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"…" Speech
Bold parseltongue
italics thoughts
Chapter 4
At the sound of his alarm clock, Harry blearily sat up in bed and looked around in slight confusion. This was not his usual method of waking up. He was not cold, wet, hexed, or squashed flat, and there was a noticeable lack of his hyped-up-on-sugar friend. Gradually, realization dawned. The impossible had occurred. Harry had willingly woken up before Blaise.
At school Harry was always the last down to breakfast, and was never properly awake until lunchtime. During the holidays (when he was not prodded awake by Blaise) he woke up no earlier than midday. Blaise, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She was one of those extremely irritating people who were energetic and bouncing after a 50 kilometer run at two o'clock in the morning. Normally, Blaise got up at around 7, and was poking, shaking or pouring cold water over Harry before the clock struck eight.
Therefore it was with a worried expression on his face that Harry went to investigate the deviation from this early morning schedule. Reaching the door to Blaise's room, he knocked and then, hearing a muffled moan in reply, crept in. Blaise was still in bed.
"Blaise, are you alright?" asked Harry in concern, peering at her. He heard a mumble in reply. "Are you ill?"
No answer.
"Look, we really need to get ready," said Harry slightly impatiently. Today was September the first, the day the Hogwarts Express left to bring them to school. It was the reason that Harry was up at all.
"I don't wanna go!" wailed Blaise in protestation.
"Oh come on, it'll be fun!" said Harry in a happy, cheerful voice that was specifically calculated to annoy her.
"That's easy for you to say. You're not going to get detention the first day back for not doing you homework. I'm not going," said Blaise flatly, and buried her head under the cover.
"Think of all the Hufflepuffs you can torture," wheedled Harry.
Slowly, Blaise's head emerged and she looked cautiously at Harry.
"I'm listening."
It took another five minutes, in which Harry shamelessly bribed her with chocolate frogs and tempted her with the thought of being able to use magic, to get Blaise to emerge from her room. One hour later, after a leisurely breakfast and hurried last minute packing, the two Slytherins were ready to leave. There was just one tiny problem.
They had decided, well, Blaise had decided, that they were going to travel by Floo Powder, and Harry was having serious doubts about it.
"Just step into the fire."
"No."
"It's easy, just put one foot in front of the other, like this."
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"No."
"Get into the damn fire! NOW!"
"Erm, no."
Sighing in frustration, Blaise glared at her friend who was eyeing the fireplace with a look of mistrust.
"It's simple. Just speak clearly."
"I'm not doing it. What if I end up in Knockturn Alley?"
"Either you take that risk, and get to Hogwarts, or you'll stay stranded here and will have to go back to the Dursleys for the next six years. It's your choice," said Blaise in a sickly sweet voice.
"Aww, that's unfair, bringing them up," whined Harry, defeated. "Remember, if I end up dead or maimed, it's your entire fault."
Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Blaise pushed him towards the fireplace. Stepping into the green fire, clutching his suitcase to him, Harry yelled out, "Kings Cross station!" and was gone in a flash of flames.
As it turned out, Harry turned up in the right place, fully intact, a couple of minutes later, looking distinctly nauseous.
"Told you nothing would happen," said Blaise smugly, appearing behind him.
"I think I'm going to be sick," Harry choked out, turning slightly green.
"Well, just make sure to turn the other way when you do," replied Blaise absently, looking around for a trolley.
They had appeared in a side room in the main station, to avoid being seen appearing in a fireplace by muggles. Once they had nicked a trolley from a young first year (judging by his appearance) and lugged their trunks onto it, the two twelve year olds pulled open the only door in the room, and entered the main departure hall. As they pushed their way through the crowds towards platform 9 and ¾, they saw a few other Hogwarts students from different years.
"There's Millicent Blustrode," shouted Blaise over the noise, pointing at a large, thick-set girl who was glaring at a young boy next to her. "Hmm, maybe we shouldn't say hello… she doesn't look that happy," continued Blaise, as Millicent clubbed the boy over the head.
"I agree," said Harry dryly.
"Look, there's Draco," said Blaise excitedly, jumping up and down, then shrieked, "DRACO! Hi! Over here!"
"Blaise, shut up!" growled Harry as the whole platform turned to stare at them. Blaise, however, carried on regardless.
"Fine, I'll leave you to it then," said Harry with a sigh, and strolled off towards the boundary between platforms nine and ten. Surreptitiously leaning against the wall, he readied himself to fall through. Nothing happened. Frowning, Harry leaned a bit harder. Still nothing happened. Abandoning all attempts at stealth, Harry began banging into the wall, Aimee screeching at him from her cage.
"Potter, what the hell are you doing?" drawled a familiar voice.
Turning around Harry saw Draco and Blaise looking at him in amusement and curiosity. Behind them, anyone within a 50 meter radius was staring at him in consternation.
"Hmph, and you said I was drawing too much attention," sniffed Blaise.
"I didn't say that, I only thought it, and I have a good reason for acting like this. The damn wall is-"
"Ah, Draco, there you are." It was Lucius Malfoy. "I am leaving now; I trust you will be able to install yourself on the train without my help. I will no doubt see you during the next holidays." With that, he turned and strode off without as much as a parting nod or smile.
"See, told you he's acting all cold," said Draco.
"Yeah, yeah," said Harry, not in the mood to discuss Lucius Malfoy's eccentricities. "As I was saying before I was interrupted, I can't get through the damn wall!"
"What?" said Blaise. "I saw two seventh years go through just before you tried. You must have done something wrong."
"All you have to do is walk straight into it. That doesn't leave much room for error, Blaise," snapped Harry.
"Well, let's try again then," drawled Draco, and leant into the wall. Half his body passed straight through it. "Well, looks like you were wrong," he said smugly.
"I swear, it was blocked," said Harry, irritated.
"Well, it isn't now, is it?" pointed out Blaise. 'So let's hurry up and go through."
Grumbling, Harry followed the other two through to the platform 9 and ¾, confused and annoyed that his friends didn't believe him.
After heaving their trunks onto the train and finding an empty compartment, the three friends settled down, glancing out of the window now and then to watch all the students.
"I wonder what the new first years will be like," said Blaise, thoughtfully.
"No idea, haven't met any of them apart from Ginny Weasley," replied Harry.
"Worthless Gryffindors like her don't count. All Weasleys are a waste of space," sneered Draco. Harry just rolled his eyes in response.
"Don't you think that comment is getting old, Draco?"
"No," responded the blonde haired boy without much preamble. "The Weasleys' stupidity is endless, and therefore I will never stop mocking them."
"Well, I'm off to do a bit of mingling with the other houses," said Blaise, cheerfully, standing up.
"Since when do you talk to Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors?" asked Draco disdainfully. Blaise just grinned at him and slipped out of the door without giving him an answer. "She's up to something," announced Draco, staring after her in suspicion.
"Of course she's up to something," replied Harry impatiently. "Slytherins always are."
"Who's up to something?" It was Louisa Feral, a Slytherin in the same year as the two boys. With her was a third year that Harry vaguely recognized as Vanessa Niente, a rich and incredibly snobbish pureblood slytherin.
"Ah, Louisa! How was your holiday?" said Draco smoothly, ignoring her question.
"Bloody awful," she replied, sitting down next to Harry. "I had to put up with my cousin for two whole months. That boy has a brain the size of a peanut."
"Won't you sit down?" Harry politely asked the third year who was standing haughtily at the entrance of the compartment. After giving him a calculating look, as if trying to evaluate whether he was beneath her notice or not, she finally sat down with a small nod in Harry's direction.
"So, cousin how was your holiday?" asked Draco, his face completely devoid of any sneer.
"You two are cousins?" asked Harry in astonishment.
"Yes," responded Vanessa Niente in a tone quite similar to Draco's. "We are second cousins once removed, on our fathers' sides. One should always know these things, family connection are important, are they not, Draco?"
"Indeed," replied Draco, calmly, while Harry tried to hide his surprise at the way the girl spoke.
"In answer to your question," continued Vanessa Niente, "My holiday was adequate. My father insisted on my studying defense spells throughout the duration of my stay at home, as he was of the opinion that I would learn nothing in that area this year."
"Well, I certainly agree on that," said Harry, thinking about Lockhart in disgust. "The man is an utter fool. Have you read the book titles?"
"Yes, they're dire, aren't they," Louisa nodded in agreement. "He's completely incompetent according to my mother. She said that he was a few years below her at school, and was in Hufflepuff. That's the only house that would ever accept him, in my opinion."
All the Slytherins in the compartment smirked in agreement.
"Anyway, Draco, there has been a rumor circulating about certain …events that will take place in the near future. Do you know anything?" asked Louisa, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"This is not the place to be talking of such things," hissed Vanessa Niente to her companion, frowning.
Draco did not appear to pay any attention to his cousin. He was staring at Louisa with an expressionless face.
"I know nothing pertaining to this subject," he drawled languidly.
"Very well," replied Louisa, a disappointed look on her face. "Alright, I am going to go and look for Pansy. I will see you three later, at the sorting."
Nodding their heads in reply, the remaining Slytherins waited until the compartment door slid shut before turning to one another.
"She needs to learn more discretion," commented Harry, demurely.
"Yes," replied Draco.
"I know you were lying, cousin," drawled Vanessa. "Will you not consider telling me the truth?"
"No."
"Very well," said Vanessa, nodding her head in acquiescence. She seemed unsurprised. "I will take my leave. I will see you later, cousin, and it was a pleasure meeting you, Harry Potter."
"The pleasure's all mine," murmured Harry politely. In Slytherin house, one wrong word, one small slight, could lead to a deadly feud. The Slytherins were, on the whole, the politest out of all the other houses, but only when it came to other Slytherins. Allegiances were incredibly important, and therefore, unless they were magically and politically powerful enough to survive alone, all Slytherins took care not to offend their housemates needlessly.
Once Vanessa Niente had left, there was silence between the two second years, before it was broken by Harry.
"This has something to do with your father, hasn't it?"
"Yes, it has."
"And you know, or at least suspect, what it is."
"Yes."
"But you will not tell me."
"Not at this present moment in time, no."
"Very well."
There was again a lengthy silence.
"So, where do you think Blaise went? I bet you five sickles that she'll torture at least four Hufflepuffs before we see her again," said Harry with a grin.
"Make that more like ten Hufflepuffs. You know she can never resist," smirked Draco. The atmosphere in the room relaxed considerably, and for the rest of the ride the two boys just sat and joked with one another as they usually did. This may have seemed strange to students from other houses, but it was the way Slytherin house worked. Dark, serious subjects were rarely out in the open. The Slytherins guarded their thoughts and opinions carefully, and such subjects were normally pushed down and not mentioned. The Slytherins showed an unbroken image of unity around other people and were wary of discussing important subjects with more than their extremely close friends. In fact, Slytherins who were blood enemies still talked and joked to one another in public, therefore making it virtually impossible for outsiders to ascertain allegiances in the Slytherin house. The opinion in Slytherin house was that personal, private information should be kept just that – private. Information is power, and therefore the Slytherins endeavored to keep all knowledge to themselves, and would never disclose it unless it was absolutely necessary, and then only for a price. Non-slytherins were kept completely in the dark, and students from the house mostly had to make educated guesses. Harry knew that Draco would tell him if it was vital that he know, because, essentially, Slytherin friends always looked out for one another unless it went against their own interests.
Therefore, Harry was content to stop questioning Draco and move on to more trivial subjects, but he was planning other ways of gaining knowledge. 'Perhaps I should talk to Blaise. She stayed with the Malfoys and maybe overheard something,' thought Harry, while stealing a chocolate frog discreetly from under Draco's nose.
Ooh, chocolate! Isis hissed, appearing from Harry's sleeve and attempting to look endearing while eying the chocolate hungrily.
"Fine," Harry grumbled. He watched as his snake chased the hopping frog across the table, Draco looking on in amusement beside him.
Finally they arrived at the station and, after changing into their robes, they all climbed out onto the platform. Seeing Neville Longbottom standing some distance away from him, Harry raised his hand slightly in greeting, getting a nervous nod back. 'That boy really needs more confidence,' sighed Harry to himself, before beginning to look around for Blaise. There was no time to find her, however, as they were ushered into the horseless carriages which were soon to set off. In a desperate attempt to avoid the Quidditch captain, Flint, who was determinedly making his way towards him, Harry dragged Draco into an already half-full carriage. This meant that they had to share with a sixth-year Slytherin called Daisy Thornbell and a Ravenclaw in their year by the name of Lucas Moon.
"Good day, Potter, Malfoy," said Daisy Thornbell, nodding slightly in recognition.
Both Harry and Draco nodded in reply, and even Draco did not have a single trace of a sneer or look of superiority. Daisy Thornbell was one of the leaders of Slytherin house, and most people agreed that she was the best duelist in the whole school. She was therefore someone that no one wanted to anger. The last person to mock her (he was a seventh year who had made some insulting comments about her name and Hufflepuff parents) ended up locking himself in his room for two whole weeks, hiding under the blankets and whimpering at anything louder than a whisper. And that was when she was in a good mood.
"Potter, I would like to speak to you at some point during this week," she said, emotion clearly vacant from her tone.
"Err," stuttered Harry, frantically searching his mind for a reason why she was asking him. Had he offended her somehow? 'No,' he reassured himself. 'If I had I would be in a momentous amount of pain at this very moment.'
"Very eloquent," smirked Draco, raising an eyebrow at his friend. Harry just glared in return.
"Don't fret, I'm not annoyed with you," drawled Thornbell, permitting herself a faint smirk of amusement. "I have a proposition for you, but it needs to be discussed in private. Is it possible for us to talk tomorrow?"
"Yes, of course," replied Harry. The sixth year just nodded in reply and then turned to look out of the small window, obviously not deigning to converse with the occupants of the carriage any longer.
After a couple of minutes of silence the Ravenclaw decided to end it by asking,
"So, Potter, how was your holiday?"
"As good as could be expected, considering the circumstances," replied Harry civilly, although slightly surprised at the question. He did not remember talking to Lucas Moon outside classes before. "And yours?"
After five minutes of polite conversation, discussing their holidays, homework, and the ceaseless stupidity of Gilderoy Lockhart, which seemed a universal subject of conversation, the carriages finally arrived at the castle. Nodding goodbye to Lucas Moon, Harry and Draco made their way to the castle and into the Great Hall where they sat down near the middle of the Slytherin table, soon followed by the rest of their peers.
"Hiya!" said Blaise cheerily, slipping into a seat next to Harry. "When are the ickle firsties coming; I want to eat!"
"Yes, we do comprehend that fact, Blaise," said Harry, grinning. "You're a bottomless pit when it comes to food." Blaise just beamed back at him, obviously in a good mood.
"So, how did your mingling go?" inquired Draco with a slight sneer.
"It was a definite success," replied Blaise with satisfaction.
"How were your holidays, Millicent?" asked Harry, turning to the girl across from him. 'How many times have I asked or answered this question?' wondered Harry, wryly.
"Awful," she growled in reply. "My infuriating brother was annoying me the entire time. He's starting Hogwarts this year, so I won't even be able to get away from him now. Oh, look, there he is."
The first years were all filing into the Hall, staring around in awe, and led by McGonagall. Harry looked to where Millicent was pointing, and saw the boy he had seen next to her at the station. He was smirking and looking incredibly confident compared to most of the other eleven year olds. As McGonagall placed the old, dirty, patched Sorting hat on a stool, silence fell over the student body. People stared expectantly at the hat, and a tear near the brim opened, and it broke into song. As the words echoed round the all, Harry and his friends were examining the new students. Almost all of them looked terrified.
"The Sorting will now begin," said the strict deputy headmistress, unrolling a scroll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will come and try on the hat." The first-years fidgeted nervously.
"Baddock, Aunja!"
A short, blonde girl stepped forward, and composedly walked towards the hat.
"5 sickles she'll be a Ravenclaw," drawled Draco.
"I'll take you up on that," said Harry, who had seen the girl sneer at some muggleborns at the station. "She'll be a Slytherin."
"SLYTHERIN!" shouted the hat, and the girl walked towards her new house table amidst polite clapping.
"Here," growled Draco, handing over the silver coins to a smirking Harry.
"Ah, I love being right," said Harry as McGonagll called out "Bulstrode, Ian."
"Slytherin," said Blaise immediately.
"Definitely," put in Millicent, while the other Slytherin students nodded in agreement. Everyone knew the Bulstrodes were all Slytherins.
"Slytherin!" shouted the Hat, and the newest member walked towards the table with a self-satisfied smirk on his face and sat down near Harry and his classmates, next to the other first-year.
"Thank Merlin he's not sitting next to me," said Millicent, pleased with the seating arrangements, as there were two people between her and her brother.
"Family love is so important, don't you think?" drawled Pansy sarcastically.
"Creevey, Colin!"
"What do you think? Hufflepuff?" speculated Theodore Nott.
"Nah, my guess is maybe Gryffindor," said a tall fourth-year sitting near him.
"I agree with you there, Galen. He's definitely a Mudblood, though," said Draco. "He was incredibly shocked to see ghosts when he entered the hall."
"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat.
Four names later, Harry was 13 sickles richer and Blaise was looking incredibly smug because she had won 21 sickles from Draco over the placement of Cordelia Maxwell, who became a Hufflepuff.
"Dell, Christina" became the first Ravenclaw and, up and down Slytherin table, money again changed hands. It had become a tradition to bet on house placements and Professor Snape, who was currently glaring at the Gryffindor table, turned a blind eye on the proceedings. The next six names were evenly placed.
"Pastelle, Ann" was also sorted into Ravenclaw ("Another Mudblood, I don't recognize the name," said Daniel Galen) and a couple of names later "Virginia, Weasley!" was called out, and the typically red-haired girl stepped forward, watched by her brothers.
"Gryffindor," heard Harry from every Slytherin within hearing distance.
"There's no point even betting on that one," said Pansy in a bored tone of voice, leaning back in her chair.
"Slytherin," said Harry.
"What!"
"She's going to be in Slytherin," said Harry confidently.
"How can you be so sure, you don't even know the girl," said Louisa Feral.
"Yes I do, enough to know where the Hat'll put her," replied Harry.
"Even so, no Weasley has ever been in Slytherin," pointed out Theo.
"No Potter has either," retorted Harry.
"Well, she is taking a long time," said Louisa with some doubt creeping into her voice.
"I say two galleons she'll be in Gryffindor," drawled Pansy. The rip on the hat opened.
"SLYTHERIN!" echoed through the hall. Looks of disbelief were shot towards Harry, who was extending his hand smugly.
"Told you so..."
A/N Hi again! Uh, sorry for the long delay, hopefully I'll get the next chapter out sooner. Please review!
LOStTeArS: Thanks. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Blaise is a favourite of mine as well.
Psychotic-Lunatic: Yeah, probably I will. But I'm one of those really lazy people who sometimes just can't be bothered to do anything, so it will probably take me a while. But I am aiming for it.
High Serpent King: Well, this chapter should answer your question.
Hermione10148: Thanks! Do you know when the 6th book is coming out?
Jean-Claude Iscariot: yeah, as you can see she's in slytherin. I've always liked Ginny and wanted to expand her character. Don't worry, Lockhart will be in hell once actual lessons start…
Ryan88: Hej! Tack! Ja, jag förstår. Jag pratar fast flytande svenska, men jag har problem med att skriva, som du kanske har markt. Jag pratar mest svenska hemma, med min far och mina systrar, men jag går på en engelsk skola. Jag hoppas att du tycker om nya kapitlet.
A.Potter: sorry, but I want her in slytherin.
Ickle-little-evil-me: Hej! Ja, jag är svensk. Tack för din review, det är altid kul att treffa en annan skandinavier. Jag hoppas att du tycker om resten av min Fanfic.