Chapter seven
They were late for breakfast the next morning and they rushed to get ready. Every time Draco caught Harry's eyes the raven-haired boy blushed and averted his eyes.
"What have you got this morning?" Draco asked as he ran a comb through his hair. "Defense against the dark arts" Harry mumbled as he tied his tie. "Well I've got charms."
He turned back to his mirror and suddenly Harry appeared behind him, a pitiful look on his face "please be careful?" He said as he wrapped his arms around the Slytherin's waist and rested his chin on the blonde's shoulder "I don't know what I'd do if something else happened to you."
"I'll try my best" Draco said truthfully as he looked into Harry's eyes in the mirror. Harry pressed a lingering, open-mouthed kiss to his neck. "Why don't you get going? I still have some stuff to do, no point us both being late." Harry nodded and kissed his mates neck again before grabbing his bag from his bed and rushing out of the room.
He stopped outside the great hall when familiar looking bushy, brown hair came into view. He turned to leave but stopped when Hermione called out to him. "Harry, I'm sorry about what's happened." Harry kept his back turned to her, refusing to look at his ex-friend.
He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and shrugged it off "look at me Harry" her voice sounded like she was on the verge of tears so he turned but didn't meet her eyes, he was always weak to her tears, but instead he stared determinedly down at the stone floor.
"I do not agree to what the others have done to you" she mumbled and Harry looked at her with anger ablaze in his eyes. "Maybe, but you did nothing to stop them, so why should I believe you?" He shoved past her, hard enough to jostle her but not to hurt her, after all she was one of his first friends in Hogwarts; one of the first to like him for who he was and not because of his money or fame.
She grabbed his arm before he could get too far away and begged him to listen to her, he stopped trying to struggle from her surprisingly strong grip and glared at her "what could you possibly want from me?" He spat and felt guilt constricting his heart when he saw the fat tears trailing down her red, blotchy cheeks. "I'm sorry, Harry" She sobbed and Harry tensed, he knew that tone of voice It was the one she used to use on him and Ron when she had told the teacher one of their pranks and then regretted it when they got detention.
"What did you do?" he asked quietly and Hermione burst into more tears "I'm so sorry, but I had to you were breaking the law, I'm sorry!"
"What the fuck did you do?" he yelled, she flinched but he didn't care, he was too angry to care. "I told the Ministry about your Animagus" she blubbered and Harry felt himself stepping forward before he knew what he was doing. "You did what? Why the fuck would you do that? I thought we were friends. And how in Merlin's name did you even know?" he was yelling, he knew but he couldn't stop, he was just so angry.
"I'm sorry Harry, you were breaking the law. I couldn't let you do that!" she yelled back, tears still streaming down her face. "You couldn't let me? Who the hell do you think you are? You can't control me!"
"I'm not trying to control you I was just trying to help!" They were attracting a crowd now and Harry spotted Blaise and Draco pushing to the front. "Well a lot of help you were, thanks a fucking bunch for giving the Ministry a reason for adding me to the list of possible dark lords!" He heard the crowd surrounding them gasp and he frowned 'great that's gunna be in the prophet tomorrow.'
Hermione sobbed, her hands covering her mouth as what he said sank in "oh my god, I'm sorry Harry!" she sobbed and Harry backed up a step "It's too late to apologize Granger" he growled and then turned away from the sobbing girl.
He entered the great hall and spotted McGonagall descending the steps of the Professor's table. "Headmistress" he called as he approached and she looked up at him "yes, Mr. Potter" she asked; confusion obvious on her face. "I demand a re-sorting!" He heard the students behind him gasp; saw the disappointment on McGonagall's face but he didn't care.
He was fed up of nothing going his way. He was going to take control of his life and he didn't give a damn about what anyone else thought. "Very well Mr. Potter, Mr. Filch would you please fetch the sorting hat."
Harry sat on the stool that was summoned and waited patiently for filch to come back with the sorting hat. He ignored the stares and focused his attention of the huge doors of the great hall.
Filch dumped the hat onto Harry's head when he returned with the grumbled complaint of 'bloody students' and then he left with his cat, Mrs. Norris, following loyally.
'Ah Harry Potter, I was wondering when you'd need me again." The sorting hat smirked. "I demanded a re-sorting, put me in the house I belong" Harry grumbled and received a chuckle "finally realized then, eh Mr. Potter?"
"SLYTHERIN!" The hat called out and everyone in the hall began murmuring amongst themselves some from Gryffindor yelling out 'bloody traitor!'
"That is enough!" McGonagall called out as she took the hat from Harry. She waved her wand over him and his Gryffindor tie changed from red and gold to silver and green, the emblem on his robes melted into the Slytherin snake and he sauntered over to the Slytherin table, taking his seat next to a grinning Draco.
"Carry on with your breakfast" McGonagall said sadly as she returned to the Professor's table, placing the sorting hat beside her plate. The hall quietened but if you listened hard enough you could still hear the mumbling of the gossipers as they discussed what had just happened.
The Slytherin's were silently celebrating Harry's re-sorting into their house all of them except for one of course, who was glaring at the raven-haired boy. Pansy Parkinson hated The-Boy-Who-Lived, Hated his very existence, and hated how her plan had failed. She glanced over to the Gryffindor's table and growled.
"Did you find out why Harry was acting weird?" Blaise mumbled to Draco who shrugged "It was a werewolf thing." Blaise nodded and then returned his attention to his breakfast.
Harry found out that McGonagall hadn't come across anyone to take the position of DADA Professor this year and instead they read from their textbooks as a Hufflepuff prefect watched over them. He sorely hoped that they had a Professor for their next lesson.
After DADA he had charms and he was told to read from his textbook in that lesson as well whilst the rest of the students practiced the 'point me' charm, he was the only one to have managed it last lesson.
During his break he met with Draco and Blaise out in the court yard, they had had a free period whilst Harry was suffering in charms. He asked Draco to help him with his Herbology homework and he got the last half a page done quickly with his help. "So," Blaise began as he stretched his longs legs out in front of him.
They were sitting underneath the tree that Draco had hung around when Mad-eye had turned him into a ferret. "We haven't got back at those Gryffindor's for what they did to Draco?"
"Blaise, don't. It's not worth it" Blaise ignored his blonde friend and turned to Harry "What do you think we should do?" Harry heard Draco sigh and smiled "erm, well George has some untested products for the shop." He rubbed his chin as he thought "we could send him an owl and ask for some?"
"Would he be ok with pranking his brother?" Blaise asked and Harry laughed "oh don't worry; he does it all the time. Ron told me that he turned his teddy bear into a spider once." They all laughed and then Blaise said "Wait, the Weasley still has a teddy bear?" and so for the rest of their break they talked about Ron and his embarrassing habits.
They made their way to potions and Harry was slightly anxious to be in an enclosed room with the Gryffindor's "calm down Harry, it's going to be fine" he heard Draco mumble and he let out a huff of breath. He paused at the potions classroom door, straightened his immaculate robes and breathed deeply to steel himself before he pushed open the door and walked in with his head held high and a look of indifference on his face.
He sat in his seat next to Draco, Blaise sat at the desk behind them with a Slytherin Harry didn't know, and focused his attention on the board that had what they were brewing on it; healing Potions, for Madame Pomfrey no doubt.
"Very well done" he heard Draco whisper and smiled before remembering that Slytherin's didn't show emotion around the other houses and schooled his features back into a look of indifference.
Harry and Draco were tasked with brewing an anti-paralysis potion and Draco stood to get the ingredients with a mumbled 'too easy.'
They finished with time to spare and as Draco bottled up the purple potion Harry quickly scribbled out a note to George asking about the new products. He would visit Wynne in the Owlery tower later. Slughorn told them they could leave after they cleared up their work station and as Harry carried the small cauldron toward the sink he tripped over a purposely placed leg.
His face smashed into the stone cauldron with a sickening crack and he felt the blood trickling down his chin as he sat up, he gently prodded at his nose and winced when a sharp pain shot through his skull. "Shit" he murmured but even that hurt. "Harry! You fucking piece of shit!" Harry heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh and turned his head to see Blaise holding an angry Draco back and a Gryffindor on the floor holding his nose which was also bleeding.
"Now now Mr. Malfoy, take Mr. Potter to the infirmary, I'll sort him out" Slughorn said and when Harry glanced at the potions Professor he was surprised to see the look of fury on his face. "Come on Harry" Draco murmured as he gently helped him off of the floor.
"Fucking Bastard" Draco spat viciously when they were walking through the empty corridors. "M'fine Dragon" Harry winced when another jab of pain shot through his skull. "No Harry, you are not 'fine.' This has gone too far!"
Pomfrey was treating another student when they got there and Harry was pleased to see it was Neville and not another Gryffindor who would, most likely, want to curse him. "Bloody Merlin's pants what happened to you Harry?" Neville exclaimed loudly when he saw the pair walk in, he got a smack over the head for his language and he blushed before apologizing.
Pomfrey hadn't seen them yet and when she turned she shrieked loudly "Merlin's Beard Mr. Potter, what happened?" she asked as she ushered Harry over to the bed next to Neville's. "Tripped and hit my face on a cauldron." He mumbled humiliated. "No Harry, you didn't trip, you were tripped by a Gryffindor." Pomfrey sighed and pried Harry's hands away from his face "you kids and your disputes."
She Accio'd a vial of pain reliever and told Harry to drink it before she pointed her wand at Harry's nose and it snapped back into position with a sickening crack. Harry winced and his eyes began watering, he went to wipe the blood from his face with his sleeve but Draco stopped him "That's disgusting, don't do that!"
Pomfrey chuckled and vanished the blood with a wave of her wand "I trust you'll try and stay out of trouble from now on? I don't want to see you back here for a while."
Harry agreed whole-heartedly and left with Draco after saying a quick good-bye to Neville. They ran into Blaise on their way back, he had their bags. "So? You alright?" Harry nodded and then waved the note for George in front of their faces "I just need to make a quick trip to the Owlery" The three Slytherin's smirked wickedly, scaring any students that walked by them.
Draco and Blaise insisted on coming with Harry to the Owlery and he agreed with a sigh. Harry sat and talked with Wynne for a moment before he attached the note to her leg and asked her to take it to George and wait for a reply. Wynne nipped his finger affectionately and took off from the window ledge she was perched on.
"I wish Felix was that nice to me" Blaise Grumbled "the bloody thing bites me whenever I come near him." Harry chuckled and then they went to lunch, Harry ignored all the pointed looks and the whispers. His attention focused solely on his food, Blaise and Draco.
TBC.