Harry Potter and the Slytherin Truth: Year One

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Since the yule holiday is quickly approaching, the common rooms have sign up sheets for students that are staying at Hogwarts for the break. Harry, knowing he won't be staying at Hogwarts, ignores the list posted there. He's excited to spend the break with the Malfoy's since he's never actually celebrated Christmas before.

~~~~~~~~~~~POV: Dumbledore~~~~~~~~~~~

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore sits in his office staring at the master list of students staying at the castle for the yule break. The absence of one name stands out the most: Harry Potter. He knows that the boy doesn't want to go back to the Dursleys for the holidays and yet, his name is missing. He has been worrying about this for a while now, especially with how close he and the Malfoy boy are becoming. He just knows that the boy is planning to spend his holiday there.

When the boy had walked into the great hall, he'd been exactly as Dumbledore had expected. Small and nervous, yet eager. Exactly as he needed him to be. What he wasn't expecting was for him to be hanging around Lucius Malfoy's brat. The boy shouldn't be making friends that he can't influence.

He assumed that when Harry was inevitably sorted into Gryffindor, their friendship would fall apart. But the boy had the audacity to be sorted into Slytherin, and he seemed to be thriving. Not to mention, Severus isn't acting how he is supposed to. One day he's ranting and raving about the boy and the next, nothing.

With that thought, he writes the boy's name on the list. Maybe he won't notice, at least not until the list can't be changed.

~~~~~~~~~~~Time Skip~~~~~~~~~~~

Two weeks after the list is posted, Professor Snape sweeps into the common room, reading off the list of students staying in the castle for the holidays. He has done it every year since he started teaching, it allows any students to confirm their choice. It is a surprisingly large number of students, at least in Harry's opinion. He takes a moment to consider why that would be. He knows that not many of the students in other houses are staying over the break, so something must be different about the Slytherins. As he contemplates, it comes to him. He's read about this. Well, not exactly, but it makes sense. In the book Lucius had bought him on pureblood traits and traditions, there is a section detailing the high expectations of pureblood families. 'All of that pressure probably makes for a rubbish home life.'

"Mr. Potter, why is your name on the list?" Severus questions. He knows that Harry is meant to stay with the Malfoy's for the break and, considering that the boys won't shut up about their plans, Severus assumes he knows it as well.

"Sir? I didn't put my name on the list." Harry states. Severus can't deny the absolute confusion in the small Slytherin's voice as he says those words. Clearly he hadn't added his name.

"Would you like me to take it off?"

"I would appreciate it, sir."

"Very well. Would anybody else like to change their choice?" Snape calls as he removes Harry's name. When he receives no reply he leaves the room just as dramatically as he came in.

"How does he do that?" Draco asks, breaking through the silence. Laughter breaks out amongst the Slytherin student body as they go back to what they were doing before Snape entered.

At the end of each week Snape enters the common room and repeats his action of reading the list, and each week, without fail, Harry's name is there. They determine it has to be a teacher because the list had been taken from the common room after Snape went over it the first time. A week before break they find out who it is. Severus finally realises where he's seen this elegant handwriting before. He's caught it just in time.