Er... I have no excuse for my very late update. None whatsoever. But hey look, here it is. "Points excitedly."

That laid my goods now in the dust.
Yea, so it was, and so 'twas just.

Chapter 7: That laid my goods

Harry sat at the very end of the Slytherin table, feeling decidedly nervous, sensing the cold stare of his new Head of House prickle in the nape of his neck. Every time Harry looked up, he met Snape's stare only to quickly look back down. Honestly, the man didn't even feel the need to pretend that he wasn't staring. Was he on to Harry? Did something not add up about his 'check-up'? Did the twins mess something up? But if they had, wouldn't Snape already have dragged him back to the hospital wing himself? It wasn't as if Harry had done anything else wrong. Had he?

Harry sighed. More likely than not, Snape was just staring at him because he hated Harry and resented the fact that he was now in Slytherin. Morosely, Harry glanced at his Slytherin crest. Sometimes, he still couldn't shake the feeling that he was dreaming but no, he had to face reality.

"Psst, Potter," Malfoy whispered. Harry just ignored him and took another piece of bacon from the plate in front of him. "Po-tty," Malfoy taunted again. Harry wondered if Snape could hear him. A kick to his shin finally made him look up into the triumphant face of his Slytherin nemesis.

"Haven't gone deaf, have you?" Malfoy asked, his tone of voice pleasant even if his words were not.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry growled.

"Oh, just wondering how you're doing, Scarhead," Malfoy said easily. "How are your new clothes fitting you?"

Harry did his best not to let the question get to him. Instead, he shrugged. "They're fine," he said in as neutral a tone of voice he could muster. "Nothing too fancy but they'll do."

For a moment, Malfoy seemed confused but that expression quickly made way for an ugly scowl. "I guess you're not really used to much better, are you?" he said. "Figures."

This time, Harry glanced up rather quickly, trying his best not to show that Malfoy got to him somewhat. Why had he said that? What did he know? He shouldn't know anything about Harry's usual attire.

"Oh?" Malfoy said. "Struck a nerve there, did I? Honestly, Potter, the rags you wore when you first came here were deplorable."

A cold, neutral voice unexpectedly came to Harry's rescue. "I'm sure that if you're ever in a fire, your clothes will look absolutely perfect, won't they?" Greengrass said casually. "Especially if you get burned in the process of saving someone else."

"Lauding Gryffindor bravery, are we?" spat Malfoy. "Honestly, Greengrass, if the same thing would ever happen in the dungeons, every Slytherin would make it out of there within minutes. Who needs bravery when you have the cunning to prevent the need for it."

"Do you honestly believe that the first years would know exactly what to do?" Harry asked, one eyebrow raised in disbelief. "Or are you going to tell me that Snape does regular fire drills?"

This elicited a few snorts from several Slytherins.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Sometimes you're such a muggle," he said in derision. "Fire drills, honestly."

"So how are you all prepared then?" Harry asked plainly.

"Spells, Potter," Malfoy sighed. "We know several spells to help us stop any fire from spreading."

"Aguamenti didn't do us all that much good when we tried," Harry said. "If that's what you mean."

Greengrass sighed. "Could we move on from this, please," she said in annoyance. "This conversation has no purpose other than trying to see which one of you is right. And – quite honestly – the only way of testing that is by setting fire to our common room in the middle of the night, which I would not recommend, by the way. So unless either of you has something actually credible to say on the subject, just let it go."

"Where do you get off talking to me like that, Greengrass?" Malfoy growled. "You'd best watch your tongue or –"

"Careful," Greengrass said icily. "Or do I need to remind you of the accord between our families? I doubt that your father would appreciate you threatening me with such lack of subtlety."

That promptly shut Malfoy up. Harry couldn't help but stare at Greengrass in awe. She wasn't perturbed by Malfoy in the slightest. Her expression was one of calm serenity while Malfoy almost seemed ready to explode. Harry had never been able to push Malfoy's buttons like that and this girl had done it with just a couple of words. The Slytherin way, he supposed.

"My apologies," Malfoy finally uttered, an air of aristocracy coating his words with care. "I meant no disrespect. I hope you can forgive my brashness."

Greengrass raised her chin a bit and offered Malfoy a relaxed hand which he took with practiced grace, placing a very light kiss on top of it.

"It is forgotten," Greengrass told him. "Please ease your worries."

And so that brief but interesting exchange was over. Goodness but Harry never realised just how… different the interactions could be here. There had been a moment of severe intensity but now that had flown off making room for a relaxed atmosphere. Almost as if nothing had happened. In disbelief, Harry looked around, trying to catch the gaze of someone he knew to convey with his expression that something strange had just happened. But all he managed to do was lock gazes with Snape again, the man looking down at him with a slight smirk on his face.

"Penny for your thoughts, Potter," Greengrass suddenly said, cutting into her tenderloin with practiced grace and finesse.

"Er…" Harry stammered. "Just that I'm not used to this kind of…"

"Conversation?" Greengrass finished for him. "Don't worry. With practice, you'll manage just the same."

Harry wasn't entirely sure that that was something he wanted to achieve but – on the other hand – the way she had shut up Malfoy had been absolutely glorious.

Feeling strangely at ease in her presence, he leaned a bit closer to her to whisper, "I don't think I'll have as much pull as you do, though. No matter how much I'll learn to er… converse like you."

For some reason, that caused Greengrass to giggle demurely, her hand in front of her mouth as if to shield the indecency of it all. Malfoy seemed a bit annoyed, glaring at Harry for just a moment before directing his attention at Nott again.

"And here I was told that you're quite arrogant," Greengrass said softly, respecting Harry's wish for some privacy. "You do realize who you are, don't you?"

Harry flushed a bit. "Ah," he said. "Is that why you're being nice to me?"

"I won't deny that that's part of it," Greengrass said simply. "After all, it's only obvious that having an ally in Harry Potter will benefit me sooner or later." Harry wasn't sure what to think of that. "But-" she added. "That is not all of it." She smiled at him a little.

"Are you trying to make me pry?" Harry teased.

Greengrass smirked. "Let's just say that you bring with you a fresh wind," she said. "It's rather… amusing, seeing the Gryffindor traits you bring with you. Well, there's that and –" She leaned even closer to Harry to whisper in his ear. "I am most interested in your ability to speak Parseltongue."

Harry's neck tingled a bit from her breath and he felt his face flush. He didn't know what to respond but Greengrass graciously gave him an out. She placed her cutlery in parallel lines on her plate and nodded at two other girls who had clearly been waiting for her.

"I'll see you around, Chosen One," Greengrass said by means of farewell. But it didn't sound derogatory at all. She flicked her long blond braid over a shoulder and left, the other two girls flanking her as they started chatting animatedly, throwing glances at Harry every now and then before they finally walked out of the great hall.

"Poor, stupid Gryffindor," Malfoy said. There was a smirk on his face but Harry thought he could see some anger blazing in those eyes. "Doesn't even know when he's being played. Chosen one indeed."

"Jealous, Malfoy?" Harry asked.

"Of what?" Malfoy scoffed. "Of being Greengrasses next pet project? No, I think not."

Harry supposed that could very well be what he was. But, right now he didn't even mind. After all, any Slytherin that wasn't openly hostile towards him was a victory in his books. And it did seem that Daphne Greengrass had some swing among her peers. If she wanted to use him, she would not mind him using her either, would she? Hmmm, perhaps thinking like a Slytherin was not that bad after all.

"Focus, Harry," Fred said.

"Are you entirely sure you're using the right inflexion?" George added.

"Honestly, you sound more like a deflating balloon than a snake," Fred sighed.

"You're not pulling our leg, are you?" George asked

"Would you two just let me try?" Harry laughed as he dodged Fred's playful swat. "I can't focus with you two making me laugh." This earned him a poke from Fred but George raised his hand in a placating gesture.

"Alright Harrykins," he said. "Come on Fred, got to let the man try."

"Well, get on with it, then," Fred said, sitting down with his legs crossed.

Harry chuckled and redirected his attention to the snake. Fred and George had all but dragged him into the Slytherin bathroom because they found a snake that was – in their words – suspicious. It was engraved into the middle sink, its tongue out of its mouth and its body curled into itself. To Harry, nothing seemed strange about it at all but the twins had argued that the entrance to the chamber of secrets had also been located in a bathroom so why couldn't this snake mean something? For all they knew, Salazar Slytherin used to have a strange fixation with bathrooms or something. Harry still didn't think anything would come of this but the twins had helped him out of a tight spot so he didn't mind amusing them.

"Open up," he tried again, hearing the slight echo of his hiss reverberate against the bathroom walls. The snake didn't do anything. "Reveal your secrets," he then said. As expected, nothing. "Move."

That time, something did happen. The twins gasped when the tiny etching of the snake uncurled itself, raised its head, seemed to nod once and slithered off to the sink on its right.

"Amazing!" Fred exclaimed.

George wrestled Harry into a good-natured headlock, ruffling his hair. "Harrykins, you are a real prodigy."

Harry chuckled, trying to wrench himself free. "Nothing happened!" he said. "Come on, let me go. The snake just moved, that's all."

"Ah, but that's just it," Fred said smartly. "The snake moved." George let him go.

Harry just shrugged, running a hand through his messed up hair. "Yeah, it moved," he said. "But nothing happened because of it."

George snorted. "Harry, do you really think it's normal for you to move whatever snake you talk to?"

Harry frowned. "I don't really know. I assume so."

Fred laughed at that. "Silly Harrykins, of course not! Try talking to a snake in a book or something. I assure you that it won't move."

"Unless, of course, you get your hands on a book written by Slytherin himself," George added. Fred nodded sagely.

"I'm not sure what you're getting at," Harry said carefully.

"Isn't it obvious?" Fred said, grinning broadly. "Slytherin was a parselmouth, right?"

"A parselmouth that was a part of building this school," George added. "From the ground up."

"A school that was built with magic!" Fred added unnecessarily."

"So?" Harry asked, feeling stupid for not getting the point.

"So," George said. "It is safe to say that the snakes magically created by the parselmouth –"

"Can also be moved by another," Fred finished.

Harry stared at them incredulously. "And how do you know all of this?"

"Magic," Fred and George deadpanned, before looking at each other and bursting into laughter.

"But honestly, Harry. Some secrets we will be keeping to ourselves," Fred said quietly. "We can only say that there are many things hidden in Filches old archives."

"Most of which you do not want to discover," George added with a shudder.

Harry rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Fine," he said. "Say, I believe you. Does that mean that I'll be able to command any snake here in the dungeons?"

"Er… most of them, I think," George said. "I doubt Slytherin made any of the portraits."

"But the portraits are kind of sentient," Fred added. "So they might listen anyway."

"The human portraits don't listen to us, though," George said.

"Are Gryffindors used to fooling around in the bathroom?" a voice suddenly asked. All three of the heads of the former Gryffindors swivelled around to see Malfoy casually lean against the doorpost, looking positively bored. "Well?"

"Not that it's any of your business, Malfoy," Fred said casually, "but George lost something around here. We're just trying to find it."

"Never heard of a summoning spell then, have you?" Malfoy drawled. "Goodness, but you Weasleys really are quite dumb. I suppose that's what you get when you have a muggle-loving father like yours. Tell me, does he ban all magic in your house?"

"Shut up Malfoy," Harry snapped at him.

Malfoy smirked. "Fantastic comeback, Potter," he said. "That must go into the Slytherin annals." He then uncrossed his arms and walked towards one of the stalls. "Now, if you'd kindly remove yourself, some of us need to use the facilities."

"Certainly, Malfoy," Fred said evenly. "Should you find my tarantula wasp anywhere, be sure to let me know."

"Happy pooping," George added before the twins walked out, pulling Harry with them, as they left a swiftly paling Malfoy behind.

Unfortunately for Harry, retaliation came not much later. When he had gone up to his dorm, he had failed to notice a couple of Slytherins following close behind him. While he had rummaged through his trunk, trying to catalogue what clothes he would need to buy, he was suddenly grabbed from behind by two pairs of strong arms. Inwardly cursing himself for his carelessness he tried kicking backwards, feeling a sense of glee when he connected to someone's shin, eliciting a low grunt. But then they turned him around to face the Malfoy heir and Harry realized that it was Crabbe and Goyle who were holding him so tight, he was sure his arms would bruise. His wand sat uselessly in his robes.

"What do you want now, Malfoy?" Harry asked, going for a bored tone, but feeling anxious. "Is there anything else of mine you want to ruin? Because I don't have a whole lot of stuff left."

"Can it," Malfoy snapped, kicking his knee. Harry glared at him, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. "You think you can just come in here and take over, do you? Harry Potter, the chosen one. Ready to become the king of Slytherin house."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "The chosen one?" he repeated. "You're not going to tell me that you're upset about what Greengrass said, are you?" Harry suddenly grinned, despite his current predicament. "Are you jealous?"

Provoking an already on edge snake had not been smart though, and that statement earned Harry a swift punch to the gut. Harry exhaled harshly but still tried not to show any pain. "Real fair of you," he spat. "Three against one. I can't even defend myself."

Malfoy snorted. "Fair?" He repeated. "Ah Potter, you're hilarious. Why would I make things more difficult for myself for the sake of playing fair? You're an idiot if you think your Gryffindor values mean anything here." He threw another couple of punches, hitting Harry in the stomach and chest, almost as if he were a literal punching bag.

"Stop it!" Harry yelled. He kicked towards Malfoy but was rewarded with a harsh knock to the back of his head courtesy of either Crabbe or Goyle. They were clearly much stronger than Malfoy was and he saw stars.

"Yell all you want, Potty," Malfoy said, gleeful in the face of his pain. "Do you really think I was too stupid to cast a silencing charm?"

"What the hell do you think you're going to achieve with this?" Harry asked, feeling tears prick in the back of his eyes. Malfoy might not have been the strongest, but he sure knew how to hit him where he was most tender. "Weren't Slytherins supposed to stick together?"

Malfoy laughed. Long and hard, before he ran a hand through his blonde hair – a movement that seemed almost automatic – and fixed Harry with a cold stare. "First of all, scarhead," he said. "You are not a Slytherin and you never will be. Second of all, even if Snape found out about this, do you really think he'd care? Because if you do, you're even more delusional then I already thought. And third -," Malfoy put his hands on Harry's shoulders and came much too close for comfort to whisper in his ear. "I don't think you payed attention. We have to appear to stick together. Behind closed doors –" And he kneed Harry right in the groin. Crabbe and Goyle let him go laughing as Harry crumpled to the ground gasping for air, wrenching his eyes closed in agony. "- We do whatever the hell we want." The two larger boys kicked Harry a few more times while he was down when the Malfoy heir raised his hand to stop them.

He then sat on his hunches, his arms leaning on his knees as he watched Harry squirm in anguish. "You better be careful in the future, Potter," he spat angrily. "There is so much more I can do to you. And without your head of house or your friends here to protect you, there's nothing you can do to defend yourself. Even if you are the chosen one."

And then all three of them left, laughing as Harry righted himself slowly, staring angrily at their retreating backs, but knowing better than to start throwing hexes now. Instead, he flung himself on his bed, taking the time to recover from the fresh beating he'd had to endure.

It was nothing new, mind, and it was nothing he couldn't handle. It was just something that he'd never really expected he'd have to suffer at Hogwarts. But now that his safe haven had been taken away, he'd have to be more careful and stop provoking Malfoy. Because the boy was right. He didn't have anyone here to help him. And Snape was not going to be his defender. Not against his own snakes.

Sighing, Harry flung an arm across his eyes to shield them from the light. As he waited for the pain to subside some more, he couldn't help but fall asleep.

The fact that Harry hadn't been bothered in the night surprised him. It had been extraordinarily stupid to fall asleep without taking any precautions but the very one-sided fight had left him exhausted. Waking up this morning, Harry had fully expected for something to have been done to him or his things but no. All other Slytherins were still asleep or busy waking up but none of them had done anything to cause him further harm. Whatever was behind that small blessing, Harry decided to take it and vowed to take actual precautions the following night. But, for now, he needed to get ready for the day. Monday. If he ever hated Mondays before, it was nothing to the trepidation he felt now. He would be taking lessons as a Slytherin. Any loss of points he would need to explain to Snape and he had to try and follow every little rule the head snake had imposed upon his students. Not only that, but his first detention – which was stupidly undeserved – was today. Maybe if he had been in better shape, he wouldn't be that annoyed by it, but now… well, he could only hope that Snape wouldn't ask anything too physical of him.

When Harry checked himself in the mirror in the bathroom, he found his upper body littered with bruises. Malfoy – being the sneaky Slytherin that he was – had been smart enough to steer clear of his face, at least. That way, Harry wouldn't need to explain anything to Snape. He would probably blame Harry for provoking Malfoy first or something.

Happy that he hadn't sustained an injury beyond a bruise, he got dressed in his tattered clothes – reminding himself that he really needed to owl order some replacements – brushed his teeth and tried combing through his hair, only to end up shrugging at his reflection in the mirror. Some things would never change.

"Morning' Harry," Fred called out to him when he entered the common room. He was sitting in one of the chairs, his legs casually crossed at the ankles on top of a table. George was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "We waited for you this time."

Harry smiled. "Thanks," he said. "I really wouldn't want to get even more detentions. And I don't think anyone else would want to go with me."

Fred and George exchanged a meaningful smile but said nothing in comment. Instead, George opened the portrait, swinging it wide open into the chilly dungeon halls and bowed with a ridiculous flourish. "Then we will gladly be your escort," he said. "Oh, chosen one."

Harry groaned. "Would you stop calling me that?" he asked. "It's bad enough when the Slytherins do it."

"But Harry," Fred said as they started walking. "You are what you are."

"And you are chosen," George said. "By us."

"Since you are the only one," Fred added. "Who can speak Parseltongue."

Harry shook his head. "I wish I knew what you're expecting to find here," he said. "Because I honestly think you're thinking about this a bit too much."

"Or not enough," Fred said importantly. "Think about it, Harry. Was there anything in the chamber of secrets besides that big hulking snake?"

Harry shrugged. "Some statues, I suppose."

"Statues," George echoed. "But no books, no magical artefacts. Nothing of great importance."

"Well, there was the diary," Harry pointed out.

"That doesn't count," Fred snorted. "Harry, Harry, Harry. Don't you know? Slytherin was a scholar. A brainiac."

"An artist in his genius, if you will," George said. "It doesn't make any sense that all he left behind for his heir was a basilisk."

Fred nodded excitedly. "There has to be more. Much more. And we really think he would have hidden it away here at Hogwarts."

"Fine, fine," Harry acquiesced. "I will help you, I promised that I would, didn't I? Just don't get upset when we hit a dead end."

"If we hit a dead end, Harry," Fred chided. "Have a little faith in us."

"After all," George added. "We like to think that we know the layout of Hogwarts better than anyone here."

"Well, except for Dumbledore, of course," Fred allowed.

Harry quirked an eyebrow when they locked gazes, spelling mischief but shook his head at their antics. Honestly, having something to keep him occupied while staying in the dungeons was a welcome distraction. And hey, maybe the twins were right and Slytherin did hide an entire library of books somewhere in the Slytherin common room. It was highly unlikely but if it were true… Harry chuckled to himself. Maybe that would be the day he could finally see Snape happy about something.

As the trio walked into the great hall to sit at their table, Snape already there with his scowl in place, Harry quickly rethought that.

No, maybe not.

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