Hi Everyone! I'm back with a new chapter.

I have a lot of writing to do for the future, but I don't care! I have no life so what else do I do with my time?

Anyway, lets get on with the story!

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*I do not own Harry Potter or any of its Characters.*

Chapter 6: Settling In

"SLYTHERIN!"

The hall was dead quiet, surprised b what the ancient hat had just yelled out. Everyone's eyes were on Harry Potter, who was trying to remain confident under the varying looks he got from the four tables. Sadly it wavered from the looks of anger and hatred that he got from many of the red wearing students.

Harry put the hat in the frozen McGonagall's hands and made his way down the steps to his new table. Murmurs began to build around the great hall. He tried not to notice, but he could already hear the whispers about him.

"He's a Snake?"

"I thought Harry Potter was our savior. Why's he in Slytherin?"

"The boy-who-lived is Dark?"

"I still can't get over how he looks."

He bit his lip and looked to his fellow Slytherins. Some of them looks apprehensive about him being in the house, but he caught Draco's encouraging gaze and he gave the blond a smile.

He walked over to his friend and found an empty spot between him and Daphne, who gave him a curt nod. He noticed her lips were a bit upturned but didn't say anything.

He looked around the table and gave everyone who was looking at him a nod of indifference, showing he could control himself.

It seemed to garner some acceptance, as several students nodded back, but some simply looked away.

Harry took a deep breath in and out, refocusing his resolve.

He was a Slytherin now. He could do this.

Severus Snape sat in his chair at the teacher's table, gauging the reactions of his fellow teachers.

When his house's name was yelled out, he could have sworn he saw Albus choke on his lemon drop. The man's smile instantly dropped and he sucked in a huge breath, as if he was just told he was fired.

Obviously the headmaster expected Harry to go into the house of Courage.

Filius gave Harry a look of curiosity but that was really it. At least the man gave his Slytherins a chance.

Minerva was frozen at the front for a good minute before she shook her head a bit and resumed with the rest of the names.

The rest of the first years were sorted, Blaise Zabini going into Slytherin and sitting right across from Draco, and Ron sitting next to a pair of boys, all three of them staring at the back of Harry's head. He ignored them, but could feel their hatred.

So much for being his best friend.

Albus gave smile and stood up. "Welcome," he began. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

Harry looked to Draco with an incredulous look. "Is he mad?" The blond nodded his head.

"He's right weird, that's for sure. You best look out for him too. He may yell about house equality, but I've heard from my father that he's always been a bias man towards his lions." Harry nodded. Isn't wasn't uncommon for people to be bias.

Teachers often had their favorite student in school, so it was basically the same thing.

Food appeared on the tables and Harry ate along with everyone else. Remembering Daphne's lesson from the train, he made sure to eat slowly and carefully, chewing each bite thoroughly. He may be hungry, but that didn't mean he was going to tear into his food like a rabid animal.

Speaking of which, Harry turned around to see that red haired boy still staring at him, shoving a whole bread roll into his already full mouth.

Yes, he was definitely glad he didn't make friends with that one.

He could easily see the differences in houses. The Ravenclaws were chattering, but much quieter than the Hufflepuffs, who were talking to each other happily and getting to know the new first years.

Gryffindor however was loud. Very much so, and there were many who were eating voraciously.

Seriously, it was like they had never seen food before.

Satisfied and full, Harry continued to speak with his friends about the house and what it entails.

Luckily, Harry did his research and kept up.

"I wonder if Professor Snape will hold Samhain for Slytherins on October 31. I haven't celebrated it, but I would much prefer a magical holiday over Halloween." Draco nodded to Harry's deduction, and many were listening on the Boy-who-lived.

"I'm surprised that a Mudblood such as yourself is actually knowledgeable in Wizarding Customs, albeit barely," A fourth year Slytherin sneered at Harry. Harry was hurt by the insult, but he hid it under his mask and only smirked.

"I may be a Halfblood, but that doesn't stop me from being the Heir to an Ancient and Noble house. After all, I believe my name easily compensates for my mother's lineage.

And for your information, if you look at the records, you'll see that Lily Evans Potter was one of Hogwarts' highest scoring students in the past hundred years. Just because she was muggleborn doesn't mean she was weak. The same can be said for me." The fourth year sat back with a look of disgust, obviously not happy with the first year's counter.

Harry continued to talk with Draco and Blaise until the food disappeared and Professor Dumbledore stood up once again.

"Ahem - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Dumbledore looked over to the Gryffindor table, which had a pair of red headed boy snickering to themselves.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Harry saw the old man smile and couldn't help but wonder if he was truly loony.

"Yeah, like telling children not to go somewhere will definitely stop them." He heard Draco spout sarcastically. He smiled at the blond.

"Well, if we aren't imbeciles and just listen then nothing idiotic will happen to us." Harry said happily. Draco smiled back.

Dumbledore then had them sing the Hogwarts song, which many Slytherins refused to take part in. Harry almost did, until he heard how awful and off putting the crowd of different timed singing sounded.

At the end, only the pair of red head twins were left, finishing it off with a funeral death song. Harry wondered if they related to that red headed prat.

"Ah, music," Dumbledore said, wiping his eyes with obviously fake tears in them. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The Slytherin prefects began to escort the new batch of Slytherin students to their dorms, having them all stay in line and be orderly and unified.

As they walked out of the great hall, Harry felt eyes on the back of his head again. Turning around, expecting to see that red headed boy again, he was met with the sight of the headmaster staring right at him.

He suddenly felt a push at his thin mental walls and looked away from the man, knowing what Dumbledore was doing. Didn't the man know it was frowned upon to use Legilimency on children?

He was glad he recognized the feeling before the man got in. His walls weren't very strong yet.

"Harry, you alright?" Blaise asked. Harry nodded.

"I'm fine now, but when I looked at the headmaster he tried to use Legilimency on me."

"He used Legilimency on you? What do you mean tried?"

"I've been practicing my shields for the past month. They aren't strong, but I could feel him try to get in. Had I looked at him for another second he would have gotten right through."

"Well that's good. I'm just glad he doesn't go poking around in my head, not that he can. I've been trained for mind arts since I was six." Blaise said cheekily.

"I was the same." Draco put in. Harry pouted cutely, his hair brushing over his face.

"Lucky." He murmured, getting playful nudges from his friends.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure to help you with your shields. I can ask father to send over the books he used when he trained me." Harry smiled.

"I would really appreciate that. Thanks Draco."

The prefects took them down to the Dungeons, where the Slytherin room was housed. Making there way to the entrance, the male prefect turned around and looked to the first years. "Alright, this is the Slytherin entrance, which leads to the common room. I hope you were paying attention to the path we took, as Professor Snape doesn't want any of you to get lost on your first day of classes.

The common room connects to the dorms, which are separated by gender and years. First years are not allowed to enter other year's dorms unless given permission by a student of that year or by a prefect. You would do well to follow the rules, as Professor Snape can be quite creative when coming up with punishments.

Now each month, the entrance will have a different password. The password for this month is 'fel callidus' (1). Remember it well, as it won't be changing until October 1st." With that, the prefect turned around and stated the password to a snake's head at the front of the door. It's eyes glowed green and the door split open, allowing for the prefects to usher in the new students.

Taking the prefects words to heart, they all lined up and waited for their House of Head to greet them. As they stood patiently, Harry let his eyes wander around the room.

The stone walls were stylized with green banners and snakes, all of which were placed accordingly and with reason. The walls were not covered from head to toe, but rather the banners were hung more intelligently, allowing for them to be accentuated by the stone walls behind them. In the middle of the room sat a fireplace that was ingrained with snakes that curled around the the bricks. The Slytherin crest was proudly molded into the stone, shining green above the lit fire.

Then there was the furniture, which was different from Harry expected. The room had several round tables, all of which were dark wood with square satin table cloths that dipped off the edges. He could see that the legs of the table had etched scales, which gave it a look of elegance and Slytherin.

The chairs that accompanied them were also scaled and were dark wood. They had cushions on the seats and arm rests, also in satin fabric.

Then there was what appeared to be a living room like area around the fireplace. There were mahogany couches and recliners surrounding a emerald and beige rug that had snakes slithering across it, and they were actually moving!

All in all, from what he could see, it was very snakish, but that didn't mean it didn't look comfortable. It was even a bit homey.

Professor Snape came out not a few moments later from his quarters, robes billowing behind him and a look of focus in his eyes. He stopped in front of the new students and let his eyes wander over them. He lingered a bit longer on Harry and Draco.

"Greetings. I am the Potions Professor Severus Tobias Snape, but you are to refer to me as Professor Snape. I will make this short and concise. We are Slytherins, the most judged upon House in Hogwarts. We must stand together and show a united front against all opposition, so do not show weakness. Do not disgrace the great name of Slytherin.

Anything that we do in Hogwarts is looked upon by other students and teachers with skepticism, many believing we are dark and twisted. Do not let their words or actions affect you. We are clever, cunning, and ambitious. We are in this house because we have the qualities that Salazar Slytherin believed were the greatest traits a person can have. Anyone can read a book, work hard, or run in without thought, but it takes a clever mind to win in the end."

Harry was engrossed by his words. They were spoken with power and leadership, leaving him hanging on every word. He knew Professor Snape was an intelligent man, but he had no idea that he could be so awe-inspiring. While he was intimidating, he could see that the man cared for them and wanted them to be the best they could be, and Harry was not going to let him down.

"The Slytherin House will be targeted, so outside of the Slytherin common room, do not be alone anywhere. Stay in groups when you go anywhere, whether it is to walk to the Great Hall or to the Library. Just because you are first years does not exempt you from bullying courtesy of other Houses, particularly Gryffindor. Do you understand?" He received a collection of nods from his first years.

"Now, first years are off to your dorms, where you shall unpack. That dorm is your home for the next year, so expect you to treat it properly. There will be weekly check ups to ensure you do not let it fall into disrepair.

Your names are posted on the front of the room doors. Girls are to the right, boys to the left. Be in bed by 9:00pm.

And on a final note, welcome to Slytherin."

Snape then walked back into his room, leaving the first years with his words reverberating in their minds and Prefects to finish any introductions before sending them to the dorms.

Harry looked around, not finding his name anywhere. He had already checked several rooms. He couldn't help but think that they put his stuff in a girls room. There would be hell to pay if they did.

"Oi Harry, in here." Harry turned to see Blaise waving to him from a room down the hall.

Harry walked up to the room to see it had his trunk, unshunken now, next to the bed in the right corner of the room.

"I guess we're roommates then." Blaise said with a smile. Harry nodded to him bit noticed the third bed in the room.

"Hmm, I wonder who the third is? Maybe Draco?"Blaise shook his head.

"No, he got put with Crabbe and Goyle. Poor lad." Harry snickered. Those two were the messiest eaters in the Slytherin first years. They were probably going to be just as messy in their dorm.

"Then who's our third roommate?"

"That would be me." Harry's answer came in the form of a brown haired boy. He was thin, a bit short, but not as short as Harry, and seemed a bit shy. Harry walked up to the new roommate and put his hand out.

"Nice to meet you, my name i Harry Potter, but you can call me Harry." the boy gave slight smile and took up Harry's hand.

"Nice to meet you Harry. I'm Theodore Nott."

"Well Theodore, I guess we'll be spending the next year together." Harry then let Blaise and Theodore do their greetings to one another before all of them started to make the dorm a bit more homey.

Luckily for them, there was an empty bookcase in the room with six shelves, so they all decided to split it. Harry got the bottom two while Theodore got the middle ones and Blaise the top two.

They each then went on to get ready for bed and clean themselves up from a long day of introductions to Hogwarts.

Harry pulled on his new pajamas, which consisted of a blue shirt and a pair of black sleeping pants that had a green line going down the side. Entering their bathroom, he brushed his hair with the new hairbrush he had gotten from Ms Hendricks and sighed happily. He never got to brush his own hair with a real brush until a month ago, and relished in the feeling.

Aunt Petunia used to try to cut all his hair off, but it would grow back the next day. She was of course always angry about it, but gave up after the fourth time.

He didn't eat for days.

Then she tried to use a brush on him whenever he needed to go to school, only to tear forcefully and comb out any knots with grit and impatience. He always dreaded when she would come at him a brush, so he often tried to comb it down with his fingers. If didn't look very good, but it was definitely better than the other option.

But now, he found himself in love with taking care of his red locks. He always liked his hair, but hated how dirty it always looked.

Things were different now. Things were better.

Finishing with the last of his nightly duties, Harry laid down on his bed and let his eyes flutter with tiredness.

"Hey Blaise, Theodore."

"Hmm?" Theodore quietly called out.

"Yeah Harry?" The Zabini asked lazily.

"Goodnight."

(End Chapter)

Yay! I hoped you guys liked it.

(1) fel callidus is Latin for Cunning Cobra. I thought it was fitting.

Anyway, I got asked if Hermione would be bashed and the answer is no! She will be a bit annoying, but then again she was like that in the books. She may be a bit too pushy and nosey for Harry's taste, but that doesn't mean she's a bashed character.

Anyway, I have many things to do, such as write for other stories, so I hope you're okay with this update and tell me what you think.

Until next time, see ya!