Harry Potter and the Sorting Hat's Choice by EmmaGM
Summary: The smallest detail can influence thousands of lives. An other universe story where the first meeting between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy goes slightly differently.
Categories: Alternate Universe Characters: None
Warnings: None
Challenges:
Series: None
Chapters: 7 Completed: No Word count: 22830 Read: 14783 Published: 02/04/15 Updated: 05/01/15

1. Chapter 1 by EmmaGM

2. Chapter 2 by EmmaGM

3. Chapter 3 by EmmaGM

4. Chapter 4 by EmmaGM

5. Chapter 5 by EmmaGM

6. Chapter 6 by EmmaGM

7. Chapter 7 by EmmaGM

Chapter 1 by EmmaGM
Chapter one: At Madam Malkin’s

Harry’s robes hung awkwardly off his shoulders. Madam Malkin bustled around him, tugging and pulling at the robes. A piece of chalk floated through the air, following her hands and marking her robes for alterations.

To Harry’s left was a boy with blonde hair who looked to be about Harry’s age. Another witch was measuring the blond boy.

–What are you looking at?”

Harry jumped, realizing that he had been staring at the boy. –Nothing! I mean, your robes. Yours look really good. I’m not used to wearing them.”

The other boy was tall and rather thin, with a sharp nose and piercing eyes. His clothes already fit him perfectly, but he was still being fitted for several sets of new robes. Most of the new robes had green trim.

The blond boy turned away and curled his nose. Embarrassed, Harry looked down at the ground.

Madam Malkin stepped away from Harry. –Finished. We have this owled to you when the alterations are done. What’s your name?”

–Harry Potter.”

Madam Malkin shot a glance at Harry out of the corner of her eye. –Be serious, or we won’t be able to deliver your robes.”

–Er… I am serious.” Harry nervously ran a hand through his hair. Before he could smooth it back down, Madam Malkin leaned in and looked at his forehead.

–Well,” she said. –Harry Potter it is. Robes should be ready in about a week.”

Harry turned to leave the store. Before he could exit, the blond boy spoke again.

–You’re really Harry Potter? That’s cool. I’m Draco Malfoy.” Draco stuck out a hand and Harry shook it. –Getting your robes for Hogwarts?”

–Yes,” Harry said. –Are all your robes for school?”

Draco shrugged his shoulders. –My father wanted me to have several. He’s always going on about being well dressed. Are you done shopping?”

Harry shook his head. –It’s taking me a long time. Everything is so strange. I just met a Goblin at Gringotts. A Goblin!”

–Come off it. Goblins are always at Gringotts. They run the place!”

–It was the first time I was ever there, though,” Harry said. –I’ve never done any of this stuff. I mean, I only found out I was a wizard a few days ago.”

–You can’t be serious.”

Harry looked down, embarrassed. –My aunt and uncle never told me.”

Draco looked back at the mirror. –Don’t worry. Plenty of first years at Hogwarts have never done wandwork at home.” Draco rolled his eyes. –All destined to be Hufflepuffs, of course.”

Draco laughed, and Harry laughed with him. Laughing with somebody felt nice, even though Harry didn’t understand the joke. For Harry, recognizing that he wasn’t the target, was enough.

–But you’re Harry Potter,” Draco said. –There’s no way you’ll wind up in Hufflepuff.”

Again, Harry wondered what that meant.

The blond boy continued: –If you’re new to the wizarding world, you’ll need someone to introduce you to the right sorts. Good people, you know what I mean. I can help you with that.”

Harry smiled. –Really?”

–Sure,” Draco said. –It would be a pleasure.”

At that moment, the door of the store burst open. Hagrid bent down and stuck his shoulders through the doorway.

–There yeh are, Harry. We oughter get goin’. Plenty to buy, still.”

Harry waved at Draco. –I’ll see you at school, I guess.”

Draco waved back. –Look for me on the Hogwarts Express.”



–There he is, dad! Harry! Over here!”

–Don’t shout, Draco.”

Harry turned and saw Draco waving at him. Standing behind him were his parents.

Draco’s father was a tall, intimidating man with the same platinum hair as Draco. Draco’s whip-thin build clearly came from his harshly beautiful mother. The family looked obviously out of place in the train station.

–Draco, hi!” Harry walked over and shook Draco’s hand.

Draco gestured to his mother. –Harry, this is my mother, Narcissa Malfoy.” Harry shook her hand and she gave him a small smile.

Draco turned to his father. –This is my father, Lucius Malfoy.”

Lucius stiffly shook Harry’s hand, maintaining ramrod straight posture. Only his eyes looked down at Harry.

–Harry Potter. I never thought I would see the day.” Lucius’ voice was much deeper than Draco’s, but both father and son spoke with the same drawl.

–It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

–Are you ready for the Express?” Draco asked.

–If I could find it,” Harry said. –Whats 9 and ¾ supposed to mean anyway?”

Lucius’ eyes widened and a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. –And I thought my son had been exaggerating. Raised by Muggles indeed.” Lucius tapped the tip of his cane on Harry’s trunk. –Come along. We will show you to the platform.”

Lucius and Narcissa walked to a nearby pillar, and, without stopping, stepped directly through the bricks.

Harry was flabbergasted. –That’s amazing!”

Draco smiled and walked quickly through the pillar, pulling his suitcase behind him. Harry followed.

Harry found himself in the middle of barely controlled chaos. At the centre of the ruckus was a beautiful steam engine, with large and elegant passenger compartments. Harry could glimpse a few spells being cast in the crowd, mostly levitating luggage. Nearly everybody wore robes.

–Brilliant,” Harry whispered.

Lucius looked at the bedlam disdainfully. –All this? Hardly.” His expression softened slightly. –Although, for a child raised by Muggles, I suppose it is.”

Draco laughed. –Can’t wait to see you cast your first spell. Come on, let’s go get a compartment!”

Inside the train, Harry found himself completely overwhelmed. He was thankful that he had Draco to follow. Without a guide, he would have been totally hopeless.

–In here,” Draco said, stepping into a compartment. –I told my friends Vince and Greg to meet us on the train, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they get lost.”

–Lost? It’s a train.”

Draco laughed and flopped down on a seat. –Vince and Greg aren’t the smartest owls in the flock. Good guys, good for a laugh, but they’d never make Ravenclaw.” He laughed and Harry laughed with him. After Madam Malkin’s, Hagrid had told Harry a bit about the Hogwarts houses, so Harry was finally beginning to understand Draco’s references.

The compartment door opened again. A slim girl with bobbed black hair and an upturned nose stepped into the compartment. –Draco, hello. Do you mind if I sit with you?”

Draco waved a hand in the air. –Come on in, Pansy.”

The girl pulled her trunk in behind her. It took Draco and Harry lifting it together to place the trunk on the rack above their seats.

–What do you have in there?” asked Draco. –That weighs more than a troll.”

–Just some basics,” Pansy said. –I wanted to bring more, but my mother told me I was only allowed to bring necessities.”

Harry was astonished. –That’s just the necessities? How many trunks would it take to pack everything you wanted?”

Pansy gave him a nasty look. –And who is this?” she asked Draco.

–That’s Harry Potter.”

Pansy’s eyes went wide. She started to squeal, a noise that began high and went higher, almost to the point of being outside human hearing, before ultimately turning into words. –OhmygoodnessHarryPotterIcan’tbelieveit! I’msorryIwasmeanit’ssonicetomeetyou!”

–Er, hi,” said Harry. –It’s good to meet you too.”

Pansy sat down across from Harry, literally bouncing on her seat from excitement. –Where’d you find him, Draco?”

–Madam Malkin’s. He and I were being fitted for robes together. I could clearly see that he was the right sort.”

–Right,” said Harry, remembering it somewhat differently.

–I can’t wait to tell my parents,” said Pansy. –Harry Potter, right here in my compartment!”

–It isn’t a big deal,” said Harry. Desperate to distract Pansy, he asked her the only thing he knew about Hogwarts. –So, what house do you want to be sorted into?”

Pansy’s mood changed as if a switch had been flipped. –Slytherin, of course. As if any other choice would be acceptable.” Pansy turned to Draco. –Was he raised by Muggles?”

–Actually, yes,” Draco said.

Pansy spun to Harry. –No!”

Harry nodded. –Yes.”

–Oh, was it horrible? Were they awful beasts?”

–Seems like you know my aunt and uncle,” Harry said, cracking a smile.

Pansy laughed. –I heard that Muggles don’t even use owls to send their mail. They make another Muggle do it. Is that true?”

Harry nodded. –They call him the postman. He comes once a day with your mail. Not that I ever got any.”

–That’s barbaric!” Pansy said. –What a menial task.”

The compartment door opened again. Harry looked over, expecting to see a pair of boys, ostensibly Vince and Greg. Instead, he saw a short girl with large teeth and bushy, brown hair.

–Has anybody here seen a toad? Neville lost his.”

Draco made a noise in his throat. –Longbottom. There’s a hopeless case if there ever was one.” Pansy laughed.

Harry was the only one to give a serious answer. –No toads in here. Sorry.”

The girl flashed him a quick smile. –Thanks anyway.” She closed the compartment door and was gone.



–Potter, Harry.”

Harry stood and walked to the front of the Great Hall. Whispers travelled quickly and students turned to watch as he passed. The only faces he recognised were those of Draco and Pansy, already sorted into Slytherin. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, who never did make it to the compartment, had also been sorted into Slytherin and were sitting at the same table.

Harry sat down on the stool at the front of the Hall. He fidgeted, obviously nervous. Professor McGonagall, the head of Gryffindor house, smiled at Harry as she handed him the hat.

–Don’t worry, Mr Potter. The Sorting Hat will put you where you belong.”

Harry placed the Sorting Hat on his head. The floppy, oversized hat immediately fell down over his eyes. Harry jumped when he heard a voice in his head.

–Difficult. Very difficult. You’re quite the interesting case, aren’t you, Harry Potter? Where should I sort you? So much to consider.”

Harry thought of Draco, the only magical person he really knew. Draco was in Slytherin.

The voice spoke again. –Slytherin, eh? Slytherin could make you great…”

This intrigued Harry. He had never been great at anything.

–There’s no doubt that Slytherin could help you on the way to greatness. But if it’s friends you want, Hufflepuff is the place for you.”

Harry remembered Draco’s contempt for Hufflepuff. He hadn’t understood at the time, and he still didn’t completely understand, but he didn’t want to lose his friend. ‘Not Hufflepuff,’ Harry thought. ‘I’ve never had lots of friends. I don’t need lots of friends. Just let me keep this one.’

–Not Hufflepuff, then. It takes plenty of courage, though, for a Muggle raised student to choose his own house, especially if that house is Slytherin. If you have the courage to make such a choice, perhaps I should simply sort you into Gryffindor.”

Harry had seen the Gryffindors and Slytherins booing each other during the sorting. ‘I’d do anything to be in Slytherin,’ he thought.

There was a long silence before the Hat spoke again.

–That promise should not be made lightly, Harry Potter. A wizard willing to do anything to get what he wants is a dangerous wizard. And many of them were indeed sorted into Slytherin. Are you dangerous, Harry Potter?”

Harry paused, but only for a moment. ‘Slytherin.’

–Very well. If you are willing to do anything, then you are willing to owe me a favour. My wants are few, but they are great. In exchange for a favour, I will send you to… Slytherin!”

The Sorting Hat shouted the last word for the entire Hall to hear. Harry’s sorting was greeted with almost complete silence. Distantly, Harry could hear two sets of hands clapping, and one small cheer: Draco and Pansy.

Harry looked up at Professor McGonagall. She seemed to draw back slightly, but reached out and took the Sorting Hat from Harry’s hands. As Harry began to walk towards his new housemates, the Slytherin table finally reacted, exploding in cheers and applause. The other three tables remained absolutely silent.

The house tables had applauded for every new student they received, but it was obvious that Slytherin was cheering louder and harder for Harry. Being accepted was unfamiliar to him, but being wanted was even more foreign. He had certainly never been cheered for in his life. As Harry settled down into the seat next to Draco, he felt like he belonged for the first time in his life.

After the Sorting Hat had finished (Zabini, Blaise: Slytherin!) and a most peculiar introductory speech by Headmaster Dumbledore, Harry and his housemates were treated to a delicious opening feast. Harry had never been given access to so much food so freely. He found himself in an unofficial competition with Crabbe and Goyle to see who could eat the most.

As the meal wound down, Harry started scrutinizing the Great Hall and its occupants. At the teacher’s table he was able to identify Headmaster Dumbledore, who seemed a bit batty; Professor McGonagall, who reacted so poorly to Harry’s sorting; and Professor Quirrell, who Harry recognized from his visit to Diagon Alley. Speaking to the turbaned Professor was a hook-nosed wizard in black robes. Quirrell and the hook-nosed man looked up at Harry, and Harry felt a sharp pain shoot through his head.

Harry hissed in pain, raising a hand to his forehead.

–What’s wrong?” Draco asked.

–Nothing,” answered Harry. –Headache. Who’s that sitting next to Professor Quirrell?”

–That’s Professor Snape. Our head of house. He’s the Potions Master.”

Harry looked back to the teacher’s table. Quirrell had turned and begun speaking to Dumbledore, but Snape was still looking at Harry, regarding him with a cool and calculating gaze.

After dinner, Harry and the other first years were taken to their common room by the Slytherin Prefects. The Slytherin common room was located in the dungeons, and was lit by a cool green-blue light. (–It’s under the lake, partly,” Draco told him).

Harry and the other first years stood huddled together in the common room. Severus Snape loomed in front of them. He spoke with a peculiar cadence, clipping the ends of some words while extending others. His pronunciation was impeccable.

–Welcome to Slytherin, your home for the next seven years. In Slytherin, we value cunning, subtlety and ambition. Together, these qualities will lead you to greatness and power.” Snape paused.

–Tell me, in one word, each of you. What is power? What is greatness?” Snape made eye contact with Vincent Crabbe. –You. What is power?”

–Fear,” said Crabbe.

Snape looked at Gregory Goyle next. –You.”

–Muscles,” said Goyle.

Snape continued looking at each student in turn, and each student gave an answer. Harry began thinking furiously. What was power?

–Money,” said a tall, black boy – Zabini.

–Blood,” said Draco.

–Numbers,” said a large plain looking girl.

Harry had certainly been beaten up by Dudley and his friends enough to know that numbers and muscles and fear were powerful, but Harry had the nagging sensation that there was something else, some better answer.

–Knowledge,” said a dark haired girl with pale skin and ice blue eyes.

–Respect.” A boy with broad shoulders.

–Influence.” A small blonde girl. Her voice was focused and intense.

–Fame.” That was Pansy. After speaking, she glanced at Harry, then quickly looked away.

Snape had left Harry for last. –Mr Potter. What is power? Do you agree with Miss Parkinson? Is it… fame?” As Snape finished speaking, his lip curled slightly. Then his face settled into an expressionless mask.

Harry still wasn’t sure of the right answer. He wasn’t sure if there was a right answer. But, at the very least, he knew that there was a power greater than muscles or fear or numbers. Dudley had all those things, but Harry had still chased him out of the zoo, and Hagrid had made Dudley look like a fool with a pig’s tail.

–Magic,” said Harry. –Magic is power.”

Snape considered Harry for a moment with the same cool gaze he had used in the Great Hall. Harry felt sweat break out on his forehead. Professor Snape was intimidating, and Harry didn’t want to start out on Snape’s bad side.

Finally, Snape nodded. –Power comes in many forms. One of the most basic forms of power is drawn from numbers, as Miss Bulstrode noted. One drop of water is a pittance. One million drops is a thunderstorm.”

Snape held his arms open at his sides. –Even greater than the power of numbers is the power of unity. One million drops of water is a thunderstorm, but acting in unison those drops of water becomes a river in which your enemies are swept aside.”

–In Slytherin house, the first rule is unity. Slytherin supremacy is paramount. The other houses of Hogwarts are envious of Slytherin. They unite against us. We have no choice but to form an impenetrable façade against them.”

–Within Slytherin House, you may compete among yourselves for power and prestige. It is expected, and encouraged. But no matter how viciously you fight among yourselves, your internal struggles will not bring harm to Slytherin as a whole.”

–A victory for Slytherin is a victory for us all. Support Slytherin at all times, and Slytherin will support you.”

Harry was relieved that Snape found his answer acceptable. Something told him that it would be very ill-advised to get on Snape’s bad side.
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Chapter 2 by EmmaGM
Chapter 2: The Mountain Troll

Most students enjoyed class with their head of house, but Harry wasn’t sure about Potions with Professor Snape. The subject, much like the man who taught it, was intimidating. Harry had struggled since the first day in class, and was glad to have Draco as his partner. Harry quickly grew used to Draco’s muttered corrections, which often saved Harry from disaster.

Not that anything could have been truly disastrous. Only the worst of efforts of a Slytherin could earn Snape’s ire, while the smallest of mistakes by a Gryffindor would draw a sharp comment. The Gryffindors wilted under the pressure – Neville Longbottom and his partner, a redhead named Ron Weasley, were constantly having potions vanished before the end of the class period.

It was obvious that Snape had a hierarchy of favourite houses. Slytherin, clearly, was treated most leniently, while Gryffindor was treated most severely. Snape’s lack of patience with Hufflepuffs was legendary in the school, but Snape didn’t set them up for failure in the same way that he did the Gryffindors. Ravenclaw’s treatment was slightly better than neutral – the studious Ravenclaws earned Snape’s favour by performing well in class.

Harry was perplexed by the way Snape treated him as an individual. When Snape spoke to Pansy or Draco for example, they received praise for good work. Crabbe and Goyle received subtle hints from Snape when they were struggling (which was frequently for Crabbe and very frequently for Goyle). With Harry, however, Snape was carefully neutral.

Harry had vast amounts of experience with favouritism from his childhood with the Dursleys. Harry’s aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon often forced Harry to do a disproportionate amount of chores, deprived Harry of toys and television, and regularly blamed Harry for accidents caused by Dudley. Harry would tread carefully around his aunt and uncle, knowing that the slightest mistake, real or imagined, would lead to severe punishment.

Snape’s behaviour was different, though. Harry was treated like a Ravenclaw, receiving neither undeserved praise nor criticism. Harry quickly grew jealous of the attention that Pansy, Draco and the other Slytherins received. He was just as much a Slytherin as they were. With Vernon and Petunia, Harry knew what was wrong: he wasn’t Dudley. With Snape, Harry knew of no reason for his treatment.

It was incredibly frustrating. Harry found himself desperate for Snape’s approval.

As term moved forward, Harry discovered that, as poorly as Longbottom performed in Potions, he was even more inept at flying. Within five minutes of the start of their first flying lesson, Longbottom had managed to fall of his broom and break his wrist. The class came to a complete halt as Madam Hooch left to take Longbottom to the hospital wing. Harry was disappointed – he had been eager to learn to fly a broom.

As soon as Madam Hooch was out of sight, Draco began antagonizing the Gryffindors. This, Harry had quickly realised, was one of Draco’s favourite pastimes. The animosity between Gryffindor and Slytherin had been obvious since Harry’s first day at school, when each house’s table had booed at the first years sorted into the other house.

Personally, Harry tried not to join in with Draco. Taunting the Gryffindors was uncomfortably close to what Dudley had done to him for the past ten years, and Harry didn’t want to be that sort of person. Then again, the Gryffindors gave back as good as they got, which was a big difference. Harry had ultimately decided that he wouldn’t participate in the antagonism, but he also wouldn’t criticise or undermine Draco – Slytherin unity and all.

–Longbottom’s forgotten his Remembrall,” Draco was saying. –Maybe he should get a Remembrall for his Remembrall!” Draco tossed the small trinket from hand to hand.

It wasn’t clever, but it didn’t take much to set the Gryffindors off; they would rise to any challenge. Ron Weasley stepped forward, followed almost immediately by a shorter boy with freckles. Finnigan, of Harry remembered correctly.

–Give it over,” Weasley demanded.

–Hardly, Weasley. It’s a nice keepsake to remember Longbottom’s failure. But if I had a keepsake for every time Longbottom failed, they’d fill up our common room.”

Crabbe and Goyle laughed, as always. Harry shook his head – Draco was definitely acting like Dudley this time. Harry kept quiet and subtly tried to move away from the bickering.

–Give it over, Malfoy,” Weasley said again.

Draco hopped on a broom and rose up into the air. –Come and get it, Weasley.”

Weasley jumped on his own broom and took off after Draco. As the boys zipped through the air, it was clear that they had both flown before. Draco clutched the Remembrall in his hand, but that left only one hand to steer the broom. Weasley, flying with both hands, was steadily catching up.

As the Gryffindor closed in, Draco threw the Remembrall. –Potter, catch!”

The small ball flew directly at Harry, who snatched it neatly out of the air.

Weasley turned his broom and came barrelling toward Harry. Harry hopped out of the way, and Weasley swooped through the space that Harry had occupied only a moment before.

–Watch it, Weasley,” Harry yelled.

–Give it back,” said a small voice from next to Harry. Harry found himself standing next to the bushy-haired girl from the train. Granger was her name.

Harry’s first thought was to give her the ball. He had caught it on instinct, and dodged Weasley so that he wouldn’t be clobbered, and really, Draco was acting like a bit of a prat. Harry had no desire to play a game of keep away; he had been the victim of too many such games as a child.

On the other hand, if he gave her the ball, he’d make his best friend angry and undermine Slytherin solidarity. He couldn’t allow his house to lose face, especially not in front of the Gryffindors. Better to not get involved. Let Draco and Weasley settle things.

–It’s not my fight,” Harry said. He pulled his arm back to throw the ball to Draco.

–It’s not your Remembrall, either,” said Granger.

Harry paused. In the distance, Weasley had turned around his broom and was again charging toward Harry.

–I don’t want to deal with this,” said Harry. He shook his head and threw the ball back to Draco. Harry drifted away from Granger and back to the rest of the Slytherins.

Weasley turned to chase Draco again. Realizing that he couldn’t outmanoeuvre the Gryffindor with only one hand, Draco pulled his arm back, aiming to break the Remembrall against the ground.

Draco’s arm stayed raised, as if he were frozen in space. Which, in fact, he was. A dozen feet away, Weasley was similarly frozen. Below them stood Professor McGonagall, wand out and arms in the air.

–This disgusting display will cease at once. 10 points each from Gryffindor and Slytherin. Come out of the sky immediately.”

After both boys were on the ground, Draco sidled up to Weasley. –This isn’t over,” he whispered. –A wizard duel, you and me. Third floor corridor, tonight at midnight. Bring a second with you, because I’m bringing Potter.”

As soon as class was over, Harry pulled Draco aside. –What is a wizard duel? Why am I your second? Do you realize how little magic I actually know? Why did you bring me into this?”

Relax, Harry.” Draco smiled easily. –You won’t have to do a thing. A wizard duel is a formalised spell exchange. The victor is determined when a specific condition is met. Usually, it’s whoever is left standing. Sometimes it’s a fight to disarm only.”

–Like, knocking a wand away?”

–Or cutting an arm off. The term is used rather loosely.” Draco waved a hand in the air. –Anyway, a second is named in case I can’t continue the fight. Then you step in for me.”

–Again, do you realise how little magic I actually know?” Harry could feel the blood draining from his face. –I’m pretty sure wingardium leviosa won’t strike fear in the hearts of Gryffindors.”

–Again, relax. I’m not planning on going. I figured I’d rat out Weasley and Finnigan to Filch. They’ll wind up with detention, and there won’t be any risk to your delicate self.”

The plan seemed nasty to Harry, and a little underhanded… but they were Slytherins, after all. If Harry and Draco showed up for the duel, the point would be to hurt and embarrass the Gryffindors. Draco’s plan accomplished the goal with almost no risk. It didn’t make sense, Harry realized, to engage in a fight you might lose. It was much more logical to step back, minimize your risk and insure victory.

–Fine,” Harry said. –But next time you want me to be your second in a wizard duel, please ask.”

–Sure,” said Draco. –Harry, if I’m ever in a wizard duel, can I name you my second?”

–I didn’t mean now!”

Draco smiled expectantly.

–Okay, okay,” said Harry. –I’ll be your second in all future wizard duels.”

Draco clapped Harry on the back. –That’s the spirit.”



Harry walked next to Draco on the way to the Halloween feast. As they left the Slytherin common room, a cluster of Gryffindor first years passed by: Weasley, Granger and Longbottom, who had again managed to lose his toad.

Weasley glared at Draco as he passed. Draco and Harry had reported the Gryffindors to Filch after dinner, but Harry hadn’t heard about any detentions being issued. The Gryffindors would never have chickened out of a duel, which meant that, despite Draco’s efforts, the Gryffindors had managed to escape Filch.

Harry and Draco fell into step behind the Gryffindors. Granger was going on about the history of the Hogwarts Halloween feast, and the complicated enchantments used to decorate the Great Hall. Neither Longbottom nor Weasley seemed particularly interested, but Granger didn’t notice.

–How is Granger so smart?” Harry asked Draco. –We were both raised by Muggles, but somehow she knows everything about magic.”

Draco rolled his eyes. His reply was loud, clearly meant for Granger to hear. –Her nose is always so deep in a book she has ink stains on her face. She couldn’t talk to a real person if it meant saving her life.”

Granger spun around. –Shut it, Malfoy.” There were already tears at the corner of her eyes.

Draco sneered. –Grow a thicker skin, Granger. If you grow enough, it will match your huge teeth and wretched hair.”

Granger burst into tears and went running into the nearest girl’s bathroom. Weasley stepped forward with his wand drawn, and Harry and Draco drew their wands in response. Longbottom, eyes wide and scared, didn’t move.

–Back off, Weasley,” said Harry. Harry tried to sound more threatening than he felt – he still had no idea which spells to use in a duel.

Weasley seemed to consider starting the fight anyway, but ultimately conceded that he was outnumbered. –Sod off, Potter. You and Malfoy both.” Weasley lowered his wand walked to the girl’s bathroom door, where he began trying to coax Granger out.

Harry and Draco continued onto the feast. Harry wasn’t happy with what Draco had said… but Granger was rather annoying in class, and the older Weasley twin brothers had been playing pranks on Slytherin first years since the beginning of the term. Somebody had to fight back against the Gryffindors.

Halfway through the feast, Professor Quirrell burst into the Great Hall. He was gasping for breath.

–Troll! In the dungeons. Thought you’d like to know.”* His eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed.

Dumbledore stood and, in a perfectly calm voice, began issuing instructions. –Prefects, please escort your students back to your dormitories. Teachers, please follow me to the dungeons."*

As Harry and Draco left the Great Hall, following a sixth-year Prefect, a thought crossed Harry’s mind like a bolt.

–Granger doesn’t know about the troll,” Harry said to Draco.

–What about it? The troll is in the dungeon.”

–Who says it will stay there? If Granger gets killed, Weasley is going to tell Dumbledore and McGonagall why she wasn’t in the Great Hall. We could be expelled, Draco.” Expulsion was almost the worst thing imaginable for Harry – it would mean being taken away from Hogwarts and returned to a meaningless life among Muggles.

–We won’t get expelled,” Draco said. His voice was less certain than his words. –Besides, Weasley and Longbottom will tell her. Probably.”

–You’re really going to trust Weasley and Longbottom in remembering something important?”

Draco frowned and said nothing.

–I’m going to tell her,” Harry said. With a quick glance to make sure no Prefects were watching, Harry dropped out of line and headed toward the girl’s bathroom.

–Harry,” Draco whispered. – Come back here.”

Harry continued walking away, ignoring Draco. Draco muttered several curse words, and dropped out of line to follow Harry.

As Draco and Harry approached the girl’s bathroom, a stench like rotting vegetables filled the air. An enormous shadow was slouching through the hall ahead of them, dragging a club behind it. As the shadow lumbered closer, Harry saw that the club was simply a small tree trunk stripped of its branches.

Harry and Draco ducked behind a suit of armour to hide.

–Troll?” Harry whispered.

Draco nodded. –If we’re lucky it will turn down another hallway.”

They were not lucky. The troll sniffed the air, making an enormous chuffing sound. Horrified, the boys watched as the troll turned and entered the girl’s bathroom.

–She’s probably gone, right?” Draco said. –There’s no way she’s still in there.”

A shrill scream from the bathroom answered Draco’s question.

Harry bolted forward. Draco, again cursing, followed. Bursting into the bathroom, they found Granger cowering in the corner. The troll had raised the club above its head, and was preparing to crush Granger.

Harry’s only thought was to distract the troll. He shot red sparks out of his wand and began shouting. –Hey! You there!”

The troll paused, then slowly turned. Its club was still raised above its head.

–What now?” Draco asked.

–I don’t know,” Harry said.

–I thought you had a plan!” said Draco.

–I did. It ended at ‘stop Granger from being crushed’.”

The troll took a lumbering step toward the Slytherins.

–New plan,” said Draco, raising his wand. –Locomotor Mortis!” The troll’s legs froze, and Draco flashed a quick smile. Then, the troll shook itself, and again began walking toward the boys. Draco’s smile vanished.

–Locomotor Mortis! Locomotor Mortis!” Draco yelled the spell again and again. The troll froze each time, but quickly resumed its movement. As the troll moved closer, it began to swing its club left and right, crushing sinks and toilets. With the length of the club, the troll would reach the boys very quickly.

–Wingardium Leviosa!” Harry gave his wand a swish and flick, and a sink rose into the air. Harry levitated the sink over the troll’s head, then ended the spell. The sink dropped from the air and landed on the troll’s head with a hollow ‘bonk’.

The troll stopped moving and raised his free hand in the air. It waved his hand around as if shooing away a fly.

–Wingardium Leviosa!” This time Harry lifted a pile of rubble, again dropping the items on the troll’s head. The troll looked upward at the new annoyance, waving its hand more and more frantically, squinting to see through the plaster dust.

Draco fired a cutting curse at the troll. The curse bounced off the troll’s hide and impacted on the wall, leaving a light scratch. The troll turned its eyes forward and again, as if seeing the boys for the first time, it took a step forward.

–Nice one,” Harry said. He tried dropping more rubble on the troll, but it was no longer distracted by the small impacts.

The troll took a final step, and the boys were within range of the club. The troll swung the club at the boys’ heads, and Harry and Draco ducked to avoid it. The club crashed against the wall, sending debris flying. Harry, standing in the centre of the bathroom, escaped without harm. Draco was nearer the wall, though, and was struck in the head with a large piece of tile. The blond boy fell to the floor, unconscious.

The troll turned to Harry, who was still on the ground. Harry began crawling backward, away from the troll, but he couldn’t move fast enough. The troll raised its club…

–Wingardium Leviosa!” The troll was struck in the head by a flying toilet. Harry looked to the entrance of the bathroom and saw Ron Weasley, wand extended.

Significantly more solid, the toilet did what rubble could not – the troll stumbled, dazed, and shifted its attention away from Harry. It slowly began to turn toward Weasley.

Harry stood dashed behind the troll, nearer to Granger. Harry began to levitate bathroom fixtures as well, smashing the troll’s heads with toilets and sinks. The troll became confused as it was attacked from both sides. It began to spin in slow circles, unable to focus. Finally, the troll dropped its club and covered his head, desperate to stop the relentless assault.

The club was nearer to Weasley than it was to Harry. –Weasley, use the club!” Harry shouted.

–It’s too heavy!” said Weasley.

–No, you idiot. With the charm!”

Weasley’s eyes widened in understanding. He cast the levitation charm again, lifting the giant club into the air and raising it above the troll’s head.

Harry quickly cast a tickling charm on the troll’s armpit. The troll chuckled deeply and instinctively clamped its arms down, trying to stop the tickling.

As soon as the troll’s head was exposed, Weasley released the charm and dropped the club. An enormous, hollow clunk echoed from the troll’s skull. Its eyes rolled backward and it fell to the ground, unconscious.

Weasley sank to the floor and Harry put a hand against the wall to steady himself. After a moment, Harry staggered toward Granger, who was still curled in the corner, crying.

–Are you okay?” Harry asked. Granger looked up, then leapt at Harry. Before he could do anything, Harry found himself wrapped into a hug by the Gryffindor, who was crying into his robes.

Harry awkwardly held his hands out to his sides. He didn’t know what to do. It was the first time he had been hugged by a crying girl who had almost been crushed by a troll.

It was the first time he had been hugged by a crying girl.

Or any girl.

Or hugged at all.

After a moment, Harry moved a hand around and patted the back of her hair.

A moment later, Dumbledore, McGonagall and Flitwick dashed into the room. The three teachers pulled up short when they saw the unconscious mountain troll, surrounded by first year students in an obliterated restroom. Flitwick immediately began tending to Draco.

–What happened here?” McGonagall demanded. Behind her, Professor Snape limped into the restroom.

Harry and Weasley looked at each other. Before they could say anything, a teary-eyed Granger began to speak.

–It was my fault, Professors. When I heard there was a troll, I wanted to see it, so I came down to look. I thought maybe I could fight it. Harry and Draco saw me leave and told me it was a bad idea, but I didn’t listen. They kept trying to get me to my common room, but before we knew it, the troll had us trapped in here.”

–I came after Hermione when I noticed she wasn’t in the common room,” Ron said. –I followed the yelling and smashing. Potter was dropping things on the troll’s head, and I just joined in.”

Professor Snape sneered. –Two Gryffindors who believe they can complete an impossible task, and two Slytherins who know better, but manage to complete the task anyway.” Snape glanced at McGonagall. –Perhaps the oldest story ever told.”

McGonagall’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t respond to Snape’s words. –Fifty points from Gryffindor, Ms Granger, for your poor judgement. Mr Weasley, take ten points for your courage in defending a fellow classmate. Ten points each for Mr Potter and Mr Malfoy for cleverness in defeating the troll, as well as for exercising slightly better judgement.”

–I am glad that nobody was hurt this evening,” said Dumbledore, speaking for the first time. –With all points assigned, perhaps our heads of house can escort their students back to their common rooms?”

Flitwick shook his head. –Mr Malfoy is still unconscious. He would recover faster in the hospital wing.” With a wave of his wand, Flitwick raised Draco from the floor.

–Thank you, Filius,” said Dumbledore. –Ms Granger, do you wish to spend the evening in the hospital wing, as well? You have suffered quite a scare.”

Hermione shook her head. –No, Professor. I’ll be fine.”

Dumbledore smiled kindly. –The vaunted Gryffindor courage. Very well, then.”

Flitwick directed Draco’s hovering body out of the bathroom and into the hallway. As McGonagall ushered Granger and Weasley toward the Gryffindor dormitories, Snape limped over to Dumbledore and pulled him aside for a hushed conversation. Harry wasn’t the only one to notice Snape’s limp – Weasley noticed as well, and stared rather conspicuously at Snape’s leg as he passed.

Harry moved to get a better look. Blood was soaking through a fresh tear in Snape’s robes. Harry heard his head of house whispering the words –third floor” to Dumbledore.

–Thank you, Severus,” said Dumbledore. –I will make certain of it.” Dumbledore nodded to Harry, then left the room.

–Follow me, Potter,” said Snape. His voice was more clipped than usual, although Harry would not have thought it possible. Snape led Harry through the halls at a swift pace, finally stopping outside the Slytherin common room. Students had not yet been released, so the hall was completely empty.

–Listen closely, Potter. Slytherin is an avenue to glory, that is true, but it is not the fleeting glory of a hero. Your actions tonight are reckless, and you were nearly killed because of it.”

–But Granger – –

–Do you think me a fool, Potter?” Snape’s voice had become quiet and severe. –Make no mistake. I can tell when I’m being lied to by a first year student.”

–I’m sorry, sir.” Harry looked down at the ground. –I don’t think you are a fool.”

–Do not forget it. A Slytherin must never let glory or adventure take precedence over pragmatism. The risk must always be worth the reward. Slytherin is not a house for irresponsible braggarts with delusions of grandeur. If you prove to be such a person, I will not be surprised, but I will be sorely disappointed.”

Harry looked his head of house in the eye. –I am a Slytherin, sir. I won’t disappoint you.”

Snape sneered. –We will see, Potter. Detention with me, in the Potions laboratory, one week from today.”

AN: Thank you for reading! If you would be so kind to leave a review, it would make my day.

*Quotes are taken from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, chapter 10, page 128, by J.K. Rowling.
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Chapter 3 by EmmaGM
Chapter Three: Detention and Quidditch

When Harry arrived for his detention he found Snape sitting in his office. Snape’s office had two doors, one of which led directly into the Potion’s lab, the other leading into the hallway. Snape was marking essays, and spoke to Harry without looking up.

–Clean those cauldrons, Potter. Notify me when you’re done.”

–Yes, sir.” Harry shrugged off his robes and began to roll up his sleeves.

–Were you planning on asking permission to use magic, Potter?”

–No, sir. I don’t know any cleaning spells.”

Snape made a noise in the back of his throat. –They would not be effective if you did. My N.E.W.T. class has been brewing Ricochet Rub, which would reflect any cleaning spells.” Snape pointed across the room. –You will find a stiff brush and solvents in the cabinet.”

Harry worked hard to scrub the cauldrons completely clean. At Privet Drive, Harry would do the bare minimum to complete his chores; he knew he was going to be yelled at, no matter how well he did. After Halloween, though, Harry was desperate to prove to Professor Snape that he was a good student and a hard worker. Harry’s arms quickly began to ache from vigorous scrubbing, but he refused to complain.

As Harry scrubbed the cauldrons, Snape would periodically shout questions at him from the office. –Potter, how many uses are there for dragon’s blood?”

–Er… Twelve?”

–What are they?”

–I don’t know, sir.”

–You know at least one, Potter.”

–It keeps dragons alive?”

–Thank you, Potter, for advising me of the incredibly obvious.”

Several minutes later, Snape spoke again. –Potter, where would I find a bezoar?

–I don’t know, sir.”

–Inside the stomach of a goat. What are its uses?”

–I don’t know, sir.”

–It will cure most poisons,” said Snape. –You seem to be struggling without Mr Malfoy whispering you answers. Or did you think I hadn’t noticed?”

Harry gritted his teeth and continued scrubbing. How was he supposed to know what a bezoar was? They hadn’t covered that in class.

Three cauldrons later: –True or false, Potter. Gillyweed may be ingested directly and does not require a potion.”

–False?”

–Are you asking me or telling me, Potter?”

–Telling.”

–Incorrect.” Harry could hear the scratch of Snape’s quill against parchment as he marked an answer wrong. –It appears, Potter, that you should have been sorted into Hufflepuff, as you are making the same mistakes.”

Harry was finding it difficult to concentrate on cleaning the cauldrons. Harry suspected that Snape was marking essays of second or third year Hufflepuffs. How did he expect Harry to know these things?

Snape was quiet for a long time. Harry only had four cauldrons left to clean when Snape spoke again.

–I am stepping out,” he said. –Continue with your cleaning.”

Harry heard the outside door of Snape’s office open and close. When Snape returned several minutes later, he was carrying an enormous tray of food: potatoes and rice and squash and what appeared to be an entire roast hen. Harry realized that dinner had already begun in the Great Hall. Harry’s stomach rumbled as he hurriedly scrubbed the last cauldron, eager to attend the evening meal. The delicious scent of Snape’s food wafted from the office into the Potions laboratory.

Harry finished scrubbing and quickly tossed the brush and solvent into the cabinet. –The cauldrons are all scrubbed, sir.”

–Good,” said Snape. –The cauldron polish is in the cabinet. Ensure that the cauldrons are shined, as well.”

Harry’s mouth dropped open. Dinner was almost over!

–Is there something you wish to say, Potter?” Snape slowly lifted a forkful of roasted hen to his mouth. He chewed slowly and deliberately, staring at Harry the entire time.

Harry clenched his fists in anger. –Yes,” he said through tightly clamped teeth. –Where are the polishing rags?”

Snape swallowed. –You will find them in the same cabinet.”

Harry spun on his heel and stormed away to find the polish.

Over an hour later, long after the Great Hall had closed for dinner, Harry again presented himself to Snape. He was now covered in black smudges from the cauldron polish, and his hair was matted with sweat.

–The cauldrons are polished, sir.”

–Good. Have a seat, Potter.” Snape indicated a chair in front of his desk, and Harry sat. –I wish to have a frank discussion with you,” Snape said. –Whatever you say in the next ten minutes will not cause you to lose points, receive detention or be disciplined in any way. Do you understand?”

Harry nodded.

–What has occurred here tonight?”

–Detention, sir.”

–Don’t be fatuous, Potter. Think.”

Harry took a deep breath. –You’ve been asking me questions that I don’t know the answers to.”

–Toward what end?” asked Snape.

–I don’t know,” said Harry. –To embarrass me?”

–If I wanted to embarrass you, Potter, I would ask you those questions in front of the entire class.” Snape shook his head. –Perhaps you should have been in Hufflepuff.”

Harry snapped. –You know what? You have been provoking me. All night. You are nice to Draco and Pansy and Crabbe and Goyle and everybody in Slytherin but me!”

Snape’s face was calm. –You are correct. I have been provoking you.”

–You’re admitting it?” Harry was incredulous. His surprise almost overrode his anger. Almost.

–Of course, Potter. Or are you content to believe that I am simply being petty and spiteful?”

Harry opened his mouth to give a nasty response, but forced himself to hold back. A distant part of his curiosity had been aroused. There had to be something more than maliciousness behind Snape’s actions. Snape was no fool, and he had made that abundantly clear on Halloween.

–You’ve been testing me.”

The corners of Snape’s mouth twitched. –Go on.”

–You wanted to see if I had learned my lesson from Halloween. You were trying to make me do something stupid, like yell at you or walk out of detention.”

Snape nodded. –Tonight was all about pragmatism, Potter. You could have given in to your emotions, and you might have felt better in the short term. Trust me when I say that the long term consequences would have been… severe.” Snape’s lip curled upward, a ghost of the sneer that was normally reserved for Gryffindors.

–Since the beginning of the school year, Potter, I have been trying to reserve my judgement of you. This was not without difficulty. Tonight, you showed me that you were not sorted into Slytherin in error.”

Snape waved his wand. A plate of food appeared on the desk in front of Harry – the same food that Snape had eaten himself. Next to it was a set of silverware and a glass of pumpkin juice.

–Your plate has been on a warming charm since dinner,” said Snape. –After you’re finished, you are released to your dormitory. The house elves take care of your dishes.”

Snape walked out of the office and into the Potions lab, where he began inspecting cauldrons. Harry dove forward and attacked the plate of food.

After Harry had finished his dinner, as he was walking out of the Potions lab, Snape’s voice called out one last time.

–Good work tonight, Mr Potter.”



–Come on, Harry, we have to get seats. And I don’t mean just seats, I mean good seats!”

Harry pulled his cloak on as he followed Draco through the common room. Slytherin was playing Gryffindor and Draco had been a nervous ball of energy all week.

–I’m coming,” said Harry. –Don’t worry.”

Draco was several feet ahead, walking briskly toward the door. –Why aren’t you more excited, Harry? It’s your first Quidditch match!”

–I know. You keep telling me that.”

Draco shook his head. –Muggle raised. You’ll understand after the match.”

The halls of Hogwarts were deserted – it was almost as if another troll was on the loose. As Harry and Draco walked through the main doors, they saw only a few straggling Hufflepuffs rushing toward the Quidditch pitch. Harry and Draco were hundreds of yards away from the stadium, but they could already hear the roar of the crowd.

As usual, the whole school had turned out for the Quidditch match. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were usually seated together in blocks of red-gold, yellow-black and blue-bronze, but there was some blending at the edges as students sat with friends from other houses. Slytherin, by contrast, was a solid mass of silver and green, with no blending whatsoever.

Draco and Harry pushed their way into the crowd. The first years were midway up the grandstand. They were the worst seats in the stadium, according to Draco: neither close to the pitch nor high in the air. Harry and Draco eventually settled into seats next to Tracey Davis and Theodore Nott, two other first years. Pansy was a few rows ahead, using Crabbe and Goyle to create some breathing room on either side of her.

As the Slytherin team took the pitch, Draco launched into a tactical evaluation of the teams. –Flint is our captain. He’s a chaser, and a good one. Wood is the captain of Gryffindor. He’s the best keeper of the school and he’s only a fifth year. Our team is stronger than Gryffindor, so we should be able to push them around the pitch. Gryffindor’s seeker is new this year, a converted chaser, so she shouldn’t be too threatening.”

Harry nodded, pretending that the whole thing made sense. The Quidditch business seemed a bit silly…

Then Madam Hooch blew her whistle, the teams were up in the air and Harry was in love.

The game was spectacular. Players were flying everywhere, bludgers were being clobbered all over the pitch, Flint was firing cannon shots at Wood, and Wood was making miraculous saves. It was a dream.

–Why didn’t you tell me how amazing this was?” Harry asked.

Draco laughed. –I did tell you. Apparently you wanted to see for yourself.”

As the game progressed, it was clear to see that a Slytherin victory was inevitable. The Slytherin chasers were dominant, the beaters were roughly equal, and the Gryffindor seeker didn’t stand a chance. Harry and Draco joined their older classmates in raucous cheers, some planned, other spontaneous. Tracey Davis, the smallest girl in their year, was cheering louder than anyone else in the Slytherin section. The rest of the school would boo whenever Slytherin scored a goal, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws as well as Gryffindors. Their catcalls simply drove the Slytherin section to cheer louder and more frequently.

It was amazing. For the first time in his life, Harry felt like he was a part of something greater than himself. He was a Slytherin. And a victory for one Slytherin (or seven) was a victory for all. The final score was 290-70 for Slytherin. The lions had been utterly demolished.

As they walked back to their common room, Harry couldn’t stop talking about Quidditch. –Did you see how fast they were going on their brooms?”

–Yes,” said Draco.

–How about when Johnson got hit by that bludger,” Harry said. –She could barely stay on her broom.”

–Yes,” said Draco.

–And did you see how our seeker caught the snitch?”

–Yes,” said Draco. –I, too, was at the match.”

Harry glanced over at Draco. –Come on, Draco, that was the greatest!”

Draco laughed. –It was a pretty good match. It wasn’t really close, though; Gryffindor has a bad team this year. But it’s always nice when Slytherin wins.”

–I still can’t believe there’s a sport this amazing!”

–You should see a professional match,” Draco said. –Everything is faster and all the players are better.”

Harry’s eyes grew wide. –Quidditch gets better?”

–Yes, it does. And next year, we get to bring our brooms to school. We can try out for the Quidditch team ourselves.”

–Wow…” Harry’s voice was low and reverent. The thought of being on the Quidditch team, having the entire house cheering for you… Harry could barely imagine it. The sound of the Slytherin table cheering at the Sorting was nothing compared to the sound of the crowd at the Quidditch match. And getting to fly in front of the whole school, wind in your hair, dodging bludgers… Harry would get to wear Quidditch robes with his teammates, rich Slytherin green trimmed in bright silver…

–Harry? Harry!” Draco was waving his hand in front of Harry’s face. –You’re going all misty-eyed on me. Try to keep it together.”

Harry blinked and refocused his eyes. –Draco, next year we are both making the Quidditch team.”

–I intend to,” said Draco with a smile.



AN: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review. I would very much like to see what you think.
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Chapter 4 by EmmaGM
Chapter Four: Christmas at Hogwarts

Harry found himself alone in the Slytherin dormitory on Christmas. Draco had lightly teased him about staying at Hogwarts, but Harry could tell it wasn’t serious – his friend obviously preferred that Harry stayed at Hogwarts rather than going home to live with Muggles.

Chrismas morning dawned cold, and when Harry awoke he found several small presents wrapped at the foot of his bed. Harry was astounded – he had never received a Christmas present before. He grabbed the nearest and tore it open – it was a flute, from Hagrid. Next was a small package from the Dursleys: 50 pence and a nasty note. A nicely wrapped package from Draco and his parents contained beautiful green and silver mittens and a matching hat. The tags noted that the hat and the mittens were elf-washed only, whatever that meant. It sounded expensive.

Beneath it all was an unsigned package, and in that package was a shimmering opalescent cloak. As Harry pulled it out of the package, he received a dramatic shock: not only could he see straight through the material, he couldn’t see his hand!

A note fell out of the package onto the bed. Harry thought that he couldn’t be more astonished by this unexpected gift, but he was quickly proven wrong. Not only was this and Invisibility Cloak, but it had belonged to his father.

Harry glanced around the dormitory. Nobody else was present. He raised the cloak to his nose and inhaled deeply. It had been eleven years, but maybe there would be a hint of cologne, or…

Lemon? Did this cloak smell like cleaning solution? Harry inhaled again. No, it was something sweeter. Almost like candy.

Lemon drops.

Why would his Invisibility Cloak smell like lemon drops?

Harry pondered his mysterious benefactor (and his cloak’s mysterious smell) as he went downstairs for breakfast. The Great Hall was nearly empty. Only one other first year had stayed behind: Ron Weasley, who was currently sitting at the Gryffindor table. Weasley was wearing an enormous, apparently hand-knitted jumper with a large letter –R” on the chest.

Harry hesitated. He had never liked sitting alone at lunch when he was at Muggle school, but the unrelenting harassment of Dudley and his cronies had forced Harry to do so. Anybody who was friendly with Harry quickly became a target of Dudley’s bullying, and as a result, Harry was ostracized. Every day Harry ate alone, isolated while the other students chatted with friends. Harry had been terribly excited to discover that meals at Hogwarts were sorted by house. He always had a place to sit at meals, and always had somebody to talk to. Harry had no desire to return to eating alone; with his entire house gone for the holidays, Harry’s desire to sit with Weasley was desperate.

On the other hand, things were tense between Weasley and Draco. They had called an unofficial truce following the troll incident on Halloween, but the antagonism between the pair had slowly been increasing following Slytherin’s Quidditch victory. And while Granger had been much nicer to Harry since Halloween, neither Harry nor Granger would say anything to the other if Draco or Weasley were within earshot.

Harry was still frozen with indecision when Weasley looked up and saw him standing at the doors of the Great Hall. Harry looked at the seat across from Weasley and raised a questioning eyebrow. Weasley simply shrugged. Enormously relieved, Harry walked over to the table. As he sat down, Harry resolved not to provoke Weasley – Harry could control himself, and if Weasley could, too, then they might make it through the meal alive.

–Thanks,’ said Harry.

–No problem,” Ron said, still chewing. The two boys were quiet for a few moments while Harry selected food for his plate. Finally, Ron swallowed his enormous mouthful of food. –Why are you here for the holidays, Potter?”

Harry shook his head. –Muggle family doesn’t want me. Which works out, because I don’t want them, either. What about you?”

–My parents are in Romania, visiting my brother Charlie. He works with dragons.”

–Sounds like a brilliant holiday. Why didn’t you go along?”

Ron’s face flushed and he turned to scoop more food on his plate.

–Right,” Harry said. Sensing Ron’s discomfort, he changed the subject. –So, get anything good for Christmas? My aunt and uncle sent me 50 pence. Biggest Christmas present I’ve ever gotten from them.”

Ron speared a sausage on his fork. –I got some Chocolate Frogs and a few other sweets, but… those are already gone.”

–Before breakfast? And you’re still eating like that?”

Ron paused, fork halfway to his mouth. –So?”

Harry laughed. –Never mind. So that’s it, just sweets?”

–I got a jumper, too,” Ron said, face turning red. –My mum makes them every year. It’s mostly embarrassing.”

Harry immediately felt like an idiot: if Ron’s parents couldn’t afford to take him to Romania, they probably couldn’t afford extravagant gifts either. Of course Ron would feel vulnerable around Christmas, because of the accompanying gift-giving. But that jumper?

–I wish I had something like that,” Harry said.

–What, something ugly?”

–No,” Harry said. –Something from my mum.”

Ron nodded, suddenly quiet.

Harry was quiet for a moment. –When I am at my aunt and uncle’s house, I have to wear my cousin’s hand-me-downs. It’s awful. He’s the size of a rhino, and acts like one too.” Ron grinned. –The first time I ever did magic,” Harry said. –I was at the zoo. My cousin pushed me out of the way to look at a snake through a glass window. I was so mad, I accidentally made the glass disappear, and the snake chased him around the room.”

Ron laughed, then covered his nose with his hand. –Come on, Potter. You almost made me shoot milk out my nose.”

–My clever plan has been foiled,” Harry said dryly. Harry’s actual plan – to distract Ron from being embarrassed about money – had been quite successful.

And this smaller plan? The plan that Harry didn’t really want to admit to himself? The plan to make a new friend by sharing a little bit of his own vulnerability about his parents? That plan, not that Harry would ever admit it existed, also seemed to have been successful.

The boys easily chatted through the rest of breakfast, exchanging stories about Harry’s oaf of a cousin and Ron’s numerous older brothers. When they returned for dinner that night, the boys again sat together.

–So,” Ron said. –Was 50 pence all you got for Christmas?”

–No,” Harry said. –I got some gloves and a hat from the Malfoys, and Hagrid got me a flute. And…” Harry paused, unsure if he should continue. –And something you are going to have to see to believe. Come by Slytherin after dinner.”

When Ron arrived outside the Slytherin common room, he hesitated outside the door, then began pacing back and forth. Without the password, he wouldn’t get in. With all the other students gone, there was to send a message to Harry inside the dormitory, either. He finally came to a stop, staring at the door, a look of complete bafflement on his face.

Harry’s floating head appeared next to him. –Hey, Ron.”

Ron yelled and jumped backwards. Harry, laughing pulled the rest of the Invisibility Cloak off his body.

–An Invisibility Cloak, are you serious?”

–Yeah. Cool, huh?”

Ron scowled. –How long have you been watching me act like an idiot in front of the door?”

–Only a few minutes,” Harry said. He smiled to show Ron that he wasn’t being cruel.

–You sound like Fred and George,” said Ron, referring to his infamous twin brothers. –They would kill to get their hands on an Invisibility Cloak. And this was a Christmas present? Do you have any idea how rare these are? Who gave this to you?”

Harry shrugged. –The packages wasn’t signed, but whoever it was left a note. It was my dad’s.”

Ron stepped forward and grabbed a piece of the Cloak. As he rubbed the material between his fingers, his skin disappeared and reappeared with each movement of the cloth.

–This,” Ron said, –is completely cool.”

–Come on,” Harry said. –Let’s go play a prank on Filch or something.”

Ron smiled. –I know something better. Let’s go up to the third floor.”

The boys ducked under the Invisibility Cloak and made their way up several moving staircases. Moments later, the boys stood outside the door that Dumbledore had forbidden them to enter earlier in the term.

–When Malfoy challenged me to duel,” Ron said, –Seamus and I came up here. Before you and Malfoy could show, Filch found us.”

Harry knew that he and Malfoy had never intended to duel, and had instead sent Filch to catch Ron. Harry felt guilty, but said nothing.

–Seamus and I split up and ran,” Ron said. –I wound up on the other side of this door. You’re not going to believe what’s in there. Stay quiet.”

Harry and Ron quietly opened the door and snuck inside. At the far end of the hallway, looming larger than the troll from Halloween, was a giant three-headed dog. Its paws were larger than Harry’s bed, and any of its three heads could have swallowed him in one gulp. The dog was lying on the ground, and the three heads were fighting each other for control of an enormous bone.

–What is that?” Harry whispered.

–It’s a giant three-headed dog,” said Ron. –The real question is: why is it here?”

–Well, it’s Dumbledore’s,” Harry said. –He told us to stay away at the welcoming feast, and it’s pretty obvious why.”

–But it’s a stupid place to keep a giant three-headed dog. The thing is dangerous. Why keep it in a school full of kids?”

Ron was making a frightening amount of sense.

–I think it’s a guard dog,” Ron said. –On Halloween, Snape had a bloody gash on his leg, and I heard him talking to Dumbledore about the third floor. I think Snape was trying to get past the dog and got bit.”

–Snape wouldn’t do something like that,” Harry said, automatically defending his head of house. –Besides, he was telling Dumbledore about it. If he was trying to get past a guard dog to steal something, he wouldn’t tell the person he was stealing from.”

–Maybe,” Ron conceded. –But I sure wish I knew what it was guarding.”



Harry and Ron’s holiday friendship dissolved when classes started again. With Draco and the rest of the Slytherin boys back in the castle, Harry didn’t lack for company. Similarly, Ron took meals with Finnegan, Longbottom and the rest of the Gryffindors.

On the first night back, Harry showed Draco the Invisibility Cloak. That night, after curfew, the two boys used the Cloak to sneak out of the Slytherin common room. Harry took Draco to the third floor corridor and showed him the three-headed dog.

–What do you think could be hidden there?” Draco asked, once they were safely back out in the hall.

–I’ve been thinking about that,” Harry said. –On the day you and I met in Diagon Alley, I went to Gringotts with Hagrid. He was getting something important from a vault for Dumbledore. Hagrid pulls something important out of a vault in Gringotts, and Dumbledore has a giant, three-headed guard dog. Whatever it is that Hagrid got, I bet the dog’s guarding it.”

Draco looked thoughtfully at the door. –You know, a thief broke into Gringotts earlier this year. It was only a few days before we came to Hogwarts. Not the Malfoy vault, thankfully, but still…”

–Do you think it’s connected?”

Draco shrugged.

–I’m going to go ask Hagrid about it,” Harry said.

–That big oaf won’t know anything,” Draco said. –But if you must… be sure to tell me anything you find out.”

Harry didn’t like Draco speaking poorly of Hagrid, but Harry said nothing. There was no requirement that Harry’s friends had to be friends with each other. This was just one of those times.



The next night, Harry once again set out under the cover of the Invisibility Cloak, this time toward Hagrid’s hut. The hut was extraordinary hot, and Harry immediately began sweating when he sat down. Hagrid closed the door behind Harry.

–Cup of tea, Harry?”

–Yes, please.”

Hagrid began busying himself by the stove. –So, Harry… Are yeh liking yer time at Hogwarts?”

–I love it,” said Harry. –It’s the greatest.”

–And how are yeh doin’ in Slytherin?” Hagrid seemed hesitant to ask. –They treatin’ yeh alright?”

–What do you mean?” Harry wasn’t sure why Hagrid was asking. Of course he was getting on alright in Slytherin. It was the Gryffindors who were the problem.

–I mean, are yeh bein’ pushed around or hexed or anythin’? I can talk to Dumbledore about it if yeh are.” Hagrid was setting out teacups and saucers on the table. The cups were comically small in Hagrid’s enormous hands.

–No, Hagrid, nothing like that is happening. I’m friends with all my housemates. At least, with all the first years.”

–Oh.” Hagrid was quiet for a moment, and was startled back to attention by the whistling of the teapot. –Well, as long as yer alright.”

Harry was perplexed; it was almost as if Hagrid was sad he was doing well. But that couldn’t be right. Harry decided to change the subject.

–Hagrid, I wanted to thank you again for Hedwig. She’s the best. Over the holidays, when everyone was home, it was nice to have some company. And I got to send presents to all my friends and she brought some back to me. And thanks for the flute!”

Hagrid smiled. –It weren’t anythin’, Harry. I hope yeh like it.”

–I do,” said Harry. –It was the first Christmas I’ve ever really gotten gifts.”

–What else did yeh get?” Hagrid asked, taking a sip of tea.

–Well the Malfoys send me green and silver mittens, and a hat,” said Harry.

Hagrid paused, holding his teacup up to his face far after he had stopped drinking. –Did they?” he asked. –How nice fer yeh.”

–They’re really warm,” Harry said. –And speaking of warm, why is it so hot in here? It’s like a furnace!” Harry pulled at the collar of his shirt. Hagrid glanced around. –Can you keep a secret, Harry?”

–Of course.”

Hagrid turned and began rummaging around under the stove. He removed a large blanket, which appeared to be wound around some object. Hagrid pulled away the blanket and revealed…

–An egg?” Once again, Hagrid had thrown Harry for an unexpected turn.

–Not jus’ any egg, Harry. A dragon egg. Gotter keep it hot, or it won’ hatch.”

–Where are you going to keep a dragon, Hagrid?”

–Er… In here?”

–It’s a dragon, Hagrid! It’ll get too big! What are you going to feed it? And it’ll burn you out of house and home.”

–Jus’ let me worry ‘bout that,” Hagrid said.

Harry suddenly saw his opportunity. –Next you’ll tell me you want to get a giant, three-headed dog.”

–Oh, I already got one o’ them,” Hagrid said. The large man was carefully rewrapping the egg, not paying attention to what he was saying. –Fluffy’s up on the third floor.”

–Oh?” Harry spoke carefully, trying to keep Hagrid talking. –Why’s Fluffy up there?”

–Because Dumbledore…” Hagrid suddenly looked up from the egg. –Oh, I shouldn’ter said that.”

–What about Dumbledore?” Harry dropped all pretence of being casual, eagerly leaning forward.

–What’s up on the third floor is between Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel,” Hagrid said. –You can jus’ drop it.”

–Who’s Nicolas Flamel?” Harry asked.

Hagrid dropped his head. –Shouldn’ter said that either…” Hagrid stood. –Innit past curfew, Harry? Yeh should get back to bed.”

Harry realized that wasn’t going to learn anything more from Hagrid that evening. –Thanks for the tea, Hagrid. You’re a great friend.” Harry gave Hagrid a hug, then started back to Hogwarts. Once he was out of sight from Hagrid’s cabin, he ducked underneath his Invisibility Cloak.

Back in the castle, Harry headed straight to the dungeons. What was Hagrid going to do with a dragon egg, let alone a dragon? What were Hagrid and Dumbledore guarding with a giant, three-headed dog named Fluffy? And who was Nicolas Flamel?

Although the Invisibility Cloak protected Harry from prying eyes, it did nothing to protect Harry against his own stupidity. Harry, distracted by his thoughts, tripped over something in the hall and stumbled into a suit of armour. There was an enormous amount of shouting, yowling, crashing and banging as Harry struggled to regain his balance.

A marching band could not have made more noise.

A light appeared at the end of the hallway – Filch, with a lamp, investigating the racket. Harry turned around and discovered that he had tripped over Mrs Norris, the caretaker’s cat. The cat sniffed the air and moved toward Harry, mewling softly. Harry backed away from Mrs Norris, but the cat continued to follow him, mewling louder and louder. As the light grew brighter, Harry dashed away from Mrs Norris. He ran through the nearest door and closed it behind him.

Harry pressed his ear against the door and listened how Filch investigated the jumbled pieces of armour. Harry could hear the caretaker rearranging the armour, grumbling and cursing the entire time. Even after the hallway grew silent, Harry did not leave his hiding place – he wanted to be certain that Filch had gone.

Waiting, however, was boring. Harry decided to explore the room in which he was hiding. It was a large-ish room with interesting columns and tall windows. The room was almost entirely empty; the only furnishing was a tall mirror, standing precisely in the centre of the room. A strange inscription ran around the frame of the mirror.

Curious, Harry stood in front of the mirror. It only reflected an empty room.

Harry was perplexed, then smiled. He removed the Invisibility Cloak, and was greeted by his mirror image… and more.

Harry spun around. There was nobody behind him.

Harry turned and looked at the mirror again. Yes, there he stood…but behind Harry’s reflection stood his parents, smiling.

Harry wasn’t sure how long he stayed in that room, but he was very tired when he crept back to the Slytherin dormitory.

Harry was fascinated by the mirror. He came back the next night, and the night after that. Each time, the image changed slightly. Once, his reflection was wearing a sweater with a giant –H” on the front, and his mother was carrying knitting needles. Another time, his reflection was tossing a Quaffle with his father.

On the third night, Harry brought Draco with him. He wanted to show his parents to Draco and make sure he wasn’t crazy. Draco, however, saw something different.

–It’s my father,” Draco said. –My father and me. He’s proud of me. He hugged m – – Draco stopped abruptly.

–What?”

Draco’s tone had changed. All the wonder was gone from his voice, replaced with tension. –He hugged my mother.”

–You didn’t say your mother was there.”

–Well, she was. My father hugged my mother and they were happy and I’m standing in front of them and I’m happy too. We’re all happy.” Harry had the impression that Draco was lying about what he saw. The next day, the boys did not speak of the mirror, and Harry didn’t invite Draco to return.

On the fourth night, Harry saw his mother carrying a small child wrappen in a blue blanket: Harry’s brother, who had never been born.

Harry was suddenly filled with anger. Was this what Voldemort had taken from him? His parents, his brother? His childhood? His entire life?

Harry squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his hands into fists. He was trembling with rage.

When he opened his eyes, the image in the mirror had changed. Harry saw himself, older and alone, with a wand in his hand. His reflection waved the wand, and mist appeared, coalescing into two human shapes. Those shapes gained colour, became solid, and formed themselves into Harry’s parents.

‘How much magic would it take?’ Harry thought. And, almost immediately, the words of the Sorting Hat entered his mind: Slytherin could make you great…

–Back again, Harry?”

Harry spun around. He had been so wrapped in his own thoughts that he hadn’t heard Dumbledore enter the room. The headmaster was standing slightly behind Harry, his face serene.

–Professor, I…”

Dumbledore held up a hand, stopping Harry mid-sentence. –Do you understand what you are seeing in the mirror, Harry?”

–The future that might have been?” Harry guessed.

Dumbledore smiled. –Perhaps. But perhaps not. The Mirror of Erised shows your heart’s deepest wishes, Harry. If I may be so bold, what is it that you see?”

–I see my parents,” Harry whispered.

Dumbledore’s face fell, as if he was succumbing to a distant sadness. –A worthy desire, Harry, to see your family again. Nevertheless, the Mirror of Erised is dangerous. Many great wizards have wasted away in front of this mirror, trapped in its lies and their own longing. For that reason, the mirror will be moved tomorrow. I ask for your promise that you will not seek it out again.”

Harry nodded.

–Good,” said Dumbledore. –Now, if you will take one last look, I will escort you back to your dormitory.”

Harry turned to the mirror again, expecting to see one last glimpse of his parents.

Instead, Harry’s older reflection stood alone in the centre of the mirror. The mirror grew darker and darker around his reflection, his eyes glittering bright green and black as if lit by fire.



AN: Thank you for reading. Please take the time to leave a review. I'd really appreciate it.
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Chapter 5 by EmmaGM
Chapter Five: Pansy’s Birthday Party

As the term went on, Harry discovered that he was slightly growing bored with his classes. Early in the year, he had been fascinated with the simple prospect of doing magic. Now, the lustre had worn of, and he was beginning to realize that he was at school, which required doing work and listening to teachers as they gave lectures. History of Magic, taught by the ghost of Professor Binns, was notoriously sleep-inducing. The class had so little to do with the actual practice of magic that Harry and Draco would alternate taking notes while the other slept through the lecture.

Professor Quirrell’s Defence Against the Dark Arts class was surprisingly tedious, as well. Harry had high hopes for the class – what could be more interesting than an entire class about fighting, after all – but Quirrell taught predominantly by lecture. This was an odd choice, given Quirrell’s notorious stutter. Harry stayed awake and paid attention, because he wanted to learn magic, but he always left the class with a headache. Probably from Quirrell’s stutter.

Potions with Professor Snape had improved, even though he needed quite a bit of help from Draco. Harry had begun to receive the benefits of Snape’s Slytherin favouritism, and that was just fine with Harry.

Charms had proved to be Harry’s favourite subject, with its large amount of wandwork and spellcasting. Although Harry had lagged significantly behind the magically raised students at the start of the year, he discovered quickly that he had a natural talent for charms work. He could think of at least one troll who could attest to his skill at the levitation charm. In Charms, Harry felt most like a wizard, and he devoted extra time to studying. Because many of the Charms had practical applications – levitating trunks, repairing broken items, tickling classmates – Harry found plenty of opportunities to practice.

In the early spring, Pansy decided to throw herself a birthday party in the Slytherin common room. Harry knew that Pansy wanted to do something for her birthday, but he was surprised by the scale of her plan. Her party was announced at breakfast when over forty owls simultaneously swarmed over the Slytherin table, delivering absurdly ornate invitations.

As the week progressed, Harry heard many of the upper-year Slytherins grumbling about Pansy’s party: Pansy was arrogant, Pansy was presumptuous, Pansy didn’t know her place. Pansy apparently heard the rumblings, as well. Exactly one week after her invitations had been delivered, another parliament of owls bombarded the Slytherin table, this time delivering supplementary notices promising live entertainment, elite catering and a walking birthday cake in the shape of Gilderoy Lockhart.

The murmurs among the upper-year Slytherins quickly ceased. Nobody wanted to risk being un-invited.

Two weeks before the party, Harry found Draco lying in their dormitory, flipping through a World’s Edge clothing catalogue. Next to him was a piece of parchment covered with notes. On the pages of the catalogue, well-dressed wizards laughed on boats, smiled while eating fruit salad, and tossed Quaffles to one another in clothing not at all suited for sport. Occasionally, they stood on beaches with similarly well-dressed witches.

–What are you wearing to the party?” Draco asked, without looking up.

–Er, my robes?” Harry looked down at his clothes. Nothing was wrong with them that he could see.

–Harry. Please. I’m trying to decide and you’re not being helpful at all.”

–I was serious,” Harry said.

Draco looked up and saw that Harry was, in fact, serious. –Muggle raised. Harry, you can’t just wear your normal school robes. You’ll be laughed out of Slytherin. This is an event. You have to carefully consider what you wear.” Draco turned back to the catalogue. –Hopefully, you’ll wear something new,” he said, half to himself.

–Why does it matter?”

–Some days, I think you’re completely hopeless.” Draco made another note on his parchment, then sat up and closed the catalogue. –What you wear makes a statement. It says ‘I’m serious’, or ‘I’m playful’, or ‘your party is so shameful I hardly dressed up’, or ‘I’m such a nitwit that I didn’t know how to dress up properly’.”

–Hey!”

–It’s true,” Draco said with a shrug. –Whether you want to or not, you’ll be making a statement with what you wear. Here’s a good catalogue. I picked out what I want, so you can keep it.”

Harry took the catalogue. –Can’t I just copy from your order?”

–No, you cannot. If you did, your clothes would say, ‘I’m not able to dress myself’, and my clothes would say, ‘I’m dumb enough to wear the exact same clothes as my best friend’.” Draco shook his head. –Choose something for yourself, for both our sakes.”

Later that night, Harry sat on a couch in the Slytherin common room, flipping through the World’s Edge catalogue over and over. Nothing made sense to Harry. In the Muggle world he had been forced to wear Dudley’s hand-me-downs, but at least he understood what clothing items were, even if he didn’t understand fashion. The wizarding catalogue contained items that Harry could barely comprehend. The whip-crack ties, for instance, appeared to be neck ties which would untie themselves and snap at the faces of passers-by. The eruptorlinks that were worn on the cuffs of dress shirts seemed to fire small sets of magma every ten to fifteen minutes. At one point, Harry thought he was looking at a coat, only to discover that the item was intended to be worn as a hat.

Harry closed the catalogue with a grunt of frustration.

–Having a hard time with clothes?”

Harry looked up. Tracey Davis was sitting in a chair across from him, but Harry hadn’t noticed her sit down. The blonde girl had her legs curled up underneath her.

–I’m trying to figure out what to wear for Pansy’s party, but I can’t make sense of anything,” said Harry.

–Why don’t you wear something you already have? It won’t be new, but you won’t have to worry.”

Harry could feel himself blushing slightly. –All I have are school robes, actually.”

–Oh. That is a problem then.” Tracey walked over to the couch and sat down next to Harry. –Let’s have a look. We’ll find you something good. Was there anything you liked?”

Harry pointed at a robe in the catalogue. –I don’t like this robe, but it’s black so I wouldn’t have to buy new pants.”

–Black never matches black.”

–Huh?”

–These clothes are all made from different fabrics and different weaves, and then they’re dyed differently. Unless it’s from the same company, same material, same batch, it won’t match. Even then, sometimes not.”

Harry nodded as if he understood. Davis continued to speak, staring at the catalogue as she flipped from page to page.

–The worst thing anyone can do is try to match, and fail,” Tracey said. –The party is soon, so you won’t have any time to return and re-order. That means we should stick with neutrals or colour compliments. You’ll probably need new everything.” The words coming out of Tracey’s mouth were as strange to Harry as all the spells he had learned at Hogwarts.

–How about this, then?” Harry pointed at another robe.

Tracey clucked her tongue. –You’re much more of a winter than a summer.”

–What?”

–That’s far too red-orange. You need a blue-red.”

–What?!”

–You really were muggle raised, weren’t you?” Tracey had moved on from robes to ties in the catalogue.

–Why do people keep saying that?”

–I’ll just pick something for you, Harry. Thank me after the party, please.” Tracey never looked up from the pages of World’s Edge. Harry resigned himself to looking over Tracey’s shoulder, his clothing no completely out of his hands.

On the evening of the party, Harry dressed himself in his new robes, new pants, and new shirt, new tie, even new socks. The only things that weren’t new were his shoes. And his underwear. Harry wasn’t going to discuss that with a girl.

As he stood in front of the mirror in his dormitory, he had to admit: Davis knew what she was doing. His robes were dove grey, and his pants were dark charcoal with ash grey socks. His shirt was slate grey and had heather grey pinstripes. Harry’s tie, however, was solid yellow. The yellow was so blinding that Harry was convinced the colour could not have been created without magic.

–Can’t I wear something other than grey?” Harry had asked Tracey when the clothes arrived.

–No. It’s a look.”

–What colour are my robes again?”

–Dove.”

–Dove is a kind of grey?”

–Yes.”

–Do I have to wear a yellow tie?”

–Yes. It’s an accent piece.”

–You sound like you’re decorating a house.”

–You’re acting like a house.”

–That doesn’t make sense.”

–Neither does your inability to dress yourself.” And that had been the end of it.

Draco came up behind Harry in the dormitory, taking a moment to appraise his friend’s state of dress. –You look respectable,” Draco said. –How did you manage that?”

–Davis picked everything out. I’m just wearing it.”

–Yikes.” Draco made a face. –Why Davis? I’m sure Pansy would have helped you.”

–Davis offered,” Harry said. –What’s wrong with that?”

–She’s a weird one,” Draco said.

–Weird how?” Harry hadn’t noticed anything that was particularly wrong with Davis. She was quiet, and kept to herself. Her only friend seemed to be Daphne Greengrass.

Draco shrugged. –I’m just saying that I wouldn’t trust her to dress me. Then again, I’ve been able to dress myself for years. How many different kinds of grey are you wearing exactly?”

Harry furrowed his brow and glared at his friend. –Shut it, Draco.” He paused for a moment. –Five.”

Draco laughed. –Come down to the common room. The party’s about to –– Before Draco could finish his sentence, the boom of music began playing through the Slytherin common room. –Strike that. The party has started. Let’s make our appearance, shall we?”

Almost all of Slytherin gathered in the common room. Several tables covered in plates of food were pushed up against one wall. Charmed servingware hovered over the buffet, threatening to dump food onto anything plate-shaped that happened to pass by. On the opposite side of the room was a live band, comprised of two recently graduated Slytherins and the least famous member of the moderately famous, but broken up wizarding band Wandcast. A six foot tall animated birthday cake stumbled through the room. Harry couldn’t say whether or not the cake looked like Gilderoy Lockhart, but it did look delicious.

When Pansy saw Draco and Harry, she squealed and skipped over. –You boys look so cute! Thank you for coming to my party!”

–Er, no problem,” said Harry.

Draco took Pansy’s hand and brushed it lightly with his lips. –Pansy, I would never miss such an auspicious event.”

Pansy smiled and took Draco’s arm. –Let’s go say hello to Blaise and Theo,” she said, pulling Draco toward Zabini and Nott, a pair of first year boys. Draco looked back at Harry and shrugged, then allowed himself to be led through the room.

Harry, suddenly without his best friend, realized that he had never been to a party before, and that he had no idea what to do with himself. For lack of a better plan, he wandered toward the food and selected a few tasty looking items. All too quickly, Harry found himself with a plate of food, a glass of pumpkin juice, but still no idea of what to do with himself.

–Harry! Over here!” Daphne Greengrass, another first year, was waving at Harry from across the room. Daphne was a tall, slim girl with dark hair blue eyes. She and Harry hadn’t spoken much throughout the year, but she was sitting at a table with Tracey Davis. Harry quickly crossed the room, glad to have somebody to talk to.

–You look nice tonight,” Daphne said as Harry sat down.

–Thanks, Tracey picked it out.”

Daphne smiled. –Oh, I know. Tracey hasn’t been able to stop talking about it.”

Harry glanced over at Davis, who immediately flopped forward, covering her face with her arms. Despite Davis’ attempts to hide, Harry could still see her ears turning red.

–I’m lucky she came along,” Harry said. –I was completely helpless. My first instinct was to wear school robes, and my second was to copy what Draco had ordered.”

Daphne laughed. –Oh, that is helpless. Are you certain you don’t belong in Hufflepuff?”

Harry stuck his tongue out at Daphne. –The Sorting Hat tried to put me in Hufflepuff, you know.”

–Harry, that’s not something you should say out loud!” Greengrass sat back in her chair and placed an open hand over her mouth. –Wait, are you taking the mickey?”

Harry shook his head. –Not at all. And when I still wanted Slytherin, it tried to send me to Gryffindor.”

–What did you do?” Greengrass actually was shocked, at this point. Even Davis had looked up, her curiosity overcoming her embarrassment.

–I insisted on Slytherin. Demanded it, actually.”

–Wow,” said Daphne. –I don’t know if I could have done that.”

Harry rubbed his knuckles on his robes. –It’s not that big of a deal. If I could trick the Sorting Hat into putting me into Slytherin, I probably belonged here all along.” Harry took a sip of his pumpkin juice. –Are you girls enjoying the party?”

–It’s a little much,” Daphne said, –but that’s what you get from a Parkinson.”

–Oh?”

Tracey sat up and spoke in a quiet voice. –The Greengrasses and the Parkinsons are both old pureblood families. They know each other a little too well, and familiarity breeds contempt.”

–Not at all,” said Daphne, raising her chin. –What breeds contempt is an entire family’s failure to realize that having money does not require spending it on ostentatious frivolities.” Harry had the impression that Daphne had said that sentence, or something like it, many times before.

As Daphne finished speaking, the Lockhart cake stumbled past. The cake was (unsuccessfully) trying to evade Crabbe and Goyle, who were chasing behind it with forks.

–I fail to see anything ostentatious or frivolous about this party,” Harry said, eyes on the walking cake. He struggled to keep his face perfectly expressionless

–I agree,” said Davis, forcing her mouth into a thin line. –This is obviously serious business.”

Daphne nodded solemnly. –Business of the most serious kind.”

The tree students broke out into peals of laughter.

Harry enjoyed his time with Daphne and Tracey. Daphne was easy to talk to, and Tracey, although rather quiet, always seemed to be intensely involved in the conversation. At some point in the evening, Pansy swooped over to Harry’s table. Draco collapsed into a chair next to Harry. Pansy remained standing, nearly bouncing on her heels with excitement.

–Daphne, you absolutely must see the dress my mother bought me!” Pansy was off at a sprint, clearly expecting Daphne to follow.

–Oh, I must.” Daphne glanced over at Tracey. –Come on, Tracey. I’m not doing this alone.” The two girls stood and followed Pansy across the common room.

Harry finally had time to look at Draco. Draco’s tie was loose and askew, his robes had several wrinkles and creases, and there appeared to be a stain on his sleeve.

–What happened to you?” Harry asked.

Draco shook his head. –Pansy. It’s like she’s been drinking Pepper Up Potions all day.”

–Fancy a game of Exploding Snap?”

After a few games of cards, Crabbe and Goyle walked by and asked to join. Across the room, the Lockhart cake had collapsed. Massive holes had been torn from its legs and torso. The person or persons responsible were obvious, based on the cake smeared on Crabbe and Goyle’s faces and hands.

Harry re-dealt the cards for four-way. Draco won, which wasn’t surprising to Harry. Harry and Draco had played many games of Exploding Snap, and Draco almost always won. What was surprising to Harry was Crabbe coming in second. Harry had never seen Crabbe display any particular cleverness before.

Goyle was dead last.

As Draco dealt for the next game, a shadow fell over the table. Harry looked up and found Marcus Flint, captain of the Quidditch team, looming over him. He would never admit it, but he had a bit of hero worship for the Slytherin chaser.

–Potter. Malfoy.” Flint was a man of few words.

Harry was too stunned to speak, but Draco played things smooth.

–Flint, hello! Care for a game of Exploding Snap?”

Flint shook his head. –I came over here to talk. I’ve looked at the flying grades for first years, and you two are the best. Bring your brooms next year. There’ll be an open spot on the team, and we might keep a reserve player.”

–Got it,” said Draco.

Without another word, Flint turned and walked away.

–But grades haven’t been released,” Goyle said.

–Of course they haven’t,” said Draco. –Flint probably got them from Professor Snape.”

–But why would Snape have our flying grades?” Goyle’s brow was furrowed as he tried to process what happened.

–I bet Snape got them from Madam Hooch,” said Harry. –He probably does it every year. Tell her that he’s making a midterm evaluation of Slytherin first years, or some other excuse.”

Draco smiled. –Then he gives the grades to Flint, and Flint can recruit for next year. Better recruiting means better players…”

–…which is why we keep winning the Quidditch Cup,” said Crabbe. –I like it.”

The boys resumed their game of Exploding Snap, now excitedly discussing Quidditch. Flint had practically told Harry and Draco that they would make the Quidditch team next year. Harry imagined the roar of the Slytherin crowd in his ears as he swooped about the pitch on his broom… It would be fantastic.

Harry was so distracted that he almost lost to Goyle in his last game.



AN: There are two more chapters after this and then this first story is completed. The next instalment will describe Harry’s second year in Slytherin.
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Chapter 6 by EmmaGM
Chapter Six: The Philosopher’s Stone

It was night-time, and a light fog was rolling over the grounds of Hogwarts. An odd group of students stood outside Hagrid’s hut: Harry, Draco, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Harry was stamping his feet to keep warm.

Harry had finally convinced Hagrid that a dragon was not a pet. It had taken weeks of prompting, and a close call in which Norbert had nearly burnt down Hagrid’s hut, but the gamekeeper had finally conceded. If Hagrid’s hut was going to remain standing, the dragon had to go.

The next problem was determining exactly how to get rid of a dragon. Hagrid wasn’t going to allow Norbert to be released in the care of a poacher or potions dealer – Norbert would be dead within a week and sold in pieces. But there weren’t many private parties interested in purchasing an enormously dangerous pet that would likely burn down their house and eat their family, either. Hagrid even contacted Gringotts, but the Goblins replied that they already had a dragon to guard their bank.

Then Harry remembered Ron Weasley’s older brother. Harry had convinced Weasley to organise the midnight exchange. Weasley had insisted that he be allowed to bring along Granger – it wasn’t every day that you had the opportunity to see a dragon. Harry realised that Ron was right, and invited Draco as well.

This was not a good idea.

Weasley and Draco began bickering in the Great Hall and continued all the way to Hagrid’s hut. Granger and Harry hung behind, saying little. The mood was tense as the four students waited in the cold spring air.

–How’d he get the egg, anyway?” asked Weasley.

Harry shrugged. –Somebody gave it to him in a bar.”

Draco sneered. –In a bar? Sounds like the kind of place where you’d find Hagrid.”

Granger’s curiosity was piqued. –People don’t just carry dragon eggs around in bars. And they don’t just give them away, either.”

–So ask Hagrid,” Harry said.

Hagrid insisted that the egg was a gift. –Nice guy, he was,” Hagrid said. –Couldn’ta seen his face, dark hood and all, or I’d want ter give him sommat in return, you know. He bought all the drinks that night, a real good ‘un.”

Granger’s head shot up. –Hagrid, what else did the two of you talk about?”

–Nothin’ much,” Hagrid said. –He was real interested in animals. Had a great talk about Fluffy, we did.”

–Fluffy?” Granger asked.

–The three-headed dog on the third floor,” said Harry.

–That thing is named Fluffy?” said Weasley and Draco in unison. The two immediately began glaring at one another.

–What did you tell him about Fluffy?” asked Granger, not to be distracted. Apparently, Weasley had taken Granger to see the dog, as well.

–Nothin’. I jus’ said that people get scared of animals too easily. With Fluffy, fer instance. Play a little tune and he goes right to sleep.”

After the dragon was taken away, on the way back to the castle, Weasley was insistent that the shadowy figure in the bar must have been Snape. Harry and Draco were vehemently opposed.

–Snape couldn’t get past the dog on Halloween,” Weasley said. –So he got Hagrid drunk and bribed him with a dragon egg. Now Snape knows how to get past the dog, and he’s probably just waiting for a chance.”

Harry shook his head. –Dumbledore knows Snape was up there on Halloween. Snape told Dumbledore himself. You can’t be serious.”

–I am serious. As soon as we get to the castle, I’m going to tell Dumbledore.”

–Go ahead,” said Draco. –But don’t expect us to go with you.”

At the castle doors, the Gryffindors split away from the Slytherins. As soon as Weasley and Granger were out of sight, Harry pulled out his Invisibility Cloak.

–I want to see what Dumbledore says,” Harry whispered.

Draco and Harry slipped under the cloak and followed the pair of Gryffindors. Before they could find Dumbledore, however, Weasley and Granger stumbled upon Professor McGonagall. McGonagall denied their request to see the headmaster, and gave the pair a detention the next evening for breaking curfew. Granger and Weasley protested, but McGonagall remained firm.

Underneath the Cloak, Harry and Draco snickered, then quietly snuck back to the Slytherin dormitory.



–How was that detention, Weasley?” Harry asked.

Weasley and Granger were seated at the Gryffindor table for lunch. Harry and Draco stood behind them.

–Shut up, Potter,” said Weasley. –I got that detention because I was helping you. You owe me.”

Harry laughed. –You got that detention because you were being stupid about Professor Snape.”

–I am not being stupid about Snape,” Weasley snapped.

Draco chimed in. –What did you have to do? Clean under desks?”

–No, we went into the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid,” said Granger. –Something or someone has been killing unicorns and drinking their blood.”

Draco and Harry glanced at each other. It sounded gruesome… and a little cool.

–Did you find anything?” Harry asked.

–We found a dead unicorn,” said Granger. –Somebody in a black cloak ––

–Snape,” said Weasley.

–– was drinking its blood. Whoever it was ––

–Snape,” said Weasley, again.

–– started going after us. Luckily, a Centaur stepped in and saved us.”

–Saved us from Snape,” Weasley said. –Black cloak, swoops around like a giant bat, drinks the blood of innocents to survive…”

Granger swatted Weasley on the arm. –Ronald, have some respect. Professor Snape is still a teacher.”

–Indeed, I am,” said a clipped voice. The four students turned and saw Professor Snape looming over them. –All four of you will be late for Potions unless you leave for class immediately. It would be in your best interests to do so.”

The four students stood and briskly walked out of the Great Hall.



The next day, Weasley was at the front of the Great Hall after dinner, practically shouting at Professor McGonagall. –What do you mean Professor Dumbledore’s gone to London? I need to talk to him!”

–Mr Weasley, I suggest you calm down. Professor Dumbledore’s whereabouts were to remain somewhat secret, although that is clearly no longer the case. As Deputy Headmistress, anything that you would say to Professor Dumbledore, you can also say to me.”

As Draco and Harry watched, Weasley leaned forward and whispered to McGonagall. Weasley pointed upward several times, twice in the direction of Hagrid’s hut, and then gestured wildly at the empty seat where Professor Snape usually took his dinner.

Professor McGonagall whispered to Weasley, whose face turned a bright red. Weasley spun on his heel and stiffly walked back to the Gryffindor table.

Harry and Draco snickered.

On the way back to the Slytherin common room, Harry heard something strange.

–Draco, listen. Does that sound like a harp to you?”

Draco paused. –Yes. Never heard that before.”

From above came the sound of a slamming door, and the music of the harp was suddenly gone. None of the other students seemed remotely curious – what would otherwise be strange happenings became rather commonplace when one lived at Hogwarts.

–You don’t think…” Harry hesitated. –I mean, that door could have been on the third floor. And Fluffy likes music. And Professor Snape did leave dinner early tonight.”

Draco smirked. –Only one way to find out.”



Harry and Draco stood just inside the door to Fluffy’s hallway. The enormous dog was sleeping peacefully. Nearby, an enchanted harp played a lullaby.

–There’s no way Weasley was right,” Draco said. –It can’t be Snape.”

–It’s somebody,” Harry said.

There was a noise behind them. The door to the hallway opened and Weasley and Granger slipped through.

–Took you two long enough,” Draco said.

The Gryffindors jumped, startled. –What are you two doing here?” Weasley demanded.

–We heard music and got curious,” Harry said. –Want to go find out who’s trying to steal something from Nicolas Flamel?”

In unison, Weasley and Draco said: –The Philosopher’s Stone!” The two glared at one another.

–What’s the Philosopher’s Stone?” Harry asked.

–A Philosopher’s Stone can make the Elixir of Life,” said Draco. –Drink it, and you can be immortal.”

–You can also use it to turn lead into gold,” said Granger. –It’s a legendary pursuit of alchemists in the Muggle world.”

Draco nodded. –It gives you all the money in the world and a life long enough to use it. My father’s always going on about what he’d do if he had one.”

–Dumbledore and Flamel are the last two wizards powerful enough to create one,” said Weasley. –That must be what’s hidden here.” The other students looked at him in surprise. –What? It was on a Chocolate Frog card.”

Granger stepped forward. –Well? Are we going to follow him?”

Harry hesitated. He remembered the words of Professor Snape on Halloween: the glory of Slytherin was not the glory of a hero. But if Snape was the one trying to steal the Philosopher’s Stone, then maybe he was just telling Harry that to keep Harry off the trail. And if Snape wasn’t the one trying to steal the Stone, then catching the real thief would clear Snape’s name and put Weasley in his place. And Harry would be saving the Philosopher’s Stone – immortality and infinite money! Surely that risk was worth the reward…

–Let’s do it,” said Harry.

Harry crept forward on his tiptoes, walking as silently as possible. Draco, Weasley and Granger followed behind him. The magical harp plinked and plucked in the background. Slightly ahead of Harry, Fluffy snored loudly, each of the heads taking alternating breaths. When Harry reached the trap door next to Fluffy, he opened it slowly and looked inside.

–No ladder,” he whispered.

–Maybe we just jump,” suggested Weasley.

–Sounds like a good way to get killed,” said Draco.

–Can we levitate down?” asked Harry.

Granger shook her head. –You can’t hover yourself. Magic won’t allow it.”

–What about each other?”

–Maybe…” Granger put her hand on her chin, lost in thought. The hallway was absolutely silent. Weasley opened his mouth to say something, but Harry put a finger to his lips – he didn’t want Weasley breaking Granger’s train of thought. –Or we could put our hands and feet on opposite walls. Friction would stop us from falling, and we could shuffle down.”

–Guys?” said Weasley.”I think we should jump.”

–And I think you’re stupid,” Draco said.

–No, I really think we should jump.” As Weasley spoke, there was a loud rumbling noise, soon joined by a second and a third.

Harry’s first thought was that the rumbling would overwhelm the music of the harp and wake Fluffy. His second thought was that the harp had already stopped playing, which meant that Fluffy was already awake. His third thought was, given the choice between jumping into the trap door or being eaten by a giant, three-headed dog, Harry would much rather jump.

–Jumping it is,” Harry said, leaping into the hole. As he fell, he heard yelling behind him: Granger, Weasley and Draco had all quickly followed.

As Harry fell, he saw a dim light illuminating the bottom of the hole. The floor appeared to be covered in green vines. Harry braced himself for a hard landing, bending his knees and tucking his body into a roll. The vines turned out to be soft and pliant, and they broke his fall rather comfortably. Harry continued his roll so that his friends wouldn’t land on top of him, and ended on his hands and knees. As he stood, he was already glancing around the chamber for any sign of the thief, but there were none.

Behind Harry, Draco and Granger landed on the vines. Draco was forced to dive away to prevent Weasley from falling on top of him.

–Watch it, Weasley!”

–Watch yourself,” Weasley yelled back.

Harry felt something slither around his arms. He looked down and found that the vines had begun to thrash and writhe, and they began tightening around his arms and legs. Harry began to shout for help.

–Oh, I know this!” said Granger. –This is Devil’s Snare!”

–Thanks for the identification!” Harry snapped. He had been caught unawares, and was being pulled to his hands and knees. –Help?”

Granger and Weasley began frantically marching around the room, yanking their legs free from the vines before they became fully entangled. Draco tried to get to his feet, but a vine wrapped around his waist and dragged him back to the floor.

Granger was thinking out loud. –Devil’s Snare likes the damp and the dark, so…”

–So burn it out!” shouted Draco. Vines were now covering his arms and legs, and were moving up his torso toward his head. Meanwhile, Harry was being pulled downward, straining desperately to keep his face from touching the wriggling mass of plants.

–Oh right!” Hermione shouted the words to a spell and blue flames erupted from her wand. The vines jerked away from the flames, retreating into the farthest corner of the room. Hermione directed the flames toward Draco, who had become so entangled in the vines that only his face was visible. The vines uncurled themselves and released the blond boy, who scrambled away from them on his hands and knees. Finally, Hermione moved the flames toward Harry, who had completely succumbed to the vines and was now only a green lump on the floor. When the vines finally withdrew, Harry lay prone on the ground for several moments, taking deep gasping breaths.

–At least that wasn’t horrible,” Draco said sarcastically.

Harry stood slowly. –Glad one of us paid attention in Herbology.” Harry looked around the chamber – there was only one door. –Onward, I guess.”

The four students moved forward into the next room, finding it filled with hundreds of winged keys. In the middle of the room hovered several broomsticks. On the opposite wall was a single door with a large, ornate rock.

–Seems straightforward,” said Draco. Before anybody could speak, Draco was aloft on a broom, chasing after keys in the air. Weasley followed quickly behind him, and Harry limped slowly toward the last broom. Granger, who had never liked flying class, stayed on the ground.

–It’s probably the key with the broken wing,” Draco yelled. He and Weasley began chasing the key through the room. Harry, once he was aloft, joined them.

Weasley was the slowest flyer, but his turns were sharp and crisp. Harry was the fastest in a sprint, but he couldn’t manoeuvre as well as Draco and Weasley. The key, however, was more agile than all of them. Worse, the closer the boys got to the broken-winged key, the closer the other keys flew in formation. Like a herd of zebras or a school of fish, it was almost impossible to focus on one particular key.

After several minutes of frantic flying, the boys had still not caught the key.

–What now?” Weasley said.

Draco looked at Harry. –How about Harry flushes is out, Weasley corners it, and I come from below for the catch?”

Harry nodded and began chasing the key around the room. Weasley lurked to one side, forcing the key to turn toward Harry. The flock of keys began to tighten up, protecting the broken key.

As the key passed above Draco, the blond boy darted upward on his broom. Draco snatched at the key as he passed, but missed. The flock of keys exploded into chaos. Harry’s eyes never lost track of the broken key, however. As the key twisted away from Draco, Harry darted forward and snatched it from the air.

Granger clapped and cheered as the three boys dropped to the floor.

–How’d you manage that catch?” Draco asked, astonished.

Harry shrugged. –Beginner’s luck, I guess.”

Harry unlocked the door and the four students stepped into the next room. They found themselves on the edge of a massive chessboard. Enormous chess pieces stood on the board like silent sentinels. White was nearest, and black stood by the opposite door.

–Neat,” said Draco flippantly. –Let’s go.” As Draco stepped onto the board, the spire-shaped bishop on his square dissolved into dust. Draco moved to step forward onto a pawn’s space and instead smashed his face into an invisible wall. Draco fell backwards onto the floor, where he sat and rubbed his nose. –What the hell was that?”

Weasley’s eyes went wide. –It wasn’t a legal move. We have to play ourselves across.” Weasley began shouting orders, directing Granger and Harry to play as rooks, and taking the place of a knight himself. Weasley was confident in his actions, moving pawns and pieces around the board with authority. Harry recognized that the Gryffindor had significant experience playing chess, and deferred to Weasley. Draco apparently recognised this, as well, and stayed sullenly quiet through the majority of the game.

White, under Weasley’s control, took the first pawn. A white knight moved up and over, attacking the smaller black pawn. The knight came alive as it moved, raising its arms and crushing the black pawn to pieces.

–That’s rather awful,” said Harry. –What happens if one of us gets taken?”

Weasley’s face had gone white. –Let’s not find out.”

Weasley’s directions became more careful. He took longer and longer to deliberate between moves. Harry could see, even from across the room, that the Gryffindor had broken into a sweat.

–Okay, that’s it,” said Weasley. –We’ve won the game!”

Harry looked around, but nothing happened. The king wasn’t in checkmate. –Looks like we’re still playing,” Harry said.

–There’s a mating pattern,” Weasley said. –We’re guaranteed checkmate in three moves. Normally, the opponent concedes at this point.”

Draco looked around darkly. –Doesn’t look like concession is part of this game. Just win it, and we’ll go on.”

–You’re not going to like this, Malfoy,” Weasley said. –You have to sacrifice yourself.”

–What?!”

–I do, too! It’s the mating pattern, checkmate in three moves. I put the king in check. They have to take my piece, or they lose. Then you put the king in check by moving there.” Weasley pointed at a spot on the board. –They have to take your piece or they lose. But then they’re cornered. Harry moves three spaces up, puts the king in check, and nothing can take his piece or get in the way. Checkmate, we win the game.”

Draco shook his head. –This is stupid. I’m not getting myself attacked by some giant chess piece for a lark!” Draco moved to leave the chess board, but again found himself trapped at the edge of his square. He pounded at the invisible wall with his fist. –Let me out!”

–That’s not a legal move, Malfoy,” Weasley said quietly. –We’re in this to the end.”

Draco turned to Harry. –This is what Gryffindor gets you.”

Weasley slowly stepped forward. –Check,” he announced. A black rook responded, sliding forward and striking Weasley in the head. Weasley collapsed, and the black chess piece tossed his limp body to the edge of the board.

Draco stormed onto the square Weasley had previously indicated. –Check,” he snapped. A pawn slid diagonally forward. Draco raised his hand to protect his head, and the pawn punched him in the ribs. Draco clutched his side, and staggered of the board, collapsing next to Weasley.

Harry advanced three spaces. –Checkmate.” The black king dissolved into dust, and the remaining black pieces froze in place. Harry tentatively walked forward, and found that the edges of his square were no longer blocked by the magical wall.

–Are you alright?” Harry yelled to Draco.

–No, not at all,” said Draco, wincing as he spoke.

–What about Ron? He might have a concussion!” asked Granger.

–I’ll keep an eye on the prat,” said Draco angrily. –Just go. I’ll be furious if I did that for nothing.”

Granger and Harry looked at each other, then slowly walked through the next door. A familiar but repulsive smell assaulted their nostrils – the rank scent of troll. The troll lay in the middle of the room, unconscious with a large lump on its head.

–That was easy,” said Harry. –Let’s be quick about it.”

Harry and Granger dashed across the room and through the next door. In the middle of the next room was a table, and on the table sat seven bottles and a piece of parchment. As Harry and Granger moved into the room, the door slammed behind them. Giant purple flames erupted from the floor between them and the door.

–No going back,” Harry said. Harry turned to look at the opposite door just in time to see black flames ignite in front of it, barring their progress.

–No going forward either,” said Granger.

The students approached the table. A riddle was written on the piece of parchment, giving small hints about the contents of the bottles: three were poison, which would incapacitate a thief; two were wine, which would subsequent attempts at solving the riddle more difficult; one was a potion to move through the black flames; and one was a potion to move backward through the purple.

–It’s not even magic,” Granger said. –It’s logic, just like the chess set. So many wizards don’t have an ounce of common sense…”

Harry nodded. –Good thing we’re Muggle raised, right?”

–Right.” Granger leaned forward and began considering the bottles. Harry did the same, re-reading the riddle several times.

Harry and Granger stood up and pointed at the smallest bottle. –That one,” they said in unison. They turned to one another and smiled.

Harry lifted the bottle and shook it. –There’s only enough for one.”

–Potter. Er… Harry. I’ve been thinking. Ron and I came here to stop Snape.” Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Hermione held up her hand to stop him. –Whether it’s Snape or someone else, Ron and I didn’t know what Fluffy was guarding. Whoever is on the other side of that door would probably do anything to get to the Philosopher’s Stone.”

A wizard who is willing to do anything to get what he wants…

–You don’t have to go. I’ll do it,” Harry said. –Whoever it is, they shouldn’t be stealing from Dumbledore and Hagrid.”

–That’s not what I meant,” said Granger. –Maybe we should go get Professor McGonagall. All of us.”

Harry shook his head. –Going to McGonagall didn’t work earlier tonight, and it won’t work now. You should take the escape potion. Use the brooms from the flying key room to get up to the trap door and past Fluffy. Take Draco and Ron to the hospital wing, and tell a Professor that I’m still down here. That’ll get the staff here fast, if they think I’m in danger.”

–Harry, they won’t just think you’re in danger. You’ll actually be in danger.”

Harry smiled. –I’ll rely on my Slytherin cunning to keep me safe.”

Granger nodded, then darted forward. She hugged Harry tightly. –Thank you for Halloween,” she whispered. She stepped back and quickly drank the other potion. –I’ll be back with help. Good luck.”

Harry watched as Hermione stepped through the purple flames before he turned to face the final door. He raised the bottle to his lips and swallowed deeply. The potion coursed through his body like ice. Taking a last, deep breath, Harry stepped forward through the black flames.



Only one more chapter to go and then this story will be finished. Thank you for reading and please let me know what you think!
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Chapter 7 by EmmaGM
Chapter 7: Quirrell

As Harry stepped into the final room, he was surprised to see the Mirror of Erised standing in the centre. Even more surprising was the figure staring into the mirror: Professor Quirrell.

–Professor?”

Without turning around, Quirrell waved his wand. Ropes appeared out of the air and bound Harry’s arms tightly to his sides. Stunned, Harry dropped his wand to the ground. Quirell slowly turned.

–Potter. Rather surprising. I knew I was being followed, but I thought it would be Severus. That overgrown bat has been looming over my shoulder all year. But now, with Dumbledore in London, I have all the time in the world to seize the Philosopher’s Stone.”

Harry could feel a headache beginning to form, just from listening to Quirrell’s words. Oddly, Quirrell’s stutter seemed to have disappeared completely. The Professor walked over to Harry and picked up his wand from the ground.

–Professor Snape has been trying to stop you?” Harry was desperately processing the new information.

–He has been interfering all year. I almost had the Stone on Halloween when I released the troll into the school, but Snape recognised the distraction for what it was. He went directly to the third floor, and I couldn’t even attempt to grab the Stone. On top of that, he didn’t even get himself properly eaten by that enormous mutt.”

Snape had been protecting the school. Harry knew that Granger and Weasley were wrong.

Quirrell began to stalk back and forth in front of the Mirror of Erised. –But now, here we are. No Dumbledore, no Snape, and Harry Potter helpless. This mirror is the key to finding the Stone, I know, but how? I see myself with the Stone, I see myself making the Elixir of Life, and I see myself reviving my master. But how do I get the Stone!”

–Your master?”

Quirrell laughed. –Surely, you must have realized by now. What better use for the Elixir of Life than to revive the Dark Lord?”

Harry’s eyes went wide. –Voldemort is dead. He died ten years ago.”

–If you think that the Dark Lord is dead, you are truly a fool. My master is always with me.” Quirrell turned back to the mirror. –Help me, master. Where is the Stone? Is it in the mirror? Must I break it?”

Harry was convinced that Quirrell had gone mad. Horrifically, a reedy, rasping voice responded to Quirrell’s question. The source of the voice appeared to be Quirrell himself, but Harry could clearly see that the Professor’s lips weren’t moving.

–Use the boy…”*

Quirrell walked past Harry, and used his thick-soled boot to kick Harry forward. Harry stumbled ahead, trying to catch his balance, and found himself standing directly in front of the mirror.

–What do you see, Potter? Tell me!”

Harry closed his eyes, squinting them shut with fear. Faced with a servant of Voldemort, Harry was desperate for help. He thought of the night his parents died, Halloween. He thought of his parents, and how they would have fought to protect him. He imagined them by his side, and wished for the thousandth time that his parents were still alive.

–Open your eyes, boy!” Quirrell struck the back of Harry’s head, and Harry’s eyes snapped open.

In the Mirror of Erised, Harry saw himself, older but not yet old, green eyes glinting. In his hand was the Philosopher’s Stone. Harry’s reflection waved his wand above the Stone. A mist flowed outward from the Stone, forming itself into two human silhouettes. The mist quickly gained colour and substance, and Harry’s reflection was soon flanked by the smiling forms of Lily and James Potter.

–I see… myself,” Harry said. –And my parents.”

Quirrell flicked his wand, and Harry was shoved aside. –Useless.”

The strange voice spoke again. –Bring the boy back. Let me face him.”

–But master,” Quirrell said. –You are not strong enough yet!”

–Obey.”

–Yes, master.” Quirrell began unwrapping his turban. When the last wrap was removed, Quirrell turned away from Harry. The back of Quirrell’s head was hairless. A loathsome face was staring at Harry: a slit nose, scaly lips pressed into a thin line, and two malevolent eyes with vertical pupils. The face of Lord Voldemort.

–Harry Potter… Do you see what I’ve become? A shadow of myself, leading a cursed existence, subsisting on unicorn blood for these past months…” Voldemort took a rattling breath. –Your parents. You want to bring them back. A great feat of magic, requiring great power. I have that power. I can teach you that power. But I need the Stone, first.”

Slytherin could make you great…

For a moment, Harry’s heart wavered. He glanced at the mirror again. His reflection was now standing next to a handsome young wizard with neatly combed hair. The other wizard’s smile was brilliant, but it did not reach his eyes. Together, Harry and the young wizard waved their wands, and Harry’s parents quickly coalesced out of mist.

Trapped by its lies…

Harry ripped his eyes away from the mirror. –No,” he said. –You killed them. You’re the reason I need to bring them back. I don’t want your power. I’ll find my own.”

From the corner of his eye, Harry saw the image in the mirror change again. Now, the young wizard was lying on the ground, facing upward. Harry’s reflection stood over him, wand pointed at his heart. In the mirror, Harry’s eyes flashed bright green, and he drew back his wand to cast a spell.

Voldemort’s rasping voice spoke to Quirrell: –He is of no use. Kill him.”

Harry spun. As Quirrell raised his wand, Harry leapt at the older wizard’s arm, desperate to stop Quirrell from casting a spell. Harry’s arms were still bound, but the impact knocked the wand out of Quirrell’s hand. As Quirrell’s wand clattered across the floor, the ropes binding Harry fell away. Quirrell and Harry began struggling, and Harry felt a blinding pain in his head, coming directly from his scar.

Quirrell pushed Harry back, but his hands came back from Harry’s body black and charred. –What is this?” Quirrell asked.

Voldemort’s voice hissed at Quirrell. –The wand, you fool!”

Quirrell scuttled across the ground, desperately reaching for his wand. Harry leapt at the wand as well, bumping into Quirrell. As they scrambled toward the wand, bumping and jostling each other, pain lanced through Harry’s skull each time they touched. Quirrell was screaming. Bits and pieces of his arms and torso were blackening and burning every time he touched Harry. Finally, with one desperate push, Quirrell lunched forward and grasped the wand.

Harry was acting purely on instinct. He leapt on top of Quirrell’s back. Staring into the snakelike face of Voldemort, Harry grabbed the sides of Quirrell’s head. Quirrell’s screams began again. Harry shut his eyes tight and began screaming, as well. At first, Harry’s hands met resistance, but the resistance quickly crumbled away. Soon, Harry’s palms touched. Quirrell’s screaming had stopped.

Harry opened his eyes. He was kneeling in a pile of ashes.

There was a blazing pain in Harry’s scar, and the room went black. Harry collapsed to the floor.



When Harry awoke, he found himself in a bed in the hospital wing of Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore was sitting by his side.

–Professor! The Philosopher’s Stone!”

–It is safe, Harry,” Dumbledore said gently. –I have you to thank for that. And Mr Malfoy, Mr Weasley and Ms Granger, of course.”

–You-Know-Who was trying to take it,” said Harry.

Dumbledore nodded. –I suspected as much. Once I arrived in London, I realized that I made a grave error. Although Hogwarts was in the capable hands of Professor McGonagall, I can say without hesitation that I am the only wizard Voldemort has ever feared. I returned to Hogwarts as quickly as possible, and was led to you by Ms Granger.”

–What happened?” asked Harry.

–I was prepared to ask you the same thing,” Dumbledore said with a smile. –If you can tell me what, Harry, I may be able to tell you why.”

Harry related his experience with Voldemort and Quirrell. As he told his story, Harry realized that he didn’t want to tell Dumbledore what he saw in the mirror. Harry simply said that he saw his family again.

Dumbledore nodded and considered Harry’s tale. –Harry, you are protected by a powerful magic that Voldemort does not understand. It led to his defeat on Halloween ten years ago, and it led to his undoing at Hogwarts today.”

–What is it, Professor?”

–Blood magic, Harry, but born of love. It is powerful and ancient magic, brought about when your mother died to protect you. Her last act was an act of great selflessness, giving herself to certain death rather than allowing you to be harmed. The bound of blood and love between a mother and a child is strong. And while Voldemort may understand the power of blood, he has no capacity to understand love.”

–Upon your mother’s death, her love caused her magic to traverse the blood bond between you. Her magic protected you that night, and continues to do so. Indeed, it is so powerful that your mere touch was able to defeat Voldemort today.”

–Will Voldemort be back?”

–I’m afraid so, Harry. I have long suspected that Voldemort’s return was a matter of time. Unfortunately, it seems I was right.”

Harry was silent for a moment. –How did Voldemort possess Quirrell?”

–Professor Quirrell spent a large portion of last summer in the forests of Albania,” Dumbledore said. –I now believe that Professor Quirrell succumbed to the darkest of magic in that forest, and has been bound to Voldemort ever since. A tragedy, for he was once a good man.”

–Why couldn’t Voldemort retrieve the Philosopher’s Stone?”

Dumbledore chuckled. –I enchanted the Mirror of Erised to conceal the Stone. Anybody who wanted to use the Stone would see themselves drinking the Elixir of Life, or some other variant on that theme.” Harry’s thoughts immediately went to the images of his resurrected parents he had seen in the mirror.

–However,” Dumbledore said, –a person who wanted to merely possess the Stone would see themselves with the Stone being placed in their pocket. Thus, the only person who could retrieve the Philosopher’s Stone was a person who wanted the Stone, but did not want to use it. This naturally disqualifies most thieves.” Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled. –Rather ingenious, if I do say so.”

Harry agreed – it was an incredible protection. If you were a thief and wanted the Stone for yourself, you would want to use the Stone, and would be unable to remove it. If you hired a thief to retrieve the Stone for you, the thief would know that he could make more money by taking the Stone and using it for himself – again, the thief would want to use the Stone, and would be unable to remove it.

–Harry, I must ask you to keep Voldemort’s return to yourself. Or rather, between you and me. The wizarding world would be thrown into chaos if news of his return were to become generally known.”

–Of course. We’ll just say it was Professor Quirrell then?”

–I do not like the idea, because Quirinus was once a good friend. However, I believe it would be best.” Dumbledore stood. –I should excuse myself, Harry. Your friends are outside and they are eager to speak with you. You need waste no more time on a doddering old man. If you would grant me one last indulgence, however…” Dumbledore reached to Harry’s bedside table, where a pile of candy and Get Well cards had begun to accumulate. Dumbledore plucked a yellow candy from a small bag. –I am unusually fond of lemon drops.”

Lemon drops?

Dumbledore popped the candy into his mouth and began walking out of the hospital wing.

Harry called out. –Professor, wait!”

Dumbledore turned.

–What do you know about Invisibility Cloaks?” Harry asked.

–Quite the non sequitur, Harry,” Dumbledore said. –Much of what I know about Invisibility Cloaks I owe to your father. He once loaned me an extraordinary Cloak.” Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled mischievously. –I cannot precisely remember what has become of it, but I imagine that it is being put to good use.”

Harry grinned. –I imagine so, sir.”

Dumbledore turned once more to leave the hospital wing, but pause just before opening the door. His voice was grave, and he spoke without turning around. –I wonder, Harry, why the Mirror of Erised did not bestow the Philosopher’s Stone upon you. If your goal was to prevent the theft of the Stone, thereby thwarting Voldemort’s resurrection, you would not have wanted to use the Stone. You would have wished to possess the Stone to prevent its use. And yet, the Stone remained locked in the mirror.”

Dumbledore turned slightly, so that Harry could only see the corner of his wrinkled eyes. –Why did you want to use the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry?”

Harry shrugged uncomfortably. –Doesn’t everybody want to be immortal?”

–Death is but the next great adventure,”* said Dumbledore. –Think on that, if you will. Consider it a summer assignment. Or, perhaps, a favour to me. No exams will be given on the subject.

As Dumbledore left, Pansy Parkinson dashed into the hospital wing, followed more slowly by Draco Malfoy.

Pansy sprinted to Harry’s side. –You’re all Slytherin is talking about, Harry. The whole school is talking about you.”

Draco crossed his arms. –Apparently, being a sacrificial pawn in a giant game of Wizard’s Chess doesn’t carry the same heft as duelling and defeating our own Defence teacher for possession of priceless magical artefacts.”

–You weren’t a pawn, Draco. You were a bishop.”

Draco snorted. –I was clobbered in the ribs, is what I was.”

–Harry,” Pansy said. –You’re famous. Even more famous than before!”

–Fame isn’t everything,” said Harry, thinking back to Snape’s words at the beginning of the semester. All the fame in the world wouldn’t bring back his parents.

–It might not be everything,” said Pansy, –but it’s something. When you get back to Slytherin, we’re throwing you a party. Defending Hogwarts while Dumbledore was in London – you and Draco are absolute heroes!”

–I bet Snape is thrilled with that,” said Harry.

Pansy ignored him. –Make sure to sit by me at dinner tonight, I want to hear everything!” With those words, Pansy dashed out of the hospital wing.

Draco remained, but stayed several steps from Harry’s bedside. –Is it true?” Draco asked. –Did you really defeat Quirrell?”

Harry nodded. –He almost knocked me cold at the end. Gave me the second-worst headache of my life.”

–Wow. My dad will want to hear all about it. You should visit this summer. We can practice for Quidditch try-outs next year.” Draco finally cracked a smile. –It’ll be great.”

–I’d really like that,” Harry said.



At the end of year feast, the hall was decorated in the green and silver of Slytherin house. Snape sat at the staff table without a smile on his face. It was as if he expected victory, so much so that it gave him no pleasure.

Dumbledore stood. –I would like to say a few words before the beginning of the feast. Recent events have given me cause to award a few last points.”

–To Mr Ronald Weasley, for the best game of chess that Hogwarts has seen in years, I award Gryffindor 200 points.

–To Ms Hermione Granger, for excellent thinking under great pressure, I award Gryffindor 200 points.”

With Weasley’s points, Gryffindor had tied Slytherin for first place. With Granger’s points, Gryffindor led for the House Cup by 200 points.

The cheer from the Gryffindor table was enormous. The majority of the Slytherins had dropped their jaws in astonishment.

Dumbledore smiled and began to speak again.

–To Mr Draco Malfoy.” The entire hall went abruptly silent. –For unity with your classmates in the face of adversity, I award you 200 points.

–And finally, to Mr Harry Potter. For special services to the school, and an enormous amount of bravery, I award you to 200 points.” The cheer from the Slytherin table was deafening.

–Now that all points are awarded, and my taste for drama is satisfied, let the feast begin!”



*Quote from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, chapter 17, page 215, by J.K. Rowling

AN: This is the end of the first story in the series. Thank you for reading and I hope you will be so kind to leave me a review. I'll start posting the second story soon. It will be called 'Harry Potter and the Heir of Slytherin'.
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