"Why didn't you wait for us? And why did you sit with Malfoy?" Ron spit the name out as if it was something filthy.
"He asked if I wanted to ride with him up to the castle, Ron, is that such a big deal?" Harry asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Yes, it is a big deal! He's a Slytherin, Harry? Don't you know they're the evil ones?"
"Honestly, Ron, you sound like a petulant child. Enough with the prejudices, already", said Harry and began to fill his plate. He and Draco, as he'd been asked to call him, had been talking about the previous years at the school, and the years before that. Harry found it surprisingly easy to talk to his once enemy turned friend. Instead of interrupting in the middle of a story, like Ron or Hermione would normally do, he listened through it all in silence, nodding in agreement every now and then.
When Harry had admitted that he'd had a cupboard as a bedroom for the first ten years of his life, Draco had been absolutely livid. He'd ranted about muggles and how awful they were for a few minutes before finally calming down. He practically forbid Harry from returning to those monsters, he could even stay at his manor if he wanted to. Harry explained about his newly rented apartment in Hogsmeade, and promised to take Draco there on their next visit to the village.
It was as if they'd been friends for years. It was so easy to talk to each other, the previous years of rivalry and fighting were put aside.
"Prejudices? Harry, his dad is a... you-know-what! He works for You-Know-Who! He's dangerous." Ron hissed, leaning over the table so no one would hear him.
"Watch it, Ron, you're dipping your sleeve in the gravy", Hermione admonished the redhead, spelling his shirt clean with a flick of her wand before turning towards Harry. Her earlier bad mood seemed to have vanished, or she had put it aside for the moment, also wanting to know Harry's reason for talking with the Slytherin.
"I know what his father is, Ron, I've met him several times. But Draco isn't one of them. And besides, I can talk to whoever I want, neither of you have any say in what I do or who I do it with."
"Not this again, Harry, stop being so immature", said Hermione and started eating her food, not noticing Harry gape at her in outrage.
"I'm the one being immature? If there's anyone who's immature here it's you and Ron. You keep talking about interacting with students from other Houses, Hermione, but when I do, it's suddenly a bad thing. I've said it before, and it seems I'll have to repeat myself; you're not my mother, stop acting like you're better than me.
And you", he said, turning to Ron, "you've been speaking ill of the Slytherins since the day I met you. I don't know if it's because of the feud that started some generations ago, or if it's just pure jealousy, but I know I'm sick of it. Grow up and act your age. I'm sick of having to listen to you badmouthing them every other day."
And with that, he promptly got up from the Gryffindor table, causing most discussions to falter as the entire hall watched as he made his way towards the Slytherin table.
"Are you aware that everyone is staring at you?" Draco asked as Harry sat down next to him.
"I don't care. I've stopped thinking of what everyone else wants from me, I'm not some puppet for them to control", said Harry as he refilled his plate, feeling better having gotten away from his friends, if he still could call them that.
"Took you long enough", said Draco and smirked slightly, having enjoyed watching Weasley and the mudblood getting an earful from Harry immensely.
"I know", said Harry and sighed as he thought about the coming months, "ugh, I do not look forward to having to share a dorm with Ron. I'll never have any peace and quiet again. I should've just let the Hat put me here like it wanted to."
"Excuse me? Did you just say that the Sorting Hat wanted to place you in Slytherin? As in, it was his first choice?" Draco nearly choked on his pumpkin juice.
"Yes, it said I had the potential to be great if I joined your House, but once again, prejudices got in the way. I feel like such a fool", said Harry and stabbed his potatoes with his fork, his good mood gone.
"You can always ask to be resorted, you know", said Draco and continued eating.
"I can?" Harry asked, sitting up in his seat, staring at Draco, eyes wide and hopeful. He really didn't feel as if belonged in Gryffindor any more. It was the Hat's second choice, which meant it wasn't the right place for him to be.
"Of course", said a boy with dark curls opposite of Harry said, "every student can be resorted if they want to. Pleasure to meet you, Potter. I'm Theodore Nott", said the boy and held out a hand.
"Harry Potter, nice to meet you", said Harry and shook the hand, feeling more excited now that he knew he could join his true House. "I'll talk to Dumbledore about it, he wants to see me after the feast, anyway."
"What did you do now?" Draco asked, feigning exasperation, causing a few other students around them to laugh, they all knew how easily Harry got into trouble at the school.
"I left the safety of the house", said Harry and rolled his eyes, "as if I can't look after myself."
"Oh, we know you can do that" a boy a few seats down said, causing another set of laughs at the Slytherin table.
Harry had never felt more at home.
-00-
After the feast, Harry grudgingly made his way to Dumbledore's office. Draco and some other students had offered to accompany him, but he'd declined, saying only he should have to endure the old man's presence. Draco reminded him of asking to be resorted before they parted ways.
He soon reached the statue that led to the headmaster's office, and saw that his Head of House, Professor McGonagall was waiting for him.
"You took your time, Mr. Potter", she said in greeting, not looking pleased about the fact that her famous lion had abandoned her House for the snakes.
"I apologize, Professor, I lost track of time while I was talking to Draco and the others", said Harry.
"Yes, I'll want a good reason as for why you decided to dine with the Slytherins tonight, Potter", she said before turning to the statue, "lemon drops."
The statue jumped to the side, revealing the stairs leading to the office. Harry took a deep breath before opening the door without knocking, knowing Dumbledore was expecting him.
"Ah, there you are, my boy. I was beginning to wonder where you had run off to" the old man said and smiled at Harry, but Harry could see his blue eyes wasn't twinkling as much as they used to. Clearly, his actions at the feast had displeased him. 'Good', thought Harry.
"I assume you know why you're here, Harry, so I'll get straight to it. It was quite foolish of you to leave the safety of the wards, my boy, and I hope you realize that. Voldemort could very likely have spies surrounding the area, waiting for the right moment to strike. So, would you like to tell me why you left the house, Harry?"
"I already told you, sir, me and my relatives had a disagreement, and I didn't want to be in their presence any longer. Not like I ever did", he added.
"I'm sure you're exaggerating, my boy, they are your family, after all", said Dumbledore, as if that would put the argument to rest. How wrong he was.
"True, they may be family, but they've never treated me like family. Instead of treating me like a member of their household, they've treated me just like a slave, only being used to clean up their mess, cook their meals and clean their house. That's all I've ever done, and, no, I'm not exaggerating. Sir", he added as an afterthought.
Dumbledore's eyes had by then lost their twinkle completely, as is he wasn't happy that Harry wasn't doing things his way. Well, he'd better get used to it.
"Surely you're just bluffing, Potter?" McGonagall asked, not wanting to believe what Lily and James's only child had been put through.
"I wish I was, Professor, but I'm not. They've never cared for me, and I know they never will. They absolutely abhor anything that has to do with magic, which means I was doomed from the very beginning. If I may ask, sir, why did you leave me with them?" Harry asked. The tables had turned. Now, it was the headmaster who found himself being the victim of two glaring pair of eyes.
"I told you, Albus. I told you that those muggles weren't fit to look after a child! And now see how that went! James and Lily's son being used as a slave in his own family", McGonagall almost hissed.
"Minerva, I'm sure young Harry is merely-"
"Don't you dare say I'm exaggerating!" Harry growled, half rising from the chair he was in. "Did you ever bother to check up on me? How can you know I'm telling lies if you never saw for yourself?"
"A question I would like an answer to", said Minerva, feeling guilty that she had never thought of checking on the poor boy in front of her. She felt as if she had failed the deceased Potter's trust in her.
Dumbledore knew he was being backed into a corner, and searched for a suitable answer in his mind. "I've met with Petunia, and she seemed perfectly capable of caring for a child, aside from her own son."
Harry scowled at the old man, knowing he was lying. He actually had the audacity to call Harry a liar! "Well, I refuse to take their treatment any longer. And now, I won't have to", he said and smiled slightly, knowing that whatever would follow he'd remember for the rest of his life.
Dumbledore adapted a frown, not understanding what Harry meant. "My boy?"
"I'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from calling me that, sir. I'm not your boy. And as for your question, I no longer live with the Dursleys. I moved out." There. He did it. He dropped the bomb.
He cackled inwardly at Dumbledore's face. Not only had he managed to make Hermione speechless, now he could add the headmaster to the list as well.
"What do you mean, Harry? You can't leave the blood wards, you know that, I've explained that to you many times." The old man tried to regain the control of the conversation.
"What you failed to explain was that the blood wards will still be intact as long as a relative of mine resides in the house. I wouldn't have to be there for them to remain standing. Or perhaps you didn't know that, sir?" Harry asked, loving the feeling of being in control.
Dumbledore was seething. How had the boy found out? Who had he been talking to?
"Is that true, Albus?" Minerva demanded to know. She was well aware that her old friend was good at manipulating, but she couldn't believe he'd went this far.
"I- how did you come to know this, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.
"A friend in Gringotts shared the information with me. He also informed me that Sirius declared me as his heir, which makes me the Lord of both house Potter and Black. Something else you failed to tell me." He could no longer keep the anger out of his voice. He wanted some answers, and by the murdering gleam in McGonagall's eyes, she had the same thought.
How? How had it all went so wrong? He'd thought he'd hidden those wills. And who was this friend? It had to be a goblin. Those infernal creatures. This also meant that the youngest Potter now was emancipated. How had things gotten so out of his control? He had to think of something appropriate to say, and fast.
"I... merely wanted to wait until I knew the time was right. I didn't want to burden you with yet another matter on your shoulders", he said, referring to the prophecy. By the furious glint in the boy's emerald eyes, he knew he didn't believe him. He needed time to fix this mess. The question was how. "Perhaps we should continue this talk when we're all more rested, I'm sure it's been a long day for all of us", he was grasping at straws, but he needed time!
"Actually, sir, there's one more thing I wanted to discuss with you. I'd like to be resorted." There, now he'd dropped another bomb.
"Resorted?" Dumbledore nearly whispered. All his plans... nothing was going according to his plans.
"Yes, immediately, if that's possible", said Harry and began to look for the Sorting Hat. Soon he found it on its usual place on the shelf. "There you are", he smiled at the old Hat, who smiled back at him.
"Mr. Potter, may I ask why you wish to be resorted?" McGonagall asked, not liking where this discussion was going. Harry Potter, not in Gryffindor? Impossible.
"Simple. The Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, it was its first choice, actually, but as I outright refused the idea, it sorted me into Gryffindor, instead. And now, I want to set things right", said Harry, feeling a little guilty when he saw his soon-to-be ex-Head of House's expression. But he wouldn't change his mind.
"Harry, please, reconsider. Gryffindor is the right place for you", Dumbledore knew his voice boarded on desperation, but he had to make the boy see sense. He belonged in Gryffindor!
"I am seeing sense, that's why I want to be resorted", said Harry with a firm nod, "now, if you please."
Dumbledore sighed heavily, adding this as yet another problem he had to solve, before waving his hand towards the Hat, who lifted into the air and landed on Harry's head.
"Finally. I've waited for this day, Mr. Potter. I knew you'd come to your senses sooner or later." Said the Hat's voice in his mind.
"Yes, I apologize for going against your wishes the first time." Harry replied.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again; SLYTHERIN will lead you on your path to greatness."
Harry sighed in relief as he looked down onto his robes and saw that instead of a golden, red lion, there was a silvery, green snake.