Severus frowned as his obsidian eyes scanned the room and fell upon the Gryffindor table and to the famous boy-who-lived. He had recently begun noticing how the other Gryffindors seemed to have abandoned him and in some cases they even avoided him, hostile and uncomfortable if they talked to him, which they rarely did. The change had been gradual, with the original hostility starting as soon as the boy had returned for his sixth year, almost four weeks ago, and for some reason, he didn't think it was because of the events that had taken part the previous year. But he was determined to find out. He was shaken out of his thoughts when the headmaster turned towards him and began to speak quietly to him.
"Severus, I'd like to see you in my office after dinner please. There there is an important matter I need to discuss with you and the other head of houses." Severus nodded with a slightly bemused look on his face, why would Dumbledore have important matters to discuss so many weeks into the term? As far as he knew, there had been no problems within the school or the ministry since late august. And with that he turned to the rest of his meal, putting all thoughts about Harry Potter and Dumbledore out of his head to focus on his Sunday roast.

"Severus, come in we're just about to start. The potions master nodded and smiled slightly before ducking under the door and stepping into the headmaster's office, as usual marvelling at all the trinkets and whirring objects about the room as the elderly man always seemed to have more each time he entered. As his gaze swept the room his eyes landed on the figure of the child slumped in the chair opposite the headmaster's desk and almost started when he recognised it to be the golden boy, Harry Potter.
"Potter! Sit up straight in the headmaster's office and show some respect!" He said sternly but with less venom that he had previously used on the boy, he just looked so defeated sat in that chair that even a man as harsh as he was could not bring himself to not feel sorry for the lad. The boy jumped and turned around to look at his professor. He did indeed straighten up, at least a little bit and his posture did not scream 'defeated' as it did before. His usually bright green eyes however still lacked the spark that had been missing since the start of term and they appeared duller and showed just how tired the sixteen year old was. Noticing this Snape discreetly looked over the rest of the teenagers body seeing how he was thinner, much paler and had thick black smears under his eyelids caused by obvious lack of sleep. His black hair seemed somehow darker and had lengthened from last year to brush the bottom of his kneck and fall into his rapidly dulling green eyes. Severus paused in his thoughts of how weary the boy looked for his years when Albus entered the room again with other heads of houses.
"Severus, Minerva, Filius, Pomona, take a seat please. Harry if you wouldn't mind budging up your chair so an old man can get by?" Harry smiled weakly and shifted his chair slightly so his headmaster could move to sit at his desk. After all the professors had been seated Dumbledore cleared his throat and began to speak.
"It has been discussed long and hard between Mr Potter and myself that due to the apparent hostility of the students from Gryffindor house, it might be more appropriate for Harry to be re-sorted." Albus gazed hard at each of the other teachers almost as if daring them to oppose this decision. "Harry will be sorted now and I assume that you will accept the decision of the hat and accept him into whichever house he is sorted into." He nodded decisively and stood up. "Come on Harry, just sit on the stool and I'll fetch the hat." Slowly Harry pulled himself from the comfy armchair and perched himself down on the three-legged stool and smoothed down his creased robes. He slowly removed his Gryffindor tie and placed it on the table next to him and with a wave of his wand the lining of his school robes were turned white, signifying that he was without a house and had not yet been sorted. When the aging professor placed the battered hat in his hands he drew in a deep breath and hesitated only slightly before pulling it down over his hair. Unlike in his first year it did not drop down over his face and the professors could still see his dead green eyes staring out at them as the hat decided what would be his fate for the next two years. There was only a slight pause before the hat shouted out what nobody in the room, save Dumbledore and Harry Potter himself, had expected to hear.
"SLYTHERIN!"
Harry Potter calmly took the hat from his head and gave it back to Dumbledore with a small smile and turned towards his new head of house he was standing with a shocked look on his usually emotionless face. He quickly took control over his expression and nodded.
"Very well, I'm afraid the only available room for Sixth years in my house would mean rooming with Draco Malfoy as his roommate, Declan Stockton, transferred to Durmstang at the end of last term. Come along Mr Potter, we have much to discuss."

Severus Snape strode through the dungeons of Hogwarts and opened the door leading to the hallway where the sixth year rooms where. He headed towards the furthest door and looked at the plaque that was stuck to it with the name 'Draco Malfoy' printed neatly in black ink. He knocked sharply three times and stood back waiting for entrance. It was granted a second later when a flustered teenager opened the door with his slivery blonde hair rumpled and messy and his clean white shirt unbuttoned showing a plain black t-shirt underneath.
"Um, yes sir?" He looked a bit embarrassed to be caught whilst getting changed but when he caught sight of Harry he sneered. "Um sir, there is a Gryffindork in our dungeons." Severus raised his eyebrows at the Slytherin as he answered.
"I'm afraid that is not the case anymore Draco. Can we come in?" Draco looked suspicious but reluctantly opened the door wider and gestured for them to come in, kicking a pile of what looked to be dirty laundry into the corner. Severus sat on the chair by the dresser after pushing yet another pile or washing onto the floor with a disgusted look on his face.
"Draco, Mr Potter here has been re-sorted into Slytherin house due to the hostility that Gryffindor has been showing to him. As this is the only available boys room left, Mr Potter will be rooming with you. I will be leaving you to explain the rules of Slytherin to him and to introduce him to the rest of your year." he hesitated for a second "Remember, Mr Potter is one of us now. When you have finished with Mr Potter can you come to my office please?"
"Yes sir." He glanced at Harry. "Come in then, best get your stuff unpacked if you're going to be staying." To both Severus's and Harry's surprise Draco gave a small smile which Harry returned nervously. Severus nodded and swept out of the room, his robes billowing intimidatingly as he went.
Draco turned swiftly to Harry and began to speak.
"As well as the rules that the whole school follows, we also follow the rules of Slytherin. There are only a few and they are slightly more...ah, unusual than the school rules." he fished a piece of paper out of his pocket and attempted to wipe something sticky off of it before sighing and just handing it to him. "You had better learn to follow them, punishments will be more severe than what you are used to if you disobey." Harry nodded stiffly and glanced down at the set of rules, surprised at what they were.
'1)Slytherin's protect their own, any disturbances within the house should stay within the house. You must protect each other as nobody else will.
2) You must attend and eat every meal in the Great Hall 3) Whilst school curfew is at eleven and you must be in the Slytherin quarters by this time, you must also be in bed with lights out by midnight. No exception.
4) If you require medical help, you must seek it. If you are unable to or wish not to go to the infirmary, I (Professor Snape) will help you.
5) Any student punished by another member of staff or a prefect automatically has an assigned detention with me the following Saturday at seven pm. If you do not attend punishment will be severe.
6) Once a Slytherin, always a Slytherin'
Harry raised his eyebrows up at the taller boy as he cleared his throat. "Seeing as we are going to be rooming together for the next two years, i was thinking we could start over maybe?" He shot a nervous smile at the ex-gryffindor "Draco Malfoy, pleased to make your acquaintance." He held his hand out awkwardly, just like he had five years previously at eleven years old. Only this time with a lot less arrogance and a lot more sincerity. Harry smiled weakly, it not quite meeting his dead eyes.
"Harry Potter, a pleasure to meet you." He spoke quietly in a hoarse voice, almost as if he had not spoken for weeks, and his eyes were cast towards the floor as he shook the hand offered. Draco cleared his throat again and unnecessarily straightened his robes. "Professor Snape wished to see me. You had better get unpacked, the wardrobe on the left is yours as well as the chest of drawers next to your bed." He motioned towards the bed that was stripped of its sheets. "There are sheets in the linen closet in the bathroom if you want them or you could call for a house elf. Goodbye." Harry nodded to show that he had heard and pulled his trunk into the room away from the door and placed it on the bare bed. Draco turned around and did not look back as he briskly strode down the dungeons and towards the potions master's office.

"What do you think Draco?" Severus Snape sat forwards on his chair and looked over his steepled hands at the blond teenager. "Do you know the reason why Potter has been rejected by his fellow students? Why he has been placed in Slytherin?" Draco paused as he glanced over at his godfather.
"Well,it was only rumours...but..."He stopped nervously and looked towards the floor. "Yes, what rumors?" "Rumours that...that Potter is gay. And the Gryffindors, well, they aren't as open towards homosexuality as us. They seemed to have deserted him." Severus raised an eyebrow in apparent disbelief.
"So let me get this straight. The Gryffindors have rejected him because he prefers men rather than women." Draco nodded slowly, Severus always was blunt about things. "Well why Slytherin?" Draco shrugged as he slumped into his seat opposite the ink stained oak desk. "Well then, i guess you'll just have to find out then. I need to know what has changed Gryffindor Golden Boy so much that he would be sorted into Slytherin." Draco sighed and nodded, completely used to his Godfather's snooping. He seemed to have an unsatisfiable need to know everything about all his Slytherin Wards and he had taken a particular interest in Harry Potter, whose behaviour had changed to dramatically, Severus' view of him had been forced to change. He no longer saw a spoilt little brat but a child who had seen to much and whose eyes held too much sorrow and regret.

When Draco returned to his room he was startles to find that Potter had already unpacked, or so it seemed. There was a pair of blue threadbare pyjamas on his pillow and a photo frame holding a picture of a smiling Harry holding a small baby who gurgled happily up at the camera, a box of tissues and a book lay on the bedside table. His trunk was empty and placed beneath his bed and Draco assumed the rest of his belongings were packed away in the wardrobe. But where was Potter? He frowned and headed towards the door leading to their en suite bathroom but paused with his hand on the handle as he heard muffled sounds coming from within. He could hear the ex Gryffindor's choked sobs of grief through the door and Draco felt his heart clench. What could have hurt the smaller boy so much as to make him cry like that Draco didn't know. He hesitated for a moment before slowly opening the door just wide enough to poke his head through and felt his eyes almost bulge out of his head in surprise. The Brunette was sat in the large bathtub completely naked, his clothes folded neatly over the sink, with water falling over his bowed head. His knees were drawn up to his chest and his arms and head rested upon them as he sobbed and Draco could see his thin body shaking. But Draco's eyes were not on his shaking body nor the cries escaping his chapped lips. They were on the blood that flowed freely and thickly from the boy's scared and burnt wrists and the silver blade that lay innocently by his side.
"Oh my God." The words were whispered in shock and astonishment, barely louder than a breath, yet Harry's eyes snapped towards him, unfocused and slightly glazed over from blood loss.
"Don't come near me." He slurred as he slumped further into the wall. "Leave me alone, you didn't see this." His eyes were filled with so much pain and so much longing that Draco did the only thing that he could think off.
"I'm sorry Potter. Stupefy!" Draco rushed forward as Harry's head slammed with great force against the wall as the spell hit his bleeding body.
"Shit Potter!" He immediately conjured a pile of towels and firmly pressed them against the gaping wounds, frustrated as the towel was almost instantly soaked with blood. He began to panic when he realised that his efforts were not doing anything and, whilst murmuring an apology to the unconscious boy, grasped the medallion that had hung around his neck since he was a toddler.
"HELP!" he shouted into the metal, activating the medallion which would instantly inform his godfather that he was in trouble. He put more pressure on the gashes as he prayed to Merlin above that Severus would get there in time. He needn't have worried as he heard a mighty crash as his godfather topples out of the fireplace and ran into the bathroom, his eyes widening in disbelief at the scene that lay before him.
"Holy shit Draco! What the fuck happened!?" Draco glared at him.
"The git tried to off himself. Quick, help me i can't stop the blood!" Severus quickly put aside his shock and moved into action, kneeling down beside the rapidly paling boy and pulling numerous vials of potions from his pockets and pouring their contents into his mouth, massaging his throat to help him swallow. He pulled out is wand and muttered a spell under his breath and Draco noted with awe, and some disgust, as the blood pouring over the bathroom floor began to thicken and congeal closer to the wounds themselves.
"Start applying pressure to the ounds again Draco" Draco moved closer to the pair and pressed the cloth to the cuts once more and sighed with relief as the blood flow slowed even more. Harry however, was still becoming paler and paler by the minute and Draco turned, startled, as Severus cursed.
"H'e lost too much blood already, I'll need to take him to my rooms and administer a blood replenishing potion, maybe even a blood transfusion." Severus struggled to pull the limp body into his arms but after a moment or two of shuffling around he stood up with the bleeding seventeen year old in his arms and rushed towards the fireplace leaving Draco to stumble after him with a tower of clean towels.

"Severus, where are you!?" Draco cried as he landed unsteadily on the rug resting on the cold dungeon floor. He heard a moan of pain coming from his godfather's spare bedroom and hurried with the towels to where the noise came from. Lay on the blue bedspread that had a red patch of blood slowly soaking through it from the still slowly flowing blood, Harry moaned again and clutched his wrist to his body as he began to regain consciousness. His eyes blinked open slowly and took in his surroundings with a calculated glance before they widened and he sat straight up in bed with a whimper of pain as he clutched his arm even tighter. His confused look landed on Draco holding a pile of towels and Severus as he came hurrying in carrying numerous vials of potions.
"No" He whispered as it dawned on him where he was "No, i told you to leave me. Leave me alone, i don't need your help." Fresh tears began to fall again down his already tear tracked face "Please let me go, please." Severus strode forward and easily pushed the brunette back onto his back with a small scowl.
"Do not be foolish Mr Potter. Now swallow this." He didn't really give the weakened teenager much chance as he forced the vial into his mouth and pinched his nose, forcing him to swallow as he gasped for breath a moment later. He nodded to Draco and motioned towards the towels the towels that were still held in the blonde's slack grip. Draco hurried forward and nervously, but firmly, pressed the towels back on the bleeding limb as Harry glared coldly at him.
"Let go of me, i don't want your help. Piss off!" The tears were gone now and instead of the pain that had lingered in the child's eyes beforehand, there was only anger and frustration as his potions master poured more and more potions down his unwilling throat. He instantly received a light cuff around the ear from the elder man who frowned down at him as he moved the towels and began applying an antiseptic salve onto the deep cuts.
"Language Mr Potter, i do not care whether or not you want out help, you will be getting it anyway. Now shut up and let me bandage this wound, it will only take longer if you struggle with me." Harry scowled but turned his head into the pillow beneath him so he would not have to look as his arm was carefully and tightly bandaged. There was a moment of silence as the potions master sat back on the edge of Harry's bed as he pulled the covers up around his thin body.
"Why?" The question voiced by the elder man was spoken must softer than the ex Gryffindor would have expected and he turned towards him with deadened eyes.
"Alexander."