The Common Room
"Well, I'm looking forward to Potions," Blaise said with a mischievous grin.
"Why Potions?" I apprehensively asked. Blaise grinned even more at my question. "Apparently, Snape's horrible to the Gryffindors and always finds reasons to make fun of them and take points from them but gives us Slytherins loads of points."
"I've changed to Potions now," I said. "I want to see him make fun of Hermione, Ron and that sad Toad Boy, Neville." They all laughed or grinned at that.
"Same," Harry said.
...
We walked into the Slytherin Common Room. The walls were green and the ceiling showed underneath the lake. There were black leather chairs and sofas around the large room and a few fireplaces. There were many dark brown wooden tables and chairs and quite a few bookcases filled with books. There were also a few cauldrons with Potions ingredients on shelves in one of the corners of the room. "You can have a look around for a few minutes before Professor Snape gets here. After his speech, you will be told where the dorms are. It's two per dorm but the person you choose to share a dorm with will be your dormmate for the first three years so choose wisely. And, yes, you can share with someone of the opposite gender," Fenella said as she saw Harry got to put his hand up. Fenella Blackwood was the fifth-year female Slytherin Prefect. The fifth-year male Slytherin Prefect is Johnathon Burke.
We're definitely sharing. Right, Em?
Of course.
"Come on, Harry," I said as the others started to talk. I grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the bookshelves. The titles were intriguing.
"Emma, the titles on these books," Harry said.
"'Basic Potions for Poisoning Your Enemy', 'Curses To Mortally Wound Your Enemy', '101 Ways To Kill Without Being Detected', 'How To Attack Your Enemy Undetected', 'How To Act Around Your Enemy', 'How to Act At A Ball', 'How To Act At A Dinner Party', 'Basic Pureblood Etiquette', 'Basic Gift Guide For Purebloods'," I read out.
"Look at this one, Em," Harry showed me a book he'd picked up off of one of the shelves.
"'How To Shape-Change - Volume 3: Dragons, Mermaids and Snakes'. Cool!"
"I wonder what Volume 1 and Volume 2 are about," Harry said. "Wait, here they are. 'How To Shape-Change - Volume 1: Trolls, Giants and Veela' and then 'How To Shape-Change - Volume 2: Centaurs, Acromantula and Hippogriffs'."
"Damn... Maybe that's what the cauldrons over there are for. To help with Potions homework officially but they're actually for making the Potions in these books without getting into trouble," I suggested.
"Probably," Harry said. We left the books and walked back over to the others as the Common Room door opened. Professor Snape walked in. He looked at us all.
"There are three rules important for being in Slytherin House. The first is you are all Slytherins. Even if you don't get along. When outside of this Common Room, you are to stand up for each other and be respectful to each other. No fighting outside the Common Room."
Did he just basically say you can fight as much as you want as long as you do it in the Common Room?
Yes, Harry. Yes, he did.
"The second rule is don't get caught. I will not be foolish enough to believe you will not break school rules but if you are going to break the rules, do not get caught doing it. If you absolutely must get caught, then get caught by me. The rest of the school, including the Headmaster, is against Slytherins. They will always be inclined to believe the other Houses over Slytherins. With the others, it's guilty until proven innocent when it comes to Slytherins. However, I believe in innocent until proven guilty. Unless there is sufficient proof, I will make sure you are not punished so don't let there be sufficient proof."
So, basically, we can do what we want as long as we don't get caught?
Yep. Exactly, Harry.
"And the last rule is to get as many points as you can and make the other Houses lose as many points as you can. The same for Quidditch. Win by any means. Slytherins are winners. We are determined, cunning and ambitious. We win and succeed by any means necessary. Do you understand these three rules?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Then, we're going to get along just fine." Professor Snape left.
"Now, separate so you're with the person you want to share a dorm with," Johnathon said. We separated so Harry was with me, Crabbe with Goyle, Pansy with Daphne, Tracey with Millie, Draco with Theo and Blaise with Winter.
"Now," Fenella said. "There will be six rooms down this corridor." She pointed at a corridor in the corner of the room closest to the Common Room entrance. "Your names will be on the doors. Now that you've paired up, the House Elves will put your stuff in your rooms so they'll be in your rooms by the time you get in them. It's late and you are all expected to meet the sixth-year Prefects, Harley Lockwood and Lucas Avery, at 7:30 in the morning in the Common Room for them to take you to breakfast. If you are not there, they will leave without you and you will get lost, miss breakfast and be late to class. This will lose you points, get all of your fellow Slytherins mad at you and you will end up with no friends, acquaintances or allies and many enemies. So be there on time." We all went into the corridor. The first room had Crabbe and Goyle's names on it. The second one was Draco and Theo's room. Then, it was Blaise and Winter's room followed by mine and Harry's room with Daphne and Pansy's room next to ours and Tracey and Millie's room on the end.
...
Jackson Hawke and Ron ran into the room and right next to the front desks which had been left empty. Professor McGonagall watched from her place in cat form on her desk as Ron breathed a sigh of relief. "Made it. Can you imagine the look on old McGonagall's face if we were late?" Harry stifled a snicker at Ron's idiocy as Professor McGonagall jumped off of her desk and transformed back into a person mid-jump. The two boys had a look of shock on their faces. "That was bloody brilliant." Seriously? You were just insulting her and now you know she's listening, you're going to compliment her? Two-faced jerk. Either voice your opinions or keep them to yourself but saying things behind someone's back and complimenting them in person is just cowardly. I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave?
"Well, thank you for that assessment, Mr Weasley. Perhaps it would be most useful if I were to transfigure Mr Hawke and yourself into a pocket watch? That way one of you might be on time." Harry and I chuckled at that.
Very punny, Professor.
Harry! Don't be so lame. That was a terrible joke.
Sorry, Em. But the whole 'on time' thing because they could be showing the correct time on their face if they were a watch...
Well, I think the fact that she's still not 100% sure that they wouldn't be late is funny.
Punny.
Harry!
Ugh, fine, I'll stop.
Thank you.
"We got lost," Hawke said.
"Then perhaps a map? I trust you don't need one to find your seats?" Professor McGonagall said as she gestured to the empty seats in front of her.
...
Professor Snape burst into the room, left the door open behind him and immediately walked over to his desk and turned to face us as he spoke. "There will be no foolish Wand-waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is Potion-making. However, for those... Select few..." He glanced at Draco and Draco gave a small smirk. "Who possess... The predisposition..." He crossed his arms. "I can teach you to how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death." He glanced around the room before seeing that Hawke was writing stuff down and not looking at him. "Then again, maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confident enough to not pay attention!" Hermione jabbed Hawke in the stomach. Hawke looked at her, looked at Professor Snape and put his quill back into his inkpot. "Five points from Gryffindor for your behaviour, Mr Hawke." Professor Snape looked at me and Harry. "Mr and Miss Potter. Our new celebrities. Tell me, Miss Potter, what would I get if I added Powdered Root of Asphodel to an Infusion of Wormwood?" Hermione's hand shot up.
"Draught of the Living Death, Sir," I said. He looked a little shocked but only in his eyes. Hermione put her hand down, clearly disappointed she couldn't be a teacher's pet.
"Where, Mr Potter, would you look if I asked you to find me a Beazoar?" Professor Snape asked Harry and Hermione's hand shot up in the air again. Show off.
"The stomach of a Goat, Sir," Harry answered. "But some people like to keep them on them as they're an antidote to most poisons so you could check to see if someone already has one first if it's that dire of a situation, Sir."
"Well, Potters, can either of you tell me what is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?" He asked ignoring the noises Hermione was making and Hermione's hand that kept reaching higher and higher in the air.
"They are the same plant which also goes by the name of Aconite, Sir," we said in unison.
"Put your hand down, you silly girl," Professor Snape said. Hermione almost fell out of her chair as she tried to reach her hand higher in the air. Hermione put her hand down and looked upset. Serves her right. She shouldn't be so much of a teacher's pet. "Five points from Gryffindor. Well, why aren't you all copying this down?" He walked over to the desk, sat behind it and went to start writing. "And, Slytherins, five points for each correctly answered question and an extra five points for knowing an alternative name for Wolfsbane."
...
"Can I borrow this?" Harry asked as Draco got a newspaper.
"Sure," Draco answered. Harry unravelled the newspaper called 'The Daily Prophet'.
Hey, Em, somebody broke into Gringotts.
Didn't Hagrid say there's no safer place than Gringotts other than Hogwarts?
Well, that's clearly not the case, is it?
What does it say, Harry?
'Believed to be the work of Dark Witches of Wizards unknown, Gringotts goblins, while acknowledging the breach, insist nothing was taken. The vault in question, number 713, had in fact been emptied earlier that very same day.'
That's odd. That's the Vault Hagrid took the special rock from. It's got to be a really special rock, Harry. If someone was trying to steal it. Let's check it out in the library after Flying class.
Okay, Em.
...
"Good afternoon, class," Madam Hooch said as she walked over to us.
"Good afternoon, Madam Hooch," we responded as she walked through the two rows of students and brooms.
"Good afternoon, Amanda. Good afternoon," she said to Amanda Quinn and Tyler Rowan as she reached the end and turned around to face us. "Welcome to your first flying lesson. Well, what are you waiting for? Everyone step up to the left side of their broomstick." Some of us did as she told us. "Come on now, hurry up." Everyone else moved into place. "Stick your right hand over the broom and say 'up'," she commanded. Everyone stuck their right hands over their brooms and said 'up'. Mine, Harry's and Draco's brooms instantly flew up and into our hands.