A/N: This is called a Chemistry Assignment, note that well and treat it accordingly.
Disclaimer: Usual thing about the world being someone else's creation, I just mess around in it when the secret life of Astatine is being a sight too secret.
Chapter 3:
Harry Potter found himself awake at an hour he considered criminal. It was five thirty in the morning, Goyle was snoring far from quietly and sunlight was beginning to peak through the windows...though Harry was still trying to figure out windows in a dungeon, without using the vague 'magic' explanation. Harry pondered his options for several minutes before he carefully extracted himself from bed, grabbed his clothes and hustled silently into the bathrooms. A couple of minutes communion with cold water and a sponge lead to a thoroughly awake Harry grabbing his potions book and scurrying down to the common room in search of better light and a place where he wouldn't disturb his dorm mates by reading.
"Potter." The word caused Harry to practically jump out of his skin before he dodged into the nearest corner and sought the direction of threat. He found the speaker in a second, a solid boy sitting in an armchair with a strategic view of staircases and the doorway.
"Sorry about that." Harry removed himself from the corner and found a seat. "Mustn't have been as awake as I thought"
"Most people don't shelter in corners before they even try to identify the threat"
"Got a cousin who thinks it fun to hit me...corners mean he can only hurt two sides of me"
"Just a cousin thing or a problem?" The boy's brows had lifted.
"You're not going to believe me if I say it's just a cousin thing." Harry had studied the boy for a thoughtful moment before responding.
"As I said, most people don't shelter in corners just because they're startled." The boy held out a hand. "Marcus Flint, Potter. I'm the sixth year prefect and Quidditch Captain"
"Harry Potter, Flint. I'm the first year student who's apparently a pending Dark Lord." Harry shook the hand firmly, his eyes watchful for the response.
"Nice line you have there, Potter, you'll soon know the idiots from the not-so-big-idiots"
"Rather what I thought." Harry flipped open his Potions book and eyed the tiny print with a rather dismal eye.
"You like potions"
"I might if the Professor in question hadn't made it perfectly clear that he doesn't like me." Harry flipped to the page where he'd left off reading back at Privet Drive. "It's...tangible"
"You use big words for a first year"
"I had an Aunt who didn't believe in childrens books." Harry carefully neglected to mention that it was only him where that particular belief held sway. "No childrens books means little Harry Potter has a shortage of small words and has to make do with the big ones"
"You don't like intangibles?"
"I don't know, but I can study things like potions and herbology at...home, unlike the other subjects"
"History?"
"If the teacher is as boring as the book I am not at all optimistic"
"The teacher is even more boring than the book...and I would suggest you look at the book I'm about to hand you and read up on Soothing Solutions." Flint handed a rather limp and much marked volume across. "Professor Snape likes to start with those"
"Why tell me?"
"You'll need all the help you can get with potions. Professor Snape is usually fair to anyone who tries...but I think courtesy of his expression last night that you'll need to be little short of a genius in the field to be called anything better than a dunderhead and a complete waste of time and space"
"Why are you down here?" Harry had found the method for three separate soothing solutions and was beginning to read with knit brows.
"My shift, the last one before breakfast." Flint gave his head a shake. "For the first month there will always be someone in the commonroom at any hour of day or night. After the first month we presume you to have the sense to know when to seek help and seek it accordingly in the appropriate dorm room. The dorms with a prefect have a button by the door, press the button and the prefect inside will be awake and with you in seconds...probably grumpy, but not unreasonable"
"I take it that we speak to prefects and then prefects speak to Professor Snape"
"Ensures his temper is not tried by pointless irritations like homesickness and insomnia...the professor is just a hair less terrifying than a dementor when disturbed at night"
"Have you ever had to disturb him?"
"Fifth year, one of the firsties came down with dragon pox and woke me because of his weird blue rash"
"Dragon pox"
"Nasty virus which spreads like wildfire and has the symptoms of high fever and a blue rash. It's usually fatal if untreated, annoying and painful if treated. You have to be magical to be susceptible"
"I'll make a note not to catch it." Harry began flipping through his potions book after the specifics of various ingredients, he had a feeling that tansy had more properties when considered in the magical world...and he was depressingly right.
Flint watched the black-haired boy bent over his work in thoughtful silence. Deralc was reliable in character assessments and Flint agreed fully with this one. Potter had a wicked sense of humour, but it was purely verbal, the boy would never be in trouble for magical pranks. The scanner Flint had had on the boy since the moment he'd entered the room had finally come to a conclusion about Potter. The boy was apparently not a squib in the early morning, even if he was a squib in its opinion at night. Flint folded his hand over the scanner and rose to his feet.
"Potter, if anyone else comes down tell them I'll be back in a moment and there is an intent ward in this room so don't even think of fighting"
"I will...Flint"
"Thanks." Flint ducked out through the portrait and hurried down to knock on the door of Professor Snape's Office. Flint knew that Snape had a very cunning charm on that door which guaranteed that he heard a knock as long as he was somewhere on the school grounds...he'd also hear any attempt to break in or hex his door. It might seem paranoid, but Flint considered it dead handy.
"This had better be good, Flint." Snape opened the door with a scowl, but he was undoubtedly awake for the smell of brewing hung around him like a cloud.
"There's something odd about Potter sir"
"He's a Potter, need anything else be said?" Snape lifted a wearied eyebrow.
"He's awake at five thirty in the morning and clearly resigned to it, not excited"
"Early bird"
"He's thin enough that I specifically asked the scanner to check for malnutrition or illness and it came up empty"
"What is your point, Flint?" Snape's expression didn't change, but did manage to convey a sense of massive restraint and wearied patience.
"I don't know, sir, but I think it adviseable to dose the first years for the next couple of weeks. I don't know why Potter registers on the scanner as fine...though probably for the same reason that he registered as a squib last night"
"Give me the scanner." Snape held out a hand and scowled at the scanner before jabbing it with his wand and causing it to emit a puff of pale blue smoke. "Mm"
"Blue smoke?" Flint was genuinely curious.
"Just means that it is definitely working properly." Snape scowled and then sighed before handing the scanner back. "It's official, I hate Potters even more than I hate paranoid hysteria"
"For what it's worth professor I think he's actually a good kid"
"He's a Slytherin and he knows his survival is on the line, of course he'll seem like a good kid." Snape snorted in disgust before waving Flint off. "You'd best get back to the common room before the early birds start showing"
"Yes sir." Flint retreated as the door crashed shut behind him, Snape had been relievingly passive over such an interruption.
XXXXXXXX
Draco Malfoy prodded his way through the trunk of one Harry Potter and his only emotion was one of confusion. The week had been lousy and Potter's trunk was promising to make the weekend even worse. There was absolutely no candy in the trunk, though Potter had apparently bought half the trolley while on the train. There were three chocolate frog cards, and an empty box of Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans, that was as close as the boy came to sweets. In one corner of the trunk books were carefully strapped to the side to prevent movement and damage. Inspection revealed that the books were the assigned first year books, nothing more. One potions cauldron, stuffed with the most ghastly rags which Malfoy was eventually successful in recognising as the clothes Potter had worn on the train. The idea that the boy was hanging onto those atrocious rags was nauseating. Otherwise there was a small bag of owl treats, a spare robe, the ghastly school hat which never would stand up straight and a pair of dragonhide gloves. If Malfoy hadn't known better he would have assumed he'd opened the wrong trunk.
"Malfoy." The soft word seemed to explode in the room and Malfoy swung around with a curst as he snatched at his wand.
"Deralc." Malfoy decide to respond as he'd been spoken to, non-accusatory, a simple note of recognition.
"Potter's trunk?"
"Who isn't curious?" Malfoy looked back at the prefect evenly.
"Only those who think they know...which is probably far worse." Edward Deralc came into the first year boys' dormitory and carefully knelt down to look into the trunk. "He still has those rags?"
"Would seem so...must be a reason for it." Malfoy gave a shrug before carefully returning the items he'd moved to see more clearly the contents underneath.
"I have been requested by Professor Snape to find each and every one of you firsties who is not named Potter to thank you for your maturity and responsible behaviour"
"Would he destroy the classroom if a teacher tried to assign me a detention"
"Probably." Deralc gave a shrug. "The Staff know not to assign detention to Slytherins...they just seem a trifle unbalanced with regards to Mr Potter. If we act up a complaint is sent to Professor Snape who will take appropriate action...I advise you not to try it out"
"I wasn't intending to." Malfoy carefully closed the trunk and relatched it. "Why have the detentions remained"
"Potter hasn't said anything about them yet and Professor Snape never acts without first being specifically requested for aid"
"Can students express views on what they think appropriate for a fellow student?"
"You have views?"
"I think he would benefit a lot if the Professor would discuss any essay topic in advance of him having studied it"
"Why?"
"He didn't grow up in a Wizarding Family and he's suffering for it"
"I shall ensure the Professor hears your views...anonymous one"
"Please." Malfoy had moved back to his bed and his expression darkened. "I mean...If the Professor wishes to know who made the suggestion I do not mind, but Potter and I are not on the best of terms and he might fail to take advantage of the situation if he knew I had anything to do with it"
"Very well." Deralc nodded and moved to the doorway.
"Mr Deralc?"
"Mr Malfoy"
"Do you think anyone would object if I were to write to my father in quest of further information about Potter's...elusive behaviour concerning his family"
"Potter is almost guaranteed to object but I doubt anybody will mind...staff who might object for him in any other arrangement have made it clear that they intend to train him up as Filch's replacement." Deralc's expression was almost a disgusted sneer, he went as close as a student who is a role model of appropriate behaviour is able to get.
"You said I wouldn't get in trouble for cursing Weasley last night"
"That was only valid if you told me the truth"
"Professor Snape has requested I write an essay on why my action was injudicious and requested that I list eight alternative methods I might have employed to stop Weasley from cursing Potter while he scrubbed the floor without his wand"
"Tell him thank you when you hand it in, he's ensuring you have options next time and may even find a way to stop the Weasley without getting caught yourself"
"The Professor likes us to think, doesn't he"
"He particularly likes you to think if you're going to do something completely daft like endangering yourself for another...there is always a way to the same objective which will not include endangering your life"
"Do you think it will count as one option to 'accidently' trip and flatten the idiot"
"It would probably work, but I'm confident you can find other options which are decidedly more subtle." Deralc gave a smile as Malfoy's eyes narrowed in thought.
"Thanks...and I'll get that letter off before Potter gets back from where ever he was dragged by the Headmaster." Malfoy paused. "The only reason I think it is not a detention is because the Headmaster seemed excessively unhappy and he was quite satisfied when he saw Potter working on the main stairs day before yesterday.
XXXXXXX
"Well, well, well and what do we have here?" The Sorting Hat would have grinned widely had it the appropriate features.
"You told me I had to see you once a week." Harry scowled at the interior of the hat and considered pulling it off and considering this the required weekly meeting.
"Ahh, that was right, you were the little Brimless whom I only sorted into any house at all on the understanding that you'd pay a weekly visit." The hat gave a soft chuckle. "How kind of you to show face a full hour before I had cause to begin demanding your presence"
"Would you have demanded I be brought?"
"No one argues with the Sorting Hat, little Brimless." The Hat gave a sniff and then an audible frown. "Except for you, that is. Contrary little...Brimless"
"Must you call me that"
"Yes"
"The Headmaster said that if I was required to communicate with you I would do it at his convenience, not mine." Harry was more than a little disgruntled about the whole mess. "I'm missing dinner for this"
"Just ask your Head of House to help supply the shortfall, considering the homework he has assigned he will undoubtedly ensure that you have sufficient food to do it"
"How do you know what homework we have?"
"It's called...Magic, Mr Potter"
"Really?"
"No." The hat made a rather rude noise. "Professor McGonagall was up here less than an hour ago complaining about the two feet on Laboratory Safety"
"You just listen in on the Headmaster?"
"Why not?" The Hat sounded far more inquisitive than offended. "There's nothing else to do and it's sometimes quite interesting"
"So anyone can hear?"
"I didn't expect you to sit here completely vulnerable to whoever decided that a dead Potter is a very good thing"
"Yes but..." Harry stopped, alarmed for a moment at a thought. "Is this private?"
"No more than our discussion in the Great Hall...which is to say totally"
"Ruddy..." Harry mumbled for a moment under his breath.
"That's hardly nice." The Hat gave a sniff. "I supply you with a valuable asset and opportunity and you swear about it"
"Assets and opportunities are permitted to occur without attitude"
"Not with you, little Brimless"
"Is there any particular reason for this interrogation?"
"I want to know what happened during the week"
"Why?"
"Because it has been a thousand years since I did anything but get dragged out once a year to sort greasy-haired brats. I'm curious and you're odd enough that what I learn will be something other than the mundane"
"Sorry, my week has been obnoxious. All of the staff, except for Professor Snape, seem intent to ensure that my janitorial skills are nice and fresh when I return to Privet Drive for the summer. Professor Snape is going to kill me long before Christmas if he gets his way. I have nine detentions pending and have served six cleaning already...and that's not counting Professor Snape who has requested my presence early saturday morning with a decidedly nasty look in his eye"
"Fellow students?"
"To date, outside of Slytherin, they include 19 jelly legs, three leg-lockers, two boils, one funny tooth one and an uncountable variety of failed spells...I got the names of the definites from Zabini who was kind enough to teach me the counter-curses...with an exception for the funny tooth one which required a trip to the infirmary to get my teeth resized." Harry frowned. "It never occured to me that I'd get a detention for getting medical help"
"Detention?"
"With Filch, as always, apparently I interrupted Madame Pomfrey and was demanding"
"Were you?"
"I don't think so." Harry frowned. "She seemed delighted to see me right up until the moment she realised who I was...which was when she managed to get my teeth to stop obscuring my face. She then got mad and gave me a detention"
"Any thoughts on how to avoid detention?"
"Well." Harry hesitated. "Apart from the ensuring they can't accuse me of any sort of poor manners all I can think of is finding some way of studying so I stop getting the answers wrong when questioned"
"Inside Slytherin?"
"Two second years who sobbed and a seventh year who threatened to hang me from the ceiling of the Great Hall if I so much as looked at his girl again...very confusing since I never looked at her to begin with. Zabini's decent enough, lends a hand when I need one and doesn't prank me in my ignorance." Harry paused. "I've been stuck with a Gryffindor for Potions and I've a nasty suspicion that he's in on the plots to kill me before I become 'dangerous"
"Oh"
"How else do you detonate a totally inert potion?"
"That is something I can't answer...only one explosion"
"I managed to prevent the second explosion...though I definitely lost a couple years of life...which I can ill afford to lose at present"
"Your fellow Slytherin first years as a whole?"
"They won't let me be killed, but they're pretty unhappy about the amount of points I cost them by simply entering a classroom." Harry gave a shrug. "Do you think I'll get in trouble for thinking that grown-ups are annoying?"
"That all"
"Well..." Harry grimaced. "Pretty much everyone I meet is annoying...but as you said, I'm an oddity, which means odd things will happen." Harry paused again. "Do you think it unreasonable for me to wonder if Professor Snape might not be able to intercept a few of my detentions and turn them into something other than scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush...and an audience"
"I thought Professor Snape refused to let any staff assign you detentions"
"Did he?" Harry suddenly straightened. "That must be why he kept turning up and trashing the classroom...it did seem rather odd behaviour. Do you think he might help me?"
"All I can suggest is that you ask him, little Brimless." The Hat spoke rather quietly and sounded almost tired.
"Brim"
"What was that?"
"If I'm Brimless, you must be Brim"
"You are Little Brimless." The Hat gave a sniff, but the air within the hat had palpably changed.
"Sorry Big Brim"
"You should be." The Hat sniffed again and then made another audible frown. "If you want to tell me something before this time next week, write it in a letter while sitting in the corner of a room. Address the letter to Big Brim and then place it in a fire"
"You'll get it?"
"No." The Hat gave a snort. "No hands and no eyes means that I cannot receive anything...however I will know the contents of that note before you next appear"
"Really?"
"Really." The Hat gave a twitch. "Now, get busy, persuade your Head of House to feed you and try negotiating something about your remaining...ten detentions"
"Yes, sir." Harry jumped to his feet. "Thankyou very much, sir...and I won't forget Big Brim." Harry carefully removed the Hat and restored it to the shelf where it usually sat around accumulating dust.
"Oh, and Harry"
"Yes, sir?" Harry turned back at the door to look at the Hat.
"No person, or even group of people, is illustrative of the world. It takes all of us to make this world, and it wouldn't be the same place if any went missing"
"I'll remember, sir." Harry nodded, slightly confused but very determined that if nothing else he would not disappoint the Hat who was placing so much faith in him. The School might think Harry Potter was a pending Dark Lord, but Harry knew far better, the only thing he was pending was being Harry...Just Harry.