Hello again! To my faithful readers, welcome back! And to my new readers, welcome! I know it's been a while since I last updated, and I'm sorry sorry sorry! Despite current restrictions due to the global corona crisis, life remains hectic. I guess it will always will be when you have a toddler, so what can you do? This chapter is a bit short, but we get to meet two new people in more detail so hooray for that! Blaise and Pansy make their official debut (I don't really count on the train because they were barely there sorry about that, but you can expect to see them a lot more now, I really like them. Well, I like how I plan to portray them in this fic at least lol). Okay, so just a little note about the story's overall progress. I did have a plan written out for this fic, but somehow very early on I managed to completely forget about that and the story kind of took over itself. I didn't mean to have so much Ron bashing but I'm going with it, and Dumbledork is going to be more of an antagonist it seems, so prepare for some Dumble bashing too sorry.

:...: Insert obligatory 'I do not own Harry Potter' disclaimer here :...:

ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER! Enjoy, and please let me know what you think so far, and what you want to see happen maybe?

Chapter 7: Slytherins and Bathrooms

'Welcome to our humble abode,' exclaimed Draco, his arms spread wide in a theatrical manner as Blaise and Pansy entered the apartment.

'Very nice,' giggled Pansy. 'How do I get one of these?'

'Piss off Dumbledork,' laughed Draco. 'Harry, they're here.'

'Blaise, Pansy, welcome.' Harry said as he came into the main room. 'How were your summers?'

'Mother got married again,' said Blaise, nodding a welcome to Harry. 'So, nothing unusual there. But Pans, well-'

'Pansy? What happened?' asked Draco, concerned. He and Pansy's parents had been negotiating an arranged marriage between the two of them before Draco had left and been disowned.

Pansy tried to smile, but her face crumpled as Draco looked at her. 'Father started negotiations with a new 'beau' as Mother called him. Dray, he's so old! I can't go through with it! I told Mother and Father and they said I had to, that I have no choice, Father said he'd Imperio me if he had to, but one way or another I'm to be married at the end of the school year. I won't even be able to finish my education, Mother said.' She broke down in tears as Draco pulled her into a hug.

'Pansy, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, please don't cry, we'll work it out I promise.' He kept talking softly to her as he held her.

Blaise glared at Harry. 'Potter, if this gets spread around the school-'

'I would never!' Gasped Harry. 'This is wrong! They can't seriously force Pansy to do this, can they? I mean, arranged marriages? Aren't they illegal?'

'Maybe for muggles,' said Blaise, believing Harry when he said he wouldn't say anything. The former Gryffindor had an honest air about him, something that would have destroyed him in Slytherin. 'But for wizards, not so much. Among the purebloods it's taken very seriously, a way to 'conserve the bloodlines.''

Harry and Draco exchanged a look, and Harry led Blaise into the small kitchenette to make tea for everyone, giving Draco and Pansy a little privacy.

'Surely there's something that can be done though,' he asked Blaise quietly as he started filling the stove top kettle. 'The Ministry can stop this from happening surely?'

'Legally, the Ministry has no say in the private familial affairs of purebloods, Potter. Pansy has to figure this out for herself.'

'Severus!' Harry said loudly, startling everyone in the room. 'Sorry. I just meant, Severus can help. Pansy can get emancipated like us Draco, and then her parents can't force her to do anything!'

'That won't work,' sniffed Pansy. 'After Draco got emancipated, my father staked out the MCPA with his spies to prevent any paperwork for me going through. He's thought of everything.'

'But Severus is a founding member, he got my paperwork through so quickly that not even Dumbledore could oppose it. It's worth a try at least, right? At least talk to Severus, you have to at least try.'

'Alright, I will,' said Pansy, a bit stronger. 'Maybe he can help, but my parents will disown me like Dray, and I don't have a private vault like him, what will I do? Where will I stay over the summer holidays?'

'You'll stay with me and Harry, or Blaise, or both. We wouldn't leave you out in the cold, so to speak, Pansy, you know that. As for money, you can get a summer job, or start tutoring younger students. I've seen your grades, I know you'd be accepted into the tutorship program here. It doesn't pay much but if you save it up all year you'd have a pretty tidy sum by the summer holidays.' Draco said all this in what seemed like one breath, he was excited at the thought of actually being able to help Pansy.

The Slytherins stayed until they had finished their tea, and were about to leave when Harry said hang on and rushed into his room and returned with an old scrap of parchment.

'What's that Harry?' asked Draco curiously.

'Watch,' grinned Harry, as he tapped the parchment with his wand and said 'I solomly swear that I am up to no good'.

The Slytherins gasped as ink began to fill the paper, revealing a map of Hogwarts.

'Don't want you two getting caught as you sneak back to the dungeons,' grinned Harry. 'Let's see, Filch and Mrs Norris are patrolling near the astronomy tower, the Professors all seem to be in their own rooms, but Peeves is about to pass by our apartment, so better wait for him to leave.'

'Where did you get this?' asked Draco, shifting closer to Harry to get a better look. 'It's amazing.'

'My dad and his friends made it back when they were students here,' replied Harry, gulping slightly as Draco pressed even closer to him as he perused the map. Neither noticed Pansy and Blaise grin at each other. 'They called themselves the Marauders. This map helped them avoid getting caught after curfew. It also shows all the hidden passages in and out of the castle. There you are, the coast is clear. Mischief managed.' he said, tapping the map again and watching it fade away.

'That is awesome, and I hope you let us make use of it this year,' grinned Blaise. 'Come on Pans, let's get going.'

'Night Dray, good night Harry.' Smirked Pansy as she left with Blaise.

Once they had left, Draco asked Harry if he could activate the map again. Harry agreed and told him how to both activate and deactivate it before heading for the shared bathroom for a shower.

He grabbed his pajamas and toiletries and got his first good look at the bathroom. It was tiled in pale blue and white, with a large vanity that held two sinks with mirrored cupboards above them. Fresh towels in Gryffindor red and Slytherin green rested in open cupboards beneath the sinks. The toilet was behind another door. There was an open shower against the wall and a large bath sunk into the floor on the opposite wall.

Well, thought Harry to himself, at least the loo is private. He set his things up around one of the sinks, leaving the other for Draco to claim, and started the shower before taking off his glasses and throwing his clothes into the hamper in the corner. He grabbed a red towel and hung it over the rail by the shower, and stepped under the hot spray with a sigh. He grabbed his shampoo and washed his hair quickly so he could just stand in the hot water and think about how terrible his first day back at Hogwarts had been. He was just starting to doze off when he heard a door open and his eyes snapped open when he heard Draco's voice.

'Hey Harry, just wanted to let know Blaise and Pansy got back to the common room without being caught. This map of yours is truly amazing.'

'Draco!' he yelped, almost slipping but catching himself on the wall. 'I'm in the shower!'

'Yes I know,' drawled Draco as he inspected the vanity Harry had left clear for him. 'I'm not blind you know. I see you left me the sink with the green towels. How predictable of you.'

'Get out!' snapped Harry. 'You can have the shower later.'

'But I don't want a shower,' said Draco, now eyeing the sunken bath. 'Not when there's this exquisite bath here.'

'Whatever, just get out,' growled Harry. 'I'm almost done.'

'Don't get your panties in a twist, I'm going, I'm going,' sighed Draco. 'Your map is on your bedside table. You have ten minutes before I have my bath.'

Harry yelped again as the temperature in his shower dipped. 'What did you do?'

'I started running the bath Harry,' said Draco patiently. 'You've been in there for ages, time to get out. In ten minutes I'm coming back in for my bath.' He went into his room but left the door open.

'Bloody Slytherin,' growled Harry as he turned off the shower. 'Can't even let me shower in peace.' He wrapped his towel around himself and pushed his glasses back onto his face before heading for his room. He took another look at Draco's open door before scowling and slamming his own shut. He heard Draco laugh as he thanked Harry for vacating the bathroom. 'Bloody Slytherin.' said Harry once more.