The next day, Harry opened the door of his room to go up for breakfast. The heavy use of blasting spells in the First-Year Common Room the night before had a dramatic impact. All the Common Room furniture had been demolished, and the doors to every other bedroom had been smashed in. Harry left by the Common Room entrance; the door had also been blown off its hinges. Daphne and Tracey were waiting in the Slytherin Common Room.
“What has been going on? Why are Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle in the infirmary?” Tracey did not hold back.
Zabini arrived, and the group left for the Great Hall.
“Well? What happened?” Daphne demanded.
Zabini replied. “Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle tried to break into Harry’s room. No spell they knew could open his door. They got upset and started throwing blasting hexes at the door. Each hex bounced off the door, around the room, and smashed everything up. Malfoy threw one last hex, which hurt them all. Nott and I were cowering in the corridor, waiting for the prefects to come, but they never did. Professor Snape finally arrived with some prefects who took the injured to the hospital wing.”
“Let’s go to breakfast,” Harry said.
Zabini looked at Harry. “I want your locking and shield charms.”
“All in good time, Blaise,” Harry said.
Tracey kept digging. “Who taught them a blasting hex?”
Harry replied. “Draco’s father taught him. Draco passed it on to Tweedledee and Tweedledum.”
“How do you know that?” Blaise demanded.
“Because Draco’s Aunty Bellatrix taught it to me. It’s a family thing. She is my second cousin.”
“Bellatrix? As in Bellatrix Lestrange; how?” Tracey asked.
“I’ll tell you later.” Harry walked into the Great Hall.
Susan and Hannah were sitting together at the Hufflepuff table. Harry sat at the Slytherin bench behind them, then turned to them. “Interesting reading this morning?” Harry asked.
Hannah and Susan turned to him and nodded. They glanced at Daphne, Tracey, and Blaise as they sat around Harry. Then, they smiled at Harry and turned back to their breakfast.
Daphne murmured to Tracey and Blaise. “They’re Bones and Abbott, Harry’s alliance partners.”
Blaise huffed. “You’ve sent them something already?”
Harry nodded and shrugged at the same time. Then, he decided to try a small bowl of porridge.
-ooOOoo-
The timetables were distributed. Professor Snape loomed over Harry. “Potter! You will stay behind after Potions this afternoon; I need to hear your version of the events in the Slytherin Common Room and the First-Year Common Room last night. If you are concerned, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle have recovered enough to attend their lessons today.”
Harry nodded. “Very well, professor.”
Students left the Great Hall to return to their dormitories and collect the books needed for their first lessons. The first period for the Slytherins was History of Magic. Harry packed his textbooks for the morning subjects and his journal. Harry always carried extra paper to write letters during the slow moments during class.
Blaise, Daphne, Tracey, and Harry formed a group to go to History of Magic as instructed. Hermione made a determined effort to catch Harry at the top of the dungeon stairs.
“Harry! Did they actually attack you? Are you in danger?”
“Yes, Hermione, they did try to break into my room, but they didn’t get near me. I’ll put something in the journal about what happened. Thank you for being concerned.”
Harry was struggling with being connected to people who cared for him. The Slytherin three walking with him were not expected; the most likely outcome of being sorted into Slytherin was hostile isolation.
Susan, Hannah, Luna, and Neville attached themselves to him without hesitation. Their willingness to support him was almost guaranteed by the ancient alliances. The way in which he tied Hermione to the alliance was a risk, but how her magic stood out in Harry’s magical sight could not be ignored. However, Harry struggled to deal with their acceptance of him because they cared.
Daphne Greengrass had a motive. She was certainly being asked by her father to make friends with Harry. Tracy and Blaise were obviously friends with Daphne before they came to Hogwarts. The stupid hostility with which Malfoy reacted to him did not frighten them away.
Neville caught up with Hermione. “We have to get to Transfiguration, Hermione.”
“Be sure to tell us everything, Harry,” Hermione commanded.
Harry nodded and waved to Hermione and Neville, who waved back.
As Harry and the Slytherins walked away, Harry heard Ronald bark. “What are you doing talking to snakes, Granger? Longbottom, I’m warning you, stay away from the traitor.”
The Slytherins around Harry chuckled. Blaise murmured. “What an idiot!”
-ooOOoo-
History of Magic could have been a subject full of interesting characters. Throughout the ages, magical society produced many times the number of eccentrics you would generally expect. Instead, Professor Cuthbert Binns made it something as dead as he was. He died sometime before 1890. At the time, Professor Binns was the History of Magic Professor, and no headmaster hired a new professor. So the ghost professor delivered the same boring lectures he always did.
The events of the night before were recorded in Harry’s journal and sent to the alliance partners. Harry possessed a complete set of History of Magic notes that the professor used for his lessons. Each item was ticked off as it was delivered. The lectures never varied. The notes were available from former students for a small fee. Muggle-born students who didn’t have former students to advise them struggled through writing their own notes. Harry wrote this information in a private message to Hermione. He also sent an order to a supplier for a set of notes to be delivered to her. If Neville, Susan, or Hannah didn’t have copies, they could make their own arrangements.
Harry wrote another private message to Hermione. Harry asked Hermione to get the wand enhancement. He planned to let Neville, Susan, and Hannah perform the enhancement ritual for Hermione after he had given them all the information they needed about the ritual. The ritual details were then written in the journal for the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor allies. It was the first of many lessons that Harry planned to give. He also conjured another linked journal to send to Luna. Harry was fascinated by Luna’s worldview and wanted a daily dose of it.
The Slytherin gang went to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Draco and his bodyguards had come late to the first class and had stayed silent for the lesson. They trailed behind Harry’s gang and never tried to close their distance.
Quirrell/Voldemort had not made a single move to investigate Harry. Depending on Harry’s mood, this was either good news or a cause for worry. After the first DADA lesson, Harry decided not to worry. He detected no Legilimency from the teacher or his parasite.
-ooOOoo-
“He is focused on something else. My guess is that he is getting readings from Snape and Dumbledore. These should make him act, but he is not doing anything. Snape can see that you have a lot of knowledge and training from someone, and he has seen your Azkaban mindscape, which could only be built from real memories. But, on the other hand, Dumbledore only sees your Potter Hall mindscape. He doesn’t realize that you made that from memories given to you by Sirius. He thinks that someone took you to Potter Hall, and you lived there in the lap of luxury. That also shows that Dumbledore knows that Potter Hall is still habitable and not a ruin, as popular rumour has said.
Voldemort is here to do something other than attack you. The only other thing we know about is The Philosopher’s Stone. How about writing to Nicholas? He might confirm our suspicions if I give you the right inside information to feed him.”
“Thanks, Tom. Should I do anything about Malfoy?” Harry asked the soul-shard freeloader.
“No! Ignore him. Let him see how you regard him as a petty annoyance. Swat him if he gives you any cheek.”
“Good! That was my plan anyway.”
-ooOOoo-
Once the DADA lesson was over, Harry heard the negative comments from the Slytherins and Gryffindors about Quirrell.
“That stuttering was pathetic. I don’t think that I understood a thing Quirrell said.” Blaise snarked as they went to lunch.
Harry nodded and looked around. Neville and Hermione were walking behind the Slytherin gang.
They looked at the Slytherins with concern. Harry tried to reassure them with a slight wave of his hand. However, he was now becoming frustrated with his inability to smile. The dementor damage was still overwhelming.
Tracey was also frustrated. “Harry, this is the second day I’ve known you, and I’ve seen you perform more defensive magic than I have ever seen, and I grew up in a magical home. Can you teach us what you did to Malfoy and his blockheads? It looks like we are not going to learn anything from Quirrell.”
“Yes, Tracey, I can help you with what you should learn. But lessons like that will take some time to arrange. I won’t show off in the Common Rooms. Instead, I want to find an abandoned dungeon room to set up as a practice space. There are more empty abandoned rooms in Hogwarts than regularly used ones. Honestly, the best thing you can do for the time being is practice the spells you will learn in Charms and Transfiguration. Those spells will build up the skills you need for DADA.”
Lunch in the Great Hall was different. Hermione and Neville left the Gryffindor table to sit beside Susan and Hannah. Harry once again sat with his back to Susan so that he could quickly turn around and talk to his alliance partners. That was to become the regular pattern. No rule prevented Hermione from sitting next to Harry at the Slytherin table, but the social reality of life at Hogwarts made it inadvisable.
“Harry, can we do anything to shut Ronald Weasley up? He does nothing but moan about you deliberately choosing to be sorted into Slytherin.” Hermione was disgruntled.
Harry shook his head. “I know nothing about Ronald or any of the Weasleys. It would be easiest to let him complain. He can’t hurt me and will annoy you if you let him. So, you have to tell yourself, ‘Ignore! Ignore! Ignore!’ Let him get into trouble if he starts something.”
Harry finished his light lunch and left for his room to collect a letter and package to be mailed to Luna Lovegood. It contained her linked journal and a letter explaining the journal and asking for three strands of her hair for new wand enhancements. He promised her she would not be disappointed when Hermione began filling her journal pages.
Daphne caught him before he could leave the Great Hall. “Hold on, Harry! Wait for us.” Tracey was hurrying up behind Daphne.
Harry huffed. “I’m only going to send a letter.”
“Simple things can turn ugly without any warning. So, we’re coming with you.” Tracey said. “Blaise would come too, but he needs time to finish his lunch. You must do better at organizing your escort.”
“Do I need an escort?”
Daphne gave him a mock glare. “After irritating Malfoy like that, yes, you do.”
Harry moved off to his room. He collected the package and letter and returned to the Slytherin Common Room.
“The house elves have been busy. All the First-Year Common Room furniture has been replaced, and the doors repaired.”
They left the Slytherin dungeon. Blaise caught up with them. “What’s the hurry anyway?”
“I have a journal to deliver to an alliance partner. It isn’t anything dramatic.”
The Slytherin gang found their way to the Owlery. Harry lifted his arm, and Hedwig swooped down to land on the outstretched arm with beautiful grace and drama.
Tracey snorted. “A drama queen owl. What next!”
Harry attached the package and letter to Hedwig’s leg and whispered Luna’s name. She bobbed in acknowledgement and took off with powerful downstrokes from her wings.
They left the owlery, and Harry started talking. “Right! Why? Tell me why you are my escort?”
Blaise laughed. “Daphne! Tell him why!”
“Potter! Harry! You are the most important person in this school, including the headmaster.
Why? Because my father told me that you are. My father, Lord Cyrus Greengrass, the Marquis of Crcy, knows many things about important people in the magical world and the mundane world. He knows you are much more important than the ‘The Boy Who Lived’ and all that storytelling.
He will not give me his secrets; I’m only eleven, a little kid. But, if my father says you are important, then you are. Before I left home, he told me I was to get beside you and do everything I could to help you survive. Some influential people want you dead, but if you are cunning, then, with a bit of help, you can survive.”
Harry glared at Daphne; turning to Tracey, he said. “What about you?”
Tracey folded her arms and glared back. “My family is in an alliance with Lord Greengrass. I go where Daphne goes.”
Harry turned to Blaise. Blaise smiled and said. “My mother isn’t in any alliance with anyone but wants me to connect with you. I can’t tell you how easy you made it when you were sorted into Slytherin.”
Daphne slapped Blaise on his shoulder. “You also visited us at the manor since you were four. Your mother and my father have some business together, which they don’t talk about.”
Blaise nodded and smirked.
Harry shook his head. “Let’s go. Transfiguration is next.”
-ooOOoo-
“These children are typical Slytherins. Their parents know they will be suspected and openly discriminated against in Hogwarts. So, they train them early to be aware of their family alliances and use them to keep the balance. You talk like an adult. You have been trained and educated by adults. Their experience was much nicer than yours, but they have also been treated like adults for many years. They have been trained on how to plot and scheme.”
“Thank you, Tom. I suppose I knew that. It’s difficult getting how I behave being tried out on me.”
-ooOOoo-
Harry was sitting in a private cubicle he visited on the way to Transfiguration. It was close to one in the afternoon, and he wanted to send his daily Patronus message to Sirius. When Harry called his Patronus, he kept it to a small size.
“Sirius, I have interesting times in Slytherin. The Malfoy spawn is trying to intimidate me. He literally knocked himself out when he started that. Happily, the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff alliance has survived my sorting into Slytherin. To my surprise, a new group formed around me on the first day. Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis, and Blaise Zabini have attached themselves to me and openly asked for an alliance. They are not hiding their connection to Lord Greengrass. Toujours Impoli.”
Harry flicked his holly wand, and the Patronus raced away.
-ooOOoo-
Professor McGonagall gave Harry a fierce glare when he entered the Transfiguration classroom. Harry nodded to her and moved to a student desk at the front; his Slytherin escort grouped themselves around him. The professor gave the impression that she wanted to unleash a scolding tirade on Harry and was barely restraining herself.
“Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts,” she said.
“Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned.” Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again.
That would have impressed the muggle-born students. However, Harry and his Slytherins had previously seen such displays of magic and were not impressed. It would be much more helpful if the transfiguration was permanent and the pig would survive as a farm animal, but it would not. Such transfigurations were always temporary.
The class was given detailed notes on the theory of magic and the theoretical basis of transfiguration. Also, the reasons why some transfigurations were permanent and most were temporary were taught. Then, the students were given their first example of practical magic. They were given a match to transfigure into a needle.
Harry slowly drew his holly wand and waited. Blaise was sitting next to him, and he was not making any difference to his match.
McGonagall paced around the room, giving corrections where needed. Finally, she stopped in front of Harry. “Are you going to attempt this work, Potter? It is a set exercise that you are expected to master.”
Harry pointed his wand at the match, and it transformed into a perfect needle. Harry didn’t say an incantation as they had been instructed to do.
McGonagall stared at the needle. Then she pointed her wand at it and said the transfiguration reversal incantation; the needle stayed a needle.
“You made the transfiguration permanent; how?”
Harry paused, then replied. “It was my intent to make the transfiguration permanent. I also didn’t need to say the incantation. My intent was enough to focus my magic through my wand to make the transfiguration.”
Professor McGonagall went to her desk, took another match, and placed it in front of Harry. “Please make another transfiguration. It can be anything you choose, and the object must be metallic.”
Harry pointed his holly wand at the matchstick, which transfigured into a steel butterfly. The butterfly took off and flew around the room. After a few minutes, it landed again on Harry’s desk and reverted to a match.
Harry spoke. “The butterfly was always a matchstick. It only appeared to be a butterfly made of steel. I always intended it to be wood made to look like steel, and the transfiguration was temporary.”
Professor McGonagall took the matchstick and the needle and placed them on her desk. She ignored Harry for the rest of the period.
The next lesson was Potions with the Gryffindors. The Slytherins waited in the corridor outside the Potions room. Eventually, the Gryffindors arrived and lined up on the other side of the corridor. Harry heard Draco whisper about ‘mudbloods’ to Pansy Parkinson, who responded with her usual cackling laugh.
Harry watched as Ronald Weasley looked angrier and angrier. Neville was standing opposite Harry in the Gryffindor line-up. Harry gave Neville a couple of downward motions with his hands to try to convey the message to chill. Harry nodded at Hermione, who was not looking. Neville tapped her elbow and relayed the chill signal with a head motion towards Harry. Hermione glanced at Harry, who repeated the chill signal motions. Hermione glared at Harry and then nodded to him.
At precisely two fifteen, the start time for the Potions class, the door opened, and Professor Snape stepped out into the corridor.
“Gryffindors will enter first; take your places on the right side of the room.”
The Gryffindors entered, and then the professor waved the Slytherins in. When Harry entered, the front bench was vacant, and he took his place at the front and next to the centre of the room.
“Is there a reason you are sitting so close to the front, Potter?” The professor asked.
“Yes, professor. I have limited eyesight and must sit close to the front to see the board.”
“Indeed, very well. Is there any reason why Zabini, Greengrass, and Davies sit at your bench?”
Daphne replied. “Sir, we know that Potter can’t see that well, so we agreed to help him if he has problems.”
“Indeed.” The professor then marked the roll, gave his usual opening address to the class, and started asking questions. All of the questions were aimed at Neville Longbottom.
Harry had heard from Amelia that Professor Snape did this every year. He selected the student who was least likely to be able to answer and did not allow them to escape if they couldn’t answer him. As a result, Harry ensured that each of his Allies was primed with answers to his favourite questions.
To Professor Snape’s obvious annoyance, Neville answered each question.
“Longbottom! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?”
Neville answered. “Asphodel and wormwood are two ingredients of a sleeping potion known as the Draught of Living Death.”
“Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?”
Neville answered again. “A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat, and it will save you from most poisons. One should always be in any Potions emergency kit.”
“What is the difference, Longbottom, between monkshood and wolfsbane?”
Neville calmly answered. “Monkshood and wolfsbane are the same plants, also known as aconite. It is a deadly poison.”
Professor Snape snarled at the class. “Well? Why aren’t you all writing that down.”
The first class was taken up with preparing a boil cure potion. The alliance partners had already brewed that potion under the guidance of Regent Longbottom. As usual, there had been no warnings or instructions about brewing safety and potion-making techniques. Hogwarts was a very unsafe place to learn about potions.
Neville and Hermione completed their potion without any incident. Malfoy had partnered with Goyle, while Parkinson had taken charge of Crabbe. After a lot of near disasters, they also finished their potions.
At the back of the room, Ronald and Seamus let their cauldron burn dry and nearly caused an explosion. The burning smell alerted the professor to the danger and cost Gryffindor ten points for their lack of attention.
Harry’s Slytherin partners were all potions experts. Their families were all potion brewers, and they had been trained to advanced levels long before coming to Hogwarts. The Greengrass family owned Greengrass Potions, a major potions supplier; Blaise’s mother was a specialist supplier to companies such as Greengrass Potions. Tracey’s parents were Unspeakables who worked with potions daily.
Harry and Tracey prepared the potion perfectly. Professor Snape examined the potion Harry and Tracey prepared. He glared at Harry but passed on without any comment.
The class was over, and the students hurried from the room. Harry waited for the Professor to take notice of him. Then, the door closed, and Professor Snape sat at his desk.
“Come forward, Potter!”
Harry stood and moved to stand in front of the teacher’s desk.
“Tell me what happened last night.”
Harry gave a short account of the prefect’s talk, followed by Malfoy’s attempt to stamp his authority on the first years.
“You left something out, Potter! Other students reported feeling cold, and then the light dimmed, and Malfoy started to choke and collapse. That was not normal; no one in the room could do such magic. Did you do that?”
Harry paused before answering. “Yes, sir. I did.”
“How?”
Harry sighed. “The spells were delivered with wandless and wordless incantations. The first was an atmospheric elemental charm to cool the air for ten paces around me; the second was an atmospheric elemental charm to block half the light for ten paces except where I was looking. The third was an atmospheric elemental charm to pressure Draco’s throat. It sounds risky, but Draco was in no danger. His own panic caused most of his distress.”
“Atmospheric elemental charms need Merlin-like power. Show me! Demonstrate something other than a mind trick!”
Harry slowly drew his holly wand and pointed it straight up. He held his stance for several seconds and returned his wand to its holster.
Nothing happened; the professor waited. Again, Harry could sense no attempt at Legilimency. “As for the First-Year Common Room incident, I put family magic locking, privacy, and silencing charms on my room. Apparently, Draco wanted to get in and seemed to lose his temper.”
Professor Snape nodded and waited.
After a few minutes, a deep roll of thunder was heard. Harry and the professor hurried from the room and up the stairs. They got to the Entrance Hall in time to witness a thunderstorm lashing the castle. Students were hurrying in from outside.
The janitor, Filch, scolded them for dripping water on the floor.
A Ravenclaw prefect was shouting. “The sky was clear! There were no clouds at all. Then a black cloud appeared out of nothing and swirled around. Then there was lightning and thunder, and it poured rain. But the sky is still clear on the horizon all around us. It is only over the castle.”
The professor turned to Harry. “That is enough.”
Harry drew his wand and flicked it. The lightning and thunder stopped; the rain diminished and eventually stopped.
Professor Snape looked at Harry for a minute and then turned to hurry away.
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