Title: Double Life
Rated: R content, eventually
Summery: Harry wake up one morning after fifth year with an unpleasant surprise. He may not be a Metamorphmagus, but he will be able to spy in Slytherin without them knowing who he is.
Notes: The story is a WIP updated every Monday. As for the she/he and his/her problem, Harry still think of himself as a boy, except when he is forced to acknowledge 'his' feminine attribute. That does mean that as long as he is in girl form, he could be referred to both as "he" and as "she". Also, by rereading previous chapter, I found obvious mistakes. When I find one, it gets corrected, but some may still appear while you are reading.
Chapter 4 – Train Ride, Repeated
Ron waked Harry the next morning. Fortunately, it was still early enough for him to take a shower. It had been decided that the best way to do the switch was the only time he was alone, meaning while he was washing himself. Therefore, every time he woke up as Harry, he would shower and use the Time-Turner, set so he always ended in a girl shower in Slytherin. Every time he would wake as Fortuna, he would use a special Portkey that was made for him. It was a special one, which could be used multiple times to end up in exactly this shower. Which have Repelling Charms that made everyone choose another shower. It was exactly like the Muggle-Repelling Charms that have been used at the Quidditch World Cup, except that it repelled everyone but Gendermagus. The same had been applied to the shower he was to use in Slytherin. It was a rather brilliant idea. Now all he had to do was to take his shower at approximately the same time everyday.
Therefore, he took his shower before using his Time-Turner. Then, all he had to do was switch gender and do as if Fortuna had just only taken her shower. Getting out of the small shower to the little changing room just outside, he found a big problem. Since the day before he hasn't taken a shower there as Fortuna, he had not taken any clothes there. Because he was going to take the train like everyone else, all of 'her' things were in the hospital wing, were he slept last night. So now, he was a naked girl in unknown territory.
He may be almost alone in the castle, but Filch and Dumbledore were still there. He may have been able not to be seen by Filch, but he did not have the map to be sure this time. It would be especially bad, because the caretaker did not even know someone beside Dumbledore was in the castle. He knew that Hagrid was still in his hut, but he had nothing to do inside, so there was not any problem from that side.
Since his Time-Turner was made to go back a whole day at each use, it was still the same time in the morning. He was naked and he still had to wait two hours and a half before going to the hospital wing. After all, he did not remember seeing himself this morning. Instant, he went out of the shower and explored. By going in one of the dormitories, he found a sheet to at least cover himself a bit. He visited all the dormitories before going up to the Common Room.
The main differences with of this place with the Gryffindor Tower were the colour scheme and the orientation. Everywhere you went up for in Gryffindor, you went down for in Slytherin. One last thing was the complete absence of windows. He tried to understand how owls could come in and out the air changed. While walking around, he found a spot in which the air seems fresher. Exploring around, he found that it must be a charms of some sort. As for the owls, he could not find anything.
Harry found another difference, when he looked more attentively. The furniture was arranged in smaller groups, as if the Slytherins preferred to sit in groups smaller than the Gryffindors. In a way, it made a lot of sense, since Gryffindors, by nature, were more open and playful than Slytherins.
Not being sure of how long he has been there, Harry decided it was time to risk going to the hospital wing. Getting out, he had a vague idea of were he might be. The idea, for now, was to go up or to find the Potions classroom. Then he would be able to get were he was going without problems. He found stairs fast, but they went nowhere. After going back down and roaming for a while, he found himself in front of Snape office. From there, it was easy to find his way. He even got in the hospital wings in time to see himself being led away by his 'guards'. He went in and clothed himself as hastily as possible and found his make up to hide the scar. After that, he just had to wait for his 'guards' to come back.
***
It was about an hour later that Tonks and Remus knocked on the door. Already set to go, he followed them immediately. Remus hid under an invisibility cloak, probably one of Moody Mad-Eye. Tonks changed her appearance it she looked nothing like earlier. It would not do for Fortuna to appear with the same people as Harry. They used The Hog's Head Floo and they went to the Leaky Cauldron. They walked instant of taking a taxi. It was a long walk, but they did not want to use the same mean of transportation.
Once on the Platform 9 ¾, his 'guards' disappeared and he was ready to began his spying job. He began to walk to the train, when he was almost walked over by a blond wizard. It was, not surprisingly, Malfoy. Prepared to answer to insults, Harry was surprised when Malfoy began to apologies with great enthusiasm. That and he seem to be speaking to his breasts and not to Fortuna herself. Remembering Ron's reaction from the day before, or from later in the day, he began to ask himself what was so fascinating with his breasts. They were quite small, but otherwise normal. As a guy, he thought that it was big breasts that were supposed to be particularly interesting.
When Malfoy finally decided that repeating "sorry" over and over was not an excellent way to make a good first impression, he visibly collected himself.
"I'm Draco, Draco Malfoy."
This time, Harry was ready to take the offered hand.
"Fortuna Fitzgerald. May I ask in which year you are?"
Harry knew the answer, but making Malfoy tell 'her' himself would make mentioning it by accident before being told impossible. It was shocking to see how the boy ended up blabbing because of a girl. Now Harry knew why the blond boy was distracted when he met them on the train. It even took the Head Boy, out of the Prefects Compartment to look for the missing Slytherin Prefect, to stop him from telling uninteresting facts about the five previous years to Fortuna. Harry felt that he needed a mirror. Girl did not react like that to him. Well, except Ginny. And Parvati.
Anyway, he found a compartment were a seat was free. He chose well, since of the five persons inside, four were Slytherins. It was, after all, a good idea to get friendly directly on the train. One of them was the little known Daphne Greengrass. He did not even knew what her name was before she presented herself, and she has been in a lot of his courses. The others Slytherins were Millicent Bullstrode, Blaise Zabini and Angelus Warrington. Harry almost laughed when he learned Warrington first name. He looked like anything, but an Angelus. Moreover, he knew him as Warrington from Quidditch.
He was so busy analysing the social structure of the group to better integrate himself, when Malfoy came back. That brought up the breasts looking problems he found he had. Actually, only with Ron and Malfoy he seam to have that problem. Both Angelus and Blaise were normal.
So his problem was peculiar to Ron and Malfoy. It was so unexpected that he already had found something in which they were alike. It was not long before Pansy Parkinson came looking for her boyfriend. Harry had to ask to the snickering girls what was so funny. Apparently, Pansy was a very jealous girl and she was a leech, which annoyed the blond boy more than it should be possible. Harry stopped to look at the interaction between the two of them.
"But Honeypoo, I've been looking for you all over the train," was saying Pansy in a somewhat falsely sounding sweet voice.
"Pansy dear, I was in the Prefect Compartment, with you. You know, as sitting just beside you. And don't call me disgusting names like that. My name is Draco. Not Dracypoo, not honeykins, darling or whatever you come up with!"
It was very strange to see things from the inside. It really did seem as if Malfoy was constantly annoyed at Pansy. When he got out to escape from his girlfriend, Harry turned back to Millicent and Daphne.
"Are they really going out?" he asked them.
"Sure they are. I can prove only three generations up that I'm a pureblood. It's enough for most, but not the Malfoys. Millicent is from an old family but they are second cousins, too close to wed. The Gryffindors are Muggle- lovers, as are the Hufflepuffs. Ravenclaws are Muggle-lovers or not pure enough or too closely related to him. Same for most older Slytherins. In other words, it's Pansy or nothing," Daphne told him.
"I would choose nothing," Millicent added.
Harry smirked. "I would too. After all, after school he could meet foreign witch. I know there is a very well thought of school in France, Beauxbatons, and another called Durmstrang somewhere in Europe. A more suitable girl could be found, after graduation."
Harry really wanted to hear what the girls would tell him about that. He just enounced an opinion that was conservative and that would fit well the mentality of people like the Malfoys.
"His father would never accept the possibility, but he could marry someone from even farther. The choice is too limited not to. Unless he really wants Pansy." Daphne was making disgusted face at them and they all laughed.
Time passed quickly as wedding politic about pureblood was discussed. Beside them, Blaise Zabini added a comment once in a while, but mostly concentrated on arguing about Quidditch rules with Warrington. It was dark outside when they got to Hogwarts. Being five persons, they could not all fit in a carriage. Harry told them he would go, since he would meet other people that way.
He went behind 'Harry', the real one. He saw himself being surprised. He asked about joining them and Ron reacted exactly as he remembered. The presentation went and he saw how Ron said his family name and Hermione but not his. That Hero sidekick complex of Ron was a royal pain. But it was not as if he did not envy Ron for having a family. He let a comment about Slytherin pass that would help annoying Ron. After all, he wanted him to stop acting like a guy that has just seen a veela.
Now that it was really 'his' breasts that were being leered at, he was annoyed beyond belief. As a boy, he never truly saw how much of a pig Ron could be with girls. Now he was just mad. It was his body. The red head had no reason to look at him like that. To yell would do nothing. But if he got Hermione attention, she would leach at him. That and a hurtful comment would make Ron at least look elsewhere. While saying the cleavage comment in an irritated voice, he reflected that he now understood why he was mean to them.
It was perfect in a way. As a Gryffindor, he was everyone perfect boy. People refuse to see his less golden side and got mad when he showed it. Except that the Slytherins had only responded in kind. Smirking and sarcastic comments did not make everyone ask you what was wrong. They simply took it in stride.
When the carriage stopped, he let them get out first and stayed behind so that he would loose them. It was too weird to comment. It would be best to make sure not to be in contact with himself too much, the strangeness of living twice the same event with different points of view was too much. He would need to be in the same room, but distance would probably help.
When he reached the door of the school, McGonagall joined him.
"Are you Miss Fitzgerald? Follow me, please." The teacher then walked directly to a room close to the Great Hall without waiting for an answer. Once there, they waited for the first years and the teachers told them about the houses, then told them to wait there while she went to the Great Hall.
"Your not a first year," said a particularly round boy in the front of the room.
"No. I began my schooling somewhere else. I do not have a house yet. I think that's why I'm waiting with you." It was polite enough. None of the other first years were courageous sufficiently to speak to the older girl.
The first years were beginning to fidget when professor McGonagall came back and asked them to follow. She told Fortuna to follow her up to the stool and that she would be Sorted first.
The strangeness of living the same situation twice came back and distracted Harry while he tried to understand it. He came back to reality when to hear McGonagall said "So, Fitzgerald, Fortuna."
Sitting on the stool, the hat was put on his head. It fit him better than when he was a first year was his last thought before he was distracted by the hat.
"Resorted, hey? I did ask you if you were sure and you were. But I still think you would do well in Slytherin."
The last word echoed trough the Great Hall and Harry went to sit beside Millicent. Unfortunately, that meant being beside Malfoy. The boy kept refilling his drink and adding things on his plate. He was sitting annoyingly close to him and Harry was loosing his patience. When dessert appeared, Malfoy laid his hand on his arm.
Stopping talking with people around, Harry turned to him. "Cease this behaviour, your being annoying," he said before shaking him off. The blond boy let go but kept invading Harry's breathing space. After a couple of minutes, wanting to be able to breath, Harry had to push him a little. The two continued to battle like that until they had the attention of most of the table. When he saw Malfoy look at his breasts again, he looked to look for Ron. He remarked that all the Gryffindor were looking at them.
"You know, looking at my breasts like that show that you are as much of a pig as that red haired lout that was called something like Wisely, the one sitting at that table where they are all looking at us."
Malfoy looked up and saw that it was true; the whole table were looking at them. He flushed when he seem to understand that he was compared to Ron, since it was the only one whose name sounded like Wisely.
"Is he a relative of yours?"
That was the coup de grace. He went white, spit something about having nothing to do with peasant like those, reddened and stormed out. The whole table was cheering. Millicent was particularly happy that "Draco got told off for once."
After stopping himself from falling into his plate when Millicent slapped in on the back, Harry explained himself.
"Both are pigs. It's apparent that they are from different social classes. Maybe after being showed that he was acting like a low class, he would act like someone of his actual social class. He made great care not to look at Pansy. As long as she could think that 'Fortuna' had not remarked her rage, her revenge risked being less subtle. He had two choices in case of magical attack. He could react and having great chance of winning or choose to loose. The first one would gain him respect, while the second one would cause fewer questions. After all, he was supposed not to be that great at Defence Against the Dark Arts.
Maybe he could give all he had, duel like, but using only charms. After all, he was supposed to be strong in that subject. He would need to react differently enough so that nobody could compare him with 'Harry Potter'. The beginning of Dumbledore speech brought back to memory that the Head of Houses would teach Defence. With Dumbledore urging students to take the course, maybe he could join, so that he could learn to different technique.
When the students were dismissed, Harry asked Millicent to show her the way, because he did not knew the castle. It was far from true, but it was true that even after searching the dungeons level this morning, that was a place where he could loose himself.
Millicent took him by a far shorter way than the one he took earlier and Harry tried to memorise it. He would probably need to get lost a little on the first week and to ask how to go at places where he knew very well how to go, but that did not meant that Harry liked being lost.
"Millicent, when to you think I could talk to our Head of House. I think I will take Defence, since I can."
Millicent blinked at him. "I thought you would have had better teacher than us, at another school."
Harry encouraged her to talk about past teacher, since it diminished the risk of slit up. When the retelling was done, Harry agreed, just for sake, that he had had better teachers. He just had problem with that subject.
When they reached the Common Room, Harry learnt that the password was Unforgivable Curses, which was not, in Harry opinion, very original. Once inside, he found the first years speaking with Snape. Harry approached, when Snape looked in his direction.
"Miss Fitzgerald? Please join us. I was enlightening your younger housemates about the significance of House pride."
Snape seemed to be looking for an answer despite the factual phrasing. Harry walked closer.
"Yes, I know Slytherins always were seen as Dark Wizard. Common folk do have a tendency to mix evil and cunning, professor..." Harry trailed of, as if to ask for his name.
"Snape, professor Snape. I trust you will fit here well. You can follow Millicent to your dormitory."
It was a clear dismissal, but Harry thought it was the perfect time to ask about Defence.
"About defence, could you see if I could join? I would like to, in spite of my A in Defence."
Snape seem annoyed that she ignored the dismissal and informed her that she would see. Thanking him, Harry went to join Millicent. In the room, there were only four beds. Only Daphne, Millicent and Pansy shared the room with him. Not at ease with sleeping and keeping his thing in the same room as Pansy Parkinson, Harry used a spell on his trunk, so that only him could open it. Then, he set a Perimeter Charm around his bed. It was set to wake him up if someone came close.
Millicent and Daphne nodded at her before doing the same. Pansy did too, but she seam furious. It was, from what Millicent told her, normal to set those charms. They would, the next year, annoy the first years until they began doing the same, too. Pansy wanted to begin that year by making her learn to do it. It was a good way for revenge, because Snape would approve, like he does about the first years.
Before going to sleep, Harry asked what courses they were taking.
"After all, I do not know the way. It would be easier to follow one of you if we have the same class."
Daphne seemed curious. "What do you take?"
"Charms, Potions, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Muggle Studies. Oh and I asked Snape to add Defence," he said easily.
Pansy got closer to them while inserting herself in the conversation. "Muggle Studies? You want to learn about these beasts?"
Harry decided that the best to do was to keep his calm. "Yes. I absolutely hate to go in the Muggle world, but sometime it is inevitable. At least, this way, I now what is dangerous and what is not in their world."
Pansy sneered at her. "Those things could never defend themselves against us. We are stronger than them."
Maybe she could be thought something. "Do you know what a gun is?"
Pansy mocked him deliberately when she told him that she could not care what that was.
Harry snickered at her. "They use that to do the same thing as the Killing Curse. It may be less effective, but if you do not get out of the way, even a witch could die."
Loosing his smile, he looked with his most menacing face. "I prefer enduring that course but knowing what that is and not dying a stupid death."
Turning around, he wilfully ignored her as he asked Millicent and Daphne if they had courses in common. Both had Charms, Potions, Defence and Muggle Studies. When that last course was named, Pansy snored but they ignored her. Neither had Runes but Daphne had Arithmancy. Showing that he was reassured that he most likely would have someone with him tomorrow, Harry went to sleep.
To be continued...
Next: Harry and Fortuna settle in.
Rated: R content, eventually
Summery: Harry wake up one morning after fifth year with an unpleasant surprise. He may not be a Metamorphmagus, but he will be able to spy in Slytherin without them knowing who he is.
Notes: The story is a WIP updated every Monday. As for the she/he and his/her problem, Harry still think of himself as a boy, except when he is forced to acknowledge 'his' feminine attribute. That does mean that as long as he is in girl form, he could be referred to both as "he" and as "she". Also, by rereading previous chapter, I found obvious mistakes. When I find one, it gets corrected, but some may still appear while you are reading.
Chapter 4 – Train Ride, Repeated
Ron waked Harry the next morning. Fortunately, it was still early enough for him to take a shower. It had been decided that the best way to do the switch was the only time he was alone, meaning while he was washing himself. Therefore, every time he woke up as Harry, he would shower and use the Time-Turner, set so he always ended in a girl shower in Slytherin. Every time he would wake as Fortuna, he would use a special Portkey that was made for him. It was a special one, which could be used multiple times to end up in exactly this shower. Which have Repelling Charms that made everyone choose another shower. It was exactly like the Muggle-Repelling Charms that have been used at the Quidditch World Cup, except that it repelled everyone but Gendermagus. The same had been applied to the shower he was to use in Slytherin. It was a rather brilliant idea. Now all he had to do was to take his shower at approximately the same time everyday.
Therefore, he took his shower before using his Time-Turner. Then, all he had to do was switch gender and do as if Fortuna had just only taken her shower. Getting out of the small shower to the little changing room just outside, he found a big problem. Since the day before he hasn't taken a shower there as Fortuna, he had not taken any clothes there. Because he was going to take the train like everyone else, all of 'her' things were in the hospital wing, were he slept last night. So now, he was a naked girl in unknown territory.
He may be almost alone in the castle, but Filch and Dumbledore were still there. He may have been able not to be seen by Filch, but he did not have the map to be sure this time. It would be especially bad, because the caretaker did not even know someone beside Dumbledore was in the castle. He knew that Hagrid was still in his hut, but he had nothing to do inside, so there was not any problem from that side.
Since his Time-Turner was made to go back a whole day at each use, it was still the same time in the morning. He was naked and he still had to wait two hours and a half before going to the hospital wing. After all, he did not remember seeing himself this morning. Instant, he went out of the shower and explored. By going in one of the dormitories, he found a sheet to at least cover himself a bit. He visited all the dormitories before going up to the Common Room.
The main differences with of this place with the Gryffindor Tower were the colour scheme and the orientation. Everywhere you went up for in Gryffindor, you went down for in Slytherin. One last thing was the complete absence of windows. He tried to understand how owls could come in and out the air changed. While walking around, he found a spot in which the air seems fresher. Exploring around, he found that it must be a charms of some sort. As for the owls, he could not find anything.
Harry found another difference, when he looked more attentively. The furniture was arranged in smaller groups, as if the Slytherins preferred to sit in groups smaller than the Gryffindors. In a way, it made a lot of sense, since Gryffindors, by nature, were more open and playful than Slytherins.
Not being sure of how long he has been there, Harry decided it was time to risk going to the hospital wing. Getting out, he had a vague idea of were he might be. The idea, for now, was to go up or to find the Potions classroom. Then he would be able to get were he was going without problems. He found stairs fast, but they went nowhere. After going back down and roaming for a while, he found himself in front of Snape office. From there, it was easy to find his way. He even got in the hospital wings in time to see himself being led away by his 'guards'. He went in and clothed himself as hastily as possible and found his make up to hide the scar. After that, he just had to wait for his 'guards' to come back.
***
It was about an hour later that Tonks and Remus knocked on the door. Already set to go, he followed them immediately. Remus hid under an invisibility cloak, probably one of Moody Mad-Eye. Tonks changed her appearance it she looked nothing like earlier. It would not do for Fortuna to appear with the same people as Harry. They used The Hog's Head Floo and they went to the Leaky Cauldron. They walked instant of taking a taxi. It was a long walk, but they did not want to use the same mean of transportation.
Once on the Platform 9 ¾, his 'guards' disappeared and he was ready to began his spying job. He began to walk to the train, when he was almost walked over by a blond wizard. It was, not surprisingly, Malfoy. Prepared to answer to insults, Harry was surprised when Malfoy began to apologies with great enthusiasm. That and he seem to be speaking to his breasts and not to Fortuna herself. Remembering Ron's reaction from the day before, or from later in the day, he began to ask himself what was so fascinating with his breasts. They were quite small, but otherwise normal. As a guy, he thought that it was big breasts that were supposed to be particularly interesting.
When Malfoy finally decided that repeating "sorry" over and over was not an excellent way to make a good first impression, he visibly collected himself.
"I'm Draco, Draco Malfoy."
This time, Harry was ready to take the offered hand.
"Fortuna Fitzgerald. May I ask in which year you are?"
Harry knew the answer, but making Malfoy tell 'her' himself would make mentioning it by accident before being told impossible. It was shocking to see how the boy ended up blabbing because of a girl. Now Harry knew why the blond boy was distracted when he met them on the train. It even took the Head Boy, out of the Prefects Compartment to look for the missing Slytherin Prefect, to stop him from telling uninteresting facts about the five previous years to Fortuna. Harry felt that he needed a mirror. Girl did not react like that to him. Well, except Ginny. And Parvati.
Anyway, he found a compartment were a seat was free. He chose well, since of the five persons inside, four were Slytherins. It was, after all, a good idea to get friendly directly on the train. One of them was the little known Daphne Greengrass. He did not even knew what her name was before she presented herself, and she has been in a lot of his courses. The others Slytherins were Millicent Bullstrode, Blaise Zabini and Angelus Warrington. Harry almost laughed when he learned Warrington first name. He looked like anything, but an Angelus. Moreover, he knew him as Warrington from Quidditch.
He was so busy analysing the social structure of the group to better integrate himself, when Malfoy came back. That brought up the breasts looking problems he found he had. Actually, only with Ron and Malfoy he seam to have that problem. Both Angelus and Blaise were normal.
So his problem was peculiar to Ron and Malfoy. It was so unexpected that he already had found something in which they were alike. It was not long before Pansy Parkinson came looking for her boyfriend. Harry had to ask to the snickering girls what was so funny. Apparently, Pansy was a very jealous girl and she was a leech, which annoyed the blond boy more than it should be possible. Harry stopped to look at the interaction between the two of them.
"But Honeypoo, I've been looking for you all over the train," was saying Pansy in a somewhat falsely sounding sweet voice.
"Pansy dear, I was in the Prefect Compartment, with you. You know, as sitting just beside you. And don't call me disgusting names like that. My name is Draco. Not Dracypoo, not honeykins, darling or whatever you come up with!"
It was very strange to see things from the inside. It really did seem as if Malfoy was constantly annoyed at Pansy. When he got out to escape from his girlfriend, Harry turned back to Millicent and Daphne.
"Are they really going out?" he asked them.
"Sure they are. I can prove only three generations up that I'm a pureblood. It's enough for most, but not the Malfoys. Millicent is from an old family but they are second cousins, too close to wed. The Gryffindors are Muggle- lovers, as are the Hufflepuffs. Ravenclaws are Muggle-lovers or not pure enough or too closely related to him. Same for most older Slytherins. In other words, it's Pansy or nothing," Daphne told him.
"I would choose nothing," Millicent added.
Harry smirked. "I would too. After all, after school he could meet foreign witch. I know there is a very well thought of school in France, Beauxbatons, and another called Durmstrang somewhere in Europe. A more suitable girl could be found, after graduation."
Harry really wanted to hear what the girls would tell him about that. He just enounced an opinion that was conservative and that would fit well the mentality of people like the Malfoys.
"His father would never accept the possibility, but he could marry someone from even farther. The choice is too limited not to. Unless he really wants Pansy." Daphne was making disgusted face at them and they all laughed.
Time passed quickly as wedding politic about pureblood was discussed. Beside them, Blaise Zabini added a comment once in a while, but mostly concentrated on arguing about Quidditch rules with Warrington. It was dark outside when they got to Hogwarts. Being five persons, they could not all fit in a carriage. Harry told them he would go, since he would meet other people that way.
He went behind 'Harry', the real one. He saw himself being surprised. He asked about joining them and Ron reacted exactly as he remembered. The presentation went and he saw how Ron said his family name and Hermione but not his. That Hero sidekick complex of Ron was a royal pain. But it was not as if he did not envy Ron for having a family. He let a comment about Slytherin pass that would help annoying Ron. After all, he wanted him to stop acting like a guy that has just seen a veela.
Now that it was really 'his' breasts that were being leered at, he was annoyed beyond belief. As a boy, he never truly saw how much of a pig Ron could be with girls. Now he was just mad. It was his body. The red head had no reason to look at him like that. To yell would do nothing. But if he got Hermione attention, she would leach at him. That and a hurtful comment would make Ron at least look elsewhere. While saying the cleavage comment in an irritated voice, he reflected that he now understood why he was mean to them.
It was perfect in a way. As a Gryffindor, he was everyone perfect boy. People refuse to see his less golden side and got mad when he showed it. Except that the Slytherins had only responded in kind. Smirking and sarcastic comments did not make everyone ask you what was wrong. They simply took it in stride.
When the carriage stopped, he let them get out first and stayed behind so that he would loose them. It was too weird to comment. It would be best to make sure not to be in contact with himself too much, the strangeness of living twice the same event with different points of view was too much. He would need to be in the same room, but distance would probably help.
When he reached the door of the school, McGonagall joined him.
"Are you Miss Fitzgerald? Follow me, please." The teacher then walked directly to a room close to the Great Hall without waiting for an answer. Once there, they waited for the first years and the teachers told them about the houses, then told them to wait there while she went to the Great Hall.
"Your not a first year," said a particularly round boy in the front of the room.
"No. I began my schooling somewhere else. I do not have a house yet. I think that's why I'm waiting with you." It was polite enough. None of the other first years were courageous sufficiently to speak to the older girl.
The first years were beginning to fidget when professor McGonagall came back and asked them to follow. She told Fortuna to follow her up to the stool and that she would be Sorted first.
The strangeness of living the same situation twice came back and distracted Harry while he tried to understand it. He came back to reality when to hear McGonagall said "So, Fitzgerald, Fortuna."
Sitting on the stool, the hat was put on his head. It fit him better than when he was a first year was his last thought before he was distracted by the hat.
"Resorted, hey? I did ask you if you were sure and you were. But I still think you would do well in Slytherin."
The last word echoed trough the Great Hall and Harry went to sit beside Millicent. Unfortunately, that meant being beside Malfoy. The boy kept refilling his drink and adding things on his plate. He was sitting annoyingly close to him and Harry was loosing his patience. When dessert appeared, Malfoy laid his hand on his arm.
Stopping talking with people around, Harry turned to him. "Cease this behaviour, your being annoying," he said before shaking him off. The blond boy let go but kept invading Harry's breathing space. After a couple of minutes, wanting to be able to breath, Harry had to push him a little. The two continued to battle like that until they had the attention of most of the table. When he saw Malfoy look at his breasts again, he looked to look for Ron. He remarked that all the Gryffindor were looking at them.
"You know, looking at my breasts like that show that you are as much of a pig as that red haired lout that was called something like Wisely, the one sitting at that table where they are all looking at us."
Malfoy looked up and saw that it was true; the whole table were looking at them. He flushed when he seem to understand that he was compared to Ron, since it was the only one whose name sounded like Wisely.
"Is he a relative of yours?"
That was the coup de grace. He went white, spit something about having nothing to do with peasant like those, reddened and stormed out. The whole table was cheering. Millicent was particularly happy that "Draco got told off for once."
After stopping himself from falling into his plate when Millicent slapped in on the back, Harry explained himself.
"Both are pigs. It's apparent that they are from different social classes. Maybe after being showed that he was acting like a low class, he would act like someone of his actual social class. He made great care not to look at Pansy. As long as she could think that 'Fortuna' had not remarked her rage, her revenge risked being less subtle. He had two choices in case of magical attack. He could react and having great chance of winning or choose to loose. The first one would gain him respect, while the second one would cause fewer questions. After all, he was supposed not to be that great at Defence Against the Dark Arts.
Maybe he could give all he had, duel like, but using only charms. After all, he was supposed to be strong in that subject. He would need to react differently enough so that nobody could compare him with 'Harry Potter'. The beginning of Dumbledore speech brought back to memory that the Head of Houses would teach Defence. With Dumbledore urging students to take the course, maybe he could join, so that he could learn to different technique.
When the students were dismissed, Harry asked Millicent to show her the way, because he did not knew the castle. It was far from true, but it was true that even after searching the dungeons level this morning, that was a place where he could loose himself.
Millicent took him by a far shorter way than the one he took earlier and Harry tried to memorise it. He would probably need to get lost a little on the first week and to ask how to go at places where he knew very well how to go, but that did not meant that Harry liked being lost.
"Millicent, when to you think I could talk to our Head of House. I think I will take Defence, since I can."
Millicent blinked at him. "I thought you would have had better teacher than us, at another school."
Harry encouraged her to talk about past teacher, since it diminished the risk of slit up. When the retelling was done, Harry agreed, just for sake, that he had had better teachers. He just had problem with that subject.
When they reached the Common Room, Harry learnt that the password was Unforgivable Curses, which was not, in Harry opinion, very original. Once inside, he found the first years speaking with Snape. Harry approached, when Snape looked in his direction.
"Miss Fitzgerald? Please join us. I was enlightening your younger housemates about the significance of House pride."
Snape seemed to be looking for an answer despite the factual phrasing. Harry walked closer.
"Yes, I know Slytherins always were seen as Dark Wizard. Common folk do have a tendency to mix evil and cunning, professor..." Harry trailed of, as if to ask for his name.
"Snape, professor Snape. I trust you will fit here well. You can follow Millicent to your dormitory."
It was a clear dismissal, but Harry thought it was the perfect time to ask about Defence.
"About defence, could you see if I could join? I would like to, in spite of my A in Defence."
Snape seem annoyed that she ignored the dismissal and informed her that she would see. Thanking him, Harry went to join Millicent. In the room, there were only four beds. Only Daphne, Millicent and Pansy shared the room with him. Not at ease with sleeping and keeping his thing in the same room as Pansy Parkinson, Harry used a spell on his trunk, so that only him could open it. Then, he set a Perimeter Charm around his bed. It was set to wake him up if someone came close.
Millicent and Daphne nodded at her before doing the same. Pansy did too, but she seam furious. It was, from what Millicent told her, normal to set those charms. They would, the next year, annoy the first years until they began doing the same, too. Pansy wanted to begin that year by making her learn to do it. It was a good way for revenge, because Snape would approve, like he does about the first years.
Before going to sleep, Harry asked what courses they were taking.
"After all, I do not know the way. It would be easier to follow one of you if we have the same class."
Daphne seemed curious. "What do you take?"
"Charms, Potions, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Muggle Studies. Oh and I asked Snape to add Defence," he said easily.
Pansy got closer to them while inserting herself in the conversation. "Muggle Studies? You want to learn about these beasts?"
Harry decided that the best to do was to keep his calm. "Yes. I absolutely hate to go in the Muggle world, but sometime it is inevitable. At least, this way, I now what is dangerous and what is not in their world."
Pansy sneered at her. "Those things could never defend themselves against us. We are stronger than them."
Maybe she could be thought something. "Do you know what a gun is?"
Pansy mocked him deliberately when she told him that she could not care what that was.
Harry snickered at her. "They use that to do the same thing as the Killing Curse. It may be less effective, but if you do not get out of the way, even a witch could die."
Loosing his smile, he looked with his most menacing face. "I prefer enduring that course but knowing what that is and not dying a stupid death."
Turning around, he wilfully ignored her as he asked Millicent and Daphne if they had courses in common. Both had Charms, Potions, Defence and Muggle Studies. When that last course was named, Pansy snored but they ignored her. Neither had Runes but Daphne had Arithmancy. Showing that he was reassured that he most likely would have someone with him tomorrow, Harry went to sleep.
To be continued...
Next: Harry and Fortuna settle in.