Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the following characters, locations and stories which they are based on. They all belong to J.K Rowling and I don't make any profit out of this. Now that that's all cleared up, shall we get on with the story?
A/N: Chapter 3 is little bit longer than the previous chapters. Be warned though, chapters 4, 5 and 6 are shorter than this, so make the most of this lengthier one. It'll be a while before you get the full extent of my rambling again.
Going Forward
Chapter 3 – Thrown Into The Snakepit
Oh God! My head! This is the last time I let Padfoot talk me into drinking Firewhiskey on a school night. Not that I need much convincing…
Still, after the 2nd bottle, we all should have stopped and called it a night. If he'd not gotten out the other one he had stashed away, I wouldn't be feeling like this.
Hang on… where am I? I'm not in my dorm.
Things must've gotten really wild last night. I thought I'd remembered getting into bed, yet here I am in the corridors. I have no idea where I am. What floor am I on? I guess I should find a way back to Gryffindor Tower.
"Mr Potter…"
Oh no! I know that voice. What is he thinking – sneaking up on me? Perhaps I should hex some sense into him… Wait! He's really old!
"Snape? Is that you?"
He glared at me, but carried on walking past me. "Professor Snape, Potter. If you recall our conversation last night, the Headmaster is expecting you. I suggest you leave NOW"
What the hell?!? Am I in the twilight zone? Professor Snape? I must be dreaming. Or in some alternate reality. I wonder who the Headmaster is – who could be crazy enough to hire Snape as a teacher? I guess I should go pay this Headmaster a visit. If he's expecting me, I suppose I shouldn't let the guy down.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Come in, Mr Potter."
The young boy slowly opened the door and peeked in, before stepping into the office. Professor Dumbledore sat opposite a young girl with red hair. 'Lily?' James thought to himself, 'If Snape and Dumbledore are both so much older here, why isn't she?' Dumbledore looked up from his desk and motioned towards a door on his right. James went through the door to wait for his professor, gutted that he hadn't got a look at the girl's face. It must've been Lily, right? Who else could it be?
"Miss Weasley, thank you for your assistance. I believe our new student will have found her way to Gryffindor Tower by now. If you could introduce yourself before she wanders off again, I'd be very grateful. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some important matters to attend to with Mr. Potter."
Ginny scurried out of the office to get back to the dorms, curious about what Harry and the professor would discuss. She would probably never find out. Nobody ever told her what was going on, what they were whispering about when they thought noone was noticing. She'd accepted it long ago, though, so it wasn't a problem. She knew they didn't trust her. She knew she'd never have any involvement in their adventures.
"I hear you was expecting me, Professor?"
"Actually, Mr Potter, I was expecting somebody else. This was quite a surprise."
"Oh. Well… do you know why I'm here?"
"I presume it is because you thought I had requested your company?"
"No, I mean how I got here? I woke up and everything was different."
"I'm sorry, Mr Potter, I'm unable to explain how or why you've got here. However, I think it best, for the time being, that your presence is kept a secret."
"Yeah, I guess so. So, where should I stay?"
"We'll have to disguise you as an exchange student. Remember, your identity must be kept a secret from your peers. Now, I presume you'll be capable of performing a few simple charms to change your appearance?"
"Y-Yes. Of course Professor."
"Very good. I'll let you pick a name for yourself. There's a mirror over there." The professor pointed over to a large, dusty mirror in the corner of the room.
"I have some business to attend to in the other room, I'll leave you to it."
The Professor shut the door behind him and turned to face the two boyssat t his desk, their Head of Houses stood behind them.
"Mr Potter, Mr Malfoy, I'm glad you could join us. I head the two of you caused quite a commotion yesterday. And only a week into the school year! Now, I've been trying to think of a suitable punishment for the two of you and I think I've found it. You will have 10 days of detention, together, over the next 3 weeks. Perhaps having to work together will allow you to put your differences aside. Mr Filch will be expecting you this evening at 7, in his office. I trust that you will arrive on time. If either of you are late, to any of your detentions, an extra day will be added on for both of you. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Professor." The two boys replied.
"Mr Potter, you may be excused. Mr Malfoy, I'd like you to stay behind please. Thank you for your time, Minerva, Severus."
The Head of Gryffindor and Slytherin bowed their heads and exited. With a quick smirk in the young Slytherin's direction, Harry did the same, closing the door behind him. Draco scowled. 'Bloody Potter,' he thought to himself 'Dumbledore would let his little pet miss out on the rest of his lecture.'
"Mr Malfoy, I was hoping you might do me a favour." Draco's mouth opened in surprise, but quickly composed himself.
"Yes, Professor?"
"I noticed you have opted to not take part in our exchange program. We've had a number of students drop our and haven't enough students taking part. A student arrived this morning and I was hoping you might consider taking him under your wing."
"With all due respects, Sir, I'm afraid I won't have time to look after some guy who doesn't speak a word of English. I have my prefect duties, the quidditch team, and with my detentions on top of that, I'm worried I might fall behind on my schoolwork."
"I'm sure it won't be a problem, Mr Malfoy." The Professor rose from his seat and headed towards the side door.
"I think you'll find his English to be excellent, and as he will be in your house for the duration of his stay, he may be an asset to your quidditch team. Also, I'm sure if I have a work with your teachers about the predicament I'm putting you in, they'll be very understanding about you needing extensions in your coursework."
He opened the door, and a boy entered the room. He had long, messy brown hair and dazzling bright blue eyes. "Mr Malfoy, this is…" Dumbledore trailed off, giving the new boy a chance to speak. The tall boy stepped forward, holding a hand out for Draco to shake "Jacob Greene, nice to meet you. What house are you in?"
"Slytherin. My name is Draco. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to the dorms. Professor, does he have his schedule?"
"He'll be in all of your classes, Mr Malfoy."
"Great." Draco muttered. "This guy had better not get on my nerves."
Draco, oblivious to the look of disgust on his new housemates face upon mentioning he would be a Slytherin, turned to leave the room. 'Jacob' quickly followed after him.
"So… what are the babes like here?" He asked Draco as soon as the door had closed behind them. 'Might as well have some fun while I'm stuck here' he thought to himself.
"We've got a fair few hot chicks here." Draco smirked. "Come on, lets get back to the dungeons so I can change and then we can go check them out on the way to breakfast." Draco smiled to himself as they continued walking. It seemed like this guy had his priorities straight.
Perhaps they would get along after all.
