Hello, this is a story that was first written by theresnomeaning. I loved the idea of it and the way it was written, and was devastated to find it had been discontinued. The original version of this story can be found on Fictionhunt, and several of their others stories too.
I will be uploading all ten chapters here with tiny little fixes to grammar and spelling. And expanding the chapters somewhat here and there, showing some of the scenes I would have liked included. From that point on I will then continue this story to the best of my ability and in the way I would have hoped to see it continue; hopefully the chapters I write myself will be up to par with the masterpiece they've started off with.
To theresnomeaning, in the million to one chance you come across this fanfic, I hope you don't mind that I've done this. I'm not trying to steal your idea or take credit for it, far from it. You created something beautiful and I love it. My whole goal here is to bring it more into the spotlight and to expand upon it in a way that it deserves. I hope you don't hate any of the changes I've made and I hope you enjoy the future chapters I'll write as well. :)
Chapter 1 – Sancta Terra
"SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted. Part of the Slytherin table clapped cheerfully. Ravenclaws mostly clapped indifferently, Hufflepuffs clapped out of politeness and Gryffindors mostly did not clap at all. Besides house rivalry, the boy was the son of Voldemort's right hand, who had along with his mother betrayed the Light. As far as most of them were concerned, Harry Potter was just another slimy Death Eater spawn.
"He is the traitor's son." … "Disgusting." … "Slimy Death Eater's spawn." … "Should not be allowed here."
Harry ignored those comments. In time he would show them. In time he would make them eat their words. Seriously, he did not even know his parents and he was already being judged because of them. Just like at the orphanage, where he was cast off because of his magic.
He took a seat on the Slytherin table. A girl with long ebony hair and grey eyes approached him. "Hello, I am Cassiopeia Lestrange. Nice to meet you." she said extending her hand to Harry, who shook it.
"Harry Potter. Nice to meet you as well."
"You have quite the reputation, Potter." the girl said grinning.
"So I've noticed. But I really don't know what my parents did to leave me with a such bad image."
"You don't know?" Cassiopeia asked disbelieving. "Where have you been living all this time?"
"With muggles. In a muggle orphanage." Harry replied coolly. Lestrange's eyes widened in horror.
"Oh, the poor thing!" a masculine voice sounded beside them. Harry looked and found a boy with brown hair and deep blue eyes. "Anthony Rosier. It is a pleasure to meet you, Potter. It seems that we know more about your family than you do. Tell me, how is the life with muggles?"
"Not pleasant." Harry said – that was an understatement, – but then he grinned. "But I convinced then to stay out of my way."
"Yes, I bet you did!" the boy exclaimed.
Harry's grin remained as he held his hand out to him. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well." He said while the boy shook it. "So... What did my parents do that even my children will be hated because of them?" Harry asked. He never knew why his parents were arrested, but he sometimes could remember the day when they were taken away. He had imprinted on his mind the face of the man who arrested them. He did not know about the wizarding world until Professor McGonagall brought him his letter, but he quickly learned about it through the books, which did not say much about his parents, only that they were traitors.
"Well... Your father and mother betrayed the Light completely. The Potter family had always been allied with the Light. And your mother was a muggleborn, it was expected that she would side with the Light. Nobody knows why, but your father and mother joined the Dark Lord in secret after finishing school. James Potter was the Dark Lord's right hand at the time of his defeat." Anthony spoke.
"And they were arrested by aurors one year after the Dark Lord was vanquished." the boy completed.
"I don't understand." mused Harry. "I thought the Dark Lord hated people like my mother, she was a muggleborn..."
"But she wasn't a mudblood!" The girl interjected.
"I thought it was the same." Harry replied frowning.
"No. Muggleborns who are powerful, intelligent and willingly accept the wizarding culture are welcome. Mudbloods are those who want to change the magical world and contaminate it with filthy muggle culture. They try to impose their culture on us, they think that we are retrograde. They don't deserve their magic." Anthony explained with fierceness. Well, the book Harry read did not mention that.
"I see." Harry replied, pondering on what the boy had just said. Muggles were ignorants, vile and dangerous, he knew it first hand. "In that case, I am glad that my mother is intelligent, as is my father."
"Oh yes, your father did improve the reputation of the Potter family, their status as blood traitors was erased, now everybody knows that James Potter was the Dark Lord's right hand. But some people here in Slytherin might discriminate you because you are a half-blood. The fact that you lived with muggles for all these years will not help you."
"What?" Harry asked surprised. "People will think that because I lived with muggles I love them?" he laughed darkly "If anything, living in their world only made me dislike them, to put it mildly." then Harry sighed. "I do hope that no one really tries anything against me. I would hate being forced to harm any of my fellow house-mates."
Cassiopeia and Anthony did not question that. They wanted to see just what Harry Potter would do if anyone bothered him.
Harry noticed that two professors were staring at him intensely. One of them had sallow skin, dark greasy hair that fell on his chin and black eyes. The other had brown curled hair that also reached his chin and grey eyes.
"Those two professors are staring at me. Do you know who they are?" Harry asked his two 'colleagues'.
"The one with dark hair is Professor Severus Snape, our head of house, he also teaches Potions. He was a Death Eater, but Dumbledore claims that he was a spy. However, my father told me that it was a manoeuvre, he was actually loyal to the Dark Lord." Anthony said in a shushed tone. "He hates everyone, especially Gryffindors, but he treats us Slytherins fairly well and favours us."
"The other is Sirius Black, a blood traitor. He is your godfather, but he probably despises you now. He was good friends with your father, until it was found that he was a Death Eater. It is funny, because the Blacks always were a dark family, and then that disgrace was born tainting their name." Cassiopeia spoke. "My mother was born a Black. I know that she loathes Sirius, as well as my aunt."
"What does he teach?" Harry asked.
"Defence Against the Dark Arts." Lestrange replied with disgust. "It would be so much better to go to Durmstrang, there they teach the Dark Arts, not defence against them."
"Come, Potter, you need to know the rest of the first years." Anthony said.
Harry was introduced to the twin siblings Maya and Septimus Avery, Andreas Selwyn, Helena Rowle and Sophia Shaqif. It was a year with an unusually small number of Slytherin first years. After the feast the Slytherins – from first years to seventh – gathered in the common room to listen to Professor Snape's speech.
"Slytherins. Welcome back to those who are returning. The rules are still the same in our house, I expect you all to remember how things work here. You may go." he paused and watched every first year. "Now, for those who are joining us this year, I welcome you as well. You will notice while in Hogwarts that this house is a target of prejudice, therefore you will stick together whilst in front of the other houses. I do not care if you dislike your house-mate, when you are out of this common room you will act as a united front. Do you understand this?"
All the first years nodded.
"Good. Now, you will notice that I will rarely take points from Slytherin or give you a detention in public. However, do not think that I will tolerate any inadequate behaviour you may have. You will be punished, I assure you. Do I make myself clear?"
Again, all the first years nodded in agreement.
"Furthermore, I strongly suggest that you do not seek for disagreements for whatever reason. You must also remember that every Slytherin is here because they deserve it, no matter their money, their family or blood status."
Snape smirked slightly before finishing. "And, lastly, if you need to show members of other houses, especially Gryffindor, any retribution; Do. Not. Get. Caught."
The professor waved his hand dismissively. "Potter, stay behind."
—/—
Severus had no intention of telling anyone this, but he was worried. Minerva was the one who delivered Potter's letter – personally – and she expressed her sower opinion about him. It seemed that the boy was left by his relatives – Lily's muggle relatives – in an orphanage, where he was tormented by the other children just because he was a wizard. The matrons of the place did not like him, because he apparently caused the other children harm – as if they were all sweet little angels. McGonagall told this to the entire staff and that made them already dislike the child – except Vector (who would not teach Harry until third year) and Flitwick.
It was ironic. James Potter had been loved by everyone while in school – before Merlin knows why he became a Death Eater – and his son was probably going to be ostracised. Something inside Snape was actually joyful with that, but he quickly put those feelings aside. James Potter had apologised for tormenting him in school when both became fellow Death Eaters, and besides, Harry Potter was just an innocent child that may have done something questionable because he was pushed too far, he should not be blamed by his father's sins (not that Severus considered aligning with the Dark a sin).
"Mr. Potter, I want to warn you that your behaviour whilst in this school will be severely observed, not by me, but you caught the attention of Professor McGonagall when she heard the matrons of the orphanage you live in talking about you. I strongly suggest that you do not do anything harsh, even if provoked."
Harry raised one eyebrow. Oh, he surely should have expected the stupid women from the orphanage would make everyone dislike him.
"I understand, professor. The matrons' opinions about me are not very high. I should expect them to babble about those stories in which I mysteriously put the whole place under nightmares. I mean, they are so silly, how could I do that if I did not even know about magic until Professor McGonagall delivered my letter?" Harry said with a sweet voice, his expression a childish innocent. "I thank you for the advice, and rest assured that I would never dream of being harsh to anyone."
Snape smirked. The boy was intelligent, and he could look innocent. Maybe with time he could get in the teachers' graces.
"Very well, Mr. Potter. You may go." Harry turned around to leave, but then Snape called him again. "And Mr. Potter, between you and me... Those are not just silly stories."
"Think what you will, professor." the boy replied with a smirk and walked away.
—/—
"What was that about?" Asked Cassiopeia when Harry joined the other first years.
"Professor Snape wanted to warn me about the way the teachers will see me." Harry replied with a hint of annoyance on his voice.
"Your reputation is even worse than Cassiopeia's" Anthony said in a mocking tone.
"Not all of us have parents who preferred to deny the Dark Lord than go to Azkaban." the girl replied dryly and Anthony said nothing more.
"Your parents are in Azkaban too?" Harry asked the girl.
"Yes. My mother is Bellatrix Lestrange, you might have read about her in 'The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts'. She did not deny the Dark Lord and was tossed in that hell, along with my father." she grinned "Our association will quite spread rumours. Both of us with Death Eater parents who are in Azkaban being tormented by Dementors. It is rather sad, huh?"
Harry just shrugged. He was curious about why his parents had joined the Dark Lord, but he knew that he would only know that if he ever saw them out of Azkaban, and from he had read about the prison, that was almost impossible.
—/—
First day of classes was interesting thus far. First was Transfiguration. Harry found the subject fascinating, and McGonagall was a very capable teacher, although it was clear that the witch disliked him. She favoured her own house fiercely, that much was clear. They did not practice anything, but the theory of Transfiguration was very interesting.
Charms was... A little boring. The theory, contrary to Transfiguration's, was tiresome, but Harry believed that the practice would pay off. Professor Flitwick was sympathetic and treated the Slytherins fairly well, though he sometimes showed some preference for his own house. Harry guessed that all four Heads of Houses did that.
Now they were waiting for Defence Against the Dark Arts to start, a class that they shared with the Gryffindors. Cassiopeia despised Professor Black, and the other Slytherins did not like him any better. Harry was waiting eagerly to encounter the man who was his godfather, he wanted to see if he would be as hostile as his house-mates suggested.
"Good afternoon." Black said walking in and slamming the door shut behind him. "I am Professor Sirius Black and I will, as you should already know, teach you Defence Against the Dark Arts. Some of you might have already dabbled with such dangerous magic." he stared at the Slytherins, especially Harry and Cassiopeia. The Gryffindors snickered. "Here you will learn how dangerous are these Arts, and how to defend yourselves against them. Any questions?"
One Gryffindor girl timidly raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss...?" Sirius asked.
"Orsson." she said and proceeded to question. "Is it true that you are an animagus?"
"Yes, Miss Orsson, I take the form of a dog."
"Cool!" she replied. Cassiopeia rolled her eyes.
"Anyone else?" Sirius opened the room to anyone who wished to speak.
"Is it true that you were James Potter's best friend?" a fat Gryffindor boy asked.
Black's face clouded instantly, and Harry thought that the boy would eat a hex, but the professor's only response was a cold 'yes'.
"And how did you feel when he became a Death Eater?" the boy insisted. Didn't lions know when to stop?
"How I felt?" Sirius muttered. "I felt betrayed. I turned from my family to do what was right and then my best friend suddenly decided to be a filthy dark wizard who grovelled at You-Know-Who's feet. I felt alone."
Harry felt his blood boil when the man called his father that. It was not like he loved his father, but he missed his family, or the idea of having a family.
"As if he can call James Potter filthy when he is the filthy one in the Black family." the Lestrange girl mumbled, but Sirius heard it anyway.
"Ten points from Slytherin, Lestrange."
The girl glared icily at Sirius but did not talk back.
As the class went on Professor Black clearly showed animosity towards the Slytherins and took points from them every time it was possible, never awarding any. Harry was sure that DADA would be the worst class in Hogwarts.
"Potter, stay behind." Sirius spoke at the end of the class.
"We will be waiting outside, Harry." Cassiopeia said. She, Anthony and Septimus stayed out the door waiting for the raven haired boy.
"Yes, professor?" Harry said in the coolest tone he could.
"As you may already know, I am your godfather." Harry's face made no reaction in response to his words. Black sighed. "How have you been living during these years, Harry?"
The boy was outraged. The man had the boldness to ask about his life? And call him Harry?
"I don't understand how this is any of your concern."
"I am your godfath-"
"And yet you left me! I know that you should have take my custody, but you did not. You sent me to live with the muggle" a clear disgust when the word was spoken "relatives of my mother, who left me on the doorstep of a filthy muggle orphanage. And you dare call me Harry? It is Potter to you!"
"I thought that it would be better if you grew up with muggles, to avoid you walking on your father's steps." Black said in a patronizing voice.
Harry chuckled coolly, the sound chilling Sirius' spine. "You have no idea how wrong you were in this assumption."
Sirius shook his head in denial. "I thought we would be able to have a good relationship, Har–Potter."
"I think it is too late for that, professor Black. May I go?" at the man's nod Harry left the class with hard steps.
—/—
"So the mutt wanted to play the little good godfather with you?" Cassiopeia asked in disbelief. "It seems that as much as he tried to deny his blood, he simply cannot. The Black insanity reached him, apparently."
"Black insanity?" Harry asked quizzically.
"It is rumoured that some members of the Black family went mad. Like my mother for example. It was my aunt who told me this." she paused "I wonder how she will be like when she gets out of Azkaban."
"Do you believe it's possible?" Harry asked, now much more interested in the conversation. If Bellatrix could get out of the prison, so could his parents.
"When Bellatrix was arrested she screamed that they could toss her in Azkaban and the Dark Lord would get her out of there." Anthony replied before Cassiopeia could answer.
"But wasn't the Dark Lord gone when she was arrested?" Harry questioned frowning.
The Lestrange raised a suggestive eyebrow and smirked. "There are rumours that he took measures to make himself immortal." she spoke in a hushed tone.
Harry's eyes widened. "And you think they are true?"
Cassiopeia shrugged. "Who knows? But I am sure that my parents will get out of that hell, and when they do..." an evil grin "There will be hell to pay."
Harry nodded at the girl and wondered how wonderful it would be to have his parents, even if they were maddened by the Dementors.
—/—
As the months passed Harry become really good friends with Cassiopeia; he mused that it was because of their similar situation – extremely loyal Death Eater parents in Azkaban. He was close to Anthony and Septimus too. Among the older Slytherins, however, Harry was not completely accepted. He was already irate in the first two weeks, but refrained himself of doing anything against his house-mates.
It was just before the Yule break that Harry entered the Slytherin common room, along with Cassiopeia (or Cass as he was calling her now) and he heard Adrian Pucey, a third year, talking about him.
"Potter taints our house. I don't know how he got sorted into Slytherin... The filthy half-blood, son of a mudblood."
"I suggest, Pucey, that you refrain from talking in such disrespectful ways of myself, or my family." Harry said, startling the third year, who did not expect him to be there.
His shock was soon replaced with the boisterous attitude Harry had accustomed him to. "Thanks for the suggestion, but I prefer to talk about anyone the way I want." Pucey replied smugly.
"Oh, forgive me, did I give you the impression that you have a choice?" Harry said and chuckled. "Let me make it clear to you. I demand that you stop referring myself or my family in such ways."
"You are no one, nothing, Potter, to demand something of anyone here is just ridiculous."
"Very well." Harry said calmly. "Don't you ever complain that I did not give you the chance." and then he got out of the common room, his robes billowing behind him in a manner that reminded most in the room of their Head of House.
Two weeks later Adrian Pucey apologised to Harry in front of several Slytherins. Nobody knew what made him change his mind, and when Harry's friends asked what he did to Pucey he would just shrug and say that maybe Adrian changed his mind on his own. The third years, however, or at least the ones closest to Pucey, seemed to know what Potter did, and feared him for it.
The only other Slytherin who knew what happened was not a student, but the Head of House. Pucey had asked him, several nights in a row, for dreamless sleep potion. Snape had thought nothing of it the first few days, but on the fifth day of Snape giving him the potion, the boy looked utterly defeated and told him "I don't know why I keep taking this, the potion does not even work anyway."
The Potions master had not asked Harry to stop, Slytherins would be Slytherins after all, and that was how things worked in that house. Moreover, Potter had not even harmed Pucey physically (which was not uncommon between Slytherins).
—/—
Harry stayed at Hogwarts during Yule break. All of his friends (and the rest of the Slytherins as well) had gone home and he was alone. He used the time to study more advanced books on the classes he was taking, as he was ahead in all of them except Transfiguration, which was a really hard subject, even if he loved it. His passions were Transfiguration and Potions, and he had made a deal with Snape to use his lab during the break if he helped the professor to brew the potions for Madam Pomfrey.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter. Today we will brew dreamless sleep potion, since you were quite responsible for the depletion of my stocks."
"Good afternoon, sir. I don't know what you mean by that, I do not recall ever asking you dreamless sleep."
Severus smirked widely. "You did not, Mr. Pucey, however..." he trailed off.
"I have no idea what you are talking about, sir."
"Say what you will, Mr. Potter."
—/—
Harry received gifts from his friends. Cassiopeia sent him a necklace with a snake pendant. It was made of silver and the snake had emerald eyes, just like Harry's. It also had a few protective charms built into it. Harry loved it.
Anthony sent him a book on the Dark Arts – only an introduction, not really dark stuff. Septimus gave him a Potions knife with the Potter crest. Harry felt bad for not being able to give his friends gifts as well, but he could not leave Hogwarts, so he only sent them letters using their own owls – as he had refused to buy one the day he had been sent to Diagon Alley, something he was already regretting.
Harry received two secret gifts. One was a photo album, with pictures of his parents. It was the first time he ever saw them. Lily was beautiful, her long red hair shone and contrasted with her pale skin. Her eyes were emerald just like his. James was handsome, and everything on him screamed the pureblood aristocracy. Harry found out that his hair had Lily's aspect but with James' colour. They were very happy in the pictures.
In the middle of the album he began to find photos of James and Lily with some friends. Harry recognized his head of house in some of them. One of the pictures contained several people. In its back it was read "Lily and James Potter, Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange, Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy, Augustus Rookwood, Anthony Rosier, Diana and Orfeu Shaqif, Severus Snape." Harry laughed. The books described Death Eaters as inhumane persons that only killed and spread destruction. Who would have guessed that they also took pictures together as normal people? He made a mental note to show the picture to Anthony and Cass.
The other gift was an invisibility cloak. It had a note attached that said "It belonged to your father and was in my possession. It belongs to you now, by right." Harry suspected that it had been Sirius Black who gave him that, as the professor had tried again to approach him during the year. Harry wondered if he was being too harsh with the man.
Of all the gifts, Harry liked the photo album and the necklace the most. They were the most personal.
—/—
"Hello, Potter!" Cassiopeia said cheerfully when she entered the common room. Harry rolled his eyes because the girl sometimes insisted in calling him Potter.
"Hello, Cass. How was your break? I loved the necklace, by the way. Thank you very much."
"It was wonderful, I spent the two weeks with my Aunt Cissa and Uncle Lucius, and my cousin, but he is a conceited git."
"Shouldn't all the purebloods be conceited gits?" He teased. "And they are the Malfoys, right?" Harry said recalling the names from the photo.
"Yes."
"Wait here, I have to show you something." Harry said and went to his dorm to take the album.
When he returned, Anthony was there with Cassiopeia as well.
"Hello, Anthony. Thank you for the book, I've already read it, it is quite good."
"You are such a bookworm." Rosier mocked.
"Whatever." Harry waved him off. "How was your break?"
"Boring. My parents made me go to a boring ball. I got sick and could not fly. How was yours?"
"Marvellous. I studied a lot. I am currently studying the second year books of Potions, Charms and DADA. Snape allowed me to use his lab to brew."
"Merlin! Your concept of marvellous and mine are quite distant." Cassiopeia said. Harry just shrugged.
"I have something to show you." Harry said opening the album. "Look." he said pointing at the picture.
Cassiopeia brushed her fingers over the figure of her parents. Her expression saddened.
"She is beautiful, isn't she?" Lestrange whispered.
"Yes. And my mother too." Harry muttered.
"You have her eyes." the girl said, her eyes never letting the picture, though she had already seen a lot of pictures of her parents. Just not many where they looked genuinely happy as they appeared in this photo album.
Anthony felt unease at the depressed atmosphere that flooded the place.
"I don't know what you think, but my father and Snape look rather ridiculous..." The words had the desired effect, Harry and Cassiopeia burst out laughing, and Anthony felt relieved. 'At least they did not cry.' he thought.
—/—
The remainder of the year passed without affairs. Harry passed his exams with Outstanding except for History of Magic, where he got one Exceeds Expectations.
"I am so sorry for you, Harry, having to go back to that horrible orphanage." Cassiopeia said.
"Me too." Anthony added.
"You are not more sorry than I am." Harry replied. He was advised that there were now wards placed on the orphanage to inform the ministry if he performed magic – even the wandless magic that he was used to using. He would be defenceless if the other children decided to unite against him.
"Next year Longbottom will come to Hogwarts, it will be hell." Septimus whined.
Harry snorted. The Boy-Who-Lived would certainly be the new Hogwarts' favourite, and probably an attention seeking brat. But right now he was way more worried with his summer. He sighed and bid his friends farewell. Cassiopeia promised she would send a letter and lent an owl to Harry during the summer, so he could contact his friends whenever he wanted – or needed.
He felt his heart clench at the idea of leaving Hogwarts. This was the place where he really felt at home. The school was his sanctuary. And he couldn't wait to come back.