Disclaimer: My name is not J. K. Rowling. I don't own Harry Potter and I never will.

"Parseltongue"

"Normal speech"

'Thought speech'

Flashback

"Parseltongue in Flashback"

AN: Thanks! Reviews encourage me to write faster! Review thanks are at the bottom!

Important! Read the P.S. for Mr. Bunny! It's about my 'GuessWhoNekoIs' thing.

Chapter 4

Albus Dumbledore was worried.

Yesterday he had only been slightly concerned. He had been hoping that someone in the Wizarding world had seen Harry Potter and merely removed him for fear of his safety. The level of abuse directed toward Harry was appalling and perfect for raising Dumbledore's weapon.

If all poor little Harry knew was the cruelty of the Dursleys, then when he learned about the Wizarding world he would latch onto the first kind people he met. Dumbledore had carefully planned for that day. He would send the half-giant Hagrid to get the boy. The oaf loved him and would sing his praises to Harry. This influence would slowly turn the boy into a loyal little weapon who would do anything for him.

'Damn it!' he thought furiously to himself. He had no idea who had taken Harry. Almost as soon as he had arrived, he had known something was wrong. He did not feel the absence of the wards. That should not have been possible. The wards were to keep any magical persons from noticing the presence of one Harry Potter. The only ways for anyone to have known of where Harry lived was for someone to have already known or to have received an invitation, be it verbal or physical.

No one could have possibly told them since Dumbledore was the only one to know where Harry lived. He had cast a spell on the minds of both Minerva McGonagall and Hagrid after they had left to disregard the information of where Harry lived as unimportant and they should just forget. It had worked quite well so far; he didn't think it would have failed now. But that brought up the question of how someone had known where Harry was and where he had taken him.

"Merlin damn it all!" Dumbledore hissed in his frustration. He had gone into the house to find all traces of the boy still there. There was a shallow pool of blood in the indentation on the floor of the cupboard, showing the place where he slept. There was some small roughly drawn pictures of a cat done in a black crayon on the wall of the cupboard. Several scraps of rags lay scattered in the confines of the cupboard. But that was it. Nothing else in the house showed the slight hint of there being another individual living with the Dursleys.

The walls were covered with framed pictures of a porky child, a horse-necked thin woman, and a beefy bull of a man which Dumbledore assumed to be Dudley Dursley, Petunia Dursley nee Evans, and Vernon Dursley respectively.

He hmmed to himself, pleased. He had done a good job in placing Harry here. If Harry stayed here he would most definitely appreciate the one who brought him into the wizarding world. That is if he got Harry back. He could not understand how he couldn't find the brat. After checking to see if Harry was definitely gone and the alarm had not malfunctioned, he had gathered some blood and the crumpled drawing. With the blood and personal belonging of someone, he had a spell that could be cast to find them. However when he had cast the spell, nothing had happened. The spell was an extremely intricate and powerful work of magic and it should not have failed. The only times in which that particular spell would fail was if that person was dead or under an extremely powerful ward or obscuring ritual. Either way, it was not good.

If Harry was dead, there went his weapon and he would be in deep trouble. On the other hand, if he wasn't dead but under an extremely powerful ward or obscuring ritual, that wasn't good either. That meant he was with someone that was part of the wizarding world and most likely opposed him if they hadn't brought Harry to light. 'I rather the brat be dead than be raised against me.' Dumbledore thought angrily as he busily searched through the piles of paper for a suitable replacement for his weapon. 'Boot? No his family isn't too under my influence. They are more neutral than not. McLaggan? Too young. He might make a good replacement if my next weapon dies. Diggory? Hmm. He might be useful. His family's influence is good and they support me. Unfortunately it'll be quite difficult to get him to become loyal enough to die for me. Neville Longbottom might be good enough. He was the other candidate in the prophecy. He lost his parents and his current family does not hold him in high regard. It would be like taking candy from a baby. And I do love candy.'

Dumbledore chuckled and reached under his desk for his hidden stash of candies only to find it empty. He groaned. Today was definitely not going to be a good day.

Back in Slytherin Manor

It was too bright. Harry groaned and turned around trying to burrow into the sheets to escape the light. Once he was immersed in darkness, he sighed and relaxed. That is until he felt something sliding around his body. He froze in alarm, still somewhat dazed from sleep.

"You're crushing me, little serpent-tongue." An annoyed voice hissed. Harry bolted from the bed before he could register what he had heard. When he looked back, he saw the serpentine black head of Nagini poke its way from under the covers.

"It's too cold to be jumping around in your pajamas. Go wear some proper clothes." Nagini hissed, slightly amused at Harry's reaction. "Tom left almost three hours ago for some business."

Harry blinked and looked around spotting an elaborate cloak on the wall. It was almost eleven o'clock. 'Wow. I don't think I've ever slept that late in my life.' Harry thought as he made his way to the closet. He resigned himself to some overly large clothes for the day since Tom wasn't there to shrink anything. He opened the doors and gasped. Within the closet was a row of elegant clothes in his size right next to what he assumed to be Tom's.

'He thought about me.' Harry was touched by the gesture, slight as it was. He reverently lifted a silken emerald shirt and onyx trousers and rubbed his face on them. They were so soft and supple. He decided to wear them and padded over to the bathroom to get take a shower and ready for the day. Once he was done he put them on. They fit him like a second skin. He left the bathroom to head for the small dining room that he had eaten in the day before. He hesitantly called for the house-elf.

"Boppy." With a pop, little Boppy appeared with a delighted look on her face.

"Young Master Harry is calling me? What is Young Master Harry wanting?" she eagerly asked.

"Just Harry is fine Boppy. If it isn't too much trouble, could I have some toast and eggs with a glass of orange juice?" Harry said softly. He liked Boppy for all that she was too jumpy.

"Oh noes! Young Master Harry must be eating more to grow big and strong. I is making you eggs and ham and sausages and tarts and English muffin and milk with orange juice." She cried before popping away before Harry could convince her otherwise. As he sat there slightly dismayed at the thought of not being able to finish all that and wasting so much food he heard hisses to his right. Turning he saw the sinuous body of Nagini slither in.

"Oh Nagini, please help me! When Boppy comes, will you help me eat some of the food she made? I can't eat too much in the morning; it makes me sick since I'm not used to it." Harry begged, determined not to waste food. After years of not being able to eat as much as he liked due to lack of food, he had gained the mentality of not wasting food. Now that he had the chance he still couldn't eat due to not being physically able to.

"Very well my snakeling; just a little." Nagini hissed soothingly as she seethed inwardly. 'How dare they starve my snakeling. It is only from regularly not eating a lot or not at all that causes the inability to eat normal sized portions of food.'

Pop. Boppy popped back, laden with an enormous tray of breakfast goodies. Harry's eyes bulged when he saw it. 'I definitely won't be able to eat it all even with Nagini's help.' He thought to himself, dismayed.

"Young Master Harry must eat lots. He is a growing boy and needs his nutrients. Eat! Eat! Eat!" Boppy cried enthusiastically before disappearing again. Harry could only stare at the massive mountain of food.

"Start nibbling little snakeling." Nagini muttered, amused at his predicament. "And drink all you milk and juice!"

He only spared her a grimace before tentatively trying a scone. It was like heaven on earth in his mouth. He eagerly tried it dipped in some cream, drizzled in syrup, and smeared with strawberry jam. All were absolutely delicious. As he finished the last of the scones and guzzled his glass of milk, he looked up to see the plate of ham and sausages being rapidly devoured by Nagini. He grinned and swiped a slice of ham and a link of sausage before they were inhaled into Nagini's gullet. He quickly gobbled them down. When she spared him a glance, he grinned cheekily at her with flecks of cream, syrup, and jam all around his face.

"I'm a growing boy." She only laughed in response and swallowed over half the eggs and one of the two English muffins. He squawked indignantly and reached for the rest of the food before they also disappeared.

"Then eat. Put the eggs inn the muffin and eat it with a square of melted butter on top. And don't forget your orange juice." She advised. He did as she said and nearly moaned at the burst of flavor. The fresh muffin with the delicate eggs topped with the creamy butter was overwhelming. After living most of his life eating plain food or eating cold scraps, the food he had eaten in Tom's home was like a slice of heaven.

Finally he finished his makeshift sandwich he thirstily gulped down his glass of orange juice and pushed the tray away from him with a satisfied grunt. He was stuffed to the brim. Nagini watched him with the corner of her eye, remembering what Tom had said to her before leaving that morning.

Flashback

"Nagini."

Nagini blearily stirred from the warm covers and looked up to see her Tom's face.

"Yesss." She hissed groggily. She glanced at the clock. Eight o' seven. It was much earlier than when Tom usually got up. He must have something urgent to do. Normally he'll sleep until ten or nine at the earliest. The luxury of extra sleep was one he enjoyed greatly even years after the fact of being forced up at six daily at the orphanage.

"Nagini when Harry eats breakfast today I need you to make sure he drinks all his milk and orange juice." Tom hissed with great importance.

"Hmmm? Why?" Nagini was a little more awake now. 'Why does Tom want Harry to drink all his milk and orange juice?'

"Because I have ordered Boppy to mix nutrient potions and a stomach easing potion in them. From what I could tell from my observations, those damn relatives of him periodically starved him and only gave him enough food so as to survive. So in order to correct this, he must start taking nutrient potions so his growth will not be permanently stunted." Tom stressed.

"The stomach easing potion must be to allow him to eat larger portions, right?" Nagini asked, wide awake now. She felt anger toward those muggle for starving a wizard, much less her new snakeling.

"Yes, it is. However, if I know Boppy, she will likely make a whole mountain of food, making it impossible for him to finish everything. Help him eat some to prevent him from eating too much. The stomach easing potion can only do so much." Tom emphasized. "I am counting on you Nagini."

"Don't worry, I know the proper amount. After all, I had to take care of you." Nagini hissed sadly. "Where are you going? I'm sure the snakeling will miss you."

"I must take care of some business. I need to start regathering my followers. I might bring some back tonight. So make sure he is in bed before seven if I am not home by then. If he wants to read something he may go to the library as long as he does not destroy anything in there." Cautioned Tom.

"Stop being such a worry-wart. I know how to care for a wizard hatchling." Nagini complained. 'I took care of you all those years, after all.'

"I know. I just want you to be extra careful. Harry doesn't seem to be one for trouble. But you never know… it's always the quiet ones, remember." Tom smirked and reminisced. Oh, he had always been quiet. Never purposefully drawing attention to himself unless it was absolutely necessary. Hidden behind his façade of quiet politeness was a storm of emotions and power.

"I will." Nagini watched quietly as Tom, with a nod, swept out of the room, leaving Nagini in darkness to ponder the level of attention Tom bestowed on Harry.

End Flashback

"Nagini where's the library?" Harry's voice brought her out of her reminiscing. She turned her head toward him.

"Why do you ask?" Nagini was curious. Her Tom was very knowledge-hungry when she met him. 'Actually he still is.' However, she was interested to see if Harry was as well.

"I want to see if there is anything I can read. Last Back at the Dursleys'house, I had nothing to do once I was forced back into my cupboard. So eventually I taught myself how to read and snuck books in. it wasn't too hard. All I had to do was hide one of the many books that Dudley got but never read in my cupboard while cleaning. Once I had to go back in, I would read by the light shining through the cracks. New moons were like torture; it was too dark to read and it really sucked if I was at an exciting part too." Harry explained. As he began talking, Nagini had started slithering out the door. Assuming she wanted him to follow her and that she was leading him to the library, he trotted along behind her.

"Later when I found Ne-" Harry choked slightly and paused before continuing. "Neko I would find nice books in my cupboard once in a while. Before when I still had her with me in the cupboard, I would quietly read some stories to her." Harry fell silent at this.

"Tom has the largest library in all of Great Britain. He actually had two but the one in his study is much smaller and contains all the research material he usually needs. The other one may be one of the largest in Europe. His collection of books consists of the lost Slytherin Library, some shelves of the Alexandrian Library, some shelves of books from Atlantis, and even some books from the Libraries of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. He also picked up many books and scrolls from his travels around the world." Nagini said in a way of distraction. At the look of wonderment the flashed across Harry's face she smugly added some more.

"He even received several scrolls and books from the Asian Youkai tribes that reside in China and Japan. Those contain valuable information on special spells and their like. They also hold information on the general biology of a few tribes such as the Kitsuneko tribe and the Hebi tribe." They finally reached a set of impressive massive doors. Nagini beckoned Harry to open them with a twist of her head.

"Wow." Harry gapped in astonishment at both what Nagini said and what he saw when he went through he doorway. Row upon row upon row of books lay neatly shelved across the countless shelves. The room was huge and filled to the brim with information in the form of book, scrolls and other various items. Harry was practically drooling from what Nagini could tell.

"You may look at some book as long as you do not damage them." Nagini said upon deaf ears. She could only watch in amusement as Harry walked up to my shelf and pulled out a book, The History of Dark and Light magic; it's Evolution and Mutation. He cradled the ancient tome in his hands reverently before gently opening it and smoothing out the pages to find the contents page.

He slowly made his way to one of the soft cushioned chairs before settling into it to bury himself into his book. Nagini only hiss-chuckled and curled up on a chair to take a nap. Eating all that would take a while to digest.

Nagini woke up with a start. Something wasn't right. 'Harry!' she thought panicky. Harry was no longer in the library. The book was carefully placed on the chair in which he had sat. An emerald green ribbon was tucked a quarter from the first page; marking how far he had read.

"Harry!" Nagini hissed anxiously. He wasn't here. She had to find him. she glanced at the clock only to stare for a moment when she saw that it was seven o' six. Tom would be home by now with some Death Eaters. She shot out of the room like lightning and that's when she saw it.

Harry was plastered against a wall; gazing up in fear at the figure towering above him. It was the Death Eater Macnair. He had a nasty grin on his face. That was when the malicious man reached for Harry.

Nagini saw Tom striding angrily toward them in the corner of her eye, followed by his Death Eaters. His face was like a dark storm cloud. She herself tried to get to Harry before the filthy man could touch Harry. As she slithered toward Harry as fast as she could, a streak of black and white raced past her and slammed onto the back of Macnair's head.

"ROOOWWWRRRR!"

To be continued…

Thanks for reading!

Special thanks to those who reviewed!

Prophetess of Hearts: Don't worry! ;)

potteraddict1210: Cookie… Yum. Sirius will definitely be in my story. I really love him and the Weasley twins.

Jynx101: ;)

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VoicesintheWalls: Thank you! ;)

Poisonbelle: Thanks! Guess again! You deserve a cookie for trying though!

TuxedoKamenLuver: Guess again! You're right about her not being an Animagus though. You get a cookie for trying though!

Dreamweaver: You'll see. ;)

MangaMan3000: Glad you liked it. I don't like Vernon (as seen in this fic) either!

puffin: Right about it not being Lupin but it's not Moody, Tonks, or McGonagall either. You also get a cookie for trying though!

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disgruntledfairy: I'll try to update quicker but no guarantees. It'll most likely be once a week.

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P.S. Mr. Bunny is scolding me for not mentioning that Neko is not an atual HP character. She is someone I made up. My guessing poll was actually to see if anyone could guess WHAT she was, not who. My mistake, gomen nasai (sorry in Japanese). Please see if you can guess again. I have clues in this latest chapter.

P.S.S. I will be replying to reviews through the proper speech bubble thing (unless they are anon. then I'll reply on chappie) instead of on the chapter from this chappie on (takes too much space). I will still list the ones who reviewed! Thanks Again! Reviews make me happy and type faster!

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