Slytherin Common Room, Hogwarts, 22nd December 1991, 10:30 a.m

Harry frowned as he saw Homam and Aries speaking in hushed voices. Both the cousins had changed since Harry and Homam entered into an alliance. Homam and Aries were now behaving civilly with each other without avoiding or glaring at each other. Aries even got invited at Grimmauld Palace and had spent the last weekend with the Blacks. Aries was eventually happy that now he has a complete family to rely on, even Aries introduced his cousins Nymphadora and Vulpecula to the Blacks, of course hiding from Andromeda Tonks. The Blacks were awed watching both the metamorphmagus girls and were rethinking on Andromeda's disownment.

Harry himself had taken liking to the girls for their jovial nature but doesn't show it. He has been informed about the famous Slytherin court by the Lestrange siblings but decided against it. It wasn't like he doesn't want to show his power but he knew he had to wait till he completes his powerbase in Hogwarts. He was the perfect boy, charismatic, intelligent, well-behaved and most likely the favourite of teachers. His own group has expanded to all the Slytherin first year males and the Lestrange siblings, even the head boy doesn't contradict him nowadays. For once, Harry had been satisfied with how calm his life has become.

The Gryffindors were as usual ignoring or sneering at him but not more than a certain red head Weasley who was crossing all the limits after Ronald Weasley saved the Granger girl, he has been treated as a hero by the three-fourth of the Hogwarts student population and had formed a group called 'Golden Trio' with Ronald Weasley as the head, Seamus Finnigan, a half-blood in their year and the muggle-born Granger. Granger looks like had devoted herself to Weasley considering her following him like a lost puppy. The only Gryffindors Harry seemed to bear are Neville Longbottom and Dean Thomas. Harry after discussing with Carina had decided that Ronald Weasley shall know who had the real power but without him coming in light.

Sir Patrick Delaney-Podmore, the new Slytherin ghost looked at the raven haired boy thinking deeply. Something was too wrong with the boy, he noted. He and his huntsmen were searching for the person who stole the Philosopher's Stone having no success, they could feel that the stone was within Hogwarts only but still they were unable to find it.

"What are you thinking, Harrison?" Draco sat near the raven- haired boy. "Nothing but looks like Aries and Homam have become too close recently. I'm glad he's able to connect with his former family." Harrison replied ignoring the pinch in his heart that he doesn't have any family to turn to.

"Yes, after great-grand uncle's death in June, cousin Regulus is free to take decisions without any elder's interference. And no matter which side he chose, cousin Regulus has always missed cousin Sirius," Draco too looked at the first cousins who were 'talking' something "Aries was surprised that he had been treated so nicely, looks like he was given a bad impression of us. Moreover, Aries is the son of two 'proper' pure-bloods so treating him like an inferior is out of question." Harry snorted at Draco who frowned but otherwise ignored it. "For you all being a 'proper' pure-blood is too important isn't it? Since I have arrived here, I have been listening to all this blood purity and nonsense." Draco shook his head.

"There's a reason for everything, Harrison. Just come to the Yule party, I'm sure you will understand how our world and traditions are different from that of mud-bloods and blood traitors." Draco paled as he realized what he said.

"You know right that I'm son of a mud-blood and blood traitor?" Harry raised his brow and Draco bowed his head.

"You know Draco, you're so transparent," Harry chuckled at the confused face of the blonde "you think you're cunning and ambitious but it's not true. Every single person I see, Slytherin's, who trade favors/play politics are always so transparently transactional. It's just, not how you manipulate people or gain advantages. If everything is an up front favor, then its always 1 for 1. If you think that your ambition is becoming a head of house then that's not called an ambition. Because being their only child, anyway you're going to inherit. Draco, you have a strong desire to be successful, to have power, etc. but you're forgetting you already have that, so you can't count it as an ambition. Same way, if you want to be cunning then behave like a Hufflepuff, be friendly with everyone, taunting or creating problems for anyone doesn't count in cunning. Have you ever thought that no matter how cunning us Slytherin say ourselves, people think us as evil. Why?" Draco looked unsure as to what Harrison meant and Harry understood that Draco wasn't a bright lumos and shook his head. "Forget it, you won't understand."

Harry understood one thing that if he was to rise, he have to change the thinking of his fellow Slytherin's. Shaking his head, he left for his room, he had to find a way soon.

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They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork – bread, crumpets, marshmallows – and plotting ways of getting Malfoy and Potter expelled.

Ronald Weasley watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Ron's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.

After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge.

A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion. They hadn't realized how loudly they had been talking.

"You know I heard that Potter went to the Lestrange's Yule Party." Ron heard Seamus and snorted, "What can you expect from him? No doubt he's more dark than You-know-who, otherwise how a fifteen month old can defeat a dark lord especially when the said dark lord was so powerful that even Headmaster Dumbledore had to take others help." Seamus and a few Gryffindors nodded at Ron's words.

"I have heard that Potters were always a known dark family until Henry Potter who allied himself with light families." Samuel Collin informed his fellow mates.

"I thought they were always light," muttered Ron "and even the Longbottom family was considered dark, otherwise why Callidora Black wasn't disowned for marrying a Longbottom" Collin continued and everyone was now whispering.

"Marrying a Black doesn't mean you have to be dark. Aunt Lucretia was a Black and wasn't disowned for marrying Uncle Ignatius, until you say that Prewett is also a dark family and Ronald Weasley our grandmother was a Black and a Slytherin if you have forgotten and what about Lupin wasn't he a Gryffindor?" Fred glared at the group. "As much as I hate to admit, Fred is right. Slytherin's haven't hurt anyone of us till now and if you are speaking about Snape and McGonagall is as biased towards us as Snape is too Slytherin and Professor Flitwick also favors Ravenclaw until they had done too wrong." Dean shook his head, no doubt Snape told them dunderheads, they were accusing someone as dark just because of their house or listening to other's words.

"You don't know anything Thomas, being a muggle-born is privilege because you think this wizarding world is like a fairytale but we are born in this world only and you will never understand the pain which we have gone through especially loosing our family members to a madman." Collin glared at the said muggle-born.

"My mother's line was also destroyed completely, Doholov killed my uncles and grandparents, the year I was born." Ron too glared at his brother.

Fred looked at his brother in disbelief, while George couldn't help but glare at Ron and took Fred with him. Even too everyone's surprise Percy also left after the twins giving Ron a disbelief look.