Chapter 2 - The first week

Harry unpacked his things, which weren't many, being as neat and tidy as he could. The room he was in was warm and comfy, soft light and large deep green tapestries gave the place a homey feeling, and Harry decided he really liked it. His bed was large and comfy, with deep green drapes all around that could be closed for privacy. This was a stroke of luck, as Harry had been worried about his roommates reaction to the many scars hidden beneath his school robes.

"I can't believe you were sorted in to Slytherin Harry!" A dark skinned boy said to him. Harry turned to face the boy apprehensively but relaxed when he saw the boy smiling warmly.

"I'm Blaise Zabini." The boy held his hand out towards Harry.

"Harry Potter, obviously." Harry shook his hand and returned the smile. Another boy stepped forward and introduced himself as Teddy Knott, before turning and introducing himself to Draco Malfoy, who had already spoken to Harry at the welcoming feast.

With introductions done and belongings unpacked, Harry sat down on his bed and began to read the booklet containing all the school rules. It had been a long and exhausting day so Harry had no qualms when a prefect stuck his head in the door and announced it was bedtime. Harry nodded and began closing the drapes around his bed before getting changed. Draco and Teddy gave him a questioning look as he did so but said nothing. Harry quickly changed into a pair of dark jogging bottoms and faded grey t-shirt that were two sizes too big for him; they had belonged to his cousin Dudley first, (along with the rest of his clothes), then neatly folded his school robes and pulled back the drape to place them carefully on a chair beside his bed. Blaise, in the bed next to him looked up at Harry's re-emergence and gave him a horrified look before speaking,

"Is that what you wear to bed?!"

Harry looked down at his clothes, they weren't that bad were they? "Erm, yeah."

Then he quickly jumped back into his bed, hastily drawing the drape and pulling the covers over him. He did not want a conversation about his clothes. Not with anyone, not ever. At least his school robes fit him, he thought wistfully. Pity he hadn't had time to buy any other new clothes, not that he had much money anyways.

Apparently the 'Potter fortune' had been spent on properties and such providing safe houses for witches and wizards during the last war, leaving Harry with a meagre supply of galleons with which to buy his school things. Harry had never had anything before though, so it was nothing new to him. He did worry however, about how he was to pay for his school books over the coming years, and just hoped that he wouldn't grow too much to need to buy more school robes each year. With his head swimming about this new world he had been thrust in, he drifted off to sleep slowly.

Morning came bright and early, and Harry realised he was the first one up. He quickly gathered his things and headed for the bathroom, revelling in the fact that he could actually have a hot shower for once. Cold showers were all he ever got at the Dursleys, and only once a week at that. He hated being grubby all the time, Dudley pulling faces at him and calling him a smelly freak, Aunt Petunia telling him he wasn't worth wasting water on and turning her nose up at him. No, he was at Hogwarts now, and he was determined to make the most of it.

Ablutions completed, he emerged dressed in his school robes just as Draco entered the bathroom.

"You're up early Harry! You didn't have an accident did you?" Draco said jokingly.

"No!" Harry snapped defensively, before realising Draco meant it as a joke.

"Sorry, I'm a bit grouchy. You sleep well?" Harry quickly tried to cover his over-reaction.

"Chill Harry, it's fine. I slept pretty well, you?"

"Yeah, thanks." Harry replied, hiding a grimace as he recollected the nightmare he had woken from in the early hours. Pushing the latest of his frequent nightmares to the back of his mind he squared his shoulders and strolled back into his room as nonchalantly as he could to deposit his wash things away (neatly!) and gather his schoolbag, checking to make sure he had all the books he needed, then making his way down into the common room to wait for everyone else before heading off for breakfast.

OoOo

Harry sat between Draco and Teddy at breakfast, where Harry gaped at the wide variety of breakfast foods available, and the sheer amount! Even Dudley wouldn't be able to eat it all! He snagged a couple of pieces of toast and spread some jam on them before nibbling away at them quickly. He gave Draco a sheepish smile when the blond boy gave him a little sneer, Harry knew deep down that he didn't have to eat so quickly, he wasn't at the Dursleys anymore, but he had always had to eat his food quickly, when he got any, and old habits were hard to break. Harry re-doubled his efforts to appear used to eating at a table and did not make eye contact when his Head of House swooped through the hall handing out the class timetables, he just took his with a muffled 'thanks' and studied the document like it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen.

"We've got transfiguration first with the Gryffindors, then charms and history of magic." Said Teddy.

"My father says history of magic is taught by the most boring teacher ever!" A girl sat opposite them uttered, trying to join in with the boys' conversation.

"Yeah, Professor Binns my Mum said, he's a ghost!" Teddy stated.

"Well, we'd best get going then I suppose, don't want to be late for our first class do we?" Harry said, wondering what the hell 'transfiguration' was.

His relatives hadn't allowed him to look at any of his school books before dumping him at Kings Cross, and he had been busy trying to remember all the school rules last night. Everyone else began to gather their school bags and as their little group stood and exited the great hall, Harry felt deep gratitude that so far, people seemed to like him. He had friends for the first time in his entire life, and he decided he really liked having friends.

Teddy, Draco and Harry made their way across the busy hall to the transfiguration classroom and were about to enter when Teddy gave an audible groan as he searched frantically in his school bag.

"What's wrong?" Asked Harry.

"I can't find my quill and inkpot!"

"Did you put it in your bag before we left the dorm?"

"Yeah, but….I think….I think it must have fallen out somewhere." Teddy replied, showing Harry the hole he had just found in his book bag.

"Well, let's retrace our steps, maybe we can find them." Harry supplied, giving Teddy a reassuring smile.

Draco snorted next to them, "If you think I'm going to be late for our first lesson, you're gravely mistaken Potter." With that, Draco strode away and into the classroom.

Teddy's face paled considerably, so Harry gave him a nudge.

"Come on, quickly, let's go back to the Great Hall, see if your stuff's there." With that the two boys ran through the crowds of students as stealthily as they could.

Harry and Teddy burst through the door to the classroom, breathing heavily from running and looking round quickly, trying to find their teacher. Professor McGonagall was nowhere to be seen. Breathing a sigh a relief they quickly made their way to two empty desks near the front of the classroom. Before they managed to reach them however, a cat that had been sat on the teachers desk jumped towards them and transformed into the transfiguration teacher before their eyes. Harry's jaw dropped toward the floor in astonishment, while Teddy drew in a surprised breath.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Cried Teddy, clearly impressed. Harry was still doing a goldfish impression, unable to form coherent thoughts, never mind sentences.

"Thank you for that assessment Mr Knott, however, you are now ten minutes late for my class. Care to explain yourselves?"

"We, erm, got lost." Harry replied meekly, seeing the Professor's stern face.

"Well, see that it doesn't happen again, or you will find yourselves in detention."

With a muffled 'yes ma'am', the two boys made their way to their seats and listened intently for the rest of the class, hoping not to upset the stern Professor again.

They arrived at charms on time and set to work on mastering the 'wingardium leviosa' spell, as he worked, Harry could feel someone staring at him. He looked around and found the charms teacher watching him with a puzzled look on his face. Harry ducked his head and tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hated people staring at him! He could feel his cheeks flush and gritted his teeth, turning back to his feather, he tried to concentrate on the charm once more.

By the end of the lesson, he had managed to get the feather a foot off the desk before it floated back down. It was by no means ideal, but Harry was immensely proud of the fact that he had done it at all. He had been nervous about his ability to do magic, having never had any instruction and knowing pretty much nothing about this new world he was in. Professor Flitwick had given him a sympathetic smile after his partially successful attempt, but Harry could see it was laced with disappointment. Harry couldn't understand why, at least his feather had floated, there were plenty of students in the class who hadn't even managed that!

History of magic was, just as the others had said, incredibly boring and Harry spent most of the lesson trying his hardest to stay awake. The dull monotonous tones of the ghost were sending students to sleep throughout the classroom, and at one point, soft snoring had been heard briefly before a surprised grunt and a few snickers. Clearly someone had been nudged out of their slumber by a classmate.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, the class was over and Harry and his friends made their way to lunch. After lunch was double potions. That meant Professor Snape. Harry didn't know what to think of his Head of House, the man had given him some odd looks since he had arrived here, but had not said anything to him, maybe if he tried really hard in potions, the man would be fair to him.

Harry sat in potions class listening to Professor Snape giving a speech about bottling fame and brewing glory and Harry was thinking this was definitely a class he wanted to do well in. It sounded interesting and definitely useful, unlike history of magic. He brought out of his musings by his name being called rather harshly. Oh, no, he'd messed up already!

"Yes sir?" Harry looked up with his most innocent expression plastered on his face.

"Our new… celebrity. Tell me, Mr Potter, do you believe yourself above needing instruction in my class?" Professor Snape sneered at him.

"No sir, I'm very much looking forward to receiving instruction in your class." Harry was sincere, but Snape looked angry.

"Detention Potter! I do not tolerate sarcasm from any student. Famous or not. Stay after class."

"I wasn't…" Harry trailed off at the glare his Professor gave him. Great. The man hated him. This didn't bode well.

After receiving a lecture on basic ingredients and their uses, they were assigned to brew a cure for boils. Harry gathered the necessary ingredients and followed the instructions carefully, not giving Snape any further excuses to come down on him. Maybe, if he brewed his potion perfectly, he might be able to get back into the man's good graces, not that he had been in his good graces before, but…oh hell, concentrate!

Harry managed to brew the potion so it looked like the book described it and as the lesson drew to a close, he bottled and labelled it as instructed and handed it in to Professor Snape. The man snatched the bottle from him and looked at it quizzically, before grunting at Harry and motioning him to go back to workstation. As the other students left the classroom happy to be leaving the sarcastic, ill-tempered potions master behind, Harry sat nervously trying his best not to fidget. He could feel the man's eyes on him as he swept towards Harry, and Harry studiously examined his hands in his lap.

"Look at me, Mr. Potter," Professor Snape said in a commanding voice.

Harry complied slowly, not wanting to look into the black eyes that seemed to pierce his soul.

"If you ever speak to me like that again, young man, you will sorely regret it."

"I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to appear sarc-"

"Silence! I do not want to hear excuses from you. You will present yourself here at 7pm tonight for your detention. Do not be late."

"Yes sir," Harry said dejectedly, then taking his cue, hopped down from his stool, gathered his book bag and scurried from the room.