The right path

Ten

Harry could feel the air running through his wild raven locks of hair. How he had missed flying. It was his first training session in the Slytherin quidditch team, as he had gotten the seeker position yesterday, and everything was great. He was finally free, to dive, rush and elevate, the snitch never escaping his grip.

August Flint, the seventh year captain, called the team back to the ground after a good three hour practice. He was very pleased, as the team had gotten great assets this year to replace the seeker and chaser positions left by the last year graduates. There was chemistry, no doubt. They were able to function as a whole, not really needing to shout to get their points across. He could only imagine how great they would get with time, when the new additions were able to blend in completely. He was especially looking forward to the Potter boy's complete confidence. That boy was extremely good, he gave the team a real advantage over the others, whose seekers were not even half as good. The boy was fast, natural, and had moves he had never seen, not even in the great leagues.

"That was a great training, team. Keep it up. For the new ones, welcome, you are now part of the best team in school, be sure to live up to it. Next Monday we shall revise some strategy based on last year matches, be sure to memorize them quickly. Any suggestions will be discussed then. Now, off to rest. Take care, stay healthy, and let's beat some Gryffindor asses this year. Dismissed."

With that being said, chatter started between the team, summer memories exchanged, and acquaintances formed between those new in the team. It was nice to start training, it gave them energy and spirit like no other thing could. With high hopes, the whole team headed for the showers to get their well earned rest.

That is, everyone but the captain headed for the showers. He wanted a word with Potter first.

"Hey, Potter. Could you stay behind please?"

Harry didn't know what to expect from this chat, but he hoped it was good news. Avoid drama at all costs, that was his new mantra.

"Yeah. What is it?"

"I was wondering if you could support me with the strategy design for this year. I observed you today and noticed some excellent moves, very promising. It would be even better if your movements could be synchronized with the team's play. No other team could get the upper hand!"

Whatever scenarios Harry had played in his mind, they were certainly very far off from this. A Slytherin, asking for help. That's a new.

"Right, when should we discuss this?"

"Tomorrow, after dinner, in the common room. See you, Potter."

And just like that, Flint left for the showers, leaving a very confused Harry behind. Why were Slytherins so strange?! They first ask for help, and then leave just like that.

Harry, having no particular reason to rush back to the castle, decided to fly for just a little while longer. He had two hours until curfew, and the showers were crowded anyways. So, he mounted on his broom, and did a quick lapse around the pitch. It pained him that the broom's quality was so far behind from what he knew in the future... He needed to fix it, it was now more than just a thought, it was a need. He would  create a better broom, and now it was a promise.

After some minutes, Harry descended back to the ground, took a shower, and headed towards the castle, whistling a joyful tune. He was in a good mood after all.

However, the joy turned to uneasiness when he saw a particular half giant sneaking into the forbidden forest. If Hagrid was already toying around with dangerous creatures, there would be little Harry could do to change his mind. And hell, he was really hoping he could convince Hagrid of changing his ways. He didn't particularly fancy having to deal with Aragog later on, even if Riddle never incriminated him. Hagrid would inevitably get expelled if he didn't stop that obsession.

Harry was troubled. He could follow Hagrid up to the forbidden forest, confront him, and maybe lose the opportunity of befriending him, but maybe saving his ass. That option also included the possibility of getting caught, and getting a punishment he didn't entirely deserve. Or, he could talk to Hagrid tomorrow, gently tell him about other creatures, try to befriend him, and try to pry him from that route. That looked like the better plan, but it included something Harry considered foul: he was potentially going to manipulate one of his friends, and he didn't like that at all.

With that established, he turned around and returned to the castle. He didn't notice how he had picked the more Slytherin outcome for this matter. Or how he actually thought about his options before recklessly following Hagrid to the forest. Harry James Potter was a true Slytherin, now there was no doubt.

As there was still over an hour to curfew, Harry decided to make a small stop in the library. He shrunked his broom and pocketed it. He really, really needed to start searching for a way to improve it, it was driving him crazy. Still, he didn't know how to achieve what he wanted, but he did know what he wanted to achieve. So he would start by revising what was already in existence and go from there. To improve something you need to be knowledgeable about the current state of things. With that in mind, he started his search, deciding to take out three books to start with: The theory behind flying, Quidditch throughout the ages (the very first edition, he wondered what differences he would find from the book in the future), and The evolution of the racing broomstick.

He was about to leave when he spotted Tom Riddle reading alone in one of the farthest tables. Harry felt almost sad at the image. Tom could have anybody in the castle to be with him, but yet, he never let anyone too close. Be it because nobody could catch up with him, or because he couldn't stand distractions. Not even his so called friends were allowed to be there while he studied, although minions would be more like it, even now.

Before Harry could chicken out, he walked towards the lonely table, sitting in front of the other boy.

"Riddle."

It was a short form of making himself noticed, but it would also avoid any conversation. He was not asking for permission to sit, nor was he trying to distract the other boy from his research. He just started to read one of his books, without another word.

"Potter."

That was it. The curt reply. Not a hex, not a polite way to get Harry to leave. Just the acknowledgement of his presence. In fact, Riddle was not bothered by the other boy's sudden appearance, on the contrary, it was pleasant to have someone there who didn't want to get something out of him.

Tom was still intrigued with the boy in question. He felt attracted to him for some reason he couldn't quite pinpoint yet. Of course he had searched for possible reasons as to why he felt that way, and why he had that feeling when his eyes met the other boy's bright green orbs, but he found nothing. At least not in the restriction-free area of the library. So he decided to make the most of his time searching for other matters, like his ancestry for example. He hadn't found any mention of his last name in any of the documents he had revised, and he was now in the process of searching in the old newspapers he had available. He had previously given up from that task, but with Potter's arrival, he decided to double-check them. Maybe his father was homeschooled too? That would explain the lack of school records for anyone with his last name. It was a possibility he could not quite get out of his head. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he lost track of time, snapping back to reality with the feeling of a hand in his shoulder.

"Er...Riddle. Curfew is in five minutes, just wanted you to know."

With that, Harry turned and started to walk towards the library doors. He knew better than to wait for Riddle, the other boy probably wanted to be left alone anyways.

"Wait. I'll go with you."

Riddle packed his stuff and hurried to meet a gaping Harry. Potter clearly didn't think Tom would want to walk back with him. That left Tom smug, he had caused that expression on the other boy's face, expression that disappeared as soon as he got his senses back. It was a triumph to be able to make a Slytherin show emotions, even Harry had learned to have a blank mask hiding his thoughts at all times. To have this effect on Harry left Tom with a level of smugness he only got when he was able to outsmart the other boy during classes. And he loved it.