September concluded at an alarmingly fast rate for Harry, who felt quite disorientated in his realisation that he had been Jaden Royce for over a full month.

He supposed the time felt to have gone so quickly because he had been a second year student before. Harry knew a little of what to expect in his classes, and lacked the primary difficulties he had to endure the first time. One thing was that no one whispered about him when he passed them in the corridors because Jaden wasn't famous, and Harry knew his way around most of the castle without having to double-check or ask anyone. It was rather freeing, to be who he was for the first time in his life, without overwhelming complications and discomfort.

'Come on, Jaden!' Kevin called to him as he walked ahead of Harry.

Smiling at his newest best friend, Harry quickened his pace and clutched his book-bag to his chest as he ran towards the Great Hall.

It was the first week of October and they were on their way to lunch after spending the morning in Transfiguration and Charms. Their room-mate Adam was with them because Adam had woken them during his clumsy fall from his own bed, entangled in sheets he thought were trying to slaughter him in his sleep. Traise, a boy Harry despised by instinct, and Curtis, who was always distant and focusing on his older brother Mack, had already left the dormitory by the time Adam had toppled towards the floor.

Sitting at the Slytherin table with a relieved sigh, since they weren't late, Harry glanced at Ellis and smiled in response to her wave of greeting.

He'd never been able to imagine how easy it could be to find so many friendly people in Slytherin house, particularly with his own classmates. As a Gryffindor Boy-Who-Lived, Harry had been closer with those he shared a dormitory with, and Hermione. Everyone else in his class , such as Draco Malfoy, had either been enemies or just classmates. As Jaden, now in Slytherin himself, Harry found he got along with a few others as well. Such as a Ravenclaw girl, Belle Eathorne, who he studied with in the library sometimes, and Kody Harvey - a Hufflepuff who often joked about Quidditch with Harry during their History of Magic lessons.

'Are you with us, Jaden?' Kevin moved his hand rapidly in front of Harry's eyes, diverting his attention to his friend.

'Oh, sorry.' Harry blushed and reached for some pancakes in attempt to conceal his embarrassment. 'I was thinking about something.'

'Anything interesting?' Ellis wondered curiously, looking over the open Witch's Weekly magazine she had been judgementally perusing.

'No. Not really.' Harry shrugged. 'What do we have this afternoon?' He wondered about their schedule in hope of changing the topic and to lose some of the focus cast upon him.

'Free time!' Ellis declared with a grin, raising her fork in a manner one would a sword. Her magazine was squashed between her elbow and the wooden surface of the table, long forgotten. 'Though, I have no idea how to spend it. Any ideas?' Her blue eyes trailed around their section of the table, which consisted of Jaden, Kevin, tomboyish Serene, Adam, and the Chinese girl - Ann.

'We could go outside.' Kevin suggested after shovelling some eggs into his mouth as politely as he could. 'It's a really nice day.' He stared upwards at the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall, which showed a shining sun and white clouds, which filled the blue sky.

'Maybe we could visit Hagrid?' Harry spoke without thinking.

'Who?' Adam frowned.

'Hagrid.' Harry repeated. 'He's the keeper of keys and grounds.' He remembered being told that over a year ago, and was very fond of his large but well-intending friend. 'He's a half-giant.'

'Cool.' Ellis shrugged while Kevin didn't seem to be sure about what he thought of Hagrid.

'No thanks.' Adam frowned dismissively, to which ever-quiet Ann nodded in agreement. 'I'd rather not. Besides, I've seen him from a distance and he doesn't look too friendly.'

'I bet he's really nice once you get to know him.' Ellis sighed. 'But since we don't all agree...are there any other suggestions?'

'Well, we could just go for a walk?' Serene offered. 'I mean, have a look around outside until we find something to occupy our time with. If anything, we'd still get to be outdoors and enjoy this lovely day.'

'That sounds good.' Kevin nodded. 'How about it, Jaden?'

'Sure.' Harry answered. 'I like that idea.'

'Whatever.' Adam sighed. 'Why not?'

'Then it's settled!' Ellis smiled when Ann nodded as well. 'We'll finish up here and then head outside to see what the school grounds have to offer us today.'

'We're not going near the Forbidden Forest, I hope?' Kevin shuddered.

'Of course not.' Adam rolled his eyes. 'What sort of Slytherins would we be if we did that? Let's leave the recklessness to the Gryffindors!'

While most chuckled at the comment, Harry discarded his plate and looked away, trying to appear as though the joke hadn't bothered him at all. He caught Ellis watching him and quickly flashed a brief smile, hoping to evade her suspicion, yet feared he had failed. When she glanced elsewhere and proceeded to urge everyone to hurry up with their meal, Harry was once again reminded of who he was.

It was hard sometimes, to lose himself in being Jaden, and then to pull back and remember he was really Harry Potter.

It was becoming so natural to him to be Jaden. He no longer thought so hard about it, yet every once in a while a solid reminder was thrust his way and he felt guilty. Harry no longer wanted to be himself, because as Jaden he had a relatively normal magical life, something he had never realised how badly he had been starved for.

And now he had a glimpse at it, Harry was not about to let go and succumb to his previous life.

--

On the way outside, which was being led by Serene and laughing Ellis, Harry watched the other students they passed along the way. He saw mingled colours of the other houses, which seemed to step out of their way as they passed, and wondered how Slytherin students had adapted to this sort of treatment. The exact treatment Harry had also performed against the “darker house”, as he had once referred to it as.

He envisioned telling Ron and Hermione about the new things he had learned, not just about Slytherin, but Professor Snape as well. Nothing about either assumptions had been correct. Harry thought Hermione would hear him out and no doubt be fascinated, whereas Ron would probably laugh and not believe him.

'You're off in your own world again.'

'Huh?' Harry glanced towards who had spoken to him.

He realised they were standing outside in the sunshine and the others were looking over at the lake's surface in search of the giant squid. Ellis stood in front of him with a curious expression she frequently aimed his way. Her hands tucked behind her back and a friendly smile on her face, Harry sighed and nodded his head in agreement to her words.

'I don't mean to.' He said. 'I just have a lot on my mind.'

'I know, I can tell.' Ellis nodded. 'I think we all do sometimes, but you more than most, I've noticed.' She didn't question him or raise judgement, instead she merely turned to look at the lake as well, which appeared to be sparkling under the afternoon sunlight.

'Are you sure it's real?' Kevin whined to Serene.

'Of course!' She rolled her eyes. 'There IS a giant squid in the lake, I know it.'

'I've seen it.' Harry jumped in, since it was true and he knew the squid was real, if only because Fred and George had been seen so frequently trying to convince it to come closer.

He stepped within the group of fellow first years and never imagined he would be spending the afternoon with so many at once. He'd had no friends until he came to Hogwarts and then it was only Ron and Hermione. Now he was surrounded with five other Slytherins, and it was most strange yet amusing to him.

Harry felt dread, seeing them laughing and pointing to the lake together, when he realised how easily moments like that were ruined. And true to his paranoia, a shadow cast over himself and Adam, as a voice called over to the group.

'What are you lot doing?' Draco's chuckled as he approached with Crabbe and Goyle on either side of him.

His appearance of considering himself superior was evident as always, though Harry failed to notice the difference in which Draco regarded Slytherins in comparison to how he treated the rest of the houses.

Harry spun around at the blonde's voice, tensed and prepared for the insults or harassment that never came.

Draco seemed genuinely confused about what a group of first years were standing around and laughing at, when the lake's surface appeared so calm and ordinary. It startled Harry, for a brief moment, to almost see Malfoy as just another Slytherin. He clearly wasn't about to be friendly, yet Harry supposed a group of Slytherins close to Malfoy's age were hardly something to mock and ridicule.

Looking around, Harry saw the others were surprised yet unconcerned by the additional company. Though the others were reluctant and shy, Harry noticed the hesitation in Ellis. She eyed Draco Malfoy with distrust and, like Harry, did not make her disagreement too obvious in the desire to avoid any conflict.

Harry found her to be as curiously odd and interesting as she did him.

--

The afternoon passed by casually once Draco and his “bodyguards” had wandered away, as the group chased each other around the grounds, looked for the giant squid some more, tried to keep Serene from climbing any tree they couldn't, and exchanged jokes they'd heard from older students or siblings. Harry felt to be quite popular, as everyone liked his ideas or activities, and always laughed at his jokes, which he thankfully remembered from the Weasleys.

He shuddered at what might have happened had he tried one of Vernon's ideas of a joke.

As the sun began to sink beneath the mountains, Harry and the others hurried into the Great Hall for dinner.

Harry could not be happier.

He'd had days a little like this earlier on with Ron and Hermione, mostly around November the past year, yet the feeling was still alien to him. He was part of a larger group who enjoyed his company because he was funny and helpful, not because he was famous or the only friend they'd made so far at school.

In fact, Harry could only really call Kevin and Ellis his friends, so it was new for him to muck around with others as a result of shared boredom rather than formed friendships.

Sitting in what had become his usual spot since the sorting, Harry served himself roast chicken, and listened to Kevin talking about a camping trip he had gone on once. When it came to explaining a Muggle reference to the others, Harry looked towards the staff table and his smile vanished rather quickly.

Snape was looking right back at him, before the man blinked and turned away.

Feeling exposed and insecure after receiving such a stern gaze, Harry dropped his attention to his uneaten food and exhaled with dread.

A part of him wished he could erase all the memories of ever being Harry Potter.

-- 

The feeling remained with him as he prepared for bed.

Harry lay under his covers and didn't feel tired at all. He wanted his own belongings back, such as his first wand and Hedwig. And of course, the invisibility cloak he'd inherited from his father. His new wand was fine and worked quite perfectly for him, but it wasn't the same either.

More than anything, he missed his two best friends and his owl companion. He missed sneaking out to visit Hagrid and sipping from giant teacups while avoiding eating any of his cooking. Harry missed practising for Quidditch, hearing Wood go on about tactics to take out Slytherin while the twins humoured them with jokes and stunts. He wanted his old bed back so he could look out the window at night and see the starry sky or moonlit grounds. Even his glasses were missed, and of course...his lightning-bolt scar that had once marked his forehead and made him famous.

Who had he been fooling, thinking that being Jaden Royce forever was all fun and filled with new experiences?

Harry didn't like the attention and danger his life had once held, nor the way Snape was always singling him out unfairly at any chance he got, yet he was giving up so much more. His friends, his belongings, his habits, his previous enjoyments and activities, his photo album with pictures of his parents...Harry was giving up an entire life.

As snores filled the darkened room around him, Harry thrust back the covers of his bed and stood in his socks as he faced the closed door.

He experienced an urge to get out - to run and leave this new life behind. He didn't want to start over, even if here he had a family and a whole selection of friends to choose from, as well as Snape being reasonable to him, because Harry was afraid of losing what he did have. He felt terribly selfish to want to remain as Jaden and forget everything that made Harry Potter who he was.

Essentially, giving up his old life would be like hitting the reset button on himself. And that scared Harry, more than anything else, as he never wanted to lose what he had been so lucky to have.

Not sure where he intended to sneak off to, Harry inched towards the door and reached for the handle, halted only by a soft voice that reached his ears from the room he wanted to flee.

'Jaden?' Kevin sat upright in his own bed and yawned. 'Where are you going?'

'Nowhere.' Harry ducked his head and frowned. 'Go back to sleep.'

'No, I'm awake now.' Kevin slid from his own bed and stepped towards his friend. 'Is something wrong? We only went to bed a little while ago, did you have a bad dream or couldn't sleep?'

Harry opened his mouth to lie or tell Kevin to leave him alone, yet a dim light crossed over his friend's face and Harry saw the concern and eagerness to help.

It wasn't Kevin's fault.

Harry didn't want to take his frustrations out on his new friend who was worried about him and wanted to help.

'I can't sleep.' Harry said. 'I'm going to the common room.'

'I'll come with you.' Kevin nodded as he did exactly that. 'We can play chess, or just...I dunno, whatever you want to do.'

-- 

Reaching the Slytherin common room, Harry saw Draco muttering in annoyance over what appeared to be a half-written essay, and several older students were huddled in a corner to exchange notes.

Turning to Kevin, Harry's face turned red with embarrassment, as they were both dressed in their pyjamas. It didn't appear to bother the other boy. Since no one even looked their way, Harry tried to ignore it as he moved to sit in a sofa near the fireplace. Kevin sat across from him, looking a bit tired, and yet was determined to stay awake.

'Magical properties of capwort....' Draco's grumbling reached Harry's ears without him really acknowledging it, as he was too absorbed in his own memories of Ron and Hermione.

Though, having heard the question, he instantly thought of a time not long before they had ventured down the trapdoor. Hermione had been talking about capwort, since she had typically started reading ahead. She had argued if it was a weed or a plant, but he recalled the discussion about it's magical properties, in which he spoke aloud without realising.

'It can cause itchiness, otherwise used to expel bacteria from organs such as the lungs or stomach.' Harry recited from Hermione's words, since she had repeated them several times until they listened to her.

It was a fact he'd likely have forgotten forever if she hadn't been so adamant then and if he didn't miss her so terribly now.

Harry blinked as he remembered where he was, in the Slytherin common room. He looked quickly at Draco to see the blonde had turned around to stare at him. Blushing, as it meant he had spoken his answer aloud, Harry mumbled an apology and looked away.

He stared at his socked feet and sighed. He wished he could tell Hermione she had actually taught him something and he had been listening, or tease Ron about how his red-haired friend probably dozed through her lecture.

Glancing at Kevin, Harry wondered what he was supposed to do now, since he didn't feel tired enough to sleep yet. Kevin had slid sideways on the couch and had lost his battle to remain awake.

Spotting movement, Harry inched into the back of the sofa when Draco gathered his things and shoved them into a bag, before he moved to sit beside Harry. There was still a lot of distance between them, yet Harry remained tense and uncomfortable about the casual action.

'So it's true, then?' Draco eyed him carefully. 'You really do know a lot about Potions?'

'Oh, not really.' Harry heard himself replying without having decided to do so. 'I mean, I've just read ahead, really.' He lied, yet not entirely, since he had taken the first year classes once before and bits of Hermione's extra studying was unwillingly embedded in his brain, it would seem.

'Who are you, again?' Draco frowned.

'Jaden Royce.' Harry answered with greater ease than he had a month earlier.

He waited for Draco to rant about not knowing the pureblood name, since Harry doubted it was one, or comment about how pure he himself was. The blonde did neither. In fact, Draco hardly seemed interested in his name, merely asking it either to be polite or because he was making note for future interactions.

'You're not doing school work.' Draco observed. 'And your friend has passed out.' He snorted in the direction of Kevin. 'So, why are here? I don't really care, of course, but I find it odd that you'd be in the common room at this hour for no apparent reason.'

'I couldn't sleep.' Harry felt it was easier to be honest whenever he could, even if he was talking to his former-enemy, Draco Malfoy.

He regarded the other boy when a silence followed, thinking about how he could not believe this blonde second-year was the same boy who had been such a bullying git the year before.

'I've been accepted onto the Slytherin Quidditch team, did you hear?' Draco gloated when he couldn't think of anything else to say.

'Congratulations.' Harry tried to sound neutral whereas he felt very bitter about the smug announcement.

He missed his first best friends and a lot of other things about being Harry Potter...beside Ron or Hermione, he found himself missing Quidditch the most. He was a first year again, and even Harry knew his luck was not so high that he could be accepted onto the team this early, once again. Besides, he wasn't certain he'd be able to play against Gryffindor in a match and he did not approve of the way the Slytherins played.

Even so, he imagined himself soaring skyward on his broomstick and feeling the wind drift about his hair. Yes, Harry dearly missed Quidditch.

'Are you any good on a broom?' Draco's question brought Harry back to the conversation.

'Yes.' Harry nodded. 'I usually play Seeker.'

'Oh.' Draco said with a light nod. 'Well, that's what I'll be playing as.' He smirked. 'And since Potter's not around to ruin our chances, I reckon we've got the cup in the bag this year.'

'I think I'm getting tired now.' Harry said miserably as he stood to his feet and nudged Kevin, who awoke with a startle.

'Alright.' Draco stood as well. 'And I should thank you, I suppose.' He frowned with dislike. 'For the answer. I realise you didn't mean to say it, yet it saved me the annoying trouble of looking it up and I'd have it put it off another day.'

'Sure.' Harry shrugged, noticing how Draco said he should thank him, but never actually did so. 'Come on, Kev.' He shoved Kevin in the correct direction to their dormitory, rather than towards a solid stone wall his sleepy friend had been approaching.

-- 

Once they were back in their separate beds, Harry simply lay there awake as he stared upwards and listened to Kevin's continued snores nearby in a manner he used to tolerate Ron's snores.

As Harry finally closed his eyes and began to sleep, he'd made the risky decision to approach his former friends the next day. He missed them and couldn't stay away any longer, so Harry felt he could at least try and talk to them or even study with Hermione for a while.

He didn't want to let go of “Harry Potter”, even as he wanted to stay as “Jaden Royce” for as long as possible.

The following morning was Saturday, therefore Harry no classes to hinder him from his plan to speak with Ron or Hermione.

He hurried into his uniform and passed his sleepy room-mates on their way to breakfast. He tried to ignore Kevin, who rushed to keep up with him, yet found he could not. He needed a plan if he wanted to approach his Gryffindor friends alone.

'I have to do something.' Harry told Kevin when they had finished their breakfast. 'I'll meet you back in the common room later, okay?' He nodded and left the Great Hall without waiting for a reply.

He felt a little guilty, since Kevin had been nothing less than a great friend since they'd met on the train, but he simply could not bring the other boy with him.

Having followed Hermione from the Great Hall, Harry wasn't even a little surprised when she headed to the library, even on a sunny Saturday morning.

Stepping inside, he pondered on how he was going to approach her and what he should say. It was hard to not blurt everything out to her, yet he doubted even Hermione would believe such a story about him being Harry and yet someone else entirely.

The silver and green of his attire wouldn't help matters much either, he reckoned.

Her reading interest fell upon antidotes to uncommon conditions, yet Harry paid it little attention as he inhaled and stepped closer. There were two desks between them and she hadn't spotted him yet.

He could still walk away, Harry knew, as he fidgeted and began to doubt his decision.

When he'd walked into the Great Hall for the first time as Jaden Royce, Harry had convinced himself to not even look at his Gryffindor friends because it would be too painful to not be able to join them.

And now, he stood several feet away from Hermione and was unable to talk to her. She may not behave as badly as Ron towards Slytherins simply because they were Slytherins, but he knew she would be highly suspicious if he talked to her in any way other than rudely.

Ducking his head with regret and sadness, Harry backed away and turned to leave the library.

It was no use, to try and speak with her, not for as long as he was Jaden. Harry Potter wouldn't have needed to hesitate, he could sit across from her and would receive a warm greeting in return. Harry didn't consider finding Ron, because if he couldn't even say hello to Hermione, it would be pointless to be near Ron either.

Lost in his thoughts, Harry didn't realise he had bumped into someone until a book dropped at his feet and a girl gasped with surprise.

'Sorry!' Harry said quickly and picked up the Charms book, not realising who he was talking to until he had straightened. 'Oh. Hi, Ginny.' He froze in offering her book back. Her eyes were wide as she slowly accepted the object and moved to pass by him, yet hesitated.

'I don't know your name.' Ginny stated. 'Have we met?'

'I'm Jaden Royce.' Harry answered. 'We're in the same class. I'm sorry for not looking where I was going.' He added and didn't tell her they had met before, back when he'd been Harry Potter.

'That's okay.' Ginny wasn't being overly friendly, even as she appeared to be giving him a chance rather than instantly disliking him because he was in Slytherin and she was a Gryffindor.

'Bye.' Harry said and turned away.

He increased his footsteps as he turned a corner and paused, wondering if he was being haunted by his former life, and was conflicted between who he wanted to be. Harry felt his eyes prickle with tears of frustration and longing. He bowed his head and ran to the dungeons where many considered to be a safe haven for Slytherin, in which he agreed with.

Panting from being out of breath and emotional, Harry leaned his back against a cold wall and waited for his lungs to stop hurting.

Straightening, he brushed his tears away with annoyance and wondered what to do now. His gaze drifting to the closed door of the Potions classroom, Harry remembered something Snape had said to him a month ago, when the teenagers had been shouting in the common room.

“Despite what others may be led to believe, I will not stand by idly while a member of my own house is suffering. Do not forget that.”

Never in a million chances would Harry have previously considered going to Snape for advice or as someone to talk to.

At the moment he wasn't thinking too clearly and felt desperate for someone to tell him who he should be. Exhaling, Harry walked along the cold corridor until he reached the office door of his new Head of House.

Raising a hesitant hand, Harry rapt his knuckles against the wood and waited with anxious breath.

'Enter.'

Fighting the desire to flee, which Kevin had saved him from the night before, Harry gulped and stepped into the room. Ignoring the details of the office itself, Harry walked to the desk where his Potions Professor sat, his quill poised over what appeared to be a lengthy essay marked with a lot of red corrections.

'Mr Royce.' Snape acknowledged. 'And what brings you to my office on a day like this?'

'I...well, I don't know.' Harry lost his resolve and sank into the chair across from the desk, his head ducked with defeat. 'I think...well, I don't really have anyone else to turn to.' He realised, since Professor McGonagall was no longer his Head of House, Dumbledore was likely too busy and all-knowing, and he couldn't imagine asking Kevin as his friend wouldn't have experienced as much as adults had.

'Are memories of your uncle plaguing you, child?'

'No, sir.' Harry looked up to see that Snape had abandoned his task of marking essays for the moment and was focused entirely on what he was saying. Blushing from the attention, Harry looked away again. 'If I tell you, will you promise not to tell anyone?' He frowned, wondering why he wanted it to be kept a secret or how he had fathomed the ability to trust Snape, of all people, with his problems.

'You have my word, Mr Royce.'

Harry straightened and tried to look at his professor properly, yet kept glancing at a random space on the desk instead. He wasn't so foolish as to tell the man the whole truth, about once being Harry Potter and the events of the summer, or the mysterious letter from an equally mysterious “J”.

He had to say something, though, and perhaps if he worded it right than he wasn't entirely being false?

'My family...well, the magical ones before I went to live with muggle relatives or was adopted.' Harry began carefully. 'They were in Gryffindor.' He sighed. 'I think a lot of them were, and yet I'm in Slytherin. I knew some people before, who go to Hogwarts now, but they're also in Gryffindor and I don't think they'll want to talk to me anymore.'

'Go on.' Snape encouraged, which gave Harry the bravery to look at his teacher, feeling confused about how it felt to have Professor Snape listening to him with such interest and focus.

'Well, I like being in Slytherin and I have some new friends.' Harry sighed. 'But I miss my other ones. I miss doing the things I used to before. I was a different person then, and now I don't know who I should be. Who I was before wasn't all bad, but I like who I am now...even if I miss the stuff I left behind. I don't know what to do.'

There was a moment of silence in which Harry spent stressing about how Snape was going to react – likely toss him from the room for wasting his time.

When the man finally spoke, Harry looked right at him with surprise.

'Attending Hogwarts for the first time is an adjustment for every child, regardless of if they lead you to believe otherwise. There are prior friends and family members left behind in which may be missed. For centuries Gryffindor and Slytherin houses have quarrelled, yet occasionally friendships may emerge and withstand the complexity of such complications. If your friends are truly so, they shall put their differences aside as easily as you have come to accept that they are Gryffindors.'

Snape paused and then continued; now he was speaking his opinions while Harry listened with attention and eagerness to hear what he had to say.

'No true friend considers the differences in house loyalties.' Snape said. 'However, should they do so, then one can scarcely call them a friend. I cannot tell you which course to take, Mr Royce, for that is you to decide. However, I find that being yourself may prove to be a wise move in your situation. Slytherins are friends for life and one does not move forward when dwelling on surroundings whilst ignoring what is right in front of them. No one can tell you who you are and what you should be. It is something you must formulate for yourself. You must be comfortable with who you are, Mr Royce, whoever you decide that may be.'

'Thank you, sir.' Harry felt relieved and much calmer than he had earlier.

He couldn't believe how his advice and reassurance had come from Snape, nor that it had actually helped him a lot. He was the only one who could decide, though he still wasn't sure who he was yet. Harry or Jaden?

Did it have to be one or the other...why couldn't he be both?

--

As Harry walked to lunch a few hours later, he felt more confident with himself and missed his former life a little less. He still ached for his friends and Quidditch, but Harry wasn't as moody as earlier and knew he had to adjust.

Sitting with Kevin, who forgave him cheerfully for running off earlier, Harry looked over at the Gryffindor table and spotted his friends. Hermione had her face partially concealed by a book, Ron was stuffing his face with food, and the twins sat nearby laughing with their friend Lee, while Percy lectures a pair of third years about something they'd done.

It brought a smile to Harry's face, to see everyone so normal in Gryffindor house, as he thought fondly of his time spent there.

'What would you like to do this afternoon, Jaden?' Kevin asked him.

Harry chewed his sandwich and turned towards his new best friend, who could never replace his other best friends, yet was just as true. He had spent an entire year as Harry Potter in Gryffindor, and he decided not to pick who he wanted to be until he had also gone through an entire year in Slytherin as Jaden Royce.

Surely he could form as many friends and fond memories in one house as he could another? Slytherins weren't so bad, really, if anything they weren't nearly as tough and rude as Gryffindors could be at times.

It would be hard without Quidditch or his Gryffindor friends, but Harry was determined to give Jaden and Slytherin another chance.

'I think we should go see Hagrid.' Harry re-suggested his idea from the previous day, though with more confidence after his talk with Snape and the fact it was just him and Kevin.

'You'll like him, Kev. He's not as scary as he looks, really. Will you come with me, please?'

Kevin bit his lip at the offer and sighed as he nodded in agreement. 'Okay.' He said. 'If you really want to go and see him then I'll go with you. I mean, you're my best friend so I trust you. We'll go see the half-giant when we're finished here, okay?'

'Sure.' Harry nodded with a wide smile.

Snape was right, he did have friends in Slytherin who accepted him as he was. He was fond of Kevin because Harry could tell the other boy was afraid of going to see Hagrid yet would go anyway, just for him.

With time, Harry felt he could miss Ron and Hermione just a little less for as long as Slytherin house offered him friendships, and being Jaden gave him a chance at a semi-normal life.