The chaos reigned even after Dumbledore called for order and shouted instructions to the prefects and swept out of the room with all the teachers besides the collapsed Quirrell. The prefects were doing an admirable job of organizing their students though and Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were already sweeping out of the Hall. Gryffindor was engaged in its normal disorganization, but Slytherin... Harry glanced over and realized exactly what was the issue amongst the green clad students; the prefects traded helpless, uncertain looks over the heads of the younger students who shifted with an equal if not greater unease.
It was the bystander effect- as Silk had phrased the muggle experiment when she explained it- at its greatest. No one would do anything in a crowd as everyone expected someone would know better than them.
He caught Draco's eyes and offered a reassuring smile before chasing down someone he knew he could force into action and who had the power and respect to act (he knew that despite their disdain for them even the Slytherins recognized him as a rule follower and a fair enough judge) Percy Weasley.
"Wait! Percy! Wait! The Slytherin dormitories are in the dungeon!"
Percy whirled to him and began to usher him along, clearly distracted, "Well you're hardly a Slytherin, come on then, get going. We need to get to the dorms right now."
Harry growled in frustration beneath his breath and held his ground, "Wait, no, we can't just let them walk into danger like that!"
"I'm sure someone is doing something- the professors all heard the announcement..."
"Yes, and the same one as us! And they all left, look! I'm sure the lower years think they should just go along with the uppers and uppers that the prefects know what they are doing and the prefects the head boys and girls and professors and the professors think it's not their place to question the headmaster- someone has to do something! There are no innocent bystanders, just those too cowardly to take action! Have you heard of the bystander effect? The point is someone has to take initiative, and you- prefect- are in perfect position to do so."
Percy looked startled before his eyes focused and Harry was given a calculating look before the elder boy was moving, with Harry following in his wake, quickly towards the Slytherins- the nervous prefects in particular- and soon the shouts changed, directing the Slytherins over to Gryffindor. Self-preservation would quickly win out over their feud with the lion house, and Percy was notorious for being a stickler for the rules to a fault, if it was him the prefects would figure it was relatively safe enough to follow. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had already filed out, and the last groups of students with red ties were on their way out too, but were quickly joined by a sea of green ties, who unlike the red were perfectly in order- strong duelers and upper years acting as a buffer between red and green while a few more guarded the tail from the threat of a troll.
Harry offered another smile to Draco as he joined the buffer students sticking near to Percy. The Gryffindor's portrait of a doorman- the fat lady- didn't have much to say once she was placed under Percy's stern glare and only huffed and muttered a bit under her breath as she kept swung open to let the Slytherin students in as well.
It wasn't until they had all gathered into the common room that protests were raised, and then they were raised loudly on the side of the lions. Many of the Slytherins began shifting uncomfortably or preparing to fight or flee in drastically unfamiliar territory- few Slytherins had reason to make the journey all the way to the Gryffindor tower. Percy took control then and soon began shouting them down, helped by the first year girls, who were quick to cow Ron and his friends, as well as assisted by the Weasley twins as. Though few would admit it after awhile in Gryffindor you developed a healthy... respect for the duo's pranking abilities.
After all, they knew your schedule, where you slept, ate, went to class, and they had no problem using this knowledge and the complete access they had to all of these places to their advantage. Of course, they weren't cruel, but the last person who messed with one of them to the point they snapped ended almost everyday drenched with slime, with the bright red hair they had mocked them for, and always too big shoes which they would trip over for a full month. It had been a fourth year and the twins first year. The story was still spread about the dorms.
Needlessly to say Percy soon calmed the Gryffindors and after counting them, sent them to their rooms so that the Slytherins had more space. Harry lingered in the stairwell to ensure nothing else went wrong, watching as the twins paused to harass Percy.
"Aww look at perfect prefect Percy; he's all grown up!"
"Quit it, Fred."
"I'm George actually."
"Then quit it, George."
"Hey! We agreed that I was Forge today and you were Gred, I knew you always wanted the name George for yourself!"
"I do not! You said you wanted to be Fred today."
"That was yesterday."
"Are you sur-"
"Just go already." Percy groaned interrupting their argument.
"Aww come on we just wanted to compliment you on your speech today, duty to fellow students and all that, no need to be so cruel!" They spoke in tandem this time.
"...Oh. Thank you," Percy seemed off put by the compliment and Harry found himself thinking he didn't receive many from his brothers at the least, he quickly recovered though, "but most of it was actually Asphodel's words, he's the one who pointed the oversight out to me- now get going, I'm not above taking points from Gryffindor."
"Fine, Fine."
"Night bro."
Asphodel slid into his cat form and into the shadows so he went unnoticed as the two tramped up the stairs before returning so he could watch the Slytherin prefects finish their count.
Harry was about to leave when one of the third years spoke up, their voice was steady but an underlying fear was hid in it "Flint," One of the prefects, presumably named Flint, turned to stare down the student that spoke.
Flint acknowledged them keeping carefully neutral, but Harry could tell they were nervous, noticing something was wrong, "Keene."
"I-I think Adley is missing, he left to grab something from transfigurations, but never returned, I have his- his bag." Keene lifted a second bag that she had been clutching in her arms.
"And you didn't say anything sooner?"
"I did- I didn't know what to do.." her eyes watered and a nearby student who had been sticking close to her moved a few steps closer so they could carefully whisper quiet words to the girl, apparently called Sabrielle Keene, as discreetly as they could.
Flint closed their eyes in an attempt to mask their frustration- Harry noticed the subconscious glance towards Percy also. Surprisingly they spoke up. "If there's anyone you trust to hold their own, gather them up, I'll take a few Gryffindors as well. We stick in groups of at least three- if you come across the troll avoid it and run, our main goal is to find... Adley was it? Or inform a teacher." Percy caught sight of Harry as he began to ascend the stairs, and gave him a sharp look but Harry spoke before he could be reprimanded.
"You said you have his bag right? I can find him." All eyes were on him.
"No. Out of the question. You're a first year, you haven't even-"
Harry nearly beamed when Flint cut them off, "Weasley, can he do what he says."
"Probably." Percy replied with a sigh- he had found out about Harry's abilities not long after his other friends.
"Let him help, we can send more people to search for the teachers if we only need to have one team looking for Adley. They can protect one first year and one third long enough for a retreat."
Harry spoke softly hoping to help convince Percy, "I know it's not the same, but I've already been introduced to the dueling circuits so I'm not completely helpless."
Percy deflated, "Fine."
Without another word, Percy rushed to gather up a few upperclassmen to help with the rescue. He had never seen things as Harry did, seeing his position as only a limb of the teachers' power; he was not to question them just ensure what they said was followed, but this brought up questions he would have rather left lie. What would he do if he had to choose between following a teacher's order or protecting his fellow students as he had always seen it as his responsibility to do.
He found he couldn't stomach obeying the rules if that meant he made others suffer, the rules were supposed to prevent that, and if they didn't clearly they were flawed. He assumed, that was why there was always a method to change rules in case flaws were revealed or ways changed, and he gained a new appreciation for it. But that was a problem for after a crisis, and it seemed he wasn't yet fully prepared with how to deal with a crisis. A bloody first year was mostly calling the shots and he did nothing! Nothing! And all because he wasn't sure what to do, he knew what needed to happen, but he froze the second the rules were called into question.
He needed to get better with thinking on his feet before he could go anywhere in the ministry, much less gain the respect he had always dreamed of getting for fixing the corruption and improving the ministry, which had been his dream for a good many years before attending Hogwarts even. Because what would he do if it wasn't just not following the laws; what if the laws were wrong too? He knew there were many out of date rules that still existed.
He just wasn't sure where this new viewpoint would lead him; to new heights or to his failure. The odds had always been against him, but the hat hadn't attempted to sort him into Slytherin because he lacked ambition- ask any Weasley, he had that in spades- and truthfully his odds had always been bleak, so it wasn't as if his outlook had changed his chances.
He would keep pushing for greatness no matter.