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 Gryffindor 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

The door swung open, revealing a tall woman in emerald green robes. She fixed them all with a stern look, and Zephyr tried not to let his uneasiness at being back here show in his expression. Zephyr barely spared a glance at the man who had led them here, unusually big was he was, when the booming voice said, "The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall."

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." The woman, apparently Professor McGonagall, led them all into the castle, past a set of doors through which voices could be heard, and into a small room off the entranceway. She began speaking, but Zephyr zoned out, already wishing he was back with Evan and the others. When the chattering started, he snapped back to attention.

"She just explained the four Houses," Draco breathed. "Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Where do you think you'd go?"

"I dunno," Zephyr murmured. "I'd rather go home."

"I know," Draco replied. "But if you didn't come, the old man would come looking for you, and with Evan and the others, we can't afford that."

Zephyr nodded, swallowing hard. He absolutely hated this place. As McGonagall led them into a long hall, Zephyr's eyes automatically scanned the room twice - once for possible escape routes, and once for sources of confrontation, before his gaze landed on the old man himself. Zephyr clenched his jaw almost painfully. Only Aylen's steady hissing and Draco's hand on his shoulder stopped him from bolting. He had to do this, to protect his brother. But that didn't mean he was going to like it.

McGonagall was speaking, but in his struggle for control over the urge to run or kill Dumbledore, Zephyr missed what she said. Draco's grip on his shoulder tightened until it was almost painful, and Aylen gave his neck a gentle squeeze to calm him.

The next few minutes passed in a haze for Zephyr. When Aylen gently nudged his neck, he snapped out of it in time to hear McGonagall call out, "Perks, Sally-Anne!"

A girl moved forward and put on the old, tattered hat resting on a battered stool. A rip opened like a wide mouth, and Zephyr missed what it called out. Then...

"Potter, Harry!"

Zephyr quickly bit the inside of his cheek to keep from making a face. Across the hall, Draco kept a straight face, though his eyes were slightly narrowed. Anyone who didn't know him well would think he was eager to meet the Harry Potter, but Zephyr caught the flash of anger that flickered in his friend's hazel eyes despite the fact that they weren't standing next to each other anymore.

The whispers that had started as soon as the name was uttered were quickly turning into puzzled and angry shouts. Dumbledore got to his feet, and Zephyr refused to look at the man. "Harry Potter, step forward, please." Silence fell. Zephyr silently counted down from five in his head, knowing Dumbledore would be looking right at him. Before he reached three, Dumbledore spoke again. "There's no need to be shy."

Eventually, things calmed down - Zephyr assumed because he didn't respond to the names "Harry" or "Potter". He locked eyes with Draco as the last child was Sorted and leaned casually against the all. Of course, the name "Ventulus, Zephyr" had not been called, something that both amused and irritated Zephyr to no end. The old fool was still as blind or willfully ignorant as he was when he'd first kidnapped him and Evan.

Just as McGonagall was about to move forward and take the hat away, it called, "Zephyr Ventulus, will you allow me the honor of Sorting you?"

Zepyr fought hard to contain his mirth at Dumbledore's expression, though a glance at Draco showed that his friend was smirking. "Of course," the black-haired child murmured. Soft as the reply was, it carried easily in the dead silence. He strode forward, listening only to Aylen's soft hissing. As he sat on the stool and felt the hat slip down over his head to cover his eyes, his focus was solely on her.

"Hmm..." said a voice in his ear. Zephyr nearly jumped out of his skin. "Very difficult. Plenty of courage, not a bad mind...talent, oh, yes, plenty of that. And an interesting thirst to prove yourself...oh, my."

An image of Evan right after the Elementals had found him was flickering behind Zephyr's eyelids. Evan didn't deserve that, he thought fiercely.

"No, he didn't...and he's...I see. Well, where to put you, Mr. Ventulus?"

Wherever you think is best, Zephyr thought.

"In that case, you'll do your best work and make your true friends in SLYTHERIN!"

Zephyr nodded to himself, and pulled off the hat as he stood. As he walked over to Draco, he could feel the stares of everyone in the hall digging into his back. He didn't care. Let them stare. As he sat down next to Draco and traded smiles with his friend, he found he was actually calm for the first time since he left Evan.

-0000-

Hey guys, Steely here. I have to say I'm sorry for both the lateness AND the shortness of this chapter. I hit a bit of writer's block, and only just now got around to finishing it. :( Sorry, sorry, sorry! next chapter will be longer, I promise.