Chapter Text
Harry walked stiffly up to the Sorting Hat. He knew what it would say with sickening certainty. This wasn’t part of the plan. Sure enough, as soon as the Hat hit his head he head it say in his head, “Yes!” Then it shouted, “Slytherin!” to the whole hall before Harry could tell it anything. Harry struggled to stay present as he could almost hear all his plans shattering around him. He nervously stood up and went to the Slytherin table. The only available spot was a spot that Malfoy had just made next to him. Harry sat down. He was surrounded by Slytherins now. They looked at him curiously and suspiciously. Dumbledore gave his speech, including that we should not judge people for things they can’t control. Harry wanted to sneer at that but he didn’t know if he wanted to use that to his advantage yet.
Dumbledore was interrupted by Umbridge who waffled on. His instinct was to follow his mask and pretend not to be listening but he wasn’t planning to be resorted. Paying attention would only make the most observant of students suspicious and most of those students were in Slytherin. Those outside of Slytherin that Harry knew to be quite observant were already against him from the looks he’d seen. Paying attention would lessen the hatred that his Slytherin classmates would show him and that was a good thing.
So, Harry paid attention. He glanced over at Ron and Hermione, flashing a sad look onto his face before looking back to the toad. Ron was glaring at him but Harry knew that he was confused above all, it would only take a few things to bring Ron back. The problem was that his base of support had now shifted, he couldn’t depend on them anymore. His best option was to stay with his previous mask but make it more intelligent so that he could become more neutral in people’s eyes. During that time, he could test to see where his base was, whether he could win them back. If he could then he would continue in the same way with that mask, if not then he would become a Death Eater or another option in the war. The Ministry was too fickle to be relied on.
The toad finally finished. Harry rolled his eyes which both matched his mask and his true feelings. The food appeared and Harry piled his plate with the foods he usually took. He might be able to slowly change to healthier foods as the year progressed, a way to show that Slytherin was influencing him but not in a bad way, but at the moment it was essential for him to show himself as the same as before even if no one would notice.
“You were paying close attention to Professor Umbridge,” Malfoy remarked, breaking the awkward silence of the fifth year Slytherins.
“I met her at the Ministry of Magic when I went for my Hearing,” Harry answered casually, as if he wasn’t thinking at all about his words, “She was saying what the Minister believes, I think that’s important to know.” He finished with a shrug.
“Do you agree?” Malfoy questioned. It was clear that he was looking to see if Harry really believed what they had assumed he had when Harry was a Gryffindor.
Harry paused and frowned in thought. This would have to be delicate, say too much against Dumbledore and that would close the door to going back to his old base, support Dumbledore too much and he would be driving away what could be his only base left. “There was a lot of legal fluff, you know, talking without actually saying anything. I agree with the fact that some things need to change about Hogwarts. I think that the teachers should be allowed to say what they think, including her, of course. I don’t know what she’s talking about with ‘practices that ought to be prohibited’.” Harry let some of his true anger fuel his words there. There were too many practices that had been prohibited already.
“Does it matter if the professors voice their opinion in they all have the same one?” Daphne Greengrass asked.
Harry suppressed a smile, instead he paused and shrugged, “I guess not. I wouldn’t mind having teachers that do have different opinions though. I don’t think anyone would that as long as they were replaces Professor Binns.” Harry grinned. The others laughed briefly but Harry quickly let his grin fall and looked over at Ron nervously. He was still glaring.
“Stop worrying about the Weasel,” Malfoy drawled.
“I’m not,” Harry snapped back, keeping his defensiveness in his mask, “It’s just that he’s my friend. No matter what, he wouldn’t betray me. I would think Slytherins like you would know how much that means and how rare it is.” It was a risky play. ‘Slytherins like you’ would drive them away from Harry but it would establish him as the same defensive person more and being seen as an outsider to the Slytherins would be helpful if his old base could be reached.
Malfoy glared and so did a few other Slytherins but Theo quietly said, “You don’t think you’ll be able to find someone else loyal to you like Ron Weasley?”
Harry’s posture softened, this was a way in and a way to lower his defensive stance, “I- I guess. He and Hermione are the only people in my whole life who have been nice to me without an ulterior motive. No one saw me as famous in the muggle world… I didn’t make any friends with muggles before I came to Hogwarts.”
The glares melted away and understanding spread into the eyes of the Slytherins around him. There was silence for a moment as Harry went back to eating before Malfoy was once again the one to break the silence, “Do you actually want to make friends outside of those two?” It was obvious he was trying to keep his distain out of his voice. It seemed that he was smarter than he was in first year. Harry let most of his masks slip away. The only part he had left kept those from the other houses from seeing the analysing look in his eye. Malfoy visibly stopped himself from fidgeting as Harry looked into his eyes. He didn’t dare look into his mind further than a few very surface level thought, ‘You better not embarrass me again’, ‘Why are you looking at me like that’, ‘I wonder what he actually thinks about muggles. He doesn’t seem to like them’.
Harry pulled out of Malfoy’s mind. It seemed that he was asking him because he wanted a closer look at Harry. He was genuinely curious. For the moment, that was fine. He wasn’t interested in actually being loyal to Harry but that was expected. “Yes,” Harry raised his hand to shake on it. Malfoy’s face broke into astonished joy. Apparently, he hadn’t been expecting Harry to actually be alright with making friends with him. “This doesn’t mean I completely trust you though, so don’t expect that but… I’m willing to be your friend. You can call me, Harry.”
“Well then Harry… You can call me Draco.” Mal- Draco grinned at Harry. Harry knew that he had to keep this as a secret from Ron, at least the fact that Harry was happy with it. Pushing the angle that Malfoy was trying to replace Ron could spur Ron to stay as close friends to Harry.
“So, what do I need to know about being in Slytherin… Draco?” Harry asked. He had picked up on a few things but this would both fill in the gaps and show how trustworthy Draco was at the moment.
“Well, we stand by each other. Even if we can arguments inside the common room or stand on opposite sides outside of Hogwarts, to the rest of Hogwarts, we display a united front. No matter who you are, that goes for everyone,” Harry nodded. This was a good start though Draco could just be saying this to get Harry to distance himself from Gryffindor. “We have a hierarchy, both for the whole house and each year. I am at the top in our year, I have been since first year. That doesn’t mean much for you. Just don’t argue with me outside of the common room. If you want to be a leader… well, we’ll talk about that in the common room. There is a standard of behaviour and appearance outside of the common room as well. Pansy will help you with that.” Pansy Parkinson grinned.
At this point, they finished eating. Pansy and Draco jumped up, “Slytherins! Follow us!” Harry grumpily stood up. He hung back a little bit and slumped along behind everyone. He tried to catch Ron’s eyes but he and Hermione avoided Harry. However, Hermione didn’t seem to be purposefully avoiding him, more that she was focused on her role as prefect. Harry followed the Slytherins up the entrance which Harry already knew of. “Remember this place. Every two weeks the password changes. It will be on the noticeboard inside. Belladonna,” Draco stated and the wall moved away to show the Slytherin common room. It was just as Harry remembered it. As soon as the entrance closed, he perked up. He was home.
Margaret Grimmett and Irving Cram, the seventh year prefects stood at the front of the students and did their speech about rules, toilets and Hogwarts. The kind of things that Draco told him were repeated by the prefects though they also added ‘never get caught’. Harry found this extremely amusing taking into account how many time Draco had gotten in trouble. He understood that Draco wouldn’t want to embarrass himself to someone who he was trying to make trust him. He would forgive him for this.
“So, we need to clean up your look.” Harry spun around to see Pansy Parkinson behind him.
“What do you suggest?” Harry asked. This was not his area of expertise as part of his mask or in himself. He was open to hearing it, though he wouldn’t be okay with just anything. He was pulled over to a couch and Pansy and Daphne sat on either side of him.
“Blaise?” Pansy Parkinson turned to Zabini. Zabini gave her a ring, a pair of cuffs and a tie pin, all Slytherin themed. Pansy put these on Harry and tidied up his uniform.
Greengrass grabbed a brush. “That’s not going to work,” Harry told her.
“Have you tried it?”
“Yes… There is a magical reason my hair won’t be neat.”
“What?” both Greengrass and Parkinson paused.
“I don’t trust you enough to show you why,” Harry said sorrowfully, barely over a whisper.
“What can we do to prove that you can show us?” Daphne Greengrass asked.
Harry paused, “Promise me that no matter what, this does not leave this room, ever.”
“Even if you cast the Killing Curse, you wouldn’t hear any of us talk about it outside of here,” Draco said. Harry looked into his eyes and over his surface thoughts, ‘Please believe us’, ‘we may be at war but this is Slytherin’, ‘is he a true Slytherin?’. Harry closed his eyes and slowly ran his hands over his face and through his hair. He heard those around him gasp and steeled himself before opening his eyes. All his glamours had been taken off except for two parts. One part hid how large the lightning scar really was and how it made a streak of red in his eye and the other part turned his height into a figure that wasn’t as thin as he really was. Everything else was there to be seen, his eyes that matched the killing curse, his neat hair that brushed his shoulders and shone blood red in the light. They saw him as much as he trusted them to.
“Wow,” Draco breathed.
Parkinson chuckled, “You can say that again. Is this what you really look like?”
“Mostly,” Harry inclined his head, “Prove what you say and I’ll show you the rest.” They nodded immediately, eyes wide.
“You said that you didn’t want anyone outside of Slytherin hearing about this. Does that mean that you won’t show anyone else that you look like this?” Parkinson asked.
Harry raised his eyebrows, “Obviously.”
“You have to!” Parkinson and Draco cried.
Harry wasn’t sure how to explain it but before he could say anything Theodore Nott spoke, “How much do you need to trust us to give up trying to depend on Gryffindors?”
Harry resisted a smile, he was growing to like Nott, “Bluntly? Enough that I believe that you would stand by my side in a war.”
“I can’t do that,” Draco said quietly.
“I know. That’s why I haven’t asked that of you,” Harry responded calmly.
“What do you believe?” Nott asked.
Harry did smile at this, “Thank you… I believe many things. The primary that you may not agree with is that I believe in equality between wizards, werewolves and other magical beings. This include muggleborns.”
“I don’t disagree with that,” Tracey Davis said quietly.
Harry smiled at her, “Then I’ll talk to you later about things that you might agree with me on and specifics.”
“You won’t talk to all of us about that?” Draco asked.
“No,” Harry replied instantly, “The stance I told you is a public one. I won’t talk about the private ones to those who don’t stand by my public one.”
“What if I disagree with you private ones?” Davis asked.
Harry gave her a cold look, “Then I will make you create a magical vow never to tell someone or wipe the information from your mind.”
“Why do you believe what you do?” Nott asked.
Harry once again smiled, “Werewolves are not inherently more dangerous than wizards any more than wizards are inherently more dangerous than muggles. Magic is… precious, valuable. If a being has magic then it is to be respected as blessed. Muggleborns are not purposefully ignoring wizarding culture, it is illegal to sell books on the subject. You don’t notice because your family all already owned those books. One last thing, what is the family magical gift of the House of Black?”
“Metamorphmagus,” Draco replied instantly.
“When was the last time that a person in or descended from the Black family showed that gift?”
“Three generations ago.”
Harry smiled at Draco’s reply, “Wrong.” Everyone looked stunned. “Nymphadora Tonks, a Hufflepuff who graduated the year before we were sorted is a metamorphmagus. Her mother was a Black. She was disowned for marrying, and having a child with, a muggleborn.” They were all quiet for a moment, visibly thinking over this. “Well,” Harry said, “I’m going to bed. I’ll talk to you tomorrow morning.”
Harry walked up the corridor to the boys dorms. He stopped at the plaque which simply had the number 5 on it in silver. His trunk was there and a bed for him. He quickly changed and closed the curtains on his bed. None of the others had returned before he went to bed.