Author: Rokudaime Kunoichi
Rated: T
Genre: Romance/Humour
Summary: AU. Harry gets sorted into Slytherin, befriends people from all the houses, and is on his way to becoming the most powerful wizard in the world.
Warnings: spoilers for the first book, mention of child abuse, OOC-ness, Slytherin!Harry, AU, fluff, Nice!Slytherins, cursing, etc.
Beta: Indie
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling. I do not make a profit from this; I just borrow the characters to put into my take on a clichéd plot. Copyright infringement is not intended, and some of the details can be found in a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerers/Philosophers Stone.
A/N: Here’s the fourth chapter. I hope you enjoy it, please review.
Chapter 4
Harry along with the rest of the first years looked at the inside of the Great Hall in amazement. The ceiling had candles that appeared to be floating. There were four long tables with glistening gold silverware. At the end of the hall was a stool with that ratty old hat on top of it. The first years walked in a lone towards the stool. They stopped and stared at the hat. At first, nothing happened. Then, it twitched and a rip opened wide to form a mouth. Unexpectedly to the first years, the hat began to sing:
“Oh, you may not think I’m pretty,
But don’t judge on what you see,
I’ll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I’m the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There’s nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can’t see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindor apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you’ve a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You’ll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don’t be afraid!
And don’t get in a flap!
You’re in safe hands (though I have none)
For I’m a Thinking Cap!
The entire Great Hall burst into cheers as the Sorting Hat finished singing. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, and all noise died out instantly.
“When I call your name, you will come forward and I’ll place the Sorting Hat on your head,” she said, holding onto a long sheet of parchment. “Abbott, Hannah!”
“HUFFLEPUFF!”
“Bones, Susan!”
“HUFFLEPUFF!”
“Boot, Terry!”
“RAVENCLAW!”
“Brocklehurst, Mandy!”
“RAVENCLAW!”
“Brown, Lavender!”
“GRYFFINDOR!”
“Bulstrode, Millicent!”
“SLYTHERIN!” Bulstrode sauntered to the Slytherin table with an arrogant smile.
“Crabbe, Vincent!”
“SLYTHERIN!”
“Finch-Fletchley, Justin!”
“HUFFLEPUFF!”
“Granger, Hermione!”
“GRYFFINDOR!” She was the bushy haired girl that was around Weasley.
“Goyle, Gregory!”
“SLYTHERIN!”
“Longbottom, Neville!”
“GRYFFINDOR!” The nervous boy nearly tripped on his way to the table.
“MacDougal, Morag!”
“RAVENCLAW!”
“Malfoy, Draco!” The blonde gave Harry a small smile before swaggering to the stool.
“SLYTHERIN!” Harry heard Ron mutter something about ‘dark wizards’ and glared at him. The sorting went on until finally, “Potter, Harry!” Whispers broke throughout the hall.
“Did she say Harry Potter?”
“Can you see his scar?”
“Why does he have that stick? It’s taller than him!”
“He’s so short!”
Harry glared at the boy who said that, causing him to squeak and lower his head. Harry allowed the hat to be placed on his head and heard it speak to him.
“Difficult, very difficult. Courage, loyalty, intelligence and cunning. My, my, I haven’t had a difficult time sorting anyone in a long time. I see you’ve befriended the latest Malfoy. Interesting pair the two of you make. Let’s see, your cunning and ambition overlaps everything. I think you’d do well in…SLYTHERIN!” The crowd looked at him in shock. Harry Potter was in Slytherin! As the Slytherin table erupted in cheers, the Gryffindors screamed and yelled.
“Traitor!” the youngest Weasley boy shrieked out. There were a few others who felt the same. Harry ignored them all as he walked to sit down next to Draco. He set his staff against the wall.
“SILENCE!” The elderly Headmaster screamed. “The Sorting Hat has made its decision. Now, if we could please continue with the Ceremony.” Professor McGonagall nodded her head and continued to call out the names.
“Thomas, Dean!”
“GRYFFINDOR!”
“Turpin, Lisa!”
“RAVENCLAW!”
“Weasley, Ronald!”
“GRYFFINDOR!”
“Zabini, Blaise!”
“SLYTHERIN!”
“Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our fine banquet, I’d like to say a few words: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you,” the Headmaster said as soon as everybody was seated with their house mates.
In an instant, food appeared on all of the gold platters. There was roast beef, potatoes, chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, fries, vegetables, steak, bacon, and even peppermint humbugs. Harry allowed Draco to fill his plate. The blonde had always wanted to make sure that Harry ate enough.
“Well, Potter, this is a surprise. I was sure that you’d be in Gryffindor,” a boy around 15 said.
“It seems like that is what everybody had thought. What’s your name?”
The boy held out his hand for Harry to shake, which he did. “Sorry about that. Marcus Flint is my name.”
Harry spent the rest of dinner talking to various people in Slytherin; most of them were impressed with his staff. Largo was still wrapped around his torso, although he was now sleeping. Harry would have to remember to ask Professor Snape, his new Head of House, if he could keep Largo. After all, Harry had to smuggle his companion into Hogwarts, considering the fact that you could only bring a cat, owl, or toad.
Looking at the staff table, he saw another Professor with a purple turban talking to Professor Snape. As the unknown Professor turned his head, his eyes caught Harry’s. The new Slytherin flinched as a searing pain struck his scar. Harry quickly averted his eyes. That Professor gave him the creeps.
Albus Dumbledore sat in his chair at his place at the staff table. It wasn’t really a surprise when Harry became a Slytherin. He could still remember the conversation he had had with Severus a month ago.
“Severus, tell me, why hasn’t Harry been able to answer our letters?” Albus Dumbledore, elderly Headmaster of Hogwarts, asked as the greasy haired man entered his office.
“Headmaster, did you even bother to have someone check on the boy? Because if you had, the person surely would’ve reported to you that Mr. Potter has been abused, physically, and emotionally.” The Potions Master sneered.
Albus looked shocked, and his twinkle left. “What do you mean abused? Surely you’re joking, right?”
“Sir, when have I ever been known to ‘joke’? And if I did ‘joke’, why would I ‘joke’ about something serious like this?”
“I didn’t know he was abused. I just knew they ignored him.”
“Albus, the muggles hated him. When I went over to fetch him, he was staying in a cupboard. For Merlin’s sake, he didn’t know magic existed!”
Albus looked as old as he was. “Where is he now?”
“With the Malfoys. Draco has taken quite the liking to him.”
“That’s interesting, I must say. A Potter and a Malfoy? How odd.”
“That’s what Ollivander said.”
“So, does Harry have all his school supplies?”
“Yes. Except, he won’t require a wand. Ollivander said his core was much too powerful for a wand; Mr. Potter is getting a staff made.”
“A STAFF!? Nobody has ever been powerful enough to use a staff. Interesting.” The old man’s twinkle returned to his eyes.
“Last thing, the Dark Mark has become slightly…active…lately.”
“This is troubling news,” Dumbledore stated.
“If you don’t mind, Headmaster, I’d like to return to my quarters.”
The feast was soon over, and Dumbledore stood up, clearing his throat and gaining the attention of everybody in the Great Hall.
“Now that our stomachs are satisfied, I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years, please note the Forbidden Forest is just that—forbidden to all students. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to remind you that no magic is to be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term; anyone interested may go see Madam Hooch. Lastly, the third floor corridor is out of bounds and forbidden to all those that don’t wish to die a painful death.” A couple of the students laughed.
“He’s a little too nutters for my taste,” Harry mumbled, causing nearby Slytherins to smirk at his words.
“And now, let us all sing the school song!” While you could tell most of the Professors smiles were fake, Professor Snape didn’t bother to hide his distaste. “Everyone, pick your favourite tune and off we go.” The school, minus the Slytherins and teachers, began to sing:
“Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling,
With some interesting stuff,
For now they’re bare and full or air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we’ve forgot,
Just do your best, we’ll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot.”
Two red-headed boys finished last, since they sang to a funeral march. They were obviously twins, and perhaps members of the Weasley clan. Dumbledore wiped fake tears from his eyes.
“Music is a magic beyond all we do here. Now, off to bed you go.”
Harry got up and walked out of the Great Hall with the other Slytherins. The prefect led them to the dungeons and to a wall with a portrait of a snake.
“Passssword.” It hissed.
“Aconite,” the prefect said. The portrait swung open, and all the Slytherins entered. The common room was done in green and silver. It looked very roomy. “Our Head of House, Professor Snape, has a few words to say.” All eyes turned to Severus as he walked in the common room.
“Thank you, Mr. Taylor. Welcome to Slytherin house. While you are here, you will follow certain rules. One: protect your own. Not many people here trust us, and we must put up a united front. Two: what happens here stays here. Outsiders do not need to know what we do here. That will be all for now. Also, we have a half-blood among us. Mr. Potter’s mother was a muggleborn, and anybody commenting on that will have to deal with Mr. Potter himself. He will not receive punishment for whatever he does to you in retaliation.”
Bulstrode raised her hand. “Why does Potter get special attention, sir?”
Severus scowled darkly at her. “He does not get special attention. I will not allow any of the Slytherins to make pick on each other because of who your parents are. Is that understood?” Everybody nodded. “And, Ms. Bulstrode, detention on Saturday for questioning my authority. While I may not take points from my house that does not stop me from handing out detentions.” Severus was about to leave the common room when Harry stepped up.
“Can I speak to you quickly, Professor?” he asked quietly, head bowed. Severus nodded before walking out of the common room with Harry trailing behind him.
“What is it, Mr. Potter?”
“Can I have permission to bring my pet snake here?”
Severus smirked. He had met Largo before. “Didn’t you already bring him?”
“Yes, but I still need to ask.”
Severus gave a small chuckle. “Fine. You may keep your pet snake here, as long as you come to my office on Saturday to donate some poison for an antidote. Just in case.”
“Thank you, sir.” Harry hesitated before hugging Severus around the waist. Before his Professor could react, Harry disappeared into the common room.
As soon as Harry entered, he was grabbed by the robes at his neck.
“What did you say to him?” Bulstrode snarled.
Everybody was watching them. Harry squashed his panic and fear. He looked at Draco and gave a little smirk, showing the blonde he was OK. Draco was getting out his wand, since Harry had dropped his staff. Largo, who tasted Harry’s fear, poked his head out of a sleeve. He hissed when he saw Bulstrode grabbing his master like that. Largo slithered out of Harry’s shirt and wrapped himself around Bulstrode, growing in size. Her eyes grew big, and she whimpered.
“What is it, Bulstrode? You wanted to know what I had said to him. I asked if I could keep my pet snake here,” Harry said.
Draco, Blaise and Pansy started laughing at Bulstrode. By now, she was making pathetic whimpering noises as Largo squeezed a little. Not enough to break any bones, but enough to make her feel uncomfortable. Harry, taking pity on Bulstrode, petted Largo’s head until he let go. The snake returned to its small size before going into Harry’s shirt and wrapping himself around Harry’s torso. The small boy bent down and grabbed his staff.
“I suppose you are a Slytherin. But don’t think we’ll accept you just like that, Potter,” The prefect, Nicholas Taylor, said. Harry nodded his head and yawned. He was really tired. Draco noticed this.
“Well, Harry and I are going to bed. Good night!” The blonde took Harry’s hand, now noticing how baby-soft they were, and led him up the stairs to their dorm. Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle followed. Harry and Draco slept in the same bed, since Harry didn’t have nightmares when he was with Draco. The others noticed but did nothing except give them curious glances. Soon, everybody was tucked in and sound asleep.
“Draco, get up. You can get in the shower,” Harry said, as he shook Draco awake at 5:45 A.M.
He was already showered and dressed. If he hadn’t gotten up early, Draco would’ve gotten in the shower and then he’d NEVER be able to get in. It was a good thing everybody else knew how long Draco took in the shower and had enough sense to hop in after Harry. Blaise took a little longer than Harry did. While he wasn’t a total perfectionist, he did want to look his best at all times. Crabbe and Goyle knew if they waited for Draco to get in first, then they’d be late for breakfast.
The blonde opened his eyes at the sound of a shower. He got up and grabbed his deodorant, cologne, towel, hair products and his crease-free clothes for the day. He spent a total of forty-five minutes in the shower, making sure every spot of him was clean. Then, he spent fifteen minutes in front of the mirror, making sure every strand of hair was in place. He dusted lint off his robes and turned to his dorm mates, grinning.
“I’m ready. Let’s go,” he said. Harry rolled his eyes, before leading everybody downstairs. His staff was in his hand, and Largo was once again wrapped around his torso. The others followed him and they were all soon at the Great Hall. Crabbe and Goyle immediately started to load their plates with food. Harry loaded his own plate this time, grabbing some eggs, bacon and pancakes. He absentmindedly noticed Draco take the same thing.
“We’re probably going to have classes with the Gryffindors,” Blaise moaned as breakfast finished and the Heads of Houses passed out timetables. He was right; a lot of their classes were with Gryffindor.
Monday:
9:00-10:25 Potions (Gryffindor)
10:30-11:55 Herbology (Hufflepuff)
12:00-12:55 Break
1:00-2:25 History of Magic (Ravenclaw)
2:30-3:45 Transfiguration (Gryffindor)
Tuesday:
9:00-10:25 Transfiguration (Gryffindor)
10:30-11:55 History of Magic (Ravenclaw)
12:00-12:55 Break
1:00-2:25 Charms (Gryffindor)
2:30-3:45 Free
Wednesday:
9:00-10:25 Herbology (Hufflepuff)
10:30-11:55 Defence Against the Dark Arts (Gryffindor)
12:00-12:55 Break
1:00-2:25 Defence Against the Dark Arts (Gryffindor)
12:00 A.M.-1:00 A.M. Astronomy (Gryffindor)
Thursday:
9:00-10:25 Charms (Gryffindor)
10:30-11:55 Transfiguration (Gryffindor)
12:00-12:55 Break
1:00-2:25 Herbology (Hufflepuff)
2:30-3:45 Herbology (Hufflepuff)
Friday:
9:00-10:25 History of Magic (Ravenclaw)
10:30-11:55 Charms (Gryffindor)
12:00-12:55 Break
1:00-2:25 Potions (Gryffindor)
2:30-3:45 Potions (Gryffindor)
Many of the first year Slytherins bemoaned their fate.
“Come on, Harry. We have Potions now.” Draco said. Harry got up and grabbed his staff and book bag, before leaving the Great Hall. Pansy, Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle followed them. They were the first students there.
“Harry, how are you going to practice magic? Nobody knows how to use a staff these days,” Pansy said, completely forgetting the scenario on the train.
“I only have to tap the staff on the ground and concentrate really hard,” Harry explained.
At exactly 9:00, when everybody was lined up outside the classroom, Severus let them in.
“Enter,” he commanded in a cold voice. The Slytherins sat to the right while the Gryffindors sat to the left and Severus took role.
“You are hear to learn the subtle science and exact art that is Potion making. There will be no wand-waving or silly incantations in this class; therefore many of you will undoubtedly believe this is not magic. Of course, I don’t expect many of you to appreciate the beauty of a simmering cauldron wafting fumes, bewitching the mind and ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death. Unless of course you are a dunderhead like all the other ones I’ve had to teach.”
He paused, before suddenly calling out, “Weasley!” The red haired boy nearly jumped out of his seat.
“Yes, sir?” Weasley asked disdainfully.
“What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?” Granger’s along with Harry’s hands shot up.
“I don’t know, sir.”
“Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?” The hands quivered, both of the students desperate to answer.
“I don’t know, sir.”
“What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?”
“I don’t know, you great big bat! Try asking Hermione!” Weasley snapped, his face as red as his hair.
Professor Snape sneered at him. “Five points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Mr. Weasley.” The red head was about to protest when Granger kicked him under the table. “Mr. Potter, do you know the answers?”
“Powdered asphodel added to an infusion of wormwood makes a sleeping potion so powerful it’s known as Draught of Living Death; you would find a bezoar in the stomach of a goat; there is no difference between monkshood and wolfsbane. They’re the same plant, also known as aconite.”
“Very good, Mr. Potter. Fifteen points to Slytherin. Now, today we will make a simple potion used to cure boils. The instructions are on the board; begin!”
Harry nearly smiled. He already knew how to make this potion. Things were going well until a cauldron to the left blew up.
“Longbottom, you idiot boy! You added the porcupine quills before taking it off the fire, didn’t you? Finnigan, take him to the hospital wing. Thomas, why didn’t you tell him to not put in the porcupine quills? That’s one point off!” Things were not good for the Gryffindors today. Potions finished with Gryffindor having negative ten points and Slytherin having twenty points. When class finished, the Slytherins headed off to the greenhouses for Herbology with the Hufflepuffs.
A/N: Like it? Please review.