Paid In Blood - Revised

Chapter 20

In the aftermath of Harry's emergence as the Lord Slytherin, Draco Malfoy could often be found either glaring at Harry, or just being generally rude towards him and the rest of the Slytherin fourth years. Freed from his oath and no longer forced to restrain himself, two months of built-up frustration had come pouring out of Malfoy, though he was smart enough not to go against Harry directly.

Draco had been so obnoxious that the other fourth years were actually starting to get annoyed with Harry. He was forced to defend his releasing of Malfoy as a matter of honour, since giving him Scylla had led to his claiming the Slytherin lordship. It wasn't a very popular decision, but they grudgingly accepted his reasoning.

Oath or no, if Draco was holding out hope that he might one day manoeuvre himself back into a leadership position in the house, he was completely delusional. Nothing proved that more than when Pansy got so fed up with his attitude that she punched him in the nose, right in the middle of the common room. It was clear where the future of Slytherin House lie, and it was with Harry Potter.

While the vast majority of Slytherin house rallied around Harry, the other three houses were divided. To those students already predisposed to disliking Harry, this was just another example of why he should not be trusted. Others found the situation exciting and didn't see how being related to a Hogwarts Founder could be a bad thing. Whatever their opinion on Harry may be, the one thing that united them all was their curiosity. The story Harry had read them from Slytherin's diary had been utterly fascinating, and teachers and students alike were clamouring for more.

The story was somehow leaked to the Daily Prophet (Harry knew exactly how), and Hogwarts was promptly assailed by reporters and Ministry officials, including the Minister himself. Harry seized the opportunity for some petty revenge by refusing to give an interview to the Daily Prophet, making sure to remind them of all the badmouthing and character assassination directed at him over the last few months. Instead, he offered his exclusive interview to the Quibbler, which was conducted by Luna Lovegood at dinner, two days after Harry's announcement.

Flashback

Luna Lovegood was sitting in directly across from Harry at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, with Theo and Blaise on either side of her.

"Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, Lord Potter-Slytherin."

"You're welcome, Ms. Lovegood, and welcome to the snake table. I'm ready for your questions whenever you are."

"Hey, what's Looney doing at our table?" Malfoy demanded, and Daphne groaned at the interruption.

"Mind your own business, Malfoy," she replied dismissively.

"Watch your mouth, Greengrass. I am..."

Daphne lazily waved her wand and silenced Malfoy, but that didn't stop the boy from continuing his silent rant. He took out his wand and attempted to cancel the charm on himself nonverbally, but he failed, and no one else seemed willing to offer their assistance. Frustrated and annoyed, Malfoy got up from the table and stormed out of the hall.

"Should I put these events in the interview as well?" Luna asked, making Harry laugh.

"Please do," he insisted, and everyone else snickered.

"Let's begin, then," Luna said, making sure her quill was set to record their conversation. "When did you first become aware you were the Slytherin heir?"

"First of all, I need to clarify something. I was never the Slytherin heir. I was merely one of the potential heirs, though as far as I know, there's only one other at this particular time. His name is Tom Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort...and I just realised we're related. That's disturbing..."