SERPENTINE
By Yih

Beta'd by Blackumbrage.

Draco note: Draco does not know that Harry isn't his real twin. He believes that Harry is, and that is why he's extremely protective of Harry. However, it will eventually come out (in the next few years) that Harry isn't a real Malfoy.

Chapter 2
Transfiguration, Potions, and Charms

A TABBY CAT was sitting on the desk staring at the empty seats with a look that screamed of disapproval. It didn't surprise Harry in the least when the door burst open and Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom hurried into the classroom. He could feel Draco smirking superiorly next to him and he heard Ron cry out with relief, "Good luck, she's not here yet. Neville, could you imagine the look on McGonagall's face if we were late?"

Whatever Neville might have said was smothered when the cat on the table morphed into a very disappointed Professor McGonagall. To say that Harry was surprised would be a misnomer. He wasn't the least bit stunned. There had been something he had just known that had told him that the cat on the desk was no ordinary cat. That the cat had turned out to be the animagus form of their Transfiguration professor only affirmed his innate feeling.

"Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Weasley, I do not tolerate tardiness."

"We got… lost," Ron stumbled out lamely.

"Well then," McGonagall retorted, "do you need me to transfigure one of you into a map? I trust you don't need one to find your seats, do you?" She didn't have to gesture. There were two seats reserved for them next to the bushy hair girl, who didn't look happy that they had arrived late. Despite that, Hermione gave them a welcoming smile. How unusual that the three of them were already close friends, Harry thought.

"Look at them," he heard Draco whisper into his ear in disgust, "they're so cozy together already, it's despicably like Gryffindors. They're so trusting and impulsive that that's their undoing."

He knew that Draco didn't want a response. Draco wanted someone to listen to what he had to say, and Harry was more than willing to provide that for him. Draco did prove to be an excellent older brother when he was away from the judging eyes of the bitch. It had actually managed to surprise Harry, and Harry had been taught rigorously by Lucius to expect anything. That Draco turned out to care about him was unexpected but welcomed. He would rather have Draco as an ally than an enemy because even if he was the bitch's son, he was still Lucius's son too.

He remembered last night…

"This," Draco pointed to him, "is my younger brother," his eyes shifted to the other boys in the room, Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini, "and if you mess with him, you'll answer to me, do you understand?"

All the other three boys could do was nod their heads dumbly. It wasn't like they would have dared to touch a Malfoy, even a Malfoy that wasn't really a Malfoy that was pretending to be a Malfoy, Harry had thought then, but the thought that Draco was going out of his way to protect and care for him was touching in a way. It also made him curious as to why since the bitch hated his guts and he had always thought Draco more or less felt along the same lines. Actually, Draco seemed to feel nothing for him at all.

"Bloody Merlin, we're going to be subjected to many a boring lectures today…" Draco muttered as his eyes riveted to the front of the room where McGonagall had gone to start the class since everyone had now finally arrived.

"Welcome to Transfiguration," McGonagall greeted them. "Transfiguration is some of the most dangerous and complex magic that you will learn at Hogwarts…"

-

HARRY LIKED SNAPE a lot. There was something about the brooding and vicious man that he just liked. He knew that Draco also had some affection for Snape, but he didn't know if it was because he really liked the Potions Master or because he felt like he ought to because Snape was his godfather. Whatever the case, Harry was looking forward to double potions even if it was with Gryffindor.

This time no one was late. Everyone was seated when Harry heard the familiar swishing sounds of Snape's billowing robes entering into the room with his tremendous presence. He wondered if Snape used a charm to get his robes to sashay like that. It was an elegant and powerful effect. But the most impressive effect was Snape's deep and baritone voice that commanded respect.

"Ah yes," Snape intoned carefully as he turned to face the class, "Neville Longbottom, our newest celebrity. The Boy Who Lived?"

He almost felt sorry for Neville, almost. It just wasn't in him to feel pity for anyone. It wasn't the type of emotion that his father nor Lucius had taught him. He had been strictly instructed to be cold, patient, rigid, controlled, indifferent, and a slew of other emotions but never ever sympathetic. However, he didn't feel that Neville's cringe was anything to sneer about as Draco obviously thought.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," Snape began. His dark piercing eyes were quelling rebellion and inciting fear in his student's hearts. Harry was quite immune to the look, and when Snape turned it on him all he did was stare back. He saw a momentary flicker of bemusement in Snape's eyes, so transitory that if he didn't know every expression of Snape well he would have missed it or dismissed it as imaginary.

Why he knew every crevice of emotion that might occasionally flit across the Potion Master's face? Because it had been required of him by Lucius to memorize everything that he saw with accurate efficiency. He had been trained to recall things that he had seen only once. Lucius didn't care what he had to do to remember, but he had to remember without the aid of magic. It was lucky he was blessed with a good memory.

"Tell me, Mr. Longbottom, what do you get if I added powdered root of asphodel with an infusion of wormwood?"

The chubby boy flushed and shook his head. "I don't know."

"Mr. Malfoy," to erase any doubts of which Malfoy he was addresing, he looked directly at Harry, "would you like to answer the question?"

Harry's eyes glanced down demurely as he murmured, "It makes a sleeping potion that is so powerful that it is called the Draught of Living Death."

Snape's gaze shifted to his godson. "What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"Nothing," Draco answered clearly and superiorly. "They are the same plant and can also be called by the name of aconite."

"Well said," Snape responded. "Ten points each to Slytherin."

Harry saw the smiles on the Slytherins and the frowns on the Gryffindors. He could almost hear the Gryffindors mumbling amongst themselves in the background about how Snape always favored his own house. Harry wanted to snort at that blatant misconception. It was true that Snape might be a bit kinder to his own house, wasn't McGonagall a bit kinder to hers? She hadn't punished Neville or Ron for being late other than to scare their wits. Besides, Snape had only generously awarded them points for answering questions that they ought not to know. Even if they had read their textbooks, it wouldn't have been until their 3rd year that they would have read up on the stuff he had inquired about.

"Five points from Gryffindor for talking in class," Snape snapped, his dark eyes burning with irritation in the direction of Ron Weasley who had been inadvertently talking much too loudly about the unfairness of a certain Slytherin Head of House.

The dolt was turning red in the face from anger when he should be embarrassed that he'd been caught gossiping. The redhead was such an idiot that Harry had to agree with the degrading look Draco was sending him. But the brown headed boy next to him was not, though he seemed to be overshadowed by the Weasley boy. The Weasley boy's personality was so strong that the Boy Who Lived's characteristics seemed much more understated.

It was a pity that Neville Longbottom was the enemy, Harry concluded. He probably would have made a nice friend. Too bad that as the enemy, he would have to die and thus lose his title as the Boy Who Lived.

-

Harry,came the words written from smoke, my son.

"Father," he greeted solemnly.

You are about to attend Hogwarts, is that not so?

"You know that it is."

Such impertinence, I would not tolerate it from my Death Eaters.

"I am your son, not a servant."

Well said. Harry could almost feel his father touching him.

"If there is something that you need to tell me, then you go ahead."

Always business, isn't it? Though there was no tone, the words hinted at amusement still. Very well, there is a boy you will meet at Hogwarts. I want you to be aware that he is the enemy. You must study him carefully and learn all about him that you can. Don't underestimate him.

Like his father had, Harry voiced in his head, knowing better than to say that aloud. "You're talking about that Boy Who Lived, aren't you father?"

Yes.

"Neville Longbottom."

Watch him. I need to learn all that I can about him. Remember the prophecy.

"I will. I swear it."

Do that, the smoke was fading. We will discuss more later. His father was gone.

-

"HARRY." SOMEONE WAS talking to him. "HARRY!" That someone was Draco. Harry didn't know anyone else that would dare to yell at him after his older brother had threatened bodily harm to anyone that did anything that he didn't like to him. Besides, that high pitch nasal voice only fit one person--- Draco. "HARRY MALFOY!!!"

Harry glanced at his foster brother with a bored look. "What?"

"It's time for Charms," Draco drawled innocently, not looking the least bit like he'd been shouting at his brother earlier. "You were zoned out. I thought it best to inform you that if we don't leave now, we'll be tardy to Professor Flitwick's class."

As if Draco really cared about getting to class on time or not, Harry snorted inside. It was a convenient excuse for Draco to raise his voice at him for a very good reason. He knew the way Draco's mind worked too well. He was afraid the Malfoy heir was becoming far too predictable. He would have to inform Lucius of that in his next letter. It would never do to become too predictable. "Very well," he responded. "Let's go then."

Harry allowed Draco to drag him through the crowd to Flitwick's classroom. The room itself wasn't as impressive as the Potions classroom, but it had better lighting than the Transfiguration room and thus had a better atmosphere. He was going to like this class, Harry decided. Everything he had read about Charms theory had been enlightening, but he hadn't actually done much practical work on the subject. Most of what his father and Lucius had taught him was geared toward the Dark Arts and as such, Harry surmised that he knew more curses than any 7th year walking through the hallway, even a 7th year Slytherin.

Flitwick, Harry also decided, wasn't an impressive figure despite standing on a tall stool so that he could gain added height. "Welcome! Welcome!" Flitwick greeted them cheerfully. It helped that he was enthusiastic, and it didn't seem to be a forced kind of show. Flitwick really seemed to enjoy his work. "The most important magic a wizard will learn is to levitate objects, so please repeat after me: wingardium leviosa."

They, thankfully, had this class separately from the other houses. Double Potions and double Transfiguration with Gryffindor was bad enough. What made it worse was that it was all in the same day as well. This was only going to add to the reasons that Charms was going to be one of the classes that he actually enjoyed going to, though Potions was only made endurable because of Snape. It also didn't hurt that Snape was most delightful when he was sneering at the Gryffindors. It was almost comical.

"Try it!" Flitwick encouraged. "That's what the feathers in front of you are for! And do practice the nice wrist movement we learned earlier."

Harry stared at his feather and lifted up his wand. It was weird that levitation was one of the spells he hadn't worked on. What Flitwick had said about the ability to lift things up being one of the most important spells did make sense. It was rather useful to be able to lift things up and move them with a wave of the wand. Killing people and hurting them, while useful to a sadist weren't of much use to everyday wizards, he reflected with dry irony.

Flicking his wand in the precise way that Flitwick had been teaching them, he whispered softly, "Wingardium leviosa." It didn't surprise him in the least when his feather started floating up into the arm without much difficulty.

"Well done, Malfoy!" Flitwick cried out. "Very well done."

What did surprise him was when Draco had difficulty with initially getting his feather to rise up. Watching Draco carefully, he soon found out the reason why the feather would flutter like it was about to float up and then just stop. His wrist movement was slightly off even though his pronunciation was impeccable. Gently, knowing of the impossible heights of Malfoy pride, he corrected Draco's wrist movement. "Like this."

Draco's eyes narrowed at him into silver slits, but he did what he suggested and said, "Wingardium leviosa."

When the feather rose up, Draco's expression softened a little but he still didn't look very happy. It took Harry a moment to realize why. Draco had just been shown up by his little brother; however, Draco had no way of knowing that Harry knew a great deal more magical theory than Draco did even though Draco had been taught a good deal before coming to Hogwarts. He would have to hide his knowledge better, Harry decided. It wasn't like the wrist movement that Flitwick had taught him was anything new. He had already known the correct angle and flicking motion since he was 5.

"Good job, both of you Malfoys," Flitwick commended. "Five points to each of you."

Now Draco was smiling, no smirking. Harry preferred that look of superiority on Draco's face rather than the intense concentration and frustrated look that had been on his foster brother's face earlier. It suited him more, as a Malfoy. "I guess," Harry mumbled, "I was lucky."

"No," Draco denied, this time really surprising Harry, "you just pay better attention."

-

"LUMOS," HARRY WHISPERED to himself from beneath the covers of his heavy blankets that were designed to keep out the cold in the drafty Slytherin dorms down near the dungeons. The spell lit his wand so that he could read the mail that had come in this morning that he had not gotten to read with Draco incessantly commenting in his ear every other minute about the idiocy of the Boy Who Lived.

GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST

Associated Wizards Press- On July 31, 2003 there was a reported attempt at a break-in at one of the Gringotts vaults. The goblins insist that nothing was taken and that the security of the bank is not in question. Earlier that very day the contents of the vault were emptied. When asked what was contained within the vault, the goblin representative said, "We aren't going to tell you what it was so keep your gossip tongues to yourself."

Whatever it must have been, it couldn't have been very big or very many of anything to have been taken earlier that very same day. Whoever had it must have known that his father was looking for it. The question was what the Dark Lord was looking for. It had to be something very important in resurrecting him into a body and possibly making him invincible. Harry pushed the paper aside and pulled one of the ancient texts that Lucius had given to him for extra and necessary reading.

There had been a reason he had been given all this. He had known his father would test him. This must have been the matter that Voldemort had wanted to discuss more with him later. All the pieces were falling together. Lucius had sent him the Daily Prophet and had given him the books, they were all clues. This was a test. If he asked either of them what they were after, it would be a failure and he would not fail.

"Lumos," he whispered fiercely, lighting his wand again so that he could peruse the books that Lucius had sent. Which to open first? All of them were old and he noticed quite a few of them were of wizard biographies. How curious that they were of that, considering Lucius had always focused his education on learning dark arts and such rather than magical history lessons.

When he picked up one of the books, a card slipped out. It was one of the cards you get from the popular chocolate frogs that he enjoyed upon occasion. It was curious that it was flagging a section of a book that was all about Nicholas Flamel. Picking up the card, he didn't think it was just a pointless bookmarker. This was also a clue, but what?

Albus Dumbledore was chewing on something looking ridiculous in his bright orange robes before winking out of sight. Harry's eyes drifted downward and he read the card as he had read it in the past when he had first gotten it when he was however many years old. It was nothing that he hadn't read before, but it was interesting that the card noted Nicholas Flamel and it was marking the very same pages.

The answer to the question had something to do with Nicholas Flamel. Now all he had to do was figure out what it had to do with the alchemist, specifically. It had to be big, and it had to be something that his father dearly wanted. And whatever it was, he would get it for failure was not an option.

-

Author's Note: I appreciate all the feedback. I'd like to know what you think of my slight changing of events and how you like what I did with Snape's introduction into the plot. Snape is only Draco's godfather, there's another godfather for Harry thought that won't be made known until later who it is. You can feel free to guess as well as whom Harry's godmother is. Obviously, there's a few major dilemmas: (1) How does Voldemort get his body back? (2) Will Harry retrieve the philosopher's stone for his father? (3) Why did Neville survive the Avada Kedavra curse? (4) AND who is the last prophecy really about? Feel free to answer these questions in your review if you can't think of anything to say. At worst, it'll be to hear what you think and at best you might inspire me! Yay for that!

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To all that made this chapter possible: blackdragonofslytherin, Alicorn1 (yes, I thought the favorite play would be an interesting take), DarkKeeper (Harry wears a Glamour when it's necessary, but not all the time), Emeline, shadowkiller, Chibi Sephy, Lasitar (As for Snape's loyalty, I won't know for a while as for the age of slash, at least 4th year or later), Gen, PeachDancer82, FugitiveShadow, Menecarkawan, Al, zina, Allyanna (Lucius keeps the glamour in the manor), Baby-Trix, HecateDeMort, AD, Danigirl, Cyn Wraith, TigerBlak (Thanks for the compliment on this Harry), henriette, Cayden, The angelic vampire (the people don't see Harry's scar, it's covered by his hair), Jeanne (Neville's survival's a good question), Mayhem El-Diablo, Clion Roma (the POV is always thru Harry or Draco so you won't really see any of the light side other than from a dark POV), Eaiva le Fay (you're getting way ahead of yourself, but feel free to voice your thoughts), Minathia, silverrowan (only one is destined, that's all I'll say on that), marshiamarish, Silverfated, Kage Mirai, AngelStar713, Kathy stggvk.

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The next chapter features… flying incidents of the Neville and Ron variety.