Unspoken
by Teddylonglong
Please refer to chapter 1 for my disclaimer and warnings. Thank you.
"Come on, Potter, we don't have all night."
Inwardly rolling his eyes, Harry followed the Slytherin head out of the Great Hall, thinking to Minerva, 'Please follow us and transform into your cat form. I will take you back five hours in time.'
Glad to see that Professor Snape strode ahead in a fast pace without even looking back at him, Harry scooped the cat, of which he knew that it was his granny, into his arms and telepathically instructed Lucy to wait a moment, before he slid five hours back in time.
"Professor, please be careful that your five hours younger self won't see you."
"Thank you very much, Harry, and be careful sliding back."
"I will," Harry promised, before he returned to his original time, where Lucy was waiting for him and impatiently lead him along the corridor to catch up with the Slytherin head.
"About time," Snape sneered, when they arrived in front of what Harry supposed was the entrance to the Slytherin common room. "Success," he uttered, and the portrait of an older wizard slid aside to let them through.
HP
The whole house seemed to be assembled in the common room, sitting in a circle on the floor apparently waiting for the house meeting to commence. "Harry here," he heard Neville call him and realised that the first-years were sitting in the centre.
He quickly made his way to where Neville was sitting between a boy, who had introduced himself to Harry on the train as Draco Malfoy, and Ronald Weasley. He hurriedly sat down between Neville and Draco, who quickly made space for him.
"Thanks," he uttered, just before Professor Snape began to speak.
"Welcome back, students, to another year in Slytherin. Congratulations to the first-years for being sorted into our house, even if I wonder if the Sorting Hat was drunk to sort some of you into Slytherin."
Harry had the impression as if the man was staring right at him, Neville and Ronald. However, he could not care less. He listened half-heartedly, when the professor explained about the rules that were going to apply in Slytherin house. They had their own points system with snakes for points gained and toads for points lost. Snape awarded everyone five snakes for having been sorted into Slytherin. The Slytherins had their own curfew and were not allowed to fight with each other outside of their house but had to display house unity. Finally, he announced that everyone was expected to attend the weekly house meeting on Sunday evening right at the beginning of curfew.
'Oh, I have to remember that,' Harry thought, knowing that he was supposed to spend most of his Sundays at the Unspeakables' office.
Finally, the professor asked the first-years to introduce themselves and instructed Draco to begin.
Draco was a pureblood of the noble house of Malfoy, and his whole family had been Slytherins.
"Potter?"
Harry nodded and told his housemates that he had grown up with his muggle relatives and only got to know that he was a wizard upon receiving his Hogwarts letter. "I don't know in which house my parents were and why the Hat sorted me into two houses," he lied, raising his Occlumency barriers daring the professor to pry into his mind.
Neville sighed. "My parents were Gryffindors, and my Gran, who raised me and is very strict, wanted me to become a Gryffindor as well. She always tells me that my magic is very weak. On the way to Hogwarts, Harry said that my own choices would be more important than what others expect from me, and I like that and decided to follow his advice. I am happy that the Hat sorted me into Slytherin, and I hope that I can prove to my Gran that my magic is not weak and I'm a proper wizard."
Harry listened with interest, as the others introduced themselves, only to notice that most first-years had parents, who had already been in Slytherin. Apart from Neville, Ronald and himself. 'It doesn't matter anyway,' he thought. 'The only point that matters is if they're nice.'
Before the professor dismissed them, he pointed out that the doors to the dormitories were labelled with the names of their occupants. "This is not negotiable. You will stay in the room with your name on the door."
Draco raised his hand. "What about Potter, sir? He's been sorted into Ravenclaw as well."
"That's not my problem." Sneering at him, the professor ended the meeting and instructed the first-years to go to bed.
HP
Harry somehow felt reassured to see that his name was on a door together with Neville's and Draco's. 'Thank Merlin; they're both nice,' he thought in relief.
"Too bad that I'm not in a room together with Crabbe and Goyle," Draco uttered, chuckling, as he sat on the bed next to the window, pulling three chocolate frogs out of his bags, handing each of them one. "My father instructed me to look after them, because they're too stupid for their own good. I'm afraid that I can't do that, but that Weasley is going to have to deal with them."
Harry and Neville grinned, before Harry let out a sigh. "I'll have to switch between here and the dormitory in Ravenclaw, although I really like it here."
Draco quirked an eyebrow. "Even if the professor behaves like an idiot towards you?"
Harry shrugged. "He seems to dislike me for some reason."
Draco nodded. "Apparently so, although I don't know why. Do you?" He took a quick bite from his frog, before he could hop away.
Harry shook his head. "Anyway, I told Dumbledore and McGonagall that I'll inform Neville in case I'm going to stay at Ravenclaw overnight."
"Tell us both, please."
"I will. Thanks, Draco."
"I hope my Gran won't have a heart failure, when she hears that I'm in Slytherin and share a room with you, Draco."
"Why?" Harry feigned innocence. A couple of times, his Unspeakable colleagues had allowed him to attend meetings of the Wizengamot from the visitors' gallery, and he had witnessed thoroughly annoying, verbal fights between Neville's grandmother and Draco's father a few times.
Draco let out a snort. "Because my father and his grandmother greatly dislike each other."
"Absolutely. She might even send me a Howler." Neville sounded frightened.
"A what?" Harry again feigned innocence, causing Draco to explain the features of a so-called Howler in detail.
"Well, if she does, we'll just send one back," Harry said, lightly, before he realised that he had not taken Lucy out to relieve herself yet. He quickly explained the matter to his roommates; however, neither of them knew where he could venture outside with the canine.
"I could call my house-elf, Dobby, and ask him to take her out," Draco offered.
"Oh, that's an idea. There is one elf I know. I'll call her."
'Dolly, could you join me at Hogwarts for a moment and take Lucy somewhere into the garden?' he thought to the elf he considered family.
An instant later, the elf popped up in front of them, and Lucy happily licked her face in apparent happiness. "Hello Harry, hello Lucy. Let me take the cutie for a few minutes."
"Thank you so much," Harry replied, noticing from the corners of his eyes how Neville and Draco stared from the canine to the elf, apparently realising that the two knew each other well.
However, before they could do as much as ask questions, someone ran along the corridor outside their room with a loud racket and screamed like a banshee. "I am not going to stay in one room with two Junior Death Eaters!"
An instant later, all the first-years were standing in the doorframes attempting to see what was going on. When Harry got a first glimpse at the corridor, Professor Snape just appeared from the direction of the common room.
"Weasley, shut up if you don't wish to lose house points, which you haven't had a chance to earn yet." The professor's voice cut through the air.
HP
When Harry woke up in the morning, it was still dark outside. 'Whisker, may I speak to you for a moment?' he thought to one of the two members of his family who were at Hogwarts.
'Good morning, Harry. Of course, just pop over. I'm in Mr. Filch's office.'
'Lucy, I'm going to see Whisker for a moment. Are you coming, or do you want to sleep?' He knew that it was a completely unnecessary question. Nevertheless, he decided to ask, only to receive an indignant look in response.
He quickly spelled the curtains around his bed closed making anyone who touched them believe that he was fast asleep – one of the useful spells, which Felina had taught him in preparation for his stay at Hogwarts.
Gently holding on to Lucy's right front leg, while she grabbed his left arm, he popped themselves right into Mr. Filch's office.
A small smile appeared on the old Squib's face, before he cast what Harry recognised as a locking charm at the door and changed into his real form.
"Good morning, Artemis." Harry sighed. "I need your advice and perhaps help as well. In Slytherin, I share a room with Neville Longbottom and Draco Malfoy. I don't know about Ravenclaw yet. How in the world am I supposed to get away from them to study in my suitcase with Hermione and Connie?"
Artemis chuckled. "Are you a wizard or not, let alone an Unspeakable?"
"I am a first-year."
"Point taken." The older wizard smirked. "Now, Mr. Longbottom won't be a problem; however, you should be careful with Mr. Malfoy. His father is one of the worst Death Eaters you can find. On the other hand, I believe that Draco Malfoy is young enough to be re-educated, especially under yours and Mr. Longbottom's influence. Therefore, at some stage, you'll perhaps be able to trust both of them enough to tell them the truth.
Harry nodded. "Yes, they're both really nice."
"While that may be, you have proved to be a good actor yesterday, when you played the innocent first-year, who does not have six years of Unspeakable training under his belt."
Harry grinned. "Playing the act was fun, actually."
Artemis smirked. "I will help you. First of all, I suggest that you tell both houses you were going to spend the evening with the other house, so that no one will be the wiser. If anyone looks for you, they'll have to find Miss Granger or Mr. Longbottom first. Perhaps, just tell him the truth. For the nights, you can either change every night or every week or just remain in Slytherin and, for example, spend the time between the last afternoon class and dinner in the Ravenclaw common room."
Harry nodded, thoughtfully.
"If you wish, I can cast a loyalty charm at Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Malfoy…"
"No, please don't. Connie will only come over after dinner, right?"
"Yes."
"All right, at least for the beginning, I'll do as you said. I'll at least have to get to know my housemates in Ravenclaw, too."
Artemis voiced his consent. "Remember, you can always time slide, and you can contact me if you wish me to cast any charm or spell at anyone."
"Thanks, Artemis, you're the best. I am so very happy to have you here."
"It's nice to have you at Hogwarts for a change, Paws," Artemis replied, as he gently caressed Lucy's fur.
Just then, a cat dashed through the cat flap into the room. "Ah, Mrs. Norris." Artemis smiled. "These are Lucy and Harry."
Lucy sniffed Mrs. Norris' behind with apparent interest, before she proceeded to give the seemingly surprised cat a kiss, causing Artemis and Harry to chuckle.
"Well, it's good for both of you to become friends, so you can roam the castle together." Artemis sounded amused. "Nice Lucy and evil Mrs. Norris getting along will be topic of the day in all common rooms."
"Oh well, I'll better get back to my room, before Neville and Draco wake up," Harry decided; however, when he reached out to Lucy, the canine lightly growled.
'I want to spend some time with my feline friend. I'll meet you at breakfast.'
Harry quickly informed Artemis, who continued to chuckle. "That's fine. Just leave her here. I'll take her to the Great Hall on time."
Uttering a quick thanks to his uncle and colleague, Harry swiftly returned to his room, relieved upon realising that Neville and Draco were still asleep.
HP
At breakfast, Harry sat at the Ravenclaw table, with his back against Neville's at the adjacent Slytherin table, to get to know his Ravenclaw classmates.
"How was Slytherin?" Hermione cast him a concerned look.
"It was great. Apart from the fact that the professor seems to hate me." Harry shrugged. "I share a room with Neville and Draco, and both are really nice. How is it in Ravenclaw?"
"Our classmates are nice, too, but the older girls in the house seem to be bitches," Hermione whispered. "They…"
She interrupted herself, when tiny Professor Flitwick arrived and distributed the timetables.
"From this year onwards, our house will have classes together with the Slytherins," he informed them, grinning broadly in apparent enthusiasm.
'That's great. This way, I don't have to change classes,' Harry thought in relief, feeling very grateful towards the headmaster for being so thoughtful. He looked at the high table, where his surrogate grandmother was slowly sipping her tea, wearing an angered expression. 'Probably Snape said something making her angry,' he thought, before he silently addressed Minerva. 'Thank you, Granny Minerva, for changing the timetables. It really helps to not have to change classes, too.'
He observed how she looked up from her tea, and her lips that were stretched to a thin line slightly bent upwards, as she gave him an unobtrusive nod.
Suddenly, all the attention was diverted to Mrs. Norris, who dashed into the Great Hall closely followed by Lucy. They ran in a circle around the high table with a quick stop at the edge of the table, where Mr. Filch was sitting.
All students and teachers were staring at the old caretaker, who leaned down and gently petted not only his cat but also the dog, and Harry heard mutterings coming from older students. "Hell freezing over."
Finally, the unequal couple made its way to where Harry was sitting.
"Go away, you ugly cat." Harry stared at the girl with a combination of surprise and disdain. "Why would she, and she's not ugly at all." With that, he reached down and caressed Lucy's ears and then Mrs. Norris' fur, causing the feline to purr in apparent contentedness.
"That was Cho Chang, a third or fourth year. She's one of the bitches in our house," Hermione whispered to him in the overall commotion, as the older students left for their first morning class.
"Harry, one of the prefects is going to take us to our classroom," Neville whispered from behind him, and Harry nodded, gratefully.
"First years, come with me. We can join the Slytherins to get to our classroom," he addressed his Ravenclaw housemates, and a few minutes later, the Slytherin sixth-year prefect led the first-years of the two houses to the Transfiguration classroom.
HP
Minerva was sitting on her desk in her feline form. It was always good to observe the first-years for a moment, while they believed to be safe from the teacher's view. She stared at the Slytherin prefect in surprise, when he led the first-years of two houses into her classroom. 'That's a first,' she thought in disbelief.
However, the first-years' actions continued to surprise her, when she heard Harry usher his new friends into the first row. "Hermione, Draco, Neville come."
While he sat between Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy of all people, Neville lowered himself onto the seat on Miss Granger's other side.
"Don't we have to sit by our houses?" one of the Slytherins asked.
"Why would we?" Mr. Malfoy returned the question, and while she did not know all students yet but only mainly those who had parents on the Wizengamot or older siblings at Hogwarts, she realised that the students proceeded to choose their seats in a completely mixed-up manner.
She was brought out of her observations, when Lucy jumped against her desk, putting both front paws right in front of her and leaned forward to give her a kiss. It was not that she wasn't used to it. Lucy always gently kissed her and licked her fur, when she was in her Animagus form; however, she had not expected this kind of affection in her own classroom, in front of her students at that.
However, when she jumped down from the table with the intention of transforming back and awarding the students house-points for overcoming the inter house rivalry, the canine seemed to understand that she was ready to play and began to chase her around the classroom, before Harry finally realised what was happening and strictly called Lucy to him.
Ignoring the laughter coming from all sides, Minerva returned to the front of the classroom, where she transformed back into her human form, causing the earlier commotion to change into stunned silence.
HP
Transfiguration was beyond easy; however, Harry kept back and only feigned to practise the spell to transfigure the match in front of him into a shiny needle. Only after Hermione and Draco both managed the task and gained points for Ravenclaw and Slytherin, did he wave his wand over the match and whispered the correct incantation.
"Well done, Mr. Potter," he was commended.
"Professor?" Draco raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy?"
"What happens if Harry earns points? Will they be divided between Slytherin and Ravenclaw, or will both houses receive the points?"
Minerva shook her head. "As he is the first student in the history of Hogwarts, who has been sorted into two houses, I'm afraid that we'll have to test it out."
Harry and Draco nodded, unaware that they would be able to thoroughly test it during their second morning class.
HP
When the first-years left the Transfiguration classroom, the Slytherin prefect was already waiting to lead them to the dungeons.
"Don't dawdle; the professor will be upset if you're late."
Together with Hermione, Neville, Draco and Lucy, Harry trailed behind the prefect all the way to the Slytherin common room and beyond, closely followed by the whole Ravenclaw and Slytherin class.
Inside the classroom, they took the same seating arrangements, which they had chosen in the Transfiguration classroom.
"I just hope Snape won't kill us for sitting together with Ravenclaws," Draco muttered.
Harry merely shrugged, just when the professor entered the classroom and strode towards the front with his robes theatrically billowing behind him. Ignoring the man for the time being, Harry quickly pulled up the strongest Occlumency shields he could muster. 'He and the headmaster are the reason why Whisker taught me Occlumency in the first place,' he recalled and telepathically instructed Hermione to do the same.
"Already done," his friend whispered back.
Professor Snape held a long monologue about the fine art of brewing potions, and Harry absentmindedly listened, readying his mind to feign having no knowledge about potions, let alone complete OWL and NEWT certificates.
All of a sudden, without apparent reason, he heard his name.
"Mr. Potter, our new celebrity," the professor sneered, only to add, "What would I get if I added a powder root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
Taken by surprise, Harry completely forgot his intention to feigning having no clue and replied, "Asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion, also called the Draught of Living Death, sir."
"Where do you find me a bezoar?"
"In the stomach of a goat, sir."
"And what is difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"
"They are the same plant."
The professor did not seem happy that Harry was able to reply to each single question.
"What is the most valuable ingredient of the wolfsbane potion?"
"Phoenix tears, sir."
"You imbecile!" Snape spat in what seemed to be sudden rage, much to Harry's surprise. "I will have you expelled for this. We're going to see the headmaster. Now!"
"But sir," Harry replied in confusion, uncertain what he had done wrong. "Don't you have a class to teach?"
"100 points from Ravenclaw for your insolence. Class dismissed. Study the first potion in the book, so that you'll be able to brew it in our next class without any recipe. Now, Potter!"
Harry inefficiently tried to calm down Lucy, who was growling at the professor, seemingly ready to attack a person for the first time in her life, while he wondered what he had done to enrage the teacher.
"I've no idea what happened," Draco informed him, quietly.
"Nor have I. You better go and find out," Hermione added.
"Professor Snape is really scary." Tears of fright were welling in Neville's eyes.
Harry and the still growling Lucy ran behind the professor who was striding ahead in a fast pace without even looking back at them. 'No. Why are we running at all?' he suddenly thought and proceeded to walk in his own pace. 'He should be aware that we don't know the way.'
Only in front of a large gargoyle, who seemed to be guarding the headmaster's office, did the professor wait.
"About time," he growled, glaring daggers at Lucy, who dared return her own growl at the man.
HP
"Severus, Harry." If the headmaster was surprised to see them in the middle of the morning class time, he did not show it. "How nice of you to visit an old man. Would you care for a lemon drop?"
"No, Albus. This is not a social visit," Snape scoffed, while Harry lightly shook his head.
"What happened, my boys? Please take a seat."
"Potter saw fit to cast Legilimency at me."
"What?" 'I can't even do such a thing,' Harry thought in bewilderment.
"Ah but Severus, I am sure that Harry does not even know what Legilimency is."
"No, sir," Harry lied, feeling grateful for the old wizard's obvious attempt to take his side.
"How can you explain then how he can answer each single question I ask going as far as to the ingredients of the wolfsbane potion?" Snape quirked an eyebrow at the headmaster.
"Did he now?" The headmaster leaned forward in his seat, looking at him with apparent interest. "Harry, do you have an explanation?"
Harry shrugged. "I just love to read and study, sir."
"Do you know what the wolfsbane potion is, my boy?
Harry nodded. "It allows the werewolf to keep his mind during the transformation."
"Well then," Dumbledore sounded pleased, "I believe that this was just a simple misunderstanding between the two of you. Now Severus, I believe that you can deem yourself fortunate to have a student who is so interested in the fine art of brewing."
Snape quickly excused himself and ushered Harry out of the headmaster's office. Only when they had passed the gargoyle, he hissed, "You were lucky today, as the headmaster is one of the admirers fawning over you, but I don't believe a word. Be careful in the future, Potter."
"Yes sir," Harry merely replied, shaking his head in annoyance at the man's attitude.
HP
Harry slowly trailed after the professor, wondering where his friends might be. He pulled his timetable out of his robe pocket, realising that his last morning class was Herbology.
"Let's just head out onto the grounds."
Lucy replied with a small yowl of apparent happiness and hurried ahead with her tail waggling in excitement.
When they reached the entrance hall, Harry stopped dead in his tracks upon realising that his classmates were gathered in front of the hour glasses.
"Apparently, if someone takes points off you, Ravenclaw and Slytherin will both lose the points." Hermione pointed to the hour glasses.
Neither of the two houses had as much as one point, even if Harry knew that they had received several during their Transfiguration class.
"Oh no." Harry let out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry, everyone. It's my fault."
"No, it's not. It's Professor Snape's." Draco's voice was firm, and everyone standing around them nodded their agreement.
'I just hope that Snape is the only professor who dislikes me for something that's not even my fault,' Harry thought, feeling very sorry to have lost so many points for both of his houses.