Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Harry Potter universe belong to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Well here it is, took a little longer than I had hoped, but thankfully not as long as the last one.

Now to answer a few questions from the reviews:

The riddle is indeed from the Mage origin in DA:O, and yes, I do plan on using the others.

Hermione's still a Gryff, I had thought about placing her in Ravenclaw, but I think she is better suited for Gryffindor.

Harry/Daphne is my favorite pairing by far. That being said, I do not have any plans for this to become Harry/Daphne/Fleur.


Chapter IV:

Harry awoke the next morning rather early, having taken the commands of the prefects to never sleep in on the weekdays to heart. After a quick shower, he returned to his room to get dressed, bidding a good morning to Terry who he had passed in the hall.

He took a moment to glance around his room as he put his robes on. It was nothing too special, with the single bed against the back wall, and a dresser at the foot of the bed, where his clothes had been put in. His now empty trunk lay under the bed, along with his various pairs of shoes. Against the left wall sat a simple desk with a chair pushed up to it, he noticed that his other possessions had been laid out on the desk, aside from his books and parchment. Those he found to be resting on the bookshelf that was on the opposite wall, along with a few empty picture stands, which he decided he would want to fill.

He grabbed his robe and threw it on over his uniform before stepping out into the hall after one last look at his room. He nodded to Anthony who looked like he had just woken up, which the blonde boy returned while rubbing his eyes.

"Morning, Harry. I see you're an early riser." He said with a smile, "Well at least one of us is, eh?"

Harry chuckled, "I'm just used to it, nothing more." He replied cheerily, "Besides, we were told no sleeping in, and I'd rather avoid getting in trouble on our first day."

Anthony nodded in agreement, "True that, Harry. Well, I'll see you at breakfast mate."

Harry tossed him a wave as he headed off to the showers, then turned and made his way into the common room. He glanced around the circular room, there were only a few students in the room, most either reading or talking with friends. With a look at the clock, he decided to head off to the Great Hall for breakfast, as he was rather hungry and it was already seven thirty.

As he was stepping out of the common room, he heard someone calling his name. Turning, he saw Terry approaching with a girl following close behind him.

"Mornin' Potter, heading off for breakfast?" He asked with a smile as he caught up with Harry. At Harry's nod, he grinned and gestured to the girl with him, "Mind if we join you?"

"Uh, not at all." Harry said looking at the girl, then he extended his hand in greetings, "Harry, Harry Potter."

The brunette broke out in giggles, causing him to frown in confusion before looking at Terry for help. "Oh don't mind her, Potter. Lisa's always been like this," He offered, "Especially when your name comes up, y'know?"

Finally the girl stopped giggling and shook Harry's hand rather quickly, "Lisa Turpin, and I'm so glad to finally meet you Harry." She gushed as they started to make their way to the Great Hall, "Terry told me that you two talked last night at the feast, and I just had to make him introduce us."

"I- uh, right. Well, wonderful to meet you too, Lisa." Harry stammered.

"Gods, I can't believe we're in the same House, I mean, wow." She continued, "I grew up hearing about you from me mum, yeah? She would read me your stories, Harry, and it was amazing. To be so young and yet do so much, wow.. What was it like?"

"Wait, wait... Lisa, those stories about me aren't true. Truthfully, I didn't even no magic existed until I got my letter." Harry said, throwing his hands up in defense.

"Oh nonsense, Harry, you're not a muggleborn, so how could you not know? And if you didn't do those things, why'd they write them, hm?"

"Lisa, leave poor Potter alone till we at least get some food, alright?" Terry interrupted before Harry could reply.

The brunette smiled apologetically to Harry, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, "Oh right, sorry Harry."

He shrugged as the stepped into the Great Hall, "It's alright, don't worry about it." He replied, "But I am starving, so let's not waste anymore time."

The three quickly sat down at the Ravenclaw table where breakfast was already waiting, and served themselves. As Harry began to bite into his pancakes, he noticed Anthony joining the three of them, and caught a glimpse of Michael walking past to take a seat further down the table.

"Don't look now, Harry, but I think you've captivated the whole school," Anthony said with a grin, "Some more so than others, it looks."

Harry rolled his eyes as he noticed that many of the other students were indeed looking his way, suddenly he was wishing he was anywhere but here. With a sigh, he returned to his breakfast, chatting with his three Housemates as they ate. While he ate, he began wondering where his friends were, and if they had come in for breakfast yet.

He looked over to the Gryffindor table a few times, hoping to catch sight of Neville, but he saw nothing of his friend. He did however, notice Tracey and Daphne enter the Great Hall, as Tracey had tossed him a quick wave and a smile, which he was glad to return. It did not go unnoticed by his Housemates, who all turned to look at who he was waving at.

"Making friends with some Snakes, Potter?" Anthony asked with a smirk, "Lady Snakes at that. Well, good on you, but be careful. Slytherins aren't too trustworthy."

"Oi, I've got a mate in Slytherin, and he's alright." Terry interjected, "I don't see a problem with Harry having a few friends. It's not like we're Lions, yeah?"

"Oh that'd be bad, I can just see that going downhill fast," Lisa added, "But hey, if your friends with them already, must be from before sorting, so I'm sure them being Snakes doesn't matter."

"Wait, there's nothing against being friends with people from other Houses, is there?" Harry asked, suddenly worried.

"Oh not at all, Harry. Unless you're a Gryff' or a Slytherin, those two Houses hate each other with a passion." Lisa said, "Their rivalry has only been getting worse each year, or so I've been told."

"Me mum was a Snake, so their not all bad." Terry said, "And me dad was a 'Puff. Y'see, after school, it don't really matter what House you were in."

"To most people, no." Lisa added with a smile, "Anyways, here comes Professor Flitwick with our time tables. I can't wait to see what our first class is."

True to Lisa's words, a rather short but jovial looking man was making his way down the length of the Ravenclaw table, handing each student a parchment before continuing to the next. Soon enough, Flitwick approached Harry and his group, a wide smile forming on his face when he saw Harry.

"Ah yes, let's see here... Misters Boot, Goldstein, and Potter, and Miss Turpin. Here you go." Flitwick said as he handed them each their time tables, then he smiled at Harry, "Wonderful to have you in Ravenclaw, Mister Potter. I can see such potential in you, yes indeed."

"Uh... thank you sir?" Harry responded a little confused, but the jovial professor merely nodded and continued down the table.

"Oh hey, Charms with the Snakes first thing, not too bad I guess." Anthony remarked, "Flitwick's the teacher for that, so should be good."

The others began commenting on the various aspects of their schedule, though they were soon interrupted by the arrival of hundreds of owls descending on the Great Hall. Harry looked up rather quickly as they began to descend, his eyes peeled for any making it's way towards him. Sure enough, a rather regal looking eagle-owl landed in front of Harry and held out it's foot, clutching a letter in it.

Harry nodded in thanks as he took the offered letter, giving the owl a piece of bacon before it took to the skies again. A large smile formed on his face as he saw who the letter was from, he had been hoping to receive it that morning. He glanced up at his Housemates, but they all seemed to be occupied with their own letters or the Daily Prophet. With a shrug, he opened the letter, admiring the beautiful flowing handwriting that adorned it.

Dear Harry,

I'm apologize for taking so long to reply, but things were just so busy when I got your letter. Maman had me help tutor my sister while she got everything ready for my return to Beauxbatons. I didn't really do much tutoring, as I spent half the time consoling her over me leaving for yet another year, and the other half of the time telling her about you. It took Papa telling her enough rather sternly before she let the subject drop, for now at least.

But enough excuses for my delay. I'm very glad to hear your time with the Longbottoms is going well for you, they seem like rather nice people, even if Madame Longbottom is extremely stern. I'm so happy both Neville and you decided to write me, I don't have many friends truthfully, and it's so nice to have both of you as my newest friends.

Now, as for how I am doing? Well I must say I am doing rather well since we returned from England. Papa says he must go back on more business while I am at school, I only wish I could go with him again. Maman was most welcoming to the idea of you and Neville coming to visit us over the summer. Perhaps we can work something out, non?

I start my fourth year at Beauxbatons on the First, I can't wait to see my friends again, I have so much to tell them. I'm sure they'll pester me about my trip to England, and you in particular, much like my sister. They'll all want to meet you, but I'm not sure that's such a good idea, they can be very overwhelming at times.

Sadly, I'm running out of parchment, and I seem to ramble at times. Well, I do hope to hear from you soon, and good luck in school.

Fleur.

Harry smiled brightly as he read through the letter, taking a moment to look at the way she signed her name with such an elegant flourish. He quickly folded the letter back up and put it one of his pockets after he had finished reading it, making a note to write her a reply as quickly as he could.

He glanced at the clock as he finished his morning meal, noting he more than enough time to get his books and get to class. With one last sip of his pumpkin juice, he rose and followed his Housemates back to the Ravenclaw Tower to retrieve his books.

~~sSs~~

The rest of the day had passed rather quickly for Harry, as he found himself enjoying the classes for the most part. The added bonus of being with Tracey and Daphne for the first two classes didn't seem to hurt. Charms had been wonderful, and he had managed to sit with both of them for the class. He and Daphne had been two of the first few people to successfully cast the levitation charm by the end of the class, much to Tracey's chagrin, as she was not among those that had done it.

After Charms they had Herbology together, so the three of them walked to the greenhouses together, ignoring the looks their various Housemates gave them as they walked. Aside from Malfoy approaching them in the Entrance Hall just before they stepped outside, once again trying to talk to Harry as if they had known each other all along, nothing had actually happened.

At one point Harry even tried to introduce the two Slytherin girls to his Housemates, but Michael decided to step forward and make it quite clear that they would not want to have anything to do with them. Terry and Lisa gave them apologetic looks and continued to with the introductions anyways, until Anthony stated that it would be best to do it another time, as Michael was now glaring at all of them.

Harry was quite surprised with the actual Herbology class, as he was expecting to be boring, and it was at first. By the end of the class, he found himself realizing that some magical plants are very dangerous, some even deadly, and any knowledge he could gain about them would be helpful to him in someway, as he never knew when he might come across one. He did notice that while Tracey had shown quite a lot of enthusiasm during the class, Daphne however did not share her friend's views.

Lunch had been a rather quiet affair, as many of his Housemates seemed to be avoiding him. He was very glad that Lisa and Terry had chosen to ignore the others and sit with him. Harry found that he was able to get along with the two of them rather well, and was quite thankful when they took the time to explain to him what exactly quidditch was when it came up in their conversations. He was sure he didn't understand it all, but at least now he had an idea as to what it was, and he readily agreed to join them when they went to watch the tryouts for the House team in a few weeks.

History of Magic had been the slowest part of Harry's day, as he found Professor Binn's lectures to be extremely dull. He only managed to make it through the class without falling asleep, unlike many of the other students, by sitting with Neville and another Gryffindor student. Harry remembered being introduced to her, Hermione or something, just before the class had started. In the hall after the class was when things really started to change for Harry.

~~sSs~~

"Oi! Potter!"

Harry turned to see who was calling him, though he already had a sinking feeling in his chest that he knew who it was. Sure enough, he found himself looking at Ron and two other Gryffindor boys that were staring straight at him.

"Yes, Ron? What can I help you with?" He answered calmly, remembering their conversation during the Sorting.

"Just figured I'd offer my friendship, y'know," Ron grinned as he stuck out his hand, "One can never have too many friends, and you've already made friends with Longbottom, so it makes sense that we'd make good friends."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at Ron's attempt at logic, but chose to stay silent as she noticed Neville shaking his head ever so slightly at her.

With a sigh, Harry looked at Ron, "I guess we could try being friends. I've never had very many." before Ron could reply, he raised his hand, "But, you'll have to apologize for insulting my friends, and you'll have to be willingly to accept that they are indeed my friends."

Ron gave him a look of pure confusion, not understanding where Harry was going with this at all. Then, as if someone flicked a switch, it dawned on him just what the raven-haired boy was talking about, "You mean those Snakes? Oh c'mon Potter, you're not really friends with them." He exclaimed, "Besides, everyone knows that all Slytherins grow up to be dark wizards, it's like a requirement or something to join that House."

"I guess you better stay away from me than, since I almost went to Slytherin." Harry stated coldly, "And I'll have you know, Tracey, and Daphne to some extent, are my friends, no matter what you, or anyone else, says."

Harry's response was met by a dumbfounded stare from the red-head, who took a moment to recompose himself. After glaring at Harry for a minute or so, he turned to the two boys behind him, "C'mon, we've got a class to get to, and I don't like hanging around a 'Claw who fancies himself a Snake." He grunted.

Without another word, the three boys trudged off down the hall, leaving a rather angry Harry with Hermione and Neville, neither of which knew what to say about what had just happened. The three of them stood there in silence for a few moments before anyone spoke up.

"Well... it was nice to meet you, Harry, really." Hermione said quietly, "But we really must be going, we do have a class to get to."

"Aye, we don't wanna be late." Neville agreed, "And Harry, I'm sorry about Ron, he was talking about how it was our duty to save you from the 'evil Snakes' last night, but I was surprised with what he said. Don't listen to him, alright? Tracey is real nice, and Daphne can be, trust me."

Harry nodded and bid them goodbye as they rushed off to their next class. He stood there outside of the History of Magic classroom for a few minutes before realizing he too had a class to get to.

~~sSs~~

After the encounter outside of History of Magic, things went rather quietly for Harry. He had arrived just moments before his first Defense Against the Dark Arts class started and quickly took the last seat, next to two Hufflepuff girls who immediately started to whisper to each other as he sat down. Harry gave them an uneasy smile when the both turned to look at him.

The blonde girl, he vaguely remembered her from the Sorting as Abbott, though her first name escaped him, spoke up, "Uhm, excuse me... but you wouldn't happen to be Harry Potter, would you?" She asked timidly.

Not for the first time that day, Harry found himself wishing he was anywhere else than where he was at that moment. With a silent sigh, he turned and gave the girl a smile, "Yes, yes I am." He replied.

The blonde turned nudged her friend and whispered rather loudly, "I told you it was him."

The other girl sighed as she began playing with one of her pigtails absently, "I never said he wasn't, Hannah." She then leaned forward to look at Harry, "Sorry about that, I'm Susan, and this is my friend, Hannah."

'Hannah! That was it, and now I remember Susan as well,' Harry thought, 'Bones, wasn't it? I do believe so... There's so many names to remember...'

"Oh that's alright, and it's nice to meet you, Susan, and you too, Hannah." He said with another smile.

Professor Quirrel chose that moment to appear and called the class to attention, where he promptly took attendance, which Harry thought took rather long due to his stuttering. He felt a sharp searing pain in his scar when the Professor stared at him after calling his name, but he merely shrugged it off as coincidence.

They spent the remainder of class studying the knockback jinx, with Quirrel promising them that they would practice it in the next class. Harry quickly made up his mind to practice it before class, as he did not want to be unprepared. By the end of the class, he was getting along with the two Hufflepuffs rather well, and after promising that they would find the time to study together, they went their separate ways.

~~sSs~~

"Ah, come in Césaire, we have much to discuss." Olivier Rousseau, the French Minister for Magic, said as Césaire Delacour stepped in to his office, "No doubt you have the report on the status of the Tournament, yes?"

Césaire nodded as sat down in one of the chairs across the desk from Olivier, "Yes, Minister, I have all that with me, just waiting for you to look at it." He replied with a smile.

"Wonderful! I'll get to that after we're done here. Now tell me, did you look at the last piece of business I gave you?" Olivier said as he produced two glasses and a bottle of sherry, "A drink, my old friend?"

"I'm sure I'll need one before we're done, thank you." Césaire replied, "And yes, I have looked at it, though I must admit I'm not sure how I want to progress. It could change everything, Olivier, and perhaps not for the best."

Olivier smiled, Césaire was always the more careful of the two friends, even in school he never rushed head on into anything. It was no surprise that he was reluctant to go ahead with this, as it was very risky for everyone involved. Nonetheless, Olivier was certain he would make a decision, and when he did, he would back him on it.

"Indeed, take your time, take your time my friend. Though perhaps we should speak more about this later, over dinner tonight maybe?" Olivier said, "Cornélie has been speaking with Apolline, and now she's pressuring me to talk to you about it."

Césaire let out a laugh, "Apolline has been much the same way, and it has been a while since we got together. Well, dinner it will be, say around seven?" He said with a smile, "I'd ask you to not be late, but we both know how things can be around here. Now, as for the Tournament, I've spoken with the British, Minister Fudge is more than open to the idea, anything to increase his fame. Mister Crouch, however, does not agree with Fudge on this, and thinks we should wait till we are sure we can deal with any possible chances of a champion dying. As for Albus, he seemed to agree with Crouch on waiting, but for other reasons, reasons he refused to give me."

Olivier nodded as Césaire spoke, it was as he suspected. Albus Dumbledore always had something planned, and if he wanted to wait to host the Tournament, then he would do everything he could to make them wait.

"Now, when I spoke with Olympe, she seemed open to the idea, but expressed her concerns over the dangers it would present to her students, understandably." Césaire continued, "I have my trip to Norway already scheduled for the end of next month. Fudge made it quite clear to me that he wants Hogwarts to host it, and Albus even agreed with him. However until I return from Norway, that will be undecided."

"Wonderful, wonderful! After you get back from Norway, we shall arrange a meeting between all three parties to work out the details." Olivier said with a smile, "Including when it is to take place. I would much prefer in the next few years, yes. I'm sure we will continue to follow the once every five years, so the sooner we start it up again the better."

"I'd have to work with the other Ministries to decide on the details, but I'm sure we'll keep the every five years in place." Césaire nodded, "Was there anything else, Minister?"

"Not today, no. Thank you for coming, Césaire." Olivier said, and opened his office door with a flick of his wand, "We'll talk more over dinner, don't forget."

"Of course, Olivier, until dinner then." Césaire gave the Minister a nod and rose from his seat, "And if you need anything else from me, you know where to find me."

With that, he stepped out of Olivier's office and made his way back to his own Department. He had much to do, and with Fudge and Olivier pressing him to get the Tournament set up as soon as possible, there was bound to many long days of work ahead of him.

~~sSs~~

His first week at Hogwarts was going by very well, Harry thought. He had spent most of his free time after classes in the library with his growing number of friends. At first, he would meet up with just Tracey and Daphne, and while Neville had been invited to join them, he was cautious at first. Eventually the boy built up his courage and approached them one afternoon, ignoring the comments from his Housemates, and asked if he could join, to which they happily said yes.

After that, Neville had no qualms about studying with them, and even went so far as asking if another one of his Housemates, Hermione, would be allowed to join their group. Tracey and Daphne were suspicious of letting the brunette into their group, but after much discussion and thought, and at Harry's request, they all agreed. Hermione arrived with Neville the next afternoon practically beaming, and quite clearly excited about having study partners. The two Slytherins still held some of their suspicions, but that was fading rather quickly.

What surprised them all was when Harry walked in chatting with Hannah and Susan rather happily, he then proceeded to lead the two 'Puffs over to the table that they had decided was 'theirs'. After bidding the two 'Puffs to take a seat, which they did rather nervously, Harry took his own and looked at the other four.

"Well, what's first?" he asked with a smile, ignoring the questioning looks they were giving him.

Hermione was the first to speak up, "Uhm... well, I thought we should start with History, since it's due the soonest, yes?"

"History? Alright, that's as good a subject to start with as any, I suppose." Harry replied with another smile, and quickly set about retrieving his History book from his book bag.

Finally Daphne could take no more of it and cleared her throat, garnering Harry's attention. With a gesture to Hannah and Susan, who were both nervously getting out their History books, she gave Harry a polite smile.

"Potter, I don't remember you mentioning bringing anyone else into our group. So, would you care to explain why they are here?" she stated coolly.

Harry gulped and gave Susan and Hannah an apologetic smile, "Uhm, yes... well, these are my new friends, Susan Bones, and-"

"Yes, Potter, we know who they are. We do have classes with them." Daphne interrupted, "I was asking why they're here. You never mentioned them before."

Tracey audibly groaned at her best friend, but chose to say nothing and let Harry sort it out.

"Right... Yes... Well, it all started in Potions..." Harry began.

~~sSs~~

Earlier...

Harry practically bolted from the Great Hall as lunch was finishing, rushing up to the Ravenclaw Tower. He had completely forgotten he had his first Potions class that afternoon, and it was a double one at that. As such, he had left his book for the class and his potions kit in his room, something he was now regretting, as he had heard all about what would happen if you showed up late to the dreaded Potions class. To make matters worse, the Potions laboratory was in the dungeons, and Ravenclaw Tower was the second furthest common room from there.

After his had mad dash up the stairs, Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he was able to grab the door to the common room just before it closed behind an older student who had just stepped out. He sprinted through the common room to his quarters, where he hurriedly stuffed his book into his bag and grabbed his kit, before sprinting back out, almost knocking over a few 'Claws who where entering.

With only a minute or two to spare, Harry arrived in the corridor outside the Potions classroom, where it seemed most everyone had already shown up. He leaned against the wall to catch his breath after his great run, ignoring the glances the other students were giving him.

"Blimey, Harry, where were you? Class is about to start!" Terry exclaimed.

"Running somewhere, obviously, Terry." Lisa stated with a glance at Harry, "Probably forgot something, I'd wager."

Harry nodded quickly, not trusting his voice at that moment, as he was still trying to catch his breath.

Before anyone else could speak, the door to the classroom swung open and Professor Snape's voice rang out, "Enter, and take your seats."

The students glanced at each other and shuffled in. The classroom had a number of table set up, each with four chairs at it, and a single desk in the back, at which Snape was sitting. The students quickly broke up into various groups, each taking a table for themselves. Harry found himself at a table with Hannah, Susan, and another Hufflepuff, who quickly introduced himself as Justin Finch-Fletchley.

As soon as all the students had taken their seats, Snape rose from his desk and began taking the roll call. The Professor paused briefly at Harry's name, before continuing. Once he had finished, he looked up at the class.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making, as there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic." he said to them quietly, yet clearly, "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 put a stopper in death, if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

The class simply stared at him in silence, unsure what they were expected to do now. Harry noticed Hannah and Susan exchange nervous glances, and Justin seemed to be fidgeting in his seat.

"Potter!" Snape's voice broke the silence that had fallen, "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

'Powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?' Harry thought, trying to remember what he had read about either of those two things. 'I know I've read something about them... but just what was it?'

After a moment or two, he mentally sighed, "I don't know, sir."

"Clearly fame isn't everything, Potter." Snape said with a sneer, "Shall we try another? Where would you look if I told you find me a bezoar?"

'Ah! Bezoar, that I do know!' Harry thought triumphantly.

"Sir, as I recall, a bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat," he said to the now glowering Professor, "and it will save you from most poisons, sir."

"Very good, Potter. Now, what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane, Potter?"

Another easy one, Harry mentally smiled, "Sir, I do believe they are the same plant, and it also goes by the name of aconite."

Snape glared at Harry for a moment longer before turning to look at the rest of the class, "Indeed it seems you do know somethings, Potter, five points to Ravenclaw for actually opening your book. As for the rest of you, why aren't you copying that down?"

Immediately the students began to pull out their parchment and quills, and soon the classroom was filled with the sound of quills against parchment as they hurried to write down what they learned. As soon as they had finished, Snape looked up from his desk where had taken a seat.

"Good. Now, you will be working on the boil cure potion. Instructions are on the board, ingredients in the cabinets. You have one and a half hours. Begin." With a lazy flick of his wand, the instructions appeared on the blackboard in front of the class.

Harry gave Susan a smile as they both began to quickly copying down the instructions from the board. "I guess I'm your partner for the day." he said quietly, "I hope you don't mind."

"Oh not at all," Susan replied with a smile, "I'm sure we'll just fine together. Now, what say you go get the ingredients while I get the cauldrons ready? Oh make sure you get enough for the two of us, Harry."

Harry nodded and began to step away after he finished writing, "Got this all planned out, eh? Well that works for me, I'll be right back."

He jumped as noticed the black-robed professor standing behind him, a glare fixed on his face. "That'll be ten points from Ravenclaw for disturbing my class, Potter." he said quietly, "Don't do it again."

"But Professor, sir, I was just discussing with my partner how we're going to work together, sir." Harry replied coolly.

"Harry's right Professor, he wasn't disturbing the class. Only replying to what I said." Susan added with a frown.

"Indeed? Well then, ten points from Hufflepuff for disturbing the class as well, Miss Bones." Snape replied with a sneer, "And another five from Ravenclaw for talking back to a professor. Detention with me tonight at half past seven as well, Potter. Don't be late."

Harry was about to retort, but he felt Susan's hand rest on his shoulder and he noticed her shake her head. With a audible sigh, he nodded. "Yes, Professor."

"Good. Now all of you, back to work." Snape barked as he returned to stalking around the classroom.

Harry groaned as Snape walked away and then trudged off to the cabinets with the ingredients. After he had gathered up enough for both Susan and him, he returned to their side of the table they shared with Justin and Hannah. Susan quickly took them and divided them equally before giving Harry back his half.

"Right, let's get started, shall we?" she whispered to him with a nod to the prepared cauldrons.

Harry nodded in reply and set about mixing the potion. At first he was worried it would be rather complicated, but the longer he spent at it, the more he realized it was much like cooking or baking. He found himself enjoying Potions class, even if Snape seemed to have some sort of grudge against him.

Indeed, the Professor stopped by Harry's station quite a few times, and each time finding something to fault Harry for. Harry felt like exploding at him in a rush anger more than once, but it was Susan's calming hand on his shoulder that stopped him each time. The last time he had turned to glare at Snape and was about to yell at the Professor to try actually teaching the class, he could've sworn there was a hint of glee in Snape's eyes. It was quickly replaced with anger as Snape gave Harry his usual sneer when Susan once again rested her hand and Harry, shaking her head and turning him back to the potion.

By the time it was finished, Harry was quite surprised how well his potion had turned out as he bottled up a sample and labeled it. He looked around and noticed he and Susan had finished before everyone else. With a relieved sigh, he placed on Snape's desk and made to follow Susan out of the classroom when the Professor spoke up.

"I must say, Potter," he began as he examined the potion before him, "You seem to have inherited your mother's aptitude at potions, if nothing else from her."

Harry turned to look at Snape, not sure how to respond to that. "And her eyes, sir." he said, "Or so I'm told."

"What?"

"My mother, professor. I'm told I have her eyes."

Snape's gaze snapped up to meet Harry's, his black eyes seeming to peer into the boy's soul. "Yes, indeed you do." he replied quietly, "Then again, it might have just been luck. We will see. Dismissed, Potter."

Harry nodded quickly and turned on his heel, heading for the door again.

"Do not forget, Potter, detention at half past seven. Do not be late."

"Yes sir." was all Harry said as he closed the door behind him.

Susan was waiting on a bench just down the hall, and she gave him a small wave as he looked at her. Harry returned the wave and made his way to her, where he took the seat next to her.

"What did Professor Snape want, Harry?" she asked after a moment.

Harry shrugged, "I'm not really sure. I think he was complimenting me on my work, but insulting me at the same time..." he trailed off and stared at the door to the Potions classroom, "He also mentioned my mother."

"Your... your mother? What did he say about her?" Susan asked quietly.

"Not much. Something about her being good at potions... Professor Snape doesn't look to be that old, does he?" he said after a moment, "How long has he been Potions Master here at Hogwarts?"

Susan sighed as she thought about it, "Well, he wasn't here when Aunty was at school, I think it was a Professor Slughorn or something, I'm not sure." she answered, "Maybe Professor Snape went to school at the same time as your mother?

Harry nodded, "Maybe I'll ask him about it."

"I could ask Aunty if she knows," Susan said, "I mean, if you want me to..."

"I don't know... I've never met your Aunt, I can't really ask that of you..."

Susan smiled happily at Harry, "Oh it's alright. I write to her every week, so it's not a problem to add in a question about Professor Snape."

"But wouldn't that be strange? Hang on..." Harry paused for a moment, "Blimey, I completely forgot!"

"Completely forgot what Harry?" she asked, rather confused at his sudden reaction.

"I've got to write a letter to a friend, I've gone and forgotten all about it!" Harry exclaimed as he smacked his forehead.

"Well why don't you go do that now, before dinner?"

Harry shook his head, "No, no... I told the others I would meet up with them in the Library after classes so we could study together."

"Oh... you might want to get going then, Harry, classes are almost out..." Susan dropped her head, "I don't want to make you late."

"Come off it, I'm not going to leave you to wait for Hannah alone." Harry said with shake of his head, "Besides, they'll understand if I'm late. Y'know, helping a friend out and all that."

Susan looked up at Harry suddenly, "Did you just call me your friend, Harry James Potter?" she asked with a seriousness he had never heard from her before.

"Uh... yeah? We are friends, aren't we?" he asked, suddenly afraid she might not consider him a friend.

Before he could say anything else, Susan reached over and embraced Harry in a bone-crushing hug. Harry stiffened at her touch, unsure how to respond to the sudden show of emotion from the red-head.

Susan let go of him rather quickly as she felt him stiffen, and slid away from him on the bench, her face beaming with a smile. "I'm glad you consider me your friend, Harry. I know I consider you mine." she said quietly, "And thank you for waiting with me. I'm sure Hannah won't be too much longer."

Harry smiled at Susan and shrugged, "Oh it's nothing. Besides, they're always there before me, no matter what." he replied, "Hermione practically drags Nev there as soon as classes let out, and Daphne isn't too far behind with Tracey."

"Look at you, crossing House borders to make friends." Susan said with a smirk, "I'm pretty sure you've initiated the first Lion-Snake friendship in decades."

Harry blushed and looked away, "Oh c'mon, they were friends before that, I think. I didn't do anything."

"Harry! You kept their friendship together! My Aunty told me that the Sorting usually drives friends apart," she said sternly, "She said that she's seen even the best of friends fall apart when they get sorted into different Houses."

"Susan... I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything special..." Harry protested, "Nev's a great guy, he wouldn't let something petty like different Houses ruin his friendships."

"But his Housemates might disagree, and sometimes they can be very persuasive. Besides, if what you say is true, he's friends with a Snake, and neither his or her Housemates are going to look kindly to that."

"No, they're too nice to let other's tell them who to be friends with."

"Pure pressure, Harry. It can make people make decisions they end up regretting."

Harry stayed silent as he thought about her words. Had he really kept his friends together? Susan seemed to be pretty adamant that he had done that. He would have to ask them how their Housemates were feeling about their friends, he really didn't want to be causing them any problems.

"Susan! Harry!" Hannah's voice broke through his thoughts and brought him back to reality.

Susan rose and quickly ran to meet Hannah, with Harry following her slowly. After a quick hug, the two girls began to talk rapidly about the class as they walked out of the dungeons.

"Susan," Harry interrupted, "Why do you say I'm the one that's kept them together?"

Susan turned to look at Harry who had been following them in silence till now, "Oh Harry, it's simple. By arranging these study groups you have."

"But I'm sure the others would've done it without me. I mean, Hermione is really big and studying and doing homework."

"Study group? Are we invited? I'd love to have people to study with!" Hannah exclaimed suddenly.

"Uhm, well, you'd have to ask Harry. He's the one organizing them." Susan replied.

Harry thought about it for a moment before answering the questioning looks the two girls were giving him. "Sure, but I don't know if you'd want to..." he paused for a moment before continuing, "I don't know how you feel about studying with a couple Slytherins..."

Hannah looked shocked, but Susan cut her off before she could speak. "We'd love to Harry! Besides, if they're friends with you, I'm sure we'll get along."

"But Susan... are you sure?" Hannah asked skeptically.

"Yes Hannah." the other girl replied, "I'm sure. Harry's said they're nice people. We can't expect them all to be like Nott."

Hannah groaned, "Don't remind me..."

Harry looked at them with a confused expression. Susan shook her head at his silent question and mouthed 'Later' to him. He nodded and gestured down the hallway, "Well, shall we get going then? I'm sure the others will be waiting for us already."

~~sSs~~

"... and then we ended up here." Harry concluded with nods of agreement from Hannah and Susan.

"Right. And you just decided to invite them, without even discussing it with the rest of us first?" Daphne asked, her voice still cold.

Hannah was now glaring at Daphne, extremely put out with the other girl's behavior, while Susan glanced back and forth between Daphne and Harry, unsure what to make of the situation.

"It's simple, Daphne, I decided that my friends would always be welcome to any study groups I help arrange." Harry answered quietly, "And as this is one such group, I didn't think there would be any problems inviting Susan and Hannah."

Silence fell on the group as Harry met Daphne's stare, neither saying anything to the other. Finally it got too much for Hermione, who was dying to start studying, and she spoke up, "Alright, well, let's get to studying, shall-"

"Do you not want them to be here, Greengrass?" Harry interrupted.

Daphne groaned, "I have no problem with them being here, Potter." she said, "I just think that next time you, or anyone else for that matter, wants to invite others to our group, that we discuss it first. Together."

Harry nodded slowly, "I see. Well, that's an acceptable request. I apologize for not discussing this before hand."

Daphne let a small smirk through her Ice Queen persona, "Apology accepted, Potter. Now, Miss Granger has expressed her desire to actually get some studying done before dinner..."

The tension in the group quickly disappeared as they set about studying for their various classes. Tracey did her best to make the two Hufflepuff girls feel welcome and included, as did Harry, Neville, and to some extent Hermione. Daphne, on the other hand, retained her same cold demeanor towards both girls, but at least tried to be polite.

Harry smiled as he looked up from the paper he was writing for DADA, seeing his various friends talking or working together pleased him. At first he was worried they wouldn't all get along, but now his worries seemed far behind, though part of him wished Daphne would be nicer.

Daphne, that girl confused him to no end. At times she would be nicer than most everyone else, but she could also be the coldest, scariest girl he had ever met. He couldn't find rhyme or reason to her personality changes, even though Tracey had told him more than once that is was normal for her. Just how she protects herself, Tracey had told him, from others, mostly boys around her age.

He shrugged away thinking about Daphne, as he didn't want to get lost in that maze of thoughts while trying to work on his paper. Suddenly he lost all form of concentration as Tracey jumped out of her chair and exclaimed loudly.

"Bloody hell, look at the time! We'll be late for dinner!" she cried as she quickly tried to pick up her books and papers.

The others quickly checked the time and followed suit, with the exception of Hermione, who seemed intent on getting a few more words scribbled down on her parchment before packing up. The seven of them rushed from the library as soon as she was ready, earning them glares from Madam Pince who was not happy with them disturbing the peace in her library.

~~sSs~~

Harry shuffled into the Potions classroom just before seven thirty, the room appeared to be empty, so he took a seat in one of the many chairs in the room. At exactly seven thirty, Professor Snape strode into the classroom, his robes billowing around like they always did.

"You're early, Potter." he said with a sneer, "Surprising, to say the least."

Harry shrugged, "You said not to be late, sir."

Snape studied the boy for a moment before continuing, "Indeed I did. Now, for the next hour, you will be cleaning these cauldrons. Without magic, Potter."

Harry looked at the stack of cauldrons Snape had gestured to, none of them looked even remotely clean. He let out a resigned sigh as he made his over to them, thankfully they were already next to the cleaning station. 'Just like washing dishes at the Dursley's.' he thought as he readied himself.

"I will be back to check on your progress at eight, and then again when you are done." Snape said as he turned to leave, "Do not disappoint me, Potter."

Harry muttered a simple "Yes sir." as he began to scrub away at the first cauldron. It was going to be a long night.

~~sSs~~

Fleur groaned as she took a seat with her friends at breakfast. Ever since she had told them about meeting Harry, they had refused to let it drop. Any chance they got, they would ask her about him, his looks, his scar, his eyes, anything and everything they could think of. She had tried explaining to them that he was only eleven and therefore too young for them, but they had ignored her.

Thankfully they decided to say nothing about the Boy-Who-Lived that morning, and let her eat in peace. She idly listened to them chat about various boys at the school, since Vivienne had brought up Léopold, her current boyfriend. She sighed audibly as Éloïse started talking about one of the boys in their year, one who was well known as one of the snobbiest boys in the school.

As they landed, she quickly paid the first owl, which took to the air as soon as she removed the newspaper. Fleur briefly skimmed over it before handing it off to Yvette and turning to Julius, she gave the owl a piece of bacon and took the letter from him. After setting the letter from her parents aside, she offered Hedwig a piece of bacon as well before taking Harry's letter.

Dear Fleur,

I wouldn't worry about taking a while to write back to me, I understand how life be at times. Just the mere fact that you did is enough to make me happy. Like I said before, you're one of my first real friends, and I'm thankful of that.

I am glad to hear things are going well for you. I hope school has been good for you so far, I have actually really enjoyed my time here at Hogwarts. I must confess I know nothing about Beauxbatons, so you'll have to tell me all about it.

As exciting as the idea of visiting your family over the holidays sounds, I'm unsure if that's a possibility right now. My relatives would never let me go, and I may have to go back to them after school lets out. Madam Longbottom said she would look into getting me out of there though, so there is hope yet.

Of my classes here at Hogwarts, I rather enjoy Charms and Transfiguration. Defense against the Dark Arts is interesting as well, but I don't know how to feel about the professor. Potions seems simple enough, I suppose, as long as you follow the instructions precisely.

Our History of Magic class is dreadfully boring, many of the other students spend the class napping. They get away with it because the professor is a ghost, though I'm not sure how they will do the homework. Herbology can be fun at times, I never knew that plants could be so interesting, or deadly.

I've made a few more friends since I got here, which is nice. Though all this "different Houses don't mix" stuff is getting annoying. My own Housemates aren't as friendly towards me, sadly, since I've got so many friends outside of Ravenclaw.

Good luck with your friends, all this fame is still new to me. I'm getting so many stares as I walk the corridors, and so many people think I'll be friends with them just because I'm famous.

Anyways, I hope to hear from you soon,

Harry.

The letter was obviously hastily scrawled, and in the same messy handwriting that his previous letter was in. Fleur smiled as she read it over again, making a note to help him with his handwriting next time they met, or too tell Neville to help him. She looked up from the letter to see her friends looking at her expectantly.

Yvette was the first to speak, "So who's writing to you that's more important than your parents?" she asked with a grin, "You always read their letter first, Fleur."

Fleur groaned as she handed her friend the letter, "If you must know, Harry is."

Vivienne brushed a dark curl out of her face as she looked over the letter in Yvette's hands, "Oh yes, I can see that. You too must be very good friends."

Fleur scoffed at Viv's remark, "Better friends than you and me, obviously." she said as she rolled her eyes, "Since you know, we just met and all that."

Éloïse cleared her throat and spoke up, "Well as much as I'd like to embarrass Fleur, we do have a game to attend. If we don't get a move on, all the best seats will be taken."

Fleur nodded quickly, "Ellie is right, let's get going."

Yvette laughed as they rose from table, handing the letter back to Fleur, "Since when did you care about quidditch so much?"

"Since it got you three to leave me alone about Harry."

The four friends broke into fits of laughter as they stepped out of the dining hall and made their way to the quidditch pitch. Fleur smiled to herself as they walked, glad she had such good friends. 'Not good friends,' she thought, 'The best friends, and I wouldn't trade them up for the world.'

~~sSs~~

A/N: There you have it, Chapter IV at last. Keep up the reviews, you guys are awesome, and thank you all for reading.

From here things should be moving much quicker, of that I have no doubt. Up next: Flying lessons, perhaps a trip to the third floor corridor, and maybe even Hallowe'en.

Chapter V is already underway, so hopefully that won't be too long. I've also got another story in the works, though this will have priority over it.