Disclaimer: Nothing that you recognize belongs to me.
A/N- The general consensus from my single reviewer (thank you so much, anonymous LALALALALA) was that Draco and the twins should be buddy-buddy, which I was leaning towards anyways. As a result, they are going to become friends. Yeah!
Recap:
"Hello?" he asked uncertainly. "I'm Draco Malfoy. Can I sit with you?"
The boys exchanged nervous glances, unsure of how to answer. Then, Evan opened his mouth.
"Sure!" he exclaimed, eager to meet a new person.
Draco smiled nervously as he took his seat across from the twins.
"So…" he said awkwardly, "Are the two of you related?"
Harry smiled, not wanting to seem completely silent. "Yup. This is my twin brother, Evan!"
Evan smiled, "And this is my brother, Harry."
Draco smiled lightly, then all expression slid from his face completely. "What's…what's around your neck?"
Evan blinked stupidly, then realized what Draco was referring to. "Oh," he said, the twinkle in his emerald eyes ever present, "This is my pet snake, Phillip."
The boy retained his blank expression as he turned to Harry, who did not look frightened at all. "What, do you have one, too?"
"No," Harry said innocently, "I've got an owl!"
Evan held back a laugh, as he did every time that Harry said something to reveal his pride in his pet, which was far more usual, and therefore lame than Phillip the Snake, which Evan thought was the very coolest thing since sliced cheese.
Draco smiled, though, at the boy's enthusiasm. "That's pretty cool. I've got an owl, too."
Harry leaned forward with interest. "Really?" Draco smiled, but didn't say anything. Harry was so innocent, and curious. It was almost infuriating because he seemed very helpless.
Evan heard a quiet hissing noise, but it registered in his mind like this:
'Massster…Who isss thisss boy?'
Evan just smiled, and tried not to answer. In the pet store, when both Evan and Harry had spoken openly with the snakes, Sirius and Remus made it very clear that they weren't to do that in public. It wasn't socially acceptable.
Harry, however, didn't seem to remember that particular hint, and smiled at Larry.
'Thisss isss Draco. A new friend' he said, right in front of Draco.
The blonde boy's eyes widened even further than when he'd first seen the two foot black snake. "You're a parselmouth!" he exclaimed.
"Shh!" Evan said hastily, "Nobody's supposed to know that!"
Evan shot Harry a dirty glare to reprimand his disregard for social rules, which the boy accepted regretfully.
"I'm sorry, Etom…" he muttered.
His twin sighed. "It's all right. Just…Be more careful, would you?"
Harry nodded obligingly. Draco, however, continued to look scared to death.
"What's wrong?" Evan asked when he noticed that Draco's expression hadn't changed, "Never seen a snake before?"
"Never seen a parselmouth before," Draco admitted, "That's so cool! Teach me!"
Harry and Evan exchanged wary glances.
"Maybe that's not the best idea," Harry said quietly, "It's supposed to be a secret.'
'Massster?' Larry asked, sounding troubled.
Evan blushed lightly, and leaned into a cushion to whisper to the snake.
'What isss wrong?' Evan asked.
'I apologizzze. I ssshould not have ssspoken.' Was Larry's response. Evan had found that snakes were extremely obedient, and even a bit frightened of parselmouths.
'It isss all right, Phillip. Be more careful in the future. We ssshall arrive at Hogwartsss before long. We can ssspeak in private, there.' He hissed quickly.
The snake took that to heart, and ended the conversation.
The twins took the chance to get to know the newcomer, Draco. His whole family had been sorted into Slytherin, and so he was really hoping to be accepted to that house. As for the twins, they didn't care what house they were sorted into. They just wanted to be together. They really didn't want to think about being separated.
A very red haired boy stumbled into their compartment in the middle of their conversation about the various houses.
"Would you mind? Everywhere else is full," he stammered.
Draco looked thoroughly disgusted, but Harry ushered the boy into their compartment.
"Hello, all. My name is Ron Weasley." He said quite proudly.
Evan held back an eye-roll, and plastered on a smile.
"Draco Malfoy." The blonde boy said, but it was obvious that he held himself above the red-head.
"Harry Potter." Harry said, holding out a hand for Ron to shake.
But the boy couldn't. He was in shock. "Harry Potter? Blimey!" he exclaimed, shaking the boy's hand vigorously.
"Evan Potter." Evan said, so that nobody could hear.
Draco had the good manners to shoot Evan a sympathetic glance before throwing himself into the conversation with Harry. Evan sighed. He was all alone, even with a biological friend sitting right next to him.
Five minutes of congratulations and 'can I see your scar's later, and Evan had to get out of there. He practically bolted out into the hall, and right into two red-haired older boys, who were grinning mischievously.
"Harry Potter?" they asked in unison.
"He's inside." Evan spat, then pushed past the boys. He couldn't take any more Harry-talk!
Evan ran to the bathrooms, which were near the back of the train, and locked himself inside. He slid down the tiled wall, and found himself subconsciously petting Phillip.
'Massster, you are hurting me!' the snake hissed in alarm after a few moments of very painfully deep strokes.
Evan started, 'I am sssorry, Phillip. It wasss not intentional.'
'You do not like your brother…' Phillip stated.
The boy blinked at the snake, who he could just see with the serpent still around his neck.
'It isss not hisss fault.' Evan said, 'But no. It isss not very much fun to be sssecond bessst.'
'I do not sssee what isss ssso ssspecial.' Phillip complained.
Evan shrugged, but took faith in Phillip's confessional. It was wonderful to have a friend that was loyal. And Evan could tell that Phillip was loyal to him. Even over other Parselmouths, namely his brother. It was a wonderful feeling that he could trust another individual. And he did. Evan didn't know what magical ability his snake possessed, but it must have something to have been sold from a magical pet shop.
'Thank you,' Evan hissed softly. Then, he stood, and made his way back for his own compartment. Evan's role as Harry's brother would go much easier if he was around.
Harry was positively beaming when Evan re-entered. "Hey," Evan said quietly.
The boy looked over. "Evan! Where did you go?"
Evan shrugged, and slumped back in the corner, which was the only available space.
Harry was tempted to use Parselmouth to speak to his brother privately, but understood that it wasn't to be used in front of people. That only upset his brother.
After a very long conversation in which everybody in the compartment was only interested in what Harry had to say, the-Boy-Who-Lived ushered them all away. All but Draco and Ron. Those two, he kept around because they were in his year, and they hadn't seemed to bother Evan too much.
"Evan?" he asked quietly, "Do you want to go get some Chocolate Frogs?"
The boy smiled. His brother was trying so hard to make Evan feel wanted. "That's all right. Thanks."
"I'll go with you!" Ron offered quickly. He wasn't about to let a chance to connect with Harry Potter go.
"Oh," Harry muttered, "Er…Okay,"
Evan had to smile at his good fortune not to be the famous one. After all, that way, people may not be interested in what he had to say, but nobody bothered him too terribly, either.
Draco smiled as those two left to find the trolley.
"That must be terrible," he said to Evan, "Having a famous brother."
Evan shrugged slightly, very aware of the precious cargo snoozing across his shoulders.
"It's not so terrible…He's still my brother. It's just…hard sometimes." Evan admitted.
Draco nodded with understanding. "I tried to follow you," he said honestly, "But you were gone."
"Can you blame me?" Evan spat, "Everybody's so bloody interested in what Harry thinks. And why? Because some newspaper forgot to mention that there was another kid around that night?"
Draco sighed. "I wouldn't put too much emphasis on what the rest of the world thinks of Harry. What matters is what you think. Besides, having a famous twin's got to boost your place with the girls!"
Evan smiled at how enthusiastic Draco was suddenly. "Not really. They usually mistake me for him, and after I correct them, they're off admiring him, and I'm by myself."
'No longer. I am here, Massster' Phillip drowsily hissed so quietly in his ear that Draco had no idea that he'd made noise at all.
Evan's smile was more genuine after that. Until Ron came back. They were deep in a conversation that Harry was trying to get out of, about Muggle hairdryers. Evan, having grown up in a magical home, didn't know what that was. He did, however, recognize his brother's distress.
"I see what you mean, Dray." He said sarcastically, "That hex could turn out nasty…I think I'm going to try it out the first chance I get."
Draco smiled wickedly when Ron's face grew pale.
"What hex?" he stammered.
Evan pretended to look surprised that the other boys were back. He succeeded frighteningly well.
"Nothing. Hey, Harry! Toss me a Frog, would you?" he asked happily.
Harry cheerfully plopped a Chocolate Frog in his twin's lap, happy to be away from the bad conversation.
"Draco," Harry said curiously, "What's your owl's name?"
The blonde boy smiled, "Killer." He answered promptly.
Harry laughed, "You make Hedwig sound so innocent!" he exclaimed.
Phillip shifted uncomfortably in all the noise, and the shaking shoulders of his master.
Evan managed to gasp "And owl named Killer, and a snake named Phillip…" then he burst out into laughter again.
Ron just looked uncomfortable. Clearly, he didn't like the conversation, which would inevitably end with either a hexed redhead, or a poisoned redhead. And that redhead would be him.
"Er…I think I'm going to go and see what my brothers are up to," he said hastily, then he hurried out of the compartment.
Draco's laugh lit up his gray eyes, and breathed life into his pale cheeks. Then, all too suddenly, it was gone as a very important question crossed his mind.
"Phillip isn't poisonous…is he?" he stammered.
Evan smiled, "He isn't not poisonous,"
"He could bite me!" Draco spluttered. "I'd be dead!"
Harry shook his head slightly. He'd give Evan that moment.
"Not if I instruct him not to bite you," Evan said lightly, "Which I haven't done yet."
Draco's eyes were wide in fear. "Tell him!" he squeaked, "Tell him not to bite me!"
Evan's gaze shifted over to the black snake who was now curled comfortably, with his head resting on Evan's right shoulder.
"He's sleeping," Evan reasoned.
Harry snorted.
"What? You think this is funny?" Draco asked angrily.
"Kind of," Harry muttered sheepishly.
Draco turned a shade lighter, if that was even possible. "I'd like to see you get bitten by a snake! Then I could laugh at you!"
"Hey!" Evan exclaimed defensively. At his anger, Phillip awoke.
Draco's eyes turned downward. "I'm sorry. I'm just…I was bitten by a snake when I was three years old. They said I shouldn't have survived. I've been frightened of them ever since."
Harry was instantly a nurturer. "But you survived." He reminded his friend, "Maybe that was so that you could face your fears. Besides, why don't you ask him not to bite you yourself?"
"Me?" Draco whispered, "But I can't…I mean, I'm not a…"
"That's alright," Harry said softly, "Just say it in your own language."
Draco nodded, and turned to Phillip's head, which was currently protruding his long tongue. He took a breath, then began.
"Hello, Phillip. I realize that you may be tempted in the future, but I beg you not to bite me, because…I would die." Draco finished lamely.
"Yesss, you would." Phillip replied dryly.
Evan wanted to smile so badly, but he held it in.
"Did he promise?" Draco asked hopefully.
Evan shook his head, "Not yet."
Draco nodded, "And not that I've ever died, but it doesn't sound like something that I would exactly want to do."
"Think ssso?" Phillip hissed, bored of the blonde boy's plea.
"So I'm asking you to please not bite me." Draco said bravely.
"That all dependsss on what my Massster thinksss." Phillip was terribly loyal. It warmed Evan's heart that Phillip would consider his interests above his own.
"I do not sssee why you would want to bite him." Evan hissed softly, "But I am inssstructing you to hold back. You mussst only bite people on my command. Do you underssstand? My…Command."
"Yesss, Massster." Then Phillip was quiet again.
Draco gazed at the serpent fearfully, until Evan informed him that he was safe.
The blonde boy heaved a huge sigh. "Thank you." he whispered to the heavens. Unfortunately, the train sort of muffled his appreciation, so that when his thanks got to Merlin, it sounded more like…another two syllable saying that Merlin received a lot, which ended in 'you'.
In his frustration at the insult, Merlin sent down on Draco a quiet, fast curse.
Moments later, Phillip seethed, and raised up to strike the boy, who cowered before it.
"Phillip!" Evan hissed angrily, "What in God'sss name are you doing?"
"Protecting…my…Master…" Phillip hissed, almost inaudibly, then he leapt from Evan's shoulders to the boy, perching poised atop his stomach.
"Phillip, get back here. You told me that you would not strike!" Evan tried desperately to reach the snake, but it was in vain. He would not listen!
Phillip showed his fangs, and began the dive for Draco's throat, but Harry, who was closer, caught him around the middle and yanked him off of their friend. It was a stupid thing to do, but in desperation he'd done it anyhow. Phillip now bared his fangs towards Harry.
When Hedwig saw what that snake was about to do to her Master, she rustled in her cage, and tried her best to escape, and protect Harry.
Evan didn't know what had come over his pet, but he would stand it no longer. He took the snake in a fit of rage, behind the jaw, and pinned him there until he had calmed himself.
Draco look terrified all over again, and Harry looked betrayed. Why had the snake attacked him? Phillip had told Harry over and over that he would never bit a Parselmouth. It went against everything that he was taught when growing up. It just didn't make sense! And why had Evan almost let him?
Evan allowed the snake to slink to the floor sadly.
"I am sssorry! I do not know what came over me! I will never do it again!" Phillip swore.
"You almossst poisoned my twin brother!" Evan spat, "You almossst killed the-Boy-Who-Lived!"
Phillip apologized a thousand times to Harry and Draco, though the latter didn't understand. The boys translated for him. He accepted, and Phillip was back as a friend again. Phillip couldn't explain his behavior any better than Evan could.
Phillip actually curled up around Draco's shoulders temporarily before declaring that it just didn't feel right, and retreating to Evan's.
Harry hadn't spoken in awhile, which worried Evan, but he figured that his brother would come around in time. After all, they were almost at Hogwarts.
A/N- YEA! CHAPTER FOUR IS FINITO! I'm very proud of that, so please try to be nice with all of those lovely reviews that you plan to leave me.
Kisses and Cupcakes
(But only if you review)
DANI
PS: That sign-off looks much cooler in here than it does when it's posted. Don't even ask me how that works.
PPS: I've got a few new chapters up of the Essirb Aras, so go check it out!