10/21/03: Here's the next chapter. Hello to everyone from my first story, and thanks for giving this one a chance. I hope I can live up to your expectations on this story.
4. Adjustments
Harry stood in front of the mirror, unable to form coherent thoughts, simply staring at the reflection of his Slytherin robes. A passing student finally broke him out of his stupor.
"C'mon Potter, let's get a move on. Breakfast is half over," the Slytherin said amiably as he ran by. Harry looked up and saw a student pass by, most likely a seventh year. Considering the rivalry between the Gryffindor and Slytherin Houses, Harry was not surprised that he didn't know the Slytherin's name. However, he looked old enough to be a sixth or seventh year, and Harry could rule out sixth year because he unfortunately did know all the sixth year Slytherins.
"I'll be right there Geoffrey," Harry called back automatically. Geoffrey?!? Since when did Harry know who Geoffrey was? The name simply came to Harry without having to think about it. Harry shook his head, frustrated at the recent turn of events. Hermione. Hermione would know what to do. He took one last look at himself, hefted his schoolbag, and took the stairs to the common room and into the dungeons beyond. Harry looked around, a bit apprehensive. He had been by the Slytherin common room once before, in second year. Now, four years later, Harry had no idea where he was in the castle, except for the fact that he was somewhere in the dungeons. Hoping to run into a familiar part of the castle, perhaps a corridor by Snape's classroom, Harry starting walking. He soon found, to his immense relief and consternation, that he hadn't had to worry. His feet seemed to know the way to the Great Hall, almost as if he'd walked the same path year after year. Ignoring the looks of the students he passed in the corridors (being used to attention), Harry found himself walking into the Great Hall in no time at all.
In yet another moment of the strange and bizarre, Harry found himself conflicted as soon as he entered the Great Hall. Where to sit - Gryffindor table or Slytherin table? What was once an automatic decision became unbearably complicated. One part of him urged him to go to the Gryffindor table, find Ron and Hermione, and figure out what the heck was going on. An equally strong part told him to hurry up and finish breakfast at the Slytherin table before classes started. For what seemed like a full minute, Harry stood rooted in place in the doorway of the Great Hall, trying to decide something as simple as which House table to sit at. Late-arriving students maneuvered around him, some throwing questioning looks at his behavior, but most simply hurried away.
"Morning Harry," said a cheerful voice. Harry spun around and found himself in front of a dark-haired Slytherin girl he had only seen a few times. Like before, the name came to his mind effortlessly – Daphne Greengrass. A pureblood witch, Daphne had two younger sisters. Her mother and father were wealthy like the Malfoys, but Daphne was very grounded, not at all pretentious like Malfoy could be. Where this information came from, and why the first thing he thought of was that she was a pureblood witch, Harry had no ideas.
"Yoo hoo," Daphne said in a singsong voice, waving her hand back and forth in front of Harry's face. "Anyone there?"
Harry shook his head. "Yeah, sorry about that Daph," he said sheepishly. "Stayed up late last night. Overslept a bit."
Daphne smirked. "Ah," she said. "Up late again talking with the boys about all the Slytherin girls?" she teased as they walked towards the Slytherin table.
Harry chuckled. "You wish," he said lightly. "Though," he added with a look of deep thought on his face. "Maybe if you were to leave a few of those buttons undone, show a bit more leg…"
Daphne laughed and slapped him lightly on the arm. "Now who's the one doing the wishing?" she asked, and then sat down across from Pansy Parkinson. Harry stared at her a moment, shocked at his own behavior. Not only was he talking to a Slytherin as if he did so every day, but did he really say those things? Show a bit more leg? Yeesh! Harry looked at the table and saw that he was standing behind Malfoy, who was currently in a conversation with Theodore Nott. Crabbe and Goyle were nearby, shoving mountain-sized amounts of food into their mouths. Harry sat down in the empty seat between Daphne and Malfoy, feeling as if he'd been sitting at that table every day for the past five years, as opposed to where he's really been sitting, by Ron and Hermione. Thinking of his two friends, Harry looked over at the Gryffindor table. Malfoy, to Harry's chagrin, always sat facing the Gryffindors, and the two traded many an evil glare over the years. Now, Harry was thankful that Malfoy sat facing the other tables, as it gave Harry a good view of the Gryffindor table. Harry had to look up and down the table twice before he found his friends, for they weren't sitting in their usual spot. In fact, Harry was surprised to see Hermione sitting near Lavender and Neville, while Ron sat by Dean and Seamus - it was a bit early in the term for the two to be fighting already. Only the top of Hermione's bushy hair could be seen behind the Daily Prophet she was reading, and occasionally she would lower it to add to the conversation around her. Ron, on the other hand, was gesturing wildly, clearly describing some Quidditch move to Dean and Seamus.
"Already at work planning what to do to the Gryffindors this year?" Malfoy asked with a glint in his eye, misinterpreting the hard stares Harry was throwing at Ron and Hermione.
"Aww…be nice now, Harry," Pansy said from across the table. "Isn't it bad enough that we always beat them in everything?"
"Bah! It never hurt to remind those goody-too-shoes who's the best house here," Theodore Nott said.
"Pansy's right Harry," Daphne said next to him. "Let them recover from losing the Quidditch Cup finals from last year."
Harry chuckled. "Alright, alright," he said placating as he filled his plate with bacon and eggs. At that moment, Professor Snape walked up to them. A chorus of "Good morning, Professor Snape," broke out as Harry cringed slightly, expected a derisive comment from the Potions Master, but he didn't even get a scornful look.
"Good morning sixth years," Snape said as he handed out the schedules. "Everyone have a good summer?"
"Yes Professor Snape," Malfoy responded for the group.
"And you, Mr. Potter? The Dursley's treat you well?"
Harry was stunned into silence. Snape was actually asking about his summer without a sneer? A nudge from Daphne brought him back to reality. "Er, yes Professor. They were fine."
Snape looked at him oddly a moment. "Very good then. I shall see you in class. Have a good morning," he said before walking down the table to the fifth years.
"Ah, great!" he heard Malfoy say happily beside him, looking at his schedule. "We have double potions first thing this morning!"
"You mean you have double potions," Blaise Zabini said sullenly from across the table. "I have History of Magic."
"Well, I guess we can't all get O's on our Potions OWLs, now can we?" Malfoy said smugly. Harry looked at his schedule and saw he too, had potions first thing. He groaned. Harry had forgotten that he would be having NEWT level Potions with Snape this year in the confusion of the events of the morning. It was definitely not something he was looking forward too, and he knew Snape would look for any excuse to kick him out of the class. Or at least, the Snape that Harry knew. This new Snape was unpredictable. A bell signifying that classes were to begin shortly sounded throughout the hall. Harry silently grabbed his bag and followed the other Slytherins into the hallway.
"Are you OK Harry," he heard Pansy ask him as they walked towards the dungeons. "You were quiet all during breakfast." Harry looked over at her, surprised. The Pansy he knew was a mean, spiteful girl, not someone who would ask about Harry Potter with genuine concern in her eyes.
"I'm fine Pansy," he replied. "Just dreading double Potions with Snape."
At that, Pansy let loose with a small chuckle and shook her head. "As if you have anything to worry about. If you're worried, the rest of us are doomed."
Harry forced a chuckle and a smile. "I guess you're right. Just first day nerves, I guess."
Pansy nodded. "Hey, where's your Prefect badge?" she asked, briefly running a finger over her own badge.
"My what? Ron's prefect, not me."
Pansy gave him a very odd look. "What are you talking about Harry? Who's Ron?"
"Erm," Harry stammered. He was in Slytherin, and in Slytherin, Draco was the prefect. "I-I mean, Draco, not Ron."
Pansy's eyes widened considerably at the news. "What? Since when? Hey Draco!" she called out.
Ahead of them, Draco turned his head to look over his shoulder as he walked. "Hmm?"
"Are you a prefect now?"
"No, why?"
"Harry said so."
Draco looked at Harry briefly and shrugged. "He's just playing a joke on you, Pansy. I swear, you'll believe anything," he teased.
Pansy turned back to Harry, squinting her eyes at him in mock anger. "Oh, you!" she said, pinching his arm.
"Oww!" Harry said, rubbing the sore spot. He then remembered suddenly that he had left his prefect badge on his nightstand. "I just forgot it, that's all," Harry said, before starting a pinching fight all the way to the Potions classroom.
keebler-elmo: My explanation for someday getting H/Hr is that Harry's sorta got two memories in his head; his life as Slytherin and his life as Gryffindor. So, he's still best friends with Hermione. Hermione, on the other hand…
Romm: Things are still a bit fuzzy in Harry's head, and the altered timeline will slowly come back to him. A lot of things are different now, both with events as we know it and with Harry himself.
Facade1: I think you'll be happy since Snape will be pretty decent throughout. After all, Harry's in Slytherin now, and even more importantly, that very fact gives Snape a sort of victory over the Marauders - what better way to exact his revenge then have the son of his enemy turn to his side?
Ears91: As you'll soon see, Harry is only friendly with Slytherins. Hermione and Ron are different with Harry's influence.