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Chapter 9

Adapting

Harry had been settling into his new life at Hogwarts quite comfortably. At first, he'd been bewildered by the sheer size of the castle, and knew that even though he could find his way to his classes, there was a lot of the castle left to be familiarized with. 

His newfound fame was one of the biggest differences. He'd never thought that just being associated with Miles would have brought him near equal recognition from his peers. Not to mention, the fact that he'd been sorted into Gryffindor brought on yet more speculation as to whether he was more like his parents than his brother. Harry thought it was ridiculous, didn't they have anything better to do?

Otherwise, getting to know the castle and how things worked was rather fun. Being chased by Peeves with water balloons on the way to class certainly wasn't fun, but at the same time, after his relatively mundane existence back home, Harry rather enjoyed it as well. 

Mrs. Norris, a cat belonging to Filch, the caretaker, was greatly hated among all the students, to which the feeling was mutual. Her tendency to follow students around, even when they were minding themselves, was unnerving, and Harry felt that she paid him more attention than most, likely because of his father. Sirius had some interesting stories about their encounters with the Hogwarts caretaker. 

The classes, once you found them, were fascinating. Finally, he was able to learn about things like Transfiguration and Charms, in an environment where everyone was taught the same things in the same way. Oh if Dumbledore could see him now. He had a sneaking suspicion that the old man was keeping tabs on him, but he chose to ignore it. 

Unfortunately, the one class he'd been dreading was scheduled for the end of the week. Double Potions with the Slytherins, taught by Professor Snape. He just knew that the Potions Master would hate him, it was inevitable. Ron's description of him was enough, but what convinced Harry was a letter he received from his parents the day after the sorting. 

He was still reeling from the shock of it. Lily and James had never been unkind to him, but they had neglected him for a large part of his life. Harry knew that Dumbledore had a lot to do with that, but it still stung to only be noticed after being sorted into Gryffindor. 

Dear Harry,

                         How are you? We've just heard the news, our son in Gryffindor! Your mum and I are so proud. Sirius and Remus send their congratulations as well. How are you fitting in with your housemates? Any new friends? We've sent you a little something to help you out with finding some, we reckon you'll enjoy it. Write back soon!

                                                                                                        Love,

                                                                                                                       Dad

After years of always being second best, Harry was now the one who seemed to be in his parents' best interests. He'd looked over at the Slytherin table, and seen Miles looking crestfallen at a letter of his own. His final confirmation though, was a smile from Professor Dumbledore as he looked up at the staff table. 

Harry knew that he looked quite a lot like his father, and being in Gryffindor was not desirable if he wanted to get on Snape's good side. Then again, if he was bad enough for Remus to dislike him, he had to wonder if Snape's good side was something he wanted to be on. Remus always saw the good in people, but even he couldn't think of anything in Snape's defense.

They finished breakfast, and Harry joined Ron in heading out of the Great Hall and down to the dungeons. They were there early, so they stood by the Potions room door as their fellow classmates joined them. He caught Ron glaring at Malfoy, and tried to distract him, talking about what they were going to do in class. It wouldn't sit well with Professor Snape if they were caught fighting before class started. 

They were let into the classroom, and all found seats. Harry and Ron sat together. Snape began the class by taking the roll call and paused when he came to Harry. He eyed him inquisitively, and as though nothing had happened, continued. Harry was relieved, and a little surprised. He'd expected Snape to make some sort of comment, though that wasn't the case. 

They started the lesson. Snape began by giving them a speech about the art of potion making, which Harry reckoned was rehearsed. Nonetheless, it was impressive, and had the desired effect, at least on him. After the speech, Snape turned to him. 

"Potter!" he said suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry was taken aback. He had no idea what either of those things was, so he quietly said, "I don't know sir." 

Snape asked him more questions, the answers to which he didn't know. The professor turned to Miles once he was done, and asked him all the same questions. Miles shot Harry an apologetic glance, then answered all of them correctly. 15 points were given to Slytherin. 

Snape looked back at Harry once he'd gotten the class making their own potions. "Potter... I would like a word after this class period."

"What do you reckon he wants?" asked Ron.

"I'm not sure," Harry said uneasily. 

Of course, since Harry was now dreading the end of class, it approached far faster than it should've. As his fellow students left the room, he made his way in the opposite direction through Snape's desk. He looked back before he reached it to see Malfoy snigger, and the rest of his group follow suit, except for Miles, who was looking right back at him in concern.

He reached Snape's desk, all the while looking at his trainers. At last, the professor spoke. "Harry, I know I may come off as harsh, but I intend to help you."

The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself. "I don't need your help." 

"Please, listen to me, Harry. The wizarding world barely knows your name, despite your birth into a very prominent family. Why is that the case?"

"My mum and dad like to keep me away from the cameras."

"That may be, but why is it that family and friends don't know of you?"

Harry didn't answer but looked up.

Snape hesitated, and he got the impression the man was choosing his words carefully. "Is there... something going on at home?"

For a moment, Harry was seized with the manic urge to tell Snape everything. How Dumbledore had attempted to make his parents and brother forget about him, but had failed. How the old man had purposely left him out of the lessons that he gave to Miles. How Lily and James had unintentionally begun to forget about him.

He didn't however. Instead, directing his words to his trainers once more, he said, "No sir."

There was a sigh. "Very well Potter. That will be all."

Harry turned on his heel, grabbed his bookbag off his chair, and strode out of the room, thinking that he'd be ecstatic if he never had to set foot in it again. 

A/N: First of all, thank you for 1k reads! As you may have noticed, this chapter was only in Harry's POV. I'm not sure if I'll be alternating chapters between the twins' POVs, or combining them as I've done in the previous chapters. Only time will tell. Updates may not be as regular given that I start school tomorrow, so kindly keep that in mind. On that note, I hope you all have a wonderful day/night. Oh, and if you'd like to, drop a vote or a comment, it really makes my day. Bye!

- Max :D