What worried Harry most, however, was the fact that he couldn't even rely on his best friends for support. He knew Ron was going to be an issue tomorrow when Blaise and Daphne showed up. Ron would be a catalyst, and Harry knew that others would rally behind him. Ron really did have a terrible temper, and he was so thick headed that he never thought outside of his own little world. Hermione would be on his side as far as accepting them into the group, but she was likely to fly off the handle at Ron which would only make things worse.
Harry wasn't exactly sure what to expect from Ginny. Hopefully she wouldn't have much of a problem accepting the Slytherins, and maybe she'd even be able to help diffuse any arguments that might arise between Ron and Hermione. Neville was too shy and soft spoken to be much of a help or a hindrance, and Luna was just Luna. Harry just really hoped that he wouldn't have to hand out detentions or take away house points from any of his friends. Sirius listened patiently to all of Harry's concerns. He was amused to no end whenever Harry brought up Ginny. Harry received a lot of teasing about his friendship with the red haired girl, but he took it all in stride. His godfather was just trying to get a rise out of him, but Harry found he didn't really care all that much.
Sirius warned him that he shouldn't be quick to level out punishments because it could easily lead to a feeling of resentment. He said that it was always a point of interest within the Marauder clan after Remus was made prefect and then James head boy. When emotions were running high, if either one ever played the authority card, the conflict would only escalate as a result. This advice only made Harry even more weary, but he was determined to diffuse any conflict quickly and by any means necessary. If his friends got mad at him, they'd get over it eventually.
And that was the attitude that Harry held going into his HA class on Wednesday night. He arrived early again, to make sure everything was set up correctly and that he was ready when 7:00 rolled around. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville were the first to arrive, walking through the door at quarter to 7:00. Harry smiled at the show of support from his friends. Luna entered alone not long after, and the rest of the class filtered in shortly thereafter.
As Blaise and Daphne walked through the door a minute before 7:00 Harry could feel the air stiffen around him. Ron was glaring openly at the new arrivals as were several other members including Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and Zacharias Smith to name a couple. "What are they doing here?" Ron bit out beside him.
"They're here for class," Harry responded evenly. "I told you we'd have a few new members this evening."
"You didn't tell me they'd be Slytherins," Ron nearly shouted. His raised voice caught the attention of most of the room.
"That hardly matters," Harry replied coolly. "Like I said last Friday, house doesn't matter to me in these classes. I will treat everyone the same regardless of their house. They both knew enough to warrant a spot in this class, so they are both here."
"But how can you trust them?" Ron asked incredulously. "You're teaching the enemy."
"Slytherins are not the enemy, Ron," Hermione chimed in. "I'm sure if we just reach out to them we'll find that most of them are actually quite nice."
"Right," Ron scathingly replied. "Let's all just have one big group hug with the snakes. That sounds just peachy."
"You are impossible," Hermione shrieked at Ron. "You're honestly no better than Malfoy. You treat Slytherins the same way he treats muggleborns."
"I can't believe you're defending them," Ron bit back. "They're Slytherins, Hermione. It's not like they haven't done anything to deserve it. Am I right?" here Ron addressed the crowd, exactly what Harry had been afraid of. There were some nods of assent, and a few people vocalized their agreement. "Slytherins have been taunting and attacking us for year. They always fight dirty. We can't trust them. This is ridiculous."
"Ron, you're a prefect; you should be setting a good example," Hermione lectured. "Honestly, why they ever thought you'd make a decent prefect I'll never know. I have to force you to do everything."
Throughout the entire spectacle, Blaise and Daphne had stood against the wall watching how everything would play out. They were not happy with the reception their entrance caused, nor were they surprised. They watched curiously as friends argued back and forth over them. They didn't like the way either side was handling things. Weasley was being a thick headed git, and Granger was acting like some humanitarian trying to do them all a favor. Reaching out to the Slytherins… did she seriously think like that? They didn't really care about their argument though. It was Harry's reaction that they were really interested in. They were not disappointed.
"That's enough!" Harry barked loudly. "Hermione, now is not the time for this. If you have your problems with Ron, take them up outside of class." Ron looked smug over Hermione getting yelled at. His smile disappeared when Harry's glare shifted. "One more word out of you Ron and you'll be spending the rest of the week in detention. They're here because I invited them here. If they weren't trustworthy, they wouldn't have been able to join in the first place. I made sure of that. If you don't like it, you're free to leave at any time. If you plan on staying, then you'll have to get used to it. I don't want to hear any more of this. Have I made myself clear?"
Ron glared at Harry but didn't respond. Harry continued addressing the entire crowd. "That goes for the rest of you as well. I will not tolerate this kind of behavior. Everyone who is here has been welcomed here by me. I expect all of you to be able to work together while you are here. If you want to hate each other outside this class, I won't stop you."
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