hey everyone, i though i'd surprise you with a new chapter ahead of time and i hope you all like it and are doing well

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After the conversation dwindled off Nathair excused himself to his room so he could get ready for the ball that was starting in a few hours. As he made his way to his room Nathair couldn't help but wish he could get out of going to the ball, that the last thing he wanted to do was act and play spy the whole night to get through the evening with politicians and power hungry pure bloods.

With a flick of his Nathair entered his room and the candles that were constantly floating around the room, much like those in the great hall at Hogwarts did, sprang to life. Really there were candles all around the manor, and most every other wizarding home, with no electricity candles were the best way to light a room, casting lomos took too much energy and concentration to sustain for long periods of time. Though wizards had a much easier time with using candles than muggles, they were charmed to light and extinguish on command, not drip hot wax, and not light other things on fire, even by accident. Walking further into the room Nathair was surprised to see a large box on his bed. It was covered in shiny silver paper with an equally shiny emerald green ribbon tied around it with a bow so big that it was nearly the size of the box. The box had a simple folded card sticking out from under part of the ribbon, lifting the card Nathair made out the spiky words.

My Mate,

I know you said you will need time to come to terms with everything but I couldn't stop myself. So here is a Courting gift, the first of many I intend to shower you with. I hope you will love it and I trust you to truly appreciate such a gift.

F.G.

Putting the card to the side Nathair began to untie the ribbon and tear away the paper to unwrap the gift. With the ribbon and paper gone Nathair lifted the lid of the box and came face to face with a dark grey and white striped fenny snake. It was sleeping curled up on a warming rock in the middle of the box seemingly unaware of Nathair's presence. As he looked down at the snake Nathair couldn't help but smile warmly down upon the sleeping snake. Yes, he now understood what Fenrir meant when he said that he trusted him to appreciate such a gift. As a parseltongue Nathair could create a deeper bond with a snake than with any other animal, not that he would let anyone or thing take Hedwig's place in his heart or by his side. He stared at the snake again and he knew that Fenrir knew him very well to get him such a present, and a first present as well meaning there would be more to come.

Fenny snakes were known to be very loyal to their owners when tamed and would be even loyal without being trained. To have the ability of parseltongue meant that he could communicate and win over the reptile without having to train it therefore no doubt making it more happy and loyal to him. It also didn't hurt that fenny snakes were magical and very potent in their venom. Not wanting to wake the creature Nathair levitated it on it's heated rock and out of the box and into the corner of the floor by his bed that was close to the fireplace and would keep the snake even warmer. Vanishing the box and it's wrappings Nathair sat down and wondered what he was going to call his snake, or if it had a name already.

Being named a name that means snake and being adopted into the Slytherin family he knew he needed to find a good name that would fit and would cohesively blend into the life he now led, to show that he had found his family. Thinking about names that meant snake like his own name or were used for snakes and Nathair didn't think any of them would fit the sleeping snake. Moving off his bed Nathair went to one of his bookshelves and started pulling books on what muggles would call mythology but to the wizarding world was their religion. Unlike the muggle world who pushed them away in favor of newer religions like christianity, the wizarding world stayed fast to the truer powers of the world. Setting back down on his bed with both arms filled with books Nathair looked through them looking for possible names for the snake. It was only after half of the books that Nathair had found one he thought fit the snake perfectly. Apophis, the egyptian snake god of chaos. Many people often called his father and followers chaotic so Nathair felt that the name would fit.

Nathair decided to wait until the snake woke up so he could ask it what it thought of the name before he named it. Looking through the other books for alternate names in case the snake wanted a different name or was a girl as the name he liked was a male god's name.

It wasn't until Nathair noticed the room getting darker that he realized that he had gotten distracted by the snake and had completely forgotten he had to get showered and dressed for the ball and feast and that he had only had an hour and a half to get ready for. Tossing the books aside with a flick of his wand which sent them back to their places on the bookshelf as he took off into his bathroom stripping off his robe as he went. Showering as fast as he could Nathair hopped out and quickly dried his body with a spell leaving his hair damp which he then spelled into a tight braid then dried it completely before letting the now dry braid sit in between the middle of his shoulders.

Walking out of the steaming bathroom over to his wardrobe Nathair looked through it searching for his blue robes that he had decided on wearing for the ball. Once he found it he placed it on his bed then went in search of socks and underwear and his dark leather formal shoes that would go with the robes. Getting dressed Nathair had just put on his trousers when he heard frantic and confused hissing. Walking around the side of his bed Nathair looked and saw that the snake had finally woken up and was confused.

"What's going on?... While at least I'm out of that stupid box… I can smell another snake, I wonder where it is?"

"She's not here right now," Nathair hissed to the confused snake before the snake pinned him with it's red gaze.

"You speak! How?" Asked the snake, eyes wide in shock.

"I just can, so can my father, it's a gift that has been passed down in our family."

"Why am I here, not that I want to be back in that glass case cramped in with all those other snakes."

"Well you were a gift for me," said Nathair. "My future Mate decided that a snake would be a good courting gift for me and chose you. If you don't want to stay with me I won't make you but I can promise you'll be safe and fed. If that isn't enough to convince you you can always talk to Nagini before you decide, she's that other snake you smelled and is my father's familiar."

"I suppose," hissed the snake.

"If you don't mind me asking do you have a name?"

"No," mumbled the snake. "We snakes don't give eachother names like you humans do."

"While if you do stay I would like to give you a name. What do you think of Apophis, it's the name of a powerful snake god."

"Powerful," the snake hissed. "I suppose I could live with that."

Nathair could hear the snake's ego growing in that statement and wondered why he was surrounded by so many people and creatures with such large egos. It was a wonder they could stand to be near each other and have any room left over with the sheer size of their egos.

"If you would like to come with me after I finish dressing I can take you to see Nagini so you can talk to her for a few hours before you decide whether you want to stay or leave. And if you do choose to leave I will take you wherever you want to go."

The snake agreed and Nathair finished getting dressed in his formal blue robes and just after putting his shoes on and making sure his overall look was appropriate for the ball before approaching the snake.

"I'm ready if you are? Would you like me to carry you?"

"No, I shall follow you."

"I would watch out, there are others living here and they won't know to watch out for you," Nathair warned the snake as he stepped towards the door.

"In that case I would rather you carry me, I detest being stepped on."

Allowing the snake to slither up his legs and settle on his shoulder Nathair started walking to his father's room and not finding Nagini there he headed to his father's office as besides the bedroom she slept in his office more often than not, usually on her own heating rock next to the fire. Poking his head in the empty office he did spy her sleeping on her warmed rock.

"Nagini," Nathair hissed as he closed the door and walked over to her hoping to wake her without needing to poke her which he had to do most of the time to get her to wake as she was an unusually heavy sleeper for a snake. "Nagini, wake up."

"Mousey," she shifted as she slept on, curling further in on herself.

"I'll give you a mousey if you wake up," Nathair muttered in hopes that the bribe would encourage her to wake up.

"Can I have a mouse too?" Asked Apophis, who looked hopeful at the thought of getting a mouse, from Nathair's shoulder as he looked down at the larger snake he was interested to talk to.

"Yes, you can have a mouse too, but only if Nagini wakes up," he said louder as Nagini hadn't woken up yet.

"Fine. I'll wake up, it's not like I can sleep with you chattering about."

"This is Apophis, he's not sure if he wants to stay and I thought that if he talked with you for a while he might be able to make a choice."

"I suppose I can talk to him, but first I want the mouse you promised me," she whined as she uncurled and faced Nathair giving him the best crocodile tears a snake could give.

Sighing, Nathair waved his wand and two large mice appeared. One was a little smaller than the other as Apophis was half the size of Nagini. Nagini was a magical species of python and even with magic muggle python grew to well over twenty feet, Nagini was fifteen and a half feet now and she wasn't even a fully grown yet.

"I have to go now, I'll be back in a few hours. Until then, Nagini look after Apophis and show him around the manor. Should he choose to stay he will need to know his way around," stated Nathair as he left the two snakes alone and headed to the floo fireplace in the foyer as the one in his father's office had a fire already burning away in it.

Flooing to Malfoy Manor Nathair was greeted by Narcissa, Draco, and Lucius who were standing in their own foyer to greet the guests as was required as the hosts. Heading inside there were already throngs of people, most already in small groups chatting away. Spying Severus who was held up in a corner with a glass of firewhiskey looking rather grateful that by now even the most stupid person knew to leave him alone and that he in no way wished to speak with them.

"Hello Uncle Severus," said Nathair as he moved over to stand near the potions master.

"How was today?"

"Alright, we had lunch together, as strained as it was," whispered Nathair softly to his godfather.

"If you wish to know you are welcome to stay the rest of the break with us here. I know you want to patch things up quickly but maybe more time away would do more good, even if hols end in a week."

"It would be easier but when has anything ever been easy," asked Nathair as he took a glass of what looked to be a punch off a nearby table and sipped it.