Even Stranger Magic

Theo's finger tapped the gear-shift absently as he watched out the window, watching the world fly by in blurs of color. Blue skies, trees still green, children on red bicycles with white smiles.

There was so much color, so much energy within the town that Theo was calling home. It blurred around Theo, made him dizzy with how different it all was.

Even a concept such as leaving school for home was foreign, it was strange, Theo wasn't sure how he felt about it. Delighted, truly, to not have to share a dorm with every boy in grade eleven; dismayed to not have school grounds to explore or a library to enjoy.

"This is all very strange," Theo muttered, mostly to himself. Harry was with him, as he so often was, but he was lost in his own thoughts. They were a faraway place, Harry's thoughts, it might take him time to travel back to Theo.

He would though, he always did. It was why Theo chose to stay - where Harry was would be home.

"What?" Harry returned quicker than Theo assumed and Theo glanced at him, judging Harry's own emotions. He had been distressed during the day, he didn't enjoy the crowded hallways or the shouts of classmates reuniting after a summer holiday. Harry seemed calmer with Theo, the two of them alone in the car.

The car had been a gift, from Sirius. Sirius was a fool who took great pleasure in settling in a muggle-like town. He had purchased a house, insisted that Theo had a bedroom within it, then bought vehicles. Vehicles, plural, because Sirius also insisted that Theo learned to drive. It had been nerve wrecking, Theo wasn't thrilled by the giant metal death traps, but he enjoyed it once he became comfortable.

Not that he could tell Sirius such a thing, he would be insufferably smug.

It was convenient though, it meant that Theo could offer to drive Harry home after school and that Steve Harrington's car was not needed. Steve was a polite person, obviously infatuated with Harry - if they were in different roles, Theo might have liked him.

They could have been friends. Theo had made an effort despite Steve's crush, it had been refused. Then Theo heard from Sirianna how Steve was ashamed of his sexuality and Theo had no further patience for him.

It wasn't as if wizards were openly embracing relationships that would end bloodlines, though Theo had once heard his father recommend that it would be better for ‘mudbloods' to ‘take it up the arse' than ‘risk procreating'. Theo was unashamed of himself, unashamed of the relationship he wanted.

If Steven wanted to hide in his glass closet, so be it.

Theo looked over at Harry and couldn't help the small smile that quirked his lips up. Who wouldn't love Harry? Beautiful, brilliant, resilient… Harry was the strongest wizard Theo had ever known with the gentlest soul.

"Do you want to stay tonight?" Theo asked him, forgetting entirely what he had said before that drew Harry's focus to him. "We can do homework?"

It was lucky that Theo had taken Arithmancy at Hogwarts, he would have been entirely lost otherwise. Many of the algebraic formulas were not unfamiliar, simple in their concept. Theo had feared that he would join a muggle school and lose his academic edge… much like Harry apparently had.

"You don't want my help with homework." Harry huffed unhappily and his shoulders curled up. "I'm horrible at school."

"You're not," Theo said, thinking quickly. "You've been in survival mode for years, most of your life if you factor in the horrid relatives," Harry shot him a puzzled frown that Theo ignored, "of course standard education would be an obstacle. I've never known you to not overcome any obstacle, you won't start now."

Harry was brilliant, there was no reason for him to not have that reflected in any classroom.

"We'll tackle this together," Theo said. He sensed Harry's stress over the subject and he reached over to lightly place his hand on Harry's, just as Harry had always done for Theo. They were ridiculously tactile when comforting one another, they had been since their first night at Hogwarts.

It was psychological, as most things were. They sought out to give and receive the physical comfort they never had access to in their more formative years. Theo had missed it when they were apart, he never truly found a replacement - though he tried with increasing desperation once his hormones taught him different methods to find it.

"I'm so glad we're together," Theo said, a thick whisper. There was no replacement for Harry, there never had been. How could one replace their very soul?

Harry's hand turned over and their fingers were laced together.

"Me too," he said. It was short, simple, to the point, perfect.

Theo was happy, Harry was happy. That was all that mattered. Schoolwork and Steve were secondary priorities.

Harry agreed to stay over at Theo's house with minimal bribery required. Sirius would have to be quiet while they studied and he would have to dine a treacle tart - the first would be a struggle, the second simple enough.

Theo drove them to Harry's house and elected to wait outside while Harry gathered clothes, despite Sirius having filled a wardrobe and dresser with clothes for him. Sirianna's boyfriend was there, Billy, and Theo did actually like him.

Not that Theo believed Billy liked him, but Theo had never needed a multitude of friends before.

Billy was quiet, wrapped around Sirianna's finger, and shared cigarettes with Theo when Harry wasn't around. It wasn't a secret that Theo smoked, it was that Harry had a negative reaction every time he smelled cigarette smoke and so Theo kept his vice separate from his Harry.

"Nice car," Billy commented as he passed over a cigarette. He had a strange reluctance to let Theo use his lighter, but it was no matter. Theo could light a cigarette with hardly any thought at all.

"Is it?" Theo asked, looking over the car curiously while the nicotine cleared the buzzing in his body. Theo thought it looked rather like a boat, a dark green boat because Sirius thought of himself as a comedian. Billy's car was pretty, for a car, but Theo's had the added appeal of being a gift from a man not required to gift him a thing.

"It's an ‘84 turbo," Billy said, as if that meant something to Theo. He scoffed at Theo's ignorance and kicked his boot on the ground as if it were personally insulting. "Rich kids," he said disdainfully.

"Wizard," Theo reminded him. "I don't know a single wizard who owns a car, aside from Ron's father, but his flies so I'm sure it still doesn't count."

Theo was extremely grateful that his car did not fly. Theo never found Harry's pleasure in flying, he preferred his feet on the ground.

"Whatever," Billy drawled, an irksome way of brushing off Theo's reasonable argument. "You and baby bird have plans or something?"

A childish part of Theo wanted to refuse to answer the question. Billy didn't like him, he didn't respect Theo in the slightest. But Billy lived with Steve and Theo could be petty when irritated.

"A sleepover," Theo said nonchalantly. "Who knows what we'll do, possibilities are rather endless when Harry's factored in the equation." Then, to heighten the implication, Theo arched a brow at Billy, "Do you and Siri have plans as well?"

Theo's mask was immaculate, his perfect look of boredom and only a hint of curiosity to Billy's answer. The glee he felt at seeing Billy work his jaw to alleviate what Theo would wager was a terrific temper was his own to feel.

They could have been friends, that hadn't been Theo's decision to make. Theo liked Billy, he was the perfect match for Sirianna, they didn't have to be at odds.

"None of your fucking business," Billy said, crossing his arms over his chest. Theo didn't smirk, not until Sirianna and Harry walked out of the house together and Sirianna smiled at Theo.

"Instead of a swotty sleepover, you and Harry should go out with us!" Sirianna said. "We're going to see a movie in the cinema with Chrissy and Eddie!"

Theo hoped his smirk had been seen before he schooled it right off his face.

"That sounds fun," Theo lied. If Billy weren't a part of the group, it would sound fun - in theory. Aside from Steve and Billy, the rest of Harry's friends seemed to like Theo just fine. Chrissy was sweet, Eddie was interesting. "Where's Jason?" he asked, referring to the third branch of the peculiar relationship that the three shared.

"Youth group, I think," Sirianna said with a shrug. "Poor bloke, it's terrible that he can't be as open with Eddie as he'd like."

"Yes," Theo agreed, moving to open the passenger door for Harry while he looked at Billy, "it must be difficult to hide your feelings for someone."

Difficult and shameful. In Theo's correct opinion, Harry was a person who deserved to be cherished in any situation.

Billy had an excellent mask of his own, Theo could hardly tell that his subtle jab had been noted. There was a glimmer in his eyes, one of deep dislike though. Theo, in contrast, smiled brightly before wishing them fun.

"Did you want to go with them?" Harry asked when Theo slid in the driver's seat.

Theo scoffed as he turned the car back on and then winced as he must have held the key too long and there was a horrid grinding sound.

"Merlin no," Theo said emphatically. He put his hand on the shifter and didn't bother hiding his smile when Harry tentatively covered it with his own. "I'm perfectly happy with our plans."

Harry nodded and Theo began debating his only issue with the evening —

Their relationship was perfect, perfect in the way that Theo would never have with another person. They understood one another, even with their changes. Harry had grown more quiet, Theo had changed. They did not change, they were still a perfect unit.

If Harry hadn't been taken and tortured, they - their relationship might be different. Theo was interested in exploring that sort of connection with his truest friend in the world… He was only unsure if Harry was.

If not, Theo didn't foresee that anything between them had to change. Truthfully, even a shift in their relationship wouldn't change a great many aspects between them. But Theo loved him, Theo loved him in every way and he needed to know if Harry was in love with him.

Theo thought he was and… and he'd just like to know, that was all.

Sirius was, predictably, thrilled to discover that Harry planned on staying the night. Theo told him the conditions, that he had to be quiet so they could study before bombarding Harry with conversation. Sirius rolled his eyes before bouncing up when Theo told him he also promised Harry treacle tart.

"We'll be in the basement," Theo said after reaching an agreement with Sirius. He shouldn't have worried, Sirius was excellent at altering himself to fit whichever twin was around.

"Your room is where you left it," Sirius told Harry cheerfully, but not loudly. "I'll pick up dinner too, just pop up here when you're ready."

"Er… right," Harry said. He tended to keep Sirius at arms-length, Theo thought it would improve with time. Sirianna was overly affectionate and adored knowing she was named after her father's best friend, it made sense that she would warm up to Sirius quicker.

Sirius had tried and failed at finding a four-bedroom house as close to the twins's home as he liked, which led him to purchasing a two bedroom house and magically installing a basement with three additional bedrooms.

The basement was quite functionally brilliant, Theo could admit that much. Sirius had tried to make it appeal to both twins by making the common area a mixture of games and bookshelves. The result was a mismatched area with many comfortable sitting areas and colorful tables of games if a distraction was needed.

When Theo and Sirius were alone, they had rather fierce billiard tournaments. Sirius was skilled, but it was mathematics and angles - Theo wasn't bad.

"What's that?" Harry pointed at the very sign they used to track their wins and Theo grinned proudly.

"Proof that Sirius isn't as talented as he believes," Theo said. "It's billiards," Theo gestured to the table they passed to get to the more cozier of studying spots. "The first to ten wins," Theo explained.

"Wins what?"

"We haven't decided yet," Theo said. "It's less about the prize than the bragging rights."

And as Theo was in the lead by one, Theo was getting closer to those rights.

Harry nodded and Theo settled at the table and began pulling his new textbooks out. He could sense that Harry had questions, it was no bother to wait. Theo waited years to see Harry again, he had endless patience for his best friend.

"What's it like? Living with him?"

"Sirius?" Theo asked, surprised by the question. Harry nodded and Theo considered it. It was wonderful, honestly. Sirius was sentimental and loud, but those were the only flaws. Sirius respected Theo as an adult, he… liked Theo. It was odd, but not bad.

"He's kind," Theo said truthfully. Sirius would like Theo to talk him up and - and Theo used to tell Harry about his father. It wouldn't be unreasonable for Harry to wonder if Sirius was like Vernon Dursley or Thaddeus Nott.

"Sirius has never hurt a soul in his life, I believe," Theo said. "He was in Azkaban for years, he's not always mentally sane, but he's exceedingly kind. You know, he paid for his own Auror Task Force to look for you and Sirianna."

And it had cost a fortune, truly. It put into perspective how wealthy the House of Black was to see Sirius barely blink before authorizing it. There were the restitution payments from the Ministry, but those were more of lifelong payments than anything that covered the Task Force.

"Oh." Harry blinked and nodded - Theo took that to be pleasure at the knowledge. Harry didn't have any more questions and so they studied.

It was perfectly, blessedly, so easy.

Theo took his time explaining the mathematics to Harry. Harry was not unintelligent, there were large gaps in his education, that was all. Harry also had difficulty focusing, which meant they broke studying up in segments.

"Hey, Harry?" Theo waved a crisp around while he feigned ignorance on the packet their English teacher gave them. "What does it mean to cite a source with APA citation? Do I write down the book I found the information in?"

It was a risk, a calculated one. Their English teacher said they would continue with APA citation. Theo was hoping that Harry would have a basic grasp on it and could explain it to Theo. It would help, probably, if he felt as competent as Theo knew him to be.

"Oh. So it's different than Hogwarts," Harry said. He scooted his chair closer and Theo slid him the packet, relieved that Harry did seem to understand it. "Remember when Professor Flitwick made us cite the book? It's like that but more detailed…"

Theo smiled triumphantly as Harry became more animated, more of the person Theo remembered, while he explained the concept. It gave him some life, it reminded Theo of when they would study together on equal footing.

"I was always trying to compete with you," Theo said softly, watching Harry's face from the side as he chewed on a pencil over the example of APA he wrote for Theo. Harry looked up and his eyes caught Theo's and they were so close together.

"Me?" Harry asked, mimicking Theo's soft voice. "Why?"

"You're brilliant, you always have been." Theo took another risk when he reached up to brush Harry's hair back by his ear, never looking away from Harry's eyes - never missing the way his pupils dilated when Theo's finger touched his ear.

"You made me better, you always made me better," Theo said. It was true, wasn't it? Bill Weasley called him a burnout, a lost cause; he said Theo was destined for an early coffin. Theo wouldn't have minded an early coffin, if he couldn't have Harry back.

Harry was safe, they were together, Theo was better for it.

"Did I?" Harry asked, his face so close that Theo could smell his breath, could see the eyelashes on his lower lids.

"It wasn't a secret," Theo told him, pained by the admission. Theo could play a God, but he was just a man - weak in his most desperate desire. He took a breath, dizzy in the moment, and urged himself to say it, to ask it.

"I love you and I am in love with you, Harry," Theo said. His heart was racing with the raw admission, the words that could be his undoing. "I know you love me," Theo did know that - he knew it like he knew his own name, "but… is there any part of you that is in love with me too?"

Theo couldn't say anymore, all of his pretty speeches were gone in favor of the truth. And the truth was a funny thing, powerful at times - often more powerful when hidden. It was a gift, to the speaker and receiver.

The truth hung in the air between them, no longer silent and unspoken.

Harry was thinking and Theo - Theo would be patient.

He could be patient.

Theo had waited years to see Harry again, he had nothing but patience for the one who carried his heart within their soul.