SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Lalez: It really is and I'm hoping to change that, but it really depends on what direction my muses go in. Yes, Harry's view is tainted, and you'll just have to keep reading to see if that can be changed.

James Birdsong: Thanks.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to J.K. Rowling. I only own the new stuff. My version of Snape is not canon compliant and I'm writing him the way I am for a reason. And again, this was inspired by a fic in which Slytherin fought against Umbridge and banded together, though Snape was a Death Eater.

After the feast, the students were dismissed and the Slytherins went to the members of the staff where they were given slips of papers and the kids looked at them, some making faces when they learned of their assignments. Seeing his assignment, Draco's brows furrowed. I'm being put with Weasley and Potter? he thought to himself as he made a face. What if they didn't accept him? But then again, it wasn't like it was his fault that the regular dorms had been flooded. And besides, it might be interesting to room with Harry Potter. Maybe this is my chance to change his opinion of me, he thought to himself. He hadn't meant to annoy him on the bus, which was partly why he had apologized to him. The other part was because he knew that Susan had had a point when she had yelled at him. Okay, he didn't need to worry about this. No, what he needed to worry about was making things up to Potter and Weasley. With a sigh, he read the directions to his dorm and headed there, biting his lip as he walked up to the dorm. Here goes nothing, he thought to himself. Hopefully, they'd accept him. If they didn't, well, he wasn't quite sure what he'd do. But hopefully, he wouldn't have to worry about that. Okay, he had to stop fixating. But it was hard, he could admit it. As a pureblood, he wasn't used to having to work for someone's approval, and there was a part of him that hated that he had to work so hard to get the other boy's approval, but at the same time, it was refreshing to know that Potter wasn't falling all over himself to be his friend simply because of his name as he had never really liked it when other people did that. Just hope that he'll give me a chance to make things right, he mused to himself. That was all he really wanted. If he could have a real friend, that would be excellent.

Inside the dormitory, Neville, Ron, and Harry looked at the extra bed that had been placed next to theirs.

"Who do you think will be put with us?" Neville wondered. I hope they'll be nice, whoever they are, he mused. He didn't want to get on the wrong side of anybody, especially someone from the Slytherin house. They kind of scared him, even though they were just kids like him.

"I have no idea," Ron answered. Can't believe that we have to put up a Snake, he thought to himself. He didn't care what anyone else said. From what he could see, Slytherin was a dark house and he wanted no part of it, not even rooming with someone from there. But of course, he didn't have a say in this and he would just have to put up with it. Hopefully, his fears wouldn't be founded, though he supposed only time would tell.

"How is that magic couldn't fix the Slytherin dorms that got flooded? I figured magic would be able to fix anything," Harry commented, frowning in confusion. That's why it was called magic, right? It could do wonderful things and make life easier.

"Well it depends," Ron replied.

"On what?" Harry wondered.

"The extent of the damage, how much power was used, loads of things," Neville answered and Harry nodded. I suppose that makes sense, he thought to himself. After all, it wasn't like he knew anything when it came to magic. This was all new to him and he still wasn't sure what to think about it. He was about to say more when the door to their room opened and they turned to see Draco standing in the doorway, looking somewhat hesitant.

"You got roomed with us?" Harry asked in surprise. Then, he had to resist smacking himself in the face. What a stupid thing to ask, he scolded himself. Of course he was here because he had been roomed with them. Why else would he be standing in the doorway like that?

"Yes," Draco responded. As he expected, Weasley made a face of disgust, but to his surprise, both Potter and Longbottom elbowed him.

"Professor McGonagall already put in the extra bed but I can take it you want. It…it…you're taller than me and it might not be comfortable," came the stammer from the so-called Chosen One. At this, Draco's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Why would he think that he needs to give up his bed? he wondered. The extra bed looked the same as the other beds that were here so there was no need for him to give up his. He'd have to keep an eye on that. But then, why did he care? A Malfoy wouldn't care about such a thing…would they? He just wasn't sure. But still, it was going to bother him, he was sure of it. Maybe he should take it up with his father? He just wasn't sure.

"No, the extra bed will be fine," was all he said out loud. Need to figure this out, he thought himself. He didn't want to screw this up. Maybe this room assignment could be his chance to make things right. And that's all that he wanted, to make things right. If he could just do that, everything would be great. And yes, he could admit that he was nervous, as strange as it seemed. Not that he'd say it out loud of course. He was a Malfoy and he was expected to be confident. But he didn't have his father's confidence. Not really.

While this was going on, Nymphadora Tonks was looking over a report, frowning in concentration, ignoring the mess from the books that she had flanking her.

"What's got your attention so locked up?" a voice wondered and the girl turned to see an older man.

"Alistair, I'm looking at Gilderoy Lockhart's claims and some things aren't adding up," she stated.

"Such as what?" Alistair Moody queried, coming to sit beside her, pulling some of the reports close to him.

"He claims to have defeated an ogre in Bolivia on his eighteenth birthday in one book, but in another book, he states that he overpowered a troll in Sussex England on his eighteenth birthday," she reported, showing the man the passages. At this, the man frowned.

"Interesting," the man noted and immediately began reading the books that the younger girl had around her.

"Also, there seems to be some discrepancies in some of the reports as if some things are missing," she noted and the man nodded as he glanced over the papers, perusing the information that was in them. Need to figure this out, he thought to himself. It was as the younger Auror said, some things weren't adding up in the reports. Then he frowned as he perused the witness statements.

"I think you've stumbled onto something here," Alistair commented.

"Really?" Nymphadora squeaked. She had actually found something? I can't believe it, she thought to herself. She hadn't expected to find something. She had just been confused at how Gilderoy could be in two places at once and had wanted a more experienced perspective.

"Yeah, really," Alistair confirmed. She's working out better than I thought she would, he admitted to himself. For an Auror First Class, she wasn't so bad. And really, taking over her training before moving up to an Auror Fourth Class was proving to be an interesting experience. He hadn't thought that he'd enjoy training a new Auror, but he was. Maybe I could do this again, he mused. It was definitely something worth pondering. And she had already noticed something off about Lockhart's accounts, which, to be honest, he hadn't realized before, so that was a plus for her. They just had to figure out what was going on. But it'd take some studying of course. Not that he was afraid to do so, he just didn't much care for this part of the job.

At the same time, in a small burrow, a redheaded woman was looking through some paperwork that was on her desk, a frown of concentration on her face. Hearing a fluttering of wings, she looked up to see a small black owl with a slip of paper in its mouth.

"Oh, hello, Gerda. Is that my notification from Witches/Wizards For The Care And Support Of Children?" the woman queried and with a hoot, the owl dropped the letter into her hands and she opened it.

"Molly Weasley, do you and your husband Arthur wish to continue and/or renew your work with Witches/Wizards For The Care And Support Of Children? Mark Gerda's notification with your answer: green ink for 'Yes' and red ink for 'No'," a voice was heard saying. Without giving it another thought, Molly picked up a quill, dipped it lightly in green ink, and then painted a corner of the parchment with a small replica of the burrow. She then cleaned the quill and returned it to its spot. At once, Gerda took off and the woman returned to her work. Hope that Arthur and I can continue to help, she thought to herself. Children should be protected at all cost and anything she and her family could do to make sure of that was worth it.

Back at Hogwarts, Harry's eyes flickered in his bed. Magic. It was real. And he was at a school with other kids who had it as well. It's amazing, he thought to himself. Who would've thought that someone like him would be here? It just didn't make sense to him. He glanced at his housemates who were sleeping, biting his bottom lip. I need to figure out if this is a mistake, he thought to himself. Because if it was, he'd need to tell someone right away so that they could remove him and then make room for someone who actually belonged there. After all, he didn't want to take away a learning experience from someone who could actually benefit from the school. He wasn't Dudley. He wouldn't be selfish and take someone's place. But so far, everyone had seemed to accept him, so maybe he was okay? Just wish I could be sure, he thought to himself. Okay, he couldn't panic. He'd be fine, he was sure of it. He just had to keep quiet, keep his head down, and learn all he could about this world. Hopefully, he could manage to do that better than his efforts not to draw his relatives' ire. He didn't know why Dudly, Uncle Vernon, and Aunt Petunia hated him so much, just that they did. Why don't they love me? How can I get them to change their minds? he wondered. All he wanted was for them to love him, was that really so wrong? Maybe he could get them to see that magic wasn't so bad and then they wouldn't be frightened of it.

In the headmaster's office, Dumbledore was leaning back in his chair, his eyes on the man who was currently pacing in front of his desk.

"Severus," the man said softly.

"It is Lily's son, Albus! You heard the reports from Hagrid and I'm sure you could feel his excitement and amazement when he walked in! He has no clue about this world! Why did you leave the boy with Petunia of all people?" Severus Snape demanded.

"Petunia is Lily's blood and she knows of our world. I thought for sure he'd be safe there," Albus responded. "Obviously I was wrong," he continued softly. I can't believe I was so wrong, he thought to himself.

"She was jealous of her talents!" Severus spat out. "And what of Black? Any luck in getting a trial for him?"

"No. Fudge is remaining quite determined on that front."

"Cornelius Fudge is bloody useless! Why hasn't he been replaced yet?!" Dumbledore's eyes flashed at the sharp question.

"I realize you've never been a fan of him, Severus, but really, that's a bit too far," he scolded.

"My apologies, Headmaster." Despite the apology, Severus' expression remained dour. He didn't like this. He didn't trust Fudge and there was a part of him that didn't care who knew it. However, he also knew that it wouldn't do anyone any good if he went off half-cocked. Still, he hated this. He didn't want anything to go wrong. And there was young Potter to worry about. The boy was…precocious. Or at least, he appeared to be. It was really too early to tell. That didn't change the fact that the boy was too amazed by their world than he should've been, meaning that he had had no idea that it had even existed. Just what did that woman do to him? the man wondered. He'd have to look into it. As Lily's son, Harry should've known all about their world and yet, he hadn't. And that was something that he couldn't quite figure out. But he would. That was a promise. Gonna make things right, he vowed to himself. Lily had been one of his best friends and he was going to do right by her son. He just hoped that the boy didn't have a penchant for getting into trouble like his father did. Not that it mattered if he did as he'd keep him safe regardless, but…it would make his job a lot easier if he didn't.

While all of this was going on, Quirinus sat in a chair in a small room, staring into the mirror, a scowl marring his features. The boy lives while I do not! came the bellowed thought of the man who shared his body, causing him to blanche. Hate when Master's angry, he thought to himself.

"Master, I know you're unhappy about the chain of events such as they are, but the boy doesn't know anything about magic and we can use that to your advantage," the teacher stated.

"Do you have an idea, Quirinus?" Voldemort queried, his tone soft and intrigued.

"Allow me to gain his trust, Master. Let me guide him, mentor him…and then, when the time is right, you can use him to get the Stone," Quirinus suggested. At this, Voldemort made a noise of contemplation.

"So instead of destroying him, you want to use him?" he queried. It's not a bad idea, the being thought to himself.

"At least for now. If he thinks of me as a friend, it shouldn't be too hard to convince him to get the stone for you, and then once you have it, you can strike," came the reply, the professor's voice quick and taught. Please let him agree to this. I don't want him to be angry at me anymore, he thought to himself.

"The plan has merit," the Dark Lord grudgingly admitted. At this, the other man sighed in relief. Master wasn't displeased with him for the suggestion! He had thought he would be. He then leaned back in seat and let out a delighted laugh. Soon, the Philosopher's Stone would be his master's and the Boy-Who-Lived would be no more.