No Turning Back

Gregory "Greg" Goyle and Vincent "Vince" Crabbe both looked very down and quiet the whole time they were in their new house. Their new roommates are wary of them except for the mud – wait they can't say that word anymore unless they get the ire of their entire house. They are not the smartest of the bunch but even they know self-preservation out of anything else. Hufflepuff they may be but Slytherin they were raised for. So, they have to get used to using the word "muggle-born" now. The muggle-born, Justin Finch-Fletchley does not seem to bear the same biases their house has with them but that will change if he knew. The Hufflepuffs were not hostile to them but they were still looking at them either with curiosity or suspicion.

For Greg, the hat had insisted that his strong loyalty to his family and his Slytherin peers should be considered a strong trait towards Hufflepuff. He tried to argue against it but the hat still sorted him here. Vince was more terrified than Greg. The boy confided in him that the hat thinks he does not have enough of the traits of Slytherin to be sorted there nor is he smart enough to be Ravenclaw but the hat did consider him Gryffindor as well but went to Hufflepuff because of his strong loyalty mostly to his friends (that includes Draco Malfoy even though they are not sure if they'll remain friends anymore). Greg knows that compared to his father, Vincent Crabbe, Sr. is the scariest man he has ever met. While he has respectful fear towards the Malfoys and his own family, the Crabbe lord scares the soul out of him.

He worried about what would happen to his friend after all this. It is not openly discussed but there have been cases of what they call "mercy killings" of their children if they get sorted into houses that their families do not approve of. It was more common in the darker past than today as it is severely frowned upon as this could result in an investigation from the ministry yet still many of the old families had gone away with it. While their parents hated the Gryffindors the most, they also do not have the most positive opinion of Hufflepuff. They think they are weak people, people they get to step on and not worry if they fight back. Greg does not believe his family would kill him. Unlike Vincent who is the second son, Greg is the only son. He used to have two older brothers but they died during the war. Unless his father is having an affair and have some illegitimate sons of his own or his mother is pregnant with another son (as the Goyle family is a patriarchal one and he highly doubt is possible with their age), then if his father were to disown him, the Goyle family will be no more.

That is not the case with Vincent who is the second son and has another sister as well. He has heard stories even from his father about how the Crabbes were more likely psychopaths as they enjoy the torture during the first wizarding war. His family believed in blood purity but his mother has always insisted that the approach they did was not something she liked very much.

The two boys sat with their housemates in today's rather gloomy – at least to them – morning. The rest of their housemates are cheery waiting for their mail or already receiving them.

"Is something wrong?" Iris Potter asked them. She noticed that every time an owl would pass by the two boys would get tensed.

"We're waiting for our howler," Vincent mumbled.

"What's a howler?" Justin asked. The two sat in front of Vincent and Greg. Despite the negative stigma they faced mostly from the boys of their year in their house, Justin and the girls were not wary of them. Susan, Hannah, Megan, and Sally all sat next to them without even looking at them any differently.

"It's a very very angry letter," Sally explained. "I can't seem to describe it, except that it is a very awful letter. It literally shouts at you." Justin looked at Sally like she was joking.

"Do muggles get angry letters?" Hannah asked curiously.

"Yeah, but we can tell the person is angry because the letter is in capital letters but it doesn't shout at us unless someone does through a phone call," Justin answered. This also earned confused looks from most except Iris and Megan.

"You'll learn about it in muggle studies," Iris said.

Thud. Two large owls just dropped in front of Vincent and Greg. The two boys almost jumped from their seats. Fortunately, the letter wasn't in a red envelope which is significantly common for howlers. Iris has heard about howlers but has never seen one before. But the idea of having it shouting in front of a young child in front of many others is very humiliating. Even muggle parents try not to do so and prefer to make the necessary scolding in their homes than doing it in public as it is often viewed badly by society.

Still, the two boys gulped at them. Greg took the letter first and slowly opened it.

"What does it say?" Megan asked curiously then realized her question was too personal. "I'm sorry. Only share it if you want to."

Greg turned to them. "My father and mother wanted to talk to me and are arranging a meeting with Professor Dumbledore. My father is disappointed. I think he wanted me resorted."

"Resorted?" Justin asked confused.

"I don't think that's possible." Ernie piped in. "Because if that's the case, lots of parents who'd have done that by now."

"Are you okay, Vincent?" Susan asked the other boy who looked a little worried about the letter.

"Yeah." He mumbled but he crumpled up his paper and put it in his pocket.

As much as they are curious, the Hufflepuffs know better than to force people so they let the boy be. He'll reach out when he is ready or when they feel he needed help, they'll of course intervene.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!!!." A loud, booming, angry voice bellowed all the way from the Slytherin table and Iris recognized it as none other than James Potter.

He didn't! Iris looked horrified as she and the rest of the great hall turned toward her brother.

**********************

Everything is fine when Harry woke up. He greeted his roommates formally, as per the rule of the Slytherin house where no first names are until the end of the week, and has to fight off Blaise and Malfoy for a spot in the mirror. Harry likes to look neat and that includes trying to tame his unbearable and annoying hair. However, the other two boys were as vain as Harry is. Blaise, he understood but Malfoy? Well, he is coming from a rich and noble family who knows the importance of image. But why is there only one mirror in their bathroom and a small one at that? Harry is considering investing in one right now. He should ask if Iris has a spare mirror though he isn't sure if she has one. Iris is a very low-maintenance girl regarding appearances. Just comb her hair, and tie it in either a bun or a ponytail – messily even – and she will still look alright.

Harry grabbed the letter he wrote and stuff it in his pockets. He will get Iris's letter as well so they could send it together with Hedwig. Harry found out that there is a mailbox for students next to Professor McGonagall's office that students can use to send their letters via muggle post and even receive their letters from their muggle parents, friends, and/or relatives so they don't need to use owl post. The letters are sent every week. Muggleborns are the ones who mainly used it though he did hear some complaint from a Ravenclaw whom he assumed is a muggle-born when he passed by about how the whole letter thing is so stupid and how she wished phones can work in the castle. Harry has to agree with her. Phones allow you simultaneous communication, unlike letters which would take days before they can be received. Owlposts used to be faster than muggle communication in the past since letter delivery was slow but advancement in transportation and communication has made it faster than before. It would have been popular back in the 60s or even the 80s but in these times, nobody uses snail mail as much anymore unless it's official correspondence, a delivered package, or bills.

"Good morning, Miss Greengrass, Miss Davies." Harry greeted the two girls at the Slytherin table as he and Blaise sat down next to them. The first years sat at the end near the staff table. This is mostly because they were considered at the bottom of the hierarchy until they have proved themselves. Also, most don't like this area because they are closer to the vicinity of their teachers so if they plan to say or do something, they probably will know.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter." The two girls responded simultaneously.

"You are rather lively today," Tracy commented.

"It's the first day of school. We may not have classes but it is our first for everything." Harry smiled as they all start to eat their breakfast.

The Slytherins, despite it being a Sunday, were already at their table early. The Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs have followed. Harry waved at his sister when she waved at him when she walked into the great hall before joining the other Hufflepuffs at the table. "Isn't that adorable?" Blaise grinned at him and Harry lightly elbowed him in response. The Gryffindors are late but they don't seem to care. It's the weekend so why make the effort?

Soon, the entire hall became engulfed with owls, dropping down letters, packages, and even some that landed on the tables, shoulders, and heads. A large box landed in front of Draco and opened to be mostly sweets which he shared with them which surprises Harry. According to Blaise, Draco has lost his intimidating touch without the beefy security guards who are now sitting at the Hufflepuff table. But a thin, lanky, and bald boy named Mauricius Burke has seem to have taken the mantle. However, he did not have the same level of intimidation as the previous two. Nott seems to have a good relationship with Malfoy but it is obvious they are not close. Zacharias Smith is just sitting there quietly when he received his letter from his father with Morag MacDougal. It seems the boy is not yet clear about his position in the house yet. He didn't seem unhappy when he read the letter. He after all did not expect to be sorted to Slytherin of all houses.

Harry did notice Godric and Ronald Weasley walking in. The redhead even scowled at him. Harry does not understand that boy's problem. He heard that there are two other Weasleys in Slytherin and they are both the boy's brothers. If he calls Slytherins evil and future death eaters, isn't he also referring to his siblings? The siblings that he currently lives with? He noticed the two redheads Slytherins. They stand out too much. One has curly hair wearing horned-rimmed glasses and was chatting with the rest of the other fifth years of their house and another was chatting heavily with his identical twin – wait, what? Harry wasn't sure he'd seen it right but there are two of them. They are both wearing Slytherin colors. Weren't there only two Weasleys, not three?

One of the older boys, Lucian Bole was his name, noticed Harry's confused stare. "Yeah, you'll get used to it, Potter." He said while shaking his head. Harry didn't know but the Slytherins has stopped caring about the Weasley twins and which house they are supposed to be in. One is that they can't tell the two apart so how will they know if they have Fred or George in their house? Also, most of the school is terrified of the two. The other one may be in Ravenclaw but George Weasley is no joke. He can be as ruthless as his Slytherin brother but he tends to be a little more creative about it.

All of a sudden, a large eagle owl landed in front of Harry which surprises him. He has not seen this owl before. The owl dropped the red envelope in front of him before taking off.

Harry recognized it. He has heard of a howler but has never seen one and yet he didn't need to see the address to know who sent it. He had anticipated this scenario before with Iris but they never thought he could be so stupid to send a howler.

"Potter's got a howler." Pansy Parkinson squeaked. His seatmates' eyes all bulged when they saw it and started to move away. Blaise even moved away from him. His housemates stayed a relative distance. Farther from him to avoid the backlash but near enough to hear everything. Harry couldn't stop but roll his eyes and glare at the damn thing.

"You need to open it, Potter." Zacharias Smith hissed. "The longer you let it steep the worst it is."

Harry sighed and opened the letter.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!!! HOW-HOW DARE YOU! WHEN I GOT GODRIC'S LETTER, I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT! (Hiccup) SLYTHERIN!? SLYTHERIN OF ALL PLACES?! DO YOU NOT KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO YOU!? TO OUR FAMILY?! TO YOUR BROTHER?! YOU ARE A TRAITOR TO THIS FAMILY!!!! HIC- WE SHOULDN'T HAVE BROUGHT YOU BACK! YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN THE MUGGLE WORL-HIC WHERE YOU BELONG! AT LEAST YOUR SISTER IS IN HUFFLE-HIC­-PUFFFFFF. THOSE BUGGERS MAY BE WEAK BUT THEY AREN'T DARK! I'M WARNING YOU! IF YOU SET ONE FOOT OUT OF LINE, I WILL DISOWN YOU! I WILL TAKE YOU BACK AND HAVE YOUR WAND BROKEN (Hiccup) MY MYSELF! (Some weird farting (?) noise). AND SEND YOU TO AZKABAN! YOU LITTLE­-HIC SHIT! YOUR EMBARRASSED FATHER! JAMES FLEAMONT POTTER!"

And the letter shredded itself.

The entire great hall is silent. They are all horrified by what James Potter said, even the Slytherins. Breaking their wand and sending him to Azkaban is so extreme not to mention that Harry Potter is an eleven-year-old child! And it was very obvious the man did this drunk. Even Dumbledore is horrified, to say the least, and had to place his palm on his forehead. "Oh, James." He shook his head and sighed.

Severus Snape on the other hand is smiling gleefully. James Bloody Potter just humiliated himself to the entire student body who will most likely tell their parents about it. He knows Crabbe and Goyle were unhappy with the sorting of their children. They may be a bit stupid but even they know not to just send a howler to their children in public mostly to preserve their reputation. But James Potter, the stupid Gryffindor, just did not have that sense of saving face.

He also knew that if Sirius finds out about this, he will kill Potter. He wonders if he will show him this memory. That would drive motivation to the Black lord. He also wanted to be informed when that happens so he watches it. Watching Black beating the crap out of Potter will be the highlight of his day.

Severus is curious about how the Potter heir will respond. His response will set the foundation for his place in the Slytherin house.

If Harry would have cared about it, it would have hurt. He won't admit it but it hurts a little. He is still his father even if he did not have a positive opinion of him being abandoned him and Iris and all. Harry has longed to turn cold about the Potters even before they even met. He did glance at his sister. She looked devastated. He knew the meaning of it. There was no turning back for James Potter on this one. So much for the "I'll love you even if you are in a different house" statement. The filthy liar.

Harry just took the goblet of water and just drank it. His housemates still looking with a look of disbelief. He did notice his brother and the red-headed Weasel sneering at him.

"My father's an idiot," Harry said coldly and loudly and everyone in the hall heard him. "He just insulted both the Slytherins and the Hufflepuffs, is an alcoholic apparently, and just admitted that Godric Potter just broke curfew last night. Will you get punished for that brother or does being famous gives you immunity?"

"SHUT UP YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

"Godric," Harry pretended to be aghast. "We have the same mother."

"YOU!" Godric has to be restrained by both Ron and another boy, Seamus Finnegan.

"Potter!" Professor McGonagall yelled before, "Godric Potter! That's enough out of you! 10 points from Gryffindor for disturbing the peace in the great hall."

"What?" Godric looked at his head of house as if she was mad.

"20 points for breaking curfew last night!"

"But-"

"Now get to class!" Before the fuming witch marched off the great hall.

"But, it's Sunday." an older student muttered.

The Hufflepuffs were also appalled by the claims of James Potter. Harry Potter is right. Their father just insulted both the Slytherins for implying there are dark lords in the making and should be locked in Azkaban and Hufflepuffs as weak. Being kind, loyal, and hardworking is a weakness in the eyes of James Potter – who happens to be the poster child of the light side of their political arena.

The first-year Hufflepuffs also glanced at Iris who has been first looking hurt and horrified to a blank look in her eyes. The girl is currently glaring at the basket of apples on the table before grabbing one.

"If I threw this in Godric's head, what kind of punishment would I get?" Iris muttered.

"No, Iris!" Susan grabbed her hand holding the apple while Megan grabbed the other, restraining the girl from attempting to commit violence.

Blaise Zabini, however, looked around the great hall, first at Harry then to Godric then to Iris with a grin on his face.

"Why are you grinning like that?" Theodore Nott asked the handsome boy.

"This is the best drama I have seen all day." the boy muttered earning a kick on the shins by Harry.