The Sorting Hat
Harry swallowed thickly and stood up to move towards the chair reserved for the sorting. Tom had told him this might happen. For one the Hat was able to discern certain dangers in a way that divination could never reach and on the other hand was Harry now Tom's husband and due to this part of the Slytherin legacy.
All eyes were on him as he moved forward. His steps echoed through the deadly silent Great Hall, ricocheting off of the stone walls.
Professor McGonagall handed him the Hat and Harry sat on the chair, shoving it onto his curls.
Immediately the gravelly voice was in his head.
"Mr. Potter, how nice to be talking to you again.", it said.
Harry sighed.
"Do what you must. I don't care.", Harry stated bravely.
"Oh but you do. Your friends will be disappointed. The school will shun you. Your only true friends have already shown their loyality to you."
Harry grimaced at the wording, taking the hint for what it was.
"I will heed your warning, hat. Now don't keep this up for too long.", Harry growled, magic crackling under his skin as the whole hall was still watching him.
It unnerved him to be presented this way again. Everyone was always watching him. Why couldn't they stop watching him?
"I shall not keep them waiting. I resort you into SLYTHERIN", the booming voice resounded through the Great Hall.
Harry felt magic wash over him and as he looked down at his school robes they were not red anymore but adorned by the Slytherin crest and had green and silver lining.
Harry stood from the chair, gave the Hat to McGonagall and marched towards the seat that was being reserved for him next to Draco. Only as he sat down did the Great Hall go up in a roar. Students were talking over each other, some were booing at Harry and one even shot a spell at him which was immediately blocked by the Slytherins.
A booming "Silence" had all of them stop and turn towards the headmaster.
Dumbledore was looking at them all with a frown on his face. It seemed as if the esteemed headmaster had not put this scenario into his calculations.
Harry smirked at the old man. Now all his manipulations regarding Ron and Hermione won't work. Ron hated Slytherins with a passion and Harry had already been on thin ice for daring to like being married to Tom. Hermione didn't like what she didn't understand so Harry was now on her bad side as well.
This would be an interesting school year, if not dangerous.
Dumbledore gave his usual speech about dangers around the school, Harry was only listening half-heartedly. He was more interested in the dynamic of the Slytherin table. Tom had told him a few things just in case. Right now though no one seemed to question his standing inside the house.
If he thought about it, he never saw the Slytherins fight openly. If there was a clinch you would only see it in the subtle way of students avoiding each other but there was no fighting. Maybe Slytherin wasn't that bad. At least he wouldn't be shunned by half the house for whatever reason. Well, not in front of the whole school at least. Inside the common room would be a different topic.
An elbow in his ribs brought him back to the present and Harry looked to Draco who motioned with his head. Harry looked up and saw that the Welcoming Feast was over and the Slytherins hadn't moved an inch.
Harry stood and the older students follwed suit a second after him before the prefects began leading the new students towards the dungeons.
In that moment the former Gryffindor understood what the hierarchy in Slytherin meant for him. He was again the role model of the house. This time though he knew what to do and how to behave, well somehow.
The trek down to the dungeons was quiet for the most time, only whenever someone from the other houses saw him did they throw comments or just started hissing. The teenager ignored them.
Harry was used to the ambivalent treating the school gave him every year. This was no different. Either it would come to a head point after some time or most of his classmates would calm down eventually.
Another elbow in his ribs made Harry look up. They were already in front of the Slytherin common room.
"Does anyone know the password?", Harry asked.
Blaise, Draco and Theo all shook their heads. Harry groaned in annoyance.
"Open for me.", the teenager hissed at the doors and they promptly opened.
The three Slytherin students were too sophisticated to gape but it was a near thing.
"What? You all knew I could speak Parseltongue since second year!"
No one said a word and - rolling his eyes - Harry walked into the common room.
After a quick look he decided that nothing had changed since his stint in it during second year. The teenager headed straight to one of the couches near the large glass wall facing the Black Lake. It had an armchair as well as a few couches, making it look like a lounge area.
"How come you know the layout of our common room?", Blaise asked with narrowed eyes.
"Hermione brewed Polyjuice Potion during our second year so Ron and I could impersonate Crabbe and Goyle. We assumed Draco was the heir and decided to investigate ourselves.", Harry replied absentmindedly.
The following silence was ignored by Harry.
The armchair wasn't as comfortable as he wanted it to be so he changed it a bit. Harry waved his hand over the cushions and immediately they softened up.
Harry settled comfortably into the armchair and noticed that Draco and Blaise sat on one sofa while Theo took the other one. It seemed he already had his own following. The teenager grimaced slightly but otherwise remained unresponsive to his thoughts. He knew it was important for his image among the other Slytherins so he needed to take it in stride. Inwardly he sighed at the thought. When was this going to be over?
"So, Potter. You can use wandless magic effortlessly.", Theo commented.
Harry rolled his eyes.
"Obviously.", was his dry answer.
Draco threw him an annoyed look. Harry just raised an eyebrow.
"That will make you powerful enough to keep the leadership of the house, I hope.", Blaise commented idly.
Harry snorted and let his gaze wander around the common room. Most students were talking among themselves, seeming at ease and definitely not gaping at him. Others were watching him out of the corner of their eyes while the first and second years were gaping at him. Harry rolled his eyes. Sooner or later one of them would do something incredibly stupid like try to duel him.
And now someone moved towards their small group.
Harry didn't pay them any mind as the person stopped next to him. They would eventually talk.
"I don't care that you're the Dark Lord's husband. You don't belong here.", a male voice hissed at him.
Harry turned around.
In front of him stood a dark haired teenager with light green eyes. The guy was scowling down at him.
"Interesting. I believe the Sorting Hat had a different opinion than you. But what does a measly hat know about the sorting?", Harry replied sarcastically.
The guy let out a growl before moving forward a step.
Harry didn't even bat an eye at the move and waited for the response.
"Do you take me for an idiot? These idiots over there might accept you as the head of Slytherin right now but I will never just accept that. I want a duel. Now."
Harry just watched the teenager for a moment before he stood.
"Yes, I think you're an idiot for wanting to duel me but as it is not my problem what happens to you, I don't care. Do I at least get a name with the face?"
The guy sneered at him before he spat: "Patrick Rosier."
Harry's mind quickly gave him the connection to the father or uncle. A Death Eater. Evan Rosier, not in the Inner Circle but close enough that the man should know better. The teenager narrowed his eyes at Rosier in front of him.
"You know that whatever you do will ricochet towards your father - or perhaps uncle, given your dark hair?", Harry asked.
He didn't mind the duel. He bested Lucius Malfoy after the training with Tom but whatever this teenager did would inevitably either get his relative punished or killed.
"I don't care. Whatever influence you have is only a game the Dark Lord plays for you. You don't have a say in anything!"
Ah, a condescending prick thinking he knew better what kind of marriage he had than Harry himself.
With an eyeroll Harry stood and - wandlessly - erected a shield around them.
"Do you want the general duelling procedure or do y-", his question was answered when a spell sizzled past him.
Harry hummed and quickly cast three spells - weaving them together like Tom taught him, catching Patrick with a minor cutting curse near his knee.
The teenager only glared at Harry and threw a curse his way which Harry easily dodged. Malfoy was faster with his spells than this sixth year.
The curses Rosier threw at him got darker over time. After the tenth minute they had almost the whole common room's attention.
After fifteen minutes Harry was fed up with the teenager and started his signature spell set that would leave Rosier vulnerable and defenseless.
He started with a wandless stinging hex, curling his wand and adding an Arresto Momentum. Rosier was suspended in time only for a second - a second which Harry needed to wandlessly cast Expelliarmus and throw a Petrificus Totalus with his wand after that.
Rosier's body clammed up immediately and he fell like a stone.
Harry took down the ward he had cast beforehand and looked at the Slytherins.
"Anyone else?", he asked angrily.
All of them shook their heads and collectively took a step back. Harry nodded. He turned back to the still petrified Rosier and released his spell.
The teenager was looking at him with wide eyes.
"I hope you learned your lesson. This was my only warning shot. Do that again and I won't be this lenient. I could have done more damage than you can even imagine. But I will inform Tom of what has happened. Your relative will have a lot to answer for.", Harry said to the frightened teenager.
The boy only nodded before scrambling up and disappearing into his dormitory.
Harry looked over to Theo, Blaise and Draco and all three of them shot to their feet immediately. Together they made their own way to the dormitories.
Inside the bedroom Harry let out a sigh and massaged his temples.
"I knew Slytherin was different but bloody hell... How am I supposed to run this thing?"
Blaise snickered.
"I don't think you need to do much. Slytherin is pretty much an autonomous organisation. You come into the equation as soon as there is an altercation the younger years cannot clear up themselves. After you come the prefects and after that Snape. I'm sure he would be delighted to tell you how it works.", Theo explained.
Harry groaned but nodded in acceptance.
"I'll just get to sleep. I need to be on my toes tomorrow."
The others just nodded and got themselves ready. Harry changed into night clothes and quickly made his way into his bed. He spelled the curtains closed and soundproofed them before getting the mirror out.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle.", he spoke and the mirror clouded over before clearing up again -this time with Tom's face in it.
"Darling! Wonderful. It took you longer than I thought to call me."
Harry rolled his eyes at the man's playfully pouting tone. No one would believe that Tom Riddle alias Voldemort could be cute.
"I had to take care of someone first.", Harry replied, anger overclouding the sense of calm Tom's voice provided.
Tom's face darkened.
"What happened?", the man asked darkly.
"Get Evan Rosier under control, Tom. His nephew - I believe - Patrick Rosier decided he wanted to duel me as I 'don't belong' in Slytherin. And he said that you only play along to me making suggestions about your politics. I cannot imagine a sixteen year old thought this way on his own. There's someone undermining my presence and I don't like it."
Harry had started to like the feeling of equality he got whenever he talked to Tom. Someone undermining his influence over the man was something he couldn't tolerate. Even if he hated what would happen to Rosier after his conversation with Tom.
Tom had schooled his features enough to not show the rage on his face but his eyes had that manic glint. Whenever he was angry with one of his followers he would get this specific glint. Harry shuddered. Tom was always in a very generous mood when he came back from torturing someone.
"I will see to rectify that immediately.", Tom promised. "Now tell me how your sorting went and what face the old fool made."
Harry laughed at that and proceeded to tell his husband what had transpired during the sorting.
They talked until Harry was yawning every three seconds to which Tom reminded him about his school day filled with animosity.
"I better get sleep then. But I believe Theo, Blaise and Draco will cover for me if I find myself lacking focus. Goodnight, Tom. Sleep well.", Harry said and Tom repeated the sentiment before ending their connection.
It didn't take long for Harry to falls asleep then, trepidation about the upcoming day curling in his stomach.