Disclaimer: Err, I guess I don't own the adorable little munchkin but then again J.K brought him to us at 11…he's four now…#rubs chin thinking before grabbing him# MINE! MINE! MINE! Muahahahahahha!

Rejected Runespoor

Chapter 25

He could feel all their eyes on him. He ate slowly, careful but it came across as graceful, with his utensil and keeping his eyes on his food rather than the Hall. He knew all the Houses were watching him suspiciously but especially the Slytherins. In fact if he looked up he was sure he'd see a couple hundred eyes looking away but he was going to ignore them…if he could.

He was sitting between the screechy blonde and the Bloody Baron, Slytherin's ghost and it was unnerving having all those living eyes and a few dead ones on him with two sets of those being on either side of him. In fact it was bloody well annoying!

"If you are Slytherins…could you practise some subtlety perhaps? Harry said quietly. "And stop staring at me." He raised his voice for the table's benefit the last few words and his lips curled up as the blonde flushed and looked away, The Baron however was still staring unerringly at him.

"So you are the hero. I wonder what the other Houses will feel about their Saviour being in Slytherin?"

"I don't really care. If they want me they'll have to take me how I am." Harry spooned some mashed potatoes into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully looking at his plate.

"Look here. I want to know what you're doing in Slytherin. You should be in Hufflepuff! Or Gryffindor," the boy sneered. "But what are you doing in my house?"

Harry swallowed repeatedly before looking up at the boy with a blink. "What's your name?"

The blonde smirked and lifted his head until his upturned nose was snootily in the air. "Draco Malfoy." Harry ignored the hand extended to him and smile back.

"Sorry, don't know you." Then he went back to his plate.

The Malfoy boy spluttered, hand dropping. "What do you mean you don't know me! I'm a Malfoy!"

"And that brings up the other point. Your name is not Slytherin. So this is not your House. Anyone who wants to be in Slytherin…who is made for Slytherin, will be. No matter who they are."

The boy's gray eyes narrowed and he sneered again. In fact now that he tilted his head and squinted a little it was like he was trying, badly, to copy Snape. "That's a very mudblood view to take. I suppose you'd say they should be in Slytherin if you think they're Slytherin-esque enough?"

Harry picked up his goblet and started to stare at the inlay, admiring the craftsmanship. "Whoever the hat picks for wherever Malfoy."

"A mudblood will never be in Slytherin!" Malfoy hissed.

Harry lifted cold eyes from the goblet. "Now, I'm not sure I have this right as I haven't been in the wizarding world very long." He said quietly, knowing he already had the whole table's attention. "But a mudblood is someone magical born of two muggle right?"

"Yes. And they are dirty. Nothing more than pollutants of pure wizarding blood! They…" The boy started ranted before Harry lifted a hand and cut in smoothly.

"Thanks. Now, as far as what I know about muggle having lived around them all my life…all the characteristics of every House in this school can be demonstrated by your common muggle. So why couldn't a mudblood….born of muggles, be just as worthy of Slytherin as you?"

"It's not just about being sly and cunning Potter! It's about purity of blood! That is what Salazar Slytherin was all about!"

Harry blinked. "No. It's about what's inside of you. Your talents. I'm sure you're a pureblood Malfoy. And let me tell you, you and Salazar would rub each other so wrong."

Harry sniffed lightly and pushed his plate away. He was tired of being here now. Too many people still watching him, too many people around period. He'd told Snape about his sometimes claustrophobia, and the Professor had told him whenever it happened to just look for a faraway spot to distance himself from the crowd. Unfortunately, far away was on the other side of the Hall, looking past all the eyes looking right back at him. So he looked to the Head Table, ignoring the dessert spreads.

Flitwick, talking to some woman, Sprout, minding her food, McGonagall, staring with narrowed eyes at him, Dumbledore, looking at him schemingly before his eyes turned sparkling and he smiled, the nurse on the other side chattering on to him, unknowing he was focused on Harry. Further down the line he looked. And just up from the end of the table, Snape's spot so he could look down on the Slytherins. He had just nodded slightly to the man, when a purple-turbaned head blocked off his line of sight and a sharp burning spark lit the scar on his forehead he usually just ignored, making him hiss softly eyes squeezed shut. It passed almost immediately and he opened narrowed eyes on the teacher sitting next to Snape that had blocked him.

"What's wrong with you Potter?" Malfoy prodded him with an elbow.

Harry tore his eyes away from the man who was eating innocently and simply touched a finger to the twinging scar. "When the hell is this Feast over?"

Becca has dragged me off to play AOE again...sighs...I'll try to update tonight