So now we're up to Chapter Eight. Since I'm posting faster than I'm typing, I may not update for a couple of days. I have a few major assignments due on Monday and they're looking a little unstarted. Thank you for all the reviews, please keep writing them. I usually don't ask, but they really do give me a buzz and that usually leads to more story... so technically, it's to your advantage. ;)

And now, on with the show:

Chapter Eight

When Harry Potter listened to Professor Snape's speech welcoming them to Slytherin and telling them that they were expected to present a united front, Harry understood. He wasn't meant to tell anyone that Draco Malfoy had laughed at his second hand gear or that Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle had put his trunk on top of the wardrobe where he couldn't reach it.

After the feast, Prefect Flint – who'd introduced himself at the end – led them down to the Slytherin dormitories. Harry was sure he'd get lost more than once coming down here and the fact that the door blended in the wall wouldn't help.

"So, plotting where to sleep at night when we can't find the dormitory?" Harry snorted at Teddy's comment.

"Yeah, those stones over there look pretty comfy. I wonder how many times we'll get lost before Professor Snape gives us a map." Harry didn't mention that he was used to sleeping on hard surfaces and wouldn't notice the difference.

"You get two chances Mr Potter. Then I collect you from wherever you are and escort you to your beds two hours before curfew. So, I wouldn't get lost, gentlemen, or you'll be getting far more sleep than your peers." Harry jumped, not expecting anyone behind him. He turned, glaring, before realising that the voice behind him belonged to Professor Snape. He quickly schooled his expression but he knew that Professor Snape had spotted his gaff.

"Oh, that's interesting. So you don't trust us to read maps then Professor?" Teddy didn't seem to notice the warning in Professor Snape's raised eyebrow.

"No, Mr Nott. I don't expect eleven year olds to have much sense of direction or time. Which is why for the first two weeks of term you will be escorted at all times by a Prefect. If you are seen without the prefect responsible for you, you had better have a good excuse. Of course, all this will be explained in my welcoming speech when we reach the common room." At this Professor Snape quickened his strides, passing the boys and reaching the head of the group travelling to the common room.

The Slytherin common room was decorated in all shades of green, though it was mostly a combination of dark brown woods and forest greens. There were several comfy armchairs, spread out around the room in miniature groups, radiating from around a large fireplace. Along the edge of the room there were tables that were obviously for studying as well as large bookcases that seemed to contain a collection to rival any library. There were also hallways leading off on either side of the fireplace, which appeared to lead off to the dormitories. This was where the upper years headed, obviously already knowing where to go. The first years milled in the common room, unsure.

"Find seats in front of the fireplace please." Though it was said quietly, the Slytherins rushed to obey their Head of House. "Welcome to Slytherin House. The first thing you need to know is that while most of you have already been appraised of the rules at Hogwarts, I'd like to add my own warning to the one you received. If points are taken from you or detentions assigned, you will answer to me. That means that if I deem it necessary you will serve extra detentions with me. I don't tolerate disobedience or disrespect from anyone in Slytherin, even against other Houses." Harry didn't like his Head of House's tone. It sounded eerily like what Uncle Vernon sounded like when he was promising a particular painful fate.

"Slytherin is a proud House. I expect nothing but your best behaviour from every single person in this room. I am well aware that you will not always have the best relationships with each other, but I expect that any issues you have with each other are conducted inside the common room or the dorms. This is the closest thing you will have to family until Christmas and after that, until the summer. The people in your House should and could be surrogate brothers and sisters, if you decide to let them. And since every family has its own issues, I do not expect smooth sailing at all times. However, to the rest of the school, we present a united front. We take care of each other and we take care of our House's reputation. It will be a hard fight for all of you; Slytherin House has the worst reputation of all the Houses. Because of this, we must also present the best manners we can. I understand that many of you have families that believe in pure-blood supremacy, however, the first time I hear the word Mudblood from any of you will be the last time. I do not tolerate, above all else, bad language or that word.

"As for common room, most of the first years will have noticed the tables in the common room. Each of you will be assigned a study group and anyone found shirking their study responsibilities will find yourself at my mercy. Each week you will have a dorm inspection, to ensure that your rooms are kept neat. House-elves will clean; however, here you are expected to keep your own rooms tidy.

"For the first two weeks, many first years experience problems with finding their way to class, or keeping track of class times. As such, I will be assigning a prefect from either fifth or sixth year to escort you around the school for the first two weeks. Please understand that this prefect is giving up their free time to assist you, and be grateful. You may notice students from other Houses will become lost or be late to class. This is because they do not have the help you will have. Therefore, the excuse that you were lost or that you didn't remember what time class started is not a viable excuse for any Slytherin. Upper years who find themselves unable to make it to class on time will be assigned a partner in their own year who will keep their schedule for them.

"Also, each fortnight you will have a meeting with me, where I will check on your progress in class and your general well-being. If you miss these meetings I will track you down and make sure you come to the next one.

"As my last point, all first years will be expected to attend a medical check by the end of this week. I will meet with you all on Friday afternoon and if you have not attended a meeting by then, I will take you there that afternoon. I would prefer not to have to drag you."

It was a long speech, but it was said in a way that held the first year's attention. Harry almost panicked when Professor Snape said that they had to have medical checks; he still had injuries from Vernon's last beating that the nurse would see when she checked him. Thinking about it though, he realised that if he waited the week the injuries wouldn't look so bad, and then he could easily pass them off as rough housing with Dudley. He did get the main idea of the speech though. Slytherins were tough – and they didn't snitch on each other. He just hoped that Malfoy wasn't going to be a pain; he'd seemed to have been making plots at dinner.

"If you'll follow me, dormitories are along these corridors. Girls may go with Prefect Parkinson and she will show you to your dorm. In your dorm is a sheet of paper with your meeting timetable and study group on it. Please take note of this before leaving your dorm tomorrow morning. Boys, follow me." Harry walked next to Teddy, hoping that he wouldn't have to sleep next to Malfoy. He wasn't naïve enough to think that he'd survive the night un-pranked if that was the case.

"The bathrooms are off of your dorms and these should also be kept neat. If I receive any complaints from the house-elves about your dorms, their services will be cancelled for a period of a week and you will have to clean your dorms on your own.

"Curfew is at ten o'clock for first years and you are expected to be in your dorms, if not asleep, by then. For the early risers among you, no one should be out of bed until 6.30am. After that, breakfast is at eight, classes start at nine and dinner is at six. Snacks are served in the Great Hall during breaks and fresh fruit will be available at all times." Professor Snape's low voice betrayed no hint of impatience yet Harry could tell from his quick, smooth strides that the Professor was in a hurry.

When the Professor reached a large door with an ornamental 'one' engraved on it, he reached into a pocket of his robes and withdrew a set of keys. After selecting the right one and unlocking the door, he swung it open away from him and directed the first years to move into the dormitory before him. The dormitory was decorated in a similar way to the common room, and had six large four-poster beds along the length of the room. The door into the bathrooms was in the end wall, leaving some floor space for the boys to use however they wished.

"If you would all choose a bed, I will levitate your trunks to the foot of your bed. You may use the wardrobes along the wall or live out of your trunks if you so choose." The sneer that accompanied that comment told Harry exactly what he needed to know of Professor's Snape about living out of their trunks.

Teddy tugged on his arm, dragging Harry over to the two beds closest to the bathroom. Zabini, Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy chose the remaining beds with Zabini closest to Teddy and Malfoy in between Crabbe and Goyle. Professor Snape's eyes followed their movements, wandering over the way the boys had separated themselves. Harry wasn't surprised that Teddy had given him the bed furthest from the other boys, given that they had degenerated into pettiness during dinner. He was surprised that Professor Snape's eyes seemed to glitter with suppressed anger at the way Malfoy was basically in the centre of attention.

"These will be your beds for the year. If you decide that this set up does not work, you are welcome to change beds when you move into the second-year dorms next year." As he said this, he withdrew his wand from his sleeve and brandished it at the trunks in the corner of the dorm. As he did so, Harry's lifted off the floor and, following Professor Snape's wand movements, moved to settle at the end of the bed Harry had selected. He repeated this action with the other trunks until each boy had a trunk at the bottom of their bed.

"You have an hour until curfew and I expect you all to be ready to retire at that time. I will send Prefect Flint in to check on you at curfew. Goodnight gentlemen." With these last words he swept from the room, making Harry wonder how he got his robes to flap out like that.

"Now I know why the Weasley twins were calling him a bat on the train." Harry commented as he knelt down to his trunk.

"Hah, yeah. I almost wish I'd been sorted into Hufflepuff; at least they seemed a bit more laid back." Teddy grinned at the incredulous looks from the other boys in the room. "What? Snape just seems to have a lot of expectations, is all."

"Careful, Teddy, you wouldn't want Professor Snape to hear you say that. House pride, remember?" Harry couldn't resist taunting Malfoy and Zabini for all their pro-Slytherin comments over dinner. Teddy's laughter followed him into the bathroom where he slipped into one of the cubicles for a shower. He was glad that there were mirrors in the cubicles; this way he wouldn't have to risk the other boys spotting his scars or current sores.

When he returned from the bathroom he noticed immediately that his trunk was missing from its assigned spot. He also noticed Malfoy's smug smirk and the fact that Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be puffing. A quick inspection of the room told him where his trunk had gone. There were tall cupboards along the unoccupied wall and on top of the one closest to Harry's bed was Harry's trunk.

Harry sighed and put his bathroom kit on his bedside table. Personally, he wasn't interested in giving Malfoy the satisfaction of seeing him upset about the prank and well, hadn't Professor Snape said in his own speech that he didn't want them to be snitching on each other? He guessed he'd just leave it where it was and ask Teddy to help him get it down in the morning.

"What are you wearing Potter?" Malfoy's scornful voice rang across the boy's dorm and Harry almost ducked his head in shame. He was so used to wearing Dudley's hand-me-downs that he'd forgotten the other boys were all from rich families and would therefore be able to tell just how run down his clothes were.

"They're clothes Malfoy, or can't you see either." Teddy's voice behind him was a lifesaver, because Harry was too afraid that his cheeks would turn red to shut Malfoy up.

"Well of course I can see Theodore. But they're not clothes. My house-elves wear better rags than that," Malfoy sneered.

"Does it matter to you Malfoy? Or do you just need someone to mock to make yourself feel better because Daddy doesn't love you unless you're perfect?" Teddy snarled his answer back, now standing at Harry's side.

"Well at least he loves me sometimes, Theodore. By the looks of it, Potter's family doesn't love him at all." Zabini, Crabbe and Goyle sniggered in the background.

"Oh hush up Malfoy, you arsehole. Not all of us are prissy and spoilt like you, and even if Harry's family isn't well off, I still think he'll be a better friend than you ever would." Teddy's bold announcement reassured Harry, but he still felt the prickling behind his eyes that told him he was close to tears. The mockery he could stand, but the fact that Malfoy had come so close to the truth hurt. It was true, the Dursleys didn't love him, but it was worse too; he was a burden, unwanted as well as unloved.

"Suit yourself Nott. But don't come crying to me when you figure out you'd rather have wealth and political power on your side." Malfoy turned away, disgusted.

"Come on Harry. Let's get some sleep. We'll need all our wits to put up with those idiots tomorrow." Teddy again latched onto Harry's overlarge sleeve and dragged him over to their beds.

Yes, yes, I know; poor Harry. Don't worry folks, Malfoy will get what's coming to him. And as for the state of his clothes/possessions, well, don't think Snape's going to let that lie for long. After all, Slytherin is meant to be a posh House.

xoxo, Wildkat