Chapter five:

Harry met Justin on the Hogwarts express where he'd found some people to sit with already, Hannah Abbott and Ernie Macmillan – Hannah was half-blood like Harry and Ernie was a pureblood though he wasn't in the high circles,

After stacking his school trunk and suitcase that he took to the academy with him that fit everything he needed in it – uniforms included – into the rack he leant his guitar, a birthday present for his eighth birthday, up against the trunks before sitting down next to Justin.

"Shadow, this is Ernie and Hannah," Justin introduced then frowned for a second – he'd already met Hannah of course, at Diagon alley; well he'd seen her but not talked to her but Justin had. "Ernie, Hannah this is my best friend Shadow…er, Harry that is-."

"Harry Potter," he introduced himself, "Don't even think about it!"

"What? You're famous," Ernie exclaimed in defence of himself,

"In both world." Justin smirked ruffling Harry's hair causing the younger boy to scowl at him and set it right again, the other academy boy cackled, "He hates it! Avoids the media like they're a swarm of flies,"

"They are." Harry protested pouting,

"Shadow…Martial Arts, right?" Hannah guessed now her eyes were as wide as Ernie's were when he'd heard his original name, Harry shot Justin a dirty look. "Yep, I've seen the papers complaining about how you escape them all the time – how did you get the nickname anyway?"
"Kept sneaking up on the sensei's," He shrugged innocently,

"And everyone else," Justin protested,

Ernie and Hannah laughed at the bickering back and forth until Harry declared that he was going for a walk – an hour into the train journey. None of them wanted to go along so he set off towards the other end of the train,

He wanted friends of his own and not just Justin,

He didn't even get half-way when someone caught him around the waist and forced him inside of a compartment, he glared up at the taller boy who had familiar icy-blue eyes and dirty blonde hair, he twisted around to get a better look,

"Mattie?"

"Hey kiddo!" Matthew Poleax grinned,

"Matthew…."
"Yes?"

"Get OFF ME!" he ordered breaking the tight grip and twisting around after taking a few steps, the older boy actually pouted causing the few in the compartment to chuckle. "What the hell Matthew?! You can't just grab people like that, I could have hurt you!"

"Wanna bet?" Matthew raised an eyebrow,

Harry sighed and folded his arms across his chest unimpressed,

"We both know for a fact I can beat you with one hand tied behind my back," Harry reminded him looking at the others, clearly all Slytherin students – a girl and two boys…oh and a Ravenclaw boy as well,

Matthew blushed and whispered innocently,

"What was I saying again? Oh yea, Shadow – what the hell are you doing here?" Matthew asked falling into one of the empty seats and a bad attempt to change the subject, "You a muggleborn?"

"Half-blood," He answered coolie to the disgusted tone, narrowing his eyes at Matthew who squeaked and moved further away from the first year, "You even think about saying something on blood-status to Justin and I will hurt you. Badly."

"Justin's here too?"

"Yes."

"Hi, I'm Rosaline Vance," The only girl in the compartment introduced herself politely with a proud gleam in her eyes, "No one has every stood up to Matthew here, apparently he's scare of a first year though – good on you…Shadow?"

"Nickname,"

"So much for that," Harry sighed shaking his head as he joined Justin and the other two at the boats that would take them to the castle across the lake, "Matthew kidnapped me and held me hostage!"

"Hostage for what?" Hannah asked giggling,

"My name, real name that is." He added seeing her confused look as the four of them got into a boat together, Matthew had forgot what it was being so used to calling him Shadow and while he was pureblood he was raised in the muggleworld by his squib aunt after his parents deaths he hadn't known when attending the academy,

"You tell them?" Justin called over his shoulder,

"Hell nah!"

That set them all laughing again,

Once they reached the castle they had to wait in a side room where the school ghosts managed to surprise all of them except from Harry who had seen them appear, McGonagall gave the usual speech about how house was family and you could lose or gain points for your house depending on your behaviour or there lack of…

(Matthew's Pov)

Matthew sat at the Slytherin table waiting until Shadow was sorted into a house, they'd been unable to get the name out of him and he hadn't been able to recall it being that he'd been told literally years before,

"Potter's here then," Marcus Flint said looking directly at the boy who'd just been called out, Matthew shook his head and eyes widened at the familiar name of the boy-who-lived,

He looked again to make sure…Holy merlin,

Shadow was Harry Potter!

"We so have to kidnap him," Rosaline joked lightly,

"What? Why?" Marcus demanded looking irritated,

"Well – he scares Matthew for one," Joseph pointed out in a whisper, so that only the people around them would be able to hear, "He's a decent lad as well…Damn irritating when you can't get him to tell you his real name though!"

"Of course he scares me!" Matthew hissed causing the people around him to flinch back, he might only be a second year but they knew he wouldn't hesitate to curse/hex them or even use muggle means if they got on his bad side, "He beat me in every Karate match, I'm only a brown belt and he's already on his first black belt and I started before him!"

"Matthew… Poleax…scared of a…eleven year old…" Rosaline said between quiet laughter before looking to the front of the hall where Shadow still hadn't been sorted, "He's like a perfect mix between Slytherin and Gryffindor,"

"Brave and Nobel but cunning and ambitious," Matthew agreed,

After a few more minutes the hat finally came to a conclusion –

Gryffindor

"Right, so kidnap the golden boy it is." Marcus nodded seriously,

"Well Dumbledore is always trying to promote house unity," another older student, a prefect actually, smirked looking at the lion table and onto their target. "No way can we let him be corrupted by those losers,"

…It was official, Harry Potter was a honorary Slytherin student and it wasn't even the first day of term yet – once a Slytherin set their eyes on something it would happen one way or another,

It wasn't like they were doing it for malicious reasoning, each year a student would be picked to be brought into Slytherin from another house either for protection or because they had seen the potential – this one was for both, it just usually took at least three weeks into term to pick out their person and have a house vote…beside the firsties of course, they didn't get a say in the matter.

They'd have the official vote in the common room tonight and then go and inform their head of house – though all of them doubted it would go over well at first, James Potter hadn't exactly been nice to Severus after all.

He didn't get a say either though,

Over at the Gryffindor table Harry Potter shivered and glanced over his shoulder Justin who smiled warmly at him before going back to speak with his friends, not even thinking about Matthew he turned back to Fred and George Weasley who were telling the other first years about the pranks they pulled last year.


Hi peeps,

I'm sorry if you've read any of my other stories and they've not been updated for a while but with college and all...well i'm focusing on my grades this year because i rely on them for university - Interview on Wednesday *gulp*.

Keep reading please though and i'll be focusing on this in my free time as much as possible,

Ta!

Please review:

Any suggestions on pairings for Harry/Shadow will be useful - though it won't be until 3rd year at least and then

nothing that heavy then,

Harry and Matthew Poleax (Year above Harry, Slytherin)

Harry and Justin

Harry and Ernie

Harry and New OC...

...Fourth year OCs - Harry will be 14:

Alexander Krum (16) - Dumgstrang

Leon Delacour (17) Beaubatons