Disclaimer: NOT Blonde, Not rich, not living in Britain, initials are not JKR therefore don't own. Love the characters and the setting so am just playing, I get nothing but the reviews my readers give me. Authorship shared with Darkshadowedrose. Betaed by Alix33.
A/N: "speaking" 'thinking' okay I got several reviews about how Harry is just putting up with all the s**t from Snape and everyone around him. Keep in mind people Harry's examples growing up. Don't get mad get even(Petunia), and don't sweat the small stuff most of it is small stuff (Sensei). Kudos and chapter dedication go to Ofunu who caught the Scrooge and Marley references in the last two chapters.
Trust is a Relative Thing
Chapter 10 Calculated Risks
Marcus Flint did what the professor told him to do. Harry was only allowed out of the dorm under his escort or for classes, meals and detentions. What he didn't say to anyone was that he rearranged his own schedule to accommodate Harry's habits as much as possible. He took to rising early and going to a first floor classroom where he promptly dozed back off, so Harry still worked out with Neville without the rest of the school knowing. Despite Professor Snape, Harry's study sessions with Neville and Hermione continued just not the same way. On days that the Slytherin quidditch team practices were held Harry, Neville, and Hermione studied in the quidditch stands. The other afternoons were unchanged. His post dinner studies in the library took place the nights Marcus didn't have prefect's patrol. Patrol nights were spent in the the Slytherin common room where Harry was by turns tutor or tutored, by carefully selected Slytherins of all the lower years. When his hardline peers queried, Marcus muttered "orders" resentfully as possible.
The Slytherins Marcus selected had been decidedly nervous to be approached by a Flint. Knowing he was from a hardline pureblood family, they were surprised to be asked to interact with the Boy-Who-Lived instead of being threatened. Aaron Yaxley had been easy since he and Marcus were kissing cousins as it were, Harry had already done him a favor and he was already acting as a potions tutor for Harry and Neville. Marcus asked Harry to tutor Daphne Greengrass and Tracy Davis in Charms and Transfiguration. After a couple of weeks both girls had joined in on the study sessions in the library, and he was often seen with Tracey and Daphne when walking to classes.
Marcus got William Vessey and his friend Daniel Stout both of whom were in third year and half bloods to tutor Harry in defense since Quirrell was such a pathetic excuse of a defense teacher. . Both boys had a nasty reputation for being tough customers, purebloods had only harassed the two boys a few months their first year before it had become apparent it was unhealthy to do so. It helped that Stout's father was an auror.
It took most of a month but Harry no longer sat alone at the Slytherin table at meals. In the library Flint always sat at the next table to keep an eye on Harry as per his agreement with the Professor. Marcus knew he was walking a fine line and he prayed that word of this never got back to his father or he'd get, well more pain than he liked, he was sure.
He was relieved that Harry seemed to get what was going on. It allowed him to act as if he was only doing it because of the Professor, but both boys knew the truth. Harry's every now and again mouthing off as if he resented Marcus, and making no secret of the Professor's weekend detentions, allowed Marcus to maintain the fiction.
Harry meanwhile had a new burden to bear. Draco Malfoy, having already blown any hope of gaining The Boy-Who-Lived as an ally or a follower by calling him mudblood and insulting his godbrother, decided to make Harry's life a misery by doing his best to sabotage Harry's potions and other class work. Four times now he had added something to Harry's potion and twice it had ruined it. If that were not enough he kept trying to get Harry in trouble with the other Professors. Harry was getting seriously pissed off. Malfoy liked to lord around Slytherin and brag about how rich he was and how his daddy was on the board of governors, and how his daddy was a personal friend if the Minister of Magic. And how thanks to his Godfather being Professor Snape he could get away with almost anything. In fact he bragged about how stupid Harry was not to realize someone had added something to his cauldron.
Harry finally got fed up. Marcus and the other prefects were at a meeting but due back soon and Draco was posturing. The older students didn't like him any more than Harry did but were so political they hesitated to stop him. The only ones truly impressed were the kids of their year and the second years whose families had been Death Eaters. So Harry spoke up. "Yeah, yeah give it a rest daddy's boy. We all know your daddy was Voldemort's bitch and paid a butt load of gold to stay out of jail when he fell. All daddy's money can't make you less than pathetic, you're too stupid to excel on your own merits, too weak to go around without your bodyguards, and too vain to do more than throw your daddy's name and money around. Hell you spend more time in the bathroom than a girl. Ooo, I'm so scared, NOT." Part of Harry noticed all the squeaks, dropped jaws and the sudden snickers around the common room.
Draco opened and closed his mouth several times before exploding. He drew his wand and cast Reducto point blank at Harry. His timing couldn't have been better or worse depending on the point of view. The prefects, Professor Snape, and surprisingly Albus Dumbledore had just opened the common room door.
Harry having expected some response had drawn his wand from the holster on his forearm and already cast a protego in response to Draco's drawing his wand. When Daniel had taught it to him an hour ago he hadn't anticipated using it so soon. The shield held, mostly. Harry's training had taught him the value of a good dodge so he was already moving away. So when Harry's shield fell, all that really happened was the spell knocked him over onto the floor and as he fell back he hit his head on a table.
Dumbledore and Snape's simultaneous roars of "What is going on here?" brought the room to a standstill.
Draco and the rest of the Slytherins paled. Out of favor or not, provoked or not, an attack on the Boy-Who-Lived by the son of a Death Eater would not be overlooked by the Headmaster.
Harry rolled up to a sitting position as the stars he was seeing faded and rubbed his head where he hit it. He frowned as his fingers came away with blood on them. "Son of a bitch." Harry suddenly realized all eyes were on him.
"Mr. Potter is there a reasonable explanation for what I just witnessed?" Dumbledore asked.
"Oh it's you. Reasonable explanation? Hm. I suppose I could explain, sort of...Reasonable, I doubt it. Mr. Malfoy has been sabotaging my potions work and being generally insulting not to mention trying to get me in trouble with the professors. I spoke a few truths and he was retaliating for comments I made about him and his father, and trying to assert his superiority of blood on me, a lowly halfblood, when I failed to recognize that I should bow before his wealth and position and blood purity. After all he is the son of the old, honorable and wealthy house of Malfoy, never mind that I am the Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter. Whose rank is greater than the house of Malfoy. If you'll pardon me I think I should go to the infirmary, I'm bleeding and have something of a headache." Harry headed to the door, he paused. "By the way Headmaster, I'm still waiting for you to return my father's cloak. Please do so soon, after all we wouldn't want the world to think you a thief, would we?" By this point Harry's eyes weren't entirely focused and he turned to continue on his way. Aaron Yaxley was the first to come out of his shock and he slipped out to make sure Harry made it to the infirmary.
Severus Snape was furious and frightened to the center of his twisted miserable soul. He had given an Unbreakable Vow to protect Lily's son, to do what ever it took to protect him. He had been frightened on Halloween when the boy had foolishly gone after the Granger twit and defeated a troll. But this was infinitely worse, his godson had fired a reductor curse point blank in the common room. Had Lily's son been one whit less capable, Snape would have been forsworn, his magic forfeit. "Draco your wand." He extended his hand for it.
Draco whitened. "But Godfather-"
"Shut up you stupid boy! Do you have any idea what you have done?"
"But it's his fault!"
"Give up your wand and I'll do my best to see you aren't expelled. But a reductor curse at point blank range regardless of what Potter said could be considered attempted murder, do you really want to argue with me!" Snape argued. Draco looked ready to pass out, but he handed his wand to his godfather. "All of you, I know it's a trial to have that- that boy in this house, given the ties I know many of you have. But this needs to be crystal clear. Regardless of what that... no matter what he says or does Mr. Potter is Slytherin, despite how many of us dislike that fact, therefore his life and safety is sacrosanct within the grounds of Hogwarts. Am I understood?"
Almost the whole of Slytherin house had been in the common room for the whole scene. So they answered their Head affirmatively. Only about half of the house were actually from Death Eater families. The other half was now set to wondering was Harry the next dark lord or was he their hope of breaking from the expectations of Slytherin House.
Albus meanwhile was trying to calculate how Harry could know what he had said. How did Harry know he was Lord Potter? Was it his mother's letter? Did he know about Albus overriding the wills? What had Petunia taught the boy? Was Harry dark? Would Harry cooperate with his fate or would he, heaven help the magical world, fight his fate? He was oblivious to the chaos that was going on around him so worried was he about his plans.
Up in infirmary, Harry half staggered to the closest bed.
"Oh my goodness Mr. Potter! What happened?"
"I had an accident, hurt my head, it made acquaintance with a table and I really wish it hadn't. Can you fix it?"
"Acquaintance with a table huh? How did that happen?" Poppy Pomfrey had met with Harry twice since he came to school. She had delivered Harry and Neville and had given them almost all their immunizations at least until Harry left the wizarding world, and she still had a soft spot for both boys. The first time she saw Harry was when he dropped off his medical records and confirmed with her dates for his immunizations and his eye appointment in February. He had struck her as being so adult despite being a boy. The second had been following the mishap in the first flying class. Most the other first years had been in for bumps, bruises, and sympathetic hugs from a mother figure. Harry, she had discovered that second visit, was extremely uncomfortable with mothering of any kind and didn't consider bumps and bruises worth mentioning. She cast a diagnostic charm, ignoring the fact he didn't answer. Harry had a very mild concussion, and the skin on the back of his head had split because of the large lump forming under the contusion where his head had struck the table. She resisted the urge to cluck at him the way she did most students. Aaron Yaxley came in, he waved his hand to show he was here to watch over Harry. Instead of clucking at Harry, she handed him a dose of the potion to fix his concussion and a pain reliever. He drank them both making faces each time. She then washed his wound and cast an episkey. "There that should set you right. Rest for an hour then I'll check you again. I want to make sure the concussion potion does its job. So while you're waiting, care to tell me how the back of your head made the acquaintance of a table?"
"Not really. It's my own damn fault."
Madame Pomfrey shook her head and retreated to her office.
Aaron sidled over to the bed Harry was on. "How'd you do that?"
"What?"
"Get her not to fuss."
"I told her if she fussed, I was leaving and never coming back."
"When? I didn't hear you say that."
"Last time I was here. She was being all hovering, and I told her she was making me very uncomfortable, and if she fussed I would leave and never come back. She seemed to believe me."
"Oh." Aaron backed away to let Harry rest. He wanted to figure out all the ramifications of Harry's actions before returning to Slytherin. At first he thought Harry was just being his somewhat Gryffindorish self, but the insults could have been calculated for maximum insult. The old saying the truth hurts being very true. While Harry had lucked out with the timing of the appearance of the prefects. The head of house, and the Headmaster's appearance had been fortuitous. Harry also hadn't said a word until after he had learned the shield spell from William and Daniel. And it was about the average time the prefects got back from the weekly meeting. Which half implied Harry set Draco up. Which implied he was way more Slytherin than anyone else realized. Aaron suddenly had the urge to hide in the potions lab, because as volatile as potions ingredients were they at least were predictable. Harry wasn't dark yet, he didn't think. But if he got treated poorly enough by enough people it wouldn't be hard for him to turn dark. Aaron wondered if Marcus saw it too. Maybe that was why he had been so careful building ties for Harry in Slytherin house. He reluctantly moved back towards Harry. "Um, Harry?"
"Yes, Aaron."
"I..um..need to go, unless you want me to stay."
Harry's green eyes opened they held a relaxed warmth that reminded Aaron of a spring day. "Thanks but I'll be fine."
Aaron relaxed a fair bit at Harry's expression. It must have been his imagination.
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Early the next morning an uncomfortable group of adults gathered in the Headmasters office. Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, Lucius Malfoy, and Rufus Scrimgeour were gathered to discuss the fate of Draco Malfoy.
"I don't care he's only eleven. The boy attempted to kill a national hero," Rufus ranted. "He should be expelled with his wand broken."
"He was provoked!" came from Lucius.
"Draco is hot-tempered and unused to thinking about consequences for his actions, but I beg you don't condemn him to a life without magic." Snape pleaded. "The Potter boy did provoke him. Not without justification I know, but anyone would have lost their temper with what he said much less a young immature boy like Draco."
And so it went for almost an hour. Finally Dumbledore said "Enough, obviously young Mr. Malfoy has made a dreadful misjudgment but I believe it behooves the ministry to be merciful in this instance. I believe that a trace could be be our answer, a more restrictive one than normal to be sure. One that traces not his wand as is normal but one that traces his magic itself."
"One where his every spell has to be accounted for?" Rufus queried.
Dumbledore nodded. "He will for the next two years be required to be in the presence of a certified teacher to cast any spells, and will be restricted from any offensive spells until the end of his fifth year except in the course of his classes."
"Fine and if he casts a single non approved spell..." Rufus stated.
"Expulsion." Dumbledore assured.
Lucius Malfoy looked ready to kill but even he could see this was a good as it was likely to get for Draco. "And Mr. Potter's punishment? I will not have him getting off scot free."
"He has had to spend time in the infirmary, I think that punishment enough for an intemperate tongue." Rufus intoned.
"He gravely insulted me and my son."
"As I understand it the boy is already being punished by his Head of House for Gryffindorish tendencies. He has been amply provoked on numerous occasions by your son and he finally retaliated with a few provocatively albeit poorly worded truths. He is only eleven after all." Mimicking Lucius' own words about Draco. "That is unless you wish to recant what you claimed at the end of the last war?" Rufus arched an eyebrow. He had all but roared with laughter when he had heard exactly what the Boy-Who-Lived had said to the Malfoy boy and couldn't wait to share it with the majority of the aurors back at the office.
Although furious, Lucius knew when continuing was a losing proposition and so he backed off.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
That afternoon in his last class Harry was handed a note telling him to go to the Headmasters office that the password was sugar quills. Harry headed to the office grateful once again that he had the map from his father.
Harry hoped this was him only getting a talking to because of baiting Draco. He wasn't sure what he would do if it was more. He did know that he didn't plan on looking in the Headmaster's eyes, pendant from his mum notwithstanding. Harry had only managed a couple of chapters of his occlumency texts but he'd learned that much. He got to the gargoyle guarding the office and said "Sugar quills" he rode the stairway up and settled to wait for the headmaster taking his charms book out so he could study while he waited.
Ten minutes later the Headmaster summoned him. Harry took a deep breath and mentally girded himself to face the lions. "You summoned me Headmaster." 'Headbastard more like.'
Albus was curious. Normally students summoned to his office were unable to retain their curiosity at his many nick-knacks and they broadcasted their emotions loudly, fear was common after all he was both the Great Albus Dumbledore and the Headmaster but Harry was outwardly very self- contained. He had come, eyes forward if slightly down, to just in front of his desk. "Would you care for a lemon sherbet Harry?"
"No thank you." 'My Aunt taught me never to accept candy from strangers, and they don't get much stranger than you.'
The Headmaster decided to scan him, Harry was afraid, distrustful, and wouldn't meet his eyes. Albus glanced over at Fawkes, to his surprise the bird seemed very interested in the boy. "Perhaps you would like some tea? Yesterday you said a few things that troubled me and I feel we need to get to know each other. Have a seat."
Controlling a desire to grimace Harry sat. He was surprised a second later when a large bird with red and gold plumage flew over and landed in his lap. When he got over his shock, he stroked the bird lightly, and it responded by trilling softly. Harry couldn't help it; he relaxed slightly.
Albus felt a sudden surge of relief. Despite Harry's placement in Slytherin he clearly couldn't be dark, Fawkes wouldn't have gone to him if he was. "Fawkes likes you."
"I like him, or is it her, too."
"Yesterday you baited Mr. Malfoy quite badly. It was poorly done of you, I know you grew up away from the magical world but there will be political repercussions because of your actions."
'Like I care, and whose fault is it I grew up away from the magical world anyway.'"Like I care, Malfoy's been asking for a set down for weeks. Screwing up my potions, he was messing with my grades. Insults fine, I'll ignore it but I draw the line when he started doing that. Someone needed to take the poncey git down a few pegs."
"I see. I quite agree, but surely there could have been another solution. Speaking with Professor Snape perhaps."
Harry couldn't help himself he snorted. "Professor Snape? You have got to be kidding. Professor, I will treat you as if you don't exist, if you irritate me by making me notice you I'll throw you in detention, speak to him? You got to be out of your ruddy tree! I've had detention all day both days of just about every weekend since one month into school because that..." Harry just barely stopped himself from calling the man an epithet. He collected himself then continued, "because that man has the maturity of a two year old and has a grudge against a man that has been dead a decade. He practically has me under house arrest and tries to tell me who I can and can't be friends with. Speak with Professor Snape, now that's a laugh. Besides I promised Malfoy the next time he attacked me I was going to hand him his ass, and I have every intention of following through."
"I see." Albus sadly did see. It appeared many things had gone wrong with Harry not just his sorting. "Mr. Malfoy's punishment is he can only do magic in the presence of a teacher for the next two years and he isn't allowed offensive spells of any kind until fifth year." He sipped his tea and noticed Harry hadn't touched his tea or the biscuit he'd placed on Harry's plate. He stood and retrieved a package from a cupboard. "There is your father's cloak. I had intended to return it to you at Christmas."
'Gifting me with my own belongings no doubt. Trying to engender warm feelings towards you and the magical world.' "Thank you. I suppose I won't beat the snot out of the little ponce, it wouldn't be cricket if he's not allowed to fight back."
"I am curious how you found out about your birth position in our world."
"A letter to me from my mother, left with the goblins to be given to me on my eleventh birthday along with my heir's ring."
"May I inquire what else was in the letter."
"My correspondence is private." Harry was tired of this. It was time to end this but it had to be ended by Dumbledore or he would lose ground he couldn't afford to lose to the old man. "The goblins told me you were the one to seal my parents cottage that night. Did you retrieve any mementos or valuables first?"
"No, I didn't want for souvenir seekers to gain access."
"I wonder how many of my things are ruined now because of that decision. I wonder if my mother or father kept a journal..." Harry cast a covert glance at the Headmaster.
Albus found himself in the undesirable position feeling guilty. That night he hadn't thought about the points Harry had just brought up. He grimaced, time to end this. "I'm sorry. Perhaps I can take you there during the Easter recess and we can see what we can salvage. But back to the matter at hand. Given you were the injured party and the unjust detentions already served, I think we shall let this matter go this time shall we? In the future if there is a problem with Mr. Malfoy you should seek out myself or the Deputy Headmistress."
"I will."'When pigs fly. Like I am supposed to trust you, a man that would leave a baby on a doorstep in November, and woman who couldn't be bothered to fulfill the death wishes of two people that trusted her.'
"Enjoy the rest of your day Harry." Albus dismissed him calmly, and thought to himself that went well. He wouldn't have been nearly as sanguine had he seen the expression on Harry's face as he exited past the gargoyle.