‘You must be bloody joking!' Ron stared at Harry open-mouthed. Hermione didn't say anything just yet, but her face betrayed utter shock as well. The three of them were sitting in a corner in the Common room which, due to the good weather on this bright Saturday morning was almost deserted.

‘I wish I was', said Harry miserably. He had just told them that Dumbledore had decided to make him leave Gryffindor for the near future. ‘I can't believe he's separating me from all of my friends.'

Hermione placed her hand on his arm. ‘We'll still be around, Harry,'  she said. ‘True, we won't have all our classes together any more, and you'll have to be in another Common room in the evenings, but we can still study together in the library or be together outside....'

Harry nodded mutely.

‘I always knew Dumbledore was off his rocker, but this...' Ron shook his head. ‘He's never punished anyone this harshly! Even the twins... I mean if they had been resorted everytime they were caught in a prank, they'd have rotated through all the houses five times already!'

Harry snorted. ‘Do you know what Dumbledore said to me?' he asked his friends bitterly. ‘He said I should try to see this not as a punishment but as a challenge, and he said I had the unique chance to get to know two houses.'

‘That's mental!' Ron burst out.

Hermione was looking thoughtful, though. ‘You know, Harry, maybe it would make you feel better if you tried to see it like that. I mean, you can't help it anyway. So just pretend you are participating in a student exchange programme.'

‘A what?' asked Ron.

‘Muggles have this at school', Hermione explained. ‘It's done between different countries. Students leave their school for a term or a year and go to school in another country. It's supposed to help them to learn a different language and get to know the other culture and customs.'

‘Culture and customs,' Ron repeated sarcastically, ‘well, Slytherin surely will be like another country.'

‘It might be interesting', said Hermione. She blushed when she saw the accusing stares of her two friends and said hesitantly, ‘Well, you probably don't understand it, because for you the sorting was clear without ambiguity, but for me...' She took a deep breath, gathering her courage, then continued bravely, ‘I came very close to not being a Gryffindor. You know, the hat wanted to put me in Ravenclaw at first and then ... well, it decided otherwise in the end. And yes, I am glad that I‘m in Gryffindor, but I still wonder sometimes how it would have been otherwise... Would we still have been friends? Sometimes I think about what I'd be like if the hat had decided differently...'

Ron looked at her uncertainly, struggling for words. ‘Okay, but Ravenclaw is one thing, Slytherin quite another! And you are the best student of our year, so no wonder the hat considered Ravenclaw. But with Harry it's completely different!'

Harry shifted uncomfortably in is seat. Now, if ever, was the time to tell his friends about the dialogue he had had with the sorting hat two years ago. But did he want to share this with his friends? He hadn't told them the year before, when there was all the talk about him being the heir of Slytherin. Hermione had just been very open with them, but could he do the same? Would he lose Ron's support, considering the redhead had never hidden his contempt for all things Slytherin? What would he say, when Harry was no longer a mere victim of Dumbledore's mad idea, but someone that truly belonged in the house of the Snakes? He decided not to say anything.

‘Well, he's a Parselmouth at least', said Hermione. ‘I bet the other Slytherins will be really jealous, Harry!'

Harry winced at the matter-of-fact attitude with which she said "the other Slytherins". He didn't consider himself a Slytherin!

Ron rolled his eyes. ‘As if it matters! We first have to think how we make sure Harry won't get beaten up the moment he enters the dungeons!'

‘Oh!' Hermione looked at Harry with wide eyes. ‘Harry, are you scared?'

Harry swallowed. Up to that moment he hadn't thought much about what he might encounter upon entering Slytherin, but had only focused on what he would lose by leaving Gryffindor.

‘I don't know,' he muttered. ‘I guess not as much as I am scared of what Oliver Wood will do to me when I tell him he'll need to find another seeker.'

Both friends watched him compassionately.

‘I've got an idea!' said Ron suddenly. ‘Let's go outside and find the twins. They're on the team as well, after all. Maybe they can come with you to see Wood!'

Harry agreed that this was indeed a good idea. They found the twins at the lakeshore, where they were catching crabs. Harry decided he didn't want to ask what they wanted them for.

‘Harry!' Fred called out together when he saw the trio come near. ‘Back from the showdown in the headmaster's office?'

‘And still alive! Do tell us what happened!' George added.

‘I'll tell you if you promise you'll help me with something afterwards,' said Harry grimly.

‘Of course! We'll do anything we can for our fellow prankster,' George winked at Harry.

‘Alright,' said Harry bluntly. ‘Dumbledore decided that my being in the Slytherin Common Room meant that I have lots of curiosity about them, so he's making me change houses and be in Slytherin , I don't know for how long, but for the next few months at least.'

The twins first stared at him, then at each other and burst out into laughter. ‘Merlin, that man is ingenious!' exclaimed Fred.  ‘I thought we'd had all kinds of weird punishments already, but this really tops it! Well done, Harry!'

George had a strange gleam in his eyes. ‘This is brilliant, Harry. You do realize that you are in the best possible position now to prank the Slytherins? We have to work on this together!'

‘Oh, stop it, you two,' said Ron angrily. ‘Just because everything that happens to you is a joke doesn't mean others are like that, too! Harry's not in the mood for pranks right now!'

Fred grinned at Harry a little sheepishly. ‘Good point, little brother. Okay, Harry. So who do you need our help with? Snape?'

‘No,' said Harry. ‘Oliver Wood'. The twins' faces fell.

‘Oh. Quidditch,' said George slowly.

‘Yes, that's a definite downside to this otherwise amusing situation', Fred nodded. ‘Sorry, Harry.'

Harry shrugged. He knew he should be annoyed with the twins, but somehow their humorous outlook on his situation  had helped a little. If only all the other Gryffindors took it like that...

‘Well, Harry, you don't have to worry about telling Wood,' said Fred. ‘I happened to overhear that he was called to McGonagall's office half an hour ago. I had wondered why. Well, I guess we know now.'

Harry felt a sudden gratitude towards his Head of House, who had obviously saved him the unpleasant task of telling his obsessive team captain.

‘So no help needed there, mate,' said George. ‘But we'd still like to do something. Do you want us to spread the news, or do you want to do it yourself?'

‘Erm, no you do it', said Harry gratefully. He suddenly became aware that there was no way he could stand it to repeat the same story over and over again and look into everyone's shocked faces. Besides, it surely would do no harm if the twins informed everybody from their point of view. If gossip couldn't be avoided, Harry definitely preferred people to talk about his wicked prank than his sneaky spying unworthy of a Gryffindor. The twins' amused view of what they called an ingenious plan sounded much better than any description Harry himself could come up with.

‘No problem', George said. ‘Leave it to us. And take our advice: there's no use brooding over an impending punishment - just enjoy your time until it starts!'

With a last wink at Harry they disappeared, taking care not to forget their respectable collection of crabs. 

The three friends looked at one another. ‘I don't know about you', said Harry, ‘but I could do with something cheerful now. Anybody willing to go flying with me?'

The day passed pleasantly, with the exception of mealtimes when Harry couldn't help but notice people looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and pity. Oliver Wood had a woebegone look on his face. Nobody broched the subject though and Harry suspected that the twins had told everybody not to. Percy looked at Harry reproachfully, but none of the other prefects did. The Slytherins ignored Harry completely.

When Harry returned to his dormitory for the night, he found a package on his bed. It didn't have a label and it was soft, wrapped in brown paper. Curiously Harry opened it, just to drop it angrily when he saw what it was. Inside, there was a Slytherin tie and a Slytherin scarf. A piece of parchment was attached to the tie. Harry unfolded it and read it.

Dear Harry,

Please find attached the items that form part of your new uniform. You are expected by Professor Snape on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. in his office, where he will have a talk with you before accompanying you to your new Common room. Just take your school-bag with what you think you might need during the evening with you. You can leave your packed trunk in your dormitory; it will be brought to your new dormitory later in the evening. Please remember that you are not to enter the Gryffindor Common room while you are a member of Slytherin house.

I hope you'll have a smooth start.

Albus Dumbledore

Harry opened his trunk, violently threw the items inside and slammed the trunk lid. All this couldn't be happening! It took a long time for him to fall asleep.

When he entered the Great Hall on his way to breakfast the next morning he met Professor McGonagall. She nodded at him and said ‘I'd like a word with you, Mr Potter. Please come to my office after breakfast - it won't take long.'

She didn't sound stern or angry, but Harry still felt a little nervous when he was sitting in front of her desk in her office half an hour later. His Head of House came straight to the point.

‘I am sorry to lose you, Mr Potter, even if it is only for a limited time. I am sure Professor Dumbledore told you that it was not my idea.'

‘Yes, Professor.'

‘Naturally for the duration of this... "experiment",' Professor McGonagall's lips tightened briefly, ‘Professor Snape is going to be the adult most responsible for you - and with the most authority over you as well. However, even though I am temporarily not your Head of House, that doesn't mean that I am no longer concerned about you. I am still your Professor, so if you encounter any problem and you feel unable to see Professor Snape about it, I hope you'll feel comfortable enough to talk to me.'

Harry swallowed. ‘Thanks, Professor,' he muttered. In that moment he became aware for the first time how much he appreciated his Head of House. The thought of exchanging her for Snape was definitely unpleasant.

McGonagall continued. ‘I would like to give you some advice as well, Mr Potter. As much as you may want to quarrel with your fate, sulking will not help you, least of all with Professor Snape. So do try to make the best of your situation, Mr Potter. You have to play with the cards you were dealt, figuratively speaking.'

‘Yes, Professor', Harry said miserably. All of the happiness he had felt at the realization that McGonagall was not abandoning him was abruptly replaced by the reminder of what was to come.

‘Off you go then, Mr Potter. Enjoy your day and have a good start tonight.'

The day passed all too quickly for his liking. He didn't bother to study at all - after all, there would be plenty of time to study once he was trapped in the dungeons - and it seemed to him this was his last opportunity to enjoy himself. Even so, he had no real appetite for dinner. Normally he would have loved the food, it was Sunday and there was even treacle tart for dessert, but today everything tasted like straw to him. When the meal was over, he dragged his feet upstairs to the Gryffindor Common room and then into his dormitory. Sighing, he took off his scarlet and golden tie and fetched the silver and green tie from his trunk. Harry was tempted to demonstrate his defiance by wearing his Gryffindor tie, but he thought about McGonagall's advice. He knew that such a gesture would be wasted on Snape. Besides, what good would acting defiant do? Snape already knew that Harry hated going to Slytherin, and he was probably even more upset about it than Harry was. No way did that greasy git want Harry Potter in his house!

And besides, it was now Snape who had most authority over him, and the man hated Harry enough as it was, so there was no point in provoking him by showing up in a Gryffindor tie. Snape would likely force him to eat it.

A last look in the mirror showed him that there would be nothing for Snape to criticize about his uniform.  Sighing, he picked up his satchel.

When he re-entered the common room, there was a sudden silence. Harry was painfully aware of everyone staring at his green tie...... Hermione and Ron approached him.

‘Good luck, mate,'Ron said awkwardly.

‘Ready to face the enemy?' Fred tried to joke.

George started teasing him. ‘Oh look, a Snake in our Common room! Oi, Harry, your Head of House will be so pleased! You look like a true Slytherin, the tie even matches the colour of your eyes!'

Both of them started intoning the tune of a slow funeral march.

Hermione glared at them. ‘You'll be fine, Harry.'

Harry didn't know what to say. He looked around in his Common room for what he knew to be the last time in a long time. Never before had it seemed such a cosy place to him. He forced a smile at his friends and left for the dungeons.

‘Come in Potter and sit down.' Snape gestured sharply to the empty chair in front of his desk. Harry closed the door behind him as quietly as he could and nervously sat down. He had been in Snape's office only once before, and he had been in huge trouble then too, but at least Ron had been with him whereas now he had to face the grim man alone. He hardly dared to look into the man's face. Harry knew how much Snape disliked him, and there could be no doubt that the man was anything but pleased with the headmaster's idea to place Harry in his house, even if it was just for a limited time.

‘When you have examined the floor sufficiently, Potter, you will have the courtesy to look at me.' Snape's sarcastic drawl made his head jerk up. Snape's black eyes bore into his, and it took rather a lot of willpower for Harry not to look away.

‘Very well, Potter. I am supposed to welcome you to Slytherin house,' Snape sneered.

Harry cringed internally and ducked his head again. Supposed to - Snape could hardly make it more clear that he was furious about Harry joining his house. This was going to be just as awful as he had expected. Ron was right - Dumbledore was truly barmy.

‘Under normal circumstances,' Snape went on, his piercing gaze never leaving Harry, ‘new Slytherins all arrive on the 1st of September, at which time I welcome the new members of my house and introduce them to the most important facts about Hogwarts as well as the school rules.'

Harry raised his head again and looked at Snape. In spite of his internal rejection of everything to do with Slytherin, he found what the man was saying to be interesting. He remembered his own first day in Gryffindor, where Percy as a prefect had just shown them where their dormitory was and they had tumbled into bed and fallen asleep almost immediately.  He felt a bit of pity at the thought of the Slytherin firsties who, tired after all the excitement of coming to Hogwarts and the sorting, still had to endure a lecture from Snape on school rules on their very first evening.

‘Well, Potter, as you are not a new student, I will save us both the introductory speech. Although up to now you haven't struck me as exactly rule-abiding, I still trust you are familiar with the general school rules - at least in theory?' He smirked and Harry glared at him.

‘I trust you have realized that your days of constant rule-breaking are over, Potter. You are, I hope, aware of the fact that you will no longer get away with it if you continue to run wild.'

Harry felt anger rise inside him. Run wild? ‘I don't run wild,' he protested heatedly. ‘And even if I do break a rule now and then, do you really think Professor McGonagall lets me get away with it?'

Snape's voice lacked his usual malice when he answered. ‘Don't misunderstand me, Potter, it was not my intention to criticize Professor McGonagall, who, I don't doubt, is a good head of house. However, I find that different ... approaches... are sometimes needed, and in your case I find the result of Professor McGonagall's approach less than satisfactory. I am, however, optimistic that my methods will achieve something where hers have failed.'

Harry blushed and hoped Snape wouldn't notice it.  What methods was he talking about? The man smirked at him again and remarked, ‘In my speech to the new Slytherins I go into more detail. I suggest you ask your new housemates, I'm sure they will enlighten you in detail about my methods to make sure that the rules are followed.'

Harry didn't say anything, deciding he would rather eat his tongue than let a smirking Malfoy explain to him what kind of punishment he could expect from Snape. It's not as if Snape will favour me like he does the other Slytherins anyway, he thought bitterly.

‘Although you are only in my house for a limited time, I intend to treat you as a full member of the house.'

Harry wondered, not for the first time, if Snape could read his mind. 

‘Therefore, you, like every other Slytherin, will be included in my schedule of regular individual talks.  I hold these with every member of my house and we discuss your academic progress as well as any personal issue that may have arisen and needs addressing. So check the notice board in the common room for the date of your appointment.'

Harry stared at him in shock. He had no desire whatsoever to discuss any personal issue with Snape of all people. He shuddered and almost missed the next sentence.

‘I am well aware, Potter, that you are not here voluntarily and that you long for this arrangement to end. However, I expect you to bear in mind that you brought this upon youself and that your fellow Slytherins are not to blame. This is not supposed to be a punishment for them. So I warn you, should you use this situation to deliberately make Slytherin lose house points or in any other way try to sabotage the running of Slytherin house, you will answer to me, and I assure you, you will not like it. Do you understand me?'

‘Yes, sir,' Harry muttered, his horror increasing by the minute. He had not even considered deliberately losing points for Slytherin but he was well aware that it would happen sooner or later. And now here was Snape automatically assuming Harry would do it on purpose. After all, he had always blamed Harry for anything that happened, and now he had even more reason to get angry.

‘The headmaster told me that two years ago you were almost sorted into Slytherin.' Snape's eyes bore into Harry's as if he wanted to find the confirmation there. Harry gave a reluctant nod, not at all pleased that the headmaster had shared this information with Snape.

‘I will not pretend that I wasn't surprised, but I think the fact that you speak Parseltongue likely played a role in the hat's assessment. However, you'll soon find out that it takes more than that to prove yourself worthy of Slytherin house. I recommend you apply yourself, Potter.'

‘Yes, sir' muttered Harry and refrained just in time from rolling his eyes. He had no desire whatsoever to prove himself worthy of Slytherin. If being worthy of Slytherin means being like Malfoy, applying myself would mean transforming into a git as soon as possible, he thought.

‘You know Claudius Chesterton, Potter.' It was a statement, not a question. Harry blinked.

‘Who?' he asked confusedly. He had heard the name, but couldn't place it right now.

‘Claudius Chesterton, Potter,' Snape snapped impatiently. ‘The Slytherin prefect who saved your hide two days ago. Have you already forgotten the debt you owe him?'

‘Oh, him,' Harry muttered weakly, noticing angrily that he was blushing again, ‘Yeah, I remember him.'

‘He will keep an eye on you, and if necessary, report to me, should you encounter any problems.'

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. At least Snape wasn't hanging a target on his back and looking the other way. Harry had no illusions that he wouldn't be attacked, certainly the prefect couldn't protect him all day, but it was better than nothing.

‘Needless to say, he will also report to me in the more likely event that you don't encounter, but rather cause, problems.'

Harry glared at him.

‘Any food, including sweets, that you may receive via post is to be given to him.'

‘What?' Harry spluttered indignantly, ‘Why? Just because he saved me?'

‘Don't be ridiculous, Potter!' Snape spat. ‘It's not just you, everybody is obligated to do so.'

‘But why?' Harry insisted, feeling slightly mutinous already. ‘Aren't the members of your house allowed any sweets at all?'

His professor shook his head. ‘It's not that, Potter, as much as I would like to ban unhealthy items altogether. Unlike what you seem to be thinking, Mr Chesterton doesn't collect everything to keep for himself or hand it over to me so that I can indulge myself.' He frowned at Harry who couldn't help but let a small giggle escape as he imagined Snape greedily devouring all of his students' sweets in the evenings. Harry hastily covered his mouth with his hand. Although he didn't think highly of Professor Snape, he wouldn't have suspected him of such Dudley-like behaviour.

Snape went on. ‘Mr Chesterton will divide the sweets among everyone in a fair way. Not everyone has a huge fan-club, Potter, and I won't have less fortunate people left out while others are gorging themselves on multitudes of chocolate frogs. Hence this rule: no food allowed in your trunk, which is private. Anything given out by Mr Chesterton is to be kept in your tuck box in your cupboard. The cupboard might be inspected any time by the prefect or by myself. Do I make myself clear?'

‘Yes sir,' Harry said, feeling irritated. It wasn't that he minded sharing his sweets; he never got that many, anyway. Mrs Weasley was the only one who ever sent him anything, and given that she had to divide her attention among so many children, it wasn't that often either. He would probably get more sweets under Snape's system than before. What irked him was that his new Head of House seemed to want to control every aspect of his life.

‘Don't give me that look, Potter. Like it or not, you will share.'

‘I don't mind sharing!' Harry protested indignantly. ‘It's not as if in Gryffindor we don't share, but we share because we want to, not because we're forced to! It's pathetic that you have to order people to share!'

Snape's eyes glittered dangerously as they bore into Harry's. ‘Manners, Potter. I won't let you criticize the way I run my house. Do I make myself absolutely clear?'

Harry swallowed and nodded hastily.

‘Nor will I justify to you each and every rule that might be different from what you are used to.  I will just say this: in Slytherin everybody gets their fair share, no matter how many admirers he has among his peers. As I said before, not everyone has a huge fan-club, Potter, and there are always some, also in Gryffindor, I am sure, who easily are forgotten when it comes to sharing. So I don't care whether you agree or not, that's the way it is done.'

Harry nodded again. He couldn't deny that there was some truth in what Snape was saying. The longer he thought about it, the better he liked that particular rule. At least it would prevent Malfoy from showing off the huge food parcels he undoubtedly got from home, giving things only to Crabbe and Goyle and everybody who did what he wanted, ostentatiously leaving Harry out. If I were Head of House and I had gits like Malfoy among my pupils, I'd probably do it like Snape, he thought. The only thing that still bothered him a little that it would soon become obvious to the prefect that he never got anything from his relatives, and once this knowledge spread amongst the Slytherins, he would no doubt be teased endlessly about it..

Snape's snarl pulled him out of his thoughts. ‘You should also be aware of the fact that I will not tolerate any sort of bullying, Potter.'

‘Why are you telling me?' asked Harry indignantly. ‘I've never ever bullied anyone!'

Snape's lips contorted to a sneer for a moment but then he scrutinized him for a few seconds before giving a curt nod. ‘If that is the case, Potter, make sure it stays that way, or you will find yourself in a great deal of trouble,' he said coldly. He continued to scrutinize Harry, who didn't answer.  ‘So, Potter, are you ready to face the enemy?' he inquired.

Harry grimaced and briefly wondered what Snape would say if he knew that he was using the same words as Fred Weasley. He muttered, ‘As ready as I'll ever be.' Instinctively he felt through his robe to make sure his wand was where it was supposed to be. He was bound to need it soon to defend himself. Not that it will help much, with me being on my own...

‘Don't even think of starting a fight, Potter,' said Snape who obviously hadn't missed the quick movement. ‘And you needn't worry for your safety, you will not come to any harm. As I said, I don't tolerate bullying. Come along then.'

Harry swallowed, picked up his satchel and stood up. He mutely followed his teacher out of the office, down the aisle, around the corner and there they were in front of the all-too-familiar door of the common room. ‘Dispholidus typus' Snape said, and the entrance to the common room opened. He gestured for Harry to enter and followed him inside.

All conversations ceased at once, and all heads turned towards them. ‘I won't keep you long,' said Snape. ‘I am delivering your new housemate. I advise you all to remember the talk we had about this last night.'

When the door snapped shut behind him Harry swallowed. It occurred to him that this was probably the very first time that he was sad to see this particular teacher leaving. He was on his own now, facing the army of less than friendly Slytherins. Now the challenge, as Dumbledore had put it, really began...