Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter Characters or world. I am just using them for my enjoyment and no profit. Nothing in this story is non-fiction. As for spoilers, eventually probably all the books, though this is not HBP and beyond compliant.

Summary: Harry's 16th Birthday is here! A gift is received with unknown origins. Will it or will it not aid in the fight against He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named?

A/N: I decided that I wanted a different 1st Chapter for my first ever Fanfiction story. Well, my first story ever. As for Pairings.. Who knows! I don't plan any Romance in this story, just adventure and action, along with an OC of my very own.

There was just no use in getting excited about the pile of presents that could be seen upon the foot of his unmade bed. The usual anticipation that accompanied the arriving owls, the guessing game of what each package was before ripping through the usual gaudy wrapping paper and the knowledge that he was not forgotten, just was not there. Even the typical book given by Hermione did not cause the amused rolling of eyes.

What was the point when the only chance at having a family slipped through his fingers not too long ago? What was the point when a death sentence hung over your life in the form of a prophecy?

There wasn't a point as far as Harry James Potter could tell. And so he sat upon his unmade bed, leaning against the wall as he stared at the pile of presents that had arrived over the last hour or so. The only gift that he remotely had any interest in was from the Weasley Twins, simply because of the destruction a gift from them could cause. Hedwig hooted a few times from where she was perched on the open windowsill and when Harry gave her a weak smile, she took off into the night for the Hunt. The action spurred the dark haired youth into action and he was soon sorting the pile of gifts.

Simple cards and/or scrolls in one pile, the Weasleys in another, his dorm and year mates in another and then a pile for the Professors. Leaving the Weasley gifts for last, so hopefully he would be in a more appreciated mood by then, he started with the simple messages. There was one, surprisingly, from the Potions Master that simply said 'Happy Birthday Mr. Potter.' in simple neat little letters and then a flourished SS at the bottom. Strangely, that simple and short message touched something with the depressed youth, causing a tentative smile to emerge as he folded the note.

"No doubt the Headmaster forced you to write that Snape." The quiet sentence was spoken with amusement as he pictured the Potions Master scowling and glaring darkly as he scripted out the note in front of a twinkling Dumbledore.

The rest were the usual well wishes he got from just being The-Boy-Who-Lived and they ended up tossed to the floor without much care before turning to the pile from his dorm and year mates. This mostly contained chocolate, mostly chocolate frogs, and things to do with quidditch. Nothing overly expensive, which he was pleased about for he disliked people buying him expensive gifts when they weren't close friends. Hermione's gift was set aside with the Weasleys before the Professor pile was then tackled.

Rock cakes from Hagrid, of course. Those would be left out for his cousin, Dudley, to eat in the morning. Every year his cousin attempted to resist them as he knew they were not edible, but eventually he gave in to try them. The trick was to put them in a place Dudley would find them instead of his Aunt or Uncle. From his Head of House, a book by the title "A Guide to the Secrets of the Animagus", which did help spark the usual excitement that came with opening presents. From Dumbledore he got a lengthy note apologizing for keeping him in the Dark about what's going on in the War, but it ultimately stated that Harry would know what he needed to know and that wasn't everything. With the note, he received a silver ring that was in the shape of a snake.

Hello little one. The soft hissing noises issued from the youth could not be resisted as he gave a gentle caress over the snake, which he almost dropped when the snake came alive and blinked its small emerald eyes to hiss back. Hello Ssspeaker. Are you my new Massster?

Massster? No, but I will be your new friend. My name isss Harry, what is yoursss? Harry responded as he held his hand out flat, palm up. The small silver snake, which was no longer in a ring, slithered across the palm to investigate the smell and taste of her new owner.

I don't have a name, Harry. The quiet hiss of the silver snake sounded pleased as she was named friend instead of Servant to the Speaker.

How about Vipera? It is latin for a viper and you look to be of that family. Do you have any giftss that you bessstow upon the wearer?" Having talking jewelry would be interesting, it would assure that he always had someone to talk to. However, it is a magical gift that most likely is layered with charms.

Vipera.. I like it, young Ssspeaker. Asss for my giftss, they are asss followss; I provide you with the ability to understand and ssspeak any language. Originally, I was created ssso that othersss could understand the Ssserpent Language, but you have thiss gift naturally. And because of your Natural ability, you can add more charmss upon me. Asss to where you wish to wear me, place me againssst your flessh and ssay sstay."

The ability to add his own charms had some promise to consider. It took several minutes of debating, but it ended in a fit of rebellion that Harry placed the snake along the cartilage of his left ear at the top and hissed for it to stay. Instead of piercing through the flesh, it wrapped down along the ear ridge to form an ear cuff, though only a hissed command in Parseltongue could get it to detach itself.

Despite the lingering resentment and anger felt towards the Headmaster, the gift was a thoughtful one and touched him deeply. The next gift was from Remus which turned out to be a moving photo of Harry, Sirius and Remus which was taken in his Godfather's house library last summer. The three of them were roughhousing and laughing. A short note of sympathy and saying this is how Sirius would want to be remembered was attached to the photo. It was another hour before Harry could move on to other gifts, his eyes red from crying.

The Weasleys. From Ron, he got a new pair of black dragon hide gloves that would be useful during the Quidditch matches and winter. From Charlie and Bill, he got a forearm bracer that doubled as a holster for his wand made out of matching black dragon hide. However, he found magic compartments in the bracer which were bottomless, it seemed. The bracer was charmed so that only Harry, once he put it on, could retrieve things from the compartments or the wand. From Ginny, a pair of black dragon hide boots with cushioning and silencing charms on them. The Twins got Harry matching dragon hide leggings and tunic to match, though there was green trim at the cuffs and collar. The leather was butter soft, instead of hard and stiff. There was, of course, a pouch of new products from their store that Harry decided to test later and put it in one of the bracer compartments. From Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, he received a note saying their present was best given in person and apologized for not being able to have him for this summer. Harry couldn't help but wonder if one of the Dragons at the reserve died, causing a surplus of dragon hide on hand and the thought earned a brief frown. But on a more positive note, he did have a black leather outfit now that actually fit.

The folded note from Snape was also put in a compartment. The reasoning behind that was unclear to Harry, but he decided to not dwell upon it. Next, the photograph went into the compartment and that had Harry digging through his trunk for his Invisibility Cloak, Map of Hogwarts and picture album of his parents.. Which he managed to fit into his bracer compartments as well.

Finally, the gift from Hermione was opened which was the typical book. What was not very typical about it was that it was a small and thin book with a hard front and back cover. The covers were made out of an emerald colored scales which were hard but felt soft. A lock in the shape of a silver snake held it closed. A diary is what it looked to be. The note attached read:

Dear Harry,

Happy Birthday! I hope the day finds you well, as well as it can with those disgusting relatives of yours! This is a journal, at least the bookstore attendant told me so, that I found while I was in Italy this summer with my parents. It was a tiny remote little bookstore, they had the most fascinating books on old magic and customs. Culture sure has changed in the Wizarding World! But back to your present, it apparently only opens to Parseltongue and whatever you write in the book is translated to Parseltongue. Isn't that neat? Only you will be able to read what is written, even if you forget to lock it! See you soon!

Happy Birthday!

Love,

Hermione Granger

A relatively short note for the bookworm, but the tangent on the bookstore caused a smile all the same. Hissing for the Journal to open, the silver snake came alive long enough to unclasp itself. The snake motif continued on the inside of the journal in the corners, though it was faint enough to not be distracting. There was writing already in the journal, but Harry could barely keep his eyes open so he closed it and put it in a bracer compartment for another time.

As Harry drifted off to sleep, he was in a better mood than he had been since Sirius fell through the Veil and for once, he dreamt of good things instead of the Department of Mysteries.

The birthday boy awoke to the pounding on his door and his uncle yelling through the door that they were going out to breakfast and into the city for the day. He was, of course, not to leave the house or be seen and all of that rubbish. All of the warnings and threats were rendered pointless as Harry jumped from the tangle of sheets as he heard his door locked from the outside. Which earned a few kicks and curse words aimed at the door, his uncle already heaving himself down the stairs.

Young Sspeaker, what iss the matter? Vipera hissed softly in Harry's ear once the youth was done banging and yelling at the door.

I am locked in. That iss the matter. Big ugly gitss!

Remove me and place me at the locking hole. I will unlock it for you, Sspeaker. The tone of the hissing from the tiny metallic snake held an annoyed sound to it, but Harry was unsure if it was due to his own reactions to being locked in or for being locked in by his Uncle.

For a moment, Harry stood their dumbfounded before hissing the silver snake removed from his ear and then held it to the keyhole. The small silver snake disappeared briefly into the hole, which soon clicked unlocked. With a grin, he thanked Vipera and returned her to his ear before heading to the shower.

It was after washing up and cooking his own breakfast, which he didn't get the scraps from for once, that he decided to try on his clothing. The dragon hide bracer hid seamlessly beneath the tunic's sleeves, so it couldn't be seen. The butter soft leather tunic and pants shrunk themselves to fit comfortably once on, just like the bracer and the boots as well. The silencing and cushioning charm were tried out as he jumped on the furniture and up and down the stairs. They worked perfectly. The gloves had a charm on them to keep his hands from sweating, so even in the hot weather his gloved hands stayed cool.

The messy black hair was not tamable still, but Harry didn't mind as it seemed to go with his outfit. Only the glasses needed to go, but that would have to be dealt with at a later time. A shame Professor Snape could not whip up a potion that would simply heal his eyes! As a thought about Snape snuck in, it earned a brief frown but he shoved that aside. Deciding to write thank you letters, Harry returned to his bedroom only to be distracted by something shiny on his unmade bed.

At first, Harry thought it was a gold coin but as he approached it was clear that currency it was not. Without a conscious effort, he had his holly wand within a comfortable grip in his hand as he studied the object. That in itself startled him and he decided to question the older Wealseys more in depth about the bracer he now wore.

Focusing more upon the object, he absently noted that it wasn't as shiny as before. It was more of a dull or muted gold color it was in the shape of a slanted rectangle, though it wasn't a perfect rectangle. A few pokes of his wand against the object produced no negative reactions and so with a shrug, and quite abit of Gryffindor courage, Harry picked up the object. It was smooth and warm to the touch, a feeling of love and protectiveness washed through him strongly before fading away slowly, but not completely.

What also faded away was the object within the fingers of the Seeker, though it soon reappeared on a strand of small clear sea pearls around his neck. The now empty fingers flew to his neck to run over the smooth pearls and the muted golden object turned pendant. It was somewhat startling to be wearing a choker suddenly, especially with Harry discovered that there was no clasp in which to take it off. However, it was hard to be wary or apprehensive of the, gift?, when it made him feel loved and protected.

It was turning out to be a good birthday, his relatives were gone for the day which allowed him free reign of the house, he had an outfit that was not a hand-me-down from his large cousin and also was not a school uniform, a new friend in the form of the silver snake hugging his left ear and some pretty special gifts that were actually thoughtful. Perhaps now all he needed was to get out of the House and so something.. Independent.

Yes, that sounded good and it was with that thought that Harry left his bedroom. The thank you letters could wait. Although, just as Harry was about to take the first step down the stairs there was a sudden bang from downstairs that sounded like it came from the kitchen. The Seeker's reaction was immediate, the wand was firmly held within his hand as he crouched and listened intently to muffled voices.

The muffled voices suddenly disappeared, which could only be the result of a silencing charm. Harry knew this because he had enough experience with eavesdropping on Order matters last summer, which usually ended with the sudden appearance of a silencing charm. There were several moment of indecision as Harry remained crouched atop the stairs. Should he make a run for it? Using magic may get him expelled from Hogwarts if the other summer where he got in trouble for defending against a Dementor was any guess.

But if he ran.. Then his relatives would come home to a possible ambush and who knew what would happen to them. Gryffindor courage, or was that stupidity, had Harry retrieving the invisibility cloak from the bracer compartment and slinging it over him. Silently he thanked Ginny for the silencing charms upon the dragonhide boots as he snuck down the stairs and towards the kitchen. Only to pause next to his old cupboard, where he crouched once more and listened. The charm was still in place, but he could see the movement of shadows beneath the door.

Several plans shifted through his mind as he crouched there undecided on what to do with gritted teeth. An anger was starting to burning within him as his temper flared. How dare these people invade his home? And on his birthday no less! What about the blood protection..? It was suppose to make this impossible. Just as the thought struck him that perhaps these were friends and not foes, a feline slinked passed him towards the kitchen door. It was his Head of House in her Animagus form and it caused Harry to grin as she stopped and sniffed the air. The jig was up so to speak, so he removed his invisibility cloak and swiftly returned it to the bracer compartment as the cat sniffed at the cupboard. Thankfully her back was to him, so he got to startle her nicely.

With the sudden yowl from the Professor, the kitchen door banged open to show a doorway full of armed Wizards and Witches gaping at the puff ball of fur that was currently wrapped around the Birthday Boy's head, who was sprawled on his back trying to pry the frighten feline off him. Instead of yelling Happy Birthday! The doorway full of people laughed, even as the Transfiguration Professor, in human form, and Harry walked into the kitchen. Mrs. Weasely had baked a cake in the form of a large broomstick, which was covered in sixteen lit candles and covered the middle of the kitchen table.

All the Weaselys, minus Percy, Hermione, his dorm mates, McGonagall, Remus, Snape.. Snape! Tonks and Moody were all piled within the small muggle kitchen. As expected, Mr. Weasely was touching everything while Mrs. Weasely kept quietly removing objects from his hands to place it back where Arthur found it. Quietly until she got fed up and yelled at him. The noise level was loud enough in the kitchen that the yelling went unnoticed, or everyone was used to it enough to ignore it, as they enjoyed the cake and got caught up.

Everyone commented on Harry's outfit, including the charm and his new earring to which he both simply replied they were presents. Everyone but Moody and Snape that is. They were both busy holding up opposite sides of the kitchen walls glaring at one another fiercely. That is until the Potions Master tensed, his right hand given an abortive move towards his left forearm as his gaze suddenly cut in Harry's direction.

The birthday boy was frozen with a fork full of cake halfway to his mouth, emerald eyes glued to the small black dagger that had appeared in the air before him, where it was slowly twirling in a circle. There was a sudden impulse to grab the weapon and as that impulse took hold, the plate and fork fell from the Boy-Who-Lived's fingers as he reached forward.

There was a loud and hoarse "Potter!" yelled from the Mad-Eyed Moody as he lurched from the wall, the sudden change in Snape's gaze driving his own, not to mention the magical blade drawing the attention of his eye. A heartbeat after that cry, four things happened at once; The plate shattered upon impact with the floor, potioned stained fingers clasped upon a forearm, a now ungloved hand grasped the floating dagger's hilt and the muted golden pendant grew hot against flesh with the pull behind the navel.