The Revolutionary

Chapter 3: The Beds We Made

"The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people." Martin Luther King, Jr.

Daphne studied the boy who was currently trying for the record of longest sorting in the history of Hogwarts. Five minutes had passed now, and the hall grew restless. Murmurs and whispers broke out amongst the tables. ('What's taking so long?' 'Is the hat broken?')

She knew better. She was taught better.

Harry Potter was an individual that was of interest to a lot of people, herself included.

Part of her grew up on the stories and legends of the Boy-Who-Lived, an infant child surviving the Killing Curse was impossible and unheard of. Yet there he was, undeniable living proof that he managed the impossible. He had survived the wrath of a dark lord and vanquished him in one night.

Her father instructed her to be on the lookout for Lord Black's ward and the heir to the Potter name. Before she could properly formulate a plan to make inroads with him, unknowing to her, he strolled up to their boat. She dismissed him as ordinary, his demeanour too relaxed and casual for an heir. But when he stepped foot on their boat, there was a certain…air about him. And with a wave of his hand, she'd felt warmth pass through her body. A simple wave with no wand. Though he may have said it was magic, it was more than just magic.

It was a display of power.

And his insights into the houses and their traits, Potter did not hold assumptions nor take any favourable positions. He was intriguing, and yet, his way of thinking…it boggled her somewhat.

Then his name was called out, Harry Potter. It should have been obvious from the beginning, but that was fine, she had time to learn more about him. She had time to bring him to her side, and she would do whatever it took to survive.

"Very well, then let it be known that you will be in the house of…SLYTHERIN!"

If the Great Hall was silent before, now it was as if one took a walk through a graveyard in a desert. All eyes were on Potter as he took the Sorting Hat off himself and placed it on the stool. He exhaled, looking around to see no one had made a peep.

Yet again, her best friend, Tracey, leapt to her feet, clapping her hands as if her life depended on it as she whooped and hollered, which started a cascade of applause from the rest of the Slytherin table.

The other houses, namely Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, were polite and respectable in their clapping whereas a pair of red-headed twins in Gryffindor moaned at the loss of having a great figure in the house.

'We lost Potter! We lost Potter!'

He made his way to their table and Tracey's beaming smile greeted him.

"Is this seat taken?" As Potter pointed towards the space between them, Tracey scooted over by physically lifting herself up and leaving a lot of room between her and Daphne.

She patted the bench.

"All yours!" Tracey's infectious smile spread to Harry and he plopped between them.

"You didn't mention you were the Harry Potter?" Daphne asked, her tone not accusing, but more questioning.

"Must have slipped my mind," Harry said with that laidback grin, resting his chin on his hand.

"Oh, I'm so glad you ended up in Slytherin, I'd hate to have ended our friendship if you were in Gryffindor!" Tracey said.

"Is our freshly made friendship so fragile, it can't handle me in crimson and gold?"

"Oh heavens yes, could you imagine the shame!? A Slytherin and a Gryffindor? Together? Having polite conversation? Perish the thought!" By this point, her melodrama and a touch of swooning made it quite clear, she was taking the mickey out of them.

"Or maybe I'm a badger in disguise in a den full of snakes." Tracey laughed with her body at that.

Daphne's attention turned to the last student, Blaise Zabini, a dark skinned boy, to be sorted and came to sit beside them. She'd had the pleasure of being acquainted with him on the train, learning more about his family and himself.

"Hello." The boy seated himself opposite of them.

"Welcome to our humble—er table, help yourself to all the invisible food," Potter said, sweeping his hand across the aforementioned table.

"You're quite odd." Blaise quirked a brow.

"Aren't we all?"

"Anyone excited for classes? I heard there's a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher this year!" Tracey jumped up and down in her seat.

"Who is it?" Daphne asked.

"That would be my illustrious older brother, grinning like a loon at the High Table." Potter pointed to the blonde who was engaged in animated conversation with another teacher, who seemed to match his excitement.

Professor Dumbledore got to his feet. He beamed at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome," he said, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to introduce to you all a few new esteemed professors to our staff. Please give a warm welcome to your newest Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Naruto Uzumaki!"

The aforementioned man stood up, giving a two-fingered salute to everyone who clapped politely.

"And it is with a heavy heart that I say that Professor Binns has decided to embark on his next great adventure, and retired from the post of History of Magic. We must celebrate his dedication to teaching as the longest tenured professor at Hogwarts!" The eruption of cheers and applause from the older students to the news was, for a lack of a better word, cacophonic. Though Daphne guessed it had nothing to do with the professor's accomplishment.

Dumbledore raised his hands and the hall silenced itself in a moment.

"It is with great pleasure that I introduce Perenelle Flamel as our newest professor of History of Magic!" A tall woman stood from her seat and many caught the sight of her flowing locks. It was as if her hair was touched by the sun and moon, a gold silver lustre to it. All were enraptured by her beauty as many of the students gazed at her in wonder. Though the twinkle in her eyes belied a mischievous youth before she waved to the students as they clapped for her. More so from the male students.

"And last but certainly not least, our newest addition to our staff who will be sharing the post of Potions Professor. He will be taking on the duty of teaching the 1st to 5th years while our esteemed colleague, Professor Snape, undertakes crucial research and takes on the teaching of the 6th and 7th years. Now, please give a Hogwarts welcome to Nicholas Flamel!"

If the applause was loud before, then the volume would be akin to a stadium full of Quidditch hooligans. Nicolas stood, waving to the students. He was an older gentleman, the famous Immortal Alchemist, yet somehow looked much younger than Dumbledore. He reminded her of an old comic book superhero with black hair and grey streaks, one she covertly hid from her parents that sparked her interest in muggle culture.

"And now for my final words: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered.

"See, everyone's odd, even our Headmaster. By the way, our invisible food is now visible, so let's tuck in," Harry said, helping himself to the meat and potatoes.

Before them, platters of food unveiled itself as if an invisible blanket had been stripped away. In front of her was a plate of smoky tenderloins, rich and dripping with juice, cooked to perfection. Boats of buttery gravy, mounds of steaming corn, and a mountain of crispy drumsticks, all piping hot. She didn't waste a single second before she tucked into the feast.

Across the table to their left, Draco hissed at the boy next to her. "Potter! Why didn't you say you were Harry Potter?"

Potter chewed on a piece of meat, "You asked if I saw Harry Potter, there weren't really any mirrors on the train, so I couldn't see myself, now could I?"

Confusion, and a stab of fear, shot through Daphne as she saw the two interact. She thought that with the presence of food, conversation would be much lower on the list of priorities for everyone. They were hungry kids, after all.

Apparently, she was mistaken, and now Malfoy swooped in trying to secure an alliance with Potter.

"Then you should know that there are some people who are better than others. You're lucky that you don't have to hang around riff-raff like—"

Harry's pointed look silenced Draco, raising Daphne's eyebrows. "Go on, finish that sentence."

"Like Longbottom and Granger."

"Better."

"Now you're with better company. The Malfoys can help you there." It seemed Potter had met Draco before and, judging by how this conversation was going, it wasn't going to end well either. The dread that gnawed at her insides alleviated. Scion of House Malfoy he may be, but there was no quality about him besides the puffing and peacocking.

"Listen close, my friends are my friends. Whether they wear green, yellow, blue, or red does not matter. I judge my peers and friends on the content of their character, not the quality of their blood. Is that understood?"

Draco scowled, looking to have swallowed a lemon.

"There may come a day where we can be friends, but that won't be until you fix your attitude." And that was all Harry said. Draco sneered before he turned away from them and jumped in his seat at the sight of a blank-faced ghost with silver blood-stained robes.

"The Bloody Baron." A student whispered, trying their best not to look at the ghost and she did too, returning to her succulent meal instead which she further enjoyed.

Conversation between the quartet soon turned to family.

"May I ask a question?" Daphne hoped that she would learn more about what connected their newest professor to the enigma that was Potter.

"You just did." Daphne was not impressed with the joke and Potter knew that. "Alright, ask away, what do you want to know?"

"How are you and Professor Uzumaki related?"

"Big bro is big bro."

"Yes, but how?" Harry just shrugged as if what he said was a fact of life and there wasn't a deeper explanation to be had.

"Has anyone ever told you that you may be slightly infuriating?" She resisted the urge to massage her temple, clearly this was going to be more difficult than she thought.

"All the time! Usually by adults, though. People my age normally laugh."

"You and Tracey will get along swimmingly then." Daphne nodded her head toward her best friend, who was digging into her food.

Harry nudged Daphne's elbow, "How about you, got any siblings?"

"I have a sister, Astoria. She'll be here next year." Daphne cut into her chicken with her knife and fork, ignoring Potter's stare.

"Oh, come on, there's gotta be more than that."

"Not unless you tell me how you and the Professor are related."

"Big bro is big bro!"

"What does that even mean!?"

"I can't explain it better than that!"

Naruto chuckled, watching Harry make new friends at his table. It was good to see his little brother fitting in well. The thumbs and smiles to other kids was an encouraging sight, and he hoped that he did a good job raising the kid.

His musings were broken when the professor next to him spoke. "…to Hogwarts."

"Sorry? I didn't catch that." Naruto turned to the professor in question, and his gaze was drawn to her eyes. Amber eyes with flecks of green that reminded him of an exploding supernova that appraised him as well. Her raven hair was a curly afro tied back and her cheekbones were set high, giving her a sculpted face that made her quite attractive to look at.

"I said, welcome to Hogwarts." The woman repeated, holding out her hand.

"Pleasure to meet you." He kissed the back of her hand. "Naruto Uzumaki, newest professor."

"A gentleman, I see." She smiled, amused at his politeness. "Aurora Sinistra, professor of astronomy. I'd love to see you last longer than a year."

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto quirked a brow at that. An odd thing to say as part of a greeting.

"Dumbledore hasn't told you about this post?"

"He told me about the job, teaching kids how to defend themselves, nice lodgings, free food, and a good pay."

"Is that all he told you?"

"Yeah…though I get the feeling you're about to tell me more..."

She laughed, melodic and short, covering her mouth with a hand. "Well, I don't want to scare you since you just got the job, but rumours have it that the position is cursed."

"Cursed? Like someone put a curse…on a job?"

"Oh yes. It might be hard to believe, but every year, whichever teacher has taken that post has met a somewhat unpleasant fate. Though, the former DADA teacher simply returned to her post at the Ministry of Magic. I heard Quirrell himself was trying to get the position, though I don't know what possessed him to do so, he's been a fine Muggle Studies professor so far."

"Quirrell?"

"Yes, the fellow at the far end of the table next to Snape, the one with the turban on his head." Naruto spotted the person in question. Quirrel's hands trembled as he held onto his cutlery, and he jumped in his seat at the slightest provocation. The man he was talking to, who he assumed to be Snape, scowled as the conversation continued.

"Can't imagine why they denied him the post," Naruto said.

"He's not as bad as he seems, but his sabbatical has made him more…," Aurora said, her hand going in a back and forth motion, "skittish. He didn't tell us what happened, only that Hogwarts was the safest place for him right now. Says the experience made him want to teach the kids how to defend themselves out there."

Quirrell dropped his fork, the utensil clattering on the table once and somersaulting on the floor with a definitive ringing. All eyes in the immediate vicinity watched him as he tried to pick up the fork. His arm caught the edge of his goblet, spilling it over Snape. The man shot to his feet, his lips curled into a sneer. A thousand apologies on Quirrell's lips before Snape's wand flew from his sleeve into his hand, vanishing the wine.

"…I can't wait to see what you teach the kids," Aurora said, popping a piece of chicken into her mouth. "How did Dumbledore find you exactly?"

"Oh, I was travelling abroad and stumbled onto him in a pub."

"He picked you up from a bar?"

"Woah! If you word it like that, then it's gonna sound a little weird."

"Sorry, continue."

"Anyways, we got to chatting and I showed off a bit of what I can do. Safe to say, he was impressed and said he'd look out for me sometime in the future. That was about more than a good decade ago."

"More than a decade? You don't look a day over twenty-five," Aurora said.

"What can I say? I've got good genetics," Naruto said, chuckling to himself. "I'm also looking out for my little brother."

"Little brother?"

"Yeah, you know him, Harry."

"Potter?"

"Who else? He's a smart kid, but he needs to hang out with other people that aren't me, kids his age."

"You really care about him, don't you?" Aurora's face softened, and her eyes appraised him in a new light.

"He's grown on me, that's for sure. I know we just met and all, but would you look out for him too, I worry about him."

"Of course, even if you didn't ask, it's my duty as a teacher to do that." Aurora smiled, a warmth and reassurance in her words that Naruto took comfort in. She raised her goblet to him.

"So the job hasn't scared you off yet?"

"Trouble, curses, and potential for an untimely demise? This sounds exactly where I need to be."

"Well, here's to a new year of teaching and a warm welcome to you, Mr Uzumaki."

Naruto raised his own drink, "Please, call me Naruto, all my friends do."

"Only if you call me Aurora."

The goblets clinked.

Soon the feast ended with a few more words from Dumbledore, including a dire warning to avoid the third floor which made it all the more suspicious to Daphne. It was somewhat made worse with the mismatched singing for the school song, which ended, oddly, to the tune of a funeral march by, from an educated guess, the Weasley twins.

A pair of prefects soon escorted them to their common rooms. Daphne followed along behind Tracey and Potter, who chatted animatedly amongst themselves, as she observed the rest of her cohort. Pansy began ingratiating herself to Malfoy during the feast, hanging around the likes of Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle, whilst Blaise opted to remain at a distance between their group and Malfoy's.

They soon came upon a stone wall with snake carvings engraved on the floor. One of their prefects, a lanky boy, coughed into his hand before loudly declaring, "Unity." The snake slithered from the ground, across the stone wall in an arch, unveiling the common room entrance. The severe looking boy explained to them that the password changed monthly, and that anyone who forgot would have to deal with the consequences. He didn't elaborate further than that.

As soon as they stepped foot into the common room, her eyes noted the ornate pillars and the palette of silvers, greens, and blacks. Snake motifs dotted the walls, paintings, plush furniture, and glass windows. There was a certain hue to the room that contrasted against the lighting of the fireplace, a mixture of green and magenta. The room itself was a work of professionalism, and sophistication, making the cavernous room into a vision of grand beauty.

The upper years did not leave for their rooms, instead they circled them, only the first years she noted, sitting on the couches, tables, or leaning against the pillars. The lanky teen strode towards the centre, his back towards the fireplace as he began to address them.

"Congratulations!" he barked. "Allow me to extend a welcome to the noble house of Slytherin. I am Michael Selwyn, your prefect. You can tell your parents that you now have the privilege of being in the most prestigious house. But this privilege…comes with rules and expectations if you want it to remain so." The senior boys grinned at them, some with disgusting leers, others with cruel smiles. The female counterparts shared none of the sentiment, their stances rigid and eyes hard.

"If you want to represent Slytherin, if you want to be standing tall as proud members of this house," Michael continued, raising an almost bony finger. "Then you had better listen very carefully to the next 344 words out of my mouth because this is your new reality."

"First and foremost, we are Slytherin, and we are the best so long as what you offer is nothing short of perfection." Michael began to circle them, "Failure is not an option, nor is it a choice. To do so brings shame upon this house, its members, and its reputation. You will gain as many points as you can, you will be better than the other houses, and you will not miss a single lesson." Michael paced around the first years, his eyes glaring at them.

"We are on a winning streak, but that does not mean that we shall remain complacent," He hissed. "Stick to one another, present a united front, and never, ever go alone to classes, to the hall, or even to the lavatory. The other houses know, deep down, that they are inferior, and so, they will do whatever it takes to push us down to their level. Do not give them the opportunity nor the satisfaction!" He growled, levelling his harsh gaze at them.

"We are the house of the cunning, of the ambitious. Nothing should stop you from achieving your goals. The ends justify the means. Rules do not matter to us, we are above rules because we do not get caught breaking them." Daphne frowned, she expected Slytherin house to relay its beliefs and values, but to invite others into committing mayhem in the name of ambition was…revolting. It wasn't calculated, it was desperate.

Michael glared at Potter who stuck a pinkie in his ear during his speech. The open display of disrespect wasn't missed by anyone, and Tracery's elbow shove stirred him back to reality.

"Excellence. We expect it, we embody it, and we deliver it. Should I find out that you got caught and cost us points, retribution will be the weakest word in mind for what I have in store for you. We do not air our dirty laundry to others, that is weakness and we do not show weakness, so you best believe that nothing leaves this house. Nothing! If you have a dispute with one another, sort it out in the pits. I do not have the time, energy, nor care to settle your squabbles. And, if I happen to catch you going to a professor about an issue that should remain within this house, then we will have an issue." Daphne controlled herself, remembered her Occlumency training, this was what she was made for. She would build her group, protect those she deemed worthy, and survive.

"Above all else, if any other houses members, the know-it-all Ravenclaws, those do-gooder Hufflepuffs, or the Merlin-forsaken Gryffindors are against you, all members of this house are behind you, whether or not you agree or disagree. Violation of any of these rules will result in a personal visit from me, and you do not want that. Am I clear?" They all nodded sans Potter.

"You all have your rooms, they are labelled and named so don't get confused on whose is whose. They have the minimum of what you need. I do not care how you decorate or alter it, but do not ask your prefects for help. You're Slytherin now, do it yourself." He stared at them hard. "If you have any questions, direct them to Prefect Farley. Potter! A word."

With that, the severe prefect motioned for him to follow, the senior boys not too far behind as they disappeared to another area of the common room. The other prefect, Gemma Farley, as she introduced herself, was, in contrast, much more amicable than Selwyn, though her words to them were more of warnings and advice to stick together.

"Don't let your guard down around here. This place will test you and you don't want to be caught unawares." Gemma stated simply. A few glances passed by some of the senior girls, one of them withdrew into herself, not meeting their gaze and Daphne understood. In this house, you were either the fittest of them all, made alliances with others, or you were left to the elements. A reflection of the world they lived in. To any observing outsiders, this was a toxic cesspool that bred paranoia, coldness, and cruelty. To Daphne, this was their reality now.

As she began to walk to her own room, she spied Potter walking from the common room, eyes shadowed by his hair and hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Trace, can you please bring my trunk to the room?" Tracey scrunched her face at the thought of that idea and Daphne tilted her head towards Potter. Her best friend let out a long suffering sigh before waving her away.

Daphne picked up her pace, catching up to him.

"Potter."

"Oh, Daphne." The boy flashed a smile to her. "Can't get enough of me already? Here I thought I was a nuisance to you."

"You are a nuisance."

"Ouch."

"What did Selwyn say to you?"

"Oh, he was giving me a personal welcome to the Common Room, him and all thirteen of his mates. Real nice of them." A sardonic snort escaped him as he leaned against the wall.

"Listen, I don't know what you're playing at, but your happy-go-lucky attitude isn't going to cut it here."

"I'm not going to stop being me, Daphne." He said bluntly, crossing his arms.

"Whatever you said on that boat, it's naivete at best. Here, you do what it takes to survive."

"You just got here yourself. Who are you to be lecturing me on this?"

"Because unlike you, Potter, I've been playing this game longer." She hissed, lowering her voice as a couple of her housemates walked past. Potter furrowed his brow as if she'd grown a second head. "Listen, you don't have to go about this alone, if we work together, pool our resources, maybe there can be a mutually beneficial outcome for the both of us."

"How do you figure that?"

"Please, Selwyn may be a prefect and he may be arrogant, but he's not stupid. We are heirs to our family name, and, though Selwyn is part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, he's not going to risk angering the Houses of Black or Greengrass."

"Sorry, did we both sleep through his little spiel? If so, great, cause I do not care for him or his threats."

"Sass all you want-"

"-I will-"

"-but you know things will get dangerous for you if you keep this up."

"Listen, Greengrass," He scratched his scalp, and yawned. "While I would love to continue this conversation, I'm also pretty tuckered out."

"Fine, we were just about finished anyway." Daphne sniffed, spinning on her heel. It seemed Potter was capable of making the most foolish decisions that went against every instinct she had. A tug on her arm stopped her from moving.

Potter pulled his hand back, shaking his head. "Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I'm not the type to just roll over and accept things the way they are, nor am I going to allow crap like this to continue. That's the kind of guy I am."

Daphne closed her eyes, exhaling through her nose. Why did he have to be an idealist?

"Apologies, I was a fool to approach you." She shook her head, leaving Potter to his own devices and walked back to her room, an expectant Tracey sat on her bed, a gleam in her eye that blinked from existence.

"He didn't accept your offer." It was less of a question and more of a statement, one she confirmed with a nod.

"Aw man, I really liked him. He was funny too."

An unladylike snort came from Daphne, one she quickly covered with her hand. "Only you, Trace."

Many thanks for reading this chapter and I'd also like to thank my beta, Tenebris, and to Avoranger, you are spectacular.