Getting up early the next morning, I was already out of the shower and dressed before Pansy even woke up so I escaped into the common room before she could try starting a second round between us. Until she won, I was still leading the race. And if I played my cards right, I'd keep the lead comfortable.
"You're up early." I turned to see Sebastian appearing out of the doorway that led to the male dorms. I smiled wryly.
"So are you," I noted. He raised an eyebrow as he casually fell into a seat on the couch next to me.
"Fair enough. Trying to keep Parkinson off of your throat?"
"You know me so well, big brother of mine," I teased. "Any advice?"
"Never ask for advice," he said with a small yawn. "Even from me. It could be seen as weakness and word will spread around here. For now, though, you just let Pansy waste her time. Kayla's roped me into giving the rookies a tour before your classes start but Pansy can't go if she's still showering."
"Then I guess I should go wake up Daphne and Mill," I grinned. Sebastian nodded, taking over my side of the couch as I stood up.
"You'll get used to it soon enough. Just be careful not to alienate her too much. Push her too far and she might snap, ruining both of you in one go."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"And, whatever you do, don't let it get out to the other houses. We can have all the in-fighting we want, but the only way we stay ahead of the others houses is because we can show a united front. If it's another house or Pansy, defend Pansy or the whole house will turn against you."
"Okay." The idea was food for thought. A united front... It was another idea to keep in mind.
In hindsight, excluding Pansy from the tour was a double-edged sword. It made her look a bit like a fool when she walked into transfiguration on the first day almost fifteen minutes late but it meant that I had to offer her the seat next to me and then snap at the Hufflepuffs about how half of them had been ten minutes late. Pansy had smiled gratefully and we were the best of friends for the class but, as soon as we were in the corridor, she was cold and angry again. It didn't help that Millicent brought up Sebastian's tour.
Pansy hadn't been able to do anything to me then. We had been in the corridor surrounded by other students of all different houses but she knew that I couldn't sidestep her forever. She stuck to Draco's side like glue, relying on him to show her to class and relying on her own ability to sweet talk so no one would suspect her clinginess for helplessness.
The first week passed without much incident but I was starting to get sick of the rumors surrounding a Gryffindor boy my age. Harry Potter wasn't anything too special. We were on the same boat across the lake and I'd stood next to him until he was Sorted into Gryffindor. He was raised by Muggles and, while that wasn't inherently bad, he didn't know the difference between a goblin and a gremlin. He probably had potential but he wasn't any better than any of the muggleborns that were getting mystified by his legend.
My first chance to see Harry Potter in action was double Potions on Friday.
Potions was taught by my head of house, Severus Snape, in a classroom in the dungeons. I sat at a table behind Pansy where I could keep an eye on her, with Daphne sitting next to me and Blaise on the other end. I wasn't especially close to Blaise, who was actually Draco's ally, but Draco was already sitting with Crabbe and Goyle. Daphne and I were already pretty similar, both being from wealthy neutral families, and we had a common need to keep Pansy under control. If Pansy got too much power, she'd be a tyrant.
Snape stood in the front of the class, staring out at the first years until the bell had rung. He started class with taking roll call, pausing after "Harry Potter."
"Ah yes," he said softly. "Our new... celebrity."
He continued on with roll, ignoring as Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle sniggered at Harry's expense. Once finished, he laid the attendance roster on his desk and turned to face the class.
"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making." He didn't speak very loudly, but no one in the room dared to interrupt. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."
I exchanged a glance with Daphne and then Blaise. Potions sounded like it would be one of my harder classes though I wasn't too worried.
"Potter!" Snape barked. The boy, sitting next to the redhead who had been Sorted right before me- Ronald Weasley- jumped. He sat at the end of a desk, just across the aisle from me. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
I frowned at that. Draught of Living Death wasn't a potion that would be taught to first years. It might be mentioned in the textbook but there was hardly a chance for Harry to have known that. One of the other Gryffindors, to my surprise, apparently knew. The girl with frizzy hair had her hand raised almost desperately.
"I don't know, sir."
"Tut, tut. Fame clearly isn't everything." Frizzy-hair's hand was ignored. "Let's try again, Potter. Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"
A goat's stomach. Frizzy-hair's hand went up another inch. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were silently laughing. This isn't right.
United front, Sebastian's words whispered through my mind.
"I don't know, sir," Harry repeated between clenched teeth.
"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?" Snape asked. Harry didn't avert his eyes from Snape's despite the challenge. Frizzy-hair's hand began to shake. "What is the difference, Potter, between wolfsbane and monkshood?"
Frizzy-hair actually stood from her seat, hand higher than ever.
United front.
"I don't know, sir," Harry said once more. "I think Hermione does, though; why don't you try her?"
A few people laughed. The Potions Master was not ecstatic with Harry's attitude. His dark eyes glanced sharply to the Slytherin side of the classroom.
"Miss Wyncrest." I resisted the urge to jump as Snape's attention fell to me. "Would you care to enlighten Potter?"
United front. Don't go against it. He's your head of house. United front.
"Powdered root of asphodel and infusion of wormwood can be mixed to produce the Draught of the Living Death," I said as clearly as I could manage. I couldn't look at Harry or his friends. "A bezoar is a stone that can cure most poisons that forms in the stomach of a goat. And monkshood and wolfsbane are the same plant, which is also known as aconite."
"Excellent. Ten points to Slytherin for Miss Wyncrest's preparedness for class. And a point from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter."
The class continued on in a similar manner. We were assigned to craft a Cure for Boils, a reasonably easy potion, but mistakes were made all around the classroom. The only ones who were punished for it, however, were Gryffindors.
"Neville!" I hissed urgently as the pureblood working at the desk behind me prepared to add another ingredient to his potion. The boy looked at me, so startled that I wondered if my being a Slytherin nullified the years I'd known him.
"What?" he asked quietly, an almost panicked expression on his face.
"Take the cauldron off the fire before adding the quills," I said softly. His partner, Seamus Finnegan, scowled.
"Don't listen to her, mate. She's a Slytherin. She's probably just trying to trick you into mucking up the potion."
"Just take the potion off of the fire," I whispered quickly before turning back to my own potion. Daphne was looking at me curiously. "What?"
"You're helping a Gryffindor?" She seemed more surprised than angry. I glanced down at the bubbling potion. "Why?"
United front.
Shut up! I told Sebastian's voice.
"Neville and I are... were friends," I clarified, glancing back at the Gryffindor as Seamus reassured him that I was just lying to him. "I guess I feel bad for him."
"... Be careful, then," Daphne cautioned before turning the fire off. I weighed the porcupine quills once more to make sure we'd measured them correctly when a loud hissing came from the table behind me. I resisted a groan.
"On your chair!" I warned Daphne as the Gryffindors' potion melted through Seamus' cauldron and was spreading across the floor, releasing acrid green smoke.
"Idiot boy!" Snape scolded harshly. He whipped out his wand, clearing the spilled potion with a single wave. Neville had apparently been drenched in the potion after they'd added the porcupine quills. He was moaning in pain, covered in angry red boils. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off of the fire?"
I clenched my fist as Snape ordered Seamus take him to the hospital wing before rounding on Harry.
"You, Potter, why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."
"Sir?" I froze when Pansy raised her hand innocently. "Corrine did try to warn them but Neville wouldn't listen to her."
Damn it! I looked to Snape, hoping beyond hope that he wouldn't throw me to the dogs. Snape was staring at me calculatingly.
"Miss Wyncrest, is that true?" he asked, almost daring me to lie. I swallowed before nodding.
"It is," I confirmed. Please don't ask why. Please don't ask-
"Five points to Slytherin, for Miss Wyncrest's attentiveness to her surroundings and willingness to help her fellow classmates." I didn't take it as a reward, though. Snape's mouth was a thin line that promised that I wouldn't escape this unscathed. "The next time you see a situation that could warrant a trip to the hospital wing, I expect you to notify me immediately."
So he would give me a chance for redemption. If I saw someone doing something wrong, I could either help them and risk getting caught or throw them under the bus. I could make my life easier if Snape liked me but it would be at the cost of any acquaintance I have outside of Slytherin House.
"Yes, sir," I responded quietly. "It will not happen again."
I was cornered outside of the Potions classroom, and not by my housemates. Thanks to my stupid decision to go to the common room without Daphne to put my books away alone, I found myself back up against a wall by Harry's friend.
"Why'd you try to help Neville?" he demanded brusquely. I scoffed.
"You put the rest of your house to shame with your lack of tact," I snapped. He glared at me, reddening.
"Why'd you help Neville?" he repeated. I smirked.
"It drives you insane, I hope. Why would a slimy little snake even want to try and be decent? Does she have something to gain? What angle is she playing at?" I asked. I tried to inch away but Ron angled to block me. Harry looked distinctly uncomfortable.
"Ron, is it that important?"
"Yes," Ron said without looking at him. "I want to know whose side she's on! You remember Damien? The bloke who got us to Transfiguration on time? That's her brother."
"So?" Harry was confused and weary looking.
"So, her other brother is a slimy git." I stilled at the insult. United front aside, Sebastian was my brother and my strongest lifeline in Slytherin house. He was the ally I could rely on unless I threatened to bring him down. He'd defend me until it could ruin him.
So, naturally, I reacted. My clenched fist soared up and into Ron's face, catching him just short of his upturned nose.
"Don't you ever insult my family!" I snarled. Ron staggered back, cursing under his breath. I looked to Harry, whose expression was quickly hardening into distaste. "Sebastian and Damien are both my brothers, no matter what house we're in and I don't care what an ignorant prick like you has to say about it! You want to know why I helped Neville? I helped him because he was my friend. So don't you talk to me about sides, Weasley!"
"Talking about my family now?" Ron yelled angrily, recovering from the punch. His left eye was watering and his cheek and nose were steadily reddening but he was still plenty good at being angry.
"Ron!" Harry jumped in between us, pushing Ron further away from me. "You talked about her family first," he pointed out. Ron scowled.
"She's a Slytherin, mate. You can't trust them."
"So you throw the first punch?" I snapped.
"Don't you talk about first punches," Harry interrupted whatever Ron was about to say hotly. "Now why is this even important? Why isn't Neville your friend now?"
"You should ask him," I said, straightening. "I thought we were still friends until he listened to Finnegan over me. Guess not even Neville can be seen talking to a snake."
"So..." Harry looked confused. "You were really trying to help?"
I actually laughed.
"There isn't always an angle, Potter. Neville was a good friend and he's had a hard life that Snape isn't trying to make any easier."
"I didn't see you trying to help him when Snape was rounding on him," Ron growled, still partially behind Harry.
"I didn't see you trying to help him either."
"I'm not one of his precious snakes. He would've just taken off more points!"
"And what makes you think that he'd like one of his snakes protecting a Gryffindor? I'd pay for it in more than points. I'd be ostracized by everyone in Slytherin. Not even my brother would be able to talk to me without becoming a target."
"Sure," Ron scoffed. I glared at him.
"I'm not asking you to believe me, Weasley- like I said, there isn't always an angle- but if you don't get out of my face I'm going to scream and get every Slytherin in the dungeons after you." I wasn't sure if that would have been completely necessary. Sebastian and Damien had always been talking about different curses, how they were used, what they did, and so forth. I was almost certain I could do one well enough to get away.
"You wouldn't do that," Harry said thoughtfully. I smiled wryly.
"I wouldn't want to, but I would if it came to it."
"So come with us. Ron and I are going to visit Hagrid for tea."
"The gameskeeper?" I raised an eyebrow. Harry grinned.
"That's the one."
"Harry, you must be joking," Ron said with wide eyes. Harry ignored him, looking at me intently. I studied him carefully.
"I can't now. There is already going to be a lot of instability with my position in Slytherin thanks to Pansy. Maybe another time." I don't know why I felt the need to provide an excuse, but I was being honest. Being seen with two Gryffindors- one of them being Harry Potter no less- would only hurt me.
"Sounds like being a Slytherin is a full time job," Harry joked half-heartedly. I still smiled softly.
"Don't worry, I'm well paid in house points every potions class."
Harry laughed as Ron grit his teeth.