Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin

Chapter 6: New Arrivals

Theo No-Name's Room

25 October 1994

"Fourteen ... fifteen ... sixteen ..." Theo gasped through clenched teeth as he focused on his morning pushups.

There was a soft knock on his door and two second pause before it opened. Theo was unconcerned. He'd gotten very good at protective warding spells thanks to his year spent under the Ultimate Sanction. There were only six people who could simply open that door without receiving a nasty curse in exchange, one of whom was here now.

"I'm afraid we're both skipping break... fast..." said Blaise Zabini before his voice trailed off. He stared at the sight in front of him while Theo continued his morning routine.

"Seventeen ... eight ... teen," he growled out.

"What in the name of Merlin's smelly feet are you doing?" Blaise asked in amazement.

"Pushups, of course ... nineteen..."

"Uh-huh. Yeah, I know I'm not really into this whole exercise thing. But I was given to understand that when you do proper pushups, your feet should be planted on the ground. Or failing that, resting on something!"

And Zabini's amazement was understandable. Theo's feet were not resting on the ground or on anything else. Instead, they were suspended in the air with Theo's entire body parallel to the floor in defiance of gravity itself. Only his hands rested on the floor, and his arms strained to support the weight of his entire body.

"Wu Xi Do ... twenty ... Earth Style ... twenty ... one ..." Theo explained while struggling to maintain his impossible form. "S'for improving ... twenty-two ... connection to the earth ... twenty-three ... Helps with stability ..."

"Yeeeaah. Stability. You know you're not actually touching the earth, right?"

"Doesn't matter ... twenty-four ... it's what's underneath me ... twenty ... five ... symbolism is what matters ..."

"Uh-huh. Look, this is all very cool, albeit in a dull and seemingly pointless way. But we need to move. I suspect Harry will want to meet in the Lair in the next few minutes."

"Why ... twenty ... six ...?" Theo managed to gasp out the question, though his arms were shaking from the strain of his exertion.

"Oh, I don't know," Blaise said airily. "Probably something to do with his mother getting arrested for murdering a Muggle."

"Oof!" Theo exclaimed as his concentration broke and he fell down face first. He rolled over and looked up at Blaise in astonishment.

"His mother did what?!?"

Meanwhile in the Headmaster's Office

"Seriously?!?" Lily Potter sputtered indignantly. "You think I murdered my own brother-in-law? That's ridiculous!"

"Lily, please calm down," Dumbledore said as he tried to defuse the situation. The smug expression on DMLE Director Yaxley's face wasn't helping.

"I can assure you, Lady Potter," said Yaxley. "Our evidence is compelling. That said, you are not under arrest ... at this time. We are still at the stage of ... inquiry."

Lily glared at the man who she knew perfectly well to be a former Death Eater. "Well, by all means, Yaxley. Inquire away. But first, I'd like to hear about this 'compelling evidence' that I somehow am responsible for the death of a morbidly obese Muggle who'd already had one heart attack just months earlier. Or do you think I'm responsible for that too?"