The Badger And The Snake; Phan/Harry Potter AU

Three: Defensive Charms.

After the feast and all the pupils were dismissed, Dan followed the group of his now fellow Slytherins to their common room in the dungeons. It was insane he was going to have to live with these people for the next seven years of his life - save the summers.

"I am your prefect, Charlotte Winston. The common room will be just down these stairs, if you'll follow me - hurry up, c'mon . . ."

Just then, Dan saw a herd of people dressed in black and yellow scarfs around their black school robes. He jumped and ran in the opposite direction and since he was in the back of the group he didn't arouse suspicion. Of course, his Slytherin badge (that was magically sewed onto his robes minutes prior) would cause trouble, but Dan assumed he would just cover it for the five minutes he would say hello to Phil. He sprinted towards the group - which left him out of breath afterwards - and tugged Phil's sleeve towards the back of the group. Phil smiled and hid behind a pillar with his friend.

"Hey, Dan," Phil whispered. "You didn't seem too Slytherin . . . I reckon Slytherin might be decent after all." Phil smiled and his tongue stuck out.

Dan laughed and realized he had breathed out in relief. He supposed he was nervous Phil wouldn't want to be his friend after being Sorted into Slytherin. But Phil didn't care; he said he trusted Dan was a good wizard.

Dan punched his shoulder playfully, and at once the Hufflepuff Prefect shouted, "The bloody hell do you think you're doing here?" Dan jumped and turned around to face the sixth year.

Although he was a Hufflepuff, he was extremely intimidating.

"I - I was just, just saying h-hullo to my f-friend Phil."

"It didn't look that way," the prefect said, "it looked like you were trying to hurt him." Dan panicked.

"No! I wouldn't hurt Phil! He's my friend! I swear!"

Phil nodded and agreed, "Yeah, we just met today but Dan wouldn't hurt a fly, Rob."

"That's Robert to you, Philip. Who're you, anyway, hanging around with a soon-to-be Dark wizard?" Phil looked taken aback.

Dan's eyes filled with tears, but he blinked them back. "I'm not a Dark wizard! I'm a good wizard!"

"Seriously, Rob, he only found out he was a wizard two months ago. Leave him alone." Phil stood defensively in front of Dan. But Robert laughed.

"He's Muggleborn and a Slytherin? Oh no, they're not going to like you one bit down there. Slytherins are racists, and they'll expel you if your whole family's not Pureblood."

Dan's eyes filled to the brim with tears, but he was not going to be insulted because his family was Muggles. But before he could stand for himself, Phil did it for him.

"Just because his parents aren't magical doesn't mean he can't be! He's a great wizard. Now leave him alone." Phil held his head high as he hugged Dan goodbye.

Dan whispered a "thank you," before letting go and sprinting to his common room, where he was told off by his prefect. ("Where were you? You just missed the initiation speech! Well, whatever, just ask one your tiny friends to summarize . . . Not much to miss.")

Dan sat in one of the chairs near the windows and gasped. It seemed like the glass was charmed to look like the ocean, sort of like the ceiling in the Great Hall . . .

"That's the Great Lake," a first-year boy with glasses and mint green hair said.

"You know that, don't you - oh, wait, I remember you! You were the cute boy who just got Sorted - funny." The boy smiled at him and Dan blushed. He had never had another boy call him cute. Dan smiled but didn't say anything, and cursed himself for being awkward.

The other boy stretched out his hand and said nonchalantly, "I'm Tyler. What's your name?"

Dan reached out his own and shook the others. "I'm Dan. Nice to meet you." Tyler smiled once more and walked away. Only after he walked away did Dan realize he had an American accent. Funny.