A/N: Thankyou so so much for the reviews. fifespice, there was a reason for the parselmouth thing, and fireyhell (lovely name btw :-) ) I can't say right now re the chosen one.

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Chapter Three

Hogwarts

The school year moved ahead as usual. Daniel Potter ended up staying at the school as well, though his father went to stay at Remus' house. The two brothers saw each other only at meals. Daniel made a point of acting as if Harry didn't exist, and Harry did more or less the same.

He was free to come and go as he pleased, and spent the time in pleasant study. Slytherin house was more smug than usual on the first day, and there was an atmosphere of excitement hanging round the table. Harry didn't get to find out what it was. He was a Potter, and as such, his house had ostracised him for many years. Even more so now, when his company was poison – they assumed he would run to Sirius immediately if they mentioned anything to do with Voldemort or the Dark Arts.

Draco, talking in furious low whispers with a friend, Theodore Nott, was therefore surprised when Harry interrupted him later on in the evening. He hadn't realised that the Potter boy was sitting only one along from him on the table, and had a nasty shcok when the boy coolly informed him that, 'You mean a Internecus Curse? I doubt an Antinicia Charm could have the same effect.'

Draco was naturally put off at being corrected, but he caught himself from biting back.

'Really Potter?' he said. 'I'll keep that in mind.'

He wasn't referring to the information about the respective curses though, but about the unlikely acquaintance Potter seemed to have with the Dark Arts. He must remember to tell Father.

There were a few developments in the structure of the school. The Groundskeeper was on temporary leave, holidaying in France, and there was a new Potions teacher. His name was Snake, or something like that. Harry noted that Sirius was distinctly unhappy when he introduced him, almost as if he were reluctant to have him at the School.

'My godfather,' Draco said loudly. 'He's the new Head of Slytherin too.'

'The figurehead, that is,' a quick-witted Seventh Year said. 'We all know who our real Head is.'

Harry frowned, but secretly he was wondering if it wasn't best to go with the flow. What else could he do?

A lot, he admitted guiltily, but most of it meant a large risk of death.

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The first attempt on Daniel's life came in the third week. It began ostensibly as a prank, outside the Charms classroom. Daniel and Weasley, the pair distinctive because of their red hair, were on their way to lunch.

Without warning a shower of fireworks went off nearby. The boys laughed. Someone was having fun, good, it took away some of the tension that had been building up at Hogwarts since the start of the school year.

But very soon, things went wrong. One of the rockets shot towards Daniel. He ducked and let it go past, with the agile ease of a hardened Quidditch player. But it simply looped back around and headed towards him once more. He dodged it again, but it still went at him, only faster. He jumped aside, barely missing it this time.

'This isn't funny,' he growled. 'Ron, do something!'

But the rocket was too fast to hit with a spell. Daniel barged into one of the vacated classrooms and slammed the door shut behind him. The rocket shot through it like butter. Daniel felt his knees weaken. If it could do that to solid wood, how much worse would it do to soft flesh?

He dived behind a row of desks but the rocket just ploughed through them, shooting green sparks. Daniel charged out of the Charms classroom and sprinted down the hallway, not knowing what to do. People stared. He panted, his breath was hoarse. It would get him in the end. The cursed thing would get him. It was rushing behind him, he bent and it shot over his head, whistling through his hair. It turned, headed towards him –

Immobilus!' Someone cried out.

The cursed firework froze in the air, sparks still spurting from its tail. These eventually fizzled out and the thing dropped to the ground, made a hissing sound, and exploded with a bang. The explosion, however, was harmless, merely sending cardboard and tinsel showering down on the students.

'That – someone was flipping trying to kill me!' Daniel exclaimed. 'How could that happen?'

He was extremely shaken. He felt weak, helpless – he'd always been so confident, naturally talented, better than his peers – there'd never been any reason to suppose himself inferior. Yet he was unable to protect himself from a simple hexed rocket. It was a shattering feeling.

'Daniel, you're all right?'

It was Sirius. Someone or other, probably Ron, had rushed to his office to fetch him and he had arrived on the scene just on time. Though he presented a calm façade, he was just as shaken as Daniel; the school was meant to be safe! He escorted his godson to the Infirmary under the shocked gaze of the students.

'Daniel,' he said, as they entered the domain of Madam Pomfrey, 'I think we'll have to step your training up a bit. And you can't keep skipping your lessons with Professor Snape. He's quite livid about it. I might have to let him dock points.'

'The man's a git, Sirius.'

'That may be, but we brought him especially to the school for you. I know it may be awful, but it's very important you ward your mind and dreams. We can't have Voldemort finding out sensitive information.'

Daniel nodded, then sighed and leaned back on the hospital bed.

Sirius shook his head. 'I'm sorry Daniel. I shouldn't be scolding you after what just happened.'

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A little while after this incident, as Halloween drew to a close, Draco Malfoy found himself waiting on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He had arranged a meeting there with Harry Potter.

He'd sized Harry up over the past few weeks, dropping hints here and there, watching his response closely. Draco was still taking a risk, but, his father told him, it was worth it. 'It is useful to have friends among His ranks. We have the Lestrange faction to contend with, as well as Crouch, and we need all the support we can get.'

His father, a careful man, would perhaps not have approved of meeting Potter on the brink of the Forbidden Forest, during the dead of night. If Harry were to tell, it would be much harder to explain away than a casual daylight meeting by the Lake. But Draco didn't think like this. He found all this cloak and dagger stuff appealing and besides, he knew for a fact that there were Eavesdropping Spells in the Slytherin Common Room and throughout the school. Probably around the Great Lake too, where students often met.

Potter was taking his time. Where was he?

No sooner had Draco thought this than Harry appeared, not from the Hogwarts side, but out of the forest.

'What were you doing?' Draco demanded, eyes narrowing.

'Waiting for you. What did you want to talk about?'

Draco was initially silent. He hadn't expected such directness.

'Do you know why you're here, Potter?' he said finally.

'I think so. The answer is yes. I've thought about it, and decided that my family can go rot. I hope the Dark Lord will be understanding once he knows of my willingness.'

Draco hadn't expected it to go so well. He wondered, thinking back on the preceding weeks, whether it hadn't been Potter dropping the hints and casting allusions.

'There are two others joining on Saturday night. My father's bringing them.'

'I'll come too.'

And it was as easy as that to enter the Dark Lord's circle.