Prince of Darkness

~*~*~ ~*~*~

Harry awoke the next morning as the sun lifted over the horizon. He languidly moved out of bed and over to Draco's. He shook the blonde boy and told him they had better get in the showers now before anyone else woke up and took all the warm water.

The two grabbed their school things and made their way to the bathroom. They picked their stalls and took long, warm showers. Harry cleaned every inch of himself as he was taught, he never knew who he was going to be meeting, and it was always be best to smell nice. His hair felt silky under the water and decided that he was done with his shower. The water was starting to go cold anyway.

He turned the water off and wrapped a large, black towel about his waist. He stood in front of the mirror and picked up his wand. He didn't waste anytime waving it to make his hair dry and just the way he liked it. He picked up a smaller towel and dried his face, arms, chest and torso. He barely even noticed Draco beside him.

It seemed as if their bodies were identical. Both were ivory, thin, and seemed unmarred. The only real differences were their shapes, hair colour and eyes. Harry ran a comb through his hair and then took to brushing his teeth. Mentally, he counted to one hundred before pulling the toothbrush away and rinsing his mouth.

Deodorant was applied and then he pulled on his undergarments and pants. He sat the towel on the towel rack near his sink (which he had put his name over) and buckled his belt. He then put on his shirt and buttoned the buttons. Draco was now at the same stage and handed Harry his tie. The put them on and finally donned their robes.

Gathering their nightclothes, they made their way into their dorm. The others were just waking up when Harry and Draco donned their shoes.

"Hurry up and get ready," Harry said scathingly to Crabbe and Goyle, "you have four point five minutes to get down there or we are most definitely leaving without you."

Harry and Draco left the dorms, their robes swirling about them with an air of superiority. They stood in the common room, Harry watching his pocket watch with a growing scowl.

"Ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…three…two…one…"

As the last syllable left his mouth, the two ape like boys practically fell down the stairs. Their chests were heaving and they looked distastefully disheveled.

Harry and Draco turned their noses up. "Right yourselves!"

Hurriedly, the two straightened their ties, tied their shoes, fixed their socks, ran their stubby fingers through their hair and tucked in their shirts. They, like the rest of the Hogwarts population, had robes that showed their school uniform.

The two aristocrats found the uniform highly unfashionable. Hence their vast collection of Japanese robes that hid their uniforms stylishly. The Slytherin patch, however, was emblazoned on their right breast with pride.

Once their companions were suitable enough to be seen in public with them, they headed out of the common room and towards the Great Hall. Truthfully, Harry couldn't quite see what was so great about it. He couldn't deny that the castle itself was great, but this hall wasn't. His father's hall was much more impressive.

Once in the hall, they took in their surroundings and saw who else would be 'joining' them for breakfast. Four Ravenclaws of varying years, two Hufflepuffs of the same year, no Gryffindors and of course four Slytherins. Harry's eyes wandered to the Staff table and saw that Professor Flitwick was up, Professor Snape and the Headmaster. Harry made sure not to catch their eyes as he studied them.

Sitting down he picked up a piece of toast and waited impatiently for the arrival of the Daily Prophet. It should be in front of him at this very instant. His morning routine hadn't changed in over four years and he had no plans of changing it right yet.

Impatiently, he rapped his fingers on the dark wood of the table as the munched on his toast. His paper should be here by now. He made sure to have it delivered before everyone else's. This was ridiculous. He put a specific time on it and now it was la-

A solitary owl flew into the hall and landed in front of Harry. Harry took the paper and paid the owl five Knuts.

"Finally," he grumbled as he opened the paper.

Draco scooted over and began to read over his friend's shoulder. Nothing interesting was in the news this morning. Just some scant details about an attack the previous night. Harry skimmed through some articles and then gave the whole paper to Draco for him to skim. The dark haired boy finished one piece of toast and gave the other one to Goyle. He wasn't a heavy eater. Neither was Draco, they both had to stay thin and lean. It was how they were meant to look.

The sun was quick to rise as more and more students and teachers entered the Hall. Harry was agitated by the noise, but he hid it behind a mask of cool indifference. Draco casually chatted with some of their peers but Harry kept quiet. He felt no need to talk. Suddenly, the post came. Hundreds of owls swooped in from the window near the top of the hall.

Amongst the sea of browns, blacks and tans, he saw a spot of white.

Hedwig.

His owl landed gracefully in front of him and presented his father's response. Harry took the owl and offered her some bacon on his plate he had saved for her. Carefully, he opened the letter.

Dear son,

I am pleased to hear that you have been accepted into the glorious house of Slytherin. I was confident that you would. Do well, my son, and do not let anyone get the better of you; professor or otherwise. They are beneath you.

I would like to pass on a fair warning. Beware of the Headmaster. He works in ways that not even I am at liberty to challenge. Be wary. Age isn't a factor when it comes to his mind.

Sincerely,

Your Father

P.S. Keep an eye on Professor Severus Snape. My trust in him is wavering.

Harry read the last line and the letter burst into flames. His eyes were instinctively brought to the Staff table. The emerald pools studied the Headmaster carefully.

Albus Dumbledore was currently immersed in a seemingly cheery conversation with the half-giant, Hagrid. To Harry, the man's looks were hardly acceptable. But this was Albus Dumbledore. Lucius always said he was off his rocker. So, perhaps this was normal to him. Long, silver hair in beard and atop his head. A long, most likely past broken, nose, odd blue eyes that seemed to twinkle and glitter with every smile shared and the powerful aura surrounding the man.

Albus Dumbledore was one to be respected and feared. A presence that his father carried. That he was beginning to carry.

Harry looked away seconds before the Headmaster turned his piercing gaze upon him.

~*~*~ ~*~*~

It would be a breeze. The Gryffindors wouldn't know what hit them.

Harry and Draco, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, made their way down to the dungeons. Their stride was short, yet oozing with confidence and the aura of dangerous power. The students in front of them separated before them as the water separated for Moses in the Exodus.

Quietly, they stood in front of the door. Their backs ramrod straight, their patience was tested. Harry pulled out his pocket watch and as the second had moved, the door opened on its own accord. Harry and Draco filed in and sat at the front of the class on the right side. Crabbe and Goyle sat behind them, watching the Gryffindors suspiciously as some of them shot the Slytherins dirty looks.

Harry pulled out his Potions text, some ink, his best quill, and some parchment. Draco and the Slytherins followed his lead, not letting the chattering Gryffindors catch on. A few moments later the bell rang and as the last echo died, the Potions Master barged into the room with a slam of the door that seemed to be rotting off it's hinges.

"There will be no foolish wand waving in this room. You are here to learn the fine art of Potion making and if you dunderheads listen to every single word that comes out of my mouth, then you should be able to pull together an acceptable passing grade. But," he said frostily, "if you choose to ignore me as I talk then you will fail!" he snapped as he slammed his hand down in front of the Weasley boy.

The Gryffindors shied away while the Slytherins snickered with cold mirth.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for lack of attention," Snape hissed.

The boy gulped and as soon as the man turned his back, the bushy haired girl began to scold him herself.

"Ten more points for talking out of turn, Miss Granger," Snape said as he turned with lightning speed.

The Granger girl nodded and lowered her head, she looked as if she had tears shining in her eyes. Harry's assumption was correct as a solitary tear ran down her cheek. He smirked, soft, stupid Gryffindors. Their nobility and blind bravery would get them nowhere except dead.

"Twenty points to Slytherin for being prepared for class," Snape said casually as he noted his students were fully prepared, "and five more points from Gryffindor for being unprepared. Now, Mr. Riddle, can be you so kind as to tell us where a bezoar is found and what it does?"

In his crisp, clean voice, Harry answered, "A goat's stomach and it cures most poisons…sir."

"Five points to Slytherin. Now, Mr. Malfoy…"

The class went on like that for about twenty minutes before they took some notes on the theory behind Potions and then they set about making a simple potion that cured warts. Harry was horribly bored. He would rather be brewing a potion that took some actual effort and thought like the Polyjuice Potion.

He added the last ingredient and watched as the potion turned its proper golden yellow colour. He bottled it and set it in front of him. His father had bought him a set of crystal vials. He smirked, he doubted the Potions Master had a set like his.

Draco, Harry noticed, was looking around the class, smirking at some of the failed potions on the Gryffindor side. The Weasley boy's potion was an angry red. And Longbottom's potion was blue!

He shook his head, didn't they even glance at their text over the summer? Did they expect to Potion Master to care to their every whim. That thought was laughable.

Suddenly, there was a low rumble. Harry looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. It seemed to get louder and louder and a sort of gurgle was added to it. Then, his eyes were drawn to Longbottom's potion. It was bubbling angrily. It looked like it was about to explo-

BOOM!

Dark blue globs of Neville Longbottom's horribly wrong potion flew all over the room and onto the shrieking students. Harry had ducked under his desk but did not escape the wrath of the potion. Most of the Slytherins had followed his example, but like him they did not escape.

Then, to his horror, Harry's skin began to turn blue. He paled with shock and anger. How dare that stupid Gryffindor ruin his skin! The little wretch would pay dearly.

His thoughts of revenge were cut off as Snape shouted for silence. He waved his wand and the blue mess instantly disappeared.

"All those affected by Longbottom's abomination of a potion, please head down to the Medical Wing immediately. Those unaffected will dump your potions as they are now ruined. Longbottom, you will come for detention tomorrow night and you have cost your house thirty points for not reading directions and paying careful attention as I had instructed."

Harry stalked out of the Potions room, his robes billowing about him. The nurse had better be able to fix his skin. He did not spend as much time inside as he could for his skin to turn blue. He could hear Draco cursing beside him, glad he wasn't the only irate Slytherin. Stupid Gryffindors. They know nothing about the fine art of Potion Making.

They strode into the infirmary and a plump woman by the name of Madame Pompfrey instantly led them to a row of beds and began shoving potions down their throats. She then pulled curtains and told them to rub a cream on their bodies. The cream matched their original skin tone exactly.

~*~*~ ~*~*~

The food did not look appetizing in the least. Harry sneered and pushed his plate to Crabbe. That oaf would eat anything you put in front of him. Instead, Harry decided to look around the hall. Finally get a good look at all who shared the school with him. Steepling his fingers, his eyes swept across the room. The Gryffindors, laughing it up, the Ravenclaws, talking amongst themselves, the Hufflepuffs laughing happily.

He darkened, he could tell, just by looking at certain people in the houses, which side the would choose, despite their placement. Why, that boy, over there in the Hufflepuff table was not a huge supporter of the light. He could tell by the boy's false laughter. It stuck out from everybody else's.

Smirking, Harry sipped his tea. Perhaps someday he could take over his father's reign. All of the people in Hogwarts would fear him and obey.

"Harry!"

Harry turned, offended at who would dare call him by that name. It was the Parkinson girl.

"That's Mr. Riddle to you, Parkinson. What do you want?" he drawled, bored.

She started babbling on about stupid the Gryffindors were, seemingly not taking a breath.

He could feel a vein in is forehead throbbing.

"Would you silence yourself, girl! Take a godforsaken breath! I am quite aware that a large quantity of the Gryffindor population is worth nothing more than half a Flobberworm. And if you keep gibbering then you won't be either," Harry snapped.

She shrank back, she knew when to let things go. And this was one of those times. She knew who he was and most definitely who his father was. Neither of them was worth causing trouble with. She looked down at her plate, ignoring the snickering of Draco.

"My, my, Harry. You seem to let your temper out quite quickly," Draco said with a wry glance in his friend's direction.

Harry looked at him sharply. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, please. Insulting a poor Flobberworm like that. Honestly, what did they ever do to you?" Draco said, smirking as he poked at his chicken.

Harry laughed, it was cold and calculated like his father's.

A laugh that caught the attention of one Albus Dumbledore.

~*~*~ ~*~*~

They walked out of there feeling more important than when they walked in. History of Magic was a bore but they made sure to charm their quills to take notes and to wake them up five minutes before the bell rang so it looked like they stayed awake the whole time. The first lesson consisted of Goblin Wars. Which, in itself, was a fascinating subject…when told by a fascinating person…Not Professor Binns, the only ghost teacher at Hogwarts, that man made them seem as exciting as well, a Flobberworm.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was a joke to Harry and Draco. The Professor, Quirrel, really had no idea what he was talking about. It seemed talking was a chore for him too. Rumors of meeting vampires and other dark creatures brought his stutter.

"What's the point of teaching a Defense Against the Dark Art's class if you can handle the Dark Art's part of it?" Draco whispered cynically.

Soon, classes ended for the day and the Slytherins made their way down to the Dungeons to drop off their stuff for dinner. Harry placed his bag on the desk and he and Draco made their way out of the common room. It seemed the rest of the first years followed behind them. Even some of the upper year students did.

"Why, Draco! It's our first day and already we've made such an impression on our peers!" Harry said, his voice laced with dark sarcasm.

"We're quite popular now aren't we?" Draco asked, his eyes rolling to the ceiling.

"Quite."

They entered the Great Hall and the first thing that Harry noticed is that the Headmaster was noticeably absent. Why wouldn't the man come to dinner? Harry frowned in thought. They sat down at their table and Harry grabbed a roll. He looked up at his Head of House, he rather liked Snape. Though, the greasy hair was a fault and the nose…well. The man could take showers, unless he did and the 'greasy' look was just a trick of the light or the result of potion fumes.

His eyes made it back to his peers mere seconds before the man turned his onyx eyes on him. Harry smirked, no one would ever catch him staring, well, no one besides his father.

It was then when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Curiously, he looked up and his eyes met those of his Head of House.

"Yes, sir?" Harry asked civilly. "What can I do for you?"

Snape's eyes glittered. "You can follow me. You've been summoned by the Headmaster."

"Oh?" Harry said as he stood up, unconcerned. "Do you have any idea why?"

"I have some idea, but I'm not at liberty to say."

"I see," Harry said as he easily kept up the dark haired man.

They came to the Stone Gargoyle. Snape leaned forward and murmured the password in the gargoyle's ear. Harry just caught it. Lemon Drop. What kind of password is Lemon Drop? A rather stupid one, Harry concluded as they went up the revolving staircase. Harry subconsciously straightened his robes and ran a hand through his hair. Quickly, he slipped a breath mint into his mouth and he felt ready. He looked fine, smelled fine and he was clean in all areas.

When they came to the top of the staircase, Snape knocked firmly. A 'come in' rang through the door, though Harry couldn't pick a solid emotion from it. It sounded both happy yet sad at the same time.

The two entered the office, which, Harry was rather enamoured by. It was circular and full of odd little trinkets and knick knacks. It was rather warm and homey…in a Gryffindor sort of way.

The Headmaster gestured to the two wing backed chairs before him. He and Snape took a seat.

"Lemon Drop?" the Headmaster asked as he held out a tin.

Both he and Snape declined.

"Tea?"

"Earl Grey."

Harry and Snape didn't mind nor notice that they had requested the same thing. Perhaps it was a Slytherin thing.

"Now, Headmaster, I'm rather doubtful you invited Professor Snape and I up to your handsome office for candy and tea," Harry said as he placed his tea and saucer back on the large, mahogany desk before him.

"Ah, Harry-"

"I'm sorry, Headmaster, but I'm afraid I am only comfortable with my close confidants calling me by my birth name. I'm sure you can understand," Harry said silkily.

"Of course, Mr. Riddle, I apologize. Anyway, I've received some news just a few moments before Dinner and I am quite certain that you would be most interested in hearing it."

"Oh?" Harry asked as he took another sip, "and what would that news be?"

"I've received word from your parents."

~*~*~ ~*~*~