"Of course the Mudblood has the answer," Harry muttered to Draco. His blond friend nodded his head in agreement as he watched the bushy-haired Gryffindor girl shoot her hand into the air.

It was a particularly dull day and the Gryffindors and Slytherins had Defence Against the Dark Arts together. Professor Lupin was going on about some rubbish as usual and the Mudblood, Granger, was probably the only one paying attention. Not even her daft friend, Weasley, was listening.

Harry's mind wandered from the lesson as he thought back to the day when he first rode the Hogwarts Express with the Weasley boy. Ron had been kind and friendly to him, but Draco seemed much more likely to help him succeed in the magical world that had been so new to him. He remembered getting up and leaving Ron with the sweets in the compartment to join Draco, Crabb, and Goyal. He remembered the hurt look on Weasley's face as he ditched him for his new, more powerful friends.

Harry didn't regret his decision one bit. He soon found out that the boy he almost befriended was extremely poor with far too many brothers and a fiery-tempered younger sister. The youngest Weasley, Ginny, had been taken just last year into the Chamber of Secrets, but was saved by her brother and the pudgy Longbottom boy before any harm was done. That same year, the Granger girl and a few more Mudbloods had been petrified, but were unfortunately revived by Madam Pomfrey.

Harry's mind returned back to the lesson and Lupin was now lecturing about boggarts. He met Harry's eyes and Harry saw a disappointed look that flashed across the professor's scarred face. Harry quickly looked away.

Yesterday, Lupin had cornered him after lessons. He bombarded him with questions, mostly about the Slytherin badge that was sewn to his robes. He left abruptly after telling him how disappointed Harry's father would have been to have seen his son end up in Slytherin house.

Harry's parents were a touchy subject. He knew that they had both been in Gryffindor and when he was only a year old, they were killed by the Dark Lord. That same night, Harry had defeated the Dark Lord and he hadn't been seen since.

This definitely upset Harry. The fact that You-Know-Who was dead. Draco had told him how powerful the Dark Lord was before he had been brought down. Some of his fellow Slytherins, to this day, wouldn't look him in the eye.

But Harry had so badly wanted to fit in. He convinced his classmates that it wasn't his fault that he destroyed the most powerful dark wizard ever born. He gained their trust and was finally accepted as a Slytherin. He was even the seeker for the Quidditch team. He had the entire house, and probably the entire school, convinced that he was not like his parents. But there was something in the back of his head that wondered why. Why did the Dark Lord want to kill him? Why did he kill his parents? And why did the Sorting Hat place him in Slytherin?

Harry remembered how the old hat had told him that Slytherin would help him to become great. He had wanted so badly to fit in at this school and being great sounded like the best way to go.

But why did He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named kill Harry's parents? How anyone could possibly kill another human being was beyond him. His parents were supposedly both good people. Harry's father, James Potter, was a pure-blood and Harry happily told that to the Slytherins. He did, however, forget to mention the fact that his own mother was a Mudblood. He didn't dare tell his fellow house-mates; they would probably taunt him about his stupid Muggle-born mother. He scowled as he thought of his parentage. That's probably the reason the Dark Lord wanted to kill us, Harry thought.

Usually these thoughts were overlooked by Harry and he didn't dwell on them too much.

Lupin's lecture was interrupted as the bell rang, telling the students to head to their next classes. Harry, Draco, Crabb, and Goyle stood up and pushed their way out of the classroom and headed for the dungeons. The Gryffindors also had Potions next and Harry could hear Weasley and Granger bickering behind them.

Harry sat down next to Draco and they discussed what potion they might be brewing today.

Professor Snape entered the room, his long black robes trailing behind him. Snape, although he usually favorited Slytherins, didn't seem too fond of Harry. Though it was obvious Snape disliked Harry, he tried his best in Potions, hoping that Snape would come around.

Instead of brewing a potion like Harry and Draco had thought, the class took notes on cheering droughts and were left with a pile of homework.

"That was quite a bore," said Draco with a sneer. He pushed a first year aside as the entered the Great Hall for lunch.

"Yeah," said Harry and Crabb and Goyle grunted their agreements.

They came upon Weasley and Granger who were whispering to one another and looking worried.

"Do you reckon he knows that he's his godfather?" the Granger girl muttered to Weasley.

"What are you whispering to you're boyfriend about, Granger?" Harry asked her with a sneer.

"You, Potter," she responded.

Harry was quite taken aback, actually, and he could fell his cheeks getting hot as she glared at him.

"What are you saying?" he asked angrily.

"Well, we were wondering if you were aware that your godfather is the escaped prisoner, Sirus Black."

Harry tried to hide his shock by scowling at the two Gryffindors.

"In fact, I hadn't known that. Thanks for sharing, Mudblood," said Harry icily before turning to the Slytherin table. He ignored the Weasley's shouts and led his friends to the table to eat lunch.

***

Three years had passed since Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban. Harry still was bothered by the look that his godfather had given him when he learned of where Harry was placed.

"Slytherin?" Sirius had whispered in disbelief.

The words stung Harry. But it bothered him even more that now the closest thing Harry had to family was dead.

Only a year before, Draco had convinced Harry to leave Hogwarts and go to the Ministry of Magic. He had told him that he could prove he was a true Slytherin by helping the Dark Lord retrieve a secret weapon.

Harry remembered the prophecy and it falling to the ground after a Death Eater had run into him. He remembered the Wizards who had come to save him. Sirius and Professor Lupin amungst them. They had come even though Harry was in Slytherin. Harry painfully remembered Draco's aunt, Bellatrix, blasting Sirius through the mysterious vail.

Harry had felt so much rage, so much anger, when he realized Sirius was dead. He had chased Bellatrix until he had met the man who had murdered his parents. The man who had taken his blood the year before.

At first he was confused. He wasn't sure about what he was supposed to feel about the man who stood before him. Everyone else in Slytherin spoke of how the Dark Lord was even more powerful than Dumbledore. They spoke of him like a hero. But how could Voldemort be a hero when he had murdered Harry's parents. He was the reason Harry no longer had a family. Plus, this was the man who trapped him in the graveyard and would have killed him if it hadn't been for Draco's father stepping in to stop him. Voldemort had tried to kill Harry that day at the Ministry. If it weren't for Dumbledore, he would be dead just like his parents.

The faces of his parents drifted back into his mind.

For the first time, Harry had thought of what would have happened if he had loving parents to show him the way. Would he have been in Gryffindor?

And Harry knew he didn't want to be in Slytherin anymore.

He wished that he was in Gryffindor like his parents. He wished that he didn't have to choose between his friends and fulfilling the prophecy. Dumbledore had explained how it was Harry's destiny to defeat the Dark Lord. But how could he destroy Mr. Malfoy's master? More importantly, how could he kill another person?

For the second time in his Hogwarts career, Harry found himself in the Headmaster's office.

"You do understand that by doing this, your fellow Slytherins will shun and possibly try to harm you?" Dumbeldore's blue eyes were twinkling.

Harry thought briefly about what Draco would think when he learned of the path that Harry was taking. Harry wasn't sure. Recently, Draco had been going to the Room of Requirement for hours on end. Harry hadn't seen him in quite a while.

"He killed my parents. I want to fulfill the prophecy," Harry said and he didn't break the Headmaster's hard gaze.

Dumbledore smiled and his bright blue eyes twinkled. "Then follow me." The old man pulled out a stone basin and adjusted the half-moon spectacles that sat on his crooked nose.

Harry stepped towards the basin and dove head-first into the memories.

***

"I have to do this."

The fear on Draco's face as he pointed his wand at Dumbledore was clear on his usually composed face. They had just gotten back from the cave and the Horocrux was in Dumbledore's pocket. This had been the first time Harry had seen his friend up close in ages. He was more pale than usual; his skin was white as paper and Harry could see him shaking violently.

Harry felt the urge to tell him not to do what he had just told Dumbledore, but the headmaster had frozen him and he was unable to move. Plus, he was well-hidden with an Invisibility Cloak. He fought as hard as he could when he heard that Draco was planning to kill their Professor.

Draco couldn't possibly kill Dumbledore. Not only did he not have it in him, but Harry knew Draco and he was more talk and not one to take action. Harry had seen him scream like a girl when one of Hagrid's Blast-ended Skrewts had started advancing towards him.

But if Draco didn't, Harry soon found that Snape would. As he saw Dumbledore falling off the Astronomy Tower, Harry couldn't believe that one of his favorite professors could do such a thing.

***

The Slytherins were talking amungst themselves and Harry was disgusted that some of them were actually pleased that Dumbledore was dead. They were openly praising the Dark Lord and it made Harry sick. Dumbledore had come and gone as quickly as Sirius had.

And Harry was alone.

Draco had fled with Snape and the Death Eaters and Harry hadn't a clue as to where he had gone. Hogwarts was strangely empty now that Crabb and Goyle were his only friends and Harry felt jealous of Weasely, Granger, and the Longbottom kid who at least had each other to mourn the headmaster's death.

It was one of the last Saturdays of the year when Harry found himself sitting, alone, beside the lake. He watched as the dazzling sun sparkled across the water and he saw the reflection of Weasley and Granger coming up behind him. He whirled around to face them, a sneer plastered on his face.

"Potter, we... we wanted to ask you something," the girl asked. Harry couldn't read her expression, but the Weasley boy definitely seemed nervous and shifty around him.

"Ask away," Harry replied bitterly.

"Well," she continued, "we heard that you were with Dumbledore the night he... the night he died." She met his bright green eyes and didn't break contact.

"Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't. What's it to you?" Harry sneered.

"There have been rumors, rumors that you were working with Dumbledore to bring down Voldemort." Harry noticed the red-head twitch violently at the sound of the Dark Lord's name.

Harry took a deep breath.

"So what if I was?" he asked them. He wasn't sure why, but he felt as though he almost wanted to tell them all about the horrors of the cave and the challenge that faced him in the future. He wanted to be able to tell them how he felt, having lost his Godfather and professor within a year of each other. But would they listen?

"Because we want to help," said Weasley unexpectedly. "You may seem like a Slytherin and you act like one too, but I know that your still that little kid who was nervous about fitting into a school. That kid who never knew his parents and was scared of what was in store. Your still that kid who shared all of that candy with me on the Hogwarts Express."

Even Granger looked bewildered at Ron's sudden outburst. They both looked at him, hoping he would share with them the secrets of Dumbledore's death.

"Alright," Harry said quietly and he spent the rest of the day telling Ron and Hermione every detail of the past few years. He explained why he had left the compartment, why he so badly wanted to fit in, and he told them of his secret wish to be in Gryffindor and to have friends he could rely on.

"I've been a right git to you both and I'm sorry," he told them. The sun was now setting and the three were still sitting by the water.

They smiled at him. Hemione gave him a brief hug and Ron patted him on the back.

"You're strong, Harry," said Hermione to him as they stood up to head back to the castle. "We believe in you."

"You're gonna beat him," said Ron with a small smile.

"So you aren't coming back to Hogwarts?" asked Hermione.

"No. I'm going to find the Hororcruxes and then I'll find him. Then, I'll kill him, or he'll kill me. You know the Prophecy, it's either him or me."

Ron and Hemione smiled at him one last time and nodded him goodnight before heading up the staircases to the Gryffindor common room. As Harry made his way to the dungeons, he thought of his journey ahead and what was waiting for him in the future. "I'll make them proud. All of them," Harry whispered. As he remembered the password, Mudblood, he chose to sleep in corridors rather than mutter that awful word. "Watch out, Voldemort," Harry muttered before he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.