Tom and Harry jumped apart forcefully, the handcuffs biting painfully into their skin

A/N: Can you believe it? Two updates in less than a week. -Shakes head- I need a life. I've had the flu the past week, which means no school for me! All I've had to do around here is write. Oh, and talk to my Christmas tree. -Grins- Anyway, enjoy it. I'll try to get another chapter out before I go on holiday, because we're doing some traveling, and I won't have access to a computer. Don't hold your breath though, it may not happen.

A/N2: Revised.

Warnings: More slash seedlings, but they're still in the baby stages.

Key:

Speech: "Praise the Gods! She updated!"

Parseltongue: §"Praise the Gods! She updated!"§

Thoughts: 'Praise the Gods! She updated!'

Disclaimer: -Hums distractedly-


Tom and Harry jumped apart forcefully, the handcuffs biting painfully into their skin. Harry had gone a brilliant shade of red, and it was a testament to the strength of Tom's Slytherin mask that his face didn't match Harry's. As it was, he looked rather green.

Harry raised a shaky finger to point at Nagini.

§"Obviously you've spent too much time with Voldemort, because your brains are addled."§

§"Obviously you've spent too much time with Gryffindors, if you can't see something that's as plain on the nose on your face."§ She retorted.

Tom shook his head.

§"Sorry Nagini, but I do believe Potter may have a point on this one. You're quite obviously out of your mind."§

She nodded approvingly at them.

§"It's good that you two agree. Mates should always be on the same page."§

Both boys sputtered. Nagini flicked her tail, a wicked glint in her eye.

§"Tell your humans that I'm not going to eat any of you."§

This sufficiently distracted Harry, as he turned to look at the others in the room, who were watching with suspicion and trepidation. Tom continued to glare at Nagini. Harry ran his hand through his hair agitatedly, making a split decision.

"It's okay guys, she's a friend." He glanced over at the smug snake. "Ish."

Dumbledore frowned.

"Ish?"

"Well, she's not going to eat any of us, anyway."

"Are you positive?"

"Pretty sure."

"Harry." Dumbledore's tone was warning.

"That's the best I can do, Sir. I'm pretty sure she won't try to eat any of us."

Tom nodded.

"She wants to stay here, and she knows she won't be able to if she does anything harmful to anyone here."

Nagini flicked her tail in annoyance.

§"She is right here."§

Harry and Tom glanced at her, while everyone else shuddered.

§"And how exactly do you plan to join the conversation?"§

§"Watch it Potter."§

He rolled his eyes at her. She huffed.

§"I saw an old house elf on my way up. When you learn some respect, I'll be hunting him."§

She slithered out of the room, but paused to smack a sniggering Harry upside the back of his head with her tail. Harry swore and rubbed the back of his head, muttering about mad snakes.

Everyone watched her go with poorly concealed relief, then turned back to look at the two raven-haired teens.

"Where'd she go?" Sirius asked.

Tom, who was watching Harry with no little amount of amusement, glanced at them.

"Huh? Oh, right. She said that she was going to go hunt a house elf."

Hermione looked horrified, but Sirius grinned.

"Maybe having the snake here isn't such a bad thing."

TRHPTRHPTRHP

Once everyone had been resettled in the kitchen, Dumbledore looked gravely over the top of his glasses at Harry and Tom. More specifically, at Harry. He opened his mouth, but Harry, panicked about what he might say, cut him off.

"Hey Riddle, how'd you end up in my neighborhood?"

The question caught everyone off-guard, and despite the fact that it was obviously an attempt to side-track them from what Harry had said earlier, they looked at Tom for an answer.

"I apparated."

Everyone gaped at him.

"You're underage! How do you know how to apparate?"

He rolled his eyes.

"I learned."

"It's illegal!"

He snorted.

"So?"

Hermione frowned and cut in.

"I understand that it'd be untraceable in this time, but what about in your time? Couldn't they track you?"

"Only if I used my wand."

They stared at him blankly. He sighed.

"Not all magic requires a wand."

They continued to stare, but Harry tilted his head to the side.

"Like the animagus transformation."

Tom nodded. Harry frowned a bit.

"I suppose it would be the same principle, shifting your body to break a certain restraint. For an animagus transformation you'd be shifting through the bodily restraint, from form to form, and for apparition you'd be shifting through the restraint of space, from place to place. For that sort of thing, you don't require a wand or potion, although those things make it easier."

He looked at Tom, as if looking for confirmation. Tom nodded. Looking back at the others sitting at the table, they found that everyone was staring at Harry with unflattering disbelief. He blushed.

"What?"

Everyone looked away, slightly guiltily. There was a low chorus of "nothing".

Harry scowled, but turned back to Tom.

"Don't you need an exact location to apparate?"

Tom nodded.

"When have you ever been in Surrey?"

§"When did that become your business?"§

§"It became my business when you turned up in my neighborhood and ended up attached to my wrist. And why the switch to parseltongue?"§

§"The parseltongue is because I don't enjoy shouting out my secrets to just anyone Potter."§

§"Why tell me then?"§

§"I'm not going to tell you."§

Harry scowled. Tom tilted his head with a smirk.

§"Maybe if there was something in it for me…"§

Harry looked at him warily.

§"Like what?"§

§"Tell me what you meant earlier, about your relatives."§

Harry sighed, then shook his head at Dumbledore, noticing that the old man was about to interrupt them.

§"I tell you that, you tell me this."§

Tom nodded.

§"Deal."§

Tom looked around at those around them, who where once again watching the two teens with something akin to terror.

§"Let's go somewhere else."§

§"Why?"§

§"I'm not telling you in English, but I dislike being stared at with horror every time one of us says something in Parseltongue."§

Harry seemed to notice that they were being watched, and blushed again.

"Sorry guys. Um, excuse us for a minute."

Tom and Harry stood up, but Dumbledore stopped them.

"Where are you going?"

The two exchanged glances, and Tom answered.

"There's something we need to discuss."

Dumbledore frowned.

"Actually, there's something Harry needs to discuss with all of us."

Harry stiffened, but kept his face carefully smooth.

"All due respect Sir, but I need to speak with Riddle."

Dumbledore sighed.

"Harry, you owe us an explanation. We need to talk about your relatives."

Harry's face hardened. He had been half turned away from the table, on his way out the door, but he spun around. He didn't seem to notice that the action caused the handcuffs to bite into his already sore wrist, although Tom hid a wince.

"I don't owe you anything."

Livid green met startled blue for a split second, a thousand sorrows left unsaid. Then Harry spun on his heel and walked out, Tom a half step behind him.

There was a shocked silence, and then McGonagall sighed.

"Well done Albus."


A/N: This chapter kind of had a mind of its own. -Shrugs- Ah well. Review please!