Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Co. belong to J.K Rowling, not myself
A/N: Thank you for the amazing response to this story! As for the relationship (slash) aspect, I haven't decided who to pair Harry (Ori) with, though I am open to suggestions. The Slash relationship warning refers to Draco and potentially to Severus, I have yet to decide.
Thank You!
R/R!
Chapter 3: The Snake Pit
"You'll write?" Narcissa said, pulling her sons to her tightly. The Malfoy family was standing in a darkened corner of Platform Nine and Three Quarters, saying a private goodbye.
"We promise" Ori said, hugging his mother back, already sad to be leaving them. If someone had told him at the beginning of the summer he'd miss the Malfoys, he'd have said they were nuts, though to be fair if someone had told him he'd have a loving family at the beginning of summer he'd have also thought they were nuts.
"Let us know where you end up" Lucius murmured, "Right away" He added, tugging Ori from Narcissa's grip to hug him as well.
'Bye Dad and I will" Ori murmured, stepping back and closer to Dray.
"Love you" Narcissa said, Ori offered her a small smile. As much as he loved his new family, he had yet to say it out loud, something they all longed to hear, but Ori's therapist had said that it would come in time.
"Bye" Ori whispered, letting Draco tug him along to the train. He ducked his head, hiding against his brother as he saw Hermione and the Weasleys scanning the platform, looking for him obviously. He had no desire to face them right now, or ever really, but at the same time he knew a confrontation was inevitable. As much as he wanted to maintain friendships with Hermione and Ron and the Weasley family he had this horrible sense of dread that they would want nothing to do with him now.
"Relax" Draco murmured, letting Ori hide against him for the time being, he wasn't about to worry about appearances when his little brother was so freaked out and stressed.
"I'm trying" Ori muttered, following his brother onto the train, their trunks had already been loaded, along with their pets. Hedwig, Harry's owl had been killed by Vernon, it had been a difficult thing for Ori to accept and he refused to accept a new owl, so instead he had a small, black kitten now. Draco had a large eagle owl named Archimedes, whom Ori could use to send letters, or so Draco had offered. Ori missed Hedwig, a lot, but he had grieved for his first friend and was recovering. He hadn't wanted to take another pet, however when he had found the mother cat in the Malfoy barn and seen her kittens, he had immediately been drawn to the smallest kitten in the group, the runt. Now, Night as the little boy was called was riding comfortably in his cat carrier on his way to Hogwarts with them.
Once on the train, Draco had immediately begun searching out the compartment that housed his friends. They had all been informed of what had occurred over the summer, most of them had known about Orion Malfoy through stories, though now had expected to ever see him alive or meet him. They were also aware of who he had been before, though for Draco's sake most of the snakes were willing to get past their issues with Potter and accept Ori.
"In here" Draco said, nodding at a compartment once he saw Crabbe and Goyle, along with his other friends.
"Are you sure?" Ori asked, he was terrified about meeting Draco's friends, people who had tormented him for years, though he had tormented them back.
"Yes Ori" Draco grinned, "They're my friends and they already know about you and who you were. They aren't going to be cruel or nasty, I won't let them" He reassured, his tone strong, protective.
"Okay Dray" Ori grinned, "I believe you, don't need to be so sappy" He teased, smirking at his older brother slightly.
"Brat" Draco growled, chuckling as he slid open the compartment door, smiling at his friends.
"Hello Draco" Pansy Parkinson greeted him, glancing over his shoulder curiously at Ori. Smiling, the brunette hair, slightly pug-nosed girl rose, extending her hand formally.
"Pansy Parkinson" She said, aware of everyone watching her every move.
"Orion Malfoy" Ori said, shaking her hand and smiling. He was aware of what was going on, it was a formal greeting, a sign of acceptance by anyone of Pure Blood.
"Pleasure" Pansy intoned, sitting down and gesturing for Draco and Ori to do the same.
Soon introductions were made all around and Ori was introduced to Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.
The train ride was, thankfully, quiet. Ori mainly read, letting the soft chatter of the Slytherin fifth years wash over him. It was so different from before, sharing a compartment with Ron and Hermione was never quiet, never calming. It was usually always busy with loud chatter and sometimes arguments. The Slytherin compartment was a lot different, he sort of liked it. He sighed contently, letting himself bask in the acceptance he felt in the compartment, his eyes closing as he began to drift off, exhausted over the rather exhausting morning.
"Is he alright?" Blaise asked Draco, looking pointedly at Ori's still bandaged hand.
"He's better, I wouldn't say he's a hundred percent, but he's a lot better then when we first saw him" Draco said, wrapping an arm around his little brother and drawing him against him, wanting to keep him safe, though there was no threat in the compartment.
"I'm surprised he's here" Pansy admitted, "I thought your parents would want to keep him close to home" The brunette girl said with a shy grin.
"They wanted too, believe me" Draco chuckled, smiling as Ori cuddled against him, it was nice.
"Oh?" Blaise asked, as Theo glanced up from his book, looking intently at the fourteen year old boy sleeping against Draco.
"My mother in particular wanted to home school him, but he needed to return to Hogwarts, he felt it was something he had to do" Draco explained, eyeing Theo for a moment before returning his attention to Blaise.
"Sort of like something he had to do?" Blaise asked while Pansy cooed softly at Ori.
"Something like that" Draco nodded eyeing Pansy warily now, tempted to gather his brother up and away from the girl. She looked decidedly like his mother did when she got her hands on a camera.
"We're almost there" Theo commented as he glanced out the window, able to see the lights of Hogsmead in the distance.
"Ori" Draco murmured, not wanting to shake his brother awake or anything, not in a weird place. The teen twisted lightly, silver-blue eyes flickering open in surprise as Ori quickly glanced around, needing a moment to remember where he was. He rarely slept on the train, especially when seated with Ron and Hermione.
"On the train" Draco murmured softly in his ear, "We're almost in Hogsmead, its time to get ready" He added. Ori nodded, fisting his eyes sleepily before rising and pulling on his plain black Hogwarts robes.
"Are you taking the boat?" Theo asked curiously, eyeing the younger teen intently once again.
"No" Ori shook his head, "Thankfully not" He murmured, "Dumbledore wanted me to, but Dad put his foot down, said I wasn't a first year despite being sorted"
"That's good, its bad enough you have to get sorted with the little midgets, can you imagine taking the trip with them as well?" Blaise commented, wrinkling his nose.
"And that, my dear Blaise, is why you're not a prefect" Draco said, tapping the shiny badge pinned to his chest, next to his Slytherin crest. Pansy was also sporting a prefect badge, though she'd been wearing it the whole trip and Draco had only just pinned his on.
"Draco, I have no desire to be prefect" Blaise said, "It means I have to follow the rules. I much prefer the whole no responsibility route"
Draco snorted, chuckling lightly at his best friend's antics. Ori looked confused, though the younger teen didn't comment, just watched curiously.
"You're ridiculous Blaise, ridiculous" Pansy sniffed, "See the other house will be all honorable about being given the badge, but everyone expects us to be unfair, its the perfect excuse to take points and assign detentions and stuff" She said gleefully.
"Of course in such a manner that no one can truly suspect us" Draco added, grinning lightly at the other girl.
"You sure you guys should be discussing this in front of me. Seems like some rather interesting Slytherin insights and I might not be sorted into the Snake Pit" Ori piped up, grinning teasingly.
"We trust you brat" Draco said, ruffling his younger brother's hair playfully. "Even if you're not officially sorted into the Snake Pit, you're an honorary snake" Draco said, "By virtue of being my baby brother"
"Notta baby" Ori whined, batting his brother away and glaring playfully.
The train pulled into the station at Hogsmead and complete and utter madness (as usual) ensued.
Ori followed Draco closely, surprised when Crabbe and Goyle immediately fell into step around them, succeeded in keeping the general masses from running all over them. It was nice for Ori, since crowds made him a bit nervous, having people he didn't know touch him absolutely terrified him. Draco hovered closely to his brother, keeping a hand on his shoulder in reassurance as he pushed his way towards the waiting line of carriages.
Claiming one, the group of Slytherins clambered inside, all of them very relieved to not have run into any Gryffindors. Ori wasn't ready for the ensuing confrontation with what he knew were his former friends, barring Fred and George perhaps, he always had suspected those two weren't exactly one hundred percent pro Dumbledore. And Draco, Draco wasn't ready to see his little brother upset, he knew he'd snap if he saw that. Ori had endured so much pain, still was enduring it, the last thing he needed was Weasel screaming at him or something.
-Blood-
Ori licked his lips, mildly annoyed to be standing with the first year students waiting to be sorted, but he was more annoyed about how short he was, he was only a bit taller then the first year students, some of the taller ones were even nearing him in height, it sucked. Draco was nearly six feet, still growing, Ori was a measly five foot four inches, probably not about to grow anymore. The Healer said it was due to the malnutrition he had suffered growing up, along with the constant injuries. He sighed, watching as the sorting began, he had been to zoned out to hear the Sorting Hat's song, though judging by the scattered applause it hadn't been the Hat's best work.
"Malfoy, Orion" He started as Professor McGonagall called his name and flushed as he slowly walked forward, his eyes glued to the ground.
"Sit down please Mr. Malfoy" McGonagall snapped briskly, startling Ori with her brusqueness. She had always been kind to him, but it seemed the elderly Transfiguration teacher only was kind to Harry Potter. Sighing, he sat down, letting the rather ratty hat be placed on his head, subsequently slipping down over his eyes.
Ah Mr. Malfoy, it seems your real identity is finally revealed to you The Hat purred in his mind. When I told you in your first year that you would do well in Slytherin I was not lying, your entire family has been in Slytherin, but you argued against me. Choosing the Lion's Den instead of your rightful home in the Snake Pit. It seems, with this reveal of who you truly are, you are better suited for your rightful house, though you still exhibit many qualities of the other house. So Mr. Malfoy, are you ready to go where you belong? Into the house that you should have always been in? Ori nodded lightly, the movement barely noticeable to those watching the Sorting with interest. Draco, in particular, was enthralled by what was happening. Finally the wide rip at the rim of the Hat opened, and there was a collective intake of breath around the Great Hall. Even Dumbledore seemed particularly intent on what was going on.
"Slytherin!" The Hat roared, leaving a stunned silence before the Silver and Green house burst into frantic applause.
Ori carefully took the hat from his head, handing it back to the shocked Professor McGonagall. Casting a quick glance around the Great Hall, Ori's face fell as he saw the angry expressions of his former friends as they glared him all the way to his new table.
"Knew you'd be with us" Draco said, making room for Ori between himself and Crabbe, making sure his brother was well protected in case the Gryffindors decided to act out.
"I'm glad I am" Ori murmured, "I mean, I'd be fine with another house, but I'm glad I'm with you" He murmured, hesitantly glancing up at the Head Table.
Thankfully Professor Snape had been filled in on everything and him and Ori now got a long better. Uncle Sev, as Ori had been asked to call him, even attended a few therapy sessions so that the pair could work through the trauma of Sev's treatment of him for his first four years at Hogwarts. Everything wasn't perfect of course, Ori was still hesitant and shy around Severus and refused to let him touch him, but at least they no longer hated one another.
Severus offered the teen a quick smile, making sure that no one saw, since he did have a reputation to maintain.
-Blood-
"So here we are" Draco murmured, leading Ori into the Common Room, closely followed by his friends and the rest of the house. Pansy and the other prefects were dealing primarily with the new first years, giving them the traditional welcome speech and what not. Draco was focused primarily on Ori, showing him around, getting him settled, things like that. The Common Room was gorgeous, in Ori's opinion, grand made up of primarily black and green colours. Large bay windows looked out into the mer-people village under the lake.
"Where do I sleep?" Ori asked, looking at his brother with an anxious expression. He knew he should be braver, tougher then he was being but therapy sessions had really torn down all his mental and emotional walls and he was still learning to cope with everything that had happened to him.
"I have private quarters" Draco murmured, "Professor Snape, Father and I decided you could bunk with me, since it wouldn't be fair to stick you with the fourth year boys, whom have bunked together for four years" He explained, glancing up as his godfather swept into the room.
"Sounds good to me. I was a bit worried" Ori admitted, grinning at his brother, a small sigh escaping him.
After Severus completed his customary beginning of the year speech, he made his way over to the couches were Draco and Ori were seated with a group of Draco's friends.
"I trust the train ride was uneventful?" He asked, looking worriedly at the Malfoy boys.
"It was" Draco murmured, "No run ins with the Gryffindorks, thank the gods" He added, letting his gaze drift upwards for a moment. Ori nodded, smiling at his Uncle as he peered around the Common Room curiously.
"Good, if you have any problems I ask that you come straight to me" Severus murmured, offering a reassuring smile at the pair, which looked out of his place on his face in Ori's opinion.
"We will Uncle Sev" Ori murmured, his tone much quieter then his brother's. Severus nodded, smiling once more before pulling his mask into place and heading out of the room, after posting a few notices about Quidditch and other various things on the Slytherin notice board which was set up by the entrance into the Common Room.
"Ready for bed?" Draco asked, looking at Ori whom had been nodding off for the last half an hour. The younger blond forced his eyes open, glancing at his brother with a sheepish smile.
"Yes" He murmured tiredly, "Which room is ours?" He asked, realizing he had no idea where to go.
"I'll show you" Draco said with a chuckle, carefully helping Ori up as he lead him towards the dormitories.
"In here" Draco said, pushing open the door to his private room, now their room.
"Woah" Ori murmured, looking around the room with wide eyes. It was decorated very much like Draco's room back home, only with much more green and silver. Two large, four poster beds were set up, one in the corner which Ori assumed was his. He liked to sleep up against the wall, it was a comfort thing.
"Pretty Cool huh?" Draco murmured, chuckling at his little brother's awed expression.
"Uh huh" Ori said, smiling as he saw his things had already been delivered.
-Blood-
Draco smirked, leaving Ori to himself to get ready for bed before joining his friends in the Common Room. He was nowhere near ready for sleep, and with all the excitement of the summer he hadn't really had much of a chance to spend time with his friends.
"So Draco, what's it like having a little brother?" Pansy asked, pulling her legs up onto the couch, carefully arranging herself comfortably.
"Its amazing" Draco admitted, a light blush staining his cheeks. "I mean, I've known about Ori my entire life, known I was supposed to be a big brother, but I never had the chance. Now, suddenly Ori's back" He murmured with a small smile, "I never expected him to accept our family as easily as he has" He said, shaking his head and sighing. "We have a ton of issues to work through as a family of course, but so far its going better then any of us expected"
"I can understand that. Despite Ori being Orion Pollux Malfoy, for fourteen years he was Harry Potter, and he lived under that mantle for a long time. Being the supposed saviour of the light is a big burden" Pansy said, playing with the tips of her hair.
"I think that was one of the reason he accepted us and being a Malfoy" Draco said, "To give up the whole Boy-Who-Lived thing, he hated that title and everything that came with it" He murmured, thinking back to a few of the therapy sessions over the summer.
"So, has he picked a side?" Theo asked curiously.
"He's neutral thus far" Draco said, "He isn't a big light supporter, not after realizing everything they've done to him. But I don't think he's ready to accept the dark just yet" He murmured, smiling lightly. "Dad's going to see if he's ready to meet our Uncle over Yule" He said, putting emphasis on the word 'Uncle'.
"How do you think that will go over?" Blaise asked, watching Vince and Greg attempt a game of Wizarding chess.
"No idea, he might just accept it" Draco said with a small shrug, "Or it could be a bloody disaster. Either way, he needs to be made aware of the situation, of just how close our family is with the Dark Lord" Draco muttered, rubbing a hand over his face and sighing.
"Just be there for him Draco" Pansy murmured, "He's going to need all the support he can get"
"I'll always be there for him" Draco said, "He's my little brother Pans" A goofy grin gracing his features. The group of Slytherins grinned, Draco looked so much happier then he had in previous years, it was nice to see.
-Blood-
"Today is gonna suck" Ori groaned as he sat on his bed, watching his brother get ready for the day, he had never seen someone with such an elaborate morning routine.
"Why do you say that?" Draco asked, staring intently in the mirror as he styled his hair.
"Cause I have to go to classes with people I barely know, probably deal with a bunch of angry Gryffindors and re-learn stuff" The other blond said with a sigh.
"You'll be fine" Draco reassured, smiling lightly at Ori as he pulled on his robes, moving closer to his younger brother. "Besides, we'll see one another at lunch and I'm sure you'll make friends" He added, he knew most of the fourth year Slytherins, they were a good group and bound to get along with his brother and make him feel at home in the Snake Pit.
"I guess" Ori sighed, sliding off the bed and grabbing his book bag, having been ready to leave for nearly half an hour, Draco just hadn't been.
"You will" Draco said with a firm nod, before grabbing his bag and following after Ori.
"Ready for classes?" Pansy asked, seeing the brothers as they entered the Common Room, joining the rest of the Snakes as they headed towards the Great Hall.
"I am" Draco said with a nod, "Although having OWLs this year is going to make the work load hell" He added.
"I'm not" Ori said with a shudder, "Glad I don't have to worry about OWLs yet though" That was one good thing about repeating fourth year, he didn't have to worry about the overload of studying, nor did he have to worry about Hermione and her obsessive studying habits.
Draco huffed, cuffing Ori gently, careful to make sure his brother knew his actions were playful. Ori stiffened, though he grinned at Draco, nudging him back lightly, something he would have never done just three weeks previous.
"Eat" Draco ordered, letting out an annoyed huff as he saw Ori playing with the food on his lap.
"You're thin enough as it is, you have to eat" The fifth year said, shaking his head and pouring himself a glass of pumpkin juice.
"Sorry" Ori murmured, taking a bite of bacon, though it tasted like chalk in his mouth. He was so incredibly nervous about today he just couldn't seem to focus and eat. Draco sighed, watching Ori worriedly, the Healer had said that his brother had suffered sever malnourishment during his time at the Dursleys and it would take a long time for his body to recover. Uncle Sev had put him on a strict regiment of nutrients potions, and he was under strict orders not to miss any meals.
"I'm eating Dray" Ori said, slanting his eyes at his older brother and shaking his head lightly, he still wasn't used to Draco fussing over him, and Narcissa and Lucius were just as bad, if not worse. It was an adjustment, but one he enjoyed making.
"Did you write Mum and Dad? Tell them you're a Snake?" Draco asked, sensing a subject change was in order.
"Yea, I owled them last night before I went to bed" Ori said, grinning. "They should be getting back to me" He said, nodding as their Father's eagle owl, Spartan, swooped into the Great Hall among the horde of other owls delivering post. Draco chuckled, shifting slightly to let the great bird land on the table, extending his leg while looking intently at Ori's bacon. Untying the letter, Ori automatically fed the bird some of his food, before watching the majestic owl take off.
"What did they say?" Draco asked, nudging Ori as he tried to read the letter.
"Just congratulated me Dray, and then said to do well in our studies and they can't wait to see us at Yule" The younger teen said with a chuckle.
-Blood-
Lucius sat down opposite Tom, a small grin on his face.
"What has you in such good spirits this afternoon?" Tom asked, arching an eyebrow at his friend.
"Ori owled Narcissa and I last night, his sorting went well" The blond said with a grin,"He's a Snake" The grin turned into a beaming smile.
"He's a Slytherin?" Tom asked, a small smile gracing his own, pale features.
"Yes, he is" Lucius murmured, "He's greatly relieved by that, he was a bit worried about getting sorted back into Gryffindor" Lucius added with a small frown.
"I can't blame him. Harry Potter might have been accepted into Gryffindor with open arms, but Orion Malfoy would have been torn apart by the lions" Tom said, staring thoughtfully at Lucius. "I'm pleased to hear that he is with Draco, in his proper house" He added, sipping his tea contently.
"As were Narcissa and I" Lucius said softly, "He needs the security Draco can offer. Therapy has torn down many of his mental walls, and he's a very fragile young man at the moment. Harry Potter was extremely tough, yet emotionally starved, Ori is dealing with the consequences of his upbringing now, and it is not exactly easy for him"
"Indeed, under the Harry Potter persona, Ori had to become what the wizarding world wanted him to be, now, with that persona gone, he has to deal with everything he has suppressed for all those years, not to mention the emotional, mental and even physical wounds that he received at the hands of those bloody, useless muggles"
Lucius nodded, "He has gotten much better, though he has a long way to go" He said with a small smile.
"What do the Healers say about his injuries?" Tom asked curiously.
"His right hand will never fully heal, despite the best treatment Mungos could offer, it was far to damaged" Lucius said, an ugly scowl on his face. "The scarring on his back had faded substantially, but they doubt it will ever fully disappear. Severus is working on a special potion, a combination of skin regrowth and scar removal to see if he can get rid of it"
"Scar?" Tom asked, Lucius had never mentioned a scar.
"On his lower back" Lucius murmured, "He has the word 'Freak' carved into his lower back. It seems the Dursleys felt the need to remind him what he was to them. The wound was very deep and badly infected and had been inflicted over a long period of time. They weren't able to fully remove it"
"Disgusting muggles" Tom spat, horrified at this information. He was Ori's godfather, his Uncle in all but blood, or so he had once been, and to know someone he cared for had endured so much, while dealing with everything else, disgusted him.
"Narcissa cried for a week when she saw it for the first time" Lucius said, his face pale, his tea cup clenched in white fingers. He still remembered seeing the horrid scar, it had broken his heart, it had nearly destroyed his wife and Draco, Draco had been ill. Ori still didn't know about these reactions, as he had been in the healing coma when they had seen it, which was good, or so the therapist said. They would discuss the scar eventually, but she wanted Ori to come further in his emotional healing before they discussed the ramifications of his scar, and the belief that had put it there.
"I can imagine" Tom murmured, shaking his head sadly. Lucius nodded, both men falling into silence as they thought about the young boy who completed their family.