Chapter One: Maybe the Children of a Lesser God
Harry sat there for several moments, unthinking, after the hat asked him the question.
Why not Slytherin? They- they're evil!
"Oh, but the Slytherins aren't all evil. You've only met three of them, remember? Three does not constitute the whole house."
But Ron said-
"Maybe you should go to Gryffindor if you want to be pushed around and led around the rest of your life."
I don't want to be led around!
"Then it better be SLYTHERIN!"
The entire hall was silent as Harry took off the hat, set it down on the stool, and walked over to Slytherin table. Taking a seat on the end, he watched as Millicent Bulstrode scooted over. Malfoy's face looked like he had just swallowed something rotten. Eventually Blaise Zabini was sorted into Slytherin- he took a seat directly across from Harry- and Dumbledore stood.
"Welcome!" He said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" Dumbledore sat, and food appeared on the tables in front of everyone. After a moment, Harry began filling his plate with food.
"Is he mad?" he asked Millicent.
"Oh, definitely," she replied. "My brother says he's all about helping muggleborns but really mum says he's setting them up to fail."
"Not that the Dark Lord helped anything, either," Blaise added from the other side of the table. "Who knows how many muggleborns are actually descended from pureblooded lines that squibbed out?"
"Makes one wonder what he's doing," Millicent replied.
"I-I'm sure he has his reasons," Harry said, eating a forkful of the food on his plate and risking a glance up at the staff table. His hands were shaking and he almost dropped the admittedly delicious food off the fork into his lap.
"Oh, yes, but does he ever tell anyone?" Millicent said, glaring and crossing her arms. "No. Heck, one of the things he never said anything about was where you went and why."
"I was raised by my aunt and uncle," Harry replied, cringing.
"Magicals or muggles?" Blaise asked.
"Muggles…" Harry replied, staring at his food.
"Now that," Millicent said, "is wrong. Dumbledore said you'd be safe and protected in a press release- mum kept the paper to show me- but how can muggles protect people from magic?" She looked absolutely stunned, and her dark hazel eyes betrayed a hint of righteous anger.
"Mum always reckoned Dumbledore put up some of his own wards," Blaise mused, pausing to chew on his lip. "If your aunt and uncle are blood relations, then that would point towards some sort of blood wards being put up around the house. How long have you known you were magical?"
"Since my birthday…" Harry replied, shifting uneasily.
"Your eleventh birthday?" Millicent asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Harry replied.
"Now that," a skinny boy said, scooting over to sit next to Blaise, "is a travesty. What type of muggles did you grow up with? What's so special that you would be put with them? Oh sorry, I forgot to introduce myself- Theodore Nott." The boy held his hand out to Harry, and Harry shook it.
"I'm Harry," he said. "And… They weren't very fond of magic."
"And there's every single problem with blood wards ever, at least according to my mum," Millicent said. "Blood wards could keep the legions of Hell out, but if one of the people living inside the house intended to harm the subject of the wards, there's nothing they can do."
"They aren't- they never hurt me," Harry said, crossing his arms. "A-and how do you know so much about blood wards?"
"Not very fond of magic generally translates to 'abhors magic'," Theodore said. The two boys glared at each other.
"So, anyone have any siblings?" Millicent asked, going off on a completely different tangent. "I have three. My big brother's in Hufflepuff, and my little sisters are coming to Hogwarts in the next few years."
"I have a little sister and a little brother," Theodore replied.
"Lots of step-siblings, although most don't live with me," Blaise said.
"Only child," Harry said.
"We figured," Blaise replied. "So, we're all Slytherin."
"Nooo, I hadn't noticed," Theodore said, rolling his eyes- a deep brown color that reminded Harry of fresh-turned dirt.
"I hear the dorms are down in the dungeons," Millicent said. "And that the windows look out into the Black Lake."
Harry stopped listening as the other three started talking about expectations and what they thought it was going to be like. Harry looked around the hall, noticing people slowing down in their eating. Ravenclaw was the table next to them, and one of the girls turned around to face Harry. She had long ginger hair that was braided down her back, and when he looked into her eyes they were a soft leaf-green as opposed to Harry's emerald-colored eyes.
"So. The vanquisher of You-Know-Who is in his old house," she said.
"Do you have a problem with that?" Harry replied, crossing his arms and glaring at her.
"Nope. I'm Morag MacDougal," she said, holding her hand out.
"Harry," he said, shaking her hand. Millicent tapped Harry's shoulder, and he turned around to face her.
"Are you going to have any dessert?" she asked, gesturing to where the dinner had been replaced with all sorts of decadent cakes and tarts and puddings and pies and… well… all sorts of dessert.
"Yeah," Harry said, serving some of the desserts that had appeared onto his plate. Slytherin and Ravenclaw's side of the hall was the quietest; the Gryffindors were the loudest table, while the other three were mostly keeping conversations low and friendly.
Eventually the majority of the hall finished dessert, and the plates and food on the table vanished as Dumbledore stood.
Harry ignored the speech, except for the part about the third floor corridor. Harry leaned over to Millicent.
"Is that normal?"
"No," she replied, furrowing her brow. "The only part of the castle and grounds that's been forbidden, according to my brother, is the forest."
Harry nodded, and watched as the prefects started leading their houses out of the great hall. Slytherin walked alongside the Hufflepuffs for a ways until the other house broke off. The Slytherin prefect led them deeper into the bowels of the castle, eventually stopping in front of a carving of a snake on the wall.
"Confirma excellentiam," the fifth-year boy prefect said, and the wall of the castle pulled away like the entrance to Diagon Alley. The house walked into the common room, and one of the prefects motioned for all the students to find a place to sit. Harry, Theodore, Millicent, and Blaise found spots on a couch next to a couple of first year girls in the chairs. The prefects addressed the first years.
"Welcome to Slytherin," the fifth-year prefect- Marcus Flint- said. "We're the house of the cunning and ambitious. You got in here because the hat thought you had something to give the house."
The other fifth-year prefect- Anna Blackwick- took over. "Hufflepuff may be the house that exemplifies teamwork, but we Slytherins have to work well together, too. The house of snakes must present a unified front to the other houses."
"Any arguments you have with your housemates, bring it to the common room. And feel free to try and have friends in other houses- just don't be disappointed if they believe all the stories. Contrary to popular belief, not every Slytherin hates muggleborns- a few of us a privy to the knowledge that most if not all muggleborns are descendants of ancient pureblood houses that squibbed out. So extend a hand to that muggleborn, and point them to Gringott's for bloodline tests- because if Dumbledore won't advertise them, we will," Marcus said, finishing the speech.
"Now, our head of house, Professor Snape, has a few words for us," Anna said, stepping aside to allow a man dressed in billowing black robes to take the floor.
"As I'm sure our prefects have told you, this is a house that must be united. If I hear that anyone has fought with another Slytherin in public, you will be facing detention cleaning the entirety of my classroom without magic. Slytherin house must conduct itself with professionalism and poise. No goading the other houses into trouble- they'll find it themselves. You must be the house that shows the others how to behave.
"Tomorrow you will receive your class schedules. I do not want to hear of any of you being late, and I want all of you," here is gaze lands on Crabbe and Goyle, "to apply yourselves and do your best in every class. If I think you are not performing to the full extent of your abilities you will face detentions with me that will push you to the full extent of your abilities. Find your dorms and get to sleep- and try not to get lost this week, last year we found a Gryffindor in the torture chambers." Snape finished with a cold stare at every one of the first years, lingering extra long on Harry, and then swept out of the common room.
"All right," Marcus said. "First years, your dorms are at the bottom of the staircases. Boys on the right, girls on the left."
Harry followed Blaise and Theodore to the right and down the stairs. The first year boys' dorm was dark, with windows that looked out into the bottom of the lake. Harry claimed the bed furthest to the right and closest to the bathroom and showers. Blaise claimed the next one, and Theodore was stuck next to Crabbe while Malfoy was between Crabbe and Goyle. Everyone's luggage appeared next to their beds. There were desks in between every bed, and in the corners next to Harry and Goyle's beds. It was quickly decided the desk in between Crabbe and Theodore would be the community desk for putting notes and other things to share around the dorm, while everyone claimed the desk either to the right or left of their bed. Not only did everyone have their own desk, but attached to the desk were a couple of shelves and a freaking wardrobe. The dorm was large, and Harry was glad that they weren't in a tower, like he had heard Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were.
All six boys crowded into the bathroom at once to change into their pajamas, brush their teeth, wash their hair, etc. Malfoy shoved Harry out from in front one of the mirrors.
"Hey!" Harry said, glaring at the blond boy. "Yeah, we got off on the wrong foot. But that doesn't give you free reign to shove me around!"
"You made it perfectly clear you wanted nothing to do with me," Malfoy replied, frowning and then glaring back at Harry.
"Yeah, because you introduced yourself like a judgmental git," Harry replied.
"That's what my father told me to say," Malfoy said, shrugging. "He said if you were the right type of person you wouldn't keep hanging around with them."
"Yeah, well they were being nice," Harry said, crossing his arms. "Maybe if you tried that you'd have more than just a couple of lackeys hanging around you."
"Hey!" Crabbe said, glaring at Harry.
"We're not just lackeys," Goyle continued.
"Okay, point taken," Harry said.
"My father's paying them to be my bodyguards, but I can take care of myself," Malfoy replied.
"You sound awfully enamored with your father," Theodore said.
"Well, why shouldn't I be? He's always right," Malfoy replied, his grey eyes burning with indignant anger.
"No one is ever 'always right'," Blaise said.
"Look, Malfoy, the next seven years will go a lot easier if we can put aside our differences," Harry said, sighing. "So how about, if I find friends I like outside of Slytherin, you don't insult them, and I won't insult you, and we try to get along. That work for you?"
"Yeah," Malfoy replied. "Here, I'm done with the mirror. And," Malfoy paused, swallowed, and then braced himself. "And next time I'll ask if I need to use the mirror."
"Thanks," Harry replied, taking Malfoy's place as the blond boy left the bathroom.
"So, Crabbe, Goyle, you two aren't just lackeys?" Theodore asked.
"Nope," Goyle replied.
"We can actually perform magic, contrary to popular opinion," Crabbe said.
"I just can't read very well," Goyle continued.
"And my wand isn't a good fit, but it's a family wand," Crabbe finished, shrugging. "What can you do?"
The boys finished up in the bathroom, and all bid each other good night. Harry fell asleep rather glad that he hadn't let prejudices dictate his decision- a certain upstart hat might have helped, but Harry couldn't begrudge the hat its ability to steer kids the right direction.
Disclaimer: I am brunette, American, and a teenager. Do I sound like JK Rowling to you?
The first person to correctly identify the song that the chapter title is from gets cyber cookies and a possible cameo in the future. I will try to update weekly!
I will also have a question at the end of every chapter.
First question: What's your favorite HP pairing/which pairings do you hope to see in the story?
Next time:
Breakfast, Ravenclaw girls, and Professor Snape smirks.