Better Be Slytherin!

had saved his life, from whoever had thrown that first hex. 'Don't worry about it.'

A low chuckle from the Potions Master made Harry spin toward him, which he instantly regretted when the world tilted slightly. Grabbing the edge of the worktable kept him from falling on his face, though. Barely. He held on with both hands, his knuckles turning white, still feeling light headed.

'You see? No sense of self-preservation whatsoever,' Snape said with disgust.

Harry glared at him again, though the Professor had seen him almost get killed twice in the space of two days, though the second time was hardly his fault. 'So,' he said, ignoring Snape's comment. 'What am I going to do now?'

'About what?' Snape asked, eyebrows rising.

'About whoever tried to kill me, sir. I can't count on the Bloody Baron to assist me every time I'm alone and someone ambushes me.' Even the possibility made him shudder.

'You,' Snape said, pointing a long, narrow finger directly at Harry's face, and he had to force himself not to take a step back, 'will do nothing but go to bed at a reasonable hour, attend your classes, and do your homework as befits a child in this school. I will find the culprit with none of your damnable heroics, thank you very much.'

'Right,' Harry said, blanking his expression and making sure his voice held no trace of the deep annoyance he felt. 'That sounds very reasonable.'

'You are extraordinarily impertinent.'

'Yes, sir.'

The Bloody Baron laughed, and Harry turned to him at the same time as Professor Snape. 'Ah, youth,' he said, still chuckling. 'Severus Snape, you would do well to remember what I said in our earlier conversation, before you make decisions based on your emotions.'

'I do no such thing!'

'No? You would protect the boy by keeping him ignorant? Is that your well thought plan?'

'I do not need to justify my actions to you!'

'Of course not,' the Bloody Baron said quietly. 'But you might consider the very real question of how exactly the boy will protect himself when he is alone, if he has no idea who is after him.'

Snape looked like he was going to argue some more, but Harry was tired of being talked about like he wasn't in the room. 'The boy wonders if there's any way to un, er, Obliviate me, so I could remember who attacked me. I mean, if I saw them, at the same time you did . . .'

Looking startled, briefly – probably due to being interrupted by an 'impertinent brat' – before his expression returned to the blank mask he wore most, when not sneering, Snape eyed Harry for a moment before saying, 'You did it with his own wand?'

The Bloody Baron nodded.

'Then I should be possible to undo the spell using the same wand.' He sighed. 'The Confundus . . . we'll have to see. It's possible I can see your memories, Potter, once they're returned, even if you can not access them readily yourself. That is, if you permit it.' His lips had twisted, as if sucking on a lemon, and Harry was sure he rarely – if ever – asked for permission from anyone before he did anything.

That he did so now worried Harry just a little. Still, he nodded slowly. Now they were getting somewhere. Where, he had no idea. But he wanted those memories back. Needed them. And, short of killing someone, he'd do just about anything to get them back. 'All right. What do I have to do?'

TBC . . .

A/N: Thank you, everyone, for your support! Like, OMG! We're darn close to 1000 reviews here! So close I can almost taste it; and it tastes like . . . chicken? Weird.

Next chapter out by early next week.

*Chapter 16*: Chapter 16

Better Be Slytherin! – Chapter 16

By jharad17

Disclaimer: Not mine. I imagine I'll get over it.

Summary: As a first year, Harry is sorted into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor, and no one is more surprised than his new Head of House.

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Previously:

That he did so now worried Harry just a little. Still, he nodded slowly. Now they were getting somewhere. Where, he had no idea. But he wanted those memories back. Needed them. And, short of killing someone, he'd do just about anything to get them back. 'All right. What do I have to do?'

Severus almost smiled. The Boy Who Discombobulated Ghosts certainly didn't lack for gumption. He wondered, again, why Potter hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor . . . although his essay proved in several ways that he certainly fit in very well in Slytherin. Severus had not been telling the Baron the truth, completely, when he said the boy had no sense of self-preservation. He did, as shown in how he prioritized the requirements of others so as to make his own life livable. He used a rather sophisticated system, too, though Severus would never admit it.

This week, he decided, he was going to be paying that visit to the Dursleys, and woe to them if he could not make them see reason in their dealings with the child given to their care.