Disclaimer:

I don't own any of the characters used in this...

it's just random crap that invades my head and keeps me awake at night.

Trust me I'm getting nothing from this except the pure enjoyment of the occasional glowing review...

Remember:

/this is a thought/

"this is someone speakin"

The Dragon and The Serpent

Edited 06-09-06

------- CH0: Prologue-------

(Local: Random Free Port in Earth Kingdom Territory)

"Ahh… What luck! Prince Zuko, have you ever seen a finer literary shop than this?"

Literarily fuming, Zuko ground his teeth. /YES/ his mind screamed. /Back home there are dozens of literary shops, all of which are 10 times better than this little dust bin of a hole./

For the hundredth time that morning Zuko wondered how he always managed to get dragged along on these pointless excursions. It wasn't as if his presence made any difference on the quantity of crap his uncle always managed to purchase. It wasn't even lunchtime yet and already Zuko had to send his men who accompanied them back to the ship to unload. As always his Uncle was out of hand. But there was nothing he could do to contain the situation, which pissed Zuko off to the point where steam began to vent though his ears.

/My ship better still be afloat when we get back…/

The mental image of cold sea covering the decks of his ship while it sank from the overload of his uncle's crap continuously haunted his subconscious as it always did after several hours of 'light' shopping.

All around people were staring, even though it was a free port, fire nation soldiers were still rare. And to witness the older one taunting the younger Prince and living though the experience was something they wouldn't have believed possible. Most had the common sense to try and not look as if they were staring. But all too often a child would point or the tactless person would watch them as if they were actors performing for their amusement. The latter always got a fire bolt to the face.

"Come now Nephew, we must venture inside. Who knows what wondrous treasures there may be." Iroh chuckled as Zuko rolled his eyes at the comment. "Besides." Iroh gave his moody nephew a mischievous glint. Pushing his nephew's buttons was fun, but life threatening to anyone other than himself. "I've wanted some new bedtime reading materials. My favorite story is beginning to become most boring. You do know of which piece I speak about of course Prince Zuko. The one –"

"STOP!"

Zuko knew Exactly which piece his uncle was referring to… and he did not wish for all the vermin milling about in the street around them to hear of his Uncle's fetish for sappy romance novels that got into way too much detail. It was humiliating enough with the crew laughing about it.

"Let's just go in already…" Zuko growled as he begrudgingly pushed the door open to enter the shop.

/Please Agni… please just let him find something quickly so that we can get out of here and back to hunting the Avatar/

Iroh smirked at his nephew's retreating back, though he knew that he'd have to be careful with his nephew in the book store. Parchment was just too flammable…

Across the street a man dressed in green leaned over to his friend sitting next to him. "Bless the Gods... I've wanted that shop gone for years. It's always given me the willies."

Gravely his comrade nodded his mutual feelings.

------- I am a page brake -------

Inside the sent of mildew and stale air assaulted Zuko's nose and he unconsciously held his breath while waving his hand in front of his face.

"Ah... such a wealth of knowledge!" Iroh exclaimed cheerfully beside his nephew. It really was hard to find a decent literary shop as an outcast.

"Why must everything that is a wealth of knowledge smell so foul?" Zuko glared pointedly at his Uncle.

Iroh beamed, choosing to focus on the complement instead of the insult thrown at him. This only caused Zuko's scowl to deepen further.

"If you're not going to appreciate the wondrous treasure that is the written word then you can just clear out of my shop sunny!" Around the mound of scrolls and books a short grizzly man stormed up to the two who were now standing in his shop. The older gentleman was the first ideal customer the keeper had in his many years here while the youth was just that -- too young to know the importance of anything.

Zuko stiffened up at the impetuous and disrespectful peasant now standing in front of him. He had half a mind to shot down the smaller geezer in front of him when he suddenly felt his uncle's hand rest on his shoulder. It was only then that he realized his fists were smoldering.

/Gods... this isn't worth it. /

Stuffily Zuko bit his tongue and marched off towards the back of the store. Out of spite, he would now not leave until they absolutely had to in order to get back to the ship on time.

With his classic foolish grin, Iroh draped his arm across the shopkeeper's shoulders as if they were the oldest buddies in the world. He then proceeded to talk non stop about ancient historical scrolls as well as classic fairytales and love stories. Somewhere in one of the many long sentences he dropped the small line, "No need to worry about my nephew… he understands the importance and value of such fine literary works and will cause them no harm…"

The shopkeeper liked this gentleman; he was a kindred spirit when it came to the appreciation and love of the written word. However, the irate youth was troubling him, even after the Uncle's reassurances. He did not like the boy going off to the back where his more restricted books were kept…

------- I am a page brake -------

The haphazard piles of books and random shelving units forced Zuko to carefully wade his way away from his uncle and the pesky owner, thus forcing his anger under some simbilance of control. As he inched he way between two impossibly close stacks something flashed in the corner of his eye. Intrigued, Zuko shuffled his way though the masses of parchment, scrolls and books that filled every inch of the store. Only Zuko's great agility from the years of relentless training saved many of the stacks from crashing down as he made his way to the book that every now and then sparkled at the edge of his vision.

Deftly Zuko managed to pry the book out from all the others lying on top of it without causing too much of a racket. It was an odd book to be sure. There was no text on the front or back, just on the side. A tarnished gold that was deeply inlaid in the molded cloth. Idly, Zuko turned the book over in his hands. Its true color had been lost with time, yet a strange diamond pattern could still be felt embedded into the hard material that was the front and back of this particular book.

/Damn, how did this thing even catch my attention/ Was all Zuko could wonder at while he more closely inspected the spine. He was trying to discern the golden characters on the side to tell what the book was about, but the mold and the mildew made the simple feet impossible. With so little of the gold actually visible it was a small miracle that he had even noticed this book up close, let alone from several yards away.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Zuko opened the book only to stare in frustration at the illegible characters.

/What the hell is this/

Zuko had believed that there was no language he hadn't studied, yet this book taught him otherwise. There was an odd picture here or there, but otherwise there was nothing but the odd characters that he could not make heads or tails of. Anger flared inside of him as he flipped the pages of the book. Oddly enough, the book seemed to respond to the heat, absorbing it in some strange way.

Zuko scowled at the book. Something was not quite right about it. Upon feeling the book absorb his natural heat without getting warm itself he had stopped flipping. On the left hand page there was a picture of an odd looking bird, and after a few moments it began to ruffle its feathers and look around. Upon feeling the beast's stare boring into him, Zuko dropped the book.

Heart racing in surprise and mild fear, Zuko blinked several times as he regarded the book lying open at his feet. It didn't take him long to realize that he could now make out several of the strange words inscribed upon the pages. Determined to figure out this accursed book Zuko quickly snatched it from the cold surface of the floor. /Flying on a broomstick? Wands? Magic? By Agni! What is this thing babbling about/ Slowly the text dissolved back into unreadable garbage as Zuko's mind raced to figure out what it was talking about. Once again beyond frustrated he flipped back to the page with the bird. It was once again a simple ink drawing, not the strange moving live creature it once was.

The book was playing tricks on him and he didn't like it. In a rage of uncontrolled fury, Zuko unleashed the fires within him to consume the book into nothing more than a pile of ash. But instead of burning red, the book flared purple, creating is own fire fueled off of Zuko's energy. Fore the first time in several years, real fear grasped at Zuko's heart as he realized he was unable quelch the fire or detach himself from the book. Before he know it Zuko found himself breathless on his knees. /Uncle? ... UNCLE/ his mind screemed as he discovered his voice not working.

/London? Magic? Students? Quiddich? Potions/

A cry did find its way from Zuko's lips as an unsettling tugging began at a point just behind his navel. Feeling suddenly nauseous, Zuko doubles over with the pain as his world began to spin away from him. The astonishment of being able to read the words flying past him was a cold slap in the face while he gasped and choked on some heated acidic air. The words he read…

… cauldron was unsurprisingly glowing an odd shade of purple,

but it was the violent shaking that really caught the Professor's attention.

This was among the simplest of potions he could require

from any class to brew. But, leave it to …

------- END CH0: Prologue-------

------- CH1: So It Begins… -------

(Local: Dumbledore's Office)

The headmaster of the prestigious school of Hogwarts was enjoying the rather rare moment of solitude. By some miracle of Merlin, there were no political men demanding a meeting with him. No reporters hounding him for information he just could not in good mind share with them. All the Professors were teaching their respective classes. And the students all seamed to be occupying themselves with some other pastime other than shouting random sugar confections at the statue guarding his offices in the knowledge that one of them would trigger the door to open.

It was a rare, yet glorious moment indeed, and Dumbledore could think of only one thing to do with a moment such as this. Calmly he disregarded the mound of paperwork on his desk in favor of strolling lightly over to Fawkes' stand. Gently he stroked the magnificent phoenix, cooing soft nothings into its ear. Then he took out his wand while crouching at the base of the stand. Wordlessly he flicked his wand and a small golden block popped out. He pulled it out and with another slight wand whoosh, it magically grew in size until it was 5x2x3 ft golden chest.

"Butterscotch doodles."

/One of these days I should really change my ways and make all my passwords something not sweet related… perhaps then the students would have less luck at getting in…/ Albus thought about it, but then dismissed the idea as quickly as it came. He enjoyed the students in his office at all hours; it kept him alert and made th days (or nights) more interesting. Besides, most of his best conversations with the young charges came from those unplanned visits. /Besides, they'd still end up figuring out the coding scheme. /

Guessing the password was the unofficial number one pastime of the student body. Albus himself remembered being successful at it twice during his 7 years of study here at Hogwarts.

Fondly chuckling at his memories, he winked at the eagerly dancing phoenix.

"Calm thyself my dear Fawkes, you'll get your Marshmallow filled Cockroach." Though she halted in her eager dance, her eyes were still glued to the aged wizard as he lifted the lid to reveal his secret treasure trove of sugared confections of all shapes and sizes. But it was mostly filled with Chocolate Frogs and the marshmallow goo filled cockroach shells.

The scent of chocolate and sugar filled the office suite and both he and Fawkes reveled in its intoxicating odor. Yes, all was good in the world at this moment. Pulling out a large handful of his favorite chocolate coated frogs for himself and a pair of Marshmallow Cockroaches for Fawkes, he set them aside to put his chest back to its proper spot before some unscheduled visitor happened upon his secret stash.

"Fawkes!" The beautiful bird looked up, the butt of a cockroach hanging out of her mouth. "Now it's not fair to start before me you know." the amused wizard's eyes sparkled as he shock a finger at the greedy eager bird. All Albus could do was laugh as Fawkes quickly swallowed the rest of the insect, snatched the second one up quickly then glide back to her spot on the pedestal.

Not in any hurry to return to his desk, Albus chose to sit in the armchair next to Fawkes. He picked up the first of his chocolate frogs and was just about to chomp its head off when he felt the school shudder. Alarmed Dumbledore quickly went to his map of the school and was shocked to discover an outsider had ladened themselves in the dungeons. Quickly he checked to make sure the wards against apparition were still firmly in place.

All was well with Hogwart's security systems. /Now that is curious… how does one manage to apparate, without apparating and not set off the school alarms/

------- I am section brake -------

(Local: the Dungeon's or more specifically, Professor Snape's Potions Class)

Severus Snape looked out disdainfully at the incompetent students spread out before him. It was his Friday double Slytherin/ Gryffindor potions class, bumped from afternoon to morning by an overly needy Herbology Professor. The Gryffindors were completely insufferable; none of them could brew a potion to save their lives -- with the exception for Miss Granger, yet her know-it-all-ness was ten times worse. The classes' only saving grace was Mr. Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins. His quick remarks could usually lighten the scowl on Snape's face for a brief second or two.

Severus checked the clock on the wall and breathed a small sigh of relief. The class was almost to its end. Standing he began his final lap around the room. Of course Miss Granger's was the appropriate clear honey consistency, though most of the Slytherins at least had a pale to solid milky white color to their brews, which was passable -- unlike the totally incompetent youth known as Neville Longbottom. His cauldron was unsurprisingly glowing an odd shade of purple, but it was the violent shaking that was really catching his attention, as well as the rest of the class.

Snape choose to ignore the glee glowing on the young Slytherin faces. No doubt Mr. Malfoy knew something more about Mr. Longbottom's failed burn remedy, but Snape just played up to the old adage 'Ignorance is Bliss' and went over to dismiss it before it took out half of the class.

It was among the simplest of potions he could require from any class to brew. But, leave it to Mr. Longbottom to be the first student in his history of teaching potions to blow up a simple burn remedy potion. Snape had actually been foolish enough at the beginning of class to announce that this was a potion even Mr. Longbottom couldn't explode… / Damn the cogs of fate and irony. / This defantly taught Snape from ever underestimating Mr. Longbottom's uncanny abilities to wreck everything he touches ever agin.

Though it didn't really help that he had no intentions of ever informing Mr. Longbottom when he was using the wrong ingredients. Today it was dragon's piss instead of dragon's spit. Snape felt the boy should be competent enough to know the ingredients, even if some of the more mischievous students always enjoyed switching the ingredient labels. Especially today, the smell alone was a clear indication of the boy's complete incompetence.

"Neville, look out!"

Harry Potter had just barley caught his classmate in time before the cauldron exploded, filling the class with acidic purple smog.

Eyes and lungs burning, it was all Severus could do to keep his composure calm and collected.

/God, how I HATE teaching…/

Temples throbbing, Snape knew this morning was a bad day to get out of bed…

------- I am a page brake -------

Coughing, Zuko feebly attempted to expel the harsh purple smoke and ash from his lungs. Gods he couldn't remember the last time his head hurt this badly. And the vertigo his body was in from the strange physical experience wasn't helping any.

"What the hell just happened?" He coughed out loud. Needless to say he went stock still when he heard an unfamiliar snide, yet amused, voice reply.

"Longbottom's what happened."

The sound of a few other voices joining in on the snickering caused Zuko to sweat a bit.

/I thought there were only three of us in that annoying literary shop…/

"When are you going to learn that blowing things up will not get you an 'O' in potions, Neville?"

This time a dozen other voices joined in to laugh at the previous speaker's continued taunt.

/Potions/

That was one of the last things he read in the book, but for someone in the same room as him to be referencing what was in the book that would require him to be in the book, and…

"That's not possible!" Zuko finished out loud. All other thoughts were temporally forced from his mind as he focused on the heat radiating within the thick cloud. Zuko had to know. He had to see it with his own eyes. Taking a deep controlled breath in, Zuko widened his stance so that his feet were shoulder width apart. Slowly he moved his left foot back half a step while raising his hands in front of him. Then with an equally controlled release of air, he brought his hands, palms facing the floor, down several inches. Forcing the heat to follow his lead and the cloud of smoke to settle on the floor at his feet. Though a nagging little voice at the back of his mind told him what would be there, Zuko still was not prepared for the image that awaited him upon opening his eyes.

------- I am a page brake -------

Snape glowered at the vile cloud. A voice that he had never heard before spoke from it, and Malfoy never missing a beat to insult a Gryffindor, of course responded to the question with little thought of who actually spoke. As the Slytherin students erupted in laughter, Snape closed in on the mysterious purple mass drawing his wand. Try as he may, his hawk like vision could not penetrate the thick cloud hovering in the middle of his classroom. Being one who never enjoyed not knowing what was going on, Severus lifted his wand fully intending on dismissing it when the voice spoke again.

The laughter quickly faded as this time all the students realized that the voice was not one of their fellow classmates. All eyes turned to the cloud suspicious, and those closest to it began to inch away slowly as a strange heat began radiating from it. Gasps of shock rippled throughout the student body as the heat that held the cloud up was leached away and the mass settled at the feet of the strangest looking teenager they had ever laid eyes upon.

He was dressed in distinctly ancient red Asian armor and supporting the most ridiculous hair style they had ever witnessed. It was even more outlandish than those muggle punk styles that occasionally graced the fashion magazines. Any thoughts of the boy being remotely handsome were quickly erased by the hideous scar that covered his left eye and that entire quadrant of the boys face.

As out of place as he looked, Zuko felt it even more so. No nation wore black, yet that was the only color they wore. Their hair was hanging loose and unkempt or cut ridiculously short. The room was equally dark and Zuko found his gaze being pulled from the gapping idiots surrounding him to the clear jars and vials adorning the dank walls. There were things in those jars he could only guess at, and the thoughts weren't helping his already queasy stomach.

Snape watched the boy with a critical eye. /What happened to the Schools wards? And why does this have to happen in MY CLASSROOM/

"Just who the hell are you and how did you manage to get into my Potions class."

Anger darkened over Zuko's face. /Who does this idiot think he is commanding ME/

Zuko purposely ignored his questions, choosing to instead level the dark man who addressed him so rudely with his most formidable glare . Zuko was mildly impressed when the man didn't flinch. Focusing on his breathing Zuko closed his eyes tight. This had to be a dream. Some horrible nightmare and all he had to do was wake himself up. Forcing his body and mind to relax, he focused his thought on the task of waking up.

A voice spoking from the darkness crashed any hopes Zuko was holding onto of this nightmare ending quickly.

"Well… I'm waiting for an answer boy…" Severus eyebrow twitched, he did not enjoy being ignored.

"I do not need to explain myself to you." Zuko sneered, thoroughly pissed at his failed attempt to wake up.

Students' eyes bulged at the blatant disrespect for a Professor.

Cheek from kids Severus put up with less than being ignored. Irritated, Snape leveled his wand at Zuko. /Do i petrify, stupefy of just jelly leg the insolent brat/

Zuko instinctively felt the air of a fight and crouched a bit, forming a ball of flame beside him in his right hand while he brought his left hand in front of him in defense allowing smaller flames to dance in front of his face on his fingertips. He had no idea of what this man in front of him was capable of, but Zuko knew he could handle him.

All the students came out of their shocked stupors at that… Everyone was quickly talking and murmurings filled the air.

"How's he doing that?"

"What kind of magic is that?"

"Where's his wand?"

"He doesn't have a wand!"

"You don't suppose those are real flames do you?"

"Alright," Snape commanded. "Everyone just calm down."

Panicking students was the last thing he needed in this situation. The boy had some odd magical gift, and he apparently knew how to use it very well. That turned the boy into a dangerous threat that needed to be handled with some moderation of carefulness. Slowly Snape lowered his wand, though he just wouldn't get rid of the snippiness in his voice. "Seeing as how it is you who invaded my class and interrupted my duties of educating, I find that you are the one obligated in explaining yourself."

Zuko spent a moment to digest the information and the realization was like being hit by a ton of flaming bricks. This wasn't his world. He had no authority in this realm. The greasy peasant in front of him was right.

/Damn it! This is only a dream, what the hell do I care/

Righting himself Zuko stiffly bowed forward from the waist partaking in a standard formal greeting. "My name is Prince Zuko. I am the exiled heir to the throne of the Fire Nation. And…" Zuko found himself faltering, if this bizarre twist from the dragons of fate was somehow real, how did he get here? "… I traveled though a book?" He finished, uncertain of the truthfulness behind his last words.

------- END CH1: So It Begins… -------