~Chapter 11~

By the end of class, Severus felt his nerves grating. The Longbottom boy was a nervous wreck and a dunderhead, a terrible combination. Then there's that smart mouth, Granger, trying to impress him with answers he doesn't call her on. Even the latest Weasley wasn't the best behaved, catching him occasionally flicking things at any of his snakes, though had to admit Draco wasn't helping the situation. The only satisfactory thing he got was deducting points from the three lions, though he felt a tiny bit of guilt for the timid boy.

Ensuring his classroom was ready for the next batch of idiots, he waited as his first year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws came in. The only real upside to these types of classes was the lack of vicious rivalry. It was almost peaceful.

Unsurprisingly, he saw Potter and Riddle sit next to each other, getting what they may need ready. Once the last of the students were seated, he gave them all a cold look before starting roll-call. He paused briefly on Potter's name, unable to hold back a sneer.

"Ah, yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new…celebrity."

There were a few snickers but ended quickly with a sharp glare. When he reached Riddle's name, he had to do everything not to react in disgust or fear.

"And Tom Riddle… I've heard you've been living with Mr. Potter. You must find it enthralling to bask in his glory so often."

He watched the boy flinch, cheeks darkening. Potter simply took his hand into his.

He proceeded with his well-practiced lecture about potions, about the art and capabilities one can achieve. As he explained, he watched the students, making sure not to take his attention off them, Riddle especially. Some looked interested, sitting on the edge of their seats, others looking bored. Despite the earlier embarrassment, Riddle was focused, yet his eyes showed nothing but curiosity and eagerness to learn. Peeking into his mind briefly, he found no walls or barriers. It made sense given what he's been told, but it was surprising either way. He caught small snippets of his thoughts. Things about what they would learn, visiting Hagrid with Harry, the freedom they feel in school…

"That's strange," he hummed.

He was tempted to delve deeper to know what the boy meant but it would have distracted him too much. So he pulled away without the child even realizing his mind had been penetrated. He will have to try again at a later point without risk of distraction or someone taking notice.

"Potter!" Severus began, making the boy visibly jump. Riddle reacted similarly, their hands tightening, flickers of fear flashing across their eyes. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

He watched him screw his face as he tried to remember before something seemed to click. "I don't remember it entirely, but don't they make some kind of sleeping draught?"

"Yes, a powerful one called the Draught of Living Death," Snape sneered. He was a bit impressed but it must be luck. "Riddle…" He saw the boy give him a concerned look. "Where would you find me a bezoar?"

He had to suppress a bemused look by how quickly he looked green before recovering. "I believe it can be found in a goat's stomach."

"Quite correct and do you know what they can be used for?"

"They're a common ingredient for a lot of antidotes."

"You two might just have some hope not to be complete dunderheads," he sneered, the boys seeming to relax. He then turned to the rest of the class. "Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

There was a rustle of quills and parchment, the scratching of words being written filling the room. Barely giving them time to finish, Severus went on to lecture several more things before having them start brewing. He had them go into pairs, hardly surprised by Potter and Riddle pairing up. He started them on a simple potion, a cure for boils, the instructions appearing on the blackboard for all to read.

He waited until they were back to their tables with their ingredients and a quarter ways through brewing before he started marching down the aisles, sweeping over the students. Many he criticized, his voice sharp by their incompetence. At least a couple he commented more positively based on how they prepared their ingredients or the focused stirring. He would glance over and see Riddle and Potter working while taking turns to look when he was using a Ravenclaw as an example.

A couple of cauldrons blew up from incompetence, but in the end, those who didn't try and destroy the classroom bottled their samples. The rest of the potion they disposed of and cleaned their cauldrons. He assigned them homework, ignoring a few groans before sending them on their way.

***0***

As they left, Harry and Tom found they had a few minutes to spare and sought out their friends. They wanted to introduce them to Hagrid, feeling he wouldn't mind. They found the three of them talking together, close to arguing between Ron and Hermione. Talking with Neville, they found out what had happened in Potions for them.

"That sucks," Harry sighed. "Our house lost a few points to."

"Really? What happened?" Ron asked.

"A couple made similar mistakes like Neville," Tom answered.

"That stinks."

"Yeah, but he doesn't seem very friendly. I think he would have found an excuse," Harry said.

"Yeah, that's true. I heard he's always taking points off from Fred and George."

"Well, that's because they mess around, right?" Hermione pointed out.

Ron simply shrugged, "So what are you guys up to? I saw you got a letter at breakfast. What's that about?"

"Oh, Hagrid invited Tom and me to visit," Harry grinned.

"We thought you'd like to come along," Tom beamed.

"Yes, please, I don't want to think about homework right now!" Ron laughed, ignoring the glare Hermione sent him.

With that, they made their way down to the small wooden house near the edge of the forbidden forest. Reaching the door, Harry was the first to knock. The scrambling of sharp claws and loud barking exploded inside. Harry and Tom let out shouts, stumbling backward away from the door. The younger boy pushed the older one behind him out of habit, knocking him to the ground. He tripped over his long legs. The others reacted, Hermione and Neville, going to their sides to see if they were okay.

Hagrid was starting to open the door when he heard the worried shouts and scared whimpers. He opened it, a large hand holding Fang's scruff, pushing the boarhound back inside as he shut the door behind him. A couple of steps and he was by the children, worried about the little boys whose faces were white and tearstained.

"Harry! Tom! What's wrong, boys?" he asked. They were practically entangled in each other's limbs, shaking nonstop.

"Y-you have a d-dog," Tom whimpered out.

Magic was crackling around them, the grass reacting to their fear as they twisted and changed to look like cotton then something sticky. The half-giant wasn't sure which child was the originator or possibly it was both of them, their magic interconnecting.

"'Course I…yeh boys ain't afraid of dogs, are yeh?"

Neville and Hermione were trying to calm them down, rubbing soothing circles on their trembling backs.

"It's okay, it's not out here," the witch reassured, giving Harry's back a gentle pat the way her mother would when she would get really scared. It seemed to have the right effect, Neville doing the same for Tom, earning the same.

They could see the accidental magic lessen, the patch of grass though completely ruined. Those kneeling or sitting in there were covered in the sticky, earth smelling goo.

"What happened?" Ron asked, having been unsure how he could help.

"A-Aunt M-Marge has d-dogs. S-scary dogs," Harry stuttered, taking a few deep breaths.

Recalling the Dursleys, Hagrid frowned. "Give me a moment to get some tea and cakes. We'll eat out here."

Stepping away, he kept Fang from bounding outside. The barking was stressing them enough from what he could see by how they couldn't stop shaking. At least their magic wasn't going out of control. He got the water boiled and fetched a tray with mugs, tea bags, sugar, and rock cakes.

"There we go. Much nicer outside anyway," Hagrid tried to reassure. He moved them to the side yard where his garden laid.

"We're sorry we ruined the grass," Harry apologized.

"Nonsense, nothin' little tilling won't fix," he reassured, passing him a cup of hot tea loaded with sugar. He passed a similar cup to Tom. "How yeh boys feelin'?"

Tom's hands were still shaking, almost burning himself when he took a sip. "Is he dangerous?"

"Fang? No, he's a big ol' coward. When you feel up fer it, I can introduce him to yeh, show he's harmless."

They nodded but didn't seem eager. Their fear seemed deeply rooted which worried the gamekeeper. Whoever this Marge person is, she must have some mighty beasts to traumatize these poor kids. To help further calm them, he asked them about their classes and how the school's been treating them. They started to relax and shared their experiences so far. They also introduced him to their friends as they went on.

"I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest," Hagrid chuckled, the redhead laughing.

"Sounds like them," Ron grinned.

"Say, how's yer brother, Charlie, doin'? I liked him a lot. He was great with animals."

"He's doing great," Ron smiled. He shared with him about his brother's work in Romania, the others listening intently.

"I should bring that dragon book with me next time," Tom smiled, his mood becoming brighter. "There's some really fascinating information about dragons."

"Would love to raise me own dragon," Hagrid sighed dreamily. "Always wanted one since I were a kid."

"Why haven't you?"

"They're illegal to own," Ron answered. "A lot of them can be nasty to raise even with experienced handlers. Charlie's been burned a few times working at the reserve. And you can imagine what it would be like for wizards to keep one in their backyard without Muggle neighbors finding out about it."

"That makes sense," Harry hummed.

"You know, there are a lot of myths around dragons even among Muggles. Some are revered as gods, others as demons," Tom added.

"Really? I didn't think Muggles would know about dragons," Neville awed.

"Magic is known to them, but most think it's fake. It could be a means to protect wizards so if they get spotted they could write it off as dressing up for fun or something," Hermione theorized.

"There are a lot of books in the library near where we live that mentions magic. They're called fantasy books," Tom said. "A lot of them are kind of silly when you compare them to what we're learning, but others are amazing with the detail."

"That's cool. Maybe I can ask Mum or Dad if we can visit a Muggle library at some point," Ron grinned.

"I bet you would have a lot of fun reading the differences," Harry grinned similarly.

They continued to talk about different things until it grew late, the kids eventually bidding Hagrid goodnight as they hurried their way back to the castle. As they got close, Ron decided to ask something that's been bothering him since they first arrived at Hagrid's.

"Harry? Tom?" They looked at him, making him grimace of how to word it before deciding to just go with it. "Why were guys so freaked out before? You said something about dogs and an aunt?"

Their faces fell, staring into the grass.

"My aunt," Harry started. "Aunt Marge raises bulldogs."

"One of them bit me once," Tom added, gesturing to his leg. "It hurt a lot and I needed stitches."

"What? That's awful!" Hermione gasped. "Was it sick or something?"

He shook his head, "No, they just like chasing us whenever we visit."

"And she doesn't stop them? That's completely irresponsible!"

"I suppose," Tom murmured, feeling uncomfortable. He grabbed Harry's hand, feeling him squeeze his hand.

Hermione wanted to say more but closed her mouth.

"So that's why you're afraid of dogs?" Ron asked with concern. It upset him seeing how ashamed they looked. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "I'm afraid of spiders." He hadn't meant to reveal this but he also wanted to prove to them that they didn't have to be ashamed.

"You are?" Harry asked.

Ron nodded; face burning, "Yeah. Fred turned a teddy I had into a spider when I broke his toy broom. I don't really remember how, if it was by accident or we got into a fight and I broke it in anger. Mum and Dad weren't too pleased though. George even got upset and wouldn't talk to Fred until he apologized."

"And did he?" Tom asked.

"Eventually, we were all really little and I guess pretty stupid," Ron laughed with a strained smile. "But that doesn't make me any less afraid of spiders."

"Everyone's afraid of something," Neville said softly, hands clasped together. "Sometimes fear gets you and doesn't let go. Other times, it can be shrugged off."

"That's pretty insightful," Tom said, making the timid boy smile.

"Thanks, Gran tells me that whenever I get scared. She tells me that while it's okay to be afraid, I can't let it control me. It's really hard though."

"Fear keeps us alive as much as it can get us killed," Tom said as they went inside.

"I didn't think of it like that."

"It's something I read in a book," Tom hummed, earning a snicker. "What?"

"You seem to find a lot of stuff from books," Ron laughed. "But that's good though. I mean, at least you find really interesting stuff."

"He always does," Harry laughed.

"And what about me?" Hermione huffed, though a small smile could be seen.

"You talk about nearly everything from whatever you read. Tom keeps it short and simple."

"Not always," Harry teased. "You should hear him when he finds something new or really likes and can't stop talking about it."

"You're just as bad," Tom pouted, cheeks pink, but wore a smirk.

Soon they couldn't hold back and broke out laughing as they continued teasing and bantering with one another. They talked a bit longer before they finally had to part ways and return to their common room. They bid each other goodnight as they went their separate ways.

***0***

The weekend was peaceful and fun, the children getting together and working on homework at Hermione's insistence. In return, the moment they finished, the boys would drag her off to go play whatever games came to mind. When Monday came, classes resumed as normal, the friends getting together during shared breaks to talk or help one another with schoolwork.

On Tuesday morning, Harry and Tom came out to their common room, finding their year mates crowded around a notice. Going over, they read they were going to start flying lessons later today with Ravenclaw.

"If we're flying with Ravenclaw, that means Gryffindor's going to fly with Slytherin for their lessons," Tom said with concern.

"Yeah. I didn't think so many of them could be jerks," Harry sighed.

While he and Tom haven't seen or spoken to everyone who is part of Slytherin, the ones they have bumped into, many hadn't been friendly. Some were rude, others grumbling racist things about them or any Muggle-born friends. The longer they've been in school some of the older Slytherins started to tease the two friends about their closeness. They weren't sure who started it as others joined but didn't fully care. Yes, it hurt getting picked on but they were also used to it. Dudley and his gang did the same thing back in primary.

"You're talking about, Malfoy, right?" Hannah asked.

"Among others," the younger boy said.

"They're not a very friendly bunch. Then again, I heard some of their parents aren't very nice either. But there's been a couple who are nice. An older boy from Slytherin helped me when I tripped and dropped my books on the way to the library."

"That was nice of him."

She nodded, "Yeah. He told me to be more careful before he left for his class. I just hope I didn't cause him to run late."

"You could ask Professor Sprout. I'm sure she could find out if you remember the day," Tom suggested.

"That's a good idea, thanks," she smiled.

The three of them and the rest of their house headed out to the Great Hall for breakfast. As they ate, owls flew in, Hedwig and Eliana visiting their owners, earning compliments and praise.

"Thanks," Tom smiled when his owl dropped a pretty stone on his plate. He wiped it off to look at it more closely, finding it was another river stone, starting to get a pile of them. "You really like collecting these, don't you?"

He made a note to dump them outside soon before there's too many to carry. Then again, he could ask Professor Sprout if he could use them to decorate some of the plants in the common room. Some of the stones are pretty and it would be a waste to throw them back outside.

Eliana hooted as she stole some bacon and fluttered off. Hedwig joined after nibbling on toast and taking some bacon as well.

***0***

After a day of classes, three-thirty arrived, the group of first years arriving on the training grounds. It was a nice day today, hardly any clouds with a pleasant breeze blowing. On the ground was a collection of brooms, the boys recalling Ron telling them about Fred and George complaining about the school brooms and they could see why. They didn't look to be in the best shape, hoping they're safe to fly on.

The teacher showed up minutes after they arrived. She introduced herself as Madam Hooch. She looked to be a stern woman with yellow eyes resembling a hawk's.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked out. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."

They scrambled, the two friends standing side by side. They had to fight the urge to hold each other's hands so they can handle their assigned brooms.

She instructed them what to do and with a chorus of "Up!" gave various results. Harry's shot straight into his hand being only among a few to succeed. Tom took a couple of tries before getting his to finally listen. Others had similar experiences from going straight to their hand, rolling, twitching, and one student getting clocked in the face.

Once everyone had a broom in their hand, she showed them how to mount and the correct position.

"Very good," Hooch nodded after doing a final once over. "Now, when I blow my whistle, I want you to kick off the ground, hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly." Seeing everyone was ready, she gave the count down. "On my whistle…three…two…one!"

The shrill sound rang and students kicked off as instructed. Several more or less hopped around, others hovering, Harry and Tom amongst them. Getting down was easy, a few stumbling when connecting with the ground.

"Keep trying, come on now," the woman called to those still struggling. Turning to the others, she told them to repeat the routine a few times.

About halfway, she had them all grounded, brooms down. She had them repeat summoning the brooms, working on those struggling still. Once they got better, she had them practice rising and landing, advising on how to land without stumbling or risking injury to their back and legs.

"Very good, Potter, you did very well. Is this your first time on a broom?"

"Yes, ma'am," Harry nodded.

"Seems flying comes naturally to you," she complimented. "You too, Riddle. You look like you've got potential there."

"Th-thank you, ma'am," the boy flushed, Tom blushing equally hard.

"Be sure not to forget what I've taught. That goes for the rest of you, class dismissed."

The first years left the brooms and hurried off, the rest of their day free.

"Harry, Tom, are you guys heading to the library?" Susan called.

"Yeah, we are," the younger nodded.

"Think Hannah and I can come with you? We're having trouble with some of the homework assigned."

"Not to mention the test tomorrow," the other girl added.

"Sure, the more the merrier," Tom smiled as they walked together.

On the way, they talked about what the girls were struggling with, the pair offering advice about what they knew. They even offered to show them some of the charms they've practiced, giving them an actual visual than verbal alone. Both were shocked and excited, asking if they could teach them as well. The only spells Susan had learned to use from their Charms book have been Lumos and Nox. She hadn't quite figured out how others worked.

"You're going to love the Levitation Spell, it's a lot of fun," Harry laughed.

"Really?"

Tom nodded, "If you know what to use it for. Harry and I made games using it."

"That's so cool!" Hannah laughed. "What kind of games did you do?"

"Mostly racing or seeing who can do the most tricks before we lose control."

Getting closer, they spotted Malfoy and his gang hanging around in the corridor, the blond doing most of the talking.

"Look who it is, Potter and his pet," the blond sneered.

"Tom's not some animal!" Hannah scolded.

"Tch… That's a bit hard to see with the way he follows him around. It's sad really," Malfoy stated with false sympathy.

"What are you getting at?" Harry growled. Tom grabbed his hand, easing him somewhat.

"That for starters. Boys don't hold hands, especially boys our age."

"So? They're best friends. Why shouldn't they?" Susan defended, crossing her arms.

"Of course, girls wouldn't get it. You're all touchy-feely."

"And guys can't?"

"Why should I even bother explaining?" Malfoy exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air, looking both frustrated and embarrassed. Glaring at the two boys, he seemed to grow more frustrated. "You know what, forget it. Let's go!"

They blinked at the strange confrontation as the confused boys followed the blond who still looked upset.

"I think he's jealous," Hannah said with a giggle.

"Jealous? Malfoy?" Harry blanched. Tom shared a similar look.

"Yeah, I think he's jealous of you two. You're really close. A lot of people talk about it."

"They do?"

"You hardly pay attention," Susan chimed in as they resumed walking. "Though, I guess I can't blame you. Some people are still talking about having the famous "Harry Potter" attending Hogwarts."

"Why can't I just be Harry?" the boy groaned.

"Then just be Harry," the girl said simply. "No one's forcing you to be anyone else."

"But what do people say about us? I know some of the older students make fun of us because we're together a lot," Tom said.

"Well, they're idiots for making fun of you. But most I hear is positive. They think your friendship's really special. Some idiots think you're friends with Harry because he's famous, but it's pretty obvious that's not true."

"I didn't even know Harry was famous until we found out we were wizards!"

"Wait, really? Neither of you knew? How?"

"We live with Muggles. They're…not big fans of magic."

"That's strange. Orphaned magical children usually are placed with a magical family. They only get placed with a Muggle family if they know magic or were written in the will of the child's parents."

"I think I remember reading something like that before," Tom said, thinking about it. "How do you know?"

"My aunt. She's head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She has a lot of law books, magical and Muggle. Sometimes I'll read them when I'm bored or to try and understand what she's talking about."

"So she's like a lawyer or a police officer?"

She shook her head, "Closer to a judge."

"Wow, so she had to have seen a lot of court cases then," Tom awed.

"She has. She doesn't tell me about all of them though. But there have been a few she's told me because they were funny or had a really happy ending. Like this one time…"

I wanted to make it, more is since he has Tom with him, Harry more capable of answering questions thrown his way, even if he's not entirely sure of the answer.

And for the dog thing, I felt given the way it was explained how Harry had been constantly chased by his aunt's dogs, I would have thought he'd be more afraid of them, especially when it came to bigger breeds such as Fang. So, I made that fear more evident for both boys.

I'm also enjoying how I make the interactions between Harry and Tom with other kids, such as their housemates, and hope to develop them since a lot of them barely were far as I could tell since they weren't protagonists, even on a minor scale if that makes sense.

I want to thank Krysania (Tat) for helping me with this chapter.