o-o IMPORTANT NOTICE: This Chapter is a Re-Post! More explanation is found at the end.

A/N: in a couple of words HOLY CRAP! You guys are absolutely amazing! I almost fell off my bed when I saw how many story alerts and reviews were in my inbox and that was about two hours after I posted the story. I am honored. If you're interested at all, having someone to bounce ideas off of would be appreciated. I'm generally an idea person, but other ideas and thoughts on characterization are always helpful.

Now as they say, on with the… story?

;)

Chapter 2: Setting the Stage

Having placed a vial of Dreamless Sleep on Harry's nightstand, Snape made his way to the Slytherin Common Room. The Welcoming Feast had been concluded for almost an hour by now and while normally he would have already met with his house, he had sent instructions by way of his prefects to acquaint his new Slytherins with the common room and their respective dormitories. He also requested that his entire house be present for a meeting at 9 o'clock to discuss matters. The house meeting was normal procedure, so none of his Slytherins would be expecting the bombshell he was about to drop. Harry Potter now belonged to the Noble House of Salazar Slytherin.

o-o

Snape walked into the common room which despite being in the dungeons was a very homey place. The stone floor was covered by a large green shag carpet. The carpet was inlaid with black snakes outlined in silver. The chairs were comfortable green chairs to match the carpet, but they had silver and green striped pillows on the sofas.

On the walls were heavy green curtains that were presently tied back with silver and black ties. These were thick curtains that would keep out the cold. There were also tables around the edges of the room. One would think it would be cold there, but the room itself was infused with a slight warming charm. In the dungeons, it never got above 75 degrees, so it was quite frosty during the winter. The tables and chairs were sturdy utilitarian black lacquer with the serpents inlaid in a green. The cushions on the chairs were a silver and green striped. One would think the stripes would be over bearing, but they were subtle and the silver gave a nice splash of color.

The students of Slytherin House were arranged in the common room facing the door that connected it with Snape's quarters. There was a large squashy arm chair sat close by his door. Beside it was a lamp and a table that he sometimes used for reading and writing when he decided to make himself available to his students in the evenings. Often times, the squashy chair would be occupied by a student curled up reading a good book. Reading was something Snape tried to encourage most of his students to participate in. The common room hosted a cabinet which held board games, chess and checker boards, and magazines that the students could peruse at their leisure, provided they remembered to clean up after themselves.

This time, Snape bypassed the arm chair for pacing. He only did this when he had something important to share, so his students sat attentively waiting. He continued to pace for a few moments longer, and then he turned to face his students. "I trust that those of you new to our house have found your dormitories and are aware of the curfew?" There were nods from the younger students, who were sitting on the carpet close to the fire. "Good, now in general, I would like to welcome you all to a brand new school year. As of today, your slates are clean, at least as far as I am concerned. The things that were done in the past are past. You have a chance to have learned from the past and hopefully not repeat those things that were detrimental to you previously. There are only three things I expect of each of you. First, your house is your family. Family disputes stay within the family. To the rest of the school, we should present a united front. I expect that you all should be able to behave yourselves as well-mannered ladies and gentlemen. If that is not the case, firstly the Prefects have the authority to give mild punishments. These could include things such as standing in the corner for a particular length of time, writing lines, or serving a detention. Most of the behavioral infractions in our house will be handled this way. If you find yourself in my office for a behavioral issue, trust me, you will wish you had not been. I will contact parents and on their behalf administer whatever punishment they deem necessary.

The second thing I expect from each of you is honesty. If there is a problem, you tell someone. You are not to attempt to handle things on your own. That coincides with the first rule. In presenting a united house, we stick together. If one of you is having problems with another student from another house, your fellow Slytherins will come to your aid. This applies not only to social matters, but to academics as well. If you are horrible at Transfiguration but decent at Herbology, offer your Herbology skills to someone who is proficient in Transfiguration. This will benefit you both. If there is a problem that cannot be solved by leaning on the support of your housemates, don't hesitate to come to me. If you are embarrassed to go to your fellow housemates with something, if you do not feel comfortable going to a prefect, have them make you an appointment with me, and I will Endeavour to help you any way I am able.

And Finally, I ask that you be true to yourselves. If your friends are doing something and you have even the smallest reservation about doing something, go with that instinct. It can be difficult when you're growing up to listen to yourself when your friends are pushing you to do other things. I ask you to ask yourselves this question before you do something you're not comfortable with. "Can I live with this tomorrow?" If you can't answer that question, come to me. If I cannot be found, go to Madam Pomfrey, she is good at being impartial and she will not condemn you for your decision.

Now, two more pieces of business before we all retire for the evening. This student is not present with us here at the moment, but they will be joining you at breakfast in the morning. This student is a Second year student. They are from another house and it has been deemed necessary for them to be re-sorted, and the sorting hat has placed them in our house. I am only going to warn you once, and this applies particularly to those who know this student. Leave this student alone. They do not need the stress caused by unfriendly housemates. If you go against these instructions, you will be violating the first rule, and in turn, you will answer to me. Many of you come from less than ideal situations and this student is no different. Should you think about needlessly harassing this student, think about what you would do and how you would feel were you placed in a less-than-friendly place with people who don't really know you but already dislike you. If there is a problem that you cannot resolve due to this student's presence, come to me. If you let this situation turn into a hostile situation, you will answer to me. Am I understood?"

A chorus of "Yes Sir's" followed that question.

"Now one more thing before we all retire for the evening. Do remember to heed the rules the Headmaster has passed to you all this evening. I want you all to stay in a group of at least two people. Going alone prevents there being a witness to anything that happens, and due to prejudices from other houses, you will need a witness. Remember; don't hesitate to seek someone out. If you choose to not do any of these things, you are not only not helping yourselves but you could possibly be hurting a fellow housemate. Do any of you have any questions or anything to say before we all retire?"

Mr. Malfoy raised his hand, "Yes Mr. Malfoy?"

"Professor, do you know why Potter wasn't at dinner?"

"Mr. Malfoy, it would be beneficial for not only yourself, but to your fellow housemates, were you to call off the feud that you have with Mr. Potter. I am aware that it takes two to argue, but you are only responsible for your side of the argument. Should you need to discuss this with me, you know where to find me."

Silence fell heavily on the group following that statement. "Now, if there isn't anything else, first through third years, don't forget curfew is at 10 o'clock, and for the rest of you, it is eleven. Any disruptions will be noted by Prefects. I wish you all pleasant dreams, and if they are not so pleasant, let someone know and I would be more than happy to give you a Dreamless Sleep potion should you need it. Before I go, is there anyone who knows they need one, remain here, as for the rest of you. Good evening."

The meeting broke up and except for six or seven students; the house climbed the stairs to their dormitories. After dispensing potions, Snape returned to his quarters to check on Harry, then to retire himself.

o-o

The next morning found Harry waking up to a room he didn't recognize. He panicked for a few moments until he remembered, "sorting hat, professor Snape, oh no… I'm a Slytherin!"

The horror of that revelation overwhelmed him for a few moments until he remembered Professor Snape and his promise that it would be ok. Harry doubted seriously whether it would really be ok, but what's done is done. He climbed out of bed to find his uniform already laid out. It was a strange thing to put on a green and silver striped tie rather than his red and gold he had been used to. Once he was dressed, he left the bedroom he slept in, only to come face-to-face with Professor Snape on the other side of the door.

Harry jumped back out of fright and hastened to apologize. Snape raised his hand only to cause Harry to flinch back. Snape lowered his hand slowly to his side only to find Harry watching it intently. To make the boy more comfortable, he put his hands behind his back. "I trust you slept well?"

Taken off-guard by the question, Harry nodded. "Good, unfortunately, Dreamless Sleep causes dependency but I'm sure we'll be able to help you overcome your nightmares eventually." Harry looked questioningly at this, "no matter Mr. Potter, before we head to breakfast, I wondered if we could speak for a few moments?" Harry nodded once more and Snape indicated the sofa Harry had sat on previously.

Once they were settled with the coffee table between them, Snape began, "Mr. Potter, I met with your fellow housemates last night, No they do not know it is you who is joining our house, but they do know it's a second year student from another house who does not come from the idealic home circumstance. I mentioned that because there are several of your housemates who understand and it will make it easier for you to develop connections with them. I also warned the house against harassing you. Should you be harassed by anyone, you are to report to me directly so that I might deal with it. This is not showing a sign of weakness, this is following orders, do you understand?"

"Y- yes, sir."

Snape nodded, "Now before we head to breakfast, are there any pressing concerns that you have?"

Harry bit his lip for a few seconds before asking. "I know you said that Ron won't be mad at me, but now that I'm a Slytherin, can I still hang out with my friends from Gryffindor?"

Snape sat for a second. "I'm going to let you use your better judgement on that. The reactions you get from people over the coarse of the next few days may be hurtful, but allow people to get a chance to get accustomed to the idea. If you believe spending time with them is not going to be harmful to you, feel free to do so. However, if you're concerned about making them angry, when they are already angry with you for no longer being a Gryffindor, spending time with them may not help matters. If you are being hurt by either their comments or their actions, do not put yourself in that situation. If I see that you are being hurt and you are knowingly putting yourself in that situation, you and I will be discussing the matter. But for now, don't worry yourself about any of that. Concentrate on getting to know your new housemates. To be safe, I'll have you stay here when you sleep for the next week at least."

When Harry looked like he was about to protest, Snape spoke over him.

"If you have the opportunity to do so, ask some of your fellow housemates what happens after they come back from a difficult break. You might find that you are not the first to spend the first few weeks of school in my quarters."

Harry nodded.

Snape looked at his watch and said, "If there aren't anymore questions, it's time we head to breakfast."

Harry nodded and stood. On their way out of the corridor where his quarters were, Snape put a hand on Harry's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

A/N: I'm sure you were all confused at having this chapter re-appear. There were many reminders that the curriculum doesn't change until the third year. Yay for you guys. I personally like this end better. It may be a bit too soon for Harry to confide in Snape, but I kind of felt like Snape's philosophy of keeping nothing to yourself if it's hurting you, is going to be the best way for Harry to cope with the things that happened later in book 2 and subsequent books. I'm sure we can all agree that until Sirius, and maybe somewhat Remus, Harry was all on his own, and for an eleven or twelve-year-old, that's just not right.

I hope you all don't hate this new ending, I just hope you'll let me know what you think!

You guys are wonderful!

The Blind Apprentice