TBOTBN II: Outside Influences

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe and all the characters are property of J.K. Rowling and whomever else has a finger in the huge franchise. I do not. I make no money nor do I claim any ownership of the people, places, and things (unless I make them up as we go). It is only to have some fun do I write this story, in hopes of some entertainment.


Warning: This chapter contains scenes with course language, and mature content. Reader discretion is advised.


Theodore stormed into the common room and looked around wildly. His eyes alighted on his quarry and he stalked over to him. With a heavy grip, Theodore clutched Draco Malfoy's shoulder and spun him around. His eyes filled with rage, Theodore whispered hoarsely, "You!"

Draco quickly tamped down the shock at having been forced around and looked nonchalantly back at the angry teen. "Me," he drawled. With a shrug of the shoulder, Draco pushed Theodore away and stood up to his full height, which was several inches taller than the sandy haired wizard. "Now that we have the introductions out of the way, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Mister Nott?"

Blaise swept into the room breathless. "Theodore!"

Theodore ignored the alarmed call. He glared at Draco. "You…"

"Yes, I believe we established that already," Draco smirked.

Theodore roughly shoved him against the wall. The students around the common room watched in fascination. The sport of seeing two students in battle, verbal or otherwise, was always entertaining. Blaise stepped closer to her friend and put her hand gently on his arm. "Come away, Theodore," she pleaded in a stern voice. "Think about what you're doing."

"You told my father! You bloody bastard, you told my father!"

Draco smirked. "And what pray tell did I tell your father? You know I make it a habit of dealing with fugitives, after all," Draco drawled as he rolled his eyes for emphasis.

Theodore balled his fists at his side. Blaise noticed and her fingers tightened around his arm. "No, Theodore!" she hissed. "Don't make it worse. Come away with me and let's talk."

Draco turned to her then. His smug smirk changing to one of resentment. "So Miss Zabini, is this where your loyalties lie? With a boy who throws temper tantrums when things don't go his way? I would have expected better of you."

Blaise turned her piercing eyes to Draco. "Please, Mister Malfoy," she huffed sarcastically. "If that isn't calling the cauldron black I don't know what is. As temper tantrums go, Theodore is positively mild compared to what you are capable of."

Draco growled in anger and grabbed for Blaise's arm. Theodore caught his wrist and pushed him back. "What's this, Malfoy, can you only beat up on girls now?" Theodore stepped in front of Draco, cutting off the other teen from Blaise. With his face an inch away from Draco's, Theodore whispered fiercely, "You lay a finger on any of my friends, and especially Turpin, and I will kill you. Or better yet, I'll let your father kill you. The news of you and Granger should open some eyes to your true character."

To Theodore's surprise, Draco laughed. "How foolish you are, Nott," he shot back. "Do you really think my father would be upset that I'm tormenting that mudblood? On the contrary, he would be tickled. I've managed to break up the Gryffindor trio. I have the annoying know-it-all slag wrapped around my finger. I'm pondering when I should actually present her at court. She would be the evening's entertainment and it's of my opinion that I would be rewarded handsomely for such a treat."

Theodore threw his fist with a howl of rage and watched in satisfaction as Draco flinched away from the blow which rang off the stone wall beside the blonde's head. He spun around and marched from the common room briskly. Blaise looked back at Draco and pursed her brow angrily. Recovered from his shock, Draco smirked and blew Blaise a little kiss. She shook her head sadly and glided out of the common room after her friend.

She quickly caught up to a slumped Theodore as he leaned against the wall several feet from the entrance to the Slytherin common room. He held his hand before him and was staring intently at his fingers. Blaise gasped when she noticed the blood dripping from his knuckles and noticed that several of his fingers were bent in an abnormal way.

"You broke your hand!" she exclaimed. Theodore, his face drawn and pale, looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She rolled her eyes and smiled sheepishly. "Yes, I know. Mistress of the obvious. Come! It's off to Madam Pomfrey for you."

They walked in silence, Blaise leading Theodore who continued to stare at his mangled hand. His other hand was cupped underneath, catching the blood that dripped down from his wound. The sight of the dark red liquid oozing from his skin was mesmerizing. It kept his mind off the roaring pain that throbbed from his fingers. It kept his mind off the horror of the letter. His father was back. His father wanted to see him. This did not bode well.

He was surprised when they actually entered into the infirmary and the nurse swept him to a bed where he was bid sit. Blaise sat next to him, her knees crossed demurely even as she leaned back on her elbows on the white starched sheet of the bed. Madam Pomfrey flicked her wand and the blood disappeared showing the deep gash across three of his knuckles of his right hand. It showed that his middle and fourth fingers were broken, the bone pushing against the skin of his fingers, trying to break through the surface. The sight made him want to pass out. Blaise made a small sound of sympathetic pain. Theodore looked over to her and noticed that she was a slight shade of green.

"Tsk tsk, Mister Nott," Madam Pomfrey scolded. "Another wall get in the way of your fist? Just so long as you never take out this anger of yours on another student." The nurse flicked her wand again and Theodore drew in a deep breath as the bones in his hand began to reknit. He watched the skin move as the bones moved back into their rightful place and winced with the scraping of skin against jagged bone. "It's a shame you haven't learnt your lesson yet, Mister Nott. I would think a student as bright as you would have stopped hitting walls after the first time. Or at least the second. Not you though. No. That would be asking far too much from you." Madam Pomfrey took his hand and ran her fingers briskly over his, verifying that the bones were indeed mended. Theodore jerked his hand back but the nurse didn't let go until her inspection was complete. "There you go, Mister Nott. Good as new. Again. Miss Zabini, please try to keep our young bare-knuckle brawler away from any more aggressive walls. His hand will be a bit brittle for at least another twenty four hours."

The two students left the infirmary and slowly headed back towards the dungeons. Once they got to the main foyer of the castle though, Theodore turned right and started up the staircase.

"And where do you think you are going, Theodore?" Blaise asked as she hurried up the stairs after him. She was a little relieved that he wasn't flying right back to the Slytherin common room. Another confrontation with Draco was not what she wanted to go through at this time.

Theodore didn't answer. Instead he steadily climbed the stairs and stopped on a landing in front of a door. Blaise looked curiously at the statue that sat on a small pedestal and nodded in understanding as she read the inscription. "Ahh. You're nest. Do you think you're little bird will be waiting for you in there?"

Theodore turned and regarded his friend. "No, she won't be." He glanced up the stairs and then back to Blaise. "Wait here."

He swept up the stairs, wondering where he was going. He knew the Ravenclaw common room was along the tower somewhere but he wasn't certain of its whereabouts. His search was halted as he saw Anthony Goldstein emerge from a portrait. The other boy saw Theodore climbing the stairs and stepped over to meet him. Anthony stopped on the top stair and blocked Theodore's path up.

"What are you doing up here, Nott?" Anthony asked in a menacing hiss. His arms were crossed over his chest and he glared down at Theodore.

"Go get Lisa Turpin," Theodore demanded. "Tell her that I'm waiting for her."

"You think she will just drop everything and come running, eh?" Anthony leaned forward and snarled. "She's too good for you, Nott."

Letting a smug smile grace his lips, Theodore replied, "No, she's too good for you. She's perfect for me. Just get her for me… please."

Anthony drew back, his eyes widening with shock. He shook his head in exasperation and threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine!" He turned to the painting and whispered the password so Theodore couldn't hear and then disappeared inside.

The wait dragged on and Theodore began to pace the landing. "Dammit, what did Goldstein do? Forget about his little errand?" The minutes ticked by and the longer he waited, the more impatient Theodore became. He cursed under his breath as he stomped back and forth along the landing. As he came to the wall he gave it a swift kick and turned around striding to the opposite wall. A hollow thud indicated another kick. On his return journey around the landing, Theodore raised his left fist and began to lightly strike the concrete. His mood was dark and was only getting blacker. His punches became harder and faster as his ire grew. With a fierce blow, he winced in pain and looked down at his knuckles. They were scratched and raw from the abuse. The wall was unharmed and seemed to be mocking him. Growling under his breath, Theodore raised his right hand and clenched his fist. Just as he was about to lash out at the obnoxious wall the portrait whooshed open and Lisa jumped out.

"Theodore!" she cried happily when she saw her boyfriend. She dashed over to him and threw her arms about his shoulders. The young witch pulled back with a frown when Theodore didn't return the embrace. "What's wrong?"

He looked at Lisa. His eyes were bloodshot and red. "We need to talk," he replied gruffly and grabbed her wrist. She followed him down the steps hurriedly, Theodore still pulling on her arm. When she saw Blaise standing by the door to 'their' little room she tried to stop. Theodore didn't and dragged her down the last few steps. She stumbled and Theodore was quick to turn and catch her before she fell and hurt herself. "Learn to walk, Turpin," he said in frustration.

"What's she doing here?" Lisa asked apprehensibly. Was Draco Malfoy right? Was Theodore going to break up with her for Blaise Zabini? The memory of that discussion still gnawed at her confidence.

"Inside," Theodore commanded, pushing Lisa to the door. She opened it and jumped inside as Theodore shoved her. He grabbed Blaise's arm and dragged her in also. Lisa looked from Theodore to Blaise, worry etched in her eyes. Theodore walked to the window and looked out.

Sighing heavily, Blaise pulled out a chair at the table and sat down, crossing her legs at her knees, straightening her skirt uncomfortably. "Theodore dear," Blaise said, "Sit. Drink. Let's talk shall we." She pulled a cup of tea towards her and sniffed the warm beverage. She smiled lightly at the comforting aroma and picked up the cup and saucer for a tiny sip.

Lisa turned her gaze from Blaise and looked at Theodore. His shoulders were tense and his posture rigid. The sound of her heart beating wildly in her chest kept her from moving to him. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear whatever it was he had to say. She didn't want him to tell her that he never wanted to see her again. Crossing her arms over her chest self-consciously, Lisa looked down at her black shoes and watched the light shine off their polished surface.

Blaise noticed Lisa standing in the middle of the room like a lost puppy and called her over. "Miss Turpin, darling," she said cheerily. "Why don't you come join me for some tea. It will help calm your obviously troubled nerves."

Lisa looked murderously at the other girl and ignored her offer. "Theodore, what's she doing here?"

Theodore turned and looked at his girlfriend. He then looked over to Blaise. He shrugged his shoulders. "She followed me."

Blaise gave a snort of indignation. "I only came along to make sure you kept out of mischief. Madam Pomfrey wanted to make sure you didn't attack anything else until your hand was fully healed."

Lisa flew over to Theodore and grabbed his hand. She noticed the scraped knuckles and she brought them up to her lips. "What happened?"

Theodore jerked his hand from her kiss and waved her off. "Nothing. I did this waiting for you. I broke a couple fingers earlier."

"He got into an argument with Malfoy," Blaise verified. "Something about Granger and you."
Lisa turned pained eyes toward Theodore. Her mouth hung open in shock. Theodore rolled his eyes in exasperation and shook his head. "No, Turpin, I didn't shag Granger. Malfoy did. Is."

"What?" Blaise yelled jumping to her feet. "How can he be doing anything with that… that slag? She's not even pure blood. That is just like him. He thinks with nothing but his cock." Blaise seethed. She paced around the room angrily.

"I told him to stay away from you," he told Lisa. "I told him if he came near you again I would tell his father about his little tryst. He laughed in my face. That's not what really set me off though."

Lisa looked at him curiously. "What made you so angry?"

"I got a letter from my father. He plans to see me over the Christmas break to discuss my future."

Lisa shuddered in trepidation. "About your betrothal?"

"My what?" Theodore asked, aghast. His laugh filled the room. "Malfoy really filled your head with nonsense didn't he." He stepped close to her and looked down. "I'm not betrothed to anyone you silly bint. Just because my family is elitist doesn't mean we're archaic. No. What I suspect this is about is The Dark Lord. My father is a Death Eater. I'm sure he wants me to follow in his footsteps."

Lisa gasped. Taking a step back, she looked up at Theodore in fear. "You don't plan to go through with it do you? You're not like that are you?"

Theodore lowered his voice and glared at the girl. "What do you think?"

Blaise grabbed Theodore's arm and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Would he have told you all this if he really wanted to become a Death Eater, you silly girl?" she looked up at him with sympathy. "He's just frightened."

"I'm not afraid!" Theodore yelled and jerked away from Blaise. The strawberry blonde arched her eyebrow at him and he looked down, ashamed. "I'm terrified."

"Oh," Lisa whispered. Biting her bottom lip, Lisa thought about all that was said. She was relieved that Theodore didn't plan to break up with her, but the gnawing fear was replaced by the cold dread of his real news. Would she lose him to He Who Must Not Be Named? That was worse than him with another girl. She could compete with another girl. You Know Who would just kill her.

Theodore stepped to his girlfriend and pulled her into a warm embrace. He stroked her hair and kissed her lightly on top of her head. "I don't want to become like my father."

"Then don't go home for break. Stay here with me," Lisa said, wrapping her arms around his waist tightly. She laid her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. It was fast and thudded against her ear.

Blaise walked over to the table and sat back down. Picking up the cup and saucer she took another small sip, before replacing the tea back on the table. "That sounds like a reasonable plan, Theodore," Blaise replied. "You'll be safe here."

"I won't be safe until my father is dead. I thought I was safe while he was in prison, but that was dashed when he escaped."

"Alright," Blaise said in a huff, her eyes rolling. "You'll be safer."

Theodore chuckled lightly. He began to nod his head. "Yes, safer. And you will be here to protect me, eh Turpin."

Lisa looked up into his eyes and smiled. She nodded and bent her head back more for Theodore's kiss. His hand came up into her hair, holding the nape of her neck as his lips moved over hers.

Blaise quietly pushed up from the table and strode over to the door. With one last look at the young couple, she opened the door and stepped out. Leaning back against the door, she gave a small start as she heard the shattering of china, but let a wide grin break as she heard the lustful moan of Lisa from the room. Shaking her head sadly, she began her descent back to the Slytherin common room. "Draco Malfoy needs to be taught a lesson," she vowed.