Sorry for the delay, between exams and my sickness, I wasn't in the mood to get anywhere near the PC. I'm happy to say that the exams are finished, I'm healthy again, and here I am to deliver you this new chapter, beta read by Joycelyn Solo and obviously written by me. Enjoy!

Chapter Eighteen: New Places To See

When Connor entered Malfoy Manor that summer afternoon, there was an air about him that suggested he owned the place or something. Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott, who were playing Exploding Snap in the former's bedroom, exchanged curious glances. Usually, Draco was the one who entered other people's houses strutting as if he owned them.

'So, kids,' Connor said, as he sat down on Draco's bed, 'what are you up to?'

Once again, the boys exchanged questioning looks. There was something odd about Connor's attitude that day. Kids? Honestly!

'What happened to you today?' Draco snapped. 'Did you fall from the bed on your head?'

Connor, instead of getting angry at Draco's words, grinned. Theodore frowned, and Draco looked shocked. What was going on?

'Well, now you mention it, yes, something happened to me today. I got some mail, see.'

Draco gave him an incredulous look, as a set of cards exploded in his right hand. He didn't seem to notice: he had thrown his head backwards and let out a roar of laughter.

'Y-you g-got some mail? That's so ex-exciting?'

To their surprise, Connor's smile didn't fade away, and he remained cool and collected. He waited until Draco had stopped laughing, then he pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket. Intrigued, Theodore took it from Connor's hand. It only took him a few seconds to read the words written on top: HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY.

The always serious Theo Nott let out a shriek of excitement.

'You got your Hogwarts letter! You got your Hogwarts letter!'

Draco looked up, and tried to snatch the letter from his fingers. Theo, though, kept the letter away from his hands and finished reading it.

'Have you already got all the supplies?' he asked Connor eagerly. The older boy nodded, unable to hide his own excitement.

'Severus and I went to Diagon Alley this very morning, as soon as I'd got the letter.'

To an outsider, it would have been hard to understand what the big deal was. After all, it was quite obvious that Connor was bound to get his Hogwarts letter soon: he was no Muggle, and he was a full year older than the other two boys.

However, getting a Hogwarts letter was always a big deal for wizarding children. It was what they were prepared for during their whole childhoods; and it was the first sign of indepence and maturity for them. The moment a child got his or her Hogwarts letter was the moment they stopped being seen as mere children, and the moment they could enter the mysterious world of spells and potions. It was the moment they began to turn into real wizards.

Draco finally managed to snatch the letter from Theo's hands and hurried to read it. A frown formed on his face.

'All the books here seem to be pretty boring,' he commentted. Connor and Theo exchanged a knowing look. Of course Draco Malfoy couldn't accept that somebody other than him was in the spotlight. 'Father says that Dumbledore doesn't let Professors teach the students any real magic, only that silly Self-Protection Defence Against Dark Arts. He doesn't want me to go to Hogwarts. I might go to Durmstrang instead: Father knows one of its teachers, and they teach real Dark Arts there.'

Theo sneered. 'My father doesn't think much of Durmstrang. He says it's not half the school Hogwarts is.' Before Draco could come out with a nasty retort, he turned to face Connor. 'So, you're going to Slytherin, aren't you?'

Connor nodded. 'Yep. Mr. Banerji's test results were pretty clear: 65 per cent of probability of going to Slytherin.'

Every June, Mr. Banerji set an exam for his older students, so they could see what chances they had to go to any of the different School Houses. It worked more or less the same way that Muggle vocational tests did. The results weren't definitive, certainly, but they were right in most cases. Connor had been very glad when his test results had came. He'd always known he'd go to Slytherin. The only shadow had been that Severus hadn't looked happier about it for some reason Connor did not understand.

'Well, then you'll have it easy there.'

Connor frowned at Draco, carefully taking the letter from his hands and pocketing it. 'What do you mean?'

Draco shrugged, as if it were something obvious. 'Well, Severus is the Head of Slytherin. He'll make things easier for you.'

Connor reflected on this, and then shook his head. 'Nah. Severus would never show me any favouritism.'

'He always favours Slytherins,' Draco pointed out.

'Yeah, sure, but... it's different. Fellow Slytherins wouldn't be too happy with me if I were treated differently, would they?'

Draco shrugged. 'So? Screw them.' He smirked. 'I know that, whether I go to Hogwarts or Durmstrang, there'll be teachers that will have special consideration with me. And if the other students don't like it... that's their problem.'

Connor shifted on the bed and blinked, incredulous. Theo kept his face unreadable.

'So,' Connor said slowly, as if he was trying to grasp some difficult concept, 'you say that you don't mind if the teachers show you favouritism only because of who your father is?'

Draco looked bewildered. 'Of course not! Why would I?'

Theo was usually a quiet boy, who preferred not to intervene in Connor's and Draco's contends... but this time he decided it was better to put an end to the discussion before things got out of hand.

'Another game of cards?'

Both boys agreed at once, as eager as he was to prevent a future argument. However, Theo noticed that Connor kept fuming at Draco during the whole game, although he tried to keep it quiet. Draco, who wasn't a perceptive kind of person, didn't notice a thing.

Later on, at his father's call, Draco had to exit the room. As soon as he was out of earshot, Theo saw Connor sliding down from the bed and sitting next to him, a pensive look on his face. Imagining what all this was about, Theo pretended to be busy shuffling the cards, but he cast a glance at Connor by the corner of his eye.

'So, what's up?' he asked, when his impatience got the better of him. Connor winced, and then gave a half-hearted shrug.

'Nothing. Just... Do you think what Draco said is true? That I'd be treated differently at Hogwarts?'

Theo stopped shuffling the cards and pondered. From what he'd seen of the man, it didn't seem that Severus Snape was going to give Connor special treatment at Hogwarts. At the young age of ten years old, Theodore Nott had noticed there were two kinds of parents: the ones who spoiled their children rotten, until they were turned into insufferable brats; and the ones who preferred to be unbeareably strict. Lucius Malfoy, for instance, clearly belonged to the first group, fulfilling Draco's wildest wishes. His own father, though, and Mr. Snape seemed to belong to the second group, much to Theo's and Connor's own dismay. Theo guessed it was better not to be spoiled... but that conviction wavered when Draco Malfoy came showing off with a new racing broom, or with a new magical toy, or... Well, when he had the best of everything while they didn't.

'Nope, I don't think he'll treat you differently. Well, at least not differently to the way he treats the other Slytherins, I guess. He always favours that House, doesn't he?' Connor nodded, absent-mindedly. Theo couldn't see why Connor was bothered by this. If he was given special treatment, that was a great advantage. And Theo wasn't silly enough to be disgusted at an easy advantage. 'Maybe the other teachers do treat you differently, but what's the problem with that? It's a good thing, isn't it?'

Connor shrugged again, lost in thought. 'Yeah, sure. It's great.'

Connor Angel was one of his closest friends – possibly the closest, as he didn't have many friends – but, sometimes, to Theodore he was just an inscrutable puzzle.

A small, skinny boy with messy black hair and round-rimmed glasses, sat at a ramshackle porch. He was almost ten years old, but he looked much younger – until you looked into his big, green eyes. Those were the eyes of someone who'd seen much more than an average ten-year-old was supposed to see.

Now, those eyes were looking at everything pensively. The emerald gaze followed the strong-built men as they pulled out big and small boxes made of wood or cardboard and strode towards the porch, sometimes mumbling a ''Lo, kid', as they walked past him. Then the gaze swept over the dull surroundings. In this neighbourhood, all the houses were similar, with stained walls and roofs with missing tiles. Some of the houses had toys hapharzadly lying in the front yards, others had carefully kept flowers, and one of them had a rusty old car which seemed to have been there since before he was born. Not a posh zone, sure, but that wasn't what bothered him.

What truly bothered Harry – so that was the green-eyed boy's name – was that they had had to move to a different town yet again. He'd already lost track of all the times he and his godfather had moved in the last few years. The last couple of times, he hadn't had enough time to settle down before they already had to pack their stuff again.

Harry didn't fully get it. Sirius always said it was because of his job – but many times he had been doing really well at it when he'd decided to move. And sometimes, the new job he got wasn't half as good as the last one. The same could be said about the new house.

And it wasn't like Sirius had any trouble with their neighbours or his coworkers, as once the mother of one of Harry's friends had implied. Actually, Sirius got along very well with everyone. It was incredibly easy for him to make new friends.

Harry feared he was the opposite. He wasn't exactly a shy child – his godfather said he'd never seen a braver boy – but he wasn't very sociable either. And everytime they moved it got harder and harder to make new friends. He was usually left out of groups, firstly because he was the new kid in town. Secondly, because weird stuff was always happening to Harry, and that freaked his classmates out. And by weird things, he meant truly weird things – like turning one teacher's hair blue or making a glass explode without touching it.

And then, he was also left out because his family wasn't like the other children's. Actually, his whole family consisted of his godfather, as his parents had died when he'd been a baby. Well, the family that mattered. He had some relatives on his mother's side, but the boy shivered everytime he remembered them.

Another reason some children used to make fun of him was because Sirius was so different from all the other parents. He wore his hair in a long ponytail and dressed in a way that made him look much younger than he truly was. He also acted in a juvenile way. And he had trouble doing the most simple things, like changing a lightbulb or fixing a bike. Sirius didn't even know how to ride a bike – Harry had been taught by the father of a friend. Programming the TV already gave him enough trouble, and computers were far beyond his understanding. Sometimes, it seemed as if Sirius had been born on a different planet.

But Harry knew he wouldn't have changed Sirius for anybody else in the world. He was the coolest person he'd ever met, and the first one who'd shown affection towards him. Sirius always came up with the most original ideas, the funniest jokes, and he always had time for Harry, unlike many other parents he knew. He could make him laugh until he felt his ribs were going to crack, and he was always there to comfort Harry when he felt down.

Harry, who had known from own experience what it meant to be unhappy, knew he wouldn't change the way his life was one little bit.

However, he wished he could understand...

New town. Another one. Sirius rubbed his temple. Merlin, he was so tired of this. Packing their stuff, unpacking, finding a new job, a new house, meeting new people... only to pack again and start the damned cycle over.

He had never been afraid of changes. In fact, he'd always adored them. He'd always craved for a changing existence, to be always in motion, and his worst nightmare would have been an ordinary, rutinary life.

But now he was taking care of Harry, things were different. He'd noticed how Harry made fewer and fewer friends each time they moved, and it was impossible for him to keep the old ones. Sirius had never wanted James' son to turn into a lonely boy; he'd never wanted him to grow up without friends, like Sirius had. He had never wanted Harry to feel he didn't belong anywhere, he had never wanted Harry to experience what he had.

Things will be different when he goes to Hogwarts, though. There he'll meet other children like him... and he'll be safe.

Or at least Dumbledore would consider him safe. One would have thought that after some years had passed, Dumbledore would be less worried about Harry's safety – but his worry, in fact, did nothing but increase. Nowadays, every rumour, every small suspicion was enough reason to be extra cautious. That was why they'd moved so often lately.

It wasn't like Sirius didn't share Dumbledore's worry. He dreaded what could happen to Harry if Voldemort ever regained his strength or, more probably, if he ever had the misfortune to cross his path with a resentful Death Eater.

Sometimes, when he felt down, Sirius wondered whether it wouldn't have been much easier for Harry to have stayed with the Dursleys. They had never been caring, but at least there they had been certain Harry was safe from any Dark wizards...

Most of the time, though, he didn't regret his decision of keeping Harry. The boy would never have been happy there, not with those monsters. And if someone ever wanted to harm Harry... then they'd have to walk over Sirius' dead body, because as long as he was alive and breathing he'd never let it happen.

To Connor, summer seemed to go by in a blur. There were so many things to do before he went to Hogwarts! He had to finish getting all the stuff he needed for Hogwarts, he had to read all his books, as some teachers – Severus among them – would ask questions about them, he had to say goodbye to the friends he wouldn't be seeing until Christmas holidays, like Theo; and he had to pack his trunk. And in the meantime, of course, he ran to his other friends' houses and they talked endlessly about Hogwarts and what was awaiting them there.

It was no surprise, then, that time seemed to slip from his fingers, and before he realised it, the night before he had to go to Hogwarts came. He was at his mother's place, as it was closer to King's Cross (besides, Severus was already at school by now) but she wouldn't take him to the train station. Instead, the Frobishers would pick him up. Connor thought it was a little silly, not to say unpractical, that they had to take the Hogwarts Express when they lived so close from Hogsmeade Station. However, it was an old rule that every student had to take the train at London, no matter where they lived, and so Connor had been sent to his mother's home instead. He didn't mind, though. It was, after all, the last time he'd see his mum until the holidays.

She'd gotten all his favourite food, including the incredible amount of Oreos and Mars Bars he could eat – she hadn't cooked herself, of course, as she was dangerous near the kitchen – and rented some of his favourite movies. 'You can have a late night. You'll probably have a lot of time to sleep during the journey,' she'd said. Connor had been surprised at this, as both his mother and Severus usually were stricter on that aspect. Some of his surprise must have shown on his face, because Spike, the other guest that night, smirked and whispered in his ear:

'She's kinda oversensitive tonight, so take your chance.'

Connor noticed his mother wasn't quite herself that night. First, she had seemed unnaturally excited: she'd insisted on taking pictures of Connor in his school uniform (of course that, as she said, she'd probably have to tell people it was a Haloween costume), which he hadn't liked that much, and then she'd spent the first half of the night chatting endlessly. However, as time went by, she became more and more withdrawn, and once Connor caught her with her eyes watering. This was very strange and almost worrying, so he decided to check his suspicions with Spike as they played with the Nintendo.

'Is she sad because of Lindsey,' he asked tentatively. Spike seemed surprised, and got distracted long enough so his tiny Mario Bros got wiped off the screen.

Lindsey and his mum had broken up a short while ago, after dating for two years. Connor hadn't been pleased to hear this, as he'd always been quite fond of Lindsey – who, much to his disappointment, had returned to the States – and he'd been especially annoyed because nobody bothered to explain to him what had happened. His mum didn't talk about the matter, and when he'd asked Spike about it, he'd shrugged. 'Sometimes, things just don't work out, kiddo,' he'd replied darkly. Connor remembered a chat between his mum and Faith, one of her friends, about Spike's break up with some girl called Buffy, and he dared ask no more.

This time, Spike shrugged again, but his expression wasn't dark.

'Nah. Well, yeah, maybe a little bit, but I don't reckon that's why she's like this tonight. I think she'll just miss you.' And then, under his breath, he added: 'We all will.'

Connor felt truly sorry for all those children that had to take the Hogwarts Express without knowing one single future classmate. He considered himself very fortunate, as he already knew a bunch of children with whom he would spend the long journey to Hogwarts.

Eddie Carmichael, Vicky Frobisher, Claribel Puddifoot and Geoffrey Hooper were in his same compartment, chatting excitedly and playing Exploding Snap. Soon they were joined by some other future first-years who were in his or her own: a curly haired girl called Marietta Edgecombe, and a couple of boys, Caleb Wiggum and Janus Rutherford. They were really tight, but they didn't bother as they chatted excitedly about their pasts and uncertain futures at Hogwarts. Finally, the subject of the Sorting was brought up.

'Which House do you think you'll be sent?' Eddie inquired. The children exchanged curious glances.

'Gryffindor,' Janus replied without hesitation. 'By far the best House.'

'I'll probably go to Gryffindor too', Vicky piped up. 'Almost my whole family has gone there.'

Geoffrey tilted his head to one side, thoughtful. 'Gryffindor sounds like a good choice.'

'Nah' Eddie said, shaking his head. 'I think Ravenclaw's better.'

Marietta nodded eagerly. 'Way better.' Vicky frowned and seemed about to say something harsh, so Eddie hurried to ask Claribel which House she go would go to. The girl looked doubtful.

'I don't know,' she whispered, shrugging. Connor looked at her, surprised: he knew for sure, because Vicky had told him, that in Mr. Banerji's test she had came out Hufflepuff as first option. Why didn't she say so, then? Connor didn't think she had reason to be ashamed. In spite of what Severus used to say, Connor didn't think it was such a bad House. All Houses were respectable.

'Slytherin,' Caleb stated when Eddie asked, and Connor nodded.

'Absolutely.' Both boys shared a knowing glance and grinned. Their companions, though, looked dubious.

'Are you sure, Connor?' Vicky asked tentatively. 'Wouldn't you like going to Gryffindor, with us?'

Connor frowned, surprised. 'But Vicky, you saw my test. It was pretty definitive, don't you think?'

Vicky bit her lower lip. Suddenly, the other children looked uncomfortable. Connor stared at them. What was the matter?

Janus, who'd been staring at Connor for a while with a frown on his face, said sharply:

'I've heard about you.' At Connor's surprised look, he explained further: 'A friend of my cousin has mentioned you. You're Snape's foster son or something, right?'

'Yeah,' Connor replied quietly, still not getting what Janus meant. The boy now had an irritating expression on his face, one that seemed to say 'I-Know-Something-That-You-Don't'. Connor didn't like it at all.

'Well, that explains why you want to go to Slytherin,' Janus said, in a matter-of-fact tone that couldn't hide a note of disdain. 'Certainly, things will be much easier for you if your dad is the Head of your House.'

Connor's temper rose as the full meaning of his words hit him, and the atmosphere around them thickened.

'Are you saying,' he hissed, 'that I want to go there only because I expect him to show me favouritism?'

Vicky and Eddie exchanged nervous glances, as they were both familiar with Connor's rare but fiery outbursts of anger. He intervened.

'Nobody's saying that, Connor! We know you wouldn't do that,' he hurried to say, as Vicky shot a glare at Janus. He merely rolled his eyes and replied sarcastically:

'Of course not.'

Fortunately, a plump witch with a food trolley arrived and the need to eat replaced any other feeling. However, Connor and Janus kept throwing each other sharp glares, and Connor had the distinct feeling he wouldn't get along at all with the boy.

When Connor accompanied Vicky to ask the driver how long it'd take to get there, he dared to share with her some of the troubling thoughts that had left his mind in turmoil since the discussion that had almost ended in argument with Rutherford. Vicky pondered on his worries for a moment, then shook her head.

'No one that knows you will think you seek favouritism, Connor. You aren't like that. Although...'

'Although what, Vicky?' he asked impatiently. She shrugged.

'I don't know, Connor. I still think you could do better than Slytherin.'

He opened his mouth to protest, but then he felt a hand on his shoulder.

'Hey, Connor, I've been looking for you. Oh, hi, Vicky.' They turned around and saw Miles, smiling broadly. 'C'mon, Connor. There're some people I want you to meet.'

Before Connor could reply, Vicky waved him off. 'See you later,' she said, and she disappeared.

Connor followed Miles to his compartment, where he was introduced to some of his friends... all Slytherins. He was still too troubled by Vicky's words to pay real attention to any of them, but he noted that they were all trying very hard to be polite, which seemed strange, as older students tended to ignore first-years. When Miles escorted him back to his compartment, he found out the reason:

'You're lucky, Connor. No one in Slytherin will dare to treat you badly.'

He frowned. 'What do you...?'

But he knew what he meant. By now, it was getting obvious that being the Head of Slytherin's surrogate son would change the way his peers treated him. No Slytherin would be foolish enough to seek trouble with Snape's child. Connor felt suddenly disgusted, as he realised the only reason Miles' friends – and, perhaps, even Miles himself – were so polite to him was because they wanted to be on good terms with their Head's son. Horrified, he pictured his future at Hogwarts: he'd never be one hundred percent sure who wanted to be his friend or who wanted to get favoured by hanging out with him...

As those somber thoughts insisted on lingering in his mind, Connor was in a foul mood for the rest of the journey and he barely spoke to anyone.

Once at the train station, the familiar figure of Hagrid greeted them. Some of the first-years including, to Connor's secret delight, Janus Rutherford, looked apprehensive at the huge man. He, on the other hand, walked straight to Hagrid to say hi, and Vicky, always the reckless one, followed his lead.

Connor got into one boat with Vicky, Eddie and Marietta; and tried to ignore Janus as he got on the following boat, right next to them. It wasn't hard to do, as he had a lot of fun laughing mentally at his friends' gasps at the sight of the huge Castle. He was so used to Hogwarts that he already considered it a second home, but to the newcomers the sight had to be impressive.

They were received by Professor McGonagall, whom Connor didn't dare to salute, and led to an antechamber. However, Connor's resolution to listen intently to the teacher's words was thwarted when a faint but yet audible whisper reached his ears:

'That's him, Snape's little spoiled brat...'

Feeling his face reddening, Connor threw a glance out of the corner of his eye, and saw Janus – who else – talking to another boy and pointing at him. Connor did his best to ignore it, but he felt a knot forming in his stomach as his nails dug into his palms. That idiot... Couldn't he give it a rest, the stupid, moronic whelp?

He was still fuming when the gates to the Great Hall opened, but when he was faced with a thousand students and teachers staring at them he temporary forgot his anger. He suddenly felt very small.

He saw Severus at the staff table, but he didn't show signs of noticing him, and Connor averted his eyes. Instead, his attention focused on the famous Sorting Hat, which began its curious song. Once it was over, Professor McGonagall unfolded a piece of parchment, and he was startled when his own name was called:

'Connor Angel!'

As he didn't move, Eddie pushed him softly, and Connor could hear sniggering. He didn't have to turn around to know who it had been. Feeling the rage burning inside him again, he strode to the stool with his chin raised, showing no sign of fear or nervousness. He was far too mad for that.

He sat down as the Hat covered his eyes, and the sounds and voices around him seemed to fade away as another voice spoke right into his head:

'So, where are we sending you?'

In years to come, Connor would wonder what had crossed his mind in that moment. After all, he'd never been extremely impulsive – well, except on certain occassions. But he certainly wasn't the kind of person that would take a life-changing decision lightly. However, the truth was that, in spite of all the possible explanations and wonderings, Connor's mind was completely blank when he stated vehemently:

'Anywhere but Slytherin.'

The Sorting Hat seemed surprised, but that was no wonder: after all, he was supposed to be perfect for Slytherin.

'Why not?'

Connor tried to think about it, but memories kept flooding his brain. The voices of Draco, Theo, Janus, Miles and Vicky echoed in his mind.

'I know that, whether I go to Hogwarts or Durmstrang, there'll be teachers that will have special consideration with me. And if the other students don't like it.. .that's their problem...' 'Maybe the other teachers do treat you differently, but what's the problem with that? It's a good thing, isn't it?' 'Certainly, things will be much easier for you if your dad is the Head of your House...' 'No one in Slytherin will dare to treat you badly...' 'I still think you could do better than Slytherin...'

'Because, I don't want everyone to think that I'm treated differently. I don't want to be treated differently. I don't want people being friendly with me just because Severus is my foster dad. And if I get something... If I get something, I want it to be because I earned it, not because of who I am. I... I want to be like everybody else'.

The Hat was silent for a moment.

'I see. It was my mistake, then. You've clearly showed your true colours now.'

Before he could ask what on earth was that supposed to mean, he heard the Hat's scream that reverberated through the Hall:

'GRYFFINDOR!'

He didn't know how he managed to stand up and walk to the Gryffindor table, where the students were cheerfully clapping and shouting. He was in shock.

He sank in a chair, as many of the other Gryffindors greeted him and patted his back, delighted that the first one to be sorted turned out to be one of their own.

He looked up to the High Table, and saw Severus unreadable expression. Then he turned and saw Eddie's surprised look, Janus' stunned face and Vicky's broad smile...

What the heck had he done now?

Luna Moonlight Fawn: Nice to hear you've liked last chapter, and that you found it a little scary. It was time to insert some action in the boys' lives, just to make them ready for what's ahead. '2SP' is the short version for 'Two Single Parents' and, basically, the reason I'm not updating poor Percy's series. Bye, and have a nice summer you too.

Jesse: Liked the Drusilla cameo? I thought it was time for her to make an appearance. She is, after all, part of the family... I had loads of fun writing Overprotective! Sirius, and I'm glad you've liked the part of the fire, I wasn't sure it would sound believable. And it's nice to be back!

Kal: Wow, many thanks for all what you said! Reviews like yours always encourage me to keep on writing. It's great that you've liked the fic enough to read it at work even though Connor's wasn't one of your favourite characters. It made me really, really happy to read that.

I guess that the reason the boys don't meet early in the story is because I wanted to keep Harry's childhood as magic-free as possible, just like in the books. Besides, I've always thought about the two stories mirroring each other, both the boys and their 'parents'. However, Harry's approaching his eleventh birthday, and the secret won't be kept for long... And who knows what could happen next?

Next, in '2 Single Parents': Chapter Nineteen: A Hard Start. Both Harry and Connor face the prospect of starting a new school, and things won't be easy for neither of them...