It was night, and a big, round moon hung high in the branches. It was the same Slytherin common room, the same meeting chamber, and the same senior Slytherin students. Of course, this time, Marcus was not among them.
"Everyone, report on what you've seen recently. Just the highlights, keep it short. This might be one of our last few meetings together; we'll be graduating soon, and we don't have much time left at Hogwarts."
Richmond Carrow, the seventh-year Prefect and the host of the meeting, spoke after looking around the room. His voice was as slick as ever, with a smooth, oily edge to it.
In some ways, Slytherin was more united than the Ravenclaws, who were a house of individuals, or the Gryffindors, who were just a disorganized mess. As for Hufflepuff? They were a synonym for rabble.
This year, if it hadn't been for the anomaly that was Dudley, Slytherin would have been even more unified.
"The biggest news recently is that business with the Dursley... uh... gentleman in the common room. Lately, though, he's been quite well-behaved. He hasn't caused any more trouble, and his active participation in class has earned Slytherin a great many points. At this rate, with all the points he's brought us, even if we don't win the Quidditch Cup, the House Cup is as good as ours. I've also heard that the Malfoy boy has become quite well-behaved after that little incident with him. They've even started exercising together every morning?"
"But that Harry Potter... he's been completely unremarkable. Average in his studies, average in his abilities, and average in his performance. In class, he's even awkward sometimes, as if it's his first time even touching a wand."
As Carrow's second-in-command, the sixth-year Prefect, Daniel, focused on two people: Dudley and Harry. When he mentioned Dudley, his tone shifted from initial annoyance to a hint of praise. If it hadn't been for that first night, Dudley's recent efforts alone would have been enough to earn him a lot of goodwill in Slytherin. When it came to protecting their house's honor, Slytherins were united like no other.
He mentioned Malfoy with a slight hesitation before moving on. But when he brought up Harry, his tone was full of suspicion.
As soon as he finished, Carrow gave a great sigh of admiration for Harry. "As expected of Mr. Potter. He's using his cousin as a diversion to draw attention while he lies low, making sure no one notices him. Of course, Mr. Dursley is quite capable in his own right."
"Is... is that so?" Daniel asked, looking around the room.
The logic was sound, but something about it just felt a bit off.
"Of course! Didn't you notice? Lately, besides Mr. Dursley, the most active person in the first year is Miss Granger from Gryffindor. But Mr. Potter has done nothing to stand out. He acts like a nobody, as if he's just an ordinary young wizard."
But isn't he? the sixth-year Prefect thought to himself. This was the conclusion he had drawn from weeks of careful observation.
Carrow tapped the table lightly. "Who is he? The famous Harry Potter, the man who defeated the Dark Lord. Do you honestly believe he is just an ordinary young wizard?"
"Definitely not."
"But..." The others started to nod. It sounded plausible, but the evidence felt thin.
Carrow seemed to see their doubt. He laughed softly and took a sip of the tea in front of him. "That's because you haven't been looking closely enough. No matter how good the disguise, there are always signs."
"Daniel, your intel needs to be more thorough," Carrow said, pointing a finger at his deputy. "Mr. Potter showed a surprising familiarity with poisons in his first class. You didn't know that, did you?"
Daniel froze. "I... I didn't."
"He knew everything about how to make them, how long they take to work, the symptoms, even the cause of death. I imagine none of you knew that, either?"
Carrow was talking about Harry's performance in his first Potions class.
"Do you think a normal, healthy young wizard would know that much about poisons?"
Everyone shook their heads. Who would bother learning about poisons?
"He's playing dumb. Mr. Potter has been trying his hardest to hide his true self. Unfortunately, he made a small slip-up."
That made sense!
"And one more thing... have you noticed this?" Carrow continued slowly. "Miss Granger from Gryffindor—she should have gone to Ravenclaw, but she went to Gryffindor instead."
"To be honest, do I really need to tell you what a bunch of dimwits the Gryffindors are? Of course, with the exception of our Mr. Potter."
A few chuckles filled the room. The rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor was ancient. To the Slytherins, Gryffindors were all stupid fools, brutish and violent.
How dare they think they were worthy of sharing a classroom with a genius like Miss Granger?
"They aren't worthy of Miss Granger," one of the older students muttered first, and others quickly agreed. If Hermione hadn't been a Muggle-born, they would have happily taken her into Slytherin. With a mind like that earning them points, why even play Quidditch? They could give the other houses the championship and still win the House Cup.
"And I've heard that Miss Granger is quite close with our Mr. Dursley, but that's not the main point..."
Carrow gave a short aside before leaning in and lowering his voice.
"The point is... they are all Mr. Potter's people."
The others in the room went completely still. The dots had been connected; to say it any more plainly would be too obvious. The people in this room were not idiots—the idiots had already been kicked out.
Like that one with the big teeth.
The room fell silent. They are all Mr. Potter's people. A truly terrifying thought.
"We are all going to graduate in the next two years, and I'm graduating this year. This is just a chat. Whatever happens at school won't concern us." Carrow's words eased the tension slightly. They were graduating soon, so there was no need to get involved.
"However, I will give you this warning: Mr. Dursley is Mr. Potter's cousin and was put on stage by Mr. Potter himself. If Potter is a deeply hidden dark... cough... wizard, what kind of person do you think Mr. Dursley is?"
"Are you saying..." Daniel began before stopping himself. He knew exactly what Carrow was getting at.
"I actually quite admire that big bloke," one student spoke up. "He took on the entire first, second, and third year by himself. He's clearly no simple character."
The others agreed.
Carrow shook his head, looking exasperated. If they weren't his housemates, he wouldn't bother trying to warn them.
"Alright, don't pay too much attention to them. Don't go looking for trouble."
"Whatever they are up to, it's none of our business. But you can show a little goodwill if needed, just don't make it too obvious."
"Remember, Slytherin only stands with the winner."
"Mr. Carrow is right," another student agreed, and the rest followed suit.
Unlike Malfoy, who believed Dudley was a powerful dark wizard, Carrow was convinced that Harry was the dark wizard who had defeated Voldemort.
They were both thinking far, far too hard.
---
On the Hogwarts Grounds
"Stupid Malfoy!" Harry yelled at him.
Malfoy shot back, not to be outdone, "Idiot Potter!"
"I'm rubber, you're glue!"
"Doesn't work on me!"
The very same "Mr. Potter," the deeply hidden saviour they were all talking about, was currently arguing like a toddler with Malfoy.
The argument had started because they had both happened to show up to watch Dudley work out, and their mutual dislike had, of course, flared up.
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