She walked off then, and Harry did try. It wasn't too hard to make sure he looked inept, not in this class. Finally, when he ordered the glove to Bloom, it did, sprouting flowers out each finger. But they weren't foxgloves, they were carnations.
"Maybe you need to be a bit more specific," said Hermione at his side. She, of course, already had a beautiful bouquet.
"I don't know if there's even a word for foxglove in Parseltongue. I try to say it and I just hear the word flowers coming out." Discouraged, Harry leaned one hand on the table. "I mean, how many snakes are botanists? This is impossible. The words don't overlap in Parseltongue the way they do in English."
Hermione plucked a beautiful pink foxglove from her bunch and handed it to him. "Ask Sals what she would call it. Then you'll know."
Harry smiled his thanks, and told the glove to go back to the way it had been.
Snape was in the Great Hall for lunch, but Harry had reconsidered his idea of giving him a little wave. He'd already had enough teasing. Sitting as far as he could manage from Seamus, he settled for just catching his father's eye.
The Potions Master gave him a rather regal nod, no more greeting than that, and then glanced at the Slytherin table. Looked like a significant glance, too. Harry couldn't help but wonder if it was a message. Was Snape telling him to keep his promise to Draco and go sit with the Slytherins? His father had said he didn't expect Harry to brave the common room without him, at least not for the time being, but maybe he thought a table in the safety of the Great Hall was another matter.
Tomorrow, Harry told himself. It was just his first day back, and after all, he was a Gryffindor, too. He'd been in Gryffindor for a lot longer. Nobody, not even Snape, would seriously expect him to sit elsewhere on his first day back, right?
A wave of laughter from down at Seamus' end of the table made it just the slightest bit tempting, though. Especially when he caught half a sentence, something about wonder if Harry can convince him to wash his hair. Draco and he had joked about the same thing, of course, but somehow that was different. They hadn't meant anything by it, not really.
"What's his problem?" Harry asked, grabbing a toasted cheese sandwich from the platter that had appeared.
Ron glanced around. "Who? Oh, Seamus? Don't mind him."
Harry was still fuming. "Well how long is he going to keep it up? He's known about the adoption for ages. He came down with the well-wish--"
"Uh, yeah. Sorry about that. Not coming too, I mean."
"I didn't mean that. We're all right." He wondered if this would be a good time to mention that Draco was his brother, but decided he'd better put it off. As for Seamus, maybe it was best just to ignore him.
"So, been a while since you saw Hagrid, eh?" Ron was saying as Neville slid in beside them. "He'll be right glad to have you back. He's told us a bunch of times how much he misses you." When Harry looked alarmed he added, "Not in class. When we go visit him, you know."
Harry let out a breath. "Oh, okay." He'd been following along with Care of Magical Creatures using his book, but it had been difficult to really feel he was keeping up. Snape had agreed to have a few plants in his quarters from time to time so they could learn the practical aspects of Herbology, but he'd drawn the line at the kinds of dangerous creatures Hagrid liked to feature in the curriculum. Hermione's class notes had helped quite a bit, but Harry still thought there was nothing like the real thing.
He glanced a couple of times at his father as lunch progressed, but Snape was always looking at the Slytherin table. Looking for signs of trouble, looking out for Harry? Or maybe he was just worried about his students. He did care about them, Harry knew. He even cared about the ones about to make the same dreadful decision he'd once made.
Studying the Slytherin table himself for a minute, Harry decided they still looked despondent. Some of them were evidently too depressed to eat; about a third of the House was missing entirely. Maybe it would get better after the funeral? At this point Harry wasn't so sure about his plan to eat with them tomorrow.
He decided he'd let Care of Magical Creatures decide the matter for him. He had that class with the Slytherins. He'd sound them out, just a little bit, and see how it went.
"'Arry!" Hagrid picked him up in a hug, lifting him off his feet in his enthusiasm.
"Good to see you, too," Harry said sincerely, though he poked at the half-giant's shoulder.
Hagrid let him down, but ruffled his hair affectionately.
"Tell him to be good," Seamus called out, and at the continued joke, half the Gryffindors convulsed with laughter.
"Ach, no need to tell our 'Arry that," said Hagrid, smiling ear to ear. His pleased expression faltered when he saw the Slytherins hanging back from the lesson. "What's this, 'ere?"
Harry's first thought was that the Slytherins were reluctant come near him. When he glanced their way, though, it seemed that maybe they were just tired out after walking to the Magical Creatures class. Not that it was that far, but they sure did look exhausted. Depression could do that to you, Harry knew.
"Hi," Harry said. It was probably a weak start, but since he normally didn't greet the Slytherins at all, nobody could claim he wasn't making an effort. Besides, he didn't really know what else to say. I'm sorry about Pansy wouldn't really be true, and they would know it.
As the Crabbe and Goyle stiffened and Zabini actually clenched his fists, Harry braced himself for the worst.
The only Slytherin to so much as move, however, was Theodore Nott, who pushed his way to the front of the group and came slowly forward, looking Harry up and down as he approached. Beside Harry, Ron and Hermione both tensed, hands on wands. Harry had a sudden vision of having to explain to his father just why he had hexed someone on his first day back in class.
"Potter," Nott greeted him, coming to a halt an arm's length away. Even though he looked even more depressed and exhausted than his Housemates, he still held himself in a way that reminded Harry slightly of Draco. Harry wondered then, if during Draco's long absence, Nott had become the leader of the sixth-year Slytherins.
"Nott." Harry nodded as he said it. He was civil, nothing more.
Theodore's gaze sought out Harry's crest, his voice quiet as he said, "Snape told us you were in Slytherin. I can't say I agree with seeing our House symbol polluted with a lion there--"
"Polluted!" Ron clenched his wand.
"Easy," Hermione murmured in a low whisper.
Theodore flicked a contemptuous glance towards them both, then returned his attention to Harry. "Welcome to Slytherin," he merely said, sounding strangely like he might mean it. Maybe that was just because his voice seemed so very tired, though.
After Theodore stepped away, Harry glanced at his friends, mouthing Welcome?
Ron and Hermione only shrugged as if to say there was no explaining Slytherins.
"Don't let your guard down," Hermione whispered as Hagrid began the lesson.
Harry nodded to show that he understood. He kept an eye on Theodore and all the Slytherins as he listened to Hagrid begin a discussion of hydras. That was a bit alarming, though; surely Hagrid didn't have an actual hydra on hand? He suddenly thought it might not be so bad to learn Care of Magical Creatures out of books, after all.
Before the lesson could proceed to the practical, though, Theodore Nott suddenly let out an awful groaning noise. Harry had noticed him shifting restlessly on his feet, had seen him rubbing his hands up and down his arms more and more as the lesson had progressed, but he hadn't thought much of it. Now, however, the Slytherin boy's face was puce.