The Way Things Should Have Been

After the big feast, Harry and Draco (along with the rest of the first-year Slytherins) followed one of Slytherin's prefect students up to the Slytherin House. "Follow me up to the Slytherin Common room," the prefect said. "Oh, and watch it on the staircases - they like to change."

Harry and Draco just shrugged to each other as though they had no clue on why they should "watch it on the staircases". But when the Slytherins reached the entrance to the Slytherin Common room, Harry and Draco looked up and saw the staircases moving!

"Wow - would you look at that," muttered Draco, as they hurried to catch up with the rest of the group.

"You mean you've never seen moving staircases before?" Harry asked him.

Draco shrugged. "Well, yeah - of course...I just didn't expect them to be at Hogwarts." Suddenly, a student running up the stairs to catch up with the rest of the Hufflepuffs shoved Draco aside and Draco nearly ran right into Harry. "Hey, watch it!" Draco shouted angrily after him. Draco sneered. "Look at that ol', slow Hufflepuff git run! Hahaha!"

Harry didn't think it was all that funny - he didn't think it was right for Draco to be making fun of the other students, but he didn't say anything to Draco. He didn't want to start a fight with his new friend on the first day.

Finally, after climbing up about what felt like a hundred staircases, they made it to the Slytherin entrance. The Slytherins all waited silently for the prefect to say the password.

"Buldradash," the prefect muttered. The door to the Common room suddenly opened, revealing the insides. "Quickly - hurry inside." The Slytherins followed the prefect's orders and were soon gathered around inside the Common room.

"Welcome to the Slytherin Common room," said the prefect. "The girls' room is upstairs to the right, and the boys' room is up the same staircase to your left. You'll find that all your belongings have already been brought up." And with that, the Slytherin disappeared up the twisting staircase.

The first year Slytherins were alone in the Common room. The Slytherin Common room felt very damp and cold. It was dark, too with a fire burning in the fire place as the only source of light. There were tables, a couch, and comfy chairs scattered around the large room.

It had a gloomy sort of atmosphere to it, and Harry didn't understand why. He got the chills being there. Draco, on the other hand, seemed quite fine with the way the room looked. Harry wondered if the other three House Common rooms looked like Slytherin's. "Fine place we're in, huh Harry? See - I told you this would be the best House," said Draco. He smirked as he looked around.

Harry could only nod his head. He hoped the bedrooms would be better and feel more like home.

But the bedrooms had just the same gloomy, dark atmosphere as the Common room. Harry thought about writing home to his parents - maybe they could come get him and he could go home. He heard about home school wizard tutoring. That could be an alternative.

Even his Godfather, Sirius Black, offered to tutor him at home!

But Mr. and Mrs. Potter insisted that Harry should attend Hogwarts where he could get the best education possible. So now he was stuck and he was sure his parents wouldn't let him come home - no matter how much he complained about hating the place.

"So, Harry - what class are you looking most forward to?" Draco asked him suddenly, interrupting his thoughts. Harry looked at him.

"Um, I don't really know. What about you?"

"I think Potions is going to be a wicked class. Professor Snape is supposed to be the best Potions master around - probably the only good thing about this ruddy school."

"What? You don't like it here?"

Draco shook his head. "No, I didn't even want to go. Even Dad said that Dumbledore was an old fool and the worst thing that happened to Hogwarts. He wanted to send me to Durmstrang, but Mum thought it was too far away so they sent me here instead."

"Isn't Durmstrang supposed to be the school that focuses a lot on the Dark Arts?" Harry asked.

Draco nodded. "Yup - that's why Dad wanted me to go there. And because of the headmaster, but I forget his name."

"Oh, yeah - so do I," Harry replied. "Well, I would have rather been home schooled. My Godfather offered to home school me, but my parents wanted me to come here instead."

Harry started thinking about how Ron and that girl, Hermione, were doing in their Houses. Harry was sure Ron was settling in well, because all of his brothers were in Gryffindor, but he was a little worried about Hermione.

"Hey - I've got some friends in the other Houses. Do you think the teachers would allow us to visit them in their dormitories?" Harry finally asked Draco.

Draco shrugged. "Dunno. Do you know where the dormitories are?"

Harry nodded. "I think so."

"Cool - then I guess I'll come with you," said Draco. Harry was a little surprised by this.

"Oh, well, um okay," replied Harry.

They started to get up and leave the dormitory when a tall, thin man with greasy, dark hair and a long black robe burst into the Common room.

Could this be Professor Snape?

"May I have your attention please, everyone?" asked Snape. The room silenced and all the students turned to look at him. "I am Professor Snape, the Potions Master and head of Slytherin House. If you have any sort of problems or concerns, you may come to me and discuss it. I will also have the great pleasure of providing you with detention when you deserve it." He gave a little twisted smile at this - but nobody else smiled back. There was a short pause before he began again. "I want you all in your rooms by six tonight, and I'll see you all in classes tomorrow."

With that, Snape turned, and left the room.

"He doesn't seem very friendly, does he?" Harry whispered to Draco.

Draco shrugged again. "So? Seems pretty cool to me." Harry looked at his watch - it was five minutes until six, there was no way Snape was going to let them visit Ron or Hermione now. Unless they snuck out.

But then that would only lead to detention, he predicted.

Draco then sighed. "Let's go upstairs, Harry - I'm getting tired. We'll see your friends at breakfast tomorrow morning."

Harry nodded and hurried up the stairs after him.

* * * *

The next morning, Harry and Draco hurried downstairs to the Great Hall for breakfast. They were not the first ones there - most of the Slytherins had already gotten to the Slytherin table, and the Hall was practically filled with other students.

Harry and Draco found two empty seats next to each other and sat down. Harry was starving...and the food looked delicious.

"Mmm...fresh pancakes! Mum makes them all the time for me at home," Harry told Draco as they ate. "But she makes them with chocolate chips. Unfortunately, I don't think they have chocolate chip pancakes here."

"I would rather have scrambled eggs," said Draco, as he helped himself to a plateful of them.

Draco then pulled out their class schedule and placed it on the table in front of them. "Well, it looks like we've got Potions first with the Gryffindors," he announced in disgust.

"I thought you thought Potions sounded interesting," Harry said.

Draco nodded. "Yeah, I do - but I don't like the Gryffindors. They think they are better than everyone else. Haven't you noticed?" He nodded toward the Gryffindor table. Harry gazed over to where Ron was sitting. He looked as though he had made some new friends, since he was sitting there, chatting away.

"I don't think they are that bad," Harry insisted.

"Humph!" muttered Draco. He then choked a little on his food, but quickly managed to swallow it.

Finally, when Harry and Draco had finished breakfast, they gathered up their books and wands, and hurried off to their first day of classes.