Harry finds himself accepted into the Slytherin House too quickly, forced onto the Slytherin Quidditch team, and in a dorm unlike anything, he has ever seen.
A/N: I own nothing this is all J.K.R.'s, what a brilliant mind she has.
Chapter Fourteen- New Friends
Harry sat alone in a dark corridor somewhere on the fourth floor. At least that was where he assumed he was. He hadn't been counting how many flights of stairs he had climbed as he fled from the Great Hall and the collective student body of Hogwarts. He did vaguely remembered passing the Library. The deserted corridor Harry had chosen to hide in had windows lining it, which overlooked the lake, but Harry wasn't looking out them. He was currently sitting against the opposite wall, his knees drawn up to his chest, and his head is his crossed arms. Rain pelted against the glassed windows, but Harry took little notice.
To any passerby, not that there had been any in the last hour or so, Harry would appear asleep, as he didn't move a muscle and his breathing was deep and shallow. Not even Occlumency was helping to stop his thoughts. It was his own fault. If he hadn't tried to prove to Voldemort that he was a Gryffindor, he never would have ended up a Slytherin. He didn't care what his family ancestry was, he knew where he belonged, in Gryffindor. A depressing thought suddenly came to Harry, and he lifted his head from his arms and stared out at the stormy night as flashes of lightning lit up the hallway sporadically. Perhaps it was for the best that he was no longer a Gryffindor.
The curse would keep him from his friends anyway. They just cared for him too much. Wouldn't it be better to be in a house where no one cared for him at all? At least he'd be able to live his life, or what was left of it. He would not have to get away from those around him, just so he wouldn't have to feel that horrible pain again.
Harry hadn't heard the footsteps of the person who now stood in front of him, because of the thunder that echoed through the empty halls. He looked through his much longer raven hair, which had fallen over his face, hiding his sad and angry emerald eyes. He brushed his hair back with one hand and stared up at the man. "I bet you're just loving this," Harry spat coldly. "What do you want?" Under normal circumstances, Harry would never have been so callus to Snape, but at the moment, he could care less about anything in the world.
Harry ignored the glare of the tall boy that stood beside Snape. "I realize that this is not the ideal situation for you, Potter. Professor Dumbledore has offered, very unusually, that you may remain in Gryffindor, if you wish, not that you deserve to. Yet again you have let your arrogance blind you, and yet again, I believe that you must deal with the consequences," Snape seethed as he narrowed his eyes on Harry.
Harry looked away from Snape, he thought about it only a second. "No, I'll stay in Slytherin," Harry barely voiced his answer and then he looked back up to Snape, who clearly had surprise in his onyx eyes. "Not that is pleases me any."
"As you are now in my house, I will refrain from taking points from you, Potter. But I will not tolerate you insolent attitude," Snape breathed. "Now, I believe that you have met Blaise Zabini. He is one of your new dorm mates." The boy nodded. "I suggest that you become well acquainted with him as he will be the only person in your dorm that is likely to not wish harm on you."
Harry looked to the boy. Snape's words were true, but Harry hadn't thought of it before. He'd now be sharing a room, with Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and Malfoy, all who had fathers that were Death Eaters, all who would rather see Harry dead.
"Think of me as your new body guard, Potter," Zabini laughed.
"And who's going to protect you?" Harry said with skepticism laced in his voice as he got to his feet. Harry so desperately wanted to add i 'from me.' /i
"I suggest the two of you go to your common room. It is near curfew, and I would prefer not to see any Slytherins caught wandering about after hours. It reflects poorly on the rest of the house," Snape sneered as he turned to leave.
"What about my stuff?" Harry asked coldly, and then backed against the wall as Snape rounded on him. Harry could have sworn that a brief smile touched the lips of his new head of house, at letting himself be startled.
"The house elves will have already moved them by the time you get to your dorm, and Professor Dumbledore will see to it that the more delicate items will be moved into Professor Friedens' office," Snape answered and then quickly left the boys alone. Harry let himself breath again as Snape stalked down the hall and disappearing around the corner, with a swish of his robes. He knew exactly what Snape had meant by the more delicate items. The Vampirism Potion and it's ingredients.
"Are you scared of Snape?"
"What?" Harry asked, startled by the sudden question.
"It's just I noticed that you only let down your guard once he was gone," Blaise pointed out what was obviously true, but Harry wasn't going to except it.
"I'm not afraid of anyone, least of all Snape." Was he afraid of Snape? Harry nearly snorted to himself at the thought, of course not.
Blaise shrugged. "Well, Potter, I guess it's you and me now. I think it's time that you see what luxuries being a Slytherin has over the rest of the school. Starting with the common room," Blaise said as he started walking in the same direction that Snape had disappeared.
Harry reluctantly began to follow him. Where else was he going to go, he couldn't sleep in the hallway all night. "I've seen the common room, it's not that impressive."
"You've seen the Slytherin common room?" Blaise asked not with anger, but interest in his voice.
Harry shrugged, "I impersonated Goyle in my second year with the Polyjuice Potion," Harry intentionally left out Ron, not wanting to give the Slytherin's something more against the Gryffindor's.
"You brewed Polyjuice Potion in your second year!" Blaise stopped in his tracks and looked at him in surprise for a moment, and then surveyed Harry with a half smile on his face. "I'm quite impressed Potter, and here I always thought that you were horrible at potions."
Harry didn't bother correcting him that Hermione had been the one to make most of the potion. A twitch of a smile touched Harry's lips. "Just don't tell Professor Snape. I think he's already curious enough of how I managed an O on his O.W.L., and I had to break into his stores to get the ingredients," Harry boasted.
Blaise snorted and then continued walking. "Don't worry about that. I don't think that there is a Slytherin at Hogwarts who hasn't broken into Snape's personal stores, with the exception of the first years, of course. It's kind of an initiation thing, a dare. Only two people in the last five years have been caught, and that was Crabbe and Goyle," Blaise laughed and Harry couldn't help but be amused by that. "Come on Potter, the common room doesn't hold a candle to our dorm room. It has to be the most unique in Hogwarts. I wouldn't trade it for anything."
Harry got a lot of stares as he and Zabini entered into the Slytherin Common room a few minutes later, mostly because he still wore Gryffindor robes. Malfoy slithered up to them flanked by what appeared to be the rest of the sixth years. Harry just glared at Malfoy, but it was Malfoy who did the strangest thing.
Malfoy held out his hand to Harry. "Welcome to Slytherin." Harry looked at the boy's hand skeptically before he shook it, as the whole of the common room was watching. Malfoy released his hand almost immediately. "The house elves have already brought your stuff down and your trunk and Firebolt are in the dorm."
"My Firebolt?" asked Harry, he hadn't thought that he'd get it back.
"Yes, McGonagall dropped it off a few minutes ago," Malfoy sneered. "Don't think she wanted to give it up. I think that she knows that she is giving up any chance of Gryffindor ever winning another match." The people around them sniggered. "With you as our new seeker, none of the other houses stand a chance."
Harry narrowed his eyes at Malfoy. "Do you really think that I'm going to join the Slytherin Quidditch team?"
Malfoy seemed to ignore Harry's remark. "Yes, we need a seeker, as I'm taking one of the empty chaser positions, and we already know you're good, so you don't have to try out. Besides, wouldn't it be better to play against those Muggle lovers and Mudbloods then…"
Harry had his wand out before Malfoy even had a chance to finish his sentence. He held it to Malfoy's throat. "Say that again Malfoy and you'll be begging the Sorting Hat to put me back in Gryffindor."
"Potter don't…" Blaise said quietly and unconvincingly from beside him.
"Mudblood," Malfoy said calmly with a smirk on his face.
Harry didn't even bother with his wand. He punched Malfoy in the nose and then used the spell he had learned the day before to throw everyone back away from him, by several feet. Harry staggered back and then fell to the floor, his head spinning. There was a loud bang as the common room door slammed opened and Snape came in.
"Who's fighting?" Snape snarled as he eyed everyone in the room, especially those who were picking themselves up off of the floor.
Malfoy wiped away the blood from his nose, with the back of his hand and walked up to Snape. "It was my fault Professor, I provoked him, he doesn't know about the Anti Dueling Wards."
Harry, the spinning in his head abating, shot to his feet in shock. Malfoy was standing up for him?
"Very well Draco. I suggest you teach him the rules of Slytherin house," Snape sneered and began to leave.
"Yes Professor and good news. Potter's decided to join the Quidditch team," Malfoy gave a sly smile at Harry's stunned expression.
Snape turned around briefly. "Excellent," Snape said and then with his usual billowing of robes left the common room.
Malfoy turned on Harry just as the door closed. "That dizzy, disoriented feeling you just had, was the Anti Dueling Wards, meant to incapacitate the caster. My suggestion is that you think twice before casting any spells against us, the feeling just gets worse with every time you do it."
"I'll do what I want Malfoy. Where do you get off telling Snape that I'm going to be on the Quidditch team?" Harry spat.
"As I was saying Potter, wouldn't it be better to play against those," Harry gave Malfoy a dangerous look and Malfoy just smiled, "Gryffindors, then not play at all?"
Harry turned around to walk away form Malfoy and his cronies. He hadn't taken two steps when he sighed and turned back. "Fine, I'll be your bloody Seeker," Harry had lost a lot in the last summer. Quidditch was something he could hold onto, even if it meant playing against his friends. Harry knew then that he would be doing a lot of compromising this year. Harry turned to Blaise who was standing several feet away. "Where's our dorm room?"
Blaise smiled. "This way, Potter. I've heard our dorm even rivals that of the headmaster's."
A long dark hallway, and several flights of downward stairs later, found Harry, escorted by not only Blaise, but the rest of the sixth year boys as well, standing outside of a large black wood door. Malfoy pushed Blaise and the other Slytherins aside. He opened up the door with a superior smirk on his lips that made Harry want to take another swing at the blond prat. But Harry was thrown from his thoughts as the door swung open, and he was absolutely amazed by what lay before him. The majority of the room was set up just like Gryffindor's but with the Slytherin green colors. That wasn't the impressive part, no not by far. The impressive part was that where the stone ceiling and walls should have been, was walls and a ceiling of water. They were deep below the lake, and just outside of the Merpeople's village.
"Wow," Harry breathed, "and I though Gryffindor Tower was impressive. Exactly what is between us and the water?" Harry asked, ignoring the pompous smile on Malfoy's face.
"Magic," whispered Blaise, he too had an arrogant smile on his face. "But you haven't seen anything yet. Wait till you see our bathroom."
"Later," Malfoy interrupted. "Potter, your bed is over there, don't worry we haven't done anything to your stuff, yet," Harry rolled his eyes at the blond boy's snide remark. "Now for the initiation, normally it's just for first years, but seeing the hat sorted you in here a little late, I'm sure we can come up with something a little harder."
"If your talking about me breaking into Snape's stores, I've already done that, besides wouldn't it be a little pointless now that they belong to Professor Friedens?" Harry said. He now held the smug smile at Malfoy's shock.
"Friedens?" asked Malfoy, "the new Minister?"
"Didn't Dumbledore tell you at the feast?" Harry said, looking to the Slytherins around him, even Blaise shook his head no, so Dumbledore really hadn't told them.
"Right after you got sorted, Dumbledore disappeared, just Apparated right there. It was really impressive, because he took all the Heads of Houses with him," Blaise explained. "Sinistra and Vector had the hardest time trying to get everyone to shut up. Finally, Snape came back and got everyone to calm down, and he made the feast appear."
"Yeah, enough about Dumbledore. What do you mean Snape's stores belong to Professor Friedens? The Minister of Magic is teaching here?" Malfoy interrupted Blaise uncaringly.
A smirk came to Harry's lips. "She's the new Potions Professor. And she's the Minister's sister. Snape's finally got himself the job of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Malfoy's mouth nearly fell open at Harry's words.
"There goes learning anything in Defense this year," Blaise said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I really had hoped we'd have a better teacher after Umbridge."
"Looks like book work again. I doubt we'll be doing any practical work. It would be cool to have a dueling club again or something similar," Nott said exasperatedly as he moved to his wardrobe and pulled out his nightclothes. "Well at least we might learn something in Potions this year."
Harry's mouth twitched as he tried to keep from laughing. He never thought that he would ever hear a Slytherin speak badly of Severus Snape. "Umm, you guys think Professor Snape can't teach either?"
"Come on Potter, everyone knows that Snape's really good at potions and the Dark Arts stuff, but the man can't teach worth a damn," Malfoy said with a huff. "Everyone, but maybe Granger knows that. Anyways the first years will just have to break into Friedens' stores. You on the other hand, I think her office should do, but not tonight, Snape's probably got Filch prowling the floor. Or he's doing it himself, just to try and catch us dueling again."
Harry was about to ask why Lyndira's office but Malfoy yawned as if he were bored, and then turned away from him, and left the dorm. "Where's he going?" Harry asked no one.
"Probably went to tell the first years to meet him tomorrow night in the common room, at midnight. He told them to stay behind just before you arrived. Nott shrugged uncaringly. "He wanted them to all stay behind for the initiation but with Snape near by, it's a bust for tonight."
"Yeah after all the object is to not get caught isn't it, Crabbe, Goyle?" Zabini snickered at the two who were getting ready for bed at the same time as running into each other. They glared at Zabini in unison for a moment and then went back to their charade of running into each other again. Harry arched an eyebrow at the two and then went to his own wardrobe. "Then of course he will adjourn to the prefects bathroom, where he will proceed to admire himself in the mirror, while doing his nightly grooming ritual," Zabini said formally and straight faced.
There was complete silence, the kind of silence were crickets could be heard, for almost half a second. Then there was an outburst of laughter from the room, and even Crabbe and Goyle had started snickering, when the door burst open and Malfoy sauntered in. "What's so funny?" Everyone was silent for no more then a moment before they burst into laughter again. Even Harry couldn't help but laugh, as Malfoy rolled his eyes with obvious boredom, grabbed his robe and a towel from his wardrobe, and a pair of green slippers from the floor, and left the dorm again. All the while, with a scowl on his face.
A/N: Now that Harry's a Slytherin, will he start getting along with them?