Yay, finally finished a chapter! I have been so busy, you guys have no idea! I won't bore you with details and I give you a longer than normal and eventful chapter.

I'm not sure if the next chapter I post will be Sweet Protector or another My New Neighbor. We'll see how it goes.

And shout out to Prayde for being an awesome reviewer! Your response -to my response- to your review made me so freaking giddy, you have no idea! Thank you so much.!

Chapter 10: Operation: Get the Stuff

Harry woke early the next morning, noting that he felt unusually comfortable. He stretched out in a cat-like manner and reached over to the end table for his glasses. When his hand ran into nothing he frowned and looked beside him; his glasses weren't there...wait...

Suddenly it all came rushing back to him. The teen grinned and rose from the bed to get dressed. From the bureau he pulled out jeans and a dark blue shirt that were actually quite form fitting. A yawn sounded behind him and Harry turned around to see Dakota on the bed, blinking away the last remnants of sleep. Harry smiled and walked over, scratching the dog's ears below the bandage that was still tied to his head.

"Do you want some breakfast, Boy?" Harry asked him. The Shepherd dog perked up and yipped happily, before hopping off the bed and nudging the door open. The raven-haired teen snorted at his companion's impatience. He followed Dakota downstairs to the kitchen and searched the fridge for breakfast ingredients. He settled on making sausages and scrambled eggs.

As Harry got into his cooking, he started humming a light tune to himself; Dakota sat nearby licking his chops eagerly. He glanced beside him when Nagini came slithering in. The dog wasn't quite yet sure of what to think when it came to the large reptile that shared the house with the strange man who kept trying to cozy up to his boy far more than the shepherd would like.

Harry faltered a bit, nearly knocking over the hot pan as Nagini climbed up his body. He Shook his head and laughed, :What are you doing?:

: I smelled meat...:

:and..?:

Nagini gave him a look, :I like meat.: she hinted. Harry rolled his eyes and forked a sausage from the pan, passing it over to her. She opened her mouth displaying fangs that would've intimidated anyone else (Harry found it difficult to be afraid of a snake with an abnormally silly disposition), and snatched the piece of meat. Watching her made Harry ask a question he'd been itching to know, :So, what kind of snake are you exactly? You look like a python, but I know your venomous...:

:I'm a python slash viper mix, I tell you the things you wizards can crea- gasp!: Her head suddenly perked up high with bubbly excitement, :I'm a Piper!...This is Perfect! Now if you'll excuse me young hatch-ling,... I'm off to find a flute:

Harry looked at her as if she was crazy, which it seemed she most likely was. A flute? :Um, alright tell Riddle breakfast is ready while your at it.: As she cheerfully slipped out of the room singing :Rat buffet here I come!: the teen shook his head, deciding he probably didn't want to know what the reptile did in her spare time. Though he did wonder how she knew about The Pied Piper.

Dakota whined behind him, not liking being left out of the conversation or the food samples. Harry tossed him a sausage. When Riddle came down then he would ask him to conjure some more dog food.

~HPTR~

Nagini crept further and further up the bed until she was nose to nose with her sleeping master. :Tom. Tya~wm. Tom!: Annoyed, the "Piper" tried something else.

Chomp!

"Bwuah!" Riddle shot up like a bullet and toppled out of bed. He growled at being forced into a very un-dark lord-like position. He quickly stood and righted his ruffled appearance, :Nagini, you are aware that you're venomous, yes?:

:As that is the second time that has been mentioned today, yes I am aware. Calm down it was merely a dry bite.:

Riddle glared, pressing a hand against the wound on his nose. :Was there a purpose for this uncouth wake up call?:

:Yes! It's...there's...um...I don't remember: The large serpent rubbed her head with her tail as she tried to recall why she woke Tom up in the first place, Shrugging she exited the room to continue her quest to find a flute.

Tom Riddle groaned, he just had to mix snake breeds. He had half a mind to crawl back into bed when a very alluring aroma finally reached his senses. Grabbing his wand he flicked it towards his wound, healing with a silent spell and got dressed in fairly casual black clothing. Finding himself to look presentable, the wizard left the room, heading for the stairway.

~HPTR~

Harry had just filled up a plate, making his way over to the dining table to eat, when he heard someone enter the room. He spun around to see Riddle in the door way looking a little confused. "What's all this then?" he asked. Harry shrugged and sat down, "A force of habit I guess. Grab a plate, I made more than enough for both of us. Think of it as a 'thank you' for the wonderful gift you gave me last night."

"Well then, don't mind if I do." Riddle set up his own plate and joined Harry at the dining table. He was quick to take a bite. "Not bad at all." Harry smiled at this, everybody loved his cooking; it was one of the few things he prided himself on.

Taking a few bites before speaking, Harry told the dark lord, "I have to ask, how the hell did you get your hands on willingly given unicorn blood?"

Riddle took a moment to ponder this, "Let's just say...very carefully. It is unbelievably difficult to get those horned equines to trust you. Especially when at the time you looked like a snake-hybrid. While I admire serpents, I am much more satisfied with my original form."

"Oh, so that's how you got it back." said Harry, 'I had been wondering how he did that.' He then gave the man a big smile,"Well anyway thank you again. I've never felt better." Riddle felt his mouth go dry at the teen's unknowingly cute expression. With well practiced will power he forced back an oncoming blush (because dark lords don't do blushing) and mumbled a quick, "Your welcome."

After a few minutes of silence (with the exception of the dog chomping away at the kibble Riddle conjured up for him) a new subject was brought up, "Harry, If you don't mind me asking, am I correct in assuming that those muggles had you cook often?"

The teen nodded, "I used to cook every meal for them. I had to learn as soon as I could barely reach the counter top, or at least as soon as I could reach it with a stool. This summer I haven't needed to do a lot of cooking since I've been taking as many and as long shifts at the diner that Linda will allow...I guess I don't need to take on so many now; not that I don't like working there."

Riddle seemed to be listening to him intently, "Hm, I'll admit it is a rather enjoyable establishment, especially since I have the pleasure of seeing you in that cute, form fitting, little apron." Riddle also seemed rather pleased to see the clothes the teen was currently wearing.

The dark lord smirked at the glare he received in response. It hadn't even been a full twenty four hours since Harry had moved in and already the man was continuing his strange, flirtatious behavior. Grumpily, Harry took his fork to pierce a bit of egg and flicked it at Riddle's face, smacking the older wizard in the nose.

Riddle merely scrunched his face in mild discomfort, before wiping the food off his person. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a loud tapping at the kitchen window. Harry was quick to respond, getting up to let the unfamiliar bird in. A large, black crow swooped past Harry and perched onto Riddle's outstretched arm. He took the note from it's leg and read it over. A frustrated look graced his features before he stood with a sigh. "I'm afraid I must step out for awhile."

"Minion troubles?"

Riddled smirked at him and took out his wand; with a quick flick, his plate was cleaned and put back in it's proper place on the shelf. With another flick and a moment of silence, Harry blinked as a long, green, scaly blur flew through the still open window and wrapped around Riddle's shoulders. :NO, I WAS SO CLOSE!:

:Nagini, How many times must I keep telling you to cease filching useless nicknacks from the neighborhood?:

The she-serpent sulked and swore under her breath :I will acquire you next time rat whistle!:

The man ignored her moody rambling and turned his attention back to Harry, " I should be back by this evening, if all goes well." He made to apparate when a thought crossed his mind. He stepped over to the boy and took his hand. He raised it to his lips, "Try not to throw your self into too much trouble while I'm out."

The teen blushed furiously at the warmness gracing his hand; he pulled it away and hid it behind his back, "Oh get going will you." he halfheartedly snipped. Riddle chuckled and finally took his leave, apparating with a loud crack.

"Geez, what is with that guy?!"

Harry wandered into the living room and towards the couch; he started to laugh to himself quietly before it got a little louder until he had fallen on the couch lengthwise, clutching his sides. The ridiculousness of the situation hit him hard. Dear Merlin, He was living with Voldemort!

Dakota trotted in and gave the laughing boy a concerned look. The canine went over and licked his face. "Ahaha...I'm okay Kota."

Oh right, He had work today. Harry glanced around for a clock, spotting one on the left wall saying it was about six-thirty. His shift began in an hour, at least that's what he thought. Shrugging he made to go get his schedule when he paused...he didn't have his schedule, that was with his things;...his most important things, with his photo album, his sketchbook, and – Oh crap!- his wand, back at the Dursleys', under the floor boards of his room. He had left his trunk hidden in the backyard as well, however he wasn't too worried about it as their was very few things of true importance in it; but damn it, how could he forget the things under the floor boards. His wand was in there! How could he have forgotten his wand?! He banged his head on the wall for a moment.

'I'll have to go and get those things before someone else finds them...'

"I need to let Linda know I can't come in this morning...I don't suppose Riddle has a phone around here..." Oddly enough he did.

Harry dialed in the diner's number and waited patiently for an answer. After three and a half rings that answer came, "Linda's diner we serve breakfast lunch and dinner; we don't do deliveries." Harry almost snickered at Linda's not-so-sunny disposition. The woman clearly had yet to have her first cup of Joe of the day.

"What about brunch?" he asked.

He assumed in the following silence that she was pondering the idea, "...we can do that."

The teen rolled his eyes, "Linda, it's me Harry."

"Oh, Harry!" Said boy warmed at the surprised, but happy tone he heard in his boss's voice.

"What's up Hun?"

Harry frowned, "I'm really sorry for the short notice, but I can't come in for my shift."

"Oh dear, are you alright?" he heard the growing concern and quickly put her at ease, "Oh Yes, yeah I'm fine! I just have a really important errand that came up. I can come in for a later shift to make up for it, if that helps?"

He could practically hear the woman shake her head, "Harry, I want you to go ahead and take the whole day off; you need it. You've been here for about a month and already you've worked more hours than either Adele or Carrie have in half a year! Your young, you need to go out and live a little! Trust me you'll have your whole adult life to dedicate your self to a career."

"But-"

"No Butts, just come in tomorrow; the twins will survive a day on there own."

The teen sighed but caved in to her demands, "Alright, thanks Linda."

"Have a lively day harry...-click-" She hung up.

Harry put down the phone and looked over at Dakota who was still settled on the couch. "Alright, time to get sneaky." He gestured for the German Shepherd to follow him out the back door. The two of them made their way to the fence dividing the two properties. Hearing familiar and obnoxious sounding laughter, Harry ducked down and crawled over to a small gap in the fence. The raven-haired teen groaned at the sight of Dudley and his gang hanging around in the backyard. 'Of-fucking-course!' And just because life wanted to be a bitch to Harry once again, they were seated in lawn chairs right by the bushes where Harry had hidden his trunk.

He even saw Ryan, the bastard. Though it was satisfying to see the nasty black bruise on his head from where Riddle had kicked him. Dakota growled next to him, reminding the teen of the bandaged injury that prick caused his now faithful companion. "Fan-bloody-tastic! Two arse-holes who keep trying to rape me in one place!" Dakota licked his cheek in sympathy. He pat the canine on the head while trying to come up with a plan to get past his tormentors.

He had to stop himself from yelping when a familiar reptile suddenly appeared in his direct line of vision, :Geez, Sila! You nearly gave me a heart attack!: he hissed, holding a hand to his chest.

The garter-garden snake ignored his complaint, :What are you doing and why are you on the other side of the wooden wall?:

:I'm living on this side now, I was just here to get my things.:

Sila perked up, :You've escaped the loud, ugly, Dursley apes? We must celebrate with tasty mice!:

Harry cringed a little, :Uh, you can have mine.:

:Two mice? A feast!:

Harry looked back over at the lounging teenagers. :I can't celebrate yet; I need a way to get these guys out of the yard.:

:ooh, let me try!: The serpent hissed sadistically.

:What?: He could not stop the little garter as she had already slipped away.

~HPTR~

Ryan rolled his eyes at D's weakly exaggerated explanation for the bandage on his nose. "While fighting off some dumb-ass burglar!" Bullshit. D was too much of a puss to fight without their muscle backing him up. Damn mama's boy. Ryan was more interested in giving the fat boy's fine-arsed cousin a thorough lesson in punishment. "Hey D, where's the freak?"

The miniature whale had the nerve to give him a suspicious look; how uncharacteristically gutty of him. "Why do you wanna know?"D rubbed his nose absentmindedly as he said this.

Ryan nearly snickered,'I think I just figured out who gave him that broken nose.'

Not giving anything away, the brunette replied, "I wanted to give this 'Harry Hunting' a whirl, it's sounds like fun."

D grunted, "He moved in with our freaky, fagot next-door neighbor." The boy gestured towards the fence. When Ryan glanced in that direction he did a double take as he thought he caught sight of black tufts of hair moving just behind the fence. Grinning, almost insanely, the brunette stood up to go investigate. However, he barely took two steps before a girlish shriek erupted from one of the boys. "SNAKE!"

Ryan whirled around and saw...a small garden snake? "Oh for fuck's sake, you pansies are actually frightened of one measly worm of a reptile?" He glared over at his pathetic "gang."

D gulped and started pointing shakily behind him. Creasing his brows the brunette looked back over at the black and yellow snake...or snakes?! Ryan jumped back as a dozen, even smaller, snakes crawled out from behind the chairs, their patterns were similar to the yellow and black one, but most were green."Geez, D, you need some serious pest control."

Sila was hissing menacingly, :I may not carry venom, but my pretty little hatch-lings do! Show them my pretties!: Doing as their mother instructed they bared there prominent fangs, venom glands and all.

"Shit, I think they're poisonous!"

"Run!"

The boys were all in agreement as they evacuated the yard and frantically ran down the street.

~HPTR~

Harry was left sitting behind the fence gaping at the scene. Dudley and his gang were already halfway down the street by the time Sila returned to him and snapped him, and the equally stunned Dakota, out of their stupor. The small teen stared at the little garden snake, :You have babies?:

She donned a smug gleam in her eyes, :Yup.:

:Since when?!:

:Sometime after this very sensory-pleasing python appeared in the area...or perhaps they were a viper? A piper?:

Harry looked confused, :Wait, you mean Nagini?:

:I believe that was their name, yes.:

:...But she's a female...right?:

:Yes, but she's magical. Any coupling can result in hatch-lings as long as one of the mates is magical.:

:How do you even know that?:

:I'm a serpent, we're naturally intelligent. We do have our own language do we not?:

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, trying to soak up this new information, :Is it the same with...wizards?:

:I believe so, yes.:

Silence

'...Well, damn.' Harry then recalled exactly what a couple certain perverts wanted to do to him and shuddered in disgust, mentally growling, 'To hell with the underage magic law, if either of those cretins try to touch me again I'm cursing them into the next decade!' Focusing back on the mother serpent he told her, :Sila, I don't think it's safe for you and your young to stay in that yard anymore; not that it was before, but I don't doubt that the Dursley's will call pest control to wipe you all out.:

:Hmph, it is they who are the pests! Fear not, I was actually about to lead my brood to a new nest on this side of the wall. I am happy to know that you will be here as well; I wouldn't have liked leaving any of my hatch-lings behind.:

Harry smiled and stroked the back of the protective snake's head affectionately. She gave a purr-like hiss before asking him, :Wasn't there something you required in that field of nasty 'shovels' and shrieking apes?:

'Oh right!' Harry stood up and hopped over the fence, :Thank you and your family for the assistance! When you've established your new nest, please introduce me to your beautiful hatch-lings, I'd love to meet them!: After the garden snake disappeared into the grass with her many young, he looked at Dakota through the fence, "Wait there." He walked over to the bushes and grabbed his untouched trunk. With one quick heave he tossed it over the fence, letting it land a little ways from the dog.

Turning back towards the house, he cautiously approached the back door. He knew that Vernon was at work, but he wasn't sure about his Aunt or -shiver- Marge and her demon dog. Then again, perhaps they were out shopping or something. It would explain why no one came rushing outside to check on the commotion. Dakota whined behind him, "Don't worry, I'll be right back."

The shepherd's ears lay flat, not appearing reassured at all as if he knew Harry had a history of being a magnet for chaos.

The teen stood back against the wall, glancing into the large window on the back door. He could see no one in the kitchen or living room, a good sign. Quietly pushing the door open, he crept inside. Harry cautiously made his way to the front hall and up the stairway. He sighed in relief; it seemed like no one was home. He grabbed the knob to his ex-room and pushed the door open with confidence. Said confidence draining when he came upon the sight of marge sprawled across what used to be his bed, snoring loudly. Harry leaned his forehead against the door and mouthed, 'Kill me now.'

With a quiet sigh, he pushed off the door and crouched where the loose floorboard was. He pulled out the bag he kept everything in (for in case he ever needed to make an escape like this one) and exited the room, closing the door with care as he did so. Marge was still snoring away, none the wiser. Ready to leave his awful childhood home for good, he headed for the stairs.

Growl

Harry froze; there in front of him, blocking his only way to the stairs, was Ripper. Now the bulldog was much smaller than Dakota, but damned if a werewolf wasn't a friendlier sight.

Ripper pawed at the ground like an actual bull, snorting and snarling all the while; then he charged, barking madly. Harry yelped and jumped over the dog, running downstairs as fast as he could without tripping. Reaching the last step the teen blanched as the small, practically rabid dog squeezed between the upper-floor railings and landed with a loud plop in front of him.

Dodging what he was sure would've have been a very nasty bite, Harry ducked into the living room with the intention of crossing over to the kitchen and out the back door. This plan was thwarted when the bulldog skidded out from the other archway and block the back door. Harry pulled a sharp one-eighty turn and made for the front door instead, Ripper's barking not far behind him.

"Ripper, what's with that racket?!"

Harry cringed,...she was awake...The front door was no longer an option. With Ripper behind him and heavy steps coming down the stairs by the entrance, Harry glanced beside him, 'The basement!'

He wrenched the door open and slipped inside with haste. He shut the door quietly enough not to alert Marge, but quickly enough that he closed it in time for Ripper to crash into the wooden barrier. He tensed when he heard heavy steps approach his hiding place. "Ripper cease that infernal barking, you are champion now act like one. We do not chase rats! Let them rot in the dank basement. I'll have to warn Petunia about them."

Harry snorted at her stupidity; though insulted at being compared to a rodent. Hearing her waddle away, the teen walked down the old stairway to search the basement for an escape. He found the cellar doors, but they were locked tightly with a chain and padlock. So he climbed back up the stairs to check if the coast was clear. However before he even touched the knob, angry growling sounded from behind the door. He backed off, "Just great! This couldn't possibly get any worse!" Okay that wasn't true. Ripper could have been down there with him, or Dudley, or -ugh- that Ryan guy.

Pulling at his hair, he thought, 'I don't think Riddle will let me hear the end of this when he gets back..' The teen groaned and glanced around the basement once more; then he spotted a small, high-up window. He could squeeze through that!

Hopping on top of the dryer, he pushed the window open. It took quite a bit of effort, considering it had been closed for so long; but he managed to open it just enough for him to fit through. He heaved himself up and shimmied all the way through and outside into the backyard. He stood and brushed off a stray cobweb.

Growl

Harry's eyes shot ahead of him where Ripper was crouched and snarling. His jaw dropped, "How the hell did you..." he trailed off. His was answered by angry barks. Harry sprinted towards the fence, tossing the bag over before he pulled himself on it. He was about to swing himself over to the other side when a loud telling crack sounded. Apparently having Vernon Dursley climbing over it yesterday weakened the wood. At least that's what Harry deducted as the fence snapped from under him, and fell to the ground with him.

With Ripper undeterred and still on the chase, Harry tried to move away. Unfortunately, his leg was caught under the fallen section of fence. Ripper leaped, teeth bared.

Before the bulldog could literally sink his teeth into him like a new chew toy, Dakota intervened, jumping in front of Harry and bluntly headbutting the smaller dog; forcing him to launch backwards to the ground. The shepherd remained hovering over him in a protective stance, growling at the bull who got back on his feet. Ripper stalked closer to them with caution.

When said canine got too close for Dakota's liking he bared his fangs; his eyes looked wild; fur stood on end and he raised himself to his full massive height. It was a rather menacing sight and Harry wondered if his companion had some wolf in him. He snarled much louder than Ripper could. Finally, them smaller dog yielded with a terrified whimper and retreated.. If he had had a longer tail it would have been between his short legs.

Harry pulled his leg out from under the fencing and hugged his agitated companion. "Thanks boy, you really saved my arse." Dakota barked and licked his cheek, tail wagging proudly. The teen climbed back to his feet, grabbing his trunk and throwing the bag over his shoulder. "This calls for some lunch!"

Dakota "woofed" in agreement.

~HPTR~

Harry spent the rest of the day inside with Dakota (That was enough "living" for one day, Linda). He had checked the dog's head injury, worried that the headbutt might have made it worse. He was surprised to see the wound was nearly completely healed aside from some light scabbing. Riddle had done a fantastic job! Dakota didn't even need the bandage anymore.

The raven-haired teen was currently situated on the couch with his sketchbook drawing a detailed sketch of Dakota's napping form on the floor in front of him. Everything was peaceful and quiet aside from the sound of his pencil.

Scritch, scritch, scritch, erase, scritch,

CRACK!

Harry jumped, startled; Dakota was spooked awake and scrambled to his feet, only to tilt over and fall on his back as his sleep riddled body failed to catch up with his mind. Speaking of riddles...said man was now standing in the living room entrance, Nagini draped around his shoulders. Although, she scented the air a few times before quickly sliding down to the floor and out of the room. Riddle chuckled at the red shepherd's undignified position and received a disgruntled growl in return.

"Welcome back.." Harry told him politely.

The man looked back at Harry and strode over towards the couch, taking a seat beside him. Harry was surprised to hear him release an exhausted breath. Riddle leaned back into the cushions and ran a single hand through his hair. "Rough day?" the teen asked him.

Gone was the brown glamour on his eyes as crimson orbs gazed down on him. He cracked a weak smirk, "If dealing with incompetent morons nearly every day was included in the dark lord job description, that I received, then perhaps I would've reconsidered."

Harry laughed, only slightly uncomfortable at being reminded of what this man was.

He saw Riddle glance down at his sketchbook, "You draw?" he asked while examining the sketch of Dakota.

"I do when I can." Harry answered with a light blush. He was a little shy about the hobby; he had never even told Ron and Hermione about it. His blush got darker when the man grinned, "It's very good."

"Th-thanks."

Riddle held out his hand, "May I?" Harry handed him the sketchbook.

The man flipped through the pages, revealing a variety of elaborate images from Dragons, werewolves, and other magical creatures to figure drawings and sketches of people he knew. Harry really enjoyed drawing people when they thought no one was watching; that was when their true selves peered through. He heard Riddle make a soft sound of surprise as he flipped to a drawing of Severus Snape. As Harry recalled, He had been in the middle of brewing one day in class (the man had actually setup up a demonstration in class one day). The expression was so uncharacteristically serene; so while he probably should have been paying attention to the actual lesson, Harry could not resist trying to recreate the rare expression on paper.

Brows furrowed and Riddle voiced his thoughts, "And here I was lead to believe that your only interests involved Quidditch and meddling in my affairs."

Harry rolled his eyes, " And I bet you originally thought I was spoiled at the Dursley's."

"...Touche." Then the older wizard chuckled to himself.

"What?"

Riddle looked towards him, "I was just picturing the look on Severus's face if he were to ever see such an unguarded image of himself."

Harry also imagined it, "Dear Merlin, he would kill me."

The dark lord outright laughed at the expression of dread on the teen's face, "You sound more afraid of him than you've ever been of me."

Harry looked at him seriously, "I am."

"For Morgana's sake why?!"

"Hey, you've only ever threatened to just kill me while he's threatened me with much more creative methods; and I see him nearly everyday at Hogwarts while I only run into you once a year."

The man chuckled and turned the page, his eyes widened a fraction and his face became blank. Harry, wondering what caused the sudden change leaned over to see what page he was on. The teen found himself wanting to hide his face in the throw pillows when he saw the drawing; he had forgotten about that one. It was something he made just before leaving Hogwarts for the summer. Once he had gotten over the initial shock of the events during the third task, he had been overcome with the urge to draw Voldemort's unusual snake-like form. Harry coughed nervously, "Erm, that drawing...well, I couldn't help but think 'you don't see someone who looks like that everyday.' So I wanted to, sort of, record it. I mean,...it was interesting."

Riddle threw him a befuddled look, "Interesting? Don't you mean terrifying? Really, I startled myself a few times after catching a glimpse of my reflection.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, "It really wasn't that bad. Though yeah, it scared me at first, but that was mainly because the snaky outside was attached to a psychotic, and was going to kill me, inside. After seeing a drawing of you like that a few times, I figured it could have been a lot worse. "

"How So?"

Harry thought about this for a moment, "I know you're not a fan of muggles, but you should look up the Hannibal Lector film. The rich guy in it looks absolutely frightening."

The man chortled and handed him back his sketch book. "Well, you certainly have made that old form of mine seem less repulsive from what I remember." He stood up, "I believe it is a good time for some dinner, yes? I'll prepare something for tonight; any preferences?"

"Anything that doesn't include broccoli is fine by me."

"I've never been much of a fan of the vile vegetable myself." Harry almost snickered at the disgusted face Riddle made as he disappeared into the kitchen. Harry had returned to refining his sketch from before when he heard Riddle call out, "Harry, why is the back fence demolished?"

~HPTR~

In the course of the next three days a new routine was forming between the two wizards in this new arrangement they had. Harry would go to work with Dakota acting as a protective escort. The dog seemed to refuse to let him go out on his own. The loyal canine even took to hanging around in an obscure corner in the diner. Harry was surprised to find that instead of being reprimanded for letting an animal accompany him inside, the customers had taken an instant liking to Dakota's friendly attitude. They loved to ask Harry a lot of questions about his companion and they were always in awe when he told them how he protected the teen from harm. It also helped that Dakota didn't have the common habit of trying to swipe food from the tables.

Around lunchtime Riddle would arrive with a tight bundle of paperwork in hand, settling down in his favorite booth and ordering a meal along with his usual tea. The regular customers were shocked and a little disappointed when they noticed that Harry had quit pouring the cold beverage over the man's head.

Not that Riddle had entirely ceased his advances. Once the tension left behind by the "Dursley Incident," as Harry had taken to calling it, had died down, the dark lord had continued his mission to seduce the teen. Harry was becoming fast aware (much to his horror) of the man's interest in him. At first he had thought he was joking, trying to humiliate him. Now though, he wasn't so sure...

Harry balked at the idea of Voldemort being attracted to him. The man acted like a hormonal teenager around him. ...not like Dudley or Ryan at all... Riddle wasn't exactly what you would call a saint, but the two of them had established a good unvoiced level of respect for the other.

Harry was snapped out of his musings when a familiar face appeared just outside the diner window. He nearly dropped the tray he was carrying at the sight of Nagini waving at him with her tail, just behind the head of a new customer. His eye twitched as he stiffly smiled at the customer, placing the tray before them. With a brief, "enjoy!" Harry ran off at record speed. He entered the kitchen and grabbed for a trash bag, ignoring the curious look Eddy gave him as he ran out just as quickly as he did coming in. The teen was outside in a heartbeat and before the serpent could say anything to him, he took hold of her and stuffed her into the bag.

Ignoring her muffled hisses of protest he ran back inside towards Riddle's seat. "Harry what's wro-?!" The smaller boy grabbed his shirt collar then hauled the two of them into the men's room. He locked the door before dumping the disgruntled snake onto the floor. She hissed grumpily, :Crazy hatch-ling, why did you-:

Harry interrupted her, :What are you doing here?! You're going to cause a panic and get me fired. Most muggles aren't too keen on running into large snakes, Nagini! Geez, what if somebody sicked animal control on you, or worse!:

She seemed unfazed by his scolding which frustrated the teen more. Riddle sighed beside him, :Just answer his question, Nagini.:

The viper mix opened her mouth and lifted her tongue, allowing a folded piece of parchment to fall to the floor. :Tom received a message; it looked important.:

Riddle bent down to pick up the parchment, needing to unfold it a few times before reading it. Harry looked at the snake, :How did you fold that?:

:Magic.:

Harry rolled his eyes, as Riddle cursed," Shit, it is important! I need to see to this at once." The man faced him, "I apologize Harry, I must leave early today." He reached for his familiar, allowing her to settle around his shoulders. He took out his wand and shrunk her so that she could be hidden under his shirt collar and out of the muggles' sight. The man looked to him once more, "Will you be alright getting back alone?"

The teen was near speechless at the genuine concern that he could hear in the man's voice. "y-yeah don't worry, I've got Dakota with me; we'll be more alert on the way back this time." Seeming satisfied by the reply, Riddle nodded and gave him a brief goodbye before leaving the diner bathroom.

"So are you two dating or what?"

Harry yelped as the twins seemed to materialize behind him. "No, of course not!...And you two know this is the men's room right?"

"Seriously? You two flirt with each other everyday and he walks you home! Dude, He eats here everyday just to see you! And you spend your breaks talking with him, oh and-"

"OK enough,We're not dating, we just...sort of ...live together." Now that made it worse.

"REALLY?!"

Adele was bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement, "When did this happen?! Details! Details!"

After several long minutes of the twins' persistent pestering, Harry reluctantly relented, "Fine! You guys noticed how I was always eager to take on a lot of long shifts, yeah? Well my home life was a little...OK very less to be desired. I lived with my aunt, uncle and cousin Dudley-"

Carrie interrupted, "Hold up, You don't mean Dudley Dursley, do you?"

"Yeah, you know him?"

"Good God, we went to the same school as that little cretin! He was a few years below us, but he certainly made a poor name for himself by the time we graduated. You lived with him?! Things are starting to make sense now." Adele nodded in agreement with her sister.

"Yeah, he and my uncle are perhaps the worst people I have ever met, especially when Vernon was drunk or just in a foul mood...but Riddle, he lives next door to my relatives and offered me a place to stay."

"Oh Honey!" Harry was instantly glomped by the blondes in a sympathetic hug. He fought to escape. "I'm fine now, really!"

They pulled and Adele seemed to recall something. "I know we tease you about going out with that Riddle guy, but when he first showed up her with his strange pals, didn't you say he was out to get you, or something?"

"We sort of called a truce for the summer, after he found out about my home life."

Carrie whispered to her twin, suddenly giddy, "They're at such an intimate level of respect! They'll get together for certain!"

Adele whispered back just as excited, "I know, they'll be sleeping together with in the month, mark my words!" They both nodded with mutual agreement, giggling between each other.

"Do I even want to know what you two are saying to each other?"

"Nope!" The girls chirped as they too left the bathroom.

Harry sighed and made to follow "I thought not." Just before leaving he caught sight of his reflection. Was it just him or were there a lot more bright green flecks in his eyes than before?

~HPTR~

Harry's shift ended at eight o'clock today. He tossed his apron in his locker and left out the back exit with Dakota trotting beside him, occasionally throwing suspicious glances at the shadowed corners they passed. In the end the walk "home" was uneventful.

They soon reached the front door of Riddle's house and were quick to step inside. "We're back." he lightly called out as he and the dog moved into the living room. Harry was met by the sight of Riddle sitting in the armchair across from the couch; he was looking at him almost...sheepishly? Green eyes moved over to the couch. The teen froze in mid-step as his gaze met the startled faces of Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy, who were seated on the couch and now twisted around to face him.

Hint: I love reviews! especially the ones that are longer than three words ;3

There are some parts in this chapter where I just decided to be a complete goof-ball...it was fun.

Next chapter: Snape and Malfoy's reaction to Harry and... Tom competes with Dakota for Harry's attention?