45 Slytherin Leader

After the sumptuous feast was finished and Dumbledore said his last remarks (not forgetting to warn the students off the Forbidden Forest and the Third Floor Corridor), the first years were led away from the Great Hall by Prefects.

Draco tiredly followed the older students together with everyone else, wishing to quickly fall into bed and sleep the night away. At home, he always followed a strict schedule and didn't usually stay up until late.

After roughly ten minutes of walking through the winding hallways, the Prefect finally stopped before a bare stone wall. Draco looked around but didn't see how it differed from any other walls that they had passed earlier. He could already feel that it would be difficult to remember his way to the Slytherin common room…

"Glowstone Dust," the Prefect loudly intoned the password and made sure that everyone entered the room.

Draco looked around.

At first glance, the Slytherin common room reminded him of the Black Manor – it was dark, the lights illuminated the room in a greenish shade (because of the lake, which could be seen throughout the windows) and the furniture was either done with expensive black leather or out of intricately carved dark wood. The place didn't seem cheerful and was even a bit cold, despite the fire burning in the fireplace.

The first year Slytherins unsurely stood in the middle of the room, while some of the older students observed them. However, most of the upper years had already left to sleep, so there weren't many people left in the room.

After a few tense minutes of silence, a figure rose up from a comfortable armchair, which stood facing the fireplace with its back to the entrance.

"Welcome, fellow students!" said the young man as soon as he turned to face the first years. "My name is Corvus Lestrange, and I am the current Slytherin leader as well as a sixth-year Prefect."

Draco's eyes widened a bit as he recognized the boy's name. Corvus Lestrange was older than him by 5 years, so the blond hadn't had the chance to meet him before. However, he was aware of quite a few rumors which surrounded the other person.

Corvus was the son of Rabastan Lestrange, whose brother was Rodolphus – Bellatrix's husband. However, because he was conceived outside of marriage and his father was locked up in Azkaban, his status in the family was a bit awkward. But, because Lord Lestrange didn't have any other grandsons from the main line, he reluctantly acknowledged the boy.

Draco's thoughts returned to reality and he concentrated on the older student's speech.

"My duty today is to welcome you and explain some rules," began Corvus. He casually placed his hand on the armchair's (where he sat before) back and smiled.

"First, regarding the house's hierarchy. As I already mentioned, I am Slytherin's leader, which is the highest position a student can obtain - it is only below that of the Head of House. The Slytherin leader is not selected – it is a fair competition between upper-year students and anyone, who is above third-year, can participate in it."

Most of the first years have already known, or heard, about the house's hierarchy because most of their families had at least one Slytherin alumni among them. As such, they would have informed the future students of various houses' dynamics.

Because Slytherin was the house of the ambitious, the conditions in which it operated also reflected that. The upper-year students could form factions of up to five people and compete in duels with other house-mates. The faction which won the highest amount of duels would also win the competition, and its leader was crowned as Slytherin's leader.

This position offered a number of privileges, such as the best seats in the Great Hall and Slytherin common room, the best study rooms in the house, the exclusive use of Hogwarts' house-elves and other things.

However, most of the students strived to win the position, not because of these few privileges, but because the Slytherin leader could direct the house's politics.

For example, if the Slytherin leader said that during Harry's fourth year the boy isn't to be acknowledged as Hogwarts' Champion in the Triwizard Tournament, then the house's general attitude towards the Boy-Who-Lived would reflect the leader's words.

Of course, the students didn't have to follow the Slytherin leader's every word if they had different opinions, however, they couldn't go against it either – at least not in an obvious way. That's why, to other students, the Slytherin house always seemed to be very united on the surface.

In the books, Harry was just unlucky because none of the Slytherin leaders liked him and many either stayed neutral, or actively sided against him. Even if there were some students, who liked Britain's hero, they weren't strong enough to climb the hierarchy and change the way in which the house treated the bespectacled boy.

Corvus Lestrange didn't care enough to elaborate more on the subject because new students would learn the house's rules with time. He explained some of the key points and moved on:

"The second thing that I would like to point out is the Announcement Board. On it, you will find the new password to the common room, which changes every week, the clubs, for which you can sign up, as well as other notices. However, the most important thing for you guys is the Prefects' communication mirror numbers. Please add them and if you get lost or get into trouble - call them. There is also the number for the Head of House, however, bother him at your own risk."

When the communication mirrors were mentioned, many eyes turned to look at Draco. As the main boss behind their creation, he was responsible for making the students' lives more convenient.

Truthfully, Draco was rather surprised that the mirrors were so actively used at Hogwarts. Even though it was his idea, witnessing how their existence changed the way that the school operates made him think that he was in an alternate universe. However, changes were bound to happen, and he couldn't afford to fuss over every single one of them.

Corvus' eyes also found the blond boy within the crowd and the older teen nodded in acknowledgment when their gazes met.

"The last thing, of which you have to be aware of, is the student room allocation," he continued after a brief pause. "Many of you probably know it from your parents, but I have to inform you anyway. Because the dungeons are so extensive and only Slytherins have them as our dorms, we are lucky enough to have single rooms. Now, go find your names on the doors in the corridor on the right, and go to sleep. Remember to gather in the common room tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. sharp!"

It didn't take long for Draco to find his own name on one of the doors because it was right at the beginning of the hallway. He was happy to note that his neighbor was Theo. Daphne's room was further away.

After wishing goodnight to others, Draco closed the door to his room and looked around. There was a single window, through which he could see the depths of the Hogwarts' lake. Because it was already night, there were no fishes or mermen swimming around – only dark water. Honestly, this made the boy feel a bit claustrophobic.

The walls and floor were done in stone, like the rest of the castle. There were a few pieces of furniture, such as the bed with a green canopy, a desk and a chair, a closet and another set of doors, which led to a small bathroom.

"Missy!" Draco called.

Because his father was a member of the Hogwarts' Board of Governors, the blond boy could enjoy certain privileges. Usually, house-elves from students' families weren't allowed to enter the school, however, Lucius managed to obtain permission for his son to use one. However, the concession was made only for one night – in order to help the child settle in.

Missy appeared with a loud popping sound. On her shoulder was Zosar, who sat there looking extremely irritated.

• I was already almost asleep. What took you so long? Is this really a school – why are they letting children go to sleep this late at night? •

Draco stroked his familiar's feathers to calm him down.

"Sorry, the feast lasted for several hours and then I had to listen to Slytherin's rules. I really don't know, how they expect everyone to be up and ready by 7 a.m. tomorrow," Draco yawned and tiredly explained.

Zosar was still rather young, being only five years old. Although he appeared to be a bit immature in some aspects, Draco knew that the bird was only expressing his concern. The phoenix had a hard time showing his affection directly and the blond boy was already used to it – after all, he could sense a trickle of Zosar's real feelings through their connection.

After appeasing his familiar, Draco turned to his faithful house elf.

"Missy, help me unpack and redecorate this place a bit. The room is really too gloomy – I will only have nightmares if I have to sleep in it as it is, and for the whole seven years…"

The elf readily nodded. She was also a bit unhappy thinking that her spoiled young master would have to live in this cramped and ugly room.

With a snap of her fingers, the stone walls were dyed white, the ceiling's gray color was lightened by a few shades, while the floor was inlaid with ash-brown parquet. The bed's canopy was removed, and the sheets were changed to light brown, with snowy white pillows resting above them. Below the bed laid a dark brown carpet.

The wooden closet, which was already quite big, was further expanded and its doors were changed to sliding mirrors. The desk was also changed to a wider one, and the simple wooden chair was replaced with a comfortable white leather one.

On the other side of the room, where a few bookshelves previously stood, now was a white marble fireplace. The bare white walls were also covered with stylish dark wooden shelves where books could be placed.

Missy also added a few more lamps, which instantly made the room brighter. The elf also didn't forget Zosar's perch, which now stood next to Draco's bed. It was made of dark wood and blended in quite well with everything else.

Draco nodded with satisfaction, seeing that the previously gloomy room was now turned into a nice and manly bedroom. He turned to his elf and gently said:

"Thank you, Missy. You are probably also tired – go to sleep."

The elf happily nodded and popped away.

Draco didn't waste any more time. Seeing that it was already after midnight, he quickly changed to pajamas and went to sleep.

After all, tomorrow will be the first day of lessons.

---

In the Headmaster's office, three figures were gathered. One of them was relentlessly pacing back and forth, seemingly unable to contain their emotions.

"Albus, was it you, who changed the hat's decision?" demanded Minerva McGonagall. Her eyes were ablaze and her face showed dissatisfaction.

Besides her and Dumbledore, there was also Severus Snape, who stood leaning against a bookcase with his whole being radiating boredom and impatience.

"What if it was me?" asked the Headmaster calmly. His twinkling blue eyes stared at the Deputy through the half-moon glasses curiously, as though the one being shouted at wasn't himself.

Minerva stopped her pacing – she was suddenly at a loss of words. She turned to her silent colleague and demanded:

"Severus, you tell him! Changing the hat's decision – that's too irresponsible! What if the child doesn't fit in with his house-mates? What will everyone else think? If this becomes known, the school's reputation…"

The Potions Master snorted.

"It's better if Potter isn't in my house. You know as well as I do that it would be dangerous for him if he lived under Lestrange's leadership. And he isn't even the one who hates Potter the most… Besides, I also can't stand the boy."

"That Slytherin hierarchy is just ridiculous! Is this still a school, or is it the students' playground?" Minerva bristled at the mere mention of the other house's structure.

"You wouldn't understand – you Gryffindors only know how to covertly bully others while making yourselves out to be the innocents in every situation – most of you even believe it," Severus spat out and quickly changed the topic. "Anyway, weren't we talking about Potter's sorting?"

Minerva finally remembered, why she stormed into Dumbledore's office while dragging Severus with her. She turned back to the Headmaster and, with a resigned sigh, asked:

"Please, at least explain to us your reasons."

Dumbledore, who had been watching their argument with amusement, was once again under the spotlight. He coughed awkwardly a few times and tried to avoid the Transfiguration teacher's gaze. In the end, he still had to relent because he knew that she would refuse to leave his office otherwise. At his age, he had to get a lot of sleep to be able to last a day in such a chaotic workplace.

"I am sure that Harry would have done very well in Slytherin," Albus said after a while. He ignored Severus' incredulous snort and continued:

"However, that would have been the case if there was no Draco Malfoy. I admit that I am a bit wary of how the child would have influenced Harry…"

"Despite what you all think, Draco isn't a bad kid," quickly intervened Severus. As the boy's godfather, who often visited him, the Potions Master could speak about this subject with some authority.

Dumbledore sighed and tiredly leaned back into his armchair.

"Yes, he isn't bad. After all, he's but a child. However, as I was very interested in the boy, I investigated him a bit. Did you know that he went ahead and threatened Finlay Nott when the later displeased Draco? The boy even succeeded! He managed to manipulate an experienced politician into doing what he wanted."

Severus raised an eyebrow – he wasn't privy to this incident, and he didn't think that Lucius and Narcissa were either. How has Dumbledore found out?

"That isn't the reason to affect a completely unrelated child's sorting! Besides, Harry will probably also feel excluded from his house-mates…" Minerva promptly argued.

"Harry will be alright in Gryffindor – the hat also almost placed him there, before deciding otherwise. As for Draco, he has a way of dealing with people, which makes his actions hard to anticipate. And I also know that his attitude towards magic is very flexible - he would have influenced Harry in ways, which are better to be avoided. This will be all that I will say on the subject," Dumbledore firmly finished.

Minerva was silent. She was, of course, happy that Harry was in her house, but it seemed wrong to her because he was supposed to go somewhere else.

Severus tiredly pinched his nose and, deeming the conversation closed, exited the office. Wasting his sleep on the matters, which couldn't be changed, was just moronic.