When September 1st arrived the two boys arrived at Kings Cross at 10am instead of 11 as the ticket advised. In doing so they had the pick of the train to decide where to sit. Draco pulled Harry along the platform until they reached the very last carriage and they climbed in.
"I always figured that this was a storage compartment." Harry said as they sat down.
"That's what most people think. So we have it to ourselves every year. It was helpful last year as no one could find us to try and hex us 'junior death-eaters'." At Harry's inquiring look he explained.
"I'm not the only Slytherin who has denounced Him you know. Blaise did when his father tried to make him take the mark, Pansy has never wanted to be a follower and there's Theo Nott and Paul Hadrian who's a sixth year now. They've all chosen to follow their own path and not one of some stupid delusional half-blood hypocrite. So we hang together away from the more stupid Slytherins and the rest of the school. It's a brief respite before we get to Hogwarts. And no," he said quickly, seeing the question in Harry's eyes, "it does not mean that we're all going to follow Dumbles and his little group. We are not light, but neither are we dark."
Harry fell silent.
"That got you didn't it," Draco crowed. "Did you really think I was the only smart Slytherin? We don't all want to follow in our parent's old footsteps and be servants to a deranged idiot. I for one would like to actually have a life. If that means helping you kill him then so be it."
"But I thought you said…"
"I said we weren't going to follow in Dumbledore's wake on the 'light' side. I never said we weren't going to help you."
"Are all of you going to stand with me?"
"Well, I guess I only really speak for myself but the others will be here in a bit and you can ask them. At least they won't yell at you like some of your friends have done."
Harry sat in silence for a while mulling over what Draco had told him. He had never imagined that he would have people willing to follow him against the Dark Lord. It was one thing having a piece of paper which said you automatically had dominance over thousands of creatures throughout the world; but it was completely another when people of their own free will chose to follow him. For a while it was a lot for Harry to take in.
His thoughts were abruptly broken when the compartment door slid open and a tall boy walked in. He had long black hair, which Harry was annoyed to notice was completely under control and he had very pale skin, which accentuated his dark eyes. He nodded to Draco and looking at Harry with interest he sat down opposite him.
"So what do we owe the pleasure of the company of the Boy-Who-Lived?" Harry grimaced at the title, which you could easily tell was hyphenated.
Draco smirked at Harry's reaction.
"He's come into his inheritance and has decided that Dumbles is, strangely, not a good role model to follow." Harry and the other boy laughed.
"Well, whatever the reason I'm pleased to meet you Harry. Blaise Zabini, runaway son of the Zabini family." He stuck his hand out and Harry took it in amusement.
"What is it with you guys and not getting on with your families?"
Blaise looked at him with wry humour in his eyes.
"Would you choose to stay in the same house and two people that are very nearly completely insane and want you to join in their insanity?"
"Point taken."
As the three boys talked Harry slowly relaxed and began to enjoy the company of the two Slytherins. It was one thing to be friends with Draco but quite another to befriend more of his natural enemies. 'Not not really enemies anymore I guess.' Harry thought to himself, 'Not with being the Lord of Slytherin, I'm almost one of them.'
After a while the door slide open again and Pansy walked in followed by Theodore Nott who Harry vaguely recognised. Pansy stopped short when she saw Harry and did a double take.
"Why, Draco, are we sharing our compartment with not only a Gryffindork but Dumbledore's Golden boy?"
Harry looked over at Blaise and Draco in surprise.
"Gryffindork?"
"Alas, there is nothing else for us poor reject Slytherin's to do but make up names for the rest of the student body. Well, not really all of the student body, mainly Gryffindors and you."
Draco stood up as Harry laughed and closing the door he murmured a silencing and locking charm.
"Pansy, Theo, just sit down. As we're all here we might as well tell them what happened over the summer Harry."
Harry gulped as he remembered the last reaction of his news but began to tell the events of the past few weeks.
By the time he had finished the train was pulling in to Hogsmeade station. Pansy, Blaise and Theo were looking at him in amazement and shock.
Suddenly the driver rattled the door as he told them they had to get off the train. As everybody scrambled for bags Pansy pulled Draco to one side and hurriedly whispered to him,
"You know what that means with him becoming Lord of Slytherin don't you?"
Draco looked at her with a feral grin on his face.
"Of course I do, but he doesn't and that's just going to make it more fun." Pansy laughed and followed the others out of the compartment.
The coach journey from the town to the school was fairly uneventful however that was all about to change. As Harry was helping Pansy down from the carriage he heard a voice behind him yelling.
"How could you leave you friends for those Snakes! They're Death Eaters the lot of them!"
Harry sighed and apologising to Pansy he turned around to face Ron.
The older boy was glaring at the Slytherin's surrounding his former friend.
"Didn't take long for you to become one of them did it? Next thing we know you'll be asking to be resorted in their house."
"Don't be stupid Ron. I'm not a Death Eater and neither are they. I thought you had better sense than that." He turned to the others and picking up his bags said,
"Come on, we'd better get inside."
Ron and Hermione walked a way behind and they went inside.
"Would you stop being so stupid Ron! He's not gone evil, just because he looks different."
"You saw how he treated mum 'Mione!"
"Yes, I also saw how she treated him. You can't say she didn't deserve it after what she said to him. Harry's never taken being told what to do well and you know it."
"We'll see." Ron said darkly. Hermione sighed and as they entered the Great Hall she went to sit next to Harry at the Gryffindor table. They watched with interest as the 1st years came in being led by Professor McGonagall. Harry got progressively more bored as each kid was sorted and amused himself by making faces at Snape and Draco respectively. Finally McGonagall walked forward as the last one had been sorted to a house by the sorting hat opened its brim and shouted one last name.
"POTTER, HARRY."
Dumbledore almost choked on his pumpkin juice when he heard the name shouted out.
The whole school turned at look at Harry as he looked at Draco in confusion. Draco just smirked back at Harry and made shooing movements with his hands. Professor cleared her throat,
"Harry Potter, if you would come up here please."
Harry shakily stood up and made his way to the front, as he passed his head of house he looked at her questioningly but she shrugged barely imperceptibly and nodded towards the stool. Harry stepped up to it and sitting down he put the sorting hat on his which still fell down over his eyes.
"Well now," a voice said in his ear "I expect you're wondering what on earth you doing here."
"It had crossed my mind."
"You recently came into the title of Lord of Slytherin did you not, being a descendant of Salazar?"
"Yes?"
"You have to be resorted, well, the resorting is more of a formality really as you just have to move into SLYTHERIN." As the hat yelled it out Ron's face went white.
"You see!" he hissed at Hermione, "I said something like that would happen."
Hermione ignored him and stared at her friend in shock as he made his way to where Draco, Blaise and Pansy were sitting at the end of the Slytherin table.
"I didn't realise you'd be right for once." She whispered to herself as the food appeared in front of them and people slowly began to eat.
On the other side of the hall Harry was staring at the tabletop in astonishment. Draco looked at his friend with concern.
"You ok Harry? You look pretty white."
"I'll be all right in a minute. Hey, you knew! That's what that smirk earlier was about, you knew this would happen!"
"I had an idea that's all! But honestly, you can't expect to be the Lord of Slytherin and continue to be a Gryffindor now can you?"
Harry glared at him.
"I could have tried!"
Pansy looked at him incredulously and burst out laughing.
"Potter, really. Look at how Weasel reacted earlier before this had even happened, you were never going to be accepted completely by your old friends after any of this." Harry looked over at the other Gryffindor who were staring back with looks of shock mixed with distrust and hatred and sighed.
" I thought some of them wouldn't be as closed minded as Ron, but I guess that was a silly mistake to make."
Pansy smiled sympathetically at him.
"It's looks as though Granger has some sense, or at the very least she's not looking at you in the same way Ron is."
Harry looked over again and saw Hermione looking back at him with confusion instead of betrayal on her face and in her eyes.
He looked straight into her eyes and shrugged almost imperceptibly. She started and nodded to him.
He looked away and tried to ignore the rest of the contemptuous glares from his former housemates. When dinner finally ended Harry couldn't get out of the Great Hall quick enough and together with Draco they walked through the grounds of Hogwarts. All too they were interrupted by Dumbledore followed by Severus Snape. Draco nodded in deference to Snape but Harry merely looked the two of them n the eye and waited.
"Well Harry, due to this unexpected turn of events a set of quarters has been set aside for your use. Just until arrangements can be made for you to be sorted back into your original house again with your friends."
Harry almost laughed at the Headmasters words.
"I'm sorry that you feel that is necessary and that you feel that there is something you can do to reverse what has happened. Due to my inheritance over the summer, by the way I will this once overlook the lack of respect shown to my proper title, I have come into my full powers. As such due to being the heir of both Gryffindor and Slytherin and also becoming Lord of Slytherin it was customary to move houses. As Headmaster of this school you should be well aware of this, especially as you seem to have taken a great interest in my affairs. In regards to your suggestion of private quarters, I thank you. It will be most useful to have somewhere to conduct my affairs. I trust you won't object to any visitors that may arrive, as Lord of Slytherin they will all be under my dominion and command. Good evening Sir." With that Harry swept away with Draco at his side.
Dumbledore turned to Snape in shock.
"What happened to the boy over the summer Severus?"
"I believe he has grown up Sir. Unfortunately, on my mother's side I have a small amount of Skarien blood in me and am subject to the commands of my Lord Slytherin and Prince of Darkness. As much as it pains me to say so, I owe him my allegiance and cannot swerve from that."
Dumbledore opened his mouth to berate his Potions Professor but Snape jumper in.
"There's nothing you can do about it Albus, Just be thankful that he also commands many others, more specifically Lucius Malfoy which takes a powerful Death Eater from the Dark Lord's service."
Severus turned and walked after the two youths that were entering the castle.
"My Lord Slytherin!"
Harry turned automatically at the sound of someone calling him by his title. Severus Snape was walking briskly towards them.
"Sir?"
Snape reached them and bowed. Harry went instantly red and mumbled something.
"Please Sir, you have no reason to…" he broke off. Something inside told him that Severus did indeed have a reason to show deference to him. Harry looked within himself and saw a white cord-like light going from himself to Snape, admittedly it was very thin and faint but it was there. Severus saw the inward look on Harry's face and guessed what the lad was seeing.
"It's the tie to you as the Prince of Darkness. I suggest going around the school and identifying the members who you have dominion over."