AN: Chapter two of my HP story. Thank you to the people who reviewed the last chapter. I hope everyone likes this one as much as the first one. Please read and review. Enjoy.

Special thanks to JC for catching little inconsistencies.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of J.K.Rowling's WONDERFUL creations and I am sincerely sorry about the butchering that they receive at my hands.

Parlance of the Serpent

Chapter 2

Bacon scented steam rose through the floorboards and invaded Harry Potter's bedroom. Harry stood by his bed, carefully folding his black robes and placing them in a huge trunk. He blinked his green eyes as he cleaned the steam off the lenses of his glasses. The food smelled wonderful and it was with a heavy heart that Harry turned back to his trunk. As he placed his copy of Quidditch Through the Ages in his trunk the sound of whistling floated up the stairs. The young wizard smiled and opened his bedroom door to listen to his godfather Sirius Black whistling along to one of Celestina Warbeck's latest hits. A fresh wave of breakfast scents bombarded Harry's nostrils. Inhaling deeply, the young man gave in to the temptation and left off packing for the comforts of his godfather's cooking. As he entered the kitchen Sirius Black looked out at him from under a thatch of hair as black and unruly as Harry's own.

"What are you doing dressed already?" the tall man asked accusingly. "You don't have to leave for another hour or so."

Grabbing a plate Harry helped himself to fresh fruit and bacon. He sampled the meat and sighed a sigh of perfect happiness before replying.

"I promised Ron and Hermione that I'd meet them earlier. It's Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's thirtieth anniversary next week and we want to get them a really nice gift. Besides," he added. "If I leave checking in to Ron we'll never get or rooms."

"So let Hermione secure the rooms. You know she's more than competent."

"I know you want to keep me here Sirius, but I will be back for Christmas," Harry tried to reassure his godfather. "Besides you . . ."

Harry was cut off by a tapping on the window. Shaking his hair out of his eyes Sirius opened the window for a large snowy owl. She swooped into the room and landed on the table next to Harry. After dropping two letters into Harry's lap she nibbled his ear affectionately and started to sample his bacon.

"Thank you Hedwig," Harry stared at the two letters in confusion. One was addressed to himself and the other to Sirius. They both bore the Hogwarts seal.

"Sirius," Harry asked as he handed his godfather's letter across the table. "Why would Hedwig be bringing letters from Hogwarts? Shouldn't one of their owls do that?"

"That's right," Sirius replied absently as he opened his envelope. "I forgot to tell you I was borrowing Hedwig to send a note to Dumbledore. Sorry, it must have slipped my mind."

Harry, seeing that Sirius was lost in whatever Dumbledore had written, opened his own letter. He smoothed out the three sheets of parchment and began to read.

Dear Mr. Potter,

Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock.

Due to the events of the past two years all students shall be enrolled in the classes that they would have attended were it not for the unfortunate circumstances aforementioned.

Fifth years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian to sign.

A list of books for next year is enclosed.

Yours sincerely,

Professor M. McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Harry folded up the parchment and passed the permission form across the table to Sirius with a muttered Hogsmeade. Briefly Harry glanced over the book list. He knew that Hermione would be furious to be held back two years, but he also knew that her common sense would calm her down. Letting his mind drift he smiled at the idea that schooling might have continued as usual during the last year. It was hard enough in their fifth year to keep studying, what with Voldemort's occasional attacks and students dropping out at least once a week, but last year it had been all out war. Harry's good mood crumpled as he remembered the things no one should have to see. Friends tortured. Muggles killed. Classmates pulling out their wands to curse him. Never would he forget the things he had seen or the things he had had to do.

Sirius looked up from his letter to see Harry with his head in his hands. A look of pained understanding crossed the older man's face. Sirius knew what images danced behind his godson's eyelids. More than anything he wished for a way to remove them. Clearing his throat he tried to liven the mood.

"Dumbledore sent me some good news." Harry looked up, masking his tortured thoughts. Sirius continued, trying to ignore what was in both their minds. "He says that the repairs on the castle are almost finished. He might tell the students this, but I'd stay away from the Forbidden Forest if I were you."

"Not that I'd go there anyway," Harry said with a weak smile.

"Of course not," Sirius replied, remembering his own rule breaking days. "Listen to what he says, The lake is being cleaned and Professor Nimity (our new Herbology teacher) is helping Merchiefteness Murcus and her subjects regrow their plants. A few of the younger centaurs are helping to clear up the wreckage in the Forbidden Forest, to the chagrin of their elders. Unfortunately there is still no way to tell who or what might still be in there. It is immensely important that students not enter the forest this year.'" Sirius paused and gave Harry a pointed look. Harry widened his eyes in a perfect pose of wronged innocence. Sirius continued reading aloud "I'm sure that the enclosing spells which some of the staff have helped me assemble will hinder most of the students at any rate. Speaking of students I'd like you to mention something to Harry. As you know young Mr. Malf . . .' Oh."

Sirius stopped reading. His eyebrows furrowed and he read silently to himself for a few moments. Harry frowned trying to figure out what Dumbledore had to say about Draco Malfoy. Surely . . . surely Malfoy would not be going back to Hogwarts after what happened with his family. After a brief silence Sirius looked up.

"Well . . . Dumbledore wants me to tell you something . . ." Sirius paused again and continued abruptly. "This is extremely serious and you must not repeat this to anyone. Not even Ron and Hermione. Everyone knows how you and Draco Malfoy feel about one another. Dumbledore and I think it would be a good idea for you to know the full circumstances of Lucius Malfoy's arrest."

When Voldemort announced that Snape was a spy for our side Malfoy took it as a personal insult. You see he had been full of faith that Snape would teach his son the Dark Arts in the private lessons they'd been having. For some unknown reason Voldemort allowed Malfoy to deal with Snape as he saw fit. Stupid bast . . . Malfoy thought his son would feel just as slighted. Anyway your friend Draco was supposed to torture his teacher, but instead he and his mum turned Lucius in to the Ministry. They were both at home when Lucius got dragged off to Azkaban."

I understand completely if you don't like him, personally I think anyone who looks up to Severus Snape is a bit daft, but try to be a little lenient. I predict he won't get a huge reception from most of his former Slytherin mates."

Harry sat silently for a while, digesting everything he had just heard. When Hedwig finished eating Harry's breakfast she hopped over to him and crooned softly to make sure he was all right. Absently stroking her feathers, Harry tried to picture Draco Malfoy watching his father get dragged off to Azkaban. He had known that it happened of course, but now that he understood how he had to completely rethink all the "truths" he "knew" about the Malfoy family. Finally he spoke.

"I'll do my best to be less hostile towards him, but I can't vouch for Ron," thinking carefully he continued. "Hermione's the only one who can control him when it comes to Malfoy and that's just because they're a couple now. I might have to tell her if things get out of hand. I'm positive she wouldn't tell anyone!" Harry added when he saw the look on Sirius's face.

"Well I'll leave that up to you," Sirius responded as he signed his name on the Hogsmeade permission form. "I'll send this with my reply to Dumbledore, shall I?"

Harry nodded absently and went upstairs to finish his packing. As he walked up the creaking wooden staircase to his room an image floated before his mind's eye. It was Draco Malfoy's face, with his pale, perfect skin, his glittering grey eyes, his fair blond hair with never a strand out of place, and his mouth twisted up in his ever-present smirk. If Harry didn't know Malfoy's personality, he was sure he would have fallen in love with the other wizard by now. Reaching for his last few things to pack, Harry's mind was filled with questions. Had Malfoy lost his cool in those moments when Fudge had arrived at his home to take away his father? Had watched impassively or had he shown emotion? Hard as it was for Harry to imagine, had Malfoy cried? Harry shook his head as he locked his trunk.

As he walked down the steps, dragging his trunk with him, he wished that Sirius could come to Hogwarts with him. Everything would be so much simpler with his godfather's advice. He stopped in the parlour and called out,

"Sirius. I have to go now."

Sirius walked into the room and heaved a melodramatic sigh. Harry smirked, knowing that his godfather was just acting and didn't mind too much that Harry was leaving.

"Come on 'Snuffles,'" Harry jokingly used the name Sirius had employed while he was still a fugitive. "I need you to help me get my trunk to the Leaky Cauldron. Please?"

Sirius rolled his eyes at Harry's mock whining, but finally pulled out his wand. He muttered a spell and the trunk disappeared. Shoving his wand back in his pocket, he strode across the room. He threw his arms around Harry in a rough bear hug then quickly stepped back to look at his godson, his hands still clenching Harry's shoulders.

"I'm really going to miss you around the house," he said quietly. "I'll come and see you when you have Hogsmeade vacations and you have to invite Ron and Hermione here for Christmas. Are you sure you know how to apparate to the right place?"

"Yes Sirius," Harry's tone sounded more exasperated than he really felt. Of course he knew how to apparate, he'd done it often enough during the war. Somehow though, he wished that he didn't know this spell, or any of the others he had learned while fighting. Shaking his head to clear it of those unhappy thoughts, Harry grinned at his godfather. "I promise I won't get myself splinched. I know where I'm going."

"All right. Get on with you then," Sirius sighed and gave him one quick last hug.

Harry stepped away and waved slightly. As he mumbled the incantation and thought hard about the Leaky Cauldron, the room began to fade. The last thing he saw before it faded away altogether was Sirius waving forlornly after him. All around him the air was a mush of colours, spinning for a brief second. Then he felt his feet on solid ground and was in the bar of the Leaky Cauldron. Harry walked over to the counter and signalled Tom the landlord. Tom walked over with a cleaning rag in one hand and a tankard in the other.

"Hello Mr. Potter," Tom grinned showing his toothless gums. "I've sent your trunk up to your room. Number 14. I understand Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger will be arriving soon enough."

"Yes," Harry replied as Tom handed him his key. "Does Herm Ms. Granger have a room reserved near ours?"

"Yes sir. Shall I give you the other key or shall I wait for the young lady?"

"Probably best to wait," Harry grinned. "Hermione might be a bit picky about it."

"As you say sir," Tom stuck his rag in the tankard and began to clean it. "Would you like to have a drink sir?"

"Thank you, but not just yet," Harry smiled down upon the hunched landlord. "But after my friends get here I'm sure I'd love a drink."

The end of his sentence was almost cut off by the spray of dark brown liquid that splashed messily out of Tom's tankard. The little man jumped and put the suddenly full tankard upright on one of the tables. Harry covered his smile with cough as Tom's face turned bright red with fury.

"Confound that Otto and his refilling charms! Those Bagman brothers are two of a feather; If it's not one thing with them it's another."

Tom stomped off behind his bar, muttering about thieves and useless pranksters. Harry grinned and went upstairs to find his room and unpack.