Chapter 3

Slytherin

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Harry jumped from his seat, tore the hat from his head and stared at it, unable to believe what he had heard. Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow at him, which caused to add a quick "Sorry Professor". Still, he must have heard wrong.

"It said Slytherin" the Boy-who-lived's eyes rose to see Dumbledore stand up from his seat; the smile painted on his lips didn't quite reach his eyes. "Perhaps it is best for you to move onto your table now."

He couldn't believe what was happening, or why Dumbledore allowed it. He should have been in Gryffindor, not Slytherin. If he wasn't, then he would be just like Vol-

Before he could finish that thought, he heard the distinctive voice of the Dumbledore of another time in his head. "What sets you apart from him is not where you live, or who your friends are, but your choices." And as sudden as the thought had come to him, he saw the real Dumbledore's eyes go wide. Had he heard it too?

Harry frowned, glared at the hat, and moved to the table that had stopped applauding as soon as they had started. And even as he sat, with his mind still in turmoil, he couldn't help but notice the smile that briefly melted Daphne's icy exterior or the wide grin in Draco's face.

Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't be so bad.

'Then again, I've been wrong before' he mumbled to himself, when they were lead to the dungeons and the entrance to the Slytherin Common room; all the while, Daphne had been at his side, as if she felt safe with him. Something that he found increasingly amusing when he compared her to her other self from his past/future.

Marcus Flint –just as troll-faced as he ever was– pushed a panel on the wall and the bricks moved to create a door that he went through before them, only to stop before a great golden arch, comprised by the long necks of two snakes that twisted at the top and then looked down at them.

"This is the golden arch of Slytherin"

Harry couldn't stop himself from dead-panning "No, really?"

Most of the first years giggled but stopped short as Marcus glared at them. "You think you're so smart Potter?" he asked with a nasty glare.

"At least smarter than you" he smirked not caring that the boy was at least twice his size. This time the other first years gasped. But if he was going to be in Slytherin, he would be changing a few things… 'Well maybe more than a few' he thought as he saw the fear the other children showed in front of the prefect. "I mean, 'the golden arch of Slytherin', even a five-year-old could have guessed without your antics."

Flint was seething with rage, but as he took a step forward, a back-haired girl placed a hand on his arm. "I guess there is finally one who won't put up with your antics" the girl smiled condescendingly at Marcus and took a step forward toward the children.

Whoever this was, the girl was easily the most gorgeous of the school and, Harry thought, she might even be as good-looking as Silvia Delacour in her early years. He wouldn't be at al amazed if someone told him that she was at least part veela.

Said girl smiled to him, flicking her long hair behind her ears "My name is Veronica. I'm your fifth year prefect, as is Marcus." She pointed to the still-fuming boy with a gesture that was all grace, yet as she turned to face him, all that was written on her face was disdain. Veronica rolled her eyes and turned back to Harry the smile back on her beautiful face.

"I'm Harry." He nodded in her direction "I suppose we have to walk under the arch so that the snakes deem me worthy, right?"

Her smile widened "You are indeed right, Harry. However did you know?"

Harry shrugged "common sense."

She moved to a side "Well, would you be a dear and demonstrate to your peers how it is done?"

He could see that one coming miles away. He smiled confidently and walked forward, faintly noticing Flint's nasty sneer… he was probably hoping they would strike him down.

As he took the first step into the room where the arch stood, the snakes moved, facing him and also preventing him to go forward. The kids behind him gasped and probably even moved back, but he wasn't worried… after all he had faced the king of serpents and prevailed when he was but twelve… what harm could these statues do to him now that he was far more knowledgeable and more powerful than before? He smirked and took a bold step forward.

The snake on his right hissed "Stop where you are peasant!", while the left said "You are not yet worthy to walk among the greatest!"

Harry hissed back "Shut up!"

The snakes were taken aback by the power they were able to sense seething inside him, begging to be released. "You speak the maker's tongue?" they hissed together, staring at him in awe.

"Of course. Now let me pass."

"Yess Masster" The snakes moved to allow him to step through and he didn't look back until he was on the other side… only then did he notice that everyone was staring at him wide-eyed and with a fair amount of fear.

"What?" he asked to nobody in particular, until something the snakes said clicked inside his brain 'He spoke the maker's tongue?' He slapped his forehead, only just remembering that he was a parselmouth. Still. If he was going to change things around, he might as well start early and strong. "You actually thought these" he pointed to the snakes "would stop a descendant of their maker?" fortunately, the previous display helped everyone believe his half-lie; although he could sense Daphne's piercing stare challenge his. Was that girl a bloody lie detector?

He crossed his arms over his chest and stood against the wall, waiting for the others to move.

When it was clear that nobody had recovered from the impression and were, apparently, waiting for him to do something else, he devised a plan that would, most certainly, place him and a certain other in a place of power inside the house… the place he needed to be for his reforms to work.

Thus he looked up at the golden snakes and spoke to them in parselmouth "I will call my friend now. You are to bow to her and let her pass, understand?"

"Yess Masster" he heard them hiss back.

Now Harry smiled. "Daphne, would you come over, please?"

Said girl blinked once in surprise, but still walked forward as if she owned the place. When she was but a step from entering the room, Daphne heard Harry's voice in her head 'when they move, show no fear, instead order them to let you through'.

If she was surprised, it didn't show.

Just as Harry had predicted, the snakes first moved to close her path, but Daphne waved them off and said "Out of my way" with a tone that sent chills down his back.

Just as they had been ordered, the snakes bowed to her and moved, and even added in English "As the Mistress commands."

With her mask still on, Daphne looked at him "Yes?"

Harry smiled, and saw her frosty demeanor melt a bit "I merely wanted to address everyone else" he winked and moved to where everybody could see him; there, he suppressed his smile, showing instead a stern face "Things will change from now on." His tone was as cold as Daphne's had been before "neither Slytherin nor I will allow any more stains to his reputation. This house is for the cunning and those who want to be and do more than the rest. It is not for the bullies, and certainly not for the stupid. And if any of you, or anyone else in this house thinks otherwise, they will face the wrath of a Founder's descendant." with that ending, all he had to do was close the show with fireworks, which he did when a moment later, his aura shone to its full extent.

His father had showed him to do this as an exercise to know himself better, because it really only showed him as he was inside.

He waved everyone off and turned to offer his arm to Daphne, who could barely hide the amusement in her eyes. As they walked away from the 'test' room, Harry allowed his aura to fade back into nothingness.

"You sure are full of surprises, Mr. Potter" Daphne giggled, making him smile. "But" she sobered quickly "I'm afraid you will have to keep this charade on for a while… at least until everyone of importance is under your banner. Most will follow for the prestige of 'knowing' the boy-who-lived; but the allies you seek are those who follow because they are convinced you're the real thing."

Harry hadn't thought as much and said so, however, he still felt confident and offered her a sly grin "Fortunately now you are as deep in this as I am."

The girl grimaced "Sly, Harry. Very sly." She tossed her long hair behind her back "Then perhaps you can tell me what your plan is, so that I can act the part. My thrust in you will only get us so far."

Harry laughed, truly glad to hear the word 'thrust' coming from her lips. "When I'm trough, the Slytherin House will either be better than ever before or we will have to rebuild it, piece by little piece."

"Confident, aren't we?"

"I learned from the best." He winked and laughed some more.