Disclaimer applies to all chapters, J.K. Rowling owns all these characters, unless I should create any OC, then those'll be mine, but the AU is hers. ;3

A/N: I hope you enjoy! This chapter is much longer than the first! :3 Please read and review! Thanks!

--SF365

Reflection

-----Part the Second-----

---------Welcome Home-----

There he was, taking Harry into his arms and covering his eyes, leading him by lightly pressing his chest into Harry's back to move him forward.

"What are you hiding?" Harry asked with a laugh, pulling on the big, warm hands that covered his eyes, but they did not budge.

"It's a surprise." A hushed voice answered warmly, Harry could hear the smile in the familiar voice, "You'll see in a minute, Harry."

"Come on, Sirius! Quit joking around!" Harry spoke with a fake anger and struggled against the hold on him only half-heartedly.

"I will do no such thing!" Sirius chuckled, sliding one hand completely across Harry's eyes and wrapped the other around Harry's waist. He pulled Harry's head back playfully and Harry could feel the soft brush of lips and the light tickle of a shaven face on his cheek and couldn't help the shiver that coursed through his body head to toe, "Besides…we're here."

The world brightened as Harry's sight was returned to him. He gasped softly at the sight that was revealed to him.

"Oh, Sirius…Whose is it?" Harry whispered softly, backing up into Sirius' waiting arms.

"Well…" Sirius' lips brushed against Harry's cheek as he spoke, "If you like it…" Harry's stomach filled with butterflies, "It's ours, Harry."

"…arry…Harry...Harry!"

He jumped up, eyes wide and crusted over with what appeared to be…tears?

"Harry!? Are you alright?" He saw the familiar brown eyes of Hermione glimmering worriedly down at him, "You were crying in your sleep."

"Oh…Sorry…" He muttered, rubbing his eyes and trying to hide the smile that threatened to overpower his mouth due to the butterflies still fluttering joyfully inside of him, "I'm fine…"

"If you say so…" She frowned and patted him on the leg in an encouraging way, "Well, you're the only one left on the train, Harry, we arrived about ten minutes ago."

"Oh?" He blinked, pushing his glasses up a bit, "Why didn't anyone wake me?"

"I told them to let you sleep." She said meekly, "You looked like you were having a good dream…you were smiling in your sleep."

Harry smiled a bit, "Thanks, Hermione." He yawned widely, reaching for his bags as he and Hermione both rose to their feet, "I need all the sleep I can get."

"Hmm." She agreed with a nod and a smile, and then appeared to recall something in that instant, as her eyes went wide, "Oh! I almost forgot to tell you! Your aunt and uncle haven't shown up so Lupin has arranged it so he can escort you home."

Harry's face immediately contorted with spite and disgust, "'Home!'" How could anyone call that 'home'?!" his features darkened with glum.

Being with Lupin would be fun, though.

As those thoughts ran through his mind, they had absently made their way down the hall to the exit of the train.

"Harry! Harry!" Ron appeared at the door, hair as bright as ever and eyes still that half-cowardly, half-brave shimmering blue. His face fell and he shook his head a bit, "Oi, mate, you look awful."

"Ron!" Hermione smacked him.

Harry laughed, "Thanks, Ron, you're about as pretty as a toad, too, if I do say so myself."

"Harry!" Hermione smacked him, "What is it with you two?!"

"What?" Harry said with a smirk, eying her playfully, "You want us to tell you how bad you look, too, is that it?" Ron chimed mockingly. Before Hermione could retaliate full-force (which, by the looks of it, she would've throttled Ron) a familiar sullen-faced man appeared at their side.

"What's going on here?" the man said as he walked up to them.

Harry looked up at Lupin with a weak smile etched onto his features, Lupin responded with his own, ever weaker, smile, "Hello, Harry."

"Professor, good to see you again." Harry said kindly, "So…how exactly are we getting to Uncle Vernon's?"

"Well, it took a little convincing, but…" Lupin smirked and pulled out his wand, "I arranged it so we can take brooms."

Harry's eyes widened, then brightened immensely, "Really?!" he said brightly.

"Yep." Lupin grinned and with two flicks of his wand, Harry's things vanished and Lupin's own broom—an older model, of course—appeared.

Harry held out his hand nonchalantly and his Firebolt immediately leapt to his hand. He propped the wooden end onto the ground as his, Ron's and Lupin's eyes met hazily, a grin plastered on his face.

"Well," Hermione interrupted the odd man-bonding gaze that Ron, Lupin and Harry all had glazing their eyes, "Ron and I will be leaving, then." She tugged Ron away and the three of them snapped out of it as Ron was dragged off by Hermione through the bricks that seperated platform 9 3/4 from the station in London.

"I think we best be off, as well," Lupin said, putting a hand on Harry's upper back and ushering him towards the exit, "You're sure getting tall, Harry...either that or I'm shrinking."

Harry laughed a bit and scratched the base of his neck bashfully, "Maybe both."

Lupin looked at him totally abashed, "Hey! I'm just as tall as I ever--" the swift shift of environment cut him off as they entered into King's cross, a wave of people drifting on either side of them. Harry took note that even the muggles seemed to be noticeably shaken by the odd occurrences that had been transgessing the nation as of late. Their eyes were shifty, their shoulders were crouched over and they seemed much hastier and nervous than usual.

'If only they knew...' Harry mused absently as he and Lupin made their way through the crowd towards the doors.

"Oddly nice out today..." Lupin muttered, glancing up at the clear blue sky, the bright golden sun showered down upon the city despite the icy fingertips that tickled everyone's neck.

"Where are we going to take off from? No clouds..." Harry mumbled, "What if they see us?"

"Yes, Harry, and that is exactly why we have..."Lupin sifted through his coat pocket and pulled out a small vile filled with creamy, grey-blue liquid, "This!"

"...And,uh..."Harry coughed lightly, "What...persay...is that?"

"Huh? Oh, well, it's quite simple, really, a potion that makes you invisable to those who you...don't want to see you! Genius, really..." At Harry's blank expression, he continued his explanation, "What I mean is, if you drink this, you will become invisible to anyone that is unfavorable to you; anyone you do not wish to be seen by."

"Oh..." Harry let a smirk briefly tug the corner of his cheek at the thought of vanishing the entire time he was at Uncle Vernon's, and without having to worry about the cloak falling off or them making him do chores, and the oh-so-many opportunities to create...mischief, "How long does it last?"

"Well, the small amount that we will take, only about an hour," Lupin said, pulling out a tiny plastic cup and putting a little bit of the runny liquid in it before passing it to Harry, "Uh...I'd hold your nose...awful stuff."

"But..." Harry glanced around, then back to the thick, runny liquid, his expression showing his distaste, "Won't all these people see us vanish?"

"That's the beauty of it, Harry!" Lupin chimed as he swallowed his own cupful, wiping his mouth and going rigid as though shivers just ran all over his body. He even briefly looked like he was going to throw up, "They...ugh...can see me...because I want them to!"

Harry blinked and eyed his own cup ruefully before downing it in a quick swallow. He blinked again as a jolt of energy--somehow gross, disgusting energy--pulsed through his body. He was sure he probably looked briefly like he was going to throw up, "Ugh..."

"I know, I know...come on Harry," Lupin put his hand on Harry's shoulder and guided him to an alleyway just up the block, Harry had his broom walking in rhythym with their feet, a blank expression on his face.

"Come on, Harry. Up we go," Before Harry could snap out of it, Lupin had accelerated into the sky and was hovering just above the taller of the two buildings they were between.

Harry blinked a few times, snapping out of his dumbstruck state. He grabbed the handle of his broom and swung a leg over it, straddling it before ascending into the air.

'What an odd dream...' just as they managed to get moving through the air, only visible to eachother, a voice spoke up in the back of Harry's mind, 'Were those tears happy tears? Or sad tears?'

"Hey, um..." Harry spoke up, getting Lupin's attention with a meak, shaky voice, "Professor...I had this strange dream..."

"Oh? It wasn't about you-know-who was it?" he asked immediately, worried.

"No, no...Nothing like that," Harry replied assuringly, "It was...well, you see...Sirius was there..."

Lupin's expression seemed pained by the subject, "I...I see."

"I didn't really see him...I couldn't see his face..." he looked up at Lupin, but recieved no interuptions, no interfering questions, "And...well, he had his hands over my eyes..."

Lupin frowned, "Why on earth would Sirius do that?"

"It wasn't mean or anything, really. It was just, y'know...odd," Harry mirrored Lupin's ruffled brow and frown, "He said he had a surprise for me..."

"A surprise?" Lupin laughed nostalgically, "Now that seems more like Sirius...what was this surprise?"

"It was a---" Harry was cut off by a sudden ruckus and an almighty gust of wind, sending him and his broomstick spiriling in a backflip, Lupin was sent flying as well.

Lupin looked about maddly, eyes searching frantically for the source of the powerful wind, both of them knew immediately that the wind was spelled.

"There!" Harry pointed sharply, his Seeker's eyes spotting it much quicker at their height than Lupin. He sunk into a nose dive, Lupin on his tail.

In the core of a small city park, a huge, unnatural fire had errupted ferociously, burning an intense array of blood red, shooting out ferocious yellow sparks, spreading the fire faster than any normal flame.

"Who started this!?" Harry yelled over the intense sounds of burnt trees crashing to the ground and people yelling frantically as the fire crawled over the greenery in the park with increasing velocity.

"Harry, look out!" Lupin leapt forward and pulled Harry towards him just as a blur of vicious fire flew at the spot where Harry had just stood, "Oh, my..."

Harry looked up as the flame moved--with a different kind of life now, not that of the tongues of flame, but of a living creature. It moved with precision, with animosity and vigor.

It was a serpent. Towering before them, the size of the Basilisk, burning bright red at the core with eyes flaring a vicious green. The flames consumed the snake with incredible power, making it completely untouchable.

"Harry Potter," Harry froze and stared into the fiery green eyes as the familiar hiss of parseltongue burnt into his ears, "At long last..."

The serpent began slithering towards he and Lupin, a tongue of gold darting from its flaming jaws as its body continued to swirve from side to side, lighting all that it touched ablaze.

"What do you want?!" Harry managed, forcing into his mind the language of the serpent and lettng pass over his tongue with the familiar hiss, "You were sent by Voldemort, weren't you?!"

The fires suddenly began to receed, but Harry took no note of it, his eyes were fixed to the serpent.

"What is it saying, Harry?" Lupin asked, grasping Harry's shoulder.

"I am not of the Dark Lord's," the snake hissed incredulously, "I am a servant of the Harry Potter, I am."

"'Servant?"' Harry echoed, suspiscion lacing his voice thickly, "Why would you want to serve me?"

"I am to be in Harry Potter's debt," the snake let out a joyous spit, "He has freed me from my intombment!"

"Harry...What is it saying?!" Lupin whispered insistently, only to be hushed by Harry, much to his dismay.

"When have I ever done such a thing?" Harry hissed back, confusion now thrown into the muddle of suspicion, "I don't recall--"

"You do not recall, of course!" the serpent hissed, agreeing with Harry as its eyes flickered, "Yes, indeed, you do not."

"Wait. What? If you're my servant--why did you just attack me?!" Harry snarled, recalling the all-too-close swipe that Lupin had saved him from, "Explain that!"

"That is easily explained," the snake laughed sharply, as though amused with Harry's question, "I must return to my origins."

"Harry...Harry!" Lupin pleaded for answers, tugging insisantly at Harry's shoulder.

"Shut up, professor!" Harry snapped in agrivation before turning back to the serpent, "What do you mean?"

"What I--who am name Sephonia-- mean is to go inside of him, make him stronger," Before Harry could even think to respond, Sephonia had moved so his(or her, for Harry could not tell) face was mere centimeters from Harry's. Harry could feel the flames tickle over his skin, but they did not burn at all, they were in fact--cold, "I am of Harry Potter to begin with, I am."

Harry blinked and upon opening his eyes, all had faded and he saw nothing but white, and then the white faded into a familiar, blurry scene. Voldemort killing his mother. Although he was watching from an all-new perspective, as though he was on the sideline, watching this occur but unable to do anything to stop it. He could see himself as a babe, rolling out of his mothers arms as she dropped to the floor, Voldemort poised to deliver another death spell, his wand aimed at little Harry's head. Harry took in a sharp breath as the words of death were uttered, and the blue-green glow flared back at the Dark Lord, but then...something new occured. Something Harry did not expect.
From the freshly-made scar on Harry's brow came forth wisps of gold and silver, forming into a much smaller version of the serpent that towered before Harry now. It wound itself through the air and sprang at Voldemort, plunging itself into his chest and vanishing within. IT was not a moment later that Voldemort's body crumbled, and his spirit was sent sprawling through the air. The vision blurred. Harry blinked, and before him again was the serpent.

"You...came from...me?" He gaped at the creature's fiery green eyes, confusion ruffled his brow, but all suspiscion seemed to have faded, "So...does that mean...I really am--"

"A descendant of Salizar Slytherin," Sephonia finished, his voice strong and filled with a strange deference, which Harry recognized to be truth, "Potters do so come from the Slytherin."

Harry gaped. It was just like with the basilisk. Only, then he'd had the chance to think, to deny and to convince himself that he was NOT a Slytherin, not the heir, and now here was a serpent--a giant burning snake, no less, telling him he was!

"Now..." Harry snapped back into reality as the serpent pulled away from him, towering above him ominously, "I shall rejoin my master!"

The snake lunged at Harry. Harry did not have a second to move, and his body was suddenly paralyzed as he felt the snake pummel into his chest, and he felt a surge of what could only be described as burning-cold fire pulse through his veins. He cried out loudly as the feeling grew, became so intense, that he could no longer process anything but feeling, nothing but his body, consuming the icy flames, existed to him now.

Then, as suddenly as it had started, it was gone. Harry stared at the clear blue sky, his entire body suddenly shook with an immense shiver, "Sirius..."

"Harry!" As Harry crumbled down, he found Lupin's awaiting grasp distant, unwanted, "Harry, are you alright?!"

"I...I'm fine..." He grumbled, pushing away from Lupin to look around for the damage the serpent must've created--oddly enough, the park was untouched, the only thing that stood out was he and Lupin, and people gave them strange looks as they shuffled by.

"What? Harry, I can't understand what you're saying," Lupin shook Harry a bit, his brow ruffled in confusion.

"Oh..right..." Harry coughed lightly and sought out the mental switch to get back to English, "I said, 'I'm fine.'"

"Oh...I see..." Lupin shook his head as he though unsatisfied with his statement, "No...I don't see. Harry, what happened? What did that serpent say? It...It went inside of you? Why?"

"Salizar Slytherin..." Harry muttered, "Why didn't anyone ever tell me that the Potters descended from Slytherin?!"

"Well..." Lupin scratched his head meakly, "Honestly...I didn't know they were."

"Right. Of course you didn't. No one did." Harry snapped bitterly, voice edged and sharp as a blade, "Just like no one knew I had a snake living inside of me for the first year of my life."

Lupin blinked, "You did?"

"What is the matter with you?!" Harry growled as he rose to his feet, "Do you think I'm making this stuff up?!"

"Well, of course not..."Lupin paused, "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I'm absolutely FANTASTIC!!" Harry belowed furiously, throwing his arms up in exasperation, "I have a snake-no- a bloody fucking BASILISK living inside of me and you ask me if I'm OKAY?!" He shut his mouth and gritted his teeth, seething a sigh, "Y'know...just forget it--it never happened. It doesn't matter."

"'Doesn't matter?'" Lupin echoed, jolting upright as Harry went storming off to the place where his Firebolt lay, Lupin tailed him, "What do you mean it doesn't--"

"It. Doesn't. Matter." Harry spat viciously, snatching his broom up and glaring at Lupin in frustration, "Well? What are you waiting for? Grab your broom!"

Lupin sighed in defeat and reached for his own broomstick tiredly, "Very well, then. If you're sure."

With a wisp of the wind, Harry was in the air again, Lupin following close behind. They flew silently for quite some time.

"A house," Harry said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"What?" Lupin blinked, surprised by the sudden break in the silence, he had been thinking that Harry would never talk to him again, let alone today again.

"It was a house," Harry said, his cheeks lightly tinged in pink, "What Sirius showed me."

"Oh," Lupin smiled a bit, noticing the embarassed look on Harry's face, "I see."

-----Part the Second-----

---------End--------


A/N: As my first closing author note, I invite and encourage you to Read and Review, please! Thank you very much for reading!

--SF365