Title: Another Chance: EDITED: 7/2/05
Summary: Harry had a chance to be great, the sorting hat offered it, but he refused it. Now seven years later… does he regret the offer that could have very well saved his life?
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, J.K. Rowling does. I'm merely borrowing them for my own amusement. One-shot (1000 word drabble)
In your hand you held your diploma, stating you had finished your seven years of schooling at Hogwarts the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Are you proud, proud that you had graduated with special awards of service to Hogwarts? Or are you hating and despising the attention you're getting? You were always so humble; but no matter how humble you are, no matter how polite you can be… those eyes, those emerald eyes of yours defies all your action. The color of Death they were. Don't deny it. You are apart of the darkness… you always were. There is always a place for you in the dark but you won't let yourself succumbed there would you? You are too glorious, too proud to do so.
Power… you are powerful. I knew it the moment I met you. Those green orbs of yours were resonating with untapped power, glowed with hidden strength, shined with pride, and danced with cunningness. You had the qualities to be a Slytherin, a very successful one at that. I know the Sorting Hat had thought so and so had many of my housemates. But you turned down that house… my house… you turned down the chance to be great. But you didn't know what it meant to be great did you? You thought that all Slytherin are foul and evil, dark and dank. You thought of us to be monsters, monsters that will one day bow down at the dirty feet of the insane madman. But you were wrong. To be great did not mean that you had to be evil. Those are two different things, very different things.
Now we stand here. You are looking into my eyes, while I search for your depths. I plastered on a smirk.
"What do you want Malfoy?" you asked, but there were no malice in it… those days are gone. The moment you had been handed the diploma… you changed, grew up. Your childhood had been long over, expired.
I spoke, my voice icy… but it's always been icy, "Potter… You had the chance to be great. Do you regret turning down the Hat's offer?"
You looked at me in shock. You didn't know that I knew did you? Typical. Your friends looked at me in confusion. They didn't know. Again it was typical.
"If being great meant being evil, than no I don't regret it."
I laughed it wasn't fake… I was truly amused. The Weasel looked at me like I had grown a second head. Granger looked at me, her eyes searching for clues… I could almost see the wheels in her head turning.
"A predictable answer coming from you, Potter… One day though… you will regret it. If you don't pull your acts together… the Dark Lord will rule over."
You looked at me, those eyes calculating… yes Harry… use your Slytherin wits. You are apart of the shadows… you know it, I know it, I'm sure Dumbledore knows it. But will you accept it?
"Voldmort will not win." You stated finally. Your tone hard, convinced… but we'll see.
"Grow up, Potter. Right now, he's already winning. It all depends on you. Like I said… you had a chance to be great. The Hat had offered it to you. Do you regret it?"
I watched you; you were struggling to figure out what I meant. Your eyes widen, you know what I'm offering now don't you? I'm offering you my alliance, my strength. I'm offering you a chance to become the Slytherin you really are.
"Potter, you want to make friends with the right sorts… I can help you there." I offered my hand. I was re-stating what I had seven years ago. But this time… would you reject it? The Weasel snorted… he is thinking no doubts you'll reject my hand.
"I can tell the right sorts for myself thanks…"
"You are a fool, Potter."
"You didn't let me finish. I can tell the right sorts for my self thanks" You grabbed my hand and shook it.
A ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of my lips. Your friends' eyes widen in surprise.
"You have my word." And I left; my business was taken care of.
"Harry… do you know what you just did?" Ron shouted. Yes I do know what I did Ron, I just accepted a hand in friendship from Draco Malfoy: my greatest rival for over seven years. I have accepted an alliance that'll last a life time. I'm not dumb you know.
"Yes Harry, did you know what you have done?" Hermione asked. I looked at them. Did they really take me for an idiot?
"Hermione, Ron…. I know what I did."
"Then may you be so kind to explain to me why you shook the ferret's hand?" Ron spat. Hermione nodded her head in agreement. I'm surprised Hermione hadn't worked out our conversation yet.
I looked at them. They were different from how I view the world. Ron saw it in the black and white. If you weren't with the so called light side than you were against it; there was not in between. Hermione saw it as another mystery to be revealed. But in a sense that is what the world is… you are waiting for it to throw something at you. It is always a mystery. Yet I saw it more differently than so. I saw it as the cruel place it was. Where only the stronger ones can truly survive.
No doubts about it, Malfoy knew, he knew I don't belong here, no matter how much I tried to fit in. I was born into the shadows… and a shadow I will always be. I finally said, "I accepted myself, that's what I did." And I walked away, the opposite direction where Malfoy went. Away from him and away from my friends. This is my moment… I knew this was the beginning of war and the end of all my childhood ties… but since when did I have a childhood?
AN: Short I know… but really I don't think I'm going to continue it. I think I'm just going to leave it as an one-shot. Unless my muse for this story suddenly comes back out of no where.