest in Hogwarts - Theo was able to get a good view of what was happening and he didn't like what he saw. The Death Eaters set fire to Hagrid's hut and his famous pumpkin patch, infiltrated the defences within ten minutes, and ran up the grounds toward the castle, shooting spells haphazardly.

Theo thought of what Seamus had said before they'd parted - Great! You'd be safe. - of how Theo was up in the safety of the tower while Seamus was down there, waiting to meet their attackers head-on. A cold fist clenched his heart at the thought and Theo gripped his wand tightly between his fingers.

He shouldn't have come up here.

There didn't need to be any teams. This was a war and there were no rules in war.

Theo pulled away from the window and turned back the way they had come from. The sound of footsteps a moment later told him that Daphne was following. She caught up quickly. "Where are you going?"

"Downstairs."

He was grateful to her for not asking any more questions.

But after a while, Theo began to realise that fighters were needed in all parts of the castle, not just on the ground floor. As they were crossing the fourth-floor corridor, he heard a faint scuttling sound drawing closer and closer. He stopped, cautious and scared.

Then a giant black figure leapt out at them through one of the open windows and landed at their feet, multiple large milky eyes blinking at them as the creature scurried toward them in its eight legs. Theo and Daphne shot a hex at the same time and the giant spider toppled, unconscious.

"What the fuck was that?" Daphne screamed and then there were more.

Thankfully, Theo and Daphne were not alone. They were soon joined by more students in pyjamas who collectively managed to ward off the giant spiders - Acromantula, Theo remembered having read about them in a book. They were ugly, hairy, and giant and he thought they feasted on flesh, though he couldn't be sure.

The spiders stopped coming after a while. They breathed a sigh of relief and Theo hurried over to the window to look outside. Most of the fighting was going on inside the castle, but Hagrid was down by his burning home fighting five Death Eaters at once with an umbrella. Kingsley Shacklebolt duelled three and seemed to be giving each of them a hard time.

Theo regretted not having known him before.

He joined Daphne who was observing one of the dead Acromantulas with great concentration. Theo nudged her with his elbow. "Let's keep moving."

She nodded as they made for the stairs. "I didn't know there were Acromantulas so close to our school grounds," she said breathlessly. "Imagine if they decided to have a nice birthday feast and came to visit Hogwarts with all its beautiful fleshy human children."

Theo felt a shudder pass through him. Explosions erupted all over the castle and at one point, he saw one of the high walls crash down to the ground. There were no teams anymore - everyone fought individually or in pairs as more and more Death Eaters flooded their home.

"Maybe the Death Eaters brought them," he suggested, though he didn't really believe it.

"I doubt that." Daphne pointed to the far side of the corridor, where one of the spiders bit off a large chunk of a Death Eater's foot.

They managed to reach the third floor without encountering any enemies, though they had to dodge falling stone and debris all around them. "Is there a specific place we are going?" Daphne asked as they climbed over piles of broken stone.

"I have to find Seamus."

All of a sudden, Daphne screamed, "Theo, duck!"

He didn't really understand why she was shouting the name of a bird in the middle of a war but his brain acted of its own volition and he ducked. He watched as a red spell wheezed past the spot where his head had just been. Daphne, looking furious, began to duel the Death Eater who had shot the spell.

Theo sprang to his feet and joined her. Neither of them was experienced enough with duelling and they were forced to retreat as the Death Eater pressed toward them, laughing maniacally. Theo felt a wall hit his back - they were cornered.

They continued to shoot one spell after another but it seemed to be of no use. The Death Eater was too fast and was gaining on them. Theo reached behind him and felt a stone come loose in his hand. With his wand hand still working, he gripped the stone with his other hand and hurled it straight at their attacker's head. It connected and he stumbled back, his wand clattering to the floor.

Daphne dashed over to take the wand. She pocketed it and they sprinted away before the Death Eater could recover. Soon, they reached the second floor.

It was pandemonium.

If the condition on the upper floors were terrible, this was hellish. Far more Death Eaters were present here and more swarmed in from all over the place. Walls had toppled over and bodies lay crushed under the stone. There were Acromantulas here too, but also all sorts of different creatures and even plants that strangled their victims with long green vines. The ground shook below them, then shook again. It began to shake at regular intervals and everyone paused their fighting momentarily to find its source.

Daphne gasped and grabbed his wrist. "What the fuck is that?" she exclaimed in a loud whisper for the second time in an hour. Theo had seen it too. A pair of thick, scaly trunks outside the window coming closer to the castle. A pair of giant legs.

"They brought giants?" Daphne sounded like she would faint. Theo gripped her shoulder in case she decided to fall but she pushed him away irritably and ran to the window to look.

"Are you mental?" Theo cried as the fighting resumed around them. "Don't get close!"

She turned away from the window looking wild. Her eyes were widened in fear. Her hair had come loose and was falling all over her face, giving her the look of hysteria. She reached her hands up to hastily tie the hair on top of her head, then she took his hand and they weaved through the duelling crowd.

Theo gave himself the time to wonder if he looked as fearful as her. He kept up a composed exterior, but inside he was screaming. His school - his home - was being destroyed and his father was probably one of the people who were raining hell down upon them. Blaise was safe, which gave him a momentary bout of relief but he was worried about Seamus, about Luna. He hadn't seen them, not once. Bodies were lying injured all over the place and Theo determinedly did not look into their faces in fear it would be someone he knew.

Daphne was pulled into a duel with another Death Eater. Theo went to help her but someone else blocked his way and he was forced to leave her alone. He raised his wand and shot a defensive charm but it was deflected. He shot another spell and on it went as the masked Death Eater deflected one spell after another.

Theo's arm ached but he couldn't stop. He was aware of how different this situation was from facing the Carrows. One wrong move could result in death.

The Death Eater, surprisingly, did not try to attack him and instead kept deflecting his spells. Theo was starting to grow frustrated when the Death Eater spoke. "You have done well, Theo. I did not expect this from you."

Theo froze. He stared in horror as the Death Eater reached up to take off his mask to reveal the face of the person who had tormented Theo his entire life, who had been the cause of many a nightmare. His breaths came out heavy as he looked into the eyes of his father.

"So a blood traitor," Tristan Nott said conversationally like there wasn't an actual war going on around them. "After everything I've done for you, this is how you repay me."

A hundred responses went through Theo's head but his mouth refused to open. He felt his hands shake and he hated himself for it.

"Well, don't just stand there like that. Fight me."

Theo snapped into consciousness and they instantly fell into another duel. Tristan Nott did not hold back this time. He countered every one of Theo's spells with a stronger one of his own. Before he knew it, Theo was cornered. Again.

"I didn't really expect anything better from you," Tristan Nott taunted, moving closer to him and pushing him up against the wall. "You have always been weak. You could never have survived as a Death Eater."

Theo's arms slowed, unable to keep up with Tristan Nott. He waved his wand sharply and something heavy struck Theo on the side. He gave a cry of pain and toppled sideways, the back of his head striking a stone jutting out of the ground. He tried to find Daphne but she was nowhere in sight.

Tristan Nott knelt before him, tutting. "Look at you. Sometimes I cannot believe that you really are my son."

"I'm not," Theo spat. He gritted his teeth, wincing as a sharp spark of pain darted through his skull. "I don't have a father."

Tristan Nott's face hardened. He stood, towering over Theo who tried to get up but was immediately overcome by pain in his elbow. Tristan Nott took a few steps back, then gave a hard kick in Theo's stomach. He cried out, folded his legs close to him, and clutched his abdomen, watching helplessly as his wand clattered away.

Tristan Nott readied himself for another blow but he was abruptly swept off his feet. Theo's vision had darkened and he was unable to properly see his surroundings but he could tell that someone had taken down his father. Vaguely, he saw him lying unconscious on the ground as Theo closed his eyes and threw up his dinner.

Someone lodged their hand under his armpits and started to drag him. Theo protested weakly. "I'm okay. I can stand." With pain at the back of his head, his elbow, and his stomach, Theo pulled himself up to his feet. He found his wand and looked at his saviour.

It was a small boy with mousy hair who was in no way an adult. He grinned up at Theo. "Did you see that? Wasn't that cool? I just jumped at him and he knocked his head to the ground and fainted. This is the biggest achievement of my life!"

Theo rubbed his palms over his face. His headache was now accompanied by a throbbing in his temples as the boy excitedly recounted his achievement. He touched his abdomen and elbow to make sure he had no broken bones and looked at the boy, shushing him with a raised hand. Theo led him to a narrow corridor to keep away from more Death Eaters. Then he asked, "Are you seventeen?"

The boy's face turned hard. "'Course I am."

"You're not."

He jutted his small chin up stubbornly. "I turn seventeen in a month, so what does it matter?"

Theo couldn't help but smile. He lowered himself to the ground. He felt like an elderly person as he groaned with each movement. "What's your name?"

"Colin."

"I'm Theo. Colin, I need to go to the ground floor. Do you think you can take me there? I'm not really in the best of conditions."

Colin's face lit up like a hundred stars. He hooked his arms around Theo and helped him to his feet. He barely came up to Theo's chest; he found it hard to believe that Colin was almost seventeen.

Theo didn't really need Colin to take him. Besides, he had to find Daphne. But he didn't want to leave him on his own. Even if he wasn't lying about his age, Colin looked too much like a child for Theo to feel comfortable letting him enter the war zone without anyone accompanying him. So he let Colin lead the way while he kept his eyes and ears alert for Daphne.

It was even worse down here. Theo could hardly tell which part of the castle they were in. Death Eaters swarmed in from all sides, red and green lights flew and deflected in the air. There were shouts - both of fear and triumph. A group of house-elves weaved among the legs of the humans, hitting the shins of the Death Eaters with heavy spoons, chanting something Theo couldn't quite understand.

No sooner had they stepped foot on the ground floor than they were surrounded and Theo dragged Colin to his side before they started duelling.

Colin was much better at duelling than he had expected. Maybe he shouldn't have underestimated him. Nevertheless, they stuck together and warded off one Death Eater after another. Having Colin by his side somewhat made up for the vertigo he felt due to the blow he had received at the back of his head.

But Theo quickly began to lose speed. The world spun around him; he could lose consciousness at any moment. He wished for Blaise to be there with him.

Once they had successfully managed to overcome the Death Eater they had been last duelling, Colin grabbed his hand and ran in another direction. Theo felt too sick to question him and so let him lead the way.

Colin opened a door and they entered a room. It was barely a room, however, for the walls had caved in and Theo saw the west end of the grounds on the other side. But the way to the castle was blocked by a wall so they were safe for the moment.

Theo fell to the ground and began to wheeze. The kick to his stomach seemed to have turned his insides upside down. The ache at the back of his head wasn't doing much to help either.

Colin kneeled by him. "Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked anxiously.

"Not really." Theo reached a hand up to his head - it came out bloody. Colin jumped to his feet and stood behind him, pushing his hair with his fingers. Theo closed his eyes, hoping for death.

"Theo!"

His eyes flew open. It was Blaise's voice. He was sure of it. But it couldn't be.

He craned his neck to look past the door and there Blaise was - running toward them, completely ignoring the fights and duels all around him. Blaise entered the classroom - if a classroom it was - and fell to the floor in front of Theo, pulling him up in his arms.

With his damaged elbow, Theo hugged him awkwardly, unable to keep the grin from his face. "Blaise! I thought you'd left."

Blaise cupped his face on his hands. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left. I just wanted to make sure Corben was safely away. I'm sorry."

Theo laughed and leaned forward so that their foreheads touched. "I know you had to. It's okay."

"Where were you?" Blaise demanded. "I've been looking around for hours. Seamus told me you were in the Ravenclaw Tower but ... it had collapsed. I thought something had happened to you."

"I'm fine," Theo braved a smile, feeling gratified by the worry in Blaise's eyes. "I left the tower long ago. What about you? Are you hurt?"

"Theo is hurt." It was Colin. Both Theo and Blaise looked up at him - Theo had forgotten he was there and Blaise probably hadn't even noticed him. "His head is bleeding."

Blaise immediately got to his feet. Now he was the one looking through Theo's hair as Theo wondered why he was always the one to get injured among his friends. When Blaise was done, he came to sit in front of him, looking relieved. "It's just a cut. Nothing serious."

He now turned to Colin, who suddenly looked awkward at the scrutiny. "You're Colin Creevey, aren't you?" Blaise asked. "You're in my brother's year. You aren't seventeen yet."

Colin gave a long, exaggerated groan as he flopped on the ground. "Not you too. I can fight better than your boyfriend." His face turned scarlet as he hurriedly added, facing Theo, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. That was very rude, I'm so sorry."

But Theo only laughed. "He's right. He saved my life."

Another explosion erupted around them. Colin jumped and looked fearfully around, then he began to describe to Blaise how he had arrived and valiantly knocked Tristan Nott down. Blaise listened, then he turned a sceptical eye at Theo. "He was kicking you?" He paused, brows creased into a thoughtful frown. "It was your father, wasn't he?"

Colin froze, eyes widening. "He was your father?"

Theo didn't see the point in denying. "Yeah. Whatever. He's knocked unconscious somewhere."

None of them said anything. Theo took the silence as an opportunity to really look at Colin.

If he were telling the truth, he was almost seventeen though he didn't look anything like it. His mousy brown hair was a mess on his head and his pale face was streaked with dirt. Colin kept fluttering his wand between his fingers. Despite his energy, he looked absolutely worn-out.

Something was happening. The noise of shouts and walls collapsing began to gradually cease. Blaise and Colin noticed too as they turned their heads around, hoping for the battle to end. Theo quietly took Blaise's hands.

Then, as in the Great Hall, You-Know-Who's voice sounded again, seeping out of the stone and cracks in the walls. Blaise squeezed his hand.

"You have fought valiantly," the voice said. "Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilt is a loss and a waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured.

"I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me.

"One hour."

Theo let out a slow breath. Blaise was looking at Colin, who kept twisting his fingers together. "You should lie down," he said. Colin looked at him, surprised. "You look like you need rest."

Theo thought Colin would protest, but he obediently curled up on the ground and closed his eyes. Theo gave a small, hesitant smile at Blaise.

"I'll go and find Finnigan. He'll be able to help you with your head."

But Theo clutched his hands, refusing to let go. "No, stay."

Blaise seemed inclined to argue but he gave in. He slid closer to Theo, their hands entwined between them.

"What now?" Theo asked in a whisper.

"We wait." Blaise paused. "And then whatever the outcome, we run away. Okay?"

"What about Corben? You want to leave him?"

Blaise's face dulled. "He will be happier without me."

"You thought that about me too," challenged Theo. "You were wrong."

Blaise turned away. He seemed to be fighting with something, jaws clenched. "So you don't want to go with me?" he asked in a hard voice.

"No, I do. I'll follow you wherever you go. I'm just asking if you really want this yourself."

Blaise pulled his hands away, scooting backwards. Theo immediately felt sorry, once again regretting opening his mouth at all. He reached out to take his hands again. "Okay, I'm sorry. It wasn't a good time to bring it up. Stay with me, please."

Blaise sighed and leaned his head in so their foreheads touched. Theo closed his eyes, enjoying being so close to him. Without giving himself the chance to have second thoughts, Theo closed the gap between them with his lips.

From the abrupt jerk of his head, Theo could tell that Blaise was shocked by the gesture. But he kissed him back furiously as Theo unclenched their hands and held Blaise by the jaw. Their movements were fast and impatient, as though they would be separated in a few minutes and they wanted to get the most out of each other.

Theo tried to remember their first kiss and was shocked when he realised that it has been just a few hours ago. They had gone to bed after Blaise kissed him on the stairs leading to the dormitory and then they had been woken up by Slughorn. He couldn't believe that a lifetime hasn't passed since the last time he had woken with Blaise beside him.

Theo shifted from his lips and began to place soft kisses on Blaise's jaws and then his neck. Blaise took his shoulders and pushed gently. "Um - as much as I'm enjoying this, we have a child here."

Theo shot back, blushing - he had completely forgotten about Colin. Colin, whose eyes were still closed, shouted indignantly, "I'm not a child!"

⋆

about three more chapters left of this book

*cries in gay*