CHAPTER 14: Slytherin Manoeuvres (Part 1)

Corridor Outside Slytherin Common Room

October 3rd, 1995

5:25 a.m.

Harry fidgeted with his tie as he waited outside the Slytherin Common Room, completely alone. It was still too early in the morning, the torches in the hallway maintaining a dim light that would last for another hour before it would brighten up considerably. The shower he'd taken earlier had managed to fully wake him up and keep him alert at this ungodly hour Granger had chosen for their meeting.

He completely understood, it was still two hours before the Heads of House would escort their students to the Great Hall respectively, and an hour before any sane individual woke up. Still, it was dangerous to sneak around, even at these hours - Umbridge had eyes in almost every key point inside the castle. But Granger had told him not to worry about it, asking him to trust her, and he didn't have any other choice. If they couldn't even sneak around the castle when no one was looking, how were they supposed to run a massive defence club?

Snape's warning had made him paranoid, he had no idea how he had learnt about him allying himself with the Golden Trio. He knew that students had talked about him and Hermione after the meeting, but everything he'd managed to overhear had been pretty vague, without any specifics or even hints about a conspiracy. But Snape had known specifics, he'd mentioned the DA by name, something that should've been impossible to reveal if you had signed the contract.

And he'd seen everyone sign it, he made sure of it before he even considered letting anyone out of the room. The only ones he hadn't seen sign personally had been the trio, and he seriously doubted anyone of them told Snape about their plan for Dumbledore's Army. He needed to find that leak before Umbridge got to them.

Harry was startled by a poke on his shoulder. He immediately spun back, unholstering his wand with a spell on his lips and the tip of it already glittering red. But there was no one there. He blinked, confused.

"Homenum revelio." He whispered, and a spark of magic pulsed from him and extended to the farthest edge of the hallway. No one was there.

"I'm surprised you even know that spell. Easy there-" Hermione suddenly appeared as she removed the invisibility cloak she was wearing and moved his wand away from her face. "You almost took my eye out."

"What did you expect? Sneaking up on me like this." Harry said, looking at the cloak in her hand. It was completely silver, not even a stain on it, made out of the silkiest material he'd ever encountered, which give it an almost fluid like quality. "What is that?"

"It's an invisibility cloak," she lectured him.

"Not like any I've ever seen." Harry reached for it, but his hand was swatted away by Hermione.

"There's no way I'm giving you this."

"Don't you trust me?"

"Not at all. Besides, this is Neville's cloak, if he even finds out you know about it…"

"You didn't tell him you were coming?" Harry asked, slightly amused.

"I didn't even tell him I was borrowing his cloak."

"That sounds more like stealing-"

"It's not stealing," she said firmly. "I'm borrowing it, just for a little while, then I'll give it back. Besides, this is all for the DA, it's not like I'm taking it to sneak out of the castle and go buy some books."

"Still sounds like theft to me."

"Oh, shut it," she glared at him. "We should get going, we don't have much time.

The two of them made their way through the castle without saying another word. They were huddled together, completely covered by the invisibility cloak. The material felt foreign in his hands, it was unlike anything he'd ever touched before - there almost seemed to be an ethereal aura vibrating off of it. He needed to get a cloak like this, or at least borrow Longbottom's. It could prove itself to be just as useful as the Marauder's Map, perhaps even more, with how surveilled the whole castle was. There must be a way to subtly convince Granger to at least tell him where Neville bought it.

The way was long and tedious, with the two of them under the cloak, they had to be extra slow as they climbed the eight floors, going from the farthest dungeon to the highest floor, all while being on a schedule. Thankfully, he knew the castle well, the fastest route towards the Room of Requirement had been permanently burnt into his brain a long time ago.

When they finally reached the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, the two of them scouted around the hallway, examining the walls for any of Umbridge's signature cat paintings in between the portraits and behind the suits of armour. In a bout of luck completely unlike him, there didn't seem to be any of them around, which shouldn't be surprising considering this hallway was mostly abandoned and students rarely used it since it was on the opposite side of Gryffindor's Common Room and the entrance to the Headmaster's office.

"You could've just let me borrow the cloak," Harry told her as she removed the cloak from them. "You wouldn't have had to go all the way down to the dungeons if you had."

"I'm not letting you borrow the cloak." She strolled towards the entrance to the Room of Requirement, placing her hand on the wall as if trying to feel its energy. "Let's see if you can actually open this or if you were all talk."

Scoffing, Harry approached her side. "Honey, I'm home." He spoke as loud as he thought was appropriate.

In no time, the wall in front of them began shifting as a door slowly materialized in front of them. He could still remember back when he had to pace around and focus on what he wanted, now he knew the room was sentient enough that most times, he didn't even have to say or think anything before it let him in, and the room had grown comfortable enough to do so, and to only do so for himself.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Harry said theatrically, stepping inside the room with Granger trailing behind him.

The set-up was the same it had been for the past two years. The walls were completely lined with bookshelves, filled to the brim with any book, magical or muggle, he could ever need. The room was lit up by the large torches in the walls, as well as the enormous fireplace set in the left centre of the room. The floor was made of a chocolate coloured wood that had special properties, protecting it against any type of damage from anything he could conjure. There was a large desk, with a stack of his essays that he still had to finish waiting for him, and an owl stand where David would stay whenever he joined Harry. However, the most prominent aspect of the room was the duelling area, which was separated by large, indestructible glass panes and already had a Hogsmeade simulation set-up from the last time he'd practised.

"T-this, this is amazing!" Hermione spoke, though she didn't seem to realise she had.

"I know," he said proudly. "You hear that, sweetheart, you ain't half bad."

The Room let out a huff which nearly blew out the papers on his desk.

"What was that?" It was weird seeing her spooked, he hadn't realised how accustomed he'd grown to the room's responses.

"Oh, that's just… that's Karen." He finished, hating the lame tone of his voice.

"Karen?"

"Yeah, Karen. The Room, you know?"

"You're calling the Room of Requirement, Karen?"

"Well, I've never actually called her that since today, but since I'm gonna have to share her for a while, I can't quite call her Room, now can I?"

"You act as if she were a person," Hermione said quizzically.

"Well… it's complicated. When I first started using the room, I didn't think of it as sentient or really talk to it like I do now. I can understand why it must be weird to someone like you, you haven't been around as long as to see how… bratty it is."

"Bratty?"

"Don't look at me like that," he lightly snapped. "Like I said, it's complicated. It took me almost a year of spending every day inside the Room for me to realise she was completely sentient. She talks to me, though not the way you may think."

"How does she talk to you?" The question was sincere, he almost felt like one of the teachers.

"Mostly through feelings, you know. The Room kinda has a way to let you know how it's feeling without even doing anything."

"She or it?"

"I don't know, it's complicated!"

Hermione laughed and Harry sighed helplessly.

"Other times she'll do things like what you just saw, that was a huff of disapproval. She can also pull jokes with the items she can call and take away on command, it's weird. Just give it a while, you'll see what I mean.""

"I didn't realise you had a girlfriend."

"Please," he rolled his eyes. "If she's anything, she's my wife."

Harry felt something crash on his head before he saw a bouquet of flowers fall to the ground. He groaned in response, and kicked the flowers away.

"Yeah, yeah, have your fun."

"You two make a cute couple," Hermione commented offhandedly.

"Oh, shut it, Granger. Do you want to see what it does or not?"

Harry proceeded to show her just exactly how vast the room's powers actually were. He introduced her to the basics, which she already seemed to know about, most likely from Remus. She tested the limits of the room and seemed to find them almost boundless, anything she asked for, no matter how obscure or complicated, the room gave. He also showed her how the duelling area worked, all the different scenarios he'd managed to think of, and the Death Eater aspect the dummies took - though she didn't seem amused when he made them look like Ron and Neville.

That would definitely be the primary setting on his free time from now on.

"The Room can also materialize anywhere in the castle," Harry told her as the two began making their way to the door. They had less than fifteen minutes before Snape and McGonagall were supposed to pick them up respectively, so as much as Hermione wanted to stay and continue experimenting, they had to leave.

"Anywhere?" She asked, her mind already running through hundreds of different scenarios.

"Anywhere," he confirmed. "In every hall of the castle, and even inside common rooms and dormitories, but I don't recommend that since a lot of people will see you. I try to choose the hallways I know are mostly abandoned. Even though I'm the only one who can enter the room, I don't want to risk other people finding out."

Opening the door, the two of them stepped outside to a hallway two minutes away from the Slytherin Common Room - although he made sure to keep one of his feet inside the room so that it wouldn't disappear.

"I can't call the room from anywhere, it has to be from the seventh floor corridor, but it can go anywhere. Just be careful, you don't want to step outside for a moment only to realise you're stranded there."

"This is how you did it, isn't it!" Hermione exclaimed. "That night, when you attacked Ron and began teleporting all across the hall. This is how you managed to move from one end to another in only a second!"

Harry blinked. "You're quick."

She smiled smugly. "I know."

"Oi, Potter! Is that you?"

He knew that voice, there was no way in hell he'd ever be able to forget it. He felt the breath being sucked out of his body, his hands tensed around the wall, and in a quick reaction he completely closed the door behind him. It had been so long since he'd last seen him, after years of successfully avoiding him, this couldn't be happening again.

The world slowed down, and his footsteps rang like bells inside his ears. The walls were closing in on him, he was trapped, only able to see Hermione, who had an odd look in her face. She was saying something, he could see her mouth move, but it was as if his brain didn't manage to make out the words, or to even be able to grasp the sound of her voice. His heart began pounding inside his head, dizzying him, and it took all of his strength to keep himself upright.

Not again, not again! Please not again!

He was getting closer, and Harry wanted to run - needed to escape, to grab his wand and curse him before he even reached him, to somehow summon the Room back to him and hide there. But he didn't manage to do any of it, his body had gone incredibly still, as if he were trapped inside one of the various statues all around the castle, fully secured inside the suit of armour without even being able to scream.

"It is you!" The man exclaimed, the smug tone that his voice had always held was still there. He was taller than him, even after all these years, he towered. For a second, he felt like he was eleven once again, the same scared little boy he'd broken so long ago, too helpless to do anything. "Long time no see, eh?"

He tried to say something, anything, so many responses came to his mind, but he couldn't do anything. It was only now that he realised he was panting, worse than any of the times he'd exited the duelling arena, completely worn out. His vision turned blurry and squished, as if he was looking through a fish-eye lense, and the only thing he could hear was the demented cackling that had haunted plenty of his nightmares.

"What are you doing here?"

Her voice came through the static, and he was slightly shoved back, away from Montague. He forced himself to look away, closing his eyes tightly as he tried to regain his composure. He began focusing on his breathing, slowing it down, trying to keep any amount of oxygen inside his lungs. Inhale… exhale. They were talking, arguing a bit, but he couldn't figure out the words.

Why was this happening again, it had been so long, He was sure he'd managed to get over them, he should've. He didn't have the luxury to become petrified by merely hearing his voice, to fall completely indisposed because of something that had happened years - a lifetime ago.

"Harry!" Someone was shaking him. "Harry, are you okay? Oh God, I need to get you to Madam Pomfrey."

"No!" He shouted, the words sparking him like a bolt of lightning. "Don't!"

"Ha-"

"Where is he?" He snarled, looking around and finding them alone.

"What?"

"MONTAGUE! Where is he!?"

"G-Gone, he said something about meeting with Umbridge. Harry, we need to get you to the infirmary, you could be having a heart attack." She urged.

"It's not a heart attack," his voice came out strangled. "It's a panic attack."

"A panic attack- how do you know?"

Harry closed his eyes, his nails painfully digging into the stone wall as he fully focused on his breathing. The way the air entered through his nose and travelled through his body, gradually expanding his chest until his lungs had fully expanded, before it slowly left his body.

"Go," he gritted out. "You're gonna be late."

"But-"

"GO!"

He could hear her hesitate, a resounding silence filled the hallway as he felt her eyes on him, but a moment passed, and the quiet was gone, replaced by her feet sprinting away. Once he was sure she had fully turned the corner, he let himself go limp and fall to the ground. His back to the wall, Harry brought his knees to his chest and gripped them tightly.

He ignored all thoughts about the ticking clock above his head, or how badly Snape would throttle him if he was even a second late. All the images of Montague that flooded his mind, the chilling scenarios of what would happen the next time he came across him, what would happen when people learnt he was still nothing more than a scared kid who'd break down completely the moment Montague stepped into a room.

Instead, he continued forcing himself to steady his breaths, to calm down and stop the tears that were trying to burst from his eyes.

Somewhere in the Castle

1:30 p.m.

He scoffed as he climbed the stairs, making his way to the seventh floor where he had been summoned. At this point, he spent most of his free time in there than in the dungeons, where he belonged.

If there was something he'd always hated about Hogwarts, it was the anti-apparition jinxes embedded into the wards. But with how much time he spent going from his home all the way up to the one of the tallest towers in the school on a daily basis, he began wondering why there couldn't be an exception for the teachers in the least. He'd asked for it, several times, and every single time he had been rejected by Dumbledore.

"It takes away from the magic of the castle," the Headmaster had told him, and he'd been forced to shut up and nod - not knowing if he meant it in a literal sense or if it was just another one of the old man's bizarre phrases. He had always had a seizable amount of respect for Dumbledore, only a fool would deny that he was the greatest wizard of the past two hundred years. It was a fact that even the Dark Lord was aware of, and what made him fear Dumbledore as much as he did. Unfortunately, that didn't mean he approved of the way he sometimes acted.

It was all a facade, he'd realised a long time ago. A way to appear as non-threatening to the kids as possible, fomenting the legend of the good Albus Dumbledore, while also using it to hide his true power while keeping full control of the situation. Only a selected amount of people had have the honour of witnessing his true power, and he had been favoured enough to be one of them. Or had he been cursed?

A relationship that had begun out of necessity, filled with hatred, and now, it was unimaginable not consider Albus Dumbledore as his strongest confidants, as well as a valued ally and mentor. But not friend, never friend. Not because of any resentment that had survived after all these years, they had come to see eye to eye in just about everything. It was just that Albus Dumbledore was not a man of friends, and neither was he for that matter.

He couldn't count the amount of times he'd heard people shout to the world how good friends they were with the Great Albus Dumbledore. He'd heard ministers, fellow professors, famous and respected wizards, leaders of Britain and all over Europe - all of them believing there was a true bond of friendship with the man himself. He knew better, Dumbledore was too occupied, too important for any friendships. A man that had taken the weight of the Wizarding World on his shoulders, completely dedicated his life to the betterment of the society they lived at, to the point where he'd all but left his humanity aside so that he could focus on his plan. The Grand Plan. One he'd been engineering for years, over a decade, one that was essential if the Dark Lord was to be stopped.

He wasn't his friend, but he was still the greatest man he'd ever know.

Umbridge hadn't helped his plight, on the contrary, she had made it much worse. With the Heads of House now being forced to babysit those dunderheads at almost every single minute of the day, it was impossible to find some free time. He had classes to plan, essays to grade, his meetings with the Dark Lord and the Headmaster respectively, Parkinson, and worst of all, Potter.

Potter. He couldn't help it, the mention of the mere name never failed to bring a bout of rage from deep within him. But this Potter was different, he'd improved and actually learnt from everything - it had surprised him at first. The boy had proven to be nothing but a mediocre cry baby when he first stepped into the castle, but that was not the case anymore, and nor would it ever be again.

The boy had become a bigger nuisance than ever recently. He could see what he was doing, Umbridge's impact on the castle had changed something in him, making him much less quiet than he used to be. He needed to make him stop, to make him understand, he wasn't ready. Not even as the best student in the school, and one of the most powerful wizards he'd ever come across. This game he was entering was the most dangerous he would ever face, and with the Dark Lord's influence, it would only get more treacherous with every coming day.

He wouldn't - couldn't - allow anything to happen to the boy.

"Enter," Dumbledore's voice commanded before he could even knock on the door.

Closing the door behind him, he looked around the office. Every portrait was empty, as they always were whenever he came by, the silver magical trinkets were moving on the table near the entrance were moving as usual, and Fawkes stood proudly beside Dumbledore. The old wizard was sitting on his chair, his face concentrated as the Pensieve was set on the desk in front of him.

"Good morning, Severus. Please, take a seat."

"Good morning, Headmaster." He greeted as he did what he was told.

"Did you manage to find out how Mr Potter became so involved with young Neville, and the creation of their new group?" He asked without any needless preamble.

"Unfortunately, Potter didn't reveal anything, but I do not think he is the one that started this. It was most likely Granger, someone who would focus their priorities on learning and preparing for the exams. It appears that Potter is merely taking advantage of this and making himself a key player."

"Key player?" The Headmaster raised an eyebrow at him. "In what?"

"There are rumours inside Slytherin House that the boy has been coming out of his shell recently. Whatever his motivation, if the rumours are true, it seems he's looking to become one of the leading figures of the house."

"Peculiar… and why does this worry you as much as it does?"

"Greengrass or Malfoy won't fold easily. Power is something that's prized in Slytherin, held on to tighter than anything other than self-preservation. If Potter actually tries something as stupid as a coup d'état, he'll be placing a target on his back, one that he won't be able to rid himself off alone."

"Severus, you know I've always supported your… devotion towards young Mister Potter. Even if I do not appreciate the methods you've used, I have not interfered because I trust your judgment. However, I cannot risk young Neville's safety. If Mister Potter gets any unwanted attention, and it were to affect Neville or any of his friends, it would be a devastating outcome. They are too important."

"What are you asking of me, Sir?"

"I need to know where your true loyalties lie. The war has begun, Tom is gaining strength as we are forced to endure the Ministry's assaults while trying to stop his advances. What I'm asking is whether, if it came down to it, would you prioritize Neville's life, even if it meant any harm or worse to Mister Potter?"

Dumbledore stared at him, his eyes missing their signature twinkle as they seemed to stare straight through his body and towards his soul, seeking any sign of deception or ill intent.

"Of course," he said smoothly, knowing full well it was a lie.

And that's it for this chapter! Thank you for reading and commenting!

I've decided more on the formatting for the fic and will basically do small arcs that will all build up to the finale of fifth year. I'll divide these arcs by month in which I'll focus on a different aspect, while maintaining a long yearly storyline. I used September as a way to introduce all the major players of the year and their characterizations, but now we'll finally be going to some actual plot lol.

Right now, I'm starting the October arc, which will focus on Harry's fight for power inside Slytherin as well as his relationship with the other members of his house. The Golden Trio and the DA will take a slight step back, though they'll be present throughout, it's not like they're gonna suddenly disappear for a month.

Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, it set up what is gonna be the main antagonist of this arc, and a big player for the rest of the year. It also showed a Snape POV, the first POV of someone who isn't Harry. I tried to stick as close to canon in terms of characterizations while setting him up to take a larger role in the future, one that he couldn't have in canon because of the differences between this world and the one JK built.

Also, the next two weeks I'll be extremely busy since it's project week and exam week respectively, so updates will slow down quite a bit. I'll try to put at least one update per week, but I can't promise anything.

Once again, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!