The hidden side of the Wizarding World

Chapter 30: Morning, unit, and evil

02 September 1992

Harrison Potter-Black blinked blearily at the dark green curtains around his four-poster bed. For a moment, he wasn't entirely sure where he was. The stillness and dim lighting in the room made him feel disoriented, as though he were still trapped in a dream.

Then, the events of the last few weeks came rushing back to him. He was no longer in Gryffindor Tower; he was in the Slytherin dormitory. Everything had changed over the summer—his house, his friendships, his family, even his future. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of it all yet.

The heavy curtains shifted slightly as he sat up. The faintest sound of rustling fabric came from the other side of the room where one of his dormmates, Draco Malfoy, was beginning to stir as well. Harrison hesitated, casting a glance toward the other beds. He could make out the vague silhouettes of his roommates through the curtains: Theo Nott, Blaise Zabini, and the familiar shapes of Crabbe and Goyle.

He took a deep breath, telling himself that today would be fine. It was strange being here, being a Slytherin.

Quietly, Harrison pulled back the heavy curtains and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The floor was cool beneath his bare feet as he stood up, grabbing his uniform from the neatly folded pile at the foot of his bed. He had practiced spells during the summer, but he felt like there was something about getting dressed with magic in front of others that made him oddly self-conscious, so he dressed the Muggle way, pulling on his trousers and buttoning his shirt.

The soft light filtering through the enchanted underwater windows of the Slytherin dormitory cast long shadows across the room. Harrison moved quickly, trying to avoid drawing attention to himself. The silence wasn't necessarily uncomfortable, but it was heavy—laden with the unspoken fact that he was still the outsider. Sure, Draco was his cousin, and Theo seemed to have accepted him as well, but Harrison could sense the wariness in the air, the subtle distance that the other boys maintained around him. Even though the other Slytherins hadn't openly rejected him, there was still something unsaid between them, something that made Harrison feel as though he had yet to truly belong.

As he fastened his Slytherin tie with shaking fingers, he glanced once more toward the other beds. Draco was still lazily lying in his own bed, likely awake but not in any rush to start the day. Theo was beginning to stir as well, though he remained curled up under his blankets, unmoving.

Harrison felt the weight of their presence, as though their silent expectations hung over him. He wasn't used to this dynamic yet—the slower, more deliberate pace of Slytherin mornings, so different from Gryffindor's rowdy rush. Back in Gryffindor, he would have been surrounded by chatter and laughter already. Here, though, the air was thick with the quiet elegance and precision of Slytherin life.

Deciding he didn't want to linger any longer, Harrison quickly grabbed his robes and shrugged them on. He didn't want to be the first to leave, but the quiet tension in the room made him want to escape the dormitory and get a head start on the day. Maybe he'd grab an early breakfast before the Great Hall filled up. At least then he could clear his head before the inevitable stares and whispers started up again. The news that Harry Potter was now a Slytherin had spread quickly, and he had no illusions about the day being an easy one.

He slipped his wand into his pocket and started for the door, pausing only when he heard movement behind him.

"Harrison?" Theo's sleepy voice broke the silence, his face barely visible through the shadows of the room.

Harrison turned slightly, his hand resting on the door handle. "Yeah?" he replied, trying to sound casual.

"You're up early," Theo remarked, his voice still heavy with sleep.