YEAR FIVE! (I just wanted to put a bunch of exclamation points.)
Harry sat in Number Twelve Grimmauld Place and stared at the long table of familiar faces. There was the Weasley bunch (Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Fred and George, Ron, and Ginny), Hermione, the Diggorys (Amos and his wife and their son, Cedric), Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Professor Minerva McGonagall, Professor Filius Flitwick, and Professor Severus Snape. There were new faces as well: Kingsley Shackelbolt and Nymphadora Tonks. There had been others who had helped get him here, but these were the ones sitting at the table now.
The night came rushing back to him as food was served onto his plate by Mrs. Weasley.
The dementor attack, saving Dudley with his Patronus, Mrs. Figg being a squib, Petunia standing up to Vernon and ordering Harry to stay where it was safe, and then the wizards and witches arriving to take Harry away while Petunia insisted they send her word that he had made it...it felt like a dream now that he was recalling it.
All summer, he had watched both his news and the Muggle news. Even Petunia had paid close attention to it, which Harry knew had bothered both Vernon and Dudley, but she insisted this was important.
Cornelius Fudge had not done as he had said he would. Instead he had stepped down and Rufus Scrimgeour had taken over. Fudge insisted he had left for safety reasons and Scrimgeour had believed him. The Daily Prophet was flooded with lies about Dumbledore and Harry as big liars and that Dumbledore had chased Fudge from his position in an attempt to seize it. People thought Harry was demented thanks to several old reports of Harry's scar, which Harry knew Ron and Draco (seperately) had been involved in, though the former was doubtful to admit this to his parents. In all honesty, Harry didn't believe Scrimgeour was worried about his position as Fudge had been, but that Scrimgeour was overzealous about keeping the peace and if that meant calling Dumbledore power-hungry and Harry crazy than, so be it.
As much as Harry was worried about Voldemort regaining his power (Dumbledore and the rest of the Order of the Phoenix had been working covertly to gather numbers and to stop Voldemort from becoming stronger) and that people were going to die because of the Ministry's stupidity, he still couldn't get his mind to focus on this alone...because he kept thinking and worrying about Theodore.
He hadn't received a single letter from Theodore Nott, his one true friend and the person he was "dating" according to what they had decided last year. Theodore Nott was also the son of Maximilian Josiah Nott, a powerful dark wizard and Death Eater and a huge long-time supporter of the Dark Lord who claimed to be Voldemort's most faithful. Needless to say, this put a huge strain on Harry and Theo's relationship as Voldemort could use their friendship as a weakness for Harry and Theo could be punished for being Harry's friend when he was supposed to follow his father's footsteps onto the path of the Dark Lord.
Harry was worried. He feared constantly for Theodore's sake, concerned his friend would be harmed by his Death Eater father or ridiculed by his other Slytherin friends...whose parents were Death Eaters as well. How Harry was supposed to survive the House of Snakes when most of those in his dorm had Death Eater fathers who would want him dead...Harry had no idea.
"All right, Harry?" Cedric asked from across from him.
"Sure." Harry answered vaguely. "I've just been attacked by dementors and have a hearing with the Ministry for protecting myself because the current Minister is as stupid as the last one."
Silence fell over the table, so that Harry could hear Ronald muttering to Hermione. "Thinks its all about him, don't he?"
Harry stood, chair screeching back loudly and left the room without a word. No one moved to follow him.
Aside from Snape, Harry was the only Slytherin in the group and he knew at this point that this singled him out from the rest. He sat on the bottom of the steps leading up to the other floors of Grimmauld Place and listened to the talk inside the dining hall.
"Thinks he's the victim, doesn't he?" Ron was saying. "Thinks this whole mess weighs on only him."
"He's been through a lot." Lupin came to Harry's defense. "And we've excluded him all summer. Of course, he feels as if he's a victim and he also blames himself."
"Don't pretend to understand him." Snape snarled and this caused Harry to smile slightly.
"Oh, and you think you do?" Sirius cut in, irritation in his voice. "You think you understand Harry over us?"
"Unlike some, I have actually been apart of his life, Black." Snape spat back at him.
"Not exactly my fault..." Sirius muttered, but McGonagall's words overshadowed his.
"All you do is belittle the boy and then talk nice about him behind his back." She scolded the Slytherin Head of House. "You do absolute atrocious things to him from calling him names to insulting him in front of other students and teachers!"
"I do my best to treat him like any other student." Snape argued.
"Oh, yes, I saw...with the special treatment you gave of making him a Seeker for your Slytherin team when any other student would have had detention!"
"I see the root of your argument, McGonagall. Jealous that the Slytherin team has been beating your Gryffindors."
"I daresay!" She gasped in disgust. "I am merely pointing out that you are wishy-washy with the boy depending on how you are feeling at that moment and I doubt you understand him anymore than the rest of us."
"All you see is another Slytherin pupil." Snape growled. "And though he excells in Transfiguration, you are still disappointed he did not land in your House."
"That..." She fumed, but couldn't seem to come up with an answer before Lupin interrupted.
"I think Harry is a charming boy." He stated sternly. "And I think he is as misjudged as many Slytherins are. He's bright and good as most of his classes and he has a good heart, but he's scared and he's worried and he wants to understand what is going on like any person would. He feels left out."
"Trying to be paternal, Lupin?" Snape sneered. "Dogs are known to be good family pets."
Amos and Sirius both raised objections simultaneously, so that neithers' words were heard properly.
"I think the boy has had a terrible family situation and he needs familial stability." Molly was suddenly talking. "And that someone needs to step up to the plate."
"I tried." Sirius hissed. "But he doesn't seem to click with me."
"No, I doubt he would." Snape gave a disgusted huff. "What with your Slytherin prejudice, you couldn't even be a decent brother, Black. I doubt you could ever be a father figure to a Slytherin, no matter if their parents were former friends."
"Oh, that's rich coming from you!" Flitwick squeaked. "The only reason why you were nice to the boy was because he was in Slytherin while you pick on him because his father was James Potter! And that, my dear Minerva, is precisely why he is wishy-washy."
"I quite agree." She banged her fist lightly on the table. "He has not had any decent family figure who has shown unbiased feelings and Molly is right: he needs that."
"What do you know of what he needs?" Snape had stood with his chair toppling backward. "All of you turned your backs on him the moment he was sorted into Slytheirn. Apparently color was all that mattered."
"As if you have any right to talk!" She started, but he cut in.
"I do not claim to be unbiased with Potter!" His voice had raised but a fraction. "We all had our expectations. We all thought we'd see what we wanted or expected to see from him. We were all wrong."
Silence fell for only a pause before the Slytherin continued.
"Now, none of us knows what the boy needs. If any person did it'd be either Dumbledore or his friend Theodore. As Dumbledore believes it is currently best he not be involved in Potter's life and Theodore being friends with him is a risk..."
"Harry never said that Nott was apart of the group to return to You-Know-Who." Minerva pointed out.
"Don't think Potter isn't above lying, Minerva." Snape snarled and Harry tensed.
"You yourself said he wouldn't lie about anything important! Last year! To the Minister of Magic!"
"And to him it was more important to protect his friend." Snape's cold tone settled over the room. "In that sense, he is much like a Gryffindor...unfalteringly loyal to his friends. I assure you, Nott Sr. is apart of the Death Eaters once more."
"Have you met him?" Black asked sharply.
"No..." The drawl was so pleasantly familiar to Harry's ears it brought another smile to his face.
"Than how are you so sure."
"I trust Severus' instinct on the matter." Dumbledore's voice was such a shock, Harry nearly fell backwards over the steps. "And I believe this conversation to find its conclusion now as no one seemed to think it wise to make sure Harry wasn't listening."
Snape gave a snort. "I knew he was outside the door all along, Headmaster."
Several scoffs went round, but Harry could already picture the slightly dignified look Snape was giving the Headmaster and the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes.
"Very well, Severus." Dumbledore's voice told Harry that his assumptions had been right. "I assume you will return with me to Hogwarts. You as well, Minerva, Filius."
"But of course." Both stood and soon the four Professors were gone.
And Harry was left the only Slytherin in this house of lions and badgers...he was starting to feel like food.
First update of the night! Yay!