Better Be Slytherin!

'Hey, don't worry, Harry,' Teddy said, grinning at him. 'I won't tell Bulstrode. You know she'd have a coronary.'

'Never tell me what?' Millie called out from across the table.

'Never mind,' Harry and Teddy said in unison.

Millie crumpled up her Transfiguration notes and threw the wad at the two of them, then sighed dramatically. 'Boys!'

Later, when they were getting ready for bed, Teddy pulled a book out of his trunk and, after checking to make sure no one else was in their dorm room, handed it to Harry. The book was heavy, as thick as Harry's hand. The red leather cover was embossed with gold lettering that read Protection from the Earth Up: The Elements and You.

'What's this?'

'A book.'

Harry rolled his eyes. 'Very funny. What's it for?'

'Reading.' At Harry's look, Teddy held up his hands. 'Okay, okay. After we talked a while ago, about you being able to protect yourself better, I've been doing some research, to figure out what we could do so you wouldn't have to worry every second that you were going to be attacked. But then that shit with Avery happened,' Teddy eyed Harry as if he might bolt from the room, and it was an act of sheer will for Harry to not flinch at the sound of that bastard's name, 'and I didn't get a chance to look more into it until recently.' Teddy worried his lip briefly then said, 'Anyway, I found this book, and it has some . . . interesting ideas in it for how you might better protect yourself. Just read it, okay? But don't let anyone else see it; it's not exactly Firsties material. We can talk more after the break, if you want.'

Harry stared at his friend, not knowing quite what to say. Finally, he settled on, 'All right. Thanks.'

Teddy nodded, and headed over to his bed, so when Draco entered the dorm, Harry slid the book into his own trunk, to examine later.

For a long time, Harry lay awake thinking about the book, thinking about the upcoming holiday break, and thinking about the people he needed to protect himself from, if he didn't want to end up as dead as a unicorn. Thus, it was no surprise that he found Professor Snape at his bedside in the deep of night, telling him he had suffered another nightmare, even if it was one he could not recall.

TBC . . .

A/N: A hearty thank you to everyone who reads and reviews! I'm not terribly pleased with this chapter -- it feels a bit to fillerish to me -- but the next two or three will cover the holiday break, with the start of Occlumency training, holiday gifts, and a trip or three to a magic mirror . . . so, lots of fun stuff coming up!

My apologies on the continuation of slow posting times, for Better Be Slytherin as well as my other stories. Unfortunately, I've been doing fairly poorly, health-wise, and even when I've had the time, which I've not had as much of lately, I've not had much energy for writing. I hope things improve soon, for me and my writing, and I thank you all for your well wishes; they're much appreciated.

My first poll is closed and the results are in: Over half of those who responded wanted me to keep writing on all my stories, cycling through them as I've been doing, rather than concentrating on any particular one and neglecting the others till that one was finished. So it has been written, so it shall be done! We'll just keep on keeping on. Hugs and hot cocoa for all y'all!

Update: I have a new Yahoo group dedicated to readers of all my stories, where you can ask questions about plot, characters, what-have-you, get updates of new chapters, or chat with other readers. Please join, via the link on my profile page! We're waiting for you.

*Chapter 40*: Chapter 40

Better Be Slytherin! – Chapter 40

By jharad17

Disclaimer: None of this is mine! Eh, I'll get over it.

Previously on Better Be Slytherin:

For a long time, Harry lay awake thinking about the book, thinking about the upcoming holiday break, and thinking about the people he needed to protect himself from if he didn't want to end up as dead as a unicorn. Thus, it was no surprise that he found Professor Snape at his bedside in the deep of night, telling him he had suffered another nightmare, even if it was one he could not recall.

Once Severus had calmed Potter down from his fright from his nightmare, he sat with the boy for a while, watching him go back to sleep. He knew the boy wasn't getting enough rest, because of nightmares and the fear of attack hanging constantly over his head. Quietly, he told Potter that their upcoming training might help him fend off nightmares better, as it had once done for Severus himself. He was pleased to see the information calmed Potter a bit more, even eliciting a wan smile from the boy.

In the morning, of course, it was back to business as usual, with scowls in the classroom and criticisms of potions, lest anyone think he played favorites, especially to the Brat Who Lived to Ensnare His Conscience.

A few days later, Severus was glad to see the end of the term, glad to see the backs of most of the dunderheads who graced Hogwarts' halls, at least for a couple of weeks, and glad he only had three Slytherins to worry about until the new term began: Potter and a pair of sisters, from third and fifth year, whose parents were visiting family out of the country and could not afford to take the girls along. It would be a quiet Christmas, he hoped.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Christmas fell only two days after the children left for their homes on the Hogwarts Express. The last thing Severus expected on Christmas morning, at barely half-past the crack of dawn, was Harry Potter in his doorway. The boy held up a book so he could see the title, one, of course, he knew already, having wrapped the gift only the day before.