No Ownage
Chapter Four
The first day of Hogwarts passes quickly. Though the small tricks the teachers were teaching the first years were easy for Harry wandless, it took him a while to manage to figure out how to get his magic to flow out of the wand. The wand amplified Harry's magic, and made it easier for Harry to do what the teachers expected, but it still took a few minutes for Harry to adapt each spell, even though he'd already been able to cast the spells wandless.
Yet for the other students, who had never done these spells before with or without wands, it was much harder, and Harry often found himself the first to have his spell work completed.
His second day wasn't nearly as painless. For their last class of the day, the Slytherins had double potions with the Gryffindors.
"You'll love Professor Snape," Draco says as he, Harry, Crabbe, and Goyle entered the dungeons together, "He's my godfather. He's supposed to be a wicked cool teacher."
Harry sure hoped Snape would be a good teacher. As his head of house, Harry wanted to be on good terms with him.
"Take your seats," Snape snaps at a group of Gryffindors hovering at the front of the room.
"Morning, Draco," Snape says. Then with a grimace, "Potter."
Harry blinks, affronted.
Harry watches as Snape struts about in front of his students, giving an obviously prepared speech about potions.
Harry notices that he almost directly quotes the introduction to The Arte of Potions.
"Potter," Snape says suddenly, "What would I get if I added asphodel to wormwood?"
"Erm. . . ." Harry says, thinking back to the required book, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, which he'd read before term, "A Draught of Living Death, Sir?"
Snape blinks in confusion; obviously he'd been expecting a wrong answer, "Where would a find a bezoar?"
Harry knew the answer to this one instantly; it'd been mentioned in the last chapter he read in The Arte of Potions. "The stomach of a goat, Sir."
Snape's eyes widen further. Apparently he hadn't expected him to get any extra reading material on the subject, "What's the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"
"Erm. . ." this question takes Harry a moment, "I didn't know there was a difference. I thought they were the same plant."
"Correct," Snape says distractedly, "It's also known as aconite," he snaps out of his daze and snaps, "Draco! Did you tell Potter the answers?"
"No, Professor," Draco says.
"Very well," Snape says. Then looking at the rest of the class, "Well? Why aren't you all writing this down?!"
The rest of the potions class goes the same way; Snape keeping a close eye on Harry and being completely stunned when Harry does everything perfectly.
Draco watches with something akin to horror as his godfather tries (and fails) again and again to find fault with his new friend. Why would his godfather do that? Especially to another Slytherin? Wasn't that kind of behavior for other houses?
When class ends, Draco sends Harry, Goyle, and Crabbe ahead, saying he'd catch up later and sticks around after class. After the last few stragglers leave, he addresses his godfather, "Uncle Sev, what was up with you today?"
"What are you talking about?" Snape asks, not an ounce of emotion detectable in his voice.
"Why'd you pick on Harry like that?" Draco complains.
"Are you questioning my teaching?" Snape asks voice cold as ice sickles, "Because that would not be suitable."
Draco's eyes harden, "No Professor, I suppose it wouldn't be," and then he turns tail and walks briskly out of the classroom.
And nearly runs over Harry and Tweedle-Dumb and Tweedle-Dumber. Draco blinks in surprise, "I thought you'd went on to class ahead of me?"
"'Nah," Harry says with a smile, "I wasn't about to leave my first friend from Hogwarts alone with that git, Snape. I thought you said he was a good teacher."
Draco frowns, "I'm not sure what's wrong with him. He's always been really nice to me before, and I'd heard he treated Slytherins better than the other houses."
"Well he sure doesn't like me," Harry grumbles.
"Sorry," Draco says apologetically.
"It's not your fault he's a git. The grease-ball. Hasn't he heard of shampoo?"
A corner of Draco's mouth turns upward, "Normally I wouldn't want anyone to insult my godfather like that, but he more than deserves a few snide comments after the way he treated you. Merlin what was his problem? Have you even seen the man before in your entire life?"
Harry shakes his head.
Severus Snape is not brought up again until later than night in the Slytherin dormitories, "Do you want to try and get back at him?" Draco asks.
Harry shakes his head, "Nah. It seems to bother him that I did well in his class. I'm just going to read up on potions especially; make it my best class. I'll just make sure I'm always the best in the class. It'll be kind of hard if we always have potions with the Gryffindors though, that Hermione Granger is really smart."
"Ugh," Draco says, "The mud-blood? She's annoying. Have you taken the time to watch her? For even just two minutes? She's so bossy, it's not even funny. A real stickler to the rules. So very boring, and she never lets it rest until she proves she's smarter than everyone else."
The corners of Harry's mouth turn down, "Please don't say mud-blood in front of me. I'm against all forms of derogatory slang. And yes, she is annoying, but that doesn't mean she isn't smart. Being smart, even showing off a little is fine, but she just kind of shoves the fact she's smart down everyone's throats."
Draco nods in agreement, "Are you really going to let Professor Snape get away with being such a jerk and not do anything about it?"
Harry shrugs, "Well yeah. If I do something, he'll figure out it's me. He uses legilimency. And then he'll get me in trouble and he'll get what he wants."
Draco's eyes widen, "He uses legilimency on his students?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Well. . ." Draco says, "There's no law against it or anything, but looking into students' minds would be frowned upon by most people. Legilimency is rarely used outside of a courtroom on anyone underage."
"It doesn't matter," Harry says, "I'm trying to learn Occlumency, and if I manage it, it won't make a difference if he uses Legilimency or not."
"How long have you been trying to learn Occlumency? Are you any good?" Draco asks.
"Well," Harry says, "I started working on it at the end of July, I spent all of August working on it and I still haven't made much progress."
Draco blinks, "But you learn things so fast! You're always the first person to finish class work."
Harry shakes his head, "But I've already mastered those spells. It took a lot of time and a lot of hard work. I'm not some super-student. I just came here with a head start. I hope I get Occlumency soon though, I'd rather not have that grease-ball poking around in my head."
"I don't suppose you could teach it to me once you figure it out?" Draco asks.
"Sure," Harry answers.
"Thanks," Draco says, "You know . . . you're really cool, Harry. I'm glad you're my friend."
At that Harry smiles, "Thank you. But if you don't mind me asking . . ." he looks around, making sure everyone in the dorm is asleep, "Why on earth did you want to be friends with Crabbe and Goyle?"
Draco sighs, "Well I thought they'd be good bodyguards. They're too stupid to be any good for conversation, but . . . I don't know, they might be good in a tight spot."
"While I don't think it's nice to call someone stupid, I agree that talking to either of them would be pointless," Harry says.
Draco sighs, "It's getting late. Goodnight, Harry."
"Goodnight, Draco," Harry says.
The small light beside Harry's bed turns off automatically as he pulls the covers over himself and falls asleep.
The next morning, Saturday, Harry is shaken gently, "Harry, get up."
"Mphhhhh," Harry mumbled. Then with a loud thump, he finds himself on the floor. He looks up to see Draco standing over him, "What'd you do that for?"
Draco shrugs, "You wouldn't get up, and it's time for breakfast."
"Food," Harry says, suddenly not quite as irritated.
"Yes," Draco says with a smile (his smile very much resembles a smirk).
"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?!" Harry asks.
Within minutes Harry is ready to go and is dragging Draco along with him at a crazy fast pace. So fast in fact, that as Harry turns them around a corner, he drags Draco straight into someone and knocking them over.
"Watch it!" Draco snaps at the fallen person.
Harry, seeing it to be Ron steps in, "Don't be like that," he offers a hand to Ron which is gratefully taken, "Ron's not a bad bloke, don't be so prejudiced."
"I wouldn't have said anything if the little git hadn't ran into us," Draco argues, glaring at the red-head.
"You know very well it was my fault!" Harry says, but he isn't really paid attention to as Draco and Ron had gone into another one of those your-dad-is-worse-than-my-dad arguments.
"Come on," Harry says loudly, "We'll be late if you keep arguing all day, we won't make it to breakfast."
Draco puts on his best sneer, "I wouldn't want to be held up on account of a weasel like him anyways."
"Sorry, Ron," Harry says, with an apologetic smile.
"Don't worry about it, Harry," Ron says, his voice level, then, "Malfoy," Draco's last name is spit as if it's a dirty word.
As Draco looks about ready to start yelling at Ron again, Harry drags him off away from the Gryffindor.
"Why do you let him get to you?" Harry asks, "He doesn't even do anything. He just defends himself from the things you say to him."
"I can't not say something to the little blood-traitor," Draco says.
"Ugh," Harry says, "Another one of your prejudices. What's a blood-traitor again?"
Draco curls his lip up, "It's a pureblood who likes muggle-borns."
"Oh?" Harry asks, "And what's the problem with them liking muggle-borns?"
"Blood-traitors sully their pure-blood lineage! They mate with muggles and muggle-borns and produce-" he cuts off sharply.
"Produce half-bloods?" Harry supplies, raising his eyebrows, "Are you prejudiced against me, Draco?"
"Well I-usually half-bloods. . . .but you. . . . ."
Ignoring the rest of Draco's sputtering, Harry jogs ahead, ignoring the blond calling him back.
Arriving in the Great Hall, Harry marches over to the Gryffindor table and sits next to Ron Weasley (who got there surprisingly quickly; he must've been hungry) with a simple, "Do you mind if I sit here?"
Ron looks at him surprised, "Erm. . .yeah, sure."
"You finally realize the Slytherins are all slimy gits then?" a small boy (almost as small as Harry) asks excitedly.
"No," Harry says, glaring at the boy, "I'm a Slytherin, and I don't think I'm a slimy git."
The boys cheeks turn red, "Of course not. Sorry."
"He does go' a poin' though," says Ron through a mouth of mashed potatoes, doing a very good impression of Hagrid.
Harry turns to round on him, Ron seeing the anger on the Slytherin's face quickly adds, "Not about the git part! I just meant how come your sitting with us?"
Draco walks up to the table, coming up behind Harry, eyes lowered, an apologetic expression on his face.
"Malfoy's getting on my nerves," Harry confesses, "He's all 'blood-traitor' this and 'mud-blood' that. I am a half-blood. He's insulting my parents every time he spouts out that non-sense."
"Harry," Draco says, cautiously, causing Harry to turn around.
"What do you want?" Harry asks.
"I-I just. I didn't mean it that way. You're great. I didn't mean anything against you……or your parents," he says, an apology written in his eyes.
"……..you apologize then?" Harry asks.
"Yes," Draco says, looking him straight in the eyes, "I'm sorry I upset you."
"Are you sorry you said what you said about blood-traitors and half-bloods?" Harry questions.
"I-I'm sorry I upset you, and it's a generalization, you're an exception to that," noticing the look on Harry's face he quickly adds, "Can't we agree to disagree?"
Harry sighs, "I suppose that works for now. . . if you promise not to say those types of things around me."
"Promise," Draco says quickly, ". . . .well, I promise to try, and if I start talking about that kind of stuff and you remind me, I'll stop."
"Thank you," Harry says, "Then I suppose you want me to go back over to the Slytherin table with you?"
Draco nods.
Harry lets out a sigh before getting up, "Bye," he says to Ron and the other Gryffindors around him.
"B-bye," one boy manages to stutter out. The rest just stare in shock at the Slytherin that had not only sat at the Gryffindor table, but had made a Malfoy promise not to say 'mud-blood'.
Harry sits down beside Draco, and immediately a large brown owl begins to peck at Harry's hands, "Bloody bird," Harry mutters. The owl extends its leg and Harry unties a letter from it. Giving one last peck for good measure, the owl flies off.
"What'd you do that for!?" Harry shouts at the bird as it disappears out of one of the windows.
"Probably because you made it wait so long to give you the letter. It didn't expect you to be sitting at the Gryffindor table," Draco says.
Harry glares at him, "Whose side are you on?"
Draco raises his hands in defeat, "Never mind, whatever. That bird was totally out of line. He should never have bit you like that."
Harry smiles, "That's more like it."
"Whatever," Draco says with an eye roll, "Who's the letter from."
Harry unfolds the parchment
Harry,
Would you mind coming over today around three for a cup of tea? I would really like to get to know you, Harry.
Hagrid.
Harry passes the note over to Draco, "How do you feel about going over to see Hagrid?"
Draco quickly scans the note, "That oaf? I-" noticing the look on Harry's face, Draco quickly stops, "I-uh-I mean sure. I'd love to go with you. It'll be fun."
Harry grins brightly at him.
This is a very rough draft. I'll fix it up a little better soon, but I'm trying to crank out chapters to as many stories as I can this week. I can always edit them next week.