Author: HatefulRodeo
Story: Of Unexpected Deliveries and Doorsteps
Notes: Hello Lovelies! So someone asked me why Severus and Lucius don't get married. Here's why; too much attention would be given if Lucius got married again especially after a public divorce. Severus is slightly paranoid about anyone finding out about his adoption of Harry; don't know if anyone picked up on that so anything that brought more attention to him or his family was out of the question. I may address this later but for now things are what they are.
Also, don't ask me what's going to happen later on in the story; it's annoying and ruins the fic, in my opinion. Also, I don't like to detail what may happen only for it to change later due to unexpected bouts of inspiration. Be patient and all will be explained or addressed at some point. I'm weaving a plot here people so sit back and enjoy.
Oh! One last thing... I'm not pulling any punches when it comes to Dumbledore or Voldemort. I don't consider it bashing as it's my interpretation on their actions in Canon; when I use events that happened in Canon anyway. Thanks to all that reviewed, fav'd and followed! Apologies for the long A/N!
Parseltongue looks like "This"!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I will make no money from the posting of this story.
Previously:
Severus thought the Nott heir to be a safe choice in friend. The boy was from a Death Eater family but Theodred probably wasn't all too fond of his Lord at the moment. It wasn't an ideal situation but unless you were making friends with a muggle-born everyone generally had an allegiance.
The trick was finding those people whose allegiance wasn't absolute; Theo, and his dad, probably despised the Dark Lord for killing their mother and wife. By that conclusion they wouldn't turn traitor on Harry and sell him out at the drop of a hat. Well that was the hope anyway.
Also, Death Eater children were better than the kids of Dumbledore's supporters. The Dark Lord was gone and in no position to mess with Harry. Dumbledore, on the other hand, was very much alive and in a prime position to meddle with Harry's life. He'd take the Death Eater's children over Dumbledore's followers' spawn any day.
Harry wasn't a fan of Dumbledore; the man left him on a bloody doorstep for Merlin's sake! But he would be cordial to the old coot until he did something to raise Harry's hackles. Besides how often would he actually be associating with the Headmaster? He was first year! What would a man like Dumbledore want with him?
With a roll of his eyes he chastised himself to stop thinking of things that were of no consequence to him at the moment. Sometimes Harry thought he thought too much on things. With a small huff of exasperation directed at himself he refocused on his Charms book and began to read again.
They still had a ways to go before they reached the castle and the raven haired eleven year old wanted to finish this book before he got there. It never hurt to learn more about the subjects he'd be studying over the seven years he was at Hogwarts.
~*~*~*Chapter 7*~*~*~
The three boys sat quietly reading until an elderly witch pushed open their compartment door to ask if they wanted anything to eat. Harry being a normal eleven year old jumped at the chance to gorge on candy and sweets, as did his two companions. Once the witch left they sat there and began to consume an immense amount of candy as only a kid could.
The interruption of the food trolley, and consumption of sweets, broke the quiet mood in their compartment and the three boys began to talk about Hogwarts and what house they believed they would be in. Draco, of course, remarked that he would be in Slytherin without a doubt as that was where all Malfoys went. Nott added he would, most likely, also go to the snake house but he wouldn't mind Ravenclaw either.
When Draco and Theodore turned to Harry he smirked and spoke; "Oh, I do believe I'll be joining you two in Slytherin. I think I'd do nicely there." Draco smirked back, looking pleased that his brother wanted to join him in the house of silver and green. Nott looked taken aback by Harry's words and the emerald eyed teen watched as the tall boy steeled himself and decided to address the elephant in the compartment.
"Potter," Here Harry cut him off; "Actually, Nott, remember it's Potter-Snape but you can just call me Snape." The tall blonde nodded and continued talking; "Alright, Snape then, how is it you're talking to Malfoy like you're old friends? I mean you're the boy-who-lived; shouldn't you despise Malfoy and want to be in Gryffindor like you parents?"
Harry bit back the irritation he felt when Theodore called him the boy-who-lived and responded in a calm voice; "I'm talking to Draco because we were raised together. His father and my dad are close so it stands to reason that we would be close as well."
"Also, I am going to the house my parent is from; Severus Snape was a Slytherin so it also stands to reason that I would follow tradition and join Slytherin house." Draco nodded in Harry's direction, a satisfied grin on his face which let Harry know that he handled the situation with Theodore Nott well. Both their fathers had commented that they shouldn't divulge the exact nature of Lucius and Severus' relationship.
They could only explain that the Potions Master and the Malfoy Lord were close. Some people knew of the romantic relationship between his dad and Lucius but it was not widely known or spoken about as no one wanted to bring down upon them the combined wrath of the Malfoy Lord and Severus Snape.
Theodore was silent for a few moments, apparently gathering his thoughts; "So, Snape raised you then?" Harry nodded; "He did, formally adopted me if you must know." The Nott heir dipped his head in acknowledgement; "Well then I look forward to spending time with both of you during our years at Hogwarts." Draco and Harry both murmured their agreement to Theodore's words.
The emerald eyed boy was looking forward to knowing Theodore Nott; the other boy appeared intelligent but not arrogant. He was also quiet, something Harry quite liked in his friends. Merlin knew that sometimes Draco couldn't seem to be quiet so it was a nice change of pace to spend time with someone who enjoyed the silence and didn't feel the need to fill to always fill it with words.
The conversation continued and they discussed the classes they would be taking, which they were looking forward to and where they thought they would do the best. The raven haired child answered that he was looking forward to Potions, Charms, and Defense since he seemed to excel at them. Draco offered that he was also looking forward to Potions, Charms, and Herbology since plants played such a huge role on Potion making.
Theodore was also looking forward to Defense, Charms, but he was interested in Transfiguration. Transfiguration was something that came easily to Harry but it wasn't his favorite thing to practice; he found it tedious. Why did he need to know how to change a tea cozy into a mouse? When in his life would this be needed?
Ebony decided at that point to fully slither out from under Harry's shirt and moved to lie on the cushioned seat next to her bonded. Nott became tense when he saw the black snake again and watched the serpent with unease visible in his blue eyes. The raven haired boy chuckled; "She won't hurt you Nott. The only time you're in danger from her is if you try to hurt me or Draco."
The tall blonde gulped and nodded. In a somewhat wobbly voice he asked; "What kind of snake is she?" Ebony as if sensing the conversation was about her raised her pretty head and looked directly at Theodore, much to the blue eyed blonde's consternation. Harry chuckled again, looked at his familiar and hissed; "Ebony, be sweet to Theodore; he's going to be my friend." She nodded her scaly head and resettled herself on the seat.
Harry glanced back at Theodore and almost laughed out loud at the look of shock and awe on the other's face. Draco didn't seem to be able to contain himself and snickered at the Nott heir's facial expression. The platinum blonde's laughter appeared to snap Theodore back into his right mind and he cleared his throat; "You're a Parselmouth?"
Harry cocked an eyebrow, looking oddly reminiscent of a certain Potions Master; "Is that an issue?" Nott shook his head; "Of course not. I think it's wicked. I was just a bit surprised is all. Not many would think Harry Potter would be able to talk to snakes. But then again not many know that Harry Potter was raised by a Slytherin and is now a Snape; according to my father Severus Snape is as Slytherin as they come."
Harry smirked; "Indeed, but I think we should keep that bit quiet for right now. I'm looking forward to seeing the looks of shock on everyone's faces when they call my name to be sorted." Here the three boys snickered; Harry stopped and answered Theodore's initial question; "My snake's a Titanoboa and like I said before her name's Ebony."
It seemed today was the day for the Nott heir to be shocked; "A Titanoboa! Snape; they grow to be at least fifty feet in length! And they can possibly grow bigger. That's amazing. How old is she? She can't be that old to only be so small." Harry shrugged; "She's shrunk down to a more manageable size right now. She's actually about ten feet in length and from what she can tell me she's around fifteen year's old."
"You shouldn't worry too much about how big she'll get. They grow as their bonded does; the stronger I get magically and physically the bigger she'll get but that had its limits. We only bonded a few weeks ago so she hasn't had a chance to have a growth spurt. Once I hit seventeen she'll stop growing in massive bursts."
"Then it may be a few inches a year; she'll grow like she did before I bonded with her. From the books I've read she'll be about twenty-five feet in length when I turn seventeen, maybe a bit smaller or bigger."
Theodore nodded and was now looking at Ebony with barely disguised interest; Harry saw this and scooped up Ebony, hissing for her to be sweet to the Nott heir before he placed her around the tall blonde's shoulders. The boy stiffened but relaxed when Ebony settled herself happily around his shoulders. Draco was sniggering quietly at Theodore's nervous discomfort but stopped when Harry glared at him.
The Malfoy heir huffed; "Alright, I'll stop but the look on Nott's face was priceless." Harry shook his head; "Yes, but who can forget your reaction when you first saw Ebony slither out of the woods near the house...it was amusing to say the least." Draco scowled at Harry for daring to bring that up but Theodore laughed softly. The grey eyed boy muttered; "See how you respond when a great black snake comes toward you when you're not expecting it.
Harry just laughed and moved the conversation to lighter topics. Of course, Quidditch was brought up and spoken about heatedly. Theodore, while not good on a broom personally, enjoyed following the sport and could repeat statistics and players from many of the English League teams. Harry decided this made Theodore even more desirable as a friend.
The atmosphere was friendly until two red heads that looked perfectly identical burst into their compartment and slammed the door closed. The two interlopers then fell on the floor in gales of laughter, babbling about the prank they just pulled on some unsuspecting student. The three eleven year olds looked down at the intruders in bemusement until the two cackling boys realized they were being stared at.
Together they quieted and stood back up. Both wore identical warm smiled until they saw Draco and their friendly faces turned into scowls. They glared at the Malfoy heir and for a moment Harry was confused as to why; it hit him at once. Red hair and hand-me-down robes; these boys were Weasely's.
Everyone knew the Malfoys and the Weaselys despised each other but Draco and Harry decided to be cordial toward the red headed brood. The two of them didn't want anything interfering with their schooling or getting them into unnecessary trouble. The emerald eyed teen was broken out of his thoughts by one of the red head's spitting out Draco's last name as if it were something particularly foul tasting.
His blonde brother looked at them with cold eyes but responded in a neutral voice; "Weasely's." The twin boys seemed to be confused by Draco's cool response; no doubt they were waiting for Draco to attack them and call them names. When this didn't happen the red heads didn't know what to do.
The Malfoy heir spoke before the twins could gather themselves; "Look, your family doesn't like mine and my father doesn't like yours but I have no interest in engaging in petty fights for the next few years. I'm going to Hogwarts to learn not waste my time in little squabbles with you lot." The red heads cocked their heads to the side; "Our parents said we should be on our guard around you, Malfoy. That you would be just like your father."
Draco sneered; "Yes, and I've been told your father is a pathetic excuse for a wizard who's been in the same job for the last twenty years because he's too stupid to do anything else." The older boys began to yell but were silenced when Draco held up his hand, a disarming grin on his face; "Do you see how much damage can be done when we take another person's word on how things are instead of seeing for ourselves what's really going on."
The twins looked thoughtful but answered with maniacal grins on their faces; "Well then Malfoy it's nice to meet you. I'm Fred and this in my twin George." Draco nodded respectfully before turning toward Harry and Theodore for introductions; "Fred, George, I would like to introduce you to Theodore Nott and Harry Potter-Snape."
The twins' reaction was twice as explosive as Theo's was when he heard the name Snape tacked on after the name Potter. The two red heads' eyes went wide and their mouths gaped open until Harry spoke; "You know you'll catch flies like that." After his words the twins snapped their mouths closed and proceeded to babble until they got ahold of themselves.
"Potter-Snape? How is that possible? We thought you were sent to live with family on your mum's side. Well that's what our parents said Dumbledore told them." The emerald eyed teen rolled his eyes; "Didn't we just agree how bad it can be to take another's word for things before you know what's going on? Anyway, no I was not raised by my mum's family."
"I was adopted by Severus Snape through circumstances that do not concern you. Needless to say I have taken my dad's last name and would like to addressed as such." The red heads smirked; "You know everyone's going to flip their lids when they hear your name called for the sorting." The three eleven year olds smirked with glee at the grinning red heads.
Harry nodded; "I do and ask that you don't tell anyone about my name change. It would ruin the surprise." Fred and George raised their right hands and mock swore that they would not speak a word even under threat of torture before they bid the three eleven year olds goodbye. Harry smiled at his brother and Theodore; "Well that was interesting."
The two blonde's chuckled before they felt the train begin to slow down. The three of them began to put on their plain black Hogwarts robes and ties. Theo dressed after Harry removed Ebony from her perch on the taller boy's shoulder. When they were formally sorted their robes and ties would assume the colors of their house. Harry felt excitement begin to flutter in his belly. He was so close and soon he'd be a real Hogwarts student.
As the train stopped at the station in Hogsmeade Harry resettled Ebony under his robes and his compartment mates disembarked. They followed the shouts of "First Years Over Here!" The raven haired child stopped in amazement when he saw how big the speaker of these words was; he must have been over seven feet tall! Shaking his head he followed Draco and Theodore to a fleet of small boats.
The giant of a man informed them that only four could fit in a boat; Theodore, Draco, and Harry were accompanied by a bushy haired girl with front teeth like a beaver. At first Harry was going to introduce himself cordially. However, once the girl saw the lightning bolt scar on Harry's forehead when the breeze brushed his bangs out of the way she began babbling about all she'd read about him; after that the emerald eyed boy was turned off from getting to know her.
She seemed like a know-it-all and that was something that got on Harry's last nerve. It was one thing to be smart but another to gloat about it for no obvious reason. Draco finally got a word in when the girl took a deep breath; no doubt she was gearing up to spew more fun facts that weren't even remotely true about Harry's life.
"I'm sorry but isn't polite to introduce yourself before she begin to verbally assault someone?" The girl blushed at Draco's drawled words before stuttering; "I'm Hermione Granger. It's nice to meet you all." Harry rolled his eyes; "I'm Harry Potter-Snape. This is Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott. You may refer to us by our last names; in my case Snape will so just fine."
His voice was cool, completely devoid of warmth or interest. He had no interest of being friends with someone who would only idolize him for something he couldn't even remember or worse compare him to some standard she'd come to expect after reading whatever she read that mentioned him.
Nope, he was Harry, just Harry. Theodore may have been stunned that he was friends with a Slytherin but he didn't fawn over him or ramble on about all the books he'd read about Harry. Besides Theodore's personality was great, at least in Harry's opinion; the other blonde was somewhat awkward in social situations but intelligent and appeared unafraid to speak his mind if the situation called for it.
After Harry's chilly reception Granger quieted down and the rest of the boat ride continued on in silence until they got their first glimpse of Hogwarts. It was majestic and when Harry looked at the great castle he felt the same thing he felt when he saw their house in France; he felt like he was coming home, even if he'd never been to Hogwarts before. However, he knew he would love living within the castle.
~*~*~*POV Change~*~*~*
Brown eyes tinted red watched the gaggle of first years walk into the Great Hall. They seemed so small and he vaguely wondered if he was ever that tiny when he first stepped inside these halls. It was so hard to remember anything from that far back. My how the mighty had fallen! Here he was; the once great and feared Dark Lord, now only a mere shade of his former self, attached to the back of Quirrell's fool head. But that would change soon.
He was here to attain something and once he did he would leave and begin his plans. He had given this much thought. Living as a wraith for the last decade gave you a lot of opportunity for in depth thought and he had a strategy now. The first step to begin this strategy was hidden in Hogwarts somewhere; he only had to find it.
Once he found the Sorcerer's Stone he would enact his plan; soon he would have a body again. Soon the Dark Lord would rise even better than before. A burst of murmurs brought his attention to the line of first years and his crimson tinted eyes rested on a boy of average height with raven hair and shimmering green eyes. It hit him at once who that boy was; that boy was the one responsible for his downfall.
That all too familiar murderous impulse flooded his mind but he repressed it; he'd lost enough to his madness already. He was the reason for his fall that Halloween night; Harry Potter lived and destroyed him by mere chance and unknown circumstance.
The Dark Lord would not blow this chance to resurrect himself right under Dumbledore's crooked nose by acting out toward the eleven year old. He couldn't give himself away and would have to take great pains to avoid any suspicion upon Quirrell but if he could pull of his scheme right in front of the old coot it would be the icing on the cake.
With a sigh he covertly watched the boy, absorbing everything he could from this far away. The boy looked healthy and strong but what was shocking was the fact that he was conversing happily, but quietly, with another boy who was obviously a Malfoy. The child had to be a Malfoy; only Malfoy line possessed hair of that unique shade. It appeared there was more to Harry Potter than he thought.
Nothing, however, could have prepared him for the shock he felt when McGonagall eventually called Potter's name; when had the boy become a Snape? That was worth considering. Severus Snape was once one of his most loyal followers but was he still loyal to the Dark Lord? He wasn't so sure. Why would he take in the child that caused his Lord's ruin?
Ah, that was right he cared Potter's mudblood mother. He would have to get out of the habit of using the word mudblood; it would do him no favors later on when he reintroduced himself to wizarding society.
He glanced to the side and looked at Dumbledore's reaction to Potter's new name. He physically had to stop himself from crowing in delight at the shock and anger swirling unchecked in those blue eyes. Oh yes the old codger was angry! His little savior was raised by a former Death Eater and friends with the Malfoy Lord's heir. Could it get any worse for the Headmaster? It really couldn't, could it?
He shouldn't have thought anything so soon for when the raggedly Sorting Hat touched the boy's head it and a few moments later positively screamed "Slytherin." Voldemort swore Dumbledore was about to fall out of his chair. This was the happiest he could remember feeling in over a decade. It was funny that the child who destroyed him was the source of his mirth.
He glanced over at Snape next to him and almost choked on his own spit at the look of pride shining in those generally unfathomable black eyes. Well it made sense as to why the boy was friendly with the Malfoy heir; Severus and Lucius' affair was less than a secret amongst the Death Eaters. It appeared it was still going strong, undoubtedly so now that Narcissa was gone and out of the picture for good.
He pulled his gaze from the formidable Potions Master and watched as Potter-Snape sat down in between Nott and Malfoy and began to chat animatedly with them. Well, well, it appeared he was becoming acquainted with another of his follower's spawn. He wasn't sure how faithful the elder Nott was; Voldemort had murdered his wife for no good reason. He really had made a mess of himself and his relationships with his Death Eaters.
He sighed quietly and withdrew from watching through Quirrel's eyes; he had much to consider now. Harry Potter was not what he expected. The Dark Lord had expected the boy to be as Gryffindor as they came, he expected him to scorn the Malfoy heir and take up with the Weasely family. This was not, however, what happened.
It appeared that Harry Potter-Snape would be much more open to ideas and not restricted, or blinded, by Dumbledore's Light mania. The boy-who-lived was but one part of his future plans. He had a lot to make up for and he was committed to making things right. First he needed a damn body and then he would set about collecting his Horcruxes; immortality was not worth his sanity. He'd learned that after a few years of wandering aimlessly about the forests of Albania.
He also found himself pleased that Severus, Lucius, and Theodred escaped Azkaban and continued on with their lives. From what he'd read in the Prophet Lucius was a force to be reckoned with in the Ministry. That would possibly be useful later on. And after much thought he was actually alright with his more fanatical followers being in Azkaban; they would be useless in his new schemes and plots.
The Dark Lord directed his mind from his future endeavors and focused on playing the part of stuttering, nervous, Professor Quirrel. He'd continue the charade until he found the right time to strike and steal the damnable stone. He required that stone to complete the ritual to acquire another body; he was stuck without one.
Hopefully, Dumbledore wouldn't make it too complicated for him...but then again when it came to old coot when was anything simple?
~*~*~*POV Change~*~*~*
It was amazing! Harry had never seen anything so beautiful! Looking up at the enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall was one of the best moments of his short life. Even Draco seemed to be momentarily stunned by the vast night's sky, twinkling down on them from up above. The emerald eyed child was also impressed by the complicated bit of spell work involved to create something so realistic.
His blonde brother nudged him, murmuring that he should pay attention. Draco's interference brought Harry's wandering attention back to the matter at hand; being sorted into their houses. He smiled and muttered his thanks to the grey eyed boy and watched the sorting.
Sorting the first years was a long process. Every single new student was called individually to put on a mangy old hat that sang a ridiculous song when it was first brought out by McGonagall. The hat was also known as the Hogwarts Sorting Hat. However, this delay allowed Harry more time to survey his surroundings and the people in the room.
He first focused on his dad, smiling a small smile toward the man who loved and raised him. He felt warmed by the happiness he saw in his dad's dark eyes; he only hoped he would make his dad proud of him during his tenure as a student. He then moved his gaze to the very nervous looking man with a turban on his head sitting next to his dad but was disrupted in his perusal when he felt the weight of someone's gaze on him.
Curious, he shifted his green eyes until he made eye contact with the esteemed Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore. The man was aged, incredibly so, but Harry knew not to judge a book by its cover. This was the man who defeated Grindelwald and struck fear into the Dark Lord Voldemort's heart. Dumbledore may be an old codger but only a fool would underestimate him.
His thoughts screeched to a halt when he felt a weird feeling of pressure on his mind and his thoughts began swirling to the surface. Harry gasped quietly, immediately knowing what the Headmaster was trying to do. He'd read about the feeling a person experienced when someone was trying to perform Legillimency on them. Summoning his strength he wretched his eyes from the Headmaster's.
Glaring at the ground, Harry tried to collect himself. When he felt under control again he no longer felt the happiness of a few moments ago. No, now he felt angry and violated; how could that man attempt something like Legillimency on a student? How many others had he mind raped? Harry was surely telling his dad about this; his and Draco's Occlumency lessons were needed even more now.
His brother's name being called brought Harry's eyes back onto the stool and the Sorting Hat. It was amusing to watch Draco being sorted, as soon as the hat touched his blonde head it was bellowing "Slytherin." Harry clapped with the rest, smiling at his dearest friend and brother; Lucius would be beaming with pride when he found out his heir was placed in his former house.
Harry glanced at his dad and noticed the man was looking at him in concern. The raven haired boy smiled back, letting his father know he was alright for now. An imperceptible nod was given by Severus before the older man went back to watching the sorting. Soon Theodore's name was called and the tall blonde took his place on the stool and under the hat.
It took a bit longer for the Nott heir to be sorted but in the end it was Slytherin that Nott went to. Harry knew his turn was coming soon. Not five minutes later McGonagall called his name and almost seemed to drop from shock when she realized that Potter wasn't the only last name Harry was carrying now.
Immensely pleased with McGonagall's and the rest of the assembled room's response the emerald eyed eleven year old smirked and sauntered to the stool, sat down, and slapped the hat on his head. The hat was large and slumped over his eyes slightly; Harry was wondering what would happen when a voice sounded in his head.
"Ah, I have waited a long time to meet you, Mr. Potter. Or should I say Potter-Snape? Anyway where to put you? You are loyal but only to those you care for so Hufflepuff is out. You are intelligent but you know there is more to life than books so Ravenclaw is not for you. Bravery, yes you have it, but only as last resort when confrontation is unavoidable. A Gryffindor you are not."
"So where to put you...I see courage, intelligence, and loyalty but these are eclipsed by your desire to prove yourself worthy. Yes, yes, Slytherin would fit you nicely, Mr. Potter-Snape. Good luck child you will need it." Harry felt the odd presence leave his mind and smirked in triumph when the hat screamed "SLYTHERIN!"
He shot off the stool, gave the old hat back to McGonagall, and made his way over to the green and silver table. Quite enjoying the looks of shock on everyone's faces; not only was Harry Snape's child he was also a Slytherin. As he sat down he caught the eye of a red head who was still standing to be sorted; the boy, who was obviously a Weasely, was glaring at Harry as if he wanted to set him on fire.
Well that was the red head's issue and Harry really didn't care what his problem was. He took the open place in between his brother and Theodore; the three of them chatted lowly as they watched the remaining kids being sorted into their house. He glanced over at his dad again and almost preened at the pride that was shining in his father's eyes. Without a doubt Slytherin was the best house for him and to hell with anyone who thought otherwise.
The Weasely twins seemed to find the whole situation hilarious and gave Harry twin smirks of amusement before resuming their conversations at the Gryffindor table. Ebony, who'd been oddly silent peeked out to survey the Great Hall; "Master, this place is wonderful, so much magic. But I'm hungry." Harry snorted, leave it to his familiar to discount the magnificent surroundings in favor of food.
In silent amusement he glanced down at his serpent's head, speaking in a low hiss that only Theodore and Draco would hear; "Soon, lovely. You'll get food soon." Ebony nodded regally and slipped back inside Harry's robes, content to wait for her meal. The emerald eyed teen knew his familiar could hunt for her own food while they were in the castle, no doubt Hogwarts had a nice supply of creepy crawlies for Ebony to feast on, but for right now he decided she deserved a reward for being so well behaved.
Harry realized he'd missed the old man's welcoming speech when the food appeared on the table in front of him. The emerald eyed by shrugged slightly, if what Dumbledore had to say was really important he'd hear about it at some point, and snuck a piece of rare steak to his familiar, chuckling when she hissed in pleasure as she swallowed the chuck of meat. This process continued until they were both full and sleepy; it truly was a long day and tomorrow would be just as eventful. He also needed to get to his dad's office and tell him about Dumbledore's attempt to use Legillimency on him.
But for right now it was time to rest. He rose with the rest of the first years and followed their house prefects to the Slytherin Common Room. It appeared their house resided within the dungeons. The raven found the atmosphere oddly soothing and safe. Harry couldn't imagine many non-Slytherin students venturing this far into the underground labyrinth of hallways and corridors.
This pleased him as he would be allowed some sort of privacy and not have to worry about rabid fans who wanted to talk to the boy-who-lived. With a yawn he followed the rest of the first years into the Common Room. There they were told the password to enter was Belladonna; leave it to his dad to select a potions ingredient as the password.
The first years were also informed that Professor Snape would be by tomorrow morning at seven to speak to them about the rules and expectations that came with being a Slytherin. Harry merely nodded politely to the male prefect, Calmon Harry believed his name was, and made his way up toward their dorm, following the older boy's directions.
It was a happy, tired, boy who fell into his soft four-poster green and silver bed that night after he washed up and changed for bed. Harry couldn't wait for what tomorrow would bring!
~*~*~*POV Change~*~*~*
Dumbledore was nervous, no anxious would be a better description for what he was feeling at the moment. First the boy looked away before he could search his mind further; the Headmaster wanted to know if his plan had bared fruit. He'd left the boy with Petunia for a reason; the assumed benevolent Light Lord needed an unsure child, clamoring for acceptance and approval when they stepped into Hogwarts.
What he saw now disturbed him. Harry was standing there in the middle of the Great Hall looking as confident as could be. To make matters worse he seemed quite chummy with the Malfoy heir; how had that happened? Surely Harry wouldn't want to associate with someone as obnoxious as he believed the Malfoy child to be? Lucius was an arrogant man surely he'd raised an arrogant child.
Maybe he should have checked up on Harry over the years, just to make sure the boy was being raised to his satisfaction. The Headmaster just assumed the boy was fine; none of his gadgets attuned to Harry's overall wellbeing had gone off, alerting him that a serious injury had befallen the boy. He knew it was wrong to leave the boy in a home where he would be neglected and trodden upon but it was for the greater good, after all. Sacrifices must be made in order for them to conquer Voldemort once and for all.
But now he was feeling unsure about Harry. He had hoped that through Legillimency he would be able to sooth his doubts but to no avail. Now he would have to hope that the child would be sent to Gryffindor, like his parents. In the lion house, and under Dumbledore's tutelage, Harry would be guided in the right direction. Within Gryffindor the Potter boy would learn to sacrifice himself for his fellows and become the hero their world needed.
Dumbledore sat on the edge of his seat when Harry's name was about to be called. He maintained an air of detached interest but his posture betrayed him and anyone could see how much interest the aged Headmaster had in the boy-who-lived's sorting. The aged man almost had a stroke from anger and shock when Harry's name was called; Snape?! When had Harry become Severus' child? This changed everything!
No, he would not be getting his pliable savior now. No, he would be getting a well raised child. A child who was brought up by Severus Snape; a formidable man known for his intelligent as well as his cunning. Severus would not raise a fool! However, Severus' hasty departure from his teaching post all those years ago made sense. He'd left to raise Harry. Petunia must have sought the Potions Master out; it was the only thing that made sense.
Godric and Merlin! He knew he should have set those Blood Wards but he hadn't seen he point all those years ago; the wards he set around Petunia's home would hold against most magical attacks, giving Harry and his family enough protection until he could arrive with backup. If he would have set those wards he would have known within days that Harry was not with the Dursley family and given him the chance to track the boy down.
Also, there was the question of how Voldemort would react when he found out one of allegedly loyal Death Eaters adopted the baby who vanquished him. Dumbledore would wager that Tom would not take it well but he would not mention this to Severus, not yet and maybe he would never bring it up with the Potions Master. He, however, would use this concern to his advantage. If Tom returned, which Dumbledore believed he would, he may be able to bring his concern about the boy's safety to the attention of the Wizengamot and have Severus' custody of Harry rescinded.
The idea had merit but for right now he would put it on the back burner as the muggles say. Things were not going well at the moment but all had not been lost. The boy still needed to be sorted and the blood in that boy's veins was Gryffindor gold and crimson; Dumbledore would wager all his galleons on it. Unfortunately, the aged man was wrong, terribly wrong; Harry Potter-Snape went to Slytherin, much to the awe of everyone, and disgust of some, within the Great Hall.
Dumbledore's plans were shot to hell and back in no less than half an hour. The aged man tamped down his ire through Occlumency and regained his composure to clap for Harry being sorted into the snake house. He pushed any thoughts of Harry, Voldemort, and his future schemes out of his head for now; he would have plenty of time to contemplate things tonight in his office.
At least the Sorcerer's Stone was in place for Harry to find; it would be a good test to see where the boy was in terms of strength. With a silent sigh he stood to give his speech once the last first year, Blaise Zabini, became a Slytherin.
"Welcome, welcome, to another year at Hogwarts." And with those words Harry Potter's first of seven years at Hogwarts was underway.
Well Harry has been sorted! Our dearest Dark Lord has made his cameo and Dumbledore is doing what Dumbledore does...I know there was a few POV changes but I wanted you readers to get a sense of what's going on with everyone at this time.
This fic will not be conventional in the sense that Harry will be Light or Dark; he'll be a nice mix. Updates may be sporadic, however. I had to put my dog to sleep this past Sunday so I'm kind of feeling down so my muse is being bitchy but she popped up to give me this chapter. More to come soon!
All Mistakes Are My Own!