A/N Hello my Duckies! Thank you so much those who reviewed, and to all those who've favourited and/or alerted this story, it makes me so happy XD

And deatheagle202 thanks for being the first to review, and just because you were, I'll most definitely being adding your suggestion because yes, I think those situations are so cute and hilarious, though it most definitely won't be happening in private ;)

Also, when rereading the first chapter, I noticed Nott had somehow slipped in there. Just ignore him, he's not really there :3

FYI, I'm messing around with the pacing of the story, and if you want more focusing on Harry's school life, or less, just let me know, because I'm trying to get through the boring years as quickly as possible whilst still focusing on Harry and Draco's growing relationship. Also, I've started a poll on my profile page concerning Harry's allegiance (will he be Light or Dark?), as even I don't know at this point

Disclaimer: If I were JK Rowling and owned Harry Potter, I'd have a pool filled with chocolate Wonka style, but as it stands, I'm sitting here in my pyjamas secretly hoarding m&m's.


Chapter Two – Potions!

Despite the majesty a castle offered, it wasn't the best place for a school at be. Particularly, mused Harry glumly, a magic castle, what with doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, vanishing steps, ghosts, and the resident poltergeist, Peeves. And a hundred and forty-two staircases!

Of course, Harry loved all these magical things, and loved Hogwarts even more for it, despite its many eccentricities. However, when he was stuck up to his thigh in the trick step on one of the hundred and forty-two staircases with Malfoy roaring with laughter at various students openly staring at him as they passed, his delight in the magical elements were, understandably, significantly low at the time.

"Damn it Malfoy, either help me out or piss off!" he snarled, frantically yanking at his leg as a group of fourth year girls giggled loudly at him.

Mercifully, or perhaps unfortunately, the rest of his house had left their last class earlier, leaving him to bicker loudly with Malfoy. Which was precisely the reason he forgot all about the trick step. "This is all your fault!" Harry spat as his leg sunk another inch.

Malfoy peered down at him, grinning cruelly. "How mean of you, blaming me!" he exclaimed with mock hurt. "But what were those options again? Help you or leave you? I think I'll go, and you can remain there until the weekend if you want."

He turned to go and Harry swore furiously. The students were beginning to thin out, and help seemed unlikely. Houses seemed to stick together and look after their own, and from what he'd observed of Slytherin, none of the older years would be helping him out. It was time to swallow his pride, if only for a moment.

"Hang on Malfoy!" he called out desperately, but Malfoy kept climbing the staircase. Harry panicked; Malfoy wasn't really going to leave him there, was he? "Malfoy, don't go! I need your help!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Harry felt his face heat up. Damn it all, but he'd never felt so pathetic in his entire life. Thankfully, Malfoy had paused, then slowly turned around. He wore the biggest shit-eating grin, and cocking his head to the side, regarded Harry with unconcealed glee.

"What was that Potter?" he asked innocently, cocking his head to the side.

"You heard me!" Harry snarled back, refusing to have to repeat himself.

"Yeah, I did," admitted Malfoy with a smirk, "But I want you to say it again."

Well shit. Now Harry was more than literally stuck. To stay there or to beg? Gritting his teeth, he spat out with forced politeness, "Malfoy, I really would appreciate it if you helped me out of this damn step."

To his utter relief, Malfoy finally moved, taking each stair with deliberate slowness. Locking his eyes with Harry's, he stretched out a hand. Immediately, Harry was reminded of the train to Hogwarts, and the offered hand of friendship. And the refusal. His reached for Malfoy's hand. Those grey eyes flared with triumph.

Before Malfoy jerked his hand back. "Sorry Potter" he whispered maliciously. "But now we're even. Next time, don't refuse help when it's offered. See you around." And with a twirl of his robes, he vanished up the stairs, smiling at Harry's scream of rage.


"Oh my! Late on your first lesson!" squeaked the tiny Charms teacher, Professor Flitwick, as Harry finally entered the classroom red-faced and flushed. "And you are…?"

"Harry Potter, sir" he muttered, "Sorry I'm so late sir, but I fell in the trick step and I had to wait until a teacher went by to get out again."

Professor Flitwick gave an excited squeak at this and toppled off of the pile of books he was standing on. When he re-emerged, he was beaming at Harry. "Well then, no harm done, this is your first week here, so tardiness is forgivable. But was there no one there to help you? A fellow classmate, perhaps?"

At this, Harry threw a venomous glare at Malfoy, who pulled a face at Harry behind Flitwick's back. "No one sir" he lied, taking his seat beside Tracey Davis. Out of the corner of his eye, he could make out Hermione scowling at him, and wondered what it was he'd possibly done to upset her.

But as they made their way to Transfiguration, he found out as Hermione caught up to him to give him a very long and very boring lecture on school rules as the horrors of tardiness. Luckily, his fellow Slytherins were there to interrupt her.

"Honestly Hermione, you sound as if school rules are meant to always be followed" said Daphne in exasperation. "Give Harry a break, it was an accident he was late."

"Besides," chimed in Blaise, "Rules are meant to be broken, and none more so than school rules."

"But-" Hermione began, but Malfoy cut her off.

"No Granger, that's nonnegotiable. Slytherins only follow rules when they work in our favour. Otherwise, they're there as general guidelines, to be broken or bent to our advantage. That's why the other houses suck: they always follow the rules, Gryffindor more than most. And remember, nothing's illegal until you're caught, and even then it's not set in stone."

This had been the most Malfoy had said to Hermione since the opening feast that she remained opened mouthed long after he'd left. As one pureblood to a muggleborn, she evidently didn't dare to not listen to his words, but she remained quiet for the rest of the day, which was great as far as the rest of them were concerned.

Despite the added complications of finding the classes, the lessons themselves were turning out to be a lot harder than Harry predicted. There was a lot more to magic than simply waving your wand and saying a few funny words.

Friday was an important day for Harry, one he'd been both dreading and waiting for all week. He'd managed to get through his first week of classes so far, and was pleased to see that he wasn't miles behind everyone else. It was obvious that neither Vincent nor Gregory had much when it came to thinking beyond "chocolate or vanilla", and Millicent Bulstrode was clearly not blessed with either beauty or brains. However, Hermione seemed intent on besting all her classmates, determined to prove herself worthy of being in Slytherin, something that boosted her already low points. And the points were another thing.

Learning how to navigate Hogwarts, and even the subjects, were nothing, nothing, compared to how difficult as surviving the Slytherin House.

Harry had very quickly realised that his house was like none of the others. The different years didn't really associate with others beyond their own, and in the years themselves small friendship groups would form, girls befriending girls, guys having one or two close friends.

There was none of that in Slytherin.

Instead, the Slytherin house was based on a complex hierarchy that included every year. It took some time, but eventually Harry concluded that the hierarchy worked on something like a point system, similar to house points, with the people with the most at the top and the lowest at the bottom, and worst of all, a constant fluctuation in ranks, meaning one had to be constantly aware of who were placed at what.

How one scored owed to various factors. For example, a pureblood would have 20 points, whilst a half-blood only 5. But blood status alone only counts for so much in Slytherin. Vincent and Gregory were both purebloods, and both of them complete morons. Sure they had brute strength, and using intimidation and physical power over someone was seen as acceptable, but not considered an achievement in of its self.

Slytherins prided themselves on their cunning and their ambition, and if one had neither, they were immediately ranked lower on the social ladder like as not. It was cunning over ambition, ambition over cleverness, cleverness over loyalty, and loyalty over bravery. Courage was a tricky characteristic, as one must need courage in order to succeed, but it can also equate into foolhardiness, impulsiveness, and perseverance. Slytherins had to know the difference in an objective worth persisting in and one that must be given up as a dud.

Currently, Harry had about 55 points; 5 as a half-blood, 10 as a first year, 10 because he was moderately clever, another 10 for his determination to succeed in school and social, and 20 because he was famous. Normally first years ranked quite low initially, as they were considered variables, with their true worth and character to be determined more solidly in years to come when they were older. Harry was unusually high because of the added bonus of fame boosting him up, but he was nowhere near the top in his year. And in all honesty, Harry was just happy he wasn't coming last in the points department.

Millicent was the only other half-blood, but only came in at a 34, being neither exceptionally beautiful nor clever, something the girls focused on with startling intensity.

But in last place, was, unsurprisingly, Hermione.

As a muggleborn, she got minus points, something that had never happened before in Slytherin. However, that had all changed when after only a couple of classes it became obvious that she was not only extremely smart but also talented and determined to be the best. Only these things combined allowed her to get a 10, and despite her abysmal score, the other Slytherins regarded her with something close to approval.

Slytherins also didn't have cliques within year groups, instead choosing to mingle with one another equally. This ensured that if any one of them turned out to be successful in the future, everyone else would be at least on close terms with them.

Thanks to Dudley, Harry had never had any friends before, and finding himself suddenly apart of a large group and liked, he had absolutely no idea how to deal with it. He was socially awkward enough without suddenly gaining nine friends who were all not nearly as socially stunted as he was.

And despite all his reservations about Slytherin, Harry found himself enjoying (if not still a little overwhelmed) having friends. Though perhaps saying they were all friends was an exaggeration, because Malfoy was definitely not his friend (more like mortal enemy) and Hermione was such a bossy know-it-all who didn't seem the slightest bit interested in befriending any of them.

Which was why Friday was so important. They had Double Potions with the Gryffindors, and it would be the first time Harry would get a chance to talk to Ron since the sorting. What's more, it wasn't just keeping a potential friendship that made the lesson so critical, as the Slytherins would be watching to see how he treated the Gryffindors, especially Ron as a Weasley and a blood traitor, which would be a decisive factor in his social standing with the rest of his house.

If Harry wanted to remain on 55 points and keep on speaking terms with his housemates, he would have to snub Ron. And even snubbing may not be enough; he may have to be downright disdainful, Draco Malfoy style. Because Ron, blood traitor status aside, was a Gryffindor.

And if that wasn't enough pressure for Harry to feel slightly sick about the upcoming lesson, it would also be his first class with Professor Snape, his head of house. During the start of term feast, there had been a brief second when Snape had looked up and caught Harry's eye. And in that brief moment, Harry had seen an ominous darkness of dislike.

During breakfast, Harry could practically feel the eyes of his fellow Slytherins boring into him, waiting for him to take his stance on the proverbial battlefield between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

Just then, the post arrived, bringing a welcome distraction to the table.

Hedwig had been visiting him every day, nibbling on his toast and giving his ear an affectionate nip, but today she landed in front of him and dropped a letter onto his plate. Wondering who on earth it was from, Harry tore it open at once.

"Dear Harry, (it said, in a very untidy scrawl)
I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.
Hagrid"

Harry was just about to reply when the note was snatched from his grasp. He looked up to see Malfoy smirking at him across the table. Since day one, Harry and Malfoy had been making a point to sit directly across from one another, the better to throw a venomous glare to one another and kick the others shins.

"Who's sent you a letter Potter?" he drawled, unfolding the letter with a flourish.

"Give it back!" Harry snatched desperately for the note but Malfoy simply leant backwards out of reach. His grey eyes widened as he read.

Harry felt his ears burn. Malfoy had been receiving sweets and the like from home nearly every day, something he would pointedly rub in Harry's face. Harry could just imagine how Malfoy would hold this over him; he'd already made his opinion of the gamekeeper clear at Diagon Alley.

Malfoy let out a sharp laugh. "Tea? With that great oaf? Merlin Potter, are you really that desperate for company, or do you just like befriending half-wits?" He glanced openly over to the Gryffindor table, where Ron was shovelling food into his mouth like he'd never eat again.

Harry stood angrily, glaring at Malfoy. He didn't need any reminders of his budding friendship with Ron, not today when it would probably be all over. "Don't you dare say that about Hagrid!" he snarled, ignoring the looks this attracted from the rest of the table. "You don't know anything about him, Malfoy! Hagrid's really cool and interesting, which is more than I can say about you."

Malfoy flushed pink and Harry took the opportunity to snatch back his letter. "Yes, please, I'll see you later" he wrote on the back, speaking out loud so Malfoy knew his answer.

As Hedwig took off again, Harry and Malfoy were locked in a silent battle of wills, staring one another down, not even looking away when the others resumed talking. Harry narrowed his eyes at Malfoy as Blaise stole the kippers from his plate. Malfoy glared back, not breaking eye contact as he passed the syrup to Vincent.

It was lucky that Harry had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because Potions turned out to be the worst thing that had happened so far.

It seemed that Harry needn't have worried about Ron, because he never even got the chance to approach him. Perhaps they were concerned for his welfare (unlikely), but as soon as they entered the dungeons, Harry found himself immediately flanked on all sides by the other Slytherins. The Gryffindors were already there, and Harry noticed Ron sitting beside the round faced boy from the train who had lost his toad.

The actions of the Slytherins didn't go unnoticed, and Harry was sure that it was for the benefit of Ron, who seemed to have had the same idea as Harry to speak come Potions. He'd stood slightly in his seat when Harry had arrived, but as soon as he noticed Harry's 'guard', Ron sank back down looking mildly disappointed.

Harry was steered into a seat sandwiched between Blaise and Daphne, both of whom sneered at the Gryffindors who were staring at them. One of them, an Indian girl, turned to her friend and whispered something to her. They both glanced over their shoulder at Harry and giggled loudly.

Heat crept up his neck; he hated all of this strange attention. He was used to being totally ignored, and suddenly being famous made him immensely uncomfortable.

Behind the two girls, Ron had a strained, slightly constipated look on his face, before he promptly stood, and looking determined, made his way over towards Harry. Immediately, both Daphne and Blaise tensed and shifted closer.

In a strange way, Harry felt touched by their protectiveness, if not a little annoyed that they were being interfering. The defensive gesture seemed to throw Ron, who faltered slightly before he stopped in front of their desk.

"Er, hullo Harry" he stammered, glancing nervously at Vincent, who was watching the redhead intently with a frown.

There it was: the moment of truth. Was Harry going to be nice to Ron, someone whom he liked but could never be friends with now that they were in opposing houses, and face being totally ostracised by his entire House? Or would he make the choice any formerly friendless eleven year old would make thanks to peer pressure?

"Weasley" he greeted neutrally, because he wasn't going to be all and out mean to him, that was Malfoy's job.

For a second, a very brief second as Ron's face fell; Harry felt a twinge of sadness over losing the first friend he'd ever had. But only for a second.

Ron stood there looking torn, his mouth slightly open as though he wished to something more, but Blaise butted in. "Is there something you wanted, Weasley?" he asked coldly, spitting his surname like a curse word.

Ron jerked back in surprise at the tone, before he glared at Blaise. "Nothing from you" he snapped fiercely, but Daphne immediately joined in.

"Well if all you wanted to do was get close to some real wizards, congratulations, you've succeeded," she purred, her voice like ice, "So off you run back with the rest of those mutts like a good dog."

Ron looked furious and looked like he was seriously contemplating hitting her, when Professor Snape strode in.

"Sit" he snapped at Ron, who scurried away to his seat, while the Slytherins laughed and woofed and barked at him as he went. 'Well then', though Harry gloomily, 'that's the end of that'.


A/N And that's the end of that... chapter. I'm trying to make them longer, I really am, and hopefully one day I'll get over 10 pages, but until then I'll dare to dream.

Reviews are welcome, as are suggestions. But please, if anyone out there is like, 'hey, this is my idea!' I sincerely apologise, this is based on a crazy arse dream of mine, and the similarities are purely coincidental and stuff.