Injury

Author's note: In the previous chapter, Voldemort mentioned that he was plotting something in Russia. Nott refused to become a Death Eater and was then tortured for long hours before his friends and Dobby came to save him. This adventure gave Peter the courage to go see Lucius to try to plot with him against Voldemort.

oOoOoOo

Théodore was in pain. He tried to open his eyes, but closed them immediately. Someone was approaching. A few seconds later, his whole body was seized by violent spasms of pain. He no longer had the strength to scream, so he began to cry. He wanted to escape, but realized with horror that he was chained. When was this going to end? But tirelessly, the Death Eater continued his work.

Mr. Nott, if you are awake, now it might sting a little.

The pain was such that he almost lost consciousness. He forced himself to reopen his eyes and an intense light illuminated the worried face of Madam Pomfrey. And he was not chained, but covered in so many bandages that he couldn't move. He tried to speak, but a terrible pain seized his throat and only a completely inaudible whisper came out of his mouth.

Do not try to speak for the moment.

If he could have, he would have made an extremely sarcastic remark to her about how she could have told him BEFORE. Instead, he settled for glaring at her. But she seemed not to even notice and busied herself with spreading an extremely foul-smelling cream all over her body. Then she began to move her legs. Theodore discovered with horror that school nurses had advanced training in torture that any Death Eater would envy.

I'm sorry, Theodore, but it's necessary if we want you to be able to walk again someday, and I've already given you more than the authorized dose of painkillers for a child your age, explained Pomfrey, tears in her eyes.

By what right did she allow herself to address him informally? Théodore tried to turn away with dignity from this excess of sentimentality, but his body refused to obey. Then another voice was heard.

So still not dead, baby Death Eater?

Greg, if you're coming for this kind of comment, you can go screw yourself. Replied the stern nurse with a vulgarity he wouldn't have thought her capable of.

But it is true that she had always shown herself to be surprisingly vehement when it came to protecting her patients, and the last few days must not have been easy for her, judging by the many dark circles under her eyes.

With pleasure, but it would be irresponsible towards our patient. Frankly, you should learn to be a little less selfish and a little more professional.

Before the nurse could respond, the face of a man with a fresh complexion, who had obviously slept well recently, filled Théo's already limited field of vision. Thanks to his pastel red wand and the many silver charms dangling from his healer's robe, it didn't take long for him to recognize him and he started trying to escape. But all he managed to do was trigger a new wave of pain.

The man adopted a worried expression and immobilized her.

Greg, what are you doing to him? cried the nurse before unceremoniously pulling him away from the bedside of his patient.

But nothing. He is the one who decided to destroy all my work. Kid, you may not realize it, but you were this close to dying. And even I don't perform miracles.

But that did not calm Théodore

Go away, you're scaring him. What did you do to him? Insisted the nurse.

But nothing, I tell you. Do you think ...? You know, he wouldn't be the first to escape only physically. He said as he moved away despite the nurse's gaze.

Pomfresh immediately thought of the Longbottoms and her heart sank. It had been horrible to face the empty gaze of her childhood friends. She didn't want to relive that with one of her patients. Especially not one so young. To think she had become a school nurse because she couldn't bear to lose her patients. She remembered that there was still time for her to leave for Tuscany, far from all this.

However, she could not prevent her gaze from drifting to her patient's eyes. Not only were they full of life, but she was captivated by the intensity of his gaze. Then she remembered an evening at Fort Nott, where Greg was laughing with other prestigious guests at the latest racist joke made by Nott senior. Then she started, realizing that it was not one of her memories.

Theodore, you are safe. Dumbledore has made sure of it. Greg is an idiot, but he would never side with You-Know-Who. He won't harm you, I promise. Despite appearances, he is the best mediwizard in England.

How so, despite appearances? Greg protested, stopping eating the meal tray of a still sleeping patient.

Nott fell asleep before hearing the rest of the conversation.

oOoOoOo

When he reopened his eyes, Théodore did not know whether several hours or several weeks had passed. But this time, it was Justin's smiling face that greeted him.

Hi my buddy.

For the last time, I am not your buddy.

Then Nott coughed continuously for a good 5 minutes. But at least he could speak. And move without too much pain, he noted with satisfaction.

Are you okay? Do you want me to call Pomfrey? Justin asked worriedly, handing him a glass of water that Theodore downed in one gulp before replying:

Certainly not! Nott alarmed, still having in mind his previous 'treatments'.

But we're cozy. And Zabini! I have proof that Theo is human. You owe me 5 galleons.

Theodore should have been offended by his words. No, coming from a mudblood, such a lack of delicacy was normal. However, that his ally Zabini would stoop to such practices (and against him, no less) should have made him furious. But seeing the Slytherin approach with a big smile, then try to give him a high five while congratulating him for surviving, the only thing he could think was that he was finally home.

You know, if you were a little more polite, I'm sure your boyfriend would have hugged you. However, the heir of the Zabinis couldn't help but add.

Immediately, Justin threw himself at Zabini in a manner that Theodore deemed quite undignified (and to think that it was about him that those cursed rumors were circulating). However,The worst part was that their racket alerted the nurse, who kicked them out and hurried to line up in front of him about ten potions that all seemed more disgusting than the others. Why on earth hadn't he killed those two idiots when he had the chance, Theodore Nott couldn't help but wonder.

oOoOoOo

A few days later, Dumbledore walked somberly through the empty corridors of Hogwarts. In recent years, strolling around the school grounds had been his only moment of serenity. His refuge where he drew the strength needed to return to the battle and continue, despite being over 100 years old, to appear to the wizarding world as an invincible leader. Nevertheless, he was not surprised that, barely begun, the war took even this moment of calm from him. He pushed open the infirmary doors and was greeted by a chorus of cries:

I didn't ask you for anything. You could have gotten yourself killed.

No, but do you hear yourself? You would be dead if we hadn't done anything.

You know, in some remote civilizations, it seems there is a word for this kind of occasion. I think it's 'thank you'. Blaise Zabini pronounced with a tone laced with irony.

Dumbledore cast an amused glance at the stern school nurse who pretended not to hear anything while reading a travel magazine about Tuscany.

Do you tolerate this kind of behavior in your field, Miss Pomfrey?

Pomfresh rolled his eyes in a mock-agitated manner before replying:

Why does everyone think I'm a heartless dragon?

Is that not the case? The old man asked his employee innocently.

Yes! But right now, I'm on vacation. She replied, taking refuge behind her magazine, just in time for Dumbledore to hear Nott's response (in fact, the whole castle had probably heard it):

So what? People die every day. That's no reason to risk your life.

Because we are friends. Justin calmly replied in return.

That's not a reason. And we're not friends.

Only you would believe that.

Fucking Hufflepuff.

Fucking Slytherin. Justin replied with irony.

Théodore replied to him with a dark look. The latter wondered if Rita Skeeter's allegations had some truth to them for him to cling to him like that. Then he slapped himself for daring to think such a thing.

And I would like to point out that I am also a Slytherin. Zabini interjected, pretending to be offended, with his unbearable smile on his lips.

Until now, he had been lenient, accustomed for several years to Nott's lack of immediate recognition. However, he had long known that Nott would not miss the first opportunity to repay what had been given to him a hundredfold. Nott could not bear the idea of owing anything to anyone. And as a good Slytherin, Blaise knew how to patiently wait for his investments to bear fruit. That is why they were allies.

Frankly, I'm pretty sure the Sorting Hat made a mistake when placing you. If your upstart kind weren't so lazy, you'd be the perfect Hufflepuff. Theodore replied violently.

For the first time in a long time, Blaise got angry with his friend. Théodore was regularly offensive and cutting (most often without even realizing it), but he had never spoken to him in that tone:

I understand that you had a rough time, but if you could stop acting like a jerk for 5 minutes, you would understand that you're not the only one with problems. And could you defend me too? he finished, turning to Justin.

No, I'm sorry, but he's right. Don't worry, we'll make room for you in our dormitory. Well, if this keeps up, we'll end up accommodating all of Hogwarts and might have to sleep in the same bed, but ...

Blaise didn't listen to the rest and just facepalmed, praying that no one would hear Justin's ramblings. Otherwise, soon there would also be rumors about him. Although that would open up an infinite universe of jokes about love triangles. But he also risked losing the attention of part of the female crowd, he thought, pretending to ignore the relatively small amount of attention he actually had. He eventually resolved this cruel dilemma by answering:

Listen Justin, we've already talked about this. As long as you haven't settled things with Theo, our love is impossible. I can't steal my best friend's boyfriend. Or girlfriend. Who's on top, again?

Then he started running towards the exit before Justin could catch him. He had plenty of time to be serious. But on the way, he bumped into something soft and fell backwards. He looked up to see the amused gaze of Albus Dumbledore. Zabini gulped.

Hello Mr. Zabini. A lemon candy? The old headmaster amused himself by asking, adopting his best imitation of a senile grandpa.

He had never confessed to anyone (not even to Minerva) that one of the reasons he was so keen on keeping the headship of Hogwarts was the amusement he found in playing the old doting grandpa and observing the antics of his students. To him, they were all his children. Of course, he had his favorites, but in his heart, they had all come to matter. This is why, despite the accumulated fatigue over all these years, he could never abandon the fight. He would have all the time to rest once all his children were safe.

Sorry, Mr. Director. Uh, no thank you. Blaise stammered as he got up.

What a shame he said as he swallowed one. They come from a box I opened this morning. They are very fresh. He said softly so that Pomfresh wouldn't scold him once again for how little he cared about his diabetes.

What do you want? Theodore Nott asked in a tone that was undoubtedly meant to be impressive, once he had advanced far enough for him to see him from his hospital bed.

An infinite box of chocolate frogs and a new evening dress.

His tirade didn't even elicit a smile on the wary face of Theodore Nott. So he continued more seriously:

And also know what I am going to do with you.

Of us? There is no us. No one can escape the Dark Lord. Sooner or later he will find me. You are going to let me escape. Alone! he specified in Justin's direction.

If you think that after everything we've done to save your skin, we're going to let you leave. Attempted Justin.

You don't understand? It's far too dangerous to stay with me. You've just given me a reprieve. He can't let me get away with it, not when I've openly defied him. Not when the loyalty of his Death Eaters is so shaky.

At his words, Dumbledore intervened:

What do you mean by that?

That I do not believe in the pseudo-protections you offer. Thank you for the care, but from now on, I will manage on my own.

He tried to get up, but with a careless wave of his hand, Dumbledore made him lie back down.

No. What do you mean by: "Wavering loyalty of the Death Eaters"?

Nott's face closed. Dumbledore was astonished to see that he was occluding. He did not know whether to be horrified or pleased that at such a young age, he had such knowledge of mind magics.

Mr. Nott. I believe it is more than time for you to choose your side.

I am in my own camp. And if you want information, you will have to pay for it.

Nott! Justin began to berate him, unable to believe someone would address Dumbledore like that. But the latter interrupted him with a gesture.

What do you want? He said, without his usual old man's smile.

That you protect Zabini and Justin.

It goes without saying, of course, that we ....

No, I want real protection. I want you to send them and their family with a false identity to another country. I don't want you to use your cheap manipulations to convince them to fight for you.

So Theo, it's up to us to decide...Try once more Justin before being interrupted by Dumbledore.

Blaise did not dare to say that now that he knew Théo was safe, he would be quite willing to go reconcile with his mother in Hawaii at Dumbledore's expense.

Blaise still remembered the howler his mother had sent him after they had forced that strange elf to apparate them far from their respective families to escape the departure to France. The first time the elf had appeared in his room shouting that he had intercepted their letter to Potter, he had wanted to chase the creature away with a broom. When the little creature told them why and explained that he should no longer write to him, he thought the elf was crazy (in fact, he had started to doubt his mental health just by seeing his outfit).

But when they received a letter from Théo containing more or less the same warning, he began to doubt. A few weeks later, when the elf returned crying that Master Potter's best friend was going to die and the Order didn't want to do anything, Justin and he didn't hesitate. Thanks to the creature who was apparently a former Malfoy elf (how had Potter acquired a Malfoy elf?), they were able to enter the manor via a secret passage allowing the servant to move without bothering the masters of the place. Indeed, the Malfoys despised their elf so much that they hadn't thought to remove Dobby from the list of creatures allowed to penetrate the manor's protections (otherwise, they would have been torn to shreds when theirtentative would have alerted all the Death Eaters present). What they saw next horrified Blaise so much that even now, he still had nightmares about it. Theo was right: Harry was dead. And it would have been better if Theo had been.

If he had been alone, he would have turned back, vomited the entire contents of his stomach, and then gone to find his mother, telling himself that he couldn't do anything. But it seems that once again Théodore was right and that he belonged more with the badgers.

I would not attempt to convince you that your concerns are unfounded by trying to explain that your friends are too young for me to consider involving them and that I am not Voldemort (even Theodore shuddered upon hearing the cursed name). However, I regret to inform you that it is too late for such a solution.

Dumbledore took a recent copy of the Daily Prophet from his robe, where on the front pages were spread the photos of Blaise, Theodore, and Justin. The nurse came out of her stupor and tried to prevent her patient from reading the article, claiming he was still fragile, but Dumbledore pushed her away, arguing that the circumstances did not allow them to spare him so much.

The first two pages were a tearful interview with his father, who offered a huge reward for any information that would allow him to find his son and his two friends. Théodore had so often dreamed that his father would say the words printed in the newspaper. He pushed the newspaper away before starting to vomit. The only thing he had to remember was that if he had been as brave as his mother, Justin and Blaise would not be in the sights of the dark lord. But now it was too late, and whether he liked it or not, they were all going to die together. (Théodore was not naive enough to believe they were going to survive)

Now indifferent to everything, he told Dumbledore everything he knew. Once Dumbledore had all the information he needed (and more, young Theo would have made a very good spy), he wanted to reassure Nott by saying that he would ensure the protection of all three of them. However, after his recent failures and the ease with which Voldemort had destroyed his protections, Dumbledore did not think he had been able to say it with enough conviction to convince the heir of the Notts.

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Author's note: Some jokes in this chapter are slightly homophobic, but according to my memories of youth, it is inevitable if one wants to write realistic dialogues between middle school students of the 90s. I would like to say something that should be obvious and consensual: as long as it takes place between consenting individuals, there is nothing shameful about practicing sodomy or being homosexual. It should not be perceived as a subject of mockery and even less as an insult.

I hope things have changed, but I have the vague impression that middle school is still a hell where you have to prove you're a real man (which means pretending that at 13 you've been with about ten women) for fear of being harassed for being a fag. Let me reassure you right away, I was never harassed. I was part of the cowards who watched the bullies without doing anything for fear of being harassed myself if I spoke up. If some of my readers are still in middle school, then tell yourself it's just a bad time to get through. From my experience, after high school, people become less stupid.

Editor's note: Although I agree in principle, unfortunately, stupidity is universal. It has neither sex, nor religion, nor gender, nor orientation, nothing.And you will always find a fool to annoy you, no matter the subject. However, keep confidence in yourself and don't let the words of these idiots affect you. The only person whose opinion truly matters about you is yourself. And eat chocolate, chocolate is good!