Ripple
Despite what many thought, not everything was so easy for Harry Potter. He had near top marks, only beat out by Regulus in potions. Of course Reggie had Severus to thank for that.
He was the best seeker Hogwarts had ever seen, Slytherin had never once lost the Quidditch Cup since he’d been recruited to the team.
He was a member of the exclusive slug club, and he had the privilege of being Slughorn’s most prized possession.
Of course he despised the way the man looked at him like meat and flaunted him about, he was their head of house though, and he always preferred to keep peace instead of putting up a fight.
Harry was often approached in the hall by nervous suitors, blushing, kicking their feet, handing him cards and chocolates. He had learned early on to throw away any food given, he was not gullible enough to get tricked by a love potion.
All this at only fourteen and yet he still felt so unsatisfied.
“James, god, would you please just quit it! You are old enough to know this isn’t funny anymore.” Harry said, bursting into the Gryffindor sixth year dorms where the marauders lay on their beds reading muggle magazines. Most of them unsavory in content, probably provided by Sirius.
“No clue what you’re talking about,” Jameses face was straight but Harry knew he was lying.
“You really didn’t curse Severus with that itching jinx? Well who did then? A pixie?”
“Yea maybe,” Sirius said from next to him with a nasty smirk on his face.
Harry grabbed the nearest pillow, from Remus’s bed, and tossed it right at his smug face. “You stay out of this Sirius! I’m still mad at you about that stupid joke you pulled with Reggie,” he huffed.
A week prior Sirius had sent an anonymous tip to his family stating his younger brother had ‘fraternized with a muggleborn girl destroying her innocence.’
This of course upset their parents leading to Regulus being barred from playing quidditch for the rest of the season.
The reason he did this was to get back at Regulus for telling their parents about how Sirius had gone bar hopping in muggle London with Remus that summer. Regulus had done that because of some prank Sirius had pulled the prior school year, and so on, and so on.
Their conflict went so far back they didn’t even seem to know how it began in the first place.
“Listen Harry,” James began talking to him in that voice he used when they were children when he was attempting to impersonate Fleamont. “You know why I don’t like him, you don’t like him either! He’s a total blood purest git, and an asshole.”
Harry groaned, “maybe he’d be less of an asshole if you guys weren’t harassing him all the time.”
James seemed unconvinced, as did the others.
Harry let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and flopped down on Remus’s bed. “Please just, quit it, just for now. You know him, he makes my life an absolute hell because of the shit you guys pull. All I need is for you to lay off for a bit.”
James gave him a look he hated, a look of pity.
He was far too used to seeing it on his face, as well as their parents, ever since his first year getting sorted into slytherin. They acted like he was suffering there.
That was the way James looked at him whenever he left to go back to his dorms, as if he thought Harry would be killed upon arrival. Like Harry would disappear in the dungeons never to return, tortured to death by the evil slytherins.
In actuality Harry found he didn’t mind slytherin. The people could be difficult, but he found a way to handle it.
He wasn’t some delicate flower needing protection like James, Euphemia, and to an extent Fleamont seemed to think he was.
“Alright. For you,” James relented.
After a while of laying on Remus’s comfy bed with the warm soft gryffindor lighting the sounds of the marauders talking made him drift off into a relaxed sleep.
He woke up on a rocky beach, it was cold, the waves lapped the rocky cliff shore harshly sending specks of salty water into the air.
He watched the waves for a moment, it was nice, soothing. He didn’t think he’d ever been here before. How did he get here?
He stood, slipping slightly on the small wet rocks beneath his feet. He clutched his head as a sense of vertigo overwhelmed him.
Glancing around he saw the stretch of beach, a cave in the distance, and a man sitting on the cliff that gave way to the water.
He decided he would ask the man where he was, Harry was sure he wasn’t meant to be here.
“Hello?” Harry began, “where am I?” Harry cringed at the sound of his own voice and terrible manners. Not that it mattered he’d probably never see this man again once he left the beach.
The man looked away from the water and up at him, he seemed confused by Harry’s presence.
He was handsome in such a stark way Harry had nearly gasped upon seeing his face. Harry was sure he recognized him from somewhere but he wasn’t sure.
His silky black hair, sharp jawline, and high cheekbones gave him a regal look. Like a pure blood lord.
“Why are you here?” the man spoke suddenly, “I don’t know you.” He said more to himself than to Harry.
“I’m not sure why I’m here. What is here?” Harry looked around gesturing to the ocean.
The man assessed him for a moment looking him up and down. “You are in my dream of course, though as a figment of my imagination I do wonder why you don’t know where we are.”
Again, he spoke more out loud to himself than to Harry directly.
Harry huffed, he was getting sick of this guy. “Look, this isn’t a dream. I’m really here,” Harry pinched the skin on his arm showing his physical body “and I’m pretty sure I need to leave.”
The man gave him an amused look but said nothing, then turned back to the crashing waves.
“Ugh!” Harry stomped away, as he did so a rock slipped out from under his foot and he was launched into the rocks below.
Before he hit the ground he jumped out of bed with a start. Landing himself on the floor of his brother's dorm.
Right, he thought to himself as he looked around the room, he was in the gryffindor sixth year dorms. He clutched his chest, his heart beating rapidly in it.
“Are you okay?” Remus, who was still on the bed, asked him.
“Yea,” he sucked in a breath, “yes I’m okay.”
He clutched his head which was stinging as he attempted to remember the events of the dream. That man, he swore he knew him from somewhere, he thought it was his dream.
It was a very odd scenario for his own mind to create, he wondered what the meaning of it was. Perhaps he should look into oneiromancy, he considered.
“My lord Harebear what kind of dream were you having,” Sirius gave him a wink, “you were all groaning and panting.”
James tackled Sirius. “Don’t imply that about my little brother! He’s only a kid you dick,"James was practically choking Sirius. Though they would never really hurt each other.
Harry didn’t acknowledge the words, he didn’t need to defend himself against Sirius, James did that for him.
He caught his breath and stood holding onto the bedpost for balance.
“Bye Remus, Peter. I’m going back to my dorm.” The two quiet boys waved Harry off. He didn’t bother saying goodbye to James and Sirius, they were so busy fighting they didn’t even notice him leave.
Harry walked out of gryffindor tower, only followed by a few glares from the residents.
When he was still in his second year James almost constantly forced him to stay at gryffindor tower, he even made him spend the night sometimes.
Harry hated this, the older gryffindors disliked a snake being among them and constantly put Harry down. Despite what James believed, it meant that for Harry, gryffindor tower was a much more hostile place than the slytherin dungeons.
Now that James and his crew were older they were top of the food chain, which meant no one bothered Harry too much about hanging out in gryffindor anymore. Though he did get nasty looks still.
As he walked the halls towards the dungeon he felt someone step in pace beside him.
“Hello Harry,” a voice said.
Harry looked up at his face, “hello Barty.”
Barty had tragically gotten taller than him, Regulus had always been a bit taller than him but after this past summer he had also shot up a bit.
It was tragically due to Harry’s virimli magic, people praised him for it. Said it made him strong, desirable, to Harry it just made him short and feminine.
James hit a growth spurt in his fourth year. It made him taller, his jaw got sharper, he had to start shaving, his muscles grew in.
Harry had none of that, he was still 5’5, probably cursed with that height forever based on what the doctors said. Despite all his quidditch playing he had hardly gained bulky muscle, his body was still all soft curves and thin fitness. And he had never had to shave a day in his life, which Fleamont said he should be grateful for.
“Do you plan on going to dueling club tonight?”
“Shit,” Harry cursed quietly. He had forgotten about that, he felt so tired and sluggish. “Why?”
Barty nervously fiddled with his fingers as he walked, “I’m meant to duel Avery but I don’t trust him enough not to play some nasty trick or try and rig the match. I thought you could be my second.”
“Why not ask Regulus?”
“Please, you are better at defense than him.” Barty paused, then looked at the floor, “plus I don’t want to owe him.”
Harry laughed, Regulus was really an exemplary example of a standard slytherin. If you asked him to do any kind of favor for you his immediate response was always ‘and what do I get out of it?’ He didn’t do a single thing for free.
Harry never minded doing favors for his friends, he wanted to support them anyway he knew how. Regulus said that would get him killed one day. He had such a drab picture of humanity.
Eventually they found themselves at slytherins dorm entrance. Harry stopped at the entrance and turned around to face Barty.
“Fine I’ll do it, I just don’t want to be involved in any of your drama.”
“Thank you! I promise you won’t be involved in any of it.” Barty gave him a quick hug and went off, probably to the library.
Harry entered the common room, some waved or greeted him politely as he walked up to his room. Harry didn’t have a problem with most slytherin’s, he knew they weren’t all the best people, but they didn’t often personally attack him.
It was most likely because his mother was a Black and he is pure blooded. He knew others didn’t have it so easy.
Most of the reason for the rest of slytherin being so distant from him was his brother.
The marauders did everything except for torture to slytherin. Harry reigned them in slightly but he couldn’t really control them. The most he could do was tell James he was angry or disappointed.
In his first year they had a lot of problems, their relationship was nearly unsavable.
James was distant, he hardly spoke to Harry, whenever Harry talked to his classmates James would glare at them.
It was horrible, Harry had spent nights awake guilty for having been sorted in the house he was.
Then the pranks started.
Harry knew it was them, they always avoided pranking Harry directly but did target anyone who would talk to him.
The slytherins hated him because of it.
By the end of the first semester Harry had lost his brother's respect and the respect of everyone in his house.
The only person he really had at the time was Regulus who was always kind to him.
Coming back home for Yule break they didn’t talk to each other once. Of course Euphemia and Fleamont noticed this and sat them down for a family conversation.
Feelings were said and secrets came out. James told him he was scared for him, he didn’t want Harry to be corrupted so he lashed out and tried to make his housemates dislike him so they wouldn’t try to befriend him.
Harry was upset about this and it culminated in a screaming match between the two. It seemed that was what they needed to fix their relationship though.
Upon returning to school the pranks stopped till the end of the year. His housemates warmed up to him slightly.
His relationship with James never fully recovered, their relationship still wasn’t the same as it was when they were children.
It was better though.
“You were gone for a while,” Regulus stated as he entered the dorm.
“Yea, I just fell asleep in the gryffindor dorms again,” Harry said sitting on the desk where Regulus was working on his charms essay.
“You shouldn’t do that anymore, people were asking me where you were,” Regulus scowled, dipping his quill into more ink.
“It’s fine Reggie, I trust them and who cares what people think of me,” Harry said, running his hands through his best friend's hair.
“I don’t trust them and I care what people think,” Regulus said. As he did Harry moved away from him causing the ink to spill onto the parchment. “Bugger,” Regulus cursed, grabbing his wand to clean the paper of ink.
“Want to go to the pitch before duling club?” Harry asked.
“Is that why you just ruined my paper to get me to go play quidditch with you?” Regulus said sharply.
“No,” Harry grinned.
Regulus relented muttering under his breath about what a slytherin Harry was, as if it was an insult. In first year Regulus would tell him he wasn’t slytherin enough.
They had a nice work out at the pitch, got a quick dinner, and were off the dueling club.
“I don’t know how you do it, you have too much energy.” Regulus said, staring at Harry who was practically skipping to the club.
They entered the large room that was already set up for dueling. There was a good number of people inside but Harry pulled Regulus over to where Barty was standing.
Nearly everyone in the club was a slytherin or ravenclaw, very few gryffindors attended, even less hufflepuffs.
The marauders used to come but they had been banned a year prior for placing a slipping spell onto the duiling table. Remus and Peter weren’t banned but they decided not to go since James and Sirius would complain if they did.
“Ready to go Barty?” Harry asked confidently.
“Ready to do what?” Regulus questioned before Barty could respond to Harry.
Harry grabbed Barty pulling him close, “me and Crouch here are going to dueil Avery and Mulciber.”
Regulus gave a scathing look, the kind of look he gave before he screamed at the quidditch team for messing up. “Those are our housemates Harry, our upperclassmen.”
“Yes, I believe they are,” Harry responded in a sarcastic voice.
“They already dislike you, don’t give them more reason too.” Regulus said, pulling Harry’s away from Barty.
Harry leaned over speaking next to Regulus’s ear, “I told you I don’t care what they think.”
“Regulus,” Barty began, “look it’s no big deal. There are teachers here, and I’m sure the two of them won’t hold it against him personally. It’s me and Avery who have the problems here.”
Regulus tried to stop Harry but at that point the matches were already starting. Harry was so stubborn he couldn’t change his mind anyway.
Most of the matches were just for fun, friends dueling. Some, like with Barty, were challenges from other students.
Eventually the four boys were called up and they approached the table to the cheers and jeers of audience members.
They began with a flash, it was difficult to tell what was happening but Regulus had a trained eye. It was easy to see Avery and Mulciber were struggling.
Mulciber was a brutish boy, angry looking, a beater on the slytherin quidditch team. A fierce one.
Younger students were mortified of him and for good reason. He was well known for harassing muggleborn first years. He was the kind of person Regulus detested, but also the kind that you shouldn’t upset.
Avery was sleeker, handsome, blonde, he made girls blush in the hall. Behind closed doors he was a complete asshole.
It was good to see them get blown to high hell. However it made Regulus’s stomach turn to know it was Harry doing it.
He knew Harry wasn’t vulnerable, at some point he thought he was. He knew better now. Harry was a beast, in the classroom, on the quidditch pitch, and of course in the dueling ring. He might look delicate but he was far from it.
Still Regulus was nervous, he hated the way the other slytherins spoke about Harry. They called him blood traitor, they said he was weak, they spoke about him in ways Regulus would never wish repeated.
Regulus kept peace, he knew his family and their connections and the last thing he ever wished to do was to ruin their standing. Unlike Sirius who could give less of a shit about their family.
It upset him that Harry didn’t seem to see any of this, or at least if he did he didn’t seem to care. He let them say terrible things about him. He accepted it, in fact he thrived on it.
Regulus feared one day he’d take it too far, he wouldn’t be able to fight back. He’d go past the point of no return.
It seemed that day wasn’t today, as Harry knocked Mulciber to the ground followed quickly by Avery. They didn’t stand a chance. Barry had hardly lifted a finger.
Harry came out of it, shoulder length hair tousled as messy as ever, wide grin on his face. He was stunning.
“Did you have fun?” Regulus asked, smirking.
“Did it look like I did?” Regulus grabbed his arm, Harry waved Barty goodbye as they walked away from the dueling room. They tended to leave these things early. “Did you see the stinging curse I sent Avery’s way, nasty right, had him on the floor in seconds.”
Regulus wrapped his arm around Harry’s shoulders, “yes I did see it. It was good, very good.”