Disclaimer's in the prologue.

"Hey Harry, is there a park here?" Harry looked up from his parchment to see Lars standing there.

"Yes, just a few blocks from here." Lars nodded then went to the coat rack to get a jacket.

"Let's go." Lars urged.

"No, you go ahead. I'm not supposed to be out at this time." he replied. Of course he wasn't. His schedule clearly states that he read about his subjects.

"You're not supposed to be out?" Lars repeated. "Don't tell me your guardian in abroad made a schedule for you to follow."

"He didn't. I did." Lars opened his mouth only to close it again. "Alright, now don't get too far, Lawrence. I don't want to have to look for you all over the Surrey."

Lars rolled his eyes. "I'll be back before lunch." And then left.

Harry sighed. Finally some peace and quiet after his twin brother had spent the last hour in convincing him to stay in his Godafther's manor. What's the deal anyway? He's fine on his own in the Surrey, even Midas and the old man relented when he kept on urging them that he can live alone. Downside of it of course was that Midas didn't allow Ethan to be with him in the Surrey. He couldn't fight it, even if he throws a hissy fit (which he won't), they are both the man's ward even if it is just there now for formality's sake.

Ethan, Harry thought about the kid. He still wasn't on speaking terms with the kid or rather the kid wasn't on speaking terms with him. The kid hates him, and doesn't want to speak with him, according to the last letter that was sent to him more than a month ago. Oh well, if Ethan feels that way, hates his guts and doesn't want to speak with him then so be it, though he can't say he was not bothered by it. He wouldn't send a letter to the boy, if he doesn't want to speak the he doesn't want to, but if he does, then Harry's free for a conversation.

Harry snapped out of his musings when the door suddenly slammed. He stood up from his chair and went to the living room where Lars slumped down on the sofa.

"Why, may I ask, did you slam the door like you wanted to break it?" he asked in annoyance. He remembered when he slammed the door earlier that week. He regretted doing it he really did because the 'home sweet home' sign that was hanging on the door crashed on the floor.

"Nothing." Lars replied irritably. "Don't ask."

Harry raised an eyebrow at his brother's rude attitude towards him. He didn't bother to ask knowing that his twin would just brush it off so he just said. "As you wish."

Later that afternoon.

"Lawrence, if you do not get down here right now I'm dragging you out of the room!" Harry yelled when Lars was still in his room doing Merlin-knows-what with his hair using the hair wax that he lent him.

Lars asked how Harry keeps his hair straight, so Harry informed his brother that he uses a hair wax. Naturally, Lars borrowed it and for the last fifteen minutes he had been experimenting with his hair.

"Merlin, brother...I wasn't that long." Lars said as he got down the stairs. Harry blinked, and then blinked again at his brother's hair. It was almost like nothing has changed with his brother's messy hair, only that now it looks glossy, and was spiked like a stegosaurus' back.

Harry opened his mouth to say something but then he closed it again choosing not to say anything. He walked out of the house with Lars following, heading to number 4.

"He's our cousin!?" Lars exclaimed with a hint of anger in his tone the moment they sighted Dudley waiting by his father's car.

"Let me guess, he's the reason you were in a hostile mood earlier?" If his guess is right, Dudley picked on Lars earlier because he's a new comer in the village. That cousin of theirs has absolutely nothing better to do during his spare time.

"Yeah, that's the fat dullard." Lars grumbled, giving Dudley basilisk like glares as they walk towards him.

"Dursley, what did you do to my brother?" Harry asked Fatso with a calm but, Lars knew to be, a dangerous tone of voice as soon as they were face to face with each other.

"That fat oaf was bossing me around earlier!" Lars piped in. "Stupid fat git."

"You deserved it." Fatso replied with a smirk. Harry was going to say something when Lars yelled "Did not you fat dullard!" Harry is starting to like his cousin less, and less, seeing, and knowing that his cousin is the resident bully of Privet Drive reminds him of his father. The gods must hate him, giving him two bullies for a relative.

"Don't call me a fat dullard freak!" Dudley yelled back.

Harry smacked both of their heads (harder on Dudley' head). "Unless you want the adults to hear the pair of you -" He trailed off when fat man wearing a suit exited the house. Dudley went awfully quiet.

The older fat man, presumably their Uncle and the fatso's father, approached them all with a smile.

"Good Evening, you must be Harry and Lars, is that correct?" The man asked them and both of them nodded.

"Harold Evandrus, Mr. Dursley, nice to meet you and good evening as well." Harry held out his hand in a polite gesture, their Uncle shook it firmly. Lars followed his lead and shook hands with Mr. Dursley just to be polite.

Harry thought that their Aunt must have already explained their situation considering that their Uncle did not ask why they have different surnames.

"You may call me 'Uncle Vernon'. I see you two have met my son, Dudley."

"Yes we have met, just now actually, Uncle Vernon." Harry lied before Lars could reply.

Their Aunt came out of the house and soon they were headed to dinner, riding in their Uncle's fancy car. The three of them were quiet even Lars, who wished to ask something to Harry, just kept silent.

They arrived at the restaurant in London, it was really elegant. Most of the people there were really rich looking.

Lars and Dudley were still quiet. Harry and their Aunt and Uncle were the ones who mostly do the talking. Their Aunt talked about her days in the village, her gardening. Their Uncle talked about where he works, he works and as a matter of fact he is the Director of a company named 'Grunnings' which sells drills, a muggle thing used to create holes.

"So I assume you two attend the school that Petunia's sister attended. Hopston was it?" Uncle Vernon said, turning the conversation about the twins.

"Hogwarts Sir," Harry corrected.

Harry really doubted that everything will go well if they start talking about magic, he knew, based from the letters he found in Potter Mansion's stock room, that their Aunt loathed the fact that her sister has magic though maybe that it's just in the past, what he is uncertain about is his Uncle.

"Any education before that?" Their Uncle questioned.

"I was homeschooled, Uncle Vernon." Lars answered politely. "Uncle Sirius didn't want me going out of the house too much, and being in a muggle school, I'm gonna have to do that."

Uncle Vernon looked curiously at him. "Why were you not allowed out of the house?"

Lars stammered on what to say so Harry took over from there. "He's some sort of a figure in the wizarding world so to say."

"A figure huh?" Uncle Vernon repeated with interest. "And what, may I ask, did he do to warrant such status?"

Once again he was the one who answered. "He was known to have the ability to...block a certain type of powerful magic."

"What type of m-magic is it?"

"I have no idea Sir." Harry lied, he knew that it was the killing curse but he wouldn't risk these people thinking that his brother is some sort of freak for surviving a spell that is supposed to kill someone.

"The adults around did not want to explain it to him, and by extension to me for that matter, so as of now we don't have a clue."

"Ah...I see how about you Harry, I have heard from Petunia about your...situation, so where were you educated?"

"The Steward school, just up until sixth grade." Harry replied with a modest, though at the same time a bit haughty tone.

"Sixth grade? You're accelerated then." Uncle Vernon seemed impressed. Harry noticed his brother giving him an odd look. Figures, his brother is wondering if he's telling the truth or just making stuff up to have an answer to their Uncle.

"And at such a well off private school such as that."

"Two years ahead, I took an exam, I passed and they entered me in a fourth grade class."

Uncle Vernon was beaming, looking really impressed with him. Even Aunt Petunia, but Dudley is not, if that fat oaf looks more annoyed at the impressed look that Uncle Vernon was giving him.

"You don't regret that you did not continue?" Uncle Vernon enquired. "I heard that it's a good school."

Harry just smiled and shook his head. "No, even before I entered that school, I already am a student of Hogwarts, most Magical people are."

"Your guardian did not object to it?"

"No he did not." Harry replied. "He is also a wizard."

Uncle Vernon nodded his head. "I see, I see, you know we never really entertained the idea of magic." That much was obvious. "Though I really think it to be, maybe unnatural but say interesting." Harry thought again that maybe it would go so well after all.

"Interesting really, as long as your teacher is not that over grown dungeon bat." Lars piped up, having been silent long enough. Harry gave his brother a glare for referring to the greasy dungeon bat like that.

"He didn't mean it literally," Harry placated. "Other students claim he looks like a bat because he always wears black and had this cloak billowing behind him all the time. Least to say most of the students in school hate his guts with passion."

"Try 'loathe', Harry." Lars quipped. "That greasy dungeon bat always had it in for me, more so than other students. He lives solely for the purpose of terrorizing us poor students." Harry face-palmed. His brother is being overly dramatic.

"What does he teach? If I may ask." Their Uncle really did seem interested.

"He teaches Potions, which is like chemistry." Harry replied then added. "Potions Master Severus Snape is our Professor." Aunt Petunia looked like she choked on her drink at hearing the name. Their Uncle gave their Aunt a questioning look.

"You know him Pet?" Uncle Vernon asked.

"He was that awful boy that Lily befriended, never got a long really well with him, nasty fellow that one is, and I doubt he remembers me even." She said. Harry raised his brow at the 'awful boy' comment, he knew that their mother used to be friends with the greasy dungeon bat, but he didn't know that their Aunt knows who he is.

"How about Dudley, Sir, what school does he attend?" Harry asked, shifting the topic to the Dursleys.

"Smeltings, my Alma Mater, you know." Uncle Vernon said proudly. "Caviar Smeltonia."

"Tradition then," Harry remarked.

"So, Uncle Vernon, I don't really have news outside the Wizarding world so how is the politics in muggle Britain." That seemed to be the conversation starter, for just him and Uncle Vernon at least. They went on and on about politics that he even started talking about the politics in the wizarding world.

Lars was really amazed about Harry's knowledge about the Wizengamot (not many students would bother to know how it works, even the purebloods, while still in school), by the time they finished the conversation that only the two of them understood, their Uncle looked really fond of Harry now. For a moment, Lars felt wariness because, in a way, talking with muggles about the politics of the Wizarding world is a breach of the International Statute of Secrecy.

During dessert their Aunt asked how they were in 'their world' as she put it. Lars did most of the talking when it comes to social stuffs he even started talking about their foolhardy adventures in school, the troll, the dragon and Quiditch. Lars didn't want to freak them out so he left the part of Quirrell having two heads and tried to kill them out of the conversation, and that Harry had incinerated the man. Both their Uncle and their cousin looked really amused by his adventures while their Aunt admonished him for going fist first into danger.

"It was a lovely dinner," Harry said with a smile when they got back to the Surrey after their dinner in London. "Thank you for having us in your company Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia."

"Our pleasure to have you," Uncle Vernon said as he shook Harry and Lars' hand. They bade goodnight to each other before Harry and Lars went back to number six.

"That was eventful." Lars said.

"Did you go to school there or did you just made that up?" Lars asked bluntly.

"Have you ever known me to lie?" he asked rhetorically with a raised eyebrow.

Lars shrugged. "Half-lies, yes. But did you really?"

"Yes, fourth to sixth grade, I won't have myself uneducated as you well know."

"You're a wizard, and so is your guardian he could've just tutored you." Lars pointed out.

"I'm a half-blood," Harry said, though Lars couldn't point out what does that have to do with anything.

"If somehow I get my wand snapped, which I doubt would happen, I'll go to the muggle world finish school, then be a businessman or even a lawyer." Harry said. "Now, my turn to ask, what happened earlier?"

"Well...see earlier when I was in the park, I was sitting on this muggle contraption, it swings you back and forth...yes back to what happened, I was sitting there and he appears outta nowhere and told me to get off the swinging thing..."

"It's called a swing." Harry interjected.

"Right...so that...he wants me to get of the swing, when I asked why, he just said it was because he wanted to sit on it while his friends sits on the other ones...of course I don't want to so I said no and that he should sod off...so he pushed me off the swing."

"Surprised you didn't fight back."

Lars rolled his eyes. "Five of them against me? Not a good idea. Contrary to popular belief, brother, I do know how to pick my fights...but I did throw some sand at them before running back. If I won't get you in trouble for doing magic here...I'll give that fat dullard a pig tail and a snout."

"You people," Harry began, shaking his head. "If only you have the patience, not to mention the talent, to make potions then you wouldn't need to worry about the charms to give them those."

Lars grinned suddenly. "Say, do you have any potions that can make him look like a pig?"

"No, and if I have I won't give you one." Lars made an 'aww' sound. "Besides, why would you need to make him look like a pig, he already does, doesn't he?"

"Nah, he looks like gorilla."

Harry hummed. "I think that that would be an insult."

"To whom?" Lars questioned in amusement. "Dudley or the gorilla? I think it would be an insult to the gorilla."

Harry was finally convinced by his brother to go stay in his Godfather's manor, though he asked one more week's stay in Privet Drive. It would be a waste to leave a week more worth's supply of groceries. Before leaving Privet Drive for the rest of the summer, he visited Mark Calvert again and gave the boy an owl that he bought in Diagon Alley a day before, but he still didn't inform the boy of what he was, even if the boy came to the correct conclusion that it was indeed magic. That would ruin the surprise.

During Harry's first night in the manor, he was bombarded with questions by Sirius and Remus on where he was who was he with. He answered all of it, of course, but always in a vague manner. He doesn't want to get into details over what has happened in the last few years, besides he wasn't required to answer any of it anyway.

Draco, who still sent him letters about being bored, came over one time in his Godfather's manor. The blonde had apologized to Lars about the nasty things he did, and Lars, being a forgiving Gryffindor, forgave Draco and now they were civil to each other, heck it seemed more like Draco was a friend of Lars' rather than Harry because the blonde aristocrat spent time talking about Quiditch with Lars in the manor since Lars is still not allowed to play.

So basically what he did in his Godfather's manor was the same thing he did when he was in Privet Drive, read, and read, and then do his homework. Only additional work was that he was helping Lars.

"Lars, are you alright?" Harry asked his younger twin who was looking uneasy, biting his nails while seated on the floor of his bedroom, one afternoon.

Lars looked up at him but said nothing. He knelt down and faced his younger twin "What on earth is up with you?"

Lars gulped then answered silently, but loud enough for him to hear. "I'm a parselmouth." Harry wasn't surprised by that statement.

Harry closed his eyes for a second before replying in parseltongue. "That's great then."

"Great!? Are you barking mad? Parseltongue is a trait of Dark Wizards, like Voldemort!" Lars didn't seem to notice that he was also speaking in parseltongue. It really was hard to notice if in your head you don't seem to be hissing, rather it still sounds like you're speaking in English.

Harry rolled his eyes in annoyance. The belief that parseltongue is a trait of dark wizards is really stupid all thanks to Lord Moldywarts, even good things come out bad when he does it. "Lawrence, don't be utterly daft, it's just another language." he smirked, "And I'll have you know that as of right now, we are speaking in parseltongue."

"WHAT!" Lars exclaimed, this time in English, for a few minutes after realizing that he is also a parselmouth. "You – you're also a parselmouth? But that would mean... we're" Having seen his twin's conclusion he said "Correct, we are descendants of Salazar Slytherin."

Lars thought for a moment. "But how come I'm in Gryffindor?" Plain idiocy, that's what it is, the common notion that your family dictates the house that you'll be in.

"We're also descendants of Godric Gryffindor through our father though many people are descendants of Gryffindor really, the Prewetts, Dumbledores..."

"Ok ok, I get it no need to tell me who our relatives are." Lars, annoyed cut him off. "But I still don't like the idea that one of our ancestors is an...is an evil psycho who hates muggleborns."

"You shouldn't say that." Harry admonished. "You don't know who he was when he was alive."

"And you do?" Lars said angrily.

"I never said I did. You don't either do you?" Lars didn't say anything. "You know what? Let's go inside his vault." Lars looked at him oddly.

"You have access to his vaults?" Lars asked him incredulously. "Wait you mean you knew? You knew that we are both related to Slytherin? This whole bloody time?"

"Did I not just imply that?" he replied irritably.

"If you're going to ask why I didn't tell you, here's the answer, before the start of school I..." he sighed, "I greatly dislike you because...well...not because you're bad to me or anything like that but...but because you were preferred over me," Lars didn't look surprised by this like he was expecting it, "ergo I don't...wouldn't, want to tell you and well after that it just slipped my mind, I never paid any attention to it anyway." Lars just formed an 'o' shape with his mouth.

"Now, when do you want to go?"

Lars looked up for a moment. "How 'bout when we go to Diagon Alley, for our school stuffs, Sirius lets me go there alone." Harry doubted that Sirius lets Lars go to Diagon Alley alone, with all the possible dangers in store for Lars. Sirius is not that stupid to leave Lawrence Charlus Potter, of all people, unprotected. There are probably aurors following his twin around, Sirius is still influential after all. The perks of being a Lord of an ancient house.

"And when do you usually go to Diagon Alley?"

"Third week of August..."

"As you wish then..."

"How'd you found out by the way?" he asked as both of them headed to the garden.

"I heard a snake talking, and well only parselmouths can understand snakes and well I pretty much freaked out after that." Lars said sheepishly.

"A Gryffindor and you freaked out, what a shame." Harry said mockingly.

Lars rolled his eyes. "Oh please, has being in Gryffindor negated my right on being freaked out?"

"Naturally, yes." Harry replied. "You're supposed to be, courageous and daring. Not easily freaked out."

"And Slytherins are supposed to be ambitious," Lars retorted. "I don't see you being ambitious well except the time when you said that searching for power goes with being a Slytherin."

"I was stalling that time when I said that." Harry said. "And brother, just because I never told you my ambition doesn't mean I don't have one."

"So...what's your ambition then?"

Harry smirked. "To bring peace, love and unity to all mankind." he said that in a really sickeningly angelic, not to mention weird voice that made Lars gag.

"That sounds so wrong, brother...so...so wrong on many accounts." Lars managed to say while shaking his head. "I would have preferred hearing that your oh-so-great ambition is world domination." Lars made a face. "'Peace, love and unity to all mankind' just so doesn't sound right coming out of your mouth. It's beyond creepy, brother, beyond creepy."

Harry looked up at the clear blue sky. In all actuality even if he only said it to get a laugh, he dreamt of it, a world where there was only peace despite the fact that it is impossible. There are times of peace, but there is no such thing as absolute peace. While there are people, there will always be wars and conflicts even if it will only be small scale most of the time.

Harry wasn't an idiot he knew that in the days to come a war will suddenly explode out in the blue. A man once said that it is an unfortunate fact that we can only secure peace by preparing for war. He was right. For now, there is a temporary peace, for them as youths there is peace in their minds for now, even he who is farsighted most of the times rarely thinks about wars.

He isn't that naive to think that the adults around him, not everybody perhaps, but people like the Headmaster, or even Sirius, are preparing for things to come. They might not say it, they might not show it, but Harry knows that they are preparing, they are being calculating, and they are being very careful about everything, especially with what happened just before school ended.