The students who were just arriving stared around blankly wondering why everyone was standing in the entrance and saw Harry with his wand out glaring down at a second year boy. Draco put his head in his hands. In his opinion everything was going to shit. Harry on the other hand snapped around to face the group with his wand behind his back and gave them a big smile. "Please come in," he said as if he owned the place. Draco stood and walked behind Harry. It seemed to be the safest place to be at the moment. As good as he was getting at fighting he did not want to try his luck against thirty witches and wizards no matter how young they were.

The students let out a collective gasp as Draco stood with the enemy. Harry snorted and looked over his shoulder to give Draco a comforting smile. It didn't work. Harry stepped forward and let the angry students surround him and indirectly Draco, who took out his wand and glared threateningly.

"There is no need for violence," Harry said breaking the tense silence. "I only want to talk with you." He bowed his head as if gathering his thoughts. Draco had never considered Harry to be a good public speaker, down right horrible at it in fact, but the next twenty minutes changed his mind.

"I am sure you all know of the return of the so called Dark Lord." He began. There were a few duh's from the back. "What's he mean by so called?" One asked. "Many of your parents are in league with him. Am I right?" No one moved. "It's alright to admit it here Dumbledore has no idea that this meeting is taking place."

How can we be sure of that," a girl from the front called out.

Draco decided at this point to through in the whole lot with Harry, his best chance of getting out from under both his father and Voldemort. "Because I helped to make sure he didn't. Every single one of you knows that I have my ways of avoiding attention." Which was mostly true, though he didn't think that the Headmaster himself had ever been deceived.

"Thank you Draco." Harry said. Everybody blinked at that statement, almost in unison. "But I'm not here to talk about your parent's allegiance they chose their path long before I was born. I'm here to talk about yours."

The boy nearest to Harry snorted. "And what about our allegiance? All you're going to do is preach to us about how bad Voldemort is and how morally wrong it is to follow him. How Dumbledore and that incompetent Prime Minister can help us. As if we would betray our parents."

"Not betraying your parents, how Gryffindor of you." The young man turned bright red at the insult. "But you're a Slytherin." Harry continued. "I think there are other reasons why you won't go to Dumbledore; his condescending, know-it-all attitude aside. You are afraid. You're parents expect certain things from you and don't care how they get it." Harry bit his lip to keep from exploding into a rant that while true was completely off subject. "You may be too young now for Voldemort to use, but in time you will be expected to bow to him as your master, and if you don't you will be tortured and killed." A few feet shuffled revealing the truth of his statement. "I am not asking you to join the side of light, but I do want you to join me."

"You are a fool," Draco said directly behind him. "Your name is synonymous with the light."

Harry turned around to glare at Draco. "That is a misconception." He turned back around to face the curious students. "I know it is hard to believe that there is another path for you to follow in your lives, but I can give that to you. No one has ever given you a choice, but I will now. There is a way that you can stay true to your families dark traditions and not have to serve Voldemort."

Draco frowned. He had made a deal with Harry for a way out and now he was giving it to a bunch of snot nosed kids for free. It was completely unfair, making him, the Great Draco Malfoy, work when he really didn't have to. Harry was going to pay for this… this absolutely Slytherin plan. Draco was too busy fuming to catch Harry's next few words.

"…so you should stand against Voldemort and his followers, even those among the older students." Many of the Slytherins looked nervous at this. "Yes," Harry answered the unasked question, "I know there are Death eaters among the sixth and seventh years, and I even know who. Well, will you join me in the fight against the false Dark Lord?"

The young boy who had spoken up earlier stepped forward and with his bowed, "We won't be joining you. As Slytherin it is the highest priority to save our own skins. It is too risky."

"Where the hell did that concept come from anyway." Harry asked the air in front of him, "I always said to do anything in your power to get what you wanted, or more famously, damn Godric and his practical jokes, I said, 'I'll jump through fire before I'll eat that flubber worm,' but I never said to settle for anything." He started as if from a daze. "That may have been a bit revealing." He said to the boy, whose mouth was hanging wide open.

Draco jumped on Harry's slip of the tongue like the snake he was curling around it until it stopped struggling in his crushing hold. "You say that like you actually knew the original Griffindork." He accused.

"Well, ah, ya see. There's this painting…" where the painting was Harry had no idea. "I've gotten acquainted with it over the years." Harry smoothed out his speech as he got into the half truth. "He's an interesting man, not at all what you would think."

"I don't believe that. I know that painting too. It's in Dumbledore's office." Draco said crossing his arms. "Care to try again?"

Harry paused trying to find a convincing half truth. Not being able to lie could be a real pain, but this could work in his favor, if he could get them to believe him. He put on his dopiest smile. "I'm the reincarnation of Salazar Slytherin."

Draco blinked. Many of the students behind him had the I-don't-believe-he-said-that look on their faces. Draco pulled out his wand and pointed it a Harry's head. "You expect us to believe that. The Gryffindor Golden Boy could never be a dark wizard let alone one that died a thousand years ago."

"I am serious Draco," Harry dropped all pretense of stupidity. "Not only am I Salazar Slytherin, I am the true Dark Lord. Remember when I told you that story about the thief that read the magic scroll? That was Salazar, me. Voldemort somehow got a hold of a copy of the scroll, and I have to kill him."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe you."

"You don't have to. Go ask Professor Snape. He knows the truth, or should by now." Harry sighed. That stubborn old git better have checked the weight of that vile or Harry was in deep shit. "Go on get him."

"If I bother Professor Snape now he'll take my head off." Draco whined. His eyes then lit up with an idea. He pointed at the most vocal of the students standing behind him. "You, go get Professor Snape. Tell him that Potter is in the Slytherin dorms. The young man opened his mouth in protest. Draco just pointed his wand directly between the boy's eyes. "Go, or you'll be spending the next month covered in painful boils." The boy fled.

"That wasn't nice." Harry said from behind him.

"Never said I was nice Potter and that just proves that you are not a dark wizard." Draco threw Harry a triumphant smirk.

Harry sat down and picked up the ancient text he had been reading just before the students had come in and started to flip through the pages pretending to read. How am I going to get out of this one? I finally understand what mom used to say about lying being easy. Harry stared blankly at a picture of a man transforming into a human harpy hybrid.

I never meant to tell them, but if they believe… Why do I always have to clean up the cosmic mess? When I was Salazar I had to hide dark witches and wizards, who seem unable to keep low profiles, from the inquisitors, and now I have to kill a Dark Lord who actually is a Dark Lord, meaning he has access to information that would make the most evil of the self proclaimed dark lords cringe. Not the best case scenario.

"Don't think so loud. It bothers me." Draco said right over his shoulder.

"Humm…" Harry turned to face him. "Why are you turning me in? That wasn't part of the deal."

Draco shrugged and lifted his eyebrows at the picture. "Not my kind of art but interesting. I didn't know a human spine bent that far."

"Answer the question."

"You have suddenly turned very un-Gryffindor, and your mudblood friend has been avoiding you." Harry tensed at the mention of Hermione. "So I figured that I could pry some answers out of you."

"What about our deal?" Harry shook his head. "Wait, stupid question. You have seen to your side of the deal, and I… thank you. But I'm still going to run you into the ground every day after classes and on weekends." Harry ignored the jab about Hermione, though it still hurt him. She had been ignoring him, all but running away when he entered the room.

"For your sake I hope that this training works because if I die I'm haunting you for the rest of your life." Draco glared at the Gryffindor. "So are you going to tell the truth?"

"Already have." Harry suddenly turned toward the entrance of the common room. "Good evening Professor." He said to a seething Snape.

"Potter, what are you doing here! One hundred points from Gryffindor! Get out!" Snape barked. The man was quivering with rage. Yellow teeth clenched tight.

"But Professor," Harry said with a smile. "We seem to have a disagreement that you can solve for us." Snape turned red with anger. He opened his mouth only to shut it once more. "Remember that conversation we hand in your office the other night? The one that included Vetriserum." Snape paled at Harry's words. "I take it that you have discerned the truth of the situation."

"Yes, I have." Snape grated out. "But that doesn't change the fact that I hate you and will always hate you. You are nothing but a spoiled brat, coddled by everyone."

Harry cocked his head to the side. "True enough, but I don't like being coddled; just am, though your idea of coddling is rather broad if it includes near starvation. They mistake me for the Light's savior, which I am not; you agree."

"Agreed." Snape looked around at the shocked students. They had never seen anyone but Dumbledore stand up to their Head of House. And never had they thought that Severous Snape and Harry Potter would agree on anything. "Let me reiterate, I hate you, no matter who you have been in the past. You have obviously died and become the worse for it."

"So he's telling the truth; he is the reincarnation of Salazar Slytherin." Draco wailed in dismay as his entire world dropped out from under him. Eyes that were normally narrowed with cunning widened to the point of bugging out of his head.

Snape turned to the blond and actually felt a stab of sympathy for him. He imagined that that was the way he looked when he had measured the vetriserum. "Unless Potter has found away to lie under the influence of vetriserum, then yes he was telling the truth." He eyed Harry not willing to completely believe that it was impossible for him to have done so.

"Not yet, sir," Harry answered the silent question. Professor Snape scowled. "Hey, I have an idea." At this point everyone was skeptical of Harry. Draco thought it pathetic that a room full of Slytherins could be afraid of one Gryffindor, but if the Professor believed what Potter had said… "Let's Duel Professor." Draco was jerked out of his thoughts by the words.

Snape seemed just as surprised. He paused not quite sure how to answer that. "You are my student." He finally bit out holding his nose like he had a sever head ache. "As much as I would like to thrash you, I can't."

"Come on Professor," Harry wheedled. "I hate you, you hate me, and technically I'm not your student as I have completed most of my education a thousand years ago." He smiled. "We'll only use magic. I promise."

Snape thought it over for a moment, a long moment. The first and second years started to fidget with boredom but were unwilling to pass up the chance to see their head of house battling the Golden Boy. "You know I can't as long as you are considered a student here." Snape said with obvious disappointment. "The spell Dumbledore cast on the teachers that work here won't allow it within school grounds."

Harry's face fell. He had really been looking forward to flattening Snape in a wizard's duel, but even he had to admit that it was too much of an advantage for him if Snape was restricted by one of Dumbledore's spells. He sighed, "Some other time then."

Snape stood by the door. "If I have answered all of your questions," He glared around the room making it obvious that he better well have answered any and all pressing questions. "Potter leave now."

Harry stood gracefully gathering the book he had taken from the fireplace to his chest. He strode over to the door and suddenly snapped around with his wand held out in front of him. Snape automatically threw up a shield, but Harry only whispered a few words before putting his wand away. "Sorry, can't have this information spread around the school." He winked at Snape and said to the Professor alone. "That shield only works against spells that cause direct harm. Try the Ferrisan Block next time." He then stepped out into the hall way and went immediately into damage control mode because he was sure he had screwed up somewhere.

"Potter," Snape snapped from behind him. "Detention, tomorrow, Filch, eight o'clock."

Harry's shoulders sagged. "Damn it, this is the last time I save the world; I swear!"

Qqqqqq

Sorry this chapter is late. I admit to symptoms of procrastination and writer's block.