Muffliato

"Over the next seven years, this place will be your home, and the people you see gathered around you, your family. Your allegiance now lies with Slytherin House, and your fellow Slytherins.

"You will endeavour to live up to the ideals of our founder, Salazar Slytherin, and personify Cunning, Ambition, and Fraternity. This is what sets us apart from the other houses. While in Hufflepuff loyalty and friendship is idolized, in Slytherin we are bound by a loyalty born of duty and fellowship. While in Gryffindor boldness and bravery are valued above all, in Slytherin we observe and analyse before we act, and are bold when it is within our power to be bold, and brave when it is demanded of us to be brave. While in Ravenclaw knowledge for the sake of knowledge is exalted, in Slytherin, your knowledge will serve to further your ambitions and the ambitions of your housemates.

"Purity, tradition, and greatness are all words synonymous with Slytherin. Uphold our traditions, value purity, and strive to be great – and you will indeed be the perfect Slytherin.

"Camaraderie is important in this house. You will settle your grievances here, in the common room, and show only solidarity to in the eyes of the rest of Hogwarts. Winning points will put you in good standing with your housemates, and loosing them will be to your shame. Remember that the points you gain or lose do not belong to you; they belong to your house.

"Now, we are standing right now in the Slytherin Common Room, which is open for your use at any time. We ask that you behave respectfully and read the atmosphere before starting any games or...lively discussions. Behind you and to your right is the passage to the boys' dorms, and to the left is the girls'. You will share these rooms with your yearmates for the remainder of your time at Hogwarts. We ask that you respect the privacy of your fellow Slytherins, and do not engage in obtrusive behaviour.

"Finally, should you need anything, seek out one of the prefects in our fifth, sixth, or seventh year dorm rooms, and we will address your needs. For anything we are unable to help you with, you can go to our Head of House, Professor Severus Snape. Although...I would encourage you not to bother him needlessly. He's a...busy man.

"Now, unless you have any questions, you are dismissed."

Immediately after Hortense Rowland had finished her speech, Harry slipped away, down the hall to where his dorm was supposed to be. Once he had disappeared from the common room, he broke into a run, and located the restroom right away. Locking the door behind him, he quickly cast a silencio on himself before he fell to his knees, screaming. Tom had returned.

As always it was an excruciating process that took way too long; it felt like his head was being ripped apart and then squeezed back together by a vice, and he could practically feel his nerves on fire with the violent, electric power pulsating beneath his skull. As usual, he was tasting blood in his mouth by the time the pain started to let up. Not pleasant at all.

Once the pain had finally died down, Harry shakily rose to his feet and washed the blood on his face, and after he finished cleaning himself up, he stumbled into his dorm room, rubbing his head as he took a moment to appreciate the decor.

Everything was very green – the upholstery of the furniture, the walls, the bedding, the faint moonlight shimmering through the lake water resting above the room's glass ceiling; literally, everything. Lucky for him, he liked green, and it all matched his eyes to boot.

Eventually, his eyes traveled to one of the paintings on the wall, of two snakes, one black, one white, slithering through the grass together.

:Look! Look! A new child!:

He smiled tenderly. :Oh, Hello.:

The snakes moved, then, raising their heads to look at him. :A new child!:

Harry nodded. :I just got here.:

:Will you be staying?:

:For the next seven years.:

Suddenly, a sound interrupted him, and he looked behind him to see Theodore Nott staring at him with wide eyes.

"Are you alright, Nott? You look a bit pale."

"Were you...talking to those snakes?"

Harry blinked. "Well, yes. All the portraits talk, don't they?"

"Potter," Nott said slowly, carefully, "The snakes in the portraits don't talk, they hiss."

Harry froze. "Oh, I see." He paused, his puzzled face morphing into one of pure dejection. "Well, I'm sorry you had to see that." He took out his wand.

"Potter, what are you -"

"Just relax. I've never done the memory charm before, so I don't want to mess it up. I'd hate to do any permanent damage."

Nott's eyes went wide and he gaped at him, before whipping out his own wand.

"Expelliarmus," Harry said instantly, catching Nott's wand in his hand. "Please don't fight back. I don't want to hurt you."

Nott went pale with fear. "Wait, wait," he pleaded, "I swear I won't say anything. I swear it. Please, don't obliviate me. You can trust me, Potter. I know how to keep a secret."

Harry frowned, conflicted. Tom would be furious with him. He was conspicuously pain free at the moment, but he could already feel anticipatory pain burning in his scar. These things were so much scarier knowing that Tom was watching him. Nott was a liability – a very serious liability. Tom had been very clear that Harry's parseltongue abilities might end up being the only thing Dumbledore needed to lead him to the truth – he couldn't risk anyone finding out so early. But...if he did try to obliviate Nott, and he failed, or was caught...then he would have to explain why he tried to remove the memories of his dormmate on his very first day at Hogwarts. It was a gamble, either way.

He looked up at Nott, who was still staring at him with fear in his eyes. Harry frowned. Nott was near the top of his list of potential friends; he rather liked the boy, and certainly didn't want to hurt him...he'd just been in the wrong place at the wrong time...and really, it was Harry's mistake. He should have known better than to strike up a conversation with the snakes, even if they started it. Poor Nott...it was his first day at Hogwarts, too. He didn't deserve this, not at all. No, Harry decided, if anyone would suffer for his mistake, it would be him. If Nott betrayed him...then he would just have to live with the consequences.

Harry sighed and put his wand back in his pocket, before handing Nott's back to him.

Nott still didn't say a word, still quite stunned.

Harry looked at him earnestly. "You can't tell anyone. No one can know. If people find out...I'll be in a lot of trouble. So...please understand that I don't want to hurt you...but if you say anything at all, you will regret it," he finished sadly.

Nott nodded frantically. "No one will know. I swear."

Harry nodded back curtly.

And not a moment too soon, because as soon as they finished speaking, the other four boys came barging into the room, but immediately stopped short, no doubt reading the tension in the air.

Malfoy looked between them haughtily with a raised eyebrow.

Harry cast one more glance at Nott, but ignored all the others as he retreated behind the curtains of his bed.

The last thing his dormmates heard was "muffliato."

.....

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