Garnet

Breakfast was over surprisingly quickly, no one forced Harry to eat or even brought up the fact he didn't.

But that didn't fix the fact that Harry was expected to show up like he always was. He should have just said he wouldn't go, and maybe they wouldn't expect him for the rest of the year but no he had to go along with it since that's what was expected from him. The Slytherins all looked at him like they knew what he was thinking without him opening his mouth and it was freaking him out.

However at least Harry was able to spend the time listening to the conversation going on around him without being expected to join in, but he felt welcomed if he wanted to.

They were getting ready to go when the twins came up behind Harry.

¨Harry Harry Harry¨

¨How is our favorite¨

¨Little brother doing?¨

¨Are the Snakes¨

¨Treating you well?¨

¨If not you know¨

¨We'll have to prank them.¨

Fred and Geroge talked back and forth like Harry had become so accustomed to them doing. Their presence was calming in a way he felt only when he was around them.

¨Fred, George don't worry about me, I'm doing fine in Slytherin. How are you guys doing? Sucks I won't get to see you guys as much as before now we are not in the same house but it is what it is.¨

¨Don't kid yourself¨

¨You can't get rid of us¨

¨That easily, we'll¨

¨Be here no matter what¨

¨Weather you want¨

¨Us or not.¨

Harry knew they wouldn't get rid of him just because he was in Slytherin but it was nice to hear it. Harry saw them both as older brothers and they knew him better than anyone else, so he was happy they would still be around. Especially in the last few years, they had been spending more and more time around Harry. Hell, they even spent time in his dorm on occasion when he couldn't stand anyone else. They always told him he was the little brother he wished he had, he had always wanted siblings and it seemed that he finally found some.

They walked away after saluting Harry and the rest of the table.

Harry was worried that everyone would be mad that two Gryffindors came by the table to see Harry but no one seemed mad, they almost looked amused watching the twins walk away.

¨Well aren't they a fun bunch, the only thing I have to say about it is are either of them single?¨

Parkinson playfully shoved Zabini in the side for that comment as loudly complained ¨Blaise you can't just flirt with everyone you meet. Plus we're together you asshole.¨

¨Awww Pans you know you're the only one for me.¨

¨Shut up, no need to get sappy during breakfast.¨

Parkinson looked away as she blushed at Zabini's comment. Based on what Harry had picked up from the group it seemed like there were two couples. First Parkinson and Zabini then Davis and Bulstrode. They both seemed to be disgustingly in love and Harry couldn't help but hate them for it. It could have been him with Cedric this year but he was gone and Harry had to stop thinking about him, wishing he would show back up.

¨Is everyone ready to go back to the common room?¨ Draco asked the group.

¨Yeah let's go, we can all talk in the guy's dorm.¨

Pansy looked amongst the boys¨Good idea Bulstrode, their rooms bigger than ours anyway.¨

They all stood up and started walking back to the dungeons. Once again Harry found himself in the middle of the group. He didn't feel trapped like he expected he might have, he felt safe in a way he hadn't before. It scared him.

He didn't do groups, he didn't do people, he didn't do friends.

Once they made it into the dorm Harry sat down on his bed, Parkinson sat with Zabini on his, Crabb and Goyle sat on Crabb's, Bulstrode and Davis sat on Goyle's, Greengrass and Nott sat together on Nott's, Malfoy sat alone on his. Well isn't this a fun little group?

Arie was sitting half on Harry's bed and half on his lap, hissing reminders for Harry to breathe that he was trying to listen to but couldn't quite follow. Just listening to her voice calmed Harry down enough to not outwardly show how he was feeling so thank Merlin for that. He couldn't show how weak he was already, he had to get them to respect him before he completely shattered the image he tried to put on with one of his inevitable moods. He felt one creeping on already even though it had only been a weak and a half since his last one. But maybe he was just adjusting to his new house, who knows?

¨Ok, you guys said you wanted to talk, what questions do you have?¨ Harry thought he might as well go out and get this conversation over with.

Malfoy went first ¨I know I'm wondering why you switched to Slytherin, and why your friends are so mad at you since it seemed like more than you just getting sorted here.¨

¨Well I got sorted here because it's where the hat always wanted to put me, I just didn't let it before since I had a part to play but I'm done hiding now so I'm here. I never had a problem with you snakes I just needed to show how much of a mindless Gryffindor I was so no one would question my actions. In the world's eyes, anyone who wears red can do no wrong so I went where I needed to be. It's a long story with my old ¨ friends ¨ but Weasley and Granger are pissed with me since they were never my friends and my getting sorted here messes up their plans. The rest of the world because of last year which I'm sure you all already know.¨

¨You never seemed like a Gryffindor to me Potter and trust me I know people and everything about everyone. I'm not saying you shouldn't have been in Slytherin from the star but you couldn't have just asked the hat to place you in Gryffindor it doesn't work that way.¨

¨One thing you'll realize about me Parkinson is that I'm nothing if not defying the odds. If you tell the hat where to put you it will listen if you're insistent enough, but no one had any good reasons before me so the hat always made the choice instead of the person. Remember I'm the boy who lived after all or what are they calling me now, the boy who lied? So who knows maybe I'm lying to you all about everything who knows?¨

¨Potter you know you're in the only house where you will be believed about you know who right? We all know better than to believe he's not back. And call me Pansy or Pans, everyone does, and you are one of us now.¨

¨Ok Pansy call me Harry then.¨

They all looked around at each other, nodded, and then looked back at Harry. The only thing he could think was what the fuck, did they also share the same thoughts since no one in Gryffindore had ever seemed to agree on something without arguing for at least an hour first.

¨You can call us all by our first names. I'm Tracy but everyone calls me by my last name Davis so you can continue to call me that¨ Then she pointed at each person as she listed their name ¨next to me is Millie, then Greg, Vince, Blaise, Theo, Daphne, Draco, and as she already introduced Pansy.¨

¨ Ok, you all can call me Harry. If you want to refer to me by my last name I go by Potter Black¨

They all looked shocked, it seemed none of them knew about his lordships which was good since that meant no one else also did.

¨Potter, are you the Black heir?¨ Theo looked shocked.

¨Something like that, like I said there's a lot of you guys and nobody knows about me. It's nothing for you guys to be worrying about, there's too much to explain and things you guys do need to know. Don’t question it and you will find yourself in trouble, otherwise, I wish you the best of luck.¨

¨I'll let this go for now but i'll find whatever it is, theres nothing that stays hidden even if its coverd over. Like I said Harry im good with people.¨

¨Pansy besides me there is no one who knows about this i'm not stupid enough to go around telling people.¨

¨See guys I told you he was a true Slytherin, its been one night and he already thinks like one.¨

¨Draco like I have mentioned on many occasions no one has ever disagreed with you even before this year so please, for the love of Merlin stop brining this up.¨

¨Shut up Pans¨

¨Back at you Draco¨

Harry was speechless. He had never imagined a time when he would have called all the Slytherins by their first name. Let alone heard them all joke around and seem comftortable in a way they arnt around the rest of the school.

¨Ok, let's move on to classes now, no offense Harry but you're taking the hardest classes at Hogwarts, and if I remember correctly you have never been great at your studies. That was always Granger's thing was it not?¨

¨Yes Theo we get it your obsessed with classes, I feel like this really since what we should be focusing on.¨

¨Daphne, I know you are as interested in this as me and who are you to to judge since all you have been talking about since we picked classes was how exited you were.¨

¨Sorry to break that up but yeah before it was Granger who was the academic of the group. But shes just a obnoxious know it all which im sure you are aware. I had to make sure not to stand out in any classes before besides defense but im actually great at school if im allowed to try which I assure you i will be doing this year.¨

¨I look forward to seeing it Harry, I need some more competition.¨ Theo looked positively thrilled at the thought of someone else besides Daphne taking all the classes hes taking.¨

¨Yeah, we can finally have another competent person in our study group.¨

“Daphne are you calling me incompetent, how could you.¨ Millie sighed dramaticly

¨Awww of course not but we both know you only try in ruins.¨

¨Yeah well thats because it's the most important subject, who needs anything else if you have ruins. Its the most useful out of school and if everyone was just taught it then maybe the wizarding world wouldn’t be filled with mindless fools.¨

¨Yes, yes we have all heard your opinions about how great ruins are a million times and you know I will listen to you talk about it as much as you want later but now we should eb talking about harry.¨

¨Yeah, yeah, sorry Harry.¨

¨Its fine Millie, I don't care i'm exited for ruins too though probably not as much as you.¨

Draco was the next to speak up ¨Potter is there anything that you want us to do to help you with anything or anything like that that maybe we should be aware of?¨

Draco sounded like he was trying to be nonchalant and not stress Harry out but it was not working. What did he know, Harry was fine. He was always fine and there's nothing wrong with him. Why would they need to help him with anything he didn't need anyone. Why would they even think he did, had he let his mask slip? No he hadn't so what did they know about him. Yeah, they watched him during meals and whenever they saw him in the halls last year and basically every previous year but they didn’t know anything about him.

He was probably over thinking it and Draco was just trying to make him comfortable.

He realized he had stays silent for to long and quickly responded ¨No, im good but thanks.¨
He didn't know why this answer didn't seem to satisfy the group but he was probably just imagining it.

¨Ok well it seems we covered everything that's currently important. We can talk about the small things and anything else that comes up once classes start and we all get to know each other.¨

Harry didn’t think that sounded to bad and he was done with the conversation anyways so he agreed ¨Yeah sounds fine.¨

¨Do you guys want to make sure we have all of our summer work done and everything ready for classes tomorrow.¨

Everyone agreed and the girls left the room to get there book bags and everyone else pulled out summer work they had to finish or in Harry and Theos case books on various topics.

Thats how they spent the rest of the day and Harry couldn’t help but enjoy himself.