Disclaimer: I obviously don't own the idea of Harry Potter or any of the money making forms of it.
Again a thanks to my beta, Throckmorton.
Book 1 – Part 4: Options
They were in the Great Hall eating breakfast when the mail came, Harry surprised that he actually had received a letter.
Dear Harry,
I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me after your classes? I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.
Hagrid
Harry replied, 'Yes, please, see you later,' on the back of the note, and handed it to Hedwig.
Harry could hardly wait.
- - -
Harry and the other Gryffindors entered the dungeons, joining the first year Slytherins.
Neville, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together, in that order. Harry looked across some of the tables to find Draco and his buds staring at him. Harry gave an acknowledging nod, quite enjoying the confused expression on Draco's face. He clearly didn't know what to make of Harry, and that was how Harry liked it.
Everyone suddenly went silent upon Snape's entrance, the door being slammed open.
Harry and the others listened intently to Snape's little 'Introduction to Potions' speech after he had completed the roll call, his feelings towards 'celebrities' coming in loud and clear the whole time.
"Potter!" Snape said suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
Harry blinked, having trouble just understanding the words Snape had just said, let alone what they made, though those ingredients did sound familiar…
"I don't know, sir," Harry said, trying not to let himself phase out into a memory as he vaguely noticed Hermione's hand shoot high into the air.
"Tut, tut—fame clearly isn't everything."
Hermione looked apologetically at him, lowering her hand, deciding now was not the time to really answer questions.
"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"
Harry closed his eyes, hoping this memory would be done quickly, since he wasn't able to beat it back…
Tom began reading the chapter on 'Cures and Their Ingredients', his finger trailing down the list, and passing 'Bezoars'.
Harry looked back up to Snape, thankful to realize only a few seconds had passed.
"It's a stone sir, from a stomach of a goat, and if I remember correctly from 'Magical Drafts and Potions', it will save you from most poisons, right?"
That caused Snape's eyes to narrow and everyone in the room to go very still.
"Correct, though, I'd like to know why you knew that, but did not know the first question I asked you," Snape said, suspiciously.
"I uh…was a little more interested about reading cures and positive things potions can do, if you want to know the real reason, sir. I find Potions to be one of the more useful subjects here, though, I don't think it could ever be my favorite, there's too many things that could go wrong by not mixing a potion correctly, or using too much of a certain ingredient…"
He trailed off, looking past Snape to find Draco staring at him with an eyebrow raised.
"Well, I'm glad you are conscious of that fact, Potter. I'm going to expect you not to make those kinds of mistakes, especially now that you seem to understand the risks so very well," he said, exuding sarcasm and rudeness, before beginning the lesson.
Harry looked over at Ron, who shrugged. Snape clearly didn't like Harry –at all–.
Mixing the potion for that lesson, Harry looked over at Neville who was about to put porcupine quills in his cauldron.
"Neville, wait, you need to take it off the fire first," he said as Ron stirred their cauldron.
"Oh, thanks Harry," Neville said, Seamus looking just as grateful.
"What's this?" Snape asked, walking up, hearing what had been exchanged. "Keep focused on your own work, Potter, and let others do their own."
Harry looked up, meeting his cold dark eyes. He was about to explain himself when he thought better of it.
This is a man who adores respect; show him some, Harry told himself.
"Yes, sir."
Snape barely narrowed his eyes, more as if in confusion than in hatred, though, plenty of hatred was still there, all of it directed at Harry.
Later, after they left the dungeons, they were on their way to Hagrid's.
Ron and Neville had asked if they could join him, while Hermione seemed content to stay to herself and study.
Hagrid welcomed them in, happy to see that Harry was already making some friends, and ones with good families as far as he was concerned.
They talked about what had happened that week, and the Potions lesson that day.
Hagrid seemed to change the subject soon after Harry muttered that it seemed that Snape didn't like him.
Looking down, Harry found a newspaper, something quickly catching his eye. A break-in at Gringotts, the very day they had been there.
"Hagrid, look!" Harry said, pointing, receiving only a half grunt from Hagrid.
Harry decided Hagrid didn't want to talk about it, remembering his words earlier in Gringotts.
Neville and Ron looked up at Harry, giving a silent shrug.
Ron then brought up the incident on the train. Hagrid turned to Harry, his eyes wide.
"Yeh actually said his name?!"
"Well…yeah. The way I see it, being afraid to say his name gives him more power…in a way."
Hagrid thought for a moment on that.
"Yeah, I suppose yer right, Harry."
Hagrid looked at them all before talking again.
"You all should just stay away from Malfoy, it's better not to interact with that fam'ly," Hagrid began.
"Hagrid, we don't really have a choice. We encounter them all the time, and I've heard we're not only going to have Potions with the Slytherins, but also the flying lessons," Ron said.
Hagrid sighed.
"Well, I suppose I shoun't really judge the boy so harshly at the moment, he still has time to make diff'rent decisions, though from what yeh guys have told me, he's already becomin' a bully like his father…"
"My Dad told me about Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy. My Dad cannot stand him," Ron said, not noticing the fact Harry was exhaling a slow calming breath, quelling a rather nasty memory of a brutal attack on muggleborns.
After leaving Hagrid's, Harry had a lot to think about.
What had almost been stolen at Gringotts? How should they deal with Malfoy and his thugs? Should he give Malfoy a chance, hoping he'd change his ways and not follow in his father's dark footsteps?
He decided he had nothing to lose to just allow Malfoy a chance; perhaps he could help show him the better choice? And if Draco still chose his father's path, at least Harry would enjoy the odd looks from him, like the one he had received on the train.
Harry almost felt sorry for Draco, he had an odd advantage over him after all. Though, Harry paid the price of it through nightmarish memories…
- - -
Later the following week, they got more mail, and this time, Neville got a gift from his Gran, a Remembrall.
Harry looked beyond Neville to find Draco and his buds passing the table. Draco stopped, seeing the Remembrall as Neville explained why he had it, just as it turned red.
"What's the problem Draco? Do you need one too because you're also forgetful? It's a common problem, I hear," Harry said civilly.
"No, of course not."
"You sure? I'm sure Neville would let you hold it for a second to make sure," Harry suggested, Neville raising his eyebrows for a split second, but trusting Harry, he lifted it up, offering it to Draco.
"No, I'm fine," Draco said, eyeing it before looking past it at Harry.
Harry shrugged, unconcernedly as Draco and his friends left.
Hermione leaned forward next to Neville, speaking directly to Harry who was across the table.
"You handle them in a way I've never seen anyone handle bullies before, Harry."
Harry shrugged, hoping the reasons for his actions were not as obvious to Draco.
"They don't have to be bullies forever, I'm just giving them an opportunity to see that if they want to ever change, they can."
Ron raised an eyebrow in disbelief, while Hermione looked at him as if she approved.
- - -
The flying lesson came, and the first year Gryffindors and Slytherins were out on the lawn, a broom on the ground beside each of them.
Harry was a little nervous, especially seeing how sure Draco was, but focused when the teacher started giving directions.
Following Hooch's directions, Harry said, "up" and was surprised when his broom promptly shot up into his hand.
When everyone had finally gotten that to work, they mounted their brooms, but right before Madam Hooch blew the whistle, Neville flew up, going high into the sky—only to fall off the broom a moment later and land with a WHAM.
Hooch quickly went to him, and then told the class to stay on the ground while she took Neville to the hospital wing.
Once she was gone, Harry turned to find Draco snickering, cracking jokes with his buddies about Neville's unfortunate short flight.
Draco met Harry's gaze, giving him a challenging look, before smirking.
He's testing to see how you will react, Harry told himself. Just like his father, prod, test, analyze, act…
Harry gave him an unyielding stare.
Draco broke eye contact and walked onto the lawn where Neville had fallen. He bent down and picked something up.
"Look! It's that stupid thing Longbottom's Gran sent him," he said, holding it up. "I can't believe his family is supposedly purebloods. I mean, look at him!"
Harry's eyes narrowed.
The Remembrall turned red in Malfoy's hand…
Harry approached Draco and the other students stepped aside, curious to see what was going to happen now. Harry continued forward calmly, actually making Draco back up slightly, even while along side his pals.
"Well, it looks like you forgot something, Malfoy. And I'm pretty sure what it is. Do I need to repeat what I told you on the train, or do you remember now?" Harry said quietly to Draco so only he would hear, the other students behind him far enough to allow some privacy, somehow knowing not to intrude in this exchange.
Draco's memory of what Harry said went through his head, 'Don't ever say things like that about people around me again; I didn't defeat Voldemort to come back to the wizarding world to hear pitiful banter and arrogant insults.'
At that, the smoke in the Remembrall instantly turned white.
Draco's eyes narrowed slightly, as if there was a battle brewing inside him, and Harry was sure there was. Draco raised the Remembrall, as if he was going to hand it to Harry, but then, upon impulse, he mounted his broom and flew up, surprisingly well in fact.
"If you want this back for your friend, Potter, come and get it!"
"You don't want me to do that, but alright," Harry said, more confidently than he felt, mounting his broom as well.
Flying into the air, he got a brief snapshot memory of Tom flying shakily before falling off his broom, but that memory was slammed aside by the thrill and rush of reality, wind running past his face as joy and freedom took over.
Malfoy was clearly surprised as Harry stopped beside him.
"Give it here," Harry said, actually reaching out an un-shaking hand towards Draco for him to give the Remembrall.
Draco was stunned.
"It's just you and me up here, Draco, and like right now, your buddies will not always be alongside you, just like my friends are currently down there and not beside me. Remember you always have options, and only you can truly decide which to take," Harry said, another brief memory rising, concerning past evils his father committed with Tom as Harry hoped that would not be a future form of Draco.
Draco seemed to pause at that, glimpsing down at his friends who were looking up expectantly at him. Upon seeing them, he made his choice, despite the inner war that was currently raging.
"Well, then, here's your options: Catch it, or watch it break!"
Draco threw the Remembrall down, leaving Harry with that choice.
Harry dived, his vision zeroing in on the glass ball with gray smoke. The wind whistled harshly in his ears as he stretched out his hand, and ground growing closer…
His fingers closed around it just in time as he pulled his broom up, his feet grazing the grass below.
"HARRY POTTER!"
- - -
Harry couldn't believe it. In a matter of hours after believing he was in big trouble, he was now a player on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, a Seeker. Professor McGonagall even went to Dumbledore to bend the first year rule, and had even told him his father was an excellent Quidditch player as well.
Gryffindor was thrilled, as was Nearly-Headless Nick. He gloated about the new Seeker to everyone who would and wouldn't listen.
The Slytherins, however, were anything but thrilled; they were livid.
"They'll get over it…" Ron said, after they passed a few Slytherins.
"Yeah, like after we beat them—"
"In the next game and—"
"They're fretting over that," the twins said, coming up from behind them.
"Wood just told us," George said.
"We're Beaters," Fred added.
They smiled, giving Harry a pat on the back as they continued on down, needing to hurry to their class.- - -
A/N: For those of you who review, -thanks- each of you help me type faster. :) I know this part was shorter than the last one, but the next part will be a little longer.
Next part: Nightmare.
