The rest of dinner was uneventful, and Harry lingered behind as the majority of Slytherins departed back to their common room. Unfortunately for him, Tom Riddle and Orion Black stayed behind too. Malfoy and Lestrange had left together, and Alphard had been approached by a small group of Ravenclaws who dragged him away to the library. There weren't many students left finishing off dessert, and Harry sat in an uncomfortable silence among Riddle and Black. The silence didn't last long, however, as Professor Slughorn had decided to appear.

"Jamie, my boy!" he called out cheerfully and Harry fought back a look of annoyance.

"Hello, professor," he greeted.

"Congratulations on becoming a Slytherin. It's my own house, you know," he spoke with a strange sort of pompous excitement and Harry nodded.

"Professor Dumbledore told me earlier, sir," he said politely.

Slughorn beamed, "Yes, yes. On the topic of your cousin, he has requested you to go to his office once you have finished eating," the portly man informed. Dumbledore himself had left the great hall some minutes prior.

Harry noticed Tom perk up at the mention of Dumbledore. "I can show him the way, if you'd like, professor." Riddle suggested, which mildly startled the man.

"Ah, Tom!" Slughorn smiled, "I hadn't noticed you there," he chuckled. "I see the two of you are acquainted?"

"You could say that," Harry grumbled under his breath.

"Yes, professor. I thought it wise to introduce myself and offer my assistance, seeing as I am sixth year's prefect," Riddle nodded.

"Good man," Slughorn praised. "Well now, you boys don't want to be talking to an old man like myself," he chortled. It was a weird thing for Harry, considering the Slughorn of his own time was far older than this one.

"You're not old, sir," Harry commented, which only made Slughorn grin wider.

"Why thank you, dear boy. But I digress. I shall leave you boys be. I have some delightful candied pineapple in my office just begging to be eaten," he spoke conspiratorially and made his way out of the hall.

When he was gone Harry looked to Riddle, "I do know the way to Professor Dumbledore's office. You don't need to show me."

Riddle only smirked, "I would hate for you to get lost."

"And you will need someone to show you the way to the common room," Orion added. He and Riddle were already standing, and Harry sighed.

"Fine," he muttered and followed the two out of the great hall.

They walked in silence for a while, which Harry preferred, with Black and Riddle flanking either side of him. He felt uncomfortable and awkward, sandwiched between them.

"So you're related to Dumbledore?" Riddle questioned. They were about halfway to the office, and Harry just wished they were there already.

"Yes," He replied simply, looking straight on.

"Interesting…" Riddle mused. Harry could almost hear the cogs in Riddle's head turning. "Cousins, Slughorn said, correct?"

Harry nodded. "Second cousin, once removed," He recited the story he and Dumbledore had discussed while they were out shopping. Apparently, the professor had a second cousin who died recently who would be the right age to be Harry's mother. She never married, and both her parents were also dead. Harry hadn't really understood Dumbledore's need to go that far into a cover story, but he supposed that it was a good call considering Slytherin nosiness.

"What does he need to talk to you about?" Orion asked, and Harry pursed his lips.

"How am I supposed to know? Besides, even if I did, it wouldn't be any of your business." He retorted snappishly. He was thankful they were pretty much almost outside the office now and he quickly pulled ahead.

He knocked on the office door and received a 'Come in'. Black and Riddle waited by the door as Harry entered. Dumbledore noticed the two other boys before Harry closed the door and eyed them cautiously.

"Hello, Jamie," he smiled at Harry.

"Erm, hi professor," Harry smiled back.

Dumbledore chuckled, "Jamie, I have already told you, you don't need to call me professor when we are in private."

"Right," Harry rubbed his neck awkwardly. "How are you doing, Albus?"

"Very well, thank you. And yourself?

Harry grimaced and Dumbledore laughed.

"I see," he commented. "Well I suppose it is only fair. You have only just arrived, after all."

"What do you need to talk to me about?" Harry asked, getting to the point.

"Ah, yes." Dumbledore stood and rounded his desk, stepping closer to Harry. "I just have a few things to go over that we didn't have time to cover earlier today. You will find that your belongings have been sent to your dorm, and you will be happy to note that, as your new legal guardian, I have signed permission for you to go to Hogsmeade. I believe the next outing is scheduled for next Saturday if I am not mistaken."

Harry smiled, "Thank you, Albus. I've heard Hogsmeade is great," he commented. He was well aware that Riddle and Orion would likely be listening in.

"It truly is. Especially with friends. I saw you were talking with your fellow housemates at dinner?"

Nodding, Harry had a mild look of confusion on his face but played along. "Yeah. Alphard Black is pretty nice, and Viktor Lestrange. It was a little weird though. Does he always talk so fast?"

Dumbledore laughed, "Yes, I believe his penchant for deduction can be a bit strange at first. He's always been an observant young man."

"Is- is there anything else, Albus?" Harry asked hesitantly and Dumbledore shook his head. The teen nodded and made to open the door, but just as the door was opened a crack, Dumbledore spoke up again, his tone solemn.

"Just before you go, Jamie," he said softly, "Know that I am always here to talk to. It must be hard, being here, torn from everything and everyone you knew."

Harry blinked, but nodded. Part of him worried if, in the case Riddle really was eavesdropping, he would be able to read through his words, but the rest of him knew Dumbledore was being vague enough. "I know. Thank you," he smiled softly. It hadn't quite hit him yet, missing his friends, and the reality of living for 50 years without them, but he knew it would eventually. Having someone who knew, who he could talk to would be nice.

He pulled the door open all the way and was immediately confronted by Riddle. He had definitely been listening.

"Come along then, Evans," the boy smiled politely enough, but, as always, his eyes were cold. Orion was a short length back from Riddle and was watching Harry intently.

Mutely, Harry allowed himself to be led away from the safety and comfort of Dumbledore's office. The corridors were empty of students, most having retreated to their own common rooms or the library. Black and Riddle were thankfully silent as they walked, but Harry felt them send him looks when they thought he wouldn't notice. It was highly unsettling.

To Harry's relief, they reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room by the time the looks got almost unbearable. Orion pointed out a subtle embossed snake on a nearby sconce, telling him that if he got lost to just look for the snakes. On the part of the wall they had stopped in front of there was a basilisk engraved about eye level on one of the large bricks. Tom cleared his throat.

"Temet nosce," he stated firmly. The wall shimmered slightly as though it were a ghost -if walls could be ghosts- and Riddle stepped through it. Orion nudged Harry to follow and he passed through the wall into another dimly lit corridor. A large ornate door stood at the end of it and Riddle led the way He opened the door with ease and stepped into the common room.

The room itself was also dimly lit with a greenish glow that came from lamps dotted about the place. Large windows reaching from floor to ceiling revealed the dark waters of the lake, though many had their thick emerald and brass coloured curtains drawn. Several plush chairs and sofas were situated around the room, though were mostly near the walls and the two fireplaces that opposed one another at either end of the room. There were a lot of people in the common room, some relaxing on the sofas, but most were in the centre of the room at a collection of round tables. They were studying. It was a very strange sight for Harry. It was rare in Gryffindor for a large majority of the students to be studying. The whole room felt like the library, despite the soft chatter coming from some students.

Harry was unsure of what to do, but that problem was remedied when Tom headed straight to one of the fireplaces. Orion herded the unfortunate Harry in the same direction, and he noticed that Malfoy and Lestrange were sat there reading. Among them was another boy, with sandy hair and pointed features. He was lazily flicking through some papers, every now and then adding something to them using his eagle feather quill. Tom sat on the free chair closest to the fireplace while Orion joined Malfoy and Lestrange. There were a few other students in this particular area, and Harry thought he recognised a couple of them.

Sitting straight backed in an armchair next to the sofa was an almost sickly pale young woman. She had pin-straight, dark brown hair that was pinned out of her face. She wore a pinafore, much like all the other girls in the school, underneath a dark grey cardigan. Harry hadn't seen someone wear a pinafore since he was in primary school! He was half tempted to snicker. In his mind, pinafores were for children, not teenagers. On her feet were matte black loafers, and Harry could tell she would be rather tall if she stood. He was fairly certain this girl was Walburga Black. Her eyes were strikingly familiar, and the pinched expression she wore brought Harry instantly back to his many encounters with Sirius' mother's portrait.

There was one more armchair beside hers and atop it sat a slender boy with fair hair and freckles. He had his eyes closed and Harry wasn't sure if he was awake or asleep. He had a pleasant face, and Harry was fairly sure he had seen a familiar face somewhere else, but he couldn't quite place it.

On the floor in sat a rather round boy who immediately reminded Harry of Gregory Goyle. He was hunched over a bunch of papers and was furiously scribbling away. His writing was illegible and messy.

A final boy was stood next to Riddle's chair. He was tall and burly, with a dull look on his square face. Harry couldn't hep but think of him as some sort of bodyguard with how he stood so close to Riddle, staring Harry down with his dark, hooded eyes.

"Evans," Riddle began in his usual silky tone. Everyone immediately paid attention, even the fair-haired boy. He must not have been sleeping after all, Harry remarked to himself. The group were torn between looking at Harry and at Riddle. "These are Tobias Nott," Riddle gestured to the fair-haired boy and Harry felt a sense of realisation. This must be Theo Nott's grandfather. He mildly recalled that Theo's father had been a Death Eater, though not one who managed to escape imprisonment. Theo Nott himself was a fairly quiet boy. Didn't cause trouble. Harry didn't know much else about him other than that. "Walburga Black," Riddle continued, and Harry fought back a triumphant smirk. He had been correct in his assumption. Walburga sent him a derisive glare and returned to checking her nails. "Emeris Avery," the boy with the eagle quill looked at Harry and sent him a polite nod of greeting. Harry nodded back without realising it. "Xavier Dolohov," Riddle indicated to the dower bodyguard, who barely made any indication of a greeting, good or bad. He just grunted quietly, and Riddle continued his introductions. "Amicus Goyle," The boy on the floor grinned at Harry with a crooked smile before looking back to what he was working on and crossing something out. "And you've already met Orion, Abraxas, and Viktor." The three boys in question gave Harry looks of varying pleasantness.

There was a beat of silence before Harry decided that maybe they were waiting for him to speak. "Hello," he murmured as politely as he could manage, he very well didn't want to make enemies with this lot.

Thankfully -or perhaps not, depending on how one looked at it- Riddle decided to speak again. "As a new Slytherin, it would benefit you to learn the rules, Evans," he declared lazily. "We have four important ones. First, do not allow access of the common room to anyone not belonging to Slytherin house."

Malfoy nodded, flicking a page in his book, "We have a password for a reason."

"It gets updated every fortnight. The new passwords are posted on the notice board by the door," Orion continued.

"Second," furthered Riddle, "Is that the house shall not be divided."

"You will come to find that our house gets hailed as evil incarnate, and those who believe so will strive to break us at any opportunity," Lestrange explained. "In public we must present a united front; all arguments are forgotten outside of these walls."

"We protect our own when no one else will," Nott piped up. His voice was soft and tired sounding.

Harry was a little confounded at the coordination of the listing. He flitted between each face as they spoke. "Third," Harry's eyes fell once again onto Riddle, who looked rather smug. "Strive for greatness in everything you do."

"After all, that is what Slytherins are. Ambition is our very core," Walburga said. Her high voice was not as shrill as her painting had been, but Harry could definitely see it getting there. "Good grades and impeccable appearances are demanded in order to uphold the standards of Slytherin house." Merlin she was a snob, Harry held in a scoff. She sound so high and mighty it was as if she believed she were the Queen.

"Lastly, don't get caught," Riddle grinned a Cheshire Cat grin. His dark eyes sparkled like evil versions of Dumbledores.

"By all means, create trouble," Orion purred.

"But be smart about it," demanded Malfoy sternly. "Only do something if you know you can get away with it."

"Otherwise, you deserve every punishment you get," Riddle finished in a satisfied drawl.

Harry felt awfully overwhelmed by the information overload. So, was every Slytherin taught these rules? If so, that definitely explained a lot, he thought. He blinked. "Um, right…" he trailed. "I can stick to those," he affirmed, if only to appease the crowd of potentially dangerous individuals.

"Make sure you do," Walburga sniffed haughtily.