Hi everyone :)

Thank you all for the lovely reviews and it was rather amusing to see how many of you put "death to the Dursleys" or something to that effect. You all inspired me and now I'm thinking I might have to do a story where I kill off the Durlseys. Not this story as I have no place to fit the Dursleys in again but perhaps another story I have in the planning at the moment...
My apologies to everyone for this chapter being a little late but when I tried to upload this yesterday, the site was acting screwy and wouldn't let me. So, unfortunately, this had to be a day late. Once again, I apologise.

I have nothing more to say for now, so I'll leave you to enjoy the chapter and I'll see you again at the bottom :)

12th August 1990: Afternoon

Harry carefully looked through the books on the shelves he was currently standing in front of inside Flourish & Blotts. He idly ran his fingers against the spines of those he looked over, trailing the tips just underneath the titles, his head tilted at an odd angle so that he could better read the side-wards writing.

It was once again that time of year when he journeyed to Diagon Alley with his father, godfather and Draco to get his new school supplies for the rapidly approaching return to Hogwarts. He had thought to himself only earlier that day that it seemed like only yesterday that he was here getting ready for his first year. Now look at him; an inch and a half taller, (now proudly standing at a grand total of five feet and two inches) about to become an oh so mature Second Year. However, despite his excitement at starting the new school year, he had strayed from his task of searching for his needed school books, instead settling on a different search.

Yesterday, after the fuss at the zoo had died down and he was back home, as well as after his father had stopped ranting about Muggles and planning rather nasty deaths for whole civilisations of them, Harry had realised something rather startling. The python that he had somehow released; he'd spoken to it. He'd actually had a conversation with a snake. Now, he knew that for some wizards, that was a very possible thing to happen. It was called being a pastelmouth or something along those lines. However, it was only for a very few wizards and witches. In fact, it was a rather uncommon ability. And there was something else which chewed at him as well; Voldemort had been able to do it too.

Was that just a coincidence? Harry wasn't sure if he believed in coincidences anymore. But even if it was just a coincidence, it wasn't a nice one. It just meant that there was yet another way to be able to link him to the foul wizard and that was the last thing he wanted. Before he started to beat himself up about it too much though, Harry was determined to find out more information on the subject. Hence his current search. Surely if anywhere was going to have an academic book on pas-whatever then it would be this place. After all, he didn't need anything really in-depth, just enough to prove or disprove his theory.

Ducking down a little, Harry's eyes scanned the second to bottom shelf in search of anything which may prove useful to him. Suddenly, he caught sight of a rather thin, black paperback book practically hidden away between the other thicker, hardback books. One the spine, in emerald green print, was the title and author:

Snake Charming: An Introduction to the Language of Parseltongue I.S.Nake

PARSELtongue, that was what it was called! It seemed so obvious now that he knew it.

Harry quickly slid the book out from its position sandwiched in between two other, rather thicker, books and looked the cover over briefly before opening it to a few pages in, hoping to find a contents page or something. A contents page was indeed present and a second or two of reading revealed that the information he wanted was in the second chapter, "The Gift of Parseltongue and Those Who Possess It". He wasted no time in flicking forward to it and then skim reading until he found something about what he specifically wanted to know.

Pretty soon, he'd found a handy list of twenty questions which you could ask yourself to determine whether you were a parselmouth or not. They remained pretty basic questions the whole way through the list, simply trying to determine whether you were a parselmouth or not, ("Have you ever had a conversation with a snake? Or failing that, have you ever heard a conversation between two snakes?" "Do you hear snakes hiss or speak your native language?").

After the twenty questions were through, Harry read that if you had answered yes to fifteen or more of the questions then you were most likely a parselmouth. At that point, Harry had felt himself relax as he had only answered nine with a yes. However, he then read on and saw the line which told him that if a person had answered questions one, seven and eighteen with a yes, then they were a parselmouth, even if the other seventeen had been answered no. Harry's luck being in the state that it was, those three questions were part of the nine he had answered yes to.

So there it was. He was a parselmouth. Just like Voldemort.

Harry felt his heart sink and his stomach turn. The Press would have a field day if they ever found out about this. With that in mind, he quickly slid the book back in its place on the shelf before hurrying away from the area in search of his father, Draco or his godfather. No way in Hell was he going to let anyone know he could speak to snakes. It would just be something he kept to himself. There was no need to tell anyone anyway. So he could talk to snakes; big deal. It was hardly as if he was coming across snakes every day and it was very doubtful that he'd ever actually need to speak to a snake.

"Harry?" Draco's voice interrupted the dark haired boy's thoughts, drawing his attention to the slightly taller blonde who was now standing next to him.

"Hmm?" Harry hummed in reply, trying desperately to sound nonchalant.

"Are you feeling alright? You look awfully pale." The blonde murmured as he stepped closer and pressed his head to Harry's forehead. "You're temperature's normal. Do you feel sick or anything?"

"I-I'm fine." Harry insisted quickly, stepping away from his best friend's hand. "Maybe it's just the lighting in here making me look paler than I actually am. Honestly, I feel perfectly fine."

Draco regarded him carefully for a few moments before he seemed to accept Harry's answer. The blonde relaxed his stance and frown, his expression becoming easy and relaxed, before he reached a hand forward and took hold of the dark haired boy's arm so he could tug him along. "I've been looking for you for a while now; come help me find our Defense Against the Dark Arts book."

Harry followed along wordlessly, allowing himself to be lead across the store and up the stairs, thankful that his weak assurances had been accepted without question.

2nd September 1990: Morning

Harry looked from his godfather to his father curiously, confused by both of their current states. Both men looked rather flustered, their cheeks tinted a pale pink, though his father was worse than the blonde. His godfather looked mildly uncomfortable while his father looked rather panicked. Very out of character for both of them.

His godfather had come to collect him for his two day stay at Malfoy Manor before Hogwarts started as his father had so go to the school early to brew various potions to restock the Infirmary. As instructed, Harry had gone up to his room to grab his trunk and Hedwig's cage. When he had come back down and first laid eyes on the two men, they had looked how they currently were; flustered and blushing.

"Are you both alright?" The dark haired boy asked carefully, looking from one man to the other.

"We're fine Haryon. Just a little...Hot." Lucius assured only to be followed by a somewhat strangled sound from Severus.

Harry glanced at his father when he made the sound and frowned a little. He stepped right up to the dark man and, standing on tip toes and reaching up, just about managed to press the palm of his hand against his father's forehead. "It doesn't feel like you have a fever but maybe we should take your temperature just in case." He frowned a little in concern and looked at his flushed father carefully. "Maybe you shouldn't go back to Hogwarts just yet. I can stay home and look after you..."

"I'm fine Haryon." Severus assured his son, gently taking the boy's wrist and removing his hand from his forehead. "The room is just a little warm is all."

That made absolutely no sense to Harry as the room's temperature felt completely normal but he didn't call his father on that. People felt temperatures differently after all and now that his blush was fading, the dark haired man really didn't appear to be ill anymore. "Okay, as long as you're sure then?" He received a nod. With a sigh, he nodded himself. "I guess I'll see you again in a few days then."

"Enjoy yourself." His father wished as he leaned down to accept his son's kiss on his cheek.

"He always does." Lucius answered for Harry in a somewhat smug tone as he rested a hand on the dark haired boy's shoulder once he had kissed his father. "I thought we'd go out and have lunch as without Draco it's just the two of us." He told his godson, referring to the fact that his own son was staying with a one of his friends from school who would also be taking him to get the Hogwarts Express on the fourth of the month.

"That sounds good to me." Harry replied with a smile as he took the blonde man's hand in preparation to Apparate. "Take care Father."

"See you again soon Severus." Lucius drawled in a strange tone which Harry noticed caused the usually sombre man to blush intensely before his house vanished with a light pop.

2nd September 1990: Midday

A happy smile decorated Harry's face as he silently listened to his godfather talk to him about nothing in particular, just happy to have this time alone with the man. As usual, it was Lucius who was doing all the talking. It would probably surprise many a person if they ever found out that Lucius Malfoy could actually be quite the chatterbox when in the right company and if he had enough on his mind to talk about. And he obviously did have a lot to talk about, though that was understandable considering the last time the two of them had a decent conversation.

It had been so long since he and Lucius had spent any decent time together at all never mind being alone together. Unsurprisingly, Harry was enjoying himself immensely, glad to be in just his godfather's company. He wasn't sure why, but he had noticed before that when it was just himself and Lucius, the blonde man was usually a lot more relaxed then if Draco or Severus were also present. Maybe it was because Lucius felt the need to keep up appearances around the other two Slytherins or maybe when it was just him and Harry he felt more comfortable with playing the cool godfather who spoils his only godchild rotten, just because he could. No matter the reason though, Harry was glad it was the case.

It was when their meal was coming to the end, just as Harry was brought his dessert of a huge slice of warm chocolate cake with a copious amount of fresh, whipped cream, that he was actually required to have a speaking role in the conversation. As Harry lifted a forkful of cake to his mouth, his godfather spoke directly to him: "Haryon, may I ask you a question?"

With the tip of his fork still in his mouth, Harry looked up at Lucius curiously, rather surprised by the question. Slowly, he removed the fork and swallowed the contents of his mouth. "Of course you can. About what though?"

"I was just wondering; what are the Havanist views on relationships?" The blonde asked casually.

This was another reason that Harry liked spending time with his godfather; he was the only member of his family who ever regularly acknowledged his religion. His father seemed to merely tolerate Harry's practices, never commenting on them and rarely even acting as though it existed. Draco just plain wasn't interested in that part of Harry's life. Lucius on the other hand often made a point of wishing Harry a happy Nirhy at Christmas and he never hesitated to ask questions if he was curious about something. Having said that however, hadn't the man just hesitated now? Why did he suddenly feel the need to ask permission to ask such a question? It was strange to say the least.

"Relationships as in family or as in relationship relationships?" Harry checked.

"The latter."

"Erm, well, love is a sacred thing and should be celebrated no matter what, so as long as it's loving and wanted on both parts, any relationship is completely accepted." Harry explained, thinking as he spoke.

"Even between two members of the same gender?" Lucius inquired easily, causing Harry to blush.

"It doesn't matter. Gender, age, race, blood, beliefs; none of it matters as long as there's love there." The dark haired boy mumbled somewhat shyly.

Why was Lucius asking him all of this now? Could...Was it possible that the blonde had started a relationship with someone? It had been six years since Narcissa's death after all; it would be quite understandable if he did want to start seeing people again. He was an adult after all and Harry knew that adults had...Certain needs. And that question he had asked about same gender relationships; did that mean that Lucius was seeing another man? It was no bother to Harry if that were the case; after all, he firmly believed that gender played no part in love.

Breaking from his train of thought, Harry realised that his godfather had once again moved the conversation along and was talking about the new school year which would start in a few days. Casting the last conversation from his mind, Harry listened intently to Lucius' words. There was no point in continuously pondering the blonde's love-life. If there was something significant to know, his godfather would eventually tell him.

2nd September 1990: Evening

The conversation Harry had shared with Lucius on the Havanist views on relationships had continued to dance around his head for the remainder of the afternoon. However brief it had been, it had produced a question in Harry's mind which he really wanted answered: was his darling godfather lonely?

Maybe it was just the way that Harry had been raised coupled with his religious beliefs, but he honestly didn't think it was possible to live happily without regular, physically affectionate contact. And he had not seen Lucius have any other contact with anyone else besides a brief shaking of hands in greeting for absolute years. It worried the dark haired boy to say the least. He worried that his godfather was unhappy and lonely when something could so easily be done about it.

So that's why he was where he was now, standing outside the blonde man's study. He was determined to break through to the man and get him to accept a cuddle and he was going to go about it in a sneaky, dare he say Slytherin, way. The plan was to make Lucius feel like he was doing Harry a favour by allowing the boy to sit with him and then, when the time was right, Harry would pretend to fall asleep and slump across the blonde accordingly. Granted, it wasn't a fool-proof plan, there were several things which might not work properly and there was no guarantee that his godfather would take the cuddling opportunity. It was the best plan that Harry could come up with however, so it would just have to do. Though he didn't want to sound full of himself or arrogant, the dark haired boy was fairly confident that his plan would go how he wanted.

Ready for whatever it was that was to come, Harry raised his right hand and lightly tapped it on the door in front of him. Then, not waiting for an acknowledgement to come from the other side, he grasped the handle and turning it before pushing it open a little and peering inside. Lucius was sitting on the three-seat sofa directly opposite the open fire which was the only source of light in the room, save for the small candle which hovered in the air beside the blonde. It was a peaceful scene but Harry also considered it to be a rather lonely scene as well, reminding him of a lonely, old miser.

"Uncle Lucius?" Harry said quietly, stepping around the edge of the door but not coming any further into the room. The blonde looked up at him and the dark haired boy took that as an okay to go on. "I was wondering if you'd mind if I joined you." He explained, making sure to sound suitably timid and pleading; after all, the aim was to get Lucius to believe he was doing his godson a favour, not the other way around.

"I am busy Haryon; I have things which need to be completed for when I return to work on the day you return to Hogwarts." Lucius pointed out, looking back down at the sheets of paper on his lap, doing exactly what Harry had expected.

"I won't be any bother." Harry assured quickly, stepping into the room a little further. "I brought a book with me," and he held up the book to prove the fact, "I just got lonely is all..." He trailed off, knowing that he had sounded suitably meek.

Harry watched the cogs in Lucius' mind working as he processed the information and began to make his decision. Once the first few seconds had passed, Harry knew he'd won. If his godfather hadn't wanted him there, he'd have already sent him back to his room. The fact that the blonde was still thinking about it made an acceptance an almost sure thing.

"Very well then." Lucius sighed eventually, not looking up from his work. "As long as you don't distract me I have no argument with you reading in here with me."

"Thank you." Harry said quietly as he shut the door behind him with a quiet click before scurrying over to the sofa to join his godfather.

The dark haired boy made sure to settle himself quickly so as to cause as little disruption for the blonde beside him as possible. He didn't want to push his luck after all. Once he was sitting and comfortable, Harry opened his book to a random page with absolutely no intent on reading it properly. It was for display purposes only while he waited for the sufficient amount of time to pass to make him falling asleep seem plausible. He estimated that about fifteen to twenty minutes should be enough, it usually was.

Yes, Harry was no stranger to this type of trick; he used it regularly on his father whether it was to get the sour man to relax or to cheer him up when he was being stubbornly distant. Dealing with Severus had also taught Harry to fake sleep extremely effectively. Experience had shown that when the Potions Master was in a foul mood, he would sometimes take it out on his son if the boy happened to be around, with horribly cold words and then a long period of ignoring the boy especially if he was made to cry by the man's behaviour.

At the beginning, when Harry was younger and didn't know how to deal with the aftermath of these events, being ignored by Severus could go on for days for the mere fact that his father did not handle guilt very well and was even worse at saying sorry. It was still always the man who went to his son first in the end however. The reason Harry could never approach him first was because each and every time, he imagined that it was the last straw and that his father no longer loved or wanted him. One afternoon however, after a particularly horrible verbal attack from his father, Harry had cried himself to sleep in a corner that existed in the living room at their cottage created by their sofa and the wall. It was evening when he had woken up as his father picked him up and carried him off to bed. Before he had been able to tell the man he was awake, he had heard a very quiet, whispered "sorry" from the man. Although he couldn't have been sure, Harry was pretty certain the his father hadn't known he was awake at that moment. The next morning, Harry hadn't been afraid that Severus didn't love him because of that whispered apology and they had made up far more quickly than any other time.

From then on, after each of these little out-bursts from his father, Harry made a point of falling asleep somewhere other than his own bed so that the man would have to carry him up to bed and he always murmured an apology on the way. And, if Harry didn't feel sleepy, he'd pretend to be asleep. As he had grown older and he failed to cry after the out-bursts, faking sleep had been a necessity. It had taken him a while to fully master and had required using Draco as a test subject sometimes but he had eventually managed it. Now, at the prime age of twelve, Harry was a master of manipulating people and situations by faking sleep and the reason it worked so well was because no one ever suspected of him being the sort to do it.

Harry yawned lightly, bringing his hand up to cover his open mouth politely, only half faking it. It was getting quite late but he had intentionally waited until it was quite late. Partly because it fitted with the story, (night was usually the time that loneliness set in for most people) but also because it meant he could go to his godfather in his pyjamas. Harry had a theory you see. The reason the whole "pretending to sleep" thing worked so well was because of what falling asleep around someone else represented: trust; faith; innocence, and it was that last one which Harry used the most and emphasised with the pyjamas. He was a naturally small boy and he was not against using that and his innocent, bookish appearance to his advantage.

Don't look so surprised. There had to be a reason why the Sorting Hat wanted to put him in Slytherin after all and this was it.

Deciding that enough time had passed, Harry allowed his head to slump forward and his eyes close. His grip on his book relaxed completely and it slipped from his fingers, closing on his lap. He couldn't tell whether or not Lucius had noticed that he was now seemingly asleep but that hardly mattered; it was how the blonde reacted to the next part which was the important bit.

Carefully, but apparently completely naturally, Harry flinched his muscles just enough to knock his body off balance causing it to voluntarily slide down until he was half laying on the sofa and half laying on his godfather. He noted in displeasure that he hadn't exactly slumped in a very comfortable position and Lucius' arm was digging right into his chest. There was nothing he could do about it though without pretending to wake up and he wasn't about to do that. Hopefully, in a few seconds, he wouldn't have to do anything about it anyway; his godfather would do something about it for him.

This was it; the moment of truth. There were several things that Harry expected that his godfather might do: wake him up and send him to bed; wake him up and tell him to shuffle further down the sofa; shift Harry over himself without waking him or maybe, just maybe, he'd do as the boy hoped he would and allow him to continue to sleep against him, possibly even put his arm around his shoulders in a more comfortable position for them both. Only time would tell what would happen as despite the fact the wait was only a few seconds, it seemed to drag on and on.

Eventually, the wait ended and the query was answered. Carefully, gently and very hesitantly, Lucius brought his arm out from underneath Harry's body and curled it around the boys shoulders, pulling him closer. With an ease and seemingly unconscious movement which had only been achieved after many practices, the dark haired boy snuggled in closer to his godfather's side, aiming to reassure the man that the new position was more comfortable and was, unknowingly of course, appreciated. It seemed to work as the arm around his shoulders gave a very gentle squeeze as Lucius' body shifted beside him. Moments later, Harry felt a soft pressure on the top of his head through the cover of his hair and he was rather shocked to realise that it was the blonde's lips pressing a gentle kiss. Their presence left a second or two later and the body Harry was sprawled across straightened up, no doubt returning to the work papers.

Harry cheered mentally as he fought back the triumphant grin which threatened to spread across his face. It really was just far too easy to read the members of his family.

4th September 1990: Midday

Harry waved to his godfather enthusiastically from a window in the Hogwarts Express as the train began to pull away slowly. The past two days with just him and the blonde man had been wonderful and he knew he was going to miss the Malfoy elder more than usual. Because of that, he stayed by the window until the last possible moment. It wasn't until the platform and its occupants were completely out of sight before he turned away from the window and set off to find an empty compartment or Fred and George, depending on what happened first.

He had barely passed the doors to three compartments however, before he was abruptly yanked into one, the door sliding shut the moment he was fully inside. He quickly turned his head to see who it was, not really knowing what to expect, and was relieved to discover that it was Draco who stood opposite him. "A simple hello would have been okay you know." Harry grumbled, giving his best friend a playful glare.

"But not half as fun for me." The blonde Slytherin grinned before throwing himself into the Gryffindor's arms happily, letting out a happy hum. "I've missed this."

"Not me then?" Harry asked lightly, smiling in slight amusement as he rested his cheek on Draco's shoulder.

"No, just the hugs; pillows aren't as responsive as you." Draco teased playfully, giving the boy in his arms a squeeze.

"Hmph, bloody cheek." The dark haired boy mumbled before pulling away and sitting down in the middle of one of the seats. "So how comes you're in here waiting to ambush me and not with your other friends?" He inquired easily, thinking of nothing of it when the other boy sat down next to him and draped his arm over his shoulders.

"I've spent that last week or so with a good chunk of them whereas I haven't seen you in almost a month." Draco justified simply. "Besides, I've been suffering withdrawal symptoms from lack of your hugs; pillows really are no match for you."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Harry grinned before changing the subject. "So how was it with the Zabini's?"

"Same as always really."

"Are you still wary of their father?"

Draco didn't answer straight away and for a moment Harry feared that he had touched a too-raw nerve. However, before he could properly consider apologising, the blonde spoke: "People like him don't change without reason, they merely lie."

Harry didn't know what he could say to that, so he said nothing, instead opting to snuggle a bit closer to his best friends, offering what little comfort he could.

13th September 1990: Midday

"Woo! You show 'em Fred! Go on George!" Harry cheered enthusiastically from where he was sitting on the grass as he watched his two friends trying out for the Quidditch team. This year, there were only two spaces free and both of them were Beater positions. As far as Harry was concerned, the Weasley twins were the obvious choice; they were the only competition in the air. The new Quidditch captain was Oliver Wood, the team's Keeper since his Second Year. Harry wasn't sure why the Fourth Year had been picked for team captain as there were older players who had also played for longer but he never-the-less thought it was a good choice.

"Harry!" A call from Draco suddenly called the dark haired boy's attention. Harry turned to see the blonde coming towards him around the edge of the Quidditch Pitch. It was a little brazen of him, to stroll so casually through his rival House's Quidditch try-outs, he seemed completely un-phased by it.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked his best friend as the blonde came to a stop and stood beside him, looking as if he had no intention to sit down. No doubt part of the whole Malfoy-persona he felt he had to maintain when he was at Hogwarts.

"Nothing wrong with me coming to chat to my oldest friend." Draco replied easily, a small smirk on his face.

Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you really here for?" He asked, amused.

"I just thought you'd like to be the first outside of the dungeons to meet the new Slytherin Beater." Draco smirked. Translated into non-Malfoy speak it basically meant that the blonde was beyond excited and he wanted Harry to be one of the first to know rather than the other way around.

"That's wonderful Draco." Harry smiled up at his friend, knowing that a hug would be out of the question in such a public place and with so many Gryffindors around. "Congratulations."

Draco's smirk widened a little more before he looked up at the sky where the Gryffindor Quidditch players were whizzing around. "What positions are available for you lot then?"

"Both Beater positions."

"That all?" The blonde asked, looking back down at the dark haired boy.

"That's all." Harry confirmed. "I reckon Fred and George are gonna get both positions; they're by far the best of today and I don't think there's anyone else who wants to try out."

"Not even you?" Draco asked completely seriously though still Harry laughed lightly at the idea.

"Oh yeah, me as a Beater, that'd go really well wouldn't it? No, you know me Draco; Quidditch is all right to play for fun but I wouldn't want to play when it's all serious and official." He told the Slytherin easily.

"Hmm, you never have been much for competition." Draco murmured, mostly to himself as he stared out at nothing across the pitch.

For a few minutes, neither boy said anything or moved. Eventually however, Harry found he had to speak. "I don't think the others would be too pleased if they realised you were here while they're doing Quidditch stuff."

"Hmm, yes, I suppose you're right." Draco conceded. "I'll leave you now then, if only to spare you the aggravation of an argument between myself and your friends though that would be hugely entertaining for me." With that, Draco leaned down and pressed a small kiss to Harry's hair line. A bright blush bloomed on the dark haired boy's cheeks and he prayed to his Great Lady that no one above happened to look down at that moment. "I'll see you around Harry." The blonde whispered in his ear before straightening up and strolling away as though he owned the entire Quidditch pitch.

8th October 1990: Night

Silence, darkness and complete stillness was totally ruined with the soft padding of feet, a silver glow edging its away around a corner leading into the corridor and a small figure coming around that same corridor seconds later. Wand and Marauder's Map in hand, Harry carefully hurried his way towards his destination, thankful that tonight was turning out to be uneventful.

Just over a month into the new school year at Hogwarts and Harry had broken the students' curfew more times in the past four weeks than he ever had the previous year. He had a good justification though, he honestly did! He wasn't just sneaking out of his bed in the middle of the night to cause trouble, he had a real reason. Night was the only time he could get the time alone with the new friends he had made and considering who these new friends were, it had to be alone time otherwise people would probably start talking.

Harry glanced down at the map in his hand and noticed immediately that the name Argus Filch was in the next corridor from him. His eyes widened marginally in apprehension. With a hasty "nox" the silver light at the end of his wand extinguished itself and he ducked behind a suit of armour, prepared for a long wait for the man to pass. However, through the darkness he could still see the Marauder's Map and, as luck would have it, a couple of other people, whose names he didn't recognise, turned into the corridor the caretaker was still in, effectively distracting his attention. He took advantage of the distraction and got to his feet again before dashing off back down the corridor he had just come down, deciding to take another route outside.

Ten minutes later and the lone boy was outside, dashing across the Quidditch pitch with the intent of reaching the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He wasn't going to go inside, he never did, he was just going to wait on the outskirts. At the pace he was running, it was a mere few minutes before Harry had reached his destination. He slowed to a stop and allowed himself a few seconds to calm his panting breath. Once his breathing was back to normal, he lay on his side and tried to peer into the undergrowth which covered the ground of the forest.

"Hello? Isss anyone here tonight?" He hissed gently, easily slipping into Parseltongue.

"We were beginning to thhhink you weren't coming thisss night." An answering hiss was Harry's answer as three small snakes came slithering out from the undergrowth.

"I'm sssorry, I fell asssleep after I'd finissshed my asssssignmentsss for tomorrow." The boy apologised as he sat up straight again, looking down at the three thin, delicate snakes. His eyes fell onto a pale yellow one who hung behind the other two and he smiled at it. "I don't believe I've ever ssseen you before." He said kindly, getting into a kneel and angling his head closer to the little yellow snake.

"He sssharesss my mothhher." The green one of the trio told him easily. "He isss two sssummersss younger than me."

"It'sss very niccce to meet you." Harry said to the yellow snake after listening to the green one's story.

"As it isss you. I never knew your kind could ssspeak." The young snake hissed softly, almost shyly.

"Mossst like you don't. Not very many of my kind can." The boy explained as he straightened up again and reached into the pocket of the robe he was wearing in order to keep warm. "I managed to sssneak some more sssugar cubes today." He smiled as he pulled three lumps of sugar out from his robe. Gently, he lay them on the grass and the three snakes immediately went for them, their little tongues flicking out at the white sweet.

"Sssuch a lovely boy." The third snake, which was white with light brown splodges over it, complimented as it took a break from licking the sugar. "And ssso courageousss; approaching usss that firssst time without so much as a fear."

Harry blushed at that compliment and looked away slightly awkwardly. "Yesss, well, that wasss before I realisssed what kind of sssnakesss you actually are. If I had known, I would have been a bit more wary."

"It isss jussst asss well we were too ssstunned to hear you ssspeak sssenssse then or elssse you may not be here to provide usss with thisss delightful sssugah." The green snake joined the conversation then.

"It'sss pronounccced sssugar." Harry corrected the snake.

"I prefer my name for it." The little snake dismissed the correction, returning to the sugar.

"Yesss, I thought you might." Harry said with a light grin of amusement as he lay down onto his back and settled to watch his little friends enjoy their treat.

End of Chapter 14.
This chapter is with thanks to my friend Steven who used the sleeping trick on his parents until he was in his mid-teens and stopped being so cute :D So, you see, boys do do it, right up until they can't get away with it anymore :D
Anyways, I hope you all liked this chapter and are looking forward to the next one. For now, I shall say goodbye and hope to see you all again next week :)

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