Houses
Harry picked at his food absentmindedly. It was good-the best he'd had since…well, ever. Unfortunately, he was so full he couldn't eat another bite. He broke the comfortable silence he and Professor Snape-Severus-had fallen into.
"So…" He looked up to focus on the man in front of him. Okay, he'd thought it had been a comfortable silence. The Professor looked distinctly-
Severus shifted in his seat.
-uncomfortable. Harry frowned. Narrowed his eyes.
Why would he be…oh. Oh! Well, duh.
"This is about the name thing, isn't it." Harry's tone was faintly accusing.
Severus visibly started, and glanced up to meet the boy's eyes.
Gotcha.
"I assure you I have no idea what you're talking about, Mr. P-Harry."
"Yeah, right, Severus."
"I have absolutely no objection to being called by my first name."
"Even by me?"
"Even by you."
"Promise?" Harry made sure to insert just the right amount of insecurity and doubt in the word.
Severus looked at him solemnly. "I do."
Sucker. That was too easy.
Harry smiled brightly. "Good. Glad we've got that settled. Let's start where we left off, alright? The Houses. Why would Slytherin be "unacceptable" for me?"
Instead of answering him, Severus just stared. And stared some more. Then he started laughing. This time, he made no attempt to curb the rich sound.
"You-you little…you manipulated me!"
Harry's smile slipped into a mischievous grin. "Pretty good, huh?"
"Oh, I think you'll definitely get into Slytherin, whether or not it is acceptable for you to do so."
"Thanks, I think."
The laughter died down. Snape sighed. He adopted a lecturing tone.
"We'll start with Hufflepuff. The official definition is that they are hard working, patient, loyal, and just. In my experience, however, they are timid, unimaginative, and weak. They give their fabled loyalty to the wrong people, and it rarely extends to more than ten persons. Their sense of justice is very…gentle. If they had it their way, Azkaban would be entirely empty. Fools, the lot of them."
"Oh. Do you think I…"
"No. There is absolutely no chance of you being sorted into Hufflepuff."
"Oh."
Severus suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Ravenclaw. Officially the home of the witty, intelligent, and learned. Unofficially: Boring. They are all intelligent, yes, but there's not a bit of common sense in them. They spend all their time studying, competing for the best grades. I've heard 'horror stories' of burned research papers and stolen books. On the few occasions they do forget about studying, most go straight to the infirmary afterwards. Having fun is all very well and good, but very much not worth it when you end up with permanent injuries."
"That…makes sense."
Dryly. "I'm glad you think so. You do have a small chance of ending up in Ravenclaw. From what I have observed, you are a very intelligent child."
"Thanks, old man."
Severus ignored him. "Next, Gryffindor." The professor's voice practically dripped with contempt.
"I take it you don't like them?"
Snape gave him a what-the-hell-do-you-think-you're-doing-on-the-bottom-of-my-shoe glare. "However did you figure that out, Mr. Potter?"
Harry bit his tongue, hard, to keep from sticking it out.
"According to the Sorting Hat-and the public-Gryffindors are brave, daring, and chivalrous. In reality, they are foolhardy, stupidly brave, and impulsive. They have almost no loyalty to their own, and their 'honor' has gotten them killed on more than one occasion." Snape leaned across the table, eyes burning with passion. "Tell me, Harry, if you were on a covert operation, and you needed to slip into a guarded manor silently, what would you do? If you came across a sentry, would you challenge him openly, risking drawing the attention of others, risking your stamina, your life, and the entire mission; or would you kill him 'dishonorably?'"
"I…guess, I would do whatever I had to do."
"Meaning?"
"Dishonorably." Harry admitted reluctantly.
Severus leaned back, expression triumphant. "There. That's what separates a Slytherin from a Gryffindor.
End Chapter 10
*sigh* Finally, I got to the Houses. Well, except Slytherin.
I was reading over chapter nine, and I started to feel really guilty about how short it is. So…chapter ten. Out faster than usual. Hope you like.
This is my first real attempt to make Harry more manipulative. I'm pretty sure it worked okay, but if not, tell me.
Also, anyone who's in Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor? Sorry. Hope I didn't offend anyone. That was Snape talking. He's supposed to be…*cough*…opinionated. I'm a Ravenclaw myself. *g*
Thank you, reveiwers! You're the only reason this is out so soon. I love you! *flutters eyelashes*
To: Apostraphe-Thanks. That's a huge relief. *g* And now I've got a neat explanation for why he can be nice to Harry…
To: rayvern- I'm sorry! Here's more… And I know. I've got to have at least five Slytherin!Harry stories bookmarked.
To: Rachel A. Prongs-Thanks. And sorry. Does this make up for it?
To: Ms. Padfoot-Me too. And…Do you really want me to tell you? *g*
To: ER-Yeah. It's cool. :)
To: MerlinHalliwell-Thanks. Hope you like this too!
To: Avlyn-Thanks. I will. Um. As to the Head Boy thing…I absolutely refuse to believe that someone as intelligent as Snape got passed over for Head Boy. So, in my mind he was co-Head Boy, or got disqualified after a couple of months, or…hey. That could work. He was Head Boy for three months and then got disqualified for the job after he was caught doing wizarding drugs with Lucius. *making this up as I go along* That make sense? *g*
To: BekaJWP-Thanks. And, I'm trying. Everyone's so impatient! :)
To: momma-dar- Thank you. I'm updating. You update your stories too, kay? They're really good.
To: Naomi SilverWolf-Thanks. Here it is! Hope it doesn't disappoint.
To: notgoingtotellyou-Snape says Harry can't be in Slytherin because of the way the public would take it. Remember the CoS? And his fourth year? After a minute, Sev realizes he doesn't care what the public thinks and takes back his statement. Does that help?
To: fyre-Thanks. I hope this chapter made the Severus thing seem more in character.
To: angelhitoni- Thank you. I'll try!