A/N: Again, things from HP are in italics.

Chapter 3 - House-Elves and Troublemakers

Harry Potter stared at the canopy above his bed, lost in thought. He knew that the rest of the boys in the dorm were asleep by the sounds of heavy breathing emanating from the closed curtains. He couldn't understand the emptiness that he was feeling in his chest. It was as if the excitement of finding out magic was real disappeared over night.

Gathering his toiletries, Harry made his way to the boys' shower room and washed up, making sure to hide his awful muggle clothes at the bottom of his trunk when he was done.

After getting dressed in his school robes with the Slytherin emblem on the front, Harry looked at the time. He always got up rather early, since he had to make meals for the Dursleys before they woke up, so it wasn't really a surprise when he noticed that it was 5:36 am. He headed downstairs, noticing that the fire in the hearth looked as if it were just lit.

Harry looked around the room to get a better view than the one he did last night. As he was the only one up this early, he didn't have to worry about looking like an idiot while gawking.

The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling, from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in carved chairs.

Harry got the feeling that it was supposed to be an underwater theme, what with being under the lake and low lighting.

With one last glance at his surroundings, Harry sat down in one of the chairs by the fire with his book on herbs and fungi. His stomach had just decided to make itself known.

"I wonder if I could get some food before breakfast starts," Harry mused out loud. Before he knew it there was a pop, and one of the most disturbing creatures was in front of him.

"What can I's be getting you, little Master?" the creature said in a squeaky voice.

"Excuse me if I'm being rude, but what exactly are you?" Harry asked quietly.

"Oh, young Master is so kind! Not wanting to be rude!" the creature exclaimed. "I's be guessing that you's grown up with muggles?"

"Yes, I'm quite new at this magic business. Do you have a name?" He was not quite ready for the loud squeak that came up from that questions, but he did his best to quiet down the being in front of him.

"Yes, young Master, my name is being Tabbles. I is being a house-elf, young Master, and it is my job to take care of the young charges of Hogwarts."

"So you work here at Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"Oh, no's young Master, not work. I is being in service of Hogwarts. I is bonded to the castle." Tabbles looked like he couldn't think of anything worse than working for someone.

"So it's like a servant thing?" When the house-elf nodded, Harry looked closer to Tabbles. "You don't get mistreated do you? You like being here?"

"Oh, you's is a king young Master, indeed! Yes! House-elves just loves being of help to wizards! If we weren't bonded or serving, our magic wouldn't work properly," Tabbles said.

"As long as you're happy, I guess." Tabbles nodded at his statement, so he let it drop. "If I need any help with something, could I call on you, or other house-elves in service here?"

"Yes, little Master, we's would love to help a kind Master such as you." Big eyes started to water at the thought of helping this young Master. He was so much kinder than most of the little Masters and Mistresses who came to Hogwarts. Tabbles knew that the other house-elves would be very happy to help this young Master, just like she did. "Now, you's be wanting to have food?"

Harry nodded and looked at his watch (Dudley's cast-off) and sighed.

"I don't want a lot, mind you. I'm not very hungry and I still want to eat at breakfast, but could you get me some toast and jam? And maybe a glass of orange juice?" The little elf disappeared with a pop, and within a minute, a plate with three pieces of toast with jam already on it and a glass of juice was sitting on the table next to him. Feeling foolish, Harry thanked Tabbles even though she wasn't there.

He started on his book, which he hadn't got to read because the Dursleys had locked hos things up right when he got home, and ate his toast in silence. When he was finished with his snack, the plate and goblet disappeared, presumably to the kitchens.

Harry continued to read, and didn't notice when the section of wall leading to the dungeons opened and in stepped Professor Snape.

Severus Snape narrowed his eyes at the sight that he came to as he entered the Slytherin common room. He didn't expect any students to be up at this hour, and so was slightly shocked – though he didn't show it – when he noticed a small figure sitting by the fire, reading.

The he realized it was Potter and an angry flare of hate made itself known in his chest. He glanced at the clock on the mantle above the fire, which read 6:07, and glided forward towards the fire.

"And just what," Severus said, and Harry's head snapped up in surprise. "Do are you doing up this early in the morning, Potter?"

Harry clock, them back to his professor.

"I'm sorry if I'm not supposed to be in here this early, professor," Harry said in his quiet voice. Severus narrowed his eyes again, thinking that the boy was up to something. "I woke up a bit early and couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to get ready for the day."

Nothing on the boy's face gave him away, but inside Harry was slightly frightened. This man was like Uncle Vernon, always blaming him for things even if it wasn't his fault.

"Hmm, while it is not against the rules to be here, at any hour," Severus said in his usual drawl. "You would do well to keep yourself out of trouble. Just because you're used to being pampered at home, doesn't mean that you'll get out of punishments if you do something here."

Again, Harry kept everything from showing on his face. He didn't know why this professor hated him, but his home life would stay secret. Harry had a feeling that it would be used to ridicule him even more than he already was.

"Now, if you are done with wasting my time, I have things to do," Severus said. He then proceeded to the fifth year Prefects, so they could then wake up the first years. All the while, Severus was thinking about Potter. He knew that the boy would be trouble, and judging from the innocent face he put up, he was going to be just like his father.

Harry on the other hand, was headed deeper into despair. Just yesterday, the man said that they had to represent a unified front. If Harry had any problems, he was supposed to be able to go to his head of house for help. But Harry knew that he would get no hep from the man.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you like the new chapter.