CHAPTER TWO: Slytherin!


Author's Note: Happy All Hallow's Eve, everyone!


Draco sat down in the wobbling wooden boat, beckoning Harry with one hand. The boat rocked back and forth on top of the sharp, black waves. It was late in the evening now, and the moon glowed overhead. The lights from the castle reflected in the dark waters.

Harry peered anxiously down into the Black Lake. "Did you see that?" he asked nervously, as he stepped over the boat's edges and sat down.

Draco peered over the edge into the seemingly bottomless, black water. "What did you see?"

"Something... moving," Harry murmured.

"Probably just the Giant Squid," Draco said reassuringly.

Harry's eyes flew wide in horror. "The-what?" he choked.

Draco shook his head. "It won't bother us. Though, I wouldn't suggest this place for nighttime swims, all the same. Other sorts of nasty creatures in there too. Grindylows and-"

Harry shuddered deeply, scooting toward the center of the suddenly unstable seeming, tiny boat.

"Don't worry," Draco soothed.

"Gee, thanks," Harry said with a hint of sarcasm, looking up with a slight smile. Draco gave a tiny smirk and looked over his shoulder to the great, towering castle.

"It's really something," Harry breathed as he followed the direction of the other boy's gaze.

"Mm," Draco agreed.

"I don't think I like the water," Harry decided. Draco laughed. Harry looked toward the looming castle again, this time with an expression not unlike trepidation.

"What was it you were saying in the train, about a hat? And sorting?"

Draco's eyes lit up. "Sorting, well, into the houses." Harry blinked at him blankly, a silent Go on, and Draco continued: "There are four houses. Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor. Each house is known for some sort of group of traits, and live together in a large area of the castle, which is separated into dorms for boys and girls and whatnot. You're sorted into your House immediately in first year – we're headed to sorting now."

Harry bit his lip. "I see. And… a hat?"

"Yes of course, the Sorting Hat is the hat that sorts people into houses."

"How does a hat sort people?"

Draco gave him a blank look. "What do you mean, how does it sort people?"

"I mean… it's a hat?" Harry tried again, furrowing his eyebrows.

Draco nodded slowly. "You put it on… and it sorts you into your House."

Harry gave up. "Ah," he said. Draco nodded and smiled. "So is there any guarantee that I… well that we'll be in the same House? Can people be friends if they aren't in the same House?"

Draco pressed his lips together in a thin line. "Don't worry," he finally said. "You're not dumb enough to be a Gryffindor. And you're not well… puffy enough to be a Hufflepuff."

"Puffy enough?"

Draco shrugged. "I'm not really sure what the Hufflepuffs describe themselves as," he admitted.

Harry gave a laugh, catching himself as the boat hit the shore. Both boys exited the boat carefully, Harry barely holding in a yelp as the dark water splashed against his ankles.


Draco peeled off toward the castle eagerly. Harry looked around for Hagrid, wishing he had been able to say hi to him earlier, but he was nowhere in sight.

Sighing, Harry took off after Draco. The blond boy had come to a stop at the back of the group of first years, and was talking with a tall, thin, awkward looking boy with dark brown, curly hair and bright blue eyes.

Harry approached hesitantly, eyes flicking between the two. Nerves knotted up in Harry's stomach. What if Draco already had friends? In his muggle school, a few people had been friends with him, only to ditch him when their other friends began teasing him. They teased him for his messy hair, for being weird, for wearing old clothes that didn't fit.

Harry's cheeks burned painfully at the memory. Unconsciously, he reached up to touch his unruly hair.

"Hello. Stephen Cornfoot," the tall boy introduced himself, "and you?"

Harry smiled. "Harry Potter," he said more confidently than he felt. Draco smiled between the two of them.

"Harry, meet Stephen. Stephen comes from a long line of Ravenclaws. He's a first year too."

Harry nodded. Stephen smiled at him kindly once more, a sort of patient, wise look in his eyes. He didn't act like the rest of the first years. Harry stared at him – he was peculiar.

"You convince your father to get you a broom over the summer, Draco? Never managed to convince mine, something about it being too dangerous," Stephen said, turning his piercing eyes to Draco.

Draco nodded enthusiastically and launched into a conversation that was so foreign to Harry, they may as well have been speaking a different language. Quidditch and Nimbus and Snitch and Quaffle…

"Is Quidditch a sport?" Harry finally spoke up, his curiosity overpowering his shyness.

The two boys rounded on him, jaws dropping simultaneously in a nearly comical way.

"Quidditch is the sport," Draco corrected. "It is the only sport played in the wizarding world. Harry was raised by muggles, Stephen."

Stephen nodded. "Blimey, that's torture. Not knowing about Quidditch well that's... that's unacceptable. I tell you, the both of you, we're sneaking out at some point to that Quidditch pitch and showing you the ropes this year. You'll love it, trust me."

Harry then proceeded to listen as both boys launched into entirely different tales about brilliant games they'd been to see, their favorite players and favorite teams and favorite moves. It still didn't make sense to Harry, but he felt a little warmer inside as the boys did their best to include him in their ramblings.

"-and really, they're the best team in the world if I do say so-" Draco's ramble about his favorite team was cut off by the booming voice and presence of an older witch, who now stood at the topmost step in the front of the large room they all stood in.

She introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house. She had a stern, pinched look about her, but kind eyes. She was calm and firm as she explained that in just a moment they would be heading into the Great Hall, where they would then be sorted into their Houses. They were then to join the table of the corresponding House, and a prefect would lead them back to their dorms. They would receive their schedules by owl and find that their trunks were already in place.

Classes would start tomorrow.

Excitement buzzed through the crowd at this. Draco had been ignoring her the whole time as he greeted two overwhelmingly large, brutish looking first-years, whom he introduced to Harry as Crabbe and Goyle.

Both boys had a foggy, vacant look in their eyes, and permanent scowls. Harry found them very off-putting. Draco for some reason insisted on speaking to them all the same.

Draco smirked at the two giants. It was always good to have someone to blame and use in situations where you could find yourself in trouble. Not that Draco was planning anything like that. No, certainly not.

The students formed a single file line into the Great Hall. As soon as they entered, Draco acknowledged why it was known as the Great Hall. The ceiling was enchanted, seemingly going straight up into the night sky, giving the room a limitless, large appearance and aura. Harry looked about in awe, lips slightly parted as he took in the sights and the sounds.

Four large tables sat plastered in banners and distinct colors. The children and teenagers sitting at said tables didn't quiet as the first-years filed in. Some looked up curiously only to return to the conversations they were previously having.

Draco glanced over to what was clearly the Professors table. At the head sat Albus Dumbledore, and to his right sat Severus Snape.

Draco smiled warmly and lifted up a hand in a half-wave. Snape glanced from him to Harry, his face twitching for half a second into something unreadable, then back to a mute sort of boredom. He nodded once in acknowledgement to Draco's presence – which was enough.

The sorting went in alphabetical order. Thus, naturally, Draco went before Harry. The two stood in relative silence up until Draco's name was called. Harry's eyes were wide with fear, and Draco turned a bit to reassure him just as Professor McGonagall read the next name off of the parchment.

"Malfoy, Draco!"

There was a rustle of interest from the table decorated in green and silver. Draco boldly strode over to the stool and sat down, chin up. The Hat did not even rest on his head, talk to him personally, before loudly calling out "SLYTHERIN!" to the room. An applause rose from the Slytherin table and he darted down to find an empty seat amongst Crabbe and Goyle, both of which had obviously been sorted.

Harry swallowed hard as the Hat continued its sorting through the 'M' surnames. What if I sit down and they put it on my head and the hat just won't sort me because I'm not really a wizard, I'm not good enough to be here. And they wait and wait and wait until they take it off my head and tell me there must have been some sort of mistake and they send me back to Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia? he mused to himself, his legs shaking.

He felt sick and dizzy and faint all at once when Professor McGonagall finally stopped and called out: "Potter, Harry!"

The entire hall fell silent.

Oh why me, Harry thought miserably.

He trudged slowly toward the hat, his legs shaking just ever so slightly as he finally sat down on the stool. The old wrinkled hat was sat gently on his head.

Hmm, difficult. VERY difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh yes. And a thirst to prove yourself. But where to put you? the old, quiet voice of the hat whispered into Harry's mind like one of his own thoughts, and Harry shuddered.

Am I supposed to answer him? Harry wondered desperately. Idly, he thought that Draco's sorting had not taken nearly this long.

Hmm… Slytherin? You could be great, you know. It's all here in your head. And Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, there's no doubt about that. Yes… Hmm.

Yes, this will work. This will certainly work, in fact the more I say it the more sure I am. The only thing that could possibly work is... "SLYTHERIN!" the hat crowed to the audience.

The entire Hall fell painfully silent. The hat remained on his head a few seconds too long, before it was sluggishly removed. A slow clap began at the Slytherin table, building in volume as Harry dashed to the green and silver table.

He sat immediately down in a seat next to Draco, who beamed at him so wide that Harry, despite the tension so thick in the air he could taste it, smiled back at him.

Whispers spread like wildfire from table to table, shocked expressions, stares glued to his skin. The sorting finished in a subdued manner, and the headmaster said some words before the feast began.

Finally, an older-looking boy who sat across from Harry and who wore a badge on his chest, managed a tight smile and reached out his hand for a shake.

"Welcome to Slytherin, Harry Potter."


After dinner Harry was scrutinized all the way down to the dorm. The prefect who had shook his hand at the table led all the new Slytherins to the dungeons, talking casually as he led the way.

"Your House is your family while you're at Hogwarts. And in Slytherin, just like in any family, you will find friends and allies. There are the girls' dorms on the left, and the boys' dorms on the right. Any boys who try to sneak into the girls' dorms will find that the entrance is hexed to males, and you certainly don't want to find out what the hex does. Girls, vice versa. The password will change regularly. Anyone who forgets the password sleeps outside unless someone is kind enough to let them in, which is unlikely because we don't tolerate forgetful idiots here. Now, any more questions and I expect you to figure it out, but if you need to – come to me or Professor Snape, who is head of Slytherin House. If there's a problem, try to work it out. Be up early and don't get lost, good night, and welcome to Slytherin."

With that, the prefect – who had never shared his name – trudged off to the boys' dormitory.

Harry looked around himself in quiet awe. Green flames flickered in a warm fireplace. There was a couch and two large, reclining chairs by the fire. There were cupboards and tables on one end of the room, which seemed to be a sort of dining area, and several bookshelves on the other end. Draco observed as well, his eyes flicking from object to object in a critical sort of way.

Almost every eye in the common room focused on Harry Potter. He flushed under the weight of the stares, fidgeting in place.

"This some sort of joke you think?" and older boy snarled with a sneer to match his tone. There was a group of older boys surrounding him, with matching expressions of disgust. "Dumbledore thinks it's funny to dump his little golden Potter on us? I tell you what, this runt won't last a day in Slytherin before he goes crying to his Headmaster begging to be put with a new House."

Harry looked at him with wide, shocked eyes. He opened his mouth, cheeks burning with anger, only to be yanked away by Draco, up toward the boys' dormitory.

"Oh impressive really, targeting someone five years younger than you, brava, really. Let's go, Harry," Draco drawled sarcastically. With that, he and Harry – the latter albeit reluctantly – stomped up the steps and into the boys area of the dorm.

There was a long hallway of doors, each with two or three names on it.

"Draco, I - um, thanks," Harry said rather quickly. "But I could have, I mean, I was going to handle it."

Draco rounded on him, rolling his eyes. "Did you want to get in a fight with an older opponent within your first hour at Hogwarts? We'll prove him wrong, and avoid making an enemy if at all possible. Don't be dense, Harry. Never make an enemy when it's not inevitable."

Harry was quiet for a moment and Draco's hard stare softened just before he turned back around.

"I guess we get semi-private rooms to keep it from getting crowded?" the blond mused. Harry began to panic a bit as he realized the names were in alphabetical surname order.

"Luckily there are no Slytherin first year boys with last names starting with O or N," Draco said cheerfully, leading him down to their two person dorm.

Harry smiled at this but continued to ogle at his surroundings.

The floors and walls were made of stone. Lining the walls were torches with green flames. Rolled out on the floor of the hallway was a long rug that had a curling, green snake, baring its fangs, against a silver background. Green swirls adorned the corners. There was a slight chill that ran through the halls and in the common room.

There was also an air of quiet. Despite the fact that many of the Slytherins stared at Harry, none gawked or loudly approached him – save the older boy – and most only seemed mildly to moderately interested in the fact that he was there at all.

"Your trunk's by that bed," Draco said shortly as he bounded toward his own cheerfully, observing his new room.

Harry looked around quietly.

The walls were green and the floor was silver stone. There were two beds with green comforters and silver sheets. Silver and green pillows. The beds were Japanese style, with only a box spring underneath supporting them off the floor. Pushed against the bed on the left was Harry's trunk, and to the right was Draco's. On the far right of the room there were two couches. By each bed was a wardrobe. On the left side there was a door with the word 'Restroom' carved into a silver plaque. In the left corner closest to the door there was a dummy, presumably for practicing spells, and in the right corner closest to the door there was a sort of chemistry or lab looking table.

Harry quietly went over to observe his bed.

"This is my first real bed," Harry mused in quiet awe.

Draco looked up, surprise and then something like guilt flashed in his eyes. Still, he said nothing, and laid on his stomach on the bed, resting his chin on a green pillow.

"Maybe they sorted me wrong," Harry said quietly. "Maybe they shouldn't have sorted me at all. I shouldn't be here."

Draco jumped up at this.

"Harry, no, look," he said sharply. The shorter, black-haired boy looked at him reluctantly. "Look, you're my friend, forget what Hunter said," something in Harry's eyes glowed at this, like the green fires from the common room, "and you've only been here one hour. You were meant to be in Hogwarts. Trust me Harry. Everything's going to be… It's going to be great," he said.

Harry gave him a disbelieving look as he slowly settled on to his own bed.

"Can you believe we're here?" Draco said quietly.

Harry blinked quickly and shook his head. "Sort of worried I just got bonked particularly hard on the head and I'm going to wake up back at the Dursleys any minute now," Harry replied in a very soft tone. He laid on his back on his new bed and stared straight up at the ceiling, his mind clouding over with thought.

Draco laughed. He crawled across his bed and unhooked his trunk by pointing his wand to it and murmuring a simple incantation under his breath. The trunk sprung open. Reaching inside, Draco revealed a secret stash of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. He tossed a bag to Harry with a smile.

Harry smirked. "You're just hoping I'll get a bogie flavored one, aren't you? You disguise your attack as an act of kindness," he teased.

Draco laughed. "Already suspicious, now that's some Slytherin behavior right there. I tell you, Harry Potter, you're going to be the greatest Slytherin this school has ever seen. Except for me, but you know, second place is good too, so don't feel too bad-"

Harry threw a bean at his head.


NOTE, ADDED 01/04/14: Theodore Nott was intentionally left out of the story. He will be added in later. That doesn't seem to be very clear. I was trying to let you guys know through the characters. Thank you!