Title: Serpentine

Summary: Harry's relatives never raised him. In fact, they abandoned him the day they found him on their doorstep. It's going to be a very different Harry Potter than Albus Dumbledore expects who shows up at Hogwarts ten years later...

Warnings: 1. This is a SLASH fanfiction. It contains yaoi. Male/male relationships. People who dislike fanfics like that should press that lovely back button right now.

2. I can promise you that Harry is NOT a Griffindor here. Nor is he likely to leap before he looks. So sorry to disappoint.

3. Harry. Is. DARK. In. This. Fanfic. I don't care if you think he's OOC. He's supposed to be.

4. There will probably be character deaths. Please, do not flame me if your favorite character dies. You have been warned.

5. I'm not experienced in writing human characters. If you don't want your eyes burned out by massive OOCness and bad character writing, you'd probably be better off reading someone else's writing.

Disclaimer: Me? Own Harry Potter? HA! That's a laugh. If I owned HP, Snape wouldn't have died, but he DID, so obviously, I DON'T own HP.

OoOoO

As Evan began counting down the days to July thirty-first, he found that Zephyr was getting more and more restless. Before the two knew it, they'd been there for fully a week. A week of being locked up in this hellhole. And just another week to Zephyr's birthday.

Evan sighed and ran a hand through his wild brown hair, ignoring the few strands that flopped forward to cover part of his face. He was sprawled on the couch, staring up at the stone ceiling. In a word, he was bored. But it wasn't the 'I really don't feel like doing anything' bored. It was more of the 'I honestly can't think of anything to do' bored. If they weren't in an unfamiliar place with an obviously deranged old man, he'd try to walk off the feeling.

He could tell it was affecting the kid, too. But instead of flopping down anywhere like Evan had taken to doing, Zephyr would pace until Evan told him to stop. The older got the feeling that eventually, Zephyr would wear a hole in the carpet. Speaking of which...

"Kid, give it a rest," he said for the fourth time that day. The agitated sounds of Zephyr's movement stopped before the child leaned over the back of the couch to look down at him. Evan stared back with a blank expression, sure his brown eyes were as dull as he felt at the moment. "What?"

"I want to be outside," Zephyr nearly whined. "I'm getting...inside-a-phobia here!"

In spite of himself, Evan chuckled. "You mean claustrophobia. And I wouldn't advise going wandering around an unfamiliar place."

"Come on, Evan! You're just as bored as I am and you know it," Zephyr pleaded, his vibrantly green eyes going wide. "Please?"

The older rolled his eyes. "Fine then," he muttered. "But I'm coming with you. If you manage to get outside, I really need to stretch my legs." He sat up and got off the couch, stretching as he did so.

OoOoO

"Ha! I told you I could find the way out, Evan!" The boy's tone made Evan roll his eyes good-naturedly. Zephyr had done pretty well. They'd only gotten completely lost once or twice.

Evan stretched from toes to fingertips, then took off running. Not just running, but all-out sprinting. Oh, how he'd missed this! The sunlight, the fresh air, the breeze in his face...He knew Zephyr was just a few feet behind him. After a minute, he skidded to a halt, his heart drumming against his ribcage, his chest heaving, and feeling more alive than he had in the entire week they'd been here. He was tackled by a grinning Zephyr and they both went down.

"Alright, let me up, you great lump," he said, pushing Zephyr off and sitting up. "Go enjoy yourself. Explore, but don't get lost. I'll be here."

"Okay." Zephyr took off again, leaving his brother to stare after him with an amused grin.

OoOoO

After a few minutes of running, Zephyr flopped down on the grass. He couldn't quite keep the smile off his face. Somehow, the way Evan's chocolate brown eyes had lit up when he'd found the way out had made everything worth it.

"Big giant two-legged monsters running everywhere, making noise, disturbing my sunbathing. If I were full-grown I would show them a thing or two..."

The mutterings made Zephyr sit upright quickly. "Hello?" he asked quietly. There was a pause.

"It speaks the tongue of serpents! How unusual...should I find mother, tell her I have found a Speaker?"

Now he could see who...or rather what was talking. It was a small, slender black snake with red markings like flame and bright yellow eyes. It was probably three feet long, and it had said it wasn't full-grown yet. How big would it get, then? And how in the heck could he understand it?

"I'm Zephyr. What's your name, little snake?" he asked, offering it a hand. Its black forked tongue brushed lightly over his fingertips.

"I have no name, little speaker," the snake replied. "Perhaps you would like to name me?"

"Sure." Zephyr paused to consider. "Are you male or female?" He honestly couldn't tell. He thought it sounded like a girl's voice, but then it could also be a very young male.

"I am female."

"Okay then. How about Aylen?" Zephyr had to hide a shiver when the snake crawled up his arm and settled herself around his neck. Her scales were cool against his warm skin, and her weight on his neck felt right somehow.

"I like it," the newly named Aylen hissed softly. "Now tell me about yourself, little speaker. I saw you with the big human. Is he your nest mate?"

Zephyr started back towards Evan, being careful not to jostle his new friend. "He's my brother, if that's what you mean, but we're not really family. I was abandoned and left to die when I was just a baby. He found me and raised me. I'm ten years old now, almost eleven."

"Whoever abandoned you is worthless," Aylen hissed, anger laced into her tone. "Leaving a hatchling to die! It is an outrage! May they be punished for eternity by the serpent god Deathwood when the life leaves their bodies!"

"...Anyway," Zephyr went on, not sure whether to be disturbed or pleased at this. "How old are you, Aylen?"

"Only a season. I was hatched when leaf-time was just beginning. My nest mates and I just left our mother a few days ago. She was sad to let us go, but such is the way of the wood. If you cannot leave your birth-den, you will not survive for long."

"I wish I could have met your mother."

"I have no doubt she would have liked you, little speaker. Is the human over there your nest mate?"

"Yes, Aylen. That's him." He waved to the person leaning against a tree beside the large lake. "Hey! Evan! Come and see the snake I found!"

Evan turned, clearly startled. "A snake, Zephyr? Is that safe?" he called back, pushing off the tree to stand upright as Zephyr approached.

"Probably not, but she hasn't bitten me yet." As Zephyr spoke, Aylen poked her head over the collar of his shirt and stared at Evan curiously. "I named her Aylen. Can I keep her?"

Evan gave the snake an uncertain look. "It...she...hasn't bitten you yet, you said?" Tentatively, he held out a hand to the snake. Her tongue flickered out a couple of times as she tasted his scent, then hissed softly to Zephyr, "Tell him that I like him and I won't bite him or his nest mate."

Zephyr smiled and said, "I think she likes you. And if she hasn't bitten me, she probably won't bite you." Somehow, he knew he had to keep the fact that he could speak to snakes a closely guarded secret until Evan was ready to hear the whole story.

"Well...okay," Evan relented. "Fine. But she's not to go wandering outside our rooms unless she's with you. And if she bites one of us, she's out. You hear me?"

"Yes, Evan," Zephyr said. "I understand." He gently brushed his fingers over Aylen's cool head scales. He understood perfectly.

"Let's head inside, then," Evan muttered, glancing at the snake and away again. "It's getting a bit chilly. And no doubt Dumbledore will tear the place apart searching for us if we're not back by sundown." With a start, Zephyr realized Evan hadn't just been watching the lake. He'd been watching the sun slowly sink toward the horizon.

"Will there be mice where we're going?" Aylen asked when she felt Zephyr beginning to walk again. "I love mice."

Zephyr glanced at Evan to make sure he wasn't within earshot and murmured, "I don't think so. But you can come with me when I go to get my school things tomorrow and we'll find a store that sells snakes and snake food. Okay?"

"That is fine, little speaker. I will trust you to keep your word."

Zephyr smiled and walked a bit faster to catch up with his brother. Suddenly staying here seemed a little bit okay. But not that much.