"Care to repeat that?"
"You heard me Potter, I want to know how you got the others to start following you around like lost puppy dogs."
The emerald-eyed boy tilted his head slightly at the larger girl standing before him, in the otherwise abandoned hallway, "And if I refuse?"
"Wh-what?"
The boy chuckled, "Ironic how the tables turn, I said 'and if I refuse' as in I am curious to know what exactly you are going to do if I deny your… command."
"Not sure if you realize this Potter, but I am a great deal larger than you are."
"Indeed, and I am not sure if you have realized this but size doesn't matter much in the Magical World."
"I know more curses than you precious light has taught you."
"Considering that I haven't been taught any spells, save for those that we learned during school, it is not that surprising."
The larger girl gritted her teeth, before taking a step into the other student's personal space. "Listen here you Half-Blood…"
She found herself pushed out of the nearby window, the only thing stopping her from falling being a hand wrapped around her collar.
"If you insist on calling me that again I will be conducting an experiment to see just how much of you remains solid after falling several hundred feet."
"W-wait! Please!"
"And why is that? I am growing tired of these childish games that children your age insist on playing. I give you opportunity after opportunity to simply leave me be, and yet you continue to push. I assure you miss Bulstrode, I might not be the first one to strike, but I will be the last."
With a jerk of his arm he tossed the girl across the hallway and into the opposing wall, before making his way to the next class.
...
"Millie, what the hell were you thinking!? I told you not to pester him!"
"I… I didn't think…"
"Of course you didn't… I told you that we follow him by choice . Do you really think we would just because he is cute?"
"N-no of course… wait, cute?"
"I… I… you know what I mean!"
"Oh I do…"
"Millie…" the dark-skinned girl growled, hand unconsciously reaching for her wand.
"I'll make you a deal Pansy, you convince him to give me another chance… and I will forget about your comment."
The Parkinson heiress gritted her teeth, before letting out a sigh and nodding, "Fine but if he turns you into paste it isn't my fault."
...
"My Lord, are you sure that…"
"Draco, if you ask me one more time about the fact that I am the only Slytherin staying at Hogwarts for the holidays I will think of a creative way to express myself."
"Y-yes my Lord, of course. I will speak to my parents about future arrangements. Surely they will allow you to stay with us for the week next year."
"Oh yes, the child responsible for the murder of your father's previous master staying in the guest bedroom…"
The blonde Slytherin winced, before giving a nod and heading with the other students toward the carriages that would lead to the Hogwarts Express, and their waiting families.
Harry, on the other hand, merely chuckled before heading back into the castle. An entire week without having people follow him around every moment of every day? It was a welcomed change.
"Mr. Potter"
"Professor Snape"
"I am surprised to find you at school for the holidays."
"I was told not to return until the summer, it appears as though my place of residency wanted to save as much money as possible on food and heating."
Severus Snape blinked at the deduction that the eleven-year-old had just made, before giving a curt nod. "Undoubtedly you have found that everyone else has left for the week."
"Of course, I am terribly sorry if this is an inconvenience to you though, having to stay at school due to one student remaining."
"I am here through the winter regardless Mr. Potter. If you need anything my quarters remain in the same location."
"Of course sir, have a pleasant evening."
With a nod the Potions master departed, trying to shake the feeling that his movements were being followed by some sort of monster, rather than it being a preteen.
...
One day
It had taken all of one day for Harry Potter to complete his work for the rest of the year, read all of the books available in the Slytherin common room, and make a complete mental map of every corridor in Hogwarts.
Six days remaining.
He had originally been rather excited about having some 'alone time'. After revealing himself to the Slytherins he found that his time was constantly occupied by at least one of them, as in constantly . It was beginning to become difficult for him to even use the bloody toilet without someone anxiously awaiting him on the other side of the door.
Then there had been the 'babysitting'. At first it was amusing, almost funny how the other first-years looked to him for approval. They would glance at him silently before making any comments towards the other houses, before cheating on a test or even doing homework. Then it became a bit ridiculous. The girls would ask him every day about their appearances and whether it 'pleased him'. The boys were constantly inquiring about his opinion on everything, from Quidditch, which he couldn't care less about, to politics.
All in all he found himself even more stressed with followers than he did without, but now that he was beginning to become used to the attention, having it suddenly removed made the time he could not spend with Hedwig almost eerily silent and dull.
Of course he had missed one opportunity for excitement, one of the corridors, the one that Albus Dumbledore had explicitly told them to stay away from was still 'unmapped'. He also had another day before Christmas, which meant he had time to kill so to speak…
With a shrug, and a glance around to ensure that no one was watching him, the boy made his way to the 'forbidden corridor'.
"One locked door in the entire hallway… oh yes this is going to be so very difficult…" After sweeping aside the wards on the barrier Harry found himself face to three faces as a massive dog stood before him, growling.
"Oh my, aren't you a big one." With a glare of his own, and the slightest release of his natural magic, the dog went prone before retreating with a whimper.
"Now, let us see what is so very important to hide under a massive guard dog…"
....
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