Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
A/N: A little angst for Harry involving two friends but he won't be upset for long =)
Harry was heading outside for his first Quidditch practice when he ran into Ron and Hermione. "Hey Harry! Where are you going? The library's that way." Ron said.
"Oh sorry guys, I won't be able to study with you." Harry said, feeling bad that he had forgotten to tell them he wouldn't be able to study with them today.
Ron frowned. "Why do you have your Quidditch gear with you?"
"Um, I have practice." Harry said a little nervously.
"You have practice." Ron repeated.
"Oh, you're playing with the Slytherins? That's good Harry; you deserve to have some fun." Hermione said approvingly.
"Are you completely mental?" Ron practically shouted. "It's one thing to befriend some of them. I mean, you do have to live with them but to play Quidditch with them? To play against Gryffindor?"
"I'm not-" Harry tried to tell Ron he wouldn't be playing against Gryffindor but Ron wouldn't give him the chance.
"Are you turning your back on your true house? Have you been corrupted already?" Ron practically snarled.
"Ronald!" Hermione said disapprovingly.
Ron rolled his eyes. "It's like something is wrong with both of my best friends. Hermione, you can't see that your cat is trying to kill Scabbers and Harry is turning into an actual snake!"
"Crookshanks is doing no such thing and Harry is making the best of a difficult situation!" Hermione retorted.
"Wait-"Harry started.
"He spends more time with them than with us and you know it! Hermione, you even mentioned how you wondered if we were being replaced." Ron glared at Harry.
Harry's eyes widened. "I'm not replacing you! I'm just making more friends. You've studied with them in the library, you know they are nice."
"We know they are acting nice." Ron corrected him. "We don't know if their intentions are good. They could be setting you up for something!"
"They're not!" Harry exclaimed. "Trust me if they were out to get me then they would have told everyone about-"He stopped. He had almost blurted out about his abuse. He knew it was irrational but he just couldn't tell them.
"About what?" Hermione pressed.
"Nothing." Harry shook his head. "Not everyone in Slytherin is nice to me but many of them are." He noticed the hurt expression on Hermione's face and frowned. "What's wrong?'
"There is something going on with you and they know about it. Why can you tell them and not us?" Hermione asked sadly.
"I-there's nothing going on Hermione." Harry said, shaking his head. "Everything's fine."
"Nothing's fine! You're becoming a true Slytherin and apparently you are hiding something from us!" Ron exploded. "I can't believe you're going to play against Gryffindor!"
"I'm not you prat!" Harry yelled back. "I will play seeker against the other two houses but I won't play at all against Gryffindor!"
"So? You're still playing them as a Slytherin!" Ron huffed.
"I am a Slytherin right now! And why should I give up playing Quidditch? I play against Hufflefpuff and Ravenclaw anyway." Harry threw his hands up.
"It's Quidditch! The Slytherins are the enemies." Ron insisted.
Harry took a step back. "Well, I guess that means I'm the enemy too." He looked at Hermione who still looked upset. "And I'm sorry but if something is going on with me, it's my right to tell someone when I am ready." Harry sighed. "I don't want to lose you two. But even when I am back in Gryffindor, I am still going to be friends with Daphne, Theo, Tracey and even Draco."
"He's Draco now!" Ron exploded again, looking to Hermione in exasperation.
Harry gritted his teeth and turned to leave. He was already late for his first practice with the team and nothing was going to be resolved with tempers running so high. He walked away without another word.
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"Geez Harry, you're flying as if a dragon is chasing you!" Graham laughed as he signaled for the team to land.
"Calm down a bit won't you?" Draco added as he smoothly landed next to Harry. "You almost took a bunch of out! Which is fine when playing the other houses."
Harry ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry. I guess I'm a little upset and it showed up in my flying." Actually, more than a little upset Harry thought ruefully.
Graham shrugged and grinned. "Either way great game everyone! We are definitely ready for our match against Hufflepuff. And Harry, seriously you are amazing on a broom. A true natural no doubt about it."
"Thanks." Harry smiled a bit. It had felt great to be back up in the sky.
"It's obvious to anyone with a brain that whatever made you late is what you're upset about. So what happened?" Draco asked as they began walking back to the castle.
"It was nothing." Harry muttered, thinking of how Ron had made him feel guilty for making new friends and playing Quidditch with them. And then there was Hermione who was upset because she knows that he is hiding something. It's my right to tell or not tell, Harry thought stubbornly. That decision had been taken from him before when Snape had removed the glamour.
Theo and Draco glanced at each other. "It's not nothing, but you can tell us when you are ready." Draco said finally.
"Unless someone threatened you or something." Theo said with a questioning look at Harry. "Because if that is the case-"
"No, no one threatened me." Harry shook his head. He hesitated. "It's just Ron and Hermione are mad at me right now."
Draco rolled his eyes, not seeing Astoria and Tabitha coming up behind him. "Who cares what the weasel and mudblood think." Draco said. His silver eyes widened when Harry's face turned red with anger and he took a step towards Draco. Theo punched him in the arm. Hard. "Ow!"
"How could you say that!" Astoria cried and the three teenagers saw Astoria and Tabitha standing behind Draco. Tabitha looked like she was going to cry and ran off down the hallway.
Astoria glared at Draco. "You're awful! How could you say that bad word! Tabitha is a muggle-born!"
Draco looked in the direction the little girl had run off and sighed. "It just slipped out. My Dad uses it and-"
"It's wrong and you know it." Astoria's eyes filled with tears. "I thought you were nice." She looked sadly at Draco and then took off after her friend.
Draco saw Theo and Harry glaring at him. "It just slipped out okay?"
"Like it slipped out last year?" Harry asked angrily.
"I was raised with referring to muggle-borns as being mud- that word." Draco tried to defend himself. He knew it was pointless though. Professor Snape would have his head on a platter when he found out. He had been lucky last year that his Head of House never heard about it but this time he didn't think that would be the case.
"Yeah, your dad is a great role model." Harry said sarcastically, thinking of how Lucius had treated Dobby and tried to get rid of Dumbledore.
Draco's temper rose. "What do you know of having a dad? And hey, at least I don't get hit!"
Silence. Theo looked furious and Draco looked shocked, as if he couldn't believe what he had said.
Harry felt numb. This was what he had expected when the truth about his abuse was discovered. This was the Malfoy he knew and hated.
"I-I didn't mean that." Draco stammered.
"Sure you did." Harry said flatly. He walked away, his heart beginning to pound and he felt shaky. He decided to go to the one place that always calmed him. The owlery
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Snape found him there an hour later. Harry was sitting on a bench and was petting Hedwig who was perched on his shoulder. He looked up when he heard someone enter. "Sorry, I forgot to tell someone I was here."
Snape regarded him silently for a moment. "That is not my concern at the moment." He said finally. "At least I know where to check for you before I start to worry. I heard what happened and wanted to check on you."
"I'm fine." Harry said dully. He looked up and saw the disapproving look on Snape's face. "Okay, I'm upset."
"And you have every right to be." Snape said as he stood in front of Harry and leaned back on the balcony. "What Mr. Malfoy said to you was deplorable. Quite unforgivable actually."
Harry shrugged. "How he acted is exactly how I would expect him to act. I knew he was appearing too nice. Well, sort of nice."
"Mr. Malfoy, though he likes to act otherwise, is not as terrible of a person as you are likely thinking right now." Snape said slowly. "He-"
"Of course you are taking his side! Unbelievable! The bullies get away with everything!" Harry stood up and glared at Snape.
"Be quiet!" Snape glowered. "And do not interrupt me! Sit down, I was not finished." He took a deep breath. "I do not condone what Mr. Malfoy said to you or the word he used regarding muggle-borns. In fact, I am quite disgusted with his behavior. Unfortunately, Mr. Malfoy was raised to believe he had to act a certain way. I believe it is a mask he wears and why he tries to act so superior. However, it certainly does not excuse his behavior and I assure you I will not be lenient with him."
"It doesn't matter." Harry said as he stood up again. Hedwig flew back to her perch. "It's just words."
"Words can hurt very much." Snape said and was briefly reminded of the look on Lily's face when he had flung mudblood at her. "And it does matter. As I said, you have every right to be angry."
"You should talk to Tabitha." Harry said suddenly. "She heard Draco say that word and Astoria said she is a muggle-born."
"Yes I know she is. I will be talking with her." Snape said, once again reminded of how he had underestimated the child. Potter had had something cruelly said to him and was worried about the feelings of a first year. "I would like you to return to your dorm, it is getting late."
Harry nodded and followed his Professor back to the Slytherin dungeons. Once they entered Harry saw Daphne and Astoria comforting Tabitha whose eyes were red from crying. He saw Theo and Tracey quietly talking to each other and Draco sitting alone on the sofa. Draco looked up and Harry was surprised to see clear regret in his eyes.
"Mr. Malfoy, wait for me in my office." Snape said and his voice was like ice.
Draco got up and walked past them. He paused by Harry. "I'm sorry." He whispered. He continued out of the room.
"Tabitha, may I speak with you for a moment?" Snape asked in a gentle voice. He guided Tabitha over to the corner of the room and began softly speaking with her.
Harry went over to Daphne and Astoria, Theo and Tracy joining them. "Are you all right?" Daphne asked Harry.
"Sure, I'm okay." Harry answered, looking over to where Snape was still talking to Tabitha. She was nodding to whatever he was saying and looked a bit happier.
"I can't believe Draco!" Tracey said. "We put up with his attitude way too much."
"He's mean!" Astoria said, looking very sad.
"Oh Tori." Daphne said as she put her arm around her little sister. "Sometimes people say cruel things in the heat of the moment. But you are correct, what Draco said was very mean and he should not have said it."
"I hate Draco and I am never going to speak to him again!" Astoria said, crossing her arms.
Harry couldn't help but smile at the childish scowl on her face. He caught Daphne fighting a smile as well.
Tabitha came back over looking much happier than earlier.
"Tabby, are you feeling better?" Astoria asked her friend worriedly.
Tabitha nodded. "Yes. Professor Snape said he can tell already that I am a bright witch and that being a muggle-born or not doesn't make you better or smarter and doesn't impact on how gifted a witch or wizard is." She smiled happily. "He said Draco was just being a dunderhead!" She and Astoria broke into giggles.
Harry laughed with everyone else. He was impressed with what Snape had said to Tabitha. Before this term he had been sure that Snape cared about pure- blood status. He had also assumed that all Slytherins were pure-bloods. Now he knew that there were half-bloods and muggle-borns here as well. There were so many of his perceptions on Slytherins and Snape that were being changed.
After Astoria and Tabitha left, Theo turned to Harry. "Draco bringing up your abuse was completely out of line. I thought he was getting better with his superior attitude but I guess I was wrong." He sighed. "He's going to end up just like his father."
Tracey shivered. "His dad is scary. I wouldn't want to get on his bad side."
Harry smirked to himself, remembering that he was already on Lucius Malfoy's bad side after tricking him into freeing Dobby. Suddenly he frowned. "You don't think that Mr. Malfoy hurts Draco do you?"
Theo shook his head. "No, I don't think so. From what Draco has told me, Mr. Malfoy will make him feel shamed if he thinks Draco isn't honoring the Malfoy name. I think he is cold to Draco and makes Draco feel like he is always disappointed in him but I don't believe he hurts Draco physically. I've been to the Malfoy Manor and Mr. Malfoy is strict and distant with him. Mrs. Malfoy is nice though."
"So Draco is trying to act like his father would want him to." Daphne said slowly. "He's still wrong to say the things he says."
Harry nodded but found himself feeling a bit of pity for Draco. He also wondered who the real Draco was. The boy who acted like everyone was inferior to him or the boy who showed concern for Harry and kept his secret?
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The door shut behind Draco as he left the office and Snape gave a deep sigh. Had he gotten through to the boy? He hoped so. He would hate for Draco, or any of his Slytherins, to go down the same path Snape had. He also strongly suspected that Lucius didn't want that either. Now that he knew he wouldn't have to pretend to still be a death eater he could be more direct in his approach against warning students from following that path. He had told Draco that he needed to be true to himself and not be what he thought his father wanted him to be. He had also told Draco that despite what some people thought, being a Slytherin did not mean being a bully and it was a dishonor to the house of Slytherin for him to act as such.
"By trying to be what you think your father wants you to be you risk losing your friends. Is that what you want? You show weakness when you act as you did today Draco. You show cowardice. Truth be told, I expect better from you!" Snape had said sternly.
"I didn't mean to say it! It just slipped out." Draco had defended himself. "I didn't mean it at all."
"Your actions show otherwise." Snape had said coldly. "I will not tolerate it. I have enough Slytherins that act like spoiled children that I have to deal with. I had hoped it would be different with you! I had hoped you would grow out of it by now Draco!" He knew he was being harsh but he needed to be. He had sent Draco back to his dorm with orders to apologize to Harry and Tabitha as well as a lengthy essay to write and seven hundred lines, both to be completed in two days. He had known Draco as a small child and knew there was a good kid in there. Unfortunately, since Lucius kept himself so distant from his son, Draco was interpreting that as Lucius being disappointed in him. But it was a façade; Lucius like to keep himself distant as he thought it made him seem more powerful. It was not because he wanted to keep acting like a Death Eater.
Oh, Lucius like to act like the part. He enjoyed having people fear him but what Lucius valued was power. Lucius had that now in the ministry and Snape was fairly sure that the last thing Lucius would want was the Dark Lord returning. Many Death Eaters were relieved when the Dark Lord vanished and was presumed dead. Not many enjoyed being tortured on a regular basis simply because their Master was bored. And many including Lucius hated having to grovel at his feet and be treated as a common house-elf.
Snape had hated it too. Of course, he had realized his mistake not long after he had joined the Death Eaters. But once you were in, you were in. He had tried to convince himself that he wanted to stay and that he would have revenge on those who had hurt him in the past and would finally be respected. Instead he was forced to watch and participate in horrible acts that still haunted him to this day. However, the main regret was the prophecy. Because of him Lily was gone. He had not even thought that the prophecy was real as he had never taken divination seriously; he had just wanted to appear to be a good servant to the Dark Lord by giving any information even if it was something as ridiculous as a prophecy from Sybill Trelawney. Once he had realized that the prophecy was being taken seriously and that Lily's son had been targeted, he had tried to save her by going to Dumbledore begging him to protect her and her family. He had become a spy for Dumbledore to try and make up for all his mistakes as well as because he didn't want the Dark Lord to succeed. When he had vanished Snape had hoped it would be forever. However, Harry's first year showed that wasn't the case and the Headmaster was convinced the Dark Lord would return someday. Snape had already prepared himself for the fact that when that happened he would return to his duties as a Death Eater so that Dumbledore would have an advantage. Now however, Snape was doing something much more frightening. He was going to become a guardian to a teenager.
TBC: Review if you get the chance! =)