Better Be Slytherin!

Harry nodded. He'd known his father was, at least, as he'd played Quidditch for the Gryffindor team. 'Who were the others?'

'I don't know all their names, but Sirius Black was one of them.'

'Sirius Black?' The name sounded almost familiar, and then he remembered a conversation with Draco a few days ago about family trees and all that rot, which were apparently very important for purebloods like the Malfoys. 'Isn't Black—'

'He was a cousin to Draco's Mum, yeah. The only Black to be in Gryffindor in like a hundred years or something.'

Harry grimaced. 'Like I'm the only Potter in Slytherin in pretty much ever.'

Teddy gave him a sideways look and cast the next spell. Nothing. 'Yeah, like that.'

'So, they didn't like Slytherins,' Harry prompted, not wanting to think any more about how much a freak he was, simply for the way he'd been sorted. He liked his House. Most of the time.

Teddy spoke slowly, as if unsure how what he said would be taken. 'Well, see, they liked Snape least of all. I guess they were awful to him. Went after him all the time, four against one.'

Stunned, Harry could only stare again. He thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave, but ganging up on someone like that was about the furthest thing from brave as he could imagine. The sinking feeling in his gut intensified. Had his father really been just a bully, like Dudley? It was possible, he supposed. Hadn't Uncle Vernon said over and over what a horrible person he'd been? Maybe he was speaking from experience. Maybe . . . maybe that's why they treated Harry so badly. He let out a low whistle. 'No wonder Snape hates me.'

'I don't think he does, though. Not anymore.'

'I think he's just better at hiding it.'

Teddy shrugged. 'Maybe. Or maybe he's finally taking Rule One to heart.'

Harry considered that possibility while he cast the last of their attempts to check the sweets box for curses. It was clean. 'Yeah. Maybe.'

'Looks like you got yourself another normal box of chocolates, Harry.' Teddy almost sounded disappointed, like it would have been more interesting if there had been a curse on the box.

Harry had to agree that it would have, but such a result would not have been as tasty. 'Looks like. Want some?'

With a snicker, Teddy said, 'Why, 'cause Draco's not here?'

Harry laughed. 'No, I'll try one, too. See?' He opened the box as if expecting it to explode, and when it didn't, he flipped out two Frogs, one for himself, and one for Teddy. 'Here goes nothing!' and he ripped open the package and bit the head off the Frog in quick succession.

Teddy laughed again and opened his own Frog. 'You're mad.'

'As a hatter,' Harry agreed around a mouthful of chocolate.

'We should try and figure out who's been leaving these for you. You may have a secret admirer. Some Hufflepuff girl, probably.'

'Oh, thanks,' Harry replied with a laugh and punched Teddy in the shoulder.

'No, seriously. Who wouldn't want to curry favor with the Boy Who Lived?'

Harry scowled. He hated that nickname, since all it meant was that his parents had died instead of him. 'Cut it out, Teddy. I mean it.'

Teddy held up his hands. 'I'm just saying. It's probably from a girl. Like I told you, no self-respecting boy is going to give you candy.'

'Okay, fine. How do we tell which girl, then?'

Giving Harry another sly look, Teddy drawled, 'We could make an announcement in the Great Hall . . .'

'Teddy!'

'Kidding! But there are ways to figure out who last handled something. You know, before you picked it up.'

'What, like fingerprints?'

'Finger what?'

Harry lifted both eyebrows in surprise. 'Fingerprints . . . Erm. Probably just a Muggle thing.'

'Oh, right. I forget sometimes.'

Harry grimaced again. 'I seem so normal, right?'

Teddy's expression turned rueful. 'Yeah, kind of. Sorry, Harry, but I've never really met any Muggles before. I've been doing some reading, and often times, a person with limited or no exposure to a different . . . culture can get stuck in all sorts of preconceived notions, which may or may not be accurate. And they can awfully difficult to overcome, too.'

Harry rolled his eyes. Teddy was like no one he had ever met. 'Whatever. So, how would you figure out who held the box last?'

'Magical signature.' At Harry's blank look, he continued, 'Everyone's magic is a little bit different, which is why everyone's wands are a bit different, too. With the right spell, you can figure out the signature of the one who held the box last because there'll be a remnant of their magic on the box.'