CHAPTER 12
2 September 1991 - Slytherin First Year Dorms - 7:00AM
Harry awoke from his sleep, stretching and yawning languidly all the way. Cuddled next to him on a pillow was Selma, who hissed a greeting, tickling his nose with her tongue. Because the beds were each obscured by a large curtain (that he'd immediately charmed to be opaque and Silenced), he was able to freely interact with his beloved serpentine friend. Giggling, Harry hissed 'Good morning' to her, gently petting her as he reminisced on the Sorting Feast.
The Previous Night…
Harry stared in awe at the Great Hall, his eyes fixated on the ceiling charmed to look like a beautiful night sky. From his position in the line of First Years, he noticed all the staff seated at the Head Table, with Dumbledore in the center and members of staff flanking his left and right. In front of Dumbledore was a rickety old stool and an even older wizard's hat perched on top, the folds of its leather resembling a rather crude facsimile of a face. McGonagall made her way over to the stool and hat and stood primly, while Headmaster Dumbledorerose to give his address.
Allowing the old man's speech to fade to a dull background noise, Harry sought out his mother, giving her a smile which she radiantly returned. He nodded at Severus who discretely nodded back, his dark eyes sparkling in anticipation. Harry noticed his mother start when she noticed Jim, her expression dimming when he undoubtedly sneered at her. Severus glared at the boy for his rudeness, an expression Jim eagerly returned. Paying some attention to Dumbledore, Harry found himself frowning when the Headmaster rather glibly mentioned that the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side was strictly prohibited to anyone who 'did not wish to die a most painful death.' Oh, and that the Forbidden Forest was, in fact, still Forbidden for all students. Harry briefly wondered if his mother and uncles had sold him a dream about a supposedly wondrous magical school that would allow its students to brave circumstances that would cause a painful death.
Finally, Dumbledore finished speaking and sat down, gesturing for Minerva to begin the Sorting. Raising her parchment, she began reading off the list of students in alphabetical order.
Jim had, of course, gone into Gryffindor, proudly strutting to his House Table while they entire House cheered uproariously, with the Weasley Twins chanting "we got Potter, we got Potter!" Harry rolled his eyes at the spectacle, chuckling when McGonagall's severe expression calmed the Lions down. Hermione had gone into Gryffindor, giving him a brief smile as she made her way to her new House. Longbottom had (shockingly) gotten into Gryffindor too, his fearful expression not abating as he took his seat. Personally, Harry thought Longbottom may have been happier in Hufflepuff, but he imagined that the legacy of his parents and his rather fearsome grandmother had influenced his current choice. Harry wondered if a dose of much-needed confidence would allow Longbottom to thrive in his new House. Ron Weasley had also been Sorted into Gryffindor, and like Longbottom, Harry chalked it up to the boy's unbroken line of Gryffindor siblings and parents.
The Hat actually called Draco Malfoy for Slytherin when it merely brushed the top of his head, which Harry found genuinely amusing. It sorted Blaise Zabini nearly as fast, the boy's expression completely impassive through the whole process. It took a few minutes for a shy and rather painfully thin boy named Theo Nott, who looked…oddly resigned to being a Slytherin. There were four girls also sorted into Slytherin: Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis, Pansy Parkinson (who was already sneering!), and Millicent Bulstrode. He knew Daphne to be the daughter of Daniel Lord Greengrass of the Noble House of Greengrass, one of Uncle Tom's sometimes-ally in the Wizengamot. Pansy was the daughter of Andrew Lord Parkinson, Lord of House Parkinson, who was currently Vassal to House Malfoy. Per Malfoy's little 'speech' while they were riding on the train, Tracey and Millecent were both Half-bloods from "unimportant" families who did not bear much attention, in spite of Tracey's very close friendship with Daphne, an "oddity" per Draco, given their differing backgrounds. Bulstrode was "a loner", and Parkinson was an "important family ally". When Harry had pressed for further information, Draco had hinted at an arranged marriage (at eleven years of age!) and turned a rather impressive shade of light green.
Crabbe and Goyle were also sorted into Slytherin, a fact that would have shocked Harry had he not conversed with the two during the train ride to Hogwarts. Apparently, since their families were Vassals of House Malfoy, it was expected for them to get into Slytherin, and that there were rules in place to ensure that they were placed there.
Harry's own sorting was an event in-and-of-itself, with the Hall becoming rather silent when his name was called, with whispers of 'Potter has a brother?', 'Blimey, they look just alike!', 'I thought the brother was a squib!' bouncing around the Hall, all of which Harry ignored he took his seat, and McGonagall placed the Hat on his head.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Harry immediately grew silent, feeling slightly discomfited as he felt the sensation of fingers combing through every nook and cranny of his mind. "Oh ho, another Evans within these halls! Most excellent news!"
"I take it you're a fan of my mother." Harry's glib statement caused the Hat to hem and haw rather uproariously.
"Oh yes, Lily Evans was an exceptional young woman, very fitting of Slytherin House. Fiercely intelligent, keenly cunning, delightfully ruthless, and possessing a steadfastly burning ambition to carve her own path in the world, magical or otherwise. I can see those same qualities within you."
"I do desire my own path in the world, I am a person of my own being. I do not desire to be reneged to being a living shadow of my twin brother and expected to wither in the face of whatever my father's expectations are. My mother taught me to know and believe that I am of this world just as anyone else, and I am worthy of the chance to forge my own path as I see fit." Harry's internal voice was firm, brokering no argument. Oddly, he felt the Hat nod in agreement, almost gloatingly.
"That is excellent news, and of course, Slytherin House will grant the tools needed to accomplish this rather admirable goal. You can learn all about such things there. And naturally, the House of Serpents has quite a few snakes hidden here and there who are quite prone to gossip. And eager to share that gossip with those who can speak the right words."
"Indeed? Well, naturally, you know what to do."
"SLYTHERIN!" The Hat bellowed his House, and Harry calmly removed the Hat and strode to his new House table, taking the empty seat across from Draco. He'd noticed Jim giving him an angry and frightfully hateful look that Harry chose to ignore. Hermione beamed and clapped eagerly for him, and Harry gladly returned her smile. Looking at the Head Table, he smiled brightly at seeing a grinning Lily applaud him, her eyes radiating pride. Though Severus was not as effusive, he politely clapped and nodded at Harry, dark eyes glinting in approval. Dumbledore looked vaguely disappointed, and Harry soundly ignored him.
Once the Sorting finished, Dumbledore rose and clapped his hand, shouting "Nitwit, Oddment, Blubber, Tweak!" and Harry stared confusedly before a veritable feast appeared on all four tables. An abundance of roast meats, stews, gravies, and heaping piles of roasted and steamed vegetables covered the table. Breads of various sizes, shaped, and generously glazed were interspersed between the main courses, along with massive jugs of pumpkin juice, water, and of course, tea. To Harry's delight, there were massive apple pies for desert, some even double-treacle apple pies, with sides of vanilla ice-cream that Harry knew would not melt.
Ignoring some of the murmurings around him, Harry eagerly arranged a hearty plate, before readily tucking in, chewing appropriately and washing down with water as needed. He looked up to see Draco staring at him inscrutably, tilting his head before speaking:
"I do recall saying that I found it unlikely that there could ever be an amiable association between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor." Just as before, Harry gently laughed, his eyes sparkling with genuine amusement.
"And I also recall saying, Malfoy, that though such associations can and do exist, it would be highly unlikely that either one of us would ever end up in Gryffindor."
"Touché Potter, touché." Draco lightly smiled, raising his pumpkin juice glass in a small toast, which Harry returned. Pansy, upon seeing the interaction, made to speak, but a sharp look from Draco stopped her. Sulking Pansy returned to angrily stirring her stew. Lightly chuckling, Harry continued to enjoy his meal.
Present Time…
Chuckling at the memories, Harry rose from his bed and placed Selma in her terrarium and went about getting ready for his first day. After showering and grooming, he wore his robes, grabbed his satchel, and made his way to the Great Hall. En route, he thought of what he'd say to James if he were, for any reason, to inquire about his Sorting. It was the first time ever that a Potter had been sorted into Slytherin, though his mother and paternal grandmother were Slytherins. He had no plans on hiding or being ashamed of being a Slytherin, or doing something ridiculous, like claiming to go undercover among "the slimy snakes" as a great big prank. Harry fought back his internal shudder at the utter absurdity of such an idea.
Finally reaching the hall, he immediately took a seat across Draco and to the left of Theo, pausing to look at the Head Table. Catching his mother and Severus' eye, he gave them both a brief smile, pleased when his mother smiled back as Severus nodded in greeting. Unbeknownst to Harry, Draco scowled at Severus' reaction. Nonplussed, Harry began preparing himself a good-sized plate of scrambled eggs, buttered toast, and a small serving of rashers.
"Good morning, Malfoy! Did you sleep well?" asked Harry, taking a small bite of his toast.
"Morning, Potter. I did sleep well, thank you for asking. You seem quite chipper today." Though he registered the boy's sarcasm, Harry chose to ignore it.
"Oh well, you know. First day of school, and the first day of the rest of our lives." Harry shrugged and began eating his rashers. While chewing, Harry casually observed the Hall, noting it was mostly-full at this point. Jim and Ron were already at the Gryffindor table, talking eagerly about some topic. When he caught his eye Ron nudged Jim, and the two scowled at him. Jim gave a rather impressive sneer, through his eyes gleamed with some level of excitement, for what Harry hadn't a clue. Several seats down sat Hermione and Longbottom, the former of whom was chatting amiably with some of the older Lion girls. For his part, Longbottom kept to himself, bearing a countenance of such exhaustion that his shoulders looked to be permanently stooped. Harry felt a twinge of concern and sadness for the boy, remembering that his parents were permanently infirmed at St. Mungo's.
A few minutes later, the day's owl deliveries began, and a majestic horned owl headed towards the Slytherin table with a blood red envelope clutched in its talons. Immediately, Harry felt Theo Nott tense and stopped breathing, a concerned Harry asking if the boy was alright. However, Theo tensed all the more as the owl dropped the red envelope, marginally relaxing when envelope landed in front of Harry.
"Ooooh!," squealed the Parkinson girl maliciously. "Look everybody! Baby Potter's got a Howler!" The girl outright laughed, eyes glinting in cruel delight. The other Slytherins backed away with varying expressions of wariness and glee, close enough to still see and gauge his reaction. Theo looked particularly concerned, his eyes wide at the shaking red letter. For his part, Harry stared curiously at the Howler, wondering out loud whom would send him one before breakfast. If he'd turned his head to the Staff Table, he would have seen Lily and Severus' equally baleful expressions, already knowing exactly who'd sent the Howler. At the Gryffindor Table, Jim and Ron eagerly stood to get a better view, openly laughing at the ensuing spectacle. Hermione looked very confused, and Neville looked vaguely nauseous. Oddly enough, Harry noticed that the overall noise-level of the entire Great Hall had dropped to a dull murmur, as almost everyone (magically-raised or otherwise) paid their full attention to the Slytherin Table. Shrugging, Harry reached for a butter knife and slashed at the Howler's seal, leaning back casually with his glass of milk to sip as he listened.
HARRY POTTER! YOU /hic/ UTTER /hic/ DISGRACE!
WHEN JIM /hic/ MY TRUE SON /hic/ AND RIGHTFUL /hic/ HEIR WROTE TO ME ABOUT YOUR SORTING I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT! I KNEW /hic/ I JUST KNEW LETTING YOU… GO OFF WITH YOUR /hic/ M-M-MUDBLOOD MOTHER WAS A /hic/ BLOODY MISTAKE! YOU WERE A /hic/ SQUIB FOR MERLIN'S SAKE! YOU HAD NO /hic/ /hic/ /hic/ MAGIC FOR CIRCE'S SAKE! AND NOW, NOT ONLY DID SHE /hic/ RUIN YOU... SHE MADE YOU A SLIMY SNAKEY /hic/ NO GOOD SLYTHERIN SCUMBAG! /hic/ NO POTTER HAS EVER BEEN /hic/ /hic/ SORTED INTO THE HOUSE OF NO-GOOD SNAKES! AND AFTER YOU'RE DONE /hic/ DISGRACING MINE AND MINE HEIR'S HOUSE, I HOPE NO POTTER EVER IS AGAIN! I'M /hic/ WARNING YOU BOY! IF YOU STEP ONE /hic/ /hic/ /hic/ TOE OUT OF LINE, IF YOU ME GIVE THE TINIEST HINT THAT YOU'RE /hic/ TURNING INTO A SNAKEY DARK LORD, I WILL YANK YOU OUT OF THAT SCHOOL AND HAVE YOUR WAND AND YOUR MOTHER'S WAND SNAPPED! I'LL SNAP THEM /hic/ /hic/ /hic/ MYSELF! I WILL FULLY DISINHERIT YOU FROM HOUSE POTTER, D-DECLARE A BLOOD OATH AGAINST YOUR FILTHY MOTHER, AND HAVE YOU BOTH BANISHED FROM WIZARDING BRITAIN! P-P-PERMANENTLY! THIS IS THE ONLY WARNING YOU'RE EVER GOING TO GET!
Y-Y-YOUR HUMILIATED /hic/ F-FATHER,
JAMES /hic/ CHARLUS /hic/ /hic/ LORD POTTER
And then, the letter blew a tremendous raspberry, before bursting into flames and disintegrating. Silence reigned over the hall. At the Head Table, most of the teachers bore expressions of shock, embarrassment, and no short amount of anger. Lily's expression was particularly murderous, before she quickly jumped up and stormed out of the room. Even Dumbledore, James' foremost ally, seemed astonished by James's drunken vitriol and cruelty, his expression mirrored by almost every other member of the Staff. McGonagall was particularly horrified, shocked that her once-favored student could sink so low. Though he'd maintained his composure, Severus' eyes registered his shock and disgust. James Potter had not only drunkenly humiliated his own son, he'd referred to ex-wife as a mudblood. The shock of the notorious Gryffindor pureblood who actively thumbed his nose as pureblood bigots was one that would not wear off anytime soon. As Slytherin as ever, Severus waited to see what happened next. How Harry reacted could make or break him in Slytherin House. Though he knew Harry was of strong character, he frankly expected him to break and run out crying at the harsh cruelty his father had poured on him. Instead, to his and everyone's astonishment, Harry ... burst into laughter!
"Incredible! Ha! So my father is a degenerate drunk, as well as a raving idiot! Oh my, that is good to know. Splendid!" And then, he stood and held up his glass of milk in the direction of his older twin in mock-salute.
"And nicely played by you too, Brother Dearest!" he called out across the hall with false good cheer, as if the Howler had been nothing more than an entertaining little prank. "I imagine you snuck out and broke curfew to tattle on me to our beloved father didn't you? Or do the Hogwarts rules not apply to the Boy-Who-Lived?"
Jim's face grew furious at that, and he jumped up onto the table, knocking over dishes and pitchers. "YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY, YOU SLIMY NO-GOOD SLYTHERIN FILTH!" he yelled, which only made Harry laugh louder as he sat back down.
Just as Jim was preparing to bellow something else crass, McGonagall's voice thundered across the room. "James Potter. Jr., you sit down this instant! Not another word will pass from your lips! And twenty-five points from Gryffindor for disrupting breakfast, insulting another House, and your disgraceful language!" Jim looked momentarily furious to have been called out so publicly, his cheeks reddening in rage and embarrassment. Shooting one final hateful look at his still laughing little brother, he slowly sat down.
Over at the Slytherin table, the rest of the House slowly returned to their seats while warily studying their house mate and his strange reaction. His laughter over, Harry returned to quietly eating his breakfast while going over notes for his first Transfiguration class. His mood was obviously (and to his classmates, bizarrely) cheerful.
"Uh, Potter?" said Theo timidly. "Um… are you… are quite alright?"
"Never better, Theo. May I call you Theo? I hope that's not presumptuous of me. You can, of course, call me Harry if you wish."
"Oh… okay then… Harry. You took that Howler, well, considerably better than one would expect. Considerably better than most actually." Theo shot him another curious look, almost as if seeing him for the first time.
"Oh that bit of rubbish," Harry said with a grin, carefully burying his anger and latent hurt at his father's cruelty. "There's really nothing to that. Just a ridiculous man who's lived a ridiculous life, who's made ridiculous decisions yelling at me, well, ridiculously! I've been taught by many much better than James Potter to never take heed to another's ridiculousness." He took a bite of a buttered roll and chewed slowly, taking his time to consider his words. "I imagined there was a time I would have put up with that sort of thing for the sake of being polite. Because I believed I didn't have any other choice but to endure because genetics demanded I do." Theo made an odd face at the other boy's use of 'genetics'. "But no more. You see, Theo, that man imagines himself to be my father, and as such, imagines that he holds some abusive authority over me and over my mother. But the truth is, he has never been my father in any way that truly matters. And despite his ridiculous tantrums, I know that he holds no power over me or over my mother that I don't allow, and as of now, I won't allow him any power at all." He finished his roll with a relish, before reaching over to pluck another, chewing just as thoughtfully. "I'm actually pleased that things came to a head so quickly! You see, I'd planned to at least maintain some level of civility, for the sake of House Potter. But after that ridiculous display? Not. A. Chance."
Theo looked at Harry with open awe, while most of the remaining Slytherins seemed to think he'd gone utterly insane. Meanwhile, Harry turned towards Draco who stared in shock at Harry, seemingly dazed by his reaction. Harry stared intently at Draco, allowing a few moments to pass while he weighed his choices. Decision made, Harry spoke.
"Speaking of which ... Mr. Malfoy. I realize that while we are not very far into our association, I was wondering if I could implore you for a small little favor?"
Draco, who for the oddest reason was mildly jealous that Harry hadn't asked to use his first name, replied, "What sort of favor would you require, Mr. Potter?"
"Would you mind very much owling your parents and asking if they could recommend a good solicitor? Particularly one well-versed with Wizengamot Inheritance and Paternal Custody Laws?"
Draco Malfoy stared at the Brother-Of-The-Boy-Who-Lived. And then, it was his turn to laugh.
Slytherin Common Room - 7:40PM
Harry sat alone, quietly reviewing his homework while snacking on dried apple chips Mia had packed for him. He'd spent some time with Lily in her Hogwarts quarters, very pleased to spend some alone time with her. She'd been overjoyed to see him, and spent the time talking with him about his first night in the dorms. Both deftly avoided discussing James Potter and his drunken Howler.
He leaned back in his chair, thinking back on his first day of classes. All had gone very well; he'd been partially successful in his matchstick transfiguration, and he was inordinately pleased at his successful feather levitation, earning five points for Slytherin. He'd made some tentative allies (Hermione was definitely a friend), and he was optimistic about the direction those would-be relationships would take.
Standing and stretching, he noticed a curious painting above the fireplace; it was a sleeping puff adder curled over some history books on a writing desk. Smiling cheekily, he walked over to the painting, pausing to ensure that he was truly alone. Focusing his attention on the snake, he hissed a greeting: "Hello there. My name is Harry." The adder blinked open an eye, slowly unfurling to get a better look at him. It hissed back a polite greeting, and the two engaged in a brief conversation. Smiling warmly, Harry bid the adder goodnight, pleased to have made another friend.
AN 1: And our first day is done! James is quite an ass isn't he? We'll see the fallout from his horrible Howler, especially with calling Lily a mudblood. Remember, this James is bitter, jaded, and quite frankly a functioning alcoholic
Howler-gate fallout continues!