Next Time Around

The Making and Breaking of Bonds

Author's note:
So I wasn't really sure if I liked this chapter that much. I guess it wasn't half-bad, but it could have been a lot better tbh. Well. No crying over spoilt milk I suppose. Anyways thanks for the votes and everything. No seriously. I notice, and it's very nice that you seem to be enjoying what I write.

Disclaimer: it seems i was born into the wrong universe, as here I don't own anything and especially not Harry Potter.

Enjoy!

'Merlin-be-damned!' Harry fumed as he once again swayed perilously and nearly bashed into a wall. His feet were sore, and he felt like he was walking on a rocking ship. He supposed he was lucky that it was late, and that there was no one else in the halls with him.

Painstakingly slow, he made his way to the dungeons. He cursed once more. Why exactly was he doing this? He was wasting valuable time tending to his feeble emotions. He stumbled on.

After hobbling down what seemed like the longest staircase he'd ever walked on, Harry eventually made his way to the Slytherin common room. Stood in front of the entrance, he quickly put up some rudimentary glamours to hide the rope marks on his wrists and neck. It wouldn't do for his friends to ask questions about things they didn't have to know about.

He assumed, as Snape knew Harry had a habit of coming and going whenever he pleased, that the man would only come looking for him after he was more then half-an-hour late for his detention. Before actually trying to find him, Snape'd probably check in the Slytherin common room and maybe some other places as well- all in all giving Harry circa fifty minutes from when his detention started to when they'd actively try and find him.

Harry nodded to himself. It would be a toss-up if that was enough time, but he was pretty sure he could handle this. Of course, it'd help if he would actually leave now, as suppose to going to quite literally the last place that would be a strategically useful place to be, but he was determined to do just this one thing the right way.

With that thought in mind he straightened his back and calmly sauntered into the luxurious warmth of the Slytherin snake den. Immediately he spotted his friends in front of the fire. He advanced towards them.

'Hey,' He said softly once he was close.

'Hey Hades,' Pansy said, directly followed by, 'what's wrong? You look a little... out of it.'

Harry rubbed his neck, then tried to inconspicuously let go because it felt like it burned him. 'Yeah... hey, I just wanted to talk for a while ok?'

Theo nodded slowly, one eyebrow raised. 'Of course Hades. What's on your mind?'

Licking his lips, Harry sunk down onto the sofa in front of the fire. 'I... I'd just like to thank you guys I suppose.'

Draco frowned. 'For what?'

Hadrian never said thanks. To anyone. For Slytherins, "thank you" was on par with "I owe you", and no one wanted to owe others something. Even your best friends could be manipulated into using a favor against you, after all.

Harry shrugged, only half keeping in a wince when it became clear that the rope welts didn't agree with that action. 'For being there for me, I suppose. You could just have cashed in some favors and treated me like the half-blood you saw me as, at the start of the year I mean, but... you didn't.'

Blaise leaned forwards, an intense look in his eyes. 'Of course, Hades. You're our friend. But why are you saying this? Why now?'

Harry's lips twitched into a bitter smirk. 'Because there's no time like the present, right?'