Whispers in Harry's Head

AN: I've spent a lot more time on this one. Before I revived this, I would spend the day and crack them out. Working on them over a period of time and making sure they are perfect is much more enjoyable. I think of little things throughout the day and just write them down. I hope you enjoy it.

Follow for marvelously missed deadlines and to get an update.

Italics represents thoughts/Tom thinkings

Bold represents parseltongue

This represents Harry's thoughts

Chapter 5 – Hogwarts

"Goodbye Miss Green see you next week" Harry said as he headed for the door last in the class.

"Harry!" She called after him. "Can you stay back a minute, please? I wanted to talk to you about something."

Harry rolled his eyes but turning to face her with a bright smile, "of course Miss". He spoke with almost a sarcastic excitement.

"I wanted to talk to you a little bit more about the field trip to the zoo. I realise you were closest to the snake and I wanted to hear from you what you saw. It's quite strange for a animal to just leave it's cage like that. The keeper was surprised there wasn't glass!"

Harry's attention had been caught the moment she mentioned the field trip, especially the glass. For it was Harry that let the snake go free, accidentally of course. "I thought you didn't want to talk about that Miss. I remember when I asked you the next day…"

"Now do forget about that, just tell me." She sounded gleeful

Harry grew suspicious of the woman. "I don't really know what to say," Harry spoke as if reading his own testimony. As practiced. "I was just looking at the snake in the enclosure and the next moment it rose up to meet me. I felt very scared, but it didn't slither towards me, it just wanted out."

"But someone said you were talking to it, Harry" she spoke softly

Harry's eyes widened, as if someone had said something nasty to him and he was ready to stare them down. How rude of her. He realised how he came across and quickly tried to recover to his innocent state again. "Who said that?" Harry laughed out loud. "That's so silly! No one talks to animals!"

She seemed to react well, but continued to probe. "You know Harry, some people can make things disappear."

"Who are you?" Harry turned in an instant

Now it was Miss Green's turn to laugh uncomfortably. "What in Godri-! What do you mean dear boy?"

"Oh nothing! I'm just being silly" Harry turned sweet again, "I need to go to lunch Miss."

"Sure thing Harry." She brought Harry outside of the room. "How about I walk you there so the teachers do not question you being away from the rest of the group."

"What do you mean some people can make things disappear? Like magic?"

"Yes, like magic"

"I don't think magic is real. At Dudley's last birthday he had a magician and I could see him faking." Harry said matter of factly.

They reached the top of the stairs. When he looked down to the trousers of his teacher, he could see a wooden pencil barely sticking out. But to Harry, it clearly wasn't a pencil. It was a little bit too thick to be a pencil, and it didn't have the usual metal top or the rubber. In the heat of the moment, without a second for someone else to react, and seeing that no one else was in the corridor, Harry grabbed the object and stuck his foot out. His teacher immediately tripped over his foot and fell head first onto the floor down the flight of stairs and head first into the ground.

Harry raced down the stairs. He looked down at his teacher on the floor. Harry saw in his hand not merely a pencil, but a wand. This was exactly what he needed. Realising she was unconscious, and a small but sufficient amount of blood was coming out of her forehead, he quickly pocketed the wand and rushed to lunch without looking behind himself.

"Harry?!" A teacher shouted from behind him as he was running

He stopped dead in his tracks. "Miss Thornton!"

"What happened to Miss Green? What did you do to her?" She shouted back to him, "get over here at once!"

"I was trying to find a teacher, I swear. I saw her fall down the stairs Miss."

Another teacher from another classroom came out of her room after hearing the commotion. "Did you push Miss Green down the stairs, Harry?"

Harry's face turned red. What was happening? "I didn't Mr Whitehall, she fell, and I found her on my way to lunch"

"You little freak, you liar!" Dudley turned up from the other end of the corridor with his gang of goons. "We saw the whole thing"

"No, you didn't!" Harry shouted back furiously and, in his temper, took out the wand and pointed it at the gang moving slowly towards him.

"Look, he stole something! Get him!"

A green flash emerged from the tip of the wand and smashed forcefully into the Mr Whitehall. He was boosted from his feet and slammed against the wall. He dropped dead.

Harry awoke afraid. It was just a dream, thankfully. It was so vivid; so real. He felt the anger and the fear, in that instant he felt alone and helpless. He didn't like to feel that way; he didn't like feeling helpless. He was in a room he didn't recognise. There was a mini-chandelier in the bedroom that looked awfully out of place. The bed was the largest he had ever slept in, and the windows beamed in the warmth of another sunny Summer.

Then he remembered, he stayed the night at the Malfoy's. It wasn't a planned stay, but it got very late and rather than tiredly use the flu network, and it made more sense to stay. He just didn't feel like getting up, but after a few moments rolled over the duvet, stumbled out of bed, and saw a set of pyjamas, his size, sitting on the stool and the end of his bed. The pyjamas had little snakes rising from the bottom. It looked a little strange, frankly.

Oh yes, snakes. Harry remembered the evening before when he accidentally let loose that he was a parseltongue. Harry honestly didn't realise that he was using parseltongue, and Tom hadn't really explained the full thing to him. It wasn't until the others pointed out did he know that he was speaking in another language. He knew he could speak to snakes, and that it was unique, but Tom didn't really explain the consequences or the need to hide it. Had he realised, he would have moderated himself appropriately.

For Harry's birthday he received a couple of presents from the Malfoys. He was genuinely surprised when he went down the stairs on the morning of his birthday and they knew it was his birthday. Abraxas and Roselina Malfoy sent him a wand holster and a book on the basics of the dark arts, with a note they told him to get ready for duelling. The other Malfoys bought him cake and organised a small celebration for the four of them - they didn't want to overwhelm him with people on his birthday. They also bought him an eagle feather quill, an assortment of notebooks, and the clothes and other items they had already bought him.

Tom insisted that it wasn't a big deal, and that it might actually turn out with a good outcome. If he was going to make a mistake about letting it out, he did it in front of the right people. He had certainly gained some favour with Abraxas Malfoy, who by the very end of the night was making little sense. He was starting to believe that Lili Evans was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin. The only problem was that he was having a hard time linking up any of his descendants with Lili, considering she was a muggle born, but he insisted that would continue to do some research in his own time. Furthermore, it was only contributing positively to his swaying a very important family into his favour. Lucius Malfoy was terribly impressed by anything, and was starting to take a lot of interest in the boy. He saw potential, ambition, and drive.

The next couple of weeks were a little strange, truth be told. He noticed over the first week that his clothes and his small number of items were slowing starting to occupy the guest room he was staying in. First the rest of his clothes, the few that would fit in the Leaky Cauldron, his books, and by the end all of his school items. The house elves somehow also managed to get a couple of things from Privet Drive, although Harry was more unnerved by how they knew the address.

It was slowly becoming Harry's room, which by the Sunday of the second week it officially was. On that Sunday he officially had checked out of the Leaky Cauldron. The final bill would be settled by Dumbledore, but Lucius insisted that Tom didn't send the bill until the end of August. That was agreed after the passing of a couple of coins. He was glad to be away from the Leaky Cauldron, he didn't like staying there. It felt old and rusted, but more importantly he could hear other people through the walls. He didn't want to imagine what they kept in their rooms, considering the noises he could hear from below. Someone must be keeping a troll or monster of some description down there. However, the Malfoy house wasn't much better. He swore that if you were quiet enough, at the right time, one could hear the sound of someone screaming – sometimes worse.

They also went to see a healer, who prescribed Harry a course of treatments to repair his eyesight. Harry wore glasses for his eyesight, and actually took a lot of comfort in doing so, but it was pointed out that it was an inconvenience having them. It made a lot more sense to have something like this fixed, and to not have to worry about having them. So, over the next four weeks, right up until the 31st of August, he would take this prescribed potion and his eye sight would be cured.

The healer advised that, although much of the changes he would see in his visions would happen over the initial week, with a dramatic change on day one, he needed to finish the prescription to ensure that it remained that way. He was also advised that he would feel a strange sensation in his eye, and might find it hard to sleep. Over those four weeks the potions inevitably worked, and he didn't miss a single day's dose.

Harry spent a lot of his free time with Narcissa, specifically learning the pure blood way of life. This was mostly in the form of etiquette classes, history lessons, and understanding current positions and issues. They were attempting to cram in what Draco had picked up over ten years in four short weeks. Etiquette classes were in the form of eating, introductions to people, and general conversation to others. Harry had poor posture, had a terrible approach to meeting people, but more importantly found it hard to read people. Reading people and the situation was an important part of everyday life and controlling who he found it important to talk to. Tom had helped Harry in the past on this issue, so had a little head start, but Tom never really described the method. Instead he pointed things out, and showed him the deduction, and Harry would come to his own conclusions around how he came to that conclusion. The most useful lesson was on manipulating people. But Narcissa would never brand it like that, she described it as getting the most out of people, getting the most value out of the people around him, and taking control of the situation.

History lesson was very interesting. It wasn't what one would learn at Hogwarts, about the goblin wars or of Hogwarts. It was a general overview of the families of the wizarding world, the Lestranges, Blacks, Gaunts, Potters, Malfoy's, and just about every other family you could think of. Learning about the history of families was an asset in any relationship, as you could quickly gauge someone's usefulness.

Finally, current positions were a tricky topic. It was the promotion of dark arts, blood purity, and understanding the positions of the people behind it. The needed to know and understand the key people on each side, and who he could trust. They talked a little about the Wizengamot, but Lucius was the real expert on that. Apparently, they were currently debating the misuse of muggle artefacts office. Lucius Malfoy was undoubtedly frustrated by latest attempts within the department, and the wider Ministry, of undermining his position. He was defending motions in the house attempting to regulate the control of dark artefacts. Lucius was attempting to sideline the debate as a breach of office, but controlling the votes in the house was becoming more difficult with every passing month. Which was of course where Harry might be able to help in future.

Lucius had been eyeing the Potter seats, but more importantly influence, from the moment he met him on Diagon Alley. At first, Lucius thought it would be prudent for Draco to remain perfectly polite to Harry. A rivalry between the two would reflect badly on them. However, as time progressed that day he realised how easy it would be to mould and shape the boy in his early days. It was particularly fortunate that they would meet Harry on his first trip to Diagon Alley, and that he had met no other friends. He would slowly feed him information over time, and lead him on the right course. Now he saw Harry as being able to influence the magical community in his favour. In particular, he thought it prudent that Harry help him on one of his current projects.

Lucius had been on a long campaign, as a member of the board of governors of Hogwarts, to remove a book from the library of Hogwarts. It was called "The Fountain of Fair Fortune" and depicted a marriage between a wizard and a muggleborn, which Lucius found absolutely and resolutely abhorrent. He saw it as plain propaganda, despite it being an old fairy tale for children written in the 15th century. This would be a test for Harry, he wanted to ensure that his loyalties were in the right place. Lucius decided it would be best to begin this work when Harry entered Hogwarts, rather than draw attention to Harry before he had joined Hogwarts and was staying with the Malfoy's.

Finally, the last few weeks of Summer created a strong friendship between Draco and Harry. There was a little rivalry in some areas, but Lucius saw it as an opportunity for some friendly competition. The boys would grow up together and see the need to rely on each other for various things. Harry was strong willed, smart, and clearly powerful. Draco was much the same, but also had the wizarding background, knowledge, and cunning nature that Harry was still picking up. Together they could become a strong duo. Where they rivalled was on the Quidditch pitch, Draco was convinced he would be the best first year flyer. Watching Harry fly, he wasn't so sure anymore.

Harry received an offer from the Daily Prophet days before he was about to begin term, an offer for an opinion piece in the newspaper, whenever he so desired. He was going to receive a signing bonus. His bonus was 10% of all additional copies than the weekly average on the front-page announcement of his new opinion section, and his payment for each article would be agreed on that basis.

So, when Harry woke up on the first day of September, it was of very little shock that he saw his face on the front page of the Daily Prophet shaking hands with the editor of the newspaper – a photo taken a week prior. It was taken in one of the many drawing rooms in the Manor, which anyone who had been to the place would instantly know where it was. It was majestic and decorative. Boy Who Lived signs with Daily Prophet, the headline. It included a rather brief and vague interview that he had with a random writer for the newspaper, which Harry didn't feel the need to read. They were keen to learn where Harry had been for the past decade, but it included brief answers about being kept away from the public eye.

It was exciting to be leaving the Manor for the first time in a month, but better yet finally making his first steps into proper education in the wizarding world. Using real magic in an environment where it's encouraged and permissible, and getting to meet his fellow future generation. Also, this would be the second last year of students from born during the first wizarding war. A year of students who have little to no memory of the time, feeling little harm and fear, but feeling the effects and the aftermath.

They arrived at the train station at ten thirty sharp, with plenty of time to board and say their farewells. Packing had been completed in the nights prior.

"So… this is it." Harry smiled excitedly when they arrived and stood on the platform.

"Indeed!" Draco simply put, "Until Christmas of course."

"Well boys, here we are." Lucius smiled soundly, "Hogwarts Express departing in exactly thirty minutes."

They had said the long and arduous goodbyes back in the Manor, rather than to let the tears flow in public. Narcissa was in a little bit of a state, she was going to miss her son. Luckily, he was only in Hogwarts, not requiring international travel, but it was frustrating. Often, she wished they could simply home school him, but they understood the need for him to leave the family nest finally. To forge his own future.

Narcissa had already set up her son Draco with good people, so he was going to be going to the school with many friends already forged. Minus Harry, Draco had become friends with Theodore, Crabb, and Goyle already. There were a couple of other children he had met at parties, but this was the main group. Harry had met none of the others, but he felt excited to finally do so. Draco had been a fantastic host over the summer, but, after the endless games of quidditch, they needed something to properly talk about. Hogwarts would hopefully open another shared common interest.

"Now, hop onboard boys and stick together. Remember that you always have each other, and, with the right whit and resourcefulness, you'll have plenty others." Narcissa had to fight the tears back, you could see the red in her blue eyes from earlier. "Your father and I have finally got rid of you, and we have the day planned, so get on the train already!"

They all laughed, and, with final goodbyes and hugs, the two boys brought their luggage aboard and found an empty carriage in the middle of the train. Harry had expressed his great appreciation to the Malfoy's, before leaving, for their hospitality, guidance, and good faith. He talked about their welcoming nature from the outset, and how he would be forever grateful.

Lucius and Narcissa insisted that the Manor was his new home, and the Malfoy's the closest family he has. The next best thing. Narcissa seemed to express real adoration for the boy, which warmed his heart. It was the first time that Harry could recall feeling that, and it felt strange.

Draco and Harry watched as the Malfoy's left, and then settled down in their seats and smiled.

"Exciting!" Harry said out loud as they settled in their seats.

"I can't wait to become a Slytherin. Father will be proud," Draco's eyes bulged. "Father told me that the hat was on his head for but a moment when it sorted him. Where do you think you'll be sorted?"

"Well definitely not Hufflepuff, I'd rather get the train home." Harry laughed, and Draco joined in

"Father says that in the end everyone either belongs to Slytherin or Hufflepuff." Draco put in quickly.

Harry's eyebrows rose. "Really?"

"Yeah, you're either a petty follower or an ambitious and resourceful leader." Draco continued, spotting his prey. "Siding with us brings you power, and, with your reputation, together we could do great things. You're not a Hufflepuff Harry, we both know it. People like you and I were born for greatness, it's our birthright."

Harry nodded, and Draco put his hand out. Harry immediately shook, and Draco smiled back. "Let's do this." Harry said shaking his hand.

Not a moment later did a timid looking ginger haired boy open the carriage door, looking like a ghost at the sight before him.

"Harry Potter?" The boy spoke as soon as the door opened. "Everywhere else full, can I sit here?"

Harry quickly realised that having his face spread across the newspaper was going to have the slight drawback of everyone recognising him. Harry looked at Draco for a prompt, but Draco gave Harry an encouraging look – one that told him to take the reigns on this one. Harry remembered what his Narcissa had told him previously, about everyone wanting to take up his time. He needed to be smart about who he was making friends with.

"Who are you?" Harry looked up back at the boy, and the looked at what he was wearing. Robes that could barely fit.

"Ron Weasley, who's your mate?" Ron took at seat beside Harry, but Harry ensured there was room between them.

"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy" Draco didn't bother looking up at him, his eyes were too busy being disgusted by the dirty shoes he was wearing.

"Malfoy?" Ron questioned almost foaming at the mouth, sitting closer to Harry. He was too close for comfort. "You shouldn't be talking to dark wizards like that, his father fought for You-Know-Who! He's a no good Slytherin"

"Weasley? Hand me down robes and ginger hair, I should have guessed." Harry sneered, not liking that his friend, with the family who brought him in and the only family he really has, was just insulted. "Who said you could afford to sit there?" He recalled reading about the Weasley family. They were famously a poor pureblood Gryffindor family. Lucius held much resentment for them, not only for the blood traitor nature and their poverty making them a disgrace of the pureblood name, but the work Arthur Weasley was undergoing in the Ministry to try and attack the Malfoy family. He was pushing for raids to try and find dark artefacts. The Weasleys were an embarrassment.

"What do you mean, Harry?" Ron looked uncomfortable.

"What I'm saying, Weasel, is that if you want to sit there you have to pay the toll." Harry answered briefly. Malfoy snickered.

"You can't do that!" Ron protested.

"He's Harry Potter, Weasel brain, he can do whatever the hell he likes." Draco sneered.

"Well, I'm just going to find somewhere else then." Ron stood up, eventually getting the message that he wasn't welcome.

Harry rolled his eyes, and Draco said before Ron had closed the fully left the carriage "thought he would never leave."

The door of the carriage closed, and Harry and Draco couldn't hold back their laughter as he left earshot.

"Did you see his face when I said he had to pay a toll!" Harry continued laughing.

"He was frothing feverishly! Nice nickname by the way, Weasel. I was thinking the same." Draco continued to laugh even those his cheeks were hurting.

Harry and Draco continued to laugh about the awkward encounter they just had, when a couple of friendly faces to Draco showed up. "Ah, here we are. Harry, meet Crabbe, Goyle and Theodore Nott. Chaps meet Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter?" Theodore spoke first as he sat down beside Harry. Crabbe and Goyle opted for seats beside Draco. "What's a guy like you doing with a snake like this"

Harry put his hand out, which Theodore shook. "Draco and I met when I went shopping at Diagon Alley. Got chatting, and I've spent the entire Summer at his house"

Draco nodded, and Theodore's eyes bulged. "Why didn't you say, Draco?" Theodore countered. "Could have met Harry before the start of school!"

"Well, you're here now." Draco laughed.

Harry quickly got the impression Theodore was someone with intelligence. He was going to be a resourceful and helpful ally, which Narcissa and Lucius had explained to him before. Harry remembered specifically the Nott name as being one he would need to become friends with. Harry, Theodore, and Draco were able to bond over the appearance of Ron Weasley, which Theodore found very funny, and how each of their Summers went. Harry was clear in giving very little information out about prior to that, which Theo remembered to ask Draco about it later.

Crabbe and Goyle, on the other hand, would make a ferret look like a wise philosopher. They were unable to sustain any sort of intellectual conversation. They would make perfect house elves, but it looked like Draco had already claimed them as his minions. Would be easy to borrow them, although Harry imagined they would be totally lacking in imagination. There's a difference between being slow and totally lacking in imagination and initiative, but appeared to be the embodiment of both. Almost turning it into an art form.

Midway through the journey, after they had all changed into their robes, a knock came on the door and a long frizzy haired girl with a pale face appeared.

"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy called Neville has lost one" she asked

"Not Neville Longbottom?" Draco asked laughing, recalling the stories his father told him about the 'almost squib'.

"The one" Hermione asked, "and may I ask who you are?" She had recognised Harry from the newspaper, which she picked up while waiting for the train.

"Draco Malfoy, this is Harry Potter and Theodore Nott" he replied completely skipping Crabbe and Goyle.

"I'm Hermione Granger" she replied with a smile

"Granger?" Nott popped up with some energy

"Not a name I recognise" Harry added to the conversation

"Well you wouldn't," Hermione smiled delighted and proudly. "I'm the first witch in the family. Mummy and Daddy were ever so proud of me when I got my letter!"

"Your parents are muggles?" Harry asked

"Yes, dentists" Hermione replied

"Mudblood" Draco put simply, summing up the entire situation

"I beg your pardon?" Hermione retorted resolutely offended by the ordeal

"That's Draco Malfoy you're speaking to." Theodore squared up to her, "I'd watch your tone. All of us agree with Draco – don't we Harry?"

Harry hesitated for a moment, after the initial jolt of shock he received from being asked, realising the gravity of the situation and them expecting support for the side. He was thrown into the deep end and into a tough spot. He was happy to stay quiet for the ordeal, and it just didn't seem right to talk down this young girl and make her feel bad – no matter what the muggles did. There was a difference with Ron. Ron provoked the situation by being rude – and Harry gave him a taste of his own medicine. Hermione, on the other hand, didn't do anything herself. Yet, this was the moment to prove his worth. He had to make these new friends, even if it meant throwing a girl under the metaphorical bus. The ends justified the means. Despite his reservations and hesitations, he looked up at Hermione, looked her dead in the eye, and said "Mudblood, get out"

Hermione, with almost a tear in her eye, pulled open the door behind her. As she walked through it she turned her head and shouted "Unenlightened cockroaches" before slamming it shut and moving on quickly.

"Huh, what does that mean" Goyle queried with a confused

Harry rolled his eyes, "I suppose she was right about two people in the group"

Theodore and Draco laughed, while the other two boys looked even more baffled.

"You know, Harry, I was initially sceptical about you when we first met. No more. With that, it's a well met." He put his hand out again for Harry to shake.

"Well met," Harry agreed, ensuring he shook his hand well and met his eye contact.

"Firs' years! Firs' years!" A giant of a man shouted as they exited the train.

"Look at that smelly oaf." Draco said to Harry as he saw him. "I think that's the game keeper, father says he's a half-giant – it's disgusting that he is even allowed on school grounds."

"I think you're wrong on this one Draco, he seems friendly enough." Harry retorted, defiant to put up a defence. "Why are you so quick to judge?"

"Remember Harry, I've been in the wizarding world a lot longer than you – I know these things..." Harry was about to interrupt but Draco signalled with his hand he was going to say something more. "Besides, Father sits on the board of governors. He's not allowed to be a teacher because he had his wand snapped and can't do magic."

"Wand snapped?" Harry gasped

"Yes." Draco replied looking smug. "In school, he unleashed a beast onto the school and killed a girl."

"No way…" Harry was in stunned silence. "But how is he allowed to be so close to children."

"Dumbledore." Draco summed up, and a wave of shock hit Harry. It would be disbelief, but he knew it to be true – it perfectly added up. Dumbledore was reckless, dangerous, and a maniac. He always made the wrong decisions for the wrong reasons, and left Harry in the care of monsters. Luckily, he knew Tom and, even better, he met the Malfoy's.

"This can't be allowed to happen, Draco. It can't." Harry stated bluntly walking past Hagrid to the boats, perfectly within earshot of the man. "Anyone who has their wand snapped should not be around children."

"Harry?" Hagrid called out as he walked past him. He recognised him from the scar on his face, which was left uncovered due to his hair being in a quiff. He moved to put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "I haven't seen you since–"

Harry turned around forcefully to shake off the large hand on his back. "Don't touch me!" Before Hagrid could respond he had turned his back to Hagrid again and said forcefully "You disgust me."

Draco couldn't resist a big smirk on his face, which he beamed to Nott, and they climbed into the boats. Nott was smirking too. A couple of the other students who were watching the ordeal were stunned in silence.

"Half-breed." Nott spoke, but not loud enough for Hagrid to hear, as he got into boat. The three boys laughed harder, almost knocking it over. This made them laugh harder.

What Harry couldn't hear was Ron speaking to two of people he met on the train, barely above a whisper. "You know, the fame has gone straight to his head."

The blonde-haired girl getting on the boat with Ron nodded in agreement.

Harry noticed the way that Professor McGonagall looked at him when she saw them at the top of the staircase. There was an air of poignancy to her look, almost as if she couldn't recognise the boy she saw. Harry deduced that she either knew about what happened earlier, and would conclude that word travels too quickly in this school, or she saw him standing beside Draco Malfoy and came to conclusions too quickly. She saw the friendship and she didn't like it. Harry didn't like when people interfered with his personal relationships, a hate he developed thanks to Dudley during his time at primary school, and he wasn't going to let Hogwarts be a repeat of that experience.

"Never a witch or wizard that went to Slytherin who wasn't dark," Ron said at the top of the stairs when McGonagall had left to check for sorting.

"Never a witch or wizard that went to Gryffindor who wasn't an idiot," Pansy Parkinson snapped back like a snake striking. "Courage and bravery synonyms for stupid and reckless. Some people will have to learn that there are some wizarding families that are better than others. You don't want to be making friends with the wrong sort."

When the doors opened, and they were led inside, Harry looked at the man at the top of the table. He was very careful, making sure that he didn't look at him in the eyes. Both Lucius and Tom warned Harry about legilimens. Lucius sat both Draco and Harry down to warn them of Dumbledore, how he could read peoples minds. From the situation, Harry assumed that Draco had already received this conversation, possibly with regards to other people. He said that they would both know if Dumbledore tried to probe further than his surface thoughts, but may not know if he was listening to his surface thoughts, so to control them when around him. Harry tried his very best to avert his eyes, and not think about how much he despised to be around the man. His smiling glare was almost an ironic insult.

Harry made a good glance at the other professors sitting at the table. There was the "oaf", as Draco described him, at the end of the table, Hagrid, who led the first years into the castle. He didn't recognise any of the other professors. There was one professor who took a good glare at Harry, almost sizing him up. He'd make sure and ask Draco who it was later, he was sitting beside an odd-looking professor who was wearing a purple turban. Harry felt a soft itch on his scar, but it wasn't hurting.

"Harry Potter!" The Professor exclaimed reading from the piece of parchment in front of her.

There was a quick gasp in the hall, and he could hear people whispering his name. After but a split second, Harry slowly walked to the stool.

Don't think about me when you're up there Harry, just in case. Tom had told him while they were on the boat. Tom seemed to be getting quieter recently, which was always a good sign. It was a signal that he was doing something right. Tom had warned that he didn't want to talk to Harry while he was around Dumbledore, or certain other people.

"Aaah what do we have here?" The hat spoke. "I'd say this one is difficult, but you know where you need to go. You could be great you know, and you've got it here… it's all in your head. You've got talent, and you're beginning to be shaped by the right minds clearly – and Slytherin can only help to bring this out. Yes... You've got the thirst to prove yourself, how interesting, don't lose that. SLYTHERIN!"

Draco beamed with joy, a very particular smug face now appeared on his face. Exactly what needed to happen had been done, and father would be very proud to hear the news. Within the walls of Slytherin to protect them, Harry Potter would become Dumbledore's worst nightmare – and it would be glorious. The young Potter prodigy was taking his first steps on the road to bringing the Potters reputation and good standing back.

In the rest of the hall there was nothing but incredibly loud whispers, to the point where talking in a normal way would have been quieter. McGonagall didn't wear the face of shock, it was a sigh of disappointment. Harry didn't bother to look at the professors behind him, but from the corner of his eye could swear he saw a brief smirk of the professor that gave him the stare – before he came to the realisation he would have to be the boys head of house.

Harry brushed his hair with his hands from the front to the back right of his head, ensuring the quiff he had was maintained after the hat was placed on his head. As he started before towards the table, the Slytherin table slowly started to roar, clap, and stand up. There was a faint clapping from a couple of students in other houses. He graciously, and certainly not hurriedly, walked to the Slytherin table to meet his new house mates – sitting beside Draco who had reserved him a seat and patted him on the back. There was a spring in his step.

"Harry Potter" Pansy Parkinson looked at him across the table, she had been sorted just before him. "I'm Pansy Parkinson, this is Millicent Bulstrode, Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis, and Lily Moon"

"Nice to meet you Miss Parkinson" Harry held out his hand for her and she shook it.

"Hi Harry, I'm Gemma Farley, Slytherin prefect" a tall blonde witch came to the side of him to greet him. "The other prefect, George Garret will meet you all at some stage later. If you've got any questions, do let me know"

"Hi Gemma, just one." Harry smiled up at her, and she sat down beside him. "Who is that Professor sitting beside the man with the turban?"

"Well the man with the turban is Professor Quirrell, Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, last year was the muggle studies professor."

"Muggle studies?" Harry cut in. He laughed "What absolute nonsense, scorn of the earth. What has that got to do with magic?"

Pansy Parkinson's head perked up instantly. She had been reading Harry for the past few minutes in a sort of psychoanalysis. She was going to say something smart when Harry mentioned muggle studies, but she was on her best behaviour after Draco told the table before Harry got sorted. It was why she played it quite conservatively when he sat down, she was going to give him a chance. Draco was right. So, she was one of the first people who laughed with him as he discredited the subject.

"Very funny, yes. But to answer the question, that's Professor Snape. He teaches potions, and is Slytherin head of house – so do try and get on his good side. A tip is to work hard in class and he'll think highly of you, do background reading before class." Gemma answered, before heading back to talk with her friends.

"So, Harry, you hate muggles" Pansy didn't ask, she stated. There was a little hint of pride in her voice.

Harry looked to Pansy and saw sitting behind her on the other side of the room was Hermione. She looked back towards him with almost a depressed look, and Harry turned back to Pansy. "As I said, scorn of the earth. They hate magic, and why should we show them, or in fact their spawn, any more respect than they give us – as Draco's father says. They've killed, or at least intended to kill, our kind in the past."

With that Pansy gave an approving look to Harry and came around the table to sit beside Harry, and giving him a half hug. "I think we are going to become good friends, Harry." She looked up to see a Gryffindor girl staring at them. Pansy gave her a snarl and she turned away. "Who was that girl Harry?"

"Hermione Granger. She's a mudblood who tried talking to us on the train." Harry answered without even looking at Hermione. He still felt kind of bad using the words against an innocent girl, but it wasn't as if she was listening. The anger from Hagrid was still fresh in his mind.

"Yeah," Theodore spoke up from the other side of the table. "Harry called her a mudblood and told her to leave and she cried!"

They all laughed. That girl was going to be easy pickings for Pansy. She had already begun assembling her gang of girls. She was resourceful. The last of the sorting had yet to be completed, but finally Blaise Zabini got sorted into Slytherin which concluded the sorting.

"Now that the sorting has ended, I would like to say a few words." Dumbledore spoke to the silent hall. "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" a silent hall became stunned silence. "Let the feast… begin!"

With a waving of his hands, food adorned the tables in front of them. There was barely room to manoeuvre.

"Is he mad?" Harry asked the table.

"We prefer the word unhinged" a second-year student commented from the side, which gave Harry a chuckle.

The rest of the evening was quite good. Dumbledore gave a long speech explaining the rules and not to access the third corridor, which later Tom said was quite peculiar. Gemma brought the Slytherin first years down to the dungeons to their dormitories, and explained that unfortunately this evening Professor Snape would not be doing introductions. Tom suspected he was in shock from Harry being sorted into Slytherin and becoming a member of his house. Gemma told the to be up bright an early to meet him at eight in the main common area of the Slytherin dormitories.

A snake was in a painting on the wall of the Slytherin house, but Harry made sure not to talk to it – which meant trying to avoid making eye contact while talking. He needed to learn to control his parselmouth ability, which would take a lot of work. He noticed that it was hard to speak in the language when he was not looking at a snake, and hard not to speak in the language when he was.

AN: Bit of a weird opening, but I hope you liked it. I like using unknown information, such as Hagrid's innocence, in another light. Exploring how getting the wrong side of the story can change perceptions. I definitely see Narcissa as being warm to people she is warm with, and cold to people she isn't. Harry just spent over a month straight with these people, and so it was a little bit emotional.

When will Harry's parselmouth ability become exposed, when will Harry say something to the wrong person, and what will Harry write in his first column in the Daily Prophet?

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