What if Harry disappeared the night of the attack on his parents' home?  And though Dumbledore looked for him, he searched in vain?  What if Harry was raised under another name, and not by the Dursleys, but by another family?  A wizarding family.  And not a family Dumbledore would approve of.  All will be explained in this story, a very alternate universe.  Not sure how far I'll go with it, but possibly all the books eventually, if I get a good response.

This is NOT Harry Potter as you know him.  This will start off with the same basic premise, but I intend to go off in a very different direction.  Feel free to explain why you think what I've got is incorrect, but don't expect me to change things unless I tend to agree with the point you're making.

The characters are not mine, they all belong to her, so I promise I won't hurt them…too much.

I really want to know what people think, so, if you like it, leave a review at the bottom of the page, or email me at elfflame@hotmail.com.

So, I know the last chapter was a bit short, but this one's a bit longer to make up for it. 

Also, I will be taking a short (promise) hiatus from this fic so that I can finish my other fic, Dragon's Tears.  There aren't that many more chapters to go, so really, it won't be more than a month before another update. 

Thank yous are now at the bottom of the chapter.

And to everyone who's reading, enjoy!

/***13***\

The First Step

The weekend came and went, and time moved on.  The meetings still happened with regularity, and Ron now came every time, often playing chess with Draco the entire time.  Orion met so many new kids, it was hard to keep them straight.  Justin Finch-Fletchly seemed stuffy, and his friend Ernie MacMillan was a complete bore.  Terry Boot wasn't much better, and seemed to enjoy bossing everyone around, but Orion was startled at how well he got on with Susan Bones.  However, they made no new friends, and soon Dumbledore agreed that the meetings themselves weren't necessary, but he encouraged the boys to continue to meet there, and invite any new friends they made to come along.

Classes were beginning to get interesting.  Homework was more than simple rephrasing of the texts to prove they had read them.  McGonagall had started them on more complex transfigurations, and many evenings were spent in the common room trying to get the idea of each transformation down.  Flitwick's classes were quite easy, and therefore rather fun, though Draco and Orion seemed to be the only ones for whom this was true.  Herbology was okay, but a tad on the dull and dirty side. 

But the worst classes were Quirrell's and Snape's.  Quirrell was so quiet, that half the time, even if he wasn't stuttering, you couldn't understand a word he said.  And as for Snape…Draco and Orion had so looked forward to his classes, but now they began to wonder why.  The man went out of his way to make Orion's life miserable.  Any time he raised his hand to answer a question, he was purposefully ignored, and if he forgot himself and answered a question without thinking…Draco was on the verge of calling in Lucius, but Orion didn't want to do that.  He could handle this…whatever it was.  Perhaps he'd upset Professor Snape somehow.  He'd just have to do whatever he could to make it up to him.  Perhaps he'd go talk to him some evening.  But with homework and spending time with Draco, Ron, Vince and Greg, there was very little time left in his day.

One afternoon in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Quirrell seemed to be even worse than usual.  He spoke barely above a whisper, and neither boy could understand a word the man said.  By the end of the class, Orion's head was throbbing, and as he and Orion left the room, he began to feel quite dizzy.

Draco caught him before he could slump to the floor, however.  "Ori?  Are you okay?"

Orion shook his head, then groaned as it began to throb harder from the shaking.  Draco led him carefully up to the Hospital Wing, where the Matron looked him over.  "Mister Malfoy, what have you been up to now?" she asked pertly.

"We were leaving class when he just started looking rather…pale, ma'am."

The nurse pursed her lips.  "I see."  She began to examine Orion's head.  "Where does it hurt, Mister Malfoy?"

Orion pointed to the spot on his head, near the middle of his forehead, but over his right eye.  Most of the pain seemed to radiate from that spot.  It was quite odd, because Draco was the one who tended to get headaches all the time.  Orion could only remember one time, a great many years ago, when he had another headache, but that had been nothing like this. 

Madam Pomfrey hmmed for a few minutes, then turned to Draco.  "I need you to go get the Headmaster.  The password to his office is 'gumdrop.'"

"Yes ma'am."  Draco sped from the room.  He returned several minutes later, Dumbledore close behind, and hurried to the bed Orion lay in. 

"What is it, Poppy?" Dumbledore asked.

"There seems to be something odd about Mister Malfoy, Headmaster.  I don't think that this is a normal headache.  When I looked at his forehead, it was almost at though something was directing me away from where the boy was indicating the pain came from.  Why on earth would he have a spell like that on him?"

Dumbledore frowned.  "How…odd.  Let me see what I can do." 

She nodded.  "I need to get the boy a potion anyway.  I'll be right back."

Dumbledore approached the two boys.  Orion seemed to be out cold now, and Draco looked ready to hurt anyone who came near.  "Mister Malfoy, would you mind stepping aside?  I need to examine your brother's forehead."

Draco looked worried.  "You won't…hurt him, will you?"

Dumbledore smiled.  "Of course not.  He'll be just fine."  He moved to Orion's side, and cast a spell.  "Aperio Magus."  At once, Orion's face lit up, glowing brightly around his eyes, hair, and forehead.  "Curious."  He cast "Finite Incantatum" on the spell over Orion's forehead, and was startled to see a scar where the boy had complained of pain. 

Draco's eyes were saucers.  "What did you do to him?"

Dumbledore smiled calmly.  "I only cast a spell to see what spells might be active on your brother currently."

"But…what's all that stuff?  On his eyes and hair?"

"Well, I think those are the spells your father used to attempt to conceal him from me."

Madam Pomfrey returned to the bed with a potion bottle in her hand, and nearly dropped it when she saw the spell tracings on Orion's face.  "Headmaster!  What is going on?"

"Don't be alarmed, Poppy.  The boy is fine.  He's simply got a few…charms on him.  I think this," he indicated the scar, "However, is the root of his problem today."

"I…I see."  She examined the scar carefully, then woke Orion to give him the potion she had brought.  When he had recovered slightly, she turned to the Headmaster once more.  "I don't know what is going on here, Headmaster, but I can tell you one thing.  That is no ordinary scar.  A scar like that could only come from surviving a curse.  And I've never quite seen it's like before, so I'm unsure which curse the scar may have been caused by.  As for the pain…" she turned to look at the brothers.  "I would advise you to come to me immediately if you have any further pain, Mister Malfoy.  I don't want to hear that you collapsed somewhere simply because you were too pigheaded to come to me for a potion to relieve the pain."  With that, she sniffed.  "I suppose that since you seem to have recovered a bit, you can return to your common room.  But take it easy.  No straining your eyes tonight.  I'll write you a note.  If you have problems with any of the professors, just give it to them, got it?"

Orion nodded and slid off the bed.  "Thank you."
            "Don't thank me.  Just don't come back with yet another malady, got it?" she glared at him. 

Orion ducked his head.  "Yes, ma'am."

Poppy wrote out a quick note, handed it to Orion, and the two boys left the hospital wing.

The rest of the week went quickly, and for some reason, Snape seemed a bit more subdued in Potions that week.  Orion thought that Madam Pomfrey or Dumbledore must have told him what had happened, and he felt guilty about how he had been treating Orion.  He did catch Snape looking oddly at his now-visible scar, though.

That night, no new "friends" came to talk.  Ron was a bit distracted, and stared at the scar for several minutes before Orion told him to "Stare at something else already!"

Ron flushed.  "Sorry, mate."  He looked away, but looked back.  "Does…does it hurt?"

Draco snorted.  "What do you think, Weasel?"  He still liked to egg Ron by calling him that every now and then.

"Just curious, Malfoy."

"Chill out, guys.  No, Ron, it doesn't hurt.  It's just a scar."

"Where'd you get it from?"

"Don't know.  I didn't even know I had it."

"Really?  Weird!"

"Whatever, Weasley, come on, time to lose!" Draco said as he pulled out the chessboard. 

But the thought stuck with Orion through the weekend.  When had he gotten that scar?  Was it just a scar?  Perhaps it was time to ask Lucius.  He sat down Monday night and wrote out a letter.

Lucius,

Something else has come to my attention.  I seem to have a scar on my forehead that I never knew about.  My friend Ron was asking about it, and I didn't know what to tell him.  Do you know where the scar might have come from?

Orion

He sent Saiph off with the letter and forgot about it.  It took nearly a week before Lucius responded. 

Orion,

I will say this once and once only.  You are not to spend any more time with that Weasley boy.  I have informed his father, and we both agree that you would be better off if you were not friends.

The scar is a souvenir of the night the Dark Lord attacked you.  I felt you would be better served not to have such an obvious marking.  If you prefer to have it showing, that is your choice, but I wanted to at least give you the choice.

I hope you are working hard in your classes.  I would hate to have to discipline you when you come home for Christmas because your marks are not what they should be. 

Your father,

Lucius Malfoy

When Orion finished reading the letter, he was livid.  How dare he!  Telling him who to hang out with?  That was none of his business. 

Draco looked up from his homework to see his expression.  "What's father have to say?  You look angry…are you okay?"

"No, I'm not.  Read it yourself.  Feel free.  I need to take a walk.  I'll be back in a bit, k?"

Draco, surprised at this vehemence, simply nodded and watched as Orion left the room.  This time, Orion went straight to the meeting room.  Less chance of running into anyone and possibly hurting them because he was so angry.  But when he reached the door, he realized he didn't want to be alone.  Draco was out of the question.  He'd just take Lucius's side.  But Ron might listen…and who cared what Lucius thought, anyway?

He continued on past the door and up to the portrait of the Fat Lady that Ron had shown him once.  "Password?" she asked primly.

"I don't know.  I just need to talk to someone.  Do you know if Ron Weasley is in there?"

"And if he is?" she sniffed.

"Could you let him know I'm here?" he asked hopefully.

"I am not a messenger service.  You'll just have to wait until someone goes through."

Dejectedly, Orion leaned against the wall.  But luck was with him.  Within moments, Dean and his friend Seamus had appeared, obviously coming from the library.  Seamus was affable enough to pass on the message, and soon Ron appeared.  "Orion.  What's up?"

"Can we talk?"

Ron grinned.  "Aren't we talking now?"

"Privately?"

"Sure, mate."  The two boys walked back to the meeting room, silent for the first time since becoming friends.  The two collapsed on a couch, and then Ron, who was burning with curiosity, couldn't take it any more.  "What's up, mate?  I haven't seen you this down since the first time we talked in here alone."

Orion snorted.  "Yeah, well, the causes are similar.  That was about him too."

"Who?  Draco?  I thought he'd let up on you.  Is he bugging you again?"

"No, not him.  Lucius," Orion snarled.

"Lucius?" Ron asked, completely puzzled.  "Is he in our year?"

Orion laughed at that.  "No.  My 'father.'  But he's not.  Not really."  He hadn't thought about telling anyone since he'd found out, but only Draco knew, and Orion knew where he stood on the matter.  Maybe having someone know who wasn't personally involved would help.

Ron's eyes were huge.  "What do you mean?  Are you and Draco adopted?"

Orion snorted again.  "No, Draco's every inch Lucius's son.  And I wasn't exactly adopted, per se.  Just abducted, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"Ever hear of Harry Potter?"

Now it was Ron's turn to snort.  "Who hasn't?  The Boy Who Disappeared?  But what's that to do with you?"

"Well, he didn't 'disappear.'  Lucius Malfoy 'adopted' him."

"What do you mean?  You have another brother?"

"No.  This scar you were staring at the other day?  That's a little present from Voldemort."

Ron winced at the name, and for a moment, Orion wasn't sure if the message had quite gotten through.  Then realization dawned, and Orion thought Ron's eyes were going to fall out of his head if he opened them any wider.  "You…you're…Harry Potter?  Wow!"  Ron was stunned.  "But…you can't be.  I mean, Harry Potter has dark hair, and green eyes.  I've seen tons of pictures."

Orion tried to calm his response to this.  Ron didn't understand.  Maybe it was time to start at the beginning.  "Lucius Malfoy decided that I would…" his expression twisted.  "…Make a good son.  The night Voldemort disappeared, he took me from the wreckage of our home, and cast spells on me to change my appearance."  He tugged his hair.  "It's all a spell.  He's told me that he'll take it off when I'm ready."

"But why?  I mean, he's a Death Eater, isn't he?" Ron asked, cautiously.

Orion grimaced.  "Yeah.  He is.  Was.  I don't know.  But it's why he was there in the first place.  I guess he thought…" he frowned.  "Well, I don't know what he thought, but he decided to 'adopt' me, kind of a spur of the moment thing.  And he wanted to keep Dumbledore from finding me, so he turned me into Draco's twin."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"So…so does Draco know?"

"Yeah.  We found out at the beginning of the year.  Dumbledore told us."

"You only just found out?" Ron said flabbergasted.

"Yeah."  Orion drew his knees up to his chest.  "But I kind of knew before this.  I got two letters accepting me to Hogwarts.  It's how Dumbledore found me."

"Two?  Why?"

"Well, one was for 'Harry Potter' and the other for 'Orion Malfoy.'  It was kind of creepy, really."

"I bet.  So…is Dumbledore going to take you away from the Malfoys?"

"Nah.  He thinks that since I'm happy, I should stay where I am."

"But…weren't the Potters in Gryffindor?"

"Were they?  Maybe that's why Dumbledore wanted me to have these meetings."  He looked up at the room.  "How strange would that have been," he wondered out loud.  "A Malfoy in Gryffindor…"

"But, mate, you're not a Malfoy!"

"No, but nobody else knows that, do they?"

Ron grinned.  "Nope.  Guess not."  They were quiet for a moment.  Then Ron spoke again.  "So…who else knows?"

"Well, Lucius, of course.  Draco, me, Dumbledore, and now you.  And mum, I suppose.  If he's finally told her."  Orion grinned.  "What I wouldn't give to be a fly on that wall…"  He stared off into space for a moment before turning back to his friend.  "But I need you to promise me, Ron, that you won't tell anyone."

Ron looked startled, but nodded.  "Of course, mate.  Whatever you say.  Nobody'd believe me anyway."

SilverKnight7 – Good question.  Guess we'll have to see, won't we?

SlythCat19 – Glad you liked it.  Everybody's so upset at Snape…I'm only making him like canon… :D

Kateri1 – So glad you liked it.  Totally confused my beta-reader, as she's never played before, but promised that I'd teach her (not that I'm any good…).

Mirie – Glad it was worth it.  I worked really hard on it, despite not being very good at chess myself.  Sorry it was so short, but I figured the match deserved it's own chapter, and there was only so much I could say…  Orion does seem to be a good influence on Draco, yes.  As for the rest of the first year, you'll just have to wait and find out…

Risi – Ah, but it looks like Orion's already on his way, but Draco's fighting kicking and screaming…

Nicoletta – Glad you liked it.  My beta felt the same way.  Ah, but it's not just muggle, it's chess… :D Well, knowing Snape's role in PS/SS, you might want to rethink that, just a bit… ;)

Spiffycool – glad you enjoyed it.  But you know that Draco now only feels more challenged to beat him, right? :D

Hermionegreen – glad to hear it.

Rofro05 – There will be a lot more of Snape in this version of the story than there is in the original.  And I really don't think he can spend as much time with Orion as he'll have to and not revert back to the "Uncle Sev" he knew growing up. :)  But he's quite stubborn, so it could be a while…

JerseyPike – No, he wasn't treated the same as he had been at the Dursleys, but there are other things that would be the same.  I tend to believe that there are two factors on a person's personality.  External and Internal.  External does have a very strong pull, but deep down, there are some "feelings" is the best way I can put it, that aren't affected by external forces.  I think those things, the "Gryffindor" part of Harry/Orion, will still be there.  Just deeper buried.

Sword Wielder-Firebreath – I don't think he'll confront Snape.  It's not his way.  That's what Draco's for… :D

Akuma-sama – glad you still like it.  I'm working on weaving in the plot slowly.  The 'Harry's a Malfoy' was kind of overwhelming.  Ah, yes, well the Lucius/Arthur campaign to separate their sons has now officially started.  Wait till next chapter. ;D  Ah, well, aside from Harry not being in the class that Ron ends up insulting her about, nothing else has really changed…

M.O.J. – Me, too.  Didn't used to, but Draco, and to a lesser degree, Narcissa, have taken over my brain, so…  So, if they're your third-favorite, who are the first two?

Simply Myself – Glad you liked it, despite its shortness.  Ah, I wish I knew where to find a chess set like that, believe me.  It came purely out of my Dragon-addled little mind. :D  If you do find one, let me know, or send me a pic, or something.