Disclaimer: I do not own HP.  I repeat, I do NOT own HP.  But, of course, you lot know this, right?  If not, whack yourself repeatedly in the head with a blunt object until you do.

Chapter 21 – Not the Kind to Believe Boy-Who-Lived Evil?

It has recently been discovered that Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, is an Heir of Slytherin.  Will he join He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named…?

Boy-Who-Lived: Heir of Slytherin

Harry Potter, savior of the wizarding world, is a blood relative of one of the darkest wizards of all time!  This report er has spoken to parents of children at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, who believe the Boy-Who-Live should be expelled…

Second Heir Revealed!

The Boy-Who-Lived has been revealed as an Heir of Slytherin!  What shall the Ministry do…?

"Mortals," sneered Salazar as Harry finished reading the third column about himself.  "They so easily believe that I and all of my kin are evil."

"Voldemort's our kin and he's evil," said Harry as he folded the papers.

"That imp of a Riddle cannot be described by such a simple word.  And what prompted you to reveal this to the world?"

Harry shrugged and leaned back against the statue's ear.

"I don't know," he said.  "It just sort of – came out.  But now at least Dumbledore's stopped trying to kill me."

"A small blessing," rumbled Salazar.  "What of your classmates?"

Harry sighed heavily and replied, "More difficult.  The Hufflepuff's are all terrified of me now, as are the Ravenclaw's.  Only a few of the Gryffindors are still on my side."

"They have abandoned you?"

Harry nodded.  "All except for Ethan, Mione, Gin, Neville, Dean, and Ron."

"And the Slytherins?"

"Amazingly, they're being civil.  I won't tell you how many of them I've had come up to me in the corridors and try to swear allegiance.  Sheesh.  Tell somebody you're the stronger Heir and all of the other one's followers flock to you."

Salazar chuckled and said, "At least now you don't have to hide it, lad."

"True," said Harry, rubbing the bridge of his nose where his glasses used to sit.  "And I'm glad for that.  Even if my eyes do give people the willies."

"Willies?"

"Shivers, creeps, bad feelings…that sort of stuff."

"Ah.  What are you going to do now?"

Harry shrugged and replied, "I don't know.  McGonagall came to talk to me about staying here at Hogwarts for the summer.  I told her about that dream I had."

"The one of you, the unicorn, and the dragon?" asked Salazar.

Harry nodded then turned his head towards the statue's closest eye.  "Why do you call them that?" he asked.

The eye rolled towards him and Salazar replied, "Because that is what they are."

"What do you mean?  Like…Animagi or something?"

"Yes," rumbled Salazar.

Harry frowned then asked, "Well, what am I?"

"You?"  There was a brief pause.  "I cannot see you, lad.  And what of my weaponry?  Have you yet had  a chance to ask that hat of Godric's about it?"

"No.  I could do that over summer, maybe."

"Will the other two be staying?"

"Ethan will.  I don't know about Malfoy…Draco.  It might make his father and Voldemort suspicious."

"I would suggest you keep him here.  I sense darkness awaiting that boy should he return home this summer."

Harry nodded and said, "I'll tell McGonagall."

"Good.  The three of your fates are intertwined with each others.  Should one fall, so shall the other two."

"Did you happen to have the Sight when you were alive?"

"No," sneered Salazar.  "But I have been around for a very long time and that teaches you how to read the meanings in things."

"I'll remember that.  I guess I'd better head back up.  The Leaving Feast'll be starting soon."

"Don't let the fools above get you down, lad," said Salazar as Harry muttered in Parseltongue to the statue's ear.  The teen paused, one hand resting on the topmost curve of the stone ear, and grinned at the statue of his ancestor.

"No problem there, Sal.  I'll talk to you later."

"And bring the unicorn and the dragon with you!" yelled Salazar after Harry as the teen ducked into the passageway.

* * * *

When Harry crawled out of the passage behind the marble staircase, his eyes fell upon a pair of shoes.  Following them up, he met Cornelius Fudge's eyes.

"Hello, sir," he piped as he stood, brushing dust from the knees of his rather tattered jeans.  The Minister looked askance at him.

"This is dreadful business you have flying about, Mister Potter.  What is the meaning for these lies?"

"What lies?" asked Harry innocently.

Fudge frowned.

"Now, now, Potter.  You'll not have me believing this rubbish about you being an Heir of Slytherin.  First that bit about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and now this.  Who do you think you're fooling?"

Harry almost laughed aloud.  Fudge thought he was joking!  Ha!  He absently rubbed the dark scars on his right wrist, remembering the words the Thestral had whispered into his mind.  'Protection.'  But from what?  Or whom?

Not Fudge certainly.  He could protect himself from him.

Harry smirked and said, "Believe what you will, sir, but I am the Heir of Slytherin and Voldemort (Fudge quivered here) has returned."

"You are digging your own grave, Potter."

"Well then I suppose I'll get the depth right, won't I?" quipped Harry before he turned sharply on a heel and started towards the Great Hall.  "If you'll excuse me, sir, I have a Feast to attend."

"Potter!" bellowed the Minister from behind him but the dark-haired teen just continued on towards the Great Hall.  A number of second year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors froze as they saw him approach and began to back away hastily.  That brought a frown from the young Heir of Slytherin.  To his left, two second year Slytherins looked at him with admiration and his frown deepened.  He didn't want the fear or the admiration.  Or the turning of the Slytherins backs on Voldemort just because he was the stronger Heir.  He just wanted to be himself and be left alone.  Without anyone's fear, pity, ridicule, admiration, or anything.

With a heavy sigh, Harry entered the Hall, instantly falling under the gaze of most of those already inside.  Several teachers eyed him disdainfully – with the exception of McGonagall and Dumbledore.  The former smiled tightly at him whilst the latter gave him a measuring look.

Harry ignored the stares from his fellow students and walked over to where his friends had already seated themselves.  "'Lo all," he said, forcing cheer into his voice as he sat down next to his girlfriend.

"You okay?" asked Ginny, scooting closer to him.  Her brown eyes were wide and questioning.

Harry forced a smile and replied, "Yeah.  I'm good.  How about you lot?"

"Oh," said Ethan airily, "besides the occasional glare and condemnation to Hell, we're fine."

Harry arched an eyebrow, a habit picked up from Ethan.

"Condemnations to Hell?  How come I didn't get one?"

Ginny and Hermione both gave him scathing looks and he held up his hands in defense.

"Hey, I'm joking."

"This isn't a laughing matter," said Hermione sternly, an air of McGonagall in her voice.  "Its serious."

Ethan groaned and let his head drop onto the table.  "Please leave my twin out of this," he mumbled into the wood.

"What was that?" asked Hermione in surprise.

"Nothing," replied Ethan, popping back up.  "And this isn't Sirius."

"I'm beginning to hate that joke."

"I agree," rumbled Ginny with a glare and a crossing of her arms.

Ethan held up his hands in defense and gave Harry a look that read 'What did I do?'  The other dark-haired teen chuckled at that then said, "Fudge is here."

"The Minister?" gasped Ginny.  "What's he doing here?"

"Oh, telling me that I'm a liar."

"How dare he…"

"The man is an idiot, Ginny," said Ethan with a slight sneer.  "He won't believe anything Dumbledore tells him yet believes everything Lucius says.  Only an idiot should believe a Malfoy."

Harry coughed into his hand then said softly, "We're believing a Malfoy."

Ethan frowned.  "Draco is an entirely different story."

"Ah, but you said Malfoy's, not Lucius Malfoy."

"Stop twisting my words!"

"You did it to yourself," said Harry in a singsong voice.

"Bastard."

"Braggart."

"'Sod."

"Ass."

"Ignoramus."

"Fool."

"Moron."

"Idiot."

"Gryffindor."

"Slytherin."

"Oh stop it, you two," scolded Hermione and Ginny at the same time.

Harry and Ethan both looked abashed and replied in unison, "Yes, ma'am."

The two girls both glanced heavenward and the two boys grinned mischievously at each other.

* * * *

Next morning…

"Mister Malfoy!"

Draco blinked as he started to shove his trunk onto the train and turned to find a furious McGonagall striding towards him.  He took a nervous step back as she stormed up to him and reached out a hand to grasp his right ear.

"Ow!" he yelped and tilted his head to the side to aleave the pain.  "Professor…what?"

"Mister Malfoy," hissed McGonagall, "what do you think you are doing?"

"Going home, ma'am," replied Draco.  "Just like everyone else."

"When you were forbidden to leave the school by the Headmaster?  Go immediately up to Professor Dumbledore's office!  He shall wish to speak to you."

McGonagall slung the blond forward by his head and gave him a firm shove in the direction of the school.  She tapped his trunk with her wand, which floated up into the air as she turned towards him.

"Go, Mister Malfoy!"

Draco felt a sneer cross his face and he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his robe, which he was wearing over bluejeans and a t-shirt.  He turned on a heel and began to storm up to the castle, scowling furiously.

What had he done to deserve this?

* * * *

As McGonagall and Draco climbed up the stairs and entered Dumbledore's office, they were greeted by the sight of Harry and Ethan slouching in chairs in front of the Headmaster's desk.  Ethan had his combat boots propped on the corner of the desk and he and Harry were arguing furiously about…broomsticks.

"Sure the Firebolt's fast but that new Comet is supposed to be faster."

"Oh, c'mon.  A Comet faster than a Firebolt?  Since when?"

"Or maybe its supposed to be more agile…"

"You don't remember?"

"Nope.  Ah, hello, Minerva."  Ethan smiled at McGonagall, which prompted Harry to turn around to look at the two newcomers.  Draco couldn't help but shiver as those serpentine eyes looked at him.

"Ethan, Harry," said McGonagall, a small smile upon her face.  "I found your wayward soul."  She flicked her wand at Draco's trunk, which dropped onto the floor with a bang!

Draco's eyes narrowed and he snarled, "You mean you two are making me miss the train?!"

"Would you rather be a Death Eater?" asked Harry in a slightly dark tone.  "If you'd have gone back home, that's probably what would have happened."

"How do you know?"

"I had a talk with Salazar before the Feast last night," replied Harry.  "He suggested it."

"Oh," sneered Draco, "we're taking orders from a statue now."

Harry's eyes narrowed and he snapped, "We don't take orders from anyone, Malfoy.  And I'd have you remember that the three of us are all Voldemort needs to finish what he started over fifteen years ago!"

"What does my father have to do with this?"

"Other than he's Voldemort's right hand?" asked Ethan, swinging his boots down from the desktop.  "Other than the fact that he is one of the most ruthless men in the Dark Lord's ranks?"

"One of the most ruthless men?" queried Draco.  "You mean, like the second?"

"Something of that sort."

"Who's the first?"

Ethan locked dark eyes with gray.  "You mean, who was the first."

Harry blinked and turned his serpentine eyes off of Draco and onto Ethan.  "You?" he asked in a surprised tone.

Ethan nodded slowly and said, "Yeah, me.  Hard to believe, isn't it?"  He paused then continued, "But that's not what we're here for.  We're all staying at Hogwarts for the summer."

"All three of us?" gasped Draco.

"Yes," said Harry as Medusa dashed into the office past McGonagall's heels.  She leapt up onto her master's head and purred loudly as she settled down in his nest of dark hair.  "I think we all agree Hogwarts is one of the safest places we can be."

"And it is best that all of you are safe," said Dumbledore as he entered the office from the door behind his desk.

Draco's jaw dropped at the sight of the older wizard and he whirled upon Ethan.  "I thought he wasn't helping you two!" he exclaimed.

"He wasn't," answered Harry darkly.  He cast the wizard a dark frown and continued, "He's only helping us because he doesn't want us in Voldemort's hands.  Most particularly me."

"You lucky bastard," said Ethan sarcastically.

"Oh, yeah, thanks."

"I am sorry Minerva was forced to retrieve you so…brusquely, Mister Malfoy," said Dumbledore with a small smile at the Transfiguration professor.

"Mmm," said Draco, casting a small scowl towards the professor.  "Yes, sorry for my ear, you mean."

"Ear?" queried Ethan, arching an eyebrow.

"She grabbed my ear."

When Ethan looked at McGonagall curiously, she shrugged and said, "It was all I could think of at the time."  She then looked at Dumbledore and added, "I will go and put Mister Malfoy's things with Harry and Ethan's.  Excuse me."

As she left with Draco's trunk bobbing along behind her, the blond teen exclaimed, "What did that mean?"

Harry grinned and Ethan smirked as he replied, "It means you're rooming with us for the summer."

Draco paled.

"Oh no."

"Oh yes," assured Harry with a mischievous grin.  Medusa meowed from atop his head and he sighed, "Shut up, Dusa."

A/N: And so ends sixth year…  Lord help us all when my muses figure out what seventh year's going to be.  *shivers*