Chapter 8

'Well that was rather unexpected' thought Draco. He had actually heard that Potter had been sorted into both Gryffindor and Slytherin. When he had seen Harry in the bathroom that morning he had been rather startled since he hadn't expected anyone up at the time, which was also the reason why he was there at the time. He liked to get up nice and early so that no one would see him, since it actually took him quite a while to get his hair into the perfectly slicked state it was always in. Not to mention that he was rather embarrassed that Potter had actually seen his stuffed dragon which he admitted had a soft spot for. Even his parents didn't know that he had smuggled the little thing with him to Hogwarts. He shuddered at what they would say to him.

He tried his best to act all pomp and arrogant on the outside as that was the way he had been thought since he was a child. Malfoys' were always better than others and they never showed their true feelings. Harry's actions had caught him off guard and he was not sure how to react really but he would not be surprised next time he assured himself. He would wait and see what moves Potter had up his sleeve.

In the meantime, he trudged back to his dorm to write a nice long letter to his parents detailing his sorting into Slytherin as expected and the events during the attack and Potter's unusual sorting. Perhaps his father might have something interesting to say about that since he had been told to report anything interest he found out at the school.

………..

Harry went to breakfast nice and early and decided to take a seat at the Gryffindor table as he saw Ron and several others waving at him. He spotted Malfoy at the Slytherin table looking very much like his normal arrogant self. 'Who knew that he could have a soft side too?' Harry thought with amusement. He could perhaps use that information to strike a tentative friendship with said blonde. After all he was part of Slytherin too and it wouldn't do to be alienated from the house when he would have to be spending quite some time with them too. He had noticed that among the Slytherins Malfoy seemed to be quite a popular figure. He even had two big bumbling boys, Crabbe and Goyle as his sidekicks.

Professor McGonagall had handed him a timetable when she saw him and he had half of his classes with Slytherins and half with Gryffindor while the rest were shared classes. His first class was double potions with Slytherins and Gryffindors. He wondered how that would turn out. Perhaps if he played it just right he might be able to keep himself out of any house rivalries that were likely to sprout. 'Hmm… maybe I do have some Slytherin in me too,' Harry thought.

…………

Potions class turned out to be a rather interesting event. Professor Snape was highly biased towards his own house and seemed to take every opportunity to deduct points off Gryffindor. Harry however was a different case as any points awarded to him went to both houses evenly and any points deducted would be deducted from both houses. Thus, Professor Snape had the dilemma of giving points to his own house but that would mean that Gryffindor would get points too.

Harry was a brilliant student by all means. He found the theory rather easy to grasp since he had read all the text beforehand. On the practical side he had a slight bit more trouble but was rather receptive to instruction and would be able to grasp the practical after some well given guidance from Professor Snape.

Harry also didn't seem to mind being paired with either Gryffindor or Slytherin. He treated both sides with equal respect. He tried not to judge anyone based on their house and found that even those who seemed rather unfriendly on the outside were not that bad when you got to know them well. On occasion he had been paired with Pansy Parkinson. He knew that she was considered to be rather slutty even by her own housemates. But really, when he took some time to understand and talk to her he found that even though she did have a rather vain side, she was rather loyal to her friends.

He and Draco had also progressed to being friends albeit taking some effort and persuasion to get through to him. The latter had been rather reluctant to speak to him after the incident, only giving haughty responses that would have put anyone off. But, Harry soon found the politics of the Slyhterin house rather interesting. Inside they were all rather wary of each other and trust had to be earned even if outside they had a much more united front. It seemed in his abscence there had been a sort of hiearchy within the house. Each year had one or two leaders or groups which were most prominent, usually from wealthy pureblooded families with much influence. For the first year it was Draco Malfoy and his friends. 'And all the more reason to get on his good side' thought Harry. Beside the leading group, there was somewhat like an opposing group within the year and in between were either individuals who stayed out of the politics as neutral bystanders but still holding a reasonable amount of influence based on their family standing and the outcasts who were simply those that didn't fit in anywhere, usually with rather bizarre personalities or poor family background.

He in his part managed to keep a farely neutral position. He didn't scorn any members regardless of their status and lent his help freely without demanding an equal exchange as was the common practice. He had managed to talk with Draco several times within the company of his other housemates. They had found common ground in their interest in quidditch and dark spells. The latter had surprised the silver haired boy quite a bit with his extensive knowledge of dark arts, rituals and practices but he soon realised from his observations that Harry was not as 'light' as he assumed him to be. It was impossibly hard to fault him with anything though being the sneaky Slytherin he was and he seemed to be limitlessly patient, not to mention Draco found himself enjoying the intelligent conversation since Crabbe and Goyle were more brawn than brains.

Harry still teased Draco occasionally about the stuffed dragon though he had not let the secret out to anyone yet. Occasionally, Blaise Zabini or Theodore Nott would join them in their many conversations. He found their company rather pleasurable even if it was rather different from the open and lighthearted banter of the Gryffindors. Slytherins' tended to have a sharper tongue which on occasion could be rather hurtful. But once he got to know them well enough, he knew better than to take their words to heart. They also played more power games and had political discussions regarding Voldemort and the ministry although surprisingly alliances were not always in favour of Voldemort. It seemed within the house, they were a range of opinions within each group, although outside people always assumed that they were all followers of the Dark Lord.

In a way Harry found that he really couldn't fault any of the houses for being the way they were. They were very different but nothing was ever as clear as evil or good, black and white. After all, his parents had always emphasized the importance of giving everyone a fair chance before judging them as one or another. But then, you could also argue that his father did have a rather strong prejudice against the Slytherins in particular.

………

Professor Snape was beyond shocked when he had realized that James Potter's son was half a Slytherin. He didn't know what to think. He had always expected the boy to be a spitting image of his father; arrogant, self-centred, foolish and prone to trouble. Harry Potter was an enigma. He was nothing like his father, except for the occasional joke he pulled. He did have the trademark messy Potter hair and Lily's green eyes but he might also have passed of as a son of someone else, which was what bothered him to a certain extent. He couldn't quite place why the boy seemed so familiar. It brought to mind an incident rather long ago when his master had returned from an attack in a rather good mood. That was also the night where the Potter-boy had been attacked and yet he had survived with no more than the scar on his forehead. He had puzzled over it for many years and not managed to wheedle an answer out of his master.

It didn't help that the boy was also a rather remarkable student. He prepared well for his lessons, put in effort in class and didn't participate in any of the petty Slytherin-Gryffindor arguments. 'What was he to do, when he couldn't even gain pleasure from insulting the son of his old archenemy?'

………

The weeks passed by in a flurry and Harry had not much time to think about the deatheater attack. Recently though, he had been getting more of the strange dreams and occasionally his scar would burn. He couldn't figure out what was causing it though.

Another thing that roused his suspicion was what he had overheard when Professor Snape was talking with Professor Dumbledore. They had been talking about something called a 'Philospher's Stone' which apparently was being guarded in the school. The information had piqued his curiosity as he wondered if that had been what the death eaters had been looking for on the train at the start of term. It made sense that the stone would have to be transported to school in some way and one of the teachers might have been carrying it. Voldemort must have thought that it would have been aboard the Hogwarts Express, although he was either mistaken or prevented from removing the stone during the attack.

He decided that a trip to the library was in mind and that was where he was found poring over several large tomes. He was engrossed that he barely noticed Hermione Granger, a muggleborn from Gryffindor sitting in front of him. "What are you looking for, Harry? Need any help?" she offered.

He supposed it was just like Hermione to be interested in any type of research. He had met her in transfiguration which had turned out to be one of his weaker subjects. After being paired for a project together they had hit of a deal where she helped him with transfiguration while he gave her some advice on her potions. She was rather bookish and tended to give the impression of a know-it-all to those around her. He found her to be a very intelligent girl though and highly motivated in her studies. It was probably no surprise that anything vaguely academic in nature would attract her attention.

She had once confided in him that she had not known anything about the wizarding world when she had gotten her letter and being rather insecure and afraid of being looked down on, she had strived very hard to excel in everything that she took. He admired her perseverance and assured her that he didn't think of muggleborns of any less than a normal witch and she was a brilliant example of that.

With Hermione lending him a hand they managed to discover a vague reference in one of the light readings. It pointed out that the stone was created by Nicholas Flamel and would prolong the life of the person who possessed it. He found the information fascinating and it did answer the question of why Nicholas Flamel had managed to live far longer than any other wizard.

Hermione was rather curious as to why he was looking for the information though. "Why are you so keen on looking for this stone? As far as we know it's safely kept in a vault in Gringotts's."

Harry considered telling Hermione and settled to just telling her some of his speculation that the stone may be hidden in the castle and he suspected that someone might be trying to steal it. He didn't mention his dreams though.

"I don't think you should do anything, Harry. I'm sure Professor Dumbledore has made sure that it is safe. After all you could get into trouble."

"Don't worry Hermione. I'm not going to do anything," 'yet' he added in his mind. "I was just curious especially with the attack from the death eaters early this year and all."

Hermione just gave him a rather suspicious look before dropping the issue.

………

Lord Voldemort paced around in his study. He had miscalculated the attack on the Hogwart's Express. It seems that his sources had been wrong after all and it had not been anywhere aboard the train.

"You have failed me, crucio!" he said menacingly as he subjected his spy to the unforgivable.

"Forgive me, master. I was sure that the information was correct. Dumbledore told that big oaf Hagrid to bring it with him to Hogwarts and he usually takes the train with all the other students," the death eater pleaded as he was subjected to yet another bout of the curse.

Looking at the pitiful form writhing on the ground, he felt disgust at the man. Such weak creatures that were unable to carry out even the simplest task. He features twisted in distaste he said, "You have one more chance to procure the stone. Do not fail me."

"Yes, master!" the man cried as he lay shivering on the ground, head bowed in submission.

He would have to wait and see what the man could do. His gaze flickered to a picture of his love. Those pure emerald orbs gazing back at him lovingly, reminded him of those of the young boy he had met. He watched the Potter heir as he grew up, not once attacking the family. He was curious as to how the child had managed to survive the most evil curse with nothing more than a scar. By now, he would be in his first year of Hogwart's. He could sense that the youngling harbored quite a lot of hidden potential, his senses always sensitive to the intoxicating scent of power. Perhaps he should get to know the young heir, there was much time after all and he was keen to quell his curiosity. It was far easier to corrupt the young, he thought with a twisted smile.

………

AN# Thanks for the reviews. Shania Maxwell, Smittened By Marauders, thuyhy-thuyhy, Fallen Dragon, DestinyEntwinements, shannyauburn, anti-thule, AceZ-Shadow.

I think i've more or less settled into a schedule of updating once a week, since i'm still on holiday till end of january. I realised that many people have asked me if there is slash and honestly i hadn't planned anything like that. I was thinking of not pairing Harry up with anyone as it is. I was wondering what you guys think of slash though? Harry may be a bit dark depending on what you consider dark but not really evil although i don't really support Dumbles so more of an independant person, although you have to take into account his father too.