Thanks for reading if you are still here. For those who had something against Harry being submissive… It's not like I hid it or anything. If you want to read a story where Harry is dominant to a man 20+ years older than him, you won't find it in any of mine. I suggest you start with 'It All Started With a Visit to Gringotts' by jadedragon36, massive story, definitely worth the read.

Warning: minor language on the part of the students. Not very long or noticeable, I promise.

Ten-A School (September 1st, 1997)

Harry sat quietly in a compartment with Draco Malfoy. He was dressed in elegant traveling robes in shades of silver and grey, reading a book on Advanced Defense. He knew it was about to get nasty, students were just now beginning to board the train. Harry had been happy to hear that Remus was coming back to the school as Defense teacher, Sirius would be his substitute on the nights of the full moon and for the day before and after. Having Lucius Malfoy on your side was a good thing, he had managed to override any concerns about having a werewolf back at the school, reminding the Governors that the only night Remus Lupin had ever missed his dose of Wolfsbane there had been extenuating circumstances.

So Sirius and Remus had dropped the pair of them off a little early, helping them load their trunks and the empty cage for Hedwig before heading up to the school themselves. Sirius had winked at the pair and promised to share Dumbledore's reaction, which was bound to be entertaining as the old man had simply been told that the Ministry had filled the spot yet again due to his own failure to hire an acceptable witch or wizard for the post. Harry was relieved to know ahead of time that it didn't mean another term of Umbridge or someone of her ilk. No, that woman had been brought up on charges of using an illegal dark object repeatedly on underage students and was serving 5 years in Azkaban medium security.

Draco stood and left the compartment, presumably to greet his friends and direct them to the right compartment. While he was anxious about meeting the Slytherins for the first time, sadly he was more so about the meeting with his 'friends'. He had already contemplated simply locking the door and ignoring them, but he knew this was going to have to come sooner or later. Best to get it over with now. At least he wouldn't have to share quarters with Ron, Lucius had assured him that he would be staying with his husband in his private quarters. Severus had left for the Ministry with Lucius the other day and had come back smugly satisfied, informing them that he had just taken a rather lengthy oath with absolutely no loopholes in it that he would treat his husband just like any other student and grade him as such.

Not only did this mean that the old coot had no ground on which to fight their Bonding, not that he did before, but it also meant that Severus had a plausible reason to give up his behaviour towards Harry, that and the end of the war, which it was now known that he had been a spy for the Light anyway. Harry had been pleased, it took his husband out of danger and also meant that he wouldn't have to put up with anymore nasty commentary in Potions. He qualified for those on his own now, no maneuvering by the Headmaster and McGonagall necessary. Harry had retaken his O.W.L.s after paying a substantial fee for the retesting. He had studied with the help of Draco, his husband, Sirius, Remus and even Narcissa.

Thanks to the lack of his 'friends' holding him back and making him feel like he had to hide his own intelligence, Harry had done quite well on his retest, the lack of distractions had helped monumentally as well. He had gotten O's in Transfiguration, Potions and Defense, EE's in Herbology, History and Astronomy. Dropping Care and Divination completely he had switched over to Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, gaining EE's there as well. He would be dropping quite a bombshell on his Head of House and the Headmaster when he informed them that he would be dropping History and Astronomy and going for a career as a Healer instead of an Auror. He had fought enough Dark wizards in his life, thank you very much.

The compartment door slammed open so violently he was surprised the glass didn't shatter, making him jump slightly as he set down his book and flicked his wrist, releasing his wand from the holster there, gifted to him by Sirius from his own personal vaults, apparently it had been the older man's when he was part of the Aurors before the death of Harry's parents and his own incarceration. He had another one from one of his relatives that he was using, but he had explained that he wanted Harry to have his own, it was charmed with several small hexes that would make a student regret trying to take his wand from him. The wink that his godfather gave him when he said that made Harry decide he didn't want to know precisely what the holster was enchanted with.

He was not surprised to see that the culprit for the slamming door was Ron, he always had a major problem with his temper. With him were Hermione and Ginny, the sight of the last made him groan internally. That girl was obsessed with him, he had hoped that his Bonding would cure that, but of course his life couldn't be that simple.

"Well here he is," sneered Ron, "the disgusting little whore who would sleep with a man old enough to be his father. That pretty little band on your wrist make it worth it, yeah? Or has he promised you the best grades in the class as well if you keep it up?"

"Good to see you as well, Ronald. Sore that you didn't get your hands on my money? Did you ever think that I might have given you one of my lesser vaults had you asked first? Or were you and your family hoping you'd get it all when I married your sister? I have news for you, the only whore here is your sister, even has the title and everything. Right Ginerva? 'Whore of Hogwarts' isn't it? I certainly can't go by that title since I actually believed in a little thing called abstinence before marriage."

"You git!" Ginerva screeched, jumping forward and hauling her hand back as if to slap him with her claws, really they couldn't be called nails with how long she had grown them. She was dressed worse than a girl on the streets as well, she must have hidden them under a traveling robe or her parents wouldn't have let her out of the house, would they? At this point Harry really didn't know who was on his side still, if they ever had been.

Before her hand reached him, another pale, feminine hand grabbed hers and pulled it back. "Really," a husky voice said with rather poisonous sweetness, "is that behaviour becoming of a woman? Of course not, I forget myself. You're a Gryffindor, not a proper lady after all."

Draco was back with his friends, right on time. The speaker was a young female just about an inch shorter than Harry, curvy like Ginerva thought she was, with creamy skin and black hair that curved in a small, fashionable bob around the clearest, sharpest blue eyes Harry had ever seen in his life. She was dressed in a white blouse and a brown A-line skirt with short, chunky heels and a plain beige traveling robe fell to her knees, just a little past her skirt.

As the three Gryffindors left, Harry called out to Ron, "Keep your sister in line, Ronald. You may have been my friend at some point in time, but you aren't anymore. Remember that Ginerva owes me a life-debt before you try anything."

Ronald turned an odd mix of red and pale, stomping off down the train in search of an empty compartment.

Harry turned to his saviour and said, "Thank you lady, I have a feeling I would have been in a spot of trouble if not for your timely intervention. May I kindly ask your name? The face is familiar, but I am afraid to admit I never paid much attention to other students before."

Her lips quirked in a smile and she said, "Well you have changed, haven't you Potter? It's Greengrass, Daphne Greengrass. Draco was saying that you'd changed for the better, I hadn't made my mind whether or not to believe him as of yet. You convinced me however, with your words to those…idiots. Not to mention those most elegant manners? Been having lessons, have you?"

Harry tossed his head back in a slight motion and gave a genuine laugh. "Most certainly, Miss Greengrass. The Lady Malfoy has been educating me in pureblood mannerisms after they found out just how lacking my education has been, practical and otherwise. I am afraid it has taken a few sessions more than usual to get this into my head."

"For one so new to correct manners, you are doing most admirably. You may call me Daphne."

"And I am Harry. It is a pleasure to finally meet you properly."

"What are you playing at, Potter? Think you can barge your way into our compartment with a set of manners you've been sorely lacking. Guess what, it means nothing! Now get out of here you filthy half-blood, just because you've won the war doesn't mean anything to us."

At the first few words Harry turned to see Pansy Parkinson, pug-faced and unappealing as usual. As her tirade continued Harry just stared at her, his eyebrows arching higher with every foul comment. Once she appeared to have run out of things to say Harry spoke in a rather cold tone, "First of all, Parkinson, I did win the war. Not that it has the slightest reason on why I am here. Secondly, did you happen to notice that I arrived here with Draco and have just been given the privilege of calling Daphne by her given name? Clearly you don't share the view of your housemates, but really your attitude is out-of-line."

She was mostly looking indignant until he came up with his last barb, "Finally, you little idiot, didn't you happen to hear that I am Bonded to Severus Snape. You know, your Head of House? How do you think he would react if I mentioned your appalling behaviour?"

She was a few shades paler after thinking of this, especially after Draco interjected very smoothly, "He would be furious, I am sure. Now that he doesn't have to show us preferential treatment all the time due to the war I'm sure she would be looking at several detentions and a letter sent to her father. I do believe you sent me a letter complaining about your father's dictation that you 'toe the line' this year, Pansy?"

White-faced and still clearly angry Pansy said stiffly, "I apologise, Potter. I think I will find another compartment for this ride."

Harry gave her a gracious, sharp smile and replied, "Forgiven, for now. Enjoy the ride, Miss Parkinson."

Once she was out of sight and hearing range Daphne laughed in delight and stated, "I have never seen someone take her out so swiftly aside from Draco, Harry! I am very pleased at how you behaved, certainly nothing like the brash, 'brave' Gryffindor we have been seeing. I must send compliments to your teachers on the amazing turnaround they've achieved here."

Draco chuckled at Harry's face and said, "Forgive our wordy friend, Harry. Daphne takes great delight in confusing people with antiquated speech patterns and formal wording. Let me introduce to you my other true friend, Blaise Zabini."

Blaise was even taller than Draco, Harry realised with a blink of surprise. He'd probably be about the same height as Severus if not a little taller. His skin was very dark and smooth aside from a bit of a rough shadow. Apparently he'd decided not to shave that morning. His hair was cropped short and his eyes were a shocking bright gold-brown, rather like a large cat. His slanted gaze made him appear almost permanently sly-faced but his eyes were quiet and sparkled with humour.

"It's good to finally meet you, Potter. I know we haven't had much interaction in the past, but that was because I refused to get into Draco's little spats. I'm rather neutral on those things, you see. Please, call me Blaise. Anyone that can stand up to that little snit Parkinson and charm Daphne in the same amount of time is worth knowing a little more." His voice was deep and rough, similar to sandpaper.

Harry smiled in return and said, "Please, call me Harry. I admit while I had hoped we could get along, I hadn't thought it would happen this swiftly."

"Feel special Harry, we don't do this for everyone."

"Believe me," Harry replied softly, "I do."

Their arrival at the school was anticlimactic, though Harry was surprised when their robes appeared to have lost the house symbols and colours. Feeling a certain amount of trepidation, certain this had something to do with his conversation with Madame Bones, Harry boarded a carriage with his companions and they set off for the castle.

The sight which had never before failed to fill him with awe made him more anxious than anything this year. Harry was rather sad about the loss of the castle as a safe haven, now he wanted nothing more than for his seventh and last year to be over with already. The castle had been a site for trials every single year, he had a feeling that his hopes for a more peaceful year wouldn't last long. It never would as long as Dumbledore remained Headmaster.

When they entered the Great Hall they were all directed to stop near the doors by Professors McGonagall and Sprout. Whispers sprouted like small fires only to die out when the Headmaster stood up. There was a very displeased expression on his face and for a moment those annoyed blue eyes locked directly on Harry.

He stared back into them squarely, trusting in the protections woven into his Bonding band to keep the man out of his mind. It was a perk they had discovered after the Bonding, his mind was safe from anyone other than his husband, though Severus had assured him he would never enter Harry's thoughts without permission. For his only session in the Wizengamot they had used an amulet to keep his thoughts safe from the Headmaster, this was better as the Bonding band couldn't be removed through any means.

After a long moment the man looked away and said to the students, "Quiet please. The Ministry of Magic has decided to launch an inquiry and observation of the school for this year. There will be Aurors patrolling the halls after curfew and any student out and about will need a note, even the Head Boy and Girl. Classes will be reviewed for their effectiveness, as will the staff members. Finally, there has been some concern over the Sorting of students, so as an experiment the 7th years will be re-Sorted. This is permanent, there will be no changes after this Sorting for any of you. We will do this before the Sorting of the new 1st years so Minerva, if you would please."

And so a repeat of Harry's first night in Hogwarts began. Most students stayed put, Dumbledore eying the presiding Amelia Bones with knowing annoyance, clearly put out at having to do this. The first changes, however, began early.

"Bones, Susan."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Susan looked surprised but accepting. Harry thought it fit her, she'd started out in Hufflepuff following family tradition, but as the war had begun in earnest she had shown her true character, becoming more of a true to tradition Gryffindor, brave, trusting and loyal.

"Granger, Hermione."

"RAVENCLAW!"

Hermione looked disappointed and Harry knew why. She would no longer stand out. Ravenclaw was full of the best and brightest students Hogwarts had to offer, it was their hallmark after all. She would have to work for the recognition she gained so easily amongst the Gryffindors, students who were over-awed by her intelligence due to their own lack of drive to be intelligent themselves for the most part.

"Longbottom, Neville."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

McGonagall looked rattled by the loss of two of her lions. Harry was not surprised. Neville had a quiet sort of courage but his was more in the face of danger, not unlike a badger defending its burrow from a predator. He was better suited to those who were loyal and hard-working, unassuming in their pride and for the most part, underestimated.

Draco remained in Slytherin, as Harry had known he would. Now however it was not based on prejudice and accusation that of course he would be as his whole family had been, but on the simple knowledge that Draco represented all the characteristics that Salazar Slytherin had valued. Cunning, wit, a disregard for the rules and while most of his family had indeed been in Slytherin, several had been in Ravenclaw as well.

And then the moment that Harry had both been curiously wondering about and dreading approached. "Potter, Harry."

Just like last time whispers broke out, most sounding incredulous. However, Harry didn't move, frowning slightly, an expression mimicked by both his husband and Amelia Bones. Looking directly at Minerva McGonagall he spoke in a level voice that managed to carry well throughout the room.

"Deputy Headmistress, were you not alerted to my status as the Bonded husband to Severus Snape as of the 20th of August?"

Definite increase in the whispers, and Dumbledore was frowning mightily now. Apparently he wished to keep that a secret or at least not common knowledge.

"I was informed, Mr. Potter," she replied curtly, unknowingly increasing Harry's displeasure at yet a second incorrect address.

"Then I believe you should have also been informed that my form of address is now at the very least, Potter-Prince if not Consort Potter-Prince."

She scowled at him, eyes flashing in displeasure. "We haven't got all night, Potter-Prince. Get on with it already and consider your attitude worth a loss of twenty house points for whichever house will have you."

"Out of line, McGonagall," Amelia Bones called. "He was rightly correcting your transgression, something he is entitled to do. Point loss nullified and consider this a warning on your own conduct."

McGonagall continued to scowl heavily at him as he placed the Hat on his head, waiting quietly. "Well well, Mr. Potter-Prince. Showing yourself worthy of your first choice yet again. And here we are six years later. Are you going to fight me again or have you finally conceded the point?"

"I conceded that point a while ago Hat. I must apologise for making you do your job incorrectly. I was foolish to think I knew myself better than you."

"Apology accepted, Mr. Potter-Prince. It most certainly was not the first time and probably won't be the last either. Congratulations on your Bonding and good luck."

"SLYTHERIN!"

The silence was so heavy as Harry stood and removed the Hat that he was becoming uncomfortable. However, he straightened his shoulders and walked quietly to his new table, taking a seat between Draco and Daphne Greengrass. The sorting continued, stirring nothing of note until it reached the last few students.

"Thomas, Dean."

"RAVENCLAW!"

Harry was a little surprised, but then he knew he couldn't have been the only student who felt burdened by Hermione's need to know everything. He was happy for the boy, perhaps this would be what he needed. He was a very good artist, at the very least he could learn some more about his art without having to hide such a 'Muggle' habit from some of their peers. Namely Ron, who had pointedly ignored that they were in a school full of magical paintings and portraits and obviously someone had painted them.

Ronald went back into Gryffindor, the only house that would accept him, Harry knew. He wasn't a hard-enough worker for Hufflepuff, sulking along at barely minimum grades for acceptance into his final year. He wasn't intelligent enough for Ravenclaw, nor witty enough. And certainly Slytherin wouldn't have accepted him, he had not a streak of cunning nor smarts aside from those suited to a chessboard. No, he would remain in Gryffindor, brash and loud-mouthed, all of the worst qualities of the house with very little if any of it's best.

"Zabini, Blaise."

"RAVENCLAW!"

And the very last Sort produced a surprise as well, at least to Harry. Both Draco and Daphne had discreet smiles on their faces and nodded to their friend in congratulations, so apparently it hadn't been that much of a surprise to those who knew the boy. Harry knew despite his re-Sort Blaise would remain friends with the other two, hopefully with him as well, he could get used to having some new, probably better friends for once. At least this lot would be his friends because they wanted to be, not because they thought they could get something out of it.

He smiled in Neville's direction and caught Luna's eye, gaining a cheery, slightly absent-minded wave from the girl. He felt cheered at the thought that not all of his friendships had been so shallow.

The new 1st years were Sorted, taking their places amongst their new peers. As always Harry marveled at how small some of them were, admitting quietly to himself that he had probably been smaller than most of these due to the Dursleys. But they were no longer in his life, no longer on the streets either. Their trial was set for sometime in the next two weeks, Harry had waved away the chance to actually be at their trial. He had been near them enough to last a lifetime and was happy that they would actually get what they deserved.

Dumbledore stood, gave his usual welcome speech and then turned it over reluctantly to Amelia Bones.

"As your Headmaster told you, there is an inquiry going this year about the conduct and teaching here at Hogwarts School. Standards have fallen drastically over the past 50 or so years and in the last 7 have fallen even more so. Teachers are to be reviewed as well as classes. On that note, please welcome back Remus J. Lupin in the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Student concerns will be noted but please remember your parents have already been informed and agreed to this. His substitute will be Sirius O. Black who will be teaching History of Magic on normal days. Professor Binns has been professionally exorcised from the school premises as has the ghost known as Moaning Myrtle."

"There will be a permanent appointment here at the school as representation of the Board of Governors, this individual already holds a teaching post with some of the most consistent results over his tutelage. This individual is Severus Prince, who will go by his teaching name of Severus Snape for duties as a Professor. If you need to speak with him as our representative, his title is Lord Prince."

Over the rising whispers of the students she continued. "And finally, you all heard Consort Potter-Prince correct the Deputy Headmistress on his proper address from the faculty. His Bonding is not hidden knowledge from you, he is making it open. However, do keep in mind that his husband has taken an extensive magical oath to prevent him from showing his Bonded favoritism as a student in the classroom, testing or just as a student in the Halls. They will be sharing living quarters as well, please respect their privacy and keep all conversations and gatherings with Consort Potter-Prince to the Slytherin common room or public areas. Thank you and we hope that this is a peaceful year. Please feel free to contribute information to the inquiry via an anonymous drop-box on each floor but keep in mind that if you waste Wizengamot time you will be punished accordingly."

With those words, the feast began. Harry tucked into his elf-managed portions and his nutrient-potion laced drink, content to take the rest of the evening as it came and deal with the rest later. For once he didn't have to worry about taking charge of his own situation, and it was truly liberating.