(A Re-telling of Harry's Early Years at Hogwarts with him in Slytherin instead of Gryffindor. After this chapter, this story will focus mainly on year 6 and year 7. I want to reiterate this is an Alternate Universe. This is not following Harry's years in canon. Beware!
Year 1
After the last Potter shocked the wizarding world by becoming a Slytherin, he adjusted quite well to the house. In the first year, he discovered his love for potions mainly in part due to his head of house Severus Snape or Professor Snape as he goes by. At first, he got the impression the man did not like him. Professor Snape would look at Harry with much disdain, unlike his fellow Slytherins who the professor was much kinder to. In his very first potions class, he sat in a classroom with fellow Slytherins and Gryffindors. Snape began the class with an introduction to potions and then delved into the first lesson.
Off the bat, Hermione Granger's hand shot up every time the Professor asked the class a question much to his dismay and the disgust of Slytherins. Harry did not understand what their problem was. Things took a sour note when Snape proceeded to mock the Granger girl. Something in the black hair boy snapped. It reminded him of when his Uncle used to bully him except he would expect physical lashing. He defended the girl after seeing the tears well in her eyes much to the shock of every person in the classroom. He told the Professor that he had no right to treat her that way especially since nothing she said was wrong. The professor taken aback, paused his lesson before moving on.
He and the Granger girl exchanged a glance. She kept staring at him in awe. Harry could not withstand her stare so he turned his face away knowing he was probably red. Draco, who sat next to him, nudged him, leaning his head to Harry's ear, "Mate what was that? You can't defend a Gryffindor like that."
Harry's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What's it matter what house she's in? He was being mean to her," he whispered back.
Malfoy rolled his eyes. "She was being a know-it-all."
"Well, she didn't deserve to be talked to like that," Harry said crossing his arms.
The blonde boy shakes his head before a small smile appears on his face. "Potter your going to be quite a handful?"
Harry rolled his eyes in response. Later that night in the dorms, Draco attempted to explain the long-standing rival Slytherin has with each house but primarily with Gryffindor. For as long as the school was founded, Slytherin and Gryffindor have been at odds. Competing head-to-head in the annual house games and quidditch matches. Harry thought this was absurd. Why should it matter what house a person is from?
He made it a point to not have the same mindset as his fellow Slytherins. Many of his classmates grew up in bigoted households where they were bred to believe purebloods were supreme and muggle-borns were beneath them. He would never have that same mindset. Hopefully, he could find a way to get through some of his classmates. He is in the house of the conniving for crying out loud.
He joined the Slytherin quidditch team after his first flying class went well and he found a quidditch trophy with his father's name on it. He became the youngest chaser in Hogwarts history and the youngest player to win every match. With his carefully worded remarks and cunning tactics, the young boy gained quite a bit of points for the Slytherin house. The Gryffindors were certainly not appeased being it was their first year not winning the quidditch games or the housecup.
Harry became known as the lucky charm for the Slytherins. The green-eyed boy would consider his first year at Hogwarts a success.
Year 2
After the success of last year, Harry is eager to head back to Hogwarts. Though he would miss his Aunt and cousin greatly he adored his school. To say this year was smooth sailing with be a lie.
Last year, he barely got a taste of the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor. This year after the success of the Slytherins, Gryffindor came back with vengeance. They tied in for winning and losing for every quidditch game. Even their points for the house cup were tied. The pranking war began. From a few misplaced spells to explosive disasters in class. Harry remembers poor Nelville's face at the bottom of his beaker fell out causing the potion they were concocting to spill all over him. Harry was embarrassed to admit he thought it was a bit funny. He felt bad after Professor Snape deemed 20 points from Gryffindor.
The Granger girl thought otherwise and glared pointedly at him. He shouldn't have laughed but it wasn't him he did that. Judging by the look on Theodore Nott's face he had something to do with it. He thoroughly enjoyed herbology which Draco still thought was a cissy class but who cares what he thinks?
The year ended with Slytherin winning the house cup and the final quidditch game.
All in all, it was a good year for Harry Potter.
Year 3
The young black-haired boy was excited to not only go back to Hogwarts but he had grown a few centimetres over the summer. Harry was excited for another year to learn and battle it out with Gryffindor.
This year would be slightly different from other years, to say the least. It started in the summer when he and Draco were eating ice cream after shopping for year 3 supplies. "Guess what? Mum told me a prisoner escaped from Azkaban can you believe that?"
"Isn't Azkaban highly secured by dementors," Harry responded. He read about the wizarding slammer (UK slang for prison) which holds wizards and witches who committed crimes. Most of the inmates were Voldemort or as others will call him who shall not be named.
"Mum said the prisoner who escaped can somehow control the dementors," Draco explained.
"Well do tell who is it?" Harry inquired.
The blonde paused for a few moments letting his friend wait in curiosity before saying, "Sirius Black."
Harry's eyes widen. Sirius Black was his father's best friend at Hogwarts. He remembered seeing his photo in the baby album his Aunt had. He was pale-skinned, tall, with shoulder-length black hair and handsome features. His Aunt explained to him who he was, how he seemed to have disappeared after his parent's death.
"Well what on earth was he doing in Azakaban," he asks.
"Mate you don't know," Draco seemed stunned.
"How the bloody hell would I?"
"Harry I feel awful for telling you this but he was found guilty of betraying your parents." Draco sighed unhappy with delivering this news to his best mate. "The night who he shall not be named killed your parents, Wizgedon found he sold the location of your parent's house to him. That was how he was able to kill them.
"But- but that's not possible," Harry stuttered out. "He was Dad's best mate, why would he do that?"
"The Black family was notorious for using dark magic. Sirius's parents were followers of he who shall not be named. At first, Sirius refused to participate in dark magic but I guess something changed," Draco explained.
Harry digested this information. It's hard to believe a man who was his father's best mate played a large part in his parent's death. "Hey, why don't to Quality Quidditch Supplies, I heard they came out with the Nimbus 3000."
Harry gave him a small smile and a nod numbly walking after his mate. The news spoiled his mood but he put it in the back of his mind. If Sirius is coming after him he will be protected at Hogwarts.
A peculiar event occurred that night. Harry and Dudley were sat on the porch drinking iced tea when a rather large black dog appeared out of nowhere. "Bloody hell that is one large dog," his cousin pointed out. As the two boys stare at the dog, Harry notices how human-like his eyes are. Not to mention the dog has a mane of hair. Harry recalled his lesson on Animagus. Wizards and witches can legally shift into whatever animal they wish though it is a lengthy process. Professor McGonagall's Animagus is a cat. This dog is much too large to be normal.
He stood up, "Whoever you are reveal yourself."
"Har-"
Low and below a tall, extremely pale man appears before the boys. "Mum there's a strange man in the front yard!" Dudley yells out running hurriedly into the house. Harry simply stares at the man. He looks like a ghost of Sirius Black. This is not the handsome, happy man from the photos. He is skinny, his face is sunken in with dark under-eye circles. His hair is extremely long down to his waist. All Harry could think was that this man betrayed his parents. He was orphaned because of him.
"Harry you've gotten-"
"Don't say another word," the boy snarls out. "You have some gull to show yourself in front of me."
"Harry I can explain-"
"Explain what," Harry interrupts him. "You told Voldemort where my parents were. They were killed because of you!"
The man's shoulders slump in defeat. "Whoever the hell you are stay away from my nephew," Petunia says with fury in her tone. His Aunt is standing on the steps, with Dudley handing on to the back of her shirt. "Sirius is that you," his Aunt questions in shock.
A waned smile appears on the man's face. "Sirius Black in the flesh."
Petunia steps in front of him seeming like she is going to hug him when she slaps him. Across the face. Harry and Dudley both hold in a snicker. "Where the bloody hell have you been? You just disappeared after James and Lily died."
"I-"
"He was imprisoned in a wizarding prison called Azkaban. He sold my parents out to Voldemort," Harry explains bitterly.
"Imprisoned why am I not surprised," Petunia drawls. "Hold on a moment, Harry did I hear you correctly?"
Harry nods his head once. His Aunt comes behind him placing her hands on his shoulders. She positions him in front of Sirius. "Harry I don't know what you have heard. This man right here though an arsehole, a pompous prick, he loved your father like a brother and your mother like a sister. He would never in a million years harm either of them."
"But-"
"Harry I promise you he didn't harm your parents. James and Lily did not name him your godfather for no reason," she adds.
"Godfather?" Harry is stunned.
The Sirius smiles sadly. "I was quite shocked when they named me the godfather. I mean Remus was the obvious choice. When they placed you in my arms this mini version of James squealing and smiling up at me, I vowed then and there to do anything to protect you." He pauses briefly. "I don't know if you know this, your father, Remus and I called ourselves the Marauders. We are thick as thieves. There was one more member of our group. Peter Pettigrew," he growls out.
"I don't recall seeing him in any photos," Harry was baffled at how this Petter Pettigrew man was.
"When Voldemort started his reign against the wizarding world, wizards and witches that were not death walkers formed a group. He all went into hiding sharing our locations. I was your parent's secret holder until I made the big mistake of telling Pettigrew. I did not know he was a deathwalker. He told Voldemort about your parent's death, told the ministry I was the one who sold them out and then the fucking coward run away."
"Language Sirius!" Aunt Petunia stares at him pointedly.
The man lets out a genuine laugh. "You haven't changed Tunia have you?"
Much to the disgust of Harry and the anger of Dudley, his Aunt blushes. "Okay, then why didn't you tell the Ministry the truth? I mean you're a pureblood who comes from a wealthy family I'm sure they would have spared you." Harry changes the subject.
"You would think, but they sentenced me before I could plead my case. I'm lucky I did not get the kiss." Sirius shudders at that thought.
After the shocking reveal, Harry was filled with anger. His thoughts are scattered all over the place. The past few years have been the best years of his life. The return of his godfather coupled with the reveal of who killed his parents was too much for him to handle. He is ashamed to admit he ignored his godfather for a few days. A talk with Louie made him realise how hard it is for his godfather. To be falsely accused of killing his best friends and what horrors he faced in Azakaban. He couldn't imagine what his godfather went through. Laughter could be heard from the living room. As he entered, his Aunt stood up mentioning something about cooking. Sirius's hair and beard are well-groomed most likely in part thanks to Aunt Petunia.
The young boy stood in silence. "You look so much like your father it's quite scary," his Sirius remarks a grin appearing on his face. "The only thing is the colour of your-"
"Eyes," Harry finishes his sentence. "I'm aware, I have mum's eyes." He didn't mean to sound harsh but he's tired of people repeating the same thing.
"I'm sorry for not being there for you. I should have never trusted Pettigrew, maybe-"
Harry sighs. "Sirius I don't blame you. It's Peter's fault my parents are no longer here. You thought you were protecting them, I mean how were you to know Pettigrew was a death eater?" Harry couldn't fight back angry tears.
The boy felt warm arms warm themselves around him. He remembered burying himself in his godfather's chest letting out the tears. From then on, he and his godfather forged an unbreakable relationship. Sirius told him story after story on the Marauder's days at Hogwarts. A made him think of what happened to Remus Lupin. "Sirius, what happened to Remus?"
"Knowing the coward he probably ran off with his tail between his legs," he remarked unkindly. Harry was confused at his wording but figured Remus was not something they should talk about just yet. They snuck Sirius into Gringotts to get enough money to turn into the British Pound (let's pretend we can covert Sickles into Pounds like in the muggleborn:). They figured until they cleared his name, it would be best for Sirius to stay hidden in the muggleworld something his Aunt was surprisingly excited about. Why Harry suspects his Aunt has taken a liking to his godfather, poor Dudley.
After a tearful goodbye from both his Aunt and godfather, another surprise came to him. Last year the professor of dark arts Gildroy Lockhart mysteriously disappeared. Supposedly, in the past thirty years, Hogwarts has yet to have a stable professor of dark arts. He had the displeasure of meeting with the one and only Remus Lupin. Judging by his appearance, the last nearly twelve years were not good for him. Lupin attempted to engage with the boy but Harry was not having it. The man just disappeared without a word after his parent's death and now he is back as a professor how lovely.
He spent months ignoring the professor. His time was spent playing quidditch, studying and causing mischief with his mates against the Gryffindors. His godfather gave him a magical floor map of the Hogwarts. He figured he would channel in his inner Marauder. They nearly got caught more than once but they continued their antics.
A night before the end of the quarter Draco, Blaise and Harry were up to their antics once again. They wanted to make a spectacle of Gryffindor. As Harry was on his way to the kitchen, he saw a figure following him on the map. He thought it was that horrid Argus Filch and his vivacious cat Peeves. When he turned around it was Professor Lupin with a disapproving look on his face. "Harry you should know better than to sneak around after curfew," he reprimands him.
Harry's eyes fill with fury. "You have some nerve, my parents were killed and you up and left without a word."
"Harry I-"
"There is nothing you can say to justify your actions. At least Sirius tried to be there you just run away," He says bitterly.
"I'm truly sorry. After losing James and Lily, I felt like I had no one. I ran away like a coward instead of being there for you," Remus responds sadly.
"What about Sirius? You allowed your best mate to rot in that horrid slammer." Harry recognises that he is jaded with anger but he needs Remus to understand the consequences of his actions.
"You know about that?" The professor inquires.
"You think Sirius escaped Azkaban and hideaway? He found me because he cares unlike you," the boy snarks. He sees Remus's shoulders slump in defeat. Harry knows his words were harsh and as he's about to apologise-
"Harry you are vindicated in your anger. I realise how much of I mess I made by leaving but you have to understand I'm a-"
"A werewolf, I'm aware. Sirius told me about the unfortunate incident that happened to you but it does not make you a bad person."
A small smile appears on the professor's face. "You are much like your mother."
"You think so," Harry responds surprisingly. "Most people say I'm my dad's twin."
"You look like a clone of James but you inherited your mum's kind heart and logic but James's nack for mischief," Lupin tells him.
"I apologise for what I said earlier that was harsh and unwarranted." He lets out a defeated sigh. "I understand why you left. The wizarding world is bigoted and does not treat mystical creatures right. Sirius told me you lost your parents, I can't imagine how it felt to lose the people who became a family to you."
The green-eyed boy hugs the professor. It was a bit awkward until Remus loosened up. The end of the third year ended with Slytherin winning the Quidditch trophy and house cup for the third year in a row. The young Slytherin is truly living up to his nickname of being a lucky charm. Aunt Petunia was dismayed about having another houseguest but Harry felt bad. The professor lost his job mainly in part of the dark arts curse, seriously what's that about? He needed a place to stay and the magical world is not safe for a werewolf.
All in all, year 4 was one for the books.
Year 4
After the events of last year, Harry was hoping for smooth sailing. No more surprise family members from the past. He felt good about the year ahead. He grew his hair out much to the dismay of his Aunt but he was tired of his short messy hair. His hair was just above his shoulder falling in waves. Not to mention he grew another few centimetres.
The first day of school brought another professor of dark arts. His name was Professor Moody and he was quite a scary man. From his magically implanted eye to his wooden leg he looked like a royal soldier who just came back from battle.
Luckily he mentioned he would only be there for the year. The first dark arts class was uncomfortable for Harry and his classmates. It started when the professor decided to teach on the three unforgivable curses. He showed how the Imperius spell mind control by using spiders as his test subjects. He then used the Granger girl as a test subject for the Cruciatus Curse a pain-inflicting spell. Harry was a bit embarrassed about his outburst but he couldn't see the girl get hurt like that. He may have told Moody to stop seeing pain and distress on her face. As usual, his mates thought he was gnarly for helping the quote-on-quote Gryffindor princess but who does the Professor think he is using teenagers as test subjects for unforgivable curses?
The last curse, the killing curse Voldemort used against those who were not death walkers called out the boy who lived Nelville Longbotoom. The scar from that night was prominent on his forehead. Harry felt a bit bad but he saw the Professor looking directly at him instead of Longbottom he had no idea why since he was not a survivor of the Cruciatus Curse.
After a rather horrid class, Professor Moody had asked the two boys to stay behind. The professor chatted with Nelville first before the boy came out with a novel with herbology on the title and a small smile on his face. Harry went in with anger in his step. One thing about the black-haired boy is he is quick to anger. He did not expect the professor to have pity in his eyes. He apologised of course but something in Moody's eyes told Harry the professor knew something he did not but he did not dwell on it.
The rest of the year, the classes with Professor Moody were not as intense, though he kept giving Harry the eye which was a bit jarring due to his fake eye. Slytherin was able to beat Gryffindor again in the quidditch cup which Harry did not think they would win a fourth year in a row they did. Slytherin has managed to win the house cup for another year in a row allowing the boy to keep his nickname of lucky charm. The Gryffindors were certainly not happy about that.
All in all, Harry deemed year 4 to be a success.
Year 5
Year 5 brought big changes physically to Harry. Over the summer, his Aunt forced him to cut his hair and he magically figured out a way to fix his horrid prescription. His hair was back to its messy state and his eyes were not hidden behind framed glasses. He had grown quite a few centimetres. He fancied his looks just a wee bit. In all honesty, he is excited for another year at Hogwarts. He can't believe in two years he will be graduating how bloody insane!
Harry decided to ask Daphne Greengrass to be his girlfriend and to his luck, she said yes. The two spent their free time snogging, walking around the Black Lake, and eating candy in Hogsmeade. Harry knows Daphne has the reputation of being an ice queen, not his words but she is quite sweet. This year was supposed to be all about the Newts but the rumblings begin after the Christmas holidays.
Reports of Voldemort or as the wizarding world referred to him, he who shall not be named started circulating. It did not help that Rita Skeeter, the writer for the Daily Mail claimed she had verifiable sources who say the evil one wants to make a return. No matter how much reassuring Dumbledore attempted to do, the damage was done. Hundreds of letters flocked in from angry parents who wanted to pull their children out of school in case a war broke out. Harry thought they were a bit dramatic. Voldemort is not going to immediately start a war when the coward has been in hiding for a bit over fifteen years. Honestly, for how powerful wizards and witches are, they can be quite slow.
Despite all the rumours, nothing happened as Harry suspected. Voldemort would remain invisible for the time being.
This was a re-telling of sorts of Harry's year 1 to year 5 at Hogwarts. I did not go into great detail because this story starts in year 6 and onward. The dynamics of Slytherin will be explained in chapter 4 which is when my story begins. I want to remind everyone that this is an alternate universe, if characters appear OOC that's how I want them to be. If this re-telling seems to be missing action, remember Harry is not the boy who lived, Nelville is so the attention is not focused on Harry just yet
Also I want to apologise for inconsistent uploads, midterm season is coming up so I've been quite busy studying and working on assignments
This chapter is a bit short for my liking but chapter 4 is when my story begins so be prepared for chapters to be (6k to 10k words)
Let me know how long you think each chapter should be
I hope you enjoy this chapter for now,
Let me know if you find any inconsistencies you find between canon and my story and I will make sure to focus it
Constructive criticism is appreciated but I will not tolerate unnecessary hate
Thank you and see you soo hopefully