The same but different

Chapter 5 truce

Harry was up at his usual time the next morning. He was glad for it, walking down to breakfast flanked by Ron and Hermione as if it were any other normal day. When they reached the hall, Harry held back a step. The huge room was full of students, including the one he was looking for. "You go ahead, I'll be over in a second," he said when his friends paused to wait with him. They looked at him oddly, but continued over to the Gryffindor table. Harry turned towards the table of green and silver, a pang going through him at the united front they presented. The rest of the world might have condemned his snakes, but at least they still had each other.

He was drawing attention, but Harry resolutely continued walking, until he was stood directly behind Draco Malfoy. Malfoy had turned in his seat, eyeing Harry with a suspicious silver gaze. "Potter," he spat, and Harry offered a brief nod.

"Malfoy," he returned neutrally. "I'd like to offer a truce."

Malfoy stared. Around him, the Slytherins were dead silent, and a hushed whisper was coming over the other tables. Everyone in the hall was watching him by now, even the teachers.

"What are you playing at, Potter?" Malfoy asked with raised eyebrows.

"I suppose I've grown up a bit," Harry remarked wryly. "We're both a bit old for all the name-calling, aren't we? There are bigger things in the world than house rivalries." At that, the Slytherin's eyes sparked knowingly, and his lips thinned.

"And what, you're hoping we can all hold hands and skip into the light together?" the blond retorted. Harry let out a snort; even he wasn't going to be skipping into the light these days.

"We can at least greet each other with honour in the grey. At the very minimum, I'd rather not have more enemies than I need. Especially not in the heir of the house of Malfoy." Harry's words were quiet enough that only Malfoy and the nearest Slytherins could hear them, but he could practically see the gears whirring in the students' brains. Subtlety worked best with snakes - he didn't want them to fight with him, he just didn't want to fight against them. He wanted them to have a choice. "Of course, I'll still kick your arse on the quidditch pitch," he added with a grin, making the other boy bark out a surprised laugh.

"You wish, Potter," was the automatic response. Harry held out a hand, and after a brief hesitation, Malfoy shook it. "A truce, then."

It was clear he was confused, but he was Slytherin through and through; he wasn't going to turn down a potentially beneficial alliance.

Letting go of Malfoy's narrow fingers, Harry tilted his chin to survey the rest of the Slytherin table. "I'd also like to apologise, publicly," he said, a little louder now. "To the entirety of Slytherin house, for any offence I may have caused you in the past." With hindsight and the knowledge of Salazar Slytherin, Harry had realised he'd probably made a thousand social blunders as the Potter heir, and that was probably the reason most of the green-clad students had issue with him. "Contrary to popular belief, I wasn't raised in the wizarding world, and I still have a lot to learn about proper customs. I'm also learning that I have previously been working under some rather... biased opinions." His gaze flicked up towards the headmaster for the barest of seconds, but he knew the snakes would catch it. "I wish to have no issue between my house and yours. Please forgive me my errors as I learn how to properly represent House Potter."

Silence. You could've heard a pin drop in that hall - even the other students had frozen. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see Ron red-faced and furious, only held back by Hermione's vice-like grip.

"Slytherin house appreciates your apology," Malfoy said, when it became clear no one else was going to speak for his table. "Forgive us if we wait to accept it until we've seen if you're true to your word."