Chapter 3: Tarnished Dreams

It wasn't long before Eriol found himself in the midst of the Great Hall among his fellow school mates, waiting to be sorted. His newly made friends sat at the Gryffindor table throwing him encouraging smiles and nods. They were confident that the boy would join the ranks of the Gryffindor brigade. Eriol was surprised to see a set of icy eyes fixed on him from the Slytherin table as well. Everyone else was pretty much a clueless blur as to who he was. He was snapped out of his distractions when his name was called up to the sorting hat. Eriol had heard it's initial song and had seen the process by which the kids were assembled into their houses and he trotted up confidently to the 3 legged stool. At the head table, wise old Dumbledore looked on with a gleam in his eye. Snape looked particularly curious at his end of the table as he eyed the boy over and searched the Gryffindor table for the 'real' Harry Potter. Satisfied that only ONE Potter existed he eased up in his chair. The same confusion must of crossed McGonagall's face as she placed the hat on the boy's head, an amused tinge to her usually stern face. The hall grew quiet as the hat probed into the mind of the Harry clone and his friends sat on the edge of their seats awaiting it's decision anxiously. After a few grunts and hums the hat stood upright and declared the boy a Slytherin.

Eriol's gaze shot to the glum looks of his 3 friends and the empty seat beside them. Meanwhile a glorious cheer rang through the Slytherin table and Draco was the first to shove a poor nameless house-mate from their chair, to give the approaching Eriol a place beside him. Eriol took the seat uneasily.

"Why do they cheer so?" he ventured to ask the maliciously grinning Malfoy.

"It's not every day we get our own Potter look-alike." Draco mused.

The blonde shot a dangerously triumphant look at the famous scarred boy across the room. The fork in Harry's hand snapped in two.

Eriol gazed almost longingly at the Gryffindor table. Draco noticed, cutting his attention by sliding an arm about the mage's shoulders.

"I knew you were Slytherin material from the moment I saw you, Eriol. And a pure-blood wizard to boot from the tingling sensation you purposefully sent me, shaking my hand that time. The Gryffindors have everything to envy but that does not apply to you. Everything you could possibly want, Slytherin can provide. I can also help you there.." he concluded with an almost wicked grin.

Eriol nodded. He was sorted into this house for a reason and as long as he was in it..it couldn't hurt to make a few friends. Eriol could already tell that Malfoy was regarded with much respect and to have him on his side was probably the best he could hope for.

The ceremony ended promptly only to be concluded by a lavish feast. Eriol had to admit, that while this type of magic was different to his own, it certainly had it's benefits. He was here mainly to learn as much as he could, since he already was the world's second most powerful sorcerer. Or so he thought.

~*~

"It's rather odd, isn't it?" said Hermione from across the table, "I know the sorting hat is never wrong, but..why do you suppose he was made a Slytherin?"

Ron munched loudly on his chicken wing and nodded furiously as if he had been wondering the same thing. They both turned to Harry who found himself currently not hungry.

He sighed resting a hand on his cheek. It was odd of him, he knew, especially since he had just met the other boy but..it almost felt as if he had lost something close to him. Maybe he was letting the 'look-alike' business go to his head, but it 'did' feel like a twin was lost in the process of the sorting ceremony. He had hoped his double would join the Gryffindors and grace the house with more of his extensive knowledge. Harry couldn't deny there was something incredibly interesting and mysterious about the boy sitting at the Slytherin table. There was more to him than met the eye and Harry had wanted to find out what it was. It was like losing a grimy rock..that with enough polish could actually reveal a rare jewel beneath. That's how Harry saw Eriol. He saw in him the potential to be someone incredibly important and to think that someone like that went to Slytherin made his blood boil.

"They don't deserve him.." Harry growled, "They don't know what they have sitting there.."

Harry?..Hermione thought to herself as she saw the mix of loss and rage in her friend's eyes.

"But he is a Slytherin for a reason..the truth is, we really don't know much about him." he finished, defeated in his own reasoning.

Ron swallowed down his chunk of food, "And it's not like plunging the world into darkness is much of a Gryffindor-type of thing to do. It HAD Voldemort written all over it. The ministry itself thought so.."

"Don't say that Ron!" Hermione snapped, "I seriously doubt Eriol is the type to go join Voldemort and become some mangy Death Eater.."

"Yeah, well he's not exactly Auror material either is he. You heard the way he talked about his past adventures in Japan. He regretted all the evil little tests he put his sorceress friend through, but that gleam in his eye told me he also had fun doing it. It's Slytherin material I say." Ron stated, defending his original claim, "and the way he gets on with that git, Malfoy..you heard what he said on the train about understanding him..it's curious if you ask me."

Harry sighed again as his two friends continued to bicker. Across the room Draco draped his arm over Eriol and sent Harry a swift mocking glance. Harry's tempted hand twitched, hovering above his wand. What he wouldn't give to place a curse upon his Slytherin tormentor. But Harry knew better than to screw things up for his house on the first day, in front of Dumbledore and the staff. That would be the sort of thing Malfoy would relish in and he was not worth it. Instead Harry thought of a different strategy.

"Malfoy is just using him, Eriol doesn't mean anything to him. Slytherin or no Slytherin..Eriol is still our friend."

Hermione and Ron ceased whatever rebuttal they had coming and perked up curiously at Harry's comment.

"Just what do you plan on doing?" Hermione dared to ask.

"Nothing..but I do believe that for the first time in history a Slytherin and a Gryffindor will be seen hanging and chatting together like old chums, like our houses don't even exist." he said smiling determinedly.

Hermione and Ron fell over.

~*~

The feast ended and all the houses were instructed to adjourn to their respective common rooms. The students filed out of the Great Hall, led by their prefect, and moved onto the staircases that would take them to their dormitories. Eriol marveled at the antique design of the castle as a whole. He would try and implement some of this style to his own mansion when he got home at the end of the year. He chuckled lightly thinking about Nakuru's disappointed face as she read that Hogwarts, unfortunately, could not accept 'non-human' magical beings. Eriol had to comfort her by saying that it also meant Yue couldn't go, so it's not like she was missing much. That, and a shopping spree, was enough to send her bouncing off happily. He missed his guardians back home dearly and had almost passed Spinel off as the cat for his magical animal requirement. There was no fooling Hagrid however, with the aloof eyes, corkscrew tail and little fairy wings, Spinel was no regular cat.

Too bad.

The mass of students arrived at a fork in the stairs where one path led to the Slytherin dungeons and the other to the Gryffindor Tower. It was at this spot that Harry came jogging up to Eriol's side. As if looking in a mirror the two smiled at each other.

"Do you know what class you have first thing tomorrow?" he asked excitedly.

Eriol smiled pulling out his schedule. "Potions.. with a.. Professor Snape?" he read aloud.

Harry rolled his eyes groaning, "Right, I have him too. What do you say we walk there tomorrow after breakfast?"

Eriol happily accepted the offer.

This brief conversation between the two was irritating Draco, who had suddenly found himself talking to the air when all along his all-too-important words had been meant for Eriol's ears. Of course he wasn't about to forgive such an act. Especially since it was Gryffindor slime that had caused his distress.

"Just what do you think you are doing Potter? Are ALL your four eyes blind? I believe your grimy Gryffindor dorm is that-a-way!" Draco graciously reminded him pointing up the staircase, "I suggest you go join your sniveling little squibs-for-friends and stop harassing the Slytherins."

"I was talking to Eriol not you, Malfoy. Why don't you keep to your own business, instead of sticking your pointy little nose where it don't belong?" Harry countered.

Eriol broke in between the two. "Harry. I will see you tomorrow ok? Draco..let's get going."

With that said the two parted ways as Draco snatched Eriol up almost dragging him angrily along.

"Let me remind you one thing, Eriol. You belong to THIS house..not that one. Your house is like family..so make sure you know where your loyalties lie. I wouldn't want someone as important as you to go mixing with the wrong sort. Gryffindors are too lower class for people of our caliber."

Eriol stared at the boy's stern expression as he was pulled along in silent question. Draco turned to him swiftly to make his point clear. "In other words..stay away from Harry Potter."

Eriol knew enough not to press the subject. It had obviously hit some nerve in Draco and he resolved to following the shorter blonde boy in silence. The password was said and both slipped into the dimly lit Slytherin common room. Trotting up the staircase they finally reached the bed chambers. Their belongings were already laid out for them and a few of their fellow students were still putting things away. Eriol found that his bed was right beside Draco's own. He tested the curtains and promptly began putting his things in order. Draco finished his task quickly and seemed eager to hit the sack. He stripped down to his boxers only to catch Eriol staring.

"Not so 'mini' after all am I?" Draco sneered standing up straight in Eriol's sight as if modeling himself in the mirror.

The boy had no shame.

"I..I had been referring to our height.." Eriol stuttered turning back to his duties in an effort to hide his crimson face.

He only heard a chuckle from the pale Slytherin, and the rustle of pajamas, before he thudded into bed. Eriol was grateful for the curtains. This way he wouldn't be plagued by his friend's soft, nearly glowing, skin in the middle of the night. Hopefully..

~*~

It was late that night when Eriol heard the peculiar sounds, coming from the bed next to him. His heart sank as he realized it was coming from Draco. At first he tried to ignore it, sparing the boy some dignity; but after a while of this torment and the fact no one else was bothered by it, he decided to investigate.

Slowly, without a sound, he slipped out of his bed and pulled aside the curtains to his comrades own bed. He was immediately surprised by what he saw.

Draco was twisting and turning on his sheets from time to time, mumbling to himself in his sleep.

A nightmare? Eriol thought. He leaned in closer to see if he could make out what was plaguing the boy's dreams.

"Nnn..n..no father! Please don't.." he mumbled almost incoherently before thrashing about some.

"I-it hurts!" he wailed a little louder this time.

Eriol threw a nervous glance around the room to make sure everyone was still sleeping. He turned his attention back to Draco who had decided to be a little louder in his protests. Eriol couldn't risk someone waking up and finding him in his compromising position, so close to Draco. He wanted to find out what was going through the dragon's head, but he also understood the need to sleep; so without further hesitation he placed a hand on the boy's forehead and chanted a sleeping spell. Draco calmed immediately while Eriol retreated to his own bed. He would try to find out what exactly his friend had dreamed about tomorrow.