Arashi: Here is the fourth chapter of DGM. Sorry for not updating earlier just that life came and all. ^^;

Chapter 4: Shopping Trip

::parseltongue::

The years until Harry's sixth birthday were fairly uneventful. They were spent with Harry being spoiled and loved like any child should be. He was raised with an understanding of magic and why not to abuse his powers. Up until his birthday, he'd been using a child's wand so he could have some degree of control over his magic. Damien would drain off the rest to not risk overpowering the young wizard.

But on the day of his birthday, his training began. They wanted him prepared to face his destiny. That morning, Damien took his sons, Timothy and Harry, to Olivander's wand shop to buy them a real wand. Timothy had also shown tremendous power, and was to be trained with Harry to prepare for the final battle. When they entered the store, Olivander was reluctant to sell them a real wand.

But when he checked the boys' power levels at Damien's insistence, he was quick to change his mind. He immediately began looking for wands for them. Nearly two hours later, both of them had found one. But Damien insisted on having Harry tested again. His senses felt that another, more powerful wand was meant for his son.

Olivander was again reluctant, but agreed in an effort to prove the Vampyre lord wrong. First he began with a few of the lower powered wands. But when a snake slithered into the store, and Harry began a conversation with it, he practically ran for the wand he felt could match the boy. By the time he returned, the snake was settled comfortably on Harry's shoulders.

"Perhaps this is the wand that you sensed. Lord Ater Rosa. Ebony wood, with snake skin and venom core, eleven inches. The exterior is decorated with engraved snakes as well as the emeralds and sapphires embedded in the wood."

"That sounds highly unusual. I've never heard of such a wand."

"Indeed. Not many have. Here young one," he offered it to Harry, "try this wand."

As soon as his hand wrapped around the glittering wand, he felt the power coursing through his young body. With a single flick, the telltale sparks erupted from his wand. A combination of green and blue, they surprised everyone in the room.

"W-well. Th-this i-is highly un-unusual sir! N-never in my wildest dreams did I think this wand would be sold! And to one so young…! No matter," he shook himself out of his stupor, "the wand has chosen you, and so it is yours."

"Why do you seem so flustered, old man? It is just a wand. A very well decorated wand, but a wand nonetheless."

"Lord Ater Rosa! To call this 'just a wand' is like saying that you-know-who was just a bully! This wand, sir, belonged to the son of Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw! This wand belonged to the second most powerful wizard in history! Merlin is the only one to have surpassed his strength! For your son to have been chosen by You-know-who's brother wand, as well as this one, well…it is almost as though Nicholas Potter is not in fact the Chosen One. It appears that his brother, Harry Potter-Ater Rosa is the true boy-who-lived!" Olivander was nearly hyperventilating at the revelation.

"You are correct," Damien agreed, "but it is important that no one else find out. If the wrong person discovered this information, the results could be dire. So I must ask you to not reveal what you know to anyone."

"Of course. If anything were to happen to our true savior…why, I shudder to think of the consequences. Your secret is safe with me."

With that bit of assurance, the trio exited the store after paying for the wands.

"Daddy," young Harry complained, "my tummy hurts!"

Damien chuckled at this. Harry was possibly the most powerful wizard since Merlin, and he appeared to have no idea. But the Vampyre Lord knew otherwise. Harry was well aware of the power he possessed. But at times like this, it was made perfectly clear that he was still very young. He began to reconsider beginning Harry's training, however he realized that he could not put it off. Without proper training, the boy would lose control.

His power was always growing. And he knew that in the next year it might very well double in strength. It was already too much for him to drain it off alone. He was beginning to seek the help of another in his clan to drain off all the power. The only way to control it now was for Harry to gain control over it himself. To do so, he would need to begin his training.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he led the boys to the leaky Cauldron for some lunch. The boys immediately ran to a seat, leaving Damien chuckling in the doorway.

"A bit hungry boys?"

"Dad! That took forever! And that creepy old man wouldn't stop looking at me. Why was he acting so strangely?"

"Harry…" he trailed off noticing how full the bar is, "we'll talk about it later, ok?" Harry nodded his head, but frowned at the response, "Okay, now, what would you two like to eat?

"Grilled cheese—"

"Peanut butter and bananas—" Both boys called out their orders ending up jumbled.

"One at a time," Damien laughed, "Timothy you go first."

"I'd like a grilled cheese, dad!"

"Ok, and Harry?"

"Uh, can I get a peanut butter and banana sandwich, please?"

Damien snapped his fingers to summon a house elf to give it their order, "Two grilled cheeses and peanut butter banana sandwiches, and one hamburger with everything."

The house-elf returned a minute later with their meal, "Will there be anything else, sir?"

"No. You may go." Damien conjured two plastic bags and placed one of each sandwiches into them. "How are your sandwiches, boys?"

"Very good. Thank you dad!"

"Mine is good. But the bananas are a bit mushy."

"Well then," Damien said when they'd finished their meals, "we need to head to the book store next. Then we should go to the apothecary for some supplies, before heading to Knockturn Alley. And then, if you are both good, your mother has a surprise at home."

"What is it? What is it?"

"You'll find out later Timmy! Leave dad alone, you know better than to do that!"

"Boys, let's go. The sooner we get finished here, the sooner you can find out."

The boys jumped out of their seats, and practically dragged the elder Vampyre to the entrance to Diagon Alley. They then headed straight to Flourish & Blotts to buy the necessary books, following their father through the store.

Damien walked over to the Hogwarts books, and pulled out the books needed for the full seven years. He then moved to the Durmstrang section, and repeated his selection. It had been decided that the boys would study each of the subjects and finish their schooling before they left of Hogwarts. This would not only keep them busy, but it would also free up some of their time at school, so they would have more time to do their additional training. Since Durmstrang offered different books and several additional courses, he felt in necessary to teach them the subjects from both schools.

The other members of the clan would teach the boys. Severus would teach them potions and charms. Nathanial would teach them transfiguration, and Morgan, Nicole's sister, would train them in the art of Occlumency and Legillimency. History and Arithmancy would come from Jason and Ancient Runes by Christopher. Then until they reached the age of nine, Damien would oversee their other lessons. When they turned nine years old they would be taught how to become an animagus by yet another teacher, though it was not clear who it would be.

Paying for the books, Damien led the boys to the apothecary to pick out some potion supplies. He pulled out the list of items he had been provided by his good friend and their future tutor, and handed it to the store's owner. The list was extensive and had many hard to find ingredients.

But the boys would be learning far more potions than the average wizard would. They would be training under one of the best Potions Masters in history. And Severus was adamant that they have a fully stocked supply for their work, as well as two different types of cauldrons in addition to the conventional pewter cauldron.

While he was waiting for the shopkeeper to return with the items, he watched as his young heir inspected some very rare gems in a small display case by the back door. The stones were usually only used by those of great power, and could be used to improve and intensify many potions. They could also be shaped into figurines if the "sculptor" had enough power and will to change it.

Harry's hand reached out and touched a small emerald briefly before quickly pulling back. Startled, Damien moved to his son's side. "What is it son? Why do you seem afraid of the stone?"

"Dad, the stone shocked me. There is so much power in it, and it is bad. There is badness in the stone and I don't know why. Why would somebody make a stone bad, daddy?"

"I don't know son. Do you see another stone that you like in this case?"

"No dad, they are all bad." With that said, the six year old turned to find his brother.

Damien simply shook his head, and returned to the counter where the old man was waiting for him with a small bag.

"Here are your ingredients, sir. I have put them into this transporting bag. You can keep adding more into it, and they will simply be sent to your home. I have connected it to the address you gave me."

Damien paid for the items quickly and led both boys to the door. Ok boys, just one more stop and then we can go home."

"Where are we going dad?"

"To another bookstore, one with a wider selection. I want you to both stay next to me here, understood?"

"Yes dad." The boys said in unison before giggling together.

Damien sighed dramatically before leading them both to the store. He attached a "leash" to the boys so that they could not go far from him without the magic warning him. Walking into the store, the first thing he noticed was a man with shockingly bright blond hair. Compared to the black surroundings, it almost looked silver. There was a young boy, about the boys' age standing next to him impatiently.

"Lucius?" he called in surprise.

"Damien?"

"It has been too long, old friend. How have you been? And is this young Draco? I remember when he was barely a month old."

"Yes, this is my heir. I have been doing well. I've been promoted since we last spoke. Draco, why don't you go talk with young—"

"Oh, I'm sorry Lucius. This here is my heir, Harry," he said indicating Harry, "And here is my other son, Timothy. They should be attending Hogwarts along with Draco here, if my memory serves me. Boys, you go along and introduce yourselves to Draco. But be good, both of you."

"Draco, the same goes for you." The blonde said to his heir.

The boys walked over to a corner to talk. The three became fast friends. Draco was just a couple months older than Harry. The three boys immediately took a liking to each other.

"Hi, my name's Harry," the brunette offered his hand, "What's your name?"

"Draco Malfoy. You look familiar. Have we met before?"

"I don't think so. I'm sure I would have remembered your hair if nothing else."

The three chuckled a bit at this, "I'm Timothy," the slightly younger boy stepped forward, "I'm his brother."

"You two don't look alike." Draco pointed out.

"Well, that's because I'm adopted. My real parents couldn't take care of me, so my dad took over for them. I don't remember them," this was of course, a complete lie.

Harry could for some reason remember the exact details of that night. He could even remember those cold blue eyes of the man who took his parents from him. He also knew he had a brother. The boy-who-lived, they called him, but Harry knew otherwise. However, Damian had made him promise to not tell anybody about that until school started, so he was forced to lie.

"Hey Draco," Timothy asked to change the subject, "do you like to fly?"

'Are you kidding? I love it! But father won't let me do it very much. He and mom are afraid that I'll hurt myself."

"Well, we have a small area that we fly in everyday. If your dad will let you come over sometime, I'm sure dad wouldn't mind letting you come over to play. As long as it doesn't interfere with our—" Timothy was cut of by a sharp elbow in his side.

"Ignore him. But if you want, ask your dad and see what he says." It was then that Lucius came over to gather his son to go home. With one final wave at their new friend, the boys walked back to where their father was still standing.

Damien then took the boys once more to the books he'd been looking for. Spotting the correct shelves, he summoned the relevant books, and flipped through them judging their value. He finally settled on four of the books, and returned the others to their places.

"Why couldn't you get those at the other store?"

"I'm afraid they don't carry this material. It is considered to be dark magic, and the only place to buy such books is here I'm afraid. Come along now, we're almost done."

The boys obediently followed their father to the counter to purchase the books, and then out to the street.

"Is there anywhere else we need to go dad?"

"Not right now. For now, let's just head home. I'm sure you are both eager to see your surprise."

The boys shared a grin and followed the Vampyre lord to the Leaky Cauldron to floo home. They stepped out of the fireplace and were greeted with a hug from Nicole.

"Did you enjoy your trip?"

"Yeah. Look at the wand I got mom!" Timothy held his wand out proudly, "it isn't as cool as Harry's are, but it's still a powerful one."

"Well Harry, let me see yours."

Harry hesitantly held out his ornate case for the second wand, something telling him not to let anyone else touch it. He opened the case, and revealed the even more ornate wand for her to see it. She gasped when she recognized it from a picture. Harry saw her expression and quickly closed the case just as her hand began reaching for it.

"Where did you get that?"

"The strange old man who owns the wand shop gave it to me. He seemed frightened that it had chosen me. My other one isn't as nice looking, and it isn't as powerful, but it chose me as well." He held out the second wand and this time allowed her to handle it. "He said that it shared a core with Voldemort."

Nicole looked up to her husband for confirmation, and smiled sadly at him. "So it is true then. He really is the one."

"There was doubt?" His eyebrow lifted in challenge.

"Honestly, yes Damien. He is so young. And as powerful as it is…I guess I just didn't want to believe that my baby was the one of the prophecy. But it cannot be helped, and he will be well trained. So I have nothing to fear, right?" A hint of fear was evident in her voice, and Damien was quick to embrace her.

"Of course, my love. He will be fine. Harry is a tough kid, and he is a powerful one at that. Rest assured that nothing will happen to him as long as I am here."

"Dad, I'm going to take this stuff to the library, ok?"

"Go ahead son. Have Krystal put the books away. And I want you to put that wand in your room. Until you are trained I don't want you handling one without someone else around, and that goes for you too Timothy. No playing with the wands unless an adult is with you. Understand? And the surprise is awaiting you in your rooms boys."

"Of course dad. Let's go Harry, I want to see what the big surprise is."

The two left the room, giving their parents some privacy. The two made their way quickly to their connecting bedrooms. Once there, it was evident what the big surprise was. Lying on Harry's black and blue bed, was a large snake. On Timothy's large, green and black four-poster bed, a beautiful black dog was stretched out taking a short nap. When the door opened, the two animals looked up from their place to look at the intruders. The snake slithered off of the bed and wrapped herself around Harry's feet.

::Master? Are you the speaker they spoke of?::

::Yes, what is your name?::

::I do not have one Young One.:

::Shall I name you then?::

::Please, do.::

::What kind of serpent are you?::

::I am a viper boa.::

::How about Belinda?::

::I like that name master.:

::Call me Harry, master sounds strange to me.::

The two carried on a conversation for a few minutes while Timothy became acquainted with his own pet. Though he could not speak to it the way his brother communicated with snakes, the large dog understood what he was saying and seemed to react to his words. The dog was probably 80 pounds, and all of it was in muscle. There didn't seem to be an ounce of fat on the animal.

His coat shined and almost appeared red when the sun hit it just right. Two large, green eyes peered up at the six year old and Timothy had soon found himself underneath the huge dog. Sardonyx, the dog, stood hovering over the boy licking at his face. The dog then laid down next to him and proceeded to cuddle up as closely as possible to his new master.

"Harry, are you still wanting to go to the library?" Timothy asked his brother.

"Yeah. I wanted to see if I could find the new books and get a head start on reading a couple of them. We could probably both start off reading the first year's book of one of the schools, and then switch when we finish. That way we are both prepared for when we start training. Dad said he'd let us relax until next week, so this should give us a bit of a head start."

"Alright, let's go," he stood up reluctantly, "Sardonyx, do you want to come along?" The dog barked once in approval, and they headed out to the library.

::Harry, where are we going?::

::We are going to the library. You may look around if you'd like. Just be sure to not go too far and get lost.::

::Yes Harry.::

The boys made their way to the library, quickly finding the books. They both settled down to read the material, and after a couple hours, a house-elf popped in to tell them that their dinner was ready. The two boys practically ran down the stairs to thank their parents and eat. Meanwhile, the two additions to the family returned to their rooms, curled up on their respective beds, and settled in to wait for their owners to return.


Arashi: A long chapter for the wait. I hope everyone keeps on enjoying the story. Please read and review